How we spent our Christmas

Hello all,

Most of the week before Christmas we spent shopping, baking, cooking and cleaning in preparation for Christmas, besides all our office responsibilities.

Christmas day we went to the local Wards in the front of our home. It started at 9 and lasted only a hour and ten minutes. Both wards met together (they just recently split the wards) and it was packed. Evidently they have a tradition of passing out treats after Sacrament Meeting when Christmas falls on a Sunday as everyone was passing out candy, cookies, popcorn, etc. One of the Elders commented that he had never received so much candy at one time! After Sacrament meeting they had a Baptism for a young woman - baptized by our Elders. What a special day to be Baptized! No one was in any hurry to leave and get home.

That evening we went to President and Sister Clark's home for dinner along with all the Elders and Sisters who serve in Singapore (10 Elders and 3 Sisters). We had a traditional turkey dinner. It is amazing how much food Elders can eat! After dinner we had a devotional. We sang every Christmas hymn in the hymn book. President Clark, along with some of the Elders, shared some insights into the Christmas story. It was such a wonderful way to spend a Christmas evening. Afterwards we played the white elephant game. It was a lot of fun but not nearly as wild as when we play it in our family - the missionaries are just too nice or maybe they just like to open packages rather than "steal" others. We then brought the 3 Sisters home with us to spend the night and the Elders spent the night at the Clarks so they could all "skype" with their families on Monday morning (Christmas day in the US - the first year they could skype). We skyped with some of our kids on Sunday night (Christmas eve for them) and the rest early on Monday morning when they were all at Janice and Jon's home for Christmas dinner.

Christmas in Singapore was really a special day, but we did miss our familiy. It helped us realize that the missionaries, while we're sure they missed their families too, had a wonderful day being together.

Monday morning it was back to the office as usual! Missionary work has to go on. We picked up a young man at the airport from Kuala Lumpur that came in to Singapore for just a few hours to be set apart as a missionary by President Clark and then he flew out to the Philippines to attend the Missionary Training Center there for two weeks. After two trips to the airport and getting caught up on our office duties, we attended another Baptism at the Stake Center that evening of another man who came down from Kuala Lumpur to be baptized in Singapore by one of the missionaries who had taught him while he was serving in KL.

This next couple of weeks is going to be wild. We have 8 missionaries going home on the 3rd of Jan. and then 2 more along with a Sr. Couple on the 11th of January. We have 16 new missionaries coming in on the 11th plus 16 Trainers (missionaries) from other areas of the mission. We also have major transfers happening this next week and then even more on the 11th! Getting their money straight (every area is different) and getting all their air flights booked is a nightmare. Plus we will have to house and feed all the new ones and their trainers. On top of that, we have our Senior Conference on the 5th and 6th of January. Some will be coming in on the 4th and others not leaving until the 8th! We will have 5 couples staying with us (all 18 couples here the first night for dinner) 2 with the President and the rest (9 couples) staying with volunteer families. It is wonderful getting together with the other Seniors, but it is a lot of work! On Friday night after a day of training and sharing, we will be going out to dinner and then to see the musical play, "Wicked". After the 13th (when all the missionaries are back to their areas), we will probably both collapse!

Serving a senior mission, however, is a wonderful experience. We get to live in a different culture, experience new foods, associate with wonderful people, serve with fantastic young missionaries, and most of all, serve our Heavenly Father!

We love all of you and remember you in our prayers.

With our love and best wishes for a great New Year!

Elder & Sister Garrett, mom & dad, grandma & grandpa, relatives and friends.

Photos attached:
1. The young man who came down from KL to be baptized and Elder Spendlove (one of our Office Elders)
2. Walk way along the ocean where we went walking tonight.

Merry Christmas from Singapore!

Merry Christmas from Singapore!

We have been really busy the last couple of weeks. We have had a lot of company and have had to do a lot of cleaning! We finally pulled the Christmas tree down from the storage area and put it up. It is actually quite a pretty tree. We bought some more ornaments and it looks great. This week doesn't feel like Christmas at all though. We finally did some baking tonight so we could have some cookies for the Missionaries. Since Christmas is on a Sunday, we will go to Church in the morning (here in Singapore) and then in the evening we will have a dinner at the Mission President's home and play some games. The Elders will spend the night there so they can skype with their families Sunday night and Monday morning. The Sisters (only 3) will be spending the night with us and "skyping" with their families. It should be a lot of fun. The Sisters are coming over tomorrow night to bake cookies for some of their investigators.

Last Sunday we went to both branches in JB (Sacrament in one and Priesthood/Relief Society in the other). We took Christmas packages that had been sent to the Mission Office for the 8 Elders in JB - they were certainly happy to see us! It, however, took us 3 1/2 hours to get back home as immigration was a nightmare! One of the High Counselmen and his wife went with us (Brother Allen). He got so frustrated with the other drivers that he put his window down in the back seat and started yelling at some of the other drivers who were cutting in line and then not letting us merge! He did this twice and he is such a nice easy going man! We were hoping no one recognized our badges!

Saturday night the two wards that meet in the Chapel in front of our home, had a combined Christmas party and they invited us. It was held right in front of our house. They had turkey, ham and all the traditional trimings. They also had a DJ - a member of one of the Wards, who played music while his wife directed musical games. It was a lot of fun and everyone had a great time and best of all it didn't rain! It has rained a lot the last couple of weeks. It rained all day today and often really hard. We understand this is their "monsoon" season. At least it has cooled it off a little bit. Almost our entire yard is a lake and the bullfrogs are serenading us!

Last night we went to the airport to pick up the President, his wife, and the AP's. Their plane was due to land at 6:25 - at 6:20 it was confirmed and then the times disappeared off the board and it said delayed with no time! After about a half hour we went to the information counter and they said they had no record of it even taking off in Kuala Lumpur! About that time the President called and said they had just landed - but back in KL. I guess they were coming in for a landing in a really heavy storm and at the very last minute they aborted the landing and took off again. The captain then told them that they "should" have enough gas to return to KL and they were going to do that instead of trying to land in such a heavy storm. The trip to KL usually takes 55 minutes. They made it back in 25 minutes! They went right through all the storms with no veering around anything! Sister Clark was sure they were going to die! She hates flying (but they fly every week) - she was absolutely terrified!

