April 4th

Aw, the Cape Breton spring is something very nice and windy. Gotta love that sunshine! But alas, hi, how are you??

This week was such a busy week for Elder Turner and I. It was as if we were thrown into a den of lions. :D Well, happy lions.

 

This week started out with a wonderful p-day. Okay, Elder Turner and I love to go and see if there are any good ties around so that we can look "fresh", in the words of Elder Turner of course. So that is what we did. We went to the store called "The Bay" and I saw this beautiful striped tie. It was gorgeous. Price tag: twenty bucks. So I pondered on the matter and thus it resulted as "Its your choice." So I said, "Heck, lets do it." I am glad I did because there was a sale on these ties and I got an Italy tie for $11 dollars. See? It show that if you are living right you will be blessed! ;)

 

Tuesday we enjoyed a wonderful road-trip to Port Hawekesberry. It was fun as the other Elders brought in interesting conversations and happiness. So we traveled the two hour drive to meet with President Simpson for interviews. I got my wonderful mail full of packages and letters. Thank you so much everyone! Love you all. Then it got to my turn. I sat down and we had a wonderful interview. I think that Elder Turner was sweating bullets because he said that I was in there for a long time. It was good to be in Port Hawkesberry because we got to see the new Elders down there. And that was nice.

 

Wednesday happened, and also thursday with no great event. Unfortunately.

 

Friday was an interesting experience. We were knocking in Glace Bay and at this door and a thought popped into my head. The thought was "Faith." I came to realize that I was knocking doors for the hours not for the people behind them. I was caught up in the thought; "Every door, every person is not likely to be interested." That was my attitude. I lost for a moment why I was knocking on doors. So, as missionaries do, I said a little prayer in my heart to help me develop the faith at each door. We kept knocking and a little ways down the road we met Leanne. Ironically she let us in and we did a lesson. But for me I think that I learned a lesson about faith. See the Lord, I think. gently nudges us everyday. Silently guiding us. He did for me. I am not sure about how that lesson to one missionary as myself will hit me, but it did. I am not sure of the impact it has, or will have, but it did. Crazy huh?

 

Saturday. Oh my goodness. Conference was amazing! The Spirit was felt. Two talks hit me. One by Elder M. Russell Ballard when he gave the talk (the Saturday afternoon session) about the good o'l prospector. I really liked that talk because it had adventure, treasure, and the gospel! It shows, like my Friday experience, that god deals line upon line. So Priesthood session was soo great. It was an odd chance for us missionaries to stay out past our bed time. The session started for us at 9 o' clock and would end at 11. It was good, though Elder Turner and I really crashed after. BUT the blessing of that session were great. It show that we have so much work to do! To magnify! I loved President Monsons quote when he said "If you haven't read the Book of Mormon, read it!" What a good session! My hand was so sore. Oh my laws. It wasn't prepared for this kind of writing!

 

Sunday was great. We had a potluck between sessions so that we could mingle and do all that. Poor old Byron has developed the cold and came to two sessions of conference. What a trooper! I feel like he is so close. We had a lesson with him earlier this week at Brother Boutlier's home. (Bro. Boots is a hockey fanatic to the max. He hates any sport that deals with an item of play filled with air. He needs that football and basketballs are games and not sports. He is sooo funny! He could go on for days! :D) So yes, we had a great lesson and it seems as if Byron was space out. His 19 year old son doesn't really like it that his dad is investigating the church. I'm sure he is afraid of the change that will happen within the house. So we talked about that I hope we helped him out. Brother Boots was instrumental in all of that.

 

So I would love to share of you my testimony of living prophets. Though it is not as deep as other items, I know that Thomas S. Monson is a living prophet. He gives me the confidence to go forth and proclaim truth. He has that perfect love of charity. I am thankful for the example that he has set.  I am thankful for the blessings of Joseph Smith. For the restoration of the gospel through his hand and for all the things that make us who we are. I am thankful for their firm faith in Jesus Christ. Though life may throw us in the waves of a ravaging sea, we can hold faith to prophet and know that he will guide us this day, in our raging seas. Find the confidence in the him. Read the talks, ponder the messages and gather those "little flecks of gold that will turn into great sources of treasure." Often times the world would have us to be confused to try to rely on our own system of government when in reality that will not work. SO thus we must rely on the prophets today to help us. They are there to help. Thank goodness.

