Alrighty, sorry for the late email. we were pretty busy yesterday. Actually we just played soccer with our neighbor kids for like 3 hours and then had a BBQ with them, so we ran out of time for emailing. It was pretty fun. Oh, and the neighbor kids, who aren't members yet have a baptismal date for Aug 8th! cool beans. They are such cool kids. But yeah, transfers were this week, and both me and E. Winslow are staying toghether for transfer #3. I am pretty excited. We are starting to have more and more success with the Cambodian people so, I didn't want to switch. We are expecting our cambodian investigator, Saoreun, to be at church this week, plus we have an inactive Cambodian lady we are working with that said she'd be there too. That means that we will have triple the normal number of Cambodian attendees at church! i'm stoked for that. I don't remember if I said this last week or not, but Saoreun accepted the baptismal committment, although she wouldn't set a date with us yet. We are going to get her to do that tomorrow when we meet with her. I think she will be the first cambodian baptism in like 6 years, or something like that. wow.
Another cool story is a guy named Mark. We went to an appointment we had last Monday, but it fell through. on our way back to the car, this guy came walking across the street and asked if we were the Mormons. He told us he wanted us to come to his house so he could ask us some questions. We accepted that invitation, and walked to his house. He asked us a bunch of questions about Joseph Smith and the gold plates, and to make the long story short since I am running short on time, he accepted the date to be baptised on Aug 15. Although, since that first meeting, he has been meeting with the JW's and isn't so sure he wants to do it anymore. We gave him some homework, and we are going over there tomorrow to see how he's doing. Hopefully he will still want to do it. We'll have to wait and see though. that's about it for the cool stories of the week. At least that's all I had written down, so I might have forgotten some, but oh well. In your last letter, you said something about Andrew in SLC? Why is he there? I haven't heard about that at all, so I'm a bit confused. And tell Bishop Blackham that I say hi, and thanks for all that he did for me. You also said that it's amazing the things you learn about me as I get older. I think it's the things you learn while I'm gone. haha. babysitting the kids.... fun times, huh? haha. and finally in response to Henry's nonsense about me swearing at practice. I'm almost positive I never swore at practice. That was reserved for games only.
well, I am out of time on the computer, so I have to go now. Hope you all have a wonderful week. Love you all!!!!
Love,
Elder Hammer
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
What The Heck?
Okay, what in the world is going on with football this year? Utah is in the Pac-10 now? and Boise St. in the Mtn. West? and what's BYU doing? Anything? I hadn't heard about any of this stuff until I read Devin's email ten minutes ago! I heard Texas almost switched conferences too? That's crazy! Sounds like tons of changes have been happening...
This past week was crazy. I don't have much time to give you all of the details, but here's what's happened. My comp, Elder Jenkins went home two days ago. He decided that he couldn't handle being out here and having to deal with all the stuff that's been happening back home. He left on Saturday after a morning of really crazy events that you'll have to wait a little while to hear about. My new companion is Elder Pedabone from Samoa. He's a really great missionary and I am super excited to be serving with him.
With all that has happened lately, I have been super stressed out with everything. Elder Jenkins is a total stud and I am worried about him. He told me before he left that he wants to come back. Hopefully he can get things straightened out and get back out here. I've always heard of crazy stories that have happened in companionships, but I never really thought I'd experience some of them. Kinda strange that I have.
Well, sorry for the short email this week. I've got things to do. Have an awesome week!
Be mighty!
Elder J. Hammer
PS. are my brothers and sister ever going to write and tell me of the sweet experiences they have been having this summer??
PSS. I hate Utah
This past week was crazy. I don't have much time to give you all of the details, but here's what's happened. My comp, Elder Jenkins went home two days ago. He decided that he couldn't handle being out here and having to deal with all the stuff that's been happening back home. He left on Saturday after a morning of really crazy events that you'll have to wait a little while to hear about. My new companion is Elder Pedabone from Samoa. He's a really great missionary and I am super excited to be serving with him.
With all that has happened lately, I have been super stressed out with everything. Elder Jenkins is a total stud and I am worried about him. He told me before he left that he wants to come back. Hopefully he can get things straightened out and get back out here. I've always heard of crazy stories that have happened in companionships, but I never really thought I'd experience some of them. Kinda strange that I have.
Well, sorry for the short email this week. I've got things to do. Have an awesome week!
Be mighty!
Elder J. Hammer
PS. are my brothers and sister ever going to write and tell me of the sweet experiences they have been having this summer??
