ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL DAY IN URUGUAY!

Hola a todos...

Thanks for telling me all about your week.  It`s always great to hear about the fun and great things that you are all doing.  Congratulations on finishing the Book of Mormon and on continuing to read in the Pearl of Great Price and to start studying Preach my Gospel as a family.  I know that you will learn a lot of great things in Preach my Gospel that will help strengthen your testimonies and prepare you to more effectively share the gospel with friends and neighbors.

There were 2 baptisms in the zone this week, an older man named Osvaldo who was baptized from the other Belloni missionaries` area and an older lady from Bella Italia(my first area).  And we are excited to see a family of 4 get baptized in another area of the zone this upcoming Saturday. The zone is getting excited and we are all starting to share in the success. I feel a lot better about the zone and we are working hard to be able to manage our time between helping out the zone and staying focused in keeping the success going in our own area. Please keep the Pintos family in your prayers as they go almost a week without smoking and are still working towards getting baptized on the 24th of September.

I am way excited for General Conference coming up soon and even more excited for the chance that the mission is going to have to go to the temple in November. President just announced that in November, all the missionaries will have a chance to go to the temple. I`m starting to go on a diet so that I can lose a little bit of wait before I have to come home from the mission so General Conference snacks will be very welcome because that will probably be the only chance that I will have to just enjoy snacking on something sweet and not care so much about eating healthier.  So feel free to send whatever you think will be tasty and yummy to eat in between sessions. 

The man finished your scripture cases last week but sadly he had written the names on them all incorrectly, it said ¨Gadner¨ instead of ¨Gardner¨, so he took them back to make the corrections and will be sending them back to me now. So when I get them, I`ll be sending a package home to you with your scripture cases and some more photos and some other Uruguayan surprise. Love you all and thanks for all your prayers and support.

I know that this is the one and only path to eternal life and that we are so blessed to know that the gospel has been restored to the earth in its fulness and to be able to enjoy the blessings as a family. The Book of Mormon is true and is Another Testament of Jesus Christ. He lives and loves us more than can possibly be imagined and always invites us to repent and come unto him. I`m so very grateful for the commandments and covenants which he has provided for us in order to help us stay on the path and make it back to live with him. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet in these days and that he receives revelation and instructions from Heavenly Father in order to lead and guide the Church in these latterdays.

I love the Lord and am grateful for the time that He has called me to serve him full time. I will always be a missionary in my life. I will always serve in His work and share the gospel with those around me. He has called me to His work not only for 2 years, but rather for my whole life and for all eternity. I know that He loves me and will guide me well in my life as I am obedient to his laws and counsels.

Love,
Elder Gardner