Week 92: 3 for the Tree in Lehi's Dream

Well family, tomorrow marks the official 3-month mark before my release date... :S It's come too fast.

Mom - It looks like you're having a fun time with the sewer stuff haha... looks lovely. I'm glad things seem to be looking up. I think it would be super cool if you worked for JetBlue. We met this lady that does that and she and her family get discounts or can fly free or whatever, and she does that same thing, working at home for JetBlue. So that's pretty cool! It's weird to think about home... it's going to be totally different coming back. Wow. Anyway, I love you lots Mom!

Marilee - Hey you! Send me an email or something so I can respond to ya! The email address I have for you is your aol one, but it's not working because I get a message back saying that you don't get it. :S

Dad - Well, I hope you had a good Labor Day - I know here it was a pain because all the libraries were closed, so we had to share a computer between 4 elders. Ugh. Oh well, it all worked out. :) But I hope Halloween goes well! Oh and btw, keep me updated on BYU football... I don't know how good they are this year, but let me know!

Well, a kind of crazy week. We had transfers and I got a new companion, Elder Turbovsky. He's super cool and he came to the island the same day I did, but wasn't in the MTC for as long, so his release date is a bit later. Tuesday we helped out with the new missionaries coming in, and that was awesome! Lots of work, but it was super cool. In the evening we took a couple elders up to Santurce, and there was a baptism there - of a lady that Elder Caballero and I had started teaching! So that was a real nice surprise to see her, and she was super happy. :) That was a good night. :)

At the baptism, Elder Gardner, Elder Caballero

Thursday and Friday were zone conferences, so we were all over the place for those. Not to mention Elder Andersen from the area presidency was there, so we were all a bit more on our toes than usual haha. Then on Saturday we had a special Mission Leadership Council, and that was awesome! I learned a lot this weekend from Elder Andersen about leadership in the church and about ordinances and covenants. AWESOME stuff.

But yeah, a pretty good week I think. They're all going by so fast now... it's unbelievable. Lisa told me Matt's off to North Carolina on December 4th. Hopefully I'll get to share a few tips with him and see him before he leaves. Wow. :)

I know that Jesus is the Christ. I know that He has provided His gospel for us, and it is the only way back to the Father. D&C 45:3-5 teaches us His role as our Advocate, and it is true. He will only do this for us if we follow His example and follow His gospel like it says in 3 Nephi 27:13-16. Faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, along with enduring to the end is the ONLY way. I know that that is true. I know that Christ sacrificed Himself so that He could be this intercessor between us and the Father. He lives and loves us, and wants us all to return to God.

I love you all so much, and I hope you have a great week. :)

Elder Kimball Ray Gardner

Puerto Rico San Juan Mission

Week 85: Rough Waters Ahead

Well before I say anything, I must say that I APPROVE of Marilee's jersey! YES she's a Jazz fan just like her old brother! ;) Or else she at least wears the jersey haha... Anyway, you traversed your dangerous waters, and this week will be one of rough waters for me, but I'll get to that in a second haha ;)

Mom - I totally agree we should all go rafting next summer! I remember going with the scouts down to Moab on the Snake River and it was a BLAST. I loved it, and I think it would be a ton of fun. Make the arrangements and we'll all go. :) We could do that and just have a blast down in Moab. It would be great. In any case, congrats Mom, I truly am proud of you for what you did! I'm glad you had a good time. :)

Dad - You know, I haven't had real noodles and sauce since I left either haha. I've had pasta and stuff, but no real noodles and sauce. I'll see what I can do about BYU from here then, hopefully it will all work out.

 

With Elder Caballero

Anyway, when I say rough waters this week I mean... TRANSFERS!! Our first transfers with Pres. Smartt and Elder Peacock says they're absolutely crazy haha... It will be fun to see what happens. Maybe I'll be let go as a ZL and be able to go and focus on my own area again! We'll see what happens though. I hope I stay in Santurce because we FINALLY have an apartment in Santurce (we found one Saturday) and I'd love to finally live in Santurce while working there, because for the past 8 months I've been living in Caparra and working Santurce. Not ideal haha ... but whatever. We'll see what happens and I'll let you know Monday!

Besides that, we had a pretty good week this week, and found a bunch of new investigators. One of our investigators, Cassandra, is doing great, and has a pretty firm baptismal date for the 28th! We'll see who gets to stay and see it all happen. :) 

It's crazy to think how fast the time has been flying. Elder Gillespie is either home or else coming home soon... and Elders Hill and Reed finish next month. Holy cow. In 5 days I'll have had my mission call for 2 years. It's unreal, to be honest. 

