Argentina, Buenos Aires South Mission

Thursday, August 25, 2011

email 8-24-11

Hey ya'll! It's been a month. WHOA! it went by so quickly. I can't believe it. I saw laykin today! like 20 min ago actually lol. She was really excited to see someone that she knew. I wrote her a welcome to the MTC note with some pointers lol. The bookcliffs weekend is this weekend yes? I hope you find the big bull Went to the temple again today. We're going to do sealings next week and see how that is. That'll be cool. I'm glad you guys want to serve a temple mission! Any ideas of where you want to go?? Lol sorry I wrote in pencil. I had several people say they can't read it. My handwriting in pencil is so much better, but I'm dealing with a pen No worries. And dad can send me his new email address if he wants. Whatever works for you guys. I don't think that I'll have a problem saying what happens to me, whatever happens happens! I was told that the Buenos Aires mission South is the most dangerous of the three, so I will probably yhave some scary stuff happen. I saw Steven Skylar Hansen yesterday. He seemed overwhelmed, but happy to be here. He is serving in the Oklahoma City or Tulsa mission, I can't remember which one. The one with the panhandle so I think Tulsa. I laughed so hard when you said that you were going to park in the temple parking lot. I've thought about having people do that too. I also laughed with Ryder's toilet toy story. He is going to be an awesome funny lil kid. So for the package, go ahead and send it when you get my debit card if you want with: eye glasses cleaner, my other scripture marker from Tiffany with the refills I bought and left on my entertainment center I think, that digital watch if it's not too expensive, water bottle, lots of good non-wire hangers ( the wire ones collapse too easily maybe like 15? roughly.. maybe more if possible?), drivers license, debit card, some more regular ankle white socks from my old clothes, and what ever else you wanna send. That's a lot of stuff, sorry! If you wanna send something else I love all kinds of candy and stuff but kit-kats, 100 grands, sweedish fish, starbursts, skittles are my favs. And I really want some Oh's! cereal. Theyr'e in a small tiny box at walmart. The cereal here is nasty and we have to eat it on sundays so we don't have to have cooks working on sundays. Thanks about the blog stuff! it would suck to lose an investigator over something so silly. If i don't let you know what's okay to put on there, just be VERY carefull. Thanks a bunch. and sending emails to me, I think i'd do fine with whatever info comes about. The Bailey thing wasn't a distraction, I was worried, but the spirit helps me stay determined. so whatever you feel is best. And thanks fro the cookies! They were sooo good. And the rest of my district liked them too Since they're fresh, they go bad quickly so I ahve to share. 
 
The church flew in the Argentine Consul to meet with all of the missionaries going to Argentina for their visas. That was way cool we just talked with him for like an hour just about the country and stuff. I'm SO very excited to get down there. And finally start applying the stuff I'm learning. And immersing myself in the language will really help me get the hang of it all. The tutor skipped out on me again, but then rescheduled. We had a meeting yesterday and it went really well. My biggest problem is understanding what people say because it's hard to translate in your mind with how quickly they speak. But that's part of learning. My teacher suggested to watch conference talks in spanish during my language study to help me get used to hearing them speak. The TRC is just volunteers from the community come in and talk with us. It's sort of a lesson in the sense of we prepare a topic to discuss, but really we just go have a conversation. Most/all of them are members. It's really rare to get a non-member but I guess it could havppen because they are just volunteers. But it's way fun, and really helps with the Spanish. Things are going great! Talk to ya next week.  
 
