CCM #4 - ONE MONTH! - PROGRESSION IN THE LANGUAGE THE LORD HAS BLESSED ME WITH

I love reading all of your emails every week!!!!! It gives me something to look forward to for the upcoming week, and it makes me feel a whole lot better with being out here!!!!!

I am so happy with the progression in the language the Lord has blessed me with. I can`t believe that I can give 30 minute lessons in another language with not much stuttering!!! It shocks me and I pray for thanks about it every day!!!! I have followed your instructions with the pictures, but I don`t know, they say they are getting through, but I don`t know if the CCM has some sort of block on their wifi or not? No one that I know of has the same camera as I do and that makes them jealous because they wish they could send pictures home like I have been, but apparently that isn`t working. 

(Side note.... This is MOM speaking now: So, after several suggestions made from other parents who had missionaries going to the same mission, we sent Stoney with a WiFi capable camera.  This makes it possible for Stoney to send pictures to us directly from his camera rather than having to plug it into the computer.  We got it all set up to download to a Drop Box, or even directly to our email.  We practiced at home before he left, and it worked great.  I sent him with instructions on how to upload them, all nicely laminated, because that's what a good mom does.  Since Stoney has been in the CCM, he has said several times that he has sent pictures home, but we weren't receiving them.  As he was on the computer yesterday, we were emailing "real time" trying to figure it out, but to no avail.  Then as Brett and I were at our daughter's soccer game, discussing the picture situation, Brett said, "I can't believe it's not even going into the Drop Box."  WHAT?!  HELLO! I completely forgot I had set up a Drop Box!  I quickly touched the APP ON MY PHONE, because being a good mom, I made sure I did that before Stoney left so I could access the pictures he sent directly from my phone, and VOILA!  THERE THEY WERE!  14 BEAUTIFUL PICTURES! THE CAMERA WORKED!  Needless to say my heart was happy!  I cried over each, wonderful, beautiful picture!  As each picture came up, more and more tears were streaming down my face.  I saw him!  I saw my beautiful boy; my missionary!  And he was alive, healthy and most of all HAPPY!  Best day EVER!) Now back to what Elder Harward had to say.....

Answer time:

1. (What was your PEAK for the week?)  The best part of my week would have to have been Saturday. Not a whole lot happened that day, we just studied the language in class and other teaching techniques, but I just felt a different spirit that day, that made it such a great day for me!!!!!!

2.(What was your PIT for the week?)  The worst part of this week for sure was when they took one of the Sisters from our district and moved her to another one because she was too advanced in spanish to be with us. It sucked to see her go. My district has grown as close to a family as we could have and we love each other, so seeing her go sucked. I have made some life long friend`s in this 1 month already!

3.(Was there a scripture you read that stood out to you this week?)  A scripture that I read this week was 2 Nephi chapter 2. It is such an amazing scripture and if you guys need something to study in the morning, read that chapter and discuss what it meant to you guys. It was a huge booster for me this week.

4.(Is there anything we can specifically for you for this week?)  Not that I can think of. I truly can feel your prayers in my day, and it helps so much. I know you don`t know him, but he is my district leader, his name is Elder Hunter. If you could pray for him, for strength to know what he is doing is the right thing and that he is strong enough to be out here that would be great. He has recently been getting hit hard with anxiety and different things. I would love if you could do that.

One thing that I think I forgot to tell you, which sucks because this won`t be as much as a surprise anymore. The week I showed up here, on the first Sunday, when I didn`t know any Spanish or anything, I got called in Sacrament meeting to give a talk in Spanish!!! It scared me so bad, and it was probably awful but I have no idea because I don`t know what I said, haha!!!

Seriously! I can`t believe that a month has gone by already!!!!! It`s crazy!!! Has it felt that long to you, longer or shorter, because I know that it has felt so short for me. I can`t believe that I leave the CCM in 2 weeks!!! I can`t wait to get into the field and start teaching people!!!! There was an elder who came in to my room last night who was from Quetzaltenango and he said that the people are amazing, the place is beautiful, and we will love it there. It made me so much more excited to get out there!!!!

This week wasn`t very eventful, pretty much just sitting in class all day every day studying the language and different teaching techniques. It helps, but the days are starting to blend together because we don`t do a whole lot. We do teach in Spanish every day, and those are getting better and better. The one thing that I haven`t learned yet is conversational Spanish!!! I guess that will come just by being out in the field!!!! All the teachers say that we will be fluent within 2 to 3 months of being out there. That blows my mind!!!! We all talk about when 2 years is up and when we get to the Salt Lake airport. We get in a big argument on whether riding the escalator or the elevator down is better? I say elevator, and I have my companion on my side but that's about it haha.

