Rafael Enrique Garcia III "Champ"

On January 24, 2009 Monica and I had the opportunity to attend the Temple and perform baptisms for the dead, in the which we performed a baptism for my cousin Rafalito who was brutally murdered on August 19, 2004 while walking to a store not far from his home. The best part about performing the baptism for him, was that it was his birthday also.

As I stood in as proxy for him my heart ached inside for him. He was only 17 years old and had overcome a lot and turned out to be quite an outstanding young man. He was born into an abusive home, where he was constantly belittled by my uncle. He lived with us off and on a couple of times and he really loved my family as a child. I last saw him about 6 months before I left on my mission, so that was a long time ago. My mom and dad went to see him while he was staying with a school group in a hotel in Houston about a month before he was killed. When they attended the funeral for him they reported over a 1,000 people in attendance and that was just what was counted. The local news in San Antonio, TX showed pictures of the church and the entire place was surrounded by those who loved him. His big heart and his ability to love unconditionally made him more friends than I think he even knew he had amongst all levels of society. My mom recently received a CD from my aunt from some kids in his school who made a song about him. A cable crime tv show did a show dedicated to him and his case, and the science used to solve his murder.

I miss my cousin, and although I wasn't able to see him before he died, I know that the work which I did for him will be accepted and I will see him again, and then I will embrace Rafalito in my arms and tell him that I love him. I am grateful for temples and the great privilege given to us to perform the work therein for and in behalf of our ancestors and family members.

A Boys Day Out

Everybody is probably sick and tired of hearing me talk about shooting, but I figure oh well. The boys and I went out today to Stansbury Island and shot litterally hundreds of rounds and had a lot of fun. Samuel and Ammon are turning out to be quite the marksmen. Bella couldn't go since she has to be five before Monica will let her go out with us, but in 3 more months she will go out with the boys and me or with Monica and me.

We had a lot of fun. I sure do love spending time with the kids. It's great! A big group of us were supposed to go out, but nobody showed up this morning, I was a little upset this morning while I was waiting for them, but once we got out there and I had more time to shoot and spend with the boys I wasn't upset anymore.

As you can see from the picture below they have a lot of holes in their targets.

Monica Get Your Gun!

Now, I am sure all of you have heard of the musical Annie Get Your Gun. Well Monica lived the experience today, and although she isn't an Annie Oakley just yet she at least hit the target several times and the target stand a couple of times. If the stand was attacking her she would have taken it down without a problem.

Monica and I went on a date today to Stansbury Island to do some target shooting. Monica hasn't been shooting for about 6 years and she has always wanted to go out with me, so we decided to take advantage of the day. We both had fun, we cycled through all the different guns that I have firing several rounds through each, and then we finished off firing the ones that we enjoyed most. I was surprised of her ability to handle the SKS in the above picture, and the shotgun as well. She finished shooting the V53 which is a pretty beefy calibur as well and did well with control of the firearm, we don't know how she did with the target since it wasn't cooperating by that time. She did better with those bigger caliburs than with the .45, I thought that that she was going to hit herself with it.

We had a lot of fun! I was happy to be able to spend time with Monica doing something that I enjoy and that she enjoys as well. We will probably be going out again together. I am going out in two weeks with Sam and some others so that will be fun.

Chistmas Traditions

With the passing of Christmas I must reflect back and express my gratitude for the season and those traditions which we do to celebrate what I consider the most wonderful time of the year. This year was no different. On Christmas Eve, or as we say in spanish Noche Buena (The Good Night) we got together with my family and had a great time making tamales. That is something I look forward to with great anticipation since they taste soooo good and that is the only time of the year that we eat them. Buying them from vendors or at restaurants is not the same, because nobody can make them like my mom, I can come close but hers are the best.