Elder Gardner
 

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Email 8-10-11

Hola mi familia!
I'm missing you guys like crazy. THis week has gone by SUPER quickly. It's unreal.
Tell dad thank you for the letter! And he is more than welcome to send me his own email address if he wants some too
So I sent 3 pictures to you today in a letter, so hopefully they get there. THey are super cheap to print off here because missionaries get 40 percent off at the bookstore. So i got like 8 pics and it only cost 70 cents. I did get my typhoid shot, so no worries I gotcha covered madre. How's grandma doing with her diabetes? Better? You said she was doing great. Grandpa has to get what done again? They sure do have a lot to deal with. I sent all my sisters, you guys, and grandma and grandpa pics. I just sent them all one, and you three. So feel special I hope the letter made sense, i was scramble brained trying to hurry to the computer lab. My car is sold! YES! I'm so glad it's not a burden on you guys anymore. That's cool Kalianne bought it I've been loving the scriptures you put at the bottom of all my letters. A  lil spiritual pick-me-up before I go to bed. So I do get mail everyday but sundays, so if you dearelder on saturdays, I'll still get it. So we get to do temple walks every sunday with our district and then go to the temple to do sessions every thursday. So I decided I'll just tell you guys about my schedule usually in a day we have 1-2 classes of 3 hours each. Those class times we have a teacher that of which only speaks spanish. THey teach us important teaching tactics, and then grammar stuff for spanish. We also teach "investigators" during those times which are just the teachers but they've created like an investigator for us. We have two teachers that alternate classes. 3 days a week we have 2 classes, where they both teach, and 3 days we only have one teacher. No class on sundays. Then every day we have usually 2 hours of personal study where we usually just study scriptures or preach my gospel, or language, or just whatever. Then we have an hour of language study where usually the advanced classes come in and we just talk to each other only in spanish. Then 5 days a week we go to teh computer lab to do "tall" which is basically a mormon version of rosetta stone but is way helpful. Then we have 3 meals a day, and companion study in there too, and gym time 5 days a week (i've been doing really good! Running 3.5 miles every day). Then sunday and tuesdays we have devotionals at night and then testimony meetings after that. Andf then of course on sundays sacrement and stuff as well as a LOT of personal study time. Tuesdays  we have "service oppurtunities" where we just go clean the buildings here lol. And yeah! basically it. It's just intense studying all the time. Oh yeah! Saturdays, starting this saturday, we start the "TRC" which is where real people in the community, members and non-members, come to the MTC and we teach them in our language. So that will be interesting. Oh and thursdays we have freetime all day until 6, then we have class. Except we go to the temple at 9. Today we did initiatories because I had a hair cut appointment, and they were really cool! I love the temple. PS my hair is... reallty short But it feels nice to have it shorter! So the food isn't good anymore.. i only like the breakfast items and the other ones I have to choke down lol. Not so yummy.. I miss your cooking! But I haven't gained any weight, so happy days.
 
This week I had a couple bad/hard days. I can tell I'm being worked on. THey're usually only half bad days, so that's a plus One lesson to "Hugo" our teacher that is an investigator went really badly. We challenged him to get baptised and he's an alcoholic and a catholic so he said that he didn't think he could quit and that we couldn't help him because we've never helped anyone else overcome addictions and then he kept saying he's already baptised and we said it wasn't under proper authority, but that didn't go well. We sure learn a lot, and these are really good examples I'll probably be dealing with a lot. So Elder Mcq was really sick on Sunday, so we went to sacrement then had to stay in the apartment. WHich was okay by me, I needed a nap terribly! I'm so tired all the time. SO the next day, I took him to the doctor and we got to go off campus to get medicine at the clinic nearby, that was a fun experience. It was weird to be in the real world. And it was the BYU campus so I kept looking for like the Franciscos and friends I knew So Spanish is coming along! But I'm not at the level as everyone else is, so my teacher offered me and Elder Wadman a special tutor. It made me feel like the stupid kid in the class, but it should really help, so i'm not going to complain. And hopefully I'll get way good and it'll help a lot SO yesterday we were teaching GLoria our other teacher/investigator and usually I use a script written down to help me with spanish, BUT! Yesterday I did almost the whole lesson with no script! And could answer and follow questions I'm really improving and it feels great. That lesson went amazing. We found out she had cancer, but she is in recovery so that's good. And she has a hard time understaind we are spirits that lived prior to this life and will be resurrected.. but we have great scriptures to back it all up.  I gave my first melchezidek priesthood blessing! Itw as way cool. Sister Eversole was really sick tuesday night, so she asked us to and I got to. It was cool. And I annointed Elder Mcq during his bliessing on sunday.
 
