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. : )