We had two new Senior Sisters arrive this week plus a Senior Sister here, Sister Lowe, who goes home in 6 weeks. They will be serving in Melaka, West Malaysia. I've never seen anyone as tired as these two from the States when they arrived. One of them went to bed at 5:15 p.m. and didn't wake up until 7:30 a.m. and she was still tired! They will be the first Seniors to serve in Melaka.

We have 11 visa runners (missionaries) coming in tomorrow, so we will have some of them staying with us tomorrow night. It is always fun to see them.

We hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas and will take the time to think about the real meaning of Christmas and celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. What an honor it is to serve him and the people here in Singapore and Malaysia. We love what we are doing, but we do miss all of you.

With our love and best wishes,

Elder and Sister Garrett, mom & dad, grandma & grandpa, relatives and friends


Our Christmas Tree!

Two new Senior Sisters with President and Sister Clark.

Ward Christmas Party

Musical chairs for the men.

Christmas in Singapore

Hello,

This has been a busy week and a half since our last letter. We had the Pleusiers (the Australian couple - they are Dutch with a French name from Australia) stay with us one night. Then Elder & Sister Johnson brought the Indian (Tamil) family down from Butterworth West Malaysia. It was a mother, her daughter and her son. Her son was to be set apart for his mission by President Clark, however we still don't know for certain where he will be serving. They are still trying to find some evidence of his grandparents being born in India so he can serve there (the government in India will only let those with Indian ancestors serve there). He left Saturday for the MTC (missionary training center) in Manila without knowing for certain where he will be serving. Most likely he will be serving in the Singapore Mission. They are such a humble family. The father died about 9 years ago and the mother works 6 days a week 13 hrs a day at a school (day care). The daughter works at a bank 6 days a week. The mother washes all their clothes by hand. She had no idea how a washing machine worked! We fixed a mexican casserole with a lot of cheese for dinner one night and while she ate some, you could tell she didn't like it at all! She usually eats with her hands, but ate with a spoon here. We really enjoyed having them here - what a sweet family. They arrived Friday and left late Sunday night.
Saturday we took the son, Reuben, to the airport to fly to Manila. The mother and daughter were so sad!

We had a new Mandarin speaking Elder (Elder Fanning) arrive from Utah. He is serving in West Malaysia. One of our office Elder's for the last 8 months - Elder Nowland - leave. How we hated to see him go. He is now serving in E. Malaysia. We have a wonderful new Elder in the office though, Elder Spendlove. He is from Virgin, UT and is a talented singer among many other talents. I'm sure we will love him too!

Sunday we (Dave & I) went to JB with the President. It was an historical day for JB. A district was created and it will now fall under the direction of the Mission President instead of the Singapore Stake. There were over 150 in attendance - the most in over a year. The District Presidency consists of a Tamil (Indian), a Chinese, an American (Elder Gregory), and an Australian (Brother Pleusier). Hopefully the branches will really grow. One of the missionaries had over 20 investigators there! We then went to the Gregory's for a late afternoon lunch. By the time we returned home we had been gone 11 1/2 hours - a long day, but a wonderful one.

Last night (or rather this morning) we went to the airport to pick up one of our Senior Sisters (Sister Winters - serving in Kuching, E. Malaysia). She has been in the US for a week as her father died and was returning back to the Mission. She was to arrive at 1 a.m. and then not fly out to Kuching until 11 a.m. We were going to bring her back here to sleep for a while. We waited and waited for her and she didn't show up. We thought maybe she had decided to just stay and rest at the airport. Then this afternoon we received a call from her husband and he was worried as she didn't show up in Kuching and they said she wasn't on the plane. After I made a call to the airport, we found out that she doesn't come in until tonight! He had read the ticket wrong! We are not going back at 1 a.m. again tonight! If she comes here, it will have to be by taxi!

The Christmas lights in Singapore are beautiful. We went one night on our own, another night with the Pleusiers, and then the Johnsons, and the Indian family wanted to go too. The Gregory's are coming over to spend two nights with us this week (their granddaughter is visiting and wants to see Singapore) and she wants us to go with them Thursday night to see the lights! We have yet to put up a single Christmas decoration in our home (mostly from a lack of time), but we aren't missing them at all. We usually spend many days decorating at home in Colorado. While our family in Colorado is freezing and having snow storms, we are basking in 80 degree weather every day with a lot of rain thrown in! It just doesn't seem like Christmas at all! It will be a time to focus more on the Savior and His birth than to focus on all the trappings of Christmas.

It is such a pleasure to be serving a mission and to see the growth of the Church in this part of the world among all the different nationalities. We see miracles each day in the mission as people's lives change for the better as they accept the gospel - also with our young Missionaries as they forget themselves and learn to serve and love the people here.

May you each take the time to enjoy your families and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.

With our love,

Elder and Sister Garrett, grandma and grandpa, relatives and friends
Notice how wireless is spelled in Malaysia!

Christmas lights by the River at Clarke Quay

More Christmas lights in Singapore

More Christmas lights in Singapore

Christmas lights in Singapore

Christmas lights in Singapore

Christmas lights in Singapore

The Masai Branch President’s daughters – cute!!

Elder & Sister Johnson with Reuben

Alaina, Reuben, and their mother, Mary

2 cute little boys at the airport – enthralled with camera

Our newest Elder (Fanning) & his trainer (Wood)

2 Sister Missionaries were hit on their bikes

Greetings from Singapore,

We hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving week. We have so much to be thankful for. We had a Thanksgiving dinner here for our local Elders/Sisters, the Johor Bahru Elders, Elder & Sister Gregory (from JB), and President & Sister Clark. We had 16 Elders and 3 Sisters, plus 6 Seniors at our home for a total of 25. It was wonderful! Both Sister Clark and I cooked an 18-20 lb turkey. We had all the traditional foods. You can not believe all the food 16 young men can eat! We then had 7 of the Singapore missionaries over the next night for leftovers and they ate almost as much! What fun to see them eat like that. I'm sure it reminded all of them of home. We did, however, miss all our family!

