12-31-12

Hey family!!

So things are going super well. It is pouring rain again as we speak, so that means more floods. Hopefully it`s not too bad. The heat today was terrible, and it sucked with having transfers today and having to haul all of my comps stuff to the mission home. I got my new comp Elder Siler. HE is from Colorado. He`s super cool, and really shy. His trainer was an elder in my MTC district. lol. That`s kind of cool. Elder Siler is still pretty new, and this is his first transfer. Imma break him in ;) Luckily, the senior couples that I skyped at their house are realllllly nice, and they brought his lugguge for us so we didn`t have to bring it on the train. That was soooooo nice.
I didn`t get to sleep last night until like 2 AM, so I am super tired. All of the elders from the coast had to travel yesterday, and they all stayed in our apartment. So we had like 8 people in the pench last night, and yeah. We didn`t sleep much. So I am beat today. Luckily, it`s new years eve and we can`t work tongith because of the danger and all of the fireworks and alcohol. So we just have to stay in. I`m going to make tacos, and then go to bed.
You got me excited about the Nauvoo trip! That sounds like a lot of fun. Out of all your years in the singles ward, I haven`t been able to go on one super activity. And this one will be super fun. I was thinking though, because I just love amusement parks so much, that when you are going to the amusement park, that I just go hang out with Tiff. I think I would like that better. I`d be able to do that right? Just an idea. I could use a brother sister date.
I`m glad you didn`t cry mom :) One thing I did notice from all of you though is how strong your Utah accent is. lol I love it. I had no idea how strong it was! But being away for so long, I am just now realizing it. Elder Sorenson said he couldn`t understand you guys lol. Well mostly Grandpa Gardner, you guys he could understand at least. When he said that I just started singing country songs to him.
Marcela and her family are doing well. We have an appointment with her son this week to work with him for baptism. So that will be good.
Well I love you guys lots! And I`ll talk to you next week :)

Elder Gardner

PS What are your guys` thoughts about school for me? do you think that it would be better to wait until January, or push it and dive in for August? I`d like your input.

12-24-12

Hey fam fam!

So this last week was kind of slow, but still crazy. We don`t have too many people to teach, and we can`t even get in with many of the members so that makes for some long days some times. But things are going well. We are coming up with some new plans for the ward that should go really well. So we`ll see :) We had another rainy day this week, but twice as bad as the one from the week before. It rained, but right as it started raining, like immediately there was like 6 inches of water in the streets. We walked just from the church to the apartment, only like 6 blocks, and we were SOAKED. My shoes are pretty much destroyed lol. Good thing I have two pairs. But the streets just turned into rivers, and the actual river that is in our area raised 30 feet and flooded ALL the houses near. Including the three members` homes... so we had some service to do this week. One member completely lost his house and all of his belongings and had to move out. Another member was a little more prepared and the water just entered and then left without destroying anything. The other one lives on teh banks and the house was just a mess. It went up to MY waist so it was about 3.5 feet high in the house, and just filled the house with mud. It was a mess. We just cleaned in the house for like 4 hours on wednesday.
On saturday we did do our FHE and made crikey burgers. They were sooooo good. We grilled burgers, and pineapple, and had teryaki sauce and fried eggs and everything. Mmmmm. It was sooo good. I felt at home :)
The family with the lady that we just baptized, we visited on tuesday and they said that when they got back from church after the baptism their 18 yr old son asked if the mom actually got baptized, then double checked if his sister and dad were baptized too, when they all said yes he was like THEN WHY HAVEN`T YOU BAPTIZED ME YET! So we`re going to start teaching him after christmas :) That was cool.
Elder Sorenson and I are having a lot of fun together, maybe a little too much :) But he is leaving on monday so I`ll be getting a new comp.
We decided tomorrow I will call you guys with skype at 11 our time, which is 7 your time, (I think). Double check. And then I`ll have like 40 minutes with you guys and try to skype with tiff and nick too. We`ll see. But that is the plan. Sorry it`s so early but it`s the only time we have because we`ll be at the mission home all day. Elder Mayer is one of the senior couples serving right now in our ward and he spoke in sacrement meeting yesterday about all of their family traditions for christmas, and it made me miss you guys lots! They talked about all the yummy food, and about doing the natiity scene and everything lol. I laughed.
Well I hope you have a merry christmas, and we`ll talk tomorrow!!!!!!!!

Chao

Elder Gardner

12-17-12

Hey family!!!! So things are doing well. This weekend Marcela did get baptized :) She told us we have 2 months to baptize her other son, because she wants to make it in the temple when she hits a year as member. So that is cool :) That family is amazing. We will definitely be visiting them when we come back. So a Uintah Basin barbeque sounds soooo good. Sooooo good that my comp and I were talking about it last weekend, and we planned a huge FHE party at the church for this week. We are making Crikey burgers :) We are splurging... We`re going to do burgers, with grilled pineapple, fried eggs, bacon, cheese, teryaki sauce, and with veggies. I am SO excited. :) We`re doing that on saturday with Leo and Marcela and their family and friends.
So, SURPRISE! I got a new companion. So you guys remember how I live with all of the office elders, well my comp Elder Romanella got called as the new apartment coordinador for the mission, and so he just switched places with one of the office elders who was finished training the new secretary. So now my new comp right now is Elder Sorenson, he is from San Diego. It`s kind of really nice to have a white comp again after so long lol. But yeah, he is cool.
So the last two weeks in church, I`ve had to play the piano during sacrement. I`ve actually gotten a lot better at the piano since I`ve been here. I`ve learned a lot of hymns. So that`s cool. Also yesterday I taught the lesson in priesthood.
We found two new really awesome investigators this week. They went to the church where the assistants are because they want the elders to rent their apartments, so we went by, and taught them. They are awesome.  We started teaching about adam and eve, and she basically just recited second nephi chapter 2 without ever reading it. She is super prepared. She, and her son both want to get baptized on the 29 of diciembre. So that would be super awesome. :) We are still just doing a lot of walking around, doing contacts, and looking for old investigators and inactive members. It`s tiring, but that means I am able to sleep REALLY well at nights :)
So the new date for me coming home is for sure the 15 of July. Did you get an email too? Or just me? That is crazy. And yeah, I`m happy you guys want to come back in the spring :) It will be so much better.
So for the christmas call, I think we are going to do it tuesday morning. I`ll call you about 11 AM our time, so like 8 AM your time. The mission president invited my comp and I to eat at their house to eat for christmas dinner so we`ll be there all night, so I think morning will be best.
Tell grandma I love her a lot, and thank you so much for the letter, and for the christmas stuff. I love the tie! I wear it all the time :) It is a realllllly nice tie.
I`m going to try to send more pictures, we`ll see how they turn out. The computers here suck so it makes it a little difficult. But I love you guys lots, and I hope all is well!!!

Elder Gardner

12-10-12

HEy family!!!!

