August 20, 2012

Dear Family,

This was the last and very best week of the mission (As every week of the mission should be). One of the most beautiful families that I was able to teach here in the mission entered the waters of Baptism Saturday and yesterday they received the Holy Ghost and were confirmed members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Several Miracles occurred in order for that to happen and Heavenly Father was very merciful and loving to allow all the miracles to occur before I had to leave from this land.

The family Alvarez Tiffer (Rodolfo, Tania, Rodolfo and Marcelo) was the family and I will try to send photos but it looks like this computer does not recognize my camera card. But I guess you will be able to see them soon anyway.

The Baptismal Service was Awesome. Half the ward showed up and some had to sit in the hall because they didn’t fit. Everyone was soo excited to hear that the family was going to be baptized. Even the Mission President and his family came and participated in the service. (We arrived a little late with the family for a few reasons)

But once we got there and the family put on white clothes everything went great. They decided that they wanted my companion Elder Gomez to baptize Tania and Rodolfo jr., and that I would baptize Rodolfo sr. and Marcelo.

Sunday in the morning they arrived early to have an interview as a family with the bishop and were the first ones sitting in church. For the confirmation the Second Councilor confirmed Rodolfo, the Bishop confirmed Tania, Elder Gomez confirmed Rodolfo jr. and I had the opportunity to perform the confirmation ordinance for Marcelo. It was an amazing feeling I felt as I did it.

The Bishop after the baptismal service came up to me and said that the last speaker for the next day had flaked and asked if I could take his place. I was very pleased to be able to address the members of the San Marcos Ward (old and very new members) about the Blessings of making and keeping Covenants. I also had the opportunity to share my testimony in front of the whole ward.

Well, I still have a few more lessons to teach... But the last one yesterday was to the family of Omar and Juana and their son Oscar. They are a very special family to me but have not been able to be baptized because of some paper issues for their marriage. Poor little Oscar was crying when we sang "God be with you till we meet again". The brother Omar calls me "El Padrino" ("The Godfather" in English) ha ha because we have been able to help and council them in the trials they have had. He made me a key chain out of a cool old Nicaraguan Coin with Sandino on it. It is pretty sweet.

Today we will have the last lesson with the Family Alvarez Tiffer :( in their Family Home Evening.

Pretty much the most important thing to me now is to bear my testimony as many times as a can while I am still a set apart representative of Jesus Christ and his Church.

I have really missed Mom's Sunday Pot Roast. I have missed mashed potatoes too. But if it is going to be way too late Thursday night, I don’t know. I don’t know what time we are actually going to be in the house. So you guys can decide if we should eat the first dinner late Thursday night or Friday.

You know what I have searched endlessly for here and never found...? (You will think it is weird): A bagel. I’m not even sure how to spell it any more. But it is bread that has a hole like a donut but is for breakfast and you eat it with cream cheese. (I remember it being especially delicious if you heat it up in the microwave). Other classics snacks are great!

Well, I don’t know how much you have all changed... My comp. was telling me that when his brothers came back from the mission EVERYTHING was way different. He said that lots of important things that happened (like his dog died) they didn’t tell him so he wouldn’t get unfocused in the mission. Nothing crazy has happened right? Nobody has lost any limbs or anything like that right? I know Emily and Hannah have probably grown up a ton. Ha ha it might help to make a sign saying "The Hardy Family".

I love you so much Family.

It is sad to have to leave the new members of the family here,

But they will always be in my heart.

And it´s time to give you guys a hug again.

Love,

Elder Hardy

ps. I love you!!!!!

pps. By special request (and by right) Mom gets the first hug. Then everyone else has to come in on the hug at the SAME time to be fair.

ppps. Good luck in College MOM!!!!!

August 13, 2012

Dear Family,

Hey! I don’t have too much time today!

I went to Jinotepe (with permission) to buy a camera. Ha ha and guess what?! It was 1,500 cordobas! (About $65) Half of what I was hoping for. It’s a GE 12.2 megapixel A1250. I think it was a pretty good deal. You can find anything cheap in the market.