This week brought some sadness as we had two of our Sisters in Kuching, East Malaysia, hit on their bicycles by a motorbike. It was dark and raining, however they had on bright yellow raincoats and lights on their bikes. He said he didn't see them. One Sister was knocked down, but not hurt (just a few scratches). The other Sister (Sister Song) didn't have any scratches, but she did have a compression fracture on her spine. We brought her in to Singapore yesterday to see a specialist. He said it will heal, but she must stay down for at least 2 weeks and wear a back brace for 6 weeks. She is from Singapore, so she will stay with her parents for two weeks and then we'll see if she can go back to her area. She cried and cried at the hospital because she doesn't want to leave her area. She is the only Missionary in Kuching who speaks Chinese and she is working with several people who she hopes will be baptized. We transferred one of our Sisters from Singapore to Kuching to replace her temporarily but she only speaks English and Malay. How these missionaries love the people they work with!

This will be a hard week as transfers occur tomorrow. One of our Office Elders, who we have worked with for 8 months is being transferred to Sandakan, East Malaysia. How we will miss him. He has been so helpful to us. He is also the only Elder in the mission who is authorized by the Mission President to drive the mission van/car when we can't make the trip or we need to use both vehicles. The Elder replacing him is one of the new missionaries who has only been here 2 months. We only met him once, although I'm sure we will love him too.

Today we went to JB for church. This was the first Sunday that the Masai Branch met in their new building. It is a shop-lot building, but it is really nice although it is not yet completely finished. They had 76 people at church! The average attendance is usually only in the 40's! Next week both Branches will meet together at the new building and they will become a District under the Mission instead of being a part of the Singapore Stake. We are all excited about it. After Sacrament Meeting, we went back to the JB Branch for the last hour of meetings and then stayed after for Choir practice (Dave -not me!) and to help decorate the Christmas tree. This coming week, the Australian couple are coming over to spend the night with us and to go see the Christmas lights in Singapore. The Gregory's also may come over. Later this week, the Johnsons (serving in Butterworth, W. Malaysia) are bringing a new missionary and his family down to stay with us a couple of nights while he gets his Patriarcial Blessing before going to the MTC in Manila. He will be serving in India if he gets his visa (which is looking doubtful). We also get one new missionary from the States. He is a Mandarin speaking Elder. We're not sure why only one as we usually get many at one time, but we will gladly accept him.

We can hardly wait to go see the Christmas decorations at night. They are absolutely beautiful in the daytime, but we understand it is like a fairyland when they are lit up at night. In this country of so many different religions, you hear all our familiar religious Christmas songs being played in all the stores. It is wonderful. People here are very tolerant of each other's beliefs. They love to celebrate everyone's holidays!

Well we need to close as it is almost time to head to the airport to pick up the President, his wife and the AP's from their latest trip!

We love serving a mission for our Heavenly Father and we love every one of you!

Elder and Sister Garrett, mom & dad, grandma & grandpa, relatives, and friends

We got to go to Holly and Colin's wedding---sort of.

Sister Howard (red blouse) and her family.

Young mother and her baby, Mackenzie, whose husband was killed in an accident.
Hello,

This was a great week. The best part was the wedding of our oldest granddaughter, Holly and her new husband, Colin. They were married in the Denver Temple (we were sad we couldn't be there, but so proud that they were worthy to be sealed to each other for eternity in the Temple) on Friday morning and then had their reception that night in Fort Collins (our Saturday morning). Our son-in-law, Bret, set up his I-pad to Skype with us. We were able to visit with Holly and Colin and see how beautiful she looked! We met Colin's parents for the first time, were able to visit with all our grandchildren and great-grandchildren that were there, meet a niece's daughter for the first time, see our newest great-granddaughter for the first time and talk with many friends! We also were able to watch Holly and her dad dance, Holly and Colin dance - plus others. We watched the bouquet toss, the garter throw, and the cutting of the cake. We also saw them when they left!! Technology is amazing to be able to watch it live half way around the world - almost as good as being there!

This week also was the going-away dinner for one of our young Sisters - Sister Howard. She has been an amazing missionary. Her parents and sister came to pick her up. At the dinner we discovered that her sister was in the same ward as our granddaughter, Holly, at BYU during their freshman year. It is really a small world! We also had a Zone conference for the Singapore and Jahor Bahru missionaries. It was a great day of instruction. The Gregory's came and stayed with us from Tuesday evening until Saturday morning. They picked their daughter and her husband up Tuesday night and spent the week sightseeing with them. We love having them here. They will be back over for a coupe of days this week as the JB missionaries are coming over to celebrate Thanksgiving with all of us here in Singapore. We were shopping with Sister Clark (Mission President's wife) this week and we actually found frozen turkeys that were 18-20 pounds for $54 each - a real bargain!! We each bought one and will both cook one for Thanksgiving. We will have a total of about 25 people for Thanksgiving - less than at home, but most of them will be hungry missionaries!!

We just received permission from Hong Kong to put the JB and the Masai branches (both in Jahor Bahru) under the Mission instead of the Singapore Stake. JB has kind of been the step-child of Singapore. It has been hard for the Singapore leaders to go over there and it is difficult for the JB leaders to come to Singapore. Under President Clark we really expect it to grow. He will now be in charge of 10 districts plus 115 missionaries!! We don't know how he does it. The Masai branch will also be in a new meeting house starting next week. We aren't sure yet as to which branch we will be assigned. We love the people in both branches although almost everything in the Masai branch is in Malay! There are 8 missionaries assigned to JB now to help it grow - all 8 are fantastic missionaries. I taught Relief Society in the JB branch today. I found out that one of the young mothers with an 8 month old little girl lost her husband 2 months ago in an accident. She has such an amazing attitude about it. She said she knows there is a purpose for it and that she will be with him eternally as they were married in the Temple. She served a mission in SLC on Temple Square and then half of the mission in New York. Between her and her companion they spoke 9 languages! She also attended BYU Hawaii and BYU Provo. She is planning on going back to BYU. She wants to become a lawyer so she can support her young daughter.

We just got back from picking the President, Sister Clark and AP's up from the airport. Their plane was about an hour late due to a big rainstorm here (it is still raining cats and dogs and thundering and lightening). We were entertained during the wait by a huge group of people at the airport to welcome a college team home that won the "seagames" - even though we don't know what that is! They kept practicing their yells and beating drums. As luck would have it, they came out of the baggage check area the same time as the President and his group - what a welcome home for them!

