I will start with the best and fill in the rest.
Saturday we had our missionary conference. Every missionary in the mission came to Reno. That never happens! The conference started at 2pm but we were to be in our seats by 1:30. Missionaries from Elko, Ely and the California parts had driven all morning to get there. It was fun to drive to the church and see the missionary cars heading there too. You can tell a missionary car, they all have the same bike rack on the back. As they started to fill the chapel the Spirit grew and grew. They were all there early and at 1:30 they started to sing. I can’t express what that feels like. The Chesnuts walked in, walked to the front of the chapel and Sister Chesnut couldn’t contain the tears. It was such a special moment to have the entire mission together, singing. They had everyone go to the cultural hall for a picture. It was a big group but they hurried in and out. On the way back to chapel every missionary was able to shake hands with Elder Pierson, Elder Larkin and Elder D Todd Christofferson. It was a special conference. We had talks but Elder Christofferson had the missionaries ask questions. My favorite question was asking him for a missionary experience he had as a young missionary that had an influence on his life. He told how as a leader he had an impression about a companionship that was a long way away. He hadn’t received any information and it was a long distance by bus but he felt like there was a problem and they needed to go visit. He told how he tried to ask himself if it was the spirit or just his own thoughts but they went and there was a problem that needed to be taken care of. He learned to recognize promptings of the Spirit. We thought he might tell a conversion story but really he was telling his own conversion story, something that really influenced his life. He was also asked how they could develop charity and love. He answered with the ten Commandments, the part before the commandments, Exodus 20:2 “I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” If we have no other “Gods” before Him. We will not bow down to weakness and sin, we will not be in bondage. We can do this by being “anxiously engaged”. We can incorporate the good and push out the bad. That is how we should love God. That leads to charity. He also blessed them with specific blessings. He told them to not be afraid if life is hard. Elder Pierson told us that we might speak English or we might speak Spanish but those are not our native tongue. Our innate native tongue is a spiritual language and the Holy Ghost comes to bear witness to us in our native tongue. I loved that. It was a very special opportunity to be a part of this. I will never forget what it feels like to be in a chapel full of missionaries, listening to them sing.
The rest of the week was FOOD! Monday we planned and shopped for food and prepared some food. Tuesday morning was Transfer Day and we fed the incoming missionaries. There were only four Sisters arriving but the Office missionaries and senior couples are all invited. We fed about 20 people. We had Chicken Noodle soup, Broccoli cheese soup, breadsticks, grapes, Cuties, green salad, cookies and Rice Krispie treats. Wednesday we knocked some doors but no one was home. We drove by the Truckee River, it is over-flowing! Thursday we started doing food again. We planned, shopped and prepped again. Friday was MLC. We fed 40 people, mostly the zone leaders and STLs. We had chicken burrito bowls, which is rice, chicken, and toppings. We had a big fruit salad, tortilla chips and sugar cookie bars. We learn something new about every meal. Elder Hardman makes beautiful bread sticks and fruit salads. The Vaiavakas came to help on Friday. Elder Vaiavaka quietly washes everything. They are fun to listen to about their mission to Papau, New Guinea. We enjoyed having them in the kitchen. It is a busy week but will be even busier from now on. We will have two meals on Transfer Day. Our extra meal this time was on Saturday. Sister Chesnut was asked to feed the visiting authorities on Saturday night after the conference. After we had our lunch on Tuesday she told me she wanted to make the same soups for that dinner. I told her we would come on Saturday and make the soup, put it in the crock pot and she could serve it that night. We went and made soup on Saturday morning and Elder Hardman even added his famous breadsticks! I am not sure how this became our assignment but so far so good. No one has died.
We have a busy week this next week also but we don’t have to cook for anyone. We only had two transfers in our zone. Elder Katsilas is back, he was here when we first came so it is fun to have him back and we have a new sister who is training. We take around a treat on the Thursday after transfers. It is always something kinda silly but they seem to look forward to it. I steal ideas from Pinterest. This time we took Cuties that said, “peel the love, welcome to the zone”. So if you have any fun ideas……
We would like you to join us in praying for our Elder Johnson. Elder Johnson is from Alaska. Before his mission he was hit by a semi-truck going over 70 miles an hour. His jaw was shattered and they had to rebuild his face. They told him he should have died but he knows he was supposed to come on this mission and that is why he is still here. Monday he banged heads with another Elder and received a concussion. He is struggling and with his prior history they are worried about him. Please remember him in your prayers. He loves missionary work. He loves the Book of Mormon and Jesus Christ. He is a great missionary. I feel we still need him in the Nevada Reno mission. I also saw the pain in his eyes on Saturday and I know he is suffering. Please pray for him.
We were asked to help with three lessons this past week and not one of them happened. Elder Hardman told the Sisters how he felt bad that 2/3 of their lessons fall through but she answered with a twinkle in her eye, “But that 1/3 is amazing!” These missionaries lift our hearts! We don’t have to be afraid if life is hard!
The gospel’s true and we love you!
Love,
Elder and Sister Hardman
Monday, January 16, 2017
Monday, January 9, 2017
Letter #39
The week of crazy weather!
We had some of everything this week!
We found out how to get involved more with the missionaries… let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! It snowed a lot during the middle of the week and there were almost hourly updates on whether or not the missionaries were allowed to drive. We were scheduled to feed the Elders on Thursday night. They called and asked if we could pick them up and drive them to the rest of their appointments that evening. The missionaries were told that night that they had to have a member drive them after 6pm. It was a fun evening for us. After dinner we took the Elders to 2 different lessons. The first lesson is a 10 year old that decided on his own that he would like to listen to the missionaries. He has been going to cub scouts with an LDS group and has played baseball with some LDS kids. He lives with his Grandma, who isn’t a member but is so supportive. Elder Hardman and I visited with the grandma and the great-grandma (92) while the Elders taught Liam. They are great ladies. The Elders liked having us there so much, involving the grandma, so we’ve been invited back next week!