PSS. I hate Utah
Monday, July 19, 2010
Only 5 More Months til Christmas
Haha sorry about the weird subject line, but I get bored with just "hi" or "yo". Sorry for the late-ish email too. We were playing soccer with the little neighbor kids then we went to the beach to look at the sand castle sculpture competition. Those were incredible! It's insane how people can build that stuff with sand!
Well, this past week has been full of all sorts of interesting things. I love it when that happens. Last week after Pday was over, we did a little "companion switch" for a few days. It was just cause E. Winslow & I are kinda sick of each other and we just wanted a change for a while. Haha. Just kidding. I love E. Winslow. There was a leadership meeting for all missionaries that are District leaders, zone leaders, or trainers that was 3 days long. Therefore, since myself and E. Chavez have comps that fall into that category, we were paired up for awhile. I went to their area, which covers the Salem area (I can't remember if I have told you this yet, but Salem is right next to our area, and about 2 minutes from our house and yes it's the Witch Burning/Hanging/Killing/Hunting Salem).
Our first day together, we did some service at the Red Cross that included sitting at a table full of snacks and drinks and talking to the patients that had just given blood. It was fun. We talked to this one old lady that was pretty interested in our church, but she told us that she is too old to change. haha. But she was very impressed with us and she would think of our faces every time she heard something about mormons. she was pretty cool. The rest of that day, we spent trying to contact some referrals and just doing some good old tracting.
The next day, we went to Marblehead, which is one of the nicer cities in the area. We went to this one guy's house named Jim Carrol, who E. Chavez had previously tracted into. He wasn't home, but as we were going back to the car, he pulled up in his huge Ford F350 Super duty. It was a sweet truck. He got out and was super happy to see us. He was talking to us for a while and we found out that he is a legit deep sea lobster fisherman. He goes out like 60 miles into the ocean and catches about 400 lbs a day! He gave us both some sand dollars that had come up with his lobster traps, and took us in his backyard to show us his garden. It's not a huge garden, but he has tomato plants that are like 7 feet tall! They were huge. As we were talking, he interrupts us and he's like "Would you two like a tomato plant? I'll give you one each." We looked at each other, and said sure. It wasn't the tall ones, but he gave us 2 tomato plants that were in big pots and are already like 2 feet tall. So, now we are growing our own produce in the house. Jim was so cool. I couldn't tell what it was, but there was something about him that I just really liked. He also told us that he is faithful to his religion (Irish Catholic) which is odd, because he told us that he thinks his religion is a "big crock of s*** " and he also said "Religion is all based on interpretation. I believe (and he pauses for about 10 seconds here) that my religion is (another pause) not the correct interpretation." ??? Don't know why he's still involved with it then, but it was pretty funny. Then he had to get back out to the ocean cause he had only come home for like 20 minutes to grab something. He also told us that we are welcome at his home anytime, and whenever we want, he will take us out on his 49' boat! That's a big boat. Too bad that's against the rules. Oh well. the rest of that day, we taught a couple of their investigators, and those lessons went really well. I think that both of them we taught went to their ward this last week! sweet.
The last day that E. Chavez and I were together, we stayed in Salem and did some street contacting. We went to this place called Pickering Wharf, which is a wharf that goes out into the ocean like all wharfs. Wharf is a really weird word. haha. Basically, it's just a super long narrow land stirp that juts out into the bay so ships (like old school pirate ships) can pull right up next to it. There actually was a ship there, but it's just for sightseeing, and costs like 10 bucks to go onboard. It looked real cool though. So anyway, we were doing some contacting on the wharf. There weren't a whole lot of people there, but we sould see some at the end of the wharf so we walked out to them. Nobody was very interested, so we were kinda bummed. As we got to the end of the wharf, there was a mini lighthouse and we could see cigarette smoke and hear people talking from behind it, so naturally we went to check it out. There were these three dudes sitting on the ground talking and smoking. They were wearing some pretty ragged clothes, and had instruments (guitars & banjos), with a big old backpack, and 3 old school bicycles. We started talking to them, and came to find out that they are in a band named the Salad Scrapers (sweet band name) and that they travel the country on their bikes and in freight trains (which is very much illegal). They don't have a home, so they basically just go around playing for money so they can eat, and they just look for random stuff to do while they are in different cities. Despite how they looked, they were awesome guys. We talked to them for about an hour and we tried to teach them a lesson, but they got sidetracked way too easily and so it was pretty much impossible. I got some pictures with them so when I eventually get around to sending those, you can see them. Their names we Cliff, Zack, and Vince. Cool dudes. Speaking of pictures, I bought a big photo album, so when I get that filled up, I will just send it home so you can see all my pics. It might take me a while though, so sorry :)
After I got back with my comp, he told me that one of the HQ referrals we got like a month ago that we could never contact named Carol Rogers, had a baptismal date! They finally got a hold of her one day after their meetings (the meetings went from 9-4) and she is super interested and wants to be baptized. Pretty sweet! We are also still teaching Achille, but he hasn't accepted a date yet. We are hoping to get him ready for Aug. 15, cause that's when Carol's is. I'm pretty excited for both of them.