Well that is pretty much the news for this week. Our mission is going so fast. It is hard to believe that we have been out 10 months already. We feel so blessed to be serving the Lord here in Singapore and for the opportunity of serving with such a great Mission President and all the fantastic young Elders and Sisters!! They greatly bless our lives each day.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

With our love and prayers,

Elder and Sister Garrett, Mom & Dad, grandma & grandpa, relatives and friends

Creating a "4G Home" & birthday wishes

Dave along the walkway on a nightly walk – Harbor Front


At MRT station waiting for rain to stop (didn’t!)

Scene along Harbor Front walk.

Masai Branch Pres. Wife and 2 of his 4 daughters. She was in labor over 24 hrs. and he wasn’t allowed to be with her! Baby 3 wks old.

Beach along our walk one night.

Hello from a rainy Singapore!

This week has brought a lot more rain. We had two days without rain, but the other days made up for it! At least the rain keeps everything so lush and green and it cools it off a little - at least until the sun comes out and then it's a sauna! The rain doesn't seem to keep anyone home however!

We ran across the following article regarding Singapore. We think it is wonderful - to bad it's not adopted everywhere.

The idea of creating a “4G Home” which stands for “Great, Gracious, Generous and Green home” . Meanwhile, Minister of State for National Development and Manpower said that Singaporeans can choose to be kind and gracious or not to those around them. “We all make those choices every day. How we treat our family members, how we treat our neighbors. When we walk out and we see them, do we smile? Do we greet them? When we know they’re rushing, do we hold the lift for them,” he asked. “All these little actions doesn’t cost you anything,” he pointed out, adding that doing such acts of kindness would eventually become second nature in people if done regularly. Tan also reminded parents that they also had a role to play in instilling positive values in their children. For instance, he said that the way parents interact in public could have an influence on the behavior of their children. “Do we as parents pay attention to the way we talk in front of our children, the comments we pass about the neighbors, about people out there. We are sometimes very loose in the way we way talk,” he said. William Wan, general secretary of the Singapore Kindness Movement Council, also stressed that the kindness movement is not a top-down but more of a bottom-up approach. “This is a movement; this is not a government thing. This should be a people thing,” he said. And this year’s campaign theme “Say Thanks, Make Someone’s Day” aims to ensure that Singaporeans are able to participate even through the simplest act of kindness, he said.
It is our observation that people here are very courteous, except when they are driving and then it is every person for themselves!

Today we went to JB to church. The President, Sister Clark and AP's went with us (our rather we went with them). It was JB and Masai Branch conferences. We had a pot luck lunch after the JB Branch met. Actually all the food was really good. We took a big crockpot of pasta, "Spanish Delight". We didn't know if they would eat it or not, but there was none left! The blessing on the food was different than any we had ever heard and had to chuckle about it. The person giving it said "bless the food that it will be clean and nourishing". I guess it was due to the way some food is prepared in Malaysia! We've never before heard anyone bless the food to be clean! But, we were grateful for it! All the Stake leaders from Singapore were there, so it was pretty crowded. They announced officially that the two branches would be made a district soon and then it would fall under the Mission President and not the Singapore Stake. We are looking forward to that as President Clark will really help it grow. Right now it is kind of the step-child to the Singapore Stake. Just one more huge responsibility for President Clark - we don't know how he does it all, but he is obviously blessed with an abundance of energy.

This week is going to be another busy week. We have the Zone Conference for the Singapore and JB missionaries. The Gregory's will be coming over and staying with us for the Conference, so we are excited. We also have one Sister (Sister Howard) going home this week. Her parents arrived Friday and then went to West Malaysia for a few days. Sister Howard won't see them until Tuesday! Sister Howard has been a wonderful missionary. She has been serving in Singapore for the last 4 months. Before that she was in East Malaysia. How we hate to see them leave and while they are excited to see their families, it is hard for them to leave the people they have been working with and love.

This will be a hard week as we will be missing the Wedding of our oldest Granddaughter, Holly Kovach. They have promised to skype with us during the reception however (they are getting married in the Denver Temple). Then the following week we will miss being with family for Thanksgiving, but we will be with our Missionary family. The only turkeys we have seen in the market is one that caters to x-pats and they were 50 to 75 dollars for a 10 or 11 pound turkey! The dry dressing mixes are 8.50 a bag. Cranberry sauce was 5 dollars a can! Pumpkin, when we have been able to find it, is 5.50 for a 15 oz can. Oh well, Thanksgiving only comes once a year.

All the stores are putting up Christmas decorations. Singapore is known for having beautiful decorations in the downtown areas. They have been putting up lights and decorations on a daily basis. They light them up from November 20th to the 2nd week in January. We are looking forward to seeing them. We do have a tree, some lights, and decorations out in our storage area. We have no idea what they are like, but we will have to get them down and see if they are even usable. We normally decorate so much so it will be really different this year, but the mission will concentrate on the true meaning of Christmas and the birth of the Savior. We are looking forward to it!

Saturday while we were at the airport picking up the President, Sister Clark and the AP's, the Office Elder's found notes around the church and Mission Office with someone's name, address and phone number on it. They thought that maybe it was someone who wanted to contact the missionaries, so they gave the number to one of the Sister Missionaries to call (their area). When they called him he said he wanted them to tell the owner of the apartment building (which ones we don't know) to pay him money that he said they owed him and if the Sisters didn't call the owner that he would burn our church down! They called the Mission President and he instructed them to call the police and report it. They had them come right in and took it really seriously. I guess he is just a mental case. The police have his name, phone number and address, so he obviously isn't too smart!

Well that is it for this week. We love and miss you all. The gospel of Jesus Christ is true!

Elder and Sister Garrett (mom & dad, grandpa and grandma, relatives and friends.)


November 14, 2011

Hi Everyone! It was so great to get all of those birthday wishes, greetings and remembrances from all of you. It brought back so many memories. It was the best birthday ever. I enjoyed the day. Mom/Grandma and I went to a restaurant called the Peppered Chicken for dinner. The food was good. We are enjoying Singapore very much and yes it is cool to celebrate my birthday here. However, it is not as cool as when all of you are with us. Being away makes me realize how much I love each and everyone of you. We miss you very much. When we get back, we need to do something big together like a cruise. Start saving your money. Well we have to leave and go to the office. It is also Zone Conference so we have to go.

