Surprises!!

Hey Fam and Friends,

Well I've got a ton of surprises for all you this week, its kinda crazy what has been happening to me this last week, one of my longest weeks in the mission. So I didnt have much time last Monday to email obviously because we didnt want to be late to our FHE with the branch president of Valle and we did end up making it just in time and had a nice humble, rice, beans, and chicken meal and then had an amazing FHE with him and his very poor and very humble family! President, his wife and cute kids shared a new years message about goals and we all made some new year goals... it was great! The only problem was that.... little did I know, it was gonna be my last time ever seeing them!!

I got a call from our Zone Leaders on Monday night when we got back to the house letting me know that I have Mini-changes and that I was being sent to Choluteca, 4 hours south of where I was, and that I have to be in teguc in the mission office at 11am the next morning!! I couldn't believe him at first... I didnt want to believe him. Me and Elder Skoubye were looking at least a couple more baptisms there in Valle but they have now taken me out! After a long night of trying the best I could to pack up what I had and get rid of a lot to try to fit it all. I thought for sure I was staying another month with Skoubye but I guess not. So tuesday morning early I did my best to pack up and try to say bye to the ones I could and get someone to haul my luggage to the bus stop, we made it to the office in time but I didnt get to say goodbye to hardly anyone. Its been tough but when we got to the office I saw some buddies I havent seen for a while and we waited quite a while before we could make our way to the busses that go down south... where the Novia del sol vive, the suns girlfriend lives. After a hastle of getting luggage to the bus stops, a handle on one of my bags breaking because of the bus people throwing them around... we made it! So as it is right now your hearing from me in one of the hottest areas in the mission called Monjaras. I recieved my new companion the day after I got here at the South Zone Conference, his name is Elder Goyette, from New Hampshire, I'm older then him in the mission so they put me as senior comp. Our area is clear out in what you would call, the middle of nowhere almost so we had to travel an additional hour and a half to get back to the area from Choluteca. Our area is called Buena Vista and to make a long story short... I'm back into a tiny little rama of about 300 members but only 60 that go to church. We went right to work in the BAKING sun like I havent felt since Lake Powell on the hottest days... but with church clothes. I thought it felt good at first but not anymore. Its tough but the south truely is a different world down here. Hotter, poorer, dirtier, dryer, sweatier, and all we see in our area is HUGE acers of crops where they plant watermelon, cantelope, and corn. I also live about 30 minutes, or two hours walking from the beach and the majority of people jobs here are as fishermen. I had my first plate of fish in the mission on thursday and have had it twice since then. As much as I hated it before the mission, I take it all back. Even though all they do is fry it as it is... it was incredible. If this computer would let me I would send you a ton of pictures of what Im seeing now, maybe next week. The south is awesome, other then the fact my companion is really really sick and we didnt really get much work in yesterday, just running back and forth from the church to our house to go to the bathroom. Its been tough but I love it! I feel like im just sweating off everything that I ever put on, and drinking probably 3 days worth of water where I was, in one day here. Im back to the good old bucket showers and no running watter, and fans on all night long but its fun, its something different. Thats what I love about the mission is that mission pres just keeps the mission really interesting. This Wednesday is the normal changes and they are opening a whole other zone right where I'm at so its gonna be a fun, interesting surprise this Wednesday!

This saturday all of us missionaries here in the south go all the way, 4 hours back to Teguc because Elder Ballard is coming to talk to the whole mission so were stoked about that! I dont have a whole lot more to say and I gotta write a couple more emails.

I love you all so much, wish me and my comp luck this next week as we get back to work hopefully when he gets feelin better, the mission promised us that if we get 150 in the church, which there is no way they would fit, they would build an actual church in our area! Thats the goal...were stoked!!!

Oh and JK about all of the pics that didnt work, I GOT IT!!!!!

Love you!!!!

Love Elder Gardner