August 22, 2011

Hey Everybody!

Breakfast

Yeah, Bluefields is pretty neat. But I am not even there right now. We had to leave this morning in the morning to start the trek to the Salt Lake... I mean to Managua haha. We have a multizone activity tomorrow so today we are sleeping in Juigalpa.

We had to/got to take a panga today on the Hidden River. Ha ha a panga is a little boat. But before you get too excited about it like I did, a panga is not one of those cool river boats with the big fan on back that pushes it. It is just a little boat with a motor on back like normal. I would send photos right now of the trip but I didn’t bring the cord to here. But the boat reminded me of the boats on the Jungle Ride in Disneyland ha ha. Almost exactly, except it goes a lot faster... and there were no hippos. But I did see a tortoise.

The boat ride was two hours long. Very exciting in the beginning but then I looked at my watch and only 8 minutes had passed. Ha ha and when we landed in Rama, we got on a bus for a 3 hour bus ride to Juigalpa, standing, because it was super packed. (We passed St. Thomas too so you should put it on my map).

But we finally got here, I ate a big hamburger and we are good to go again. Tomorrow in the morning, we go to Managua, and then we come back to Juigalpa to sleep the night, and do the whole thing over again to get back to home base in Bluefields.

Elder Gaitan came the change after me, so he completes 1 year the 20th of September. Ha ha no, this time he is not the DL. I am Senior Companion. But I think it is co-senior. I have photos, but they are in my camera.

There are four Elders in Bluefields, one pair for each Branch. The other Elders are Elder Jimenez (DL) and Elder Lopez. In my Zone I’m not sure. I am in Zone Juigalpa again if you couldn’t tell, but they have changed the areas a lot so I don’t know how many there are now. We have a District Meeting every Friday in Bluefields and I think Zone Conferences that we are invited to are very few.

The El Salvador Temple dedication was poderosa, and very asombroso (powerful and awesome). It was broadcasted via satellite to the Chapel in Bluefields. Ha ha President Eyring was funny in the Corner Stone Ceremony but nobody understood him, because he doesn’t speak Spanish. But the dedication was great.

Our house is the nicest I have been in so far. Three rooms, a living room and a kitchen. We live there with the other companionship, and we rent the whole house so a family doesn’t live there.

Big Beetle

Ha ha well, Hannah, I have never actually gotten to go to any ports, or beaches. But the houses are cool. Lots of them are on stilts and look a lot like the house in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Disneyland.

My other suitcase? Ha ha ha, good question Emily, I would like to know that too... No, the office took it to keep it there. But now that I am going to return to Bluefields by land.../sea, maybe I will see if I can take it. Whenever someone needs something I say, "Oh, I have... oh wait, that stayed in the other suitcase."

Thank you so much for sending the clips of the float. Very nice, thanks mom.

Hey, the updates sound great family.

Good luck with the new roommates Alexis. Tell me what’s going on and I will give you tips on the roommate situation. The mission is the MTC for life.

Good luck with school Emily. The IB program sounds great. Sounds like you are going to one up me. I never got to do IB.

I would like to give an appreciation to all of my friends and all the missionaries that are serving in Europe. Ha ha, today in the bus, when finally enough people had left in order to be able to sit down, I sat down in the back of the bus where there were three chelas (white girls). I started to talk to them and it turns out they were from Barcelona.

And after getting to know them a little, of course we started to talk about el evangelio. Well, they were very nice, but they responded in a way different than any other person I have talked to here in Nicaragua. They didn’t believe in God, and were quite closed on the subject. But I stayed positive and we shared with them, and in the end offered a pamphlet on the Restoration and on Joseph Smith.

Ha ha but to be short, in talking to them, I understood that the rest of their country and Europe in general responds the same way. Ha ha so respect to all my buddies Elders serving it out there on the other side, I hope they keep up the good work and stay positive.

I would like to share my testimony this time first, about the love the Lord has for us. I have seen His love in many, many different ways in the short year I have served here in Nicaragua. And the way I am going to focus on right now is how He has strengthened me.

Of course, the love of the Lord that I have seen as the Gospel has blessed families and people is the greatest. But how He has helped me with my propia debilidades (own weaknesses) is something I would like to show gratitude for in this opportunity.

What has become one of my favorite scriptures se encuentra en Éter 12:27-28, que dice, "y si los hombres vienen a mí, les mostraré su debilidad. Doy a los hombres debilidad para que sean humildes; y basta mi gracia a todos los hombres que se humillan ante mí; porque si se humillan ante mí, y tienen fe en mí, enonces haré que las cosas débiles sean fuertes para ellos. ...y les mostraré que la fe, la esperanza y la caridad conducen a mí, la fuente de toda rectitud."

Ether 12:27-28:

27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

28 Behold, I will show unto the Gentiles their weakness, and I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me—the fountain of all righteousness.

I testify that the Lord loves us. And for that He has given us trial and weakness so that we can humble ourselves and come unto Him. I also testify that He has given me plenty weaknesses because He loves me. In this year, the mission has really helped me discover my weaknesses and has helped me to come to the Lord, and the Lord has helped me humble myself. Now I’m not saying I’m humble, saying I’m humble would be a little bit ironic to say. But He has certainly helped me change a lot, and is helping me change my weaknesses to strengths.

So I promise you all, that if you come to Him, he will help. When you have a problem, if you take the time to kneel, and talk to Him about it, with humility, He will help. Forget about the problems other people have when you do it, He says He will help show you your weaknesses, so you can change yourself. If we humble ourselves to the will of the Lord, all the problems in the world don’t matter, because if you are in line with His will it will all work out.

So I invite everyone to kneel in prayer tonight, and ask the Lord what weakness He would like you to fix in yourself so you can be more like Him. And when you do it, it’s one of the best feelings you can get. I bear my testimony that this is true. That the Lord Jesus Christ loves us and is just waiting on the other side of the door for us to let Him into our hearts and change us.

I bear my testimony of the Book of Mormon. I don’t know if I told you all, but this last change I finished reading the Libro de Mormón with my other companion Elder Moreno. We read it in less than a month, reading everyday without failing. And I testify that the promise contained in the Book, to read it and ask if it is true, doesn’t have a coupon limit per person. It doesn’t say the first time you read it. It means every time you read it. So read it. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the kingdom of God on the earth. And that the Gospel blesses families.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love You,

Elder Hardy

Ps. I love you