  

I love you all so much,

 

Dad (grandpa)

 

Here are all the birthday wishes:

 

Hi Dad,

 

We all wanted to wish you a very Happy Birthday!  Below are messages from everyone! I asked everyone to send you a birthday message and if they wanted to, to include a favorite memory of you!   Enjoy your day, you might not ever get to celebrate your birthday in Singapore again, but very cool that you get to celebrate it there this year!!

From the Garrett’s (Brian):

 

Brian: 

Happy Birthday Dad.  I wish you were here with us to celebrate your birthday, but I know that you are doing something more important than celebrate birthdays with us.  I could not have asked for a better father than you.  You have showed me what a father should be.  You were always a great example for me.  What I remember most is going fishing and hunting with you.  I also remember all the times you spent helping me with baseball and soccer.  Thank you for your sacrifices for me to make sure I had a great childhood.  I always hope and pray that I can be like you and be a great father.  I still have a long ways to go.   Love always,  Brian

 

Beckie: 

Happy Birthday to the Best Father-in-Law Ever!  I hope you are able to stop and enjoy your special day with some cake and ice cream.  You can get ice cream in Singapore, right? Happy Birthday!  Love, Beckie

 

Graham:        

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Garrett!   Love, Graham

 

Savannah and Emilie: 

Happy Birthday Grandpa.  Keep up the good work.  We miss you.  Love, Savannah and Emilie

 

 From the Garrett’s (David):

 

David:

Happy Birthday Dad,

 Wow 1^st Birthday in Singapore. Maybe they will do fireworks for you or maybe not. Maybe you can treat yourself to a healthy insect dipped in dark chocolate. I’m sure it’s healthy.  Anyways proud of you serving a mission and being a great example to our Kids.  I hope you will do something fun on your birthday and maybe it will not rain all day… You have always been a great example to me and I cherish all of our great memories. You remember Freedom Wyoming (all that laughing on the ground in the middle of Main Street) wasn’t that quite the fun time! I guess I don’t need to say any more about that fun time. The water in the canal was pretty cold.

 I hope you have a great birthday. Just think you and Mom only have about 9 months left…Time sure flies by……Love you and Happy Birthday….  David

 

Debbie:  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!

CHAPPY CHIRPDAY TO YOU!!!

PLAPPY PLURPDAY DEAR DADDY!!!

BAPPY BURPDAY TO YOU!!!!

I sure hope your birthday has been a fantastic one!  Can you believe you are so fancy that you get to celebrate it in Singapore….who knew!  I wonder if you got a birthday cake, are you able to find cake mixes there? Hehehehe….jokin, sure you can!   What fun things did you get to do for your birthday?  Did you play in the rain? 

 Well, thanks for all you are…you are an amazing person and I am so blessed to have you in my life!  Continue on in the GOOD WORK!

 Remember, the Gospel is True and I LOVE YOU!!!!

 Love Debbie in Zion! (MIZDIZ (mother in zion, Debbie in zion)) hahahahahhaa!

 

Brittany, Jacob, Kairi & Aiden:

Happy Birthday Grandpa!!  I love you and miss you so much! i can't wait until you and grandma get back so we can come visit you! I remember one time when we were living in California and we had a babysitter. Someone knocked on the door and I answered it. You showed up randomly! I was so excited!Llater when my mom got home she got mad at me for answering the door like that cause I didn't know who you were before I answered it!  We also loved it when you came to our sealing last October! Kairi loved it when she got to hangout with you and grandma at Zions while us cousins went up the river!!! We love you so much! Aiden will make his own memories with you one day! Have a great day!

 Keeley:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy you’re out on your mission in Singapore!!! How fun!!!!! I bet it’s a super adventure!!!!!! I hope your birthday goes well, and everything will go as planned. :D I hope you’re still practicing the piano there!!!! You’re super awesome at the piano!! ^_^ Have a fun birthday and enjoy it with Grandma!!!! Be safe!!! I love you Grandpa!!!  Love, Keeley Ann Garrett ^_^

 Karley:

Hey Grandpa!!!! Happy Birthday! Thank you for everything you do for me, and sleeping on our couch,(: I love you so much! I hope your mission with grandma is going great! You are a big example in my life(: Thanks for everything! And have the most perfect, fantastic, amazing, splendid birthday you could ever have! Love you!!!!!(: ~Karley(:

 

 From the Kahl’s

 Susan:

Happy Birthday Dad!  I hope you have a great day and get to do some celebrating!  It’s not every year that you get to be in Singapore for your birthday!  I’m so glad that you and mom are serving a mission.  What a great example you are to all of your family and friends.  I’m especially grateful for the example you are to my boys!  They really look up to you and I couldn’t ask for a better example of a father, grandfather, missionary and priesthood holder!  When I think of all my memories growing up, there are so many wonderful one's.   One that always makes me laugh is when we went salmon fishing on the boat and got so sick and watching you try to reel in a fish on a line and being so sick (after we argued whose line it was because neither of us wanted to get it)!  Remember when I threw up and it splattered on the Captain's window!  Haha! It shouild make me sick thinking about the trip, but it doesn't, just makes me laugh.  Also, on Suday's, during the sacrament, I often think of the time that Brian spilled the bread tray on the ground and you scooped the bread back on to it and then watching someone a couple rows in front of us pull a hair out of their mouth after taking the bread!!  I know it's not the most reverent thing to think about, but  that's when I think about it!!!!  Thanks for always being there for me!  We'll miss you both during the holidays, but we wouldn't want you to be anywhere else right now than serving the Lord!  Love you so much!  Susan

 Todd:

Dave, What a wonderful example you are to our family.  Serving the Lord is a wonderful thing and I am sure you have touched the hearts of many (missionaries and the locals as well) through your actions.  I know you have had a great influence on Tanner as he is getting ready for his mission.  Keep up the good work and have a HAPPY BIRTHDAY.    Be excellent and get better everyday.  Love, Todd J

 Tanner:

 

Chandler:

Happy Birthday Grandpa!!! I hope you have a great birthday! I miss all of your funny jokes you would tell us. They were the greatest jokes ever! You are the greatest grandpa ever, I appreciate all that you have done for me in my life, and the great support you have given me! Love you Grandpa!  Love,  Chandler

 Connor:

Happy Birthday Grandpa!  I’m glad you and grandma are on a mission.  I know you are having a great time in Singapore.  I like skyping with you so we can see you!  I liked when me and Chandler got to go to Utah with you and grandma.  That was one of my favorite trips!  I  love you, Connor

  

From the Kovach’s

 Janice:

Happy Birthday Dad!  I love you!  I am the luckiest girl ever because you get better looking every day!  You have been a great role model to me and a great example.  I couldn’t of asked for a better dad than you.  One of my favorite stories I love to tell is when I was four years old and Gilbert wouldn’t get off my new tricycle.  You said I asked him nicely to get off and he wouldn’t so I beat him up and you told me how proud you were of me!  I  hope I can always make you proud of me in all that I do.  I love you!  Happy Birthday!  Thanks for being such a great example.   Love Janice

Jon:

Happy Birthday Dave! 

