Transfer info is in and here are the results: Elder Dowling will be staying in the Olivehurst Ward as a ZL and Elder Hammer will be flying to San Diego to serve as Assistant to the President in the California San Diego Mission... Yeah right. I'm staying where I am, thankfully. With all the craziness of the past few transfers of my mission I am grateful to have some sense of stability by staying in my area.
This week has been a roller coaster. I'll start with the good news. Paul Hurtado was baptized on Saturday and it was an incredible experience. There were many of his friends that came to support him and also many of the ward members showed up as well. The whole service was great. Paul asked Elder Dowling and I to give the talks about baptism and the Holy Ghost. When I was speaking, I looked at Paul and he had tears running down his cheeks. I could tell that his baptism was a very profound experience for him. Yesterday in church he was confirmed and once again it was powerful. Paul is a very spiritual person and I have learned so much from him about being a true follower of Christ. He is going to be a tremendous strength to the church. Hearing him pray asking Heavenly Father to help him make it to the Temple as soon as possible is wonderful. I love these experiences!
Okay, now for some bad news. I received a phone call from some members in the Fall River Ward on Saturday. At first, I was surprised and excited to hear from them again, but then they told me they had something they needed to tell me. Greg Petersen, the father of the Petersen family that I love so much and became very close with while I was serving in Fall River, passed away this past week. Greg has been fighting cancer for a long time and I remember him telling me that he knew that eventually it was going to kill him, but that he was okay with that. He had said that he had lived a good life, he'd done basically everything he really wanted to do, and that his only worry was about his family. His family is amazing. Sheri is his wife and they have 4 daughters: Ericka, Brianna, Melia, and Linnea. I'd do anything I could for any one of them. For the funeral, they have asked that I play the closing hymn and music as the pall-bearers carry Greg out of the chapel. I am honored that they want me to be a part of this experience.
Overall, things are going well right now. I love my companion, I love the work, I love the people, and I am not looking forward to coming home! : ) I think that there was some other things I was going to share with you, but I can't remember right now, so oh well. Oh, here's my new address:
1576 Larry St
Olivehurst, CA 95961
I hope everything is going well back home. As always, letters are always appreciated (Kurtis!!!). I love you all! Be mighty!
Elder Justin Hammer
PS. Austin Collie becomes the third person in Colts history to score 3 touchdowns in the first 3 games of the season! Booyeah!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Conference!!!
Wow, I cannot believe that it is already almost October. We were talking the other day, and I realized that it was already the 25th of September, and I was really confused about where September went. haha. Sounds like the weather out there is about the same as it is here. We had a week where it was super nice and felt like fall was coming, but then this last week was up in the high 80's low 90's and it was awful. The humidity came back too, which really made it bad. However, yesterday was nice and cool, and today is overcast and rainy. I think it's about 65 right now, which feels so good. We had a dinner appointment in Charlestown (which by the way, is one of my favorite places ever!) lastnight, and when we walked out of the $2.4 million townhouse with our stomaches about to burst, it was "misting" which is really cool, and it totally smelled like winter. I know that sounds weird but, it just felt/smelled like it does right before it snows. It got me super excited for the winter. But, we have to go through fall first. The leaves are just now starting to change colors, which is going to be cool when they are all different.
So yesterday at church was pretty cool. It was testimony meeting, which in the Revere 2nd ward, can be very very interesting sometimes. Yesterday was very nice though. There are a few members that can make it kindof awkward, but they did good yesterday. There are some great stories of the testimony meetings here, but I won't share any right now. Anyway, during priesthood, our Stake President walked in with about 5 minutes left in the meeting, and interrupted the teacher and said that he had some business to take care of. I was pretty excited cause I had no idea what was going on. However, it was nothing out of the ordinary, they just released the Elders' Quorum presidency and called Bro. Buckley to be the President! I was so excited when he announced that. Bro. Buckley is the bomb! He's been a member just over 2 years, and now he's the EQ President! That's so awesome!
Alright. Some cool stuff that happened this week. We met with 2 former investigators on Thursday. Their names are Nick and Midge. They are huge Harley Davidson fans, and they have travelled basically everywhere you can by motorcycle. Nick is this big, muscular, tattoos up the arms, handlebar-mustachioed man that looks like a typical motorcycle guy, but he is really one of the nicest guys I've ever met. He talks very quietly and is so cool. Midge is a super nice woman too. She is totally ready to be baptized, except that 6 years ago, she was out on her back porch leaning on the patio railing, when it gave out due to weather damage, and she fell 5 feet and broke her neck and now she's a quadroplegic. Super sad story. She wants to be baptized, but she said that she doesn't think she can be because of her condition. She said that sudden temperature changes can trigger something with her spinal cord, and she could die from it. We are working with our Ward Mission Leader to explore possibilities for her. We want to have her in a chair with no legs, and just dunk her like that, but the font we have apparently isn't deep enough to do that, so we are thinking of doing it in a pool somewhere. It probably won't happen for a while, cause we still need to review all the lessons with them cause they were taught over a year ago, but I am excited to see what will happen with them. They are such great people.
