I couldn’t be happier. Really.‏

Bonjour tout le monde!!!!!

I just wanted to start out this email by letting you all know that I am SO HAPPY. I have never been happier in my entire life!!! The joy I feel I just can’t even put into words. I was sitting next to Soeur Harding and Soeur Martinez during conference (since my companions were listening in French) and I just realized how HAPPY I feel here. How happy I am that I have met all of these incredible people, missionaries and amis, who I never would’ve met otherwise. I love this gospel so much!! I love being a missionary!!

And I LOVED conference sooo much. It was so incredible! My favorite session was without a doubt the Saturday Morning session. I looooved the metephor that the Korean seventy made about the man with palsy!! Missionaries and members working together is sooo crucial in this work.

Speaking of the importance of members, we ate at the family Marvons on Friday, and they pointed out that Frere Marvons father had read the ENTIRE Book of Mormon and wanted to get baptized. He is an old ami from a long time ago that we wouldn’t have even known existed without their help! They also pointed out several families in their apartment complex that had met with the missionaries in the past and would be ready to meet with them again.  It’s so important that the missionaries and members work together!

And remember how I told you last week that Sovita and Florence had a problem with the word of wisdom? Well. At our last appointment before Sovita broke his foot, they decided that THEY were going to teach us the next lesson. So, we gave them some Word of Wisdom brochures and they said they would prepare the lesson. ça y est, Sovita broke his foot and was in the hospital, so we weren’t able to have a lesson until Monday, and it was only with Florence. She understood the Word of Wisdom PERECTLY, and the fact that our bodies are temples so we need to take care of them. She said that giving up smoking and coffee was no problem at all, and she was happy to do it! She said that in the hospital, Sovita started taking hot chocolate instead of coffee--something VERY untypical of him. So yeah, apparently they don’t have a problem with the Word of Wisdom at all!

I love you all!! A la prochaine! :)

xoxoxo

Soeur Gardiner

I FEEL BLESSED.‏

Hey my dear family!

I love you all so much! Can you believe how fast this week went by? It's freaking me out. But when you are working hard and having fun time flies. This week was amazing and I learned so much. There were so many little blessings. And big ones as well. It was great.

We had two awesome intercambios this week. One of them was especially special because I was in the area where my trainer, Hna Moscoso started her mission. In this intercambio with Hna Callata Lord was giving me answers to my prayers and He gave me the strength that I needed spiritually. We had the opportunity to see two priesthood blessings in two of our lessons. It was amazing. There was a mom with her disabled daughter. This mom was so distraught and tired. The spirit was as strong as we testified of the love that God has for her and her daughter and as the brother that was accompanying us gave her the blessing. We also taught a family--a dad and his five kids (his wife is in Spain). They have passed through so many trials recently, bad health etc. It was so so sad to see this grown man cry as he explained what was going on in his life. I felt so much 

hope for him though as we testified of the blessings of the gospel and he and his kids are excited to come to church this next Sunday. His son is really sick and he also received a priesthood blessing. I am so grateful for the priesthood and the blessings that come from it. How amazing it is to have the restored gospel here on the earth!

We were also able to have so many miracles in our area! I don't know if I ever talked about a lady... She is one of my favorite, most special investigators in our area. I don't know why but I had always been afraid to invite her to be baptized... maybe because she is a teacher for the first communion and confirmation in the Catholic Church... but this week we just decided to do it and invite her to be baptized. It was amazing. She expressed how she felt the need to be baptized like Jesus did someone older and that chooses for himself. She also said that she feels like what we teach is true and that as she has learned from us she has found a happiness that she didn't have before. She accepted the baptism date and I am so excited to see how she will progress!

We also have many other investigators that are progressing and others that have the potential to progress. I am excited to see what the Lord has instore for us this week. We have also seen so many blessings in our area and the work is progressing so much! I feel so blessed to be a missionary and to love and serve the Lord in his vineyard every day!

I love you all! Sorry there aren't photos this week... we're in a bad internet and I don't want to get bugs on my camera... next week for sure!

LES AMO,

Hermana Gardiner