More good news! We FINALLY met some cambodians that are interested!! Wahoo! It is a family of a mom, and 3 girls, but the girls are just visiting for the summer from Rhode Island. They actually went home yesterday. Some of the Sister missionaries bumped into her about a week ago, but didn't speak khmer, obviously, but she speaks a tiny bit of english, so she gave them their address, and they gave it to us. We got to their house, and they let us in, and immediately, the mom, named Saoreun, brings out some chairs for us with mangos, pears, and water! She is so cool. She told us that we were really hard to understand when we were talking in Khmer, so we just talked to her daughter and she translated for us. haha. But, now that the daughters are gone, we are going to have to just get better so we can teach her. I'm stoked! Finally!
I think that's about all the good stuff worth mentioning for this week. Oh- We were over at a member's house the other day, and they get the church newspaper, and it comes with the Mormon times newspaper. I was reading through that and one of the headlines said "What's the future for BYU football after Ute's departure to PAC-10" What?! I really read that like 10 times cause I couldn't believe it. The article said that BYU is trying to get a spot in the Big -12. Dang. The article was also like 3 weeks old, so any updates on that would be appreciated. Sounds like there's a lot of stuff happening right now in college sports.
Alright, well, I think that's about it for now. A few more little things - next week is transfers, which means that Pday is on Wed. And one request I have is another journal. Prefferably the same kind I have now. It's black, says missionary journal on the front, and it's small-ish. And it's bound, not looseleaf. That would be great! Mine isn't full yet, but I just wanted to see if I could get another one sent to me. Thanks! Speaking of journals, TJ gave me the one I have now, and he hasn't written to me yet like he said he would. If I could get his new address if you have it, that would be awesome. Thanks.
Ok, well I hope you all have an awesome week! Send me more letters! thanks to Sis. Scadlock for hers too. I'll write back soon. Love you all!!!!!!!
Love,
Elder Hammer
Well, this past week has been full of all sorts of interesting things. I love it when that happens. Last week after Pday was over, we did a little "companion switch" for a few days. It was just cause E. Winslow & I are kinda sick of each other and we just wanted a change for a while. Haha. Just kidding. I love E. Winslow. There was a leadership meeting for all missionaries that are District leaders, zone leaders, or trainers that was 3 days long. Therefore, since myself and E. Chavez have comps that fall into that category, we were paired up for awhile. I went to their area, which covers the Salem area (I can't remember if I have told you this yet, but Salem is right next to our area, and about 2 minutes from our house and yes it's the Witch Burning/Hanging/Killing/Hunting Salem).
Our first day together, we did some service at the Red Cross that included sitting at a table full of snacks and drinks and talking to the patients that had just given blood. It was fun. We talked to this one old lady that was pretty interested in our church, but she told us that she is too old to change. haha. But she was very impressed with us and she would think of our faces every time she heard something about mormons. she was pretty cool. The rest of that day, we spent trying to contact some referrals and just doing some good old tracting.
The next day, we went to Marblehead, which is one of the nicer cities in the area. We went to this one guy's house named Jim Carrol, who E. Chavez had previously tracted into. He wasn't home, but as we were going back to the car, he pulled up in his huge Ford F350 Super duty. It was a sweet truck. He got out and was super happy to see us. He was talking to us for a while and we found out that he is a legit deep sea lobster fisherman. He goes out like 60 miles into the ocean and catches about 400 lbs a day! He gave us both some sand dollars that had come up with his lobster traps, and took us in his backyard to show us his garden. It's not a huge garden, but he has tomato plants that are like 7 feet tall! They were huge. As we were talking, he interrupts us and he's like "Would you two like a tomato plant? I'll give you one each." We looked at each other, and said sure. It wasn't the tall ones, but he gave us 2 tomato plants that were in big pots and are already like 2 feet tall. So, now we are growing our own produce in the house. Jim was so cool. I couldn't tell what it was, but there was something about him that I just really liked. He also told us that he is faithful to his religion (Irish Catholic) which is odd, because he told us that he thinks his religion is a "big crock of s*** " and he also said "Religion is all based on interpretation. I believe (and he pauses for about 10 seconds here) that my religion is (another pause) not the correct interpretation." ??? Don't know why he's still involved with it then, but it was pretty funny. Then he had to get back out to the ocean cause he had only come home for like 20 minutes to grab something. He also told us that we are welcome at his home anytime, and whenever we want, he will take us out on his 49' boat! That's a big boat. Too bad that's against the rules. Oh well. the rest of that day, we taught a couple of their investigators, and those lessons went really well. I think that both of them we taught went to their ward this last week! sweet.
