Indianapolis~
Momma,
First, yes, i will be emailing next Tuesday because of the holidays. as far as i know we dont get to participate in activities. but i dont think mexicans really celebrate the 4th of July seeing that it is an American independence day, but we will see. this week i ate my first habanero, it about burnt my face off but it was good. and i also ate my first lengua. it was pretty good. they made tacos out of it and the meat was really good and tender but i couldnt get over the fact that it was lengua. haha i dont know how Jeremy ate the things he did. the weeks are just flying by. we had our first transfer calls this morning and I'm staying in this area with my trainer and I'm happy about that because we have a few people that are progressing well. Arturo was babtized on Saturday. super spiritual and he is so happy.
I wanted to share a couple experiences that i had while studying. First, i was reading in the scriptures and i read a verse. i forgot where it was but i wrote this thought that i had down. " I have not chosen for myself to serve this mission, nor has anyone chosen to serve. the Lord chooses us to serve and we never fully understand why. our job is to simply obey and do the things we are asked to the best of our abilities and then we still might not know the reasons we are asked to do things. but it is not important for us to know. the only thing that matters is we do them." The second actually happened this morning. i was reading in John 19. in verse 25 it talks about how Mary stood by the cross. then i thought that in a lot of ways my mom (you) is like Mary. she is always there for us no matter how ugly the circumstance, no matter how bad she wants to stop watching or how many times she feels like its to hard and she needs to give up. you have always been there for me no matter what, just like Mary was always there for her son no matter how hard it was for her to watch what he had to go through. i dont think i can ever thank you enough for everything. but i want you to know that i am grateful. i think i kinda got a glimps this morning of the pure love a mother has. i know i wont ever fully understand but I'm grateful for the little insight i had this morning.
Any ways. Hermana Marcos is still fighting her feelings right now. i get the feeling that she is deathly afraid to talk to her husband. and Hermano Espinosa. Her "husband" still wont make time for us. but i have faith that he will sometime. please pray for both of them. i feel that if we can even get him to start haaving lessons with us hermana Marcos will be batized. There is a man called Miguel who i challenged to babtism last night and he says that he knows everything is true but doesnt know if he can keep the word of wisdom and a few other things. i promised him that if he prayed and asked for help god will help him and promised that if he prayed and asked if he needed to get babtized on the 30th of July that God will give him an answer. i know its supposed to be the 30th because thats the date that popped into my head when i felt like i should challenge him.
Also, there is a lady called hermana Diaz. we meet with her like 3 times a week and she is super solid but she believes that every church is true and no matter what church your in God will save you if your a pure person. we have taught the atonement so many times and try to explain that only through the atonement can someone really be pure but she is just hung up and that one thought. when we get passed that she will be babtized. so please pray that she might understand the need for the atonement and pray for my comp and i to be able to explain it in such a way that she will understand it. thank you.
Other then that things are going really good. we are struggling to find more people. oh ya. we found this guy called Javier Garcia. he is an ex gang member who just wants a better life for his daughter who is super super cute. we have had one lesson with him and i have faith that he will see that through this gosple he will have a better life. This work is amazing. i have found that there is only 3 things in the world that make me cry. the love i have for my family the love i have for this gosple and the change and happieness i see in people because of the gosple. so like 2 and 1/2 because the last two are kinda the same. i love being here.
Before i go, some members want me to make dinner for them on Monday. so in my room i have two cook books from school somewhere. they are green and yellow i believe. will you have someone find those for me and also send some of your recipes and over night them to me please and thank you.
Your missionary,
Elder Hardman
Monday, June 27, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011; Week 14
Indianapolis~
Momma,
So first, will you send me a couple nice study journals? i want to be able to keep my notes and thoughts for a long time and i fear if i continue putting them in a regular note book the pages will start getting ripped and tore out. so a few nice ones would be good. i bought one today and it was kind of a lot of money for a missionary so if you could i would like that a lot.
There has been a lot that happened this week. First, on Tuesday i went one splits with elder ketch. he is a zone leader and he came to my area. he doesnt speak Spanish so it was me just flying solo for a day and a half. it actually went really good and i know without a doubt in my mind that i had gods help. we taught a woman called Hermana Marcos. she has been investigating for a little while and has been taught everything so i felt like we really needed to talk about babtism with her and find what her testimony was like. i asked her if she knew Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and she said yes. then i asked if she knew this church was true and she said yes. then i felt prompted to ask if she knew that this was the only true church on the earth and yes said YESSS!!!!! then i asked if she felt like she needed to be babtized. she said yes. haha then God rebuked me for not asking good enough questions and told me to ask another one. do you feel like you need to be babtized into this church? she said yes again. then we talked about why she wont be and she said that when she prays she feels like when she gets babtized she needs her husband to be there as well. if you dont remember this lady, her husband is a big guy in the catholic church and has been a big guy in the catholic church for over 20 years and wont meet with us so its kinda hard to get her to progress to the next step right now. but any ways, after she said that i told her how important faith is and when we take giant leaps of faith like this ( because for her, being babtized is a giant leap of faith) God will bless us so much and provide miricales to happen. then i told her that maybe God is waiting for her to show her faith before he can provide a way to have her husband realize how important this gospel is. anyways it was a really powerful lesson and the spirit was so strong. she cried a couple times in the lesson and then when she prayed at the end she cried the whole time. now i say that i felt Gods help a lot during the time i was on the split becuase the next day i could barely understand Spanish again. but i prayed for help while i was on the split and God helped me.
Something i have really been trying to work on this week is not being so worldly. if i am to truely be a representative of Christ i need to deny myself of all worldly things. i never realized how hard serving a mission in the states was untill now. its so incredibly hard to not listen to a song that is on or look at the tv or do anything like that. i felt like i kinda couldnt help but do those things right when i first got here but I've been working on it a lot and i memorized my favorite scripture and now when ever i hear a song i say the scrpture instead. its helping a lot and i feel like I'm becoming a more effective teeacher and missionary.
I have such a strong love for the scriptures now. i dont know what happend, but this week i just started reading the bible and book of mormon and d&c and i am so in love with them. every free moment i get i am reading and i am recieving so much revelation and my scriptures are just marked to heck now. i dont know what happened, i think i decided that if i was telling people that we believed in all these scriptures then i needed to really believe for myself. i have never really read the bible or anything else untill now and i just love it.
