Supa Fresh‏

Supa Fresh: June 23rd, 2014

Hello Family and Friends,

How are you this week?

Elder Santa Cruz and I are doing great! I'm still trying to get over not having Elder Antonio with me, but this last week has been a blast. Elder Santa Cruz and I are doing WORK here in Olathe. Things should be turning around in the next couple of weeks.

Kansas, to quote Kramer from Seinfeld, is like "a sauna in here". It's as if you step outside and bam, sweat dripping down your forehead, sweat dripping down your arms, sweat dripping down your back! I don't like humidity. That's for sure. Maybe some people just can't wait for 18 year old Mormons to knock on there door just coated in perspiration.

We helped the Gomez family pick up a used refrigerator and for 3 hours sweated it out moving this thing in and out of trucks and houses and back and forth everywhere. But hey, that was three hours of Spanish practice. And then at one point we had to ask somebody to help us and that was in English, so who knew that my English skills would come in handy?

We're focusing on working with members this upcoming transfer. So if any of you have ideas on how to encourage and inspire members to do missionary work, don't be afraid to send them my way.

Oh and not only is my Spanish improving with Elder Santa Cruz, but he's also helping my teenage vocabulary with things like "supa fresh". So things are going well here in Zion.

Mucho amor,

Elder Hart

(Elder Santa Cruz and I with our chili dog protection at a member house)

My Spanish is Funky‏

My Spanish is Funky: June 16th, 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

I'm so killed on time this week, but here's the rapid fire breakdown:

Elder Antonio got almost "emergency transferred" to little Mexico, Kaw River Ward, in downtown Kansas City, Kansas. I'm dying without him. It's been a tough couple days away from one of my best friends.

Upside, my new companion is Elder Santa Cruz (from Peru and Utah). We've served in the same ward back in my last area Riverview, so it's been an easy adjustment because we already know each other fairly well. That and now I've got to get rid of my Mexican accent and start speaking like a Peruvian. What can you do? I'm going to speak so funny in Spanish when I get home.

Things I've learned this week, some are repeats: God is great. The Church is true. Walking for days is the worst. The mission is the best. I love my family and friends. I am so blessed.

Mucho amor,

Elder Beau Hart

Worried About My Child

Worried About My Child: June 9th, 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was great! Nothing crazy new, but it was foggy one day this week. So scary! You couldn't see like ten feet in front of you. The picture doesn't do it justice. And that the pool right next to our apartment looks so refreshing on these scorching hot days.

We finally hit the bottom of our teaching pool this week. It's tough when almost every single person you've been working with for the past month drop you within in a week, but Elder Antonio and I have had so many other miracles, that it's made up for everything. I just wish we could teach so that Elder Antonio could practice his lessons. It's so funny how being a "Dad" (trainer) makes you so worried for your children.

Elder Antonio and I made it a focus to achieve our goals and worked nonstop. Come Sunday I was disappointed that we were short on some, but the Lord provides. We hit almost every single one and exceeded most by the end of the day. It was a fantastic way to end the week. I think last night was one of the most grateful prayers I've had on my mission that I was able to see that hand of the Lord in our service as missionaries here in Olathe, Kansas. Things are looking upwards. They always are.

Well it's bike week coming up again. So bring it on! My thighs are going to be huge after the mission, hope the ladies are ready for them.

--Elder "Thunder Thighs" Hart

Team Brown

Team Brown: June 2nd, 2014

Dearest Family and Friends,

This week was a great week in the service of the Lord! It was a little slow due to meetings, service projects, and constantly searching for the nearest public bathroom because of Elder Antonio's bowel problems, but we're working through it.

Saturday and Sunday was Stake Conference and it was the best! It was super fun being a part of "Team Brown: The Translators" and translating the meeting into Spanish. The messages were great and the Spirit was super strong.

We've received a ton of referrals from the Sisters in our area, but whenever we show up to follow up with the contact, they immediately reject us because they mistake us for some other missionaries or salesman. It's gotten so bad that Elder Antonio and I are to the point where we might go drag, throw on some skirts, hit the pavement, and fill our schedule with appointments. The things you'll do to teach people on your mission.

We've been working a lot lately with Part Member Families and oh how a beast they are. I just wish that the part of the family would convert already so that they can all go to the Temple already and be sealed for time and eternity. I love seeing how the example of the members in the family set the tone for the lessons and affect how the nonmembers, spouse, kids, dogs (there are Mormon dogs, they're the ones that don't bark when you come to the door) accept the message of the Gospel.

I'm learning a lot about being patient, having fun, and being grateful despite our circumstances. Thank you President Uchtdorf! His last talk at General Conference has made quite the impact on my life and I would encourage all of you to read it.

