Hello from Singapore,
We hope this finds everyone doing great. It's hard to believe that we've been on our mission for almost 5 months. The time is already flying by. We love Singapore - we never have to think about putting on a sweater or jacket as it is always hot! We just have to worry about having an umbrella with us and it rains almost every day. It is so beautiful here though. All the roadways are landscaped beautifully and the city is exceptionally clean. There is, however, construction almost everywhere you drive. Dave is becoming a "Singaporean" driver. Just cut in front of everyone and hope for the best! So far, so good! To get to the office we have to go around a giant round-a-bout. They call it Newton Circus - aptly named as it is a circus. There are 8 roads that come into it - all packed with cars, buses, taxis, motorcycles, trucks and bicylists. There are four lanes with everyone trying to get into a different lane all the way around! We always feel it a miracle when we make it through safely!
This morning we went to church in Jahor Bahru. We made it through immigration without any problems and arrived almost an hour early. We left at the same time last week and were a half hour late! You never know what to expect. The branch seems to have the attendance going down - it is a real concern. No one is quite sure why, except the leadership in the Branch is really lacking and there seems to be a disconnect between the Chinese, Malay, and Iban members. The people are all so friendly to us though. We went over to the Gregory's (the missionary couple in JB), with the Howarths and Bro. Allen (the high councilman) for lunch. . The Gregory's are a fun couple to be with and love to have other Americans that they can understand to visit with. Today there were talks in Chinese, Malay and English - all the Iban's had gone back to their "longhouses" for their Iban holiday.
This has been a sad week for us. One of our Office Elders, who has been such a huge help to us since we arrived, has been sick and is being sent home on Tuesday. We have a Doctor (missionary) from Hong Kong who is flying in tomorrow to accompany him home. The missionary has been out about 18 months and will be released honorably from his mission. How we hate to see him go. We will get a new Office Elder tomorrow. In about 5 weeks we will be having 17 missionaries returning home and the next day 18 new missionaries arriving. It's going to be crazy. Our two AP's will also be leaving so it's going to be different in the office. They also closed the Service Center for this area two weeks ago (except for two who will be leaving soon for Hong Kong). Everyone is leaving us!!
We love our mission and being in the service of the Lord in these latter days. We love the people here and in Malaysia. We have yet to hear a swear word from anyone (at least that we understood). People are exceptionally polite and everyone is well groomed and neat. You rarely see anyone with long hair (men), with tattoos, baggy pants, and women smoking. The hardest thing for us is adjusting to the food and the way dishes are washed in the "hawker" stands. We ate at one last week with the President and AP's. The owner's son (about 12 yrs. old) was washing dishes in front of the stand in dirty, cold, soapy water and then dipping them in rinse water inside the stand. We couldn't see if it was clean or not - but definitely cold! The owner then dished our food up on the dishes! You never hear of anyone getting sick though.
Well we need to close. We are going to the airport to pick the President, his wife and the AP's up from their latest trip (they have one trip each week). I don't know how the President keeps up his pace. He is definitely blessed - along with his wife and AP's (Assistant's to the President - young Missionaries). That is why Mission Presidents are now all under the age of 60! We pray for you daily and miss associating with each of you, but we also know that the Lord needs us here at this time in our lives.
We love hearing from you when you have time to answer.
Elder and Sister Garrett, Mom & Dad, Grandma & Grandpa, relatives and friends
We got to meet Elder Bednar!
Hi Everyone,
I’m typing this on the bus coming back from Kuala Lumpur, where we had an incredible time. We left Sunday afternoon after having picked a new Senior Couple up at the airport at 1:15 a.m.. They are the Winters from AZ. They got home a year ago from serving a Mission in Germany. They will be going to East Malaysia to replace one of the Senior couples who went home last month. After we arrived in KL, we found the bus stop was only about 2 blocks from the twin towers. They are the tallest twin towers in the world. So we took off walking pulling all our luggage. The view of them all lit up was beautiful. The young Elders and Sisters that were with us had so much fun taking pictures! We then put the sisters in a taxi for where they were staying and one of the Elders, who had previously served in KL took us by foot, subway and bus to our hotel. It would have been so much easier in a taxi, but he was so excited to get us there without paying for a taxi. The next morning, we took a WILD ride in KL traffic to the chapel where we were meeting. All the missionaries from Singapore, West Malalysia, and Sabah in East Malaysia were able to come as it was combined with a West Malalysia zone conference. There were about 65 total. We met with Elder & Sister Bednar (he is one of our Apostles) for 3 hrs. Elder and Sister Pratt, the General Authority for this part of Asia was also there. He then based almost all his remarks on one verse in the Doctrine and Covenants - Section 88:122. He asked for comments and questions for almost 3 hours. He also kidded back and forth with his wife. He also told us seniors something that he made us all promise not to tell our families or it would be all over the internet by morning! I’ll have to tell you when we get home! I also found out another reason I like him so much. He said he has zero musical talent and can’t carry a tune at all. He said his wife is always telling him, “David, you shouldn’t sing so loud.” Since I also have zero musical ability, I can relate to him. It was a very spiritual meeting and the spirit was so strong there. He also explained to our young missionaries that when they go home their mission is not over. They are to be a missionary for the rest of their lives and to keep in contact with their converts. He also told them that they have a responsibility to keep up the dress standards when they get home. He then left at lunch time to go meet with government officials. They are trying to get the government in Malaysia to recognize our church. On Saturday he was in Indonesia and organized the first stake in that country. He promised that someday the church in Malaysia would have several stakes and to know that we (those in attendance) were part of the history of the Church in Malaysia.
