TaTe'S cAr...EuGeNe...

                            zone conference activity

TaTe'S cAr...EuGeNe...  i hope you remember about a student that i wrote about in an earlier blog...henry.  well yesterday in the idaho state journal on the front page their was a story about henry and his family.  it seems his family has had many struggles and henry decided to write a letter to santa asking for only one thing and that was for his father to get better.  henry's father is in need of a kidney transplant and they don't have a car to get him back and forth to treatment.  as i read the article i couldn't help but cry...i knew what we needed to do.  you see tate's car sits in the garage unused.  it is not a fancy car by any means but it runs.  it has made it thru tyson driving it to century, taryn driving it to highland and then of course tate.  tate actually named it eugene.  i told greg what i was thinking and at first he thought i was just being emotional.  but as usual when i come up with these ideas he usually comes around to my way of thinking.  you see i usually react first with my heart and then with my brain. greg thinks first logically and then with his heart.  we made the call and eugene will be going to henry's family.  i knew that tate would want it that way.  here is what tate said...okay so mom.....i am so glad you gave my car away...i cried when i read that story as i always do when you tell me things like that...i am glad that it can find a place for use and not be wasted... eugene will be an amazing blessing for them.

                                                                               tate in the shower  

here is my christmas message.... as  i go into all these chilean houses down here i cant help but think of all the blessings i have in my own life that these people couldn't even imagine in theirs. most families down here don't care about getting a ton of presents or anything like that...its all about family for them...that's why they look forward to it...because their whole family gets together... one thing i want to challenge our WHOLE family to do this christmas is DONT THINK SO MUCH ABOUT ALL THE WORLDLY GIFTS AND PRESENTS YOU WOULD RECIEVE FOR CHRISTMAS.....BUT THINK ABOUT THE HEAVENLY ONES YOU RECIEVE DAILY FROM YOUR SAVIOR...BECAUSE WITHOUT HIS BIRTH...THE VERY THING WE CELEBRATE THIS TIME OF YEAR....WE WOULD HAVE NOTHING..

                                                                elmo hat and making cookies

 LOVE YOU AND CANT WAIT TO TALK TO YOU!!! SEE YOU TOMORROW AT 3PM!!!! LOVE YOU 

ELDER HARDING! 

                                                                          tate caroling falalalalala

gAvE mE tHe ChiLLs...

gAvE mE tHe ChiLLs...we all have had moments when we hope that the impression or example we have left with someone will be good.  i have the awesome opportunity to work with children every day and not only teach them but to also let them know how much i care about them and the great potential that they have.  the other day i had to reprimand one of the girls i teach in my fifth grade group about her effort in class.  after talking to her i over heard a boy who i have taught since he was in kindergarten lean over and tell the girl...mrs. harding wants us to do and be our best she really loves us.  i hope they always remember this.  tate has three uncles who have served missions in chile. i am sure they all left their missions hoping that they had positive impact on those people. this is an experience that tate had this week in chile...

so this week started off really freaking awesome...we went to the church to have a little party with my district and there were some people there cleaning.  we got talking a little and he asked where i was from...i told him idaho and he said wow they make them big in idaho...i once knew an elder from idaho who loved football and had a pretty big stature...i instantly got chills and asked him what his name was and he said elder KUNZ. I didn't know what to say....i said troy kunz? and he said yep that is the one...but he said he was in the mission more south (which used to be santiago south) and so i told him that is my uncle and he was super excited...

                                                       Troy Emily Kaden Adri Mason Kunz
                   i am glad you guys are doing well and having fun with the girls...i miss them...i miss the family a lot right now cuz of christmas and all that stuff... pretty hard but i am doing well...  

