Elder and Sister Garrett in Singapore!: Time with the Cunningham's and Orien's

Hello,

This has been a rainy week for us. We have had a downpour every afternoon but it helps cool things off a little bit. We had the Cunningham's from Alaska here on a visa run this week along with the Oriens (also from Alaska). Both couples are serving in East Malaysia (neither knew each other before this week). Sister Orien had her knee replaced a week and a half ago. She was doing great and walking all over the place, but now is paying the price! Her knee is really swollen and the doctor wants her off of it for a few days - so we will have house guests a while longer! They are a great couple. We have all been marveling at how all the couples who come in on visa runs, who didn't know each other before, can meet and form an instant kinship with each other. It is really fun havin all of them here and sharing stories. None of us even pay any attention to the gekkos or cockroaches - it's just a way of life in this part of the world!

Last night we had a Stake Relief Society program. Even though it was for Sisters, Dave and Elder Orien went with us. It was one of the best Relief Society programs we had ever been to. It was called "Visions from the Past". They did a wonderful job. Our husbands enjoyed it as much as we did even though they were only two of a handful of men there. Afterwards, we went to dinner at a "hawker" stand with the Oriens and Howarths. The food is cheap at the "hawker" stands, but you just have to forget the fact that they wash all the dishes in cold water out behind the stands!

On Wednesday night, after the rainstorm ended, we went to the Night Safari with the Cunningham's and Howarths. It was amazing. They have (tigers, lions, bears, elephants, hippos, rhinos, deer, hyennas, wolves, plus many animals we have never heard of!) that are mostly native to Malaysia. None of the animals are in cages (just surrounded by moats). They also had snakes, bats and some of the biggest bugs we've ever seen! They have one sections where you walk through a bat enclosure - the bats were huge! They have dim lights on the animals and it is fun to see how active they are at night.

We found out this week that Elder Bednar is coming to Kuala Lumpur next month and he has agreed to hold a meeting with all the missionaries in West Malaysia and Singapore so we will get to attend the meeting. This week also was a milestone in that the first senior couple from Singapore/Malaysia turned in their mission papers. Everyone was so excited. As missionaries (old and young) go out from this area and return home, the church will gain a lot of leadership abilities.

It sounds like we do a lot of playing, however we work long hours at the office. It is really a busy place, but at the same time a lot of fun. We make many trips to the airport each week as we always have someone coming in or leaving. The Mission President, his wife, and AP's travel all the time to the different areas of the mission. We don't know how they do it!

We miss our family and friends, but feel like we are being blessed by serving in Singapore! It is a beautiful place and the need for missionaries is so great here. It is amazing to watch these young Elder's and Sister's dedication to the Lord. They go through so many trials and yet they never complain - just become more determined to serve the Lord with all their hearts. Many more senior couples are needed too. We always thought you had to be so healthy to serve a mission, however even though we are the oldest couple out here (outside of the President's mother who is 85 years old and serving in East Malaysia) I think we are the healthiest! Most couples have doctor appointments for various problems everytime they come in for Visa runs. We feel very fortunate that our health is good (at least so far!). What a great opportunity serving a mission is - not only to serve the Lord, but to be able to immerse yourselves in the culture of another country!

Well we need to close. We have tried attaching several photos to a pdf document. Hopefully it works!

We love and miss each of you and love to hear from you.

Take care,

Elder & Sister Garrett