Another cool thing that happened is with Bryan. Last week I said that we extended a date for him, but he didn't accept it. I also said that I knew he would accept it eventually. Well, he accepted for October 24th! We have met with him 3 times, and he has read all the chapters we've given him, and he is progressing really well. He wasn't at church yesterday, but I think he may have been out of town, cause his little brothers (who come every week) weren't there either. But, we are going to stop by to meet with him again on wednesday this week to see how he's doing.
Well, I think I'm about out of things for this week. I am so excited for Conference this weekend! I can't wait to hear what awesome stuff the Prophet and Apostles and everyone else has prepared for us!
Hope you all have a great week! Love you all!
Elder Hammer
So yesterday at church was pretty cool. It was testimony meeting, which in the Revere 2nd ward, can be very very interesting sometimes. Yesterday was very nice though. There are a few members that can make it kindof awkward, but they did good yesterday. There are some great stories of the testimony meetings here, but I won't share any right now. Anyway, during priesthood, our Stake President walked in with about 5 minutes left in the meeting, and interrupted the teacher and said that he had some business to take care of. I was pretty excited cause I had no idea what was going on. However, it was nothing out of the ordinary, they just released the Elders' Quorum presidency and called Bro. Buckley to be the President! I was so excited when he announced that. Bro. Buckley is the bomb! He's been a member just over 2 years, and now he's the EQ President! That's so awesome!
Alright. Some cool stuff that happened this week. We met with 2 former investigators on Thursday. Their names are Nick and Midge. They are huge Harley Davidson fans, and they have travelled basically everywhere you can by motorcycle. Nick is this big, muscular, tattoos up the arms, handlebar-mustachioed man that looks like a typical motorcycle guy, but he is really one of the nicest guys I've ever met. He talks very quietly and is so cool. Midge is a super nice woman too. She is totally ready to be baptized, except that 6 years ago, she was out on her back porch leaning on the patio railing, when it gave out due to weather damage, and she fell 5 feet and broke her neck and now she's a quadroplegic. Super sad story. She wants to be baptized, but she said that she doesn't think she can be because of her condition. She said that sudden temperature changes can trigger something with her spinal cord, and she could die from it. We are working with our Ward Mission Leader to explore possibilities for her. We want to have her in a chair with no legs, and just dunk her like that, but the font we have apparently isn't deep enough to do that, so we are thinking of doing it in a pool somewhere. It probably won't happen for a while, cause we still need to review all the lessons with them cause they were taught over a year ago, but I am excited to see what will happen with them. They are such great people.
Another cool thing that happened is with Bryan. Last week I said that we extended a date for him, but he didn't accept it. I also said that I knew he would accept it eventually. Well, he accepted for October 24th! We have met with him 3 times, and he has read all the chapters we've given him, and he is progressing really well. He wasn't at church yesterday, but I think he may have been out of town, cause his little brothers (who come every week) weren't there either. But, we are going to stop by to meet with him again on wednesday this week to see how he's doing.
Well, I think I'm about out of things for this week. I am so excited for Conference this weekend! I can't wait to hear what awesome stuff the Prophet and Apostles and everyone else has prepared for us!
Hope you all have a great week! Love you all!
Elder Hammer
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Howdy
So this last week was pretty good. It felt like it was a really good week but lastnight as we were reviewing our numbers for the week, we realized it wasn't so great numbers wise. But that's ok, it was still a good week for us. We just didn't teach a whole lot, that's all. One of the cool things that happened was when we were at the Sen's for dinner on friday. They made yowhan, which is one of my favorite Khmer dishes, so that was way cool. But, afterwards when we were sharing a thought with them, one of their grandsons, who is 12 and has not been baptized, decided to stay for the spiritual thought. We started asking him some questions, and it developed into a lesson on the plan of salvation. He was super intent the whole time, and had really good answers to the questions we were asking. We eventually got around to talking about baptism, and extended the date for October 10. He didn't accept it, but he didn't not accept it either. He just said he wanted to think about it. We then taught him about prayer, and the Book of Mormon. We assigned him to read 3 Nephi 11, and told him we'd talk again when he was at church with his grandma. So yesterday, when he was there (which was awesome by the way) we asked him about his reading. He said he had read the chapter, and he liked it a lot, but he still hadn't decided about being baptized. But, I know he will accept a date soon. I'm excited for him. He's a great kid. Plus I got to go to young men's with him yesterday, which was way cool since I haven't been for a long time :)
Another cool thing about meeting with Bryan is that on Friday, we had our weekly district meeting, and we focused on the PMG doctrine of Teach when you find, find when you teach. It was a really awesome meeting, like most of our district meetings are. And then it was really cool to be able to implement that later on that evening when we had a routine dinner, but ended up getting a new investigator, and hopefully a baptism soon. Thought that was pretty awesome.
