ONE DOWN AND ONE TO GO!!!

Hola a todos...


Wow it feels weird now to know that my mission is already half over.  I don`t want it to come to an end so fast!  So I did the math the other day to find out the exact date that I will be leaving Uruguay with changes (transfers) and it will be the 21st of February 2012 and I should be landing in Arizona on Feb. 22nd (a Wednesday I believe).  It has been a great year but I know that the 2nd one will be even better.  I`m just grateful that I have the blessing of being able to serve a mission and hope that each one of you can have the chance to serve as a missionary as well (whether it be now or with your spouse in the future).  For my year mark we celebrated with ice cream (something only for special occasions here because it`s super expensive).  The tradition at one year is to burn a white shirt, but President doesn`t want us doing traditions that don`t make any sense in the mission (especially if all my shirts are still good to wear).

This week was a good one with lots of traveling back and forth between Pan de Azucar, Piriapolis and Maldanado.  The sisters in my district (Hermana Dos Santos, from Uruguay and Hermana Moyes, from California) had a baptism and because I`m their district leader I got to do the baptismal interview.  It was a cool experience because it was a 12 year old boy named Nahuel who was really shy but had a great desire to be baptized.  Sadly we are still having difficulties in getting our investigators to reach the finish line and get baptized but we have a few that are just a step away, and we are hoping to have a baptism on March 5th.  Please keep these names in your prayers: Alvaro, Camilo, Maria, Jenifer, Analìa and Stefani, all of who have a baptismal date for March.

We had a zone conference this week in Maldanado with President Da Silva, combined with the zone of Rocha as well.  It was really good and President gave us two challenges: to become more of a team and united as a district, zone and mission AND to read the entire book of Mormon from cover to cover marking all the references of the heart BEFORE GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!  He wants us to prepare our hearts to receive the instructions and promptings of the Spirit in the General Conference.  I extend the challenge to anyone else who is up to it.  I know you are all very busy but so am I so I know you CAN do it if you put your mind to it and I promise you that it will make a big difference in how you are prepared to listen to General Conference.

I hope that you all recover and that Colin has a great and safe time with his Eagle project.  I know that the safe part is asking a bit much from him, hahaha.  Don`t let the Cacti beat you up Colin. 

I know that this church is true and that the only way to find the peace and happiness in this life and for all eternity is through living the gospel of Christ.  Christ invites all to come unto him and as a representative of him, I invite you all too to come unto him and be baptized and endure to the end with all the energy of heart.  I love you and I KNOW THAT HE LOVES YOU PERFECTLY AND INDIVIDUALLY!!!  Until next week.

Love,
Elder Gardner