Week Ten: The rains came down and the floods came up‏

This week was a bit depressing because of all the rain, but alas! We still had a blast! And yes, I am fine! There were just a bunch of flooded basements here in Northglenn. The woman we live with, Sister Peel, had the news on and the floods that were on the TV aren't close to us at all! However, something wonderful has come because of all the flooding--people serving each other. We were able to help three families this week and our ward really came together.--It was fun to do service in our dresses!--Yesterday, we went and visited a less active woman and her basement had started flooding and within a few short hours we had our ward mission leader and our Elders Quorum president over there with shop-vacs doing all kinds of service. It was great! (For the Colorado Denver North mission, we do ten hours of service in the community each week and seriously, hearts are being softened towards us and maybe even one day the service that we missionaries do will lead them to the waters of baptism).

Something exciting that also happened was that we had Elder Corbridge from the Seventy come and train the missionaries in our mission! It was AMAZING. He and his wife were so adorable and I felt special when he said "Sister Hardy"--but then I realize that I have a nametag and it's not so special anymore. He spoke about how the most important thing for us to teach people about is the Savior's Atonement---meaning the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, how he suffered and died for the sins of the world. He said something really profound--he said that if people don't accept our message, it's because they don't understand it. If people really understood the message that we share--which is a message of happiness--they wouldn't reject it! They'd welcome this message and hold onto it! This helped me so much when Sister Knowlton and I had a rough day this week. Every door that we knocked just got slammed in our faces. It was discouraging, but Elder Corbridge's message helped me so much, as well as a quote from Elder Holland. "When you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out and made a hiss and a byword, you are standing with the best life this world has ever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived." And of course, that best life is Jesus Christ. Why would it be easy for us missionaries if it wasn't easy for Him? It wouldn't be.

The mission is hard but it is so rewarding.

On Monday this week, we met with a woman who once was a member of the church and has been making progress towards get rebaptized. It has been a really hard journey for her. Every time we meet with her she cries. But when we met with her this week, she told us that she was going to talk with the Bishop and set a baptismal date! Yeahhh! I really hope I'm still in this area when she gets baptized again. Seeing the happiness this gospel brings to all those who accept it and live it brings me so much happiness!

Another small miracle that happened this week was when we met with Mary and Essiah. We talked about how we chose to come to Earth before this life. We also taught them about how they were spirits before they came here. When we talked about this, Essiah stood up and said that he remembers talking to God and telling Him that he was going to come to Earth. Essiah also said that he didn't have a body and that he was a ghost. How wonderful is that!!! It was incredible!

On Tuesday, we went over to our ward mission leader's home and shared a message with him and his wife. Well some time during the lesson, his sweet, little girl Chloe (who has adorable curly hair I might add), came into the family room and brought us "letters" which has scribbly lines on them. When I asked her to read the letter to me, she said "It's not a letter. It's a song." She then sat up on the couch with us and sang her song called, "The men who died." Apparently, around Memorial Day, her dad was trying to explain the reason why we celebrate and she came up with a little song about the men who died. It was a bit morbid, but adorable. That family just kills me! They are such a cute young family!

Later in the week, I asked our ward mission leader "Do you cry a lot when you come home?" Meaning, when you get home from your mission, are you sad? However he didn't understand that I meant when you get back. But in response, he said, "...sometimes." Sister Knowlton then said, "No, Sister Hardy means like when you get home from your mission!" We all had a good laugh about that.

This week, Sister Knowlton found a new family of investigators (Floyd, Michael, and Kody). However, sadly, most of them are atheists, which is silly business. We committed them to pray and Floyd was the only who prayed reasonably. He simply asked God, "Are you there?" When Kody asked for God to send him 2 billion dollars to prove that He was real and then Michael asked God to send him a text message. However, we are getting somewhere with them! Kody prayed in our second lesson with them! It was great! We have an appointment to meet with them this week and I'm excited to see how their prayers went!

AND last night we taught a man named Peter who is solid! He told us that when he was in Rangely, Colorado (I have no idea how to spell that), he was five seconds away from being baptized by some Elders up there. We asked him what caused him to take a step back and he said that he had some concerns. Well, we had a stellar lesson with him and I think the spirit may have resolved some of his concerns because at the end he agreed to be baptized. However, then he said he wanted to get baptized in his river in Rangely...which is not even in our mission. Still we were stoked! Until he said that he wanted to be baptized by the "Mormons" and the non-denominational" church. So obviously we did something wrong when we taught him, but hey! He wants to get baptized! YES!

I want you all to know that I love you so much! I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and the Redeemer of the world. I know that He loves ALL of you so much.

Love,

Sister Hardy

 

The first picture is of Sister Knowlton and I after we got caught in a downpour! Luckily we we at home when we got drenched!

The second picture is when we were at the Police station because we got into some trouble. We ate lunch there and then paid Sister Knowlton's speeding ticket. It was great!

The third is of my Zone with Elder and Sister Corbridge, as well as President and Sister Toombs!

The fourth picture is proof that we are safe!