Dear Daughters of God

From Horses To Healing, An inspiring Journey To Missionary Work

• Stephanie Eccles • Season 1 • Episode 22

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How did God use a horse and a career in caregiving to prepare Sister Harden for a mission? Through spiritual promptings and divine guidance, she discovered that the Lord knew exactly what she needed to fulfill His plan.

God knows you. He guides you. Will you follow His promptings? Watch now!


Thanks for listening! I'm on Instagram as deardaughtersofgod. Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=1iyjqx0cq4kbk&utm_content=qr66nqv

Stephanie:

welcome. My name is Stephanie Eccles. This is Dear Daughters of God.

Stephanie test:

This is episode 23 from Horses to Healing, an Inspiring Journey to missionary work. I am a retired school administrator

natural storyteller, and I am a daughter of God.

Stephanie test:

Now, I tell the stories

of our lives from the perspective

Stephanie test:

of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone)-9:

Welcome, Dear Daughters of God. I address you that way because that's what you are to Him. To our Heavenly Father, you are dear.

Stephanie:

Today we have a guest and her name is Mary Elizabeth Harden. Mary.

Sister Harden :

So good to be here.

Stephanie:

Oh, it's good to have you here. It's so special because Mary Elizabeth Harden is now Sister Harden. She is Sister Harden because she has been set apart as a full-time missionary, For the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and she's taking this little break during her preparation day to meet with us and share some stories where the Lord has guided her in her life. And I think you'll be inspired by these stories When I first really remember Sister Harden was when she was a primary child. I was the primary president, and in December we put on a nativity scene and we of course always have a Virgin Mary in this nativity scene. Sister Harden must have felt a special connection with a Virgin Mary because of her name. Mary Elizabeth, because she said to her mother, Jen, wouldn't I of course be the Virgin Mary because my name is Mary, and her mother, came to us and said, this is how Mary feels. And we thought of course this is how she feels. She has this special connection with the Virgin Mary. Mary must play the role of Mary, and she played it such poise and beauty. a very special nativity scene having Mary Elizabeth play this part of Virgin Mary. That was one of my special moments with Sister Harden and now here she has grown up she gives this beautiful farewell talk it was full of experiences that she's had that have led her, as she's prepared for this mission and in her career. I was so inspired by them. I asked Sister Harden if she would share them with all of you. before we share those stories though, I'm going to tell you just a little bit about her. So here it is. Sister Harden. She's 19 years old with a deep love for horses, especially the sport of reining. She's gonna have to tell us a little bit about that. What is reining all about?'cause I don't know what reining means Harden has spent countless hours training, competing and learning the value of discipline and connection. the youngest of five with three older brothers and one amazing sister, and she's a proud aunt, and it's one of Sister Harden's favorite titles. Her greatest joy comes from living and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. She loves spending time with older adults and has found so much purpose in serving in nursing homes. That passion led Sister Harden to work hard to earn her CNA designation and gain experience as a certified nursing assistant. Recently she received a call to serve as a full-time missionary in the Australia, Sydney Mission, which is where my parents served before they married. So that's special for me also. It my interest as soon as she said that, she could not be more excited about serving the Lord and the people of Australia. Can you believe she gets to go there? So exciting. All right, Sister Harden. We cannot wait to hear more about you. What is this about reining does that mean?

Sister Harden :

It's hard to explain, but, a good way that I like to think about horses is like any sport that involves a ball, there's a lot of different sports and so horses is the same thing. There's a horse, but there's a lot of different sports. So reining is a certain division in horseback riding, but basically you walk into this arena, a big pen, and you have anywhere from one judge to six judges looking at you and your horse. they give you beforehand a series of maneuvers that you have to, perform in a certain order and they judge you on it. they start you at a certain score and can either subtract or add points. that is what reining is.

Stephanie:

Oh, interesting. there's so much more to racing than meets the eye.

Sister Harden :

Yes, definitely.

Stephanie:

All right. Sister Harden you talked about being a certified nurse assistant. And how dear that position was for you. Tell us how you moved into that and more about horses and how the two came together and how these experiences with Heavenly Father leading you and guiding you to this beautiful time in your life before serving a mission came to be. Will you share that with us?