The second lesson was with our downtown friends, Mark and Brian. I get nervous having our car downtown at night but when the weather is bad there aren’t all of the people roaming around. I was feeling pretty good when the Elders wouldn’t get in the elevator (the one that had the urine in it) and told us a guy had been murdered in it last week. So much for feeling good. Brian has a baptismal date but he has heart problems and other health issues so they are being cautious. We care so much about these good men. You learn not to judge. When I told my kids, “life isn’t fair” I had no idea what I was talking about.
We are at the end of another transfer, we know because the offer I make at the beginning of a transfer to mend for the missionaries doesn’t sink in until the end of the transfer. I did a mountain of mending this week that had to be taken around in case they get transferred. It makes us giggle.
We went to a wonderful baptism on Saturday. Every baptism is special but sometimes you just feel like the veil is thin and you get a glimpse of heaven. I can’t remember if I told about this lady. She is in her 30’s with a job and everything and she showed up at church one Sunday because she felt the need to be there. She came to a meeting that wasn’t her “home” ward but they quickly sorted that out and she began taking the discussions. She read the Book of Mormon in no time and accepted everything she was taught. We knew she was progressing at a remarkable rate and would truly be a convert. Saturday we heard another sweet part of the story. The “friend” that was “assigned” to this lady explained how being asked to be involved in the discussions was an answer to her prayers. She just turned 31 and aged out of the young single adults and wasn’t excited to have to go to a family ward. We all laughed and she said she knew but it wasn’t funny to her and she was having a hard time and was praying for a friend. Two months ago these cute women were strangers but today they are sisters. You could feel the love in the room. It was special to be there.
And now for the weather…We had several days of snow, ice and COLD then yesterday it started to rain! It has rained non-stop for 2 days and all of that snow is melting and the floods have begun. We have already noticed that this soil does not drain. The river that runs through town is called the Truckee River, it is overflowing. The area has been in a drought for years and now, too much moisture all at once.
We went to our morning meetings, it was wet but fine. Then we went back for our afternoon meetings. It was our week to take Kathy (the blind lady). After taking the sacrament the Bishop stood and said that taking the sacrament was why we had come to church and because local church leaders and government leaders had asked, we were cancelling the rest of our meetings for the day. I don’t think Kathy was too happy about her quick outing. She loves being taken somewhere. The peak of the flooding was supposed to be this afternoon but it is still raining. When we picked Kathy up we had to pull over for emergency vehicles that were towing rafts and kayaks. The streets are full of water. School has been cancelled for tomorrow. Our missionaries get used to having a back-up plan because people constantly bail out on them but Elder Bell made us laugh when he said, “I didn’t think I’d have to have a back-up plan for church!” : ) I guess we are happy to be on the second floor tonight!
This next week is our busy week. We have transfer day meals on Tuesday and MLC on Friday. We have Elder Christofferson coming for our Mission Conference on Saturday and then we found out he will attend the Keystone Ward on Sunday, but we’re not to tell our friends because they will want to come to our meeting. We only have about 100 people in attendance, I kinda hope someone tells their friends!
We have been getting calls from President Chesnut about the service the missionaries can do with the flooding and calls from missionaries to know what they can do. We know they are filling sandbags at several sites but since we don’t have a T.V. we are kinda dumb about the situation. The Red Cross needs help serving meals but we can’t ask missionaries to help on Mondays and Tuesday is transfer day. This rain has not come at a convenient time. : )
We were grateful to be a part of Dad’s 90th birthday party on Saturday, how we wish we could have been there. It was good to catch a glimpse of everyone, surely made us homesick. We love you all so much and we are so grateful for you. Don’t show up at the Keystone ward on Sunday or they will know that I told my friends!
The gospel’s true and we love you!
Love,
Elder and Sister Hardman
We had some of everything this week!
We found out how to get involved more with the missionaries… let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! It snowed a lot during the middle of the week and there were almost hourly updates on whether or not the missionaries were allowed to drive. We were scheduled to feed the Elders on Thursday night. They called and asked if we could pick them up and drive them to the rest of their appointments that evening. The missionaries were told that night that they had to have a member drive them after 6pm. It was a fun evening for us. After dinner we took the Elders to 2 different lessons. The first lesson is a 10 year old that decided on his own that he would like to listen to the missionaries. He has been going to cub scouts with an LDS group and has played baseball with some LDS kids. He lives with his Grandma, who isn’t a member but is so supportive. Elder Hardman and I visited with the grandma and the great-grandma (92) while the Elders taught Liam. They are great ladies. The Elders liked having us there so much, involving the grandma, so we’ve been invited back next week!
The second lesson was with our downtown friends, Mark and Brian. I get nervous having our car downtown at night but when the weather is bad there aren’t all of the people roaming around. I was feeling pretty good when the Elders wouldn’t get in the elevator (the one that had the urine in it) and told us a guy had been murdered in it last week. So much for feeling good. Brian has a baptismal date but he has heart problems and other health issues so they are being cautious. We care so much about these good men. You learn not to judge. When I told my kids, “life isn’t fair” I had no idea what I was talking about.
We are at the end of another transfer, we know because the offer I make at the beginning of a transfer to mend for the missionaries doesn’t sink in until the end of the transfer. I did a mountain of mending this week that had to be taken around in case they get transferred. It makes us giggle.
We went to a wonderful baptism on Saturday. Every baptism is special but sometimes you just feel like the veil is thin and you get a glimpse of heaven. I can’t remember if I told about this lady. She is in her 30’s with a job and everything and she showed up at church one Sunday because she felt the need to be there. She came to a meeting that wasn’t her “home” ward but they quickly sorted that out and she began taking the discussions. She read the Book of Mormon in no time and accepted everything she was taught. We knew she was progressing at a remarkable rate and would truly be a convert. Saturday we heard another sweet part of the story. The “friend” that was “assigned” to this lady explained how being asked to be involved in the discussions was an answer to her prayers. She just turned 31 and aged out of the young single adults and wasn’t excited to have to go to a family ward. We all laughed and she said she knew but it wasn’t funny to her and she was having a hard time and was praying for a friend. Two months ago these cute women were strangers but today they are sisters. You could feel the love in the room. It was special to be there.
