PeAce...

PeAcE...(the following is taken from a talk given by BY ELDER QUENTIN L. COOK

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Even with the trials of life, because of the Savior’s Atonement and His grace, righteous living will be rewarded with personal peace.

Recent experiences have caused me to reflect on the doctrine of peace and especially the role of Jesus Christ in helping each of us obtain lasting personal peace.

Two events in the past few months have touched me deeply. First, I spoke at the funeral for Emilie Parker, a precious six-year-old who lost her life along with 25 others, including 19 young children, in a tragic shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. I mourned with her family and recognized that many had been deprived of peace. I found strength and faith in her parents, Robert and Alissa Parker.

Second, I met with thousands of faithful members of the Church in the Ivory Coast city of Abidjan.¹ This French-speaking, West-African country has endured economic hardship, a military coup, and two recent civil wars concluding in 2011. Yet I felt a special peace in their presence.

Events often occur that rob us of peace and heighten our sense of vulnerability.

We all long for peace. Peace is not just safety or lack of war, violence, conflict, and contention. Peace comes from knowing that the Savior knows who we are and knows that we have faith in Him, love Him, and keep His commandments, even and especially amid life’s devastating trials and tragedies.

                                                                

                                             a family in tate's ward

The following are tate's thoughts...

 i was thinking about all the challenges we have faced as a family this past little while and  as i was  studying the general conference talks i  came across the talk called, PERSONAL PEACE, THE REWARD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. I invite everyone to read it...it changed my aspect of how i look at all these things that have happened in the last little while and where we can find peace and comfort even in the hardest times! all the general conference talks were INCREDIBLE. go back and read them because they are amazing and helped me tons!

                                       

                                                                           SOOOO this week was a really good one! we had a ton of good lessons and we had two of our investigators come to church so that was a huge accomplishment! i am really excited for my comp because he will have a huge and successful change this next change...

                                                                           representing for my dad

i am sad  to leave but at the same time i feel content to know that i left this sector better than it was when i got here and i planted a lot of seeds...that is the most important...that others were coming unto christ!

but i am going to miss this house and the elders i live with tons! elder cooper and berling and nelson are way fun and it was an amazing time but i know i am being changed for a reason and this next change will be way fun i know it! i am leaving  6 people here in this sector with baptismal dates so i am looking forward to hearing that they all got baptized here in the near future! it would be awesome!

i am doing amazing and also dad have you gotten in contact with uvu? hey i lvoe you guys and miss you tons! just know that i will be working hard and doing whats right! LES QUIERO MUCHISIMO! have a good week! 

Elder harding!

pErSpEcTiVe...

pErSpEcTiVe...this past weekend i was waiting for greg in the car as he went into a convenient store to get his mountain dew...when one of my former students walked out.  i honked at him and motioned for  him to come over and talk to me.  i have not seen this student in some time and was anxious to see how he was doing.  he came over and was so excited to see me.  we visited for a while and then before he left he said to me..."and guess what mrs. harding? i am off of probation and i am making good choices like you always told me to."  i told him how proud of him i was and then he leaned down and gave me a hug before he headed on his way.  i watched him walk down the street.  my heart hurt for him and the situations and  life experiences he has already had and will continue to have but...i chose to have hope and faith and love for this young man who has the potential to do great things.  

        choose to see the sun through the clouds

 perspective...is a choice that we can choose to look at different situations  and deal with them either positively or negatively.  we  don't get to choose our  trials  that life has for us but we can choose the perspective we have...

                                                                  
                                                                     baptism

tate's message on pErSpEcTiVe...  we started off with four straight days of walking around because every lesson fell through on our planner. it SUCKED....we pushed forward and it payed off. we now have 7 people with baptismal dates and they are legit...my hard work in trying to revive this sector has finally payed off and we are seeing miracles. sometimes i think we just get so worried in the moment of the trial and we don't think to look back and see the eternal perspective. that is a huge lesson i have learned this week! 

