Why hello, everyone!
I hope that everybody is enjoying the Christmas spirit! Sydney is alive and well with all the lights and the decorations! Thank the heavens for this wonderful time!
If any of you have ever been to Disneyland and have ridden the ride dubbed "Mr Toads Wild Ride" than you have some degree of how my week has been here in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia! And what a week it has been!
So I arrived into Canada at midnight tuesday. Was up til about two a.m. The guys were excited and we were all happy to finally make it to Canada. The next day we went to the Canada Halifax temple. This was remarkable for me! Thank the heavens that there is a temple here in my mission!
So Elder Gammell and I drove all day thursday back to Sydney. It was about a 5 hour drive. I did not realize how many little lakes there are here in Canada! They are everywhere! Here there, some over there, and it baffles me how much water some areas can handle! No need for sprinklers here in the maritimes of Canada!
So as I said before this week has been an extremely wild week! Elder Gammell and I had to move to another apartment down in sydney because the other elders that are here are opening up the north sydney branch and they need to be closer to north sydney. The town is actually wonderful. You see tons of sea cottages houses with white and blue coloring on them! They all look pretty much the same! Still, it was very wonderful.
So we do a lot of tracting here in Sydney. This was such an alarm to me. It tested my wits, my pose, but also my guts. Oh boy. I was so nervous. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know what to say. I was twitching, my legs shaking, and my thoughts were running rampid. I approached the door...knocked....no answer. Phew. We went to the next house on the street, and Elder Gammell goes...again. I knocked and they opened it. It was an older lady and I said "Hi, my friend here and I are missionaries from the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints...' Her reply "Not interested." And she shut the door. All I did after I finished my line, was just to smile. We kept going and it is becoming easier and easier. Thank the heavens! People are that bad, and when you find the prepared people that really want to hear your message you feel like a million bucks! :D
On one of our outings for tracting, we came across a man named Byron. I was the one to knock on the door...of course...I gave a simple message of prophets and how they can guide us today through Jesus Christ. Elder Gammell gave some more information and he actually let us in. In my mind, I did not think that we were going to get inside of his home. But we managed. We got let in, he said he had 6 dogs, a parrot, and a rat. This guy, to my knowledge, must be an amature zoologist. Anyhow, Elder Gammell started from Joseph Smith and went into the book of Mormon. He said that I was to share about Joseph Smith and his prayer in the woods. I explained it and recited the first vision as stated in Preach My Gospel. (Future missionaries, memorize this...it does wonders for you. Its in the first lesson of P.M.G in the Joseph Smith section) He seemed to be intrigued. We said a prayer at the beginning and end of our lesson. Elder Gammell asked if he would say it...he said "Sure, how do I do it." And he said of the the most amazing prayer I have heard from somebody for their first time. So we set up a return appointment and we are off to the races with him! How exciting is that! :D
We also have an investigator who Elder Gammell taught before I got here. This was my first lesson here in the field of my mission. His name is Kimi. He is from china attending the local college. He really has the desire to know if the Gospel is true. He is very unique, he is a tad shy but has a heart of gold. He really has the desire to know if it is true. He has a baptismal date for Jan. 1st and I believe that he can make it to that date! If he becomes truley converted, he will do wonders for many! He is sooo awesome! He learns incredibly fast and considers us as friends...for I consider him the first chinese person I have met! LEGIT, huh! :D
Sunday rolled around and it was great! We have a little branch here in Sydney and the members are really really nice! They have looked after us and have welcomed me with open arms! We had Kimi come to church and he loved the hymns and the feelings he got there! Again, he has a heart of gold. So I will be speaking next sunday and the topic is on "get to know elder Hardy". Oh....my...police! (in the words of Michael Hoggard) Its a pretty big crowd of 50 members that you get to know very personally! Scary...
So we will be everywhere christmas day. From the Brewsters (recent converts who are sooo awesome and funny!) and the over to the Demeyeres (great...great food). We have a lamp decorated with lights for our make shift christmas tree at our apartment! Bwhahaha! It so legit! :D
My spiritual message for the week is simple. Remember why we celebrate Christmas. Remember to thank the heavens this year for this blessed time to be with families but also for Jesus Christ. Read the verses in Luke 2 and in Matthew 2 for they do invite the spirit of this season. So do this and I know that this christmas will be something to remember always! Have a merry, merry, christmas!
Love, yours truly, Elder Morgan Hardy!
p.s. For friends you must write me letters. Because I cannot email friends. So letters will be coming! The Canadaian mail is not as good as the USAs but it has to manage! Love you all!
