Monday, February 29, 2016

I am doing great

Well, this week was fantastic!

On Sunday I was told 5 minutes before Sacrament meeting that I would be giving a 10 minute talk in Spanish so that was a lot of fun, I think it went well, I spoke on the importance of repentance and the Atonement. 

I went on an interchange with Elder Rassmussen on Tuesday and these two ladies chased us and called us guapos, so that was a little disturbing. then this lady told me ¨me estan gustando su cuerpo¨, after she told me that I left in haste. Elder Rassmussen didn´t understand exactly what the lady said so that was uncomfortable....haha.

Also later on that night we met a guy who speaks perfect english, he learned by watching movies only. He used vocabulary that I haven´t heard in 7 months, this guy works in a call center, I was impressed by this guy´s english and his family first attitude, really a great guy. 

I went on an interchange with Elder Melendez on thursday, he is a great missionary, he was in Belize last transfer and he returned from being an assistent to the President in Belize. So he is a seasoned veteran and it is nice to have a good reliable district leader like him in the zone. 

We are teaching some people who love the message and the gospel but say they won´t be baptized bcus they already were baptized. We explained to them what it means to be authorized to do baptisms but it didn´t really matter. That is the most difficult concept to explain in this country, the priesthood and the authority to act in the name of God. 

Another problem is that private Christian schools require that all the little kids get baptized before they can go to the school. So they require people to be baptized for entrance, that is just twisted and perverted to me.

We met this 91 yr old lady in this little street, we talked about families, life, and marriage. She said she has never been married, she said that it is better to fornicate than to be married. we tried to reason with her but to no avail. As the prophets of old said ¨Oh ye wicked and perverse generation¨ 

So, nobody emptied the baptismal font from 9 days ago so I had to do it on Saturday and I got wet....need to remember to pull the plug.


But, overall I am doing great, I am happy to be serving my Lord in this time of my life and I will try to take advantage of every moment. I can scarcely believe that march has come upon us. 

I hope you all have an incredible week!

Love, 

Elder Gardner


panaderia



Monday, February 22, 2016

Elder Cook Commends Faithful Saints of Central America

https://www.lds.org/church/news/elder-cook-commends-faithful-saints-of-central-america?cid=HP_TU_2-16-2016_dCN_fCNWS_xLIDyC-3_&lang=eng




Elder Cook Commends Faithful Saints of Central America

Contributed By Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News associate editor
  • 9 FEBRUARY 2016


Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and other Church leaders participate in a special missionary meeting in El Salvador during the January 21–31 trip to Central America.

ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS

  • Elder Cook emphasizes Sabbath observance during his Central America visit.
  • The Church has 19 missions and six temples in Central America.
After returning from a trip to the Church’s Central America Area, Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles reported that faithful Church members there are receiving the blessings of living the gospel of Jesus Christ.
That is manifest in the fact that the number of members attending the temple and doing family history work has increased in Central America, as has tithing and fast offering faithfulness.
“The members and missionaries were extremely reverent and responsive,” said Elder Cook, after returning from the January 21–31 trip.
Elder Cook said effective local leaders and members are helping and guiding the rising generation and working on increased religious devotion in their homes. Missionaries serving in the area are safe and effective, he added.
Elder Cook and his wife, Sister Mary Cook, were accompanied on the trip by Elder Craig C. Christensen of the Presidency of the Seventy and his wife, Sister Debbie Christensen, and members of the Central America Area Presidency—Elder Kevin R. Duncan, Elder Adrián Ochoa, and Elder Jose L. Alonso, all of the Seventy.
Elder Cook said, “The Area Presidency and their wives, Sister Nancy Duncan, Sister Nancy Ochoa, and Sister Rebeca Alonso, are providing incredible service.”
The leaders visited El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. In addition, Elder Cook traveled to Belize and portions of the Cobán Mission in Guatemala—visiting Latter-day Saints who have rarely been visited by an Apostle. Elder Christensen visited Panama and Nicaragua.
The Church has 19 missions and six temples in Central America.
As part of their assignments in Central America, Elder Cook and Elder Christensen conducted a review of the Church’s Central America Area. They also held priesthood leadership and stake conferences, member devotionals, and missionary meetings; participated in an adult broadcast that originated in El Salvador; and met with government leaders.
Elder Christensen said in every setting members arrived early in anticipation of learning from Elder Cook.
“With the emphasis on strengthening Sabbath observance at church and in the home, we are seeing great progress,” he said.
Elder Cook said the leaders also emphasized ministering through ward councils. “A lot of effort has been devoted to helping ward councils and priesthood quorums minister to members,” said Elder Christensen.
Elder Cook said he emphasized the help and support the Church in Central America gives, and must continue to offer, to the rising generation.

