Survived the Hurricane

The sky was covered...this was at noon 

Some days you wake up and your hair has gone back to the 80's....

9-1-15

well here's the scoop.

What a week to talk about!

well after six weeks in doral, I'M GETTING TRANSFERRED :( super sad I really like this area but I said, "i'll go where you want me to go"

well this last week saw a really neat miracle. so I was on exchange into another area, with the DL, and we were in a lesson with Maria their investigator. She is hands down, probably the sweetest person I've ever met in my life, right behind gram. She's been super sad about her daughter who passed away from an overdose at a new years party about a year and a half ago. She's absolutely loved the missionaries, and has been just loving the lessons with them. we were in a lesson with her, and she said, I'm just not sure, about all of these things. and my daughter, with everything that she had done, will she be ok? it was at just about that moment, when she said that, that a thought came to my mind which wasn't my own, and then I told her: ya know, in the bible we read about Christ going to preach to those that were dead, who did a lot of bad stuff. Because I know you, I know that your daughter has been taught the same things that we are teaching you now, and that she has accepted them. and because I know that us missionaries are guided by the spirit. I have no doubt that because of your daughter, the missionaries have been sent to you, so that you can be taught the same things that she was taught. as I was saying that the spirit filled the room, probably the strongest that I've ever felt on my mission. Maria started crying, and she said, I know this is where god needs me to be. I know it. i'll be at church on sunday and i'm getting baptized. I haven't any doubt that that was the spirit talking to maria. mostly because there was so much silence, yet, so much learning going on. I could just see the change coming over her as we were sitting there waiting. it was amazing!!!

 

As well, we survived a hurricane!!!!

at least, If you can count a hurricane going of course and missing you as surviving it :) haha

No? oh darn ok.

yeah, this past week, we got a text from the mission president telling the whole mission to make sure that we had all of our storm prep stuff up to date. and then he told us a bit later that there was an expected hurricane on I think sunday, and then we got the report that it went completely off course, and we didn't get anything but a bit of rain and lightning. Sweet miracle and blessing.

Well, I love you guys! talk to you later.

Elder Wardell

 

Zone Conference and saying Goodbye...

Longtime mission friend, Sister Ferrari

Got to say goodbye to Elder Cobabe (my second companion) 

8-24-15

Weeell here's the scoop. We had a zone conference this last week, it was cool, I got to see a ton of people. we talked about a lot of cool stuff! Elder Cobabe, who was my second companion, gave his departing testimony, because he's going home in about a week and a half, as well as another sister who I was in the MTC with. Which means, that as of last Thursday, ole Elder Wardell is just that. OLD jaja. In less than six months now there won't be anymore scoop. Crazy how fast the time flies!!!!!

Well there's a super cool thought I want to share.

So there are times on the mission where you work super duper whooper hard, and not a lot happens (or so it seems) (hint hint) that might or might not be going on now. however, as a super wise missionary companion taught me, success isn't determined by the numbers, nor by the amount of people we baptize. President Joseph Fielding Smith served a full mission in England. And didn't baptize a single person. (mind you this was right around the time of his call as an apostle) if success were determined by how many baptisms we had, then i'm pretty sure one of the prophets of the church, would have been able to baptize thousands.

so yes. Success in the mission, is based on the commitment to serve, and be obedient. in life, success is determined by obedience to the gospel, and how much we serve our father in heaven.

Well, I love yall! take care.

Elder Wardell

got to say hi to this goofball, love Elder Bedke

Got to say hi to Papa Navieras

cool adverstisement...yes the sign moves

Mother bird...

8-17-15

(Note from mom: No pictures this week) 

WEEEEEELL here's the shcoop.

So this last week was pretty different haha.