-

                                                      still has his skinny legs...wow

so one thing that happened that was crazy this week.....a car ran into a members house.... i spent two hours straight cracking walnuts....and i saw tons of dogs doing things  in the street hahahaha that is about the total excitement of my week. i am having crazy experiences with my investigators every day tho. every day they tell me how they have been praying for something different in their lives or they are just missing something and we show up at there door...i cant wait to share all these crazy experiences with you guys when i get home...

                                                                                                      

                                                tate and other missionaries

my year mark is coming up soon and it is incredible to me how fast time goes..i don't want to waste another second...its time to work even harder. also i want you all to go watch on the church website and watch the video called the work of salvation. AMAZING. it might give you another outlook on missionary work. wel li love you guys!

       Tate and the new mission president and his wife

 SO DAD FIRST OFF ALL TELL EVERYONE HI. well all of the people who ask about me. i miss all of them! also mom i loved that article about UVU...we talk about sports a lot in my house and i cant wait to play when i get back...i miss that a ton as well.

elder harding!

nIcK -n- tArYn siTtiNg iN a TrEe

nIcK -n- tArYn siTtiNg iN a TrEe...it all began when tate came home from baseball practice one day and told taryn that his baseball coach had asked for her number.  her response?....the cute one??? and the rest is history... tate takes full credit for setting up his sister and nick who coached him in football and baseball and became someone he looks up to and is a great role model and friend.  this is tate's message to the love birds on their anniversary...

congratulations to my best friend and my favorite sister in the world! i cant believe it has been one whole year! congratulations! i am so grateful for you two in my life and the examples you are to me in everything you do! i am excited for you guys to keep having fun and being happy! thanks for all you do for me and everything you continue to do for me and supporting me! you really are my best friends! oh and harley as well! oh and when is the baby due???? (disclaimer...not yet)

 we had an amazing week! found a ton of new people to teach and also taught a lot. so we didn't have to be out in the rain all that much! it dumped for two days straight as you will see in some of the pictures that i will send. but yesterday and today have been pretty nice! the new president got here friday and this week we have interviews with him thursday so it will be fun to get to know him! his first day here he did divisions with some elders so it looks like he came ready to work!

 but i am doing really well...this week was really boring  not much went down...we did have one really good lesson with our new investigators....she told us about a week ago she had been praying that the missionaries would come back to teach her.....about a week ago i had the thought that someone should start working in this part of town because there is a lot of people over there and there has to be someone ready to hear the gospel.

 we got things figured out and started working over there and it just happened that her prayer got answered.  her husband is a member and all her kids are...but her ex husband hasn't wanted to sign the divorce papers so she wasn't able to get baptized for 10 years.....but now it looks like he will sign it... GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS.... no matter what it is he is there for us. he was preparing her and us to both meet so that she could start progressing in the gospel again. i am so grateful for this family that we found  i love you guys so much and hope you know that...

i cant believe i almost have a year out here...the time has flown by...just means i gotta make this last half even more worth it...work even harder...cuz i know it will come faster than i think! well i love you guys
love you!

elder harding! 

i LovE tO sEe tHe TemPle...

i LovE tO sEe tHe TemPle... I love to see the temple...I’m going there someday...To feel the Holy Spirit,To listen and to pray...For the temple is a house of God,

A place of love and beauty...I’ll prepare myself while I am young;This is my sacred duty.

 I love to see the temple...I’ll go inside someday...I’ll covenant with my Father;
I’ll promise to obey...For the temple is a holy place...Where we are sealed together...
As a child of God, I’ve learned this truth: A family is forever.

i have been thinking a lot of temples lately and the blessing we have in our live to be sealed as a family! GO TO THE FREAKING TEMPLE!!!!!!! that is all i am going to say to you guys...i see so many people down here who have been sealed in the temple but NEVER go...i don't care if you don't think you have time....MAKE TIME. i miss that place so much and want you guys to go constantly so you never forget! make it a goal to go once or twice a month at the least! we didn't go to the temple just to go once or twice a year...go more..

