Hola a todos...
Happy day after Easter. Glad to hear that you all had a great Easter and that all is going well back home. We had a great Easter where we announced in Sacrament meeting the baptism of Sebastian Machado our awesome investigator who will be baptized this Saturday at 7:00 PM. His brother who is 11 years old and his two kids (Valentino who is 13 years old and Guadalupe who is 11 as well) are now preparing themselves to be baptized on the 14th of May. Please pray for them especially for Valentino and Guadalupe so that they can get permission from their mom to get baptized (the parents are divorced). We are super excited for Sebastian and his great desires to repent and be baptized. About 4 months ago, he didn`t even believe in God but went through some health problems and now believes a lot in God and is willing to do whatever God requires of him. So we are way excited for this weekend and are focusing a lot this week on finding new investigators to teach because it`s been a while since we`ve found a good new investigator to teach. Please pray that we can find some more people to teach this week.
That`s great that Colin and some friends were able to do some service for the neighbors, way to go!!! That`s scary that Colin will be getting his permit this week and that he will be starting to drive... Please don`t hurt Moby too bad...
This is the last full week of the change and we will be receiving the change calls next Sunday. It`s probable that we will stay together for another change but it`s possible that one of us could go somewhere else. We aren`t too worried about it and are just focused on finding more people to teach and baptize in May.
I love Easter and the time when everyone is remembering the great Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. Down here nearly everyone is Catholic so everyone was celebrating the Holy Week for the entire week but it was more like a spring break than a Holy Week because not very many people are practicing Catholics, and lots of people had school and work off for the whole week.
We are also excited for Sebastian to get baptized this Saturday because then the next Sunday following his baptism and confirmation then he will receive the priesthood and will even be able to baptize his kids and brother on the 14th. That will be a great experience for him and his family.
I love the gospel and I love my Savior Jesus Christ who set the perfect example for me and for all of us so that we can become more like Him if we choose to repent and follow Him.
One great thing that I learned this week is how we can become more childlike and receptive to the teachings of Christ... Just think of a story or passage from the Bible or Book of Mormon and think to yourself, what would a child understand or take away from seeing or hearing this, how would a child react and then try to understand and be obedient like a child. It`s a great way to simplify and understand the basics of what we must do.
I know that becoming more childlike is becoming more Christ like. I know that The Lord lives and loves us.
Until next week,
Elder Gardner
Monday, April 25, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM AND HAPPY EASTER TO ALL...
Hola a todos...
Happy birthday tomorrow mom!!! I`m glad my letter made it in time! Happy Easter to all because I will be writing my next email after Easter. This week has been a great week!!!
Araceli got baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints this weekend along with the bishop`s daughter! It was the best attended baptismal service that I have ever seen here in Uruguay. 117 people came to the baptism including about 10 investigators and more nonmembers from the family of the bishop! It was really great and we are now starting to teach Araceli`s granddaughter Stefani. We have found some really good investigators in this week and we have been very blessed and seen some great miracles. In the last two weeks of church we have had two investigators show up all by themselves without us even knowing them before church (gifts from the Lord) and we are now teaching the brother and two children of Sebastian who is still going strong for his baptism on the 30th. We had 7 investigators in church yesterday (and it was a windy, stormy, rainy morning). I don`t know what we are doing to deserve such great miracles in our area but we sure are receiving them gratefully!
Last night we had an interesting experience... we were walking home to the apartment and felt to stop and talk with a guy walking towards us in the street. he sat down and called us over and told us everything was going wrong in his life and that he was heading to the next street where he was planning on commiting suicide becuase he couldn`t take it anymore. We told him not to take his life and that we wanted to help him change his life, he promised us that he would be waiting for us in the same spot today at 7:15. We were the there just minutes and meters before he was about to end his life and we were able to help him not do it and even if he doesn`t show up today (he was a little drunk and told us he is into drugs but wants to quit) I feel great that we saved his life in this moment.