The worst part of being comp to the district leader is that we are always on splits. i had 2 splits this last week and I'm on one today and tomorrow so i wont really be in my area from last Friday till Wednesday and i feel like i miss so much thats going on.
One last thing before i go. yesterday was the happiest that i have ever been on my mission. Arturo had his babtism interview yesterday and after it was done he was walking down the hall with Elder Ketch and he ran up to me and gave me a hug and told me he passed and i just had so much joy that i had to really struggle to keep my tears in me. i am so happy for him. he has changed so much and his family has changed. he is the son of a non active member and she is re activating and now has such a strong desire to go through the temple and she is doing everything she can to go. this work it so amazing and everyday i am more and more grateful i am here. i know that this church is true and i love it. seeing it change the people that we are teaching is just so amazing. i love it and i love my family for helping me realize how important it really is. love you all.
Elder Hardman
Momma,
So first, will you send me a couple nice study journals? i want to be able to keep my notes and thoughts for a long time and i fear if i continue putting them in a regular note book the pages will start getting ripped and tore out. so a few nice ones would be good. i bought one today and it was kind of a lot of money for a missionary so if you could i would like that a lot.
There has been a lot that happened this week. First, on Tuesday i went one splits with elder ketch. he is a zone leader and he came to my area. he doesnt speak Spanish so it was me just flying solo for a day and a half. it actually went really good and i know without a doubt in my mind that i had gods help. we taught a woman called Hermana Marcos. she has been investigating for a little while and has been taught everything so i felt like we really needed to talk about babtism with her and find what her testimony was like. i asked her if she knew Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and she said yes. then i asked if she knew this church was true and she said yes. then i felt prompted to ask if she knew that this was the only true church on the earth and yes said YESSS!!!!! then i asked if she felt like she needed to be babtized. she said yes. haha then God rebuked me for not asking good enough questions and told me to ask another one. do you feel like you need to be babtized into this church? she said yes again. then we talked about why she wont be and she said that when she prays she feels like when she gets babtized she needs her husband to be there as well. if you dont remember this lady, her husband is a big guy in the catholic church and has been a big guy in the catholic church for over 20 years and wont meet with us so its kinda hard to get her to progress to the next step right now. but any ways, after she said that i told her how important faith is and when we take giant leaps of faith like this ( because for her, being babtized is a giant leap of faith) God will bless us so much and provide miricales to happen. then i told her that maybe God is waiting for her to show her faith before he can provide a way to have her husband realize how important this gospel is. anyways it was a really powerful lesson and the spirit was so strong. she cried a couple times in the lesson and then when she prayed at the end she cried the whole time. now i say that i felt Gods help a lot during the time i was on the split becuase the next day i could barely understand Spanish again. but i prayed for help while i was on the split and God helped me.
Something i have really been trying to work on this week is not being so worldly. if i am to truely be a representative of Christ i need to deny myself of all worldly things. i never realized how hard serving a mission in the states was untill now. its so incredibly hard to not listen to a song that is on or look at the tv or do anything like that. i felt like i kinda couldnt help but do those things right when i first got here but I've been working on it a lot and i memorized my favorite scripture and now when ever i hear a song i say the scrpture instead. its helping a lot and i feel like I'm becoming a more effective teeacher and missionary.
I have such a strong love for the scriptures now. i dont know what happend, but this week i just started reading the bible and book of mormon and d&c and i am so in love with them. every free moment i get i am reading and i am recieving so much revelation and my scriptures are just marked to heck now. i dont know what happened, i think i decided that if i was telling people that we believed in all these scriptures then i needed to really believe for myself. i have never really read the bible or anything else untill now and i just love it.
The worst part of being comp to the district leader is that we are always on splits. i had 2 splits this last week and I'm on one today and tomorrow so i wont really be in my area from last Friday till Wednesday and i feel like i miss so much thats going on.
One last thing before i go. yesterday was the happiest that i have ever been on my mission. Arturo had his babtism interview yesterday and after it was done he was walking down the hall with Elder Ketch and he ran up to me and gave me a hug and told me he passed and i just had so much joy that i had to really struggle to keep my tears in me. i am so happy for him. he has changed so much and his family has changed. he is the son of a non active member and she is re activating and now has such a strong desire to go through the temple and she is doing everything she can to go. this work it so amazing and everyday i am more and more grateful i am here. i know that this church is true and i love it. seeing it change the people that we are teaching is just so amazing. i love it and i love my family for helping me realize how important it really is. love you all.
Elder Hardman
Monday, June 13, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011; Week 13
Sorry, no letter to post this week. Thanks for checking in. Prayers and letters are always appreciated.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011; Week 12
Indianapolis~
Momma,
So this week went by super fast. This was probably the worst week I have had in regards to people canceling appointments but thats ok because we had a lot of opportunities to meet some very crazy people. We tracted into this one house and they invited us in. Right when I walked in I know that we couldnt be there. It was super super sketchy. There was 3 really really drunk people and one of them started yelling at my companion then one was talking to me and crying and telling me how crazy the one that was yelling is and telling me that the guy was possessed by demons and just crazy stuff then the 3rd one was just sitting alone mumbling to himself. I had such a bad feeling in that house and then when I finaly got my comp to leave that feeling stayed with me for the rest of the day. not good.
So our drug dealing investigator decided to drop us. It was a sad day for me because Ireally liked him. But we have some that are progressing really well. Arturo is good. we only have a few things to teach him and then we will be babtized. His date is the 25th but we are thinking we might move it up a week. Then Julio, he is doing so good. He came to church yesterday and he sat by me and he said that he really wanted to go bare his testimony but would feel dumb because he isnt babtized. I tried to explain to him that that doesnt matter but he said he will next month for sure. He is doing really good tho. In our gopel doctrines class he always answers questions and has comments and what not so thats really cool. This man called Hermano Thresios is also really cool. He told us a couple days ago that he feels like he needs to be babtized and he knows this church is true and has a super strong testimony so me and Elder Torgesen are doing what we can to help him get married. Its kinda hard tho because he is a non documented citizen so he cant get a legal ID so we dont know what to do about that. The lady called Hermana Marcos also has a strong desire to be babtized but said she cant unless her husband does and her husband is some big guy in the catholic church and he wont ever let us meet with him but he finnaly agreed on a meeting tonight so we'll see if we can blast him with the spirit. Then we have a new investigator called Hermana Diaz. She is pretty cool. Almost all of her brothers and sisters are members and one of them actually works for the church so its only a matter of time untill she gets babtized. She actually keeps all of the commitments we give her so thats really cool. I'm really enjoying this work.
