Shadow Branch President

Hey. thanks for the letters and emails of encouragement. :-) they help but I still have a lot on my plate. So to answer some of your questions about what I am doing... yes I am still a District Leader, I am still a follow up trainer/senior companion, and I am a "Shadow Branch President" meaning that President Donaldson wants me to do everything I possibily can to do to get this branch up and going. It is a HUGE responsibility and IF I am successful, I don't know what will happen next.

Let me tell you about this last Friday, the 5th. President Donaldson called us and asked us to go to the Sharp Hospital and give a blessing to an investigator from the Carlsbad Mission, so we did, and it was in Spanish of course. It was pretty Amazing, I said a lot of things I didn't know I could say and still don't know how I said them. When we got home I read my Patriarchal Blessing, the part about the gift of healing... it was so Awesome! I felt really good about the blessing and that the 9 year old will get better.

Then later that day I did a baptism interview for the sisters in my district. His name is Johnathan "Jack" Estrada. He Is from New Jersey and just barely turned 18. As I sat there talking with him, getting to know him better, He told me that as soon as he turned 18 recently, he moved here and moved in with his internet girlfriends grandma. A year ago, his girlfriend got him interested in the church over the internet and sent missionaries to his house. His family didn't want him to continue, but he knew it was true. He was 17 at the time and decided then, that he was going move to San Diego in a year and get baptized, so thats what he did. He is a really good kid and I respected what he did,,,, to a point. So he passed the interview and was baptized on Saturday and confirmed Sunday.

Later that Friday, Elder Morris and I went over the branch president's house and taught him a planning principle that president Donaldson taught me. As we were leaving his house it started pouring rain, ( it was 8:00 pm at this point) and we decided,,,, acutally I decided that we should go see one more investigator that lived just down the street. So we went over there and knocked on her door Her 15 year old son answered the door, and said she wasn't home. Elder Morris said thats alright, we will just come back some other time. I didn't feel right that he said that, so I decided to persuade the 15 yr old to invite us in and it worked. We went in and got to know him and everything. Well 5 minutes later, his mom showed up so I was pretty happy. We had a good discusion with her and we taught her an object lesson with a piece of wood and a couple of nails, ( i'll show you after my mission don't worry ) and she was very impressed. I felt that we should invite her to be baptized and we did. She accepted, but said that she doesn't feel ready. I reassured her that if she will do the things that we ask her to do and keep talking with us, she will become ready. So we will be working with her and help her get baptized on the 21st of Feb.

It was a really good day, we added the 15 year old as an investigator, so I think we could have some success with that. Just have to do everything we can and the Lord will do the rest.

I know that I am not perfect and never in this life time will be, but as you know, never is not a part of my vocab. So I try to make sure that everything I do, is as close to perfect as I can. Most of the time it is, but I need to stop stressing out when its not. I think I am starting to go bald... receding hair line... hmm.... anyways,

I tried what you sugguested to do in your letters mom, and it seems like it has worked hahaha but now I don't have time to email my mission pressident ;-) just kidding. but anyways time is short and we got to get going. I love you guys. I KNOW I would not be out here, on my mission, doing the things I am able to do without the loving guidence that I have had for 20 years, 1 month and 6 days, and 11 hours, 43 min. I truely have been blessed with an amazing family that I love so so much. Just a year and a couple of weeks and I will be home, starting a new adventure. I will need your guidence just like President Donaldson has been here for my guidence as a missionary. Everytime I see him, I see you dad. and everytime I see Sister Donaldson, I see you mom. I hope this letter has been a good one to read, cuz it was an awesome one to write. Take care and I will talk with you next week. love you. ~Elder Gardner