     

 i just hope we all see that as members of this church we are to do as Elder Holland said in conference...feed the lords lost sheep...do everything you can to help and serve those around you! i love this work and am sad every single week because it goes by so freaking fast....i have already been here for over 2 months and i cannot believe it...i miss you guys a ton but i know i am doing what is right...i am excited to skype you this christmas and cannot wait haha

another good thing is i am getting pretty freaking good at ping pong...every single chilean is so dope at it and so i get pretty good playing them haha.... also this coming friday our mission rented out a stadium in santiago for a mission activity for christmas... ahah should be pretty fun... anyways..

laters! love you guys and be good! help the missionaries...

love elder harding! 

aSk Me A qUeStIoN...

aSk Me A qUeStIoN...so when tate would come home from school i would ask... how was your day?  the answer...good.  then i would follow up with...anything exciting happen? the answer..not really.  when he would get home after being with friends i would ask...who all was there?  the answer...everyone.  then i would say what did you do?  the answer...just chilled.  so with that being said we decided to ask him a few questions this week...

                                                     just me and hermana                                                  

Do you do your own wash or does someone do it for you? LADIES IN OUR WARD DO IT...BUT SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO AS WELL..

Do you cook your own meals or does someone do it for you? LUNCH IS WITH MEMBERS EVERYTHING ELSE IS US

What kind of food are you eating?TONS OF RICE, TOMATOES, BREAD, SOUP, CHICKEN.

Do you have hot/warm water to shower in or what?HOT UNTIL OUR GAS TANK GOES OUT

Do you walk a lot? everywhere you go or take taxis or ride buses or what? WALK A LOT, IF ITS NOT TOO FAR BUT IF IT IS FAR WE TAKE A COLLECTIVO(TAXI REALLY CHEAP) AND THEN IF IT IS REALLY FAR WE TAKE A BUS.

How big is the city/town that you live in or work in? RENGO IS HUGE! PROBABLY 6 HOURS WALKING FROM END TO END.

Is the weather too hot, too cold, or just right for now? STARTING TO GET REALLY HOT

How is the language coming along? EASY...HARD PART IS UNDERSTANDING.

                                         

                                                  christmas devotional

 some things that i have been thinking about and my investigators are struggling with is keeping the sabbath day holy...all my investigators really struggle with coming to church...it seems like a small thing but it really is a commandment of god and we should do everything we can to keep it holy...ha so pray for me to help my investigators see that!! anyways one thing we have been doing is trying to get a lot more help from the ward and it has been working out amazing!! it really does mean so much to us when the ward is involved...try to help the missionaries in your wards as much as possible cuz knocking doors sucks and if you give them references it makes it so much easier...so i think i told you guys about the investigator we just happened to keep running into...well the first lesson we had with him was amazing...he accepted the invitation to be baptized and i hope it goes through! he is an amazing guy and really connects with us
so i experienced my first chilean rain and hollay you think it rains hard in the states....try like three times harder here... its insane haha way cool tho...i will definitely need to buy some boots down here...we also had a devotional for christmas and david archuletta sang like ten songs haha...hearing him sing in spanish is tight haha still weird he is in my zone and mission tho haha...wow...lets see what else...ummm crazy i have been here four weeks now...i cant even understand it haha...hope all you guys are doing well and know that i love you guys..

                                                         tate's whole district

                                                    i am excited to talk to you guys...love you

                      Elder harding!!!! 

lOvE tHeM tOdAy...

lOvE tHeM tOdAy...when basketball tryouts were starting during tate's senior year there was a new player that showed up for tryouts.  he was new to school and had just moved into the boundaries from another school within the state of idaho.  this young man's father had lost his job and the whole family was struggling to survive.  the solution was to send the siblings to live with relatives while the parents tried to get back on their feet.  tate came home from tryouts and was upset because the school board and school superintendent were not going to allow this young man to be a part of the team because he had moved in at such a late date and had decided he was not eligible.  tate sat at the computer and wrote a letter to the school board and superintendent to get them to reverse their decision.  in his letter he stated how at this time in this young man's life being a part of a team was what he needed.  it was clear that this young man would rarely see time on the court because of his skills.  tate strongly felt that practice and games would be a high light for this young man who's life was in turmoil.  because of tate's letter the decision was reversed and this young man was allowed to come to practice and to games and was even able to get on the court once in a while...often we find ourselves in certain situations where we can either make an impact or choose not to.  in tate's letter this week he talks about being in the right place at the right time...

