Spring has Sprung (4/14/2014)

I really hate that saying by the way. I don't know why it's just one of those sayings that don't sound good and just... bug you! Maybe you feel the same way, maybe not. Moving on.

Spring is definitely here, and in North Carolina that means it's summer already. It was like 83 yesterday plus humidity. Not fun! 

This week was pretty fun, we taught the most lessons we ever have as long as I've been here! We finally got a baptismal date that seems promising! Her name is Delma.

Delma is the non-member wife of a less-active guy named Jon. Missionaries have been visiting them for a little over a year, and she's only been taught the first lesson, which is the Joseph Smith story and the Book of Mormon and stuff. Since I've been here we've been focusing on getting Jon back to church, the fact that Delma isn't an investigator never really crossed my mind. Jon is finally coming back to church consistently, and last week he brought Delma. We extended an invitation for her to be baptized last week, and when she came to church it solidified it. However, the lesson in Sunday School was "The Final Judgement" and needless to say she had some questions... We were able to clear up the concerns and now we have a good reason to teach the Plan of Salvation. But she's very promising and we're looking to get her baptized the first weekend in May. Unfortunately transfers are the 29th, and I won't be able to see it happen if I leave. We'll see what happens I guess.

I don't really know what else to say this week...

There's a video I want all of you to watch. It's called Because of Him and it's an Easter video the church is pushing super hard from yesterday until Easter. We as missionaries (or at least the ones like mine where we test things like iPads, I'm not sure) are trying to get this out here as much as possible. We share it on Facebook, it's got a hashtag, the church even got Youtube to make it the main video on the main page. It is estimated that 109 million people will have seen this video by Easter, and hopefully at least half of those have followed the church website a little after that. It really is a great video, I've already posted in on my Facebook page. The music is incredible. The message is even better. Fellow missionaries, if you're not aware of this initiative, look it up and start sharing it (easter.mormon.org). Family and other friends, start sharing it. Get the word out there. Let the world know what's possible "Because of Him".

Keep calm and hymn 255

Love, Elder Matthew Gardner

"With Patience Bear..."

This last week I passed my 4 month mark, meaning it's time for a monthly testimony. I'll talk about that at the end, but first I want to talk about conference.

Conference was amazing, definitely something worth going back and reading/studying the talks.

I know we probably shouldn't pick favorite apostles, but I think my favorites would have to be Elder Bednar and Elder Christofferson. And I was not disappointed by their talks! I loved Elder Bednar's talk about the Atonement and our real part in it in relation to Christ. Elder Christofferson's was amazing, definitely a great way to end the conference. I love how he said the resurrection is a FACT, and therefore all things related to Christ must've happened. My favorite line from his talk was "Faith is more than mere imagination".

Those of course were just my favorites, we heard amazing talks by all the apostles and leaders that spoke. As always, Jeffery R. Holland delivered. Elder Zwick and Elder Aidukaitis from the 70 had the best "stage presence" I guess is a good word for it. Did you Elder Zwick is from here? He used to be a baptist preacher, that's way he did such a good job speaking. He actually came to our mission like a month before I got here (kind of a bummer). He did a really great job.

I invite all of you to look up Elder Oaks' talk he gave at the priesthood session as soon as it's available. It was by far one of the most intense talks given this last weekend. Let's just say if he didn't completely abolish it, he certainly shut up the protest about women getting the priesthood for a while. Very much worth going back.

If there's a certain theme I could pick out of conference, it's in the form of a scripture.

Alma 7:22 "And now my beloved brethren, I have said these things unto you that I might awaken you to a sense of your duty to God, that ye may walk blameless before him, that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which ye have been received."

A lot of the talks were about standing up for what you believe in as the world around us starts to crumble. We need to either "awaken" to a sense of our duty to God or get worthy to the point where we can "awaken". These are the last days, so we either need to jump on the bus or get out of the way.

Moving on to some investigator news:

We had an appointment scheduled with Tedarreus, the first one in like a week and a half, and he cancelled WHILE WE WERE ON THE DOORSTEP ABOUT TO KNOCK.

He still shows a lot of potential, but when things like this happen I just want to leave him behind and move on. But again, he still has a lot of potential. I don't really know what to do. Yes he cancelled, but let's look at why. He got kicked out of his girlfriend's house. Meaning he is (currently) living the law of chastity. Since he used her car, he can't go across town to do his smoking job. So he is (currently) living the word of wisdom. Those were the only two things keeping him back, but at the same time we don't really know where he is. *sigh* I just don't know what to do.

On a brighter note, we met someone named Q a few days ago. Q is a 22 year old guy who wants to get his life right, and we had one of the best lessons ever with him. We started by just talking to him and finding relevance for him, then did the usual lesson stuff. After we talked about Joseph Smith and the first vision, he said it sounded like poetry and gave him a warm fuzzy feeling (which was weird hearing those words out of a black guy's mouth). We assured him that was the spirit which helped him recognize it during his prayer. He gave probably the simplest prayer ever but at the end he literally prayed and said "... and I can't stop smiling. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen." Then he looked up and asked us why. Well why what? "Why can't I stop smiling?" We again assured him that was the spirit and we planned to see him again tomorrow night. It was a really great experience and we're excited about Q.