Just know that I love it here and that isn`t going to change any time soon! I can`t wait to get to the field and teach the people of Guatemala and learn to have a Christ type love for them!!!

I will talk to you in one week, my last time emailing in the CCM!!!!!!!

CCM Week #3 - DIGGING DEEP & LOVING IT!

Hi Everyone,

Things are going so good!!! Yes, the language is getting better but I wouldn´t say I´m a natural. It is so much harder than I thought it was going to be. But it is coming!!!

The homesickness has gotten so much better over the last 2 weeks, and that makes doing and learning the work so much easier, I still miss you all but it´s different and I don´t really know how to explain it!

Today we got to go to the City Plaza and hand out copies of the Book of Mormon, and it was so crazy!!!! Me and my companion talked to a guy who said that he didn´t know how to read or write, and he wouldn´t take the book. Another guy already was taking lessons, but my companion didn´t understand that, so he kept talking to him for like 5 minutes and the guy ended up walking away. HA! HA! HA! It was so funny because I knew why he wouldn´t take the book, but my companion just kept talking!!! The last guy we talked to said that he thinks it is such an inspiration that we leave our lives for 2 years for our church. He took the book, and promised that he was going to read it because he could tell how important it was to us and wanted to feel that same way. It was so cool!!! We then went into a Catholic Cathedral, and that place gave me the weirdest feeling. I know we are really close in some of our beliefs, but just being in that building didn´t feel right. I don´t really know how to describe it, it just makes me that much more appreciative of our Gospel!!!! Then as we were walking up the street, an older lady came up to me asking what church we were a part of, and we said that we were a part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and she freaked out and started yelling at us how Guatemala is a Catholic Church country and that we shouldn´t be here, and we just smiled and walked away as she kept telling us to get out of her country, it was so funny.

Today was such an amazing day!!! It was full of amazing adventures!!!! I loved it, it makes me so much more excited to get out into the field!!!!  Guatemala is so pretty.  It is so green and lush, everywhere.  I am definitely getting used to being here and really do love it here now!  The food here is amazing, but I never thought I would miss American food so much, ha, ha.

That sucks to hear about Cassie, but it´s good that she is ok!! The Lord definitely blesses families when you are doing His work!!!! I love it here, and am looking forward to these next 2 years!!! I can´t believe that I´ve already almost been out a month!!! It seems like a week ago when I left!!! But I´m learning to love the work and losing myself in it. The only thing I really need to learn now is better study habits, because I can try to memorize things, but you know, I´ve never been one to study. I just need to figure out what works best for me and stick with that!!!

The rest of this week was really uneventful. Just classes, and that´s about it.  The sports are so fun! We get them for an hour every night and then for about 2 and a half hours on P Day, and sadly, no, we can´t play soccer. They get worried that we will break ankles! But we can play volleyball, football, and basketball. It is so fun!!! It really is awesome here!!! 

The weather is like Utah where it will be sunny one minute and then out of nowhere it will rain, but not just rains, it downpours, and will go for about 2 and a half hours and then it goes back to being sunny!! It isn´t too humid until it rains. Then it gets so sticky and wet in the air that it gets hard to breathe. I love it, it feels so cool!! The time here just keeps getting faster and faster!!! It seems like before I know it, I´ll be on a plane home, it´s crazy!!!!

I wish I could be playing football with the young men!!! It sounds so fun!!!! But I love being here!!! For our activities, we go to the temple, which is gorgeous!  It is small, but it is so pretty.  It is definitely a great way to start out the day.  We also play sports, have personal study and language study time, and then a devotional.  They are all a nice way to unwind after a week of learning.  I am having a blast!  It´s gotten a lot easier than I thought it would have. Being honest, the first week, I was almost positive that I was going to go home. I am so glad I dug deep!

I love you so much!!! Can´t wait to hear from you next week!!!

Love Elder Harward

CCM Week #2 - My Missionary Commision

The Missionaries of the Guatemalan CCM

Elder Harward is in the 1st Picture (big one), on the 2nd row, 3rd from the Left 

I will go forward.  I will smile at the rage of the tempest, and ride fearlessly and triumphantly across the boisterous ocean of circumstances.... and the testimony of Jesus Christ will light up a lamp that will guide my vision through the portals of immortality.                                                                                              -Sis. Eliza R. Snow

MY MISSIONARY COMMISSION

I am called of God.

My authority is above that of the Kings of the earth.

By revelation I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

He is my Master and He has chosen me to represent Him.

