Week 14

 Hello Family and Friends!

This week has been a good one! Elder Murri and I are finishing up our second transfer together, and I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to serve with him. He is a wonderful example to me, and in this last week we have together, I am excited to try to take as many gems of wisdom as I can!

We had the opportunity to try squirrel yesterday. We were at a fish fry with 15-20 people (all kin), and when we walked in, the matriarch said, "Oh goody, them Elders 'bout to try themselves some squirrel". I found myself in that wonderfully uncomfortable situation that I find myself in quite often. I let out a chuckle. Surely they can't be serious. It had to have been a joke; it would have been a funny joke. Then I look around. I realize that I drove down a little dirt road to get here. I am 20 minutes from any semblance of civilization, and even then the town consists of less than 1000 people. There is a full fish in popping oil on your right. I am in a situation that gives new meaning to the phrase "deep south". I look over at Elder Murri and he gives me a nod. It is the kind of nod that says "Godspeed". With a mixture of excitement to have such a southern experience and horror, I dish myself some squirrel. I opted for the meat around the ribcage and the arm. As I am trying to pull the meat off of the ribcage, the man sitting next to me recommends that next time I opt for a leg - much meatier. See below for attached photo of the squirrel. 

It kind of tastes like pork, but with a little more of an aftertaste. Had it been hot, I think it could have been pretty enjoyable. It was cold and slimy however, so I think next time I will check the temperature before dishing some up. 

On a more spiritual note, we taught an extremely rewarding lesson this week. As missionaries, we rarely use reason when we are teaching. We rely on what we call "The spirit". We believe that the spirit is a member of the god-head who gives an overwhelming sense of peace and testifies of truth. When someone experiences the companionship of the spirit, it makes that individual want to do good and helps them understand truth.

We are teaching someone who is dating a member of the church, and the last couple of years has brought some trials in his life. He lost his teenage son to suicide, and he is looking for a way to live with him again. He has turned to the Book of Mormon and the gospel of Jesus Christ for answers. There are very few times that I have felt the spirit as strongly as I did during that lesson with him. We are anxiously looking forward to our next lesson tomorrow. 

Elder Murri taught me a very important principle this week. I asked Elder Murri why he thought the spirit was so present during our lesson with this particular investigator. His answer was simple, but also profound. "He wanted the spirit to be there". It seems that as hard as missionaries can try to bring the spirit to a lesson, it is ultimately up to the investigator to accept the spirit and allow it to impact their life. This is not to say that we don't have an impact on the spirit; the investigator's intentions just matter more. I am thrilled to have had this experience, and I look forward to seeing how our friend continues to progress.

I wanted to follow up with the experience with Jacobi that I shared a few weeks ago. We have continued teaching him, and he is eager to learn. Due to some health concerns, Jacobi has agreed to be baptized as soon as things with covid have relaxed! It has truly been a blessing to get to know him and we look forward to continuing to build our relationship.

Love you all!

Elder Garff