So this week was a pretty chill week. It was extremely hot on monday through wednesday, then thursday it just POURED. The rain was litterally like 5 inches in all the streets. So we got a little wet that day. And of course it was the day that we didn`t have any appointments :) But it was fun to play in the rain a little bit. That is so crazy about Jade! I`m so happy for her. You should invite her over again for the christmas call, that is if she wants to. We`re trying to figure it all out, we should know for next week how it is all going to go, and when and stuff. I`m thinking about doing it tuesday the 25th about 10 or 11 for us, so like first thing for us. That would be like 7 or 8 for you guys. But we don`t know our Christmas schedule here yet and when we are working and stuff, so when I know, I will let you know :) I am excited to see you guys and chat a lil bit. If you can`t get it figured out, Coco and Nick will be there with you guys right? And then I can just call tiff apart from you guys after or something. Because the last time when you called her and then put it in front of the screen, I couldn`t see or hear anything lol. I`m thinking that we`ll just go to a cyber cafe to call you guys, so we can do it at the same time, and not have to bug the members here. But we`ll see. I don`t know if many cyber cafe`s here have webcams.
That`s too bad you`re sick dad! I hope all is getting better. Get eem a priesthood blessing :) I don`t know if I`ll be able to give preisthood blessings in english! I was thinking about that the other day about teaching and giving talks and stuff in english is going to be really weird and hard.
So last night, we had a party in the pench lol. We made tacos, and a really yummy cake. It was a good sunday :) On tuesday as well we did an FHE with an amazing family and their friends. I made tacos for them, and they LOVED them lol. WE made a ton too, so they were eating tacos all week last week :) I love cooking! More than cooking, I love cooking for other people :) Too bad I`m not rich enough to cook always for everyone else. It was an elders birthday too, an elder in my district, so I made everyone french toast, with dulce de leche on top with bananas. MMMMMM. It was delightful.
Wedneday was ¨milagro miercoles¨ we haven`t had like any work for us to do except touching doors, but on wednesday we got a reference for a person who has already received all the lessons, she just lacks the actual baptism, and we found two more people that day and they both said they`d get married. We were actually looking for her husband, he`s a member, but we couldn`t find his house because the addresses here in Argentina are soooo screwed up. So we were just wandering around looking for it, and a woman yells hey! Are you the mormons? And I look at her house number, and it is the house we were looking for. It turns out that she is the wife of the member we were looking for, but he died like 9 months ago. But she said that yeah she would get baptized and loved the change the church made on her husband. So that was a good day :) We`ll see if the luck keeps going with them.
Marcela (the mom in the family that we made tacos for on tuesday), is going to get baptized on saturday. That family is amazing. They are so humble, and they just love the elders.
NEWS! So I asked the office elders if we have to pay for my plane ticket home if you guys come and pick me up, they said no; that the church will pay for it. Just so you guys know. I don`t know if you guys want to come in the middle of the winter, or wait until spring and be able to enjoy everything. I would prefer to wait until spring to be released, and then we would be able to go to the beach and stuff. But it`s totally up to you guys. But if you want to come pick me up, I have to know like now to let the church offices know to when to buy my plane ticket. And you guys would have to organize the hotel and everything. It`s totally up to you guys, whatever is best for you, but I would prefer to wait.
I loved the christmas picture :) You guys are looking good! Well I hope all is well, and I`ll talk to you later :)

Chao!

Elder Gardner

12-3-12

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey I hope you have a good birthday today :) Imma eat mcdonalds to celebrate your birthday for ya, deal?

This last week was very eventful. It was a little tough too, no one wants to let us in! So we do a lot of tracting. But a lot of working is not a bad thing :) Luckily we had lunches this last week. The week before we had none. We had dinner twice too, thanks to an amazing family. They`re called the family Gamboa. They always share food with us. She is teaching me how to make empanadas. Hers are sooooooooo good. Mmmm. That`s like all I have eaten since I`ve gotten here to Adrogue is just like empanadas and pizza. I could use some veggies and fruit. BUT I found a blender in my pench so Imma start making smoothies for breakfast.
On wednesday we had Elder Giovani of the seventy come and do the mission tour. After the training meeting, he wanted to work with some elders. And the closest area is the area where the church is, or rather the area Adrogue... so on wednesday we just got to go work for a little bit with a member from the quorum of the 70. That was really cool. Him and his wife came to visit the familia Gamboa with us. They were supposed to come visit our pench and stuff too but there just wasn`t enough time... darn it! ;)
How were the holly days? Are you guys all ready and prepared for christmas alone with coco? That will be fun for you guys. They aren`t sure yet what they are going to do about transfers. Pres doesn`t like the idea about changing the dates, but we`ll see what happens. It`s so nice living with the office elders! I get all the news first :)
That is so crazy that Layken, and Sara, and all of them are coming back from their missions! I was with them in the MTC! That is nuts.
Is it cold now in Utah? It should be winter winter :) And here we are just getting hotter and hotter!
Well I hope all is well, and that you are all happy and healthy! Talk to you soon!!!

Elder Gardner

11-26-12

Hey family!

Yeah things are going really well. The area is... a lot different than Glew. Not that it`s bad, it`s just harder. The houses are huge, and with like cobble rock roads and tons of palm trees and stuff. It`s a beautiful area, but hard to preach the gospel. No body even leaves the houses when we go tracting. They all have doorbells with speakers and stuff, they just tell us no through the speakers lol. It`s a lot different than the dirt roads and houses made of tin in Glew :) But that`s okay, new challenges bring new experiences. My comp is farely new so he still is trying to get used to the area as well. We took a bus trying to get to a different part of our area and we got lost and ended up two cities away :) lol. That was a long morning... The area is huge, and we have like 4 different train stations, and three different train lines. But I like it. As we speak we are in a HUGE mall with like movie theaters and stuff. Tempting... I want to go see the Hobbit. But we are doing well :)
We were supposed to have President Arnold do a mission tour with us this week, but he had an emergency meeting in SLC so he can`t make it. We are having an area seventy do it now, but we have meetings all week with that.
I did get my packages, last tuesday. THANKS!!!! I loved it all. And my comp was needing his shoes. He called me yesterday and had to go to the emergency in the middle of the night becaus he had a kidney stone. Lucky him right?

When I first got to the mission, one of my fillings in my teeth started to bother me, but then it went away; now it is hurting really bad. I might need to make an appointment with a dentist, we`ll see. Luckily I know a really good dentist farely close. He was in my ward in La Plata, he is the first councilor in the stake presidency.
The new cell phones do look pretty awesome. And the ones I see are the ones in Argentina, which are like 10 years behind us in the states. I can`t imagine the new ones in the states!
Coco and cici do look so much like each other! It`s nuts.
So, we have some new mission news. Because of the new wave of missionaries, they are cutting the time in the MTC for spanish speaking elders. The new time for them is only four weeks! Sheesh I was in there for 9 and a half weeks! But that means that they have to change the transfer dates for us to be able to receive all the new ones. AKA transfers will be every 4 weeks instead of 6. And after march, all the elders that are leaving to their houses are supposedly leaving two weeks earlier to make up for the difference. So, according to the office elders, my new date for coming home isn`t the 29 of july, it`s the 15. Crazy right? We are not 100% positive what`s going to happen, but yeah.
Well, All is well here in Adrogue. I`m happy, and we are working hard dad, don`t worry. Can`t wait to hear from ya!

Love ya

Elder GARdner

11-19-12

Hey family!!!

So, I have news!!! I have been trasferred! After 11 months in Glew, I got trasferred suuuuper far. Just kidding... only three train stations away lol. But I am happy with the change. I am now in Adrogue, where the offices of the mission are. So, I am just in one of the most richest parts of Buenos Aires... lol. It`s realllllllly nice. The houses are castles. Which means that it is a tougher area for missionary work (that is until Elder Gardner showed up). I am excited though. President has called me to be District leader so that will be an adventure! I live in an apartment with 4 other elders, we`re five in total. The other three are the elders in the offices. But! We have the only pench in the mission with air conditioning :) That`s okay, I`m not mad. One of the office elders is my old comp, elder Parker. So we`ll have a blast. I was sad to leave Glew, and all the people I have grown to love, but after 11 months, it was time.
We did have a baptism on saturday! YEAH! His name is Oscar, and he is awesome. He is like 50 years old, and we are going to baptize his mom in two weeks. Well WE as in the elders of Glew... They all sent me off well in Glew. We had three dinners last night... And I woke up feeling amazing running to the bathroom with explosive squitters. MMMMM Chao Glew! lol.
My new comp is Elder Romanella. He is Argentine, but has lived in Cancun for the last 10 years. He speaks english really well. He is a newby, he arrived to Argentina the same time as my hijo, elder Aguero. But he is really chill.
I didn`t even remember that it was thanksgiving lol.
Well things are going well. I am happy, and content with all the changes. I love ya family, and I hope all is well!!!

Elder Gardner

Chao

11-12-12

Hey there family!

Things are going well. This last week was a little slower, and a little harder too. But this week is already starting amazing, so I can´t complain. I really can´t express how important studying is. If I don´t study well in the mornings, my day goes horribly. And when I first got here on the missoin I thought that the hour we have to do personal study was demasiado but now that I´ve grown to appreciate it, it´s not enough. There are so many things to study. I hope taht I can still do that when I get home from the mission; study an hour every day. But we´lll see how it all goes.
I´m starting to feel the need to decide what I want to do after the mission, but I have no idea still! I´ve never been good at making decisions... but Peegerd told me not to worry about it :) So I´ll give it some more thought and try not to worry about it too much. I´m trying to use my patriarchal blessing to help me decide what to do, so maybe I´ll get some inspiration :)
That´s awesome about Brisa Ruppe. I would love to learn Italian. I heard after spanish, it´s super easy. Maybe I´ll go visit her in Rome ;)
I miss you guys, and am happy that this is my last Christmas without the fam. only 8 months left. It still seems like a long time, but I know it will fly by. But I am excited to spend some time with ya´ll.
Interviews with president went well. Short, sweet, and to the point like always lol. He just asked how I´m doing, and had a couple questions, and taught a little bit as well. We have a really good president. Too bad my last month in the mission I will have a different president.
Transfers are on monday. Maybe my next letter to you guys will be from a different area! Who knows, maybe I´ll be here forever in Glew :)

Well I love you!!! Que tenga un buen dia!

