Momma,
As always, this week was good and i learned a lot. first i am going to answer your questions. i got a letter from Beth and she told me she will be getting her big discount soon. since i have to have winter stuff this is what i need. a couple scarfs and hats (beanies) and long johns (just the bottoms) i have that jacket that we bought before i left and those sweaters you sent me are super good. i will buy gloves here so that i can pick some out that will be good for here and missionary work. i dont believe i need anything else. just tell her to pick some stuff out that will make me look super fresh but will also make people know I'm a missionary :) thank you. and the package you sent me was a really good one. the bread was sooooo good. everything was good. i loved the pictures, except they made me feel bad because now I'm just fat and not as good looking as i was way back then. haha so i went running this morning and my legs hurt super bad. but i feel good. so for the package you want to send me. just send it to the mission office because transfers are next week and I'm pretty sure I'm being transfered. so you can just wait a little longer to send it and send it there and ill pick it up at transfer meeting. thank you.
So there is this kid that i baptised a while ago and he is 9. but he has the most sincere prayers I've ever heard in my life. actually it rebukes me everytime i hear him because i know my prayers need to be like that. well his dad is in mexico and his mom is here and she is getting married to one of our investigators that shes been living with so that he can be baptised and she told us that he was having such a hard time with it and that he would always tell her that she cant marry him and stuff like that so she asked us to talk about it with him so we did and then we had him pray about it and ask god if everything is going to be ok so he did. the most amazing prayer i have ever heard in my entire life. well after the prayer he was super happy and he told us that god told him that everything is going to be ok and that his dad in mexico will still always be his dad. it was just such an amazing experience and strengthened my testimony on prayer. God is so aware and listens to everything. I LOVE IT!!!!!
So do you know how I've been telling people that I'm mexican? well now everyone is just giving me super hot food. this one family made a salsa made from habaneros which was super hot. there were a few people who couldnt even eat it but i took it like a man and represented for my family. and then this other family made a hot sause that was so hot that i started crying but i still ate it like a man....well a crying man. so i was building up my street cred with eating this super hot stuff and people were acknoweldging me as a 1/4 mexican. but then when i couldnt eat that stomach that i told you about last week it brought me back down to regular old white man status. so i was super sad about that. i have a long road ahead of me to bring myself back up to where i was before.
Do you all even like my stories? because you dont ever comment on them so i dont know if you just think they are lame and not worth talking about them or what. if you dont like them ill try and think of better ones. I'm trying to keep the super cool ones till after my mission so that people still wanna talk to me about my mission haha.
Yesterday in church the 6 missionaries sang a song in sacrament. we did super super good. even mixed it up a little to allow the spirit to really be there. the spirit was so strong and almost everyone was crying. well just the ones who arent hardened criminals were crying. so about half :) but we did really good and the spirit was really strong... this week has been super super cold and i was just super torqued at my comp because he wont ride bikes when its really cold so we walked everywhere and just wasted so much time doing that. we missed a lot of citas and i just feel like we didnt hardly get anything done. but oh well i guess. this week we should have better weather. and this week will go by super fast i think. lots of good things are happening here. thank you for your prayers on my behalf and my investigators. it really does help so much. I'm glad all is well with the fam. oh, the pictures turned out so good. my favorite one is the one with the whole family just hugging each other. i love my family super a lot. i know that the book of mormon is true and that it was written for us in this day so that we can become better and be prepared to live with god again. i know that Christ is our savior and that him and god really appeared to Joseph Smith. I'm thankful for this gospel and I'm grateful that we have an eternal family.
Elder Hardman
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011; Week 31
Indianapolis~
Momma,
What a good good good week. i dont even know where to start. it sounds like things are going super good for the family. i love my mission more then ever.
I dont know if i told you before but we set a date with hmo Figaroa finally and everyone here is just so excited. its really cool that he did it. just the simple fact that he would set a date says a lot about what we did. he has been taught for 7 years and his wife has been less active for longer then that. so we worked with her like crazy and she is finally getting solid again. this work is just awesome. he has a son who is 6 years old and weighs about 130lbs. while we were setting the date he was in the room trying to jump rope. hahahahahahaha oh my goodness. just picture a little fat kid that has no athletic ability at all trying to jump rope in the middle of a lesson. i could not stop laughing for the life of me. hahaha
Me and my companion are seeing a lot of success in our area. we are doing our best to change ourselves and be the missionaries god needs us to be and i think god is starting to trust us more with his children. we were able to get 5 more solid investigators this week which is really super cool because we have really been struggling finding new people. but we are starting to get better at not letting them run away from us. we have been told by at least two of the new ones that every one sees us and runs inside. super cool that everyone knows who we are.