The last day that E. Chavez and I were together, we stayed in Salem and did some street contacting. We went to this place called Pickering Wharf, which is a wharf that goes out into the ocean like all wharfs. Wharf is a really weird word. haha. Basically, it's just a super long narrow land stirp that juts out into the bay so ships (like old school pirate ships) can pull right up next to it. There actually was a ship there, but it's just for sightseeing, and costs like 10 bucks to go onboard. It looked real cool though. So anyway, we were doing some contacting on the wharf. There weren't a whole lot of people there, but we sould see some at the end of the wharf so we walked out to them. Nobody was very interested, so we were kinda bummed. As we got to the end of the wharf, there was a mini lighthouse and we could see cigarette smoke and hear people talking from behind it, so naturally we went to check it out. There were these three dudes sitting on the ground talking and smoking. They were wearing some pretty ragged clothes, and had instruments (guitars & banjos), with a big old backpack, and 3 old school bicycles. We started talking to them, and came to find out that they are in a band named the Salad Scrapers (sweet band name) and that they travel the country on their bikes and in freight trains (which is very much illegal). They don't have a home, so they basically just go around playing for money so they can eat, and they just look for random stuff to do while they are in different cities. Despite how they looked, they were awesome guys. We talked to them for about an hour and we tried to teach them a lesson, but they got sidetracked way too easily and so it was pretty much impossible. I got some pictures with them so when I eventually get around to sending those, you can see them. Their names we Cliff, Zack, and Vince. Cool dudes. Speaking of pictures, I bought a big photo album, so when I get that filled up, I will just send it home so you can see all my pics. It might take me a while though, so sorry :)
After I got back with my comp, he told me that one of the HQ referrals we got like a month ago that we could never contact named Carol Rogers, had a baptismal date! They finally got a hold of her one day after their meetings (the meetings went from 9-4) and she is super interested and wants to be baptized. Pretty sweet! We are also still teaching Achille, but he hasn't accepted a date yet. We are hoping to get him ready for Aug. 15, cause that's when Carol's is. I'm pretty excited for both of them.
More good news! We FINALLY met some cambodians that are interested!! Wahoo! It is a family of a mom, and 3 girls, but the girls are just visiting for the summer from Rhode Island. They actually went home yesterday. Some of the Sister missionaries bumped into her about a week ago, but didn't speak khmer, obviously, but she speaks a tiny bit of english, so she gave them their address, and they gave it to us. We got to their house, and they let us in, and immediately, the mom, named Saoreun, brings out some chairs for us with mangos, pears, and water! She is so cool. She told us that we were really hard to understand when we were talking in Khmer, so we just talked to her daughter and she translated for us. haha. But, now that the daughters are gone, we are going to have to just get better so we can teach her. I'm stoked! Finally!
I think that's about all the good stuff worth mentioning for this week. Oh- We were over at a member's house the other day, and they get the church newspaper, and it comes with the Mormon times newspaper. I was reading through that and one of the headlines said "What's the future for BYU football after Ute's departure to PAC-10" What?! I really read that like 10 times cause I couldn't believe it. The article said that BYU is trying to get a spot in the Big -12. Dang. The article was also like 3 weeks old, so any updates on that would be appreciated. Sounds like there's a lot of stuff happening right now in college sports.
Alright, well, I think that's about it for now. A few more little things - next week is transfers, which means that Pday is on Wed. And one request I have is another journal. Prefferably the same kind I have now. It's black, says missionary journal on the front, and it's small-ish. And it's bound, not looseleaf. That would be great! Mine isn't full yet, but I just wanted to see if I could get another one sent to me. Thanks! Speaking of journals, TJ gave me the one I have now, and he hasn't written to me yet like he said he would. If I could get his new address if you have it, that would be awesome. Thanks.
Ok, well I hope you all have an awesome week! Send me more letters! thanks to Sis. Scadlock for hers too. I'll write back soon. Love you all!!!!!!!