Elder Tabiar (the young elder who stayed with us for a week and a half was able to go with us to KL (even though he isn’t in the zone that was meeting). He then flew home from there today (Tuesday). We are sad to see him go. He is such a remarkable young man. After a colonoscopy and an endoscopy last week – along with some biopsies, the doctor said he had some kind of a bacterial infection. He put him on some broad spectrum antibiotics that he’s hoping will kill the unidentifiable bacteria he has. The doctor said he has only seen this kind of bacteria in one other native Malaysian – usually it is only in non-native people. For some reason, it has only been the native Missionaries that have had stomach problems – the American missionaries seem to do fine.
We will have the Winters with us until Friday. The Smiths are also in for a visa run, so they will be with us until Friday also. Then we will have a break before we have more company. While we really enjoy having the Senior couples here, we will be glad to get back to a somewhat normal routine and once again be able to go on our morning walks.
The last couple of days has strengthened our testimonies of the gospel even more. We are so thrilled to be serving a mission for our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and for the experiences we are having.
We love and pray for you.
Elder & Sister Garrett (mom & dad, grandma & grandpa, friends & relatives)
In the mall next to the hotel the next day.
More waiting for Elder Bednar.
Senior breakfast next morning in hotel.
2nd from the left is John Clark's grandson (FC).
Reading scriptures while waiting.
Elder and Sister Bednar arriving - Sister Clark.
Two of our favorite Elders - Tabiar & Rathnayke
Twin towers in Kuala Lumpur
Fountain in front of the Twin Towers
Elder and Sister Garrett
Waiting for Elder Bednar
Rambutan - Hairy Fruit - Good!!
June 5, 2011
This has been a fairly quiet week (if there is such a thing on a mission!). We haven't had any company this week, but we will in the coming week. We have three missionaries going home this week so they will be with us Tuesday night. We went to Jahor Bahru for Church again today. School is out in Singapore for a month and I think everyone was leaving town for Malaysia. It took us 2 1/2 hrs. to get across the border this morning. Last week coming back from JB (Jahor Bahru) was a little scary. They held us up coming back into Singapore for about 15 minutes and really questioned us about why we were in Singapore and how long we were going to be here, etc. They made phone calls while we waited - not sure why. They finally let us go, but we thought maybe they weren't going to let us back into Singapore! Today though, outside of heavy traffic, they didn't question us at all. One of our young Elders also got held up and taken into a room to be interrogated last week before he was finally allowed to enter Singapore - we're not sure what was going on.
The school year in Singapore includes a month off in June, and a month and a half off in Nov/Dec. The kids study all the time. You can go into McDonalds late at night and it is filled with school kids studying. All kids here wear uniforms and they look great. We have only seen a handful of boys with earrings or tattoos (and I think they were foreigners). We have yet to hear anyone swear (at least in English). The kids are very respectful and will offer us their seats on the MRT, although we usually refuse. When we look around the MRT probably about 90% are either on Ipods or cell phones!
A couple of more thoughts from the meeting with Elder Bednar:
He said he loves to meet with new converts as he travels. He always asks them why they joined the church. They almost always say that when they met with the young missionaries that they butchered the language, and talked about strange things such as the gold plates and living prophets. He then asks them why they kept meeting with them and they all say, because the feeling was so good when we met with them. The Holy Ghost was witnessing to them the truthfulness of the gospel. He also said that we need to act – not just to pray for something and then do nothing. He mentioned how we are always praying in our meetings that those who aren’t there will come next week. He said instead of praying for them, we need to get up and go get them and bring them to church!
The Chinese people here are very reserved and private and don’t like their space invaded, but the Chinese members of the church are very gregarious and fun to be around. We are still, however, trying to get them to talk to us as we walk. We are getting to know one Chinese lady who has lived here for 30 years and walks about the same time as we do each morning. We are learning some interesting things about the neighborhood from her.
We are still staying busy in the office every day and working long hours – when they say that Senior Missionaries can take rest periods, it’s not true here! But we love working in the office. Many of the young missionaries come in each day and we get to talk to them. They teach almost all their investigators in the office and we get to meet them also. We did apartment inspections for the missionaries in Singapore this last week. The apartments of the Elders were passable, but the Sister’s apartment was spotless! We spent a couple of nights before the inspections making cookies and brownies to take to them – which they loved. Hopefully, with cookies, we hope they will look forward to our next visit.
Well we need to go, but know that we pray for all of you each day and miss you, but love our mission and the people of Singapore and JB. We love hearing from you and hearing about your families and what is going on in your lives.
Until next week,
Elder and Sister Garrett (Mom & Dad, Grandma & Grandpa, friends)
Interesting facts about Singapore
Hi All,
We didn't get a letter sent out last week due to a lack of time, but all is well in our Mission. We had 4 new sisters come in week before last along with their trainers. They were staying with us. We had to move them into a new apartment and get all their mattresses, bedding, chairs, etc for them. It was fun to be around Sisters and help. This week we had the Brown's come in. They are Family History missionaries from Kuala Lumpur. They came in on Tuesday and left yesterday. We really enjoyed having them here except we didn't get to spend much time with them. They are having great success in teaching the youth in the various areas to do family history work on the computer - the youth learn much faster than their parents!
Thursday night we picked up a young Elder from East Malaysia. He is a native of East Malaysia serving in his native country. He has been having severe intestinal problems. We brought him in to see a doctor in Singapore. The doctor is doing a colonoscopy tomorrow on him. We certainly hope he finds the problem. I guess this has been a recuring problem since he was 18. His mission name is Elder Tabiar (his real name is one no one can pronounce). He is a remarkable young man. Due to their poverty and his having to work to help support his family, he was unable to go to school. After he and one sister and one brother (he has seven siblings) joined the church, he decided he wanted to serve a mission. He taught himself to read and to speak English (although he is limited in his English). He has also taught himself to play the piano and does great at it. He can't read any notes, but plays by ear. He has the cutest smile and will not stay down due to his condition. He didn't want to come to Singapore to see the doctor. He wanted to keep working in his area and never complained even though he was so sick. He's had the option to stay with some of the local Elders who speak Malay, but he has wanted to stay here with us. He starts his colonoscopy "preparation" first thing in the morning. We sure hope the doctor can find out what is wrong.