When we go and tract in this one area there is always a little getto black kid that talks to us. He is the most polite kid I've ever met and he kinda has some gay tendencies so its pretty funny to talk to him. And there is a kid from my district from St. George that also went to pineview and last Tuesday we found out that me and him have a bond that I'm pretty sure no other missionary has ever had. !!!!! Are you ready for it? !!!!!! We kissed one of the same girls!! haha. Its pretty funny, so now we are good friends. Yesterday at church me and that elder from stg were asked to give a kid a blessing and church. I am so blessed to be able to have the priesthood and be worthy to do things like that when am asked. My testimony of the priesthood and of the atonement and of the church is strengthened everyday and I love it.
Well its time for me to leave and write my president but I hope all the family is doing good and I hope that everyone is happy. I love you all and I love this church and I love my mission and I love the weird food I eat and I love the colts stadium ( I went there last p day, it was pretty crazy) I love learning Spanish. Pretty much I love everything. But mostly I love this church and my family.
Elder Hardman
Momma,
So this week went by super fast. This was probably the worst week I have had in regards to people canceling appointments but thats ok because we had a lot of opportunities to meet some very crazy people. We tracted into this one house and they invited us in. Right when I walked in I know that we couldnt be there. It was super super sketchy. There was 3 really really drunk people and one of them started yelling at my companion then one was talking to me and crying and telling me how crazy the one that was yelling is and telling me that the guy was possessed by demons and just crazy stuff then the 3rd one was just sitting alone mumbling to himself. I had such a bad feeling in that house and then when I finaly got my comp to leave that feeling stayed with me for the rest of the day. not good.
So our drug dealing investigator decided to drop us. It was a sad day for me because Ireally liked him. But we have some that are progressing really well. Arturo is good. we only have a few things to teach him and then we will be babtized. His date is the 25th but we are thinking we might move it up a week. Then Julio, he is doing so good. He came to church yesterday and he sat by me and he said that he really wanted to go bare his testimony but would feel dumb because he isnt babtized. I tried to explain to him that that doesnt matter but he said he will next month for sure. He is doing really good tho. In our gopel doctrines class he always answers questions and has comments and what not so thats really cool. This man called Hermano Thresios is also really cool. He told us a couple days ago that he feels like he needs to be babtized and he knows this church is true and has a super strong testimony so me and Elder Torgesen are doing what we can to help him get married. Its kinda hard tho because he is a non documented citizen so he cant get a legal ID so we dont know what to do about that. The lady called Hermana Marcos also has a strong desire to be babtized but said she cant unless her husband does and her husband is some big guy in the catholic church and he wont ever let us meet with him but he finnaly agreed on a meeting tonight so we'll see if we can blast him with the spirit. Then we have a new investigator called Hermana Diaz. She is pretty cool. Almost all of her brothers and sisters are members and one of them actually works for the church so its only a matter of time untill she gets babtized. She actually keeps all of the commitments we give her so thats really cool. I'm really enjoying this work.
When we go and tract in this one area there is always a little getto black kid that talks to us. He is the most polite kid I've ever met and he kinda has some gay tendencies so its pretty funny to talk to him. And there is a kid from my district from St. George that also went to pineview and last Tuesday we found out that me and him have a bond that I'm pretty sure no other missionary has ever had. !!!!! Are you ready for it? !!!!!! We kissed one of the same girls!! haha. Its pretty funny, so now we are good friends. Yesterday at church me and that elder from stg were asked to give a kid a blessing and church. I am so blessed to be able to have the priesthood and be worthy to do things like that when am asked. My testimony of the priesthood and of the atonement and of the church is strengthened everyday and I love it.
Well its time for me to leave and write my president but I hope all the family is doing good and I hope that everyone is happy. I love you all and I love this church and I love my mission and I love the weird food I eat and I love the colts stadium ( I went there last p day, it was pretty crazy) I love learning Spanish. Pretty much I love everything. But mostly I love this church and my family.
Elder Hardman
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Tuesday, May 31, 2011; Week 11
Indianapolis~
Hello my mother,
Sorry about not emailing yesterday, we had to reschedual our prep day because of the holiday. Its been so hot here and I'm sweating soooo much. This will probably make Kade happy!!! I've lost 8 lbs since I've been here. I'm glad to here that Jess's graduation went good and that some of the family was able to come for it. I don't have a lot of time because we are running late right now but i want to share some stories that are sad, scary, and super spiritual.
First is the sad story, I'm still having a hard time understanding. But for what ever reason God made it so I could under stand this one story. We were teaching a lady called Apolonia and we have taught her a few times before but this time she decided to tell us that she didn't believe in God because of something that happened to her brother. He used to be such a hard worker and was just a super good kid but he got sick for a long time and it cause problems with him and the family and everything and because of that he is messing up his life a lot. But she said she doesn't believe in God because if there was a God and he did love us he wouldn't allowed that to happen to her brother. So I understood all of that and she was crying a lot and i wanted to help her so incredibly bad but because I don't know Spanish all I could do was sit there and try and not cry because of how bad i felt that I couldn't help her. It was quite for a long time because my comp didn't know what to say either. So I decided to just bare my testimony on how I know God loves us without a doubt in my mind and that all we need to do is have faith in him and he will help us with anything we go through. She said thank you and then we had to leave.
So I don't know if I have told you about my drug dealing investigetor. I wont tell you his name becuase I'm 100% positive he is a drug dealer. But one day in a lesson we were teaching him and this car pull up in front of his house and he runs over to it then runs inside then back out to the car and hands them something and they hand him a lot a lot alot of cash!!!! And then every time we try to teach him it just is super sketch so we might drop him... so we were tracking in a super super getto part of town I see this black guy with a gun just walking around with it and talking about hitting up some places and then this cop pulled up and told us that that place is super sketchy and there has to be a cop there 24/7 and he told us if we were going to be there we had to be very very careful cause we stand out because we are the only white guys.
