HOLA

This week was pretty good.  We did the stand tuesday and wednesday and that was fun.  We didnt find anyone to teach and the hermanas (aka las hobbits)  broke the stand thursday so there is no more stand in the zone of Illapel. 

    

Wednesday for lunch I ate some really funky looking sea creatures.  It was pretty good.  We also eat spaghetti almost everday here.  Spaghetti and bread.  Thursday we found a new investigator named Nicolas.  He is living with the daughter of one of the members here and she is starting to become active again.  THey just had a baby girl and he just quit smoking and theyre are going to get married (hopefully) pretty soon.  Friday we had intercambios and I was with Elder Duran.  I ran into some guy from Arkansas here which was pretty random and cool.  We spoke english together. good times.

     

Saturday we walked a lot and sunday too.   Yesterday some lady told me that I was going to die of cáncer and that I needed to go buy a hat.  I said no. 

    

Sunday in the third hour there was a meeting about better retención because out of the last 33 baptisms in the rama only about 7 are attending church.  Milena and Jaime both atended yesterday which is good.  This week we have interviews thursday and intercambios with the zone leaders tomorrow. 

  

I already puked because of the whole Jeremy and Janette thing.  You guys have to make a cardboard cut of me.make sure its lifesize. All 6'3 of me. 

   

I love you guys and Im miss you guys.  I hope you guys have a great week.  I need to go eat a completo Im very stressed. 

   

I know that the church is true and that the prophet is called of God.  Love you

Elder Gardner

Here is a picture of my zone

HOLA

The computer just deleted everything so now I have to rewrite my entire letter again. 

   

This week was good.  We've had to do the stand...the dreaded stand.  ITs a mormon.org stand that we put up in the city center an we try to talk to people but only the people that are begging for money and that are drunk or on drugs want to talk to us but its pretty funny sometimes.  Lets just say there are some very strange people here.  WE have to do the stand everyday 10-12 in the morning and then from 4-6.

     

Wednesday was the zone conference in Illapel.  It was pretty awesome and I finally got my music.  Dad will be happy to know that I listen to rick wakemen everyday now.  One thing we can do is set up a dropbox account (idk how) and you can pass me more music and more stuff through that)  but thanks I love the music Its diabolical.

     

Nothing too exciting happened this week.  We had intercambios Friday I was with Elder Duran and Friday we had an activity in the church were we watched a video and then taught everyone how to play heads up 7 up.

    

Elder Duran got sick yesterday and I had to give him a piggyback ride for about a km back to his pension cause he didn't have the energy to walk. 

    

Its awesome that Nate Rogers and Camron came back.  I remember going to Nate Rogers farewell.  And its even more awesome that Michael is leaving on a misión soon. 

    

I'm trying to work on my patience and I'm about to slap my companion upside the head.  Hes super lazy and is always complaining.  I have to threaten him to get up on time and he has yet to get up on time.  My last companion, Elder Recinos was lazy and disobedient too and I'm getting pretty fed up with having to do everything and carry the team on my back (literally sometimes) .  I'm going to ask permisión to slap him upside the head from President.  20 bucks says he gives me permisión.

   

Other tan that I'm doing good and I'm happy.  I've been searching my family tree and ever since then I've been finding references to my ancestors in the Liahona.  The other day I found a Liahona with the story of Margaret McNeil and Henry Ballard.  Also some stuff by Melvin J Ballard.  Pretty awesome.

   

We have interviews in the pension the 29th so I'm going to have to clean the pension today but good thing I have music!!!! woohoo

Thanks for everything I love you guys and I hope you guys have a good week.  I know the church is true and I also invite you guys to do the same lectura}a of the book of mormon that were doing. You can find it on the misión blog.  Mi tema libre is characteristics of the prophets and leaders in the book of mormon. 

 

I love you guys

Chao Chao

(the computer isn't being very nice so ill send pictures next week)

Elder Gardner

I NEED TO COME UP WITH BETTER SUBJECTS FOR MY EMAILS

Hola hola

This week was good.  Tuesday we did service for the familia Tapia and we made a cement floor.  Im like Bob the Builder over here in Chile I can make anything now Chilean style (which means it doesnt have to look good at all it just has to kind of work). WE also had a really good lesson with this slightly senile 83 year old woman named Teresa....shes crazy. 

Wednesday we walked a lot... like a lot.  No one was home so we walked all day outside from 2:30 to 9:30 and contacted a bunch of people but no one was home everyone was partying at the beach.

   

Thursday night we had a lesson with la familia caceres cornejo.  We watched Gracias a El and talked to them about attending church more and then we had once(which is what they call there little dinner thing they have here.)  I have herbal tea a lot. They love that stuff here.  

    

Friday we had an activity in the church.  About 7 people came but it was fun and we played games after having a spiritual message.  And we stopped by a inactive member named David that day.  Its been about 6 weeks since I lost saw him and we knocked on the door and he answers with a falcon blindfolded standing on his wrist and he says "My wife and kids are out of town this week so I started training this falcon. "   It was a little strange but it was really awesome.  Hes training it to go hunting with him  and hes going to cook us some rabbit next time we visit him.  

  

Saturday we stopped by this guy named German and he was kind of drunk and he made us sing to him.  The only song we both knew was called to serve in English so we sang that and he tried to sing along...he was drunk.

    

Yesterday church was really awesome.  Probably the best sacrament meeting I've had so far in Chile.

  

Every member and person we visit gives us soda to drink because they pretty much only drink that and since we arent allowed to drink coke or Pepsi its usually Fanta.  I drink about a liter of Fanta every day and im getting sick of it.  

   

I havent recieved the package yet but we have a conference in Illapel tomorrow and im hoping ill get it in.  Ive also noticed that I am starting to think in spanish now.  PRetty crazy

   

This week was good and flew by and I need to start writing down what happened and bringing it to the internet cafe cause it hard to remember everything.

  

I love you guys and I hope you have a good week.  I know that this is the Lords work.

Chao chao

love

Elder Gardner

HOLA HOLA

hello my friends

This week went well.  I got a new companion but Im still in Los Vilos.  My companion is Elder Ramirez and hes from Peru and hes super short, so its really funny when were walking in the Street.  On Wednesday I was with Elder Santillan and the other Elder Gardner during cambios.  It was fun being with my twin all day and it confused people that there were 2 Elder Gardners. 

   

For new years eve we ate dinner at Diego Cordovas house (our Ward misión leader) and then I had intercambios saturday with Elder Call.  Its his last Exchange of the misión and hes companions with Elder Duran now.  It was really fun.  Hes really good at doing a Gollum impression. 

   

Notr much exciting happened this week.  Its really hard to find people to teach because everyone is at the beach all day long.  Weve done a lopt service for a less active member named Dany.  He served a misión 12 years ago and hes really funny. 

   

The hardest part of the misión is getting people to go to church.  Chiuleans are very lazy and we havent had a investigator come to church for weeks.  WEve been trying really hard with Jimena but she alsways has to work but if she goes to church this week and next she can get baptized the 18th. 

    

Im doing good and Im healthy.  MY companion doesnt know much english.  HEs been out here for 9 months now, but he loves to say, "I like to dance" and "oh crap"  because those are the only things he knows how to say.  Its fun having a latin companion because you learn spanish a lot faster.

   

I love you guys and miss you guys and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

que les vaya muy bien!!

Chao Chao

Elder Gardner