Love,
Elder Hammer
Getting Better
This past week we had some drama going on in my companionship. First off, Elder Jenkins is a total stud and he and I are quickly becoming best friends. At the beginning of the week, he was really struggling with all the junk he's been dealing with from back home. We spent quite a few hours in the mission office while he spoke with President Pendleton about all that's happening. Elder Jenkins told me that he just about gave in and decided to go home to try and get things straightened out, but he called his seminary teacher that he's super close with to talk about everything. His seminary teacher kind of kicked his butt over the phone a little bit and helped Elder Jenkins decide to hang in there. Things aren't getting much easier right now, but we're working through them and he's determined to stay out here. Keep praying for him and we'll keep working.
Last week was our Trainer-Trainee meeting up in Gridley with President and Sister Pendleton. I think that it was probably one of the best meetings that I have been to on my mission. We discussed a lot of different topics: giving the baptismal commitment in the first or second visit, teaching about the purpose of the Book of Mormon, remembering our purpose as missionaries, etc. I remember that the Spirit was really strong throughout the entire meeting. One thing that really stuck out to me was the way I felt about President and Sister Pendleton. I know that I was supposed to come to this mission for a lot of different purposes, but one of them was so that I could be with the Pendletons. The influence that they have had in my life is huge. Mom and Dad may be the only ones now who have helped me more with who I have become. I've been thinking a lot lately about just how involved our Heavenly Father is in our lives and I am amazed at how perfect of a plan it is that He has for us. Everything that we experience, from our trials, our joys, our successes, our relationships, - everything, is meant to help us come closer to our Heavenly Father. I am so grateful for the wonderful people that He has placed in my life to build me into who I am today.
We were able to set a baptismal date this past week with our investigator, Patricia. We have been visiting her for a few weeks and we finished teaching her about the Plan of Salvation. I had my companion extend the commitment and then we waited for an answer (silence is a beautiful thing). She said yes! It was great. She came to church for the first time yesterday too and I could really tell that she enjoyed it. Something that Elder Jenkins pointed out when we stopped by on Saturday to remind her about church was how Patricia's countenance has changed. You can literally see a difference in her eyes and the way she smiles. She just seems to radiate a peaceful feeling. The ward did great at welcoming her (thankfully!). As a missionary, you always worry about how the members are going to do at reaching out to the investigators and less-actives that we bring to church. I think that one of the biggest things that serving a mission has taught me is how to be a missionary when I'm not a missionary anymore. I've realized just how much I can do as a member of the church to help my brothers and sisters around me come closer to Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. It's not easy all of the time, and it takes getting out of your comfort zone, but isn't there a scripture that says something like, "Wo unto those who say all is well in Zion..."? I'm determined to carry what I have been learning into my life when the time comes to take off the nametag.
Well, I think that's it for this week. I'd love to hear how everyone is doing. The mailbox has been collecting dust for the past few weeks. Keep on keepin' on and be sure to act on those promptings you receive from the Holy Ghost. Miracles happen daily when we do. I love you all!
Be Mighty!
Elder Hammer
PS. Kurtis, I apologize for not saying this two weeks ago when it was your birthday. Happy late birthday, bro! I didn't forget about it, I just forgot to tell you. Love ya man!
Last week was our Trainer-Trainee meeting up in Gridley with President and Sister Pendleton. I think that it was probably one of the best meetings that I have been to on my mission. We discussed a lot of different topics: giving the baptismal commitment in the first or second visit, teaching about the purpose of the Book of Mormon, remembering our purpose as missionaries, etc. I remember that the Spirit was really strong throughout the entire meeting. One thing that really stuck out to me was the way I felt about President and Sister Pendleton. I know that I was supposed to come to this mission for a lot of different purposes, but one of them was so that I could be with the Pendletons. The influence that they have had in my life is huge. Mom and Dad may be the only ones now who have helped me more with who I have become. I've been thinking a lot lately about just how involved our Heavenly Father is in our lives and I am amazed at how perfect of a plan it is that He has for us. Everything that we experience, from our trials, our joys, our successes, our relationships, - everything, is meant to help us come closer to our Heavenly Father. I am so grateful for the wonderful people that He has placed in my life to build me into who I am today.
We were able to set a baptismal date this past week with our investigator, Patricia. We have been visiting her for a few weeks and we finished teaching her about the Plan of Salvation. I had my companion extend the commitment and then we waited for an answer (silence is a beautiful thing). She said yes! It was great. She came to church for the first time yesterday too and I could really tell that she enjoyed it. Something that Elder Jenkins pointed out when we stopped by on Saturday to remind her about church was how Patricia's countenance has changed. You can literally see a difference in her eyes and the way she smiles. She just seems to radiate a peaceful feeling. The ward did great at welcoming her (thankfully!). As a missionary, you always worry about how the members are going to do at reaching out to the investigators and less-actives that we bring to church. I think that one of the biggest things that serving a mission has taught me is how to be a missionary when I'm not a missionary anymore. I've realized just how much I can do as a member of the church to help my brothers and sisters around me come closer to Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. It's not easy all of the time, and it takes getting out of your comfort zone, but isn't there a scripture that says something like, "Wo unto those who say all is well in Zion..."? I'm determined to carry what I have been learning into my life when the time comes to take off the nametag.