 

I hope that you felt and heard something that you needed. I did. It came so simply in a couple of lines that I felt moved. Touched. :D So good! I am glad that you loved conference as the rest of us! Have a great week!

 

Cheers!

 

-Elder Hardy.

 

3-28-11

Aw, what a wonderful morning to give you an account of my week. This week was good. :D

So upon reading my brothers email I have found out that it is easier to do the "day" thing, so thus I shall try it. Bear with me. :D

 

So monday, Elder Turner was still somewhat out for the account. He was just really tired so he slept while I fiddled with numerous items. It was a good p-day for one great reason. I got to wear my jeans. Aw. Thank you. It felt like heaven. I believe the last time I wore a pair of jeans would have to be on new years. Indeed, it felt great. SO then we had a lovely dinner with the Betts where we had a very lovely stew. Sister Betts is, in a way, your Cape Breton mother. She will do anything for you and in the nicest way!

 

Tuesday was filled with knocking, finding, greeting, and all manner of smiles. Err, somewhat. :D

 

Wednesday was a really funny day. We had planned to go to New Waterford. Before this little adventure I had only been there twice; one with Elder Gammell many months ago, and two with Elder Turner last transfer. SO we stayed there and knocked for a good 6 hours. New Waterford is right on the water. You can see it, feel it, and be in it within five minutes. The wind just rolls off the ice in the sea and hits you. There is nothing like maritime weather. I wore the usual, thermals, sweaters, snow coat, rain coat, double socks, etc... and I still was insanely cold. It was fun though and we enjoyed being outside again. We knocked on this street called Hinchey for 4 1/2 hours! It was such a looong street! :D It was felt good to mark that off the map!

 

Thursday rolled around and I went on exchanges with Elder Marks, my MTC companion. Now, it seems whenever we do missionary work together, miracles just seem to come. On an earlier exchange with found a new investigator, etc. See my point? Things just happen. So thus, we were accustomed to have something great happen this exchange. So we went knocking, met good and strange people who told us about Atlantis etc, (hmmm :D) then we had this supposed meeting with a certain women named Jada. We arrived at the libary on time and waited. We waited. 15 minutes later...she shows up. Unbelievable. :D It was great! We got into the lesson and she just poured her soul out to us. We told her that ALL can be made right through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Then I pulled out my Book of Mormon. Her eyes were glued. Hm...so we gave her a copy and she was stunned that she knew that it was hers! In essence we taught her that she can be made whole through baptism. We extended the commitment and wam...she is going to be baptized April 17th. Now this is not my area's investigator but man it was cool to be a part of! :D She even came to church on sunday! :D Legit, huh?

 

Friday was a sweet day! We had our usual luncheon with Paul Brown the mechanic. He is that wacky Canadian and we sit in his auto shop in the rafters of garage. I'll get a picture. So then Paul decides to treat us with some Bonnie Prince burgers. Oh my laws. This was the BIGGEST burger I HAVE EVER SEEN! I sat there looking at it and then (after moving my fries) saw how big it was. Paul wouldn't let us leave unless we finished it....you have got to be kidding me. I was...stunned. SO elder Turner was just munching it down like it was nothing. SO i dug in...oh my stomach. I was full for two days. Didn't want to eat or anything. Woo. Later that day we saw lovely Marion. She is steadily reading and just won't come to church! Aw, blast! The Spirit was there, she knew it, I knew it, but she wouldn't commit. So we are still trying with her, maybe another miracle? Then the night ended with a wonderful Family Home Evening with the YSA. :D IT was great! 

 

Saturday was good, a lot knocking. :D Good day. Easy nothing to exciting. :P

 

This past sunday was one of the most amazing sundays that I have ever had. I really wanted to feel the Spirit. So it was fast + testimony meeting and I elected to get up and bear a short, sweet testimony. Face your fears, right? It was great. The branch her was so nice. There humble testimonies lift you. Then for Elders quorum, good o'l Paul was on a funny rant! Paul seems very tough on the exterior but really he is sooo dang funny and a really nice guy!  He ALWAYS makes fun of the missionaries. Always saying that we are dropping the ball. :D He laughed and made a joke saying that he saw us at a local tavern. I was going to say "Why were you at the tavern, Paul?" You see Paul like it when you give him flack, he likes you when you give him a hard time. Ironic. :D Byron came to church and the Elder quorum are really accepting him and including him on the lesson. He is participating and enjoying his time. :D I just wish that he would have that desire to be baptized. Maybe. Then Elder Turner and I taught the Institute class. :D