Oh, in your last letter, mom, you mentioned about Bro. Pratt. That's cool that Grandma saw him at church. You said that he is going to prison? I hadn't heard that. How long is his sentence? Just wondering. Is there any way I could get his info so I can write to him? That'd be cool.
I was also thinking that a big tub of cashews would be cool to have. I have really been craving cashews lately, along with Grandma's jerkey, and those Oreo thingys from Brittnie... mmmmmm. haha.
So yeah, that's about how our week went. Being with Elder Rith is interesting. He's a good guy, but he goes home in December, so he's acting a little "trunky" and talks a lot about what he's going to do when he's home, and seems like he wants to slow down a little bit before he goes. But, I am still trying to make him work hard and stay focused. One thing that's way cool is that he is really good at the language so I am learning a lot with him. It's pretty fun. Learning a new language is so cool. I still have those moments every once in a while where I'm like "Am I seriously learning Cambodian? That's crazy" haha. It's pretty funny. I like it a lot.
Well, I suppose I will close my email so we can go play some sports at the church for a while. Here's a cool scripture that Elder Nate Jensen shared with me. D&C 35: 13-15. I love that one. Thrashing the nations is pretty fun. Well, Hope you all have a wonderful week. Can't wait for Conference!! Woot! haha. Love you all!!!
kdei sralain,
aeldeeh nyonyua
P.S. That is really bad romanized khmer. haha. Bye.
P.S again. Hey Kurtis---- when are you going to write to me and tell me about your games? I would really like to hear from you. And, if you have an extra $50, you should go buy the new Metroid game for the Wii. yep.
Another cool thing about meeting with Bryan is that on Friday, we had our weekly district meeting, and we focused on the PMG doctrine of Teach when you find, find when you teach. It was a really awesome meeting, like most of our district meetings are. And then it was really cool to be able to implement that later on that evening when we had a routine dinner, but ended up getting a new investigator, and hopefully a baptism soon. Thought that was pretty awesome.
Oh, in your last letter, mom, you mentioned about Bro. Pratt. That's cool that Grandma saw him at church. You said that he is going to prison? I hadn't heard that. How long is his sentence? Just wondering. Is there any way I could get his info so I can write to him? That'd be cool.
I was also thinking that a big tub of cashews would be cool to have. I have really been craving cashews lately, along with Grandma's jerkey, and those Oreo thingys from Brittnie... mmmmmm. haha.
So yeah, that's about how our week went. Being with Elder Rith is interesting. He's a good guy, but he goes home in December, so he's acting a little "trunky" and talks a lot about what he's going to do when he's home, and seems like he wants to slow down a little bit before he goes. But, I am still trying to make him work hard and stay focused. One thing that's way cool is that he is really good at the language so I am learning a lot with him. It's pretty fun. Learning a new language is so cool. I still have those moments every once in a while where I'm like "Am I seriously learning Cambodian? That's crazy" haha. It's pretty funny. I like it a lot.
Well, I suppose I will close my email so we can go play some sports at the church for a while. Here's a cool scripture that Elder Nate Jensen shared with me. D&C 35: 13-15. I love that one. Thrashing the nations is pretty fun. Well, Hope you all have a wonderful week. Can't wait for Conference!! Woot! haha. Love you all!!!
kdei sralain,
aeldeeh nyonyua
P.S. That is really bad romanized khmer. haha. Bye.
P.S again. Hey Kurtis---- when are you going to write to me and tell me about your games? I would really like to hear from you. And, if you have an extra $50, you should go buy the new Metroid game for the Wii. yep.
Another Week
Well, there's not much to report on for this week. Thanks for the Happy Birthdays from those of you that mentioned it. I had a good birthday.
Things are still going well. We have spent some time moving lately. We are basically moved into a new house now and it is sweet being there. We are now living with the Hmong missionaries that serve in our ward. One of them is Elder Paramore who was Devin's Zone Leader in the MTC. We still have some things that we need to move from our old apartment, but we've got like 3 weeks to get it all done. Being in a house is so much nicer than being in an apartment that has had missionaries in it for 11 years.
Paul Hurtado is still good for his baptism this upcoming Sunday. I totally love this guy and we have had some amazing experiences with him. Thankfully he has a totally awesome fellowshipper who has been able to connect with Paul in ways that we can't. Every day members of the church are so important in missionary work and I think that many of us just don't realize that. Paul would not be getting baptized if we taught him on our own.
Debbie and Walter Burton are going to have to wait to get baptized until a later date. There are some things that have come up that we need to work with them on, but I'm not worried. Once again, they have a solid fellowshipper who is going to be right by their side through everything they go through. They came to church for the first time yesterday and totally loved it too! Our Gospel Principles class was packed and I couldn't stop smiling! Things are going well in the Olivehurst Ward!
Alright, Kurtis, Devin has been on your case for a while about not writing to him and I know I haven't said anything about it, but you should write to us and tell us how things are going. That would be sweet.
Okay, I think that is it for this week. Letters and packages are always appreciated, so yeah... Transfers are next week (Sept. 28th) so send mail to the mission office if you don't get it off before the end of the week. I'll get you our new house address soon. You can either send it to the office or the address at Lincoln Point if you want. Thanks to everyone for everything! Be mighty!
love ya!