Elder gardner

11-5-12

Hey fam fam

So I don´t know what it is, but my email won´t send the videos... so I´ll have to keep trying with that... Thanks for the packages. Hopefully we get them this week. They normally only take a week or two to get here. Smart thinking sending the shoes separately. Elder Aguero needs new shoes, all his shoes are from missionaries that served in his ward in Paraguay like three years ago. So they have already served a mission, and are pretty hammered.
Halloween looks like it was fun :) Peegerd sent me some pics of the other two kids on halloween. Here, halloween doesn´t even exist lol. I had forgotten it was halloween! Yeah I know there are so many people serving missions lately. Sara Mcquivey got her mission call as well this last week. She is going to Fortaleza Brazil. So we´ll be sort of neighbors for a little while. But when she gets to the mission field, I will only have like a month left in the mission. lol.
We have a lot of work here... We keep gaining and losing people. It´s really sad to work so hard with someone, and have them progress to a good point, and then crash... But we are doing what we can, we just leave it all to the agency!
Tomorrow we have interviews with president, it´s been a long time since I´ve talked to him so that will be good. Yeah, transfers are coming up. only two weeks from today! I have no idea where I´m going or even if I will end up leaving. who knows. We are working well together so it could be that I end up staying to keep working strong with my comp. But if I do stay, i will pass my sencond christmas in Glew :) Not a bad thing though, I enjoy my time here. A change would be nice, just to change things up a bit. But it takes a while to get used to an area, and I know EVERYTHING about Glew. lol.
It is hot... I´m starting the sweating season. In about a week, I won´t be dry until april... lol. Not really looking forward to that. The humidty kills me.
I think october will be the best month to come back with you guys to visit. It´s spring, and the weather is nice, not too hot and not too cold. It´s really pretty too with all the trees, fruits, and flowers.
President Stapley ends his mission the beginning of July. So I will have a new mission president for the last three weeks of my mission lol. That will be interesting.
Well I love you guys, and I hope all is well!!!

Chao!

Elder Garnder

10-29-12

Hey family!!!

So, I made you a video... but it won´t let me load it, because it´s bigger than 25 MB... sorry. Next week I will make it shorter and send it :) Sorry...
Things are going super well!!! This week was awesome. We had 30 lessons this week. The normal is 20, so we felt really good about that. We had a baptism and another was supposed to get baptized, but had a family emergency.. Stupid Satan always getting in the way!!! But this week we should get her baptized so no worries. :) We were really busy this week running from one end of the area to the other. We are working a lot with the priests in the ward to help prepare them for their missions. Some of them have already started their papers! They only have 17 years!!! That is crazy to me. But that is also super awesome for them.
I´m super bummed about the video. I also made some videos for my friends, that are not as long, so I can at least send those, and next week, I will send you a video :) I am super happy right now! Things are going well. i love my area, the ward, the people. It really will be hard to leave ARgentina. Cirila the older lady we baptized a while ago is realllly hillarious. She says the funniest things. she just turned 75 yesterday. She is teaching us Quetchua, and it is hard. We are going to pass by on saturday and bring her something for her birthday. Their son is building a house for them right now, and it is huge (well for Argentines it´s huge). But he doesn´t like buenos aires, and wants to move back to his house in La Tierra de Fuego which is the very tip of south america almost touching antarctica. So he said if he ends up moving back, he would just give us his house. That would be awesome for the missionaries. But I doubt president would accept that. So maybe I´ll just tell him to give it to me so I can have a house here in glew, and can come visit often :)
I´m glad you guys had a good time in Kc and Bransen. I could use a vaca :) Only 9 more months. :) That is nothing. I was talking to my comp yesterday, and I only have 6 transfers left. That is nuts. It is nothing! And weird to think tat you won´t see tiff and ry again until I come home. Weird. I´m thinking that I will just fly home directly to Vernal! If I can. I think I can, because Cadin White left on his mission directly from Vernal so I should be able to fly straight in. Because I don´t really wanna have to travel to SLC and then drive 3 hours home. When I get there, I just wanna be there lol.
Well things are going super well, and I am a happy kid. I´ll get my video thing fixed, and send you one next week. love ya!

Chao

Elder Gardner

10-22-12

Hey family!!!

 

This week has been RAINY!!!!!!!!!! All week just lots of rain. Yay for umbrellas!!! Good thing in Argentina, they don`t have paved roads...

so we just slodge around in mud all day :) My pants are realllllly muddy. My shoes are really nice though, they are very waterproof.

we had two confirmations yesterday, and a baptism as well! We have another baptismal service on saturday with Virgilia and Elsa. They are awesome. We had a cool experience with Virgilia this week. We were unsure if she would make it to baptism, and we went to the lesson that we had with her the other day, and she was waiting for us, she said that right before we got there she got a terrible headache and then she was planning to just tell us that she was sick and couldn`t meet with us, then she layed down and just prayed and asked to feel better.

She said only five seconds after the prayer, she felt fine! She was so excited and happy.

That`s nice nicky and danny finally got into their house! and that you get to go visit tiff and ryan. They need some grandma and grandpa time. And I don`t have any plans to be away for next christmas, so I should be home :) Unless I marry an Argintine or something!

 

Well family, I love your guts! Hope all is well, and that you enjoy your time in KC ;)

 

Chao!

 

Elder Gardner

10-15-12

Hey family!!!

So, we did have two baptisms yesterday. Two kids of an inactive member. We helped activate her, and baptized her kids. Yay! We have at least 1 or two more planned for this month.
I had one of the most spiritual lessons of my missions on friday. It was awesome. Hopefully he can make it to baptism. We have a combined baptismal service on the 18 of november with the whole stake. (the 18th of nov SHOULD be my last day here in glew) so that day will be really awesome.
My comp is doing awesome. He is such a great missionary. He is helping me become better and better every day, and we are working really hard (don´t worry dad!)
Thanks for sending me that email from Charly, that was really nice of her to say.
Today was ¨lunes limpieza¨ which means monday cleaning... so we cleaned allllll morning. Yay...... but I cleaned eem good. The pench needed a good gardner deep clean.
Wow! A new stake presidency? We got a new area presidency in the area south america south :) lol. Twins! The president (Elder Arnold) stayed the same, and he called two other elders as his councilors.
That´s exciting that nick and danny are in there house. I had a dream about gracy last night, I miss her and bailey lots! Especially when I see little girls that have 4 years, I see them and how big they are, and I can´t believe that they are the same age, and probably talking the same as them, and stuff. They will be 5 by the time I get back. They were barely talking when I left! Gracy could barely say Jerry Potter.
Well things are doing awesome. We are working hard, and loving it. We did service the other day, and I got BURNED!!! bad... I didn´t wear sunblock and my neck is roasted. It is like border line third degree I think, cause I am getting a couple blisters. And it feels GREAT that I have a collared white shirt and a tie :)
Love ya family!!!

Hasta lunes!
 Elder Gardner

10-8-12

Hey family!!!

