Thursday, June 30, 2011
*Madelyn was Baptized*
HAPPY FATHERS DAY FATHER, AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!
Wow, how is everybody doing?! I really hope that all is well. It sounds
like you all are doing great. I am doing great as well. Elder Odar and I
have had an amazing week.
It sounds like you all had a great time on your Texas trip! My brother
looks so good! I too am so proud of my big brother. I am greatful that Ray
and Jean are in our lives, and that they showed such great hospitality to
you! They are great people, and they look great as well! I loved the
pictures that you sent me Pa! They were great! I really am so proud of my
Brother. I think about him a lot. How is his elbow doing? I hope that all
is well with that. I have been praying a lot for him that his elbow will
heal quickly. But yeah now you all know how heat and humidity is lol.
Hopefully that drink you spilled in your lap Mother cooled you off a little
bit lol. That was funny thanks for sharing that with me. It's disgusting.
That's all you do, sweat. It is so important to stay hydrated. I was
joking the other day with my companion that in Utah after it rains sometimes
it gets SO humid. HAHA! Yeah I'm wrong. I didn't know what humidity or
heat was. I'm afraid that I am going to absolutely freeze in Utah haha.
Hermana Rivas told me that the weather was beautiful while they were there
and they loved it. I can only imagine. Ma and Pa you look good! They
showed me the picture that they took of you, as well as some of the
mountains. Super nice pictures to see! Yes I did get the package that you
sent me. I got it last week. I loved the pictures, thank you!
So Saturday was a really big day for South Florida. We had our temple
ground-breaking. What a special experience that was. It was very spiritual
and I knew that the Sacred house of God is being built in this area. I am
so excited and I love it. Also, a little while after the temple
groundbreaking, Jose and Madelyn (our investigators) were married. They
took one more important step to making that sacred covenant of baptism with
the Lord. It was a choice experience. I don't have any pictures of it just
because it was something really simple. It was great to see them come
closer to Christ.
Then on Sunday, Madelyn was baptized. What a powerful baptism it was. She
has made some really good friends in the ward, and when one of them got up
to talk she only said a few words and Madelyn stood up and hugged her and
just cried. I had never seen her cry like that. Jose also was crying. I
had NEVER seen him cry. It was a very special time. She made this very
sacred covenant with the Lord. She has a background of many different
religions. She was very hard at the beginning. After the baptism yesterday
she told me, "Good job Elder Hardman. You worked hard. I was very hard at
the first. Now I have a testimony of this Church." It was a very sacred
experience that I will never forget. I do have some pictures for the
baptism that I will send.
Madelyn & Elder Odar Barboza
Madelyn's Baptism
*nice part elder*
Well family know that I am doing great, and I pray for you always. I love
you all so very much individually and hope and pray that you all can feel
that. Everybody please take care, have a great week, and be careful in all
of your travelings and everything that you do.
Love,
Your Son, Brother, and Uncle
Elder Hardman
Thursday, June 16, 2011
*Farewell to a GREAT FAMILY*
President and Sister Hale and Family bid farewell to 'The Greatest Mission in all the Land' and return home to North Salt Lake on Friday, July 1st.Last Zone Conference with Pres Hale and Sister Hale
~Staying with Elder Odar Barboza~
How is everybody doing?! I'm glad to hear in your e-mails that you all are
doing well. I'm so happy to hear about my big/little brother. I am so
proud of him. Please do give him a big hug from me and make sure that he
knows that I think about him a lot and hope that he is doing well and that I
love him so much. I am doing well this week. It has been a pretty great
week! We have one baptism set for this coming Saturday. i hope that all
goes well for this baptism. Please pray that all will go well, and that all
things will work out. It is going to be great!
Okay so here's the transfer information. Nobody is getting transferred I
am staying with Elder Odar Barboza! I am so excited about it! I wanted at
least one more transfer with him! he is a great missionary, and is teaching
me a lot! The reason for e-mailing so late in the day is because the
library doesn't open until 12:30 on Tuesdays, and also we went to a members
house for lunch and talked for a little while with her.
