Missed One!

Dear Family and Friends,

Sorry I missed my main e-mail last week. We got tied up with some long lists of things to do for this week, so unfortunately I wasn't able to get one sent off. 

As for the work here, it is really cool being able to have a portion of foresight in preparing for things to come in the next few months. I have really come to love the principle of planning, even though I am not the best at it I realize more an dmore how important it is in our everyday lives. I really hope and pray that for the major goals we have set in our area that we'll see the miracles yet to happen through applying what I have learned thus far on my mission. Truly learning is an eternal process, and I am grateful for that. I love the fact that transfers are much like any phase of life. Somtimes you know where you're going, sometimes you don't. Either way the Lord has a plan and it will usually work out in the long runeven if it's not the way we anticipate. Ok enough rambling.

This week my Testimony has been strengthened on the principles of faith and prayer. Many prayers have been answered before my eyes and many others that I may not even be aware of that I believe are for the good of all God's children who seek to love and serve him. I have also realized more what it means to hear the voice of the Lord. In D&C 18 it talks about the call to seek out the 12 apostles, and how they can be recognized. It says by their desires and their works you shal know them. Further it explains that the words that are written are the words of Christ. Those that have desire to know can ask and receive. The words that are written plainly express that it is only by the power of God that we can have them. It was really powerful to read that. Bold and very loving as the words of truth are. Manifested by the spirit and by the power of God it has brought peace to my soul knowing that revelation continues today. Too often we get into the Groove of things and we get scared to step outside of the way things are supposed to be. STOP it. The Atonement is all for the purpose of change. If we are alwys doing the same thing and hoping to get different results we are just insane. The blessings of true and complete repentance are releif, peace, great confidence in our Father in Heaven's love for us despite our weaknesses, as well as a fresh perspective on life, ourselves, and the world around us. Through prayer these and many other blessings can be ours on a daily basis. Real intent is teh key. Tiyng back to a previous statement, God knows our real intent by our desires and our works. No-one else will know perfectly, or can know our deepest desires but our Father in Heaven does. And oh how he wants our righteous desires to become a reality! We just don't allow him to when we choose to follow a different path. I hope and pray that each of us may recognize more clearly the voice of the Lord in our lives and partake of the peace and blessings abundantly available. Recgnize the beauty of creation. Actually take a minute to stop and think about it. Right now. I love you all! have a great day!

 

Elder McGarry

 

 Our current Trio, Elder Garnder​, Larkin and McGarry. Or McGardkin :)

 

Albuquerque Sunsets. The running joke is that if there was nothing below the horizon New Mexico could be one of the most beautiful states!

 

 

Peace in This World

Dear Family and Friends,

It was quite a shock to hear of my grandmother's passing last night. I can honestly say that one of the hardest things I have ever done was to say goodbye to my grandma not knowing if I would see her again in this life. She was one of my closest friends. Someone that I grew up around, and laughed with, and served (albeit begrudgingly at times), and above all someone that helped me see more of my own potential than I could have grasped on my own. It doesn't feel like it has really sunk in yet. I just want everyone to know how much I love her and how much I look forward to seeing her again on that beautiful bright millennial day. Most of what I feel can't be put into words, but what I can describe is a reassuring sense of peace. The few times I considered the possibility of this happening I imagined that there would be pain, and sorrow and anguish. While admitting I am indeed saddened by the occurrence, I am yet swallowed up in the joy of the resurrection. "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ" "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." 

I send my love and deepest wishes of peace for each of you that have been affected by her passing. 

I need to clarify something that has been in confusion. Then I won't bring it up again because I don't want to dwell on it. My I will be flying home on October 19 around the middle of the day. Exact times during the day will be given the week before I leave, otherwise I will refer you back to this statement. That being said I'll shift gears to missionary mindset. 

The past week has been spent on exchanges with all the Zone Leaders throughout the mission. 11 companionships in 5 days is a fair amount to coordinate, luckily this is the Lord's work and he makes things work out the way they need to. I have been made more abundantly aware of what great missionaries and young men we have as Latter-Day Saints. To add to that I have seen first-hand the mighty change of heart wrought in a dear friend who was recently baptized. Chris shared his testimony with me and two other missionaries and the spirit pierced my heart. I haven'e felt the spirit so strongly for quite a while, and the amazing part is that his words were plain easy to be understood by anyone who would have heard. Yet the power truly shook me to the core. Faith in Jesus Christ is essential first. Repentance is change wrought within us; both a commandment and a blessing it allows a way that we don't have to suffer, we don't have to hurt, we don't have to have the pain of guilt and shame. These are not the exact words Chris shared, though in similar fashion I echo the message that was witnessed to by him. Though I have learned a lot this week, much yet do I lack which encourages me to push forward undaunted by the weakness of my flesh. The spirit carries us through when we learn to rely on it and trust in our Father and His Plan. By so doing we shall have peace in this life and following the Gospel plan allows us to be heirs of Eternal Life. Potential to become like our Father in Heaven.

