This week was a roller coaster 6/23/14

So this week has been crazy. It was a roller coaster ride. Monday was great and then each day had about 10 ups and downs. We ended the week on a great note though and looking at the week, I learned a great lesson.

I've been told on my mission "be obedient and you will be happy". Well I guess I thought that happy meant that I wouldn't ever struggle (I must have forgotten that missions are hard). I have wondered how on earth am I supposed to be happy all the time? ( not possible by the way) Heavenly Father was kind enough to answer my questions and to help me learn about these things. As a Missionary, I am not free from trials, actually I have realized that they truly are a great blessing. As I go through hard times I can relate to my investigators who are also struggling. There really is opposition in all things.

Sister Stewart and I really had no idea why we felt so crazy this past week, but we were able to share this experience with the Bradford family. We went and shared a Mormon message with them last night, It was Elder Andersons "You don't know everything, but you know enough." Sunday night things really started turning around, we really felt like we were being led to those who needed us, and we were able to see that same principle in our own lives, we don't know everything, but we have faith that it will all work out and that one day we will know. As I am reflecting on this, I feel like I have heard all of these things before, but it reminds me of something that President Packer said in this last conference "Much of what I have come to know falls into the category of things which cannot be taught but can be learned." That is how I feel about what I have learned on my mission so far. It is things that can't be taught. Life lessons really come from experience, that is why we are here on earth. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be on a mission and to learn and grow and help others as well. This really is Gods work. We taught Ann nothing, It was all the Spirit. We both agreed that we did nothing in this except plan the baptism. The spirit is the one who really taught Ann. Her husband is a member, but she did this because she knows it is true, her testimony is amazing. I am grateful to have been a part of that. 

Ann's baptism was amazing on Saturday. Sister Baker was able to come back and see it also, Ann was so happy. I forgot to tell you thaton Monday we taught our neighbors Ernie, Virgina, Dakota and Ernie's mom, Bula. We taught them the restoration a few weeks ago and it went pretty well. We taught the Plan of Salvation to them this time.  They are an awesome family, they have some great questions and we love to teach them. Bula is Christian, but Virginia doesn't have much of a background, so it's an interesting mix. They are gone this week on vacation on a cattle drive, so we will have to wait to teach them, but they are progressing really well.Anyways, I hope all is going well at home, I love you all! 

Love,

Sister Kellee Gardner.

What an adventure 6/16/14

Hello Family,

This week has been an adventure. When things are going well, Satan is doing his best to make life miserable. 

Tuesday was great. We had Zone Meeting and Sister Stewart I were asked to do a training, We felt completely inadequate, isn't that usually how it goes? It was exactly what we needed to train on because we have not been very good at it ourselves. It was on teaching using the scriptures. We both learned a lot from that meeting. We set goals as a zone for baptisms for the next 3 months and we had a really cool experience. We read D&C 29:6 and then knelt as a zone of 28 missionaries and united ourselves in prayer. It was amazing the spirit that was there in the room. President Van Cott has counseled us to be missionaries of GREAT FAITH and MIGHTY PRAYER. 

Wednesday we were able to teach Ann. We talked about the commandments. She has just been on fire these last 2 weeks. She was basically raised mormon. Everything we have taught she seems to already know. She truly has been prepared to have the gospel in her life.

Like I mentioned at the beginning though, Satan does his best to get in the way. On Thursday we went over to make sure who would be baptizing Ann. There was some miss-communication and at the end we weren't sure if Ann was still going to be baptized. We felt awful and didn't really know what to do. We were already having a somewhat rough day and at the end of the day both Sister Stewart and I felt like it was the hardest day on our missions so far. Today I think back and I don't know why we thought it was so hard, it definitely was not that bad. We got things straightened out and we know that she is being baptized on the 21st, and we are so excited!

On Friday we wanted to stop by and meet a family that the Elders have been teaching for a while now. We were going to stop by a member that lives just up the street first and then go and meet them. It worked out that the dad was outside when we got there and he told us that the Elders had been coming by and and that some of his friends were members(who happen to be in the ward, long, but cool story). Anyways he invited us to come by some other time when his wife was home. 

A lot of members of the ward when they find out that I made all my skirts and my bag have asked me to help them or some such thing( a lot like my sisters :D) or they have mentioned that they have a sewing machine sitting in their closet that they don't know how to use. So we decided to make it a Relief Society activity and have the sisters bring a friend, some fabric and supplies and we would help them make skirts. So that will happen in a couple of weeks but we had quite a few people interested. 

Anyways thats about it for this week, I think..

I love you all

Love Sister Kellee Gardner

A baptism date for Ann 6/9/14

Hello!

So this week has been pretty exciting. We were able to teach Ann twice this week and set a baptism date for the 21st of June. I am super excited for her. Her testimony is amazing and she has such a great desire to follow Jesus Christ.

We had lunch with a lady in our ward who lives at a retirement home. I love going there and eating with her. She is the sweetest lady ever and I guess people had been asking when we were going to come again. She told people that we were the missionaries from her church, and they just thought that was the coolest thing. We may have also really liked it because someone called us Miss America and her runner up, but she didn't know which was which..