I love the work here and I love working with Elder Butler and in Camino Carrasco. Elder Butler got to see a family that he baptized a year ago go through the temple and get sealed to each other. We got to go out to lunch with the senior missionaries that are in our ward, Elder and Sister Goates from Utah. They don`t speak much Spanish but they are great temple missionaries.
To answer your question, I really haven`t gotten sick in all of my mission. It`s a real miracle because I have heard of a lot of missionaries that have gotten sick. The Lord is protecting me thanks to your prayers.
I love you all and thanks so much for the fun emails and letters and packages. I might get my package tomorrow but I won`t know until tomorrow. Thanks. Love you, bye.
Love,
Elder Gardner
Happy birthday tomorrow mom!!! I`m glad my letter made it in time! Happy Easter to all because I will be writing my next email after Easter. This week has been a great week!!!
Araceli got baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints this weekend along with the bishop`s daughter! It was the best attended baptismal service that I have ever seen here in Uruguay. 117 people came to the baptism including about 10 investigators and more nonmembers from the family of the bishop! It was really great and we are now starting to teach Araceli`s granddaughter Stefani. We have found some really good investigators in this week and we have been very blessed and seen some great miracles. In the last two weeks of church we have had two investigators show up all by themselves without us even knowing them before church (gifts from the Lord) and we are now teaching the brother and two children of Sebastian who is still going strong for his baptism on the 30th. We had 7 investigators in church yesterday (and it was a windy, stormy, rainy morning). I don`t know what we are doing to deserve such great miracles in our area but we sure are receiving them gratefully!
Last night we had an interesting experience... we were walking home to the apartment and felt to stop and talk with a guy walking towards us in the street. he sat down and called us over and told us everything was going wrong in his life and that he was heading to the next street where he was planning on commiting suicide becuase he couldn`t take it anymore. We told him not to take his life and that we wanted to help him change his life, he promised us that he would be waiting for us in the same spot today at 7:15. We were the there just minutes and meters before he was about to end his life and we were able to help him not do it and even if he doesn`t show up today (he was a little drunk and told us he is into drugs but wants to quit) I feel great that we saved his life in this moment.
I love the work here and I love working with Elder Butler and in Camino Carrasco. Elder Butler got to see a family that he baptized a year ago go through the temple and get sealed to each other. We got to go out to lunch with the senior missionaries that are in our ward, Elder and Sister Goates from Utah. They don`t speak much Spanish but they are great temple missionaries.
To answer your question, I really haven`t gotten sick in all of my mission. It`s a real miracle because I have heard of a lot of missionaries that have gotten sick. The Lord is protecting me thanks to your prayers.
I love you all and thanks so much for the fun emails and letters and packages. I might get my package tomorrow but I won`t know until tomorrow. Thanks. Love you, bye.
Love,
Elder Gardner
Monday, April 11, 2011
ANOTHER GREAT WEEK!!!
Hola a todos...
This week was a great week in which we found some really cool people and saw a lot of progress in Araseli. Your prayers must be working or something because Araseli had her baptism announced in sacrament meeting for Saturday at 5 pm and she is super excited and hasn't had any problems. She was always there waiting for us with extra chairs for us and the members that accompany us with her Book of Mormon and pamphlets. She has been progressing so well and hasn't even had one doubt of what we teach her. She really is a great example of a 50 year old woman with a lot of faith!!!
To answer your question mom, although we are in an apartment... we don`t have a washing machine. We still wash it by hand in the sink and hang it up to dry in the spare room with the window open to dry by wind and time. I`ve gotten used to washing my clothes by hand but I will be really grateful when I can wash by machine because it just takes a lot of time out of Pday to wash by hand all the clothes for the week.
