August 26, 2013

Familia!! Whoosh. I am pooped. It has been a LOOONG week. Taking over the area is stressful. I still have no idea what I am doing, and I know that I look like a basket case wherever I go. It's fine though. I know I'll get the hang of things. It will always be stressful, but I think it will get a little less crazy as it goes along. I don't really have any exciting stories to tell. We've met a lot of really cool people...one man had a little dimple in his face. Turns out, he was shot in the face. No big deal. He's awesome. I was talking to my companion yesterday about how hard missionary work is. Not just the work, but everything else that you don't think of. It's mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually taxing. I feel like every day I am completely drained. That I don't have anything else to give, and I love it. Every day I learn something new about Jesus Christ or a scripture means something different to me.Every day I get to kneel down in a stranger's home and ask God to bless them. Every day I get to testify to people that God loves them so much that he sent us Jesus Christ. Every day I get to tell people that they are not their sins and they can leave them behind and change. It's wonderful. I love it. I'm so grateful that God has trusted me with this. That he is merciful to me every day. That even as prideful as I am, he keeps sending me to wonderful, faithful people. I'm so grateful to be a missionary, and I'm so grateful that I have you guys back at home supporting me. I couldn't do it without you guys! Anyway, I better go. We are biking today, so we've got to get going. Love you lots. Hermana Gardner P.S. I almost forgot. Mom, here is a picture for my missionary plaque. This ok, right? How good do I look on a scale from 1 to 10?