Week 3

Hi Friends!

 

I wanted to remind you that I will be giving a missionary farewell talk tomorrow at 2:00-2:15ish! I would love to see all of your wonderful faces! https://zoom.us/j/92628164111

 

I just finished my third and final week in the Missionary Training Center. I leave on Tuesday! Jacksonville is currently under hurricane watch as Tropical Storm Isaias is approaching, but it looks like it will be pretty mild (in terms of Florida weather), and I think that skies will be clear by the time I land.  

 

I can't wait to be in Florida. It will be hard to leave my family, but I feel lucky that I will be able to call home often and communicate with all of you via email! When my Dad served in the late 80s, he was limited to writing letters once a week and calling home only on Mother's Day and Christmas. 

 

As many of you know, Florida is blowing up with covid cases. I asked my mission president about what missionaries are able to do in this unprecedented time, and what the Florida social distancing protocol is like. This doesn't come as a huge surprise considering the surge in cases, but Florida doesn't have very effective social distancing precautions. While I know that missionaries in Jacksonville are taking covid more seriously than the rest of Florida, I was still surprised to hear that (if invited) missionaries can visit houses to teach lessons to people younger than 65 without health issues. Of course, missionaries are required to wear masks and stay 6ft apart from others and can't proselyte or knock on doors. I don't know how to feel about this. On one hand, I am thrilled to be doing missionary work and interacting with others, but on the other hand, I have enjoyed the feeling of security knowing that I am not in danger of getting myself or those I interact with sick. It will be interesting to see what covid culture is like down there!

 

I wanted to talk a little bit about what I have been doing and learning in the home MTC. Most of our time is put towards our classes. We have about 6 hours of class a day over zoom. We talk about how to study for lessons, plan lessons, teach lessons, and how to communicate more clearly and effectively. We have been studying out of a "textbook" of sorts called Preach my Gospel. It is phenomenal. It explains church doctrine in a way that is simple to teach and easily understood. I wish I would have read it years ago. If you want to learn about doctrinal principles of the church, read the lessons in Preach my Gospel!  Outside of our classes, we study individually and with our companions (also over zoom), practice our teaching, and exercise. Lately, most of my study has come out of the Bible, Preach my Gospel, and the Book of Mormon. 

 

This last week has been focused around teaching practice. We role play different lessons often, do zoom calls with actors (who then review our teaching skills), and plan for a lot of different teaching scenarios. It has been exciting to see how my companions and I have grown as teachers! By no means are we pros, but we have been encouraged by our growth during these three weeks. 

 

Thank you for all your emails. It has been wonderful to hear from you all. I hope to see you virtually tomorrow. 

 

Love, 

Elder Garff

 

Here are some photos! 

 

This is my "district" (missionary language for class) giving each other virtual high fives.

 

My wonderful companions Elder Toolson (top right) and Elder Brown (bottom center)