last email (sent October 16)

Well the last week of my mission went by pretty fast... We have mostly just been trying to find people to teach

These past two years have past by super quick, i feel like yesterday i just got off the plane, I have seen and learned so much! I have grown a greater testimony of my Savior and His Restored Gospel. I have learned much from the Book of Mormon about the restored truths we have today that were lost so long ago. I have learnt to listen to the spirit and gain revelation, I know that through sincere prayer one can know of the truth of the Book of Mormon, I put it to the test, I read the it, pondered on its teachings, and asked God if it was His word, and the answer came! I know each one of us can do such a thing as that, if we diligently seek Him then we shall find Him. Christ's goal for us is to come to this Earth to learn and grow, receive a mortal body, and learn of Him, make choices according to our agency, and follow Him and receive special blessings through His Authority, to eventually return back to our Celestial Home as an Eternal Family. I testify of these Eternal and Restored truths of Christ to you all, i give you all my best wishes and i will see you again, if not very soon!

hello everyone (sent October 9)

Well the last week of my mission went by pretty fast... We have mostly just been trying to find people to teach

Baptism with Esmerelda

These past two years have past by super quick, i feel like yesterday i just got off the plane, I have seen and learned so much! I have grown a greater testimony of my Savior and His Restored Gospel. I have learned much from the Book of Mormon about the restored truths we have today that were lost so long ago. I have learnt to listen to the spirit and gain revelation, I know that through sincere prayer one can know of the truth of the Book of Mormon, I put it to the test, I read through it, pondered on it's teachings, and asked God if it was His word, and the answer came! I know each one of us can do such a thing as that, if we diligently seek Him then we shall find Him. Christ's goal for us is to come to this Earth to learn and grow, receive a mortal body, and learn of Him, make choices according to our agency, and follow Him and receive special blessings through His Authority, to eventually return back to our Celestial Home as an Eternal Family. I testify of these Eternal and Restored truths of Christ to you all, i give you all my best wishes and i will see you again, if not very soon!

Elders Harker and Call teaching English class

received 9/25/17

So not much time either today so far we have had to drop our golden investigator fam this week, we have another investigator who is ready to be baptized, and we are working hard all day tracting, I found a maglight this morning in the apt, that's pretty much the big part of these last few days! hope y'all have a great week, 
Today I read in the Book of Alma about Alma's visit with Amulek and the actions of Alma versus the people of Ammonihah, very interesting how the Lords servants put forth much work and effort and those of Satan put forth very little, just a spiritual pensamiento (spanish for thought)

Elk Hunting

a few words from our personal conversation with Elder Harker:

Elder Harker: 
  signed up for institute
AAron/Dad:
  Institute at school?

Byu?

Elder Harker: 

not yet, thats a ways away i am starting out in AF then in Jan I'm gunna be in Rexburg

MY first day is oct 18 at 7pm

Melisa/Mom: 

Haha. You may miss the first day of class.

Elder Harker: ya.. idk im kinda excited to go!

Elder Harker:
that's good, hey is the 21st our first day of hunting? 
Oct 19 I want to go to temple, 
20th hang w/ fam hunting prep 
21st gut deer out, 
would any of that be possible?

Elder Harker:
oh and i have a talk from BYU from an oxford professor, Prof, Danniels, he says in one English translation the Serpent calls Eve, "Our Sir". and Isaiah can be pronounced I-si-ah 

received 9/18/17

So I'm so sorry I have not had much time at all these last few weeks but I'm sure most of you will be able to hear an account in person here in three weeks so here's some pictures for now my comp is Elder Call from Utah.

Here are some various scenes from the Rio Grande valley, the car does have a lift and massive tires, and those are two old trucks for all the vintage car fans out there and Hector Perales just got confirmed 2 weeks ago and we had la Noche Mexicana fiesta

--

a car wtih a lift and massive tires

la Noche Mexicana fiesta

"Heaven will not be heavenly, for those who have not chosen to BE heavenly"

- Prof. Brad Wilcox

Elder HarKer

200 W. La Vista Ave.

McAllen, TX 78501

Elder Call and Elder Harker

Picture only update

Elder Harker hasn't sent a mass email in a few weeks so I thought I'd do an update with what I have.

A few statements that Elder Harker has made in personal conversations:

I'm training Elder Call, I got transferred to Pharr B... so same address I'll do a quick six there 

I feel like Gandalf.   "Ten thousand lives of men I have walked this earth, and now I have not enough time..."