Well, I think that's it for this week. I'd love to hear how everyone is doing. The mailbox has been collecting dust for the past few weeks. Keep on keepin' on and be sure to act on those promptings you receive from the Holy Ghost. Miracles happen daily when we do. I love you all!
Be Mighty!
Elder Hammer
PS. Kurtis, I apologize for not saying this two weeks ago when it was your birthday. Happy late birthday, bro! I didn't forget about it, I just forgot to tell you. Love ya man!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Perplexed
Well, my new companion is a pretty cool guy. He's from Pinegree ID and he's got a solid testimony. He's struggling big time with things right now though and he's been contemplating going home to figure stuff out. I don't know what to do to help other than work our guts out and be as positive as I can. We're good friends and the stuff that he's told me about all that he's dealing with from back home is really tough. His dad is crazy. He left the church about six months ago and has gone completely off the deep end reading as much anti as he can get his hands on and then using it to try and persuade his family that the Mormon church is evil. Elder Jenkins's dad tried really hard to get him to not come on a mission, and with everything that has happened, it's most likely going to cause his parents to split up. Emotionally, Elder Jenkins is stressed beyond anything that I could imagine going through right now and I am praying like crazy for him. Please keep him in your prayers. He's an amazing missionary and he will accomplish miracles out here as long as he decides to stay.
So, do you remember the Condons? They were the family that Elder Garner and I were working with back in Penn Valley that drove me crazy, but I love them to death. Well, Janine and her daughter, Rachelle, were baptized on Saturday. Elder Garner has let me know how things are going and it is nuts to hear of all the changes that have happened in that ward since the mid-transfer that we went through. They are on fire with missionary work right now. When I got there back in January, nothing was happening, but now they're tearing it up. There's been four baptisms in the ward this year so far and they have 2 more scheduled right now. Hearing that makes me so happy! I love it!
The watch that you sent me for Christmas died on me this past week. The timer hands on it were all out of sync too. I looked at the instruction manual for info on what to do to get it fixed and it said that I have to send it in to them with a copy of the purchase receipt and a copy of the warranty card, neither of which I actually have. I was wondering if you might have them, or if Coby might know what I could do to get it fixed. Supposedly there is a year warranty on the watch, but you have to have the receipt and the warranty card as proof when you send it in for repairs. Let me know what we can do.
Sorry for the short email this week. My time is gone today because we've been in the mission office all day trying to get things figured out with Elder Jenkins. He's been meeting with Pres. for a while and I have no idea what to expect. I'll let you know how things work out.
Love you all!
Elder J. Hammer
PS. I'll send you out my address next week. Just send things to the mission office for now.
So, do you remember the Condons? They were the family that Elder Garner and I were working with back in Penn Valley that drove me crazy, but I love them to death. Well, Janine and her daughter, Rachelle, were baptized on Saturday. Elder Garner has let me know how things are going and it is nuts to hear of all the changes that have happened in that ward since the mid-transfer that we went through. They are on fire with missionary work right now. When I got there back in January, nothing was happening, but now they're tearing it up. There's been four baptisms in the ward this year so far and they have 2 more scheduled right now. Hearing that makes me so happy! I love it!
The watch that you sent me for Christmas died on me this past week. The timer hands on it were all out of sync too. I looked at the instruction manual for info on what to do to get it fixed and it said that I have to send it in to them with a copy of the purchase receipt and a copy of the warranty card, neither of which I actually have. I was wondering if you might have them, or if Coby might know what I could do to get it fixed. Supposedly there is a year warranty on the watch, but you have to have the receipt and the warranty card as proof when you send it in for repairs. Let me know what we can do.
Sorry for the short email this week. My time is gone today because we've been in the mission office all day trying to get things figured out with Elder Jenkins. He's been meeting with Pres. for a while and I have no idea what to expect. I'll let you know how things work out.
Love you all!
Elder J. Hammer
PS. I'll send you out my address next week. Just send things to the mission office for now.
