Hello again.
I have one more Monday until I leave. We leave
next Tuesday. We have to be loaded and ready by 3:30 a.m. I am allowed to make
a phone call from the airport, but will likely only have time for it at around
5:30 Provo time. Sorry but it's all I can manage. Thanks for sending the phone
card, I was going to buy one today, but this works just as well.
Reno!!?? That's awesome. I am sure that he'll
have a great experience. Eric is even more reserved than me about spiritual
things, but I know that his testimony is very strong. He, like me, will be able
to draw on the things that his mother taught him and find courage and faith.
I wish I could be there for Dakota's play. It
sounds like a marvelous missionary experience and opportunity to raise money. With
regards to your questions, all of the missionaries going to Montreal will be
traveling in one huge group. My companion somehow ended up as the group leader,
and he is somewhat nervous because he has never flown without his parents
before. No I am not sad to leave the MTC. It was a great experience here, but I
am eager to test my faith in the field, and to begin sharing the gospel with
real investigators. On Thursday I started reading "Jesus the Christ."
I'm just about finished. It is the most incredible book I have ever read (sans
the Book of Mormon).
The Language training is going well. It could
go even faster I believe if Speak Your Language was emphasized more, and the
computer program TALL was abolished. The biggest struggle is becoming
comfortable with using the tenses and grammar in speech. Not even the most
diligent missionary can keep his eyes open for an entire hour of TALL, even
with a recording on LDS.org of Elder Holland speaking in the background.
As is implied by my earlier statements, we have
our travel plans. It should take us most of the day, but not the abysmal 26
hour nightmare the missionaries bound to France have to endure. Our
investigators are doing okay. We've struggled with commitments since we keep
running out of time before we can introduce the commitment logically. All we
have managed to do is get them to come to church. We asked them both to be
baptized within the first two lessons, but both declined pending further
witness.
I have no minor miracles or profound personal
revelation to share this week. Only a testimony that, as a servant of the Lord,
as long as I remain worthy, the spirit will bear witness of my testimony, and
justify my words in the hearts of those I teach.
I saw Dylan for the last time yesterday. He
left for Texas early this morning. I got a couple of pictures with him, and the
sisters in the district told me that I had to give him a hug; so I did.
Speaking of pictures I have been taking them, but can't send them until I get
into the field. The protections on the computers here are such that only SD
card adapters work. The card on my camera does not come out, so I have to wait
for later to send them via USB cord.
I hope Paige and Tanner enjoy their trek and Ronnie
and Dad enjoy scout camp. I can't say that I envy them though. One of the joys
of a mission is a two year exemption from any obligation to camp. I hope they
will be all be home next Tuesday so that I can talk to them. I'm sorry if
Tanner's letter hasn't arrived yet. My life got busy and I couldn't send it
until Friday morning. Next up is Paige. I'll try to send the letter more
quickly this time. Did Jordan get my letter? How is Jordan? There is no mention
of her in the e-mail.
I met the older Colvin son on Sunday. He got in
on Monday and is headed to Sweden I think. Oh yeah, I am wearing my back-up
glasses because I put my glasses on my bed, forgot they were there, then
literally jumped into my bed. It looks like the lenses just came out and the frame
bent a bit. I am mailing them back along with a nice stitched thingy that
Grandma sent me. I don't really have room in my luggage for it, so I'll enjoy
it when I get home.
Thanks so much for the food!! I was starving.
Naturally the package arrived within hours of me deciding to try and eat
healthier, but I guess my commitment will have to wait till this bounteous food
is gone. Speaking of food, I really want a Baconator. Oh well. Apparently the
food in Montreal is exceptionally good, and I am excited about that.
Speaking of things learned of Montreal,
apparently Montreal and the area of southern Quebec is one of, if not the most
diverse place in the world. One of our teachers served in our mission and said
they taught people who spoke: French, English, Spanish, Mandarin, Creole,
Hungarian, German, Portuguese, Japanese, Thai, Cantonese, Finnish, Arabic, and
that we could expect to find others. In the city itself the mission apartments
are stocked with material in dozens of languages. Obviously French is the most
common, and many who speak other languages also know French, but he told us a
story about trying to teach a very curious investigator who only spoke
Hungarian. One of the other teachers who served there was assigned to learn
French, but also picked up Spanish while he was out, and came back able to
speak Spanish well enough to hold a conversation. The amazing thing is that
that teacher spent almost half of his mission in the English portion of the
mission and still came back with two new languages.
This week I have a challenge for the family. I
want the family to read 2 Nephi chapter 2 together, and pick out every
individual principle of the gospel that Lehi teaches. Then divide out from
those principles all that were lost or badly misinterpreted during the Great
Apostasy. My hope is that you will gain an increased understanding of the value
of the Book of Mormon. Within this one chapter (which is one of the best
chapters in scripture) many of the misconceptions and confusions of the
Apostasy are dispelled, and the truth taught simply as if to a child (for they
are in fact directed at Jacob, who could not have been much older than Ronnie
at the time).
Another thing about the Book of Mormon that I
have come to realize is the omnipresence of Christ. Every book testifies of
Christ. Even the Book of Omni contains the powerful testimony of Amalicki of
the truth of Christ's divinity.
I'm glad to have heard from you guys. I'm
cutting a little short in order to write to Dylan as well.
Till next week,
Elder Hardy
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