So this week we had a member who came and told us that she is having troubles with her son. he doesnt want anything to do with the church and stuff like that so she asked us to come over one night and talk to him. so we did and he just reminded me of my self when i was young and dumb and didnt really like the church and didnt realize what my parents were doing for my. so we just started talking and asked him if he's been reading and praying and he said he never has before and then we talked about a lot of other stuff. the spirit is just so amazing because through the spirit i was able to discern what his real problem was with the church. he wouldnt tell us because his mom was right there. so then i just asked him " do you not want to be part of it because you feel like your parents are forcing you" he said yes so then i just bore down on pure testimony and personal experience. this kid really hit home with me. since Ive matured a bit i have realized how dumb i was at home and how disrespectful i was to you and dad. but untill then, untill i was talking to this kid i never really realized why you did the things you did and why you always pushed us to be better. its because you LLOOVVEE us. thank you so much for what you do for me. sorry for not realizing things while i was still at home. i talked to him again yesterday and he told me he has been reading. cool huh?
So one day we were tracting and we walked into this apt building and we were there for about 5 minutes and in that time there was about 7 people who knocked on this one door and for an exchange of money this little old mexican lady would give the underage kids cigerets or beer. it was super funny but supper bad at the same time. i wanted to knock on the door to make her feel like a horrible person when we talked about Jesus Christ but my comp wouldnt let me. oh another thing. we were doing service for a guy who is getting married/baptised next week and he brought out some soup for us and usually they make really good soup so i was excited to eat it. but it ended up being stomach of some animal. it smelt like something died and it tasted even worse. i took one bite and swallowed it and then i waited till he left. then i threw up and put all i could in a napkin and ran to the bathroom to flush it down the toilet. haha easily the most horrible thing i have ever had in my life. everytime i think about it i just get sick. so he walks back out a little later and sees that we both look sick and he just starts laughing and said that he knew we werent going to like it. haha rude huh?
Well momma i have got to go. i love you and i hope all goes well for you and the family this week. please tell Kenny happy birthday for me. and happy late birthday to you and dad as well. love you. the church is true. my testimony grows more and more everyday.
Elder Hardman
Momma,
What a good good good week. i dont even know where to start. it sounds like things are going super good for the family. i love my mission more then ever.
I dont know if i told you before but we set a date with hmo Figaroa finally and everyone here is just so excited. its really cool that he did it. just the simple fact that he would set a date says a lot about what we did. he has been taught for 7 years and his wife has been less active for longer then that. so we worked with her like crazy and she is finally getting solid again. this work is just awesome. he has a son who is 6 years old and weighs about 130lbs. while we were setting the date he was in the room trying to jump rope. hahahahahahaha oh my goodness. just picture a little fat kid that has no athletic ability at all trying to jump rope in the middle of a lesson. i could not stop laughing for the life of me. hahaha
Me and my companion are seeing a lot of success in our area. we are doing our best to change ourselves and be the missionaries god needs us to be and i think god is starting to trust us more with his children. we were able to get 5 more solid investigators this week which is really super cool because we have really been struggling finding new people. but we are starting to get better at not letting them run away from us. we have been told by at least two of the new ones that every one sees us and runs inside. super cool that everyone knows who we are.
So this week we had a member who came and told us that she is having troubles with her son. he doesnt want anything to do with the church and stuff like that so she asked us to come over one night and talk to him. so we did and he just reminded me of my self when i was young and dumb and didnt really like the church and didnt realize what my parents were doing for my. so we just started talking and asked him if he's been reading and praying and he said he never has before and then we talked about a lot of other stuff. the spirit is just so amazing because through the spirit i was able to discern what his real problem was with the church. he wouldnt tell us because his mom was right there. so then i just asked him " do you not want to be part of it because you feel like your parents are forcing you" he said yes so then i just bore down on pure testimony and personal experience. this kid really hit home with me. since Ive matured a bit i have realized how dumb i was at home and how disrespectful i was to you and dad. but untill then, untill i was talking to this kid i never really realized why you did the things you did and why you always pushed us to be better. its because you LLOOVVEE us. thank you so much for what you do for me. sorry for not realizing things while i was still at home. i talked to him again yesterday and he told me he has been reading. cool huh?
