Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I sure missed you guys last night and this morning, but I have had the most wonderful time here. I hope you are enjoying your presents from me and I hope the dogs are too! I hope you all had a great evening and morning together, and that you enjoyed Christmas on the Sabbath. I know I did! But I'll get to that in a second.

Anyway, I thought that today we would just be writing normal letters, but surprise! They let us email! :) So that's what I'm doing right now. However I will still mail off my SD Card tomorrow so you can have all my Provo MTC pictures. They're pretty good!

I don't know when my next preparation day will be, so I don't quite know when the next time will be that I can email, but once I get the chance, I will be sure to let you know how the Domincan Republic is and how I'm doing. Also, please keep an eye on my debit card money as I may have to use some while traveling, so… yeah, if you could just do that, that would be wonderful!!

Anyway, getting back to last night and today. It was amazing!! Last night we had a Christmas Eve Fireside where the Relief Society presidency (the MTC Presidency's wives) and some missionaries put together the Nativity Scene, and we all sang along some of the Christmas Hymns. It was really great and I could really feel the Spirit testifying to us that Jesus is the Christ and that He came to Earth to Atone for us. Also, last night I read from chapter 8 in "Jesus the Christ" by James E. Talmage, which was great. It's the chapter about His birth, and it was wonderful. This morning we had the opportunity to watch the special Music and the Spoken Word by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and then we had the MTC-wide Sacrament Meeting.

Oh, and who should appear to speak to us? None other than ELDER DAVID A. BEDNAR!! It was absolutely incredible. The whole time I was just scribbling down notes and impressions and listening to him. He gave a magnificent talk on how we aren't here for ourselves, and that we're here to do the Lord's work and for Jesus Christ. He also talked about how our testimonies aren't enough to keep us active, and that we need become truly converted to the Lord. It was amazing. And when he bore his Apostolic Witness that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith was a prophet, that the Book of Mormon is true, and that Thomas S. Monson is the Prophet, I was almost paralyzed. It was spectacular! His talk really was just great, and I absolutely loved hearing an Apostle of the Lord speak. It was something else. Being in the same room as him was amazing, and feeling of his spirit was great. You would have loved it, and I hope you can get kind of a sense of what I felt with him there.
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We then had a good Christmas lunch and got our sack meals for tonight. Don't worry about that, the meals will be good. And honestly I'm glad that nobody has to work tonight, so they can be with their families. It will be good, because I think our district is planning on eating together.
Anyway, after lunch, we went on a temple walk (my last one!) and that brings us to now!
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Anyway, I can see that you've replied to some emails so I'm going to send this one off and then email you back, but just know that I love you so much, and that I really have missed you last night and today. Christmas means family to me, so not being with you has been kinda hard these last few days. But I know I'm where I'm supposed to be. I know that the Lord will watch over me and protect me as well as you. I hope you're all doing well and that the Lord is blessing you. I love you all so much and I hope you have had a truly wonderful Christmas!!
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Love,

Elder Gardner

P.S. Thank you for the presents, I opened them this morning :) You know me well!!

Week 1: MTC Provo

Well I'm glad to finally hear from you! I'm glad everything is going well at home. I heard about that horrible windstorm that happened last Wednesday and I was worried, but I'm glad you're all okay. Tell me more about that windstorm maybe? I heard a lot of damage happened to Farmington, and I was pretty surprised by everything that happened.
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Anyway, thank you for the support! About the typhoid shot thing, they gave it to me anyway because I guess the shot is only good for two years, and since my last one was already a year old, they didn't want to take any chances with me going to Puerto Rico and all.
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And thank you so much for your prayers, you are in mine as well. I love you all so much!!

Anyway, last Wednesday until about Sunday was pretty long and kinda rough because I missed you guys. We watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional Sunday night and that really made me miss you a lot because it reminded me of all our Christmases at home, but since then time has really been flying and I've really adjusted here.
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I am really enjoying the MTC! Or the CCM (Centro de Capacitación Misional in Spanish.) Elder Kerr and I have been teaching Hermana Carolina, and after a few lessons, she finally just stopped us in the middle of the lesson and became our teacher, and taught us what we could be doing better. It was truly a learning experience and humbling, but it was really great, because our next lesson went much better, and we were able to get a soft commitment for her to come to church. It was great!
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We also had the privilege of hearing from Steven E. Snow of the Presidency of the Seventy on Tuesday night, and that was really great. Also, today I was able to go to the Provo Temple, which was a great experience. It made me miss you guys because when I think of the Temple, I think of family, but it was a good experience.

It is cold here, and not having a jacket is kinda tough, and really makes me want to get to the DR sooner. And whenever I think of Puerto Rico, I just can't wait to get there! I really enjoy the MTC, but Puerto Rico sounds great right now. Also, I've seen Elder Paxman around a few times, and I will now be looking out for Elder Drew Durbano, as he came in yesterday.
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As I said in my last email, Thursdays will be my Preparation Day from here on out, and that's the only time I'll be able to email or write you, as well as read your emails. So if you want to write me, I can get letters every day :) In fact, that would be great, as I haven't received any written mail from anybody yet :( I do love being able to email and everything, but getting mail during the week would be even better!

Anyway, I really hope you are all doing well. I hope you guys are having a good time getting ready for Christmas. I hope Marilee is doing well in school, and that the dogs are still doing well. Send everyone my love! I miss you but I know I am in the right place and doing the right thing. And in 17 days I get to talk to you all on the phone!! :)
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With great love,

Elder Gardner

Day 1: The Countdown Begins!

 

We went to the Provo MTC today and dropped off Elder Gardner. The goodbyes made us sad, but not for long. We know we'll see him again!

Go on Elder, conquer those mountains!