March 26, 2012

Dear Familia,

Elders Tonga, Hardy, Woodruff & Brough

Mission Conference, Granada 2012

My week was AWESOME! And sounds like your week too. I think it is great that you guys are going good on the Book of Mormon goal. 

This week was so great because we have another super escogida familia (chosen family) that came to church yesterday. They remind me of the family of Everardo and Daisy in Bluefields. So they came with us to Church and we had fast and testimony meeting. It was the best Fast and Testimony meeting I have ever had! It was very spiritual. 

A new investigator that our friend Agustin brought to church even went up to the pulpit and some of what she said was, I have been searching in many churches for my whole life and today, is the first time I have felt the spirit like this in church, I feel like this is the correct church and I hope that I might be able to join it one day. Wow! 

Also, a really sincere Mom went up with her baby and shared her testimony about how the Gospel changed her life and about her eternal family now. It was very touching, and I think the family that came to church felt the spirit too. 

We are going to watch General Conference about as close as you can if you aren’t living in Utah ha ha. Across the street. Our Ward attends in the Stake Center across the street from the house and this Saturday and Sunday everyone from the Stake is going there. 

Sounds like a great Birthday gift, thanks family. I will be sure to fulfill the three birthday money requirements, it will be great. I will even see if I have any connections in Masaya for a cool hammock. 

Bishop asked about the Missionary Journal. Ok, in my email to President, I asked him if he has the Diary format saved on the computer and if he would send it to me. If so, I will send it to you guys (Dad will have to translate). If not, I will take a photo of each page and send it to you guys next week. 

The point of the diary is that the family that has the Journal finds, befriends and baptizes a family each year. So these 10 families every week fill out the dairy of their missionary experiences and the families that they have contacted and that they are working with. 

Well, it starts off on the first page with all the Ward Mission Goals for the year (very important that all the members can know the goals, or why would we make them) like baptisms, retention and church attendance. Then it has two pages with a place to put the photo of the families they have helped baptize and their names. Then it has a couple of lessons that we are teaching to the missionary families. About how to do Member Missionary Work. Then it has lined pages to put their missionary experiences and progress of investigators. I will have to try to send it to you guys next week. 

Sounds like everything is going good. I will have to send photos next week. 

I am very proud of my Member Missionary family. 

Alexis, we don’t have a temple in Nicaragua. But my first impressions of the Temple were great. I feel like I was prepared and that I was able appreciate at least the covenants I was making. But obviously a lot went over my head. I can’t wait to go back to the temple and receive more revelation. 

Love, 

Elder Hardy & Elder Batz 

Elder Hardy 

ps I love you 

Sorry the power went out and I lost a bit. I am just signing on now to send the draft. 

Love you!!!

March 19, 2012

Happy Spring!!!

Hey Mom, I don´t know if I have ever told you but thanks for all the thought you put in sending me an email every week. Even the cool photos made out of text are really cool. Where do you find those? 

Ha ha well no, I did not see any of the fresh water sharks. I guess I didn’t get close enough to the water. I was going to send you photos today... but I actually lent my camera to some recent converts... but I am sure it will come back. Ha ha. 

Elder Nick Sessions? No, no nos invitaron a los cambios porque... 

just realized I was writing in Spanish. 

No I haven’t met him yet, but we have a conference activity in Granada this Wednesday and I will see him there. It is with the whole mission. 

Elder Gochnour already came back? No way. Sounds like he had a good mission. 

This week we continued to work hard. But the good news is that we took a good time in our weekly planning figuring out how we could work better. Not harder, because we already have that down, but work more effectively to be able to find the people and families that God has waiting for us. We made several plans and goals, lots having to do with Member Missionary Work. 

Last week they also changed the Ward Bishopric. The new Bishop and one of the counselors are returned missionaries and they are all pilas. We met with them yesterday in the house of the Bishop to start off with a good page for the relationship between the missionaries and the ward leaders. 

We had some plans and ideas and we are going to present them to the ward council next Sunday. We went to the Bishop first so he has a head start and will be able to support us. One of the plans is from the mission. It is the "Missionary Journal." 

