Parting is such sweet sorrow!

Family Mine!

      Wow, I love you! It looks like from the pictures that things are going just wonderful back in ol' Spokane. Sunshine, dirt, small children...what could be better? Besides the fullness of the Restored Gospel? I hope that you are all healthy and safe and that this has been a wonderful week. Things have been good here in Shumen--exciting things every day! Tranfer Calls came this Saturday, and we are getting 4 missionaries back in Shumen! New Elders and Sisters are coming in (a blessing!), so I will actually have a District of which to be the District Leader. Exciting and scary. Also, my new companion will be Elder Raisor (we were in the same MTC group), so things are going to be even more interesting--we will figure it out! I am excitied to work with Elder Raisor again--he is a good missionary and a good man. (And a good piano player!). I am going to miss Elder Kingsley though--he is a wonderful guy, and a dedicated missionary. 

      Mother Dearest, sounds like the program is going well--what is two miles but 10,000 (or so) more steps? You can do it! I love you! Questions: 

1) Navigating public transport is pretty simple--it is actually pretty well laid out, and you really just need to be able to understand numbers and times to make you way around (and where you are going!). 

2) I can read most signs--usually it is pretty apparent what it is signifying, so we figure it out. The language is coming along well enough--the Lord definitely knows when you NEED to understand what they are saying to you in order to help them progress in the Gospel, and when you just need to be humbled into re-evaluating your language study plan. He knows His work!

       Father, it sounds like there is going to be quite a garden back there! I am glad you have some time to just go spread some manure--there is nothing that calms a person quite in the same way. I love you so much Dad--I talk about you a lot to people. Thank you for always being such a great example

       PAIGE! I have more for you later, but first, I am so glad that you went to Church--it really is a great opportunity to show our faith to our friends. I will always remember Sacrament meeting in a tux! Also, bravo! First try! You go! Sweet 16! Please, from the deepest part of my heart, be safe! More later down.

        Ronnie--again, the bow-tie does you well my fair friend (Sister Alley sent me a picture of the Choir concert). When I pulled up, Elder Kingsley asked why my Mother sent me old pictures of myself. I told him that was ridiculous--I could never look that good! Keep being wonderful, SMILE, and do the dishes for me, alright? I love you little brother.

         Lizzie--it looks like you are having a wonderful time with your cousins--so much blond hair! Always keep being a good example, and others will follow you. I love you so much!

          Where to start, Paige? So many great and wonderful memories. I think there are too many to just pick one, but I just want to thank you for all the times that we had to laugh together--I love it so much when you laugh from your soul, from the bottom of your toes (is that how that phrase goes?), with your eyes all scrunched up...priceless! Thank you so much for who you are, for putting up with me, for always being there by my side, to tease and to comfort, to smile and to sing. I love you Paige, so much! Happy 16th! Eh....bleh!

             This week, we met a neat young man named Mustifar (yes, like the Lion King)--he is 19, and really wants to read the Book of Mormon. He said his friends were concerned that we were a Sect (that is the word in Bulgarian, but it has the connotation of Cult); as we explained to Him about how we followed a Living Day Prophet becuase we each have our own personal conviction of his calling from God, I realized how important it is for each of us to know for sure, for ourselves, that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God. When we know that, we can rest in the assurance that when we listen to His words, and feel the Holy Ghost confirm their assurity, we can be lead by God, not by man. Amos 3:7, family. Short and sweet. 

I love you all so much. The internet is acting weird, so we had to go to a different place for internet, and I cannot upload pictures! I am so sorry! Next time for sure!

Elder Hardy

The Gift of a Brilliant Smile!

Семейството ми! 

    Обичам Ви! От всичките изреченя които мога да пиша на Български, надявам се че ще чувствате искреността на онези две думи. I love you all so much! Thanks for the wonderful letters, Mother and Father. It is always so great to hear from both of you. This week was a great, if a little strange week. I was in Sofia Monday and part of Tuesday to do passport work (12 hours on a bus for 14 hours in Sofia...), and then the birthday. All in all, good stuff. The work is progressing here in Shumen as well--we found some new investigators this week that we are excited for (two families!), so life is good.

      Mother, thank you so much for the wonderful package! It is absolutely perfect--I was a little frightened that I would open it and find that it had already been opened, but everything was in place! I am extremely excited about Dad's book of poems and stories (I don't have a lot of time to read it, but it is still wonderful), the candy is perfect (RAISINETTES!), and Elder Kingsley loves the BBQ sauce. I hid it under his pillow, and when he laid down, and reached under his pillow, he said he already recognized what it was before we could turn the light on. So great! again, thank you so much--it was everything that any missionary could ask for on a birthday. I have pictures, but I forgot my camera today (I am so sorry!), but will be sure to send them next week. Yes, when I say that I am 19, people usually are pretty shocked ("Чак от Щатите? Какво правиш тук?"), but it is great because it makes an easy transition into the Gospel. Last thing--I feel your pain about the whole Hymn-ordeal. I pick the Hymns (i.e. the ones that I can play), but whenever someone suggests that we sing a different song, my heart rate jumps up about 100 BPM. Little by little, I'll get the hang of it! I love you so much Mother, you are amazing. 

