Coldest December Ever

Dearest family, 

Reading Shelby Dana's last email home to her family made me laugh.  She said it was the "hottest December of my life."  Well family, this is the COLDEST December of my life.  We went to totally different climates!  On Wednesday apparently Alberta was the coldest place on the entire PLANET.  Or so that's the rumor.

Yesterday Sister Martin and I spoke it church on . . . you guessed it . . . missionary work!  I think we both did a fine job, especially with the limited time for preparation.   I really enjoyed speaking to the ward.  After I gave my talk someone came up to me and said it was amazing how much I've grown spiritually in 5 months and another person said that I did a masterful job and that it was the kind of talk that all missionaries hope to give.  I can't believe I won't be serving in this ward forever.  I've really grown to love all the members!  

On Wednesday we were in charge of representing the Church at the Crossfield Carol festival, by awarding a prize for the best gingerbread house.  It was a lot of fun and we got to meet a lot of people, including the minister of the Baptist church.  

This week we needed to find some new investigators because our teaching pool has slowly become smaller and smaller.  Many people like to say, "Catch me after Christmas!"  or "Come back when it's warmer!"  Do they mean July?  On Friday morning I had the feeling that we needed to role play lesson one for a particular potential investigator that we've been trying for 4 weeks to teach and had no success.  Later in the day we knocked on her door and she was excited to see us.  We were able to teach her the lesson that we had role played and we are meeting with her again tomorrow.  It's amazing how the Lord knows his children.  He knows what preparation we need to be ready to teach them.  Her name is Rona.  She is from the Philippines and very Catholic.  She recognizes God in her life.  I can't wait to teach her again!  In addition, this week we have lessons planned with 4 other people that could become investigators.  The Lord is blessing us.

Elder Bednar is coming to speak to us on Saturday!  I can't wait! 

Yesterday the Lows made us dinner.  In my talk I mentioned Samuel’s being a missionary in Denmark, so Sister Low (who is Danish) surprised us with . . . see the  picture, below!  It made me feel like I was with my family on New Year's Day! :)   

Merry Christmas, family!  I can't wait to talk to you (face to face) soon. :) 

Love, Sister Crystal Gardner

                                                                  Aebelskivers

Freezing Our Faces

December 4, 2013

Dearest Family, 

We had the most brutal storm yet (and secretly I hope ever) on Sunday and Monday.  We weren't allowed to drive. Later in the afternoon they told us we weren't even allowed to walk because our skin would freeze off of our faces.  Doesn't that sound like fun?  We were stranded inside all P-day. . . .  We watched several church movies.  It was weird.  After ALWAYS having something to do, someplace to be, I went a little insane not having anything to do!  

Then yesterday we had to go to a zone conference in Calgary.  When we went outside our car was in the middle of a snow drift- about 5 feet high.  But after a while we got out and were able to enjoy zone conference!  It was amazing.  You start feeling confident in your teaching and abilities and then you role play with the leaders of the mission and you feel very small again!  It was a great learning experience!  

On Sunday Delfino received the priesthood!  On Saturday we gave him the gospel principles book for Sunday School and then yesterday he texted us and said he read the entire book.  He loves all that he is learning!   

Lorena did baptisms for the dead on Saturday and loved it.  She bore her testimony in church and it was very sweet and special!  

Sorry, it's so short today.  We have a lesson soon so we're not taking our full time to email.

I hope all of you have the Christmas Spirit!  It's the most wonderful time of the year!  Send me pictures of the Christmas tree adventure.  It sounds like everyone had fun!

Love, Sister Gardner    

Another Wonderful Baptism

November 25, 2013

Hello, my family and friends

It's American Thanksgiving on Thursday!  I hear Benji is going to make a nice feast of a turkey.  What else is on the menu?  I certainly hope mashed potatoes, spaghetti squash, Dad's Dutch oven pies, and rolls.  Then I assume on Friday the family will be going to chop down the ole Christmas tree and watch Home Alone.  It's weird to think that this is my 2nd Thanksgiving without doing those things!  For Thanksgiving Sister Martin and I will be eating some authentic food from Peru at a Peruvian family's house!  

