Pappa Hardy's Musings on Life.

When I was 19 and called on a mission to Taiwan, I was pleased that I was going to learn to speak a language that is spoken by about one in four of everyone that lives on this earth. At the time, China and Taiwan were considered to be second or their level countries. No more. China and Taiwan or now leading out, and it makes me wish that my Mandarin was not a Second Language, and one poorly spoken at that. When I am around Mandarin speakers now (primarily Chinese who have it as their first and primary language) it makes me wish I had followed up on my intentions to study Mandarin and become fluent in its use. Instead, I am just a hack of the language and don’t understand. I wish Mandarin were my first language, or at least I could pretend so.

Recently our youngest son Michael gave us a brand new piece of news that he had just received. He told us that the last companion/District Leader that knew him had come home from his mission. I told him that the “Legend of Elder Hardy” would now begin to slowly disappear from the corporate consciousness of the Raleigh North Carolina Mission.

The same thing happened to me when I was a missionary in Taiwan. First, you come to be known as you were in the mission field longer, and then soon you were creating your own legend through the things that you had done while a missionary in your areas. Soon, you went home and as your juniors came on home, the legend of you was first enhanced, then disappeared as there was no one to hear the stories.

Bonnie and I went back to Taiwan four years later. We inevitably ran into Elders and Sisters out doing missionary work and the question would come up as to what we were doing there. We would explain that I had been a missionary, and then a cloud would come over there face, and then a sense of amazement and wonder as they would first think of the fact that you had “been here so long ago (actually on 4 years) and they would have never have heard of you.

I had a different experience as an Elder because I had been a Branch President and Concern Coordinator and had seen lots of old Elders names on membership records. That practice was long dead in the mission (having been able to get local leadership) and thus they had no idea of who I was. The legend of that Elder Hardy was dead.

I told Michael that the same thing was now going to happen to him. When Michael went back to North Carolina earlier this year, his legend was starting to die as Elders didn’t know who he was, but now the death of his legend will begin in earnest. It is an interesting experience to become a legend and then see it die. The Legend of Elder Hardy will die.

Strangely enough, my recent trip to Las Vegas made me think about the time when I was a missionary many years ago, far too many years ago than I want to think about (38 to be exact) when I was a young, bushy tailed missionary in Taiwan. How in the heck does Las Vegas remind me about door approaches.

As an missionary, we pretty well identified who we wanted to talk to who would likely to most willing to listen to our message. Then, we were taught on exactly what to say and how to say it when approaching our potential “contact”.

In Las Vegas on our most recent trip, as opposed to previous trips that I made there, they were trying to sell time shares to a “Consolidated Resort Enterprise”, a time share near McCarran International Airport call the “The Tahitian Resort”. Every casino, at every door and in places in between, was engaged in selling these time shares and the approach is inevitably the same. The hook was to get you show tickets or gambling money for a bargain price, that is, listening to a presentation about the time share.

They were experts at it. Too bad we couldn’t have them proselytizing as missionaries for the LDS Church. Who knows, maybe we would have to build more churches in Las Vegas to hold all of the converts as a result of their hard work.

Last night I learned that I have a severe case of this disease. I didn’t learn it from a doctor. I didn’t learn it from a therapist or some pundit, or a newspaper person. I didn’t learn it from a critic, or from a member of my family. I did realize it as someone at a reunion described a common malady that strikes anyone that has lived amongst the Chinese people, whether it be as a missionary, a student, or in some other way.

Last night Bonnie and I attended a reunion arranged by the Taiwan Reunion committee.
It was a nice event, but it was there that a speaker indicated that those of us who have lived in China (Taiwan) have fallen hopelessly in love with the people, their humility, and their culture. I then realized that I suffer from this disease. What else impels me to always want to return, to visit with my Chinese friends, to hear beautiful Mandarin spoken in my presence. I am hopelessly addicted and succumbing to this disease. I think we want to hop on the next plain out and get to Taiwan to visit our friends. I love these Chinese people.

A few days ago we had the opportunity to have the Sister Missionaries in our home. This is a rarity in the state of Utah, whether it is Sisters or Elders because the missionaries have so many stakes and wards to cover. Outside of Utah, there is normally a set of missionaries in each ward, so the chance to have the “Elders” over is a lot better. They bring a nice spirit to the home, that we have missed since living in Utah.

I fully believe that one reason that Utah seems to have a little bit more difficult time in getting missionaries out in the field is because so many young people don’t get the opportunity to interact with them on a regular basis. I truly believe that the good experience we had with the missionaries being in our home outside of Utah helped get our kids committed to serving a mission, and actually going. It seems to be more of a rarity here in Utah.