      Father! Thanks for your inspiring words: "Be honest with yourself and then be patient with yourself and then set some goals with yourself and then be happy!"--I really think that is a pattern that I need to work on with myself, and that little quote struck just the right chord with me. You really are a source of Sage advice, Father dearest. It is crazy that Seth is already getting ready to go! Give him a big hug from me, and tell him that I think he is going to be an awesome missionary. It is hard to describe everyday life, so I'll just give an experience from yesterday: we met with a guy named Danoil--he was walking home up the hill, and we were walking down the hill. We stopped to talk to him, and before long we offered to walk with him, and then we sat down on the bench of a bus stop, and we were teaching him the message of the Restoration. He is a soldier, and is very busy, so we are not sure how often we are going to be able to meet with him, but it was just another testimony of the Lord's promise that if we will open our mouths, no matter if it appears as though the man trudging up the hill would have no reason to want to listen to two young Americans, we will find those that the Lord has prepared. Dad, you are strong, you are wonderful, I hope one day to have the Lord trust me as much as he trusts you. I love you!

       PAIGE!!! Wow, you are almost 16...crazy! I will write your Birthday experience next week, but just know that I am so proud of who you are, and that I love you. Make sure that if you come to any 4-Way stops on your drivers test, that you look to see if there is a left turn lane! Make sure and tell me how it goes. Also, I think you are going to be a wonderful Step-Sister--you never have had a problem being sassy in the first place. I love you, and Happy Pre-Birthday!

       Ronnie, brother, I love you! I am so proud of you! The Title Role! In all actuality, it will be a blast. If you want a cool nickname for your group, you can call yourself Дървата (D-ur-vata), or "The Trees." All the other groups will be jealous. I love you, read PMG!

        Lizzie, I love you a lot as well. Remember that! It sounds like you are blossoming into quite the young woman--always remember that you are a choice Daughter of God, that he loves you and cares for you more than we can understand. And I love you too! Keep being a ray of sunshine.

       The title--this week, in Sofia, we slept at the apartment of the Assistants to the President, and in my rush in the morning, I completely forgot my bag of toiletries. Seeing as zone Conference happened recently, and Shumen isn't exactly a main thoroughfare, I don't really have much hope of getting them back for a few weeks. Thursday morning, much to my surprise, I found a present sitting on the bathroom counter from Elder Kingsley. A new toothbrush! Ever more to my surprise, Elder Kingsley then proceeded to jump out from the shower curtain with a camera to catch my surprise! We had a good chuckle about that. I have pictures.

        Again, thank you so much to all for the wonderful Birthday wishes!

        This week, I have really been contemplating about faith and doubts--it is so easy sometimes to get so caught up in our doubts that we allow them to block the faith that we have, to shade us from the power and spirit and blessings that the Lord is so willing to pour out on our heads. Family, we cannot let little doubts or minuscule pinpricks of apprehension hold us back from the joy that comes from the truth that we do have. We know our Savior, we know the Plan that our Loving Father has laid out for us, we know what we must do to live together again. Let that be our focus! I know that as we focus on the good, on our faith, doubts and fears will subside, and we will be able to press on.  

          The Book of Mormon is true!

I love you all so much!

Elder Hardy

Причастието! (И Благодарност!)

Здравейте Семейството Ми!

      Първо, благодария ви много за множеството на писма който получих! It was so fun to read the letters from all of you! It sounds like the week was great, and Big White was awesome--you all look so wonderful in the pictures. 

       Mom, thank you so much for the wonderful package! We had Zone Training this week, and it was exciting to walk in the mail room and see it sitting there. I have not opened it yet (it isn't my Birthday yet!), but I just want to say thank you in advance--I am excited to open it, but the simple fact that it is here is equally exciting. Thank you for taking care of me and putting up with me for these 19 years; just think, only an eternity to go! I love you so much Mom. I am not sure to what extent we'll celebrate (I'll have my whole life to celebrate Birthdays, but I only get 730 days to be a missionary!), but there will probably be some sort of cake involved. Elder Kingsley is pretty good about that sort of thing. I love you, you are wonderful!

       Dad, wow, three whole days without the cell-phone buzzing! That is good to hear. In that last picture it looks like your hair is even grayer than before! Just think, though you may not have started out as the White-Haired Bishop, you might end up that way! I love you so much Dad, and am so grateful for your example to me. I always think about what you said in that one letter: Am I acting and living in such a way that the Lord will trust me to do his work? A great question to live by. I love you!