Anyway, I don't know what else to say haha... it was a good week, but not much I can say in words. Pretty crazy at the same time. But I'll send some pics so yeah. :) Anyway, I love you all so very much, and thanks for everything you do!!!

Con mucho amor,

--

Elder Kimball Ray Gardner

Puerto Rico San Juan Mission

Week 68: I've Never Been Happier

Hey y'all, it sounds like you've been having a pretty interesting week haha. I hope everything's all right, and that you're all doing great!

Mom - Well it sure is interesting to see how things are and have been changing back there. I hope you're doing all right. I'm glad you had a good time with Marilee at the movie. We've seen the posters in the streets here in Santurce, so I know what you were talking about. It looked weird. Anyway, Puerto Rico doesn't celebrate St. Patrick's, so Elder Durfee and I were the only ones in green on Sunday haha ... it was interesting. Know that I love you very much! And know that I keep trying to send pics, but the computer won't let me here at the university... I should be able to next week. :) Anyway, I love you Mom!!
Dad - I haven't gotten a letter from the Stake in forever haha.. like 8 or 9 months. I've only gotten like 3 in all. In fact I don't get much mail at all, but I don't mind - it's less for me to have to reply to haha. Anyway, so that's that. :) But yeah, moving to what happened this week...

We still are teaching R… who is preparing for Saturday to be baptized!! :) We had a great lesson with him last night with the bishop, and he is still committed for that date, and he says that he has been preparing for this day for a lot longer, and that he's been guided to us at this time so that he can change his life. I'm humbled and grateful that the Lord has been so merciful to me that I've been able to be a part of this process in teaching R…. He's a great young man with a very bright future. He will be a very firm member as he continues learning and growing in the gospel.

Also, M… G… is SO close, and we had a great lesson with her as well. We invited her to pray specifically about the Book of Mormon, and as we finished the lesson, she offered one of the sweetest, most sincere prayers I've ever heard. She asked in such a humble way to know if the Book of Mormon was true, and I was praying right along with her so she could get her answer. After the prayer, we sat in a silence for a few moments, and she said she felt great. She still doesn't feel as though she's gotten her answer, but I know that she will. She'll be faithful once she does get baptized. She walked to church because her car broke down! If that's not dedication, I don't know what is. 

We had a really great lesson with the Familia B…, and they're wonderful, and they're really receptive, but they just don't have a way to come to church. They don't have a car, and they don't live all that close to the church; and the bus that goes out to where they live doesn't serve on Sundays. Go figure. That makes it difficult for them to come to church, but we are going to be focusing on that particularly this week, on finding a way for them to come to church.

Also, N… A… came to church with his future wife M…l!! They're working toward marriage right now, and little by little he's coming along. We want to find out a way to help him progress faster, so we're probably going to help him focus more on the Book of Mormon.

It was a pretty good week, of course with its challenges. I'm exhausted, and feel more tired every day, but I've never been happier and more content in my life. :) There's a peace that comes from the Gospel, and I just feel good about life. I'm optimistic again, which is something I wasn't before I left, and so I really am thankful for everything that's happened here in my mission. :) I just have this feeling that it will all work out in the end. :) I love you all very much.

Sending you hugs also, con mucho amor,

--

Elder Kimball Ray Gardner

Puerto Rico San Juan Mission

Week 63: Elder Andersen’s Visit

Mom - Let me just tell you though that I admire you so much for your resilience. You're a great example to me, and I thank you for it! I love you, Mom! 

Dad - And wow, that does look like a lot of snow back home! Hope it doesn't spoil too many Easter plans haha ... (it's crazy to think it's already Easter again. Wow!). Anyway, I love you Dad :)

We had an interesting week, with a really fantastic weekend. :)  We had some really sweet lessons this week, and actually one of them committed to live the Law of Chastity and is going to get married this week!! At least, we hope. :) But yeah, that was really sweet, and he's progressing really well. Also, this other lady we're teaching is just so prepared, and actually defends us against the people around her when they start talking bad about us. Like last night the fact that we don't drink coffee was brought up, and her friends and stuff started bashing on us, but she just was like "you don't know anything about it, let them explain!" and stuff like that. It was really pretty hysterical haha.