 Outside of spending the day on the Golf Course or chasing Bambi around in the annual “Walk in the Woods”, I can’t think of a better way to spend your Birthday. 

 While we all miss you, our Family has certainly been blessed by your example and unwavering service to the Lord!  We’re enjoying reading about your experiences and adventures.  It’s getting Janice and I enthused about going when we’re able. 

 I wanted to personally thank you for your example of how a “Father in law” should be!  In a week, I’ll be adding that to my many duties and am grateful to have had such a wonderful role model to pattern how I should act out those duties.  I certainly appreciate it and I’m certain (as he’ll be the beneficiary) Colin will appreciate it as well.  You did good Dave!  Enjoy your Day.  Love You   Jon Sr.

 Holly:

Dear Grandpa. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  I hope you have an absolutely fantastic day!  I hope you get cake!  Do they have cake in Singapore?  :)   If not, I can make a cake here and eat it for you!  :)  But seriously I love you!  I love the example you and grandma are setting by going on a mission and I truely hope you have a wonderful birthday.  Love Holly/!  PS:  I'm excited to skype you in a week!!  PPS:  Colin says Happy Birthday too!

 JJ:

Happy birthday Grandpa. You are my hero. Thank you for bringing our entire family so many blessing by serving the lord. We love and miss you all. We cannot wait to see you next year... and i owe you a game of golf for your birthday present. :) I love you sooooo much.   Love, JJ The Jet Kovach

 Kadie:

Happy Birthday Grandpa! I love you! I miss you tons! I hope you are having a great time in exotic Singapore! See you in a year. Have fun with all those immature missionaries running around :)
Love, Kadie

  

From the Guthrie’s

 Debbie:

Hi Dad, Last night Lindsay came over and was talking about some of her friends families and how dysfunctional some of the relationships between the parents are. They are together but not really together.  They never do anything together, laugh or hug or kiss each other.  She said they are surprised to hear how happy Bret and I are.  She said “I told them that my parents are as in love as much as they always were and even more so now”.   Then we talked about you and mom and how you two obviously love to hang out together and are so happy together and how important it is to look for someone that can be your best friend. She has seen how important that is to you and mom and it has been passed on to us kids as parents.  I think that all of your grandchildren will look for the same thing in their marriages.  You are a great example of a family leader and dad!  I miss you and I Love You. Happy, Happy Birthday!!!!    Love Debbie

 Bret:

Happy Birthday Dave!  I hope you have a wonderful one.  It was so great ‘seeing’ you on Skype the other week. It really made me realize how much I/we miss you both.  You are a great friend Dave… having you as my father-in-law is just icing on the cake.   Can’t wait for you to come home.

 Brandon, Carrie, Corbin and Blake:

Hey Grandpa! Happy Birthday! Reaching way back for some memories... Some of the thing things I remember is you in your leg cast from a fire.  I remember playing in your camper in the driveway at your house and playing with matches.. Getting in trouble and getting a lecture from you. I remember the first time I heard a Spider Bark was at the Simi house.. haha...Having the coolest grandpa that could fastpitch in softball.  And getting to go to Disneyland on Firemen’s Day. Thought I would dig a little deeper for some memories. Miss you and love you.. Brandon, Carrie, Corbin, and Blake

 Travis:

Happy Birthday, Grandpa. I remember when I got to come with you guys on vacation to Lake Tahoe and you helped me catch my first fish; you actually hooked it but let me reel it in. You always did such a great job in bringing happiness to everyone around you. I hope your birthday is EXCELLENT AND GETTING BETTER! We all love and miss you.  Travis

 Laura:

Happy Birthday Dave! I miss you a lot. I hope that you are still enjoying your mission in Singapore. It makes me sad that we won’t be able to see you right away when you return, but Travis, Austin, Rylynn and I are truely enjoying our life here on Maui. I hope you have a wonderful birthday. We are thinking of you often!  Laura

 Austin:

Dear Grandpa, Good luck on your mission, and teach people about God as much as you can. And thanks for throwing all of the parties with our family at your house.  Love Austin

 Rylynn:

Dear Grandpa Garrett, I wish you a Happy Birthday and I hope you are safe.  I Love you Grandpa Garrett!  P.S. Rylynn is reading and writing now!!!  Love,

Justin:

Happy Birthday Grandpa!  You don't look a day over 21:) I really hope you're enjoying your time out there and we can't wait to have you back for a big family dinner! Maybe you can cook some of those well done burgers you're known for:)  Love, Justin

 Parker and Megan:

Happy Birthday Grandpa! We wish we were there to celebrate with you! We sure miss you guys. We hope that you are doing well and that you have a great birthday!
We love you!  Parker and Megan

 Logan:

Happy Birthday Grandpa!  Miss you and love you! Thank you for everything you have done for me, we look forward to having you back home! I remember when you, me and my father all went to the gun show, I thought it was cool to have 3 generations of our family at that interested in the same types of things.

 Jordan:

Grandpa, hope you have a great birthday!  I wish you were here.  I want to thank you for everything you have done for me.  I love you!  Jordan

 Lindsay:

Hi grandpa I miss you. I hope you're having a very happy birthday!I can't wait until you guys get back. I miss coming to your house especially with Thanksgiving coming up.  I love you.   Lindsay


Now it is mom's turn for her birthday wishes!

November 17, 2011

Thanks for sending this.  You don't know how much Dad and I both have enjoyed the messages.  I had forgotten all about the "squirting lotion".  Our birthdays were normal days at the office.  Too busy to take any time off.  Yesterday was our zone conference and everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to all the November birthdays.  The Gregory's have been here for the last couple of days.  One of their daughters and her husband flew in the other night and they are staying here.  We pretty much only see them for a tiny bit in the morning and for a little while at night.  I think they will be here until Saturday.  We enjoy them being here.