Next. We have this investigator called Julio. He is super solid. The first time we met him we invited him to church and he came that Sunday then we have been teaching him a lot and he has a testimony of everything we teach him. He said that he knows that he came to this country for a reason and he feels like this is it. He is just super super solid. One lesson he told us that his wife has been telling him (she is still in South America) that he shouldn't be talking to us because they have been catholic their whole life and they were married into that church and that's where he needs to stay. So after that lesson he just fell of the planet. We couldn't get lessons or call him or anything. finnaly last night we were able to meet with him and he just told us that he has been thinking a lot about babtism and thinking if that's really what God wants him to do. And guess what? He told us that because he knows this gospel is true he is not going to listen to any of his friends or family or anyone telling him not to join. At the end of the lesson we asked him to pray and ask if God want him to get babtized on June 25th and he was like you want me to pray for that? yes Julio!!! well I have already asked God that and I know I have to get babtized on the 25th :) This work is truely amazing my family... truely truely amazing.
I wish I could tell you more, but I'm running out of time and i still need to email my mission president. But I want you to send my letters to the mission home please. Just so if I get transfered before i recieve a letter it will still get to me. A lot of the time elders won't forward the letters. So please send my letters to the mission home and packages to my physical address. Mission Home Address:
Elder Quinten Hardman
1980 E. 116th st. ste 200
Carmel, IN 46032
please ask Harm to put this on my FB. i love you all.
Elder Hardman
--------
Hi Dad.
I just wrote the president and I have a few minutes to write. When we email the president he personally reads every single one of the emails and he also emails them back. Something that I feel is very amazing of him. But in his email he said this:
Elder Hardman:
You are truly amazing. I love you so very much already. Your first e-mail was incredible. I would have expected it from a missionary that came out a year or so ago. You will be an asset wherever you serve. You and Elder Torgesen will be unstoppable.
Expect some opposition, but you can handle it with grace and faith. Your baptism goal is a demonstration of your hope and faith - two incredible virtues. It is a real honor to serve in this mission with you. You help make this the best mission in the world!
With love,
President Collins
I am so happy that I am here dad. Even if I had 5 hours to write I don't think I could express the joy and happiness i have being here. I'm sure i sound like a broken record because I say that all the time but it is truely how I feel. I hope you are keeping yourself healthy and not over working yourself. The last few days here have been in the 90's with 90+ humidity so that is really hard to get used to. I really feel like me and my companion will get either 4 or 5 babtisms this transfer. We have been working so hard. There had not been a babtism in this whole district for almost half a year and for some reason all the elders in this district are just turning things around. Its amazing how working with the spirit changes the work. Oh and something I forget to mention in moms email was that I had to give a talk at church. My first one in Spanish. I wrote it myself and I was told there was only one grammer error so I felt pretty good about my self. Well I love you and I hope all is well.
Elder Hardman
Hello my mother,
Sorry about not emailing yesterday, we had to reschedual our prep day because of the holiday. Its been so hot here and I'm sweating soooo much. This will probably make Kade happy!!! I've lost 8 lbs since I've been here. I'm glad to here that Jess's graduation went good and that some of the family was able to come for it. I don't have a lot of time because we are running late right now but i want to share some stories that are sad, scary, and super spiritual.
First is the sad story, I'm still having a hard time understanding. But for what ever reason God made it so I could under stand this one story. We were teaching a lady called Apolonia and we have taught her a few times before but this time she decided to tell us that she didn't believe in God because of something that happened to her brother. He used to be such a hard worker and was just a super good kid but he got sick for a long time and it cause problems with him and the family and everything and because of that he is messing up his life a lot. But she said she doesn't believe in God because if there was a God and he did love us he wouldn't allowed that to happen to her brother. So I understood all of that and she was crying a lot and i wanted to help her so incredibly bad but because I don't know Spanish all I could do was sit there and try and not cry because of how bad i felt that I couldn't help her. It was quite for a long time because my comp didn't know what to say either. So I decided to just bare my testimony on how I know God loves us without a doubt in my mind and that all we need to do is have faith in him and he will help us with anything we go through. She said thank you and then we had to leave.
So I don't know if I have told you about my drug dealing investigetor. I wont tell you his name becuase I'm 100% positive he is a drug dealer. But one day in a lesson we were teaching him and this car pull up in front of his house and he runs over to it then runs inside then back out to the car and hands them something and they hand him a lot a lot alot of cash!!!! And then every time we try to teach him it just is super sketch so we might drop him... so we were tracking in a super super getto part of town I see this black guy with a gun just walking around with it and talking about hitting up some places and then this cop pulled up and told us that that place is super sketchy and there has to be a cop there 24/7 and he told us if we were going to be there we had to be very very careful cause we stand out because we are the only white guys.
Next. We have this investigator called Julio. He is super solid. The first time we met him we invited him to church and he came that Sunday then we have been teaching him a lot and he has a testimony of everything we teach him. He said that he knows that he came to this country for a reason and he feels like this is it. He is just super super solid. One lesson he told us that his wife has been telling him (she is still in South America) that he shouldn't be talking to us because they have been catholic their whole life and they were married into that church and that's where he needs to stay. So after that lesson he just fell of the planet. We couldn't get lessons or call him or anything. finnaly last night we were able to meet with him and he just told us that he has been thinking a lot about babtism and thinking if that's really what God wants him to do. And guess what? He told us that because he knows this gospel is true he is not going to listen to any of his friends or family or anyone telling him not to join. At the end of the lesson we asked him to pray and ask if God want him to get babtized on June 25th and he was like you want me to pray for that? yes Julio!!! well I have already asked God that and I know I have to get babtized on the 25th :) This work is truely amazing my family... truely truely amazing.
I wish I could tell you more, but I'm running out of time and i still need to email my mission president. But I want you to send my letters to the mission home please. Just so if I get transfered before i recieve a letter it will still get to me. A lot of the time elders won't forward the letters. So please send my letters to the mission home and packages to my physical address. Mission Home Address:
Elder Quinten Hardman
1980 E. 116th st. ste 200
Carmel, IN 46032
please ask Harm to put this on my FB. i love you all.
Elder Hardman
--------
Hi Dad.
