ummm Catholic mass... say what?

Well well well, one more week done.... its transfer week! I am no longer in Moncton, NB. and dont ask where i am going because i really dont know.. we dont find out till tomorrow. So i am partying it up in the Mission home in Halifax for the week, My companion flies out tomorrow morning to her mission in Salt Lake City! 

This week has been sooo long but yet soooo short and sooo busy! Monday Night we had supper and Family Home Evening with the Leger family, they are sooo sweet! I love their kids sooo much! Then we had Family Home Evening with Tammy and Broddie, Tammy is a less active of 20 years, and her son broddie is one of our investigators he is 10 and basically the little brother i never had... ( THANKS MOM AND DAD... ;)) Tuesday morning i woke up sick, with a sore throat and no voice... Wednesday morning we had a great lesson with our Investigator Tyler! It has been so amazing, we have had the opportunity to have President Pratt come and teach with us! That night we had another Family Home Evening with the Pitre Family. They are so amazing, they have 2 sons that are not baptized because their biological father wont let them. But they have such strong testimonies of the gospel! 

Thursday was an interesting day... A few weeks ago our investigator Tyler invited us to go to a special Easter Mass at his church. He also said that there were a few people that wanted to meet and talk to us afterwards. In all honestly we thought that they wanted to Bible Bash.... we were a little scared so we called the elders, we were like soo Tyler wants us to go to mass... umm will you come with us?? We really dont know what to expect... so they agreed. So it comes time. Thursday night we met down the road from his church. We got out and probably prayed a million times. no joke. so we got there and his fellow shippers the Pitre's were there as well. so we kinda had a little group which was great. So we sat down and normally we are not suppose to sit by the elders or in groups of missionaries, but the elders were like okay sisters we are all sitting together tonight.. lol so the service went on... got a few verses out of the bible wrong.. but got some things right. towards the end they were explaining what was going to happen, was that the lights were going to be turned off slow and then there would be a big noise which was to represent the earthquake heard and felt at the time of Christ's crucifixion. So me sitting next to the elder is like well this is gonna get awkward.. the lights are getting shut off and we are sitting next to each other... so i moved closer to my companion and put the scriptures in between us... and yea.. it was really weird... then when it was over... Tyler and his friends wanted to meet so we went to a room and was answering questions and stuff and it turned out to not be a Bible Bash at all.. which is GREAT! 

Saturday: We usually have games night on saturday nights where our investigators and the members come and play games, but no one came this week.. it was only 7 missionaries and one member which is always with the elders... so we ended up having a correlation after we played some speed and ping pong.... 

Sunday: HAPPY EASTER!!! Sunday was great! Our less active that hasnt been to church in 20 years came!!! YAAAYYYY!!! But then again... it was our last sunday in moncton... bitter sweet moment. 

Then this morning we got up and packed the car and was on the road for Halifax by 8 am. its been a crazy long day. we have hung out at the mission office for a while and then we decided well lets go to peggy's cove! so we did. It was sooo cold and windy.... but sooo cool! Then the rest of the week i will be just chillin... honestly... 

LOVE YOU!!!! 

wwwwaaaaa 10 months already...?!

wow what a weeeeek a long week at that... Im sorry its gonna be a short one. 

Some funny stuff that happened this week

Monday: We went bowling with a member and of course we are doing crazy stuff so my companion was like ok roll it under your leg and what do i do? Softball pitch it right into my knee? Yes yes i do, that resulted in a big black and purple bruise :) 

Tuesday we had a dinner appointment and she filled our plated and i mean filled it with scalloped potatoes, they were good but i dont think i ate untilwednesday at dinner! 

Wednesday night we played glow in the dark volleyball and soccer.. that was fun only got a few rug burns from that :) 

Thursday: We were out street contacting for 6 hours straight... kill me now... no bueno

Friday: We had a 3 hour lesson with our investigator... and then institute! <3

Saturday was games night, we played volleyball, speed ( I killed the elders and their investigator i won 5/6 games) then they were mad so we played ping pong, and then chair soccer and then ended up playing kickball! It was a lot of fun! 

Sunday: We had stake conference! We got permission to drive 2 hours to it with a member instead of staying in our area! it was a lot of fun! 

super boring week and super long week at that. 

 I Love and miss you all! 

Please dont send me any mail until you hear from me, i will most likely be getting transferred out of Moncton! (Its about time...) 

Have a good weeeek!!! :) <3

The Plan of Salvation is REAL!

