bonus blog...all about trav

this is tate's mission blog that he has asked me to keep for him.  when he returns from his mission i will print this blog and make a book for him so that he has his letters and my thoughts throughout his mission will be in a book form.  my little gift to him.  i have come to realize that this blog has helped me express my feelings or thoughts along the way while tate is on a mission.  i have decided today to include an entry about tate's uncle travis today.  I know that tate won't mind and i hope that when tate reads this it will bring a smile to him...

bonus blog...all about trav...  travis has been on my mind quite a bit lately.  we just recently attended a memorial golf tournament held in his honor.  his two good friends, rick ockey and troy bell organized and put this tournament together.  the money raised will go to abbie, kannon, laynie bo and madden for their college funds.it was well attended and overwhelming to see the friends and family that came to support travis.  they were all there to pay tribute to a man who had an impact on their lives in some way.  i know that he was watching and was humbled at the outpouring of love.

the following day we held a family reunion while everyone was in town.  we didn't do anything BIG...just being together was enough.  all of the kids participated in the highland gauntlet where they did skills in football, soccer, track, baseball, volleyball, and  basketball.  we then had a pancake breakfast, went to the fun zone, had a barbeque and then watched a movie.  this family loves to be together which was one of travis's favorite things to do.  we laughed, cried, told stories and laughed again...just how travis would have wanted it.

all of us wore t-shirts that had the quote printed on them...WIN THE DAY.  it was quite a sight to see over 30 family members with their matching t-shirts on.  this was in tribute to the BIG guy (travis) who couldn't make it to our reunion.  and yes we even had a shirt for tate made so that he could be part of the day.

 this was a quote that travis said often.  i had heard him say it...had seen him sign a card or letter with this quote but never really knew what the meaning was.  i decided that i needed to understand the meaning of WIN THE DAY  so that i could fully understand why it was of importance to my brother.

the oregon ducks football team hired a new coach that took this quote and made it his team's motto.  he wanted them to come to practice each day and work hard.  he wanted them to win every push up, every sprint, every drill, every pass, every tackle, every block and scrimmage.  he then expected them to come back the next day and do it all over again only this time push themselves harder than they had done the day before.  he expected them to WIN THE DAY each and every day.  he expected them to do this 6 days of week so that when it was game day they were prepared to WIN THE DAY and win the game.

now i understood... this is how my brother led his life...he wanted to WIN THE DAY...each and every day.  he expected his family, friends, teammates, and those he coached to do the same.  he was BIG and everything he did was BIG.  he didn't do things halfway or rush into decisions.  he thought things through and explored every option and its outcome before making any decisions.  this is something i admire about him most.  he was thoughtful of ALL THINGS.

he loved shelby and the kids with all of his BIG heart.  everything he did was for them.  they were the first thing he thought about in the morning and the last thing he thought about at night.  they are his everything...

i am thankful for his example not only to myself but to my children, my grandchildren, my nieces and nephews, my brother and sister and to my mom and dad.  he lived his life the way we all should by seeing the BIG picture and helping others to see it too.

i hope that this past weekend was something he would have been proud of.  he loved his mom and dad and family with all of his heart...his BIG heart.  we love him and will always remember him each and every day for the rest of our lives.  i love my little BIG brother and will continue to WIN THE DAY in his honor.

little miracles...

little miracles...what exactly is a miracle?  it can be defined as: A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is considered to be divine.  sometimes these little miracles come quietly in our lives and if we are not paying attention we might miss them.  there are little miracles that happen everyday.  it can be a baby being born...a friend calling at just the right time...an encouraging word from someone when you need it most...two people falling in love...or just the simple beauty of one more day of life.  tate is seeing miracles happen in his life as he serves a mission in chile.

 he is living his life and is closer to his heavenly father at this time than any other time.  he is serving his heavenly father by serving the people of chile and teaching them about the gospel.  what a blessing to our family this has been and we are so thankful for all that we learn from tate's experiences. 

What is a miracle

Love is a miracle

Every time that you care

Miracles happen somewhere

So many miracles

Even small little miracles

Just take one look about

It's not hard to figure out

Cause it might be today

Anything can change

Nothing stays the same

And maybe today

What's tomorrow for

No one knows for sure

Through it all come what may

Little miracles happen everyday

Little miracles happen everyday

 this is our own little miracle that we get to be a part of through tate.

tate's message...

 this week we had a pretty cool experience... two little girls of the other elders we live with were going to get baptized and so we went to do the interviews.....and the mom was there.... so i started talking to her about how she felt about them getting baptized and all this stuff and after that i know god literally  put his words in my mouth....we ended up having a really spiritual lesson and she ended up crying and deciding to get baptized the next day.... i can tell you that there is no other feeling greater than being an instrument in gods hands. sometimes we don't really realize god is guiding us or that it is a spiritual impression but when we look back we realize that the glory is never ours....he is moving the chess pieces in our lives daily! and all we have to do is give him thanks, do what HE wants, and keep receiving guidance. he is with us every step of the way. we also saw some other miracles...one of our investigators decided to finally quiet smoking and it has been over a three month battle. god wants to give us miracles in our lives....we just have to show him we are willing to accept them and live according to what he gives us... 

alright so this week was one of the craziest week ever.....wednesday we got special changes.....after only being in this sector for two weeks and a zone leader for two weeks they took my comp away and have me training a new zone leader.  little stressful but i know god wouldn't call me to do something i cant do...so this week you will get pics of me and my old comp elder robbins...big blonde....and of me and my new comp....elder dixon....elder dixon is LEGIT. we get along amazingly and are going to have a ton of success....i don't know what i did but i have been blessed with some amazing comps in my mission....all i am gonna say is.........GOD LOVES US :) AND........ I LOVE you guys...

 family i love you...i am doing amazing. just remember the miracles in our lives every day and i promise mroe are coming...HE WANTS TO GIVE THEM TO US!!! 

love elder harding... 

wIn tHe dAy...

wIn tHe DaY...

oregon ducks football...In 2007, Bellotti made one of his best moves and helped stabilize the Ducks program by hiring Chip Kelly to come and coach the offense. With this one decision, the future of the Ducks program completely changed.