So the news for the new missionary age was huge. We all screamed in shock when he said that. lol. Although peru and mexico and chile were already at 18, so we had several missionaries here with only 18 years. but it´s exciting! And a lot better for the kids that leave so that they don´t lose a year doing nothing if they are ready to go. I would have liked to leave directly on my birthday in stead, because it was hard to leave schooling, and now it will be hard to return after a two year break. So that will be good for them. And for sister missionaries, that was cool too.
Yeah go ahead and ask Tobin for his email or something. And don´t worry about Clark. I just promised the member I´d ask for him :)
Question. Would it be super hard for you to another pair of shoes? My comp needs shoes REALLY bad. lol. And he likes the pair that I have. I was thinking it would be good to send some in my christmas package so that he will have them soon. He said he would pay for them. The brand is Ecco and they are a gore-tex model. he is a size 42 in european size. Which is I think... 8 1/2 but you should double check :) If you can´t do it, that´s fine. But I thought to ask for him. I keep giving you lots of homework to do :)
This last week went well. We have a lot of improvemetn to do, but we are getting there. I don´t want to say to much for high hopes, but we should have 3 baptisms on sunday. I hope everyone will make it :) That´d be awesome. And then two for the next week, and another for the week after :) The work is going well in Glew! I didn´t get transferred, so I will be staying here until November at least like Pres told me. We´ll see how it goes.  After a year of being here :) But I love the area, and the people. I promised the members I would make them tacos this week lol. OH! That´s another good idea for christmas to tell other people or whatever but taco seasoning :) We make tacos so much here, and we just put like salt, and garlic, and beef seasoning because ther eis no taco seasoning. Some hot sauce would be delightful as well.
Well family. I am doing well! I love my comp, I love my area, I love the church!
Oh yeah, I love you guys too :)

Chao!!!

Elder Gardner

10-1-12

HI FAMILY!!!

Things are doing really well. We found 12 new people last week, so that is neat. We are just burning rubber right now, and moving forward. It`s so weird to think that this coming transfer should be my last in Glew. That is weird seeing as how I have been here 1/2 my mission, but a change will be good. The members are doing well, and we are getting really good church asistance right now because it is warming up :) Argentines... The don`t come to church if it`s cold, or rainy. It`s so funny whenever we invite people to church they will say yes, but only if it`s not raining. Lol.
We committed 5 people to baptism this week, so that is cool. All for the 14 and 21 of october. So we should have some baptisms this month. The standard for the mission is two a month. Yesterday, we taught the fifth lesson too! lol. We kind of just yelled at the members to help us, and that we can`t do missionary work alone, but they all got the idea :) I wasn`t nervous yesterday either, first time. Usually if I`m nervous and I have to speak or something, spanish is really hard for me, but I did fine yesterday so that is improvement.
General conference! I am super stoked. Glew is the stake center so all the stake comes to glew to watch it and it`s via satellite. And the stake president is nice, and sets up a room for the english speakers to watch it live. So taht is awesome. It`s always sort of a big party. We all just buy tons of junk food and party. Plus we have 4 chances to get investigators to watch it so that always is awesome too.
Three things I wanted to comment..
1. For Christams, I need more socks... lol. Mine are all holy. (get it :) ) and I need like 15 pairs. Ties are always good too. Plus I want a christmas CD that is the Mormon Tab choir singing with David Archuleta. If you can find it, that would be AMAZING!!! :)
2. Can you send me an absent balet to vote?? Just a question... I would like to vote if I can.
3. There is a member that asked me if I know construction workers that could use help in the states. I thought directly of Clark Flake because he speaks spanish. I said I would ask and try to get his email address or something to put him in contact with Clark. I have no idea if Clark even lives in Vernal, I don`t remember. But yeah.

Well things are going super well. Tiff sent me pics of the NYC trip, it looks like we all had a good time, I was there in spirit :)

Chaocito! Un beso

Elder Gardner

9-24-12

Hey family!!!!

Things are doing AMAZING!!! I`m super happy, and almost 100 percent better with being sick. I still have the trail ends of a chest cold, but almost better :) It doens`t help that one day it`s super nice and hot, and the next day it`s freezing cold with rain and tornado winds. lol. But we`re getting through it :)
We were lucky enough to have a baptism on saturday! She was raised speaking Quetchua, which is the Indian language of Bolivia.  I`ve been told that historians have said that Quetchua and Guarani are the two languages closest to the language that the Nephites and Lamanites would have spoken :) Makes ya think a little. But she is so cute lol. She says the funniest things. Her son is a member thank goodness, and understands Quetchua. He lives in La Tierra de Fuego, which is the most southern part of Argentina, we call it the end of the earth ;)  She asked me to baptise her, so that was a cool experience. After she was baptized, she just looked up at me and said ¨how beautiful!¨ She is so sweet.
On saturday we also were able to find a new investigator!
I am gaining a little weight, but that`s okay, because I was so skinny. Plus it has been winter, so I`ve been hybernating. But once summer starts, I`ll sweat it all off. :)
Well family, things are going well for us here in Glew! The ward is starting to get in action, and we are finding lots of new people. When I first got to glew about 45 people came to sacrement. Yesterday we had 67, and 9 of them were investigators :) So I`m pretty happy right now.
I love ya family! And I hope all is going well.

Elder Gardner

Ps. Look at you guys enjoying life and going to visit Peegs :) Me alegro!!!!!

HAsta luego

 

9-17-12

Hey family!!!

 

Things are going well for us here in Glew. We had a pretty normal week. The first half of the week went really slow... but the last half went quickly and we got a lot of work accomplished. We found a new family of 8!!! So that is exciting. They are from Peru. I hope they cook for us sometime... I love Peruvian food. So that is awesome. Also we have reactivated several inactive members and started them on the path towards the temple. So, that is really awesome as well. I hope you got my email with the photos.

 

Well I`ve been getting a little sick this week, and yesterday I lost my voice completely; today it`s even worse. So that makes a little hard to teach. lol. Luckily today is pday. WE watched ratatouille. I love that movie.

 

Ali sent me an email with her news about her mission. That is soooo cool, Frankfurt Germany!!! That is so exciting, I`m happy for her. She studied three years of German, so she has got a great head start. She leaves in January I think.  

 

My comp is great. He works hard, and we are working well together. He has a really thick Paraguyan accent, so it`s really hard to understand him a lot because they speak horrible. They just yell as quickly as they can with their mouth open and don`t pronunciate anything. But that is thanks to the Guarani, the Indian language that they speak. It`s hard sometimes, but it`s going to train my ear a little better so in the future I will be thankful.

 

I pulled out the short sleeve shirts this week! WOOT! Lol. And then today it was cold... lol. But it`s spring here, officially next week on the 23.

 

Right now I am helping 4 families prepare for the temple :) I am super stoked for that. They were all inactive when I showed up, so it`s a really great feeling. They are all planning for about a year from now. I told them it would be amazing if we could plan our trip and they could all try to go to the temple the same weekend so I could be there with them :)

 

Well fam, I love your guts!!!

 

Chaocito.

 

Elder Gardner

9-10-12

Hey family!!!!

 

So I´m super happy you all had such a great time :) The pictures look amazing, and I can´t stop laughing at the pics with a cut out of my head :) My favorite is the one with taylor swift... :) Did I ever tell you we got her christmas album last christmas to listen to it during the holidays. It was a good couple of weeks!! lol. It sounds like you guys had a lot of fun adventures!!! If you all enjoyed it, I´m glad. It´s been a long time since we´ve had a family vacation! Only a year left, and then we can all be together again. 

So things are going well here! The weekend was AMAZING!!!! Friday, we had the fireside with pres eyring. He is so amazing. He talked for an hour, and then Ballard and Christofferson talked for a half hour each. They were all super amazing. We learned a lot of amazing things. Elder Ballards grandpa was the apostle that iniciated missionary work in South America, and they did it from here in Buenos Aires. And also his son, and his grandson both served here in the south mission. Elder Christofferson served in the Cordoba mission, with Elder Scott as his mission president. lol. So they all had neat connections, and good feelings about Argentina. Elder Christoferson speaks spanish SO well. lol. I´m jealous. I was suprised! I didn´t think that any of them were going to be able to speak, but he did. 

Saturday, we had the cultural event. It was amazing. There were soooo many people there. I got to see people from past areas that I´ve served in, and they were all soooo happy to see me, so that makes me feel good. And I´m happy they haven´t forgoten me. Wow I can´t spell anymore! In the cultural event All the missionaries along with the future, and ex missionaries sang called to serve. It was awesome. And we gave eyring, ballard, and christofferson honorary panchos :) 

The dedication was amazing as well. The talks were great, and the dedicatory prayer was inspiring. I love our prophets and apostles. They are such great examples, and I just love them!

That´s about all the important stuff that happened this last week. Things are going well!! I learned how to make a new dessert. It´s called bizcochuelo. But really it´s just like a really yummy cake without icing. lol. But I make it homemade. mmmm. 

