Thanks for the Birthday Wishes

Thank you everyone for the wonderful Birthday wishes! Oh my goodness, I am so so blessed to have such a supportive group of friends and family. Truly truly blessed. It's unfortunate that my age will forever be an incorrect indicator of the amount a maturity. I am thankful to have survived another year nevertheless.

Ha,ha this last week has been COLD! Oh my goodness, the temperature dropped, and the snow has began. Just in time for our heater to break down. Ha,ha yes, cold cold showers, and cold cold studies. Ha,ha its fairly pathetic to be rushing home to escape the cold and open the door to a skate rink. Ha,ha but as Elder Bown says: "I'm sure the pioneers would have loved cold showers." So I'm not complaining. I am also aware of thousands of missionaries on the southern part of the promised land, that are just scoffing. Ha,ha just not the kind of weather I thought when I opened my calling to Barcelona Spain.

Today was spent taking care of the heater that needed to be replaced, apparently the last one had been leaking toxic fumes this whole time. Wow... so I'm really lucky to have survived another year. But fun little miracle with this whole heater shenanigans: the technician that came over to do the Natural Gas testing out of the blue said his brother and father are members in Venezuela, and they, because we talked, are now going to have us over for dinner, with a possible lesson for our technician:) so maybe we should break things more often;)

Our piso has been very quiet without the other two Elders. It will be a quiet transfer, that's for sure. But I am very thankful for Elder Bown. He truly is the companion I need right now. I am very blessed to be in such an amazing area with such a great friend, and example.

I really want to ask a favor of all that still read these things, or those who read this far down:) Please please go Light the World. I love what the church has done to try and make this season a season of service instead of a season of selfish. I know that service works miracles. I have seen it in my life, and I am thankful for the feelings of peace it gives me. I have acquired a testimony of Christ through the fatal attempts to emulate his character. Anytime I have come close, I have immense joy.

Please support the leaders of the Church, and your community that surrounds you in ful heartedly participating in #LighttheWorld.

I love you all so much!

Elder Gardner

(Note: this is a little info Elder Gardner sent to me his mother- "It is beautiful here. I know you would love it. The scenery is amazing. the people are really pretty nice, so long as you don't try to shove the church down their throat. I really am glad I have this transfer still to hear some of the best Spanish in Spain. Not Catalan, not Usquiera, not Valiencianio, Not Marokine, Ibizanco, nor full of Portuguese or French. Blessings. Spanish, real Spanish. I'm lucky to learn the language I

was assigned to speak HA, HA:) sometimes I'll just sit on the bus that goes between cities and just listen to all the different languages going at once, all meaning nothing to me. Its amazing:) " )