And now for the weather…We had several days of snow, ice and COLD then yesterday it started to rain! It has rained non-stop for 2 days and all of that snow is melting and the floods have begun. We have already noticed that this soil does not drain. The river that runs through town is called the Truckee River, it is overflowing. The area has been in a drought for years and now, too much moisture all at once.
We went to our morning meetings, it was wet but fine. Then we went back for our afternoon meetings. It was our week to take Kathy (the blind lady). After taking the sacrament the Bishop stood and said that taking the sacrament was why we had come to church and because local church leaders and government leaders had asked, we were cancelling the rest of our meetings for the day. I don’t think Kathy was too happy about her quick outing. She loves being taken somewhere. The peak of the flooding was supposed to be this afternoon but it is still raining. When we picked Kathy up we had to pull over for emergency vehicles that were towing rafts and kayaks. The streets are full of water. School has been cancelled for tomorrow. Our missionaries get used to having a back-up plan because people constantly bail out on them but Elder Bell made us laugh when he said, “I didn’t think I’d have to have a back-up plan for church!” : ) I guess we are happy to be on the second floor tonight!
This next week is our busy week. We have transfer day meals on Tuesday and MLC on Friday. We have Elder Christofferson coming for our Mission Conference on Saturday and then we found out he will attend the Keystone Ward on Sunday, but we’re not to tell our friends because they will want to come to our meeting. We only have about 100 people in attendance, I kinda hope someone tells their friends!
We have been getting calls from President Chesnut about the service the missionaries can do with the flooding and calls from missionaries to know what they can do. We know they are filling sandbags at several sites but since we don’t have a T.V. we are kinda dumb about the situation. The Red Cross needs help serving meals but we can’t ask missionaries to help on Mondays and Tuesday is transfer day. This rain has not come at a convenient time. : )
We were grateful to be a part of Dad’s 90th birthday party on Saturday, how we wish we could have been there. It was good to catch a glimpse of everyone, surely made us homesick. We love you all so much and we are so grateful for you. Don’t show up at the Keystone ward on Sunday or they will know that I told my friends!
The gospel’s true and we love you!
Love,
Elder and Sister Hardman
Monday, January 2, 2017
Letter #38
Happy New Year! When we were filling out mission forms (in 2015) and it said 2017, it seemed so far away. It’s now 2017! October is still far away but we can make it right!?
We went to bed on time last night but we could hear the boom of the fireworks, we couldn’t see them though. I guess they do a great display by the river. We also heard someone’s car alarm go off for a while but didn’t go investigate. That was all the excitement we had. Elder Hardman found out that he can watch Netflix at any time, like Xanna’s kids did, celebrate and go to bed. He will never make it till midnight again!
Our week:
We did our first transfer home dinner on Tuesday. It was a nice way to be broken in. This was a middle of the transfer thing so these missionaries could be home in time to start college. We had six Sisters and 1 Elder. We didn’t know the poor Elder but these have been outstanding Sisters. They will be missed. January 10th will be transfer day but we will only have to do the incoming missionary meal for lunch that day. Our meal schedule now all happens the same week. We will have lunch and dinner to prepare for Transfer Day (Tuesdays) and then we will prepare lunch for MLC that same week on Friday. It will be a very busy week every six weeks. Tuesday night turned out fine. They go to a Temple session before dinner and were very late getting back to the Mission Home, things had been cooking a long time. We have some things to figure out.
The rest of the week we spent trying to work on our list. We did get a few names done that we have gone to the home lots of times. Of course the people don’t live there but we can’t do any more until we get someone home to tell us that. Saturday was quite productive again and we remember what its’ like to meet the Kooks! An old lady answered the door and told us her son lived there but he wasn’t dressed. She was friendly and seemed happy to learn she was in the new ward boundaries. Then she told us she couldn’t go to church until she lost enough weight to fit into her size 3 dress because it is the only dress she owns. She was quite thin and when I complimented her she told us she was a size 5 but if she goes without eating she could soon be back in her dress, she can go 4 days without eating before she gets weak and she doesn’t have any money for food anyway. Oh dear! I think I need to buy her a size 5 dress. She then told us she wasn’t a member “right now”. We don’t quite know what that means! It’s always an adventure.
Friday we took a drive to Chester, CA. The Thurgoods are the senior couple that live there. They have been coaxing us to come and see them. We told them we would see them in the spring but they still wanted us to come. Friday was a nice day so we went. Elder Thurgood was raised in Westwood until he was 10 years old. He loved growing up in this isolated mountain village. He was a great tour guide because he loves the surroundings. We asked them if they were lonely or if they were okay. They said they were lonely but they are okay. They had the Elders in the Zone come and spend the night Christmas night. They had dinner and played games. You could tell it was a highlight for them all. They are at the furthest north border of the mission. They are part of a branch. They have callings in the ward and still are asked to teach various classes when they get to church on Sunday. They live in an incredibly beautiful place though! They heat the home with a wood burning stove. We had a nice visit and drive. We hurried back to Sparks for the farewell dinner for the office couple who is leaving. This is their last week. We will be glad to have this settle down for senior couples. We don’t like hearing their plans for going home.
Remember the shoe tree out in the middle of nowhere? I asked Mary and Judith (the Christmas house) ladies about the story (they are from Janesville). Here is the story: There is an Army Depot by Susanville. When the service men were through with their service they would have to go to Reno to fly home. As they passed this tree they would throw their boots high up in the tree to show their time was over. This went on for years as a tradition until an environmentalist said it was killing the tree and yelled until someone cleaned the tree off. In protest, others started throwing their shoes in the tree. That is how the shoe tree came to be. You can see army boots hanging in the tree but there are also shoes of every type and style. If you ask the right people you can find out all sorts of things!
