Thank you so much to all of you who have written Emerson letters. He is deeply appreciative. There has been a delay in him getting some of his letters and it's because of a change that has been made to his mailing address. Please note that his new address is:
Calle 72 #10-07
Edificio Liberty Seguro
Oficina 303
Santa Fe Be Bogota
Dictrict Colombia, Colombia
Thank you!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Theyre throwin Eggs at us!!! Hit the Dirt!!
Well I think that Patio Bonito just got a bit more poorer or something cuz now they don't shoot at us with bullets but with eggs haha!! JK I have yet to be shot at, but wouldnt surprise me if that happens soon haha!! JK! All is good here in the Big PB. I aint sure if they did the same thing Pop when you were in this country but for birthdays they chuck eggs at you for some reason. I still have no idea why they do this. So I have been dodgin eggs all day. We have an investigator who is super poor. He is basically homeless. I think a cardboard shack would be better off then where he is livin now. Anyways he saved up some money just to chuck some eggs at me.Ii was like homie, why did you waste your money to just throw an eggs at me, why dont you eat the darn thing, but its more important to party here than to eat. haha!! So i finally let one of my investigators Ceasar hit me in the head with an egg and one of the recent converts hit me too with an eggs, but I knew this would happen today so I carried some eggs with me too so if anyone attacked me I would at least give them a little bit too. So of course I nailed them in the head!! haha!! Heres a pic of the eggin attacks!! But im only half way through the day and there are more eggin to come!! haha! but im enjoyin it alot!!
This morning we went and flew the kites again!! Its super bomb here to fly kites!! Shoot they go super high!! 1 mile long strand of string, and yeah, I got they bad boy up in the air! haha!! It awesome, its like just a little dot in the sky. I learned how to make a kite and how to do some tricks with kites, who knew you sould do tricks with a kite!! haha! Well I do now! Elder Oquendo is like a profesional kite flier! So we invited some RC and Investigators and all to fly with us to day!
I baptized a pregnant women this weekend!! haha!! Yeah I had to dunk her 2 times!! Her baby didnt want to get baptized or something haha!! but yeah I got her in the water!! Its super bomb to have baptisms!! I love this area we work our tiny tails off here!! I have 20 converts here in this ward!! It is super cool to see them all at church on Sunday and have on of them pass you the sacrament and all! It is super cool!! To see the fruits of you labors! And then to see another 15 investigators sitting there with you there!! Its super bomb! But shoot its a huge work to do to be a missionary!! The Lord really workd through his servants that are willing! I have seen and experienced some freakin weird ridiculous things here! But the weirder and harder it gets the Lord blesses us more!! I have come to the conclusion that I love the hardships of the mission. I don't like the stress and the sadness and the lack of sleep and the freakin frijoles! oh my worldliness, the beans here are really damagin me. The other day my comp and i were in the bathroom more than we were teachin I think. We are always in there. They give you bean soup. It is alright to eat. It aint disguistin or anything but you pay the powerful price afterwards!! But anyways the mission is super hard with all of the things we do and go through and all but the more problems that are in our lives the more i have seen the miracles and the Hands of My Savior in my Life!!
And let me tell you all that I have seen some ridiculous miracles here in Patio Bonito!! This is the most hardcore thing that i have ever done in my life!! God has blessed me with a wonderful opportunity here, and many gifts here in the mission and I have found how to create me!! Theres a qoute by Elder Ballard that says somethin to the effect that "Its not that we have to find ourselves but we have to learn how to create ourselves" "Love is not found it is created" I love both of these quotes from him! And shoot i have seen the power of Love!! Here in Patio we see alot of abuse alot of disrespect alot of corruption and lot of wickedness. I get so stressed becauseIi want to help this country so bad. It is such in chaos and destroyed. There are good people but wooh holy goats milk they get mistreated!! Instead of saying holy cow, I now say holy goats milk, now that i have milked a goat haha!! But in the midst of all of these hardcore times I have seen the power of when the people come to Christ. I am startin to understand what that means. We all say so many things that we really dont know what it means, but i am understandin a little bit more about this power of God in my Life!! We have been healin the sick, castin out those demons, healin the dyin, preach repentance and healin the broken hearted. It's a huge task but it is ridiculously rewardin!! This week we had to go to an interview with the President. At times investigators need to get interviewed by the President before they get baptized, so we had an appointment to go to the offices Wednesday and we went by to pick up the investigator and she was in bed sick. She passed out the night before and had blood problems and a lot of other things goin on, so we were like, if she gonna get baptized Saturday she needs to have her interview now!! So we gave her a blessin and with in 5 min she was up gettin ready for the interview. With this trials in the lives of the people here we have learned to take advantage of these trials to be witnesses of Christ and His power, and the investigators too, becomes a witness too of the power of God and this mighty change. I have seen satan worshipers turn into christians, the homeless become a part of society, the broken hearted healed.
