WINTER IS COMING TO AN END!!!

Hola todos...

How are you all doing?  Have you been seeing any miracles in Arizona?  I sure have here in Uruguay!  Sadly, this Sunday Candelaria and her mom didn`t come to church so we have to move her baptismal date back to the 18th of September, but we sure did see some great miracles this week which made up for the few hiccups in the success of Sarandi Grande.  We are doing great here in Sarandi Grande and are seeing many great things happening.  I`m glad you got the picture of Elder Jimenez and I and I would love to send pictures by email, but it takes a long time to put onto the computer and to send and I would rather use this short time I have writing about my experiences and testimony.  This whole week it rained non-stop until Sunday.  It was a thing that hits every year called the Saint Rose (Santa Rosa) when it rains for one whole week non-stop at some random part of the year but usually at the end of winter.  But now the weather is great and we are enjoying a P-Day without rain!

Some of the miracles that we have seen this week are:

1.  We have been teaching a really good family where the dad is a member (inactive) and the rest aren`t but want to be baptized, but they all want their dad to baptize them and he has had a problem with pride that has kept him from repenting and coming back into activity in the church.  But this week we started to see a change in his attitude and he has really started to humble himself.  He was even willing, if he can`t be worthy in time for the baptism of his family (His wife and 2 daughters) on the 9th of October (Colin`s B-Day), that he would be willing to have someone else baptize his family.  This is a big step!!!  We are so excited for them all and are really looking forward to October with General Conference and 3 baptisms to complete a family in the Gospel and on their way to a temple marriage!

2.  We have an investigator who has been listening to the missionaries for about 6 months and has a great testimony and love for the gospel but never had the motivation to wake up early and go to church because she takes a medicine that makes it really hard for her to wake up early.  Well after a fast, many prayers, and a phone call in the morning to help her get up (which she was already up and ready when we called her) she came to church and loved it.  She now has a baptismal date for the 25th of September and is very excited along with us.

3.  We were in church this Sunday and we received a ward mission leader who is very strong in the church!  We started off on the great change in Sarandi Grande and they have already made home teaching assignments for priesthood and we are currently putting great goals to help us turn this little branch with many unanimated less active members and we are lifting the eyes of the active members to see success and want to help in the missionary work.

Piano lessons are going great.  We have two very devoted students who are learning very quickly.  We bought a simplified hymn book in Spanish from the Distribution Center and that has really helped us with these piano classes.  In the last lesson we had one of the daughters of our family that is going to be baptized on the 9th of October named Vanessa come with her friend Alison and we think that Alison could be baptized with her friend Vanessa on the 9th if her parents allow her to do it.  We`ll see how it all works out this week.

I received a calling in the branch this week and in our district of missionaries... I am called to be a branch pianist and as a home teacher with the 1st counselor of the branch presidency.  And in our district as missionaries I am in charge of calling all the missionaries in our district (3 companionships) to ask them each night who they have with baptismal dates and what they are doing to help these investigators make it to their baptism prepared to be a faithful member of the church.  The zone leaders in Florida decided to give each missionary a responsibility to help them feel more included, united, and focused helping each other focus in key points of the work, for example me with the placing and maintaining of baptismal dates in our zone!

We are all very excited and happy with the great results we are seeing as a mission here in Uruguay.  I love missionary work and know that the Lord is directing this great work all around the world.  This fast and testimony meeting was great and once again everyone got the chance to bear their testimony who wanted to.  I shared my testimony of something I felt very strongly this time while partaking of the Sacrament, and I want to share it all with you...

I was thinking in how it must have felt for the disciples of Christ or for the Nephites who got to personally see and touch the marks of the nails in the hands and feet of the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. And I wanted to feel and know how it must have been and then it came to my mind that... We don`t need to physically touch and see the marks that the Savior showed to his followers when he visited the earth to know that he really died and suffered for each one of us.  He came and visited to testify and give evidence of His atoning sacrifice.  Today we have more evidence than we realize and sometimes we take it for granted!  We have the Bible, the Book of Mormon, a living prophet, the hymns, a restored church of Jesus Christ himself, continued revelation, the Holy Ghost, temples, etc.  All we need to do is open our eyes and reach forth our hand by taking advantage of the many testaments and evidence of the Savior and Redeemer of the world.  He wants us to see and touch the marks in his hands and feet just like the disciples, Mary, and the many Nephites who all did so, ONE BY ONE, and he continues to invite everyone to do it as well through the many things he has restored to help us come to a personal and convincing knowledge that Jesus is the Christ.  I know that He lives and loves us each, ONE BY ONE, very much!!!  I share my testimony of Him and His atoning sacrifice in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love,
Elder Gardner

P.S.  Can I have a recipe for sloppy joes and for other dishes that have pasta or rice as a main ingredient please.  Thanks!  Thanks for the copies and the memory card and Elder Bermudez says thank you very much for the hymn book, He loves it!