Next weekend we are going to Kuala Lumpur for a Zone Conference and to meet with Elder Bednar. All missionaries from Singapore and West Malaysia will be attending except for one of our office Elders who was denied entrance into West Malaysia and probably Elder Tabiar. We pick up a new Senior Couple coming into the mission at 1:15 am Sunday morning and then leave after church Sunday afternoon by bus to KL. We will return on Tuesday evening. The Smith's are coming in for a visa run and will be at our house Monday - Friday. It will be a busy week for us!
Our 53rd anniversary was Tuesday so we took an evening and went with the Howarth's to see "The Lion King". It is on tour here and was wonderfu! If it comes to your area, it is definitely worth the money to go see it. Senior Missionaries do get to do some things the young Missionaries don't get to do!
We had a baptism yesterday here in Singapore and we have another one this evening so missionary work is moving along in Singapore, although not as fast as in Malaysia.
Some interesting facts we've learned about Singapore:
There are 40,000+ cabs
There are hundreds if not thousands of buses (we often wait for anywhere from 1 - 7 buses to pass to get out of our driveway).
The MRT (underground subway) system is wonderful. You can get almost anywhere in the city on one. They are clean, fast and safe.
The crime rate is extremely low as the punishment for any crime is swift and severe. The paper told of one person who was caught dealing a small amount of drugs and was given the death penalty.
Singapore is known as the "fine" city, as there are fines for anything from chewing gum, spitting on the street, jay walking, to throwing down trash. Cameras are everywhere!
The skyline is made up of giant cranes and building is going on everywhere.
90-95% of the residents live in high rise apartments - most government owned.
New land is constantly being reclaimed in the ocean surrounding Singapore - as there is no more available land. A lot of land has been set aside for natural areas however.
Parents are paid $25,000 to have a child as the birthrate is so low.
We have some rain almost everyday - we love rain and cloudy days as it cools things off.
Singapore is a beautiful, clean, modern and economically sound country/city.
We love serving the Lord in our small way here and feel very blessed to be able to be in Singapore. Missionary work is wonderful! We do, however, miss family and friends back home, but the time is flying by.
We love each of you!
Dave and Glonda (Elder & Sister Garrett)
Flower's from kids for Mother's Day.
Singapore River
Singapore River
Singapore skyline at dusk.
Elder and Sister Howarth
Singapore spanning 3 buildings.
Elder and Sister Brown
Marina Bay Sands Hotel in background
Singapore skyline at dusk.
On Singapore river night of The Lion King.
Elder Brown and Elder Tabiar doing family history.
Sister Orien's adventure
Hi all,
This brings to close a busy week and the start of an even busier one. We made 7 trips to the airport - one at 4 o'clock in the morning. We had two missionaries who "died" (ended their 2 year mission) this week. They were both so full of mixed emotions. They don't want to leave the people they have grown to love during the previous two years, but at the same time they are anxious to see their families. They were great missionaries and it is always sad to see them leave. This week we have a sister leaving and 4 new sisters arriving - along with their trainers, so we will be making more trips to the airport. They will all be staying with us so we will have a house full of girls! In fact they may be staying with us for awhile. We have had a short time to try to find a new apartment for the 4 staying in Singapore (up to this time Singapore has only had Elders) - but a house full of Sisters will be easier than a house of Elders! - or at least maybe a little cleaner!
Salt Lake decided to automate the support cards for the young missionaries. Dave spent all week e-mailing and leaving messages for SLC to get in touch with us (the 14 hour time difference makes it difficult). They had the support payments at far more than any of our missionaries receive. The Elders were excited - more money! The problem with our mission is that Singapore Elders receive more money than those in Malaysia and even those receive varying amounts depending on their area and transportation. Luckily they took us off the automation the day before it was to go into effect - back to the drawing board for our mission! Dave was really stressed over it. (Just a note. All missionaries pay their own way - but it is the same for all areas of the world. This way some missionaries don't have to pay less if they serve in an inexpensive area, while those in more expensive areas would pay a lot more.)
The Oriens left Tuesday after getting the okay from her doctor, although he gave her strict orders to not use her new knee very much until the swelling goes down (caused by walking far too much!). We have really missed them as they were a lot of fun to have here. Here is an excerpt from the e-mail I got from her on Wednesday. It is really funny but could have been a real disaster!
We just returned to Bintulu today from my knee surgery. The trip was fine with one almost catastrophic exception...It all started with breakfast at McDonalds at the airport in Singapore...one last American meal before we headed back to the land of chopped chicken and rice for most meals. Because we lingered a bit too long over our Sausage McMuffins with Egg we had to hustle to get to the gate. Since my new knee does not allow me to hustle Elder Orien thought it would be a great idea for me to ride on the luggage cart and he could wheel me along much faster. All went well and we were almost to the gate except for the mistake of getting on the gliding walkway with me standing on the cart. The problem came when it was time to exit the walkway. The small wheels on the front of the cart couldn't get up over the small hump at the end so we stopped but the walkway didn't. It kept pushing and pushing and toppled me off the cart in a heap with Elder Orien and Elder Hill (who was on our flight to Bintulu) right on top of me and the cart stuck in between all of us. It hurt but was so funny we couldn't stop laughing. My new knee twisted a bit and has hurt all day, the old knee lost a bunch of skin and ripped a hole in my nice new white pressure stockings and I twisted my wrist a bit so it hurts. Elder Orien lost the skin in stripes off his arm and bruised his backside and tore his pants. Elder Hill said his backside hurts too but we are all pretty much okay and will be fine. The worst was that our pride was wounded badly.... never-the-less we still can't wait to see a rewind of that scene in the movie of our life. It must have looked so funny to see these silly Americans unable to exit a gliding walkway. We got lots of wide eyed stares and many concerned offers of help to get us untangled and off that incessantly moving walkway. I took a wheelchair after that and it turned out to be a huge plus. Wheelchair people get a personal guided tour through the airport to their destination, and in KL that is something!, plus it opted us out of all the lines and red tape at security, immigration, luggage, etc. I think I'll take the wheelchair every time from now on! And for anyone who doesn't know it, the medical care in Singapore truly is first class. We didn't call it a hospital, we called it a hotel.
