Preparing For Baptism

Hello Family!

 

What a week! I can't remember what happened. I was a bit sick this last week, I don't know what it was- a weird sort of pure exhaustion and headache. Super strange and apparently one of the Elders was feeling that way the week before. Who knows! But I pushed through and I have my regular energy back so we are good! I am grateful that we get to go to bed at 10:30.

I haven't seen the music yet but I will keep my eyes out! What day did you send it? Tomorrow is some holiday for the schools so I don't know if the post office will be open or not. Maybe I'll get it today though! Our Ward Mission Leader keeps on talking about having me play some solo soon and it sounded like he wanted me to be playing Christmas arrangements the entire ward Christmas party. Heh.

I think my favorite lesson this week was with our investigator Sylvia. We found her contacting, visited her the week after for Lesson 1, and then this week we were able to teach her lesson 2. The thing is that she lives in Boqueron (the one that's 2 hours away walking) and she couldn't meet on our Boqueron day! So she totally came to the pueblo to pick us up and took us to her home to have a lesson. (we think she would have driven us home and fed us too but we had another lesson and ride with a less active that fell through... so we ended up walking the cien back home until we were able to find a member to pick us up haha)

Well we taught her Lesson 2 and she is SOO prepared and she even said yes when I invited her to be baptized! I was shaking and I had no idea what to do. She did say that she will be baptized when she is ready and she feels like the date I offered her is too soon, but she seemed so certain anyways when she said yes. I really kinda struggled with my Spanish and fluidity in that lesson though. Hna Gawrych just let me work it out myself and fortunately the message got through and she understood it and desires eternal life now.

Also, we had a lesson last night with a part active family and Hna. Gawrych thinks that the woman shed a tear when I told her that Heavenly Father loves her. That makes me happy, that she could feel the Spirit when told about that love He has for her.

I also learned this week that only 1% of the people in Puerto Rico are prepared to receive the Gospel and it is my responsibility that everyone has the opportunity to accept or reject our message because Heavenly Father knows that there are people who will never accept it but they need to have the opportunity to. That makes my heart sad. But it also makes me more motivated to speak to everyone and find that 1%.

Remember the one Birthday party investigator and his 5 year-old daughter? Unfortunately he texted the elders that he couldn't meet with him anymore because his family keeps on telling him that we are only trying to recruit people and he believes them. Ironically, he started studying with us saying that he will never be baptized he just wanted to learn everything. I personally think that he received an answer of the truth and his family noticed the change in him and he has chosen to not follow it. The elders invited him to read Elder Bednar's talk from this last conference.

We have District Meeting every week at the Rebecca (a park). Then we go home and eat food that Hna. Sepulveda makes us! yum yum:) We meet together, share experiences, read from PMG, share ideas and all of that. One week we got to listen to "Words to Live By" by Hyrum Smith. (well, we need to finish it later). Could you guys print it out and send it to me? I love it! He is also a great speaker and is wonderful to listen to. It's an AWESOME talk.

Our P-day adventures are pretty simple. Last week we went to a new panaderia for lunch and they had SOO many desserts and tasty things and wonderful sandwiches. yum. I will admit that I have gained 5 pounds because being sick I couldn't move in the mornings to exercise. This week will be much better though. I have already lost 3 of those pounds.

It rains about every Monday, it's pretty reliable. It RAINED SO MUCH LAST WEEK! I was actually COLD during the night and in the early morning. Apparently it's really weird for it to rain in the middle of the night. Now it is back to normal hotness at night.

I am so proud of you for rocking the Triathalon! RIGHT ON! You both look so healthy and fit and skinny! Wahoo! But Grandma says that you guys are doing the marathon over Thanksgiving in St. George. I am excited for you! but I am also sad because I know that Thanksgiving won't be the same in the Hardy home this year. We already have a dinner appointment for Turkey day (with the one woman that loves me!). It's funny because she invited us weeks ago and keeps on reminding us and saying "don't make any other dinner appointments!!!" She threatened the elders about that too, haha.

I don't really know if I am doing better in the language, I can't tell because I suppose that change comes really gradually. My district leader says that I am doing so much better than the usual new missionary so I hope that's true! I know that I am a lot better at smiling and being happy and positive than I was before starting my mission. That makes me happy and I want to be like this after too!

Good luck with tryouts tomorrow Hannah! You will do amazing as always! Pinky luck kiss kiss

I LOVE YOU!!!

 

XOXOXO Hermana Hardy

Turn That Frown Upside Down :)

Hello Family!

 

 

We had one investigator come to church! She is slowly progressing.

Something really funny I haven't told you guys yet is about a sister in our ward. When I first got here she was not interested in helping us and all of that. Slowly we convinced her to drive us to her less active daughter's family.

