October 28, 2013

Hello everyone,

This week does not bring too much news for me, but lots for my friends. The big news is that one of my BYU roommates is home now trying to recover from severe depression. My heart and prayers go out to him, and I ask the same from you. He is a wonderful person, and needs help recovering. 

As for life here in Sherbrooke, it goes on. It is starting to get cold already. It hovers around 5 degrees C, but the wind and humidity make it feel much colder. We are sharing our car with the other Elders, but they learned how to use the bus system so we use the car most of the time. Our investigator Jimmy is scheduled to be baptized not this saturday but the next. He is trying to quit cigarettes, and solves some problems with his nephews who have been using his apartment to hide drugs. If he can conquer these problems then he will be ready to enter into the waters of baptism on the 16th of November. He needs our prayers as well. 

Another Investigator, Carol, was having a problem with money and was about to get kicked out of her apartment. I prayed for her every day that she might have a miracle. We found out friday that the situation shifted unexpectedly and she will be staying. That was a testimony to me of the reality of the power of prayer. I am so grateful for the chance to be here and witness the miracles of the gospel in the lives of others. I have begun to see the changes it is bringing in me. I am still not the person that I want to be yet, but I am trying to get there for the first time in my life. I have taken the big step of no longer hating work, and being okay with it. The next step is learning to love it. I'm here in Quebec, I'm not leaving until I'm done. I'm not going to be an Elder who sits around all day. That means I'd better learn to like working. There is too much at stake to be lazy. I have a responsibility for the welfare of other's souls, and that can not be something I take lightly. 

That is about it for this week. Happy Birthday again Ronnie. You now hold the priesthood. You have more power and authority than any king or ruler. God has entrusted you with his own power. Use it to bless those around you. I have had a number of opportunities to use my priesthood to bless others here, especially through giving blessings. Always be worthy. We can't afford not to be.

I love all of you so much.

Elder Hardy

Sorry no pictures this week. My companion forgot the cord. I am trying to make a video of me speaking french, but I can't figure out how short it needs to be. Maybe next week.

October 21, 2013

Hello all!!

I'll start by answering your questions.

Where do you go to get access to a computer?

1. We use the computers in the geneology room at the chapel. There are four desktop computers that we use. 

Do you talk to your ward mission leader every day?

2. Not quite, but close to every day. He has a crazy work schedule. It is crazy how blue-collar the church is in Quebec. There is absolutely no problem with that, but I haven't met a single doctor or dentist who is a member (thanks to the socialized system there aren't too many of those anyway).

Where do you have to go to do your laundry?

3. Our appartament has ten stories and one set of machines on each floor. We have to pay way too much for little tokens to use them.

What are some of the new foods you have learned to cook/eat?

4. I can make rice, and I know how to brown growned beef or sausage. I also know how to pour Sriracha sauce on stuff. That stuff is awesome. Look it up.

Did you get your packages?

Do you need more glasses?  (I don't see you wearing them in many of your pictures)

6. I have enough glasses. I will eventually get the good ones fixed. The problem is that I can't seem to keep them clean because I don't wear t-shirts anymore. When they are too dirty I take them off.

Are you allowed to tract at the Universities?

7. Yes we do it all the time. Young people tend to talk to us a little more than old people.

Does your mission do Church tours?

8. I don't know. I've not heard anything about it. I guess probably in theory

How is your morning study time set up?

9. Six thirty arise and prepaire, eight personal study, nine companionship study, ten french study, eleven lunch, then at twelve we begin (I am done with the 12 week program! that added another hour)

Are most of your contacts French speaking?

10. Yes. I actually prefer french contacts. I haven't practiced what to say in english. How does one say "puis-je demander" in english? it's hard to remember on the spot.

We had an average week, but a great Sunday. We have been asked by the bishop to present the challenge from Elder Ballard to reach out to one person before Christmas as a gift to the Savior. We are committing members to pray every day for experiences. We are pretty excited about it. Also Chantal, who had dropped us, is back on track and wants to be baptized. Also she seems much closer to being off drugs. 

That is all for dtoday. Now to send more pictures:

 

Here is David.

I took a video of me walking and talking some french, but it is too big for the e-mails. Dang it.  Here is sunrise in Sherbrooke from our tenth story appartament: The water is Le Lac des Nations, an arrogant name for a pond.

October 14, 2013

Good Monday to all of You, and Happy Thanksgiving!!

That's right. Here in Canada Thanksgiving is today. We are going to dinner today at the home of the ward's most recent convert with the second most recent convert and the Bishop. I am reasonably excited to eat stuffing (dressing in Canada) and not have to lose proselyting time to do it. 

As for your question about baptisms, not so far. However, Jimmy Moore has a date for the last saturday of this next transfer (November 16) and he is super excited. His date was in December, but then he heard about Transfers so he asked us to move the date up. He really wants us to do it. He is very excited for the baptism and was telling us about how he wants to come to church every week and make friends so that he will be okay when we leave. I think he likes us.

You may have guessed that Elder Austin K. Murphy and me are staying in Sherbrooke. The only change in our district is that we are getting a team of sisters. This town of maybe 300,000, with a ward of about 100 active members, will have three teams. Everyone is really excited.

I have come to a decision, and I want to tell everyone so that they can hold me accountable. I have promised that I will not play Team Fortress Two or any online games when I come back. Ever. I intend to still play games with Ronnie or my cousins if they want to, but gaming was destroying my life and, hard as it is for my badly addicted little soul, I need to leave it behind. Only if I promise and comitt to change will the Lord give me the strength to do so. That is something I am learning out here. The Lord doesn't catch us and carry us across until we muster the faith to jump.

Not too much else this week... PICTURE TIME!!! YAYYY!!!!  :)

Dang it doesn't work on this computer I forgot. One second...

