Thank you again, as always, for the wonderful letter! I really am so blessed to have such a wonderful, beautiful family. There is such strength in family, there is incredible power in being together, I know that the family is God's greatest tool for bringing us happiness. They are a key part of his plan, and there is no more powerful or more important social unit on the earth. It is my prayer that we will always remember that. Think about that this week as you enjoy a wonderful time with the Hardy Clan. Give my love to all of them!
This week was a great week and a sad week, all in one; President Wilstead and Sister Wilstead are now back in the United States, which is extremely strange to think about--they truly have done so much for this mission and for this wonderful country, and they will be sorely missed. I will always remember the absolute confidence and boldness that President Wilstead exudes--he was not one to mince words or to pull punches, he told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, without exception, without hesitation. I will always remember him with enormous respect. On Tuesday, President Barclay arrived, and he is so different, but he is so wonderful--I have only known him for a few days, but it is impossible to not know that he is a man who walks with God. He is so humble and extremely gentle, but when he speaks, one can feel his love for the Lord, and his absolute trust in him. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to have known both of them. What a blessing!
Mother; Thank you so much for the package! Whether it gets here, or whenever it gets here, thank you! I am so grateful for your letters and for your testimony. The garden looks wonderful--I still remember when the whole property was just cat-tails, dust, and brambles. Now it is beautiful! I love you so much, thank you for all you do for me. Give a big hug to the whole family from me!
Father, thank you for the pictures, and thank you for the hard work that you do for our family. Sometimes when we are running around from appointment to appointment, we get so busy that we don't have time to eat, and I think of you--it truly is amazing however, how the Lord gives strength to those who are engaged in a good work. We will come to the end of the day and realize, "Wow, we haven't eaten since 11:00--how did we have energy to get through that crazy day?"--I know that it is the Lord. Whenever that happens, I think about Doctor Bishop, and smile. I love you Father, give a fish-hook to your brothers from me!
Rees--do you remember those jousting things at Carbon Lodge? I will never forget the headache after Eric Larson hit you with one of those jousting things. Crazy! I love you, work hard!
Paige; you are so beautiful! Make sure and be careful on that tube! Also, say hello to Gracee Miller for me--I am glad that you two are still friends! I love you so much, keep being such a great example to all those around you, don't talk to boys!
Ronnie; Free at last, Free at last! I am glad that you have such a good group of friends. This morning I was reading in Chapter One of Preach My Gospel, and it struck me how important it is to understand those principles not only as missionaries, but as members of the Church. Have you had a chance to read PMG recently? I love you little brother!
Elizabeth; Again I will say, Free at Last, Free at last! You are so beautiful, little sister. Say hello to all the cousins for me, will you? I love you, little sister.
This week Elder Howard and I have been hard at work, and it has been a lot of fun--the weather is good, people are out and about (those who are not on vacation at the sea), and the work moves forward. This week Elder Howard and I set up a street board, which was a lot of fun--I forgot to take pictures, but I will send you some next week for certain. The man who walked into church has been progressing, reading the Book of Mormon and praying, so we are excited for him, and there looks to be progress on a few other fronts, so we are excited.
As I have been pondering this week, I have been struck by the absolute necessity of two things in our life: first, constant and sincere prayer. There is real power in prayer. We cannot overcome ourselves and put off the natural man without it, we cannot stay on the path lacking it, and life is just plain-out tougher when we forget it. I have been thinking a lot lately about how I can improve some of the things in my work that are lacking, and that I know are lacking, but I just cannot seem to get myself to the place that I want to be. As I was laying in bed one night however, pondering, it struck me "Am I relying on the Lord to help me change these things, or am I relying solely on "grit, spit, and a whole lot of will power"? As we humble ourselves in prayer, recognize that we need His help to change, and ask for his assistance, I know it comes. In moments of weakness, comes renewed power, in moments of confusion, comes inexplicable clarity, in moments of discouragement, comes fresh hope. Of that, I am a witness. Second: we need to rely on the spirit, for without it, we cannot be effective servants of the Lord. The spirit is what converts, both us, and those we teach. The most eloquent argument will never convince, but if we can help those around us (and help ourselves) to have powerful encounters with the spirit of the Lord, we will come to stay, and never fall away. He knows how to do his own work, and if there is anything that I have learned in my time as a missionary, it is that I certainly don't! If we listen to his whisperings, I know we will be happy.
Family, I love you so much, have a great week!
With a Smile,
Elder Hardy
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