So one day we were tracting and we walked into this apt building and we were there for about 5 minutes and in that time there was about 7 people who knocked on this one door and for an exchange of money this little old mexican lady would give the underage kids cigerets or beer. it was super funny but supper bad at the same time. i wanted to knock on the door to make her feel like a horrible person when we talked about Jesus Christ but my comp wouldnt let me. oh another thing. we were doing service for a guy who is getting married/baptised next week and he brought out some soup for us and usually they make really good soup so i was excited to eat it. but it ended up being stomach of some animal. it smelt like something died and it tasted even worse. i took one bite and swallowed it and then i waited till he left. then i threw up and put all i could in a napkin and ran to the bathroom to flush it down the toilet. haha easily the most horrible thing i have ever had in my life. everytime i think about it i just get sick. so he walks back out a little later and sees that we both look sick and he just starts laughing and said that he knew we werent going to like it. haha rude huh?
Well momma i have got to go. i love you and i hope all goes well for you and the family this week. please tell Kenny happy birthday for me. and happy late birthday to you and dad as well. love you. the church is true. my testimony grows more and more everyday.
Elder Hardman
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011; Week 30
Indianapolis~
Momma,
As i pondered the things that i could tell you to help you feel at peace with your brothers death my mind kept going to the scripture D&C 18:10 "remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God. i have been thinking a lot about this scripture and a lot about Kirk and a lot about the tender mercies that god gives us when we are in need. i think that this, as sad as it is for the family and how he died \, was a tender mercy for him. he needed to get away from this life and his addiction so that he would be able to accept the gosple on the other side. another thing i was thinking about a lot in respects to you and trying to help you feel better was the tender mercy of the lord that was given to me when Elder Evans came. god knew that i was in need of something and he knew that the only person that was going to be able to help me was elder Evans and the things that he was inspired to say to me that day. if god is so aware of one missionary serving in Indiana. one missionary out of over 55000 that are serving in the world. if he was aware of me and my struggles how much more aware is he of that missionaries family and the things they are going through. momma, kirks soul was worth something to god. he was worth something to Jesus Christ because Christ suffered for him and for his addictions and for his pains. my soul is worth something and thats why he comforts me when i need it and your soul is great in the sight of god. he isnt going to leave you and your family alone right now. he is with you and aware of you. sorry this is a week late. i hope you feel good tho.
And Bryn, oh my heck. what is going on with her. I'm sure this is the reason why i havent gotten an email from you. its ok i understand. but whats gong on with her. i thought the medication was working for her? please let me know whats going on with her. she is in my prayers and Summer and James are as well. if something takes a bad turn will you please let me know?
This week has been a good one for me. we have a date with Figaroa. it is in December. we set it so far a way because he wants to make sure that his wife keeps coming to church., she has been pretty good about it so we will see what happens in December. unless i stay in this area another transfer i wont be here for it. i think I'm leaving tho. i dont think anyone has ever stayed in their first area for 5 transfers. vamos a ver. we are still working super hard with Hermana Marcos. she told us that she wants to learn more about the bible and how it works with the Book of Mormon so that she can be more confident in talking to her husband because at this time he still wont give us the time of day. Hermano Martinez or Enelio i think i called him the first time i talked about him is moving along super good. he is even starting to talk to his mom who is suppppppperrrr catholic and she is interested a little so we'll be teaching her pretty soon.
The lady that we gave a blessing to last Sunday is all good now. she doesnt have cancer and she is no longer sick. she had been sick for 2 years and 4 of her siblings have died from the cancer that the doctors thought she had. oh my heck the priesthood is so amazing. what a blessing it is to be able to be worthy of the priesthood. and just to make it clear and giving all the glory to god. but just like Ammon, i have joy for the miracles that god is able to perform through me and my comp. everything else is still going good with our area. we are struggling super bad with finding people who are interested and actually want to learn and not just want to listen to the word of god for one day. but we are working as hard as we can.
We teach a lot of super super weird people. really funny. i wont tell you what faith they are of but this week almost every new people we taught were of a faith that repeat the prayers that are said. it shocked me the first couple times it happened because they just started repeating everything super loud. ehhh i guess you would have to be there. well I'm out of time. love you momma and i hope that everything is going good with Bryn and with the family
i know that our lives are being watched over and that everything that happens has gods hand in it. this church is true.