This week we are super excited for the baptism and for the two other investigators that we have with a baptismal date... Sebastian (who came to church with us yesterday for the first time and wants to change his life). We found him knocking doors last week and he came out and asked us if we wanted to sit down and talk a little. He told us that other missionaries had come in November and had invited him to be baptized but he didn`t believe in God, but then something happened in his life and now he does believe in God and has been reading the Bible every day. We gave him a Book of Mormon and invited him to church and he came and enjoyed it. His baptismal date is for the 30th of April. We also found an incomplete family of members (inactive for now) where the mom and their 18 year old son are inactive but the dad is not a member but super nice, so we started teaching him and invited him to get baptized on the 30th as well. Please pray for him so that he can recognize his answer when he prays to know if the Book of Mormon is true.
Well these are our best investigators and we hope to find some other great investigators in this week as well. Elder Butler and I are having a great time together here in Camino Carrasco and are excited to hit our goal of 3 baptisms in April and are doing our best to help our zone reach its goal of 22 baptisms. cI`m doing great, staying healthy, and having a blast!!! Thanks for all the support and prayers. They truly are appreciated.
How`s the missionary work going on the home front? That`s great that you made the 3 minute club in seminary and that it sounds like you are all growing spiritually at home. Is there anything that you want to know about Uruguay or Montevideo or the mission? This Saturday the bishop's daughter turns 8 and is getting baptized as well so it will be a big and great baptismal service with a lot of nonmember family members. Please pray for these familes (the Beron family (bishop's family) and the Borges family (Araseli`s family)) so that they can feel the spirit and have a desire to get baptized as well.
I love you all and know that this church is true and I know that the gospel has been restored on the earth once again through the prophet Joseph Smith and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the only true church upon the face of the earth that holds the authority of the Priesthood to baptize and administer the saving ordinances. I love my Savior and I love all of you!
Elder Gardner
This week was a great week in which we found some really cool people and saw a lot of progress in Araseli. Your prayers must be working or something because Araseli had her baptism announced in sacrament meeting for Saturday at 5 pm and she is super excited and hasn't had any problems. She was always there waiting for us with extra chairs for us and the members that accompany us with her Book of Mormon and pamphlets. She has been progressing so well and hasn't even had one doubt of what we teach her. She really is a great example of a 50 year old woman with a lot of faith!!!
To answer your question mom, although we are in an apartment... we don`t have a washing machine. We still wash it by hand in the sink and hang it up to dry in the spare room with the window open to dry by wind and time. I`ve gotten used to washing my clothes by hand but I will be really grateful when I can wash by machine because it just takes a lot of time out of Pday to wash by hand all the clothes for the week.
This week we are super excited for the baptism and for the two other investigators that we have with a baptismal date... Sebastian (who came to church with us yesterday for the first time and wants to change his life). We found him knocking doors last week and he came out and asked us if we wanted to sit down and talk a little. He told us that other missionaries had come in November and had invited him to be baptized but he didn`t believe in God, but then something happened in his life and now he does believe in God and has been reading the Bible every day. We gave him a Book of Mormon and invited him to church and he came and enjoyed it. His baptismal date is for the 30th of April. We also found an incomplete family of members (inactive for now) where the mom and their 18 year old son are inactive but the dad is not a member but super nice, so we started teaching him and invited him to get baptized on the 30th as well. Please pray for him so that he can recognize his answer when he prays to know if the Book of Mormon is true.
Well these are our best investigators and we hope to find some other great investigators in this week as well. Elder Butler and I are having a great time together here in Camino Carrasco and are excited to hit our goal of 3 baptisms in April and are doing our best to help our zone reach its goal of 22 baptisms. cI`m doing great, staying healthy, and having a blast!!! Thanks for all the support and prayers. They truly are appreciated.
How`s the missionary work going on the home front? That`s great that you made the 3 minute club in seminary and that it sounds like you are all growing spiritually at home. Is there anything that you want to know about Uruguay or Montevideo or the mission? This Saturday the bishop's daughter turns 8 and is getting baptized as well so it will be a big and great baptismal service with a lot of nonmember family members. Please pray for these familes (the Beron family (bishop's family) and the Borges family (Araseli`s family)) so that they can feel the spirit and have a desire to get baptized as well.
