Week of 11 August- 17 August 2014‏

We had a grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat week!

On Tuesday, we had zone conference and it was amazing! At a missionary's last zone conference, he bears his testimony of the restored gospel and of the things he has learned on his mission. Well, I had a rude wake-up call when I realized that in the next zone conference I would be giving my departing testimony. I CRIED. I absolutely love my mission. NOTHING would prepare me for my future like my mission has. Other people can learn and prepare in other ways, but like I have said before, I have come to find myself by losing myself in this work--you know, it's one of the paradoxes of this gospel. (And don't get me wrong, I am happy to see my friends and family again and to apply everything I have learned here. I'll just be honest though: I am so scared. The time is FLYIN', and I am having a hard time keeping up with the pace!) I want every one here in Denver (well, in the world. First, Denver. Next, THE WORLD) to know that Jesus is the Christ and our personal Savior. One mortal voice does not have such power (and somehow I thought I would?).

Alas, back to reality. SO. I was Downtown on Wednesday on exchanges and we had an AMAZING experience. It was such a testimony builder to me that we are guided by Heavenly Father. Alright. So our morning started out nice and sunny (I was with Sister Anderson--in her area) and we taught a woman named Juanita, but after that EVERYTHING FELL THROUGH. Everything. So we tried a bunch of people, then tried around them (knocking on the doors surrounding their houses), and NOTHING. But we kept our chins up and kept at it. Well, through out the day, I just felt that we needed to see this woman in the ward who is very active, Deb. I had only met her once! But I felt like we needed to see her. Finally I told Sister Anderson and she was like, "Okay! Let's try her!" So we did. She was home! I was so happy! But while we there, I just didn't see why Heavenly Father needed us to be there. I was humbled later. We left. Knocked on Deb's neighbor, no answer. So we decided to leave the complex. Well. A man (Brian) came out of his apartment and we started talking to him and we asked him if we could share our unique message with him and much to my surprise, he said that we could! We sat down with him and began. (Fun fact: Brian looks like Jack Black and also sounds a wee bit like him! Holler.)

Our conversation started a little like, "Are you a believer yourself?"

Brian: "Um. I am not really sure."

We told him that our message would bless him and ensure happiness and success, ya know PMG "How to Begin Teaching."

Later, we taught him about God for the full time we were with him and he asked us, "What is the easiest way that I can accept God in my life?"

My thoughts: "Umm...whaaaaaat? THIS GUY IS GOLDEN."

Our response: "Through baptism."

Boom shot. Seriously. That was the COOLEST thing. I have met a lot of people on my mission, but NO BODY has ever asked me a question like that! I was shocked and thrilled and excited and sad that he wasn't in my area (because I want to teach him!).

The Lord provided. Enough said.

The funniest thing said this week: "I'm high on Jesus." -Qisha

All anyone can say in response to that is "Amen."

My mission is amazing. I wish that everyone could experience the happiness you feel as a missionary. I have experienced a lot of hard times, but they are the times that I have grown the most! I feel like Alma when he said to his son Helaman, "I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind, yea, and in all manner of afflictions; yea, God has delivered me..." (Alma 36:27).

I love you all and I know that Christ lives!

Love, Sister Hardy

1. Zone Conference with my babygirl, Sister Holladay, and Sister Knowlton (my trainer).

• Johanna Hardy
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2. Sister Mendenhall! She is amazing. Love her to pieces!

 

3. Also, this is Vanessa and Iris. Vanessa is from Mexico and Iris is the cutest little thing! She speaks to us in english and then to her mom in Spanish. SO CUTE. Absolutely adore them!

 

Week of 4 August through 10 August 2014‏

First, I want to start out by bringing you back to the ol' days of Denver North when I was serving in Malley. Remember Michelle? She actually got baptized a year ago yesterday!!! Well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is getting married!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And going to the temple soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She doesn't know when she'll be going through the temple yet, but I have permission to go :D. I am SO excited.

Now, down to business. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE LOVE. Meaning. I love the love that I feel and have for those that I have met here in Colorado. This week, Sister Hanshaw and I have been really blessed with LOTS of tender mercies.