We had a great lesson today in Relief Society about how using the Atonement in our everyday lives helps us to change and grow. I might actually be able to stick to some of my New Year’s Resolutions when I think of it that way. We hope you have included ways to grow closer to the Savior this coming year. We were also told by the science teacher that light is energy, light helps us grow by that energy. Christ is the Light!
The gospel’s true and we love you!
Love,
Elder and Sister Hardman
I have pictures but I haven’t figured out how to transfer them with my new phone, maybe next week!
We went to bed on time last night but we could hear the boom of the fireworks, we couldn’t see them though. I guess they do a great display by the river. We also heard someone’s car alarm go off for a while but didn’t go investigate. That was all the excitement we had. Elder Hardman found out that he can watch Netflix at any time, like Xanna’s kids did, celebrate and go to bed. He will never make it till midnight again!
Our week:
We did our first transfer home dinner on Tuesday. It was a nice way to be broken in. This was a middle of the transfer thing so these missionaries could be home in time to start college. We had six Sisters and 1 Elder. We didn’t know the poor Elder but these have been outstanding Sisters. They will be missed. January 10th will be transfer day but we will only have to do the incoming missionary meal for lunch that day. Our meal schedule now all happens the same week. We will have lunch and dinner to prepare for Transfer Day (Tuesdays) and then we will prepare lunch for MLC that same week on Friday. It will be a very busy week every six weeks. Tuesday night turned out fine. They go to a Temple session before dinner and were very late getting back to the Mission Home, things had been cooking a long time. We have some things to figure out.
The rest of the week we spent trying to work on our list. We did get a few names done that we have gone to the home lots of times. Of course the people don’t live there but we can’t do any more until we get someone home to tell us that. Saturday was quite productive again and we remember what its’ like to meet the Kooks! An old lady answered the door and told us her son lived there but he wasn’t dressed. She was friendly and seemed happy to learn she was in the new ward boundaries. Then she told us she couldn’t go to church until she lost enough weight to fit into her size 3 dress because it is the only dress she owns. She was quite thin and when I complimented her she told us she was a size 5 but if she goes without eating she could soon be back in her dress, she can go 4 days without eating before she gets weak and she doesn’t have any money for food anyway. Oh dear! I think I need to buy her a size 5 dress. She then told us she wasn’t a member “right now”. We don’t quite know what that means! It’s always an adventure.
Friday we took a drive to Chester, CA. The Thurgoods are the senior couple that live there. They have been coaxing us to come and see them. We told them we would see them in the spring but they still wanted us to come. Friday was a nice day so we went. Elder Thurgood was raised in Westwood until he was 10 years old. He loved growing up in this isolated mountain village. He was a great tour guide because he loves the surroundings. We asked them if they were lonely or if they were okay. They said they were lonely but they are okay. They had the Elders in the Zone come and spend the night Christmas night. They had dinner and played games. You could tell it was a highlight for them all. They are at the furthest north border of the mission. They are part of a branch. They have callings in the ward and still are asked to teach various classes when they get to church on Sunday. They live in an incredibly beautiful place though! They heat the home with a wood burning stove. We had a nice visit and drive. We hurried back to Sparks for the farewell dinner for the office couple who is leaving. This is their last week. We will be glad to have this settle down for senior couples. We don’t like hearing their plans for going home.
Remember the shoe tree out in the middle of nowhere? I asked Mary and Judith (the Christmas house) ladies about the story (they are from Janesville). Here is the story: There is an Army Depot by Susanville. When the service men were through with their service they would have to go to Reno to fly home. As they passed this tree they would throw their boots high up in the tree to show their time was over. This went on for years as a tradition until an environmentalist said it was killing the tree and yelled until someone cleaned the tree off. In protest, others started throwing their shoes in the tree. That is how the shoe tree came to be. You can see army boots hanging in the tree but there are also shoes of every type and style. If you ask the right people you can find out all sorts of things!
We had a great lesson today in Relief Society about how using the Atonement in our everyday lives helps us to change and grow. I might actually be able to stick to some of my New Year’s Resolutions when I think of it that way. We hope you have included ways to grow closer to the Savior this coming year. We were also told by the science teacher that light is energy, light helps us grow by that energy. Christ is the Light!
The gospel’s true and we love you!
Love,
Elder and Sister Hardman
I have pictures but I haven’t figured out how to transfer them with my new phone, maybe next week!
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Letter #37
Merry Christmas 2016
No home, no family, no typical traditions. Christmas 2016 has come and gone. The Elder that came to Facetime his family for Christmas at our apartment said it didn’t feel like Christmas. He is an Elder in his first transfer. I told him it felt like Christmas, just a different sort of Christmas than what we are used to.
Here are some of the things we want to remember about this different Christmas:
1. It didn’t feel as rushed as most Christmases. We had time to focus on “Light the World” and were able to hear testimony of the impact it had as the missionaries extended that invitation to others. Our Elders in Stead stopped to help a local Pastor (didn’t know he was a Pastor) and gave him the 25 days schedule. He told them he was going to share it with his congregation and thought it was the greatest idea ever!
2. Our zone exceeded their new investigator goal by 2 last week! We heard the miracles of those ready to hear about Jesus Christ and approached the missionaries! D&C 123: 12 “For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it-“
3. We took our Christmas breakfast casserole around to many we knew would not have much of a Christmas to celebrate. I don’t think it made it until Christmas morning because they are so grateful for something homemade. We always feel humbled by the need we see.
4. Our spirits were lifted by going to see Mary and Judith’s amazing Christmas house. It is such a happy place. They decorate inside and outside and have Christmas things we have never seen before. They have 7 beautifully decorated trees. There are things everywhere!! You could look for hours and still not see everything. If the garage door is open and the lights are on you can ring the doorbell and they will let you tour the house and backyard. Their only reward is the reaction people have to their hard work. It’s fun. We also went back with the Elders on Friday to introduce them to the new Elders in their area and let them get to know them and share a Christmas message. I was looking up the stairs and noticed they had snowflakes hanging from the ceiling, I hadn’t noticed any of that before. Their generosity in opening their home is incredible. These are lovely ladies!
