Melchor, Guatemala‏

I'm doing great here in Melchor, I have been working hard and the overcast weather has been very refreshing for me and for the other missionaries. We walk under the sun 11 hours a day with smiles all year long, but when those clouds cover the sun to make it just a little nicer Elder Gardner's smile gets a little bigger! 

Elder Schellenberg and I are getting along good, we've been working hard and we've have been finding lots of families to teach which is fantastic! 

I had an interchange with Elder Sitani, he finishes his mission in two weeks, he is ready to return to Utah. It is interesting to see how different missionaries anticipate their imminent departures from the mission field back to their homes. 

We had a good week, we had a family come to church this weekend. We have been visiting them for a week and a half. They are called la familia Morfin Salazar. The Dad is very receptive to us and has insightful questions, and he actually understands what we are trying to say to him. People here have a very hard time understanding what we explain, so it is a joy to me when people understand what they are trying to explain to them. Once people understand, it is much easier for them to believe. 

I'm very grateful for the blessings of the Lord in my life. I am healthy, happy, and I'm a good state of general well being. I'm happy to be serving in my mission, I love to see people who are able to change their lives and come closer to their Maker. I know that the message that I share is true, and I'm happy to be working for the Lord. 

I hope you all have a great week, 

with best regards, 

Elder Gardner 

Guatemala

Guatemala is completely different from Belize, it's similar to El Salvador but it's defnitely not the same at all. There is a lot less poverty here and in Melchor everyone here is kindof cut of from the rest of the world, I'm with my first american companion, Elder Schellenberg. I started talking to him in spanish the other day out of habit and he got mad, I like speaking spanish in all times in all places but he doesn't share my love for spanish so it's kinda funny. 

I'm doing good here in Guatemala, we knocked doors all week long and I was happy to see that the people here are somewhat receptive to us here. I do miss the chinese food, fried jacks, fried gachos, and barbecue chicken of Belize. But here they have some good hamburgers actually so I was expecting that haha. It's been rainy here so that has kept us cool at night but the one night it didn't rain I slept in my swept. It's hot here! I think that the luxury of a/c last transfer was a punishment because the adjustment has been a very harsh reality for me. 

I'm redder than ever, the day of transfers I failed to put on sunscreen bcus I assumed I'd be traveling by bus most of the day and i'd be out of the sun. I was partially correct, but I feel asleep in the bus against the window and the bus changed direction so I got burnt while I was sleeping! so I felt that was unfair, it should at least happen when I'm awake. But, what can you do? I can change the fact that I'm pink and blotchy and I burn easily. But, I keep taking care of myself and I'm trying to stay somewhat healthy. 

Some of my friends returned from their missions this week; I heard Jon Dorman actually got skinnier during his mission. People will not being saying the same about me when i get home, hahah. But it's all good, I like the food and I enjoy eating. 

I'm grateful to be here in the mission and I'm so lucky that I still have over a year left to work hard and try my best to help people come unto Jesus Christ and experience the happiness that I have in my life. I know the book of mormon is true and I love telling people about it, not in a forceful way as I did when I began my mission. I prefer to talk a direct but composed and more refined approach now. 

Have a great week, 

Elder Gardner

E. Schellenberg is in the red and E. gonzalez is the furthest away

Me? IN Guatemala?‏

Yep. I received the transfer call last night and I learned that I am going to Guatemala and that my area here in Orange Walk is going to be whitewashed. I'm headed to Melchor in Guatemala, this will be the third country in which I have served. Melchor is the only part of our mission that is in Guatemala, people from Belize go back and forth from Melchor all the time so that is why it is included in our mission.

I had begun to really love Orange Walk and the people here and the next thing you know I'm gone! So that is crazy that I'll be headed to a third country to serve. El Salvador, Belize, and now Guatemala. I really love Belize and I hope that I get the opportunity to come back here again because Belize is awesome. 

This week we had a good time, we ate a giant hamburger as part of our district meeting on thursday, played basketball at an activity, and I ate a huge plate of Chicken Fry Rice. On Sunday my companion spent the day saying goodbye to people so that was a little sad for him, he has been here for 6 months. 

