His homecoming report will be THIS Sunday, August 26 at 11:00am. The address is 1800 W Springwater Dr. (800 S).
Here are some last pictures before he leaves the Islands!
19 August 2012
Welcome Home Elder Gardner (ahem..Flint)!
Elder Flint Gardner is coming home this Friday! WHOOT WHOOT
His homecoming report will be THIS Sunday, August 26 at 11:00am. The address is 1800 W Springwater Dr. (800 S).
Here are some last pictures before he leaves the Islands!
His homecoming report will be THIS Sunday, August 26 at 11:00am. The address is 1800 W Springwater Dr. (800 S).
Here are some last pictures before he leaves the Islands!
18 April 2012
18 April 2012
14 April 2012
14 April 2012
Quick update for me is that General conference was absolutly amazing! I can't believe it's the last one I'll ever have in Hawaii as a missionary! But what better way to spend it then in the home with President and Sister Dalton. It was so spiritual, and with the knowledge I now have it was magnificent. I get what they are trying to convey and instill in the hearts of the members. I understand the vocabulary and etc. So know that I'm doing fantastic! Tomorrow we'll be doing the 1 day training for the entire mission but broken into different groups That way in 4 days of the same training we can train the entire mission. It's on the 8 Fundamental principles of how to become a better teacher. I remember when they did this over a year and a half ago. haha now I'm the one training. What a neat experience once again that I get. I'm still learning so much. Right now I'm focusing on being consistent in the love for others
It was quite rewarding as a few missionaries called me today after general conference sharing how what I had taught them on there exchange really has set there mission and they were able to really understand General Conference at a deeper level. What better music could a red head hear.
love you tons
Your fav redheaded son
Elder Big Red (Gardner) as Uncle John (President Dalton) would say haha
It was quite rewarding as a few missionaries called me today after general conference sharing how what I had taught them on there exchange really has set there mission and they were able to really understand General Conference at a deeper level. What better music could a red head hear.
love you tons
Your fav redheaded son
Elder Big Red (Gardner) as Uncle John (President Dalton) would say haha
13 February 2012
13 February 2012
Where do I even try to begin!? haha but I'll do my best to recap you on the last few weeks. As you know Elder Woodfield and I created our transfer plan of the Elders we're going to go with. We're focusing on the 6 months and younger ones to get them started on the right note. We haven't gone on to many exchanges due to Zone Conference this last week. But we at least manage to go to their nightly planning.
Zone Conference has been absolutely amazing! I've now given the same training 4 times in a row and will be doing it another 3 more times this coming week. But it's such a spiritual high all the time. Plus I'm with the some awesome Elders all the time not to mention Pres and Sister Dalton. Zone Conference usually lasts around from 8:00- 2:00 or 10:00 to 4:00. Elder Menlove and Coffin are training on the importance of Time management and planning effectively. It's a way sick training! Elder Menlove has a person come up and we list off what we do in a day. So he puts a bunch of tennis balls in a container till it's full and asks everyone if it is this full? ...Nope.... then we continue to list things we do in a day and he puts now marbles inside and asks is it full? ...Nope... Then we list even more stuff and pulls out air soft bb's and pours them in. So by now its packed full! But he still says its not full and pours a big water bottle to fill it all up. and says our day is not full until we have the Doctrine of Christ instilled in every planned activity we go to in building the kingdom of God. Now it's full and we can't accomplish this unless we have effective planning by first putting in our biggest priorities. It's Training more in detail but it's fantastic! It grabs everyone attention.
Then Sister Dalton gives a wonderful talk. She called all her son's and son in law's and asked them how the mission has affected the rest of there life. So it was great to hear how all these skills learned will affect us in the next life after our mission. I can already see it, like for one thing I'm not scared to talk to everyone or anyone. My confidence has climbed that's for sure. Not that I'm thinking about it but I won't be scared to talk to a random girl when I get home if you know what I mean haha. Anyways everything directly relates in being able to have a successful future! That's a whole other email though. So Sister Daltons talk is fantastic!
After which we have lunch and then I train on how to invite people. We need to work on making direct invitations. or giving an invitation out of no where and scaring their investigators. So my title is called " Commitment Is The Thread by Which Covenants are Woven." I first start by sharing why invitations are important and how it fulfills our purpose as a missionary. But my training is more based on how we can make them more effective. So I show them 3 examples of how most missionaries invite. 2 are horrible examples and 1 is perfect. The first one is Elder Woodfield trying to get me to eat some Pie but he's way hesitant, mumbles. Double invites, lack of confidence etc... then we discuss why is this a bad example. Then we relate it to when we invite our investigators and how they feel when we present the gospel this way. Next is when Elder Menlove comes into the room and just directly asks if I want some pie. and with out me answering he throws the pie into me face having it go every where. and we relate it to how sometimes when we teach and at the end of the lesson we randomly ask them to get baptized out of no where and it comes unexpected like a pie in the face and they don't enjoy it nor want more. The 3rd example is when I'm at Pres Dalton's house and they say" wait just one second and Elder Menlove, Coffin, and Woodfield leave and in a matter of seconds set the table, with a plate of pie, tucking a napkin in my shirt, and asking me if I'd please eat some pie. and I enjoy it and want more. It's pretty funny! I so want to show you the video, it makes it all the better. But then I show an example how we can prepare our investigators for our invitations by the commitment triangle which you'll find on the paper in the attachment. It's a pretty funny training.
