Happy March!!

Dear Family and Friends, 

I just need to apologize in advance...this is going to be a short email. Sister Woolf and I are headed to Niagara Falls with the Cushnie family for the day! So I didn't respond to anyone's personal emails - forgive me!!

As you all may know, next Sunday is transfers. So hold the mail until I give you the go. It would be miraculous if I stayed again....I've been in the area for 6 months and I feel like it's my home now - I never want to leave, which probably means I'm leaving, haha. :)

We had Zone Conference in London, Ontario last week. It was so amazing. I was able to see all of my past companions! Sister Dyer and her companion even slept at our apartment the night before. Then I was able to see Sister Stats, Sister Anderson, and Sister P. We talked a lot about the Godhead and how Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost work together. We pray to Heavenly Father, in the name of Christ, and the Holy Ghost is sent to our hearts and comforts/warns/guides/etc us. We have so much knowledge of the nature of the Godhead, so thankful for that. 

Yesterday Iain received the Aaronic Priesthood and was ordained to the office of a Priest. Tim Cushnie was able to ordain him, and it was incredible. When the prayer was over, Iain had tears running down his cheeks - he was so happy! It truly made me ponder about how far Iain has come in just a few short months. Tim Cushnie has truly changed Iain's life, and it has been so incredible to watch things unfold.

This week I got my eyes checked. I seem to be going more and more blind. The Cushnie family insisted on taking me - and I'm grateful that they did. My right eye changed quite a bit in a short amount of time. The eye doctor that we went to was so incredible! I picked out some cute new glasses!! Maybe I won't be so blind anymore. 

Jackie Cushnie is doing well. We are still teaching her, and she is thinking about baptism on March 23rd. Oh! We have a General Authority coming to the Hamilton Stake on March 23rd. Cool eh? Word on the street is it is Elder Oaks. We'll see. :) Hopefully I'm still here to find out. 

The Vieyra's took us to Montana's on Saturday night. I had ribs and wings, and I thought I was in heaven. So so yummy! I made a Hardcastle of myself - I know you would all be proud. 

Mary and Michael are doing so well. :) Mary agreed to be baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we just haven't been able to set her with a date yet. It's incredible to see Mary's heart continue to soften. One of the members bought Michael a quad set of scriptures. You should have seen his face when he looked at them. Priceless!!

I know this is short, but I wanted to leave off with these scriptures from 2 Nephi 33: 7-15.

7 I have charity for my people, and great faith in Christ that shall meet many souls spotless at his judgment-seat. 

8 I have charity for the Jew—I say Jew, because I mean them from whence I came. 

9 I also have charity for the Gentiles. But behold, for none of these can I hope except they shall be reconciled unto Christ, and enter into the narrow gate, and walk in the strait path which leads to life, and continue in the path until the end of the day of probation. 

10 And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good. 

11 And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Chris twill show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things, notwithstanding my weakness. 

12 And I pray the Father in the name of Christ that many of us, if not all, may be saved in his kingdom at that great and last day. 

13 And now, my beloved brethren, all those who are of the house of Israel, and all ye ends of the earth, I speak unto you as the voice of one crying from the dust: Farewell until that great day shall come. 

14 And you that will not partake of the goodness of God, and respect the words of the Jews, and also my words, and the words which shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the Lamb of God,behold, I bid you an everlasting farewell, for these words shall condemn you at the last day. 

15 For what I seal on earth, shall be brought against you at the judgment bar; for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey. Amen.

Love you all so very much. Have an amazing week! xoxox

Love, 

Sister Hardcastle

"Have Faith, Have Hope, Live Like His Son, Help Other's On Their Way"

Sister Dyer <3 

Sister Stats 

Elder McMullin - from my first area in Ajax. He's so tall! 

Canada is beautiful...

Montana's - Don't worry - I saved the bib!

What's a good subject?? :)

Dear Family and Friends, 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SAVANNA BROWN TODAY! Love you so much!! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO RUSSY ELDER TOO! Miss you bud. 