We were able to teach two new people, Wendy, who is 16, and Bruce, who is a bit older :D. Wendy's family is from Liberia--seriously ALL of the Liberians are so receptive. I LOVE IT. And Wendy is very prepared to receiving the fullness of the gospel. When we invited her to be baptized the very first time we taught her, she accepted without a second thought. She is so prepared! When we came back for the second time, we asked how the reading went (we had invited her to read 3 Nephi 11 and the Restoration pamphlet) and she responded without letting me finish--and with a big smile, "I read it all." How amazing is that?! That shows commitment.

And then for Bruce, when we met him on his door step he said, "I might even get baptized!" So we came back a few days later and then committed him to a date and he was all for it. It was so wonderful. Also he has two cats, so that's a plus :D. Bruce's sister actually got baptized down in Littleton a few months ago. He even told us that she read parts of the Book of Mormon to him over the phone and he liked it. Isn't that incredible?

Sometimes I like to ask myself why I am so blessed to be seeing so many miracles everyday! Heavenly Father really is preparing His children to receive the message of the Restoration of the Gospel.

Also, we are just starting doing the new member lessons with Bernard and Fanta (seperately of course). Fanta's new member lessons were originally supposed to be done by the ward, but we received word from Salt Lake recently that missionaries are to do the new member discussions--which I am all for!

We met with Bernard and he is just so excited about being baptized and about preparing to receive the Aaronic priesthood. He is just so happy! He always has a big smile on his face whenever we see him. I just love him so much. See what I mean about how I love love! Bernard is reading in the Book of Mormon consistently still and really excited to serve in the Church.

And last night, we were at Fanta's home after our dinner appointment and right when we were done with our lesson, Fanta tells us that her mother, Annie (WHO COOKS AMAZING FISH AND AFRICAN FOOD), prepared a meal for us. It was AMAZING. I was so stuffed! And then she fried some plantains for a sweet treat and if you know anything about plantains, they fill you up FAST. Zoe told me that she would feed her children plantains in the morning before school and they would stay full until it was time to come home. Needless to say, it was wonderful. Also, I love fish. Fish is so dang good. I am sorry that I was so neglected from the seafood community growing up :D. Jokes.(Oh and funny little snip-it, Makaya, Fanta's daughter, knows me as the sister with "the hair." Also, they asked me if I have any African ancestry. I was really sad to tell them that I don't).

I know this gospel is true. I have seen so many people change out here on my mission. I have changed so much. I have come to understand the gospel more and understand how the spirit works in my life. I know that Jesus Christ lives. I KNOW that He loves us. As I have come to understand the Atonement more, I have come to want ALL to know about the Atonement and about the blessings that come from using it in our lives.

Love you all!!

Sister Hardy

 

 

These pictures were taken while I was on exchanges with dear Sister Cannon. We took some pictures right before we were going to walking to find some people to talk to. We actually spoke with a man named Onario who mainly speaks Spanish and very broken English. It was very fun to talk to him. Let's hope something comes from it! s really sad to tell them that I don't).

 

These pictures are of the food Annie made. The fish wasn't on the table yet, but I can assure you, we are being fed really well. The next picture is Dollington. He is 7 and he reminds me of Gary Coleman.

Week of 28 July - 3 August 2014‏

This week it poured here in Denver for a few days! All day everyday. It was a nice change from the heat, but I'm grateful the sun is back out for us to enjoy! That means that there are more people outside ready and waiting to hear the gospel!

Something very exciting happened this week! We were finally able to teach this man named Mike! We have been teaching his fiance, Alicia, (I think I wrote about her a few weeks ago. She came to church with her fiance and two children a couple weeks back) for two transfers now. We taught Mike very little of the first discussion, but he told us about how he was so excited to start coming to church more often. He also said that if his family had more of God in their lives that they would be happier and that their home would be more stable. How true is that! We have been promised that if we establish our homes on principles such as faith and repentance and prayer that we will be blessed in our families. Our homes become a heaven on earth, not just living quarters. BUT Mike got choked up a little when he was talking about bringing his family together through the gospel. It was really tender and I was touched. The spirit was so strong there!