So, Elder Lemmon and I live with 2 other Elders from another district, and they are on bikes, we are in a car. (miraculously for some kinda somehow, I haven't gained a pound) but because they are on bikes, we take a bit of compassion on them and give them a lift once in a while to where they need to go, and one of the other 2 Elder's is this really funny greenie from Utah. We were goin along, and he just outta the blue gave us the code name mother bird cuz we were in the car. so that's been the new joke is that we are mother bird, and they are alpha team.

anyways we got a call from the other two one night asking to come pick them up because the greenie, kinda crashed into a pole. haha so our night got rather interesting, because we went to pick them up and we brought them home. and it started raining. then we get a worried call from our sisters in our district, and they were alittle worried cuz they were at the chapel teaching a lesson, and apparently these drunk kids wandered in and started acting dumb. fortunately their member was able to get the kids to leave, but that left them alone with their investigator, and he couldn't leave after they finished because of the rain, and they couldn't leave because he couldn't leave and they were there alone with him, without a brother from the ward, because he left to chase the drunkards away, and so they called us and we hurried on over there. and we get there after driving through noahs flood, (visibility was almost at 0 because of the rain) and we finally get there, all is well, he manages to leave because the rain lets up right as we get there, we double checked the chapel to make sure everything is ok, and then we make it home. just to be informed that we had to go back out! haha to go email some photos of the greenies face, and pick up a couple things for him. all in all it was an adventuresome night!

Something that smacked me in the face this last week was an interesting though about change.

we aren't accustomed to changing things, because we live in a world of personalization. tailor the suit, organize the phone the way you want it, customization etc. for that reason, it's completely understandable how so many times we meet people who carry this same thing over to religion. "Eh we just didn't like this church, because of this and that" or " I really like this church, because it agrees with what I think"  however that loses sight of a key factor, God is perfect, and doesn't make mistakes. We can't tailor HIS church to fit us. He has given us HIS church to help us change, and be the best we can bit to fit it. in doing so we truly will become better people. That's his promise.

well I love yall! gotta run.

Elder Wardell

Patience....

 Pday activity--made shirts , this is my favorite cuban saying...

 mission life...

 yum...

Found a lizard skeleton under the couch...shoe goo made him a keepsake....

8-10-15

weeeeeell here's da shcoop

so this last week we had a really zone activity we spray painted our own custom t-shirts, and it was super cool. then we played a ton of smash face!

so this past week we were working really hard to find people, we've been going through a bit of a dry spell, but these things happen. the important thing is to just keep on truckin and remember that the gospel is true no matter what and that we never know what goes on on the other side of a door, or the phone, and that most importantly, the lord has so many more people out there that are prepared. How many billions of people are there in the world? how many people's situations are changing every minute? haha I don't think we could put a number on it. that's why it's important to always remember faith and patience and to never give up. another person to introduce the gospel to could be right around the corner and if we give up, we wouldn't find them. and they would have to wait for who knows how much longer to receive the gospel. And many of times that wait isn't just a week or a month. I heard a story from another missionary of this old guy in their stake that got up one sunday to bear his testimony, to a group of young people. the man was baptiezed about 5 years prior to when he spoke, and he said to the group, that he wanted to share with them a line from his patriarchal blessing. in it he said "you would have joined the church many years ago, but the missionary that would've taught you, didn't go on a mission".

The missed opportunites that we have might not come back around for a LONG time That is why things like exact obedience and always working hard must always be practiced.

Well, I love you guys! can't wait to talk to you all next week.

Elder Wardell

 

PHOTOS

05custom shirt (complete with my favorite Cuban saying)

06

07not washable so now it's a nice decoration

08 Missionary life collection

09YUM

11 so we moved a couch. found a lizard skeleton. I had some shoe goo, so we  made a keepsake :) hahaha

A Dry spell in Florida....

Elder Tenney is my Zone Leader, I got to go on exchanges with him.

 First time I have served with him my whole mission. 

(Elder Tenney was one of Elder Wardell's companions in the CCM in Mexico) 

8-3-14

Well this will be a short one this week.

