Well my p/day is actually Tuesday. \I went to the temple in Guatemala this morning...it is only like a block away from the CCM which is the mtc in Spanish. I apologize if my spelling or capitalization is bad in the emails. they have really weird keyboards here. Many of my uncles warned me about having companions I don't like and I have now come to a full understanding of why they advised me. I want to be positive so I will not go into details but our problems root from our different views on hygiene and brushing teeth in particular. He is from Utah, and to say the least I am looking forward to entering the mission field because I will be switched to a trainer.
I will be here in the Guatemala CCM for six weeks, both the beginners and intermediates stay here for 6 weeks. \i wish they had separate districts for intermediates and beginners so all the intermediates in Spanish wouldn't have to have beginner in Spanish companions. i actually really like it here in the CCM, I am learning a lot and my Spanish is improving for sure, i try to speak in Spanish as much as possible but \i have to keep explaining things in English to my companero, which is highly irritating.
The good here is decent, not great, but they have had some really good meals and some really bad meals. But i don't feel super hungry and I feel good, the only time I am hungry is like the hour before meals. The teachers or maestros here are great, my teachers are Hermana cuque y hermano bajan, ellos are both great. i enjoy the classes and I am learning quite a bit. The Spirit is strong here, you can feel it with you for a lot of the day. It is a really good feeling, I am okay with being here for 6 weeks, I realize i still have a lot to learn about teaching and that I need to resolidify my fundamentals in Spanish. I didn't sleep well the first few nights, there is this night club that is like 20 yards from the CCM. They party deep into the night, so although I thought my days of listening to spiritually offensive music until three in the morning were over when I left and no longer slept under Katelyn's room, they are not over. This next Saturday they have advertised for an extra big party and I am a little nervous. MY room here at the CCM is on the second floor and this club has their dance on the roof of the building so it is about level with my room and our window directly faces it. We call it the "great and spacious building".
I think I have everything I need here, I turned in my camera and mp3 player with church music on it. There is some stunning scenery here in Guatemala City, it is really beautiful. I am surrounded by hills that are full of houses just lining them and the trees are everywhere. The ccm sits in front of a pretty busy road so you can here honking most of the day if you are on that side of the building. I feel pretty safe in here, we have security guards with fully automated weapons and a 15 foot high fence. When we walk to the temple we have to pass a gas station, they have even more excessive security, and they carry these huge shotguns around. There are two huge buildings across the street that are mostly glass. They are probably about the height of the U.S. bank building in Boise. There is some really neat architecture here.
When I arrived I was the only missionary there...obviously because I missed my flight. There were some Guatemalan Olympians arriving at the same time as me so it was a little confusing to find my escort to the MTC because there was a huge crowd of adoring fans and a bunch of cameramen waiting right outside of customs. We drove through the city in the middle of the night and it is a beautiful place, it is obviously dangerous, but there is a lot of neat stuff here. All the other people I have talked to here are extremely nice, the people of Guatemala are extremely friendly.
I sat next to this guy named Javier on the way here from Houston after my 9 hour layover. We were in the very back corner seat of the plane, he was a really nice guy and he told me where all of the best places to go in Guatemala are. He was an extremely nice guy, and I enjoyed talking with him, I got him to make a commitment to talk to missionaries the next time he saw them.
Everything here is great, I have no complaints. I don't need anything, I am just working hard to learn, and I am trying to remain positive with everyone all the time.
Yo sé que este Evangelio es la verdad y por medio la expiacion podemos ser limpios de nuestros pecados. Yo senté el amor de Dios y su hijo jesucristo aqui, estoy muy agradecidoo por todos mis bendiciones en mi vida. Estoy agradecido por la opurtunidad a servir y aprender espanol. Este no es facil, pero no querria a ser facil porque salvacion no es facil. Estoy aqui con los lamanitos, y estoy aca a ensenarles. En dos anos, vere a este momento y esperar que trabaje con todas mi habilidades. se Quiero, all of you. Yo se que estas cosas son verdadero. En el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen.
I love and miss you all,
Elder Gardner
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