Elder and Sister Garrett in Singapore!: We might become vegetarians!

Hi all,

We are settling in to a routine and are feeling fairly comfortable in our beautiful new country. Every day is about the same temperature wise - 80's and 90's with high humidity. It has been raining almost every afternoon. It pours for a short while and then is sunny again. We love the rain though as it cools things down for a little while and keeps things so green and fresh.

Our hours are long at the office, but we work with such wonderful people. One of my main jobs is arranging transportation for the President, his wife and AP's (assistants to the president), and all the visa runs for the Elders and Sisters coming and going from Malaysia to keep their visa's up-to-date. Also, entering all the baptisms. That has been quite an eye opener. Many of the Malaysians take on the first name of their fathers as their last names, some don't know their actual birthdates, and most of their addresses are not at all what we are used to. One this week was "go up the hill 1 1/2 mile and then.... - well you get the picture. Dave is doing all the finances for the mission, which is a huge job. The transportation alone amounts to 30-40,000 per month. It is really an expensive mission. Rents on apartments run upwards of 3,000 Singapore dollars which is about 2,500 in American dollars.

We went to a post office the other day and had to go through a Swiss meat market to get to it. We were so excited to see "American" meats and the prices didn't seem bad at all until we figured out what it cost per pound. Chicken breasts were over $13.50 per pound! A large roast was $98.00. We might become vegatarians!

Today was Stake Conference so we didn't go to Malaysia. Many of the Jahor Bahru members came here. It was just like a Stake Conference at home - it was wonderful. Our Stake President, President Lai is such a spiritual giant. He is only about 5 foot 3 and weighs almost nothing, but he is one of the sweetest and most spiritual men you could ever meet. He really got stern with the people on living the commandments. Yesterday in Stake Priesthood meeting, he talked on Home Teaching (almost non-existant here). He said that if you didn't want to go Home Teaching alone to call Brother & Sister Garrett or Brother & Sister Howarth (the other senior couple here) and that they would go with you and that no one would turn them away! We'll see if we get any calls. While the men were in Priesthood meeting, Sister Howarth and I rode the MRT (underground transportation) to Chinatown. It was so fun to see the different culture. If you don't like being crammed in like sardines, the MRT is not for you! It is really an efficient,fast, and cheap mode of transportation though - and very clean and safe. The Howarth's are a public relations couple and work with government officials in advancing the Church here, in Malaysia, and Indonesia. Last night the Gregory's from Jahor Bahru in Malaysia spent the night. We love hearing of the other couple's adventures (it really makes us glad to be in Singapore).

We feel so blessed to be here and to associate on a daily basis with such wonderful young men and women sacrificing so much to come on missions and to serve the Lord. We had three sisters go home this week. Two of them had parents come to pick them up - how proud they were of their daughters. They had no idea though of the trials and hardships their daughters had been through!! The sisters were glad to see their parents but so sad at leaving the people they love so much in Malaysia. So many of the Malaysians have so little, but are so humble and loving.

We think often of our family and friends in the US. We miss all of you, but are enjoying our new "family" in Singapore. It's wonderful to know the Church is the same no matter where in the world you go and that no matter what language it is taught in, the Spirit testifies to the heart of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

With our love and prayers,

Mom & Dad, Grandma & Grandpa, Dave and Glonda, Elder & Sister Garrett