Sept 29th

Carol,

Oh my gosh!!! How exciting for Haylie! A new addition and passing all of her exams. You will have to tell her congrats for me! What a cute pic. Marie has got a knack for such things.

I got your dear elder on Wed. along with the package. Thanks! It was way cute. I loved it. The greenie stuff was a fun idea. So the dear elders do work I just don't get them as fast as I would if I were in the MTC. But thats ok. Its the thought that counts!

You had a lot of parents for parent teacher conference. That's great! Less stress of hunting down parents and such. 

I'm glad that someone was able to take care of your lawn. When someone came and took care of the leaves in the ditch in front of my house in Price I was very greatful!. It lets you know someone cares and that God really is watching out for us.

Ottowa is big. I get around by car. Which in nice but bad because of my motion sickness. But it is definitely better than walking. We use a GPS a lot. So if you could help remember to send me mine that would be great. When Sister Morris goes the GPS goes too. 

It is very green still. The leaves are just starting to change for fall. Since there are trees everywhere that will be very beautiful when it happens. The weather hasn't been too cold yet. So I haven't had to get a coat yet. My companion might give me hers when she leaves so I will have to see if it fits. If not I will be buying one in the next couple of weeks.

I was able to watch the broadcast! The talks where very nice! It was nice to have a break from the teaching! Pres. Uchtdorf always gives wonderful talks. He always knows just what to say. 

I'm thankful for the wonderful examples I've had in my life on being the best women I can possibly be.

Well I hope everything goes well this next week.

Love you!
Cassy

More thoughts of the week:

Why do I need to serve a mission? This week after I said a prayer, a song I had never heard played on the ipod. I don't know who sang it or what it was called but it talked about missions. Some of the words are "I'd never been the kind to testify, but I have a willing heart and hands to serve. He calls me to serve and I can't fail him. How can I keep this gift to myself when I can lift somebody else. My future is in his hands and he makes me all that I am. Seeing lives change to never be the same. The power is real so I must not be still. Faith in him causes the truth to speak." Those aren't exact words but they gave me great comfort. The Gospel is the greatest gift we have received. I love to give things to people so why not the Gospel. Its our duty no matter where we are. Mine right now is here in Canada. I may never know why I needed to serve a mission but I know the Lord will bless me and it will be worth it in the end!

From Ottawa

Well hello everyone! What a week it has been. We have been so busy with apointments and service projects. It has made me very tired. We helped a sister in the ward paint her bathroom, and we helped a family with cleaning their house for a party. They had just moved in so there was a lot to do. We have been seeing our investigators. They have had a lot of struggles come up. So we've been helping them work through them. It's amazing what people will tell you. They sometimes just pour their hearts out to you. I wish I knew how to comfort them. I guess just being with them helps.

We spend our days working with members to find investigators. We've been pushing for member missionary work. So basically they find the people and we just help teach them. I've only had to knock on doors once since I got here. Lucky for me the people were very nice! 

We have a car that we get around the area with. My area is the South side of Ottowa.

The weather has been nice. The trees are all starting to turn for the fall colors. It has been beautiful. I love this fall weather. So I hope it lasts for awhile! I hope I don't need a coat to soon!

To answer the question about the stuffed animals from when I first got here. Emily just let us use them for the night. We left them on our beds the next morning for her to pick up. It was very sweet of her! So no worries we didn't take them :)

I met a lady at the women's broadcast that knew where Roosevelt was. She said she had even heard of Altamont. So that was exciting! It made me miss home though!

I am starting to adjust to missionary life. Its coming little by little. But I know that by the time I get home it will be wierd not to have someone with me all the time.

Steph-Did you see the broadcast? Sister Burton I believe spoke some Korean :)

I love you all and hope you all have awesome weeks!

​Pics of teachers. Next week I will do one with my companion.

First photos from Canada

Letter arrived to the parents from the Mission President!

Dear Sister Gardner,
Sister Cassandra Jo Gardner has arrived!  We are so pleased to welcome her into the Canada Montreal Mission.  We met her and spent time getting to know her at the mission home before she was assigned.  Sister Gardner's first assignment is in the Ottawa Stake and her first companion is Sister Hanann Morris, whom we have prayerfully selected to be Sister Gardner's trainer.

We want to thank you for entrusting Sister Gardner to us.  It is a sacred privilege to share experiences and testimony with those we meet.  We know Sister Gardner will work hard both mentally and physically, build relationships of trust with companions, members, and investigators, and experience God in her life.  Through such service, she will mature in remarkable ways.

We will stay close to Sister Gardner throughout her mission through personal interviews and other meetings.  If you have any concerns at any time during the mission, please do not hesitate to contact us by letter, phone or e-mail.

May you share in and feel the blessing of Sister Gardner's service.

Sincerely,
President Victor P. Patrick & Sister Elizabeth F. Patrick

What a big group of missionaries to arrive at one time!

President Patrick took the missionaries to the Mount Royal which overlooks the city of Montreal. They read section 4 from the D&C all about missionary work on how the field is ready to harvest while gazing at the city before us. 

Afterwards they gathered together in the mission office and were assigned trainers and first areas!

With President and Sister Patrick

Tell me about Ottawa!

Ottawa is the capital of Canada and the fourth-largest city in the country at a population of 883,391. It stands on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario.

According to the internet, Ottawa is about 2 1/2 hours away from Montreal.

Where is the Canada Montreal Mission?

Here is a map of the area that is in the Canada Montreal Mission!

Ottawa!

Hey everyone,

So I actually ended up leaving Quebec and coming to Ottowa. I am speaking English right now which has been a nice change! There a many invistigators to learn their names. That has been a bit difficult. But it will come. We met with a new investiagtor last night. He had many questions! We were able to set up a following appoitment. 2 more mircales that happeneed this week were when we went to a town called Wenchester we were able to contact a less active member that we hadn't seen in a long time. This was the first time in a long while that someone caught her home. She said she is very busy but we are more than welcome to stop by and see if she is home when we are in town.

The second miracle is a lady named Shirly. She has met with the missionaries before but always went away. But she says this time is different. She really feels like this is what she is suppose to be doing. Yesterday she told us she wanted to be baptised. So that was exciting news!

My companions name is Sister Morris. She is from Springville, Utah. I will be her last companion before she goes home in December. So that will be excited. For those of you from Price/Springville she knows Monica Parkinson.

So Emery County peeps do you know a Lee Wilstead? His parents are Dean and Carol Wilstead and he grew up in Lawrence I think in Emery County. He and his family are here in Ottowa. Small world. I come to Canada to meet people from Utah.

I hope everything is going well with you all!

Soeur Gardner

Another note to Carol:

I'm glad my letter came through. I have not recieved the package yet but it could be in Montreal. I don't have a lot of access to the mail right now and as far as I know I don't have an address here for you to send things to. Email is probably best.

How is school going? This week sounds like it will be crazy for you! Time flies when you are busy so this week will be over faster that you think!

This is going to be a short note sorry!

Love you and thanks for the thoughts from the dedication. Love you!

Cassy

Greenie Package

Two weeks ago, we mailed a "greenie" package to Sister Cassy Gardner.  Our hopes were that the package would be there waiting for her at the mission home in Montreal.  (We need to see how long a package takes to arrive.)  

It was an experience seeing the custom form that you fill out due to sending to another country.  The price of sending a package takes your breath away as well!  :-)

We hope this brings a smile to Cassy's face when it does arrive and that she will know how much she is loved and thought of.

Packing the package .....

What went into the package is shown above!