Letter #46

It’s official! We are part of a record-breaking moisture year in Nevada. You will never be able to convince us that Nevada is a dry state. We are starting to grow webbed feet. Their drought is broken and Lake Tahoe has enough water in it right now to sustain the area for several years. I heard a rumor that officials in Carson City sent a letter to the church asking them to rescind “The Mormon Curse” so there would be no more flooding here. I cannot confirm or deny that rumor. I have a feeling that it is a Mormon Legend in the making. Regardless, it has been wet!

We survived our first “two a days”. We made lunch for the incoming missionaries in the morning. Elder Hardman dropped off the out-going missionaries at the Temple and then came to the Mission Home to help me prepare the dinner in the evening. It wasn’t too bad. April is the only month we will have Transfer Day and MLC in the same week so that will be our next test. We only have 5 Transfer Days left! (7 MLCs, but who’s counting)

Our upstairs neighbors moved. They did come to church a few times but now their records are getting more lost, we never did get them to transfer them here. Sad.

We had a fun evening with the Harding family. The wife is a member and the husband is investigating. We were asked by the Zone leaders a few weeks ago if we would go to a lesson with them. We walked in and they have a dollhouse being built in the front room. Who would have thought years ago when Elder Hardman started learning how to wire lights for a dollhouse that it would lead to a missionary opportunity? God works in mysterious ways. We had such a fun night with them. Elder Hardman visited with the husband for a while giving him tips but then they sat down and asked us several gospel questions. It just felt really good. I hope they will invite us over again.

We were invited to go to a lesson with the Sisters. We drove up and knew exactly where we were going. We had gone to this man during the summertime. The Sisters (different Sisters) were helping a lady pull weeds when the neighbor man came over and told them he was a member but hadn’t been in years.

The ward didn’t have his membership record. When we went in the summer he still had a girlfriend that would stay over sometimes and he had drinking stuff all over his home. Our hearts were full this time as we could see the change in this man. I had taught him how to listen to the scriptures on his ipad in the summer, but he is now reading them. He is looking forward to working on Family History and preparing to go to the Temple. The brand new Sister missionary bore such a sweet testimony about how she and her grandfather went through the Temple on the same day to get their endowments, she for herself and her Dad for her grandfather. We felt so blessed to go to this lesson and see the “fruits” of the Gospel. This was sweet.

We topped all of this off with a special baptism on Saturday. There is a man that has been a “dry Mormon” for years. He holds church callings, goes to church every week, supports his wife and children in the church, he just had never been baptized. When Elder Christofferson came “Brother” Buell was asked to be his security guard for the weekend. After that weekend he knew he wanted to be baptized. He told the Elders he couldn’t remember anything that Elder Christofferson had said but that he knew what he had felt like when he talked and he knew he needed to be baptized. Their son performed the baptism for his father. It was a special moment.

It was a great week. We are now planning for MLC this week. I have never thought about food so much!

The Gospel’s true and we love you!

Love,
Elder and Sister Hardman