Elder Justin Hammer
Things are still going well. We have spent some time moving lately. We are basically moved into a new house now and it is sweet being there. We are now living with the Hmong missionaries that serve in our ward. One of them is Elder Paramore who was Devin's Zone Leader in the MTC. We still have some things that we need to move from our old apartment, but we've got like 3 weeks to get it all done. Being in a house is so much nicer than being in an apartment that has had missionaries in it for 11 years.
Paul Hurtado is still good for his baptism this upcoming Sunday. I totally love this guy and we have had some amazing experiences with him. Thankfully he has a totally awesome fellowshipper who has been able to connect with Paul in ways that we can't. Every day members of the church are so important in missionary work and I think that many of us just don't realize that. Paul would not be getting baptized if we taught him on our own.
Debbie and Walter Burton are going to have to wait to get baptized until a later date. There are some things that have come up that we need to work with them on, but I'm not worried. Once again, they have a solid fellowshipper who is going to be right by their side through everything they go through. They came to church for the first time yesterday and totally loved it too! Our Gospel Principles class was packed and I couldn't stop smiling! Things are going well in the Olivehurst Ward!
Alright, Kurtis, Devin has been on your case for a while about not writing to him and I know I haven't said anything about it, but you should write to us and tell us how things are going. That would be sweet.
Okay, I think that is it for this week. Letters and packages are always appreciated, so yeah... Transfers are next week (Sept. 28th) so send mail to the mission office if you don't get it off before the end of the week. I'll get you our new house address soon. You can either send it to the office or the address at Lincoln Point if you want. Thanks to everyone for everything! Be mighty!
love ya!
Elder Justin Hammer
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
I'm Sick of the Hot
I cannot wait for the fall weather to get here. Last week we had some awesome weather, but this week it was hot again. I'm sick of it. I guess I can't complain too much since I lucked out this summer with one of the mildest ones that this part of California has had in a long time. The hottest I saw this year was only 111 compared to the 121 from last year when I was in Cottonwood. I keep hearing people talk about football season starting, but it just doesn't seem like it's that time of year again already. Crazy. September is already almost half-way over and General Conference is only a few weeks away.
Our week has been as busy as ever. There has been appointment after appointment, and although the majority of them fall through or cancel, we were still crazy busy. Our Zone is doing very well. Out of 12 companionships, we set 7 new baptismal dates this past week and found 21 new investigators. Our missionaries are working hard and we are seeing great success. Elder Dowling and I have been busy helping three of our progressing investigators prepare to get baptized shortly. Paul Hurtado is still set for the 26th of the month, but Debbie and Walter Burton are going to have to wait at least another week after that to get baptized since they haven't been able to make it to church yet. We have been talking to many people and it seems that the majority of those we speak with are interested in listening. If we could make the transition from a street contact to an actual sit-down appointment where we could teach and help them feel the Spirit better we would be having even more success than we are currently. Getting that second visit is tough sometimes.
We spoke with someone this past week that told us that he really appreciates us coming around his apartment complex. He told us that our presence alone gives the people that live there hope. It's been cool to see the progression of events that have taken place in that apartment complex. We've spoken with just about everyone that lives there and we have taught a couple of them. One of them, Shanay, we taught the Stop Smoking Workshop. Another, Corina, we've tried to get to come to church. These people that live there are living in a trashy area, many of them have had problems with drugs in the past (and I'm sure that many of them still do), but I love them. Whenever we go over there the kids that are running around on the grass will come over and give us high-fives and start talking to us. One of them gave me 12 cents the other day as a "tip for God." We'll walk to the apartment that we need to get to and when we knock, you can hear inside someone say, "The Brothers are here." There have been all kinds of people we've talked to and they all seem to be cool with us. I don't honestly see anything really happening with them in the time that I will be here, but I believe that a group of people who would otherwise have turned their backs on missionaries in any other situation are being softened and prepared for a day when someone else knocks on their door and they invite them in. If all I can do is give someone who is down and out in life just a little bit of hope, then I've done what I needed to do.
As a side note: The same kid that gave me the 12 cents told us that he doesn't know why his parents don't take him to church. I told him to tell them that he wanted to go the the Mormon church. His reply was, "They definitely wouldn't take me there!" It was hilarious the way he said it!
Well, I am sitting here still totally smelly and gross from playing basketball earlier with the other Elders in my district. There are still lots of things that need to be done today. I love you all and hope that you have another great week. Be mighty!
Elder Justin Hammer
Our week has been as busy as ever. There has been appointment after appointment, and although the majority of them fall through or cancel, we were still crazy busy. Our Zone is doing very well. Out of 12 companionships, we set 7 new baptismal dates this past week and found 21 new investigators. Our missionaries are working hard and we are seeing great success. Elder Dowling and I have been busy helping three of our progressing investigators prepare to get baptized shortly. Paul Hurtado is still set for the 26th of the month, but Debbie and Walter Burton are going to have to wait at least another week after that to get baptized since they haven't been able to make it to church yet. We have been talking to many people and it seems that the majority of those we speak with are interested in listening. If we could make the transition from a street contact to an actual sit-down appointment where we could teach and help them feel the Spirit better we would be having even more success than we are currently. Getting that second visit is tough sometimes.