When she called me she said the people on the walkway behind them were having to walk backwards to keep from falling on top of them. You would have to know Sister Orien to fully appreciate her story. She is such a fun person and has had so many things happen to her. One time fairly recently she was at an Ibon's house. They always serve you a drink and the water they use is very questionable. When they weren't looking she decided to toss the drink over her shoulder into the jungle. The only problem was there was a small palm tree behind her and the leaves had sharp spines. It cut all her fingers and she stood there with blood dripping from them trying not to be noticed!
One of the blessings of a Senior Mission is the friendship you develop with other Senior couples who also leave family and friends to serve the Lord. You develop an immediate bond with each other. Next week we have a family history couple coming in for a visa run who will be staying with us. We met them briefly in Jahor Bahru this morning as they were there giving classes. They were the last couple that we hadn't met.
We have been working such long hours lately that we decided to take some P-day (preparation day) time this week. Thursday morning we, with the Howarths, went to the Jurong Bird Park. What an wonderful place. They had hundreds of different kinds of tropical birds. The bird shows were amazing. We really enjoyed ourselves but went back to the office and worked until late that night. Luckily it was a morning without rain.
Today is Labor Day in Singapore. I think everyone left to go to Malaysia. When we left for JB to attend church, we thought we had allowed ample time to get there. It took us two hours to get through immigration. The lines were horrible! Coming home was a little better - only 1 1/2 hours. We are getting to know the people there and really enjoy the branch. They are such sweet, humble people who don't have much in the way of material goods, but are so happy and kind. They make the 7-8 hour trip each week worthwhile.
Serving a Senior Mission is a great opportunity. You can have experiences that you never even dreamed of as you live in a different culture with different climates and challenges. Some is hard, but the blessings are enormous! What a privilege it is to serve our Heavenly Father in Singapore. There is a sign in our office that reads, "Serving a Senior Mission sure beats staying at home and watching your birth certificate expire!" I'm sure all our young Elders & Sisters would say that serving a mission is such a great experience for them too. - they have experiences you could not even imagine and they love it!
We think of all of you at home often - especially family. How we miss them, but we know they will be blessed.
We love and miss all of you and our prayers and thoughts are with you.
Elder & Sister Garrett (mom & dad, grandma & grandpa, friends, & relatives)
May 6, 2011
Hi,
I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers today from all of you for Mother's Day. They are absolutely beautiful. It was so thoughtful of you. I had forgotten that Sunday was even Mother's Day. This has been such a busy week, with one of the Sisters going home and four new ones arriving (plus their trainers). We had an outgoing dinner Tuesday night and an Incoming dinner Wednesday night. We had to find a new apartment for them (actually the office elders did - but Dad had to handle the legal and financial part). After our 2nd trip to the airport this morning we went with the office elders to get them new mattress, sheets, pillows, bedspreads, etc., took them to the apartment and picked up the keys. We then had to go back and get some work done at the office and then go back to our house to pick up the 4 remaining sisters and take them to their new apartment. It has been early mornings and late nights all this week. All the girls stayed here with us. It was fun, but a lot of work. What accomplished young women they are. One worked in Africa with an orphanage for 2 months, and one taught for 4 months in China. They are all in demanding majors in school or have already graduated. They are really great gals. The two that left this morning ( with their trainers) will be in for a shock through as they serve in East Malaysia!
With everything going on, I forgot Scott's birthday! I thought about it the day before and the day of his birthday, but things got so hectic, I forgot to call. I am so sorry! David let Scott know that is it not because we don't love him, just forgetfulness.
Hopefully tomorrow we can get the house put back together as we have a couple coming in on Tuesday to stay for 4 days on a visa run. Then we have a week's break before a new couple arrives (at 1:15 in the morning) an another couple comes in for dental work for a week. We are supposed to go to Kuala Lumpur on the 23-24 to meet with Elder Bednar (all the missionaries in Singapore and West Malaysia). There are rumors though that he might not be coming as his trip includes Indonesia and they have been having bombs planted all over the place (luckily they have found them before they went off). I guess we will just have to wait and see.
Well I do need to go, but again, thanks so much for the flowers. It was so thoughtful of you. I love all of you so much. We think of all of you daily and miss each of you so much. We keep the calendar up with all of your pictures (thanks Beckie), it makes me think of each of you and to know what a beautiful family we have! I am so proud of all of you and want to be with each of you eternally! Happy Mother's Day to each of you (the mother's) too! You are each incredible!
With all my love,
Mom
This brings to close a busy week and the start of an even busier one. We made 7 trips to the airport - one at 4 o'clock in the morning. We had two missionaries who "died" (ended their 2 year mission) this week. They were both so full of mixed emotions. They don't want to leave the people they have grown to love during the previous two years, but at the same time they are anxious to see their families. They were great missionaries and it is always sad to see them leave. This week we have a sister leaving and 4 new sisters arriving - along with their trainers, so we will be making more trips to the airport. They will all be staying with us so we will have a house full of girls! In fact they may be staying with us for awhile. We have had a short time to try to find a new apartment for the 4 staying in Singapore (up to this time Singapore has only had Elders) - but a house full of Sisters will be easier than a house of Elders! - or at least maybe a little cleaner!