Now on to my testimony this month.

It's about patience. We studied patience a couple weeks ago as part of our Christ like attribute study where we study an attribute for a week for 9 weeks until Easter. Since then I've been thinking about different things that have been happening/ have already happened in my life when a little patience has paid off. One example is my mission in general. If you were to ask me back in July, I would've said that I would never have the opportunity to go on my mission. A month later I got my call! Another is my experience with Elder Leishman, my trainer. Don't get me wrong, he is a good missionary and I learned a lot, but we didn't have the best relationship. Now I have a companion that I can call a true friend. In those and many other situations just a little patience has paid off. Patience doesn't mean to sit back reserved until something good comes out of the bad, it's about moving on and pressing forward regardless about what's happening around you (kind of similar to the theme I got out of conference). Progress requires patience. We can't have either without diligence (this week's attribute), meaning we keep going. So keep going friends! Just as my favorite hymn "Be Still My Soul" says, "with patience bear thy cross of grief or pain..." and always remember Christ has been there before and is waiting to help you, you just have to ask.

Until next week,

-Elder Gardner

I'm coming home.

I can't take it anymore. I am so sick of being away from my family. I don't feel like I have a strong enough testimony to convert anyone down here, and that's obvious in my astounding number of baptisms (SARCASM). I feel like I'm wasting my time and money, just to walk around uselessly with no one to talk to. I already talked to President Craven, I'm flying out this weekend to be home for conference. Normally he calls home before I leave, but I told him not to so I could tell you all today.

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April Fools. Too soon? I mean is a day early that uncalled for? It was my only chance! Haha but no I'm fine. Although it's true it's a little disheartening not having at least one baptism by now, because next week marks the 4 month mark. However, there are things going on, slowly progressing to the point of baptism, for now anyway. I'm having fun though, Elder Smart is a great companion and actual friend.

I have done some counting... and I should be leaving December 7th, 2015. We have a "license to preach" or something like that in our white handbooks, and that's the expiration date, as well as that the transfer meeting is that day. It's apt to change, but that's what I'm going with for now!

The work is pretty slow right now. I think I mentioned last week that we did a little "spring cleaning" through our area book, sorting through the ones that have some actual potential and who we have just for the sake of teaching a lesson that day. We have to go back to doing a lot of knocking on doors, but at the same time the few that we are seeing a lot we have appointments for all throughout the week.

About Tedarreus... He has been our most progressing investigator since the day we found him back in January. Lately however, he's gotten on this pattern of not contacting us or not answering when we contact him, for about a week and a half at a time. Then, we'll have an amazing lesson with him like we always do and there's suddenly hope for him. Everyone has been telling us we need to think about dropping him, district leaders, zone leaders, even President Craven's wife. I was about to, then Elder Smart told me about an investigator he had in his first area named Cedric. He was in the exact same position Tedarreus was in, he even looks like him. E.Smart was saying that Cedric would have the same teaching pattern, and almost never come to church. But he showed so much potential. E.Smart never got to see it, but Cedric was baptized. That helped me a lot, and we're going to keep being patient. In fact, that's the Christ-like attribute we studied as a mission this last week. Patience.

Patience is "the capacity to endure" according to Preach My Gospel. And that's true. The gospel of Jesus Christ includes Faith, Repentance, Baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and ENDURING TO THE END. We really can't have any hope unless we have patience, and we can't have patience without the faith that we can endure. Romans 5: 1-5 does a pretty good job at explaining how we can gain patience as related to the other Christ like attributes. Patience is the means by which we can endure to the end!

So one last thing before I go. We got to help with Primary yesterday! It was so much fun! We each (the four missionaries) got assigned a character, got to dress up if we wanted, and had to tell our story and testify of the resurrected Christ. The Sisters were Mary Magdelene and a Nephite Woman. Sadly they didn't dress up. But we did! Elder Smart was Joseph Smith. He had a suit on, I let him borrow my sweater vest, he popped his collar and tied one of his ties to look like those ascot things they wore back then. He even has a copy of the BofM how they were originally printed! It was perfect! I was Thomas, the apostle. I just had a bed sheet wrapped around me like a toga with a tie around my waist to hold it together. Oh yeah and a shaving cream beard. Bam. I have pictures but I don't have my camera. If I don't get them out today I will next week.

It was a lot of fun, and the common message is still the same for us today. Christ resurrected and now lives. He loves us and wants to help us, as long as we ask for it in prayer (John 15:15). I love you all and will talk to you next week! Also... General Conference is next week! Find someone who isn't a member and invite them! It's going to be great.

--Elder Gardner