Bishop Arevalo is going to pick 10 of the most pilas families in our ward and we are going to give each one a really cool pamphlet/journal that they have to fill out. The idea is that they pick a family that they know who are not members and they are going to help them throughout the year. The goal is that each family baptizes a family each year. 

We had an interesting Stake Conference this Sunday, it was actually with all of Central America. We listened to President Packer, and President Clayton of the Seventy and a few more in a conference from Salt Lake City to all Central America by satellite. They had some very good consejos for the members. 

We found three new, positive families this week. One, the husband has been a member for 12 years (since he was 16) but hadn’t talked to the missionaries in two years, and his wife is Catholic. We watched “Together Forever” with them and the Dad was a little emotional. He came yesterday to church and we want to help him and his wife so that they can go to the temple. 

For PDay today, we left the house and 11:00 am after studies and went to get our hair cut. The Doctor stopped us before leaving the house and wanted to talk to us. She said that the electric bill has gone up a lot ever since we started to iron our own shirts in the house. So we decided we are going to look for a sister to do the laundry for us. 

Then we left the house. I bought a bag of freshly sliced mango in the park on the way to the barbershop (so I could have something to snack on as we waited). After cutting our hair, we went to eat lunch at our lunch appointment. And we put an appointment to meet with Stephany (a daughter of the family where we eat) and a friend of hers that she wanted to introduce to the missionaries for tomorrow at 4 pm. 

And we came here to write. Ha ha. After, my companion wants to buy some shorts for the activity this Wednesday and I am going to buy a couple of white shirts. 

No baptisms this week. But the goal for April is Two Families. 

Hannah asked if we have Spring here in Nicaragua? Ha ha it is always Spring in Nicaragua!!! Well, that’s not true. But I would say the closest to Spring is right after the dry season. When it starts to rain again is when the ground explodes with plants and it is very green. I will take a photo of a cool flower! 

Ah man, you gave me a bad bracket dad! Thanks for the journal entries. Love you. 

Thanks for the spiritual thought and awesome idea about the Patriarchal Blessing mom. I am going to do it tomorrow in my personal study. Sounds like the activity is going to be awesome mom! I Love you. 

Wait, I thought you already left school Alexis. What are you schooling? Who is this new guy again? Love you. 

Good luck in the last night of Concert Emily!!! I luh you. 

Sound like you are doing Great Hannah! I Love you. 

I want you all to remember the goal that you guys made! ... I hope you guys are already half way through the Book of Mormon as a family! 

I love you all, 

Elder Hardy 

ps I love you

March 12, 2012

Hey Family! 

Hey, I’m sorry! But I don’t have much time today. We went to El Lago de Nicaragua with the District/Zone today and it is late. 

El Lago de Nicaragua

(Sue’s note: El Lago de Nicaragua is the largest lake in Central America and home to the Bullshark, the only fresh water shark in the world!! Pics from the net) 

El Tiburón 

I saw the photos of Elder Woodruff in the hospital with his jaw. Poor guy. I sent him an email and told him to smile. Ha ha. 

Elder Batz is Awesome and the Best. The best thing I would say is that he is very patient with me. He has not received his Greenie Package! But we await the green ties anxiously. :) 

It is Fresco (brisk) here in Jinotepe at night. But it is still pretty hot here too in the day. It was more fresco a couple of months ago. But my comp says it is Way hot here. (He comes from the mountainous area of Guatamala. Where you have to wear a coat in the night outside.) 

Our work is Really Great this last change. We have two Sacerdocios who are really positive for this month. One is named Porfilio (I already told you about him) And he will be a great leader in the church). 

We have a couple of families really chosen. But there have been some weeds growing by the wheat and we are working on that. But we had a very spiritual experience with a new family this weekend. 

We were talking about the Plan of Salvation and I felt like there was something when we talked about it and I asked her if she had someone close in the family that had died recently and it was her sister and we were able to share about where we go after this life and share experiences and testify. It was great! 

Ok I have to go. 