Salt Lake decided to automate the support cards for the young missionaries. Dave spent all week e-mailing and leaving messages for SLC to get in touch with us (the 14 hour time difference makes it difficult). They had the support payments at far more than any of our missionaries receive. The Elders were excited - more money! The problem with our mission is that Singapore Elders receive more money than those in Malaysia and even those receive varying amounts depending on their area and transportation. Luckily they took us off the automation the day before it was to go into effect - back to the drawing board for our mission! Dave was really stressed over it. (Just a note. All missionaries pay their own way - but it is the same for all areas of the world. This way some missionaries don't have to pay less if they serve in an inexpensive area, while those in more expensive areas would pay a lot more.)
The Oriens left Tuesday after getting the okay from her doctor, although he gave her strict orders to not use her new knee very much until the swelling goes down (caused by walking far too much!). We have really missed them as they were a lot of fun to have here. Here is an excerpt from the e-mail I got from her on Wednesday. It is really funny but could have been a real disaster!
We just returned to Bintulu today from my knee surgery. The trip was fine with one almost catastrophic exception...It all started with breakfast at McDonalds at the airport in Singapore...one last American meal before we headed back to the land of chopped chicken and rice for most meals. Because we lingered a bit too long over our Sausage McMuffins with Egg we had to hustle to get to the gate. Since my new knee does not allow me to hustle Elder Orien thought it would be a great idea for me to ride on the luggage cart and he could wheel me along much faster. All went well and we were almost to the gate except for the mistake of getting on the gliding walkway with me standing on the cart. The problem came when it was time to exit the walkway. The small wheels on the front of the cart couldn't get up over the small hump at the end so we stopped but the walkway didn't. It kept pushing and pushing and toppled me off the cart in a heap with Elder Orien and Elder Hill (who was on our flight to Bintulu) right on top of me and the cart stuck in between all of us. It hurt but was so funny we couldn't stop laughing. My new knee twisted a bit and has hurt all day, the old knee lost a bunch of skin and ripped a hole in my nice new white pressure stockings and I twisted my wrist a bit so it hurts. Elder Orien lost the skin in stripes off his arm and bruised his backside and tore his pants. Elder Hill said his backside hurts too but we are all pretty much okay and will be fine. The worst was that our pride was wounded badly.... never-the-less we still can't wait to see a rewind of that scene in the movie of our life. It must have looked so funny to see these silly Americans unable to exit a gliding walkway. We got lots of wide eyed stares and many concerned offers of help to get us untangled and off that incessantly moving walkway. I took a wheelchair after that and it turned out to be a huge plus. Wheelchair people get a personal guided tour through the airport to their destination, and in KL that is something!, plus it opted us out of all the lines and red tape at security, immigration, luggage, etc. I think I'll take the wheelchair every time from now on! And for anyone who doesn't know it, the medical care in Singapore truly is first class. We didn't call it a hospital, we called it a hotel.
When she called me she said the people on the walkway behind them were having to walk backwards to keep from falling on top of them. You would have to know Sister Orien to fully appreciate her story. She is such a fun person and has had so many things happen to her. One time fairly recently she was at an Ibon's house. They always serve you a drink and the water they use is very questionable. When they weren't looking she decided to toss the drink over her shoulder into the jungle. The only problem was there was a small palm tree behind her and the leaves had sharp spines. It cut all her fingers and she stood there with blood dripping from them trying not to be noticed!
One of the blessings of a Senior Mission is the friendship you develop with other Senior couples who also leave family and friends to serve the Lord. You develop an immediate bond with each other. Next week we have a family history couple coming in for a visa run who will be staying with us. We met them briefly in Jahor Bahru this morning as they were there giving classes. They were the last couple that we hadn't met.
We have been working such long hours lately that we decided to take some P-day (preparation day) time this week. Thursday morning we, with the Howarths, went to the Jurong Bird Park. What an wonderful place. They had hundreds of different kinds of tropical birds. The bird shows were amazing. We really enjoyed ourselves but went back to the office and worked until late that night. Luckily it was a morning without rain.
Today is Labor Day in Singapore. I think everyone left to go to Malaysia. When we left for JB to attend church, we thought we had allowed ample time to get there. It took us two hours to get through immigration. The lines were horrible! Coming home was a little better - only 1 1/2 hours. We are getting to know the people there and really enjoy the branch. They are such sweet, humble people who don't have much in the way of material goods, but are so happy and kind. They make the 7-8 hour trip each week worthwhile.
Serving a Senior Mission is a great opportunity. You can have experiences that you never even dreamed of as you live in a different culture with different climates and challenges. Some is hard, but the blessings are enormous! What a privilege it is to serve our Heavenly Father in Singapore. There is a sign in our office that reads, "Serving a Senior Mission sure beats staying at home and watching your birth certificate expire!" I'm sure all our young Elders & Sisters would say that serving a mission is such a great experience for them too. - they have experiences you could not even imagine and they love it!
We think of all of you at home often - especially family. How we miss them, but we know they will be blessed.
We love and miss all of you and our prayers and thoughts are with you.
Elder & Sister Garrett (mom & dad, grandma & grandpa, friends, & relatives)
May 6, 2011
Hi,
I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers today from all of you for Mother's Day. They are absolutely beautiful. It was so thoughtful of you. I had forgotten that Sunday was even Mother's Day. This has been such a busy week, with one of the Sisters going home and four new ones arriving (plus their trainers). We had an outgoing dinner Tuesday night and an Incoming dinner Wednesday night. We had to find a new apartment for them (actually the office elders did - but Dad had to handle the legal and financial part). After our 2nd trip to the airport this morning we went with the office elders to get them new mattress, sheets, pillows, bedspreads, etc., took them to the apartment and picked up the keys. We then had to go back and get some work done at the office and then go back to our house to pick up the 4 remaining sisters and take them to their new apartment. It has been early mornings and late nights all this week. All the girls stayed here with us. It was fun, but a lot of work. What accomplished young women they are. One worked in Africa with an orphanage for 2 months, and one taught for 4 months in China. They are all in demanding majors in school or have already graduated. They are really great gals. The two that left this morning ( with their trainers) will be in for a shock through as they serve in East Malaysia!