This first set of pictures the other Elder Harker's mother shared on Facebook.  It was a pday activity in August.  Our Elder Harker is there in the middle...kinda like a Where's Waldo of missionaries.  When I asked him about it he said that he was there, but didn't get to play because he was still on medical restrictions due to his surgery.  He did get to dribble the ball a bit. The middle picture shows the missionaries all watching their mission president, President Torres dribble the ball a bit.

This next set of pictures was posted by President Torres on one of the mission Facebook pages.  I believe this was a zone conference in which the missionaries were taught how to use crockpots.  Each apartment was recently provided with a crockpot to use.

A picture of a picture of Elder Harker 

Elder Harker is in the background...
the only one wearing his suit coat

Another background shot of Elder Harker...
again the one wearing his suit coat

These pictures were also posted by President Torres.  He documented the new arrivals.  Elder Harker is training so he was there to pick up his "greenie"

yet another background shot of Elder Harker...
way in the back there on the right

At lunch/dinner with trainers and greenies
Our Elder Harker is peaking out
from behind his greenie, Elder Call  

 These last pics were posted on Facebook by a member down there.  

 Elder Harker has been helping with an English class down there... they call him Elder Teacher

Love this smile on Elder Harker's face!!

Harvey

So I survived Harvey, so y'all don't need to worry the biggest part about this week was that Elder Torres and Elder Day from Rockport are staying with us. But quite frankly there's clear skies and little wind here so we are just fine have had no rain. Really nothing much else to speak of this week other than I'm alive and have no time for much more than pictures for now

Picture of the worst of the Weather and me. A baptism of Brother Perales we had the other week, and the weather now(looking towards the storm).

-- 

"Heaven will not be heavenly, for those who have not chosen to BE heavenly"

- Prof. Brad Wilcox

Elder HarKer

200 W. La Vista Ave.

McAllen, TX 78501

me

Picture of the worst of the Weather

A baptism of Brother Perales we had the other week

the weather now...looking towards the storm

So this week (received 8/14)

This week was crazy, I am back to driving the car (couldn't due to surgery) and we had 10 baptismal interviews to do, 6 for us and 4 for the sisters 

Mon- got a haircut

Tues-zone meeting, I'm in a "relief society zone" more sister than elders, we had several trainings on sacrament meeting, which I had prior applied to our area so nothing new changed. I did just barely start before hand. 

Wed-Worked in McAllen today, did a lot of tracting

Thurs- Did family history with the Robles Family and did our own as well, went by a recent convert named Liborio, tracted over into Alamo today

Fri- today was all interviews, the Gallegos family and Hector got their interviews 

Sat- the sisters had a family who need their interviews today so that took a long time, cleaned the baptismal font

Sun- Had some problems with scheduling, but everything worked out worked with ward counsel to help some less actives and l.a. youth.

I hope all of you are having a great week this week, will talk next Monday!

-- 

"Heaven will not be heavenly, for those who have not chosen to BE heavenly"

- Prof. Brad Wilcox

Elder HarKer

200 W. La Vista Ave.

McAllen, TX 78501

My (hospitalized)CRAZY BIRTHDAY WEEKEND

its actually crazy this time. Basically around 1:30 on the 29th i began to feel a pain in my abdomen, this pain continued until i ended work and went home to rest, i went to the communist doctors office(urgent care) they did a blood test and it came back that i had 2 blood infections, they gave me a shot and sent me home. I got home had the worst night of sleep ever and went to church, then went back home for a good few hours then back to work. The mission nurse and my comp had me go to the doctors office(dr. Zavatela) and he took one look at the lab work and where the pain was and sent me to the E.R. after a C.T. scan the verdict was in i needed my appendix removed. SO they pumped me up with anesthesia and cut me open and used a robot to cut it out. Woke up and i was talking in Spanish asking about Los Tigres and Los Chivas(two rival mexican soccer teams) i was wheeled into a room and stayed there untill Aug 2, i hate hospitals. But it was really fun and interesting of an adventure! Well hope yall had a great week see you next monday! 

Monday being admitted to the hospital
with new companion Elder Batty

Ready for surgery

post surgery

post surgery and his bday
present was finally delivered

with President and Sister Torres

Wednesday Morning ready to go home

Wednesday lunch after being discharged