Happy 4th Ya'll

WOOOOO!! A Good ol American style BBQ in Colombia!! Today is a holiday in Colombia too! But nobody knows why so i told them all that its because ita independence day in America. They were all like ok good! So today I am throwing a Good ol BBQ for them all today!! I went and bought some beef and hamburgers and I assigned some of my converts to bring marshmellows and all to make some S mores!!!! YAA LONG LIVE AMERICA!! I have been planning this day for about a week and i invited all the Gringos in my Zone to come and all! It will be fun! A convert is loaning me his BBQ thing and some people are bringing the POP! A couple people called me today and wished me a happy 4th!! I have the patriotism of my Mother i guess! haha! Not exactly but I try! A convert made me an American paper flag so this morning i did the pledge of alligance and the national anthem in our apartment. My comp didnt want to participate, he likes to laugh at me its all good though!

Well this week was super duper hard yet rewarding! My comp is very ready to go home! I caught him calling home 2 times this week. I'm like dude your almost done hold in there 25 days left tell you're home! You can make it! So I fasted friday for spiritual experiences, that I could be guided in these tough times. I learned that you need to release the frustrations to receive the revelations. I gave the Lord all of my load! Yes another bathroom crying bearing my soul out to my creator in the middle of the night!! I dont nkow why but the God answers prayers when I am crying in the middle of the night in the bathroom!! It works!! Oh my Gosh does the God answers prayers and oh boy is he a mysterious man at times! SO we still are without lights in our house chapel here! Our chapel is not the most beautiful thing in the World but it is a meeting place, and without lights its even a bit more interesting to bring investigatores to church. But this week was super excellent! We had 19 investigators at CHURCH!!! That is the most that i have ever had at church! The church was super filled! The chapel is like a 3 story storage place! and in the back of the chapel there are stairs. So we had people sitting on the stairs sunday!!! It was super beast!! It was a fast and testimony meeting! The spirit was so strong in this small house with no lights! We then went to Gospel Principles class and we had a lesson on the sacrament! We talked about the convenants we make with God through baptism and we rememeber our coventants through the sacrament! In the middle of the lesson 2 of our investigators told us that they would like to get baptized. There was such a strong spirit in Church Sunday!! So we put 5 baptismal dates with investigators!! This indeed was a miracle! One of the people that said that they wanted to be baptized we have been teaching her for about a month! and when we started teaching her she told us she has been baptized 4 times. She doesnt want to get rushed into another baptism and all so we respected her and didnt push too hard to rush her into the waters of Baptism but told her that when she felt the spirit tell her to get baptized to tell us! We knew it would be soon enough! So ya she told us yesterday and also she felt the spirit super strong in the lesson this week that she brought her sister in law to church and he sister in law felt the spirit super strong in church so we are going to baptize her and her daughter and all of this family which are 5 13 of August!! and we need to talk to Patricia's husband to put him in the water too! He wasn't home last night but he is super ready!! But its another couple we have to get married!! but we will keep fasting!! WE will be fasting also this Wednesday!! I would love to fast every day if i could keep having these experiences!!! We brought another family of 3 to church this week! He is a minister of another church! We taught him about the good Book of Mormon and about prophets and all so he told us he would come to church this week! He came to church and he felt the spirit super strong then invited us over for lunch yesterday! We talked about the church and how he felt in church!! They all loved it!!! But then he asked me Elder Hammer i am super confused!! I thought God wanted me to be a minister, not a Mormon! What am I suposed to do! I prayed and received an answer to be a minister in the other church but I feel so much peace in the Mormon Church. So we talked about proper authority and how to receive revelation and how God prepares us in different ways to accept and do His will!! So he is going to pray and get an answer and we will be talking about a baptismal date this thursday with him!!!!! I am super stoked!! this guy is super beast!! He asked us even though I am not a baptized memeber can i still attend your church until I receive my answer!!! OF COURSE!!! So he will be attending this week and everything. He's not like a preacher but he was studying to be a preacher of a protestant church and was in the ministry group so he would vist people and help the pastor and all. He will be a strong soldier in Gods Army once he gets his answer and gets into the waters of Baptism!!! This sunday we will be getting transfers and all! I sure do not want to to leave!! I dont think i will!! I hope for a transfer or 2 more here! Then I would like to get out of the City and teach a little pueblo but we will see what the Lord desires of me!

So we have a boat load of investigators. We have 15 with baptismal dates all before 13 of August so we will be working super hard this month and fasting a ton and putting people in the water!! And we are going to try to put 3 more baptismal dates with people this week! And we are working super hard to get people married!! Freak why people just dont follow the LAw of Chastity!!!! but we do a lot of calling people to repentance!! THats what i love to do as a missionary! Is to tell people that repentance i will bring hope to the hopeless!! This weekend was a weekend of Good Revelations!! I am still working on getting revelations in the lessons, i try to focus alot in the lessons but at times my comp will distract me and i loose the focus he still loves playing with the toys i bring to lessons! I love teaching in a fun enviroment! but at times my comp plays with things when i am giving testimony!!! But i am growing alot!! I have the desires of repentance in my heart!! Repentance is such a good thing yet super hard!!! Its like shoot i wish i knew that earlier im 9 months into the mission and im like if i knew that earlier i could have possilbly helped this person or something. But working hard!! We will put three more in the water this weekend!! I am stoked!! Ruben and Juan Morales and Miguel Diaz i will be baptizing Juan and Miguel!! They are all under 18 teenagers but super cool!! Bringing in the priesthood!! Life is Good! I am grateful to my Lord and Redeemer for the trials that he has been giving me and continues to give me! THeres a qoute by Pres. Rooselvelt that i like a lot its Dont pray to God to make your life easier but to make you stronger! I feel stronger than i was yesterday!! When we feel the spirit with have the courage and desires to repent and bring in the Lost sheep into the Fold!! A trus conversion begins with I feel!! the Lord has blessed me with weaknesses to become stronger!! I dont want to be who i was!! I dont wnat to be who I am but I want to become like my Savior! But Like Christ had too! I too have to learn obedience to find the Will of Him my God!!!

I love you all!! Keep up the Good work kiddos!! We will bring the World His Truth!! I hope that in 15 months i will not be who i was and who i am but will be more like my loving perfect Savior Jesus Christ!!!

DO IT FOR THE CHILDREN!!! FOR THE CHAMPIONS!!!
Love Elder Hammer