Zone Conference has been absolutely amazing! I've now given the same training 4 times in a row and will be doing it another 3 more times this coming week. But it's such a spiritual high all the time. Plus I'm with the some awesome Elders all the time not to mention Pres and Sister Dalton. Zone Conference usually lasts around from 8:00- 2:00 or 10:00 to 4:00. Elder Menlove and Coffin are training on the importance of Time management and planning effectively. It's a way sick training! Elder Menlove has a person come up and we list off what we do in a day. So he puts a bunch of tennis balls in a container till it's full and asks everyone if it is this full? ...Nope.... then we continue to list things we do in a day and he puts now marbles inside and asks is it full? ...Nope... Then we list even more stuff and pulls out air soft bb's and pours them in. So by now its packed full! But he still says its not full and pours a big water bottle to fill it all up. and says our day is not full until we have the Doctrine of Christ instilled in every planned activity we go to in building the kingdom of God. Now it's full and we can't accomplish this unless we have effective planning by first putting in our biggest priorities. It's Training more in detail but it's fantastic! It grabs everyone attention.
Then Sister Dalton gives a wonderful talk. She called all her son's and son in law's and asked them how the mission has affected the rest of there life. So it was great to hear how all these skills learned will affect us in the next life after our mission. I can already see it, like for one thing I'm not scared to talk to everyone or anyone. My confidence has climbed that's for sure. Not that I'm thinking about it but I won't be scared to talk to a random girl when I get home if you know what I mean haha. Anyways everything directly relates in being able to have a successful future! That's a whole other email though. So Sister Daltons talk is fantastic!
After which we have lunch and then I train on how to invite people. We need to work on making direct invitations. or giving an invitation out of no where and scaring their investigators. So my title is called " Commitment Is The Thread by Which Covenants are Woven." I first start by sharing why invitations are important and how it fulfills our purpose as a missionary. But my training is more based on how we can make them more effective. So I show them 3 examples of how most missionaries invite. 2 are horrible examples and 1 is perfect. The first one is Elder Woodfield trying to get me to eat some Pie but he's way hesitant, mumbles. Double invites, lack of confidence etc... then we discuss why is this a bad example. Then we relate it to when we invite our investigators and how they feel when we present the gospel this way. Next is when Elder Menlove comes into the room and just directly asks if I want some pie. and with out me answering he throws the pie into me face having it go every where. and we relate it to how sometimes when we teach and at the end of the lesson we randomly ask them to get baptized out of no where and it comes unexpected like a pie in the face and they don't enjoy it nor want more. The 3rd example is when I'm at Pres Dalton's house and they say" wait just one second and Elder Menlove, Coffin, and Woodfield leave and in a matter of seconds set the table, with a plate of pie, tucking a napkin in my shirt, and asking me if I'd please eat some pie. and I enjoy it and want more. It's pretty funny! I so want to show you the video, it makes it all the better. But then I show an example how we can prepare our investigators for our invitations by the commitment triangle which you'll find on the paper in the attachment. It's a pretty funny training.
Elder Woodfield trains on the Power of One that if every active member in Hawaii was to refer just one friend that 5 1/2 stakes would be baptized this coming year.
Pres Dalton gives a money talk on the power of obedience which gets me every time!
It's such a blessing to be around such an amazing leader and learn from him so much. He's so well rounded in every which way. I just hope I can get everything out of this experience I can. I've learned so much about leadership.
Also on a side note that came to mind. I've been able to be around Elder Melvill who's in Grandma and Grandpa Gividen's ward. He's way tight and will probably be a future AP and for sure a Zone leader. He's awesome. We'll I pretty much love me life! I'm absolutely exhausted but satisfied! I've seen some amazing miracles and a lot of new investigators between Elder Woodfield and I. Our goal is to find 2 new investigators every exchange, and work there butt off. I got to see a few members from Ka'u today when I was on the big island. I just flew back earlier this evening. It was so exciting! I can't wait to go back to Ka'u!!!! All I did was talk about ka'u with the Elders that are serving there and caught up on everything. Lesli Smith my first Convert is the Primary President right now haha she's so solid. Gone through the temple and everything.
We'll my mind is blank and I got to go to help the other Elders with numbers tonight! love you tons!
Elder Gardner!
02 February 2012
2 February 2012
We got a phone call this last week from Flint's Mission President. It was a wonderful call. He is making him an AP staring this Tuesday. In that Mission they have 2 sets of AP's. The first set is in the Mission Office and helps the President. The second set is called Traveling AP's which is what Flint was called to do. He and His companion will travel around the whole mission doing training in splits to help reach a higher level of missionary work. He will fly out every Sunday Night to an area/Island work with that area and fly home (home will be in a double wide trailer with the other AP's across the street from the Mission Office) Friday night. Sunday he will attend church with the other AP's in Honolulu and then fly out again Sunday night to another area. The Mission President said that it was a very rigorous schedule and he will be exhausted. He will see all of the Hawaiian Islands. He was so nice he said Flint had the respect of all the Elders in the Mission and he only sends the best of the best. So as parents we are grateful for his dedication to the Lord.
Aloha!
It's been amazing to see how far Nisha has come from when I first met her now that she is Baptized. She truly has a completely different spirit about her! All her friends keep asking us, "what did you do to her, she's so open, happy, and engaging." And because of this great example she's portraying, She's now brought 5 of her friends to be actively taught by us missionaries. 2 of them have a baptismal date. What a person I'll never forget, along with the elect, "ayuko Takabayashi" She was a great baptism to finish the transfer.
Elder Gardner
Aloha!
It's been amazing to see how far Nisha has come from when I first met her now that she is Baptized. She truly has a completely different spirit about her! All her friends keep asking us, "what did you do to her, she's so open, happy, and engaging." And because of this great example she's portraying, She's now brought 5 of her friends to be actively taught by us missionaries. 2 of them have a baptismal date. What a person I'll never forget, along with the elect, "ayuko Takabayashi" She was a great baptism to finish the transfer.
Elder Gardner
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