Hola de Tepotzotlan

Sorry, i didnt write yesterday. we had to go to imagration and sign some papers. it was a 4 hour deal, but all i needed to do is sign a paper and give them my finger print. kind of crazy but i was awesome to see all the elders that i came out with.

I cant tell you how crazy that is to think that you guys have that much snow when it is a warm 70. how was thanksgiving? thursday was hard for me, i kept thinking about you guys and what you all were doing. i never knew how much i loved thanksgiving until i didnt have one. one of the members here took us out to dominos and there just so happened to be a football game going on the tv. what a tender mercy. Everybody was realy interested to know what americans did on the dia de accion de gracias. i loved telling what we do, and why we do it, it was fun.
when we got to church on domingo the obispo came up to me and asked me if i could talk in sacramet, he told me he was going to ask me on thursday but he forgot. I had no clue what i was doing, im not sure how the talk went in spanish, but in my head it sounded good in english. i was an awesome expirence for me, even though i pretty sure nobody knew what i was talking about.
mom you asked last week if there was anything i needed for christmas. there were just a couple things i was thinking about. i was wondering if you could ask the boys if they would be willing to donate some of their pongs. there is a kid down here who loves them but all the ones he has are really lame. i was thinking he needed a least two of the metal ones and how every many others. if they dont want to its not a big deal. the other thing was some sanitation gel, the stuff that drys in your hands. also some emergen-C they dont have it down here. and im always in need of more ties. this is just a thought but if you sent a voice recorder i would record my e mails and sent it via email, so that i could save time. these are all wants and in no way needs.

i sorry to hear about the job, not sure if this helps but its been on my mind.
read this talk, its a beauty. Pres jamesEfaust "the healing power of forivness"

"every calamity that can come unto mortal beings will ve suffered to come unto the few, to prepare the lord.... every trial and expirence you have passed through is nessesary for your salvation."

"not willing to forgive is like drinking the poisen and hoping the other person will die." -John bytheway

heavenly fathers message for me was loud and clear this week for me. "extending forgivness is a precondition to receiving forgivenss". there is so much that i need to be forgiven for, why can i not forgive others. there is nothing huge that i need to forgive someone for like in fausts talk, but ive been thinking just about the little things. not sure exaclty why i shared that with you, but its been someting that i{ve been working on.
I love you all,
Elder Gardner

Hello from Mexico

Well let me give just a little recap of some of the stuff that this week had to offer. last tuesday we had Cricket tacos, with flaming slabs of boogers, you might hear some people call it chicharron with salsa verde (it was as bad as it sounds). we taught a guy while he was taking a shower, piled into a bus that was 10X over its suggested capacity, and 3X over its actually physically possible (just an every day occurance for these people) we would stop at every bus stop and see like 10 people waiting for the bus, and every time i would think in my head your not all going to fit. but to my amazment every time they would just keep packing it in. these people are crazy over hear, every one is bundled up for the ice age. I doubt its as cold in Utah as people think it is here. and there i am this skinny white pole walking around everywhere with my short sleave on sweating. we are trying to endure the bitter cold of 70 degrees. when and if you stop recieving these lists of things that happen, then you´ll know that i´ve overcome the culture shock. thes people are crazy but i love em!

Dang, i love you all so much, and am trying to cope with the idea that i won´t be having thanksgiving this week. so i though since i´m not going to have the chance to say what i´m gratful for i´ll do so now...

Im most gratefull for the wonderful, hard, long, uneasy trials that we all have to go through. i´m grateful for this chance i have to learn and to grow, and evern though some times i get off track i always have the ability to find the straight and narrow again. im gratful for the knowlege that my family has the true knowlege of the the gospel of jesus christ, and to know that even though that we have to endure, in the end will are all going to have the greastest blessing of all, eternal life with my family. I´m grateful for all of you and the support you give me, and for all the love you have. Í love you all so much

Elder Gardner

God cares he always has and he always will

Hello from Tepotzotlan

So i´m pretty much in mexico city, but not techniquly. The city is called Tepotzotlan, but the zone i´m in is called Cuautitlan, another city. its pretty cool place, down town Tepo has this huge anciant catholic cathidrol.(o boy my english skills are leaving me, please forgive the spelling). every sunday the whole town has a huge party party in down town Tepo, its pretty cool but stinks that its on sundays. I wonder if marcs heard of this area. I´m companions with Elder Rosales R. he´s from torion, he wants to learn english, so we trade of learning new words each day. he´s super patient with me, and how long it takes me to talk.
Its been a very intresting week for me, full of highs and lows. This work is hard, and it doesn´t help that i can´t communicate, but it all clicked for this week. last sabado we were walking around and visited a contact from the previous day. they had no time to talk to us, because they were making these obleas for the dad´s work. we asked if we could help and the padres gladly accepted. after that we walk half way down the street and there was a less active family filling in their house with dirt, we ask if we could help and they glady accepted. we helped them for maybe an hour and a half. this inactive family has not been to church for something like 5 or 6 weeks, because of something that happened with the past missionaries. the change that came over this family from when we started to help them till we we finished was a miracle. the mom was close to tears when we left, because of what we did. as much as these families apreciated the help, i think i got more out of it then they did. in a week that at times was hard, after these acts of service i was filled with so much love, excitment, and wanting to do better and more. i can´t tell you how much that has changed the way i look at the mission, trials, and life. I felt as though my comp. and me were respectively Robin hood and little John. Just going around helping those in need, jumping fences, people treating us like outlaws. well, this analogy sounded better in my head.
I´m glad to hear every one is doing good. i´m trying not to think about thanksgiving, because i found out it doesn´t exsist down here. i´m going to miss being with you guys on turkey day.

I read this quote and it effected my quite a bit
pres. hinkley said "Keep trying, Be beileving. Be happy. don´t get discouraged. things will work out!
I love you all so much and hope you are happy.

Love
Elder Gardner
Ps. we only allowed to only write one email to our family. let every one know that i enjoy there letters so, much and i love to hear from them, but that i can´t respond to them directly, i´ll try to do so through these letters. don´t stop writing though.

Ok, this place is crazy let me give you a little taste of what these last couple days have had. I´ve eat worms and crickets. i´ve almost died every time i´m in a moving vehicle(don´t worry thats normal), i´ve been chased by dogs, i wash myself with a cup each morrnig, i have to manually flush the toilets(ussally takes about 45 min), i´ve helped a family pack their whole house up in a small pick u(i´ve sent pics, it´s pretty crazy). played pongs with the niños, and talked with a guy named capi (capi king hhhhmmm). this place is like nothing i´ve expirecned before, but o, boy do i love it.

elder roslaes is my comp and he speaks no english, its been interesting, but not as bad as i thought. im learning fast. he only has 1 month on me, he´s a stud.

every time i read your guys letters, I always find myself crying. its because what you all mean to me. i see you going through challeges and different obsticles, and its like none of that matters because of who we are. we are all disicple of jesus christ, and it is his church that we are apart of. when we do are part the storms will pass and we will be stronger then we were before. we all have things to learn. i miss you all so much, but i´m not home sick. thanks for the prayers, i need them. I hope you know that I do the same for each of you daily. God is in control. keep reading. keep praying keep going. keep moving.

with all i got
Elder Gardner

Ok, i'm here in mexico, and it is crazy. we took about a hour bus ride to the mission home, and it was the crazy ride of my life. i'm definatly not in utah any more. I'm scarded out of my mind, cause my comp is a native and speaks no english. these next weeks are going to be insane. it's going to be awesome. here is a pic with me and pres. and sis. I love you all. god bless

Elder Gardner