 

HOWEVER, she was supposed to pick us up in the plaza and we were walking there when some other kind of investigator started talking to us and would not stop talking. (this was in Sept. or something) so this member was waiting forever for us and when she found us we got in the car and she was so mad and chewing us out. I didn't really understand what she was saying but I could tell she was unhappy and I didn't know what to do. I was in the back seat and she looked in the rearview mirror at me and my very first reaction was to smile really big and sweetly at her.

 

She gave me a funny look then said to my companion, "She doesn't understand what I'm saying does she?" and Hna. Gawrych said, "No she doesn't really understand spanish yet." That made the member laugh. Then we had a super spiritual lesson with her daughter and family.

Since then she has warmed up a LOT to us and is more willing to help us. It has been neat seeing her change and she absolutely loves me. Whenever she says something to me and I don't know what's going on I just smile. Then she laughs REALLY hard and grabs my shoulder and shakes me around and says "'OH, HARDY!!! HAHAHAHAHA.''

This happens a lot. She is also in Primary and was super happy to have me play the piano. At one point in our saludos she took my face in her hands and squished and wiggled my cheeks together and said something in Spanish and hugged me.

 

This past week we were visiting with her and before we went to go see her daughter she would see people in their houses or on the street and would stop the car and have us contact them, haha. She also likes to bring us taco maker and juice and treats when she visits with us and it is just so neat to see how much she has changed over the past few months where before she didn't want anything to do with us and now she treats us like her children.

 

She just thinks I am super funny with my smiles and not knowing what's going on. I think she thinks I am a bit of a ditz... but she loves me anyways. I told her the story in Spanish of how when I was little I thought Jonny ate the moon. She thought it was really funny and just says, ÖH HARDY! My favorite part is how she just laughs and laughs at me. I don't really know why, but as long as she is happy and willing to help us out I am happy!

 

 

Apparently I have a really expressive face now... Which is good and bad. One bad funny story is how one woman (who only speaks English) was going on about bills and whatnot and I was TRYING to make a concerned face and she thought I was judging her and called me out on it and I had to explain that I was just worried for her and not judging at all. Hna. Gawrych and all the sisters think that it's really funny haha.

I am going to practice my "concerned" face in the mirror this week.

 

Relief Society is in Spanish. They all talk at once. I am naughty and zone out sometimes but I will try to be better. The past four weeks I have been in Primary anyways to play piano and practice for their program, but now that's all over and we are back in Relief Society. Here Relief society is first and then sunday school then Sacrament. I will tell you more once I start understanding more. We did have our service project on Saturday, the men and young adults served in a school, cleaning out all this old stuff and whatnot abandoned whatnot. Women served in el hogar de ancianos, and we sang and shared scriptures. Older people are even harder to understand in Spanish and they didn't understand me either so that was fun. There was one old man who LOVED the Spanish Christmas songs they sang. He was tapping his feet and waving his hands and he was so excited.

 

 

They do not really have carpet here at all. Some people have rugs, but I haven't seen that very often. Pretty much every place in the pueblo has the exact same laminate flooring, haha. As far as funny manerisms I cannot think of any right now. I think it's because I've gotten used to them. They really do talk a whole awful lot here. It's hard sometimes to teach and get stuff done. They are very dramatic here. they exxagerate a lot haha. If someone waits for you for 5 minutes, they say they've been there for half an hour or more.

 

That makes me laugh that Hermana Boucher thought I was talking about Dad. I sent them a text saying that the package was from my AUNT, I didn't say anything about dad or uncles haha, we have a zone conference this week so I will clarify then:)

I did receive the medicine! Thank you so much! I also found gummy vitamins in Walgreens. I didn't buy them because they seemed expensive but I might today because it is probably the same price that you guys would have to pay to send it down here!
 

Penelope looks like Perry! Is she a black cayuga too? she even has white feathers! Is she cuddly?

The Rhapsody of Hymns is my favorite and I would LOVE those other ones you mentioned. The yellow christmas book should be in the bench, it is a skinny one, really simple songs. I used it for What Child is This and Silent Night (they are the last two songs.) The very first song is Have yourself a very merry christmas or whatever it's called.

 

 

I loved the Puerto Rican pumpkin!! Beautiful work! Good luck with your test this week Jonny and with the job you want! You will ROCK it! There should be a bulletin with all the music performances going on at the U and in the community. Right now is a great time to find a Jazz performance because I bet everyone is doing their senior recitals around this time. It shouldn't be too hard to find one to go

to.

 

 

I am carving a ring out of a coconut shell! I had my first real coconut this week and the elders opened it with a machete for me.

This week someone gave us 100% juice! MIRACLE!

I love you all! Take care and remember to SMILE!

 

 

xoxo Hermana Hardy

Let Your Light So Shine

Hola Familia!

My companion's name is Ambree Gawrych and she is from Sandy. She did swim team in High school and she helps motivate me to work out in the morning. She is so sweet and we have a lot in common. She has been out for a year this October and I am her first baby.