5. We fed our ward’s Elders on Christmas Eve. We told them to invite someone to come too. They brought (I should say Elder Hardman picked them up) Brother Gregor and Brian (the investigator). We have told you about them. Brother Gregor lived in his truck until about two weeks ago. Brian wears Brother Gregor’s clothes to church, but they both come to church! It is fun to have dinner guests that are in awe of everything you cook! : ) We played Christmas Pictionary. That was an entirely new experience for Mark and Brian. I don’t know that they have ever played a game like that. Brian said he wasn’t too excited about the idea but it turned out fun! They were pretty serious about the game. It was a fun evening.
6. The Sisters in our complex invited themselves to breakfast on Christmas morning. We are quite attached to Sister Neeley. We know she will probably be transferred in January and so she needed to spend some time with us on Christmas. We enjoyed having them come early and share Christmas morning with us. Sister Iongi was telling us something and forgot what she was saying, she said, “sorry, I got lost in the food!” She liked Christmas breakfast casserole too!
7. We enjoyed going to church on Christmas day. That is a special blessing.
8. We had some Elders come to the apartment because they needed a place to Facetime their families. It was fun to eves drop and hear their conversations with their families at home. Their enthusiasm for what they are doing overcomes their desire to be at home. They shared experiences, scriptures and testimonies. It was sweet.
9. We had the best twelve days of Christmas, thanks to our great family. Hunter brought us the Twelve Days of Christmas presents when he came. We really enjoyed looking forward to a surprise to open every night! I can’t even explain why it meant so much to us, but it did! Thank you for all the creative gifts. We are enjoying everything! We love you all!
10. We realize that we won’t always have the opportunity to be fully engaged in service to our Heavenly Father so we will try to remember what this moment in time has meant. We are grateful to have the love of support of friends and family at this special time of the year.
We realize many distressing things happened too. We are so very grateful that Kim received the help he needed so quickly and even though we know there is recovery time and probably a new diet (bummer!), we are glad for the happy outcome. Paisley had a window smashed in at work and her computer stolen on Christmas Eve day, but Paisley is safe and well, we are grateful.
The gospel’s true and we love you!
Love,
Elder and Sister Hardman
No home, no family, no typical traditions. Christmas 2016 has come and gone. The Elder that came to Facetime his family for Christmas at our apartment said it didn’t feel like Christmas. He is an Elder in his first transfer. I told him it felt like Christmas, just a different sort of Christmas than what we are used to.
Here are some of the things we want to remember about this different Christmas:
1. It didn’t feel as rushed as most Christmases. We had time to focus on “Light the World” and were able to hear testimony of the impact it had as the missionaries extended that invitation to others. Our Elders in Stead stopped to help a local Pastor (didn’t know he was a Pastor) and gave him the 25 days schedule. He told them he was going to share it with his congregation and thought it was the greatest idea ever!
2. Our zone exceeded their new investigator goal by 2 last week! We heard the miracles of those ready to hear about Jesus Christ and approached the missionaries! D&C 123: 12 “For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it-“
3. We took our Christmas breakfast casserole around to many we knew would not have much of a Christmas to celebrate. I don’t think it made it until Christmas morning because they are so grateful for something homemade. We always feel humbled by the need we see.
4. Our spirits were lifted by going to see Mary and Judith’s amazing Christmas house. It is such a happy place. They decorate inside and outside and have Christmas things we have never seen before. They have 7 beautifully decorated trees. There are things everywhere!! You could look for hours and still not see everything. If the garage door is open and the lights are on you can ring the doorbell and they will let you tour the house and backyard. Their only reward is the reaction people have to their hard work. It’s fun. We also went back with the Elders on Friday to introduce them to the new Elders in their area and let them get to know them and share a Christmas message. I was looking up the stairs and noticed they had snowflakes hanging from the ceiling, I hadn’t noticed any of that before. Their generosity in opening their home is incredible. These are lovely ladies!
5. We fed our ward’s Elders on Christmas Eve. We told them to invite someone to come too. They brought (I should say Elder Hardman picked them up) Brother Gregor and Brian (the investigator). We have told you about them. Brother Gregor lived in his truck until about two weeks ago. Brian wears Brother Gregor’s clothes to church, but they both come to church! It is fun to have dinner guests that are in awe of everything you cook! : ) We played Christmas Pictionary. That was an entirely new experience for Mark and Brian. I don’t know that they have ever played a game like that. Brian said he wasn’t too excited about the idea but it turned out fun! They were pretty serious about the game. It was a fun evening.
6. The Sisters in our complex invited themselves to breakfast on Christmas morning. We are quite attached to Sister Neeley. We know she will probably be transferred in January and so she needed to spend some time with us on Christmas. We enjoyed having them come early and share Christmas morning with us. Sister Iongi was telling us something and forgot what she was saying, she said, “sorry, I got lost in the food!” She liked Christmas breakfast casserole too!
7. We enjoyed going to church on Christmas day. That is a special blessing.
8. We had some Elders come to the apartment because they needed a place to Facetime their families. It was fun to eves drop and hear their conversations with their families at home. Their enthusiasm for what they are doing overcomes their desire to be at home. They shared experiences, scriptures and testimonies. It was sweet.
9. We had the best twelve days of Christmas, thanks to our great family. Hunter brought us the Twelve Days of Christmas presents when he came. We really enjoyed looking forward to a surprise to open every night! I can’t even explain why it meant so much to us, but it did! Thank you for all the creative gifts. We are enjoying everything! We love you all!
10. We realize that we won’t always have the opportunity to be fully engaged in service to our Heavenly Father so we will try to remember what this moment in time has meant. We are grateful to have the love of support of friends and family at this special time of the year.