I really enjoyed this year as I was able to make everyone's gifts. I told Monica that I should have placed a sign on our garage door that said "Santa's Workshop". I made my mom a lighthouse for her mantle, I made Gabriel a MLB Season Standings Board designed after a old style stadium scoreboard. I want one now. It was fun to make. The box that I made for Monica's mom was probably the nicest gift out of all the ones that I made this year, along with the words for her tree. I made some other items as well, but I really enjoyed it.
Christmas Eve we open our gifts and the kids were excited all day for the night. Joshua didn't really know what was going on, but as soon as he realized that there were toys and fun stuff in those packages he was excited as well, wanting to open everything.
Christmas day we opened up our gifts from Santa and had a wonderful breakfast. Monica made her most amazing cinnamon rolls, and we had eggs and bacon and orange juice (those items were provided by David). After breakfast we made the scary journey down to Utah County where we spent a few hours with Monica's family, and then made the trip back up to Salt Lake County to have dinner with my family. All in all we had a wonderful time and we spent the two days with those that we love.

I can't wait until next Christmas!

A New Year, A New Job

Well it finally happened. The last day of the year and I get hired on the spot for a decent job. I am pretty excited to get started, but I will need to wait until the second full week of the hew year to do so. I am still being considered for a position with Edward Jones Financial, but this company jumped all over me as soon as the State Manager saw me. He couldn't contain himself he was so excited. As I filled out some paperwork he was pacing the room and he said, "and I haven't even told you that I plan on promoting you to a district manager within 3 months." He just kept saying that he believed God sent me to him and he never just hired somebody on the spot like that, but there was something about me that just made him excited and he didn't want me to leave without saying that I would be a part of his team. So I said give me the contract and I will join the company and go from there.

I will be working with PMA USA, which is the marketing arm for Conseco Life and Health. I am very familiar with their product line since I use to be appointed with Conseco a few years back. I will be going into existing accounts and doing presentations, and will be given the chance to greatly increase my earnings by opening new groups. Once I am a D.M. my income will increase and he will start hiring agent/producers and building my sales team which I will override.

I have taken a great deal of time to learn everything about the insurance and financial services industry and it showed to this gentleman and he is ready to as he put it "spoil me". So I'll start this job and see where it takes me.

I am very grateful that I was able to finish the year with a good job doing something that I at least am excited about.

I would just like to thank everyone for your prayers on our behalf.

Some thoughts about the Lord and His goodness

As the events of our Christmas celebration draw near, my heart has been drawn closer to my Lord and Savior than at any other time in my life that I can remember as of late. As all of you know I've been struggling with finding adequate employment that would allow me to provide for my family. My greatest desire is to ensure that my family is taken care of and provided for. My inability to provide has been a cause of deep despair and depression for me. It has been augmented the last couple of months where I've been turned down for some jobs that I was more than perfect for, I've been lost in the pattern of feeling sorry for myself, wondering what it all was for. Wanting to quit all together I was torn between my faith and loss of hope.

That was until this past fast Sunday. I decided to fast to know that God still loved me and was aware of my desires. I wanted to know that He forgave me. As I sat in sacrament meeting during the sacrament portion I began to feel a feeling that I haven't felt in a long time. It was of pure love, and I could sense the voice of the Lord say that He loves me and always has. I share this not to make myself seem special, but to express my gratitude to my Savior for knowing me. The week for last I was feeling a little down so I fasted during the week and all day was a tough day, but I kept focused and pressed forward. I received further witness from the Lord of His love for me and His desire to bless me when He was ready and after I showed faith.