this is flying by!! hollay! okay so this week started really good! we found tons of new investigators. probably like 10. but the problem is they never remember that we have freaking appointments. so when we go back they never are there.. it is so frustrating...i guess one lesson i learned this week is this isn't my time out here and things aren't going to work out on my time! this is the lords time and he will choose how he wants it to work out...we just need to press on with faith. we have like 25 investigators now and only like 3 or 4 are actually home at times we can go find them. its super difficult but i know it will get better! a little motto i kinda took for my mission that i learned while in the mtc is ´´love them today, they might listen tomorrow"

 i know if i show that i truly care about them and love them every single day and want to help them they will listen eventually! i truly do love it more and more every single week! we started teaching this one lady who is really excited about learning the gospel. one of my favorite things to do now is share my testimony with people and promise them blessings. its crazy to look back at things and think wow that happened for a reason. such as the other day we ran into a guy who spoke pretty good english. thought nothing of it and went on our way. we didn't talk to him much. but then yesterday we are walking down a random road and all of the sudden there he is again. i know for a fact we were there at the right time and the right place to set up another visit with him. i am super excited!
every thursday we play soccer with the kids in the ward but i always bring a basketball haha they love watching me dunk it haha its like the coolest thing ever. we also have a guy in our area who plays professional ball down here and he goes nuts when i dunk it hahahah...way funny! 

 also today we went on a safari. they put you in this caged truck and throw raw meat on top and then take you through a lion field and the lions jump on the truck and eat right in front of you.

 haha its the most insane thing ever  soo i love you guys and miss you 

talk to you next week which seems like two days away haha! 

love elder harding!! 

bE tHou HuMbLe...

bE tHou HuMbLe... as our family cooked thanksgiving dinner and served around 80 or so people at the salvation army one word seemed to describe our experience...humbling.  as tate continues to write home from chile this word is used to express  his thoughts and and his mission.  our family has always been blessed to know that our needs would be met. tate always has had the comfort of knowing if there was something he needed for school or sports we would find a way that that need was met.  he is now living in a very small and humble apartment and is experiencing a new way of life.  he often writes to his family that he hopes we know how truly blessed we are...

holy week three down!! insane! haha it goes by so fast i don't even know where to start! i love it down here tho!  love you guys...thats all i got this week! laters............................... hahah jk jk! okay so first i will talk about whats going on in the mission. then random things. then what i would like haha...umm so our investigators are being really difficult right now and not really showing up to appointmets or they are never home so it sucks. definitely a humbling week! we had no luck with contacting either but all is well! i 'm hanging in there....some pretty sad stuff happens down here...a lot of teenage pregnancies and one guy in our ward had his wife just get up and leave with his kids...sad stuff...but we should be having a baptism here in a week! it is a girl named andrea.  she is way cool just is always busy but i think she will get baptized this saturday! i am really stoked. it looks like the serving dinner thing went amazing. i am glad you guys did that! that is amazing...i see people that could use that every single day down here but everyone seems to be that poor! so humbling. one thing i wanted to challenge you  to do is go to the temple more. and do family history work. i never really saw the importance of it until now. but it truly is important. so maybe make some goals to go like once a month or something! it would be worth it i promise! love you guys oh i also had my first earthquake! woo!!! haha weirdest thing ever! the ground just rolls like water! anyways. we run out of money fast so sometimes i need to use my own to pay for rides cuz our area is HUGE. so if it looks like i'm taking money out. its to help us get around and find people but other than that i am good to go! love you guys and know i am working hard and thinking about you! love you. look for my package... i will try to label things to who they are for! 

love elder harding

tHaNkFuL hEaRt...

ThAnKfUl hEaRt...


today at school as i began my third grade group i asked the question what it means to be thankful.  the group discussed what it meant and then we moved on to what they were thankful for.  two boys in the group both stated that they were thankful for a grandma who "lets" them live with her.  it seems both of these boys have fathers in jail and mothers who for what ever reason have abandoned their children.  these grandmas are doing the best that they can with the limited skills and resources that they have.  i too am thankful that these boys have grandmas who give them a home.

this year for thanksgiving my parents and brothers and sister and all of our children are cooking and serving dinner at the local salvation army.  we have been told to expect around 60 people.  this thanksgiving has a new meaning...as tate writes in his letter "these people think LIFE.... is their greatest blessing.... amazing."