Does anyone remember what yesterday was? February 23, 2013....it was the day that I was able to go to the Salt Lake Temple! One year....holy cow....time flies! That day is still one of the most cherished days of my whole life.

So it was a pretty good week here in Hamilton. All these Canadians are on Cloud 9 because of the Hockey outcome. Woo hoo! Gold for the win. I'm happy for Canada. :) I love this country!

Iain was confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints yesterday. It was so incredible! Sister Woolf and I were on the stand because we spoke in Sacrament Meeting, so we saw his face right after the blessing, he looked so happy! So yes, we spoke yesterday on the Plan of Salvation. I took the Pre-Mortal life section, and it went really well. I didn't have too much time to prepare, but the Spirit was there, which was all that mattered. I was able to bear my testimony of life before this earth. I know that we have a loving Father in Heaven that is SO concerned for our welfare. We are literally His Spirit children, and He loves us so much. 

We have experienced another miracle this week with Tim Cushnie's wife. We have started teaching her the lessons, and she even came to church yesterday. I love this family so very much. You know that feeling when you meet someone and you know that you knew each other well in the pre-existence? Yeah, that's how I feel about the Cushnie's, along with countless other people I've been privileged to meet on my mission. Last night we were sitting at the Cushnie's home and Tim said - "We must've known each other before this life." I had this huge overwhelming sense of peace because I know that that is true. God's plan is so perfect, and I know that I'm supposed to be here. 

I know you are all wondering how the weather in the frozen tundra is doing. It's warming up, but it's super windy. Apparently last week we had a "Alberta Clipper" and the warm sweep from Texas? Not really sure what it was, but it was a crazy thunderstorm. It started out with a crazy snow storm, then it went to rain and now it is all ice. I'm not lying when I say that I could ice-skate from place to place if I wanted to. 

Mary and Michael weren't able to come to church yesterday, but they are doing well!

Yesterday when we were driving, we saw George walking. Remember George? We haven't been able to see him for a month or so. It's pretty sad when people don't embrace the Gospel, even when they know it is true.

We came home one night to flowers on our doorstep. Not sure who they are from or why....But we were quite flattered! 

http://www.lds.org/ensign/2013/10/our-responsibility-to-rescue?lang=eng

Read this talk, you'll love it!

We have Zone Conference this week - so that should be awesome! Thank you so much for all that you do for me. I am so humbled for how much love I feel from your prayers. 

Have an amazing week. 

Love, 

Sister Hardcastle

"Have Faith, Have Hope, Live Like His Son, Help Other's On Their Way"

Cold!

Flowers!

Bagpipes with Iain!!!

Iain got dunked!!

Dear Family and Friends, 

I hope that everyone had an amazing Valentine's Day! Nothing too exciting happened in the mission field on that day....but I did love receiving your package!! Thank you so so much. Love you all. 

We got our car fixed! Yay! New throttle body?? No idea what that is. 

Sister Woolf and I hit our "Hump Day" together this week!! To celebrate we both wore what we wore when we first came out. We just had to dress a little warmer by adding leggings/scarves/hats/etc. Then we went to Taco Bell!! First time I'd had Taco Bell in a LONG time. It's better in the States though, sorry Canada. 

Iain was baptized on Sunday! It was the most Spiritual Baptism Program I've ever been to on my mission. All of the talks were incredible, and Iain even bore his testimony at the very end. I'm not sure if I mentioned this in last week's email or not, but Tim Cushnie, the man who baptized Iain was in a car accident last weekend. He already has a really bad back from a previous accident in 2005. He was super sore after the hit and wasn't sure if he was going to be able to baptized Iain. We arranged for him to have a blessing last week, and miracles happen. His back felt so much better, and he baptized Iain with ease. What a remarkable experience. I still remember our first lesson with Iain back at the beginning of January. In just 6 short weeks or so, Iain has completely changed. His outlook on life is clear and positive, and it has been an honor to take part. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is centered on His Atonement. That Atonement allows us to change. How grateful we should be to our Father in Heaven for sending His Son for us. 

