October 28, 2018

From Matthew's email this week:

I'm having a good time so far out in the field, however got to bump into the first really "mean" person this last Saturday. He was an old black guy that started yelling racial slurs and cursing, but it was more funny than offensive. He had asked us what color Jesus was and we responded with "We don't know, we haven't seen him." But that apparently wasn't the answer he wanted so he started yelling. 

Tracting has been good even with the story above, and we have met with a few friends (investigators) this week. We do offer service as well, each Wednesday we go and work at D.I. for a couple hours, and we help members out with needs, for example we are helping a couple move this coming Saturday. We don't have to do a whole lot of walking because we have a car, but we will walk on average about 2 hours a day. 

Another experience this week that I can mention is that we went to visit and inactive member this Saturday and he didn't answer, but we saw this little rock that we rolled around a little until we got to our car and then the member yelled "Bring me my rock back" and then slammed his door. So we put the rock back in his yard and drove off. We then got a text from the stake president that read "hello elders, I got a message from a member of the ward that you took a rock from his yard, he was in a bathrobe so he didn't answer the door, but that rock has sentimental value to him. Could you please return the rock and knock on his door again, he will answer this time and talk with you." So we drove all the way back down to Fife and moved the rock 10 feet from where we put it in his yard and knocked on his door again... and he didn't answer. So we then had to drive all the way back to Federal Way. Luckily by that time it was 8pm so we just got to go home. 

And for my favorite scripture this week, probably Alma 36:12, it was my favorite because it was humbling. After all the craziness that we dealt with over the weekend it was nice to read that God will strengthen us if we realize that our strength isn't in ourselves but in our faith.

We got a couple of pictures from him this week (Jack in Box where he was eating, and his view of the current weather)...and FINALLY, we got him to send a selfie.  That boy sure knows how to drive his mom crazy by holding out on the photos.

October 21, 2018

We got an email from Matthew on Monday, October 15th- his first PDay in Seattle.  Here are the important details of his first location:

• Companion/Trainer - Elder Worthington
• Area: Federal Way
• Ward: Hylebos Ward

Here's what he shared in his email this week:

"The members are amazing and the people are cool. Me and Elder Worthington had a run in with one guy that was a little sketchy but other than that it's been great. Elder Worthington is awesome, he's from Billings Montana. He has taught me a lot and I am grateful to have him as my trainer. I think my favorite part of Federal Way is probably the zone...we all got buzz cuts so now we all have short hair haha, but honestly I needed the haircut, my cowlick was starting to act up. But for real. I love the people. The missionaries are fun and cool to be around. I like the members and how welcoming they are, and I also like that I am serving around people that Mr. Durrant knows."

"So we have a basement apartment in the Align Apartment complex. It is just me and Elder Worthington in the apartment. I will need a bike soon, however we are currently in a driving area so yay! Actually fun story about the car. Elder Worthington lost the car on Tuesday when I arrived and our area was going to be a biking/walking mission, but neither of us had bikes at the time so we were walking and since our ward is so big we barely got to all of our appointments on Wednesday, but Wednesday night we got a text for the vehicle manager that we would be getting our car back the following day. Also we have been super lucky this week with beautiful clear sky's. So we get to see the stars every night while out tracting. Also getting up hasn't been a problem yet for me. It wasn't that hard in the MTC and I think that the extra hour helps here in Washington as well."

"Ok so for the scripture of the week I would like to share Mosiah 3:7. I bore my testimony in fast and testimony meeting yesterday and I talked about Jesus love for all of us, and that scripture talks about Jesus bleeding from every pore in gethsemane for all of us." 

We only got one picture this week (still working on getting him to send more!).  He has a pretty cool view of Mt. Rainier.

The Field - Washington, Seattle

Tuesday Matthew flew to Seattle (along with a group of 18 other missionaries)… in all there were 20 that arrived in Seattle on Tuesday.

He telephoned from the airport.  He called and spoke to dad and mom for about a 1/2 hour each.  He was able to tell us how excited he was to get to Seattle.  He told us how much he had learned in the MTC.  He tells us he feels much closer to Heavenly Father and knows for sure this is where he is supposed to be.

