October 5, 2010

Querido Familia,

!Hola! I am so glad you saw me at Priesthood! It was so much fun and everyone (the G.A.s) was giving us thumbs up and stuff after. It was Dad and Grandpa in the top balcony afterward right? Because it looked like you and I started waving and giving thumbs up and stuff and they were copying me so hopefully it was you. I thought it was such a blessing and a miracle too. Ha ha my half second of fame is pretty funny, you can see my eyes for a sec but mostly just my chin down the whole time it was funny. We watched it after as a district and everyone was laughing. Oh yeah and Tyler was sitting right next to me, did you see him? Unfortunately, Elder Woodruff got bumped to the next row down and doesn't ever really get a close up.

Conference was really great. I got a lot out of it this time. Probably because I was sitting straight up in a hard chair, paying attention and taking notes. It seemed to go a lot faster too.

I am going to have to get back to you sisters on the pumpkin. I don't have time to properly consider that very important matter.

So Rob is Awesome. I got his "Birthday Package" for me ha ha. It was a package with some dulces, some really good cookies and a bottle of Martinelli’s. It was really nice. My whole district thinks I am soo cool because of the packages. Hopefully Rob reads these so, Thanks Rob, you are a great uncle. And it was pretty funny too. It said Happy Halloween on the outside of the card. I don't even know when Halloween is anymore. They probably don't celebrate in Nicaragua. Ha ha and I don't know how well the ice cream scheme would have worked out anyway.

Sorry I didn't send a letter last week. But I tried to write my cousins back. Hopefully they get those and they’re not too out of date. I read Jenny's email and it sounds like they are doing great.

Yes I got the Spanish CTR rings you sent. They are great and we are excited to give them to little kids when we get there. Along with the nail clippers I have.

I am not sure what all I should send home if anything. I have my nice special edition Spanish scriptures. I haven't used them yet because they are so nice. I want to take them so I can mark them and everything from my mission but I am not sure if I should send them home and save them instead. What do you think? Also I have a big box of letters. I would hate to lose them or something in Nicaragua do you think I should send them home? Same with a bunch of pages of my journal.

I don't have any travel info yet but it feels like it is going so fast. Only two weeks left. It is crazy. I do not feel like I know nearly enough Spanish but I guess I will probably learn faster down there anyway.

It is good to hear how the family is doing. Maybe if I don't write about that in my email I won't be as rushed.

For my spiritual thought I am going to talk about a talk given by President Eyring in the MTC. (They have a big database of talks given here that you can't get anywhere else and they are soo Good!) But he gave a story about when he was a bishop and there was a man who was just recently baptized. He had a lot of problems. One day he was on drugs and crashed his car into a Bank of America. As the police/security pointed their guns at him he put his hands up and said, "Its O.K. I am a Latter Day Saint!" So he came into the Bishop’s office and was demanding help from the church. Pres Eyring was going to get really mad at him and rebuke him but suddenly he saw him as a little child and saw how the Savior and God saw him. It was a really good talk about Charity and was really touching when he told it. But in short, we need to see everyone around us as Children of God. And be more compassionate, patient and loving.

I don't have any more time, but I have really been trying to do this when someone starts to do something that bothers me or annoys me. Before I open my mouth, I think about whom they are and have Charity. It has really helped me not be a Nervous Nelly.

Love You All,

Elder Hardy