We also were able to have dinner with a family in which four of them have recently joined the church and the mother is a returning member. The couple was able to go to the temple a week ago! and at the end of this month they will be sealed for time and all eternity! We shared a message about temples after dinner and the spirit was incredibly strong. Their home become a holy place.

---The best part about being a missionary is the change I see in the people I meet, both on a daily basis and long-term. I have changed so much on my mission. I have become more converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have come to really feel as Paul did, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth..." (Romans 1:16). I've come to see how much I love my Savior. As we were driving to the library this morning to email, I saw a man doing some construction work in the road and one of my first thoughts was, "I want to share the gospel with him" and "He needs to know of the Atonement." I can assure you that I never would have thought that a year ago. NEVER. This work has changed me through and through. AND I LOVE IT!

Fun fact: Sister Hanshaw and I are reading the entire Book of Mormon this transfer. We started two weeks ago and we are almost done with Mosiah! Wish us luck. I have already begun to recognize the spirit more often in my life. Blessings come to those who seek them.

We were able to have dinner with the senior couple in our zone! The L couple!! They are amazing! I love them so much! THEY HAVE 10 CHILDREN! Holy smokes. The crazy part is that they had ten children in 17 years. That must have been so hard! Also Elder L doesn't have a college education. He told us that he had to work between 3 and 6 jobs!! He has a great deal of faith. It was such a blessing to have dinner with them not just because of the food, but because of the stories that led them to a strong conversion and conviction. They have 41 grandchildren with more coming! There youngest sons are still in their 20s! Now that is an accomplishment.

Also, a tender mercy about having dinner with them is that they reminded me of the senior couple that taught my family nine years ago--the Hulls. I am grateful for their service everyday.

I love you all! I love being a missionary!

Love, Sister Hardy

Week of 21 July through 27 July 2014‏

 Look at that Colorado Sky!

 

 

 

 

And look who I got to see!!! Sister Mata'itusi! We had a leadership meeting where I saw a lot of other missionaries that I've served with.

 

We had to fill up the font, so I was pretending to baptize Sister Hanshaw. The plug doesn't work properly, so we had to get in there and try to fix it! And nothing worked. We ended up filling it twice!

 

 

 B got baptized!!! Her husband was trying to contain his excitement!

 



 



This past week was the first week of the transfer and so that means a lot of meetings and a lot of new goals! It also means a breakfast with all the missionaries in the stake!

There were a lot of things that happened this week. But I want to focus on one particular event that happened this week. B, a woman who I've been seeing since I got here in Bible Park, was baptized! A brief background on B: She has been attending The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the past three years. A year ago she married a member of the church. She is super active in the church. She just wanted to make sure she wanted to change for herself. She wanted to know that this was absolutely true. And she does! She was baptized last night and right after she was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! And then her baby, Graham, was blessed.

I just want to share my thoughts of her journey to the waters of baptism. As she and her husband, Paul, were standing in the water (which was freezing cold and draining--hence why we had to fill up the font twice!), all I could think of is how this is the first big step towards them having an eternal family. I began to cry as I saw the joy in the eyes of all those who were present and especially the eyes of Paul and B. In a year from now, they will be able to be sealed for time and eternity in the House of the Lord. How wonderful will that day be! I know that families can be together forever, but the only way to secure that is by making special promises with our Father in Heaven in those special places called temples.

There are so many other things that happened this week, but all seem small in comparison to B's baptism and confirmation. I know that this church is true. I know that this is Christ's church. Our Bishop here in the Bible Park ward said something along the lines of "The church is true. If it wasn't the 19 year old missionaries would have run it into the ground years ago." With that being said, all who are members of this church have experienced some opposition, I know I have. It has made my testimony immovable.

Christ lives! He loves us and knows us!

I love you all!