 

Our lesson for institute was all about developing our talents and abilities. How often or not so often do we try to develop our talents? To be frank with you, I probably do not do it a whole lot. Now that is a shame for if we do not keep doing what we are good at, we lose that talent. What a pity. God gave us talents to benefit the people around us. That is why each individual missionary need to go on mission to help someone who needs their talent. The Lord is a master planner and will put you in scenarios and places where you are best benefited. He does that with each area in life that we are at. Even when you are at home you still should be contributing to the world that you are in! That is why you are there! He has a plan for things seen and things unseen! If you ask the Lord to give you one person that you can help that day, he will make it happen. You can showcase your talents then for the better meant of that person! So develop them early, keep them going, and blessings will come into place. Like good o'l Nephi in the Book of Mormon, he makes a ship, the Lord shows him how and he gets to work. He uses that talent later to make the plates and to build a temple. How did he do that? Because he developed them early, asked for the Lords help, and then he could bless the peoples life around him later. SO do it! Get to work!

 

I love you all so much, thank you for reading a little missionaries letter. I love you!

 

-Elder Hardy.

 

P.s. Back to work. :D

Weekly Email; March 21st

This week I have come to some conclusion for knowledge within the mission. 1. You get really bored when your companion is sick. 2. You get really bored with your companion is sick.

 

Yes, poor Elder Turner got really sick near the end of the week. We do believe it was the flu that is plaguing him. Poor old chap. We went finding on saturday and thirty minutes into it Elder Turner had to turn back and head home. So we did and a couple of hours later it hit him hard core. He was out. He slept for most of the day and I did nothing but read scriptures, ensigns, and all other manner of reading material. It puts a whole damper on the day. So we stayed in the whole day til we had an appointment with a less active member named Jack. SO thus I took a fresh green missionary with me and we drove out. The significance part of that was that I have officially driven in Canada! :D That is very weird to be behind a wheel after 4+ months.

 

SO yes, now Elder Turner had enough energy to head to church. Thank goodness. But after church we headed back to the apartment where a bored Elder Hardy had to find something to do. So, you might find this silly, but I decided to play with my fruit snacks. Yes, see, I came to the conclusion that nothing happens in missionary work if you don't have your health. Sheesh, what a boring couple of days. But Elder Turner and I had the privilege to teach institute last night and that was a blessing in its self.

 

So on Tuesday we were in a bit of a rush because we were going to travel to a zone conference the next day. But we had to stop by Marions to check in on her. We went to the door and a miracle was bestowed before our eyes. She got up from the chair as it was nothing! She was standing right before us! She said that all the pain was relatively gone except for some soreness! Holy cow! :D We just witnessed a miracle! She can walk! Elder Turner and I had no option on how in the world she would get to church then the Lord dropped a miracle on us! :D She can go shopping now, the works! Now the struggle is just having the confidence within herself to make it to church! :D See? That is a testimony right there because it shows that the Lord is mindful of all his children! :D

 

Zone conference was great. It was a blessing to see other Elders and to hear of their experiences! SO we learned a lot and did many different things! :D The only bummer about the trip was the four hour trip down there! Just to get off Cape Breton it would take two hours, plus another hour to New Glasgow, then the next day another hour to Truro, then a four hour drive back. So thus, 5 hours drives are nothing. Easy as pie. Simple. :D IT was good!

 

But as always on Monday we have dinner at the Betts. The Betts are older around 80 years and are still going super strong! But seriously, it is one of the highlight dinners of the week! :D So we were around the table eating delicious food when good old Brother Betts says "Geez Georgie, if you keep cooking like this, I'll take you to the Celestial Kingdom." HAHAHA! We laughed for at least a good five minutes! Seriously! :D

 

Even when your companion is sick with the flu and your stuck in the apartment you must always look at the positives in life. I was blessed with that blessing this week. Sure, not much went on or this or that, but still there on things during the week that I was blessed with. Some funny experiences to share with you. Some simple things include being happy for my health, Brother Betts "celestial" comment, and fruit snacks. Often times the simple things we seem to lose sight of them. We seem to want a miracle when we must rely on faith. When missionaries find new people to teach we show them the basics, the simple things. We teach them how to pray and to read the scriptures. Then with that firm foundation the testimony grows. Simple as pie. :D So, if I may, ask you one question; What are some simple things in your life that bring you great joy? I exhort you to ponder, pray, and recongnize. The Lord and Heavenly Father hands are in our daily lives. Seek his guidance and put him first, and EVERYTHING falls into place. :D

 

Thank you so much, again and again, for reading my letters and (hopefully) feeling the Spirit that is within them. :D I love you all so much!