I Love you all, 

Elder Hardy

March 5, 2012

Hey Dad, 

Thanks for sending the email. I am sorry to hear that everyone has been sick. It´s funny because this weekend I got hit with the "Chitarro" (I´m thinking that pretty much means the common cold). Ha ha I was fine. I was able to deal with it but it was a little annoying in all of our lessons Friday and Saturday with a super runny, stuffy nose. 

Ha ha Friday I bought a huge handkerchief and filled it with moco (mucus) every time I had the chance in order to be able to teach. The worst was that this Sunday was fast Sunday and the choir director didn’t come on time so they called me up to direct the hymns. Ha ha I was feeling pretty light headed trying to sing loud and keep everyone on time with the hymns. 

Hey that is awesome to hear that Jordan was ordained a Priest. ¿How many young men do you have Dad? (Priests, Teachers, Deacons). Maybe you could send a few extra Priests over here to help me out. 

That is neat that the Young Men are excited about planning Spiritual Activities like going to the Temple, sharing the Gospel and helping others in their conversion. It is pretty much the best way to help your own conversion and spiritual progression. Sounds like you’re doing a good job, Dad. 

FELICIDADES to Emily and Hannah for their Piano Recitals. They need to come here and play the hymns Sundays. Like I said, this Sunday, I directed the Hymns and Elder Muzo "played" the piano. But it is computerized and Elder Muzo just has to touch a key every beat to play. And so he got ahead in the opening hymn and didn’t know how to slow down to get back with the congregation and the stress almost killed me (remember I was sick and empty stomached too). I could use you guys! 

Hey we got a package! It was the little one for Valentine’s Day! Thank you so much, the tie is very artistic. The cartas (cards) were great, Happy Valentine’s Day! (haha, a month later!) 

Ha ha ha no no no. It wasn’t a bug in the pictures I last sent. I sent 2 pictures. You have to see what the difference is in between the two pictures (of the PLANT) ha ha. Try to see the difference before you read the answer: 

There is a really cool weed here in Jinotepe. The leaves are all spread out and sticking out. BUT if you touch it, it MOVES really fast and HIDES its leaves and shrinks. Ha ha so I tried to show it in a picture of before and after. 

(Sue's note: This plant is called the 

Mimosa pudica: The Sensitive Plant)

We had a GREAT lesson last week. We are teaching a Sacerdocio who is really Pilas. His name is Porfilio. He has come to Church now for three weeks straight. The thing is, is he is really evangelico. Which is great because he is going to be one of my most pilas converts because he has so much Zeal for the gospel. 

We have been teaching him a few times these last weeks but it is tuff to go through the lessons because he likes to talk about the gospel so much. But we decided we needed to teach him the entire restauracion before Sunday. But we were actually pretty nervous because we weren’t sure how he would react to the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith as a prophet, because he is so dedicated to the Bible. 

But we prepared ourselves and practiced and Saturday in the Night, we went to his house. And we gave one of the best lessons I have had in the Mish. (and my comp. said the best lesson he has had of the Restauration in his mission ha ha). 

It actually almost surprised me how he accepted immediately that Joseph Smith was the prophet that started the dispensation of the fullness of times (we focused on Gospel Dispensations, Apostasies and the Priesthood). And that the Book of Mormon, as a fruit of the restoration and the key of our religion could be true and he accepted to study and pray without delay. It was Amazing. 

Sacrament yesterday was excellent. I actually am a little nervous every first Sunday of the month as I show up with Investigadores. Because you never know what might be said up there when people start to share their testimonies ha ha. 

Sometimes investigadores can think bad with a great testimony, but that was focused much on Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and start thinking that Joseph Smith is our God and that the Book of Mormon is our Bible. (One of the reasons that it was very important to share with Porfilio the Restauration before Sunday). 

And the testimonies were great. I especially felt the spirit when I had the opportunity to share mine. The best part was that Porfilio stayed for all the meetings and said he had felt the spirit very strongly in Church today. 

Thank you for the updates and the questions, I have to go already! 

Feel better Mom! 

Love you all, 

Elder Hardy 

ps. I love you. 

pps Good Luck Emily with all that dancing!