So this last week really wasn't the greatest week for a missionary haha.

our investigator pool is bonedry right now, and this last week was filled with a lot of knocking and not a whole lot of teaching. We can't teach until we find. It's ok though. There are so many things that missionaries do not see in the preaching of the gospel. President told us a story a short time ago of a man who had the missionaries knock on his door, and when they introduced themselves, he angrily said NO and slammed the door in their face. (Imagine what the missionaries probably said or thought) they had NO CLUE what happened next. the man goes into his house, and a little bit later was thinking about what he had done, and realized how bad he felt for treating those two young men that way. they had wanted to share a simple message about Jesus Christ, and he blew them right off. The man knelt down and said a prayer to god wherein he said, "father, i'm sorry for what I just did, and I pray that I will have the opportunity to make it right with those two young men" many years go by and there's a knock at his door from the missionaries. the man opens and when the missionaries say they are there to share a message from Jesus Christ the man says, Come right in. He was baptized a short while later. the point of that story is that we never quite know what we do for all of those that we meet. all of those that seem "ridiculous they will never join the church". It is for THIS reason, that it is always important to live the gospel always, and set a righteous example. My favorite church song says it the best.

"Love one another as Jesus loves you"

Well I love you all!

God bless! Live the Gospel, and porfavor, Help the missionaries.

Elder Wardell

Someone took "skinny cow" to a whole new level, 

Elder Lemmon and I felt pretty sad about it...

We thought we heard something dragging under the car....

Welcome to Hialeah and all Spanish....

Elder Lemmon

Last day in Blue Lagoon.... 

7-27-15

So here's what's new.

OYE CHICO! Que bola hacere! jajaja I'm finally in the Hialeah zone. I'm in an area that's completely Cuban! haha literally there's like no English here. actually since my first area, this is the first time that I've been in a straight all Spanish ward! super excited about that. So I

transferred down here, i'm with Elder Lemmon now. He's from texas, and he's really cool. He actually came in with elder Hansen who I got to see at transfers this last transfer meeting. that was really exciting. aslo speaking of transfers, another one of my former companions just went home. :( elder marshall went home at the end of the transfer before this last one, and then elder Park just gave his last testimony at transfer meeting, along with all the other dying missionaries. it's ok though. I've really been blessed on my mission with my companions. I've not had a companion that I didn't like. it's really nice. Well we are finally back in rainy season here. haha it's poured a TON every day since Wednesday. on Saturday the weather was straight bi polar. just couldn't make up it's mind on whether or not It wanted to pour or sprinkle. it would pour, sprinkle, pour, flood, then the sun would come out, and then it would be floodwater again, and all of this in aobut five minutes. (i'm serious) weather is weird in florida hahaha.

 

Well, when elder lemmon and I were driving home from transfers, he informed me that we had a baptism coming up in the ward, so it was really nice to be able just come into an area and immediately baptize two people! :) haha they have worked with the missionaries already for a long time and finally made the decision to get baptized. it was great.

Well, I love yall, this is the scoop for this last week! love ya

talk to you next week

Elder Wardell.

Elder Pukahi, he's back home in Hawaii now....

Mi Hijo....Elder Hansen, Elder Wardell 

Locking the blue Lagoon house....  :(

So long Blue Lagoon...

This is why I will miss Elder Bedke..foot soak during study time...

7-21-15

so speaking of scoop, haha we literally got "a scoop" of ice cream at church. not quite sure where that came from but yeah!

Sooo, This is transfer week, aaaaaaand, I"M STAYING AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WITH ELDER BEDKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...is not what the transfer call said. hahaha i wish that it was the case, but sadly elder bedke and i are both transferring out of Blue lagoon. We are actually pretty sure that it's just getting combined with the other blue lagoon area, because the ward boundaries were just changed, and the ward got cut almost in half. So we are pretty sure that Blue Lagoon east and west will just be Blue Lagoon now. So sad! six of the happiest months of my life were spent here and it's now come to and end. :( it's like i just got here! and now it't poooof vanished away, anyway before any of you all get trunky for me, i'll give you a cool rundown of what we had cooking this last week. 

So, we had sweet maria, who is getting baptised this weekend! she came to church this wee and absolutely loved it! haha she's super excited for her baptism. so excited in fact that when we were in sunday school she smiled and looked at us and started pointing, when the teacher pulled out the painting of christ being baptised. And then she also told me that i was whiter than milk in our lesson with her. :) haha she's such a sweet old lady. doesn't qutie have a filter betweeen her mind and her mouth! :) haha

Well sadly, i'm outta time so i gotta cut this short. :( but i love you all! and miss yall.

Elder Wardell

 Sky

 Trolling on Elder Gomez...

Rough day.....