This week I've been dealing with some nasal congestion and stuff, and for the past few days haven't been able to hear very well because I've been all plugged up and stuff haha. But it's been good. :) 

Anyway, the event of greatest importance this week was the visit that we got as a mission from Elder Neil L. Andersen. :) That was AMAZING!! So Saturday morning we all meet in Trujillo Alto, and I played the prelude (for an Apostle!!!), as we waited for him to come. He then arrived, and the Spirit was so strong. The whole mission shook his hand, and then we began. I also sang in an octet, singing "Ye Elders of Israel" which was really powerful, and the Alvarados were crying as they spoke together to begin the meeting. After, the Rasbands (Elder Ronald A. Rasband and his wife) spoke to us, as well as the Zivics (from the area presidency), and then Sis. Andersen did for a bit. Then for an hour, Elder Andersen spoke and gave a presentation about the difference between temporal and spiritual things, and that we don't speak or teach about temporal things, but we teach eternal things, or the things that can't be seen; like faith, repentance, miracles, the power of prayer, etc. It was a fantastic talk, and then after they all left. The next day, Sunday, was the San Juan Stake Conference, and he spoke there as well. It was a really great experience, and I am so grateful to have been a part of it. :) There are a couple of pictures from the Alvarados that they sent to the mission that I will send to you too. 

And then last night we get the information about transfers. Uh-oh. Elder Peacock has been transferred to Aguadilla, on the other side of the island! This moves me from ZL2 to ZL1. Yikes. But I get a companion that I have worked with before, and that I think will help us both out a lot: Elder Durfee! They moved him up from Yauco to here in Santurce with me. :) So that was a crazy change, along with a few other ones in the zone. It promises to be an interesting transfer, but I think it will be a good one. I'm excited to see what happens. :) 

But yeah, I can't really think of much else to say. It was a good week, and we're really hoping that with the visit of Elder Andersen, we'll be able to see some miracles here in Puerto Rico. We're close to baptizing some of our investigators, so I'm really excited for that. :) 

I love you all so very very much, and pray for you daily. You're all very important to me, and I know that the Gospel is what gives us happiness. :) Thank you all for all that you do, and I look forward to hearing from you again next week. :) 

Much love,

Elder Kimball Ray Gardner

Puerto Rico San Juan Mission

Week 59: "Children, Go Where I Sent Thee"

Hey y'all, that's a lot of snow!! I'm just here enjoying life in San Juan where it is a balmy 80 degrees. :) Haha oh man, that is one thing I do not miss about home, the snow and ice. Yuck. Anyways...

Mom - You know, dad said you'd tell me a lot about a lot of stuff, and... you didn't. ;) Haha that's okay, it sounds like things are pretty crazy back there! That's way cool that they have a new Texas Roadhouse by the mall!! That's awesome. That's also cool that you saw Taylar. I thought he'd be out by now, but that's good that he's saving up and getting ready to go.

Dad - Well I can't believe that Rex is now overweight, after being skinny and underweight all his life! I guess he's just lost the spring in his step now and can't burn off all that food. :( Poor guy, I hope he is doing alright even though he's starting to get old. :( That's also sad to hear about Bro. Judkins, but I'm sure he's happy where he is now, enjoying a "rest from all his labors" in paradise. :)

Tortola - traveling with the choir for Christmas 2012

Anyway, I actually have a few minutes to write you today! Yay! Anyway, it's been a pretty crazy week, and having zone leader responsibilities on top of everything is a bit obnoxious, but it all works out. Oh, and by the way, I watched the CD from Thanksgiving, and it was great. :) Also, I did get a keychain from the Alvarados for Christmas, for the whole choir thing, so if you don't find any ornaments, I'll just use that as my ornament for last year. :) It's pretty cool, so I'd be fine with it.

But yeah, so this week was really good. We taught a lot of investigators, and I am really loving it with Elder Peacock. He's a great companion, and I honestly feel like we're having some fantastic lessons. I feel like I've had the best lessons with him, so it's pretty good! We have had to do some crazy stuff like picking missionaries up from the airport and stuff, but it's been good, and I've been learning more and more about my responsibilities as a zone leader. 

We have another leadership training meeting tomorrow, so that should be interesting haha. But yeah, besides that, we found this crazy less active guy over in Condado (the rich part of Santurce), and we finally had a return appointment, and he brought somebody to teach! so that was really cool. Her name is Cruz Mercedes, and it was really great. She is super receptive, and very prepared for the gospel. She still doesn't understand all the way, but she'll get there. :) We also had another cool experience where we went to teach an investigator, and she wasn't there, but her neighbor was out, and we were able to teach her and she definitely felt the Spirit. She was actually crying by the end of the lesson because the Spirit was so strong. :) It was great! Also, on a tradeoff with Elder Udall, we found another way cool lady to teach. So it's been a good week for teaching, I think, and I really enjoyed it. :) We don't have any baptismal dates, sadly, but we'll get those soon.