Sister Hardy

 

July in Bible Park :)

7 July through 13 July 2014 ‏
We had a long drive home on Friday (we were up in Westminster), and this is what we saw!

Dana had her baptism date set for Sunday, but she has had some trouble recently. Her family is kind of pressuring her into thinking that the decision she is making is wrong. We talked to her this weekend and expressed to her our concern and how she wouldn't be experiencing the happiness she is now if this weren't true. Satan CANNOT fabricate peace. He can fake everything else: happiness, joy,

Dana had her baptism date set for Sunday, but she has had some trouble recently. Her family is kind of pressuring her into thinking that the decision she is making is wrong. We talked to her this weekend and expressed to her our concern and how she wouldn't be experiencing the happiness she is now if this weren't true. Satan CANNOT fabricate peace. He can fake everything else: happiness, joy, love, etc. But not peace. This woman is a beast. She can do this.

On Tuesday, we went on exchanges with the sisters in Greenwood Village and we taught a young girl who is 11!!! That's how old I was when I began learning about the church. I was sooooo excited for her!!! I don't remember the missionary lessons....except I remember the word of wisdom lesson :D. Anyways! It was wonderful! --We brought a laurel, Angel, from the ward with us and it was great!

Later that day, Angel came with us to another lesson with a woman named Lorie. It was cool because before Arlene's appointment, Sister Makasini asked Angel if she wanted to serve a mission and Angel was a bit unsure--had the desire, but hadn't made up her mind yet. Well, after Lorie's appointment eight hours later(!), Angel told us that she had made her decision about serving a mission! She began to cry and told us that she decided to serve! Isn't that amazing?! Tender mercies.

We had gumbo last Monday and yes, that is a craw-fish. And it still had eyes. I was a bit wary.

And of a lesser importance last Monday we had permission to go to Cafe Rio!!! and we had the chance to go to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science! Here is Rex.

Sister Liao and myself! She is from Taiwan and she is the cutest!

I don't have much time left, but I love you all and I know that your prayers are heard by our Father in Heaven!

Love, Sister Hardy

Week 14 July through 20 July 2014 ‏           

1. GUESS WHO I SAW AT THE TEMPLE!!?!? Part of my Thornton family!

 2. On exchanges, we taught a woman with a GORGEOUS view right down in the heart of Denver.

3. Bernard got baptized!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 AND so did DANA! :)

Week of 30 June through 6 July 2014‏

 

I am finally starting to feel like I have the hang of missionary work. I've been out for quite a while now, and I finally think I'm beginning to understand what missionary work is. I think I am also beginning to more fully understand what Jesus meant when he said, "Man shall not live by bread alone" (Matthew 4:4). We cannot live sustenance for just our physical bodies. We must feast upon the word of Christ for our spiritual livelihood. Funny story with that scripture: We were at a member's home for dinner and their little boy left the dinner table and so the dad asked," Cooper, did you eat all your dinner?" and then the mom said, "Well, he ate all his bread!" The dad then responded. "Man shall not live by bread alone!" It was hilarious! Sister Hanshaw and I got such a kick out of that!

This week we have continued meeting with Annette, Dana, and B. We had plans to meet with Bernard this week, but he was really sick this past week! Soooo.... we are meeting with him tonight. Bernard is such a gem. He has accepted every commandment and principle like he learned these things all his life!

Dana was originally meant to be baptized last night, but we changed the date to the 13th of July! So expect some pictures! She is absolutely amazing. We started teaching her daughter this week, too, Meilani. She is wonderful she is a young mom of 2--Pedro and Melina. Let's pray that Meilani will follow in her mother's footsteps!

We were teaching B on Tuesday and she is totally wanting to be baptized, but a bit afraid of committing. She really had some concerns about the Word of Wisdom--who wouldn't? Anyways, she was a bit concerned about tea and so we explained that really what is comes down to is if Joseph Smith is a prophet or not. Well, then we mentioned to her that she can drink Herbal tea--where it's actually not really tea. She then kind of stared at us dumbfounded and said, "What? That's all I drink!" This is something that she has been held up about for a long long time. Hahahha! Isn't that amazing how things like that work out? She is planning on being baptized at the end of the month so that her in laws can be there.