Elder Hardman
Momma,
As i pondered the things that i could tell you to help you feel at peace with your brothers death my mind kept going to the scripture D&C 18:10 "remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God. i have been thinking a lot about this scripture and a lot about Kirk and a lot about the tender mercies that god gives us when we are in need. i think that this, as sad as it is for the family and how he died \, was a tender mercy for him. he needed to get away from this life and his addiction so that he would be able to accept the gosple on the other side. another thing i was thinking about a lot in respects to you and trying to help you feel better was the tender mercy of the lord that was given to me when Elder Evans came. god knew that i was in need of something and he knew that the only person that was going to be able to help me was elder Evans and the things that he was inspired to say to me that day. if god is so aware of one missionary serving in Indiana. one missionary out of over 55000 that are serving in the world. if he was aware of me and my struggles how much more aware is he of that missionaries family and the things they are going through. momma, kirks soul was worth something to god. he was worth something to Jesus Christ because Christ suffered for him and for his addictions and for his pains. my soul is worth something and thats why he comforts me when i need it and your soul is great in the sight of god. he isnt going to leave you and your family alone right now. he is with you and aware of you. sorry this is a week late. i hope you feel good tho.
And Bryn, oh my heck. what is going on with her. I'm sure this is the reason why i havent gotten an email from you. its ok i understand. but whats gong on with her. i thought the medication was working for her? please let me know whats going on with her. she is in my prayers and Summer and James are as well. if something takes a bad turn will you please let me know?
This week has been a good one for me. we have a date with Figaroa. it is in December. we set it so far a way because he wants to make sure that his wife keeps coming to church., she has been pretty good about it so we will see what happens in December. unless i stay in this area another transfer i wont be here for it. i think I'm leaving tho. i dont think anyone has ever stayed in their first area for 5 transfers. vamos a ver. we are still working super hard with Hermana Marcos. she told us that she wants to learn more about the bible and how it works with the Book of Mormon so that she can be more confident in talking to her husband because at this time he still wont give us the time of day. Hermano Martinez or Enelio i think i called him the first time i talked about him is moving along super good. he is even starting to talk to his mom who is suppppppperrrr catholic and she is interested a little so we'll be teaching her pretty soon.
The lady that we gave a blessing to last Sunday is all good now. she doesnt have cancer and she is no longer sick. she had been sick for 2 years and 4 of her siblings have died from the cancer that the doctors thought she had. oh my heck the priesthood is so amazing. what a blessing it is to be able to be worthy of the priesthood. and just to make it clear and giving all the glory to god. but just like Ammon, i have joy for the miracles that god is able to perform through me and my comp. everything else is still going good with our area. we are struggling super bad with finding people who are interested and actually want to learn and not just want to listen to the word of god for one day. but we are working as hard as we can.
We teach a lot of super super weird people. really funny. i wont tell you what faith they are of but this week almost every new people we taught were of a faith that repeat the prayers that are said. it shocked me the first couple times it happened because they just started repeating everything super loud. ehhh i guess you would have to be there. well I'm out of time. love you momma and i hope that everything is going good with Bryn and with the family
i know that our lives are being watched over and that everything that happens has gods hand in it. this church is true.
Elder Hardman
Monday, October 3, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011; Week 29
Indianapolis~
Momma,
Things this week have been good. I was only in my area for 1 day tho because of exchanges with the district leader and conference. me and my comp are starting to get a long a lot better. after our first transfer together i decided that our relationship wasnt going to change unless i changed. so i changed. i feel like I'm a lot better of a person. I'm still learning everyday to rely on the lord and to change to be the missionary i need to be. I'm learning to rely on prayer the most. i have grown such a strong testimony of prayer and how it helps a person change and become what god needs them to be. i love seeing investigators pray. its so amazing to hear someone pray for the first time. its so humbling. Ive taken prayer for granted my whole life. no more tho :)
Oh my goodness conference was amazing. priesthood was my favorite tho. I've always taken conference for granted too.. I'm super glad that now i understand the importance of it. i took 13 pages of notes and got rebuked by every talk on things that i need to do better. i love things that make me want to change and be better.
So over the weekend i talked to a mexican nun :) it was super cool. we had some members take us to a tacoria ( a store with a taco shop conected to it) so we walked in and she was just starring and so i talked to her. she was really nice. i even got her to laugh a little bit :) are nuns allowed to laugh? the people that we ate with are the less active family that I've helped reactivate and are going to the temple soon to be sealed, but after dinner she told us that she has been really sick and has had lots and lots of tests done and the doctors had told her that the only thing that it could be is cancer. so she is going in today to get checked for stomach cancer. 4 other of her siblings have had stomach cancer and died from it so the chances are pretty slim for her.
Me and my comp decided to fast with the other missionaries (oh there is also another lady in our branch with cancer) but we fasted Saturday. it was probably the most meaningful fast i have ever done in my life. i also have a great testimony of fasting as well. always took that for granted too. this family has really helped me so much on my mission. they told me Friday night that they consider me family. i consider them family as well. we went over to thier house last night to give them a blessing. first we shared some scriptures on trusting in god and bore testimony to bring the spirit super strong. then we gave her a blessing. i did it. it was the first one i have giving in Spanish. I'm so glad that i am able to be a priesthood holder that god can work through to have people feel peace. it was one of my best memories so far on my mission.