A couple of weeks ago Sister Martin and I decided to start a new approach to have members jump into missionary work.  Whenever we meet with them we give them a little paper that has 2 of our investigators that we would ask them to pray for and in return we pray for someone that they are working with or someone they know that need a little boost.  It's a non-threatening way to help the members get excited about missionary work and have the courage to act when the opportunities come.  They know we are praying for them and we've seen some amazing results!  Yesterday a member brought her friend to church and she stayed for all 3 hours and came to our "gospel essentials" class.  We hope to meet with her this week!  Another member has invited us to come for dinner this week.  They invited a non-member friend.  We've doubled our referrals!  

This week was Susana's baptism and confirmation.  It was a very nice experience and we made sure the whole family was involved.  Her sisters even sang "I Love to See the Temple."  The spirit was very strong.  They had several nonmembers at the baptism and confirmation.  They're not interested yet, but a seed was planted!  

Ken O'Donnahue came to church!  It was a miracle.  He's a less active, recent convert (of about 3 years).  We've been working with him since the first week I got here and it didn't seem to be going anywhere.  But he finally came.  He received such a warm welcome from the ward that I'm sure he will be back.  Gordon Miller taught the lesson in high priests and everyone came up to me and said that I taught him well because the lesson was amazing. (I only started teaching him after his baptism.  I'm sure I didn't have much to do with it.  He was a minister for 35 years.)  He also got his temple recommend and Delfino should be getting the priesthood on Sunday.  So hopefully Sister Martin and I will be able to go with them to the temple to do baptisms!

We met a super friendly Christian lady that was from Australia.  She gave me her card and said next time I'm in Australia I can stay at her house!  :)  Man, I feel so loved!

Well family, it's been an amazing week.  It's incredible to see this ward grow and progress and their desire to share increase!  How did I get so lucky?  

I love being a missionary.

Love, Sister Crystal Gardner

Snow and Ice in November

November 19, 2013

Dearest Family and friends, 

This week we had a special mission conference by Elder Schwitzer of the Quorum of the Seventy!  It was a nice experience shaking his hand and learning from someone that is so filled with the Spirit.  On Sunday he came to my ward because he and his wife are the stake president's wife's sister and brother-in-law.  So we got even more insight.  One thing that he mentioned was that the pictures we have in our homes have a great effect on how we think and whom we become.  As I was thinking about it I thought about our basement.  It has 6 pictures of my brothers in their Eagle Scout uniform and right above are 5 missionary plaques.  I'm so happy to have such a wonderful family and great examples.  I really think that is one of the reasons I grew up wanting to go on a mission.  Every day I think about how I want to be the kind of missionaries that my 5 brothers (and Mom and Dad of course) were.  I sure love my family!

Christmastime is in full swing here in Canada!  We sang Christmas songs in church and I'm humming them (Christmas HYMNS of course... ;)) constantly in my head.  It continues to snow... (and will be -30 tomorrow), and we helped the Lows decorate a Christmas tree in their home.  They are having Christmas in Utah, but they still wanted to decorate the house for us!  It was fun to put the ornaments on the tree, but it didn't feel the same.  Dad's homemade ornaments are much nicer and I wasn't with my family!  

Susana is getting baptized on Saturday!  Last Sunday Tony (totally inactive dad) called us and asked us if we could bring someone to give his wife (Claudia) a blessing.  Something big is happening to this family.  It's very, very sad. Tony was so thoughtful to ask us and surprise Claudia.  The blessing was exactly what she needed to hear.  One of Claudia's friends that is a member was there and she thanked us.  She said that there has been such a change happening in their family.  Later Claudia's mom came up to us and said that their faith is starting to grow.  The Wingrove family has been taking small but important steps.  I love them.     

The people that we are regularly working with are growing stronger.  But we desperately need to find some new people!  So that is our focus this week – find new investigators. 

Delfino is doing great and is actively sharing the gospel with his family.  His 3 kids are asking him questions and he refers them to us.  We really hope to start teaching his seventeen year old son Christopher soon.

To answer some questions I've received:  No, we are not on Facebook or any social media sites yet.  However Elder Schwitzer told us that we will be getting iPad's in April.  Every missionary will pay $100 for their own personal iPad that they get to take home with them at the end of their mission!  He told us about all of the new apps and it sounds really effective.  In fact, we will have our area book, personal planners, etc. in the iPad.  They will even have exercise videos . . . probably with Mormon Tabernacle Choir background music.  :)  Can't wait!  Also, we do tract.  We have a car, but when we are in Airdrie we pretty much always walk and tract on our way to appointments to save our kilometers for when we go to Crossfield. 

