January 23, 2012

Dearest Familia,

Thank you for the notes about the funeral, family. Sounds like Grandpa's funeral was beautiful. I'm sure Grandpa was proud. I just saw the video of the military service at his funeral, that is really neat. I am so proud of my Grandpa.

Yes, I have changes. But not just that... I'm going to be a Dad!!! Ha ha that means I am going to train a newby this change! I am so excited, but nervous at the same time. Last week they told me because I had to go to a capacitación (training) to learn about the new training program. (Well I guess it’s not that new. But for me, sí.)

Now training a new missionary takes 12 weeks (two changes) and we get an extra hour and a half of study time! You guys need to send me ideas and tips for me with my new comp. so I can train him good and so he doesn’t get bored in our extra hour long companion study.

We still don’t know who is going to change from the area, me or Elder Gaytan. But I am hoping I get to stay. Plus, if I left I would have to open up a new area and I don’t think that President will do that.

OK, so recently in our area here in Las Villas 2, Jinotepe, we have been doing great. We haven’t baptized for a little bit which is bad. But we are teaching about 9 families right now, and I am planning to baptize all of them with the help of the Light that is going to come with my nuevicito.

There is a future missionary that we have been teaching for the last two weeks. He is totally ready for his baptism. He tells us that he doesn’t have any more questions about the Church and he is reading and learning lots from the Book of Mormon. He was going to be baptized this weekend but he couldn’t come to church Sunday because everyone in his family left Sunday morning so he had to stay and guard the house.

Of the 9 families we are teaching, I think I already told you about our one investigator. Her husband is super pilas (strong) and after a month of being reactivated is now the Young Men President and is helping a ton. She knows the church is true and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. And she has come to church for the past two months. But she still doesn’t feel like she wants to get baptized. So maybe you guys could pray for her too so she can finally make the decision.

We have another new family that we have started to teach, a husband, wife and their two kids. They are very positive and the Dad wanted to go to church Sunday but he had to do an errand for his work and didn’t get back in time. The last lesson we had with them was very touching. The Mom started to say the last prayer and started to cry and the Dad stepped in and finished it. It was great.

Well this last week, I didn’t not have any baptisms in my area. But I got to go to the baptisms of two really pilas kids in El Rosario. I was able to get to know them and help them out a little bit before they committed to be baptized and I also got to go do their interviews and so they and their family invited us to the baptism. They are both really excited to be future missionaries. I could only help a little in their conversion, but it was really neat to see, from the first time we got to know them to the baptismal interview, the change in their eyes. And how strong of a testimony they could gain.

It started when Elder Buc and Elder Styles found them one day. They talked to the Mom and she confessed that she is a member for a long time and that she went inactive when she moved from her home town. When I passed by with Elder Styles and we got to know them and the Dad a little better too. We wanted to invite the family to be baptized, but the Mom confessed that she was still waiting on some divorce papers so it would take a while for her and her future husband to get married. But the kids were still excited and said that they wanted to follow the example of Jesus Christ. I told them as we left that I looked forward to the day when I could come back and see them (for the interview) and that day came a lot faster than I thought.

Hey I sure did get to meet Elder Nelson!!! Like most of the times every missionary got to shake his and his wife’s hand. He asked me what my name was and she asked me where I was from. And I said, Utah... Salt Lake City, Utah. Ha ha that is neat that Mom got a letter from him a long time ago.

I love you sweet family,

Elder Hardy

ps I love you.