Keeping busy and working hard!

Hey everyone!

This week was nuts! We had changes and I'm in the same area with my new companion Elder Lowry from Utah. He is known as the happiest guy in El Salvador haha. But since he just got out of working in the office for the past year and doesn't know the area at all, I'm pretty much the trainer right now doing all the planning and stuff.But it's been great because I've been able to work a ton harder! I'm exhausted every night from working super hard! I feel great right now!!!!

This week we had a zone conference. I guess everyone thinks I'm the strongest in the zone so they had me do the push ups for the atonement activity...if you don't know what that is let's just say I had to do about 50 plus more push ups after doing 100 that morning. It may not seem that much but I don't have tons of time to work out and I'm a bit out of shape so it was a lot for me! HAHA. Then we talked to this drunk guy on the street and he said that the world is his home and that he wants the wisdom of the mayans....I love the drunk guys.

My presents got here! I'm so happy! Only moms and dads though. I'm so grateful for it! I love it. and for Christmas it looks like 24th afternoon is when we will be skyping. I don't have tons of time but I love you all! 

Love Elder Markham

**Garrett is serving in Alta Vista, El Salvador 

A Chicken Stampede and a Sketchy Ice Cream Truck

Hey family! 

Not too much new going on this week...But first there is a small possibility that we might skype on the 24th. We aren't sure and I really don't know what's going on. But I'm just giving a heads up. I really hope it's the 25th! So i had some new foods this week. I finally had my first pumpkin pupusa...it wasn't quite the pumpkin pupusa I thought it would be. It just tasted like tortilla. Then I had some tres letches which was awesome! Just like moms except it had a cherry on top. I saw an ice cream truck for the first time...a very very sketchy ice cream truck. I wanted some ice cream because that annoying song was tempting me but I thought I might die if I ate that ice cream. So i didn't. I also almost got ran over by a middle aged chicken stampede. They weren't chicks but they weren't full grown yet so they also looked like dinosaurs. I also got two letters this week! Its so great to hear from the kids and they are sooooo funny!!!! It helps me so much!

Well I have to go but I love you all!

Love Elder Markham

Two kids in a foreign land can change lives with the Gospel.

Hola!

This week was awesome! I'm loving the mission every week! Saturday was my first baptism and it was awesome! The spirit was so strong and it was a very great experience. Of course the devil tried to stop the baptism and Osvaldos grandson that lives with him was super sick and was not doing well. But my companion and I gave him a blessing and when they showed up to the baptism it was like he was never sick! After the baptism we had Osvaldo give his testimony and it was amazing even though I couldn't understand too much...He talked about how he didn't have any words to describe the way he felt, and how amazing me and my comp are...he also talked about how we healed his grandson that morning so I guess I now have my own cool little story for that. During his testimony was when I really realized that this is what its all about and how amazing it is that two kids can go around in a foreign land helping others come unto Christ and Save their eternal salvation. Its amazing. 

The temperature isn't that bad anymore...the first few weeks was kind of like "Pure Luck"... Remember the scene where Martin Short is super uncomfortable when the guy is smoking in his face...that's kind of how I was because of the heat! It was killer! haha

I love you all so much. Have a great week everyone!!! 

Love Elder Markham

Garrett's first baptism...Osvaldo

The Zepeda Family...they are very good to Garrett and feed him well!

Learning Patience

Hey Everyone!

This week was awesome! I had such a great time and it's weird to think that it's almost been a month since I've been in El Salvador! 

I have learned so much in my personal study! This week I learned about having patience. Thomas S. Monson said that we will always have trials in our life and we need to be patient to get through them. It is always on the Lords time and they are always specific for each individual. This helped me so much. I love study time in the morning! This week is my first baptism for sure! The last one had to wait for just a little longer. But the man is Osvaldo like I talked about before. He is amazing and already has names of his parent and siblings to do temple work for and is sharing the Gospel with many people. He is a great example to me. I am so excited for this Saturday and its going to be a great experience! We had 11 investigators come to church this Sunday! It was a huge success! I hope that they felt the spirit and continue to want to come! We have a few more baptism dates for December! My Spanish is improving every week! Many people are saying that it's really good for the time I've been here so I guess that's good. But I still can't understand too much especially at church and when people talk a lot. But I can definitely understand and talk a lot more!

I miss you and love you all!!!

Love Elder Markham

Still Learning Spanish...and just call him Colipoki

Hola Familia!