I meant to send pictures today, but I forgot the camera in th epench. sorry!

Love ya fam! Don´t have too much fun without me, kay??

Get me again. 

 

Elder GArdner

9-03-12

I just never know which email to send itto, so I just email both :)
Well This last week went really well!!! I got my hijo, his name is Elder Agüero, and he is from Paraguay, fresh out of the MTC. He is awesoem, he is 19, and served two mini missions, so it`s like I`m not even training. He speaks Guarani, which is the indian language of Paraguay and northern Argentina. So he is teaching me some things as I teach him English. He has a REALLY thick paraguayan accent lol. But that`s okay, it`ll help my spanish come along.
OH!!!! This last week, we had the wedding :) Two of our contacts got married on friday morning. And on friday also, we had his baptism, and the reception as well. It was a realllly busy day. She got confirmed on sunday as well. It was a great week!

My new comp really likes to work, which helps a bunch, so we are getting a lot of great work done and finding new people and stuff. It`ll be a great 3 months! Hopefully we can get a lot more work done before I go.

Well fam, I hope you are enjoying your time in NYC.

Chao!!!

 

Elder Gardner

8-27-12

Hey fam!!!!

Well the big news for this week is I`m not getting transferred... I am staying in Glew until the end of November because I get to train a new elder. I`m excited, and by the end, I will have 11 months in Glew. That almost never happens lol. Everyone in the ward was super suprised I wasn`t leaving. They all made me lunches, and we had tons of dinners too in the week. Yummm. I am super full (especially of pasta). So today I am staying in another area with some other people waiting to train. The new elders don`t come until tomorrow so yeah. We`re just waiting for them to come. I heard that they are almost all latinos because of all of the visa problems with the states. But we`ll see :)
I hit 13 months today! Time is just flying by. by the time I hit 16 months, 11 of them will have been in Glew :) Lol. We for sure will be spending a lot of time here when we come back.
The wedding is this friday! WOOTT!!!! I am so excited for them. And I am so excited that Ï will still be here for it. I was super scared I`d be sent far away and wouldn`t be able to come to it. But even better that Ï just get to stay in Glew. :) Sheesh someone here must be waiting for me to find them.
I`m glad everything went well with the super activity, and am super excited you have the NYC trip. That will be super fun for you. All of us here are just waiting for pres eyring to get here and for the cultural event. That will be super exciting.
Not too much news here. Things are going well.
I love you family! Hasta luego.

Elder Gardner

8-20-12

Hey fam! How was your crazy week in st. george? I hope everything went well, and there weren`t any major accidents. With the singles, there are always accidents, but hopefully nothing huge. Tiff told me that today grandma has surgery, I`m sure you`re busy with that today. Tell her I love her, and I hope everything goes well. I got the package too! I love the tie. It`s real nice. And the chocolate was soooo good. Mmmmmm. Elder Parker and I found nutella in a supermarket today. YEah.... we will be eating well tonight!!! :) It was like 30 pesos though... we still have yet to find peanut butter. BUT! There is a giant supermarket going in next to the pench, it`s called a coto. I think it`s owned by cosco, so we are praying that they have peanut butter :)
So this last week was not amazing... lol.  I talked to president a couple months ago and he said you can be a very obedient,spiritual missionary doing everything right, but in the end people still have their agency. I think I mentioned that last letter, but yeah. It`s so true. I just hope that we are doing everything we can. We are struggling finding new people lately, we`re going to focus on that. Clapping houses! YAY. lol.
We had a ward trip to the temple on saturday. SOOOOOOOO amazing. It`s so pretty. And we had a couple investigators and inactive families come. It was so amazing. I just want to go back. It was such a great experience. I think I would love to do a temple mission with my wife when I`m allllll big and stuff. When are you two headed out on your mission?
NYC trip coming up in what, two weeks!!! Wow. I bet you guys are super excited. I`m excited for ya.
Well that`s about it for the week!I love yea guys, and hope to hear from ya soon.

Chao!

Elder Gardner

8-13-12

Dear Family.

Things are all going well! This last week had a lot of ups and downs. It was kind of crazy.  Stupid agency. Just kidding, agency is amazing, but sometimes on the mission you just want to take it away from people :) But we have found a new family, hopefully it goes somewhere with them. They were a reference from the tmple because the youngest son went and filled out a reference card, so I guess he is a little interested, we`ll see.
Finally having the language down, I am understanding people on the streets.  Good thing you guys won`t understand them when you come visit, and I won`t translate that for you :)

I hope you guys have fun with the singles ward this week! Have some fun for me.
We found some guy who makes some really cool argentine shoes, and I ordered some today. I ordered six pairs! Lol. But it`s only 275 pesos, so like 55 dollars. No biggy. They are awesome too.
The family that I love so much here in Glew had a really rough week. I feel so bad for them, but they don`t even have time for a cita with us so we can`t even help. It`s so weird how much you can love someone and want to help them. I hope the best for them.
The weather is getting better! Today, no jackets, and no sweaters. Weird right? It felt sooooo good.
Transfers are coming around the corner. I wonder where I`m headed. or for some weird reason I stay another transfer. I reallly doubt it though. But who knows, missionaries never get transferred back to their old areas either, but it happened :)

Well family, I love you guys.! Before you know it, it`ll be christmas and we can skype again.

Chao!

Elder GArdner

8-6-12

Hey fam!!!!

So I think the temple openhouse is going well. I don´t get to go until the 18th of Aug. Our ward rented a bus to take the ward, and our investigators. WOOT!

Elder PArker does feel better :) I think... the humidity is terrible, so it´s making him sick longer, but we´re working and stuff, so that´s good.

We do have microwaves :) The apartments are usually reallllly nice compared to the homes here. They take care of missionaries, especially sister missionaries. So no worries. She enters the MTC the same day as maddie hansen. Lol when I first saw that picture, I hadn´t read the email yet, so I was trying to figure out who it was. But I´ll look for her next december when she gets here.

Yeah dad, they all think I´m a monster with my height. Everyone usually stares. They all just know immediately that I´m not from here. I get a lot of ¨are you German¨or even russian. A lot of the members know about the election, just because of Romney. They all want him to win. How is the election going? The trail camera sounds awesome.

This last week was amazing! Well, a couple really amazing moments. But overall, the week was REALLY hard. But it all was worth it in the end. On Friday night, we received 18 references from one family, that is an extremely high number, and then on sunday we found a new family of 6+ personas and they ALL agreed to get baptized :) and it should happen my last sunday here in Glew :) That will be amazing. I should be leaving glew on the 27 of Aug. But who knows!!! Lol. That´s when pres told me I was leaving the last time ]I talked to him.

We had a terrible day on thursday, just tons of rain, and lots of stuff happening, so we passed by a bakery on the way home to get some comfort food, and we found the best pastries... mmmmm. They were soooo good. They were like moms home made rolls, but dessert style. They were soooo good. And we bought a dozen empanadas :) I love how I can make anything better with some good food.

I´ve been eating well :) And my weight is just the same. I think I´ve hit my happy medium :)

We have like no time today because of our zone activity, so I´ll talk to you next week :)

Chao!

Love ya!

Elder Gardner

7-30-12

Hey fam!!!

Adrogue is where the mission home is. Capital is kind of like Washington DC it´s it´s own city, but doesn´t have like a name and it´s apart of everything else lol. It´ll be fun to show you guys everywhere.

It got cold again! Lol. It is freezing again. It was starting to feel like spring, but now it´s cold again :)

That will be nice to book your flights through Nick and Danny.

We just got instructions today about the big temple day on the 9th of sept. All of the missionaries in Buenos Aires (600+) are all traveling to a large chapel in capital, and then all traveling to a huge soccer stadium for the cultural event. WOOT! I´m so excited. We are going to have a workshop with Pres Eyring, and Elderes Christofferson and Ballard. I am super stoked, it´s going to be an amazing experience.

Yesterday in church the first councilor came up to me when sacrement started and said we lack a speaker, can you give a ten minute talk? FYI you will be the first to speak. I was like uh... SURE! Lol. So I just talked about temples, and stuff. Every city in the misison has received at least 6,000 invitations formal for the temple that we have to hand out all before this saturday. So I talked about those too and how it´s important that they hand them out. Oddly enough, that was only my second talk in the mission! Lucky, I know.