so family sounds like you guys are doing really really well and keeping busy...so am i! this week was a really busy one! i had another baptismal interview which are always fun. also we had an activity in the church that was really fun where we had like food and dances from 5 different countries so that got a lot of people too! we also found some really good investigators this week who look like they will progress really well! i am really excited to start having some good success in this ward. its an amazing ward!  also today we had a really fun activity with practically the whole mission. we went to a soccer field in buin and ate bbq and played sports and just chilled out! it was good to see elder page, lowrey, hna herrera, and others that i have missed a lot! i definitely have made some friends in this time here...for life! me and my companion are doing really well tho and he is very funny!

love you guys and miss you guys!! but i am doing good!

elder harding! 

mY dAd Is BetTeR tHaN yOuRs...

mY dAd Is BetTeR tHaN yOuRs...

but this week as it is fathers day i wanted to write a little something to my dad!!!  good old greg as i used to call him....or HARKING.....as travis john kunz used to call him....i wanted to write a message to the man who has influenced my life more than anyone else. happy fathers day dad! i want to thank you for being the best dad i could ask for! thank you for being a dad who always saw who i could become and pushed me to be better in everything i did. thank you for being a best friend, always willing to go to a movie, get a jamba or ice cream, or to go to a high school sporting event. thank you for always being an honest man in everything you do and giving everything  you have got in every situation. thank you for loving mom and showing us how to love her and respect her as well. 

thank you for being the perfect coach. full of perfect constructive critism and perfect love. in the perfect balance. thank you for always being worthy to give us priesthood blessings and being worthy to fulfill callings and church duties. thank you for showing us that there is a time to work and a time to play. dad you were the best example i could have asked for and still are to this day. you are my hero, best friend, and biggest fan. thank you for all the games you came to or coached, including driving all around the western states to watch and support me in my baseball games. one of the best memories i have to this day. even when it meant longer days at work and a constant catching up on work too. thank you for always going to church every sunday and always willing to lend a helping hand for those in need. thank you for all those times you were in your office late at night reading the book of mormon or another gospel book, showing me your true love for christ and your devotion to him. thank you for all the money you spent and gave to us because you knew it wasn't about the money...but about the memories we would make with our friends that would be worth it. thank you for being YOU dad.

i am the proudest son in the world to be the son of gregory alan harding. you will always be my best friend. i love you and miss you...more than you know...i wouldn't be the same man today without an influence from a dad like you...

SOOOOO this week was really good in the beginning! we had a lot of success and found a ton of people to teach but then friday and saturday and sunday came and everything fell... we had about 8 or nine lessons just fall through and so it was hard to find people to teach this weekend...we were kinda low on excitement but that,s okay just gotta keep working as well! we also had our final goodbye for president macarthur!

 it was really sad to see him for the last time and to know that he won,t be our president anymore! it was also good to see three of my companions from the past and to talk with them as well as one of the hermanas from peru who is like one of my best friends. it was a good week for all that kind of stuff!

have a good week! 

Elder Harding! 

cHeNz gAnG...

cHeNz gAnG...when i started working at the elementary school that i currently work at i wanted to save every child that i came in contact with.  i wanted to take them all home with me.  soon i learned that i realistically could not do that.  i then decided that i would along with teaching them to be better readers that i would make sure that they knew i cared about them and wanted them to succeed.  i decided that quite possibly my words of encouragement during the day may be the only positive words that they would hear for that day.  i wanted them to at least know that mrs. harding cared for them and believed in them.

  

coach vinny was one of those positive people in tate's life.  when tate left on a mission i wrote coach vinny a letter.  here is part of that letter:

You have prepared tate for a misison by coaching him in baseball in a manner that has made him an outstanding young man.  he has learned to be a leader, to be mentally strong in tough situations, to do things that he didn't think were possible, to perform under pressure, to believe in himself and to pick himself up and perform the next day after defeat.  all of these traits will make him a great missionary.  
as a parent one only hopes for those heroes that come into a child's life to make them a better person.  thank you for being a hero in tate's life.
good luck to you in the future and as a family we will always be "coach vinny fans"!



i want to say happy birthday to coach vinny....i hope you know how much of an impact you had on my life the two summers that i played for you. i would not be the man i am today or have the work ethic or have the determination to do hard things if it weren't for you and the lessons you taught us as a team. you are one of the best men i have ever known and also one of my best friends! CHENZ GANG OR DIE! shout out to willie cleary, andy villapando, coach swallow and kash heeb as well. love you guys.