Things are going really good here. we are seeing a lot of success and not a lot of succes at the same time. oh, i talked to Sister Collins and she told me that i was in her top 4 favorite missionaries. nah,,, she really didnt say that, but she did say that when ever she is with me she feels something different that she has never felt with a missionary. i told her that she reminds me of you because of how loving she is and just other stuff she does and she told me that she wished she was my mother and that you are very lucky.
Have you talked to Sister Everton yet? well, funny story about her son real fast. i was trying to teach him how to do a trick on a bike and he gets on and tries to do it and his whole body ends up coming off the bike and he came down and racked himself on the frame. i was rolling on the road because it was so funny. the last exchange i had with him we were riding and he was talking on the phone. oh real quick. its a rule in the mission that you cant ride over train tracks, you have to get off the bike and walk. well he was talking on the phone and not paying attention and then sees the train track and slams on the brake with one hand and his bike stops and he keeps going and racks himself on the part where the handle bars connect to the frame. hahahahha he has super bad luck with me.
Well I've got to get going. love you and hope all it well. still waiting for the package you've been promising for 5 weeks. its getting super cold here.
i love you.
Elder Hardman
what is kade and meg having?
Momma,
Things this week have been good. I was only in my area for 1 day tho because of exchanges with the district leader and conference. me and my comp are starting to get a long a lot better. after our first transfer together i decided that our relationship wasnt going to change unless i changed. so i changed. i feel like I'm a lot better of a person. I'm still learning everyday to rely on the lord and to change to be the missionary i need to be. I'm learning to rely on prayer the most. i have grown such a strong testimony of prayer and how it helps a person change and become what god needs them to be. i love seeing investigators pray. its so amazing to hear someone pray for the first time. its so humbling. Ive taken prayer for granted my whole life. no more tho :)
Oh my goodness conference was amazing. priesthood was my favorite tho. I've always taken conference for granted too.. I'm super glad that now i understand the importance of it. i took 13 pages of notes and got rebuked by every talk on things that i need to do better. i love things that make me want to change and be better.
So over the weekend i talked to a mexican nun :) it was super cool. we had some members take us to a tacoria ( a store with a taco shop conected to it) so we walked in and she was just starring and so i talked to her. she was really nice. i even got her to laugh a little bit :) are nuns allowed to laugh? the people that we ate with are the less active family that I've helped reactivate and are going to the temple soon to be sealed, but after dinner she told us that she has been really sick and has had lots and lots of tests done and the doctors had told her that the only thing that it could be is cancer. so she is going in today to get checked for stomach cancer. 4 other of her siblings have had stomach cancer and died from it so the chances are pretty slim for her.
Me and my comp decided to fast with the other missionaries (oh there is also another lady in our branch with cancer) but we fasted Saturday. it was probably the most meaningful fast i have ever done in my life. i also have a great testimony of fasting as well. always took that for granted too. this family has really helped me so much on my mission. they told me Friday night that they consider me family. i consider them family as well. we went over to thier house last night to give them a blessing. first we shared some scriptures on trusting in god and bore testimony to bring the spirit super strong. then we gave her a blessing. i did it. it was the first one i have giving in Spanish. I'm so glad that i am able to be a priesthood holder that god can work through to have people feel peace. it was one of my best memories so far on my mission.
Things are going really good here. we are seeing a lot of success and not a lot of succes at the same time. oh, i talked to Sister Collins and she told me that i was in her top 4 favorite missionaries. nah,,, she really didnt say that, but she did say that when ever she is with me she feels something different that she has never felt with a missionary. i told her that she reminds me of you because of how loving she is and just other stuff she does and she told me that she wished she was my mother and that you are very lucky.
Have you talked to Sister Everton yet? well, funny story about her son real fast. i was trying to teach him how to do a trick on a bike and he gets on and tries to do it and his whole body ends up coming off the bike and he came down and racked himself on the frame. i was rolling on the road because it was so funny. the last exchange i had with him we were riding and he was talking on the phone. oh real quick. its a rule in the mission that you cant ride over train tracks, you have to get off the bike and walk. well he was talking on the phone and not paying attention and then sees the train track and slams on the brake with one hand and his bike stops and he keeps going and racks himself on the part where the handle bars connect to the frame. hahahahha he has super bad luck with me.
Well I've got to get going. love you and hope all it well. still waiting for the package you've been promising for 5 weeks. its getting super cold here.
i love you.
Elder Hardman
what is kade and meg having?
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