My comp got bronchitis this last week, so we only worked like 3 days. I am very well rested :) Good thing he´s a nurse! And good thing in Argentina, all drugs are over the counter. So we just walked to the farmacia and bought some antibiotics. lol.

Transfers are coming around the corner. I should be leaving Glew after 8 months :) My old comp Elder Wheeler just got moved up as zone leader in the coast. He just sent me some pictures of him playing on the beach. of course it´s freezing, so he is all bundled up lol. But it looks fun!

I meant to send pictures today, but forgot my camera at the pench. Sorry!

I hit a year! on the 27 i hit a year. I am on the down hill slope! How crazy is that. Amber emailed me, and she is finally in Canada, and freezing too :)

Well I hope all is well! Things are great, we´re working hard :)  Love you guys!

Chao!

Elder Gardner

7-23-12

Hey fam, crazy day today...

So Argentina has these new cards to travel with, they work with buses, trains, and the subways. And I`ve had one for a while, but my comp doesn`t have one. We have been trying to get him one all week, but there aren`t any more in Glew. So today we traveled to Adrogue, a bigger city, and waited in line for 5.5 hours, and then they wouldn`t give him the card because he only had a copy of his passport, not the original. So yeah, that sucked. We wasted our whole pday today, and now we`re super late to everything. We have a lesson soon so I can`t write much.

I`m doing well, this last week was alright. Not too exciting, but nothing bad. Just a normal week :) I`m glad you`re getting a lot of camping in. Get good practice so when I get home, we`ll be good to go. I`m so excited that you leave for NYC soon! Only a month left :) In a month, I`ll be in a new area, with a new companion!

For the story for M5th ward:

I don`t have just one great experience that I can choose, but there is one family that is really important to me. They are the Magliano family. Some elders in another area talked to them and passed the reference to us. We went late one night after dark to clap their house, Josè came out and didn`t say anything as we talked to him. He still wouldn`t speak so I stop teaching, and ask how he is. He says bad, and mumbles something about health, and his wife. So we set an appointment for the next day.

When we pass by the next day we meet his wife, and little girl. The little girl is mentally disabled, and the mother is disabled mentally and physically after she woke up from a diabetic coma several years ago. This family is amazing.

They have so many trials, especially the father. He can`t work because he has to take care of his wife and little girl all day long. He struggles a lot because he can`t leave his wife alone so he hardly leaves. And they live in the garage of his mother-in-law.

We started teaching the family, and baptized the daughter. And then they told us that they wanted to get married! Josè is already a member, but his wife isn`t; and they aren`t married either (something very common to Argentina). So we have finally gotten a date set for the wedding.

It is so amazing seeing the changes in this family. They struggle so much! Her health is always an issue, and he is usually always depressed because he has no one to talk to, nor does he leave the house. But each time we pass by, they are always in tears, and he knows what is important; the temple. Buenos Aires is very lucky in this moment because of the re-dedication of the temple coming up in September, so everyone is super excited for that. It really puts everything into perspective of what is really important.

---

I hope that is what he needs, something along the lines of that. lol.

Well mom and dad, I love you. I hope all is well, and we`ll talk next week!

Chao

Elder Gardner

7-16-12

Hey fam!!!

So, I got my new companion today. Elder Parker. He was born in Arizona, and went to school at the U, but his family lives in New Jersey. He`s great, we`ll work well together. It`s nice to have an American comp after 3 months with Latins. But I actually really liked having my latin comps, I improved a lot with the language. He has I think like 7 months in the mission. President called me yesterday morning and said I might be training though, if we receive a whole bunch of newbies tomorrow, I`ll be training. But if not, in the transfers to come. That will be fun.

Things are going well! I am so full! We have been receiving soooo much food lately. Fo real imma explode. And we have a dinner tonight with the Bishop and his fam. The bishop is pretty young, he`s like 28 and his daughter has only like 4 years old. She reminds me a lot of Bailey, she`s shy like Bailey.

This last week went by quickly, but it wasn`t the best week ever. We didn`t get the numbers we had hoped for. But numbers aren`t everything, I know. But seeing results for the work really helps with the desire to work. It`s a whole lot easier to work hard if you keep seeing results; but if you don`t receive anything for all the work that you put out, it gets hard. But it was just an off week, we`ll pick it up this week and be good to go. We had a baptism planned for yesterday, but she didn`t want to get baptized and didn`t know how to tell us. So we are going to try to get with her again and keep working.

I`ll write ya next week about the story for M 5th ward. And with the package I was wondering if you could send me the movie 17 miracles? If it`s possible, just make sure that I can change the language to Spanish :) And for ties, I like all ties and colors! I like paisleys, and argiles a lot. I have a bunch of striped ties, but I`ll love anything she wants to send. I just sent letters to you mom too to give to people. Let grandma know one is on her way.

Today was transfer meeting, and listening to all the elders that are going home made me think a lot about when I`ll be coming home. It`s only 12 months away. I`m not on the year countdown anymore! Months :) Time has flown by. I can`t believe it`s been a year.

I hope all is well with the fam! I miss and love you all.

Chao!

Elder Gardner

7-9-12

Hey fam!

I hope you got the pics I just sent... It is sooooo cold! I got a cold this week... boo! Humid winters are completely different then dry winters. It`s usually about 30 35 degrees, but with the humidity it feels like a winter in Vernal! Good thing I`m used to it. This week was about the same as last week. We are working hard, finding lots of people, and going strong with our same people. We found 8 new investigators this week so that was cool. I bought pizza saturday night to celebrate. I really miss the pizza from the U.S. It`s a lot better there... MMMM Pizza hutt. or even little ceasers!!!
My spanish has gotten better. I don`t mess up very much anymore :) That`s a big deal. And telling stories has always been so hard for me because you have to change the tense that you speak in so much, but I`m getting better at that too.
My mini comp goes home this next monday, so I`m getting a new comp this coming week. This will tell me if I am staying here in Glew until the end of August, or until the middle of October.
Today is independence day in Argentina, everything is closed, and we have a ward activity today, that will be fun. We also got a new ward mission leader. His name is Rodrigo and is 19 years old. He is prepping for his own mission, but can`t go for another year or two until he finishes school. But he`s awesome.
I`m glad you guys had fun with your school reunion! I hope that the Workman reunion goes well. Tell everyone HI! And that I love them.
I love the pics too, thanks!
I don`t have too much new news! Things are going well, and we`re working hard. I`m anxious to see who my new comp will be.
I hope all is well, and enjoy the pics!!!

Elder Gardner

Oh Mom, two things. Number one, if you haven`t already sent the package, send me some chocolate pwease. An investigator reallllly wants to try american chocolate. And number two, there is an Elder Ebert in my district who says his mom reads the missionary moms website too, and he wants you to say post something with his name on it so his mom will read it. lol. Say that Elder Gardner gives a shout out to the mom of Elder Ebert or something like that :) Thanks mom.

7-2-12

Hey yall!!

This last week was okay, not AMAZING like the week before, but we are doing great. And yes! I know Elder Dodge, he is in my district. He`s brand new from the MTC. Alfajores are super good. IDK if you can home make them... they are like candybar things you buy from the store. But they are super good, imma buy a box and bring them home for all of you to try.

No fleas here in Glew, so no worries about the flea collar :) Thanks though! Sounds like you have a summer and fall full of activities :) That`s good! I hope you all enjoy yourselves. 11 months! I`m just about to the hump. The 27 of july I hit a year, and the 28th is hump day, and the 29th is my 1-year-left mark. I return the 29 of july in 2013. Everyone says that the first 6 months fly by, the next 6 months are slower, and then don`t blink the last year because it goes by quicker than a dog can eat it`s vomit. Like my imagery there? :)

Amber told me that her grandparents got called to serve in the Buenos Aires temple and they start in october. That is awesome. I`m sure I`ll see them at one point or another. And thanks for the letter from the ward, I haven`t received it yet. I will prepare it and email it to you soon so you can get it to them ASAP.

That`s crazy about all the wild fires! I hope things cool down soon, and you get some rain. We are getting plenty of rain here! We are just always covered in mud :) And with the humidity it`s aweful. There`s always fog. And it`s still freezing :) We should be heading on the warmer direction soon, (I hope) But I don`t think it turns spring until sept or oct.