We also met with Annette! Oh my goodness SO MANY things have happened with her this week. First thing, she was driving out of a grocery store and her car broke down and the closest place that she could park was our church!! Isn't that amazing! Sister Hanshaw and I had planned to stop by her place Tuesday at 3--we didn't have an appointment--and so when we saw that her car wasn't there, we called her to see if we could stop by another time. We get her answering machine and not even a minute later, we get a call from Annette and she tells us that she just broke down! Is that a coincidence? I think not! So we ran over there at we taught her on the grass in the shade right at the church! Miracles happen if you believe.

AND. We finally got to meet our new mission president and his dear, sweet wife--the Mendenhalls!!! Fun fact: President Mendenhall served in my home mission!!! Isn't that amazing! He talked about the Hill Cumorah Pageant and his mission a wee bit. ISN'T THAT SO COOL? I am so excited to talk to him more about the area!

Well, that is all for now. I love this gospel. I know that it is true. We had the chance to teach a family in the ward last night and the spirit was so strong. I know that happiness only comes from this gospel and from Jesus Christ.

Love you all!

Sister Hardy

 

 

 

WE HAD AMAZING AFRICAN FOOD this week. A woman in the ward's mother made us a feast. I MEAN A FEAST.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is sweet Precious!

Great Happenings in Colorado

Week of 9 June 2014-15 June 2014 ‏           

Hi all! I am really sorry that I didn't send a email home last week! It was crazy. So my companion, Sister Mata'itusi got transferred. She is now in Malley! My first area! Isn't that crazy? And Sister Hanshaw is now my companion. She is an amazing missionary and have had an amazing week of miracles!

We have set several people with baptismal dates--Bernard, Dana, B., and Annette. Seriously, we have been experiencing miracles left and right! We have been so blessed.

Bernard is a referral from a member in the ward. The woman didn't really think anything would come from it, but we started teaching him. We went to see him on Friday and reviewed the first lesson, the Restoration, with him and he understood it all! Isn't that amazing? He really has taken this seriously. It is so wonderful to see when people truly understand why we come out and do what we do. Bernard understands that the message we share is meant to change his life. He actually gets it! He is set for the 13 of July. We are so excited!

Then there is Dana. Dana is set for July, too. Dana really understands the need for change in her life. We saw her several times this week and she has been through so much! You name it and she knows it. She is such a strong woman. When we met with her on Thursday, she rattled off a list of things that have been working out for her and she feels that it's because of her desire to change. All of these things are following through for her and she can see the blessings that are coming because of her renewed faith. She is so amazing!! (Mom and Dad, I cannot wait for you to meet her!)

And then Annette. Annette, too, was a referral from a family in the ward. Annette is on fire! Spiritually that is. We met with her this week and we received a voicemail from her that said, "I am so excited to become a Mormon." Isn't that amazing? She is amazing. She is one of the few people that I have met on my mission that understands that she was missing truth her life before we started meeting with her!! Isn't that incredible!?

I absolutely love missionary work! The Lord's hand is in this work. There are so many prepared people all around us!

 

 

This is what happens when the people we are trying to see are not home.

 

Week of 16 June through 22 June 2014 ‏           

 

These past two weeks have been incredible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had four people at church yesterday!! We had Veronita, Bernard, B. and Dana!!! It was amazing! And three of them are on their way to baptism!!

We met with Dana several times this week and it was such a blessing. There is a family in the ward that is amazing at fellowshipping!! You want to know what the most amazing blessing of it all is?! Four of the six are recent converts!! The J family. They are so supportive of Dana and have even invited her to their Family Home Evenings (FHEs area when the family gets together and has a short lesson on a principle from the gospel and there is ALWAYS a treat). Isn't that amazing? Anyways. We met with Dana and her son, Ricki and it was completely amazing. At the end of the lesson, we all knelt and prayed. The spirit was so strong. That home that has been scarred by the influence of the world was turned into a holy place. It was incredible. Dana has told us how she has felt so much peace reading from the Book of Mormon. MIRACLES HAPPEN. Brother J gave Dana a blessing and blessed her home after one of the lessons. Dana is progressing so much!!!!

