November 4, 2013

Hello everyone.

I had a rough beginning to the week, what with finding out that my BYU roommate is home from his mission, and I was really down for a couple of days. But my companion talked to me about it a lot and helped me realize that I was phsycing myself out and that I just needed to focus on the positive. I have been doing that and I had a great rest of the week. Jimmy's baptism is scheduled for the 16th of November, and we are visiting him almost every day to help him prepair. Yesterday we realized he didn't understand Joseph Smith's story or why we read the Book of Mormon. He has been reading, but not praying about it. We talked about it, and had him pray at the end and ask if the Book is true. The spirit entered the room so powerfully. He told us after the prayer that he felt something tingling in his chest and we told him it was the Spirit. We committed him to do that every night from now until the baptism.

Also yesterday we had about nine investigators at church between the three teams, plus one miracle less active whose husband won't let her go but she snuck out. It was a crazy Sunday.

As for other stuff, sharing the car is fun. -2 degrees celcius is a lot colder here than in Spokane. I purchased a hat and coat, but not yet boots and gloves. That isn't necessary untill it really gets cold, so I'm still looking around. The good news is that I found a great coat for only $100, half the price of the other coats. It is too cold for biking however, which is good.

I likely only have two more Mondays here in Sherbrooke after today. It is insane how fast these three transfers have gone! I have gotten to the point that I can communicate okay in french, an have really seen improvements in my ability to teach and contact. Elder Murphy has been the best trainer I could have hoped for. He's a spiritual giant with a 100% focus on missionary work. He is teaching me how to work hard, and how to care about the work more than any stupid distractions. I actually got mad and almost lost my temper at another Elder at zone training meeting when he started showing me the pictures of The Doctor (from Doctor Who, a show I started watching in college) that he keeps in his scriptures. If he wants to occupy his mind with stuff like that on his mission fine, but I don't want to think about it, so don't put it in front of my face. I definitely have seen a change in my attitude thanks to Elder Murphy's help, and of course the Lord's as well.

That is about all for this week. I know that the church is true. Anything else doesn't make sense.

Elder Hardy

Picture time!!! Coat and hat:

The crazy grain breakfast stuff that is so healthy it apparently can help fight addictions.  Our investigator also gave us a box. It is hard because he keeps buying us stuff, even when we try to tell him not to.