Haha sorry Mother that I tried to hide that whole thing with my back from
you. How can you translate my spanish? Google? But just to let you know
all is well with that. I just strained it. I wasn't even lifting
anything. All I did was I stepped out of the back of a truck, and just kind
of stepped down wrong. It's all good though I feel great now! I always
keep in mind that I can only lift 50 pounds and that I need to lift with my
legs. Thank you! But just know that all is well, I feel great! I was not
able to ride my bike or go out and work for 2 days, but enduring to the end,
and the power of the Atonement is what healed my back, and healed it quick.
I am so happy that you all got to meet with the Rivas family! They are
really such sweet people! She text us and said that they absolutely love
you Mom and Dad! They know that you are wonderful people! So as to why I
sent my camel pack home is because It takes up too much room in my backpack,
plus I have a water bottle and people give us a ton of water and juice to
drink. So thank you for that! It's good too because the weather is getting
even hotter and more humid. I sweat more and more everyday it seems like
lol. It's good though, that's what's helping me lose weight! I'm glad to
see that Hermans Rivas saw a difference, that makes me feel better lol.
So I have not received the package yet. It's probably because whenever
there are transfers, for about 4 days or so they keep the mail in the
mission office until they know exactly where the can send it. They don't
know where people are going to be moved around to until after. Thank you so
much for sending me that package though! I can not wait to see the pictures
that you sent!
I am also really glad that you get to go down to Texas and see Matty! As
well as Ray and Jean. What sweet people they are for acomodating you for
that! Just please give them all a big hug and warm regards and love from
Elder Hardman. And Mother, don't be nervous, all will go well. All is
well, all is well. Just remember that I have gone through the same thing.
Remember how nervous I told you that I was to get on an airplane coming here
to Florida? But once you get up in the air it's not too bad. Plus, I kind
of liked that feeling of take off lol. There's an airport in my area, and I
love seeing the airplanes take off and land. So just don't be nervous
Mother, keep a prayer in your heart and the Lord will comfort you. He loves
you.
Please do give Elder Cameron my love to him as well as a big hug.
Well family I am doing well, and the work of the Lord is moving forward. I
love each and every one of you so dearly, and hope and pray that you can
honestly and truly feel that everyday. I love you all so much! Be careful
and be safe in all things that you do and all of your travelings. Always
remember who you are.
Love,
Your Son, Brother, and Uncle
Elder Hardman
*NBA Finals*
don't worry he is still a JAZZ fan...A really good member friend gave him this jersey..which is the REAL legit thing...also, the another member friend gave him the sunglass..they are REAL Oakley's...
to bad the HEAT LOST...!!! HAHA
look how good elder is looking...the members that came to Utah, stopped by Brad & Karon's house and the first thing the lady told them after seeing a picture of JD was, "he has lost a lot of weight since that picture was taken." she was looking at his mission mug shot that was taken the day he got to Flordia!!
~Trick the Family??~...NICE TRY~
Como estan? Espero que todo este bien con ustedes. Yo estoy bien. Me
duele la espalda un pocito. Hice algo el sabado pasado. Estabamos ayudando
en un mudanza y cuando yo sali de a traz del troca, no se que paso pero hice
algo a la espalda. Pero ya estoy mejor. Hermanos mios que pueden entender
este e-mail no digan nada a mama. Yo escribi en espanol con un proposito,
para que ella no entienda. Entonces por favor no la digan nada a ella
porque yo no quiero que ella se preocupe. Todo bien.
How are you? I hope all is well with you. I'm fine. me
back hurts a little well. I did something last Saturday. We were helping
a moving and when I got out of a mapping of the truck, not what has happened but I
something back. But I'm better. My brethren that they can understand
This e-mail not to tell mom. I wrote in Spanish with a purpose,
so she does not understand. So please do not say anything to her
because I did not want her to worry. All right.