I sure love my family.  Pray for missionary opportunities and then have the courage to act on them!  The Lord has prepared his children.  

Love, Sister Gardner

Delfino gets Baptized!

November 12, 2013

Familia! y Amigos!

Yesterday was Remembrance Day here in Canada so we had to wait to email until today.  In Canada, during the weeks leading up to Remembrance Day, everyone wears red flowers (poppies) to show respect.  Bro. Horton gave Sister Martin and me each a flower so we fit in with all the Canadians.  It was nice to wear it right next to my name tag!  I hope you all had a nice Veterans Day.

This week has been such a blessing.  Delfino Sanchez Arellano was baptized on Saturday and confirmed on Sunday!  On Friday, Delfino, the Sheppards, and the two of us made an amazing authentic Mexican meal!  Delfino taught me all kinds of tricks for cutting and cooking.  I love learning new skills!  After dinner, the District Leader and his companion came and interviewed Delfino.  No worries: he "passed" and apparently when he bore his testimony to the Elder, the Elder almost cried because the Spirit was so strong.  Delfino also told him that he wanted to give 10% for tithing and 90% to the missionary fund! When the big day came, Sister Martin and I were in charge of filling up the font.  At 4:30 (15 minutes before they told us to) we started.  But, just like every missionary's nightmare, the font was only half full as the baptism was about to start.  So Sister Martin and I went into the janitor's closet and got buckets and (clean) trash cans and frantically started filling up the font.  It all worked out and ended up being a big laugh later.  (See the pictures included).  The actual baptism was one of the sweetest, most spiritual experiences of my life.  It felt so good to see someone that I love and care about make such a wonderful step in his life.  Sister Martin and I sang a duet and many people were crying as Delfino bore his sweet and simple testimony.  As we talked to him privately he kept saying over and over, "I'm so happy. I feel so different. I feel the Spirit."  It's amazing looking back and seeing how the Lord put Delfino in our path.  Sister Nuttall and I kept getting promptings to walk by Delfino's house because he lived next to a "potential investigator" that was never home and in the end didn't want anything to do with us.  Until one day, Delfino stopped us and asked who we were.  Throughout his life he experienced things that made him hate drinking and hate drugs.  He had friends that invited him to church as a youth and even had a Book of Mormon given to him.  The missionaries didn't have to do much but just help and encourage him.  The Lord has been preparing him for a long, long time.  When I asked him to get baptized on November 9th, he said that he couldn't because he had work and his boss never let him have Saturdays off even if he asks.  I took a giant leap of faith and read to him 1 Nephi 3:7 and promised him that the Lord would give him Saturday AND Sunday off so that he could get baptized and confirmed if he prepared himself for that day.  Well the Lord provided a way and he didn't have to work either day.  The Lord takes care of his children.  The confirmation was exactly what Delfino needed to hear.  He has some concerns with his past and family and they addressed them perfectly and the man that confirmed him had no idea.  I love the priesthood.

Well, we have a lot of work to do now that Delfino is baptized and we have a few beginning stage investigators that we are excited to start working with.  

The missionary fireside of Saturday was really nice.  We had the French couple (Dillworths) come and they really enjoyed it! And we got a couple of referrals as well.  When I sang I felt the Spirit, and I knew that others felt the Spirit as well.  The Lord takes our few fishes or our little, tiny ability and turns them into enough to feed hundreds.  

Transfers are on the 20th and I'm happy to say that I'm going to be staying in Airdrie to finish training Sister Martin.  So I'll be with my ward family for both Christmas and New Years.  Honestly, I'm fine just staying in Airdrie for the rest of my mission.

Thanks for the love, prayers, and support.  

Con Amor,

Hermana Gardner

Waiting for -30

November 4, 2013

Dearest Family and Friends, 

Happy Halloween, family!  And happy birthday to Kristen Spencer, Holly, and Olivia!  I hope you all had a nice and spooky week.  We sure had a good one!

Last fast Sunday we fasted that we would be able to get in with more less-actives and this month we doubled our less-active lessons.  We have gotten in with less-actives that we tried to visit during my first 3 months and weren't able to!  It's been really neat.  