We had the most amazing dinner this past week. A Spanish dinner with the one and only Vieyra family!!! It was so amazing. I can't spell any of the things that we had.. but I could barely walk as we were leaving their home. Man, those Spanish people know how to cook. Dallin, Jaclyn and Josh - you should all be so proud of me! I made a Hardcastle of myself. 

Funniest and cutest story with Mary and Michael this week. But first, Mary's heart has changed yet again. When we saw her last week she mentioned how much she missed us. They even made a sacrifice to just come to Sacrament meeting on Sunday because they were going out of town. The Spirit is remarkable! But here is the funny story. Yesterday we went to see them and we showed them several Mormon Messages. There is a Mormon Message about a little boy who walked along the hot sand with just flip flips on, even though his parents have told him in the past to wear good shoes. Long story short, he steps on a scorpion and has to get rushed to the nearest hospital which was two miles away. The moral of the story is to avoid the sting of sin by doing what we know we should do. The young boy knew that he should have worn good shoes, but instead he put on flip flips. Here is where is gets so funny. After the video was over, Michael stands up, says "One second" and leaves the room. Mary started laughing and Sister Woolf and I did too once we realized what he was doing. He went and put tennis shoes on!!! SO funny. Then the conversation went something like this - 

Me: "Michael, you know there are no scorpions in here, right?"
Michael: "Yeah, but there might be poisonous spiders!"

He is the funniest thing. So he sat for the rest of the lesson with tennis shoes on. And to make it even better, he was wearing two different shoes because he wanted to put them on so fast. Love that boy!! As we were leaving Mary gave us lunch to take home. Man, being a missionary rocks. 

I've been spending a lot of time studying chapter 4 of PMG about Recognizing the Spirit. There is a quote at the very end of the chapter by Dallin H Oaks that I wanted to share with you all - 

"A person may have a strong desire to be led by the Spirit of the Lord but . . . unwisely extends that desire to the point of wanting to be led in all things. A desire to be led by the Lord is a strength, but it needs to be accompanied by an understanding that our Heavenly Father leaves many decisions for our personal choices. Personal decision making is one of the sources of the growth we are meant to experience in mortality. Persons who try to shift all decision making to the Lord and plead for revelation in every choice will soon find circumstances in which they pray for guidance and don't receive it. For example, this is likely to occur in those numerous circumstances in which the choices are trivial or either choice is acceptable. We should study things out in our minds, using the reasoning powers our Creator has placed within us. Then we should pray for guidance and act upon it if we receive it. If we do not receive guidance, we should act upon out best judgement. Persons who persist in seeking revelatory guidance on subjects on which the Lord has not chosen to direct us may concoct an answer out of their own fantasy or bias, or they may even receive an answer through the medium of false revelation." 

I don't know why this stood out to me so much, but it did. There have been times on my mission when I have simply wanted help and revelation for every little thing. The lesson that I have learned is that God gave us our minds for a reason. We have been blessed with the power of understanding/decision-making/etc. God trusts us to make decisions. 

So Family Day was yesterday which is a pretty big deal in the blessed land of Canada. Jac and I have been talking, and we are now going to celebrate Family Day on President's Day. After all, you all have a Canadian Sister now. ;) 

It's time for Sister Woolf and I to get to work and find the elect! I love you all so much. Have an amazing week!

Love, 

Sister Hardcastle

"Have Faith, Have Hope, Live Like His Son, Help Others On Their Way"

The whole Cushnie clan :)

Sister Woolf, Iain, and Me

Us with Tim...and mine and Iain's arms are so awkward, hahaha

Elvis Pose...hahah, best day ever! 

Spending the day with Nicole Hillman! The sister who is going to Madrid! 

Hump Day Outfit!!! I'm surprised it still fits... 

Taco Bell :) 

Vieyra's Spanish Dinner!

Valentine's Celebration with our matching scarves :)

Half-way picture...

I've been heart-attacked!!!

I love my missionary pillow case <3 

Happy Valentine's Day

Dear Family and Friends, 

HAPPY VALENTINES THIS WEEK! This year, you are all my Valentines. :) Love you all SO MUCH!