Ha ha and you won’t believe what my comp bought! A pair of ECCO shoes, exactly the same as mine. We were looking at piles of used shoes in the paca today and I saw a familiar bottom of the shoe pattern. I pulled them out and they are identical except it’s the version without shoe laces. Wanna know how much they cost... 100. But not 100 dollars like mine did. 100 cordobas. I was so jealous.

So I will have to take a bunch of pictures this week.

Ahh man, we need to keep praying! Felix and Mayra need more time. And Omar and Juana couldn’t get married because the divorce case had a few hold ups :(

Ha ha ha the Minister, well he is still in the process. We had interviews with the President with all our Zone Tuesday. And after all the missionaries had finished, we asked the President and his Wife if they wanted to come with us to visit a few families. They said they would love to. So we took them to Felix and they talked.

The thing is they are worried about being baptized before they get everything taken care of with the other commitment. President told us afterward that it is a good thing that they take it so seriously and want to do things right, that means they will be very committed when they get baptized too. The only problem is that the meeting with the "Apostole" is in the first weeks of September...

Yes, I imagine that in his calling you might receive "un ayuda." He is also in charge of collecting the tithes of the congregation.

Ahh, we have had some very good lessons this week. There are two families, who are the most awesome families of all time that we are teaching now. The only thing that makes me sad is that we got to know them late the last 2 weeks of my mission.

The family of Rodolfo, Tania and their sons Rodolfo (15) and Marcelo (10) are so wonderful. We are pretty much trying to pass by with them everyday. Because they have a goal to be baptized as a family this Saturday. And they need to receive the answers to their prayers RIGHT NOW.

Ha ha they are ready and prepared, we are just praying with them (and they have decided to fast tomorrow) that they may receive an answer to their prayers through the Holy Ghost. I pray as well that it is God´s will that they receive an answer this week, because I know that they will know the Truth, be baptized and be an eternal family.

I am already sure. It’s just a question of if the Lord wants it to be this week that they enter the door. Well, I just don’t see why not. It’s a commandment to be baptized, and we must repent Today, not tomorrow. So if they are ready, I will be able to see them enter into the waters of baptism before coming home. That is the Most important thing on my mind right now.

There is another family, Cesar and his wife Kenia. And two little kids, William (most awesome kid I have known in mission (5 years old)) and Kenia (2 years old). So happy, we found them last week and Kenia came with William to church. Cesar stayed at home with Kenia jr. Because she got really sick. They will be baptized next month.

So to answer the question. With these two families and others we have had some really great, spiritual lessons.

Yes, Rodolfo and Tania came to church with Marcelo. And Kenia came with William. The best part was when the Primary entered the class (with Marcelo and William) and sang "If you’re happy and you know it" And the parents were soo happy. After they finished William yelled, "Mama! I like this song!" Ha ha she was going to have to leave early. But as she entered the Primary to take out William, he clamped on to the table and wouldn’t let go. And said he wanted to stay. Ha ha so she stayed for Relief Society too.

I love you,

See you Soon!

Elder Hardy

ps I love you.

(Requests for souvenirs in the next email please ha ha)

August 7, 2012

Ok, family, real fast.

Yesterday I couldn’t write because I had to take an Elder from the Zone to the hospital. Elder Climer (a newer Elder that is here in San Marcos 1) has been sick for the last few days and they decided that the symptoms where very similar to Appendicitis.

Sister Monestel called me and told me to take him to the hospital. So I got to sit there with him all day as they did the tests and an ultrasound. But it was a rare and neat experience and I had fun. We could also talk about the church to the doctor as she was taking the ultrasonido ha ha.

So the Assistant, Elder Cabrera, gave us permission really fast today to write the President our weekly letter and explain to the family real fast what happened.

Ha ha yes, I have had to baptize more than once but only a few times. I am known for dunking pretty hard to make sure they get all the way under and don’t have to do it two times ha ha.

