May 1 Email

     I'm back!!

     So every tuesday we have preparation day, which is when we go to the temple at 9:15, email, write letters, do laundry, etc. at 7 we have a devotional where usually an Apostle comes and speaks. yayuhh. last week Soeur Harris and I sang in the choir that performed before M. Russell Nelson Spoke. crazy, huh? umm..so yeah. things are flying by, now. And now we have two teachers, one in the morning, Brother Wilcox, and one in the evening, Frere LaPretre. It's so weird being taught by guys literally younger than your sister/brothers. Bro Wilcox just turned 23 and LaPretre is 25. So I guess the same age as Court. anyway, so we've been learning sooooooo much my mind doesn't feel compatable to fit all of the information that I throw at it! We've been having to teach lessons without notes to our teachers who are our "investigators". It's hard. yesterday I made Frere LaPretre and my companion laugh during the lesson because I tried to say "We want to teach you about the Spirit". Basically no one knows what I said. lol.. it was embarrassing. Especially since I got Frere LaPretre to fall out of character. lol. But whatevs, that's what I'm here for, right? To fail until I succeed. Heavenly Father really does listen to prayers. I don't think I would have stuck it out and stayed at the MTC if it weren't for my testimony. Geez it's HARD!!! I seriously have never studied so much in my entire life. Your whole day is planned out to a T, then you barely get sleep and I've been trying to wake up earlier than I already was waking up so I can study more!! ahhhhhh!!!! It's so worth it, though. It's weird, because I'll be like, this...sucks. I have been spending all my time studying and studying and studying just to embarrass myself?? but then you get these huge pumps of the Spirit and I get super excited and I'm like, guys, this is happening! (*reference to madeline rupard! and the other ladies. love yall!!*) and then I go on and am like, we get to go out and preach the gospel and change peoples' lives and make them so happy!!!!! It's weird the roller coaster I'm on. lol. but yeah, it's cool. majority of the time I'm just loving it, only a few times a week I get discouraged a little, then I remember that Satan is behind those feelings and I throw myself back into gear. That's really important, to stay happy and to just have faith that Heavenly Father is looking out for you. If you're having trials(ME), it's for a purpose. He loves us and won't give us anything we can't handle if we've been doing what we should be..and I'm pretty sure I'm where I'm suppose to be, doing what I'm suppose to do. :)

     I know that I was called to serve a mission for a purpose, and I am so grateful for the love that our Heavenly Father has for us. I know that He sent His son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, to atone for our sins. How little we are, yet how much we matter to Him! I'm grateful every day for the things that I've been blessed with; to be blessed with a loving family who makes me laugh all the time (I love fun things in letters that make me laugh!!), I'm blessed with wonderful friends who deal with my weird personality and love me for it, and I am blessed with a loving Heavenly Father who forgives me for all the things that I've done wrong and I can't even pay him back, no matter what I do. The least I can do is give up eighteen months of my life to serve Him! I have a testimony that all the things that I've said are true, and that everyone can come to recognize these things if they pray and ask Him.

Once again, I love getting letters! Dearelders are great cause we get them THAT DAY, and of course snail mail is awesome. I can't send you a letter back unless you send me your address (Court and Ben and Ant!!!!)!!!!!!!!!!! So please, send me your addresses. And I need addresses for my friends on missions! I forgot to get them before I left. So much to do and so little time.

     Mom-the shoes are a little big, so I think I'll get some thing to put on the end of them or something..you could send me something if you'd like? haha. And hte skirt fits great! The slit is a little bit too high, but I'll fix it up today. umm...Oh, and I lovvvvve the chocolate and gum!! They don't sell gum here. I was talking to some of the elders, and we were joking about how gum packs are like cigarettes in prison. hahaha. I was like, I brought 3 packs in with me and my mom just sent me 4 more packs! hahaha. so dummmmmb but hilarious. it's weird how long I've been here..cabin fever! yeaaaaaah!

     The food isn't THAT bad, but it's not good. haha. 1 out of 10..4. and you have to watch what you choose; I avoid creams of any kind. that just is a no. and mexican food? ha. yeah right. well...I think that's it. I got the Woods' letter! that was so nice of them! Tell them that I said thank you sooo much!!!!

      So what I'd like right now are letters and prayers!! Haha. Speaking another language is kind of hard. ;-)

      I love you all and I pray for you all the time!!

Love always,

Soeur (devan) Gardner

P.s: I've been messing up so much with saying my first name this week!!!!!! It's bad. haha