With everything going on, I forgot Scott's birthday! I thought about it the day before and the day of his birthday, but things got so hectic, I forgot to call. I am so sorry! David let Scott know that is it not because we don't love him, just forgetfulness.
Hopefully tomorrow we can get the house put back together as we have a couple coming in on Tuesday to stay for 4 days on a visa run. Then we have a week's break before a new couple arrives (at 1:15 in the morning) an another couple comes in for dental work for a week. We are supposed to go to Kuala Lumpur on the 23-24 to meet with Elder Bednar (all the missionaries in Singapore and West Malaysia). There are rumors though that he might not be coming as his trip includes Indonesia and they have been having bombs planted all over the place (luckily they have found them before they went off). I guess we will just have to wait and see.
Well I do need to go, but again, thanks so much for the flowers. It was so thoughtful of you. I love all of you so much. We think of all of you daily and miss each of you so much. We keep the calendar up with all of your pictures (thanks Beckie), it makes me think of each of you and to know what a beautiful family we have! I am so proud of all of you and want to be with each of you eternally! Happy Mother's Day to each of you (the mother's) too! You are each incredible!
With all my love,
Mom
Red & White Talent Show and Dinner
Hello all,
Well this week has brought some interesting new happenings. First of all, the Oriens are still with us, but her knee is getting better slowly. Sister Orien goes back to the Doctor tomorrow and if he releases her, they will leave on Tuesday. We will miss them as it has been a delight to have them here. This week was the week to have our "Pasir" home (we live on Pasir Panjang Rd) painted inside. Sister Orien was here with them all week! They showed up Monday morning on motorcycles with a bucket of paint, a bunch of newspapers, a paintbrush and a roller and we have 12-14 foot ceilings! They used a paintbrush on a long pole to cut in around the ceilings. We found a ladder for them the next day in storage and they could reach a little more. They kept saying that the last "father" had a long ladder and "new father" has to find one. We finally located one in the church storage room and they were happy. They were supposed to be finished by Friday, but still have a lot of woodwork to paint! They have made such a mess. We have paint splattered on the floors and furniture in the spare bedrooms is piled all over. I think they stood on beds to paint as they are all messed up. I'll have to wash the sheets on all the beds and disinfect all the floors! I think they dumped water on all the bathroom floors (we have six). It is interesting to see how things are done in this part of the world! They left doors and windows open all the time. Wednesday night when we went up to go to bed, there was a gecko sitting in the middle of our bed! I almost freaked out! We still don't know where it went!
Last night the ward that meets in the building by our home invited us to their annual Red & White talent show and dinner. It was a lot of fun - they were so enthusiatic. Everyone gets a small red and a small white paper flag. They have two acts competing against each other at a time - one of females and one of males. After they are finished you hold up a red flag to vote for the females and a white one to vote for the males. It was hilarious! The High-Priest quorum was the favorite, singing "Red River Valley" with Chinese accents and playing their guitars.
Today is Easter Sunday and is being celebrated quite differently than at home. We started out the morning with all the missionaries in Singapore meeting with Elder Perkins (the General Authority in charge of Asia), Elder Chan (the Regional Representative), Brother Turley (the Church Historian), and Brother Nielson (in charge of the Church History Dept.) We met at sunrise at the top of Mt. Faber in Singapore. It is a beautiful spot where President Ezra Taft Benson dedicated Singapore for Missionary work in 1969. Our Elders sang a beautiful hymn, the Stake President read the dedicatory prayer from 1969 and Elder Perkins made a few comments.
Then from 4 o'clock to 5:30 all the missionaries in Singapore and the Elders from Jahor Bahru were able to meet with the group to have any questions we had about church history answered. Their knowledge is absolutely amazing. It was a wonderful meeting. Then from 6-8 the entire stake (adults and teens) were invited to meet with them and answer any questions they had. They also explained how church records are preserved and histories gathered. They are on a tour of all of Asia gathering information. It's been over a hundred years since a Church Historian has visited Singapore so everyone was very excited. The question was asked to Brother Perkins about when he thought China would be opened up for missionary work and he said (his own opinion) that he felt it was open now. He said that most people feel that the opening of China means sending missionaries in but he feels that the door is opening outward as so many Chinese are joining the Church in other parts of the world and then bringing it back home to their friends and family. It was a very spiritual and rewarding day as a lot of focus was also placed on the Resurrection of our Savior.
Our Easter dinner consisted of sandwiches between meetings - not quite our usual ham dinner at home, but I must say that the spirit was so strong today that we didn't miss a big dinner at all.
Well we must close and get some sleep as we have an extremely busy week ahead. We pray for you all daily.
Elder & Sister Garrett (mom & dad, grandma & grandpa, friends and relatives)
Well this week has brought some interesting new happenings. First of all, the Oriens are still with us, but her knee is getting better slowly. Sister Orien goes back to the Doctor tomorrow and if he releases her, they will leave on Tuesday. We will miss them as it has been a delight to have them here. This week was the week to have our "Pasir" home (we live on Pasir Panjang Rd) painted inside. Sister Orien was here with them all week! They showed up Monday morning on motorcycles with a bucket of paint, a bunch of newspapers, a paintbrush and a roller and we have 12-14 foot ceilings! They used a paintbrush on a long pole to cut in around the ceilings. We found a ladder for them the next day in storage and they could reach a little more. They kept saying that the last "father" had a long ladder and "new father" has to find one. We finally located one in the church storage room and they were happy. They were supposed to be finished by Friday, but still have a lot of woodwork to paint! They have made such a mess. We have paint splattered on the floors and furniture in the spare bedrooms is piled all over. I think they stood on beds to paint as they are all messed up. I'll have to wash the sheets on all the beds and disinfect all the floors! I think they dumped water on all the bathroom floors (we have six). It is interesting to see how things are done in this part of the world! They left doors and windows open all the time. Wednesday night when we went up to go to bed, there was a gecko sitting in the middle of our bed! I almost freaked out! We still don't know where it went!