We realize many distressing things happened too. We are so very grateful that Kim received the help he needed so quickly and even though we know there is recovery time and probably a new diet (bummer!), we are glad for the happy outcome. Paisley had a window smashed in at work and her computer stolen on Christmas Eve day, but Paisley is safe and well, we are grateful.
The gospel’s true and we love you!
Love,
Elder and Sister Hardman
Monday, December 19, 2016
Letter #36
We just told the Beutlers good-bye! They leave for home in the morning. We are so grateful for the love and mentoring we have received from them. I will miss her even more when we plan, prepare and serve the meals for the missionaries. She gave me a copy of her magic cookbook. She has spent two years serving the most amazing meals. We can’t fill their shoes but we are going to give it our best.
It was a fun, busy week. The mission Christmas party was at the Institute building on Tuesday. All of the missionaries, except for those serving in the east of the mission come to Reno for the Christmas party. We began the day with Zone Conference. Our new senior couple, the Vaiavakas sang two songs for us. We heard great talks from the missionaries, a sweet musical number from the missionaries and testimonies from the Sisters that will be leaving this month. There is only one Elder leaving this time and he is serving in Ely so it was Sisters only. This gets harder each time now as we know these missionaries that are leaving. You wonder how the mission will survive without them and then new missionaries step up and fill your heart. After zone conference we fed them pizza, a fruit salad and lots of goodies. We ordered 40 pizzas from Costco. Missionaries can eat a lot of pizza! They have pool, ping pong, corn-hole, air hockey at the Institute building. They also set up the 9 square court in the parking lot. They all had a great time and we only had one twisted ankle. They handed out the towels and a stocking cap at the end. It was a nice party.
We hurried home from the party because Hunter was here! It sounds like he had bad weather on the way so we were so happy to have him safely here. We had had a perfect, beautiful day for the party. It was so nice that the missionaries played outside. That was the end of the good weather. The two days that Hunter was here is was snowy and cold. We drove to Tahoe ahead of a storm. We tried to get Copper to try out the beach but it was so windy that she just was looking for cover. It was the same beach that Lori and the children played on in July. It was a much different environment than they had! There were surfers in wet suits in the water because the waves were so high! Brrr!
We tried taking Copper to the amazing dog park here but there was snow on the ground and our ever present wind. We tried a walk with her but when it started to rain Copper fled under a sage brush trying to stay dry. She is a warm weather dog. She was so good in the apartment though and kept us entertained watching her. I found out how to make time go by fast, have the family come visit for a few days. Those two days flew by and before we knew it Hunter went home. We appreciate him coming. It is a long drive for just a few days. We miss them both. It was freezing for those two days but having them here made it seem warmer.
Hunter brought us the twelve days of Christmas from the kids. We are having a great time opening a present each day. They have been clever gifts! It gives us something to look forward to at night. So far we have a family Christmas tree, the only one missing is Henna. We have warm socks, a family picture calendar, teenage mutant ninja turtle racers, and chapstick. It has been fun! Thank you!
We are feeding the Elders on Christmas Eve and the zone has different activities planned for Christmas Day and on p-day. I am grateful that Christmas falls on Sunday. It will be special to really focus on the Savior on Christmas Day! We are having a few of the senior couples come over Christmas night to play games. We only have Uno, Phase Ten and SkipBo, hope they like those games! We love each of you so much! We feel your absence but we also feel your sweet support. We are blessed to have our family!
The gospel’s true and we love you!
Love,
Elder and Sister Hardman
It was a fun, busy week. The mission Christmas party was at the Institute building on Tuesday. All of the missionaries, except for those serving in the east of the mission come to Reno for the Christmas party. We began the day with Zone Conference. Our new senior couple, the Vaiavakas sang two songs for us. We heard great talks from the missionaries, a sweet musical number from the missionaries and testimonies from the Sisters that will be leaving this month. There is only one Elder leaving this time and he is serving in Ely so it was Sisters only. This gets harder each time now as we know these missionaries that are leaving. You wonder how the mission will survive without them and then new missionaries step up and fill your heart. After zone conference we fed them pizza, a fruit salad and lots of goodies. We ordered 40 pizzas from Costco. Missionaries can eat a lot of pizza! They have pool, ping pong, corn-hole, air hockey at the Institute building. They also set up the 9 square court in the parking lot. They all had a great time and we only had one twisted ankle. They handed out the towels and a stocking cap at the end. It was a nice party.
We hurried home from the party because Hunter was here! It sounds like he had bad weather on the way so we were so happy to have him safely here. We had had a perfect, beautiful day for the party. It was so nice that the missionaries played outside. That was the end of the good weather. The two days that Hunter was here is was snowy and cold. We drove to Tahoe ahead of a storm. We tried to get Copper to try out the beach but it was so windy that she just was looking for cover. It was the same beach that Lori and the children played on in July. It was a much different environment than they had! There were surfers in wet suits in the water because the waves were so high! Brrr!
We tried taking Copper to the amazing dog park here but there was snow on the ground and our ever present wind. We tried a walk with her but when it started to rain Copper fled under a sage brush trying to stay dry. She is a warm weather dog. She was so good in the apartment though and kept us entertained watching her. I found out how to make time go by fast, have the family come visit for a few days. Those two days flew by and before we knew it Hunter went home. We appreciate him coming. It is a long drive for just a few days. We miss them both. It was freezing for those two days but having them here made it seem warmer.
Hunter brought us the twelve days of Christmas from the kids. We are having a great time opening a present each day. They have been clever gifts! It gives us something to look forward to at night. So far we have a family Christmas tree, the only one missing is Henna. We have warm socks, a family picture calendar, teenage mutant ninja turtle racers, and chapstick. It has been fun! Thank you!
