Fort Wayne~
Hey Momma,
I got the package today and i was bummed when i couldnt open anything so instead of waiting i decided to open it all anyways and it was just awesome. i liked it all a lot. oh and about those peanut butter things... i do love them so much, but i cant eat them all before i get more so maybe start sending them every other package or something. thank you mom. i love you so much for taking care of me. it sounds like every one is a little frustrated with me for not telling them what i want. the thing really is is that i dont have a lot of room in my bags and we are only allowed 2 bags and a carry on. when missionaries start bringing more stuff it gets difficult to pack everything in the car when we get tranfered. and i think I'm ok for winter stuff. it makes me feel bad when people say I'm denying them of blessings by not telling them what i want or need. i dont need anything. my family is taking good care of me. and god would never deny my family for not getting me worldly possessions when you are all giving me all the spiritual blessings i need. all i need are spiritual things. and you are all doing your part in prayers and what not. so god will bless you for the things you are doing for me. even if its not sending me coats or money or anything.
Anyways, the week was very good. oh, i have some bad news for you real fast. I emailed president last week and asked him about calling the other kids and he wrote me today and said that the purpose of calling is to talk to the parents and to let them know how things are going and if there are any other people there its just a bonus. so the answer is a no. i feel really bad. but maybe we can do a 3 way call or something. sorry mom. And Quino and Court are part of the family so they are always welcome. What happened with them anyways? Its like they sent me a dear john without actually sending one haha. I just havent heard from them in a while. how are they? Anyways, i know that the news probably made you sad but it will be ok.
Things with Julio are very good. He is really really solid. he went to a mexican bake shop (oh my heck, if you ever get a chance to go to one, do it!!!!! their bread and pastries are so good) and he got us a whole bunch of stuff and gave it to us and said that he just wanted to do something for us because of how much we have done for him. I dont know if I've told you yet, but the last i have heard is that thier marriage is doing a lot better and they are trying to work everything out. him and her and their 2 kids have come to church for the last 4 weeks and its a really big thing. i talked to just her on Saturday and see is acting very very interested in being taught now. So we are working hard with her and the kids. and with the example of Julio it shouldnt be hard at all.
I was givin the opportunity to give Julio the Holy Ghost yesterday in church. I cant even explain how amazing that was. the spirit was so strong and so incredible. I wish i could explain it but its something that you just have to experience to understand. I was pretty nervous through the week but it wasnt to bad. i only tried to give him the gift of tongues once and only messed up on wordage a couple times. haha, I'm just so used to praying for the gift of tongues that sometimes it just slips out. everyone had a good laugh about it but as far as Julio is concerned, every one recieves the gift of tongues hahaha :) it really was an amazing experience tho. After sacrament we had another investigator that came up to us and told us that he is going to be next so we'll see what happenes with him.
We ate with some members yesterday and they gave us some pork soup and it was.... ok. there was tons of just fat pieces. And I had to eat it. its super rude not to eat everything. But after yesterday i decided that when i get home i am never eating straight fat again. i dont know how Jeremy did it. But, to be nice. I said "of man, i need a wife who can cook like this "there was a few other branch members and all at once they started trying to hook me up with their illegal family members. haha super funny.
Well I've got to go. love you mamma. oh and I was just joking. Didn't open any of the presents. and my comps mom is sending him stuff. He actually got a package today. thanks for everything. this church is amazing and i love serving the lord.
Elder Hardman
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Monday, December 5, 2012; Week 38
Fort Wayne~
Momma,
Before anything else i have a story that i want to tell you. It might take all my time so I'm sorry if this is all i write and its not very much. i just really really really want to get the wording across and write it so you can understand the spirit of it. First, the last couple weeks I've really been trying to better my prayers, make them more personal between me and my father. so what I've started doing is going to the kitchen floor and kneeling down on the tile so that it is impossible for me to fall asleep and then i will say my prayers outloud. the first time i did that the spirit was so strong and it was just an amazing experience for me. well, this last Tuesday and Wednesday I was in a super white white white town because i had to go on exchanges because my comp was in indy. But I served for two days without the only black missionary in Indiana :) I learned how to be pretty thug :) just kidding. If anything i taught him ho to represent and be more thug. he is pretty white hahaha. anyways, both nights i was there we taught this 15 year old kid called josh. me serving a mission in spanish i have had the opportunity to enter some pretty run down and dirty houses. but his house was by far the worst I've been in. his dad has been out of work for a long time and they dont have money for food our to pay bills. so the first night we were there the house was so cold i could see my breath in the house. and they told us that they just got done eating their last bowl of soup and they have absolutly no food left. super super sad. then a guy came over so we left our lesson a little early and set another one up for the next night. well we came over the next night and the dad was telling us that the day before he was praying and telling god that he was out of food and didnt know what he was going to do to feed his kids and that he needed help. well the guy that came over the night before was actually sent by the bishop. the bishop told him that there is a family that needs help and the guy needed to take them to walmart and buy them food. that was an answer to a prayer i think for sure. just goes to show how much god loves us and goes to show that when we have priesthood holders who follow the spirit then great things are able to happen. anyways. we taught this 15 year old kid the restoration and at the end of the lesson we asked him to pray. he then offered the most beautiful prayer i have ever heard in my life. i have not cried very many times on my mission, and I'm not at all ashamed that i shed some tears during that prayer and I'm not ashamed to tell you that I'm shedding tears right now just thinking about what that kid taught me. in his prayer he only gave thanks to God. he thanked him for the food they had to eat and for the house they had. he thanked him for everything he had and did not ask for one thing. it was a very humbling moment for me in my mission. as i left that house i thought about their circumstances and about what just happened. that kid had every right in the world to ask god for something. maybe a warm house. maybe not to have to worry about food for the winter. I could name a billion things that kid deserved and had the right to ask God for. but instead he gave a very very humble prayer and gave thanks for the things he had. because he knew that the things he had were what he needed at the time and maybe he didnt feel like he could ask for more when he had what he needed. anyways, theres my story. i hope you understood it and that you were able to learn something from him like i was. since that moment i promised god that i would give thanks to him for everything and never in my life ask for something that i don't need. prayer is a beautiful thing momma. a prayer from a humble 15 year old kid is a beautiful thing and this experience that i had with josh will not soon be forgotten and he will never ever know how much he touched me.