I love you all and know that this church is true and I know that the gospel has been restored on the earth once again through the prophet Joseph Smith and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the only true church upon the face of the earth that holds the authority of the Priesthood to baptize and administer the saving ordinances. I love my Savior and I love all of you!
Elder Gardner
Monday, April 4, 2011
GENERAL CONFERENCE WAS AWESOME!
Hola a todos...
General Conference was awesome and thanks for the great emails and links. Sadly I don`t have too much time to watch the links from your emails. That is really cool what Spencer did for Dayton and it looked like they both had a lot of fun.
To answer the questions...
I have never had a companion that I haven`t gotten along with.
As a zone leader I do get to go on exchanges with the office missionaries every once in a while, but we don`t do any work in the offices during the exchanges.
We were talking about the piano lessons and we think we are going to wait a little on starting piano classes because we are still getting to know the huge area and don`t want to take anytime out of our schedule until we get to know all of the members and get to proselyte in all the areas.
I don`t know why I have almost always been put into a whitewash area because they aren`t that common in the mission. I just have been assigned by the Lord to do a whitewash mission so far, maybe there is still something I need to learn from a whitewash or something, I don`t know.
We get lunch with the members every day here which is really nice (we don`t eat dinner with members, only lunch because lunch is the biggest meal here in Uruguay).
We have a few great investigators that we are trying to help get baptized in April named Araseli, Maria and her daughter and Noelia and Ulyses. Please keep them in your prayers especially Araseli because she has a baptismal date for the 16th of April.
I loved conference so much and got a lot out of it. I especially liked the talks by Dallin H. Oaks about desires and action. I made a goal for when I get a copy of the Ensign that I can underline and act upon every invitation and commandment that was given to us or reminded to us in this conference. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God and that he leads and guides Christ church by divine revelation in these latter days. I love you all and hope that you all can act upon the promptings that you received in conference. Great job Colin and Mason for making the effort to watch all 5 sessions of conference, that is way Awesome. Let me know what you learned in your next email.
Love you all and I am praying for you everyday.
Love,
Elder Gardner
General Conference was awesome and thanks for the great emails and links. Sadly I don`t have too much time to watch the links from your emails. That is really cool what Spencer did for Dayton and it looked like they both had a lot of fun.
To answer the questions...
I have never had a companion that I haven`t gotten along with.
As a zone leader I do get to go on exchanges with the office missionaries every once in a while, but we don`t do any work in the offices during the exchanges.
We were talking about the piano lessons and we think we are going to wait a little on starting piano classes because we are still getting to know the huge area and don`t want to take anytime out of our schedule until we get to know all of the members and get to proselyte in all the areas.
I don`t know why I have almost always been put into a whitewash area because they aren`t that common in the mission. I just have been assigned by the Lord to do a whitewash mission so far, maybe there is still something I need to learn from a whitewash or something, I don`t know.
We get lunch with the members every day here which is really nice (we don`t eat dinner with members, only lunch because lunch is the biggest meal here in Uruguay).
We have a few great investigators that we are trying to help get baptized in April named Araseli, Maria and her daughter and Noelia and Ulyses. Please keep them in your prayers especially Araseli because she has a baptismal date for the 16th of April.
I loved conference so much and got a lot out of it. I especially liked the talks by Dallin H. Oaks about desires and action. I made a goal for when I get a copy of the Ensign that I can underline and act upon every invitation and commandment that was given to us or reminded to us in this conference. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God and that he leads and guides Christ church by divine revelation in these latter days. I love you all and hope that you all can act upon the promptings that you received in conference. Great job Colin and Mason for making the effort to watch all 5 sessions of conference, that is way Awesome. Let me know what you learned in your next email.
Love you all and I am praying for you everyday.
Love,
Elder Gardner
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