Sister Harden :

Yes. it all starts when I was a little girl. I took care of my grandparents with my mom. She was their main caretaker. I was at that sweet age where old enough to understand, but young enough to wanna be at home with my mom as much as possible. I spent countless hours taking care of my grandparents and I learned to love it. I just love taking care of them and I love them. I have a special relationship with them. So that led me to wonder what kind of a job I could do that included something like that. in high school I decided that I could become a CNA and there was a class that I could take to. Get my certification. So that is where that all started, a special experience I had this spring, it'd been a couple years and I hadn't worked. I just had this certification sitting in my back pocket and I decided that I was going to get a job. I came home and was trying to apply to jobs online and I couldn't figure out how to do that. But I decided I felt prompted. By the Holy Ghost that I should just get in my car and drive to the nearest nursing home. so I did. the first place I stopped at, I was sitting in the car and I was like, This doesn't feel right. so I drove away and I was like, this is weird. I don't know why I felt like I was supposed to get in my car then, but the second place I stopped and I fell. Good about it and it looks like a nice place. And I was like I'll just get out and see. I walked in and asked for a job application and within a couple minutes I found myself in a meeting with the head manager and a couple minutes later I found, that I was getting a job. it ended basically with. Remind me, what is your name again? I was definitely shocked. I walked out and I didn't know what to think. I didn't know I could get a job that fast.

Stephanie:

Just

Sister Harden :

Um, yep, just like that, So it was definitely by divine design. as I started to work there each day, I felt. God's hand in my life. I saw miracles. one of those miracles that is special to me is, one of my residents, I was taking care of him and I pressed to ask him if he was religious. And I was very nervous. I. There is a lot of rules, as a CNA about what you can say and what you can't say, and you wanna be extremely respectful. So I thought a lot about it and took me a week or two but I finally couldn't get outta my head. So I asked him and he said yes, and immediately I felt prompted to ask him if he'd served a mission. I was scared again. But I did, and he said that he served in the Sydney Australia mission. My mission,

Stephanie:

What do you know? Look.

Sister Harden :

I know I was taken back. I couldn't believe it. we soon became amazing friends and he has a book about his experiences and his life journey, and I read it and he has a movie. I watched it and he just was able to give me so much life advice and I love him so much. I'm so grateful for that experience. It really taught me that God cares even about our small details in our lives, Even that small tender mercy he wanted me to have in my resident to have. that meant a lot to me.

Stephanie:

Oh yes.

Sister Harden :

Yeah.

Stephanie:

bet he was thrilled to find out you were about to serve there.

Sister Harden :

Yes.

Stephanie:

and he had a

Sister Harden :

Yeah,

Stephanie:

from his mission.

Sister Harden :

he did. The Sydney Australia mission. When it first started, the Australians didn't know a lot about the church and there wasn't very good views on the church, so I. The missionaries realized that they could teach the Australians basketball and that was a really good way to help them connect. they started to teach the Australians basketball. long story short, the Australians started to do really good in basketball'cause these missionaries were teaching them. And so there's a whole movie called The Mormon Yankees about, the missionaries and how they helped the people in Australia think of the church fondly and have better connections.

Stephanie:

Oh, that's so sweet. The Mormon Yankees.

Sister Harden :

Yes.

Stephanie:

Oh, what do you know? What do you know? that's so neat how you had the impression to just drive to nursing homes and you get to the first one and it's just doesn't feel right. You drive to the second one it feels right you walk in the same day you have a job and they're asking you, so what's your name again

Sister Harden :

Exactly.

Stephanie:

after they've hired you? Oh, that's A beautiful story. So did your CNA experience continue on in that nursing home?

Sister Harden :

Yes, it did. So I learned a lot. Just about how to take care of people and how to be able to fill a spirit and act upon it in the way that heavenly father wants me to. And I feel like I can credit that somewhat to horses. I learned that a lot,

Stephanie:

Oh.

Sister Harden :

As a little girl riding, I have a funny little story that I can share about that. when I was little, I was riding my horse stitch. I was very excited because I was gonna go on a little trail ride, like a gravel path across a lot of different neighborhoods. I got onto this trail ride and I was just so excited. before I left, I decided to prove to myself that I was a really good rider and that I had control. I decide to not wear a bridle. a bridle is a leather headpiece that goes on a horse and has a bit at the end that controls them and or helps you control them, right? And so I, there is other ways to cue horses and so I decided I'll rely on those other ways. I'll leave the bridal behind. And it was good at first and I felt so free and was like, look at me. Go, I'm so good. But as the time went on, stitch all of a sudden he took off and he started running and we were down this long stretch of gravel he was running as fast as he could and I couldn't stop and there was nothing I could do. I looked up and I saw that there was a turn. And on this turn, the gravel turns asphalt. I knew that if he tried to run that fast going across the turn, across the asphalt, he wouldn't make it. And we would slide. I braced myself and sure enough he did, and he took the turn and he slid across the asphalt. We both did, and we banged into a fence and we broke the fence and it fell down. And it was quite a disaster. Luckily no broken bones or concussions, and that was definitely a miracle, but a lot of scrapes and a lot of bruises for both of us.