I just wrote the president and I have a few minutes to write. When we email the president he personally reads every single one of the emails and he also emails them back. Something that I feel is very amazing of him. But in his email he said this:
Elder Hardman:
You are truly amazing. I love you so very much already. Your first e-mail was incredible. I would have expected it from a missionary that came out a year or so ago. You will be an asset wherever you serve. You and Elder Torgesen will be unstoppable.
Expect some opposition, but you can handle it with grace and faith. Your baptism goal is a demonstration of your hope and faith - two incredible virtues. It is a real honor to serve in this mission with you. You help make this the best mission in the world!
With love,
President Collins
I am so happy that I am here dad. Even if I had 5 hours to write I don't think I could express the joy and happiness i have being here. I'm sure i sound like a broken record because I say that all the time but it is truely how I feel. I hope you are keeping yourself healthy and not over working yourself. The last few days here have been in the 90's with 90+ humidity so that is really hard to get used to. I really feel like me and my companion will get either 4 or 5 babtisms this transfer. We have been working so hard. There had not been a babtism in this whole district for almost half a year and for some reason all the elders in this district are just turning things around. Its amazing how working with the spirit changes the work. Oh and something I forget to mention in moms email was that I had to give a talk at church. My first one in Spanish. I wrote it myself and I was told there was only one grammer error so I felt pretty good about my self. Well I love you and I hope all is well.
Elder Hardman
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
May 24, 2011; Correct Address
Family and Friends,
I received a letter from Elder Hardman's Mission President today and he asked that letters and especially packages be mailed directly to Elder Hardman's address and not to the Mission Home, especially if you are sending a package. He said that because of Postage regulations they can no longer forward packages. Each time he is transferred I will be sure to send an e-mail with the change of address.
As you can see from his e-mails he is loving being a missionary! Remember that missionaries love letters and pictures. Thanks for your love and support!
Shellie
Elder Quinten Hardman
6434 Whitehaven Rd. Apt. 1050
Indianapolis, IN 46254
Note:
5/31/11--Please refer to Week 11 for updated address corrections and request from E. Hardman :)
I received a letter from Elder Hardman's Mission President today and he asked that letters and especially packages be mailed directly to Elder Hardman's address and not to the Mission Home, especially if you are sending a package. He said that because of Postage regulations they can no longer forward packages. Each time he is transferred I will be sure to send an e-mail with the change of address.
As you can see from his e-mails he is loving being a missionary! Remember that missionaries love letters and pictures. Thanks for your love and support!
Shellie
Elder Quinten Hardman
6434 Whitehaven Rd. Apt. 1050
Indianapolis, IN 46254
Note:
5/31/11--Please refer to Week 11 for updated address corrections and request from E. Hardman :)
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011; Week 10
Indianapolis~
Wellllll!!!!! I'm finally here. I love Indiana!!!! Its so green and beautiful and..... humid. Dont like that part much. Since i got to my apartment i have only seen about 5 white people not including me and my comp. Its pretty getto here but i love it. Its a super good for me that i was just thust into Spanish my first day. I dont know my address so maybe call Sister Collins and ask for it. I'll be sending some letters today so I'll see if i can get one to the family. After i recieved my companion and my area we all went to this place called bubs to eat and we ate a burger that weighed 3 lbs. I ate it all because after 2 months of only having mtc food I was in serious need of real food. My mission pres and his wife are so awesome. I love them.
So the first night we had 3 lessons and my trainer wasnt at all scared to let me teach half of it. It is so amazing how much Spanish i am able to speak. I still have no idea what the heck is going on and i cant understand hardly anything but i am sure feeling the gift of tongues in being able to teach. We had a lesson with a member present the other day and after the lesson he told me that i cant say to much in Spanish but what i do say i say it perfectly so that really lifted my spirits a lot. And then one of our investigators told me that he is so impressed with how much i try to speak Spanish and he can see the work that God is doing with me and can see God speaking through me. So that was super cool that an investigator could recognize the power of God. My father (trainer) is a super good elder. He is really obedient and really nice and patient. He has been out a 10 months and i am the second elder he has trained. We get along a lot and i look up to him alot. He told me that he has never had a babtism before and he doesnt know why because he is super obedient and works as hard as he possibly can everyday. So I said "district leader jorgesen (he is the dl) I have faith that we will have 5 baptsims this tranfer" and after that miracles started happening. We have 3 with baptism dates and 3 more that are so so so close. He told me that right when i got here the work just doubled but i dont know if i believe that.
We have one investigator that absolutly knows its true and he came to church and he wants to be baptized but he is addicted to smoking. So last night when we met with him after church I told him "no mas fumando mi hermano" no more smoking my brother. ( I love not being able to speak Spanish because i can be super blunt with people) and he said ok. So this morning i had the idea that we need to buy him gum and to tell him that when he feels like smoking he needs to chew gum instead so we will give that to him tonight. We have such amazing investigators and i love them all. Since i have gotten here my nightly prayers are like 15 minutes because i have so much to pray for. I pray for every member of my family and all of our investigators and so many other people and it takes a dang long time but i feel like my love for people is really growing because of it.
I love having personal study but i never have enough time. I have been trying to study the Christlike attributes a lot so that i can better understand how to truely love and help people and i feel like it is helping me a lot but i dont have a lot of time to study all i want so that sucks. Every morning i have an hour of personal study 2 hours have comp study and 1 hour of language study so we dont ever get out untill 12. And because of that we usually only eat breakfast and lunch. And i think i have lost a lot of weight because i have only eaten pb&j and cereal. haha I dont know what else to buy becuase i have never shopped for myself. I will learn soon tho. Well i need to get going so i can write dad and the mission pres. Just know that all is well here in Indianapolis. oh ya. I am in the city of Indianapolis. Well right outside the city but i guess its still considered Indianapolis. I love this work and i am becoming more and more grateful everyday for the opportunity i have to be here and i am loving my family more and more everyday for how much you all have helped me get here. My testimony is growing so much and i just love this church. I have only been here a week and i can already see the change the gospel is having in peoples lives. Pray for my investigators please. I love you all so much. Sorry this letter isnt very long. Love you
Elder Hardman
Wellllll!!!!! I'm finally here. I love Indiana!!!! Its so green and beautiful and..... humid. Dont like that part much. Since i got to my apartment i have only seen about 5 white people not including me and my comp. Its pretty getto here but i love it. Its a super good for me that i was just thust into Spanish my first day. I dont know my address so maybe call Sister Collins and ask for it. I'll be sending some letters today so I'll see if i can get one to the family. After i recieved my companion and my area we all went to this place called bubs to eat and we ate a burger that weighed 3 lbs. I ate it all because after 2 months of only having mtc food I was in serious need of real food. My mission pres and his wife are so awesome. I love them.