I love you all! Have a great week!

 

Elder McGarry

Cause the heavens to shake for your good

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was like a roller coaster. It's been interesting working through the process of building a new Ward Mission Plan in one of our areas. It's neat to see how involved it can be and how many different aspects tie into it. With all the different moving parts in the church it is a wonder everything works out so smoothly. I am fascinated by the intricacy and detail that is given through revelation on certain aspects as a group councils together to seek the Lord's hand. I am definitely humbled to recognize again and again throughout my life how much is truly just in the Lord's hands and somehow he pulls from our meager efforts and makes things work out! I love being part of that. 

I have recently started studying in greater depth in the Doctrine and Covenants. Something that stood out to me was in Section 21:5 how it talks about when the Prophet speaks it should be regarded as if those words were proceeding forth directly from the mouth of God. That is the purpose of a Prophet, after all. The ensuing verse gives a powerful description of what promises we receive by doing so. Namely that "the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will dispers the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name's glory." President Guffey has emphasized a great deal on the importance of obedience. This was the protection that came to the 2000 Stripling Warriors in that they were protected by divine power because they observed every command to obey with Exactness. This implies that they did not just ignorantly happen to do the right thing by trying to be the best they could be, or by seeking out to to good. Rather they sought to Observe the commands that were given and to execute the. For us that interperets into seeking the revealed word of God so that we might know his will for us through his prophets. As good as we may be by living lives of purity and service and other well intended characteristics, we will not be receivers of the afore mentioned divine promise unless we give our diligence to seek and observe the commands of our leaders to execute them with exactness. This doesn't mean that we will be perfect. It doesn't even mean that we will be able to do all that we have been asked to do often times, but that it should be our intent to do so. We must also recongize that by observing and executing with exactness we are not to expect that we will be impervious to incur any afflictions or trials. We also learn that even though not one of the Stripling Warriors was slain, there also was not a single one who had not received "many wounds" some even emaciated from loss of blood du to these injuries. Yet I conjunction with the very initial promise in our day, the powers of darkness were dispersed from before them, and surely the heavens did shake fore their good, and continue to bring glory to the majesty and power of deliverance through faithfulness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

I pray that we can all observe, meaning to seek and find the council and guidance from prophets, and obey with exactness and by so doing we may truly sustain and "move the cause of Zion in mighty power for good..." 

I love you all!

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Elder McGarry

 

 La Michoicana a really good mexican place

Double rainbow at our place

Honest

Dear Family and Friends

For P-day I was able to track down a mini print/pocket sized Book of Mormon!

​ I really love the Book of Mormon and​

 I have always loved miniature sized things, except candy bars. Don't get me wrong I love candy bars but the bigger the better in that case. Speaking of which, thanks for all the love recently! I am grateful for the letters and packages! Another thing we did for P-day, we deep cleaned our apartment. That wasn't too bad since my companion and I try to just stay on top of keeping things cleaned as we go. So that was that.

The biggest thing on my mind these past few days has been just being honest. I think in general people try to do things that they feel are going to be helpful for them or those around them. Whether this translates the same for others and is interpreted that way by the general populous may be debatable. As we come to a better understanding of who we are eternally as children of the most high God, our actions and behaviors even our very desires are changed by a sense of eternal worth, values and laws. I think one of the saddest things in this life is for someone to be disconnected from the reality that they are a child of God. This is foundationally incorrect in the eternities and a form of dishonesty to ourself and our nature.  Starting from that point if we are honest to ourselves and our eternal nature, then we know that there is nothing we can do to earn or become undeserving of the Love our Heavenly Father has for us. President Guffey taught me this in a such a simple powerful way by saying that. Building upon that as we are honest to Father in heaven about weaknesses, shortcomings and other things we struggle with he will show us how we can overcome all things. By embracing this we come closer to realizing the greatest of all the gifts of God, Eternal Life. 

"We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul-We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."

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Article of Faith #13​

Simple words today. Short time, but abundance of love! 

Have a great week!

--

Elder McGarry

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