Then there is Bernard. Bernard came to church yesterday and it was amazing! He was just smiling the entire time and he was so excited! He is so cute. I love him. He IS SO PREPARED. We met with him yesterday after church and we asked him about church and he was just glowing! He even went to a meeting after church for new people in the ward. What the what?! He is so committed. He understands!! We had our ward mission leader's son-in-law come teach with us, and it was incredible! When he found out that Bernard was getting baptized on the 13th of July, he was all over it. He is going to try to come! He lives in Utah. Crazy!! Oh and Bernard is still keeping all of his commitments.

FUNNY STORY: So my companion and I were trying to contact an investigator that we hadn't heard from in a week--AKA forever for a missionary. We knock on her door and she says, "Hi ladies. I'm sorry, but I can't pray wit y'all today. I can't lie to you. I have a beer in me." Her name is Tulonda and she has more sass than anyone can even begin to imagine. I LOVE HER. We haven't taught the Word of Wisdom yet, so I'll let you know if that goes well.

We also had the chance to meet with Melissa, a former investigator whose ex-husband is a member of the church. She is amazing. We made it a definite point to lay out why we were there. She was all for it. MIRACLES.

This week is President Toombs final week here. He leaves on Sunday and our new mission president, President Mendenhall will be arriving from Idaho. I am so sad to see President Toombs leave, but I know that this is what the Lord wants. I have learned so much from President Toombs and now it's time to learn from President Mendenhall. Fun fact: the movie, The Best Two Years is based off of President Toombs' mission. Remember the elder that sends tapes to his girlfriend?? that was President Toombs. Crazy!!!

I love you all!! The Gospel is true.

 

23 June - 29 June 2014 ‏           

 

This week was absolutely phenomenal and also quite sad. President and Sister Toombs left for home on Saturday!! So sad! However, President and Sister Mendenhall are now here to start their missions in Zion! and I am so excited to meet them!! It was a lot harder to say goodbye than I thought it would be. Sister Hanshaw and I cried in the car on our way home from saying goodbye for the last time. It's amazing how much you grow to love those that the Lord puts in your path, especially when you work with them so closely. President and Sister Toombs were our mission parents and I love them so much! But now I will have another set of mission parents to love just as much as the Toombs!

On a happier note, we met with Bernard several times this week, as well as Dana! There are progressing so well!! For example, we taught Dana about the Word of Wisdom this past week and she kind of was really indecisive of whether or not she was going to commit to live it. BUT. She did and she has not had a cigarette or a cup of coffee since last Tuesday! She told about how her son bought her a pack of cigarettes and a lighter and told her to smoke, but she wouldn't! And so she sat outside on the steps and prayed for help!! Isn't that amazing! She was also able to receive a priesthood blessing to help her quit. She is struggling more with coffee than the cigarettes. So we brought over a ton of gum--shout out to my family for sending me several giant packs of gum! Thanks!--and a bunch of hot cocoa. She is so strong!! She has accepted the commandments we taught her with so much strength and although we are not teaching her husband, he has been so supportive!! I have seen such a change in her since when I first met her! I am so excited for her decision to follow Christ. Miracles are happening here in Bible Park!

Bernard is also progressing. When taught about the word of wisdom, he was completely fine with it. He was like, "I smoke maybe two cigarettes a month." And he said that nothing else is going to be a problem! Isn't that amazing? He is such an amazing example to me! I love him so much!

Bernard and Dana were able to go to a baptism yesterday and it was just what they needed! The elders in our ward are having great success, too! I'm telling you Denver is the promised land! (Thornton is Zion though. Don't forget that :))

I love you all! Jesus lives and He loves us. He did what He did to allow us to overcome what we face in this life.

Love, Sister Hardy

p.s. Funny story of the week! S. Hanshaw and I were leaving our apartment after lunch, I think, and we were walking to our car and we saw this man walking his CAT. And the cat was not having it at all!!! The man was seriously dragging him! And then the man said to us, "I'm taking him out for his furry drag." It was hilarious!!! I'm still cracking up about it!!