We spoke with someone this past week that told us that he really appreciates us coming around his apartment complex. He told us that our presence alone gives the people that live there hope. It's been cool to see the progression of events that have taken place in that apartment complex. We've spoken with just about everyone that lives there and we have taught a couple of them. One of them, Shanay, we taught the Stop Smoking Workshop. Another, Corina, we've tried to get to come to church. These people that live there are living in a trashy area, many of them have had problems with drugs in the past (and I'm sure that many of them still do), but I love them. Whenever we go over there the kids that are running around on the grass will come over and give us high-fives and start talking to us. One of them gave me 12 cents the other day as a "tip for God." We'll walk to the apartment that we need to get to and when we knock, you can hear inside someone say, "The Brothers are here." There have been all kinds of people we've talked to and they all seem to be cool with us. I don't honestly see anything really happening with them in the time that I will be here, but I believe that a group of people who would otherwise have turned their backs on missionaries in any other situation are being softened and prepared for a day when someone else knocks on their door and they invite them in. If all I can do is give someone who is down and out in life just a little bit of hope, then I've done what I needed to do.
As a side note: The same kid that gave me the 12 cents told us that he doesn't know why his parents don't take him to church. I told him to tell them that he wanted to go the the Mormon church. His reply was, "They definitely wouldn't take me there!" It was hilarious the way he said it!
Well, I am sitting here still totally smelly and gross from playing basketball earlier with the other Elders in my district. There are still lots of things that need to be done today. I love you all and hope that you have another great week. Be mighty!
Elder Justin Hammer
New Companion
Well, my new companion is E. Rith. He is originally from California, but he lived in Salt Lake, and his parents are from Cambodia. That makes it 3 for 3 with Asian companions. haha. He goes home at the beginning of December, so I will most likely be here with him until then, and then I will hopefully train in this area too. He is really good at the language. I know that my language skills are going to improve a lot over the time that we are together. He's also really good at inviting himself to dinner with members. haha. He's super outgoing and not afraid to talk. I like him. Lynn was his first area in the mission too, so we've spent a lot of time trying to contact some of the former investigators that he had when he was here a year and a half ago. We are working hard and have some really great goals set for this upcoming transfer. I'm excited.
So other than that, nothing too exciting happened this week. We had an appointment with one of the inactives we've been teaching, and usually when we go over, her kids get up and leave, but for some reason this time one of her daughters stayed for our lesson. Her name is Angeline, and she took the discussions like 10 years ago when her mom got baptized, but doesn't remember any of it. We had a lesson planned for Leona, who is the inactive member, but we decided to teach Angeline instead. It was one of those lessons that jumps all over the place and wasn't really planned for, but it was awesome! We talked about the Restoration, the Plan of Salvation, Baptism, the Priesthood, and lots of stuff. It was such a great lesson. We were explaining about baptism, and she had a few questions, but we answered them for her, and extended a date for her to be baptised on October 3, which she accepted! I know that's conference (which, by the way, I am SO stoked for!) so we'll have to see what happens, but it was totally awesome that she accepted!
So, one of the new Elder's that came out this last week said that he was in the MTC for BYU's first game, so everybody was conveniently studying outside. haha. He said that it sounded like things were pretty crazy in the stadium. I'm so glad I wasn't there during football season. That would have driven me crazy. haha. That's the only thing I've heard about college football. I'm glad they won. How do they look this year? Nobody out here is really into college football. It's pretty lame. They are all going crazy for the Patriots right now though. Apparently yesterday was their first real game. There are tons of Pats fans here.
Well, that's about it for this week. I decided that I would like a picture of the family too. I'm not sure why I haven't asked for one yet, but whatever. I figured it would be cooler to show people my family rather than just talk about you. So whenever you're able to send one, that would be grand. Along with a recipe book. And treats... haha. I have been craving some of grandma's jerky though...
Alrighty, I hope you all have a great week. Kurtis, I'm STILL waiting to hear about your last few games. Love you all!!!
Love,
Elder Hammer
P.S. I guess I should probably say happy birthday to Justin and Kasey this week so they don't think I forgot :)
So other than that, nothing too exciting happened this week. We had an appointment with one of the inactives we've been teaching, and usually when we go over, her kids get up and leave, but for some reason this time one of her daughters stayed for our lesson. Her name is Angeline, and she took the discussions like 10 years ago when her mom got baptized, but doesn't remember any of it. We had a lesson planned for Leona, who is the inactive member, but we decided to teach Angeline instead. It was one of those lessons that jumps all over the place and wasn't really planned for, but it was awesome! We talked about the Restoration, the Plan of Salvation, Baptism, the Priesthood, and lots of stuff. It was such a great lesson. We were explaining about baptism, and she had a few questions, but we answered them for her, and extended a date for her to be baptised on October 3, which she accepted! I know that's conference (which, by the way, I am SO stoked for!) so we'll have to see what happens, but it was totally awesome that she accepted!