Happy Birthday this week to Eric and Nyk!! Love you both! :)

So yes, I have been on my mission for 9 months, but the actual halfway mark is February 13th I believe. Unless I did my math wrong. Either way, time is just flying by. 

This week was a rough week. It seems as though almost everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. But hey, that just means an amazing week is right around the corner, right?!

Let's start off with our car - It's not working very well right now. It all started on Friday night when we got semi-stuck in some snow backing out of a driveway. Some warning sign came on that our engine power had been reduced and the car was shaking like crazy. We decided to laugh instead of cry. We made a few phone calls, and we set up a time to take our car in. We may be without a car for awhile. :( Which is perfect because that leads us to the next problem...Sister Woolf went to the doctor last week for her knee. It's been hurting her ever since she fell on it in November. So we went to get it checked out, she got some x-rays, and tomorrow she is getting an ultrasound on her knees. So it hurts for her to walk. Perfect timing, eh?? At least sometimes our car works. It got us to church yesterday. :) But barely got us home. Such is life. 

Next, we had a rough lesson with Mary and Michael this week. Mary told us that she doesn't like our church and doesn't want to come anymore. But that she was still okay with Michael going. It absolutely broke our hearts. We called her on Saturday night just to confirm Michael coming to church and to invite her one last time. Well are you ready for a miracle this week?? She totally came to church with Michael!! When we saw her walking through the doors it was pretty amazing. She had a big grin on her face...so we'll see what happens with her. :)

Lots of investigators dropped us this week. Well, I guess that means more time to find the elect. 

We had such a sweet lesson with Iain this week! He is getting interviewed this Friday and baptized on Sunday. :) We taught him about the Armour of God and even drew him and dressed him up (see picture). It was so awesome! Iain was so fascinated about the wars in the Book of Mormon so we taught him about the converted Lamanites and how they buried their weapons of war. Then we got him all dressed up for modern day war. 

It snowed a lot this week. Nough said. 

We had a Zone Training Meeting this week. It was awesome. Sister Dyer is in the Hamilton Zone!! It was so good to see my MTC Companion again. :) I was able to bear my testimony at the end, which is always a fun thing to do. I love being a missionary. 

Did I ever tell you all about the time that Sister Woolf and I got kicked out of another church?? Funny story....we had been informed by a member about this church that needed volunteers to make sandwiches for the homeless. Well, we went by a few weeks ago to help them out. They weren't making sandwiches at the time, but we helped them sort some things. We had been in contact via text with one of the ladies there. She asked if we could come back when they were making sandwiches. Long story short, we went back and we were told that the Pastor wouldn't let us come in unless we took our tags off. Well, since that wasn't an option, they told us we had to leave. Isn't that interesting?? It made me realize yet again how much I love my name tag. I don't ever want to take it off. 

We saw some amazing less-actives this week. Always fun to work with them and help them feel the Spirit. 

Oh, I almost forgot. Sister Woolf and I taught Relief Society yesterday. It was pretty nerve racking, considering we had basically no time to prepare. Thank goodness for the Spirit! We taught about the Plan of Salvation. It was so powerful. We have the most amazing knowledge of God's plan for us and WAY TOO MANY people don't know about this plan. It was a huge testimony builder to me of this plan. I know that it is true. 

Well, family, since this week is Valentine's day, I thought I'd share a thought about LOVE. :)

1 John 4:16 - And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

I love you all so very much. I know that the Savior and Heavenly Father have perfect love. I know They love every single one of you. I know that we need to share what we love with those around us. 

Have an amazing week. 

Love, 

Sister Hardcastle

"Have Faith, Have Hope, Live Like His Son, Help Other's On Their Way"

Fun at the Doctor's.....

I look SO much like Lauren in this picture!!! This is what we always have to do with our car...clean out all the nasty snow.

Sister Dyer :) 

Iain all dressed in his Armour!