To stand in His place, to say and do what He, Himself would say and do if He personally were ministering to the very people to whom He has sent me.

My voice is His voice, and my acts are His acts;

My words are His words and my doctrine is His doctrine.

My commission is to do what he wants done, to say what He wants said, to be a living modern witness in word and deed of the divinity of His great and marvelous latter-day work.

HOW GREAT IS MY CALLING!

I can´t tell you how much those quotes meant to me, they were exactly what I needed to hear!!! I´m not a person to cry, you know that, but I have cried from the Spirit here, more than I ever have in my life! The Spirit is so strong here and it is so amazing!!  I am coming to love it here!

I have been trying to stay strong with homesickness and things, but it is honestly the hardest thing I´ve ever had to do! I know I´m in the right place, but I never imagined it being this hard.

It´s funny, my district has nicknamed the CCM to mean The Correctional Center for Mormons!!! It gets hard here sometimes but it´s truly a blessing!!  P-Days are the best for a lot of different reasons!!! We got to go to the temple today and that was so amazing! I love it!! 

I love my companion to death. Someone I never thought I would get along with because we are so different, but we go together so well!!! I can testify that the gift of tongues is real! In the 2 weeks I have been here, I can give full gospel lessons in Spanish, with no notes!!! It is so crazy to hear myself speak a different language and know what I´m trying to say/ The gift of tongues is real!!!  

It´s crazy how far I have come, but I know I have a lot left to go!!! I can´t thank the Lord enough for the blessings he has given me these 2 weeks. I love it here, and will not let you down. I will serve these 2 years to the best of my abilities, and make you proud. 

I love you so much, and will talk to you next week!!!

Love  Elder Harward

Week #1 - Elder Harward's First Full Week - Hardest Week But Here for a Purpose

Week #1 - Elder Harward's first full week email!  So hard to read that he is struggling, but so glad that he is open and honest about it, and that he is turning to the Lord for help, and recognizing the Spirit and the comfort it brings.

August 30, 2016

Lets start with the answers

1. It means the same thing as the MTC just in Spanish!!! (Why do they call the MTC the CCM?)

2.Yes I do, his name is Elder Hodder. Not someone I would ever think I´d get close to, but we mesh so well it´s crazy!! The Lord truly know´s what we need! (Do you have an actual companion?  What is his name?)

3. It´s been great! It didn´t rain the first 2 days, but every day since it has had about an hour of downpour!! When it rains it gets so humid it´s nuts!!! (What has the weather been like since you’ve been there?)

4.It´s been awesome, good food all the time!!!! (How is the food?)

5.The language is so much harder than I thought it was going to be!!!! It takes so much studying and memorizing and working on my own than I ever thought!!! But, in the week I´ve been here, I´ve also learned way more than I thought I would. I can truly testify that the gift of tounges is real, and I know the Lord is on our side!!!! (How is the language coming?  Are you fluent yet? J)

I love that scripture.  Definitely one that I am going to mark!

(Helaman 5:12:  And now, my son, rmember, remember that it is upon the rock of our reeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yeah, his shafts in the whirlwinds, yea, when all his haid and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.)

This has been both the hardest and worst weeks of my life. I miss you all so much, I´ve cried probably 5 of the 7 days every night I´ve been here. But the weirdest thing happened yesterday. I was praying over and over for comfort, to help with the homesickness, and then later that day in class, I started thinking of home, and you guys. Then a voice, that I´m taking as the spirit, came into my mind and quickly just said that 2 years isn't as long as I think it will be and everything is ok. Then instantly the voice and presence left, along with all my feelings of home!!! I still miss you guys but I know that I´m out here for a purpose and nothing will stop me from fulfilling that purpose!!!

Well, I only have an hour and I have to get to the rest of the emails. I love you so much, and I miss giving you those daily hugs and kisses, but I know I´ll see you in 2 years!!!!

I love you and hope that everything with the boot goes good, you really need to get rid of that thing!!!!

Love Elder Harward

HE'S ARRIVED! HE IS IN GUATEMALA!!!

It arrived!  Elder Harward's first email came, letting us know he arrive in Guatemala safe and sound.  It did this momma heart good.  Short and sweet.

August 24, 2016

I only have 5 minutes. I just wanted to let you know that I made it to Guatemala safely. Write me every Sunday to make sure I get your letters in time. I will write you every Tuesday or Wednesday just to let you know. I am already loving it here. All the Elders are like brothers. I`m rooming with 6 people that are all going to Quetzaltenango, and we instantly became good friends. It`s going to be such an amazing 2 years!!!!!  

I love you guys, and can`t wait to hear back from you!!!

Love Elder Harward