So the first night we had 3 lessons and my trainer wasnt at all scared to let me teach half of it. It is so amazing how much Spanish i am able to speak. I still have no idea what the heck is going on and i cant understand hardly anything but i am sure feeling the gift of tongues in being able to teach. We had a lesson with a member present the other day and after the lesson he told me that i cant say to much in Spanish but what i do say i say it perfectly so that really lifted my spirits a lot. And then one of our investigators told me that he is so impressed with how much i try to speak Spanish and he can see the work that God is doing with me and can see God speaking through me. So that was super cool that an investigator could recognize the power of God. My father (trainer) is a super good elder. He is really obedient and really nice and patient. He has been out a 10 months and i am the second elder he has trained. We get along a lot and i look up to him alot. He told me that he has never had a babtism before and he doesnt know why because he is super obedient and works as hard as he possibly can everyday. So I said "district leader jorgesen (he is the dl) I have faith that we will have 5 baptsims this tranfer" and after that miracles started happening. We have 3 with baptism dates and 3 more that are so so so close. He told me that right when i got here the work just doubled but i dont know if i believe that.
We have one investigator that absolutly knows its true and he came to church and he wants to be baptized but he is addicted to smoking. So last night when we met with him after church I told him "no mas fumando mi hermano" no more smoking my brother. ( I love not being able to speak Spanish because i can be super blunt with people) and he said ok. So this morning i had the idea that we need to buy him gum and to tell him that when he feels like smoking he needs to chew gum instead so we will give that to him tonight. We have such amazing investigators and i love them all. Since i have gotten here my nightly prayers are like 15 minutes because i have so much to pray for. I pray for every member of my family and all of our investigators and so many other people and it takes a dang long time but i feel like my love for people is really growing because of it.
I love having personal study but i never have enough time. I have been trying to study the Christlike attributes a lot so that i can better understand how to truely love and help people and i feel like it is helping me a lot but i dont have a lot of time to study all i want so that sucks. Every morning i have an hour of personal study 2 hours have comp study and 1 hour of language study so we dont ever get out untill 12. And because of that we usually only eat breakfast and lunch. And i think i have lost a lot of weight because i have only eaten pb&j and cereal. haha I dont know what else to buy becuase i have never shopped for myself. I will learn soon tho. Well i need to get going so i can write dad and the mission pres. Just know that all is well here in Indianapolis. oh ya. I am in the city of Indianapolis. Well right outside the city but i guess its still considered Indianapolis. I love this work and i am becoming more and more grateful everyday for the opportunity i have to be here and i am loving my family more and more everyday for how much you all have helped me get here. My testimony is growing so much and i just love this church. I have only been here a week and i can already see the change the gospel is having in peoples lives. Pray for my investigators please. I love you all so much. Sorry this letter isnt very long. Love you
Elder Hardman
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011; Week 9
MTC-Provo, UT
Mamma,
Well i am off to Indianapolis tomorrow and am so happy about that. Congrats to Mr. Payden Saxton on his call to Africa. He is going to be such a great missionary and is going to be such a great example to so many people. Super sad about Seth, i couldnt imagine what that would feel like but i think he only had a couple months left so i hope that makes it better. I hope that they are able to fix whatever is wrong with him.
So my last Tuesday in the mtc guess who talked to us? Elder Anderson, for those of you keeping track, that makes 3 GA's for me in the mtc. He talked alot about the atonement and life of Jesus Christ. I love when the general authorities talk about Jesus Christ because they talk about him with so much power and know things we dont and its just amazing to hear it. My testimony has been strengthened so much about Christ while i have been at the mtc and i know it will continue to grow as i rely on him more and more and also teach about him.
Thank you for the package and also my liscense and also the DR. PEPPER. I almost feel bad drinking it in here but it is sooooooo good. It will add some flavor to the fiesta that we are having tonight for those of us leaving. We recieved a new district this last Wednesday and they are all just super super good elders. I have had the opportunity to really try and get to know all of them and become friends with them so that their transition into missionary work could be better. They have all told me that they wish i could be here longer because i was the only one that made them really feel welcome.
I have really grown to love the mtc and the spirit here. But i cant wait to go and convert all of Indiana. I'm glad to hear that the family is doing good. Thats one thing i always look forward to hearing about is how the family is doing. I'm starting to feel like i have a good enough base in Spanish that i wont be completly lost when i start teaching. I feel like i will be able to contribute some to the lessons. I wish i could express the happieness i have right now but its hard to over email and i dont have enough time to write because i have a lot to get done today.
My companion left today so I'm kinda just flying solo. Bouncing around between a few different people but its all good. I feel that we ended on a good note. One of the elders in my zone came to me this morning and told me that Elder Mittelsteadt told him that he doesnt feel like anyone but me could have helped him through his problems he had and that just made me feel super good that i was able to help my companion. He helped me as well and taught me a lot.
Congrats to Jordan. 3 events for state. That is really good for a junior. Ive been praying that his feet and his shins wont hurt him while he ran. I got that letter he wrote me today but i havent had a chance to read it yet so I'm sure it tells me how he did with everything so I'm looking forward to reading that. Not much else has been going on at the mtc just trying to get final things done before i leave. We had a testimony meeting for our district on Saturday and that was really spiritual. I love my teachers and my district. And i have loved my experience at the mtc. But i need to go do laundry and pack at all of that before dinner so i need to end this short. Sorry its not as long as you like. I will try and call before my plane leaves tomorrow. I'm thinking i should have a little more then an hour so i will be sure to call. Please answer. Give the family my best.
Love you all
Elder Hardman
Mamma,
Well i am off to Indianapolis tomorrow and am so happy about that. Congrats to Mr. Payden Saxton on his call to Africa. He is going to be such a great missionary and is going to be such a great example to so many people. Super sad about Seth, i couldnt imagine what that would feel like but i think he only had a couple months left so i hope that makes it better. I hope that they are able to fix whatever is wrong with him.
