Doing God's work

Following her tenure as a summer intern at the Foster County Independent and New Rockford Transcript, Isabella Garr is on to her next journey.

Garr, a 2022 CHS graduate who just completed her freshman year at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, will be serving an 18-month mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

She is the daughter of Dr. Benjamin and Sonali Garr of Carrington, and has been called to serve mission work in Pocatello, Idaho.

Her mission will be centered in Pocatello, but will also include small parts of Nevada, Utah and Wyoming too.

"I am so excited to serve a mission," she says. "My goal is to bring as many people as I can to Christ and share my love of the gospel of Jesus Christ with them."

The Church has a congregation in Jamestown, where Dr. Garr has recently served as a bishop. Unlike most denominations, the Church does not employ professional clergy, leaving that duty to laymen.

The first step of Isabella's mission begins at the Mission Training Center (MTC) in Provo, where she will be given instruction on doctrinal and teaching methods, personal interactions, and rules for conduct. There are nine MTC's throughout the world.

"The MTC is basically a training period," she said. "There, we are put into groups, called districts, that we learn with. We learn how to teach others, study the scriptures, attend devotionals and classes."

Garr begins her mission with what is called "home MTC" on August 14, and will then travel to Provo for two-and-a-half weeks before going to Pocatello.

There, she says missionaries learn to teach the doctrine of Christ found in The Book of Mormon, which the Church reveres as divinely-inspired scripture along with the Bible.

Since she will be remaining stateside, Garr will not be subject to an intensive foreign language curriculum, which is given to those serving in non-English-speaking countries and typically adds nine additional weeks to training.

Missionary work is a very-important component of Mormon spiritual life and culture. It is estimated, according to BYU numbers, that 97 percent of male graduates and 32 percent of females have served as missionaries.

She can draw from her father's experience as a missionary himself to be a guide. Before college and before pursuing dental school, Ben served in Guadalajara, Mexico.

"It's been great to hear my dad's advice about the mission experience," Isabella said. "In some regards, a lot will be the same, but on the other hand, a lot will be different - different countries, language and technology, and the world has changed a little. I plan to study together, and learn from him in preparation for my mission."

When she completes her year-and-a-half's worth of service, she plans to return to BYU for her final three years of schooling. She is currently majoring in graphic design with a minor in entrepreneurship.

Garr plans to use her design education to specialize in logos and branding, and hopes to start her own business. In the summer after her mission, in 2025, she plans to be a counselor for a church camp called For the Strength of Youth (FSY).

"It features devotionals, classes, and activities to help kids ages 13-18 strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ and feel joy and belonging as they live the gospel," she says.

Whatever happens, Garr plans to stay the course in her spiritual walk.

"My missionary work didn't start with my mission, and won't end with it," she concluded. "I plan to share my faith and love of God with everyone throughout my whole life."

Garr welcomes all questions about her mission. Her e-mail is [email protected].

Facts about the

Church of Jesus Christ

of Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was formed in 1830 by Joseph Smith in western New York state. The church headquarters would move to Kirtland, Ohio, the next year, and later to Nauvoo, Ill., in 1839.

Following Smith's death in 1844, church members journeyed to what is now Utah under the leadership of his selected successor, Brigham Young.

They would later found Great Salt Lake City (later shortened to Salt Lake City) in 1847 upon arrival in the valley, where Young famously proclaimed, "This is the place. Drive on."

Young served both as church president and as governor of the territory, which would be admitted to the United States as the 45th state in 1896, 19 years following his death.

Since then, members of the Church of Jesus Christ have built an extensive presence in the Intermountain West, largely in the states of Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and parts of California, Nevada and Arizona.

The Church currently has over 17 million members throughout the world, and has an estimated 62,000 volunteer missionaries, according to a 2023 Salt Lake Tribune article.

One of its major contributions to popular culture is the world-renowned 360-member Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square (formerly the Mormon Tabernacle Choir), founded just 29 days after the pioneers set foot in Utah.