Stephanie:

Oh.

Sister Harden :

as I've reflected on that experience. Over the past almost 10 years, I have learned a lot. first I've learned as a little girl, I thought that a bridal was just to control and that was it. And I realized that when you teach a horse, they get to decide if they wanna listen or not. And at the end of the day, even if you have the bridal in their mouth, they don't have to listen. They can say no, and it's about how willing they are to listen. I related that back to Christ and my relationship with Christ and what that meant for me. as I pondered about it, I realized that Christ is like my bridal in my life. He doesn't take away my agency. I can decide if I want to follow him and I can decide if I don't wanna follow him, but he does give me this bridal that I can choose, and if I do, he'll give me so much direction My metaphor of the bridal, he'll teach me so much and direct me. once I realized that, I started to try to strengthen my relationship with Jesus Christ and learn about him and his character so that I could fill all of those movements on the bridal and follow his direction and avoid, the disaster slide and all the scrapes and bruises. I feel like because of I came to work at the nursing home and had that wonderful experience with Gordy I'm very grateful for Jesus Christ and his guiding hand in my life.

Stephanie:

Oh, what a powerful metaphor. Yes. one doesn't realize what eternal benefits can come from learning how to ride a horse and getting involved in the whole sportsmanship of. Horse riding And look at that. at that lesson that came, that eternal lesson, that metaphor relating that bridal to your relationship with your savior. Jesus Christ. How beautiful. Sister Harden. Thank you for that. So interesting how you as a child and it just opened that understanding for you. Beautiful. So you were continuing to work at the nursing home. Were there any other residents you worked with there that stand out in your mind?

Sister Harden :

Yes, definitely. I have one resident we became good friends and. I, would try as much as I could to help her and uplift her days. there was one particular day that she was having a hard day, it is hard when you work with people that are in hard positions. They don't always have the best days, and they have a lot of trials she was just going through that. like I said, I'd helped her a lot. I had all of these topics and things that we talked about that worked in the past, and I tried them all and nothing seemed to be working that day. I didn't know what to do. But I relied on that lesson I learned with my horse, that I can rely on Jesus Christ and he'll guide me and I thought on my head and said a silent prayer. Jesus, how can I help this lady? What can I do? And I was helping her, and it was probably noon and I had the thought music. So I started asking her, do you like music? Do you like pop or country, Do you want me to sing you a song? I can sing. Would you like me to play the piano or play something from my phone? Anything that had to do with music, I think I asked her and none of it seemed to do the trick. And I was like, oh, what exactly am I supposed to do with that? I couldn't figure it out, but I went, I helped some other residents and about 30 minutes to the end of my shift, I went in to help her get ready for bed. Still thinking in the back of my mind, what can I do with that music? So as I was helping her get ready, I. Just had two words come to my mind. Hokey pokey, and it was just that plain and simple. That's all I had come to my mind and I, because I thought the word, music earlier in the day, I knew that it must be music, but honestly, I couldn't remember what that was. I knew at some point I had sang the hokey pokey, but I couldn't remember.

Stephanie:

Oh yes, you were. You were of a younger generation where from my generation I could have come up with the hokey pokey, but I can see how you were like the hokey pokey.

Sister Harden :

Yes, I was definitely like the hokey pokey. I was confused, so I sat there for a few minutes, I don't even know what this is. Does she know what this is? Am I gonna sound crazy? But I finally just committed and I asked her, do you know what the hokey pokey is? And she immediately brightened and was so excited and told me she loved the hokey pokey. she would do it all the time when she was younger and it just brightened her day. we spent the next 10 or 15 minutes talking about the hokey pokey. And at towards the end I told her that I'd s seen it for her. I got my phone after we were done getting her ready and found a track of the hokey pokey. I accidentally picked a 10 minute long track. So

Stephanie:

Whoa.

Sister Harden :

was lots of hokey pokey that night, but,

Stephanie:

Were you

Sister Harden :

and

Stephanie:

the actions along

Sister Harden :

oh, Uhhuh, yep. Yeah, to set the scene, it's about 9 30. At that point in the assisted living, everyone is asleep or quiet. It is bedtime. And we were just singing the hokey pokey in case like me. You forgot.'cause the last time you sang it was in kindergarten. The longer you sing the hokey pokey, the faster and louder it gets. So by the end I was yelling as loud as I could and also talking as fast as I could. So it was very fun. at the end we were both very uplifted, so it was amazing.

