Soeur Gardner's Caribbean Adventures

Bonjour mes amis! This was a crazy week, and today is my last day in Guadeloupe... tomorrow I'll be heading over to Barbados!! Leaving Guadeloupe is very hard, I love this place so much and I especially love these people! I'm trying not to focus too much on the sadness though-- unfortunately a part of missions is one day having to say goodbye, but there are also countless blessings to focus on!  One of the best parts of this week was getting to be in Barbados for a few days for Mission Leadership Council. It was one of the most spiritual meetings amongst missionaries that I've attended my whole mission! Us, the other companionship of sister training leaders, and the zone leaders from the other 7 or so islands flew in. It was a powerful bunch and we received a lot of revelation for our mission to reach our vision of having a stake and a temple here one day!! I learned a lot of things that will help me better serve and love the missionaries around me and become a bett...

BONJOUR MES AMIS!! Hello!! So yes, as I mentioned in my last email, this week my companions and I are going to Barbados this week for a Mission Leadership Conference. It was only supposed to last a few days. BUT we got a call from my mission president today that I will actually be TRANSFERRED to Barbados in 2 weeks probably for the rest of my mission to replace a sister who is going home! It'll be quite the adjustment because the English islands are pretty different from the French islands, but I'm really excited for the opportunity to discover and come to love Barbados even more!! My companion will be Sister MacDonald and I'm excited, I know her a little bit from exchanges a few months ago and it'll be a blast! BUT I really have to profit from this last little bit I have speaking French in Guadeloupe, because I'm reaallyy going to miss it!  Anyways, this week was really incredible. On Monday we taught a family home evening to a family that has been comi...

Bonjour mes amis!!! First thing first, conference was absolutely amazing. One of the major themes I noticed was JOY and how we can find joy in our lives. I think that joy is found in living the Gospel simply-- I find myself overcomplicating things sometimes, comparing myself to others, etc-- but living the beautifully basic truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ creates our own little sanctuaries of joy amongst this kinda crazy world! I also noticed how they spoke about how important our personal commitment to the Gospel is and being intentional about it. We gotta be all in!! I've already set some goals for myself and some changes to make in my life and I already feel a difference within myself and how much joy I feel. I think that as we continue seeking ways to improve our joy just gets fuller and fuller!!! :) In addition to conference, this was just a good week in general!! We met a lot of cool people this week and have been having a lot of fun in trio life!! Some highlight...