Oh, and I almost forgot, the reason I didn't have much time last week was because we as a choir went out to eat at P.F. Chang's at Plaza Las Americas. That was pretty cool. Mom and Marilee, you would LOVE Plaza Las Americas, and I plan on taking you there when you come to visit Puerto Rico. :) Dad, you'll still like it, but you'll have to guard your wallet ;) Haha. But yeah, anyway, that's most of the week, I think! I'll try and be more organized for next week with my thoughts, just right now I'm all over the place still figuring things out. But I love you all so very much, and I hope that you're all staying safe, healthy, and doing great. Thank you for everything, and I look forward to hearing from you next week!

Con mucho amor,

Elder Kimball Ray Gardner

Puerto Rico San Juan Mission

Week 52: Metro Area - One Year Mark

Hey all, what a year it has been! It's been a pretty good one, full of crazy experiences and lots of growing. :) It's been great. Wow. I can't even believe it's been just about a year. It flew by, and the last half goes even faster they say. Wow. Anyway, so that's pretty crazy! 

Mom - Well it sounds like you guys had a fun Thanksgiving haha. I hope it all worked out well and that you were able to enjoy yourselves. The TSO concert sounded pretty sweet though, and I'm glad you all had a great time there! I did miss you a bit on Thanksgiving, but it was still a pretty good day- I'll get to that in a second.

Dad - The TSO night sounded like a blast! We did have something on common on Thursday - and it involved riding a train haha. It's a pretty intense new area, and I'll get to explaining it in a bit! But it sounds like you all had a good time in Salt Lake! :)

Marilee - I'll email you in a bit. :)

 

Well, I am now working in Santurce. I've officially been transferred from Guayanilla and now work in Santurce. It's a huge change. I moved from the most tranquilo pueblo on the island to the area of the island where a ton of killings happen each year. I'm now in the middle of San Juan haha... it includes Viejo San Juan (all the touristy area), and all the northern part of San Juan (excluding the airport). It's CRAZY! It's so much fun though haha, and a TON more people. In our area there are like 1.5 million people or something. It's intense. And on top of that, everybody is Dominican, so that's pretty interesting. It's a pretty sweet area, and I'm still really confused directions wise there, but it all works out. Oh, and we don't have a car. We live in Caparra, right by the office, and we catch the train every day for a half hour with our bikes and then we go bike around in Santurce! It's pretty sweet, and a lot easier to bike than in Guayanilla, as it's all flat and hardly any hills. It's pretty sweet. :)

Santurce

 

Anyway, on Thanksgiving, we had two meal citas. The first one was with a member in Rio Piedras, and we ate Sancocho with him, which is a Puerto Rican stew. A bit later we ate with a member family in Santurce, and we had lechon, mashed potatoes, salad, and some rice. A different Thanksgiving dinner, but still really good. :) It was a good time, and I enjoyed it. Besides that, this week we had some really good lessons, and we taught a bunch of people. Santurce's got a lot of investigators, and a lot that are ready for baptism, so that will be sweet.

Then on Saturday night, some elders came and picked me and another missionary up, and we slept in the Riverside apartmentos for Sunday, because we were in the choir. On Sunday we went to Toa Baja, and then Arecibo, and we performed in those two sacrament meetings. It was really good. We then practiced a bit after, and then came back to the metro area. At 6:00, we met up at the office again and went to a funeral and sang there. (For all the performances I played the piano.) For the funeral, the Alvarado family brought a keyboard which was definitely NOT like a real piano, but I made it work haha. :) It was a nice service, and we left a nice performance there, singing "Nearer my God to Thee" and "Be Still my Soul", both in Spanish. And Pres. said a few words, and it was all really nice. The Spirit was definitely there. I'm a bit bummed I won't be able to visit my new ward until January, but it's really cool being a part of the Christmas Choir. We have another performance on Friday in Caguas, and then others throughout the month. We might even be going to the Islands!! Like Tortola, Antigua, St. Croix, etc. It'll be fun.

Anyway, that's about all I've got for the week. Lots of craziness, but we'll see where we go. Almost Christmas! Send me my Skype information ASAP. We still don't have anywhere to Skype yet, but I'll find somewhere before Christmas comes around. :) I love you all and wish you all the best! I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving and that you're all doing great. :)

 

Con muchisimo amor,

 

Elder Kimball Ray Gardner

 

Puerto Rico San Juan Mission