So, one of the new Elder's that came out this last week said that he was in the MTC for BYU's first game, so everybody was conveniently studying outside. haha. He said that it sounded like things were pretty crazy in the stadium. I'm so glad I wasn't there during football season. That would have driven me crazy. haha. That's the only thing I've heard about college football. I'm glad they won. How do they look this year? Nobody out here is really into college football. It's pretty lame. They are all going crazy for the Patriots right now though. Apparently yesterday was their first real game. There are tons of Pats fans here.
Well, that's about it for this week. I decided that I would like a picture of the family too. I'm not sure why I haven't asked for one yet, but whatever. I figured it would be cooler to show people my family rather than just talk about you. So whenever you're able to send one, that would be grand. Along with a recipe book. And treats... haha. I have been craving some of grandma's jerky though...
Alrighty, I hope you all have a great week. Kurtis, I'm STILL waiting to hear about your last few games. Love you all!!!
Love,
Elder Hammer
P.S. I guess I should probably say happy birthday to Justin and Kasey this week so they don't think I forgot :)
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
I'm Staying!
Alright, we got our transfer info lastnight. I am staying here in Lynn again, which is awesome. Elder Winslow is leaving, so I will be getting a new companion tomorrow at transfer meeting. It's between 2 other Khmer Elders, who are also being transferred, so I'm not sure which one I'll get. We'll see tomorrow, so I will let you know next week. I'm so happy I'm staying though. Alright, so last week my email was full of sad news how we didn't have anyone to teach, and that it was a pretty tough week. This last week was about as opposite as it gets. haha. We ended up teaching 18 lessons last week, which is pretty good compared to the normal, and we picked up 2 new investigators, set a baptismal date for one of them, and have a few potentials to talk to as well. Last Tuesday, we were tracting, since we didn't have anyone to teach, and we came to a house and did our normal door approach. What wasnt't normal, is that she actually let us in! haha. We taught her a great lesson 1, she didn't have any questions, and said that she needed to be baptized, so we set up a date for the 26th of September. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to meet with her again since then, but I still think she can make it for that date. She was really cool.
The other new investigator we picked up is named Nurinato. She was out on her porch with her 5 dogs, and did not look like she would be interested, but she was. Funny how that happens. We taught her a lesson 1 also, and when we gave her a Book of Mormon and said she could keep it, she was so happy! She said that we made her day, and that she would be sure to read it. She gave us her phone number so we could call to confirm our return appointment, and when we called it a few days ago, it went to her daughter's phone, and she told us that her mom has Alzheimer's. We weren't really sure what we should do about that, since she probably didn't remember us, but we decided to go back to her house. She did remember us, and she said that she hadn't been able to read yet, cause she got sick. Chances are that she won't continue being taught, since she won't remember much, but we still are going to meet with her in a few days.
The highlight of this last week, however came on Sunday. The 3 sons of the family we live above, and 1 of their cousins were baptised! It was so awesome. They asked me to give a talk at the baptism, which I was happy to do. The funny thing is that since they are going to be in the S[anish Branch, the whole service was in Spanish, so I was the only one the whole meeting that talked in English. haha. It was pretty funny. But yeah, it was such a great experience. Even though the whole thing was in Spanish, I understood a lot of it, and was feeling the Spirit so strongly. It was amazing. I'm so happy that they finally got baptized! They are such awesome kids.
So that's how awesome the last week has been. I also realized that I really like cooking. I bought a bag of shrimp that were on sale, and when I got home, I realized I had never cooked shrimp before, and didn't really know how. haha. So, after thawing them out, and de-shelling them, I threw them into a pan with some butter and garlic, and watched them turn from grey to pink (which is pretty cool, actually) then I boiled some pasta, and mixed it all together in some alfredo sauce. Mmmmm. It was delicious. I made it for the other Elder's in our apt. too, and they all said it was really good. While we were at the Buckley's the other day, he told me that he had an idea that he would buy the ingredients for whatever I want to cook, and while we are watching Conference next month, we could have dinner with them. Therefore, I was wondering if you could send me a recipe book of some sort. That would be very useful. Thanks.
Alright, so we were at a dinner appointment the other night with one of the approx. 20 newly-married couples in our ward, and we got on the subject of sports. He asked me if I was a Jazz fan, and after I said yes, he said, "So you've heard what happened with Boozer?" I told him no, and he then told me that he and Korver got traded to the Bulls. He didn't say who we got in return, so I have been wondering what's up with that. An update of that plus BYU would be great. That's nuts that they have such a young team. I'm excited to hear how they do.