Anyways, this last Tuesday we had our first big snow storm and guess who forgot their winter stuff? i did. So by the time the night was over, my bald head was completely frozen. my shoes had about an inch of water in them and i was just drenched. but thats ok tho because God made it so that i wasnt even that cold untill i walked inside the house. that was a cool experience too. God really does make it possible for missionaries to work no matter what.
There was so much stuff that i want to tell you that happened this week but i cant cause I'm out of time. just remember that when you send me stuff for Christmas that i have very very limited bag space and transfers are next week and i dont know if I'm staying or leaving. i find out Monday morning so i will tell you in the next email if I'm staying or leaving. love you
Elder Hardman
Momma,
Before anything else i have a story that i want to tell you. It might take all my time so I'm sorry if this is all i write and its not very much. i just really really really want to get the wording across and write it so you can understand the spirit of it. First, the last couple weeks I've really been trying to better my prayers, make them more personal between me and my father. so what I've started doing is going to the kitchen floor and kneeling down on the tile so that it is impossible for me to fall asleep and then i will say my prayers outloud. the first time i did that the spirit was so strong and it was just an amazing experience for me. well, this last Tuesday and Wednesday I was in a super white white white town because i had to go on exchanges because my comp was in indy. But I served for two days without the only black missionary in Indiana :) I learned how to be pretty thug :) just kidding. If anything i taught him ho to represent and be more thug. he is pretty white hahaha. anyways, both nights i was there we taught this 15 year old kid called josh. me serving a mission in spanish i have had the opportunity to enter some pretty run down and dirty houses. but his house was by far the worst I've been in. his dad has been out of work for a long time and they dont have money for food our to pay bills. so the first night we were there the house was so cold i could see my breath in the house. and they told us that they just got done eating their last bowl of soup and they have absolutly no food left. super super sad. then a guy came over so we left our lesson a little early and set another one up for the next night. well we came over the next night and the dad was telling us that the day before he was praying and telling god that he was out of food and didnt know what he was going to do to feed his kids and that he needed help. well the guy that came over the night before was actually sent by the bishop. the bishop told him that there is a family that needs help and the guy needed to take them to walmart and buy them food. that was an answer to a prayer i think for sure. just goes to show how much god loves us and goes to show that when we have priesthood holders who follow the spirit then great things are able to happen. anyways. we taught this 15 year old kid the restoration and at the end of the lesson we asked him to pray. he then offered the most beautiful prayer i have ever heard in my life. i have not cried very many times on my mission, and I'm not at all ashamed that i shed some tears during that prayer and I'm not ashamed to tell you that I'm shedding tears right now just thinking about what that kid taught me. in his prayer he only gave thanks to God. he thanked him for the food they had to eat and for the house they had. he thanked him for everything he had and did not ask for one thing. it was a very humbling moment for me in my mission. as i left that house i thought about their circumstances and about what just happened. that kid had every right in the world to ask god for something. maybe a warm house. maybe not to have to worry about food for the winter. I could name a billion things that kid deserved and had the right to ask God for. but instead he gave a very very humble prayer and gave thanks for the things he had. because he knew that the things he had were what he needed at the time and maybe he didnt feel like he could ask for more when he had what he needed. anyways, theres my story. i hope you understood it and that you were able to learn something from him like i was. since that moment i promised god that i would give thanks to him for everything and never in my life ask for something that i don't need. prayer is a beautiful thing momma. a prayer from a humble 15 year old kid is a beautiful thing and this experience that i had with josh will not soon be forgotten and he will never ever know how much he touched me.
Anyways, this last Tuesday we had our first big snow storm and guess who forgot their winter stuff? i did. So by the time the night was over, my bald head was completely frozen. my shoes had about an inch of water in them and i was just drenched. but thats ok tho because God made it so that i wasnt even that cold untill i walked inside the house. that was a cool experience too. God really does make it possible for missionaries to work no matter what.
There was so much stuff that i want to tell you that happened this week but i cant cause I'm out of time. just remember that when you send me stuff for Christmas that i have very very limited bag space and transfers are next week and i dont know if I'm staying or leaving. i find out Monday morning so i will tell you in the next email if I'm staying or leaving. love you
Elder Hardman
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