Michigan Miracles!!

Olá minha familia! 

This week was truly a week of miracles! It might be kind of a long email, desculpe!

We had a baptism on Saturday! Dwight has such incredible faith and it was so touching to see the light in his eyes the next Sunday at church and how wonderful he felt to have been baptized! He had been putting off telling his wife forever, but finally he wrote a beautiful touching letter to her telling her he was being baptized and why and inviting her and she came! It was a miracle! I know it meant so much to him to have her there. She is so sweet too! His two sisters and their fiances came too and his son and daughter in law who had told him they couldn't come! We were all grateful for his family support. It was a beautiful baptism, I feel so honored to have been able to be a part of his journey! He is going to be an amazing and faithful saint, I am so happy for him! (He is going to teach us some martial arts stuff later today too and I am so pumped!)

Two other miracles this week were pretty similar to each other. There is a recent convert and a former who we have not been able to get in contact with or see for weeks, Sister Pierce and I hadn't actually met either of them! Over the week we first decided to stop by and see Sam, a recent convert who has been too sick to come to church and didn't want to talk to us. He is the scariest biggest man ever, covered in tattoos and piercings with this biker beard who lives on the east-side of Monroe past the train-tracks, and when he opened the door I wanted to run away! But he was so nice! We talked to him a bit and he is like a big teddy bear! Anyway, he is feeling better than he ever has and wants to start coming back to church! It was such a miracle, I was so grateful Sister Stephan followed that prompting! We also saw a former named Tina who has had a very sad life and was extremely sad last time anyone met with her. We stopped by and she was in such good spirits and seemed really happy! She has this HUGE dog that is insanely fluffy and the tiniest little chiwawa I have ever seen. The little one is a bully and will jump up and bite the big one, and even though the big one could easily snap the little one in half with one bite, he just leaves her alone. It is pretty hilarious! (Everyone here in Monroe has dogs! Tracting is like playing a fun game of how much can you say before the person gets tired of holding back their barking dog and shuts the door!) The big dogs name was Loki and he loved me! Tina said it was because he thought I was a child because of how short I am, It was so funny, and I didn't mind if a dog thought I was a kid if it meant it would want to cuddle with me!

I also learned a cool lesson about listening to the spirit this week! While we were trying to decide where to go tracting that day one street name stuck out to me more than the others and so I suggested it. Sister Stephan thought she might have already tracted that street last transfer, but agreed to go check. We got a little lost trying to find it though, but I felt like we really needed to find it. We finally did and didn't have much time left to tract. So we started knocking and got the usual responses, and I was feeling a little discouraged thinking maybe I hadn't received a spiritual prompting. But on the last door we knocked before heading to our dinner appointment a sweet woman named Heather opened the door. She and her husband weren't going to church, but both of them are spiritual and want to. She let us in and she seemed excited to read the Book of Mormon and we set a return appointment! It was amazing! 

Church was awesome this Sunday! Dwight was confirmed, a returning member brought his daughter and the young women were all very welcoming to her, the gospel principles class went really well and the spirit was there, and the relief society president asked me to say a prayer in Portuguese and I only had to say a few words in English, the rest I could say in Portuguese! Then that night there was a super fun activity we got to go on with the youth where we went caroling to less actives and recent converts and brought them cute Christmas baskets! The daughter of the returning member came to the activity, and was a little stuck to our sides at first but I think she had a fun time and the young women did a good job of including her and it was awesome! It is so amazing to see what can happen when a ward really puts their heart and mind into missionary work, for a lot of people all they need is a friend to feel comfortable coming to church and participating in the gospel! Missionaries will change, but the ward won't (very quickly that is)! They have the opportunity to be a help and rock for these people that are making a huge life change! Like for Dwight! He has made friends so quickly and I have been so proud of our ward members coming up to introduce themselves and talk with him!

To answer your questions: We haven't had zone conference yet, I think we are having one for Christmas, but we have district meeting every week which is super fun! This week I was asked to do the white handbook training! I did it on how as missionaries we are leaders and should lead by our example. I was really nervous, but everyone was really nice! Soon I'll have to do it in Portuguese too, so I was grateful for the practice! No word on my visa yet, I don't know how or when I will find out, but I am still thinking I will go to Portugal after this transfer! The worst thing I ate this week is I made myself some oatmeal and it was not good, apparently I made it wrong. We had a good time laughing about it together though! The best thing I ate was probably this cake that the ward mission leader's wife brought us, it was so good! I haven't got my package yet, the mail system here is apparently not great, so the office missionaries prefer to give you packages in person, so I will probably get it at Zone Conference. I did get your letter though! Thank you so much for the pictures and euros! I have hung the pictures up over my bed and my desk and love looking up and seeing my families smiling faces! I love you all so much!

The field is white all ready to harvest! Missionary work is not easy, I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this! I love it though, so so much. It really hit me at Dwight's baptism seeing the change in him even over the few weeks I have known him! Sister Stephan says his countenance has really changed and he looks different than when she first met him. He is just so happy! That is what the gospel is! It is JOY! It is knowing you can repent and become clean, it is knowing you can return to live with our father again someday! How so incredibly grateful I am to be able to be a part of peoples journey's toward Christ, and how grateful I am for how this work is bringing me closer to Him. I know the Church is the true church of Christ on the earth. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God, we can learn all we need to know from simply reading it. I know, above all, that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, our perfect example and redeemer. I am so eternally grateful for His life and His sacrifice for me. I love him. 

I love you all so much! Thank you so much for your love and prayers! 

Sister Hardy 

Pictures: All of us with Dwight before his Baptism, Elder Perry who baptized him, and sister Wilde and Stephan, the set who found him, after the baptism!

I have a few more minutes, so there are a few more things I forgot to say! We have been using light the world in our teaching, especially for our recent converts. A lot of them are struggling, and so we are always trying to bring a little spiritual pick me up every time we see them, and the videos are awesome! The christmas season is a perfect time of year for missionary work, everyone seems happier and friendlier, and those that are not are more prepared and desperate for something like the gospel. I have been learning not to be ashamed about talking to a bunch of strangers in walmarts and at gas stations, because everyone needs Christ in their life, and I have the unique opportunity to wear Christs name on my chest and represent Him. I am not ashamed of Him and so I shouldn't be ashamed to talk to a bunch of random strangers in the toilet paper aisle about Him! Just a thought. Sorry, I am sure getting all these small little e-mails clogging up your e-mail is kinda annoying. I just get so excited I send my letter before making sure I have included everything! Plus, I literally only talk to you guys once a week. A lot happens in a week! and I want to share it all with you! When you truly love something, that is what you do! You share it! Ok, I'm done. I've been pretty preachy this week, desculpe. Love ya!