Well, that's about all I have to say for this week. I'm anxious to hear who will be my new companion tomorrow. Kurtis, I'm still waiting to hear another update of your games. keep me posted on the varsity games too. Thanks. Oh, I totally forgot to tell you that I survived "Hurricane Earl". That was about the most disappointing thing ever. I was so stoked to experience a hurricane, and then we got an evacuation notice on our phone telling us that we might need to be evacuated, but it turns out, that we didn't even get any rain from it. haha. I was so bummed. I was expecting some wind or something, but it only rained for maybe 10 minutes. Oh well, maybe we'll get another one soon. Alrighty, hope you all have a great week! I love you all!
Love,
Elder Hammer
The other new investigator we picked up is named Nurinato. She was out on her porch with her 5 dogs, and did not look like she would be interested, but she was. Funny how that happens. We taught her a lesson 1 also, and when we gave her a Book of Mormon and said she could keep it, she was so happy! She said that we made her day, and that she would be sure to read it. She gave us her phone number so we could call to confirm our return appointment, and when we called it a few days ago, it went to her daughter's phone, and she told us that her mom has Alzheimer's. We weren't really sure what we should do about that, since she probably didn't remember us, but we decided to go back to her house. She did remember us, and she said that she hadn't been able to read yet, cause she got sick. Chances are that she won't continue being taught, since she won't remember much, but we still are going to meet with her in a few days.
The highlight of this last week, however came on Sunday. The 3 sons of the family we live above, and 1 of their cousins were baptised! It was so awesome. They asked me to give a talk at the baptism, which I was happy to do. The funny thing is that since they are going to be in the S[anish Branch, the whole service was in Spanish, so I was the only one the whole meeting that talked in English. haha. It was pretty funny. But yeah, it was such a great experience. Even though the whole thing was in Spanish, I understood a lot of it, and was feeling the Spirit so strongly. It was amazing. I'm so happy that they finally got baptized! They are such awesome kids.
So that's how awesome the last week has been. I also realized that I really like cooking. I bought a bag of shrimp that were on sale, and when I got home, I realized I had never cooked shrimp before, and didn't really know how. haha. So, after thawing them out, and de-shelling them, I threw them into a pan with some butter and garlic, and watched them turn from grey to pink (which is pretty cool, actually) then I boiled some pasta, and mixed it all together in some alfredo sauce. Mmmmm. It was delicious. I made it for the other Elder's in our apt. too, and they all said it was really good. While we were at the Buckley's the other day, he told me that he had an idea that he would buy the ingredients for whatever I want to cook, and while we are watching Conference next month, we could have dinner with them. Therefore, I was wondering if you could send me a recipe book of some sort. That would be very useful. Thanks.
Alright, so we were at a dinner appointment the other night with one of the approx. 20 newly-married couples in our ward, and we got on the subject of sports. He asked me if I was a Jazz fan, and after I said yes, he said, "So you've heard what happened with Boozer?" I told him no, and he then told me that he and Korver got traded to the Bulls. He didn't say who we got in return, so I have been wondering what's up with that. An update of that plus BYU would be great. That's nuts that they have such a young team. I'm excited to hear how they do.
Well, that's about all I have to say for this week. I'm anxious to hear who will be my new companion tomorrow. Kurtis, I'm still waiting to hear another update of your games. keep me posted on the varsity games too. Thanks. Oh, I totally forgot to tell you that I survived "Hurricane Earl". That was about the most disappointing thing ever. I was so stoked to experience a hurricane, and then we got an evacuation notice on our phone telling us that we might need to be evacuated, but it turns out, that we didn't even get any rain from it. haha. I was so bummed. I was expecting some wind or something, but it only rained for maybe 10 minutes. Oh well, maybe we'll get another one soon. Alrighty, hope you all have a great week! I love you all!
Love,
Elder Hammer
Monday, September 6, 2010
September Again
We are busy. I am tired. I love what I am doing.
This past week was pretty good. We've been working with our investigators that have a baptismal date and great things are happening. Paul Hurtado is scheduled to get baptized on the 26th and I'm almost positive he's going to make it. We've been meeting with him almost daily since I got here and I have grown to love the guy. Last week, when Elder Dowling went to meet with Paul while I was on exchanges in another ward, Paul's former pastor was at the meeting. Paul is currently staying in a care facility because his wife is getting help for some of her medical needs. Apparently, the pastor anti'd Elder Dowling for 15 minutes without giving him a chance to say anything (not that he was going to anyways). This was kind of the pastor's opportunity at rebuking us and saving Paul from joining the evil cult that we are a part of. However, his attempts backfired. Paul called us later that night and apologized for what had happened. He said that he had never heard us or anyone else in the church put down another religion and that if Pastor Kohen was really his friend he wouldn't have done what he did. Paul is a stud! We have had some very spiritual experiences with him and I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to teach him. The first time I met Paul he asked me where it was that we had met before. He said he knows me from somewhere and that he recognizes my face... I know I was sent to this area for a reason. Paul is a part of that reason.