All my life I have

talked to the father

through a veil.

I knew He was listening

Often He felt so close,

Sometimes the power

of His presence filled

me with a warmth that

permeated my whole soul.

But always He was

hidden by the veil

we call “forgetfulness.”

I never did see Him

but I always returned.

My need and longing

for Father brought

me back over and over again

as it will always do

until at last He put forth

His hand and welcomes

me home.

The one great and glorious thing about the message that we as missionaries share is that life doesn't stop after we die here on earth. Just because our bodies are put in the ground a few feet under our spirits will go to the spirit world! There is a great party that happens on the other side of the veil when our loving Heavenly Father pulls us over! You are reunited with loved ones that have passed on and with those that you don't even know! 

Friends, and Family i know that this gospel is the only way that we can be with our loved ones on the other side. It is through our Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ that this is all possible. It is through the saving ordinances performed by someone holding the proper priesthood authority of God that we can and will live with our loved ones again. 

I am so grateful for this opportunity that i have to be serving the Lord for 18 months. Yes there are hard times, we go through times of trials, heartaches, and yet there are still those joyful moments. This past week was a week full of mixed emotions! But by the end of the week it was great.On Saturday we went to see how our investigator Tyler was doing, he is a cashier at sobeys (grocery story) which is just across the street from our apartment building, anyways we walked over to see how he was doing and we had to buy something so we could go through his line so we grabbed some candy and as soon as we walked up he grabbed the BOOK OF MORMON and said SISTERS!!!! i have been bringing the book of mormon with me to work and have been reading it when ever i get the chance! I am almost done with Mosiah! Mosiah is 62 pages... He Came to church for the first time yesterday and LOVED it!! He is currently on Date for April 16th! Happy Early Birthday present right?! 

It truley is the greatest thing to see someone making changes in their lives to live a more Christ-Like life! The gospel is sooo true! I would challenge those that are reading this and are not a member of the church to find someone that is and talk to them and maybe even start to listen to what the missionaries have to say! I know that it can and WILL change your life for the better! 

I love you all!! Please if you have any questions write me or email me! 

Sister McKenzie Hardy

1309 Mountain Road 

Unit 408

Moncton, NB 

E1C 2T9

mckenzie.hardy@myldsmail.net

I really would love to hear from you all! It gets a little boring hearing from just ma and pa every week ;)  Love you mom and dad!

yooooo

In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in a room. There were no distinguishing features in this room save the one wall covered with small index card files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endlessly in either direction, had very different headings. As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read "Girls I Have Liked". I opened it and began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one.

And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was. This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn't match.

A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching.

A file named "Friends" was next to one marked "Friends I Have Betrayed".

The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird. "Books I Have Read", "Lies I Have Told", "Comfort I Have Given", "Jokes I Have Laughed At". Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: "Things I've Yelled at My Brothers." Others I couldn't laugh at: "Things I Have Done in My Anger", "Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents". I never ceased to be surprised by the contents. Often there were many more cards than I expected. Sometimes fewer than I hoped.

I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived. Could it be possible that I had the time in my 20 years to write each of these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my signature.

When I pulled out the file marked "Songs I Have Listened To", I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly, and yet after two or three yards, I hadn't found the end of the file. I shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of music, but more by the vast amount of time I knew that file represented.

When I came to a file marked "Lustful Thoughts", I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size, and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content. I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded.

An almost animal rage broke on me. One thought dominated my mind: "No one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them!" In an insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn't matter now. I had to empty it and burn the cards. But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it.

Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh. And then I saw it. The title --- "People I Have Shared the Gospel With". The handle was brighter than those around it, newer, almost unused. I pulled on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand.

And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that the hurt started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the key.

But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him. No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn't bear to watch His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw a sorrow deeper than my own. He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He have to read every one?

Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn't anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He didn't say a word. He just cried with me.

Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card.

"No!" I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find to say was "No, no," as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn't be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus covered mine.

It was written with His blood.

He gently took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. I don't think I'll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side. He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, "It is finished."

I stood up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There were still cards to be written.

I Love and miss you all so much! As Easter is fast approaching, i want you to reevaluate your life, How would you feel if this was your files that Christ was looking at? Chose something today to change to be more like Him! 

 This morning I had the opportunity to go and see how they make REAL maple syrup! oh my lans it was delicious!!! 

I hope you all have a great week!!!! 

gotta love when members take you out to lunch :)