Ok here is a picture of me with brother John Dillman, the recent convert superstar. He was baptized the week before I arrived while going to school to become a protestant minister. He read the Book of Mormon in one night, then took three days to study it. His testimony is of a blow-you-back-on-the-bench quality and he blew up the ward mission plan of 20 Book of Mormons given out a year by giving out 15 in one week. In the picture we were helping him and his friend do major renovations in the house (he lives in his best friends basment. He has never been married and he is a very successful entrepeneur.) GAAHHH THE PICTURE WILL NOT WORK!!! I GUESS NEXT WEEK!

October 7, 2013

Gahh oh my gosh Lizzy is so cute!!!

Happy Birthday Lizzy!! 

We watched conference in English because of the anglophones in the ward, but most people watched it at home. Our investigator Jimmy miraculously started progressing. We had been about to drop him after his dodging our appointments for several weeks, but then suddenly he wanted to see us. He had been reading every day in the Book of Mormon, and had seen the amazing blessings it was bringing. He accepted a baptismal date in December and is excited to learn more and get baptized. He also came to general conference and loved it. He doesn't have more than a fourth grade education, but he is very sincere and pretty observant.

Other than that, the only news is that transfer calls are this saturday. I'm terrified that I will be leaving, so I have begun to take more pictures. This week will be mostly that.

This gospel is true, Jesus Christ is our savior and Living Lord. I love you guys. 

Elder Hardy

Also it's too late to keep Jordan's mission quiet. Everyone in my district already knows. I told them. I am just too excited not to.

here is me with Jeremy and Gabrielle, and also Yannick. Gabrielle is waiting on Jeremy, her husband, to become worthy again so he can baptise her. Yannick is the super-awesome recent convert who accompanied us to the lesson. Yannick is from Benin and moved here about a year ago. After one month in Quebec he met the missionaries, and several months later was baptized. Also my glasses broke again. This time all i did was pick them up, and the lenses fell out.

Last P-day we climbed mount Bell-Vue, a medium sized hill that the locals call a mountain. We got a picture by the Croix Lumineuse, and Elder Freeze caught me mid-bound on the way back down on the mountain-biking tracks.

Here is the one of me Bounding:

Look What I did to Alma 5!! I highlighted all the questions and transitions in yellow, all the stuff about evil in orange, and all the stuff about righeousness in blue!

September 30, 2013

Hello everyone!

Man that is an awesome picture of jordan. I think it made all of the other Elders a little uncomfortable. Tell Jordan that that picture makes her the cutest girl I've seen on my mission. Tell Ronnie that they play him on the line because he can do both, but not everyone can play on the line. Also a good football team is built on its line, not its ball-carrier because no runner is better than his blockers. Two princes are better than one king right? I'm joking of course. I just hope Tanner doesn't have to turn down too many proposals to go on his mission.

I sent two letters, one to Ronnie last week and one to the Whole family more recently. I hope the stamps are working. Also transfers are in two weeks so if you want to send me food now is the time ;) 

I forgot to tell the story last week about the lady who freaked out at us. We knocked on her appartment door and started talking to her. She wasn't interested and so we asked if there was something we could do to help her. She replied calmly that no one in the world needed more help than her. She then just went Berserk. She started pushing us down the stairs swearing at us and screaming at us (in French of course) and telling us to get out. We wanted to knock the other door in the appartment but she was screaming at us that they didn't want to hear from us. Then she slapped us both across the face. We decided to leave at that point. As we left the building she was kicking us and still screaming and swearing. She stood on the porch for a minute screaming at us not to talk to the people on the street either. We have no idea what got her so upset. Her whole demeanor just changed in the blink of an eye and she lost control. It was sad and also kind of funny how angry she was.

Yes it is the season for buying coats and gloves and such. It is just chilly right now but it shouldn't be long before it starts reaching 30 and 40 degrees below zero (Celsius). Coats cost a lot here because they are an absolute necessity. You will freeze to death without them. Or I guess just not go outside. Of your bed.

As far as missionary things go, not too much news. Still working and teaching and knocking. I hate how certain it is that anyone we start teaching will be found and hit with anti-mormon material and directed to sites about FLDS communities in British Columbia (the Canadian news paints these communities as Mormons). We can easily respond to these concerns, but the problem is when the people get scared and won't talk to us. It is pretty frustrating.

Still I'm finding that the only way to be happy out here is to work. Sadness, homesickness, distraction, they all are results of idleness. It is hard for me to change my attitude regarding this, but Elder Murphy is a big help because he will tolerate to slothfullness. I hope to have nailed down this working hard thing by the time I come home.

Also someone called the police on us last night. We knocked on there door at about 8:15 and they said to go away or they would call the police. We tried to talk to them for a minute after, but obviously got nowhere. About 5 minutes later we were a few doors down talking to a Catholic woman who is convinced that the Virgin Mary will come back to the earth and give birth to Christ once again (she was 100% focused on Mary rather than Christ) when two police officers showed up and told her to close the door. They talked to us for a few minutes about what happened (the lady accused us of impersonating the police) and told us that we 100% have the right to do door to door (yes!!! Eat that every concierge of an appartment building ever!) but just be carefull not to scare people at night. They also checked our ID. it was a good story, but we lost like 10 minutes of knocking time because of it. Oh well.

 

That is all I have time for today. I love you guys. Don't stop living, learning, and loving the gospel. 

Oh yeah I gave a talk yesterday in French. I used one of the quotes from my binder of quotes. It was about dilligence in member missionary work. It wasn't very long (5 minutes) but it went pretty well.

Bye.

Elder Hardy

Me and Elder Murphy in our Shchnazzy new jackets. We haven't bought full coats yet, but that is next.