     My Dearest other siblings, thank you so much for your letters! Sorry I couldn't reply with more!

     This week was a great week--we had a great Zone Training; and we have been trying to apply what we learned there in our Day-to-Day work. We have been trying to transition from just abruptly stopping people on the street, to trying to find more natural ways to help people see why the Gospel would be important to them, and why they might want to listen to what two crazy Americans have to say instead of just continuing on their walk. It is not always easy, but we are doing our best. 

      The other thing that we talked about was helping people come to church, how we can best help people partake in the blessings of the sacrament. It really should be the highlight of our week, the day that we look forward to. If we let it, the Sacrament carries the same power and the same promise of baptism. Again and again in the scriptures, we are commanded to "repent and be baptized"--we fulfill this command again and again by repenting during the week (finding little ways to improve!), and THEN taking of the Sacrament. It is a vital step! This Saturday night, I invite you all to take a minute and think about the ordinance that you will perform the next day. I promise that as we give the Sacrament the attention it deserves, we will see many blessings in our lives. So great! (3 Nephi 18:1-12).

       I am doing great, thank you again for all the wonderful Birthday wishes--I am filled with gratitude when I think of the 19 years that I have had to spent with so many wonderful people. I love you all so much!

Elder Hardy

A Monument in Shuman!

"Wow, that was an answer to TWO prayers!"

Семейството Ми! 

      Познай какво. Обичам ви! Thank you so much for the wonderful letter, as always--it sounds like this week wasn't quite as crazy as last week (only slightly...), but still great! Showcases are always fun. Everything is great here in Shumen--lots of miracles this week, some hard times as well. That's life! If it was any other way, I wouldn't feel like a missionary. And I love being a missionary, so life is great! That is the honest truth.

        Mother; I agree--it is a strange feeling to pay at the door for a spiritual experience, but I am glad you liked the conference. I guess you have to just think about it more like a seminar or something like that. In any case, it sounds like the garden is going to be awesome (and hopefully not TOO smelly), and the life continues on. Thanks for what you said about hearts being able to be softened and changed. Sometimes it is easy to think that we are the way we are, but the whole message of the Gospel is that, with Jesus Christ, and with the influence of the Spirit, we CAN change. Great thought, thanks for that reminder. To answer questions, yes--and all of it has been good! I tried Tarator (a cucumber soup) and it wasn't amazing, but I am told it is much better in the summer. I am doing great in the stomach region (as long as I can keep from gaining weight from all the Banitza...). There is a University in our town, but it is a little distant, and not huge, so we don't run into a LOT of students, but enough. Shumen is a pretty quiet place, so not a TON of young people, but still a good number. I don't know if the package has arrived, but I will find out this week--we have Zone Conference. Thank you so much, whether it comes or not! I love you Mom!

       Dad, it sounds like the Ward is growing and growing! When you said you went and helped a family of 5 move in, it reminded me of Colorado--we moved families in and out nearly every week-end. Thank you for your example of Church service--though we may not be Full-Time Missionaries for the entirety of our lives, we are full-time Disciples of Christ, always. Thank you for being such a good example of that. I love you Dad, thank you for all you do for us, I love you!

       Paige--I bet you were an awesome MC! Improv really is a lot of fun--are you glad that you accidentally made it on the team? That sort of happened with me as well, and it worked out fairly well. I bet your talk was wonderful--it is so true that the Commandments are what keep us safe. I have only been a missionary for so long, but I have seen it again and again--when commandments are kept, lives are blessed. Truly, King Benjamin had it figured out (Mosiah 2:41--I love it!). You are beautiful, you are wonderful! Ehhhh....bleh!

       Ronnie, I agree with what Jordan said in her letter. I love you, little brother, always remember who you are. You can have a big impact of the lives of the people around you, especially as you are kind to everyone. People remember kindness, and will want to know why a cool guy like you was also kind. Read PMG, have fun, keep looking so good!

       Lizzie, how is school going? How is life? Are you glad to be finished with the play, or sad? Probably both. I love you, and think that you are wonderful. Smile, smile, smile!

       This week, we saw some GREAT miracles. To the point, for sake of time:

1) Plamen, an investigator from the other Elders (who left), agreed to meet with us, and told the story of how he knew that we were sent from God because the Missionaries just so happened to turn up at his Block right when he was at his lowest point. So cool! His wife pretty much thinks we are a crazy cult, and doesn't like him meeting with us, but he is one prepared individual. A miracle!

2) We met with a young Muslim man named Mehedin, only a little older than us, studying the Koran at the school here in Shumen. As we began to talk, he started to explain why he thought our work here was a great thing, and he pretty much quoted the Doctrine and Covenants, how "every soul was great in the sight of God." We were both pretty dumbfounded. We had a great conversation, and he is very excited to read the Book of Mormon. So cool!

