Dashing Like a Diseased Goose

Family and Friends! It is a great day to be a missionary!

Ha ha well, honest this week has flown by! Just dashed across the sky like a very old, and very diseased goose. I kid. But the days here are long. We don't really Netflix binge watch here, if anything, its a Mormon message marathon!!! Wahoo:) I miss you guys, my mountains, and refrigerated milk.

The park, as per usual, came as a welcomed and well anticipated change. My park companion (we receive new ones every week) was Elder Crout from Sandy UT. Don't let that fool you though. I was surprised as anyone to hear that he had only been converted for a year before coming here on a mission. His faith, and trust in the Lord literally astounded me. Although he didn't say much, he did manage to lift my spirits many a time during our 2 hours of brutal tracking. See the people here either really would like to converse with you, and will listen to message then say no, or they will not want to make eye contact with you, and are angry, angry people:))) Can't blame them. Honestly, if I were in their shoes I would do the same. The best part of the whole park came when, after numerous failures, Elder Crout suggested that we say a prayer. I really admire his courage, and clear dependence on the Lord. I was thankful for the prayer; it allowed me to calm down, and remember who truly was in charge. We prayed that we'd find someone who would listen. Now, renewed with energy and courage, we set out to find the one. It didn't just happen, we continued to receive failures, but in the end, some had the patience to listen. I wasn't perfect, he didn't believe in God, and refused to pray... But he DID listen. and this was an answer to our prayer. I was so thankful, we had the chance to plant that seed.

On Tuesday we said goodbye to our wonderful Portuguese district, and hello (well tried to say hello) to a district of Russians. I was so excited to see a fellow Lindon, UT member, and Jr High friend Ben Rickers arrive. I was a great surprise and almost felt like a gift from home. He will be here 9 long weeks before blessing the people of Ukraine. In addition to the new Russians our district received two sisters ( sister Baise, and Sister Peterson from California) transferred here from Provo. With their soccer ability, and patience with our opening hymns they were welcomed right in.

Today could have possibly been the most exciting of the week, not because it was just P-Day, but our train we needed to catch was shut down, because of a suicide that took place on the tracks. We were kind of stranded, and needed to somehow get all the missionaries on a bus. Whats more after the bus was full, guess who still was left? Yes me and my District. We waited in the 104 degree weather for another dear sweet bus. It was an exciting taste of the field. A time where whenever you go somewhere, you don't look like a hundred wanna be business men.

We visited the house where the author of Don Quixote lived. Very, very cool town with some amazing architecture. Its so strange, all the buildings will look so old from the outside, but you will go to enter and the entire place has been gutted out for a modern and classy McDonalds.

Every day here we play some hardcore street soccer in this place called the pit, it's covered with graffiti , and makes for good times. We don't have much time to play, but by the time we're done we're exhausted. It is a miracle if it drops below 100 degrees here. Its so, so dry.

Well, I have some invitations for all of you. I want you to read the Book of Mormon. Read it front to back with a doubt or question that has been eating at you. Get a cheap paper back one, and just annotate the guacamole out of that book. Anytime there is a scripture relating to your question, highlight it and pray about it. When you're done, write a paragraph summarizing your thoughts regarding it, and call it good. I can promise you if you bring every question you have like that to the Lord, He will bless you and bless your testimony. I love you. Stay strong. Keep working.

I love this picture of Christ. It makes me think of the Father I want to become. There's an amazing video that the church put out called the Piano's Purpose. That song in there is the closest thing we've had to an album release. It's kinda strange to put it in this context, but if you feel lost or forgotten know that there is no place ever. That the Savior and His infinite atonement cannot reach. THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE. I love you all!

Love Elder Gardner

https://youtu.be/7PoGNaV2s0k