Toronto, eh?: MIRACLES, MIRACLES, AND MORE MIRACLES :)

Dearest Family and Friends,

Sooo much to say this week, so bare with me.

First of all - Yes it is true, I have hit my 6 month mark. I can't believe it, and it makes me want to cry. Also, I will be returning home one year from today. Ahhhh

Second of all - It snowed twice this week. :) Last night was more snow than the time before, and it is really cold. It's a bitter, wet cold that just makes you want to cry. Haha, it's going to take some getting used to. Thank goodness for a car with a heater.

Third of all - starting in January 2014 our mission will be using Facebook! More details to come...but pretty exciting eh….Unfortunately Canada is not included with the whole IPAD thing, so we won't be getting those…

Fourth of all - This week I dyed my own hair. HAHA I just bought some at Walmart, and it actually worked. :) I'm happy about it. It was quite the experience.

I have lots to say regarding the amazing people that we are working with, but first, let me tell you about Sister Woolf. Sister Woolf and I met over Facebook on the Sister Missionaries page. We knew that we were going to the same mission on the same day, so we talked quite a bit. Come to find out, we are basically the same person. In the MTC we had so much fun. We were in the same district, and we just instantly became such good friends. No one ever thought that we would serve together and look at us now. This week has been one of the best weeks of my whole mission. I'm so pumped to work with Sister Woolf. We witnessed so many miracles this week -

Number one - Kerry. Kerry was able to receive a Priesthood Blessing on Sunday from the Elders to help her overcome some things. When we see her tomorrow, we are going to set a date for her to be done smoking and be baptized. She comes to church every single week, and it has been truly amazing to see the change in her from the first time I saw her.

Number two - The Healy Family. We saw the Healy family this past week. We taught Laura (Less-Active Mom), Brianna, and Ricki, the Plan of Salvation. Both Ricki and Brianna are going to be baptized, but a date hasn't been set yet. It was an amazing lesson. Laura was able to bear her testimony and express how she wants to come back to church. I love that family so much.

Number three - Zeynep and Ayse. Zeynep is 15 and she was a former investigator from awhile back. We dropped by to see her this past week, and her mom was home (Ayse). They are all from Turkey and the mom doesn't speak English very much. However, Zeynep would translate for us and it was amazing. They were planning on coming to church, but then they got sick, but they are solid. I can't wait to work with them.

Number four - Jackie :) She is a 12 year old daughter of a Less-Active member who has not been baptized. Well, not for long. She is going to be baptized on December 22nd. :) She also has a little brother, Xavier who we haven't been able to meet yet, but he wants to be baptized too.

Number five - The Medina Family. Okay. I have a lot to say about them. About a month ago in Ward Council the Bishop mentioned a family with a lot of kids that he just received the records for. We got the address, and just this past week we went to see them. The first night that we went by we were able to talk to the 15 year old son, John and the Mom, Paula. We found out that they are from Columbia, and they had been living in the house for 2 years (but no one ever knew who they were). The mom doesn't speak much english, but she was so excited to see us. We set up a time to go back the next day. Unfortunately, when we went back they weren't home. Well Sunday night rolls around and we felt so prompted to go to the Medina's house. Well, my friends. They were home. Paula let us right in and that is when I fell in love with this family. :) So there are 8 kids. You ready? Kim (19), Juan (18), John (15), Frank (11 almost 12), Maria (10), Nicole (8), Ana (6) and Miguel (4). We told them that we wanted to show them a video (The Restoration) and the kids got so excited. They started jumping up and down and next thing I know, the whole family room is transformed into a theater. It was the cutest thing. Ana kept saying, "I want to sit by Sister Castle!" All the kids watched the movie so reverently, it was amazing. We watched it in Spanish, so I didn't really understand very much but the Spirit was so strong. When the video was over, the first thing that was said was Frank saying "So, can I be baptized?" Sister Woolf and I just looked at each other, and we said "Yes, you can!" He got so excited. We found out that Paula, Kim, Juan, and John have all been baptized, but Frank, Maria, and Nicole have not. So we committed them all to baptism on December 1st. :) They can't wait to come to church. When we told them we were going to come on Wednesday night, Ana came up to me and asked, "How many more days until Wednesday?" I told her that she would have to wait 3 days for us to come back, and she was really sad. Then she asked, "How many more days until church?" I said 7, then she got even more sad. The kids are adorable, and I am completely in love with them. I found my Spanish Family. :)

The work with the ward is going well also. We are receiving more and more referrals and the work is hastening! The Less-Active members are coming to church, and investigators are coming out of no where! Just an update on my favorite Less-Active, Liz Hughes. She is doing so well. We asked if we could come practice teaching to her, and she graciously accepted. She is a returned missionary, so she was really excited. The members are the best, as always. We had dinner at the Julian's again last night and I found a LIFE SIZE BUDDY THE ELF!! (See picture). Needless to say, it made me day. Then we walked outside to snow - TIS THE SEASON!

So as you can see, we are being so blessed right now. We are working with so many amazing families. It is the most amazing thing to be a tool for my Heavenly Father and helping His other children come back to Him. I never want this to end. I'm learning more and more about what truly does matter in this life. The two main things are the Gospel and Family. I am so thankful to have been raised in this family. I have the most amazing parents, grandparents, siblings, in-laws, cousins, aunts and uncles, nephews and niece, I couldn't ask for anything more. I am grateful for the support that you all give to me. I can feel your love and your prayers. I feel my Savior's love everyday, and I have never been so happy in my entire life. Right now, everything has fallen into place and I feel so much peace. I know that that peace comes from serving Heavenly Father. I hope everyone has a fantastic and safe week. :) I love you!

Love,

Sister Hardcastle

"Have Faith, Have Hope, Live Like His Son, Help Others On Their Way"