Indoor Pool!

Nothin' like living on the coast without some water right? Well on Saturday some parts of the zone and mission got 7 inches of rain and we were fortunate to have another flood!!!! (Can you tell I'm working on positivity? haha) Yes. I know. Might seem like a dejavu moment reading this email but we did have our second flood in the second week in a row. I can now tally the amount of floods in my house to 3 during my mission! I guess you could say I'm a good luck charm ;);)

     It's kind of a cool parable we could relate. The first time it flooded they tore out the carpet and replaced some things but I tried to mention that the flooding problem is still there. The sun is shining now so of course, the problem seems fixed, but when the rains come the same problem will result! The workers said that they fixed the problem outside so we should be fine. Well sure enough, when the "rains came down and the floods came up" the house with the missionaries washed away ;). We called in confusion, frustration, and sorrow that they had to come fix the same problem in the same spots only a week later! As I look at the work they did the second time, it seems as if they are getting to the "root" problem. 

     So how does that apply? Well repentance is a change. Repentance is doing something to avoid another thing in the future and to start getting closer to God. Repentance isn't just patching up what was broken and soggy, but it's to fix the root problem. 

     I think this principle is illustrated perfectly in Ether 12:27. I skip over these parts but read it again with this emphasis...

 "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

So. To sum that up. Weaknesses don't make us strong. Nope. Crazy to think, right? If weaknesses made us stronger I'd be squattin' 600 lbs, running 100ks every day, and still have enough energy to index a batch of 9,968 every day because I have A LOT of weaknesses! However, weaknesses are actually given to make us humble. THEN humility leads to Christ. Humility is the key that turns our will over to His and allows Christ to work in our lives. Once this enabling process begins and is continued through consistent and diligent efforts, THEN we are made strong through Christ's grace. 

     It's simple...the fastest way to the atonement is the path we need to take. The fastest way to repentance is the most rewarding trek we will take. There is NO OTHER plan other than the one that leads to Christ, repenting of our sins, and following him through covenants. That is something EVERYONE who will live with God will need to do. Period. That’s it. That's the amazing "secret" of the gospel: 

 Christ's atonement.

 Despite our little fiasco and flooding apartment, I can say that I've learned a lot from it and am looking for a permanent fix now haha. I'm done having soggy socks!

Love you all!

Elder Gardanier

 ALSO. Shout out to my sister and brother-in-law (Aimee and Hugh) for getting sealed! They deserve the world!!!