We are feeding the Elders on Christmas Eve and the zone has different activities planned for Christmas Day and on p-day. I am grateful that Christmas falls on Sunday. It will be special to really focus on the Savior on Christmas Day! We are having a few of the senior couples come over Christmas night to play games. We only have Uno, Phase Ten and SkipBo, hope they like those games! We love each of you so much! We feel your absence but we also feel your sweet support. We are blessed to have our family!
The gospel’s true and we love you!
Love,
Elder and Sister Hardman
Monday, December 12, 2016
Letter #35
Did you see us on the National News this week? The High School down the road from our apartment, Hug High School had a student bring a knife and was threating other students so the High School’s cop shot him. The school was put in shut-down and there were police everywhere! Last time I checked the 14 year old boy wasn’t doing too well. We didn’t know what was going on but I think every police officer in town was at the school with their lights flashing. We knew it was bad. You would think with a name like Hug, everyone would be loving and kind. It was a tragic event.
The rest of the week was better than this. Remember the man that came out to our car to ask us if he wanted to know more about the church where would he go? Well, the missionaries finally caught up with him (he travels a lot) and had a good lesson. He told them that he was raised Lutheran but lately he had been feeling lost and was praying about it and a week later we showed up at his door. The missionaries felt like he is very sincere but once again he will be out of town for a while. Pray for him, his name is Stuart.
We were laughing this week. It seems like the young missionaries kind of forget that we are here and then all of a sudden we are called several times to go teaching with them. We love these opportunities. This was a week that they remembered us.
We also helped with two Mobile Harvests this week. Angie Medina asked for two more volunteers at each site so we went to help. Sometimes they receive a product from the government to give out. When that happens the “clients” have to sign a paper so it slows down the regular lines and needs more people to help. This week it was eggs. People like to receive eggs so it complicated the process. In the summer they got raisins, only a few people even wanted the raisins so that wasn’t a big deal, but eggs?! Yep it was a much bigger deal. The Mobile Pantries are held outside so it was a little chilly anyway but the lines are still so long and the people are standing in line before we get there. There is so much need! The Mobile Harvest in Sun Valley has the Spanish speaking missionaries come. Elder Hardman and I feel left out because there is much more Spanish being spoken than English. The Spanish speaking missionaries really mingle with the “clients” and talk to them. They are loved at that site. The other one was in downtown Reno, it is full of old, onery people that scream at each other and seem to think they are being cheated. Poor downtown Reno, it is such a different environment than the rest of the area. We hear how the missionaries talk about how they don’t want to transfer to downtown, especially if they have been serving in little Winnemucca or one of the small towns. Downtown Reno is scary to them.
I have been looking for a Nativity. I always told my boys that the only thing I wanted from their mission was a Nativity. I am not sure what a Nevada nativity will look like but we went to several Nevada stores on Monday. I didn’t find a Nativity but we did come home with a 2 foot tree that was decorated. We were told to go to the Senior Assistance organization and check out their gift shop. The items are madeby senior citizens and they receive the money. It was a fun gift shop. They have homemade Raggedy Ann dolls that I may have to go back and get! We are enjoying our tree.
We were called by Sister Chesnut to help with the gift for the missionaries for Christmas. We spent two days gathering items. It takes a lot for 140 missionaries. We met for 3 hours yesterday to put together their gift. A member donated an embroidered towel with the Mission “logo” on it. We added a Christmas card from the 1 st Presidency, a story from the Chesnuts and a bag of goodies. Elder Hardman was running all over town yesterday getting more. Sister Chesnut wanted the goodie bags full! The mission Christmas party is this week.
We will no longer be going to the Office to help out. The couple that was coming is coming. He was cleared by a doctor so they will be here when they were supposed to be. We will continue doing what we know best, knocking doors!
We had the ward Christmas party on Friday night. We went to the Stake’s Christmas Devotional tonight. It’s beginning to fill more like Christmas!
Hunter is coming this week. I am so excited! I don’t know what Copper will think about our apartment. We don’t have a lot of room to run. We will have to take her to the nice park where all the dogs in town go. It will be fun.
I am trying to not think too much about all the things we are missing at home. One Elder was telling an investigator about what a special thing it is to spend Christmas on a mission. I am trying to focus onthat! We miss you all!
The gospel’s true and we love you!
Love,
Elder and Sister Hardman
The rest of the week was better than this. Remember the man that came out to our car to ask us if he wanted to know more about the church where would he go? Well, the missionaries finally caught up with him (he travels a lot) and had a good lesson. He told them that he was raised Lutheran but lately he had been feeling lost and was praying about it and a week later we showed up at his door. The missionaries felt like he is very sincere but once again he will be out of town for a while. Pray for him, his name is Stuart.
We were laughing this week. It seems like the young missionaries kind of forget that we are here and then all of a sudden we are called several times to go teaching with them. We love these opportunities. This was a week that they remembered us.
We also helped with two Mobile Harvests this week. Angie Medina asked for two more volunteers at each site so we went to help. Sometimes they receive a product from the government to give out. When that happens the “clients” have to sign a paper so it slows down the regular lines and needs more people to help. This week it was eggs. People like to receive eggs so it complicated the process. In the summer they got raisins, only a few people even wanted the raisins so that wasn’t a big deal, but eggs?! Yep it was a much bigger deal. The Mobile Pantries are held outside so it was a little chilly anyway but the lines are still so long and the people are standing in line before we get there. There is so much need! The Mobile Harvest in Sun Valley has the Spanish speaking missionaries come. Elder Hardman and I feel left out because there is much more Spanish being spoken than English. The Spanish speaking missionaries really mingle with the “clients” and talk to them. They are loved at that site. The other one was in downtown Reno, it is full of old, onery people that scream at each other and seem to think they are being cheated. Poor downtown Reno, it is such a different environment than the rest of the area. We hear how the missionaries talk about how they don’t want to transfer to downtown, especially if they have been serving in little Winnemucca or one of the small towns. Downtown Reno is scary to them.