This week I forgot my umbrella one day and that was the day that it monsooned, so that was terrible. I felt like I got wet under my skin, I might as well have just as jumped into a swimming pool with how wet I got. My mother made me buy a waterproof camera before I came instead of a normal, I'm grateful for her foresight.

I had a great week and I am doing great, always steadily gaining weight. I'm so grateful to have the restored gospel in my life, I know that I'm doing what God wants and I feel His presence in my life. I'm grateful for my Savior and the Atonement that He accomplished for me. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful week, 

from the most pink man in Belize, 

Elder Gardner

Goodbye to Mission President‏

 my friend E. Kleinman‏

Here I am with a member of the church named Brother Stamp

Our mission president came this week to have one last multizone conference and to say goobye to all of us. President Hintze was a great guy and I am grateful for his service, it was a pleasure to have him as our mission president. 

When I visited Belize city a guy was harrasing us to buy "jahny caks" (johny cakes, in Belize, I don't believe spelling is an emphasis in schooling). They are these biscuit like bread things, they are pretty good but it was funny to have people try to sell stuff to us in creole. I have begun to understand creole, it really is only broken english, but to speak it is something completely else. I don't ever believe that I will be able to speak creole, and if I did attempt to learn it I think it would mess up my english haha.

Not too much happened this week other than that, we've found some new people to teach who are very receptive so that is cool. There is a guy that lived his whole life in Dallas named Fernando Ayuso that we are teaching, he is a really cool guy and he is interested in learning more and he said he'll come to church next week before we even invited him. We also found a guy named Cecilio that invited us into his house to teach him "the word", so that was another great opportunity. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be here in Belize and to help people learn about the restored gospel, it is a fun time, although often very frustrating. 

There is only seven days left until the next transfer, I think I transfer would be good for both my companion and I as we are completely different and we are getting sick of one another. I can honestly tell you that I've met few lazier people in my life, but at least we've gotten along well this transfer. But one more, no creo que yo aguante. 

Espero que tengan todos una feliz semana llena de bendiciones. Cuidense bastante and enjoy the NBA finals!

Sincerely, 

Elder Gardner

 my companion is shown resting

Birthday, Baptism, and trip to Lamanai‏

Happy 19th birthday Elder Gardner

Sweet Sister missionaries made pineapple cake!

Baptism of Victoria

Lamanai Ruins

at the ruins, E. Mitchell and comp, E Gardner

It was a great week this week. We were very busy, on wednesday we had to go to Belize City to work on my immigration papers with an agent from the church. My papers are all good and I'll be ok to stay here legally in Belize but some others had some problems with getting a work permit so hopefully they don't get thrown into jail! That actually happened to one missionary before but hopefully they avoid it. 

On Thursday we had a zone conference that was held here in my area of Orange Walk. That was nice because we didn't have to travel too much. 

ON Friday it was my birthday, the day was very normal but at night we had a little party at a mexican restaurant by our house. The owners of the restaurant knew it was my birthday so they surprised me with a cake and they made me wear the hat and I got sung some mariachi song that all of the missionaries knew in my district but I didn't know. It was fun and it was a pineapple cake so it tasted good, everybody at the place got a kick out of watching me so that was good. They also pushed my face into the cake so that was fun, but everyone still ate it I just got my face all sticky. 

On Sunday we had a baptism of Victoria, I knocked on her door almost a month ago immediately after arriving here in Belize. so it has been very cool to see how the gospel has changed her life, her baptism was a cool event. After the baptism, she shared her testimony with everyone how she feels like she "has come home" and that "this has made her happy" so that was great for me to see. It makes it all worth it to be here in the mission when you can see how much it can mean to people ot come to Christ. 

On Monday we visited some Mayan ruins called Lamanai, it was a great boat ride and I had a fun time seeing those sites. I took some good pictures and my companion wore some hideous pants, haha, everyone got a kick out of that. 

With best regards to all, 

Elder Gardner

Zone Conference

E. Crazy Pants, E. Rojas

E. Rojas getting something out of eye- he is screaming