~September 26, 2011- Mormon Helping Hands~

Elder Garcia is doing very well. A few days ago Elder Jensen took a picture of Elder Garcia with some of the little kids the are teaching. One of the kids took off his tag and Elder Garcia helped him clip it on to his shirt. He says they are so cute and he loves kids! They told them that they want to be missionaries some day. The kids and their dad will be getting baptized on October 8. The family is from Sierra Leone.

Elder Garcia mentions that many people around his area are from Africa. He says that Africans are the most humble, meek and loving people he has ever met! He has met alot of Ghanaians and Muslims too! He says Muslims are super nice too. They welcome you into their homes, but they are really devoted to their faith.  One of the Muslims is teaching Elder Garcia some Arabic. He can say "hello", "thank you", and "goodbye". He says that Muslims are their hardest investigators, but he still tries to talk to them whenever he sees them, and speaking in their language helps a lot. 

On Saturday it was a Day of Service and him and his companion and the other Elders went to the Arlington National Cemetery! They helped clean the area and cut down a lot of wild plants that were growing there. He says it was a great experience to be at a memorial that is so well known, and so majestic. There was a lady from the church news who came to them, and took pictures for the 'Mormon Helping Hands' community.

Elder Garcia just loves the different cultures in his mission, and is amazed to see so many of God's children with such different lifestyles and beliefs.

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Arlington National Cemetery

~September 19,2011- Life In Our Saviors Shoes~

Elder Garcia is doing great! He has a new companion now. His name is Elder Jensen. He is sad that his trainer Elder Reeves will be going home soon because they got really close toward the end of transfers, but he says that Elder Jensen is really nice and smart and they are doing a lot of work. He is now finding new people and tracting in new areas since they are on bikes now. They had a baptism that went really well. He confirmed a guy named Pisal yesterday. Pisal asked Elder Garcia if he could give him the priesthood when he is able to! -- He says that Life as a missionary is life in our Saviors shoes. He loves his brothers and sisters of Virginia and loves being a missionary and helping others.

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The Missionaries and Pisal at his Baptism

 Elder Garcia and Pisal

~September 12, 2011- Site Seeing In DC~

Elder Garcia at his desk

~September 7, 2011- Mormon.org Message~

Elder Garcia has made a profile on mormon.org... Check it out!

www.mormon.org/me/52CS

~September 5, 2011- National Baseball Game~

Today for P-day the missionaries of the DC South Mission were all allowed to go to the Nationals vs. Dodgers Baseball games. Everyone took the Metro right to the stadium. They had a great day. Lots of fun!

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Elder Garcia will be having his first baptism the 17th of this month! He will be giving the Holy Ghost and his Companion, Elder Reeves will be baptizing him. The guy that will be getting baptized is 17 years old from Cambodia. They found him one day while they were playing soccer in a park, and they jumped in the game and played with him and some other guys. He says that it was a fun experience. 

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Everyone took the Metro right to the stadium

These are the founding fathers having a race

The scoreboard with the Presidents race announced

~September 1, 2011- Return and Report~

After 4 weeks in the field the mission President and his wife invited the new group of missionaries back to the mission home to report their last month. They went to the mission home early in the morning and had breakfast and got to visit with each other again.

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Front Row: Elder Rios, Sister Patten, Taylor, Raynor, Elder Garcia

Back Row: Elder West, Johnson, Young, President and his wife, Elder Phillips, MacFarlane, and Elder Bateman

Elder Garcia and Elder Phillips

Elder Garcia Giving the Spiritual Thought