Happy Day, All is Well!

Meine Familie und Freunde:

Was ein sehr wunderbarer Woche hat passiert!! Yesterday was the day of days here in the MTC, and connected with this morning, I can give a firm answer to the question: Have we not great cause to rejoice?? Yes. Yes I do!!

We got our flight plans to Deutschland! We leave from SLC at 8:25am on March 21, and go to DALLAS, TEXAS!!! and then leave Dallas at 3:30pm and arrive in Frankfurt, DE at 7:05am the next morning. How exciting is that?! I get to return to the homeland for a few hours! I am definitely going to find some Blue Bell ice crem in the airport to eat! We also got a letter from our mission President with this schedule: -Arrive at Frnkfurt airport, go through customs and meet President and Sister Ninnow. Take a train with the assistants to the Mission Office for a short training. - Street Contacting in Downtown Frankfurt - Dinner/interviews back at the mission home. Street Contacting on the first day!! Ich bin sehr sehr sehr begeistert!! We will sleep in a hotel that night and the next morning meet our trainer-companion and go to our first area of assignment. There was so much excitement in our district yesterday, some even made up a song "Wir gehen nach Deutchland... wir haben unser Fleugzeug Plan.. Haben Sie Ihren Fleugzeug Plan? Ja! Ich habe meine Fleugzeug Plan! Auchso! Dann Sie gehen nach Deutschland!" viel viel SpaB! And then I bought a new scripture case- one that is big enough for both Deutsch scriptures and has a shoulder strap for a side back. Ich bin sehr begeistert! I can't wait to use all I have and have learned on that first day in Deustland!

Still on yesterday, I got the letter from Jessica saying that she will be submitting her mission papers this month!! I felt the Spirit so strong when I read that, confirming that it was the right choice! Jess, with your Spanish background, it is very likely that you could go Spanish speaking- and we are on the same meal-meeting-gym schedule as a large group of Spanish-speaking missionaries, so I have become good friends with many. I told some of the sisters there that you are submitting your papers, and they want you to go to the Washington D.C. South Spanish mission- maybe! Come what may and love it! Thank you for your example to me of following the Spirit and aligning your will to the will of the Father's.

Then today, we went to the temple and did some work, but got talking to one of the workers who spoke great Deutsch- how fun! We spent more time than we were planning to be in the temple, but I now know it was the hand of the Lord, for when we left the temple, Mark Harris was walking up the path! What a great tender mercy from the Lord to run into him... almost literally, and spend some time talking with him. Mark, you probably thought I couldn't talk properly or make much sense, I was just so excited to see you- and the English is leaving me! Mark leaves on his Mission to Russia this summer, so it was truly a tender mercy to see him before he leaves. I am beginning to understand and experience what it means for the windows of Heaven to be opened and blessings poured out, where there is not room enough to receive them- How truly grateful I am for that has happened these last two days, reminding me that the Lord is in charge of this work. For I know that if it wasn't the Lord's work, all these wodnerful things wouldn't have happened at this particular time to me individually.

This morning, I was getting ready and the line of a powerful hymn of Zion came into my mind, that I realized is the theme song for last week and the first of this week:

"Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard? 'Tis not so; all is right.

Why should we think to earn a great reward If we now shun the fight?

Gird up your loins; fresh courage take. Our God will never us forsake;

And soon we'll have this tale to tell- All is well! All is Well!" (Come, Come, Ye Saints)

With the flight plans given to us yesterday, the plan of the first day in the mission field, Jessica's decision to serve, and having time with Mark, I truly have taken "fresh courage" and girded up my loins to get to work! The Work of Salvation is the most important work anyone can be involved with; we cannot "now shun the fight!!" God truly will never forsake us. Happy Day, All is Well!!

Jesus Christ Lives; He is the Son of the Living God. My testimony of Him and the way His hand is in every aspect of this work and doubled, tripled, and eternally increased just from these last two days. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. With the Bible, we learn of the Doctrine of Salvation; eternal life with our families. The greatest and most important blessing or "side-effect" of this wok is JOY! Everything we do in this work is for the joy. Happiness, a temporary feeling based on circumstance, comes and goes like the waves of the sea; but joy, an eternal and internal state of being, overcomes and shines through any discouragement and harships that are put in our way. Like the Savior testified to the Nephites in the Book of Mormon, I too can testify that, indeed, my joy is full! "The dawning of a brighter day" is truly "rising on the world!" (The Morning Breaks, hymn #1); "Shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backwards. Courage... and on, on to the victory. Let your hearts rejoice and be exceedingly glad." (D&C 128:22)

All the Praise, Honor and Glory go to the Lord for all that is right and good in my life!

All my best and all my love,

Elder Garlick