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.

July 23, 2012

Querido Familia,

Feliz Día de los Pioneros!!! Ha ha most Nicaraguenses don't know about Pioneer Day. Or the Days of 47´. But it was fun last year when we did a Pioneer Trek down the main roads of the biggest city in Nicaragua. Mormones locos. 

I think that if the floats of the next year aren’t better, they should ask the winner from the last year to ride their float again ha ha. Hey by the way, whatever happened to the float??? There’s not going to be a giant head of President Woodruff in my room is there? 

I guess I will try and find another camera before ending. Even though I kind of feel dumb buying another one now. 

Yes, my comp has a camera! And we took it today when we went to hunt Garrobos in the Jungla. 

(Sue's note: a Garrobo is an iguana) 

But my comp took one picture ha ha and it was of him posing with his onda ha ha ha. 

That’s right we went with some members to hunt savage beasts in the Jungle today with slingshots we made. It was pretty fun, and it was very beautiful. But we couldn’t find the Garrobos because it was too cold and not enough sun so the beasts were hidden in their caves. We almost got a squirrel (yes we were going to eat it) but he jumped trees and got away... 

We are on a 40 day fast of things that are holding us back from being the Best Missionaries ever! Not of food. And besides, you aren’t supposed to talk about how you are fasting. 

Yes, we have seen many fruits come to "fruition" from copying the secrets of the successful missionaries of the scriptures (for example Alma 17:2). Of many important things, my testimony of the power of fasting and prayer has increased dramatically. 

For example, one "fruition" is the miracle we have been able to witness with one brother and his wife. 

He is (was) a pastor in la Iglesia Nueva Apostolica, and despite the fact that he has come to church 3 times, we were very concerned that he might not complete his goal of being baptized this Saturday the 28th with his wife. 

The thing is, he loves the Church and he believes it is true and we have the Priesthood and everything. The only detail is that he has already been baptized and even received the gift of the Holy Ghost through imposition of hands... by an "apostol". 

We have taught him many times of the apostasy and the restoration, but it has been difficult. Thanks to the examples of the ancient missionaries, everything changed this last week and the spirit testified to him the truth. 

Yesterday, it was very hard for him to have the faith that he would be able to be baptized. He took out a card, signed by an apostle authorizing him to preach the gospel and explained that being baptized and joining the Church of Jesus Christ would mean that he would have to resign from his office in the other Church and make many changes in his life. 

It had never even occurred to me that by making the decision to be baptized would mean calling his “apostle” and explaining that he would be resigning from his calling and office because he was going to be baptized in the Mormon Church. It is a difficult thing. 

Time is running out. 

But in short, after a very spiritual message with our Presidente of Quorum of Elders, 

Felix decided to call and resign and be baptized with his wife this Saturday. 

Love, 

Elder Hardy 

ps I love you

July 16, 2012

Hola Familia!!!

Wow sounds like you had fun at the Llama Festival!!! Ha ha well to answer Hannah´s question, I'm not actually sure if I have seen a Llama here in Nicaragua.  I asked my comp. if he has seen one and he asked me, "Que es una lama?" The word "llama" in Spanish means "flame". I don´t know how to say llama in Spanish. 

No! I did not have Changes! I´m going to die in San Marcos!!! With Elder Gomez still! Which is great, but at the same time it means I am going to have to import Souvenirs. 

Ha ha oh no! Elder Viehweg already had his homecoming!

My Plan for my last area: Invite others to come unto Christ, by helping them receive the Restored Gospel, through Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End.

In the Changes, we received 3 new District Leaders so we are going to have to train them and get them up to snuff for this change. Also, if anyone is going to be baptized this change they need to come to church... This Sunday. So pray very hard, we are too. 

We have also been planning to copy the missionaries of old like Ammon and his brothers... with lots of fasting.

We have several beautiful Families we are teaching, like the families of Erick and Sandra, Luis and Cristina, Daniel and Ivania, Felix and Mayra, Felix and Eda, Reinaldo and Magdalí, and Ramón and Aidalina. 

These are very special families to me and would be a miracle if we could be of some help in bringing them to the light and truth of the restored gospel and the waters of baptism (even better if it’s before I leave). 

Many are waiting for answers to their prayers about the Book of Mormon and all need the additional faith to come to Church and continue progressing spiritually.

Sounds like everything is going awesome!

Love,

Elder Hardy

ps I love you.

July 9, 2012

Querida Familia,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

¡¡¡FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS!!!

To Grandma Weiler and Rob!!!

I hope you guys had good Birthdays, the next one I guess I will be there to make it even more fun.

This week has been good. My Comp. and I have been making progress. We went to a place a little hidden in our area where the missionaries haven't been for 10 years and found a lot of new families to teach!

Hey, Sounds like you guys had a great Fourth of July! I am so jealous that you don´t have to go to Wyoming anymore to get Fireworks. I bet they went crazy with a bunch of Firework stands there. Just be careful not to set grandma´s hair on fire again.