Hi
Well, hello again. This last week has gone by unusually fast. It's pretty amazing how weird the time goes when you are serving a mission. I know I say that all the time, but it's so true. Anyhow, the week went by super fast, but unforunately wasn't very productive. We only taught 3 lessons to investigators because we only have 2 investigators. We did do a lot of tracting, but nothing too out of the ordinary happened so no cool stories from that. Achille had to work yesterday so he couldn't make it to church, but we are planning on teaching him about the importance of coming to church and keeping the sabbath day holy when we meet with him this week. He told us last time we met with him that he didn't need to work on sundays so hopefully he can get that changed from his schedule. I am still way excited to see him start to progress in the gospel. I definitely see him getting baptized.
I guess I do have a pretty funny story from sacrament meeting yesterday. Sacrament meeting here is always a surprise. haha. I love our ward. Anyway, this lady named Joyce gave a talk yesterday and her topic was "how obedience to God's commandments blesses our lives" She gave a great intro, and I was expecting a really good talk. However, after her intro, she proceeded to talk about the law of chastity. She did a really great job explaining (in detail) what the law of chastity is, what we can and can't do, and some personal experiences of hers. It was pretty awkward. I'm glad she was only up there for about 7 minutes. haha. And I am pretty sure that most of the ward felt the same way I did.
Something else that happened yesterday that was really cool was that one of our recent converts, who was baptized in January, passed the sacrament for the first time. His name is Steve, and he is a really funny guy. I am not sure that I could describe him very well through email, so maybe I will send a picture sometime when I get around to sending the pictures that have been sitting on my desk for 3 weeks. We have been trying to get him to buy a white shirt (he usually wears jeans and a sweater) basically since I got here. He finally bought some last week, and we gave him a tie, and he was able to pass the sacrament. It was great. He had a huge smile on his face the whole time, even though I could tell he was very nervous. I guess the best way to describe him is a 50 year old Greek/Bostonian teddy bear. haha.
Also yesterday, we went to the Zone Leaders (who we live with) baptism of a girl named Lohelani. She's like 11 or 12 and was so excited to get baptized. We met her because my comp had to do the interview. She's awesome. She looks like she's super quiet, but once she knows you, she's not quiet. haha. The service itself was in spanish, because the Zone Leaders work in the Lynn spanish branch. I didn't understand anything, but I sang the hymns in spanish. That was fun. I'm pretty sure I will come home knowing spanish as well, cause most of our members don't live in Lynn, so we have lots of dinner appointments here with the ZL's, and we associate a lot with spanish people. haha. As for the baptism, she had her older brother do it, and she had to re-do it 3 times! The first time, her foot came up, the second, it was one of her hands (don't know how that happened), then the third time was perfect. It was a great service. Hopefully we'll be having one of our own sometime soon with Achille!
After the baptism, we went to one of the spanish members' homes for dinner. This member is one of the "famous" ones that loves the missionaries, and feeds us whenever we want. His name is Jimmy, and he lives with his sister, and another family member and her kids. Shirley is one of those kids, and she is the one that called lastnight. I don't remember how we got talking about it, but I told her it would be funny if she called, so she did. As mom could probably tell, she was a bit nervous and didn't know what to say, but it was funny. After she hung up, she was telling me all these things she wanted to ask you, but she was nervous and forgot it all. haha. She's a funny girl. And she reminds me a lot of our cousin Taylor (sorry if I spelled that wrong).
As of last Wednesday, I can say that I taught a lesson in Cambodian, but I'm not counting it, cause it was more just talking to her (her name is Om Russ) than teaching her. Even though I did teach her about how the gospel can bless her life. We were over at her house for like an hour and twenty minutes, and talked about the gospel for maybe five of those minutes. But, she helped us with words we didn't know and grammar, and stuff. And she fed us too. It was good. I'm glad that even though we don't have cambodian investigators right now, I am still learning the language a lot! I don't know how many times I've said this, but learning a new language is so cool! I like it a lot. Especially because nobody else knows it. haha.
Also last Friday, we were eating at the Sen's and they had their TV on for like 10 minutes, and I saw that LeBron is going to the Heat. That's cool. They are going to be good now. I had to laugh when I saw the riots in Cleveland with people burning their LeBron jerseys and crying and stuff. haha. That's so ridiculous. And, congrats to Spain for winning the world cup. Now they finally have one. And now that that's over, I will probably not hear anything about sports until the NFL starts up. Apparently, people aren't too huge into college football out here so I probably won't hear anything about that. But that's ok.
Speaking of football, that's so awesome that Kurtis is started! Good luck. Don't get too beat up. haha. And, happy birthday a week late. Cool beans.
