Miracle Month Report

Dear Family and Friends,

I have been so tremendously blessed in the work in this area. This past month we have been praying for Miracles, and they have surely been abundant. We have had so many powerful experiences and so many people willing to open up their hearts to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In some small way the Lord always goes about performing Miracles, and if we put forth the effort we can be part of them.

I want to focus mostly on How we can bring Miracles about, not only in our own lives but in the lives of others as well. What we talked about in Zone Conference was what makes things Sacred. We took time to look at Temples, Martin's Cove, The Sacred Grove, and The Garden of Gethsemane. Reflecting on each of these places and the things that happened, or still happen, there was such a powerful spirit that came. Each of these places are Sacred. But what makes them that way. The Presence of God can be felt in each of them, to that I testify because I have been to them all with the exception of Gethsemane, but I still know that the Savior did atone for each and every one of us in that place so the very Son of God gave his all. For you. Words cannot describe what has been done for each of us, but there is one that comes close, and that is Sacrifice. The words Sacrifice and Sacred come from the same root word. It was quoted that Sacrifice is what makes things Sacred. When we give of ourselves in order to help or edify others, that is how we make things sacred. The testimony I have of Sacrifice is truly one of the most sacred things in my life. When I think of my ancestors, some still living, others who have passed on in the midst of tribulation, I can't express enough how grateful I am to them and their sacrifices. I know that I would not be where I am today if I was not willing to sacrifice, but to each of us Sacrifice has a different meaning. Some sacrifices may seem unimportant, or not meaningful when they are taken out of perspective. I would like to invite each of you to think about the sacrifices in your life, and probably even more dear to your hearts, those sacrifices that have been made for you and your life. Then you will see the Miracles that have been brought to pass. Each of us is a miracle, and when we make sacrifices for the Lord and for others then we are able to make miracles happen in the lives of those around us.

Often times it is uncomfortable, or scary, or we don't think that it will make "that big of a difference." But I testify that any sacrifice even the very smallest in our eyes, with a touch of the Masters hand can make a mighty change and a miracle in the world around us and in the eternal perspective of our Father's plan. I am so humbly grateful for all of the sacrifices that have been made on my behalf. I Wish with all of the energy of my heart that I could show to all of you what those sacrifices mean to me, but That is why I invite you to ponder on those sacrifices that have been made for you. Then you will have some feeling of the appreciation that I have for these things. I love each of you and I hope that we can all continue to learn and grow in all areas. With that thought I will close and look forward to the new week and start of another fantastic Transfer here in the Sage area!

-Elder McGarry

Beautiful sunrise this morning. Pictures don't even do it justice!! 

Faces on a tree in our area

Dear family and friends,

I am always torn about what I should write because there is so much that I would like to say. That being said, I'll start with Thanksgiving day. We had a wonderful time with members and ate a ton of food. We started out with traditional thanksgiving turkey dinner, then we went and had Chili Rellenos with green chili(New Mexico specialty), then finished off the night with some amazing homemade Calzones (See Jon, I get a little taste of Italy here even!) We also had some little cards that Elder Christensen and I made to give to people with a little scripture. It was a great day.

We have a very productive week. We are pretty sad that Manuel is not progressing anymore. He is the one that was doing a World Religion class and chose to learn more about our church. On a more positive note, we have a baptismal date with an investigator named Donald Pitts who has been investigating for Nine Years. The Lord has really been working with him and we felt prompted the last couple of times to give him a little push. The power of the Spirit is so amazing and it's a beautiful thing to be a part of. The date is out four months, but it is a step to the right direction. Another amazing thing that has happened is we were out contacting this last week and found an older gentleman named Alex. He is really open minded and when we met with him for the first time last night, he said that he wished that he had more power or authority to act in the name of Jesus Christ. The spirit guided us to him at just the right moment and that is a miracle in itself. We are so excited to learn and grow with him and help him accept the ordinances and principles of the restored gospel. The blessings are so limitless if we rely on the Lord. Another investigator Named Timothy is working to quit smoking. He has been working so hard and even pushing himself more than we would have thought he would. We are going to work toward a baptismal date this week.

My favorite thing I've learned this week, or the thing that sticks out to me the most right now, is D&C 121:45 "Then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God" How do we as imperfect beings gain confidence to be with God? It is only through Faith in Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice that we can be cleansed from sin to have that confidence. When Virtue is the garnish of our thoughts we have no desire to do evil, but as Alma 13 talks about we look at sin only with abhorrence. The work is good and not without struggle by any means. Friday last week, we had plans fall through over and over, but we kept a prayer that we would be guided to where we needed to be. Let me tell you, prayers are answered we ended up trying by a family that we have missed the last two weeks and found out that recently the husbands father had passed away. They are a middle aged couple and they were in pain and had a lot going on especially right after Thanksgiving. We were able to teach a beautiful message about the plan of Salvation and bear strong testimony of the plan in it's perfection. The wife has never sat to listen to our messages before now and this time she even accepted an invitation to read Alma 40 which talks about the resurrection and eternal life. My companion and I are so grateful for the area we are in and the people that we are able to serve.

Sorry this one is a little more surface deep I guess I'd say. There is a lot going on and what I'm doing is more in the forefront of my mind so anyway, just like the Moroni, I feel that my written words are insufficient. I love you all very much and continue to pray for you. Scripture for thought 1 John 4:8 "For he that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is Love." This is one of my all time favorites and can be applied to any circumstance. Act in Love and you will not regret or look back wishing for change. This I know to be true.

Have a great week!

Elder McGarry

 The elders from our apartment. We had an epic rubberband fight last night!!! P day shenanagins

Thanksgiving dinner at a members house.