I finally figured out what I want to do with my life. I want to be a dissembler...you know. Someone who takes things apart and destroys things. Let me explain:
This past week we went back to Habitat for Humanity to do some volunteer work. This place is honestly a big stress reliever because they make money off of salvaging metals. So our charge is to disassemble whatever comes through and it is a grand ole time. I've gotten pretty good with a Philips screw driver--you can say that I'm a big deal ;)
However, the part that makes this place so worth it is the people. I made a new 82 year old best friend named Marshall. Our first week together I commented how I loved his button-up shirt. He looked confused to be hearing this from a millennial. Well, turns out Marshall has the biggest heart and that week he washed the shirt, he even air dried it, and he gave it to me in an authentic cardboard Nordstrom box. I considered that the highest honor at Habitat for Humanity. I love his example to me of service and charity.
And not only did he give me literally the "shirt off his back" but he also brought his band. He brought his trombone, a clarinet for my companion, and a tiny keyboard for me --only 5 of the 26 keys actually worked ;). We turned that warehouse into the streets of Louisiana as we played "When the Saints go Marching in." Catch us and Marshall touring the country for our album's debut.
Of course, this week flew by and it gave me so many memorable moments. One of them in particular came from church. Going to church here in the Downtown Richmond Branch is a surreal experience. Out of our 2 hour church, I think I stopped smiling only for 5 minutes of it...and that was to breath. There is something so special about the people here. They aren't perfect, they don't say their prayers perfectly, they don't wear the expected Sunday clothes either, and sometimes they call themselves "idiots" (and some other explicit words) as they try to take the sacrament and accidentally drop their water cup into all the other water cups in the tray. They take some of the unneeded culture of the church out and they can bring a sweet spirit. It reminds me of what Elder Ballard said this past conference when he emphasized the fact that "We are ultimately more alike than we are different." I know that the true race is between God's family and sin...not between us and our neighbor. These are just a few reasons why the Richmond Branch is so refreshing!
Also. Remember this timeless advice from Alma 59:9 that says, "It was easier to keep the city from falling...than to retake it from them." And to apply this to our individual lives, President Benson said, "It is better to prepare and prevent, than to repair and repent."
Love you all!
-Elder Gardanier
P.S. I tried to prank my companions by putting onions in their pillows to sleep on BUT it backfired and while I wasn't looking their switched the onions and now I can add to my count that I have slept on an onion without knowing...
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