Well i only have 10 minutes left and still have to email Tiffany! Love you guys so much

Friday, August 5, 2011

Pday (Thursdays) email

Hey mom and fam!
 
Things are going great. I have gotten all your letters! I think the best way to continue is for you to dearelder me, and I will reply with emails. We only get 30 minutes to email all our family every week. So when you email and stuff time is spend reading it. So then I could just get the letters, then reply on Thursdays in the computer lab. I love getting letters! So send me however many you want Pass the word on to the rest of the fam that letters are muy bien. I can only email you, dad, sisters, and gma and gpa if they emailed. So I guess it's letters for friends! That's okay But it makes pdays very busy. I wrote 9 letters today.
Yesterday was rough.. the language was frustrating, and I got flustered and stressed out. But the Lord works miracles. It was definitely a trying day, but I'm bound to get some of those in the next two years. Today we got to go to the temple. It was MUCH better today than it was my first time through. I could just sit back and participate instead of worrying what to do next. The Provo temple is beautiful. I love that the MTC is so close! We get to go on district temple walks every Sunday, it was definitely one of the highlites. Wow there is so much to say, and I only have 21:26 minutes left and still to email Tiff! Still haven't heard from Nick and Coco yet.
Tell Grandma Gardner I love and miss her very much! If you could include her address in your next letter, that would be great. Then I can just mail her letters too.
I'm glad you didn't have strep! My cold has been winding down. I still get coughing fits every morning around 9.. but all is well. I got Elder McQuivey sick, he's not too happy with me. I love my district so much. We all get along so well, and we have created a very close family relationship that will stay strong for the next 8 weeks. Hermana Schilemat leaves in 2 though to finish her training at the Dominican Republic MTC. I really miss you guys! I think about you often.
The food here isn't terrible.. but it's not the best either. It's definitely a lot harder to stay healthful than I thought. Especially when no one else is watching what they eat.
I got the package of cookies! I loved them! (along with the rest of my district.) They were so yummy and tasted almost home-made. I am really enjoying myself. It really is hard though. We had to give a lesson yesterday, and we have another one tonight..
Hahaha yesterday during my lesson I was trying to say "Sin is a choice" which would be "Pecado es eleccion" but I accidentally said "Pescado es eleccion" which means fish is a choice. Lol we all had a good laught about it. Spanish is coming, but it sure is hard. The teachers don't give you any slack. They all speak only in spanish. I wish that they did 3 weeks preach my gospel training in English, then do 5 weeks of just language training. Because it's very hard to get to know the preach my gospel well when you have to worry about the language aspect.
I love that I can feel the spirit so much here. It is a comforting thing to rely on. It makes it much easier to continue with faith when one can constantly feel the Lord's presence.
Well I love you! It's nice to finally write back.
Looking forward to some letters Tell Nick and coco about writing letters,and I'll reply with emails. Just tell them to include their emails in the dearelder.
 
Love you!
 
Elder Gardner

Monday, August 1, 2011

2nd Letter from Rhet

We just got our second letter in the mail today.  Rhet said his "P" day is Thursdays so maybe we'll get an email from him then.  His Spanish is coming along.  He's already praying in Spanish.  He had to prepare his first lesson in Spanish and is preparing a talk for Sunday in Spanish in case they call on him to speak.  He said it's hard to write in complete English now because his mind is thinking strictly in Spanish.  He loves his teachers and is meeting some really cool people.  He sees Elder Loosle, Elder Boren and others from Vernal alot.  He said he is beginning to feel the spirit while speaking and hearing Spanish.  That's amazing!

Farewell

A lot went on a few weeks ago...a lot of playing, eating, 4 wheeling, a temple session, and a farewell.  Not nearly enough picture taking, though.  
Such a great uncle.  The nieces and nephew love him.
So do we.
GREAT babysitter...
Lots of fun family time.
Awesome day at the temple.
So much fun with the baby bro.
We were busy with the food and visiting at the farewell dinner that we didn't get any pictures, such a bummer.  It was a great time, though.  The whole week was much more emotional than I had expected.  So glad we got to have some fun with the funnest guy ever.  I guess we will share him with the people of Argentina for a bit.  They are lucky.