This week was great! We are teaching more people and got a few baptism dates. There are times where I feel like I can speak Spanish and other times where I feel like I can't. I can talk pretty well with my companion about gospel stuff and that's pretty cool. But during stake conference this week I didn't understand a single thing. But I can still talk with a few people about other things. I know its getting better and it just takes time. Tons of little kids are always asking me, how do you say this in English...how do you say this? it's funny. At times I forget my name because no one here can say Markham. Its marrcun. So my companion tells them its like bacon...don't ask why but it doesn't even help anyways. So most of the members just call me colipoki from the other side of heaven.I feel like a giant here too. Everyone points and likes to compare their height with mine.

This week we found more investigators! We now have 12 new ones! Its great! We are inviting our investigators to visit the temple with our president on December 20th!

I love you all and miss you!

Love Elder Markham

Garrett's teacher (in front) and his companion at the MTC

Sunset from the MTC in Mexico

Teaching the Gospel and BIG Spiders

Hey everyone! 

This week was great! Tons of stuff happening every day. People have been putting up Christmas stuff since the first week of November! So me and my companion got a little tree and some lights. Its great haha. 

We started teaching this man named Osvaldo and he is super awesome...even though I have no clue what he and my companion are saying. My companion tells me most of it after. The Spanish hasn't clicked yet so it makes it super stressful. I can pick up key words and stuff though. Anyway, we met this guy in the street last week and he said we can come teach him. We taught him the first lesson and it went great! Then we taught him the second time about Joseph Smith and he loved it. We had to watch the video on his laptop because his TV wasn't able to change to Spanish so the video was super quiet. During the movie his neighbor started blasting super loud music and we couldn't hear at all. I remembered learning about specific prayers in the MTC so I decided to say one. I asked that the music would stop so that the spirit could be there and just as I was finishing the prayer, the music stopped. It was so cool. Then right when the movie finished the music came back on! We asked if he could pray to find out if Joseph was a true prophet and he said yes. We all got on our knees and as he started to pray he started crying. Then he kept thanking God for sending us and for everything else. Afterwards he said that he knew he was a prophet. The third lesson I asked if he would be baptized and he's like yeah yeah of course...but can I teach these things to my religion class I teach? It's amazing the people the Lord prepares to hear the Gospel.

A few days ago I contacted about 9 people in one night. We had exchanges for a day and I went to a different area with an Elder from Nebraska. He is pretty new as well and as it got later in the night we didn't have much to do so we just contacted people. 

I saw my first Central America spider last night. It was huge! I asked my companion and two other members we were with if that was a spider because it didn't really look like a spider at all! They all said yes like it was nothing and how they get way bigger.

I miss you guys a ton and I love all your emails!

Love Elder Markham

Finally in El Salvador!

Garrett and his mission President and wife: President and Sister Vasquez

Garrett and new missionaries arriving October 27th, 2014 El Salvador San Salvador East Mission

Hola familia! 

I have been here in El Salvador for a week now! I don't have a lot of time so I will be quick. Getting here has been a huge cultural shock for me. Its very different and hard to get used to living here. Most houses are about the size of our living room and the other houses are just tin shacks with dirt floors. But I am beginning to love it here. Mom and Dad really treated us like kings. The only problem I am having is with the language. If I can just learn the language then this whole mission will be easy. My mission president is awesome! I love him! So is my trainer Elder Custodio! 

During our lessons I can't say a whole lot because of my lack of vocab...I also have no clue what anyone is saying except for key gospel doctrinal words. But I can still teach just fine when my companion has me speak. The Natives really look like they are listening and nod their heads and the spirit is strong when I teach. I tried talking to a guy on the bus to see if we could come give him a lesson at his house. He just ignored me and kept looking forward. I asked if he could understand me and all he said was yes...

There's this family called the Zepeda family and they are always giving us food and stuff. Every other family owns a store in their house and the Zepeda family are one of those people. They are also bakers so they always give us bread and this really good juice that I love from their store for free! Its awesome and they are so kind. I think their baptism date is this Saturday. I invited these two investigators to be baptized the other day on our first visit and they said yes!!! It was great.

Real quick...here's my Christmas list... Nail clippers and tweezers; mine got stolen from my bag at the airport. Pepperoni sticks, krystal light packets, and anything else you want to send. I will try to think of other things. Probably not anything that I need to cook because we don't really have things to cook with. We have members cook for us and we pay them.

I miss you all so much! If Brock and Trevor have any advice for me on learning a language in the mission then that would be great. Thanks! 

Love Elder Markham