I have been looking for a Nativity. I always told my boys that the only thing I wanted from their mission was a Nativity. I am not sure what a Nevada nativity will look like but we went to several Nevada stores on Monday. I didn’t find a Nativity but we did come home with a 2 foot tree that was decorated. We were told to go to the Senior Assistance organization and check out their gift shop. The items are madeby senior citizens and they receive the money. It was a fun gift shop. They have homemade Raggedy Ann dolls that I may have to go back and get! We are enjoying our tree.
We were called by Sister Chesnut to help with the gift for the missionaries for Christmas. We spent two days gathering items. It takes a lot for 140 missionaries. We met for 3 hours yesterday to put together their gift. A member donated an embroidered towel with the Mission “logo” on it. We added a Christmas card from the 1 st Presidency, a story from the Chesnuts and a bag of goodies. Elder Hardman was running all over town yesterday getting more. Sister Chesnut wanted the goodie bags full! The mission Christmas party is this week.
We will no longer be going to the Office to help out. The couple that was coming is coming. He was cleared by a doctor so they will be here when they were supposed to be. We will continue doing what we know best, knocking doors!
We had the ward Christmas party on Friday night. We went to the Stake’s Christmas Devotional tonight. It’s beginning to fill more like Christmas!
Hunter is coming this week. I am so excited! I don’t know what Copper will think about our apartment. We don’t have a lot of room to run. We will have to take her to the nice park where all the dogs in town go. It will be fun.
I am trying to not think too much about all the things we are missing at home. One Elder was telling an investigator about what a special thing it is to spend Christmas on a mission. I am trying to focus onthat! We miss you all!
The gospel’s true and we love you!
Love,
Elder and Sister Hardman
Monday, December 5, 2016
Letter #34
I told you about the new senior couples coming into the mission, let me tell you about the new office couple that will be starting in January. Their name is Hardman. They will be over the cars and the missionaries’ health. They have absolutely no expertise in their fields and have received no training! It is going to take the prayers of everyone who knows them to help them through this! Our mission nurse and her husband are going home the first week of January. They already knew who their replacement couple would be and have spoken to them on the phone and have arranged to have some time to train them before they are released. We received word this week that the man had fallen off a ladder and needed surgery. They are still planning on coming but don’t know when they will be able to. President Chesnut approached Elder Hardman at the outgoing missionary dinner and asked if we could fill in until we find out what is happening with everything. I was helping with dinner and didn’t know any of this was going on. As we were leaving Sister Chesnut asked if I was okay with coming into the office. Huh? I guess we will go to the office before they leave and get trained, mind you office couples are trained an extra week in Salt Lake before they come out. I am trying to be calm about the whole thing. I probably would be alright except the Mission nurse keeps asking me if I’m going to be able to handle it. Am I a nurse? No! Do I know how to do all the things she knows how to do? No! We will do our best.
This all happened on my “try out” week to take over for Sister Beutler. Sister Beutler called on Monday to have me go shopping with her. We did her last meals on Tuesday, which were wonderful and amazing! She handed me the keys and she is done. Elder Hardman and I did the lunch for MLC on Friday. No one died, we bought too much of some things but other than that we survived. I guess I passed because Sister Beutler is leaving. I don’t know how I will be able to do the food and work in the office but we will see how it all works out.
We have also been trying to establish other service opportunities for the missionaries. It is an ongoing process. We contacted each companionship to find out exactly what they are doing and how much time they spend on service. It turned out that even in areas where we thought they had lots of opportunities not all companionships were being reached. We have been visiting several new opportunities and coordinating the efforts with the missionaries. We met with the volunteer coordinator for Nevada Literacy. They have an adult tutoring program that the Sisters are going to help with.
There are always doors to knock too. It was a busy week with three big meals to shop and prepare for but those ward lists wait patiently for us.
We had a senior couples dinner tonight. We wanted to have it before the Baclayons and the Buetlers leave. We met at the church and watched the Christmas Devotional together and then had dinner. Everyone brings something for the meals. We had yummy appetizers to eat while watching the devotional. We had a great Mexican meal with enchiladas, rice, beans, salads and fried ice cream. I am trying to not think about these couples leaving. I will miss Sister Beutler. I can’t come close to stepping into her shoes and I will miss her friendship. We have been blessed to serve beside them. They are getting so excited to go home and see their families. It does make us trunky. October seems so far away.
We miss all of you! We love you! The gospel’s true and we love you.
Love,
Elder and Sister Hardman
This all happened on my “try out” week to take over for Sister Beutler. Sister Beutler called on Monday to have me go shopping with her. We did her last meals on Tuesday, which were wonderful and amazing! She handed me the keys and she is done. Elder Hardman and I did the lunch for MLC on Friday. No one died, we bought too much of some things but other than that we survived. I guess I passed because Sister Beutler is leaving. I don’t know how I will be able to do the food and work in the office but we will see how it all works out.
We have also been trying to establish other service opportunities for the missionaries. It is an ongoing process. We contacted each companionship to find out exactly what they are doing and how much time they spend on service. It turned out that even in areas where we thought they had lots of opportunities not all companionships were being reached. We have been visiting several new opportunities and coordinating the efforts with the missionaries. We met with the volunteer coordinator for Nevada Literacy. They have an adult tutoring program that the Sisters are going to help with.
There are always doors to knock too. It was a busy week with three big meals to shop and prepare for but those ward lists wait patiently for us.
We had a senior couples dinner tonight. We wanted to have it before the Baclayons and the Buetlers leave. We met at the church and watched the Christmas Devotional together and then had dinner. Everyone brings something for the meals. We had yummy appetizers to eat while watching the devotional. We had a great Mexican meal with enchiladas, rice, beans, salads and fried ice cream. I am trying to not think about these couples leaving. I will miss Sister Beutler. I can’t come close to stepping into her shoes and I will miss her friendship. We have been blessed to serve beside them. They are getting so excited to go home and see their families. It does make us trunky. October seems so far away.
We miss all of you! We love you! The gospel’s true and we love you.
Love,
Elder and Sister Hardman
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)