We got the news from the family we`re teaching, their marriage is for the 31 of aug, so there is a big possibility that I won`t be here... when I got transferred here prez told me I would be here until the 26 of august. What luck that I have right? If I end up training then I will stay another transfer, but if not then I`m out of here the 26th. If that happens, I`m going to ask prez if I can come back for their wedding lol.

Today for pday we are going to a members house and she`s going to teach me how to cook pasta flora, it`s my favorite dessert here. mmmm. It`s like pie kind of...

Well that`s about it! I love ya family, I`ve been thinking a lot about ya lately.

Chao!

Elder GArdner 

6-25-12

Hey family!

Things are going well. We are working hard, and are having a lot of good things happening. We taught a lot of lessons this last week, and took out four new baptismal dates with investigators; feels good. This family is amazing. Elder Reynolds and I found them about 3 months ago. It feels great to help people in the best way that I can, the gospel. They are preparing for the temple! We are on the edge waiting for the phone to ring for him to confirm their date.  The ward has jumped into action as well, it´s amazing. Everyone wants to be there to support them.

Did I tell you guys the news about the temple yet? Open houses are in August, the 4-25. And all the missionaries are doing the tours! Every day they are inviting 24 elders from each mission in buenos aires, so every three days 24 elders from our mission are going in to give the tours and we will all be rotated in to help. All the sister missionaries from all the missions combine the saturdays to do the tours. On the 9 of Sept a saturday, Pres Eyring, Elder Ballard, and Elder Christofferson are coming to do a special workshop with all the elders in the three buenos aires missions, and then from there we are all going to capital together to go to the cultural event for Pres Eyring. Awesome experience right? We are all super excited and can´t wait.

Tomorrow we have a supppppper important lesson with a great family. They have been investigators on and off for a long time, my old comp found them just before I got here.  So tomorrow we are reteaching the restoration, but we are going to speak clearly, and teach the apostasy well, and tell her frankly that no other church in the world has the authority, power, and permission of God. So yeah, we are preparing for that lesson tomorrow.

Well, that is this last week, and I´m doing well! I hope all is well over there. Let gma know how much I love her, and I hope all is well.

Chao!

Elder Gardner

6-18-12

First things first... HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!! I wish I could skype you guys today, but we`ll just have to wait until Christmas. I hope it all went well yesterday and you had a good day.

Well I had a big suprising change this last week, President called me early Thursday morning and I had to get emergency transferred back to my old area. It`s kind of a long story, but I`ll give you the important details. So my old comp in Glew was supposed to train new a new elder but since we didn`t receive any for a long time, he was with a mini missionary. A mini missionary is a young man or young woman from the same mission that when the mission lacks people, they volunteer to be a missionary for a couple weeks. They`re not set apart or anything, the just volunteer to be a missionary for like a transfer or so. So my old comp had a mini comp.  But because he was here with a mini missionary that doesn`t know the area, he had to move me back in until I can be with a real elder that can take over the area after I leave.

So I`m back in Glew. I`m happy to see old faces, and the work here is going well so that is really good. A family that I found actually is going to get married this july and I`ll be able to be here for that and for their baptism as well, so that is a miracle! I am a little bummed about leaving my old area and companion, but I`m here for the Lord and His work, not for the area I`m in nor the person I`m working with. I`m just happy the mini missionary, Elder Ortiz, is a hard worker, and we get along well.

So that`s the big news for the week! All the members are happy to see me, and I`m happy to see them too. And Glew is going strong with a lot of great investigators and plans, a lot of which I initiated when I was here last; so that`s fun. President told me I`ll be here for at least 10 weeks more, which is a long time in an area that I`ve already been here for 5 months, but that`s okay :) And it could be more time if I end up training or something. But we`ll see!

I`m glad you guys had a fun time camping. It sounds like a blast!!

I`m back on bikes again, but it`s freezing with it being winter and all, we might end up just walking lol. I can barely see with the cold winds and my eyes watering and stuff lol. But I`m used to the cold, and I have my nice hotfingers and coat.

Well fam I love ya! I`ll talk to ya next week.

Elder GArdner

6-11-12

Hey fam!

I`m feeling a whole lot better, and they were just fleas so no worries :) I found some in my bed! Woot! But I got it all taken care of. They might have excedrin, but who knows. I`ll just stick with the good ol`ibuprofen until I get home :) and no worries about the sweaters, it`s cold enough that I always have my big coat on so the sweaters don`t make too much of a difference; but they help. Let Marsha and Ron know that I`m thinking about them. I`m loving the winter food here, it`s a lot of stews and beans and stuff. Real good. The worth of the peso here has declined once again so all the prices are shooting up. When I got here it was 4 pesos to the dollar, and now it`s at 5+ so everyone here is complaining about that. But economy crashes happen here every 20 years or so, they just don`t learn. Everyone is begging me for american dollars because it`s the only secure way to keep the worth of your money here is store it in american dollars.

I cut my hair again today. I am getting used to it being short, and can`t go too long without cutting it. And yes, Elder Wheeler cut it.

Well we are struggling in our area finding people to teach, but we did receive 16 referals last week! So hopefully that will help. We are trying a new method to ask for references from members and it`s working. Right now I`m focusing on improving my method of tracting. I`m not terrible but I still get nervous clapping houses or stopping people on the streets. But that`s a huge part of missionary work so hopefully within the next year I can get a little better.

Teaching is coming easier as well. My new focus is not to ¨teach¨ but more of testify and tell them what I already know. The Spirit is stronger when you do that; instead of forcing information down their throat, you can just tell them simply and powerfully what you know and believe. A hard part for me is utilizing the scriptures to their potential. I`ve become very familiar with the scriptures, but it still just doesn`t cut it. Our one hour in the morning just isn`t enough to fully understand and remember everything well enough to apply to the people. But I`m trying! And that`s all the matters. It`s promised to missionaries that after we have received the word, the spirit will help us know when to apply it so that`s all I can do!

Well Family! I love you, I am in good hands, and doìng what I can. Thanks for your prayers and your love.

Elder Gardner

6-4-12

Hey padres,

Things are going well! I feel a ton better! I got a migrain saturday so that wasn`t fun... and I think I broke out in hives or something. Or they`re just fleas, I don`t really know. I showed them to a doctor and he wasn`t too worried so I`m not worried either :) But I feel fine, just itchy.

Yupp the baptism happenedon saturday, it went smoothly and great. They`re a great family. The grandma is almost all the way blind, so it`s hard to get them to church because they have to walk. So we either beg members to go pick them up, or the ask family members to walk them there. Butthey are awesome. The grandma got baptised several months ago, but we baptised one of the grandkids and we have a couple more to work with.

Salta is a mission here in Argentina, right now they are one of the best missions, number wise, in Argentina. We are receiving 14 new missionaries from the US tomorrow, so I don`t think pres is going to close any areas. I stayed in my area, and stayed with my comp. We`re both happy and going to work hard this transfer.

Tell Jake hi, and I hope he is doing all right! and Happy birthday.

The sisters sent me a funfetti cake in their package, and elder MArtindale baked it for me. It was sooooooooooo good. We downed that thing in like 10 seconds.

It is freezing cold today! WOOT! Lol. I like the cold. It`s cold... but I like it. I have my nice big coat and that`s enough. my legs are a lil chilly, but it`s cool.

Right now the work is kind of slow in our area, we don`t have like any progressing investigators, so that`s what we are focusing on is just finding people that are ready. It`s easy to find people, and most people will say okay if we want to return, but it`s just them progressing that is the problem. Them praying, reading, and coming tochurhc. But that`s why we`re here! To help people understand the need and the importance of progressing.

I ate peruvian food today. Arroz chaufa with salsa de ajì and waukakai. MMMMM. It`s basically fried rice with beef and chicken instead of ham, and with a reallllly yummy spicy sauce.

OH! I forgot to tell you last week! So every 25 of may Argentines eat locro... which is a giant soup with like whatever cooked inside. So I had my first locro... cooked with mundungo, and patitas. Which is cow stomach, and pigs feet. That was fun! I had no problems eating it. It was actually kinda tastey. It was just the texture that was weird. But I had noproblems eating it,unlike the cow tongue. But my eating habbits are totally different now... I just eat the food that is in front of me.