Stephanie:

Oh, what A tender scene. What A tender scene. I'm curious, did she try to do it with you?

Sister Harden :

Yeah. she was in bed, but she definitely sang it with me.

Stephanie:

Oh.

Sister Harden :

She loved it.

Stephanie:

Oh, that is so sweet. Again, the Lord is in the detail of our lives. The Holy Ghost whispered to you with music then the hokey pokey

Sister Harden :

Exactly.

Stephanie:

music wasn't specific enough.

Sister Harden :

I think it is so interesting to me how. One step at a time, right? Just like with my bridal, when I use that to direct my horses, I can't tell them everything I have in my mind. I just have to say, go left or go right? And eventually that creates that whole pattern, right? Like I have in raining. But to them it's just one move and they don't know exactly where it's going. And that is definitely how I felt that day.

Stephanie:

I can see that. Oh I remember that You have a scripture that guided you through this. Is that right?

Sister Harden :

Yes.

Stephanie:

was that?

Sister Harden :

it is Proverbs three, five through six, and it says, trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thy own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path. I just love this scripture. It is so meaningful to me and all these stories I've shared. Only happened because of Jesus Christ. He got me here every single story. And I credit everything in my life to him. He has truly changed my life. even the small things like singing the hokey Pokey one day.

Stephanie:

It humbling and amazing at the same time that he cares? So much about those little details that he wants to bring. happiness to everyone and that's what brought happiness to that dear resident in that moment was the Hokey Pokey Sung by Sister Hardin.

Sister Harden :

Yes, I gained a strong testimony of how much Jesus Christ cares about, the little details in your life while working at the assisted living, some of my residents couldn't remember and seconds or minutes later they wouldn't remember, but Jesus Christ, still took the time to prompt me to do things, to make them happy. Even if after I walked out of their room, they wouldn't remember. He still wanted'em to have those small moments of joy, and that really impacted me.

Stephanie:

Yes. Recently I've been, reminded that moments you were guided to do by the Holy Ghost are miracles. So often we think of miracles as like the dividing of the waters that, that Moses did, but miracles are not just. Fantastic. They're little these promptings you received turned into miracles for you and the people involved. And so all of these are miracles, small miracles that have your life and blessed other people's lives. And so thank you for sharing your miracles with us today. Yes.

Sister Harden :

I'd like to bear my testimony that I know. Jesus Christ knows me and he knows my needs and he can fulfill those and I know that he can do the same for you. I know that he knows you perfectly and he loves you so much. I'm so excited to teach the people of Australia this, it has changed my life and it will for the rest of my life. I have a strong testimony in God's plan and that everything is by divine design. I've learned recently that sometimes we. Can't always see God's plan, but we can fill it, feel him in our lives. And sometimes it's hard to fill him, but we're able to see these tiny little miracles, and I promise that as you look for these little miracles, the tender mercies, like I shared today, that you'll be able to strengthen your testimony, with Jesus Christ, and be able to fill his love. I know that has happened my own life. I know that he'll, he will never lead me astray, and I'm so grateful to have a guide like him. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Stephanie:

Amen. Thank you Sister Hardin. That is just what we needed is to hear your testimony of our savior, Jesus Christ, and his restored gospel. it's been a pleasure, Sister Harden I understand that now you're headed to the missionary training center in Provo

Sister Harden :

Yes. I leave in two days.

Stephanie:

two days. gonna be finished with your home missionary training time. That's exciting. We wanna hear all about your time in Australia. Yes. So we're gonna ask for updates.

Sister Harden :

Please.

Stephanie:

through your mom, Hopefully she'll have a group email to share with us.

Sister Harden :

I have the email, so that's how I'll be communicating.

Stephanie:

Yes. I just thought of one more thing that you shared at the very end of your sermonette, who are your mission leaders?

Sister Harden :

My mission leaders are my aunt and uncle. there are Carl and Rochelle do, and yeah, that just reminded me that is a whole nother element to how Heavenly Father sees me and he loves me and he knows exactly who I am. That is by divine design. I grew up with them. I love them. I'm so close with them, and I am so excited to be with them.

Stephanie:

Oh, that is amazing that you get to be with them. That's So neat. Mr. Hardin, thank you for spending this time with us. We've been so blessed by hearing about your miracles prompted by these moments with the gift of the Holy Ghost. And reminded that our savior, Jesus Christ, is in the detail of our lives and everyone's lives around us wants to be a part of our lives. you for sharing your testimony with us and we wish you well. for now, I will say farewell to everyone. Until we meet again, sister Hardin.

Sister Harden :

Thank you.