Last night the ward that meets in the building by our home invited us to their annual Red & White talent show and dinner. It was a lot of fun - they were so enthusiatic. Everyone gets a small red and a small white paper flag. They have two acts competing against each other at a time - one of females and one of males. After they are finished you hold up a red flag to vote for the females and a white one to vote for the males. It was hilarious! The High-Priest quorum was the favorite, singing "Red River Valley" with Chinese accents and playing their guitars.
Today is Easter Sunday and is being celebrated quite differently than at home. We started out the morning with all the missionaries in Singapore meeting with Elder Perkins (the General Authority in charge of Asia), Elder Chan (the Regional Representative), Brother Turley (the Church Historian), and Brother Nielson (in charge of the Church History Dept.) We met at sunrise at the top of Mt. Faber in Singapore. It is a beautiful spot where President Ezra Taft Benson dedicated Singapore for Missionary work in 1969. Our Elders sang a beautiful hymn, the Stake President read the dedicatory prayer from 1969 and Elder Perkins made a few comments.
Then from 4 o'clock to 5:30 all the missionaries in Singapore and the Elders from Jahor Bahru were able to meet with the group to have any questions we had about church history answered. Their knowledge is absolutely amazing. It was a wonderful meeting. Then from 6-8 the entire stake (adults and teens) were invited to meet with them and answer any questions they had. They also explained how church records are preserved and histories gathered. They are on a tour of all of Asia gathering information. It's been over a hundred years since a Church Historian has visited Singapore so everyone was very excited. The question was asked to Brother Perkins about when he thought China would be opened up for missionary work and he said (his own opinion) that he felt it was open now. He said that most people feel that the opening of China means sending missionaries in but he feels that the door is opening outward as so many Chinese are joining the Church in other parts of the world and then bringing it back home to their friends and family. It was a very spiritual and rewarding day as a lot of focus was also placed on the Resurrection of our Savior.
Our Easter dinner consisted of sandwiches between meetings - not quite our usual ham dinner at home, but I must say that the spirit was so strong today that we didn't miss a big dinner at all.
Well we must close and get some sleep as we have an extremely busy week ahead. We pray for you all daily.
Elder & Sister Garrett (mom & dad, grandma & grandpa, friends and relatives)
Bro. Neilson, Bro. Turley, Pres. Lai, Pres. Chan, Elder Perkins
Our Singapore Elder's - What great young men!
Pres. & Sis. Clark, Elder and Sis. Garrett on Mt. Faber Easter Morning.
Bro. Ho (our institute teacher), Pres. Kwan (member of the Stake Presidency) and Bishop Li
High Priest Group singing Red River Valley
Group of young girls dancing, part of a talent show.
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
Mission Pres., wife and New Elder
Singapore River
Dinner with Larson's and Johnson's
Christ's church in Melaka
The chapel in front of our home
Our house from the front
Botanical Gardens
Orchids at Orchid Gardens
Harbor near our home.
"The Beast" our van
At the Jahor Bahru Branch
Dinner with Erickson's and Howarth's
We are excited to hear of a Temple in Fort Collins!
Hello all,
First of all we just
wanted to let all of you know how excited we were to hear of a Temple that is
going to be built in Fort Collins! We had several family members and
friends e-mail us with the exciting news. We don't get conference here
for another week, but we did go on line this afternoon and listened to
President Monson's announcement. We read the e-mails early this morning
just before we were headed to Jahor Bahru for church. We had a senior
couple from JB that spent the night last night. We couldn't wait to tell
them. It's amazing that half way around the world we can get such
exciting news right away. It does make us sad though that many of the
people in our area here may never have the opportunity to go to the
Temple. If they do, it's usually a once in a lifetime opportunity.
The nearest Temple is in the Philippines however this mission is assigned to
the Hong Kong Temple. Most of the Malaysian people must save for years to
be able to attend the Temple just once. How fortunate we are in the
states to be able to attend the temple often!
This has been a busy
couple of weeks for us. Last week we had an Elder that returned home
(scheduled) and a new Elder arrive. The new Elder went home from the MTC
a year ago, but worked to get his life in order and arrived this last week
to complete his mission. He is so happy to be in the Mission field.
What a great young man! This week we had a Senior couple return home and
3 other couples in for Visa runs. We had a full house, but what
fun! All the couples we have met have been great. One of the
couples last week, the Larson's, are from North Carolina. They kept all
of us entertained with their adventures in East Malaysia. They are
humanitarian missionaries and were working with a small Kampung (village) to
get a water dam put in so they can have fresh water. They flew into a
small town on a 14 passenger plane. The baggage handler came out to pick
up their luggage pushing a wheelbarrow with a flat tire! The airport
bathroom consisted of a red plastic bucket for the women and a blue one for the
men! They then had to travel 4 hours thru the jungle in the back of a 4-wheel
drive truck with big mud tires and a roll bar over deep rutted roads holding on
to the roll bar. They stayed in the village for 3 days getting all the
paperwork signed by the villagers. They said the people were so friendly
and giving. Listening to them tell about it with their southern accents
was hilarious. I think the Lord knew what he was doing having us serve
and live in Singapore and not Malaysia except for Sundays!
It takes us anywhere
between 7 and 9 hours to go over to JB and back - mostly because of
immigration. It's always kind of disconcerting to cross the border.
As the couple that just went home said "We could be staying home just
getting older or we could be out here having experiences that we could only
dream about!" We would certainly encourage any Senior couples to
serve a mission! What wonderful experiences we are having. Everyday
is a new adventure. We are gradually discovering new areas of the city
and have found that riding the MRT (subway) is a great way to go! We've
made at least 5 trips to the airport each week for the last couple of weeks
either picking up or taking others to the airport. One morning we had to
get up at 2:45 to take a missionary to the airport - the only good thing about
that was traffic was light! We are becoming regulars at the
airport! Our office work is non-ending. Between all the finances,
scheduling trips, hotels (for the Mission President),recording Baptisms, Elders
having to move to new apartments, having bicycles stolen, support cards lost,
etc., we are always behind! But working with all the young Elders and
Sisters is wonderful and they seem so appreciative. They keep us young
(at least feeling that way)!