                                          
                                              best hot dog ever!!!

hola! como estan la familia Harding. haha holy freaking crap i love this country. i have already learned more in the past week than i think i ever would have back home! okay so first off my companino and i get along amazing. he is from california and has an amazing story. he used to live in sweden. then his family moved to california. then they found out that his dad had a secret family that no one knew about. after that obviously his parents got divorced and stuff but both got remarried. he is pretty old i think but it doesn't really matter because we are both out for the same purpose. so he came on a mission and about two months ago his mom got diagnosed with a disease and gave her 8 months to live. he stayed out here. 

                                                                          tate's companion


amazing huh. talk about sacrifice. that was definitely a lesson i needed to learn. he literally will be one of my best friends. he gets to call his mom once a week but still. way hard. anyways. this country humbles me daily. i see people who have absolutely nothing but would give you the shirt off of their back if you asked for it. even if they don't know you. i hope all of you know how blessed we are in the states because these people think LIFE. is their greatest blessing. amazing. haha so very funny down here because everyone thinks i am really pretty. just because i have blue eyes and blonde hair. they all just smile at me like i am an alien haha. crazy... but i don't mind. they also think i look like the hulk, superman, johnny bravo, or the dad off of the incredibles movie hahaha. killin me.

                                                                               pretty boy????

 oh so i finally met david archuletta haha he is in my zone so that is cool. he is the most shy and humble kid i have ever met. hah its quite funny! really cool to see him tho that is for sure! so how about i am huge down here. nothing is meant for someone of my size. the shower is small. the toilet is small. EVERYTHING IS SMALL!  hah oh well! so i found out also that i will be able to skype on christmas and mothers day i think. so that is cool!

                                                 tate's desk

also i have been forced to drink pop for two years. because that is all they serve down here. and if you don't accept it they get mad. they don't even have bottled water down here. all the water bottles even have carbonation! haha its so weird! it will be ok tho. so mom i will have to take pics but a member family in my sector makes things with wood by hand and i KNOW you would love stuff...so i will take some pics and see if you want anything. its insane workmanship. coolest stuff ever. dad one of the elders i live with is from bolivia and makes food all the time...ILOVEIT!

                                                                             just some art work
umm the food is amazing! i am loving every single thing about it down here. the hardest thing and the most tiring thing i have ever done but i am always happy. it is so weird. oh and don't worry i have like 3 moms down here. the moms in the ward take care of us like its there own son so don't worry mom! haha other than that our investigators are doing well and i have already had a couple new fechas or in other words i have invited people to be baptized. i love it. i truly do and it is going by so fast i can't even explain.

and that is about it!   

i am doing well and love you all! 

don't worry about me! 

love, 

Elder Harding! 

ThE pLaNe HaS lAnDeD...

tHe PlAnE hAs LaNdEd

Hello family! i am in chile safe and sound and i freaking love it...my trainer is the coolest. i will get a pic of him later but for now i just have pics of my house so far! haha its so small...this is the most humbling thing i have ever done...my trainer told me that everyone will just stare at me and stuff because i have pretty hair and pretty eyes to them cuz all they ever see is brown brown brown. but i am doing well...besides the plane rides i loved it. i was sick the whole ride andd couldn't sleep so i am really tired but i  am so excited to get to work. my mission president was really awesome as well! he is a psychiatrist and told me that within ten minutes he can tell how a missionary will be haha sooo he told me he can see i will work hard.  i have my first meeting at 8 tonight! hahaha i cannot understand a single thing these people are saying...they don't pronounce there s´s or their d´s haha so ask ty to try and speak like that...they mumble everything but it will be fun to learn again! my trainer is from california and he is coming up on his year mark...he has told me that we are in one of the best parts...my sector as it is called is called Rango...so if you wanna try and look that up...i will probably be here for 3 months haha. so woo! i love it. 

Love, 

Elder Harding