After a couple of seasons as offensive coordinator, Kelly was given the opportunity to step in for Bellotti and take over as the Ducks' head man.

When Kelly came on board, he also brought with him a mantra of "Win the Day." While on the surface it appears that a saying or phrase only could do so much, this saying has appeared to change the way the Ducks play on a week in and week out basis. 

Since Kelly took over in 2009 and instituted the "Win the Day" attitude, the Ducks have been able to remain focused in on their current opponent no matter who they are playing or how big the game may be. 

The simple idea behind the belief is that the Ducks need to strive to win at every wind sprint, study session, scrimmage and then game. Winning the day is an attempt to remain focused on the task at hand, not looking forward a couple of weeks to a big game

the saying...win the day...was how my brother travis lived his life and was one of his favorite sayings.  our entire family will be getting together for the first time since his unexpected death this weekend.  we will all be wearing tshirts that have this motto on it in his memory.  tate has taken this motto on in his mission and has challenged us to do the same in our lives.  we need to work hard every day so that when we look back we will not have any regrets.  although this family reunion will be a little different i know that we will laugh...cry...share stories...play...smile...remember and of course continue to win the day because that is what travis would want.

tates message...a message for the family reunion!!!! EAT A TON FOR ME!  just know that i love everyone and i pray for you guys! just know i am working hard and that i am trying to make our family name proud. there are two names that i carry on my chest out here....one is harding (which symbolizes both sides of my family) the other is jesus christ. i hope we can all look for ways to become more like our christ who gave so much for all of us and always be grateful for the names we bear. remember just because i am the only one with the name tag....doesn't mean we all don't wear his name in our hearts! do everything in our lives as he would do if he were here. i love you guys...and i love my savior...and because i  know that he was ressurected...and that one day...we will see all our loved ones again and live with them in eternal happiness...I LOVE YOU GUYS!!

this week went really well we had a baptism this last saturday and it was amazing to see her finally after so long make this commitment with god! 

 i was visiting some people and there was a  93 year old lady who had been bed ridden for 10 years....she  looked horrible and had been suffering for a very long time....i was on divisions with a young man from our ward and he offered for me to give her a blessing...i put my hands upon her head and gave her a blessing of peace and comfort....the only thing i remember saying is that her father in heaven wanted her to be back with him again....30 mins after we left the house we got a call saying that she had passed away and that the family then knew she was waiting for the blessing. god blessed me to be in the right place at the right time to helped his family and now all of them are  willing to listen to our message. definitely a miracle. . 

 other than that we made a man cave in our house.... this is literally been some of the best times of my mission. its just going by way too fast! but i love it! i am doing well and am healthy! so just keep doing HARD thINGs!!!!!!!! and i will too! love you guys

elder harding! 

iT's tHe LitTlE tHiNgs...

(no photos today because tate couldn't get the computer to work so...i put in a few of those who love tate the most...)

iT's tHe LitTlE tHiNgS...the hello...the smile...the hug...the note in the mail...the surprise left on a porch...a text out of no where...a phone call at just the right time.  today i went to lunch with a friend...a visit to catch up...good conversation with  good food and a good friend..

                            greg tammy hazyl hattie

 it's the little things in life that matter and can make the difference.  we all have opportunities to make someone's day a little better by our actions or example. the other day i came across this quote:

in this life we are all just walking up the mountain and we can sing as we climb or we can complain about our sore feet whichever we choose we still gotta do the hike...i decided a long time ago singing made a lot more sense.

                        tyson dani hazyl joy hattie j

i hope that not only can i sing as i go but that i can get those around me to sing along...

                                                                 nick and taryn

tate's message...

   soooooooooooooooooooooo one thing that has been on my mind lately is the influence that people have on our lives. everything we do either shows our love for god and christ and our families and friends.or it doesn't.   when we do things that are good then we are showing that love and that influence is good in our lives. when we do something that we know isn't good or against gods will we aren't showing that love and our influence for others is bad. WE ARE BEING WATCHED....are you showing your love for everyone important to you through your actions? its interesting to sit back and think about it for a while and i think by just changing a few things we do every week we can become more christ like! 

                                hazyl joy harding

so this week might have been one of the funnest weeks of my mission. just the whole new sector, the house we live in, and the people i am with. the branch i am in is really willing to help us out and give us references so that makes things a ton easier. we will already have a baptism this next weekend so that will be really cool! this girl came to church this last sunday and just told us she wanted to get baptized.! god definitely showed us a miracle on that one. i guess things pay off when you work hard and are obedient. this last sunday we got a suprise visit from my first two and only two baptisms from my first sector in Rengo. rosa and fransisca.   i can tell you that there is no other joy better than sitting in church with my two converts knowing that they are active and happy. the peace i felt sitting there in church cannot be described. it was an awesome experience. 

                                 hattie j harding   

but being a zone leader is way fun. just makes me appreciate my leadership that i have had throughout my life. all the coaches,  church leaders, and people who have helped me! THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING! i wouldn't be the same man without your influence! 

i love you guys! 

chao! 

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!