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