Teaching has gone Great! We have a super Awesome family from Costa Rica that came to Church this week. They are so special and I think they felt good in Church. They have two boys, one who is 15 and one who is 10. I pray so much that they can progress fast enough to be baptized before I go. But in the Lord`s time.

Yes, of course we still proselytize on Pday! Last night the Super familia from Costa Rica went to the Bishop’s house for a Family Home Evening (I got back as they were preparing the refreshments). President drove us back to San Marcos from Managua.

Spiritual thought: D&C 45:35 -- "Be not troubled, for, when all these things shall come to pass, ye may know that the promises which have been made unto you shall be fulfilled." 

Ha ha it’s almost fulfilled, I hope to have the bestest hardest working two weeks of my mission right now.

Love you,

Elder Hardy

ps I luh you.

July 30, 2012

Hola Familia Olimpiada,

¡¡¡FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS Grandma Hardy!!!

Last one that I won’t be there for to give you a hug! I love you.

Sounds like your Olympics watching technique is Awesome! I am so jealous! I just barely heard yesterday that the Olympics have started. I´m pretty sure they are over by the time I get home right? Keep up the scripture studying, we will have a Book of Mormon Scriptures Olympic competition when I get back ha ha.

Nicaragua is in the Olympics?!?! Awesome, in what competitions do they have athletes?

Oh I am sorry to hear that Aunt Jean has passed away. I hope Grandma is ok. Tell her to hold on, and tell her that I am so grateful for all the letters she sends! I think I am the most blessed missionary in the world because I receive a letter from my Grandma every week. Tell her I have all 86 (I think that was the last one) saved so far. I will have to send them home in a box so I have room in my suitcases for souvenirs!!!

Good luck Alexis in India!!! There you will be accepted with your own kind... (There the cows are holy). Ha ha. Don´t eat pork! I am worried I have a pork worm in my brain now...

Ahh! Keep praying! What happened is that the hermano Felix is a pastor. And he feels like he needs to talk to his "apostol" to renounce his calling before getting baptized. Supposedly this week the apostol is coming from Switzerland or something like that and he is going to resign. But I imagine that the apostol will try and say something so we need to prepare our friend.

Church was great. The Bishop asked me to give a talk about Fasting to invite the members to repent and practice the law of the fast better. So I gave it to them a little bit.

Ha ha. I started with a story about a boy one Sunday morning many years ago. Who woke up early and headed to the kitchen still with sleepy eyes to pour himself a nice bowl of cereal. He got out the bowl, a spoon, and his favorite box of cereal. After pouring in the milk, he scooped a spoonful of joy and began to open his mouth to eat it... when suddenly his mom came around the corner from nowhere and yelled, "Don’t forget that today is fast Sunday son!!!!" Ha ha and with disappointment, the boy tossed the spoon into the bowl and returned to his room drooping his head.

Ha ha I explained to them that that boy was me, years ago when I did not understand the true principle of fasting, and explained to them how much regret I felt thinking about all the blessing I have missed because of it. Then I explained to them how to fast appropriately, and with what purpose, and why we go to Fast and Testimony meeting and the importance of fast offerings and how to do it etc. Most of all, I told them about the blessings that are waiting for them if they do it.

Ha ha well today we did our weekly planning for this week because we couldn’t do it the normal time last week. Then I sent the... Hammock!!! (They said it would get there in like 15 days...) I hope it gets there before I do.

Well this week the mission had training meetings with Sister Payne. (She is a really famous returned missionary because she was in the missionary training videos call "the district") Ha ha and her brother is Assistant to the President here. So she came to teach the mission how to plan... But I wasn’t invited!!! Ahh! And I wanted a photo with her! But President said that me and the others that came with me in my group to Nicaragua didn’t need to go because... well... I don’t know why.

But we had a great day yesterday rounding up a small community to see a video about Jesus Christ in the house of members in a community where we have never gone before. So hopefully they have a good attitude about us before the pastors of the local churches start saying stuff.

I got to go!

Sounds like everyone is doing great! Good Luck with all the things you have to do this week!

Love,

Elder Hardy

Ps I love you.