New Companion and Area

Hola, wow where do I start, this has been the craziest week of my life. Really crazy. I can’t remember what you know and don’t know. Dad I got your package today, thanks a lot. I also got you and moms dear elders. The mail is just crazy and ended up at the mission home. And I am pretty sure you are supposed to send things to the mission home and not my address. So the last week at the ccm was the fastest ever. It was really good. Conference was amazing. It kind of made me home sick a little bit. I knew that all of you where there in the crowd somewhere and I was watching. And I saw Michael young a million times and then thought of Joseph and the young’s then everybody and missed my friends. But after conference I was fine. The last week was crazy. We just did lots of things preparing for the field and meeting and had not that many Spanish lessons so we al felt like nothing was getting done and wanted to leave But so Monday all of the people that were leaving to other countries left, that was really sad. Two sisters from our district left. Then we got up and left at 8. We had to say bye to the 3 elders that were going to the central mission, they got on a different bus. That was really hard. Our district leader who is from Arizona was in the group going to central. He was a really nice guy. He kind of reminded me of Jon Anderson a little. So that was sad. But some really sweet elders are going to our mission. So we went to the president’s house on Tuesday and we had training and things and his wife fed us and we kind of got to relax with everybody for a little at night. There apartment is awesome. It’s in a skyscraper on the 12th floor. They have a deck that over looks a soccer field, so I watched some people play soccer. Oh by the way I get an hour to write now instead of only 30 min. But it was nice to be with my friends for one last day. We stayed at the AP´s house. There part of the house was nice but then we went out back to a shed type of thing. It was alright, felt like scout camp in a cabin. Then today we woke up and went to the meeting were most of the mission is there and finds out where your going and who your comp is. I was really nervous along with everybody else. They told us that most new missionaries get American comps, so that made me feel better. But then it began, I am with elder Rodriguez. And yes he is a Latino. He is from panama. People from panama talk way fast my old roommate was from there. He is cool so far though. He speaks a little English, enough to be able to describe the meaning of a word even if he doesn’t know it. He hates English though so he tries not to learn or speak it. My Spanish is okay. We just went over to this members house who feeds us for two meals a day. I could kind of understand their conversations. Oh but before that we went to our apartment. AHHHHHH. Crazy. It would be nice but the people before us were filthy. Disgusting. We have some serious cleaning to do. They left trash everywhere and a full sink of dirty dishes and I looked at the planner book and it was just crumpled with papers and things. Not organized. Like way crazy. Gross. SO that is going to be fun cleaning up after them. I don’t really know what this area is like. My comp said that it is a really nice area of town but while we walked to dinner I am pretty sure I heard 3 gunshots so idk. I’ve heard that this is one of the most dangerous places in the whole world like top 5 but people have never ever hurt the missionaries. We're way protected. Elder Lewis who is a huge guy is my old district who pitched in baseball in high school and is really strong, was freaking out. He is starting a new area in the city, and was told it is the straight up ghetto. An elder said there is an area they can’t go because it is the drug capital of Guatemala, which distributes up to Mexico y America. Crazy, most of the killings here though are just because of drugs and dumb things like that so we don’t have anything to do with it. It is kind of scary still walking around here with my comp, he has never been here and we both don’t really know where to go. They say its good area but good compared to what. It is a pretty poor area I think. I am in the mall right now emailing and is pretty run down. Its okay kind of like an idk, a market, with stores or something, there is a nice grocery store in here that has all the normal things. But my comp said there is no McDonalds, or and fast food or restraints or anything. There were tons of that by the ccm. Saying goodbye today to my district was weird; W all left the church and got in taxis to go to our areas. I missed elder hymas and didn’t get to say bye. Oh so an elder said that my elder hymas and elder Lewis are in my distinct. Elder hymas is my old comp and elder Lewis is elder hymas comp here. They were the AP’s. And all of our district expect for one hermana is in the same zone. I think somebody said this zone was struggling and so the president sent fresh blood to clean it up. Everyone seems to say something different about if you are here in the city a lot or not. One elder has been out almost a year and has only been in the city. Everyone calls it the cap, for capital. But they said that basically everywhere we will go is a city. There are really villages. Well there is but you live in the city and travel out there because their area covers villages and the cities. People love leaving the city though. I guess it just gets boring after a while in here. But its really hot most others places so there is good and bad things to both. I saw today my old roommates and old Latinos from the ccm here. They are here until there visas come for Argentina. One already left but the others haven’t. So idk what we’re going to do the rest of the day, track I guess. Nobody has really told me anything, it’s kind of weird. Idk if we have any investigators right now or if there are none and we just have to start tracking or what. Imp not really sure my comp knows either. He has never been here before. I guess well find out somehow. Oh pday is on Mondays now. But today they let me write since I missed it Monday. Wow it’s the 6th already time is flying. I can’t wait till cael is born. I’m not exactly sure how I can send pics home, I could hook my camera up to the computer but it would take forever to upload. Idk if I can send my card home because of people stealing mail and stuff. I can already feel my stomach turning from the dinner that we had. I tried to check and she had clean water to wash things and everything and a really nice house. The house on the outside was weird but you walked in and it was a legit nice American looking home. But I think I am just not used to the food. We get fed by the member for lunch and dinner, so idk what ill do for breakfast, I would just have cereal but I don’t think they have anything I can drink here. Oh and can you send me some more cream for my face, I ran out. And I stopped taking my pills a weeks or so ago thinking we would be getting malaria pills. But no one has said anything about it and we haven’t gotten any yet and I’m in the field so idk. That’s stinks that the cardinals aren’t doing good. Today we went to this fast food place for breakfast, and the TV had espn on it right in front of us. My and elder hymas and elder Lewis were going crazy. It was weird, we tried not to watch but it was right there. And the top ten plays came on. This area we are in seems weird, we were walking down the street and there was nobody there. Then one street over there is a really big busy road, then were crossed it and now were in the mall and there are people but not like a lot. Like normal for like O’Fallon or less than that. I don’t think that anybody in this place owns carpet, everybody just has tiles. Besides the president house but he is the presidents and lives in probably one of the nicest apartments around. I don’t think I have anything else to say. Umm, don’t worry mom the missionaries have never been shot or mugged that much here. Oh so one rule here is that we can not drink caffeine here. The doctor of the mission proved through a study that it does nothing for our stomach. And water is fine. So all of Central America is not allowed to drink it. They said it is because members and investigators will follow after the missionaries and drink it all the time and even though it is only kind of part of the word of wisdom they want us to set the example of not drinking it. I don’t really care. Some elders in my district today were pretty mad though. Yesterday I was way surprised. Idk what was going on but at the aps house there was like 3 elders on their cells talking to people at like 1020. And it didn’t sound like it would be a member or something. I think elders here just call other elders just because and talk. Through the church our phones call every missionary here for free. I think we got to go now love you. I'm sure next week I’ll have some crazy stories to tell. Oh and so the elders that have been out for only 3 weeks all have a baptism and one 2. The goal is here two whole families a month. Our president stresses families because they can get sealed in the temple together. So that’s cold.

Goodbye, love you Elder Gardner