Hope you have a great week! Mucho amor,

Elder Hart

"Team Brown" and Elder Antonio and I before service at Farmstead

Temple, Tracting, and Volleyball‏

Temple, Tracting, and Volleyball: May 27th, 2014

Dear Friends and Family,

Here's a quick snapshot of my week:

Tuesday we went to the Temple and had special training from President and Sister Keyes about the family and got to attend a session. #BonusTempleTrip! They taught about families being an eternal unit of God and they explained the reason behind the missionary age change was that Elders and Sisters could come home at the same age, 20, and eventually be focused on establishing families centered in the gospel. Good thing that doesn't apply to me because I'll be 19 when I get home (for three days at least)!

Saturday we had exchanges with the Zone Leaders and Elder Buehner and I reunited for the third time in our missions to be companions for a day. At this point, I'm sure we'll serve together for a whole transfer of time just from exchanges. It was incredible to tract all afternoon in their area, tract all evening, eat dinner, and then tract all night. The only upside was being with my best friend in the mission and almost collapsing from laughing too hard while, you guessed it, tracting.

Memorial Day was great! Instead of being trapped inside at the Stake Center playing volleyball, we were liberated to play volleyball outside at the park. Oh, Olathe has a tradition in the mission field that EVERY P-Day we play volleyball. Needless to say, I'm throwing it down like an Olympian, only 5'10 style.

Hope you all have a great week. Make it great! The Lord loves you and the Church is true!

Mucho amor,

Elder Hart

(Photos of "Buehner & Hart: Knocking at your Door" and Elder Antonio and me at the Kansas City Temple)

Don't You Dare Drown Me‏

Don't You Dare Drown Me: May 19th, 2014

Dear Friends and Family,

How are you doing this week? This week was fantastic! It's always a highpoint in the service of the Lord when you see the fruit of your labors. This weekend was so spiritually awesome because both Litzayra and Luz were baptized and confirmed members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!  I was a little nervous to perform the baptisms in Spanish, afraid that I would mess up the words, but the Lord really helped me out and we got through it just fine. My favorite moment was when while performing Luz's baptism, her leg kicked up out of the water and we had to do the ordinance another time. Her laughing response to the redo, "Not it did not! Don't you dare drown me!"

Not much of any other update. I wish you could see how bow-legged Elder Antonio and I were after this week's episode of "Never Ending Hills: Olathe, Kansas". I did crash once from laughter when, while struggling to climb a hill with Elder Antonio, I heard him cry out behind me, in Spanish, "God help me!" Being Elder Antonio's companion has definitely been some of the most fun moments of my mission. I mean, I'm almost Mexican at this point--we're hanging Mexico's flag in our apartment, cooking chorizo, and taking siestas all throughout the day. (Kidding about that last one.) We do WORK out here.

Hope you all make it a great week!

Mucho amor!

--Elder Hart

Sweaty in Kansas‏

Sweaty in Kansas: May 12th, 2014

Dear Friends and Family,

Christmas came again in the mission and I got to call home for Mother's day yesterday. Time flies by in the mission, the call seemed short, but what seemed shorter was the fact that I was calling home again so soon. Now if only Christmas would come again so that it wouldn't be so hot here!

This week was great! We had a miracle happen at a baptismal service in the ward over the weekend. Angel, a child in a member family was being baptized and we invited Luz to come. When she arrived she jokingly asked where her clothing for the baptism was. Laughing, we replied that all we had to do was call our Zone Leaders, have a quick interview and she would have the green light for baptism. She said not this quickly, but during the service she consistently leaned over and told me repeatedly that she felt "something". And then the miracle came during the confirmation of Angel. When I sat down again, Luz tapped me on the shoulder and said, "I felt something when you were all standing with your hands on Angel's head tell me that I should be baptized--like right now! I almost leaped over the glass and into the font while you were giving him the Gift of the Holy Ghost!" We talked some more after the baptism and she wants to move her baptismal date to this Saturday instead of the 31st! Miracles in the service of the Lord. Hopefully I'll be able to send home pictures next week of her and Litzayra at their baptism!

Other than that, we are trucking ahead! This week is bike week and so it's time to get SWEATY. Seriously, the weather here makes every hour of every day feel like it's noon in the middle of summer in a sauna. I don't think I like humidity that much. Make it a great week anyways!

Mucho amor,

Elder Beau Hart

My new address is:

15905 W. 127th St. Apt. 425

Olathe, Kansas 66062

P.s Elder Antonio are best friends! #MexicanMakeMeHolla