This past week I've been tempted to let go of my core beliefs of ethics and honesty. I came out of training with this job that I just started and was told that I had to get a certain amount of sales every day to meet the company imposed quotas. Selling is not a problem for me when I believe in a product or service, but I will never push something upon someone or lie to make the sale. I know how many sales I have to get to make what I need to make, and I couldn't make the number. I was told that I could not give advice or counsel to those I was calling just make the sale. I was to give the scripted dialogue as given me and nothing else. Those who know me know that is impossible. The reason I don't make money isn't because I don't know what I am talking about, but because even if the person can't pay I feel a need to help with the knowledge given me by the Lord. Those around me making and exceeding the number of sales that I needed were lying and misrepresenting the service, basically telling the people what they wanted to hear to make the commission. I kept hearing the voice tell me you need the money just do it, there is no wrong in it if you don't directly lie, just omit all the facts. The nagging feeling to let go and do it was suffocating, but I wouldn't and couldn't. It is I that has to kneel before the Lord every night at the end of my day and give a reckoning of my day, not my manager and I would not give in. I believe that the Lord tested me and that I passed. Friday was amazing, as the Lord expressed His love for me and my family. The expression of His love extended into Saturday as He continued to tell me that He loved me, and still continued into today as He had our Sunday School teacher share a scripture that I feel was directed to me and Monica, and she broke into tears saying that the Spirit had told her to share that scripture because someone in the class needed to hear it. I heard it, and received it with gladness.

I am optimistic that the love of the Savior will continue to flow into our lives this coming week as we approach Christmas. I have my 5th and 6th interview with Edward Jones Financial Advisers, which will be a good job for me, and one of the counselors in our bishopric told me that his brother is hiring and wanted him to recommend a couple of people to him. He deals with fraud investigation, which is a job that I would enjoy as well.

All in all I feel extremely blessed. I am happy and I look forward for the new year. The blessings of the Almighty are pouring into our lives, and He loves me and my family. I love my family. Monica is wonderful, I couldn't have asked for a better companion in life. Her support and willingness to pass through these trials with me and stay faithful as my only true friend on earth has won her a crown in the heavens and she shall be rewarded a hundred fold for her sacrifices. I fall before the God of Heaven and declare my love. I declare to the world that I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, I turn my life over to him and submit myself willingly to His guidance and counsel. I declare that God lives as well as His Christ our Savior. I declare the gospel as it has been restored in the last days through the Prophet Joseph Smith is the only true and living Church of Jesus Christ to be found on the earth today. I declare that we have a Prophet on the earth today, even Thomas S. Monson, and that I love him and follow his counsel. I bare my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

It Lives!

Well for the past 5 months my truck has been sitting in an inanimate state at my parents house because I didn't know what to do to fix it, and my dad told me that it would probably be about $1700-$2500 to fix it. Every time I see my truck I want to drive it, but it hasn't been possible. Not too long ago my dad was talking to an uncle of mine who is a diesel mechanic and he my dad that he would bet his reputation that it was a fuel injector pump. I sat on that information until just recently. I decided to give it a try and see if I could get my truck purring again, well that truck doesn't really purr it more like roars like a hungry lion. But you get the picture. Anyway, anybody who knows me knows that I am anything but a mechanic. It is one of those things that God has not really blessed me with the ability to do. This truck is determined to change that though. Changing out the fuel injector pump according to the research I did before I started was only supposed to take me 2 hours at the most. Well, it took me 2.5 days and then a little bit yesterday.

Nothing can compare to the feeling of hearing that monster come alive, and boy did it. It came roaring out of its deep sleep and everybody in my parents neighborhood heard it. My truck is back in operation and it felt sooooo good to drive it again. It might not be a pretty thing but it is mine. All my life I wanted a Ford F350 crew cab truck and I have mine back.

I only have one problem. Not only have I always wanted a F350, but my kryptonite when it comes to cars are classic Mustangs. I had a Mustang when I was in High School until my brother ruined the engine, and I have always told Monica that I would like a '60's Mustang. What does this have to do with my truck? Well my brother told me that he has a friend who wants to trade his 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby for an early '90's Ford truck. Aughhhh! What to do? Tempted to trade my dream truck for my dream car. Why couldn't that dilemma happen with a job?

Well any way for right now I am loving having my truck back parked in front of my home. We'll see how long it lasts.