 

Well I need to go, I think I'm teaching Relief Society Sunday.  I normally teach on the 2nd Sunday, but that was our Branch conference.  The Pres. wanted to know if I would be there, but she got detracted before I had a chance to ask her.  I hope I don't as I haven't had any time to prepare and the lesson is on the Final Judgement.  Not an easy subject for people that are so new to the gospel.

 

I love you.  Be sure and take a lot of photos of the wedding.  I hope Tanner, JJ, and Bret get Skype set up for us.

 

Mom

 

From the Garrett’s (Brian)

Brian, Beckie and Graham:

Dear Mom/Grandma, 

 Happy Birthday!!!  We hope your special day is just as special as you are and that you are able to celebrate it any way you want.  We sure do miss having you here, but we know you are enjoying the important work that you are doing.  Graham frequently asks about you when he sees you in pictures.  When we tell him that you are in Singapore, his usual reply is, "Where is Singapore?" followed up by, "What are they doing in Singapore?"  He will be so excited when you come home and he can visit you at "Opa Garrett's house."  We appreciate all that you do for us--Brian is thankful to have had such a loving mother, Beckie is thankful to have such a fantastic mother-in-law who is responsible for her wonderful husband, and Graham is thankful to have such an "awesome" grandma.  (Awesome is his newest word--he told Brian this weekend that the creation Brian made with Graham's Legos was not awesome and proceeded to take it apart--I assume so he could build something that was awesome.) Happy Birthday!  Hope it is the best one yet

Love, Brian, Beckie

Savannah and Emilie: 

Hi Grandma!  We hope you have a nice birthday!  We miss you but glad you get to be on a mission with grandpa!  Love you, Savannah and Emilie

 

From the Garrett’s (David):

David:

Mom,  Happy birthday. Just like dad your 1^st birthday in Singapore. Wow you and Dad have almost been there a year. I hope you guys have a happy Thanksgiving as well.  I was just thinking how Dad you to scare you at Prairie Creek Campground when he pretended to be a bear.. Pretty funny. Well maybe not for you at the time. Anyways I love you and thank you for everything. You’re the best Mom. Happppppppppy Birrrrthhhhhdaaaaay.

 Love David

 PS: Scott says hello and Happy Birthday from Chile

 Debbie:

HOLA!!!!  Happy birthday to you!!!!  Happy birthday to you!!!!  Happy birthday dear superfantabulous mom!!! Happy Birthday to you!!!!   So, did dad even celebrate his birthday the other day?  Are you going to do anything special…or were you going to do something special together.  WELL…you always do something special together every day anyway!  How fun to celebrate your birthday in another country!  I sure miss you!  It is weird not having you and dad come around once in a while, but it is so awesome that you are serving a mission.  I don’t think anyone on my side of the family ever served a senior mission so you have set a grand example!  It makes me so happy that I have awesome parents and a couple nephews and my own son out serving at the same time.  Life is so good!  I hope you are able to be a little spoiled once in a while!  You are a beautiful, amazing example of a true mother in Zion, even though I am the literal one….hahahahahaha…jokin. (you know Zion’s Park..hehe)

 OK….enjoy again!  Remember, the GOSPEL IS TRUE AND I LOVE YOU!!!!

Love you, Debbie in Zion

Brittany, Jacob, Kairi & Aiden:

Happy Birthday Grandma!!! We hope you have a great birthday in Singapore!!! I loved it when you came to as many soccer games as you could! and it was pretty much awesome when you took me to Colorado after you and grandpa came to visit us! Me and Jake both appreciate that you came to our wedding and our sealing! I'm sure Kairi had fun with you when you took her birthday shopping...she loves shopping...and when you come back Aiden will have to make fun memories with you! We love you so much!!! 

 Keeley:

Dear Grandma!!!! I love you soooooo much!!! :D I hope you have a wonderful birthday in Singapore!!! :D Enjoy the day with Grandpa and have a wonderful time. (: I hope all your birthday wishes come true. I’m so happy that you are on your mission, it’s such a fun adventure for you!!! I love you so much!

Love, Keeley Garrett

 Karley:

Dear Grandma,

I love you soooo much, thank you for everything you do in my life.  You are such a great example and an amazing Grandmother.  I am so thankful to have you in my life!  Have a fantastic, wonderful, splendid, de-lovely birthday!  You deserve it!  Love you so much!

Love Karley

  

From the Kahl’s

 Susan:

Happy Birthday Mom!  I hope you do something fun for your birthday, however, being in the mission field in Singapore on your birthday is pretty great!  Although I’m sure you and Dad are missing all of us singing Happy Birthday to you (not – hahaha)!  Thanks for being such a great example to me.  I’m so lucky to have been sent to such a wonderful mother (and father).  I’m so glad you and Dad get to serve a mission and I know you are blessed because of it.  Debbie and I were going to lunch a couple of weeks ago and were talking about funny moments and we were remembering when we were in Macy’s with you at the perfume counter and you picked up a bottle and squirted it on your neck and then you said it wasn’t working because nothing came out, but when you turned around you had lotion squirted all over you!  It makes me laugh every time I think of it.  Also, every time I go to the dollar store I think of you.  Remember when we went and you kept asking Janice and I how much something cost and we kept saying, it’s the dollar store, every thing is a dollar and then a few minutes later you would ask us again how much something was because there was no price tag so we would remind you again it was the dollar store.  We laughed so much because you asked us how much something cost a bunch of times!!  It’s going to be different not having you and Dad here for the holidays, but there’s no place I’d rather you be than serving the Lord.    I just want you to know that the only thing better than having you for a mom is my boys having you for a grandmother!  Have a great day!  Make sure you get some cake to celebrate!!  I love you and miss you!   Susan

 Todd:

Dear Glonda, Happy Birthday.  You seem to look younger every year. Thanks for being a great example to all of our family.  I am positive that you are a beaming light in the Mission Office.  What a treat the people of Singapore have to have you in their country.  You have always had a special spirit about you and you are selfless in sharing it with others. Keep up the good work and keep touching the lives of the missionaries out there and the people of Singapore.  Again, Happy Birthday.  Love, Todd

 Tanner:

Dear Grandma,

  Happy, happy, happy wonderful Birthday!!!!! I hope you have terrific birthday! I love you so much! And I miss you a ton!! I hope everything is going well in the mission! I miss all of your wonderful cooking and just randomly coming over to your house to hang with you and Grandpa. You are the best grandma any grand kid could ask for!! I love you! Have a super dooper birthday!!!

