Thursday, May 1, 2014

Letter from 5/1/2014

Wow everyone is so busy at home! I hope you are all still keeping your heads above water and enjoying it all. As you can see, I am writing today and not yesterday! This is because we went to a secret location, which I will later reveal, for a meeting of just sisters- no elders! Here am I with my companion in the telefonico (cable car) way high up! Then there´s a picture of me at the top with a great view. Can you guess where we are, yet?
This has been a really interesting week. One of our investigators is a ¨movie learner¨ I found out this week! We have started bringing videos about part of our lesson to help her. It is amazing how much better she can understand! I´m so grateful for modern technology, no matter how little of it we use here in the mission. haha. Mao is a really great place to be right now. We find out about transfers on Tuesday, and I´m hoping I get at least one more here with Hermana Loarca and our investigators... not to mention the less actives we are working with. We have been visiting one family for these whole 5 months I have had in Mao, and they came to church on Sunday for the first time!! It´s also fun to be here with the missionaries who are assigned. I just found out this morning that one of the sisters we live with is going to train, so we know that the other sister (Hermana Pierre) is leaving. I´m going to miss her!! The mission is full of changes though. I think it´s better that way. We meet more people, befriend them and love them.

We´re in Brazil! Haha, just kidding! But here is a smaller Cristo Redentor here in the DR. We had a lot of fun taking pictures in this secret location. Here´s a hint- we saw Elder Day! He is still in this area and wanted to see his Mao family. He and some other elders crashed the hermana party.
The other photo was a view from a bridge there at the top with the Christ statue. It almost looks unreal, doesn´t it?? Wow the DR is beautiful. I had the chance to get to know some of the other sisters a little better in this activity. We had a blast, although it was exhausting. haha. Are you ready for the big reveal?? Check out this pic!!! 
PUERTO PLATA, baby!!! Mom, you totally guessed it! We went to the beach!!! This isn´t even one of the prettier beaches up there, but it was close and time was short. The water is such an unbelieveable shade of blue! I found a big piece of coral washed up on the sand which is now sitting on my desk. My companion named it ¨Cori¨. haha. She´s pretty clever. lol.

There were some guys just swimming around in their flippers with these little metal lance things, fishing. They let us take pictures with their catch! I don´t know if you can see it, but there was a little milky white octopus on one end. Man, I fell in love with this place. I definitely want to come back and see it all as a normal Jane with nothing to do. Haha. I hope we can come as a family! It was such a beautiful place, and although it´s warm, there was always a really nice breeze. Sign me up, ocean front property! Haha. What a fun p-day! Wow, this transfer flew by. We are having a lot of fun as a companionship and a lot of success and progress with those we are teaching. I can see how serving a mission prepares one to be a parent in some ways. I just love being able to help these people discover the restored gospel for themselves. It is a privilege and a serious responsibility as well. The gospel is complete and the church is perfect. This life is designed for our success and happiness. We just have to understand what our goals need to be and learn self-discipline. Above all, we need to learn to love. It´s hard, but vale la pena.

I love you all very much. See you on the other side (of transfers)!! haha.


Hermana Harden




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