Cultural differences

September 30, 2013

Dearest Family and Friends,

Wow. What a week.  We were so busy.... teaching! :) We have several progressing investigators and FOUR investigators and several less actives came to church!  Miracle.  It was really funny though.  Sister Nuttall and I felt like we were "running around with our heads chopped off" trying to get everyone to their individual classes.

Susana is now on date to be baptized on November 23, and we committed her to come to church every week before then.  We have learned that you also have to teach a 10 year old a little differently than the others, namely lots of object lessons.  One day, we had planned to teach her, but she wasn't home.  Cheyenne, a 16-year-old girl who lives with them, answered the door.  She said we could come in anyway and wait.  Sister Nuttall and I looked at each other and without talking we knew we needed to teach her.  So after chatting casually, she started asking lots of questions.  We were able to teach her about the Savior and the atonement.  She loved it and was so excited to learn more.  We asked her to pray at the end and when she did (though she was nervous) she said, "Thank you for sending the sisters, I have such an exciting feeling and I'm ready to learn more and read the Book of Mormon."  Whoa!.  The next time we met with her we were able to talk about the Plan of Salvation and she was just so wide eyed the whole time, like she had never thought about life after death before.  She is such a sweet girl, but she's been doing drugs, drinking, etc. her whole life.  It's sad, but the atonement of Jesus Christ can help anyone, no matter who they are.

We have a new investigator named Collin.  He works for one of the ward missionaries and has gone to church before and loved it!  He has a very sweet spirit, but dropped out of school in 7th grade to hitchhike and travel with the carnival.  So reading the Book of Mormon is very difficult.  We teach him again tomorrow!

Delfino Sanchez is a wonderful man and the Lord has prepared him to hear his message.  His native language is Spanish, but he also speaks: Italian, French, English, German, and Portuguese.  He used to work for the Mexican Government as a translator.  He is so willing to learn and he always says "Teach me!"  Well, when we asked him to come to church, he said in his broken English that he'd have to buy a new suit because he wanted to look nice the first time he goes to church.  When he came to church he really loved it and felt the Spirit.  I love teaching him!  

The Lord blessed us so much this week.  I've learned that the key to getting the members excited about missionary work is inviting them to participate in the lessons.  Each fast Sunday, a member of the ward gets up and says how much they enjoy teaching with us because the Spirit is so strong.  Now ward members come up to us and ask if they can come with us!  It's been amazing.  

I got a request for some cultural differences between this area of Canada and the USA.  There really aren't that many, to be honest.  Sometimes I forget I'm in a foreign country!  But maybe because I'm just used to it... (1) Canadian flag; (2) we take our shoes off before we go into anyone's house (best idea ever!); (3) the money is COLORFUL, no pennies, loonies/toonies (1 and 2 dollars are coins); (4) everything is written in French and English; (5) everyone here is from different countries all around the world; (6) "EH?" is a real thing... I catch myself doing it all the time...; (7) different words: took=hat, washroom= bathroom, chesterfield=couch, they pronounce words differently: pasta, bag, Mazda, etc.; (8) THE WEATHER; and (9) Chinook winds. 

I pray for all of you.  Please continue praying for me! 

-Sister Gardner