Elder Garner - Growing Up and Counting Down

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday Elder Garner!

Happy birthday to you!

Elder Garner with the Abilene bishop's son. Looks like a future missionary to me, check him out borrowing Taylor's tag.

It's Elder Garner's birthday today. In case you couldn't tell.

I didn't spend the day with him; he's still a missionary after all. Coincidentally I did spend it with my dad! He was in town on business and came by. That was fun.

Elder Garner's days are winding down. We knew his birthday would be a big landmark as it reminds us he has less than a month left in the mission field.

Here's the count!

Days remaining: 28 and counting...down

Here's what he says about it:

"I am tired...

I am working hard...

I am ready for the next chapter of my life...

Haha." 

I think he's justified.

Let's talk Abilene. Elder Garner and Elder Hebdon don't have a lot of people to teach there right now. So they're spending their time finding families that need some help getting back to church, and they're helping with a bunch of service projects.

First, they got to help do some yard work. I'm not sure if it's at the church building or a home or where. What I am sure about? That's a crazy big pickaxe. I'm intimidated. I love the missionary tan on his arms. I think missionaries are solely responsible for the white short sleeve button up shirt market. Who else wears them?

Working hard? Or hardly working?

Second, they got to help create a home for a sweet girl. 

The Allen family in the Abilene ward recently took in their daughter's friend Cici. Elder Garner says she is an awesome girl. Unfortunately her family is caught up in the world of drugs and partying and is not so awesome. They abandoned Cici weeks ago. The Allen family generously took her in, but they don't have an extra room for her. Elder Garner and Elder Hebdon offered to refinish an old shed and create a bedroom for Cici. They painted, cleaned, put down baseboards, put up blinds, installed an air conditioner, and moved in all the furniture. I had no idea Taylor knows how to do that stuff. Glad he does! The elders hope to work with Cici to bring some religion and hope into her life. It will help that she's living with a family in the ward. Things could really change for the better for her now, and I hope they do.

He looks sleepy. That's a lot of work.

Another throwback photo. This is Racquel, in the pink. She got baptized in Roswell. 

Here's my latest favorite picture. 

The kids wanted to send their favorite noodles to Uncle Taylor. They love "hat noodles". I got an email from Elder Garner this week with this picture attached. All it said was, "We like to play with our hat noodles. :)"

So random! I laughed a lot.

Elder Garner and Elder Hebdon invited the Spanish-speaking Elders over for a cake and ice cream party tonight. I hope they had a blast.

Happy happy birthday Taylor dear!