So my last Tuesday in the mtc guess who talked to us? Elder Anderson, for those of you keeping track, that makes 3 GA's for me in the mtc. He talked alot about the atonement and life of Jesus Christ. I love when the general authorities talk about Jesus Christ because they talk about him with so much power and know things we dont and its just amazing to hear it. My testimony has been strengthened so much about Christ while i have been at the mtc and i know it will continue to grow as i rely on him more and more and also teach about him.
Thank you for the package and also my liscense and also the DR. PEPPER. I almost feel bad drinking it in here but it is sooooooo good. It will add some flavor to the fiesta that we are having tonight for those of us leaving. We recieved a new district this last Wednesday and they are all just super super good elders. I have had the opportunity to really try and get to know all of them and become friends with them so that their transition into missionary work could be better. They have all told me that they wish i could be here longer because i was the only one that made them really feel welcome.
I have really grown to love the mtc and the spirit here. But i cant wait to go and convert all of Indiana. I'm glad to hear that the family is doing good. Thats one thing i always look forward to hearing about is how the family is doing. I'm starting to feel like i have a good enough base in Spanish that i wont be completly lost when i start teaching. I feel like i will be able to contribute some to the lessons. I wish i could express the happieness i have right now but its hard to over email and i dont have enough time to write because i have a lot to get done today.
My companion left today so I'm kinda just flying solo. Bouncing around between a few different people but its all good. I feel that we ended on a good note. One of the elders in my zone came to me this morning and told me that Elder Mittelsteadt told him that he doesnt feel like anyone but me could have helped him through his problems he had and that just made me feel super good that i was able to help my companion. He helped me as well and taught me a lot.
Congrats to Jordan. 3 events for state. That is really good for a junior. Ive been praying that his feet and his shins wont hurt him while he ran. I got that letter he wrote me today but i havent had a chance to read it yet so I'm sure it tells me how he did with everything so I'm looking forward to reading that. Not much else has been going on at the mtc just trying to get final things done before i leave. We had a testimony meeting for our district on Saturday and that was really spiritual. I love my teachers and my district. And i have loved my experience at the mtc. But i need to go do laundry and pack at all of that before dinner so i need to end this short. Sorry its not as long as you like. I will try and call before my plane leaves tomorrow. I'm thinking i should have a little more then an hour so i will be sure to call. Please answer. Give the family my best.
Love you all
Elder Hardman
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011; Week 8
MTC-Provo, UT
My Dearest Amazing Mother,
First i will answer all your questions. My back is getting better. Its still pretty tight some mornings but it loosens up as the day starts going. I go to S.O.S physical therapy and they do a fairly good job. They massage my back and do shock therapy on it. I guess there is a tendon or something that runs up through my leg and into my hip and then it connects to my back. The doc said that it has a lot to do with that and probably some muscle issues as well. But its been doing good. The second time that i went there was a girl that worked there and she came into my room and was talking to me and then she was like "Are you ready for you massage" and i just started panacking because i didnt know if that was allowed but then she picked up my file and saw that only guys could do it so she went and got someone else. Kinda scary. Dont worry about putting money on my card. If your able to send me a package with that other stuff in it just send me a 20 or something and that should be enough, thank you. Elder Bakker just left this morning, i dont know if i told you he was leaving a week early. We think it has something to do with all the tornadoes that happened in North Carolina and maybe he has to help with clean up or something. So now its me and Elder Mittlesteadt. I recieved me travel plans last week. I leave May 17th and my flight leaves at 7 a.m. I fly to Detroit and i will arrive there at about 12:30. I have an hour and 20 min layover then off to Indianapolis. I will try and call right after i get through security. I'm ready to go and i cant wait to be serving the good people that God has prepared for me in Indianapolis.
This week has been hard. I remember on Wednesday just absolutly sucking in our lesson that we taught (in Spanish) and after i just felt so dumb and felt like I'm wasting the Lords time trying to learn Spanish. I remember not feeling the spirit the rest of the night because of how down on my self i was. So Wednesday was my hardest day in the mtc. But this week has been my best week in the mtc. I went to the tutor and asked if we could just chat together in Spanish so we did that for half an hour and he told me that i was doing really good and that i shouldnt at all worry so that boosted my confidence. Then i met with the branch pres. and he told me that my testimony has changed him and that i will make an amazing missionary because of it which also boosted my confidence and then I recieved a super nice comment from the second counselors wife which just made me super happy. And all the talks this week have been amazing. The spirit here is so amazing and it allowes the missionaries here, (if they are humble) to truely be molded into a tool that the lord can use to make his work come to pass. My testimony is continueing to grow everyday and more everytime i go to the temple. Its going to be hard not to be able to go for 22 months. But I'm praying the temple will be finished before i leave the mission.
It sounds like the family is all doing good and I'm glad about that. How are all my nieces and nephews? I miss all of them. I'm thinking i might have a few more when i get home. This last week i will be super busy getting all my things together and making the final touches to everything before i leave so i probably wont be able to write anyone letters so i am sorry for that. I will be able to email on Monday tho and then I'll call Tuesday if i have time :) So please be by the phone. Well time is up, i love you all.
Elder Hardman
My Dearest Amazing Mother,
First i will answer all your questions. My back is getting better. Its still pretty tight some mornings but it loosens up as the day starts going. I go to S.O.S physical therapy and they do a fairly good job. They massage my back and do shock therapy on it. I guess there is a tendon or something that runs up through my leg and into my hip and then it connects to my back. The doc said that it has a lot to do with that and probably some muscle issues as well. But its been doing good. The second time that i went there was a girl that worked there and she came into my room and was talking to me and then she was like "Are you ready for you massage" and i just started panacking because i didnt know if that was allowed but then she picked up my file and saw that only guys could do it so she went and got someone else. Kinda scary. Dont worry about putting money on my card. If your able to send me a package with that other stuff in it just send me a 20 or something and that should be enough, thank you. Elder Bakker just left this morning, i dont know if i told you he was leaving a week early. We think it has something to do with all the tornadoes that happened in North Carolina and maybe he has to help with clean up or something. So now its me and Elder Mittlesteadt. I recieved me travel plans last week. I leave May 17th and my flight leaves at 7 a.m. I fly to Detroit and i will arrive there at about 12:30. I have an hour and 20 min layover then off to Indianapolis. I will try and call right after i get through security. I'm ready to go and i cant wait to be serving the good people that God has prepared for me in Indianapolis.