Oh, the snow.  I'm running around freezing and everyone laughs at me and says, "You haven't seen anything yet.  Just wait for -30!"  Yesterday we weren't allowed to drive because of bad road conditions and a blizzard.  So the members that we live with gave us a ride to church and we just walked to our lessons.  Oh, the adventures of a mission :)  It's absolutely gorgeous though!  I think that as you are all enjoying your perfect weather you should watch "Cool Runnings" and think of me when the Jamaicans get to Calgary and walk outside and then run inside to put on all the clothing they own and then their bags. . . .  No worries, I'll get used to it!

Elsie is now a "former investigator."  She got talking to her preacher and other members of her church and she threw away the Book of Mormon and said to us, "No offense, but Mormons just have an evil spirit about them."  . . .  BUT we are still going to invite her to a fireside on Sunday that's on the Savior.  

We have a new investigator, who is from France!  His name is Roger Dillworth.  He moved from France to Quebec and from Quebec to Airdrie because religious freedom is dying in those places.  He told us lots of stories and if it's true, it's very sad.  He was a referral from the VanTonder family who all speak French, Spanish, English, and a little German.  He says he's not interested in converting because he is strong in his faith.  He won't read the Book of Mormon.  But he wants us to come back on Saturday to teach him again.  Interesting. . . .  I hope it goes well!

This week, we finished teaching Delfino the commandments.  He certainly has been prepared to accept the gospel.  He has visited the temple (in Arizona!), he was invited to church, he has a family history with drugs so he hates them more than anything, he hates coffee and tea, he is generous, he used to drink wine once in a while but prefers water at work parties, etc.  He has lost a lot of his friends, but doesn't care.  He is such an example to me.  He is getting baptized on Saturday at 7:00.  He asked Brother Horton to baptize him!  

I love being a missionary! Thanks for the prayers and support.  I'm praying for you.        

Sister Crystal Gardner

Winter Wonderland

October 28, 2013

Dearest Family and Friends

This week we had the most gorgeous weather- around 17 degrees the whole week... but then yesterday we got quite the surprise.

Delfino is getting baptized next Saturday!  We taught him twice and he is so ready and excited to be baptized.  He did have concerns but after a very thorough lesson on repentance and a priesthood blessing given by Bro. Horton, he's ready.  I am so excited, but it's weird.  I feel like the two missionaries in The Best Two Years when the man says he wants to be baptized.  We jump up and down and then realize: "Now what do we do? We've never gotten this far before!"  Thankfully, Bro. Horton is taking care of most parts of the baptism- we just have to finish teaching everything before his baptism.  Pray for him, please.  His boss said that he probably can't have Saturday and Sunday off (for the baptism and confirmation) but I told him 1 Nephi 3:7 and that if the Lord commands him to be baptized, he will provide a way.  

Lorena has enjoyed seminary every day this week and she is hanging out with the other young women at other places besides church.  It's great that she has made good friends!  She enjoys our lessons and always has lots of questions!  We are making a goal with her to be ready to do baptisms for the dead by the end of November (the next youth temple trip).  Susanna's baptism is approaching so we taught her the Word of Wisdom.  She's 10 years old but LOVES tea.  So we had to put all the tea on the top shelf where she can't reach it.  Lorena has been helping her resist, but she goes on and on about how difficult it is for her.  She's doing great!

We haven't been able to meet with Rob, but we have a lesson scheduled for next week.  He has been reading and he says he has a lot of questions.  Bro. Horton says he want to come with us. We were able to meet with Elsie.  She is a new investigator.  She loves the Bible and says "God's words have ceased."  But she agreed to read the Book of Mormon and we will go back on Tuesday!  

Our ward is so amazing.  Everyone comes and offers to go to lessons with us!  They all want to help out and are asking whom they can pray for.  I love the support.

Guess what?  We won the "cleaning inspection" award for our apartment! 

The Lord works in mysterious ways.  This week I had quite the cold, probably because of the changing weather.  I lost most of my voice, but it was such a blessing because it forced Sister Martin to open up and teach :) It was great!  She definitely gained some confidence this week.  No worries, Bro. Sheppard made me some miracle cure out of Cajun peppers, honey, garlic, etc. and my throat feels much better! 

Thanks for the prayers.  I can feel them!  

I love you all so much! 

Sister Crystal Gardner