Crystal-Lynn Smith :)

NINE MONTHS!!! Celebrating with a brownie :)

9 Months this week ... crazy!

Dear Family and Friends, 

All of you have seemed to remind me this week that I do hit my 9 months this coming Saturday. Although it is not quite halfway, it freaks me out! This has been the best 9 months of my life - full of laughs, cries, miracles and trials. One thing is for sure - I wouldn't change it for the world. There have been times on my mission that have been so hard...and it gets me feeling like I am going to be here forever. However, there are times like right now, when I feel like time is going by too fast. I don't want this to end...sooo let's not think about that. :)

This week has been a pretty good one. The work is moving right along. Michael was confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints yesterday. It was the cutest thing! They had him sitting in a chair at the front of the chapel, and after the prayer was over - he booked it back to his seat. He was practically running. What a cutie! His mom, Mary, looked like she was on cloud 9 yesterday. We are going to be working with her so closely. We are hoping to set her with a baptismal date this week for sometime in February. She told us that she knows the Book of Mormon is true, and she believes in Joseph Smith. So much progress!! Thank you for your prayers on their behalf. They are truly miracles, and I feel like I was sent here to find them. 

Another story about Michael. Brother Dave Oswald was the one who baptized him and told Sister Woolf and I this story. After the actual ordinance, when Michael and Brother Oswald were changing in the bathroom, Michael looked up at Brother Oswald and simply said, "Thank you." I wish you all could hear Michael's voice. It is the cutest thing. It really touched Brother Oswald. 

Iain - So solid. So prepared. So golden! We moved his date again to February 16th because his mom wants to be at his baptism. That is the soonest that she could be there, but all is well. It is incredible that his mom wants to support him, so the 16th it is! He met with the Bishop yesterday and is basically a member of the ward. Just gotta get him baptized! We send him chapters to read in the Book of Mormon, and he loves it. It is amazing to see people truly become converted to the gospel. Iain even fasted on fast Sunday. :)

We found the coolest new investigators this week. I love it!! George bombed our appointment, so we went to see another investigator - Ayse, and she wasn't home either. Well, you always need a back-up plan to a back-up plan, so we planned to just walk around and work in the neighborhood. It was snowing pretty bad, so we figured people would be outside shoveling. We started walking a certain direction, and it was so cool because it was like Sister Woolf and I turned around and started walking the other direction without using words. We both just turned around and started walking the other way. Sister Woolf simply said - "We were going the wrong way." I nodded and we continued. Well we noticed a girl and guy sitting on their doorstep smoking. The girl was on the phone when we initially approached them, and the guy wasn't too interested. Well, turns out they are divorced from each other, but the guy just comes over to see the kids. The mom (Merita) had just failed a huge test for her college class and was really bummed. She let us in and we taught her and her two kids (Medina - girl &12 and Emir - boy & 10). Medina reminds me so much of Ashlyn! She is the sweetest thing. They were going to come to church yesterday, but things didn't work out. All is well! We are excited to work with them. It is truly amazing the miracles that happen when you let the Spirit guide you. I've had so many experiences when I have either started walking a certain way, turned around, etc. and I know it is the Spirit telling me where to go. I love it!

Jackie and Xavier are doing well. They were both at church yesterday! We set them with a new date for March 5th, which is a Wednesday, but it is what they wanted, so no complaints. :) The whole Vieyra family has been coming to church 3 weeks in a row...yet another miracle. 

Sister Woolf and I spent a day in a part of our area called Caledonia. It is a small town and absolutely beautiful. :) See the picture that I'll attach. SO the new Elder in the ward, Elder Burgener, knows Jason Elder! They went to high school together. Small world. 

This coming week should be an awesome one. We are truly seeing the work move along. Sister Woolf and I are excited to hit our 9 months together. We'll probably go to Tim Horton's or Swiss Chalet to celebrate. Did I mention I am going to miss those places when I come back to the States?? Canada has been so good to me. :)

Well, I wanted to end this email with a scripture that has pulled me through many times on my mission: 

1 Peter 5:6-7 - "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

I know that is true. I know that Jesus Christ cares for all of us. I know that we cannot go through this life without Him. I love Him, and I know that He lives. 

