Hey Everyone!
Well this week was definately a week of ups and downs! All of Honduras celebrated their days of Independance this week so in Sabanagrande it was a bit hard to contact or even find people in their homes during those two days in the mornings especially. Theres a big park in the middle of Sabanagrande in front of the big catholic church and so all the schools here planned different dances from each grade, but yeah its interesting to see how different countries and collonies celebrate the Holidays!
Also this week... the rain still hasnt let up and all the roads in aposonigua are just horrible. Just a bunch of mud holes is all. Reguadless in order to get up to Laura weve gotta go through it. Now I have combat boots, and unfortunately Elder Broderick doesnt so we headed up there earlier last week and trying to stay on the side or on top of the rocks is nearly imposible and yeah lets just say the mud got the best of us! We will be lucky if our shoes last 6 more months in these conditions because i havent been able to remember my boots everytime and we definately have walked home completely soaking wet and mud up over our ankles as you can see in the photos.. but reguardless we know every time our future wives are gettting more and more beautiful every day! Thats for sure!
So that 8 year old girl, Suany... I dont know if I said last week but she came up to me in church, tapped me on the arm, and asked me if I would baptize her.. a moment ill never forget. Well her baptism is this saturday so im definately looking forward to that. its not gonna be a baptism for the mission, but for the Branch... and for the journal and life long memories thats for sure! Weve got alot to teach her this week but Iv never seen her family more happy then they have been with us over there teaching them all! I just love the mission so much!
For the best story of the week... so about 3 weeks ago there was a man on the street that came up to us and asked us for something to read about our church. So to start off we of course gave him just a pamphlet and then his directions but in Honduras there is no such thing, the next day and following week or two we couldnt find this guy who for the first time in our missions had someone come to US and ask for something but theres nothing more that we can do if we cant find his house. So this last week on our way to go teach Suany one night we ran into him, and he asked for something else to read becasue he had read it and had been looking for us! Well we were late to our appt but gave him a plan of salvation paphlet and then had him show us where his house was so we could stop by! So the next day we passed by his house with the intentions to give him some real reading, the Book of Mormon and he was there!!! Nearly a miracle if you know anyhting about our area... well we taught an amazing lesson and left the 3rd Nephi 11 wiht him and set a return appt. We left and realized that the Lord had to send him at us 2 times for us to get a clue! So friday we went by his house again and he was litteraly sitting there reading the Book of Mormon and had already ready that chapter, and started in the beginning of the Book of Mormon and was on page like 15 but it truely just was so amazing. We aked him if he had any questions about what he had read, and to our amazement told us everything about the chapter, and said, well it talked alot about baptism and just was really clear... where is this place that I need to be baptized?... me and Broderick just looked at each other and smiled in amazement, pointed out where our little chapel is and then put the date of the 9th of October to be baptized and he accepted right of the bat! The Lord truely is working with us, and inserting his hand, and slowly sending people right to us! This was truely amazing for us, and especially for my testimony, because I was the one who got to actually say the works "se bautisara", basically will you be baptized!
This week was just so amzing and were looking at 2 maybe 3 baptisms already this month! We are so stoked about that!
Thats about all I got to say this week and were out of time but I want you all to know how thankful I am for all the support, and I know the lord hears and answers our prayers! He lives!
I love you all!
Love Elder Gardner
