David Gardiner: The Priesthood Difference

David Gardiner is a firm believer in using the priesthood often. “Priesthood power is the greatest blessing I could have in this life,” he says emphatically. “I wish I had always known of this great power for good.”

David and Linda Gardiner have been members of the Church since October 1969. At the time, they were living temporarily away from their native Canada in London, England. Two missionaries met Linda in a laundromat and later called on the family. The Gardiners were baptized in the Hyde Park Chapel just days before returning to Canada.

The parents of four children, David and Linda now make their home in St. Catharines, Ontario, “just down the road” from Niagara Falls.

David is president of a company that operates seagoing vessels carrying grain, coal, and other commodities throughout the Great Lakes and to ports in Europe, South America, and elsewhere. He has also been serving as bishop of the St. Catharines Ward. He is known for a ready smile, a good sense of humor, and the ability to delegate—or, as he says, “building a good team and letting them go to work.”

“My real understanding of delegating to others came when I began to understand the priesthood,” says Bishop Gardiner. “It greatly expanded my sense of the good that can be done by others.”

“When I learned how to use the priesthood, we began in our family to give priesthood blessings. I think that’s the key. We’ve learned to use and be directed by the Spirit. We don’t do anything really significant as a family without first going to the Lord, and if it’s appropriate, we exercise a priesthood blessing. That really makes a difference for us.”