My birthday was so wonderful. Thank you to everyone! Oh and please thank the Chapman's for me. They sent me the most beautiful cards for me to share. Thank you so much for the presents and especially for all the cards! I have the cutest outfits now! Everyone thinks that my favorite color is blue because all of my skirts but two are blue, haha, I didn't realize that until I got here.

 

Last P-day we went to a place called Alfarro. It is a light house and I will try to send pictures. We also had ward council on my birthday and that was a lot of fun but I didn't really know exactly what was going on. I did however understand when they asked how old I was and I said twenty (then the elders told everyone that it was my birthday) and I did understand them saying that I looked like I was 14. haha.
 

 

 

 

So there are 3 elders and 4 sisters total in my district. We are an all gringo district which is really unusual. OH! So we have 2 Elder Borens and one of them is Christy Cunningham's nephew, he went to East. Small world right? So where we are covers 2 wards: Cabo Rojo 1 and 2. I am in the first one, the other sisters are in 2, and the Elders are covering both. We are part of the Mayaguez Stake. There are 5-6 stakes in Puerto Rico. I don't know how many we have in our zone.

My new address is:

Calle Maximo Gomez 36A
Cabo Rojo PR 00623
Puerto Rico

Church services are wonderful. I don't really understand too much but I get the gist of the lessons. This week I played piano for Primary Singing time and I played in Sacrament meeting as well. I sight read about every song I played and it went pretty well.

 

Well the people we are teaching. We visit a lot of menos activos. It's really hard to get everyone to church because no one has a car. We met a new family this week and the wife just had her baby a month and a half ago! We taught her the first lesson and it went very well and we are going to return this week when her husband is home so we can teach him too. We are feeling optimistic for them.

 

The thing about Puerto Rico is that people do not like to make appointments for visiting with them and that makes it really hard to have lessons sometimes.

 

Also, they talk a lot. I know we need to listen to them to show our love and get to know them but it's hard to teach lessons because they don't really let up sometimes. That's been hard for me.

 

We have a recent convert named Olga who is 79 years old. She is great and so excited about church. Last night she took us to one of her friends to teach and she totally forgot where the apartment was so that was a bit fun. We found it eventually :)

Saturday we were looking for a contact's house when a car drove by and a man shouted out the window "Hey, are you Mormons??'" Wee said yes and then he invited us to his daughter's birthday party down the road. It was on the long walk from our pueblo to Monte Grande and we thought we'd stop by just to pass out some cards and say hi.

 

They were all so excited that we actually showed up and the little girl turned 5 and she was so cute and sassy. Her dad had a lot of questions about the church and fortunately it was all in English because he is one of those philosophical types that over thinks things a bit. We spoke to him a lot and in the end he said that this was the first time he had actually learned anything from missionaries.

 

Hopefully we can teach him again. It turns out his dad was baptized years ago and we met him too and he was great to talk to cause he loves missionaries. All of the older people at this party were veterans from the Marines so they only spoke English to us because they were most comfortable speaking English.

Good news! Our fridge is fixed! our landlord sent some workers to fix it so now our milk will not go bad :) our showers are hot.

 

A great story: After one bad storm the power went out while we were out and about at night. We could see just fine for the most part but then I felt an impression that I should use my flashlight. I started using it then a woman called us from off the street because she was sitting in the dark and she could see my light. We were able to make an appointment to visit her again. It was great because she contacted us!! Because I had my light on.

 

Lexie and Geoff! I will look out for your package :) I will probably get it at our next zone meeting! I can't wait to receive Jonny's snapchat:) your card was really cool too Jonny. Those were the right shorts! Here all women great each other by kissing on the cheek. As missionaries we only shake hands with the men of course. It is always buenos dias or tardes or buenas noches.

 

Way to hike Mt. Olympus! That is amazing. The thing about Puerto Rico is that it is perpetual summer here. The leaves don't change colors at all. I can't believe it's the end of September because it is still so hot.

That's cool about Rob teaching you all how to invest. I might need to work for a couple months when I get back so I can have money to invest haha :)

I will try to speak Spanish more and more! My companion makes me practice but sometimes we forget because I am her first English speaking companion.

WE TOTALLY had an investigator come to church with her kids. She enjoyed it and said that she is going to come back! Her husband told us that he won't go because he worships in his own way... yeah, we'll work on him. They are the type of people who think all churches are good for the most part so we need to teach him that there is only one church that is true.

For p-day today we helped clean the house of a woman in Cabo Rojo 2 who has been in the hospital. It was great!

I am so excited for you Hannah! I know that you can totally have a 4.0, do your best and I know you will totally do it because you are so smart :)

I love you family! Stay safe and have fun! Please enjoy autumn. It is my favorite time of here and I am sad that I will not get to see the leaves change colors. Also, the smells :) Stay safe and rock school and remember that you guys are my favorite. Mom, I really hope you edit my emails haha, it's hard to tell because this computer puts red lines on all the English words.

xoxo
 

Hermana Hardy