SOOOOOOOOOO this week was really interesting.  on monday i did divisions  with the zone leaders and then tuesday morning the grant couple came and picked me up and we pretty much took a day trip to santiago....and as you can see from the photos....yes i did get pushed around in a wheelchair like a VIP boss! i was king of that hospital...joking! it was actually funny....i probably could have walked to the car but they don't let you! and the grants wouldn't let me either! 

we then picked up my new comp and from there it was just chilling in the house for 3 straight days of hell hahahh i wanted to leave that house so bad after like the first 2 hours....it kills me to just sit in there....i feel like i'm in a box....one reason is because i'm not used to just sitting there and two because it literally is a box...hahaha..but for reals.... 

my comp is awesome and i cant believe i am already training! nuts... he is a funny kid and likes sports and stuff so we get a long great! we will do amazing work here together in this sector so i am excited!
 one thing that was a thought i had this week was something i think we always need to have on our minds at all times! am i closer to Christ today then i was yesterday, or am i a better person today then i was yesterday......we can ALWAYS...be better....always....do the little things to always be able to look back and say i am better this week then last week.

love tate

tAtE's BiG tOe...

tAtE's BiG tOe...  tate's mom  is very thankful for a couple missionary serving in chile.  tate's mom is grateful for the love and caring and compassion that they have shown to tate during his mission.  tate's mom has never met this couple but has a love and appreciation for their service as missionaries but also for their love for tate.  words cannot express her love for this couple.  she knows that heavenly father puts people in our lives for a reason and she knows without a doubt he put this sweet couple in tate's life when he needed them most.

 tate writes...  i  have surgery tomorrow on my big toe and so what we are going to do is elder and sister grant  are going to take me to lunch and to santiago to have surgery.  this week will be a boring one for me because i will be in the house for a long time.

so family this week started off with the most insane rain i have ever seen in my life...i was literally like wading through the snake river over here in chile hahaha  I loved it! it was so fun! my comp didn't have boots so he kinda had a rough time but i enjoyed it!

  this week i met an even crazier cat lady who has 56 cats.......gross....and while we were there one of her puppies died and she cried and held a dead puppy in my face and asked me why it had to die...  wierdest day of my mission that is for sure....

  i am spoiled by the grants!!  they love me! also attached will be a letter that elder grant sent me...it is amazing! 

the following is an excerpt from the letter that elder grant wrote.  the grant's son served with tate's uncle troy on his mission.  when travis died they became aware of who tate was and have since then taken very good care of tate in chile.  the letter is entitled why do bad things happen to good people?  the letter was written following the death of travis...

God has guaranteed us with Eternal Life if we do our part. He knows us, he knows our names, our hearts and our minds. He provided us with a Savior, with living instructions or commandments to show us what we need to do to come back to him, he gave us two great gifts to help us in our journey, the gifts of the priesthood and the Holy Ghost. He gave us hope and faith, the light of Christ, the ability to repent of our sins and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Most importantly, he gave us our free agency so that we can grow and learn and progress in this life so that we will be forever strong.

What he did not give us was a guarantee that we will live another minute in our earthly lives. If we understand that, then we will understand that each minute is precious and should be used wisely. We will understand that life is so precious that we will always serve the Lord, our families, our friends, our neighbors, and those that may not be our friends. We will be humble and kind and be able servants to others.

I want you  to know that I have a testimony of my Father in Heaven and of his Son and my Savior and Brother Jesus Christ. I know that they live through the feelings of the Holy Ghost. I know that the gospel has been restored and that we have a living Prophet who guides and directs the church in these last days. I know that with the Priesthood, we can help our families and others and most importantly, I know that because of the plan of salvation and because of our special gift of free agency, we can grow and progress in this life and be able to return to live with our Father in Heaven as a family.

I say this in the name of Jesus Christ.

Amen