 

Much love in Canada,

 

-Elder Morgan Hardy.

Weekly Email: March 14th!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

 

The reason why I am celebrating this early is because I realized something this morning. St. Patrick's day is the 17th but also it is my four month mark! WOAH! Crazy. To be frankly honest, where did the time go? I am certain that I was there, that I was doing work and inviting all others to come unto Christ but seriously, where exactly was I? So a whole new meaning came into my head saying: "The Mission is incredibly short." Yes, darn right it is! WOW! For a moment there, I felt a tad old. Hm. :D

 

So this week was transfers throughout the entire mission. Elder Beus, my old district leader, was busy running around trying to pick up everything and to ship out! It was a tad frantic. A little bitter sweet about his departure but he made it a-okay. Thank goodness. This week was one of the slowest weeks for me, due to transfers. It just seemed as if things were going out of the mix. Ironically, it is Monday again and everything feels way fast! :D Oh, the joys of the mission.

 

Okay, so I have put this off telling you all this for awhile, because of the unsurety about this person. Nevertheless, this person has again proved her worth and thus, I do believe I will share. Her name is Marion. She is about 75 years of age and have really bad back problems. But oh my goodness, she is the sweetest lady! So Elder Turner and I have been wanting to knock this street Ainsley for awhile but things always seemed to get in the way. Always. SO then finally we were able to actually knock that street. SO the first house that we get to is Marions. We knock and here this "Come in". After a good chat, she explains that her back is hurting and that she can't move very well. So we offer to help, because we are devout missionaries. She tells us that her car has been in the same place all winter and she is afraid that it is broken. Oh my goodness, she was really worried about it. So we go and try our best to get the car out but realize that we need an ice pick to break the ice. So we walk in explain the situation and that we will be back later. We show up later and move her car. Now we have started teaching her and you just see her happy little self. Oh my laws, she is great! She keeps telling everyone about her two "angels"; meaning Elder Turner and I. She says that she prayed day in and day out to have God send her somebody to help. Then the missionaries show up. Ironic? Not in the slightest. If you ever get to meet Marion you see the humbleness she has. Your life is automatically touched by the way this wonderful women lives. You want to cry with her because of the pain she has but laugh with her about her funny life experiences. She is wonderful. The Lord has not forgotten about her. That's for sure. But what a blessing it is for Elder Turner and I. What a way to feel that you are doing good! GO ABOUT DOING GOOD! WOOT! It really makes you feel like a hundred bucks!

 

So that is a little tid bit on Marion. She is wonderful. We met again with Byron and Ben. Byron really sees the need to pray though often his work schedule makes him very tired, so in essence, he forgets. But he realizes that he does need to put forth the effort to get the answer. Ben is doing great, reading and praying. Though we are just waiting an answer to his prayers. It may take some time but hey, all is worth it. All is worth it.

 

So yesterday, Sunday, was a great day. Byron and Ben attended. Thank the heavens! I also had the privilege to teach 2nd hour of church. My lesson was on facing the modern day Goliaths! I read with them the story of David and Goliath, and in the story David takes 5 stones from the brook and prepares for battle. President Thomas S. Monson gives us the 5 stone of today to fight modern day goliaths! 1. The stone of courage. Two. The stone of effort. 3. The stone of humility. 4. The stone of prayer. 5. The stone of the duty to love. Now think of  your modern day menace! It seems that all is coming at you and you can't dodge it but have to go through it. You see the thing rising above you in splendor and supreme power. I would "gulp". :D So like David we are equipped with five stones and "haste" to the enemy. WE run! Take the bull by the horns! Then with the Lord we become victorious. For the Lord has equipped us with some many fundamentals that we should use them to our advantage. So use those five stones! USE THEM!

 

I know this email is incredibly short but we have a lesson today and we got to get going! I pray that you felt the Spirit this week and let it influence your life! I love you so much!

 

-Elder Hardy!