 Love your favorite most amazing and best looking grandson,

Tanner

 Chandler:

Grandma I miss you and love you! I hope you have a great birthday! It’s great that you are serving the Lord by going on a mission. I know you will touch the lives of many people you meet there. I hope you are having a blast on it as well. I miss your AMAZING cooking! You are the greatest grandma ever! I love you!

Love,   Chandler

 Connor:

Happy Birthday Grandma!  I miss you and can’t wait till you and grandpa come home but I’m glad you get to go on a mission!  I had fun when I went to Utah with you and grandpa.   I’m glad you will get to see me play football next year.  Love Connor

  

From the Kovach’s

 Janice:

Hi Mom,

 Happy, happy Birthday Glonda Dear, Happy days will come to you all year, If I had a wish that it would be, a happy happy birthday to you from me. 

 Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Glonda, Happy Birthday to you!!!!

 That was probably the best singing that you have ever heard me do!!!!!  Ha ha!!!

 I really do hope that you have a great Birthday serving the Lord!  What a great way to spend it!!!  And in Singapore!!!!

 I love you Mom.  You are the best.  I have had an AWESOME example as a Mom. YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 I am so grateful to have you as a mom!!!!  Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 I'll love you forever and ever,  Janice  

 Jon:

Glonda, Here’s wishing you the happiest of Birthdays.  While you won’t have your family around you, I suspect the day will be rewarding in its own way!  Thank you for bringing up a daughter that has blessed my life and our children’s lives so tremendously.  For that I’ll never be able to repay you.

 You’re e-mails from Singapore are something I look forward to.  It has gotten Janice and me excited for the time we can go and serve. 

 Just wanted you to know I’m thinking and wishing you the very best.

 Happy Birthday!  Love You, Jon

 Holly:

Dear Grandma,
 HAPPY BIRTHDAY! What do they do in Singapore for birthdays? Are you going to practice that tradition or do our traditional cake and candles? Whatever you do, I hope it is a wonderful day! I will be thinking of you :) I am so grateful to have you as my grandmother. As far as I am concerned I think you are definitely one of the best and I feel so blessed to have you in my life. Thank you for setting such a wonderful example of serving a mission. I hope someday that Colin and I get to follow in your and Grandpa's footsteps. I love you, and I hope you have a happy birthday!!
 Love,  Holly

 JJ:

I love you Grandma, Happy Birthday!  I love you with all my heart.  I know the Lord is blessing you while you are serving him.  You are also blessing our family while doing your service, thank you so much for the sacrifice.  Thank you for being such a remarkable part of our lives.  Love you Grandma!  JJ the Jet Kovach

 Kadie:

Kadie will send her message later!

  

From the Guthrie’s

 Debbie:

Hi Mom,  I sure miss you, especially with the holidays coming up.  We are growing as adults!  J  

I can’t tell you how many times I have had someone tell me “Your mom is amazing.  She is the sweetest and kindest person I know”.  You have set the bar high and I have a lot more to do in order to live up to that standard.  You are the type of mom that is just fun to hang with!  We all look up to you and enjoy laughing with you.  One of my funniest memories is the Dairy Queen Drive-Thru in Loveland.  I don’t think there was ever a time when my stomach and head hurt more from laughing.  I bet Susan and Janice would agree.  I drive by it all the time now that we are “Lovelanders” and I still smile and sometimes laugh out loud driving by it.  My kids all look up to you as an incredible grandma and of course I definitely am proud to accept compliments on your behalf and agree wholeheartedly that you are amazing!!!  Happy Birthday!  I Love You….Debbie

 Bret:

Wishing you a happy and wonderful birthday Glonda!  I hear people talk about issues with their in-laws…and in particular their mother-in-law.  I’ve always felt so blessed to have a mother-in-law that I would choose as my mother --- after my real mom. You’ve always been so good to me, and to our family. Thank you. Bret

 Brandon, Carrie, Corbin and Blake:

Happy Birthday Grandma. We miss you and hope you guys are having fun. I remember the Simi house when you would get us up every morning and cook us really good scrambled eggs and toast before school everyday.. reminding us that Breakfast is the most important meal. While watching the NBC morning show with Willard Scott. haha.. Of course all the the holidays at your house. You telling us not to play in the neighbors yard across the street cause they kept it too nice for us kids to play in and they would get mad at us. Love you guys!!

 Love,  Brandon, Carrie, Corbin, and Blake

 Travis, Laura, Austin, Rylynn:

Happy birthday Grandma. We all miss you more than you could know, but we find happiness in knowing the joy you're spreading to others on your mission. You are the anchor of this family and life just isn't the same without the birthdays, holidays, and get togethers at your house; probably the biggest thing we miss out here in HI. We hope you continue to have a successful mission and can't wait to see you again.
   Love,  Travis, Laura, Austin, & Rylynn

 Justin:

Happy Birthday Grandma! We miss you so much and can't wait to have you back:) It seems like you guys are really enjoying your time spent out there but I miss Sunday dinners! Love you and can't wait to see you.  Love, Justin

 Parker and Megan:

Happy Birthday Grandma! We hope that you get to go out and do something fun for your birthday today! I (Megan) missed having my birthday buddies around this year! We hope that you guys are doing great! We miss you and love you so much!
Parker and Megan

 Logan:

Dear Grandma, You are such a wonderful woman and such a great example to me.  Thank you so much for everything you do for me like coming to my basic training graduation.  It meant the world to me.  Happy Birthday!  I love you!  Logan.

 Jordan:

Hi Grandma,
 Happy Birthday!  I just sang it for you and it was really good without everyone else singing. I hope you have a great Birthday!  I miss you and love you!  Jordan

 Lindsay:

Hi Grandma! Happy birthday!!! I hope Singapore is a blast, you deserve an adventure! Missing you like crazy! I really cannot wait until you guys come home. I miss coming to your house, especially at that Holidays.  I love you, see you next year!