We had some surprises when we went to Taiwan two years ago in August. One was the fact that the original Butter Coconut Cookies which I had come to love as a student in Taiwan with Chris and Bonnie as my compatriots, still existed and tasted as great as ever. Products are one thing that seem change over time.

The wide spread existence of Jyau-dz stands was another blessing and surprise. I had grown to love Jyau-dz (Cooked dumplings) as a missionary, loved them even more as a student, and then when we returned, they had lots of restaurants that served only them. It was my dream come true.

As a missionary and as a student, buses were our primary form of transportation and they were just crowded so badly that they were a real trial. Upon our return, they were not bad at all. Of course, there were more cars and other forms of surface transportation, but it wasn’t until I rode the subway that had not been there in 1972 that I realized where all of the riders had gone. That system was so efficient and nice that it got you across the city in 15 minutes rather than an hour. No wonder no one was on the buses.

Finally, the places people lived were very nice, very first world, and I no longer felt like I was living a step below my position as an American. Yes, there were many, very wonderful surprises when I returned to Taiwan after an absence of 30 years.

Today was a payoff day for me. We went to church in Henderson, North Carolina, to visit members with Michael. It was wonderful in the extreme. We went to church in the Henderson Branch and to see a lot of wonderful members, particularly Hispanics that Michael had been involved with. They all thought that Michael was Angelic, and it was so neat to be able to be there and do things with my Angelic, Missionary son. It was a wonderful day.

This week has been full for me. I have had my wonderful family here. While Bonnie is the mother hen of this group and loves them here all of the time, I manage to hide my feelings better than her and therefore I don’t voice them as often. However, I loved having all of my children here, save one who could not make it. We wish he could have been here with us.

Today was special. We had the whole gang in the house this morning, and we ran off to church for a double header. We had the blessing of Braxton Bennett Hardy, and then we had the opportunity to hear Elder Michael Hardy report on his mission.

He did good. He took 30 minutes or more and taught the gospel. That was special. I was so glad that he was such a good missionary. I am so proud of my boys. I am proud of that new grandson, and I am proud of my sons. They have done us good, each and every one.

We had lots of family there, and friends too. We were doubly and triply, and more blessed today. It was a wonderful day.

It was a wonderful morning, full of more and more blessings.

Today was one of those days when you measure another passage in this journey called life. I stood in the baggage claim area of the Salt Lake City International airport as my youngest son, my namesake, Elder Michael S. Hardy, returned from his two year mission to the people of North Carolina.

It was a real site to see him come down the escalator and rejoin the family. I loved seeing him come home, and it was one of those special moments in my life. My last missionary son, or daughter, was home, and from now on we don’t have the blessing of one of my children serving a mission for the Lord. I felt sad, yet glad, that we had reached this milestone. Sad that I wouldn’t be receiving any of those special blessings, and glad that he was home.

We march through life, wondering how it is all going to come out. I pray that ours ends up as a happy ending, but regardless of how the long story ends, this chapter in the story was a special time for my family. I am so proud to be a witness of young boys turning into men, of spiritual youth becoming spiritual giants, of my children besting their parents. I am so proud that all of my children are mine, not only now, but for all eternity.

On March 31 I had a wonderful experience. Brother Ho Yu Chen, our good family friend, my former branch counselor, and now Area Authority 70, came to Salt Lake for conference. He had an extra ticket to conference since his wife and our dear friend Maggie could not come with him. As a result I wanted to take this opportunity to see him, have a reunion if you like, and attend conference.

I have attended conference 5 times before in the conference center. I got up early on Saturday and drove to Salt Lake, getting to the hotel where Philip was staying at a little after 9am. Downtown Salt Lake was a traffic mess. I moved along, we met up, and walked over to the conference center.

Once inside the center, it was a wonderful experience to talk with him, remember my mission and the wonderful family I have in Taiwan, and then listen to the opening conference session. It was a wonderful and powerful meeting. The music was inspirational and superb, the conference addresses were very spiritual and motivating (when else could I hear about a parable about a Cucumber), and then the meeting was over. At lunch, Philip offered an afternoon ticket to me as well.

This time I had the opportunity to talk to Elder George Nielsen, a friend of the Ho Family and the Elder who was involved in teaching and baptizing these wonderful people. We heard the dedication of the Tabernacle. The conference center, despite the fact that the action was taking place on Temple Square, was still totally full. It was another neat experience.

I will treasure this wonderful spiritual day for many years. For me, it was truly a Rocky Mountain Spiritual High. I will never forget my good friend. I hope to see him and his lovely wife again.