3) After we taught Jenny, a wonderful investigator with a very Un-Bulgarian name, about the Plan of Salvation, she was so excited to learn more about it, she asked us if there was more than just the additional study section in the back of the teaching pamphlet. She then told us that our meeting was an answer to two of her prayers! She is a wonderful lady.

       I have been reading in Heleman 7-10 about Nephi lately--if anyone had a tough crowd to teach to, it was him. No matter what happened however, he continued in "unwearingness"--sometimes it can be easy to get discouraged, but we just need to keep on pressing though, and the Lord will always help us through.

       This Church is true, I love you all so much, read the scriptures every day!

С любов,

Старейшина Харди

Some Pictures of Shumen--No time for in Depth Captions! I love you all!

Welcome, Grandma March!

Hello Family Mine!

      The Library we usually go is closed today, so no Bulgarian today, but I am just glad we found somewhere to go! Tomorrow is a HUGE national holiday in Bulgaria (the day when they were officially liberated from the Turkish Yolk), and yesterday was the First of March (a fairly large Holiday), so lots of places are closed today and tomorrow. Also, Martinitsi (it doesn't really work in Latin letters...) has started--I will send some pictures next week of what that means! I did buy a camera, however, I have not yet had much opportunity to use it. Thank you so much for the good advice--I am only going to be a missionary like this once. I am resolved to take more pictures.

       Mom, you have fully become a CYT mother--all your children are in the shows! That is awesome. I am glad we can be a source of Gospel conversation for you--keep it up! Good luck tomorrow on your run; just think like Dory: "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming." Thanks for the questions! Alright, answers:

1) I have tried all sorts of different types of breads--I never knew people could do so much with flour and butter and eggs (and LOTS of oil...). Also, I had never eaten Baklava before. Very good!

2) Our "Go-to-meal?" Luninitza (sort of like tomato sauce), spiral pasta, Kai-ma (some sort of mystery meat that comes in blocks and is very cheap), and lots of bread. We can cook it in advance, then just heat it up. Works every time.

3) No, unfortunately!

4) We head towards some appartment buildings, and try the outer door until one opens, head to the top floor, and work our way down, appartment door by appartment door. We go wherever we can get in!

5) At Zone Conferences only, usually.

6) I just say "Short on the sides, not as short on the top," and then just make do with whatever happens. It usually works out fairly well. It's easier when you are an Elder!

7) It is a little Keyboard, and we just have two hours, Sacrament and Sunday School.

8) Happy; you are all doing great, and the sun is out. Bummer: Not everyone on the street wants to listen to what we have to say. 

       Dad, 10 babies! Wow. You go! And I 100% agree about the power of the spirit to sustain--when we are tired, when things don't look as good as they could, we need to learn to turn to the spirit. That is the only source of comfort that won't ever fail. I love you Dad!

        Paige, keep up with the piano, if nothing else, the Hymns. It will bless you in so many ways, your whole life. I only wish that I had worked even harder! Find the joy in it--that is when it stops being arduous to practice. I love you so much, you are beautiful.

        Ronnie, you look like you're growing up so fast...keep being the great guy you are. Make sure and say thank you to all those people who came to see you--they love you so much, and I do to. I give the same advice to you I gave to Paige about the piano. It is worth it! Read PMG, start studying up now. You are a great guy!

        Lizzie, your hair is so long! You look like an adorable little duckling. I bet that you play Fur Elise beautifully--keep developing that talent, because it will bless you now, and your family in the future. Keep being wonderful!

        This week was a great week--on Wednesday we traveled to Varna for a combined District meeting with the Varna District, and it was great. We have some new Zone Leadership, and we are really excited to see the changes and growth that we can see here in Zone 3. I am surrounded by great missionaries! Exciting times.

         We had a wonderful lesson with Jenni this week--after a great, full Sunday School we sat down with her and our group leader, Emile, and talked about the Book of Mormon, and she said that she knew it was from God, but would pray and ask to have it confirmed to her. After that we talked about baptism, and after we helped her to understand why she needs to baptized again, she accepted a baptismal date for March 28. The spirit was strong as Emile testified of why he joined this church. It is so important to have members with us in lessons! We are so excited for her to see how the Gift of the Holy Ghost will truly guide her in her life. 

     We also had a group party this week--charades in Bulgarian...so many nouns that I do not know! It was fun.

     This week I was thinking about the importance of the fast offering--truly, as we give of ourselves to others generously, we fulfill the purpose of the fast. As we read in Alma 34, though we may pray and pray all day, without giving of ourselves to others, the fast does not have the spiritual power that it could. We truly have been so blessed by the Lord in SO many ways. We must give to those around us, we must.

      Love you all so much! Good luck this week with everything!

Elder Hardy

Pictures didn't work! Next time!