How is everybody doing?! I really hope that all is well with everyone and
that everyone is safe and doing well! All is well here. Elder Odar and I
have had a great week this week. We set two baptismal dates for the 18 of
June. We are super excited for these baptisms to come to pass! June 18 is
also the day of the temple groundbreaking! What a blessing that is coming
to pass for the people down here in South Florida.
So this week has been a little bit of an emotional week. This last Thursday
in specific. That was the day of our Zone Conference. Why it was so
emotional is because that was the last day that we are going to see
President and Sister Hale. They are gearing up getting ready to go home.
They don't want to. We don't want them to. But Sister Hale gave us and me
so much comfort by helping us understand, "follow the keys." President Hale
has the keys right now, but pretty soon President Anderson will have the
keys. We must follow those keys because they are ordained of God. That
gave me great comfort. However, I am going to miss them so dearly. They
both gave me great comfort.
Before I forget, if you can hardly believe it next week are transfers. So I
won't be e-mailing until Tuesday again. We don't really have any idea who
or if anyone is going to be changing. So I'll keep you updated on that next
week. I hope nothing gets changed between our companionship. But again,
"Follow the keys."
Feliz cumplianos to everybody! Sounds like Hailey and Skyler had great
birthdays! Seafood dinners! Lucky! I don't get much seafood. Again, my
diet consists of rice, rice, rice, chicken, rice, and beans. It is great
though I'm not going to lie. Although I must say, I made a killer
american-latin breakfast this morning. I say american-latin because it was
a mountain mans breakfast with sausage, eggs, tomatoes, green peppers,
onions, and garlic. It was latin because I made homemade tortillas to go
along with it lol. Can you believe that I can make homemade tortillas!
They're the little small ones that we eat with those tacos. So, I'll be
able to do that for you all lol. I'll send home a picture of the meal,
minus the tortillas I forgot to take a picture of those lol.
JD's Mountain Man Breakfast...it was SOOO GOOD!!
So one more thing I would like if you could please put into my package if
you haven't already sent it off. I need razor heads. I use Gillette fusion
proglide. Thank you! They are just too darn expensive for me. LoL sorry
to stick you all with the bill.
So I talked to a family in the ward yesterday, and they told me that they
are heading to Utah. They asked me if I had anything that I would like them
to take. I am going to send them with that package that I have been meaning
to send home! We are going to go and see them tomorrow, so I will give them
your phone numbers and address so that they can call you before they go.
It's the family Rivaz. Really great family! They speak English so you're
all good lol.
Tell Sister Aguilar thank you for always asking and thinking about me, and
send her my love and regards as well. When you see Elder Cameron, please
give him a big hug for me.
Have fun going to see Matt! Give him a big hug from his little brother.
Also, give Ray and Got Money a big hug from me and send my regards.
I'm so excited that Kaitlin is pregnant! I seriously had a prompting come
into my mind the other day of wondering when and if and who was going to
have a baby while I was gone. That prompting came true! Congratulations
Kaitlin and Jordan! I love you!
So my thoughts on your lesson that you had in Relief Society Mother. That
is such a great subject to talk about. A positive mental attitude is what
gives you that opportunity and chance to realize of the love and mercy of
the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It is so key. Out in the mission field that
is a great task, to always keep a mental attitude. However, it can be done
and is very crucial. It's a test that is given to us to help us grow
stronger, and see the hand of God in our life everyday. That's how you keep
a positive mental attitude. Always ask yourself the question, "How have I
seen the hand of God in my life today?" It's a question that brings great
happiness because I promise you that you can't go a day without seeing an
abundance of blessings. Truly look for them.
Well family, I hope that you all have a great week, and be careful in all
things that you do. I love you all so very much. Each and everyone of you
individually.
Love,
Your Son, Brother, and Uncle
Elder Hardman