We weren't able to meet with Sonia this week, but we have an appointment with her for this coming week. 

I have been learning a lot from Sister Stewart. She really is awesome. She reminds me to laugh. It has been good for me to be able to stay here and get to know the ward better. I have had a lot of trials on my mission, but I love being able to learn and grow from them. I wouldn't change anything about the trials that I have had. I know that my Heavenly Father is aware of me, and that he answers prayers. I am so grateful for that knowledge.

I love you all.

Sorry this is really short, I don't have a lot of time today. 

Love,

Sister Kellee Gardner

​Sister Stewart and I got these matching sweaters from Tammy when we were helping her last week. 

My new companion 6/2/14

Hello everyone!

This week  has been awesome..

Wednesday we did service for Jenny, we got to weed her back hill. that was actually pretty fun. Pulling weeds on a hill is a fun challenge, but luckily the ground was really soft and it was probably the coolest day that week. Compared to the 100 degree weather we had the week before. The sun came up as we were finishing though, perfect timing. That night for dinner the Beehives made us French bread pizzas, they were yummy and it was really fun to get to know them better. We really have an amazing group of youth in this ward.

Thursday was Zone Conference. Best thing ever. It answered so many questions and prayers. There was a big focus on planning and teaching simply. When we talked about planning, we focused so much on Preach my Gospel. It is all in there and it explains everything that we need to do to be effective planners. It really helped me see that EVERYTHING we need is in the Scriptures and PMG. I was on this spiritual high and ready to change the world. I just had to remember that I don't know everything.

Friday we were able to meet with Sonia. She is an amazing lady who is so ready for the gospel. She's been through a lot in her life and is searching for that peace. I am excited to teach her! We will be teaching her tomorrow.

Saturday we went out walking and I saw someone outside so we went and talked to her. It was interesting. We talked for a bit found out that she is a less-active (we didn't have her records). As we were walking away, I just felt like we needed to get her records in the ward. 

Sunday rolls  around and we are in ward council. Bishop asks us to go and find this lady who they think lives in our boundaries. He said her name and as he described the situation I thought no way.. It was the same lady we met the day before, just randomly. Not so random. I know the Lord is aware of each of us, and he knows where we are and where we need to be. 

Monday was good, we showed up at the church and it had been egged, so we spent some time with the other sisters cleaning that up. Why someone would egg a church, I don't know.. We found out transfers and I am staying but Sister Baker is leaving. I am sad to see her go, It's hard to let a trainee go, I feel like a mom sending a child off to college. It's weird. I have learned so much from her. I am excited to have a new companion, Sister Stewart. 

Well, thats about it for this week.  I am so grateful to be here teaching others about our Savior Jesus Christ. I love the gospel, and I am so blessed because of it.I love  you all.

Love,

Sister Kellee Gardner

Happy Memorial Day, a day late! 5/27/14

Hello everyone!

This week  has been awesome..

Wednesday we did service for Jenny, we got to weed her back hill. that was actually pretty fun. Pulling weeds on a hill is a fun challenge, but luckily the ground was really soft and it was probably the coolest day that week. Compared to the 100 degree weather we had the week before. The sun came up as we were finishing though, perfect timing. That night for dinner the Beehives made us French bread pizzas, they were yummy and it was really fun to get to know them better. We really have an amazing group of youth in this ward.

Thursday was Zone Conference. Best thing ever. It answered so many questions and prayers. There was a big focus on planning and teaching simply. When we talked about planning, we focused so much on Preach my Gospel. It is all in there and it explains everything that we need to do to be effective planners. It really helped me see that EVERYTHING we need is in the Scriptures and PMG. I was on this spiritual high and ready to change the world. I just had to remember that I don't know everything.

Friday we were able to meet with Sonia. She is an amazing lady who is so ready for the gospel. She's been through a lot in her life and is searching for that peace. I am excited to teach her! We will be teaching her tomorrow.

Saturday we went out walking and I saw someone outside so we went and talked to her. It was interesting. We talked for a bit found out that she is a less-active (we didn't have her records). As we were walking away, I just felt like we needed to get her records in the ward. 

Sunday rolls  around and we are in ward council. Bishop asks us to go and find this lady who they think lives in our boundaries. He said her name and as he described the situation I thought no way.. It was the same lady we met the day before, just randomly. Not so random. I know the Lord is aware of each of us, and he knows where we are and where we need to be. 

Monday was good, we showed up at the church and it had been egged, so we spent some time with the other sisters cleaning that up. Why someone would egg a church, I don't know.. We found out transfers and I am staying but Sister Baker is leaving. I am sad to see her go, It's hard to let a trainee go, I feel like a mom sending a child off to college. It's weird. I have learned so much from her. I am excited to have a new companion, Sister Stewart. 

Well, thats about it for this week.  I am so grateful to be here teaching others about our Savior Jesus Christ. I love the gospel, and I am so blessed because of it.I love  you all.

Love,

Sister Kellee Gardner