Alrighty, well, that's about all I can think of to email about right now. I think I might spend like $50-60 sometime soon off my card, cause I need some new shorts and my shoes (tennis shoes, not dress shoes) are getting pretty worn out too. Well, sweet. Hope you all have a wonderful week. Keep reading the scriptures and all that great stuff! Love you all! I'm off to the Science Museum! Woot. Ok, bye!
Love,
Elder Hammer
I guess I do have a pretty funny story from sacrament meeting yesterday. Sacrament meeting here is always a surprise. haha. I love our ward. Anyway, this lady named Joyce gave a talk yesterday and her topic was "how obedience to God's commandments blesses our lives" She gave a great intro, and I was expecting a really good talk. However, after her intro, she proceeded to talk about the law of chastity. She did a really great job explaining (in detail) what the law of chastity is, what we can and can't do, and some personal experiences of hers. It was pretty awkward. I'm glad she was only up there for about 7 minutes. haha. And I am pretty sure that most of the ward felt the same way I did.
Something else that happened yesterday that was really cool was that one of our recent converts, who was baptized in January, passed the sacrament for the first time. His name is Steve, and he is a really funny guy. I am not sure that I could describe him very well through email, so maybe I will send a picture sometime when I get around to sending the pictures that have been sitting on my desk for 3 weeks. We have been trying to get him to buy a white shirt (he usually wears jeans and a sweater) basically since I got here. He finally bought some last week, and we gave him a tie, and he was able to pass the sacrament. It was great. He had a huge smile on his face the whole time, even though I could tell he was very nervous. I guess the best way to describe him is a 50 year old Greek/Bostonian teddy bear. haha.
Also yesterday, we went to the Zone Leaders (who we live with) baptism of a girl named Lohelani. She's like 11 or 12 and was so excited to get baptized. We met her because my comp had to do the interview. She's awesome. She looks like she's super quiet, but once she knows you, she's not quiet. haha. The service itself was in spanish, because the Zone Leaders work in the Lynn spanish branch. I didn't understand anything, but I sang the hymns in spanish. That was fun. I'm pretty sure I will come home knowing spanish as well, cause most of our members don't live in Lynn, so we have lots of dinner appointments here with the ZL's, and we associate a lot with spanish people. haha. As for the baptism, she had her older brother do it, and she had to re-do it 3 times! The first time, her foot came up, the second, it was one of her hands (don't know how that happened), then the third time was perfect. It was a great service. Hopefully we'll be having one of our own sometime soon with Achille!
After the baptism, we went to one of the spanish members' homes for dinner. This member is one of the "famous" ones that loves the missionaries, and feeds us whenever we want. His name is Jimmy, and he lives with his sister, and another family member and her kids. Shirley is one of those kids, and she is the one that called lastnight. I don't remember how we got talking about it, but I told her it would be funny if she called, so she did. As mom could probably tell, she was a bit nervous and didn't know what to say, but it was funny. After she hung up, she was telling me all these things she wanted to ask you, but she was nervous and forgot it all. haha. She's a funny girl. And she reminds me a lot of our cousin Taylor (sorry if I spelled that wrong).
As of last Wednesday, I can say that I taught a lesson in Cambodian, but I'm not counting it, cause it was more just talking to her (her name is Om Russ) than teaching her. Even though I did teach her about how the gospel can bless her life. We were over at her house for like an hour and twenty minutes, and talked about the gospel for maybe five of those minutes. But, she helped us with words we didn't know and grammar, and stuff. And she fed us too. It was good. I'm glad that even though we don't have cambodian investigators right now, I am still learning the language a lot! I don't know how many times I've said this, but learning a new language is so cool! I like it a lot. Especially because nobody else knows it. haha.
Also last Friday, we were eating at the Sen's and they had their TV on for like 10 minutes, and I saw that LeBron is going to the Heat. That's cool. They are going to be good now. I had to laugh when I saw the riots in Cleveland with people burning their LeBron jerseys and crying and stuff. haha. That's so ridiculous. And, congrats to Spain for winning the world cup. Now they finally have one. And now that that's over, I will probably not hear anything about sports until the NFL starts up. Apparently, people aren't too huge into college football out here so I probably won't hear anything about that. But that's ok.
Speaking of football, that's so awesome that Kurtis is started! Good luck. Don't get too beat up. haha. And, happy birthday a week late. Cool beans.
Alrighty, well, that's about all I can think of to email about right now. I think I might spend like $50-60 sometime soon off my card, cause I need some new shorts and my shoes (tennis shoes, not dress shoes) are getting pretty worn out too. Well, sweet. Hope you all have a wonderful week. Keep reading the scriptures and all that great stuff! Love you all! I'm off to the Science Museum! Woot. Ok, bye!
Love,
Elder Hammer
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