Toronto, eh?: 16 months say whaaa?

Dear Family and Friends,

Yes. It is true . . . it has been 16 months as of today that I entered the MTC.

This week was awesome! Kitchener-Waterloo is treating Sister Womack and I very well, and we are seeing the hand of the Lord in every aspect of the work.

I can't remember if I talked about the Ince's. They are a less active couple, and we go visit them every Friday. Well, they are absolutely hilarious. Brother Ince was waiting for us outside on Friday when we got there, and he picked a leaf off a bush and told me to eat it. I took his word for it, and I ate the leaf. It tasted like radishes....so yeah, that was an interesting experience.

So, we have Zone Training once a month, but this month the name was changed to Zone Council. And here in the Kitchener Zone, it's called the Kitchen Council. The Zone is double what the Kingston Zone was, so it's nice to be around so many missionaries! The Spirit was so evident throughout the entire meeting, and it was one of those times when the Lord sent me a calm reassurance that I am participating in the most important work in the entire world. So blessed!

On Thursday morning, we were able to go to the church super early to help with the Bishops' Storehouse. It was such a neat experience! We finally met some of the investigators that were being taught before we got here. One of them is Joseph, and he is so cool! He's been learning from the sisters for over a year and a half. So we'll see how it goes.

Brother Borg is a less active, and we taught him again this week with his 14 year old daughter, Jackie. They are so great! We are really hoping to get them back to church. Jackie isn't a member, and she is overwhelmed with school just starting, but she is still willing to let us teach her! Keep them in your prayers!

Friday was a mix of thunder storms, sunny times, and more thunder storms. We were sitting during personal study and a huge crack of thunder made both of us jump. We felt like we were part of some sort of war. Then on Friday night, the storm started again, and we had a member with us. Our appointment fell through, so we were kinda stuck on what to do. We tried just dropping by less actives, but the rain and wind were so intense. I'm pretty sure it was some sort of hurricane. I can't even describe how crazy it was. Definitely not safe to drive in, so we went to visit a recent convert. When we got there, he got us towels to dry off because we were so wet. We all looked like we had just jumped in a pool. Being a missionary is the bomb.

Heavenly Father has been so good to me lately (well, and all of the time, but it's increased lately). I feel so much of His love. In fact, on Saturday morning, we were helping some members get their house ready to put up for sale. They asked me to weed the tomato garden while Sister Womack trimmed some trees. There were SO many weeds in this garden, so I looked at it and felt overwhelmed. I didn't know where to start, and I knew it would take forever. However, off I went, and I just started pulling weeds. Before I knew it, I could finally see soil, and it started to look like an actual garden. I was overcome with the most intense feeling of the Spirit that helped me compare my mission to this garden. When I first came on my mission, I felt like there were so many weeds that I needed to pull out of myself. I never thought that I would create a "beautiful garden." I hope this paragraph doesn't make me seem prideful, but as I thought more and more about it, I realized that the work I've put into myself over the past 16 months by serving others has truly allowed me to have a more pure spirit. That was followed up with the confirmation by the Spirit that I am going to finish this mission. So I finished that Garden and not to toot my own horn....it looked SO much better. It was a very eye opening experience for me. Hope this made sense!

On Saturday night, we were in Waterloo dropping by some formers and none of them worked out. Sister Womack suggested that we go drop by one of the investigators that we haven't been able to get ahold of. Thank you Sister Womack for listening to the Spirit! We went to see Shannon, and she is so great! Unfortunately, she wasn't able to come to church yesterday, but she is so prepared. She wants to get baptized so badly, so we'll see how that goes.

The members here are so great. They take great care of us, and we get fed basically every night. So, don't worry about me! I'm getting nice and fat for all of you. ;)

Yesterday, we had a picnic in the park, which was a lot of fun. Then we went to teach Medhi, who is from Iran. Him and his wife are such nice people. Tomorrow, I will be attending my last Zone Conference. Which seems really surreal. I am excited though. Oh! Remember Iain from Hamilton?! I get to go to the temple with him to do baptisms for the dead. :) So excited! I got permission to call him last week, and it was so great to talk with him. I love my calling. I love my Savior. I love Canada.

Love,

Sister Hardcastle

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