I got the "I'm alive and have arrived in Seattle" email on Tuesday night.  He said he had arrived, that they had been met at the airport by Elder and Sister Rasmussen (the mission president and his wife).  They then got to spend the afternoon doing some training, had a dinner all together, and that night were going to get to meet their new companions.

We received the picture above of the group of all of the new missionaries and the one below of Matthew with Elder and Sister Rasmussen from her on Wednesday.  Her email told us that his new companion would be Elder Worthington, and that his first area would be in the Hylebos Ward in Federal Way.

We were not expecting to hear anything after that until Monday which would be his first PDay there in Seattle, but were very excitedly surprised when we got a text on Friday afternoon from a ward member from Federal Way.  Sister Angelo made our day when she sent the picture of Elder Harding and Elder Worthington.  She has welcomed him and says that she knew Matthew's teacher (Zac Durrant who taught him for KaveTV) when he'd been there on his mission several years ago too.  I'm sure that made Matt excited to have that connection.  Sister Angelo said that they like to "adopt" their missionaries as part of their family. I know this means that Matt will be well taken care of.  She hopes (and we do too) that they will get to stay there through Christmas.  It has been fun communicating with her a little back and forth.  

It has been wonderful to see how well our Elder is being cared for already.  It's crazy that this week we are coming up on the one month mark already.  Christmas is right around the corner and it will be fun to get to FaceTime or Skype with him.

Last Days at the MTC

Matthew got a 1/2 day PDay on Monday because he will be flying to Seattle on Tuesday.  We asked him how he liked conference in the MTC and how he felt about getting ready to leave for Seattle.

He said that he really enjoyed conference.  His favorite talk was when President Nelson was talking about the name of the church.  

Mom has asked him to share a scripture each week.  This week he shared Enos 1:27.  He says it has helped with him a lot this week, as well as a talk from Elder Neil A Maxwell from the Oct. 1976 conference titled "Not Withstanding My Weaknesses."

He was a little sad to be leaving the MTC because he has made so many new friends and knows there are some of them he won't see again.

He did share some last minute excitement with us.  Some time during the week, part of the MTC was evacuated.  He said that the story goes like this, "So..me and Elder Clarke were walking to class and when we came out of our residence hall there was an alarm going off.  So we walked around the corner to find the fire truck and ambulance there.  Turns out...the story is that someone exploded a microwave..and lit their food on fire." 

It was the only picture he sent this week.  Good thing his dad likes fire truck pictures. 

Last Tuesday PDay at the MTC

Matthew is busy learning and preparing for his time in Seattle.

This week he writes:

We learned about asking questions to make the investigator think and feel the spirit. We also learned about the first three lessons in preach my gospel, and how to apply them in a meeting. 

The "fun" things we have planned for today is laundry basically. Then we are going to go to the temple and do some initiatories. After that I think the plan is to take a nap. 

Service is a thing, we clean the residence halls. For our district we do it on Wednesday mornings. However this week we get to be hosts for the incoming missionaries, and that's pretty much it for now.

Love,

Elder Harding 

It was excited to hear he was going to get to be a host for incoming missionaries.  He told us that with
only a week left until he is in the field it was a little stressful, but that he knows he is ready for it.  He says "We have learned a lot in the last two weeks and I have felt the spirit more than I expected to.  I know that it is there with me constantly now and I am able to pin point its voice and presence.  I'm so glad I decided to go on a mission and I miss everyone."

Another fun thing we learned this week through an email to Ashley.  Matthew was going through some family history and found something he says is amazing!  "You know Ragnar from the show Vikings?  Well, apparently we are related to Ragnar through Ivar the Boneless, which in my opinion is pretty cool."  

It is fun to see all that he is learning and hear how he is growing.  We have prepared a final MTC package for him and an "Greenie" package for him when he gets to Seattle.

We only received one picture from Matthew this week....it was of this fire truck....

Hopefully in his email this week he will explain if this means he was evacuated at the MTC for a drill or something.  I guess he took this picture because he know how much his dad loves fire trucks, but his mom sure would love to get some more of him.

This week we don't know if he will get a PDay because he travels on Tuesday.  Other moms with missionaries going to the same mission have said they get PDay on Monday, but only time will tell when we either get an email or no email on Monday.