Something that is totally frustrating is how much more work could be happening in our area, but just isn't. We met in our Stake Correlation meeting yesterday with President Pendleton, one of his counselors, President Edwards, and the Stake High-Councilman over missionary work. (normally the Stake Presidency would have been in attendance as well, but they had family business to take care of) In this meeting we reviewed the work that is happening in the entire Stake and discuss what is going well and what we can do to help things be better. The Yuba City Stake is the highest baptizing Stake in the mission, and I think that many people here consider that to be good enough. As we reviewed things, it was brought up that almost none of the wards are participating in the Ward Mission Process that the Brethren have asked us to be doing. This Process focuses on rescuing the less-active members of the church and is conducted at the ward level. Well, it's not happening, and President is not happy about it. Getting the members to actively participate in missionary work is worse than pulling teeth and I just don't get it. For example, E. Dowling and myself both feel that there is enough work to do in our area for two companionships. However, we worry that the foundational support from the ward just wouldn't exist. We'd be bringing more people to the church than the members would be willing to help. That is sad, but it's honestly how we feel. I love the people here, and the ward members are wonderful, but I am figuratively banging my head against a brick wall with frustration. At least I'm not in another ward in this stake where an unnamed ward leader asked the missionaries to never allow their investigators to bear their testimonies on fast Sunday and to make sure that it never happens. I don't know what I'd do if I was in that situation.
One of the biggest things I have learned as I have served my mission is the importance of not being a Sunday-Mormon. I look forward to the opportunity of living my religion in a day to day way and of not only waiting for missionary opportunities to come my way by chance, but by actively seeking to create them. The scriptures say that it becomes those of us who have been warned to do some warning of our own. We can do it.
I hope all is well with everyone. I love you all and I pray for you constantly. Thanks for everything.
Love,
Elder J. Hammer
PS. I ran into Steve Crane today at Wal-Mart and it was sweet! He told me that he and Samantha are moving because he just got a job promotion to a management position in another store. Seeing Steve definitely made my day. : )
This past week was pretty good. We've been working with our investigators that have a baptismal date and great things are happening. Paul Hurtado is scheduled to get baptized on the 26th and I'm almost positive he's going to make it. We've been meeting with him almost daily since I got here and I have grown to love the guy. Last week, when Elder Dowling went to meet with Paul while I was on exchanges in another ward, Paul's former pastor was at the meeting. Paul is currently staying in a care facility because his wife is getting help for some of her medical needs. Apparently, the pastor anti'd Elder Dowling for 15 minutes without giving him a chance to say anything (not that he was going to anyways). This was kind of the pastor's opportunity at rebuking us and saving Paul from joining the evil cult that we are a part of. However, his attempts backfired. Paul called us later that night and apologized for what had happened. He said that he had never heard us or anyone else in the church put down another religion and that if Pastor Kohen was really his friend he wouldn't have done what he did. Paul is a stud! We have had some very spiritual experiences with him and I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to teach him. The first time I met Paul he asked me where it was that we had met before. He said he knows me from somewhere and that he recognizes my face... I know I was sent to this area for a reason. Paul is a part of that reason.
Something that is totally frustrating is how much more work could be happening in our area, but just isn't. We met in our Stake Correlation meeting yesterday with President Pendleton, one of his counselors, President Edwards, and the Stake High-Councilman over missionary work. (normally the Stake Presidency would have been in attendance as well, but they had family business to take care of) In this meeting we reviewed the work that is happening in the entire Stake and discuss what is going well and what we can do to help things be better. The Yuba City Stake is the highest baptizing Stake in the mission, and I think that many people here consider that to be good enough. As we reviewed things, it was brought up that almost none of the wards are participating in the Ward Mission Process that the Brethren have asked us to be doing. This Process focuses on rescuing the less-active members of the church and is conducted at the ward level. Well, it's not happening, and President is not happy about it. Getting the members to actively participate in missionary work is worse than pulling teeth and I just don't get it. For example, E. Dowling and myself both feel that there is enough work to do in our area for two companionships. However, we worry that the foundational support from the ward just wouldn't exist. We'd be bringing more people to the church than the members would be willing to help. That is sad, but it's honestly how we feel. I love the people here, and the ward members are wonderful, but I am figuratively banging my head against a brick wall with frustration. At least I'm not in another ward in this stake where an unnamed ward leader asked the missionaries to never allow their investigators to bear their testimonies on fast Sunday and to make sure that it never happens. I don't know what I'd do if I was in that situation.
One of the biggest things I have learned as I have served my mission is the importance of not being a Sunday-Mormon. I look forward to the opportunity of living my religion in a day to day way and of not only waiting for missionary opportunities to come my way by chance, but by actively seeking to create them. The scriptures say that it becomes those of us who have been warned to do some warning of our own. We can do it.
I hope all is well with everyone. I love you all and I pray for you constantly. Thanks for everything.
Love,
Elder J. Hammer
PS. I ran into Steve Crane today at Wal-Mart and it was sweet! He told me that he and Samantha are moving because he just got a job promotion to a management position in another store. Seeing Steve definitely made my day. : )
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