This week has been hard. I remember on Wednesday just absolutly sucking in our lesson that we taught (in Spanish) and after i just felt so dumb and felt like I'm wasting the Lords time trying to learn Spanish. I remember not feeling the spirit the rest of the night because of how down on my self i was. So Wednesday was my hardest day in the mtc. But this week has been my best week in the mtc. I went to the tutor and asked if we could just chat together in Spanish so we did that for half an hour and he told me that i was doing really good and that i shouldnt at all worry so that boosted my confidence. Then i met with the branch pres. and he told me that my testimony has changed him and that i will make an amazing missionary because of it which also boosted my confidence and then I recieved a super nice comment from the second counselors wife which just made me super happy. And all the talks this week have been amazing. The spirit here is so amazing and it allowes the missionaries here, (if they are humble) to truely be molded into a tool that the lord can use to make his work come to pass. My testimony is continueing to grow everyday and more everytime i go to the temple. Its going to be hard not to be able to go for 22 months. But I'm praying the temple will be finished before i leave the mission.
It sounds like the family is all doing good and I'm glad about that. How are all my nieces and nephews? I miss all of them. I'm thinking i might have a few more when i get home. This last week i will be super busy getting all my things together and making the final touches to everything before i leave so i probably wont be able to write anyone letters so i am sorry for that. I will be able to email on Monday tho and then I'll call Tuesday if i have time :) So please be by the phone. Well time is up, i love you all.
Elder Hardman
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011; Week 7
MTC-Provo, UT
So last Tuesday we had another apostle speak to us. Elder Oaks. It wasnt like Elder Scotts, there is just something incredible about Elder Scott, the spirit he has is like none other person i have ever heard speak... but Elder Oaks was amazing, him and his wife talked to us. His wife touched on a talk that Elder Holland gave in 05 i think, in the mtc. Elder Holland says that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not cheap. We have to be prepared to walk some of the path that Christ walk and feel some of the pain that he has felt. If ya'll havent heard of this talk i would incourage you to look it up and read it. He was giving the talk to missionaries but i feel like it pertains to everyones life.
I have the talk in my room and i read it often but there was something different about when she talked to us about at. After she said that we have to walk some of the path that Christ walked and feel some of the pain he felt the thought popped into my head that i am so lucky that i get to feel a tiny tiny tiny part of what he felt. My testimony is going to be strengthened probably a thousand times because i finally get a little feeling of what he went through. I am soooo lucky. I cant wait to feel that so when i testify about Jesus Christ and his atonement i can do it so powerfully that no one can deny the love that Christ has for them.
Elder Oaks talked alot about our purpose as missionaries and how we need not do this work for selfish reasons. He also said how important it is for us to have a vision of who we are and what we are called to do and when we understand that everything else that has to do with missionary work will fall into place. We are children of God and we were called to help our brothers and sisters return to our Father.
So I'm sure you all might be worried about my injury. Four square is rough. But I'm alright. They told me that i have to go to 9 physical therapy apts and if my back is still hurting by the time i have to go i will be staying here untill it gets better. Your prayers will be much thanked. I got a blessing from my comps so I'm sure ill be ok. Elder Bakker is leaving a week early so that means ill have another week with my old comp.
I only have 2 weeks left and it seems like every week is getting faster and faster. Mi espanol es muy malo but I'm trying and praying that it will get better. I can teach lessons and hold a basic conversation but I'm still not sure how well I'm going to do when i get to Indiana. I dont know if i told you last week, but we got a new group of English people going to Indiana. Still havent met them but I'm sure trying to find them. One of the teachers in my zone told me his brother is going there the same time i am. Oh and on Wednesday we will only have 11 elders in my zone. That's almost the size of most districts.
Times up, i didnt recieve an email from you to tell me how the family is doing so i hope all is still going very well. I love you all and pray for you daily.
Elder Hardman
So last Tuesday we had another apostle speak to us. Elder Oaks. It wasnt like Elder Scotts, there is just something incredible about Elder Scott, the spirit he has is like none other person i have ever heard speak... but Elder Oaks was amazing, him and his wife talked to us. His wife touched on a talk that Elder Holland gave in 05 i think, in the mtc. Elder Holland says that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not cheap. We have to be prepared to walk some of the path that Christ walk and feel some of the pain that he has felt. If ya'll havent heard of this talk i would incourage you to look it up and read it. He was giving the talk to missionaries but i feel like it pertains to everyones life.
I have the talk in my room and i read it often but there was something different about when she talked to us about at. After she said that we have to walk some of the path that Christ walked and feel some of the pain he felt the thought popped into my head that i am so lucky that i get to feel a tiny tiny tiny part of what he felt. My testimony is going to be strengthened probably a thousand times because i finally get a little feeling of what he went through. I am soooo lucky. I cant wait to feel that so when i testify about Jesus Christ and his atonement i can do it so powerfully that no one can deny the love that Christ has for them.
Elder Oaks talked alot about our purpose as missionaries and how we need not do this work for selfish reasons. He also said how important it is for us to have a vision of who we are and what we are called to do and when we understand that everything else that has to do with missionary work will fall into place. We are children of God and we were called to help our brothers and sisters return to our Father.
So I'm sure you all might be worried about my injury. Four square is rough. But I'm alright. They told me that i have to go to 9 physical therapy apts and if my back is still hurting by the time i have to go i will be staying here untill it gets better. Your prayers will be much thanked. I got a blessing from my comps so I'm sure ill be ok. Elder Bakker is leaving a week early so that means ill have another week with my old comp.
I only have 2 weeks left and it seems like every week is getting faster and faster. Mi espanol es muy malo but I'm trying and praying that it will get better. I can teach lessons and hold a basic conversation but I'm still not sure how well I'm going to do when i get to Indiana. I dont know if i told you last week, but we got a new group of English people going to Indiana. Still havent met them but I'm sure trying to find them. One of the teachers in my zone told me his brother is going there the same time i am. Oh and on Wednesday we will only have 11 elders in my zone. That's almost the size of most districts.
Times up, i didnt recieve an email from you to tell me how the family is doing so i hope all is still going very well. I love you all and pray for you daily.
Elder Hardman
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