I love you all. Have an amazing week. Be strong. :)

Love, 

Sister Corinne Hardcastle

"Have Faith, Have Hope, Live Like His Son, Help Others On Their Way"

Caledonia - It's beautiful!!!

My crazy Canadian Hat!

Woolfcastle Round 3 :)

Dear Family and Friends, 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LAUR THIS WEEK!!!!! Love you Sis. I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22!

Happy Birthday to Jeni as well. :) Miss you!!

This week has been one of the best weeks of my entire mission. 

Sister Woolf and I will be staying together for ANOTHER 6 weeks. Holy cow. The Bishop says that we are hitting "Legend Status" in the Hamilton Mountain Ward. Last night when we didn't get calls, we were jumping up and down and giggling like little girls. We are so happy! We call our companionship - "Woolfcastle." Such an answer to my prayers. God is so good. So so good. 

Let's talk about Michael's baptism. It was so amazing. He had his interview on Friday afternoon. While he was being interviewed we taught Mary the Restoration. We told her that she is going to feel something at her son's baptism and she needs to pay attention to that feeling. After Michael was baptized and we sat back down, I put my arm around Mary and asked her how she felt. Her response was two words - "Really good." There have been times in my life that I have felt the Spirit very strongly, but seldom have I felt it as strongly as I did yesterday. It is hard to put into words the feeling you get of seeing a child of God enter into the waters of baptism. Michael looked so happy and so at peace as he was standing in the water, with a huge grin on his face. Moments like that are imprinted in my mind, and I know they will never leave me. I am so thankful for Mary and Michael. What a miracle they both are. We are going to work closely with Mary now and get her with a baptismal date. Oh get this, Sunday it was so cold, that it must have done something to the pipes because the water was cold. I felt so bad because I promised Michael that the water would be warm! He was a good sport though and wasn't too bothered! 

The rest of the week consisted of getting things ready for the baptism - cleaning the font, baptismal clothes, etc. and seeing our amazing investigators. 

Iain is doing really well. He is progressing right along and will be baptized on February 9th. It is so fun to teach him. Iain is the prime example of member missionary work. Tim Cushnie brought Iain to church and look what happened....he's embracing the gospel. It's as simple as that. The Spirit does the converting anyway. :) So just....invite your friends.

Best quote of the week. We were telling Rachiel Chirara (11) that she should "Ask God, Not Google" after she told us she was going to Google something. Her response was so funny. She says, "But Google is WAY faster." Hahaha, oh man. The youth are so great. 

Mormon 7:10 - "...and if it so be that ye believe in Christ, and are baptized, first with water, then with fire and with the Holy Ghost, following the example of our Savior, according to that which he hath commanded us, it shall be well with you in the day of judgment. Amen."

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=3019287996001 - I love this one!

I know I've said this time and time again, but I love my mission so much. I have been forever changed. I never imagined myself to come to love the way that I have been able to love. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior. I know that He loves all of us so much. I know that His Atonement is for every single person. I know that our Father in Heaven is aware of every single one of us. I am a witness of that, and I will testify of that as long as I will live. 

Love you all. 

"Come Unto Christ and Be Perfected In Him"

Love, 

Sister Hardcastle

"Have Faith, Have Hope, Live Like His Son, Help Others On Their Way"

Happy Early Valentine's Day!! I love you all :)

The Chirara's :)

Like my new glasses?? Just kidding, I wish!

Brittney, Andrew & Byron. Love them all!

Lunch with Nicole and Nancy Hillman! Nicole is headed to the Spain Madrid Mission!!

JEN :)

Trevor!! Always a party at his house!

 Trevor :)

I gave Trevor my Christmas tree...because he didn't have one this year.

The Lago's family. Best Spanish Family ever!!!

My soul sister - Jackie Vieyra

Our amazing district!

Cleaning the font :)

My Best Friend <3

The 3 Musketeers :)

Michael's Baptism

:)

Michael the Miracle!

Love this kid.

Sister Woolf, Iain and me

The Cushnie Clan :)

:)