During the visit, the leaders met government leaders, including El Salvador President Salvador Sánchez Cerén. “He was very respectful and enthusiastically talked about faith, family, and religious freedom,” said Elder Cook.
In addition, Elder Cook and Elder Christensen met with the former president of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias. Dr. Arias is a 1987 Noble Peace Prize winner.
“He is recognized for his efforts to help establish peace in Central America. He provided both background and good counsel on security issues,” Elder Cook said.
Of missionary work, Elder Cook said despite reports in the media about security in Central America and the Zika and Chikungunya viruses, “everyone we talked to—including stake presidents, mission presidents, and other leaders—report the same thing: the missionaries are safe.”
The missionaries also reported feeling safe, he added.
On February 1, the World Health Organization declared that birth defects and other neurological conditions are possibly linked to the mosquito-borne Zika virus. However, the virus only mildly affects those who are not pregnant. Elder Cook said the Zika virus is not different from what the Church has experienced in other parts of the world with dengue fever. “The Missionary Executive Council is on top of this issue, and our primary message is that our missionaries in Central America are safe,” he said.
Missionaries serving in Central America come from broad and diverse backgrounds, Elder Christensen said. “The work is progressing.”
He added that the number of missionaries serving in other parts of the world from Central America is an indicator of the strength of the Church in Central America. “Families are preparing missionaries to faithfully serve elsewhere.”
Despite living in situations that can be precarious, Latter-day Saints are keeping their families together, Elder Cook said.
“It is very clear that any time there is a disintegration of families—whether it be because of civil war or migration—the impact on the rising generation can be significant.”
Elder Craig C. Christensen speaks to members in Nicaragua during the January 21–31 trip to Central America.
From left are Elder Craig C. Christensen, former president of Costa Rica Oscar Arias, Elder Quentin L. Cook, Elder Kevin R. Duncan, and Elder Valeri V. Cordón. Dr. Arias is a 1987 Noble Peace Prize winner.
Members gather for a devotional with Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in Guatemala in January 2016.
Members in Guatemala gather to hear Elder Quentin L. Cook address them during his January 21–31 trip to Central America.
Latter-day Saints gather in El Salvador for a member meeting with Elder Quentin L. Cook during the January 21–31 trip to Central America.
Elder Quentin L. Cook greets a young man after a member meeting in Belize on January 26, 2016.


Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve greets members after a member meeting in Belize on January 26, 2016..
Elder Quentin L. Cook, center, and his wife, Mary, and Elder Adrian Ochoa, left, meet with El Salvador President Salvador Sánchez Cerén and his wife, Margarita Villalta de Sánchez, right, during the January 21–31 trip to Central America.
Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve greets members after a member meeting in Belize on January 26, 2016.
Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve greets members after a member meeting in Belize on January 26, 2016.
Sister Mary Cook participates in a special missionary meeting in El Salvador during the January 21–31 trip to Central America.
Elder Quentin L. Cook speaks to missionaries in El Salvador during the January 21–31 trip to Central America.
Elder Craig C. Christensen speaks to missionaries in El Salvador during the January 21–31 trip to Central America.
A choir participates in a special missionary meeting with visiting General Authorities in El Salvador during the January 21–31 trip to Central America. Photo courtesy Sister Debbie Christensen.


New Companion, New Transfer‏


 Elder Sanchez from El Salvador

All is going well up here in El Salvador, I am enjoying being a missionary. I am working hard and I am happy. 

Last night my companion had a hard time sleeping because of the bullet holes in the door of our house, he was a little nervous and he wants to move his bed away from the door, haha. 

My new companion is Elder Sanchez and he is from El Salvador, he originally served in Peru but he had back surgery and was reassigned here in El Salvador. He tells me that our area, although it is the very historic center of the country, is a place where he has never come due to danger. He also says he won't be able to visit here after his mission either, so I am right in the thick of the action here!

This week we had a lot of fun on P-Day, we toured all of the historical buildings of the Centro de San Salvador. We went into all of these catholic churches and it was cool to see them, it is just hard getting into them because the stairs in front of them are full of homeless people so it is sad.

There are a lot of people in this country that have been deported from the U.S., so they can speak english. I was a little startled when I walked past this random hispanic dude and he screamed swear words at me in english. He was drunk, so that was a little crazy to hear english screamed at me. It has been a while to hear english screamed, although he was screaming profanities I really enjoyed hearing the guy scream at me, haha. 

All is going great, I have officially gained 25 pounds! Puchicka! I have gained a lot of weight, if I keep this up I'll start signing up for the Biggest Loser after the mission.

We are having a lot of succes in our area, we are teaching a lot of people and I can feel the love of the Lord in my life as I help people to come to Christ and bring their lives in accordance with His teachings. I feel at peace, I know these things are true, that Jesus came and died for us and made it possible for us to live again. I am grateful for all of the blessings that God has given me and I strive to be worthy of them and give back to my Savior for what He has done for me. 

I hope that everyone has an awesome week! Count your blessings!

Take Care, 

Elder Gardner


pictures from my apartment








Papusas


Cathedral and National bldgs



















Monday, February 15, 2016

From the Center of the Murder Capital of the World‏

National Cathedral




p day national library... I took the zone there, kinda fun aren't a lot of choices on P Day

birthday of elders



El Salvador, San Salvador

terrrific view from my interchange to amatapec

Add caption


 Elder Burris



District Meeting







My area I am in right now is the dead center of El Salvador, the National Palace, Cathedral, the central market, and many government buildings are all in my proselyting area. El Salvador is currently the most murderous country in the world, I am living in the hood right now so I definitely have been a witness right in the thick of things. But I am not worried because the Lord protects us.

I am really enjoying myself here and we are having some good success in my area, we were blessed with a baptism this saturday and that was a really cool experience. We also had a lot of people who are not members of the church come to church on Sunday so that was an awesome, in our area we are helping a lot of people to improve their lives and accept the Gospel so I am having a lot of fun.

This last p day we put our money together and played b ball so that was awesome, I hadn't played b ball in a long time so that was fun. I am still decent so that was really fun to be able to play against some other elders. 

This wednesday I will be getting a new companion so that will be interesting to see who will come to my area with me. 

I did several interchanges this week, I visited the area of Amatepec with Elder Burris and that was a ton of fun. We ate pupusas, drank Coca Cola, and found some more people to teach in his area that has been difficult so that was really awesome to see. 

I am enjoying myself here in El Salvador, I usually make a list of all the exciting things that happen in the week and bring them to write, but I forgot the list and I struggle to remember. 

I wish everyone a super great week and I hope that everyone is enjoying the nice 75 degree weather that I am enjoying right now!