We are grateful for
our health. We walk up and down hills most mornings at 5:30 - the coolest
time of day! Singapore is such a beautiful place no matter where you
go! It is also such a clean, safe place. Many of our Senior couples
struggle with health problems. We have a Sister coming in tomorrow for a
knee replacement surgery. She (and her husband) will be staying with us
for about 16 days. One of the other Senior sisters had thyroid surgery,
and many have doctor appointments when they come for their visa runs. So,
health doesn't seem to be a reason not to serve a mission!
We love and miss all
of our family. We just received an e-mail this morning that Janice fell
(tangled in a gas hose) and cracked both of her elbows. She had just
received word that Kadie (her youngest) had been donating blood at her high
school and had passed out. They had a hard time reviving her and called
Janice. She was rushing to Kadie's aid and fell. Kadie
e-mailed us and said she is in a contraption that looks like a straight
jacket! Brian's and Beckies youngest, Graham will turn two this week
(7th). It is hard being away from family, but feel needed here and we are
able to keep in touch by e-mail, phone and Scype and know that our family
will be blessed as we serve our Heavenly Father!
We love hearing from
you and your adventures also. We still get the Relief Society weekly
e-mail and love hearing about what is going on in the Ward. We
often watch our local channel 9 news from Denver (on-line). We get
the morning news at night and the nightly news in the morning, but I must admit
we feel a little smug when the states are freezing and we are enjoying such
beautiful weather!
We love all of you and
miss you and pray for you daily.
With love,
|
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April 10, 2011
Hello all,
This week has been great. We just finished watching General Conference for the last two days at the Mission President's home along with the Howarth's (the Public Relations couple). We had a great time and ate way too much! The speakers were great. We cheered again when we heard the Temple for Fort Collins announced again. What a blessing that will be for the people of Northern Colorado and parts of Wyoming. It seems like the general theme of conference was that we will have many trials in the times to come, but if we are living righteously and willing to serve others, we will be blessed. We particularly loved President Monson's talks and Elder Hollands talk on how Zion's Standard is unfurled and that mortal messengers are around us delivering angelic messages. We loved President Uchdorf's talk on how the Heavens are open and that the Lord speaks to us today through modern prophets. We thought his quote by Francis of Assisi was great "preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words!". We must be good examples in the way we live our lives! Elder Scott's talk about eternal families was touching as he talked about his deceased wife and what a wonderful person she was and how he knows they will be together eterally because of the gospel. All the speakers were great and it was wonderful watching it with such wonderful people. The AP's and Office Elders came over and watched the Priesthood session with us too. It felt strange for the three women there to be watching the Priesthood session, but we didn't discover any secret things (ha)!
We had a couple come in from East Malaysia on Monday. She had her knee replaced on Wednesday. She gets out of the hospital tomorrow and is scheduled to leave on Saturday. She is doing great. The surgery was about $15,000 less than in the US and she said her care was much better. The doctor told her that about 40-50% of his patients are people from out of the country who come here for surgery. They have excellent hospitals here with wonderful care. The health care in Malaysia is terrible though. If you can't pay up front, they won't treat you at all. I guess the doctors are good, but the nursing is terrible. This same couple visited a woman in the hospital who had just had a baby. You must furnish all the supplies for your baby (diapers, formula, etc) and for the mother, her supplies including food (this is in Malaysia)!
We have another couple coming in tomorrow for a Visa run. She also has doctor appointments (a usual thing for senior missionaries it seems). Tuesday night we are going with them and the Howarths to the Night Safari at the Singapore Zoo. It is supposed to be great. That is, we will go if it's not raining. We decided to try to go to Sentosa Island Wednesday afternoon. This time we drove out there. The only part of the island we saw was the beach area and it was absolutely beautiful! When we were walking to the section with all the attractions a huge thunder storm came up and it poured down rain for about 1 1/2 hrs. We sought shelter under a big outdoor pavillion. But by the time it finally quit raining, we decided we would just leave. Some day we will get to see the entire island.
One of the sad things this week was having to take a missionary to the airport that was returning home early - his choice. He said his knee was really hurting him all the time. We think it was just an excuse. We all felt really bad for him as we know he will always regret his decision. We had to get up at 3:45 that morning! We picked the President and his group up one night at 11 p.m. We are getting to recognize some of the workers at the airport and they are probably recognizing us!
Our hours at the office most days are long and stressful, but we love it. As the President jokes, "that's why we make the big bucks!"
We found a mexican restaurant this week. We rode the MRT down to the Singapore river walk and had a "set" lunch - chicken fajita's (without skin or bones!). It was wonderful and it wasn't served with rice!
It was hard being here this week and not being home to help Janice though (our middle daughter). She fell and fractured both elbows. She couldn't do anything for herself. She has wonderful friends though who have been helping her (as well as her family). She was excited yesterday that she was finally able to reach high enough to brush her own teeth! It has been hard for her to accept help and meals from others. She is always helping others but it is harder to be on the receiving end. She is learning though that you have to let others serve you too as they need the blessings also. Our youngest grandson, Graham (Brian's youngest) just turned two this week! How we miss our family, but we know that our family will be blessed by our service to the Lord.
We think of family and friends often, but we feel so blessed that we are here in Singapore on a mission serving the Lord and being able to get to know the wonderful people in Jahor Bahru, Malaysia!
With our love,
Elder & Sister Garrett
Mom & Dad, Grandma & Grandpa
Friends
Scenes from Sentosa beach and Dave on the Southernmost part of Asia.
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