Wow, the Humphries boys are already home, that’s great. Alex too. Ha ha send me a picture of Alex at his homecoming!

Things are Great! I put some personal goals down for the Attributes of Christ that I need to be better in before the end of the Mission. My Comp and I are starting a fast so that we can purify ourselves and be more in tune with the spirit and teach with more power. I think I already said that we (well actually my comp. with another missionary in divisions) found a new neighborhood in our area. So there have been lots of new families.

We’ve had some great teaching experiences, Yes! We taught a man that lives to the side of the Church. (I think I might have mentioned him before). He has been searching for a church and a few months ago joined the church of the Adventistas del Septimo Día.

As we taught him the message of the restoration, he began to open up and we were able to explain to him the importance of the restoration and how he could know for himself. He really understood the message and accepted the commitment to pray and find out for himself. He was very interested in knowing how he could receive his answer through the Holy Ghost and how he would feel.

He told us that a long time ago he had talked with the missionaries, but that they weren´t able to answer all of his questions. He started saying that it was because we were trained better but we told him that it was the spirit and that maybe this time he is finally ready to hear and believe in the Restored Gospel.

A funny story to tell, well, Friday night we left from the new neighborhood I said that my Comp had found. We had gone a little late in the last lesson and it was already like 7:30 pm. And it got really dark... (This neighborhood is in the jungle where there is nothing else and no lights for about 15 minutes on the dirt jungle trail).

So as we were talking, my companion started joking about how the Coyote was going to come eat us. And as we were walking the wind blew a big dark bag from the bushes on the side of the road towards us and I yelled and grabbed my comp. (as a joke) and scared him. Ha ha. I think I did really scare him bad. He was pretty silent for the next couple of minutes.

There have been Mighty Miracles. So, I have a really good friend named Leo. He is family of the family where we live, and he works in the Fritanga there in the nights. So we always say hi to him before ending for the night. Well he is a member. But was baptized when he was a kid and has been inactive for quite a while. He is 23 now. But he is a great guy and is really intelligent and talented too.

Ok, so the Mighty Miracle is that yesterday as the Sacrament meeting was starting, suddenly he came and sat next to me!!! I was so surprised and happy because we have been inviting him to church every week since I came here and he finally came! He even brought his cousin who is less active too.

We have never been able to teach him much doctrine, but I think he really just needs a friend more than anything. The bigger Miracle and Mercy of the Lord would be if he would come next week and begin getting ready to go on a mission. There´s still time!

Sounds like everything is going great with you guys!

Be careful with fire Dad!

I hope your ankle gets better fast Mom. And I hope the Llama festival is... fun.

Wow! Congratulations Emily on nailing the Cafe Río Job! Good Luck! Be confident and take initiative!

Congratulations on winning Cuckoo Hannah!!!

I Love you all,

Elder Hardy

ps I love you

July 2, 2012

¡¡¡Feliz Día de la Liberación!!! 

Happy Independence Day!!!

Things are going great Here in San Marcos!!! That is awesome that we have had cooler weather here. I think that a few days ago I was actually COLD! Ha ha oh no, it will be entering Fall when I get back won't it? 

No! Still no. I didn’t get my Visa Card. But if someone else happens to find a Book of Mormon, maybe they will read it and send a thank you letter to the return address some day. My card says it lasted till the last day of June! Ha ha. Oh no, I’m gringoless!

WOOO HOOO!!! Abby got Baptized! Say congratulations to her and her Dad from me! Can you send me a Photo?! 

Oh no, I am so sorry to hear about Coach Mike Gallegos. He was always really fun and patience with me. I always played around with him and he would always give me a hard time. If you are ever in contact with his family tell them that Coach Mike was a great mentor and had a good influence on me. 

I will bring home machetes!!! Who wants machetes!?!?! 

About Photos... I may not have a camera at my disposal right now. But don’t worry, I think I am going to try and buy Elder Leiva´s camera, he is going home next week anyway. 

Of course, I will send a postcard.

Well, this Saturday we finally had the Ward Missionary Activity. It was good. I told you that President gave us permission to make a video right? It was the best part of the activity. It was pretty easy to do too. I wish I could send it to you guys. 

Pretty much it was of members saying "Apoyamos a la Obra Misional!!!" (“We Support the Missionary Work!!!”) To get everyone excited about helping out. And we put a video together with messages from missionaries that have been in the Ward in the past two years.

The best part is that we made a big act making it seem like they were talking to us live on web cam. Ha ha it was pretty great! Everyone was waving saying hi to them when they would say Hola and stuff. 

Sounds like the fam is doin good. Except for Mom´s foot and Emily´s back. Keep in there Family, you got to be in one piece when I get back. 

Love, 

Elder Hardy 

ps. I love you

pps. Oh and yes about the camera. What happened is somebody got into the house the other week and nabbed my camera and 20 bucks from my comp. We already caught the culpable (culprit) but we didn’t want to have to make any official police statements or things like that so we told the police to let him go. I´ll tell you more about it when I get back! ha ha