Letter #10

I forgot to tell the story of Elder Hardman and his dirty white shirt last week. It was a milestone moment and I didn’t document it! We had been asked to visit a less active (what we are supposed to call people that never come to church) sister by her sister (who is also less active but has a good home teacher). The sister thought her sister would like to know when the meetings are. So off we go with our little “Welcome to the Ward” sack with the meeting times information (and cinnamon rolls, we get excited when we think people will actually want to see us!). The sister (Heidi) invited us in and was very friendly and right then her sister (the one that thought her sister would like some info, Melody) also came to the house. She had been called by Heidi to help her pick up her swamp cooler. We had both sisters in the same house! Well we are supposed to ask if there is anything we can do, right?! So Elder Hardman was out with the swamp cooler, wiggling and lifting the monstrosity into place with a tarp underneath. Needless to say, the mark of a real missionary is a dirty white shirt! He earned it. The sisters told us how their Dad has been a Stake President, a Mission President, etc.… Heidi has two cute teenage children in her home. Elder Hardman asked if there was anything else they needed and she said she needed a dead tree cut down. He would like to have the 14 year old boy help him cut the tree down. We just need to find a chain saw, and go in work clothes.

This week we have stayed clean but it was Transfer Day again and so we spent Tuesday helping with the meals. We had 10 new missionaries come and 7 leave. It is a busy day on Transfer Day! We help prepare and clean up for lunch, go home for about an hour and then do it again for dinner. Sister Beutler goes all out for dinner. I guess it’s their “Last Supper” and she wants to make it special for them. The best part is hearing these seasoned missionaries bare their testimonies. It is a small glimpse of what it might feel like as we give an accounting of our lives. There is a feeling there that I have never experienced before, even at homecomings. There is something about sharing their feelings with other missionaries that have been out the same amount of time, have served together, that love each other. It is a special opportunity to hear them speak. Part of the lessons they give to investigators includes testifying that what the companion has just said is true. One Elder stood up after his companion bore his testimony and said he didn’t want to miss the opportunity (one last time) to say, “I bare testimony that what my companion has said is true!” We also have Temple Square Sisters that are here for “part” of their mission. We have worked with both of the Sisters leaving to return to Temple Square. They are remarkable Sister missionaries. We love them. One of the Elders that went home was the Elder that invited us to breakfast the day after we arrived. It’s amazing how quickly we have become attached to these young missionaries.

We had a fun experience this week watching a cattle drive for the Reno Rodeo. We had heard that they drive the cattle all the way from California and down through the main streets of town! We couldn’t imagine how this was done. People line the streets and you aren’t sure when they are coming because you just can’t expect cows to tell time. Soon we could see them up on the hillside moving toward us. The roads are closed just before they come down. The way they control the cattle is that they are hemmed in by many cowboys (and cowgirls) on horses. I guess they sign up a year early to ride in with the cows and to be on the trail with them. It was a different experience but as we tried going to knock doors later we realized that the rodeo closes streets and detoured us all over. It’s a nuisance when the rodeo comes to town.

Saturday was a wonderful day. The Senior Missionaries have been planning for a while to take a cruise around Lake Tahoe. It had been a much cooler week last week and Saturday was no exception. We dressed well though and so even though it was cold and windy we had a great time. It is a 2 hour cruise around the lake and they do a tour about Lake Tahoe’s history. It is a triple-decked boat and surprisingly the upper open deck was the warmest place to be. It was a great view from the top deck. We enjoyed being with the other senior couples. We really don’t see each other very often. We went to lunch afterward at a Chinese buffet. They had several shrimp dishes so even Elder Hardman was happy.

The rest of the week was knocking lots of doors, no sooner than we clear a notebook out of names Elder Hardman fills them up again. He has a system and we are working our way through piece by piece. Good thing he is so diligent about this. We are working our way through the J’s now. I think M sounds half-way but Elder Hardman says there were a lot of H’s so he thinks we are getting close to half-way. We shall see. I didn’t get an exact count today but during the week we were at 684!

Happy Father’s Day to all of the perfect Fathers in our family. We are so grateful for our Fathers and all that they have taught us. I am grateful for Elder Hardman. I know he could do a mission without me (all ready did!) but I couldn’t do this without him. He doesn’t get discouraged or mad or any of the various emotions I go through on a daily basis. He is organized and devoted to doing his best. I am grateful that he is. We are also so grateful for the Fathers of our grandchildren. We know what it takes to be a Father in today’s world. We so appreciate our sons and son-in- laws that are in the middle of raising young families, having careers, and balancing church responsibilities. We know so much is expected of you and we love you! We hope you all had a great day! Well, the gospel’s true and we love you!!

Love,
Elder and Sister Hardman

The Bumper Sticker for the week: Keep Tahoe Blue

I looked, and except for Emerald Bay (which has a green tint), Tahoe looks very blue!! Supposedly their sticker can be found worldwide. If you spot one you can take a picture and post it on their site. Keep your eyes peeled and let me know if you see one in your neighborhood!