Well I just sent another email with photos, I hope you enjoy!

Love ya!

Elder Gardner

5-28-12

Hey Fam!

Today, I am sick again... I am just exhausted, and sore everywhere. Nothing to worry about, but I`m down in energy. I`ll get back up and going soon. We have asado (realllllly good meat) planned for us tonight, so I hope I feel well enough to eat it!!!

Thanks for the birthday wishes, I got the packages. All 4! From you two, the sisters, my friends, and aunt peggy. It was super nice and thoughtful, thanks!! Over all I got 4 new awesome ties. Ties are the best things ever, I didn`t think I`d ever say that! The jerky was real good, I`m eating a lot, and sharing a lot. Everyone isn interested in trying elk jerky. It did have some mold parts, but I just ripped them off.

This week was a slow week, We didn`t get to work too much because of so many meetings, and activities. They`re dividing our ward into two wards hopefully next month, so yesterday the area 70 came to meet the stake and see if we have enough priesthood to make a new ward. Listening to their spanish made me feel good about mine, but I can`t blame them being 60 plus years old and learning a new language. It was a reallllly amazing meeting, and a spiritual boost to hear from 3 apostles.

We decided to move our baptism to this coming saturday, but there shouldn`t be any problems there.

Transfers are on monday, I have no idea what`s going to happen. BUT I did hear that 14 missionaries from the U.S. recently received their visas and are headed to our mission this next week, so that should put us back to a normal amount of missionaries, so I don`t think that I`m leaving my area. I really like my area, I would love to stay. But missionary work is the same wherever you are, and I`m going to love the people I teach so it doesn`t really matter where I am. I just don`t like packing! I have to go buy either carts for my luggage or new luggage today... BOO! Because if I get transferred this transfer meeting, it will be a mess trying to get to the meeting with two broken suitcases. We`ll see how much new ones cost.

Well, I don`t have too much news this week, just that Elder Wheeler and I have a ton of awesome new plans for our area, and a strong desire to work hard so I hope we can get our area moving! Today we did a contact on our way to buy groceries, and we found a family of 10! They want us to pass by any day. The only question is if they`re married... lol. I sure hope so.

Well I love you guys! Thanks for everything, I`ll have a great week, and a great birthday. Thanks!

Chao

Elder GArdner

5-21-12

Hola fam!

Thanks for the photos!!! Best pics ever.

Shopping went well, I didn`t buy anything... lol. Just looking around. So for the Jordan Kenczka story, I went to the members house that I skyped at my first day in the area, and their daughter is serving a mission in mexico and she sent some pics. They were showing us the pics and in one of the pics she was sitting next to Jordan, he is her zone leader right now and gets to see her all the time. ç

Medium for the sweaters is perfect.

I`m happy you guys had such a great time with tiff and the kids. I`m a little jealous, but I think I`d rather be here doing what I`m doing :) I`m loving it. Honestly I can`t even explain how much I`m learning and growing. This past week I was already planning and thinking about a senior couple mission with my future wife. I can`t wait to serve another! You two need to get yours planned and hopping. I`ll help you learn spanish if you want!

I made a withdrawell today from the bank. it was 200 pesos so about 45 50? dollars. I`m already out of money for the month!! YIKES!!! but i`m good :) La Plata is a little bit more expensive.

Rotisserie chicken sounds supppppper good. But I`m eating rotisserie chicken with chimichurri :) MMMMM. You`ll love it dad.

We don`t talk to pres too much. We see him at least once a transfer so once every 6 weeks. And we write him a letter every week on pday and he responds sometimes. But other than that we don`t talk to him unless it`s an emergency. I live with the zone leaders, so we`re in constant contant, and my comp is the district leader. So I`m just surrounded by leaders! Hopefully I can learn something. ;)

This past week went well! We ate a TON of cake. Just about every other family we visit baked my comp a cake for his birthday last friday, and then we bought him two cakes as well. lol. I`m alllll caked out. We had two baptisms planned for this coming saturday, but one of them didn`t come to church... one did! So we should go through with that one on saturday, but the other one for a different week once she comes to church. We`re working hard and trying to find more people.

I got a cold this last week, but it`s already almost gone. I think it`s just the weather freaking out. One day it`s freezing, the next it`s spring weather, then the nights are freezing, and then it`s warm. It just can`t make up it`s mind. It`s worse than Utah.

Transfers are coming up in two weeks. I have no idea what`s going to happen with all the changes going on. I could be sent somewhere else if they shut down our area. But who knows! I don`t want to go, I`m loving my area. But I`ll go where he wants me to go!

Church was awesome yesterday. All of Argentina is freaking out with the temple opening in August. We have already started doing plans for the cultural event for the prophet and stuff it`s exciting. I hope that we can participate with the open house or somethign.

Well things are going great! I`m happy, and working hard with my comp. I should get my packages on thursday, but we`ll see. I`ll let you know.

Chaocita

Elder Gardner

5-14-12

Hey fam!

It was soooo great to see you guys. I miss you all a ton. I`m super happy, and the language is a lot better. Not really improved a ton, but I feel comfortable with it :) I feel like it`s getting better, so I`m very content with that. I`m super tired too! I could definitely go for sleeping in a day. But maybe in a year and 2 months.

The kids were super cute. Gracy talking up a storm! Bailey was tired. But I don`t blame her. Ryder is a crack up. I can`t wait to see him. Not having heat isn`t too bad yet... I say that in the fall weather so we`ll see. I do use my sweaters. Almost every day! I wouldn`t mind more, but I`m making due with what I have so no worries. I know it`s expensive to send packages and stuff. Something else that I would love to have would be those tiny post it sticky notes that are transparent little tab ones, so I can put them in my scripture. I want quite a bit if it`s possible, maybe liek 2 or 3 packages. Just whenever you get another package ready, no rush. I have hi-lighters in pink, green, blue, and yellow thanks to moxy :) so it`d be nice to have them match the high lighters, so I can color code that`s what I want to do.

My comp is awesome. I really like him a lot. He`s a great missionary, and works hard. He`s a great teacher too, so I am learning a lot. Plus it really does help to speak spanish all the time. I actually like it because I want to get better. I don`t want to get back and not be able to speak well.

I hope grandma and grandpa were happy, They looked tired. please let them know how much I love them and appreciate all they do for me.

Well not too much has happened since yesterday. lol. We did some shopping with elder martindale today and got some ideas for stuff to get for you guys.

I love you guys! thanks for everything. I`m really greatful I can be here serving right now, it`s been such a blessing, and it`s changed my life.

chao chao

Elder Gardner

5-7-12

Hey fam!

How ya`ll doin? I`m doing super well. I had some more subway for lunch, and we had an uno (the cards) battle with the other elders and sisters, it was so much fun. FYI Amber, Ali, and Casey, I have taught half of the elders in our mission Ultimate Uno. Yeah, we all love it.

I will send Peg a letter when I get the package, we won`t get packages for a while. They might be at the mission home, but I won`t get them for a week or two at least. No worries about the entertainment center.

Sounds like a lot is happening in Vernal in the baby business.

A lot of the members here are Peruanos from Peru, and so I`ve been eating a ton of food from Peru. Mmmmm. Spicy. Argentina has no idea what spicy is, they think that the pepper we put on food is spicy. But the Bolivians, and Peruanos know how to make things spicy.

This week was a pretty good week. It was a little rough for me, but I`m headed in the right direction :) I got discouraged a couple times, so thanks for the Hinckley quote. But I`ve learned that attitude is soooooo important. Attitude really makes all the difference. If things don`t happen how I want, I can`t get upset or worry about it. It`s best just to move forward with faith, and a positive attitude.

We took out three baptismal fechas with a family of 3 this week. Woot! For the 26 of mayo. I hope everything works out. It was really cool. On Thursday, we taught an 8 yr old boy with his grandma who is a recent convert. We taught him, and he agreed to be baptized. The next day, we went to invite him to church, and his mom came out to talk to us. And we talked to her very frankly and invited her to be baptized as well the same day as her son, and she accepted as well! THEN, the Sunday after, the 8 yr old came, the mother couldn`t because she has bad health, but his sister came. We talked to her after church and she really liked it, so we invited her to get baptized with the rest of her family, and she accepted. Woot! lol. That part of the week was really cool.