Before athe mission I heard of all of the stories of peoples stories, but I never really heard of the stress and overload of work, but thats when we see the miracles. I feel like I am startin to understand what it means to forget yourself and go to work!!
All is well here in Patio Bonito, I love the Work and I love my Savior Jesus Christ,
"I found myself in my highest point of pride in my deepest depths of despair" -Elder Burnham
Love ya all
Elder Hammer
This morning we went and flew the kites again!! Its super bomb here to fly kites!! Shoot they go super high!! 1 mile long strand of string, and yeah, I got they bad boy up in the air! haha!! It awesome, its like just a little dot in the sky. I learned how to make a kite and how to do some tricks with kites, who knew you sould do tricks with a kite!! haha! Well I do now! Elder Oquendo is like a profesional kite flier! So we invited some RC and Investigators and all to fly with us to day!
I baptized a pregnant women this weekend!! haha!! Yeah I had to dunk her 2 times!! Her baby didnt want to get baptized or something haha!! but yeah I got her in the water!! Its super bomb to have baptisms!! I love this area we work our tiny tails off here!! I have 20 converts here in this ward!! It is super cool to see them all at church on Sunday and have on of them pass you the sacrament and all! It is super cool!! To see the fruits of you labors! And then to see another 15 investigators sitting there with you there!! Its super bomb! But shoot its a huge work to do to be a missionary!! The Lord really workd through his servants that are willing! I have seen and experienced some freakin weird ridiculous things here! But the weirder and harder it gets the Lord blesses us more!! I have come to the conclusion that I love the hardships of the mission. I don't like the stress and the sadness and the lack of sleep and the freakin frijoles! oh my worldliness, the beans here are really damagin me. The other day my comp and i were in the bathroom more than we were teachin I think. We are always in there. They give you bean soup. It is alright to eat. It aint disguistin or anything but you pay the powerful price afterwards!! But anyways the mission is super hard with all of the things we do and go through and all but the more problems that are in our lives the more i have seen the miracles and the Hands of My Savior in my Life!!
And let me tell you all that I have seen some ridiculous miracles here in Patio Bonito!! This is the most hardcore thing that i have ever done in my life!! God has blessed me with a wonderful opportunity here, and many gifts here in the mission and I have found how to create me!! Theres a qoute by Elder Ballard that says somethin to the effect that "Its not that we have to find ourselves but we have to learn how to create ourselves" "Love is not found it is created" I love both of these quotes from him! And shoot i have seen the power of Love!! Here in Patio we see alot of abuse alot of disrespect alot of corruption and lot of wickedness. I get so stressed becauseIi want to help this country so bad. It is such in chaos and destroyed. There are good people but wooh holy goats milk they get mistreated!! Instead of saying holy cow, I now say holy goats milk, now that i have milked a goat haha!! But in the midst of all of these hardcore times I have seen the power of when the people come to Christ. I am startin to understand what that means. We all say so many things that we really dont know what it means, but i am understandin a little bit more about this power of God in my Life!! We have been healin the sick, castin out those demons, healin the dyin, preach repentance and healin the broken hearted. It's a huge task but it is ridiculously rewardin!! This week we had to go to an interview with the President. At times investigators need to get interviewed by the President before they get baptized, so we had an appointment to go to the offices Wednesday and we went by to pick up the investigator and she was in bed sick. She passed out the night before and had blood problems and a lot of other things goin on, so we were like, if she gonna get baptized Saturday she needs to have her interview now!! So we gave her a blessin and with in 5 min she was up gettin ready for the interview. With this trials in the lives of the people here we have learned to take advantage of these trials to be witnesses of Christ and His power, and the investigators too, becomes a witness too of the power of God and this mighty change. I have seen satan worshipers turn into christians, the homeless become a part of society, the broken hearted healed.
Before athe mission I heard of all of the stories of peoples stories, but I never really heard of the stress and overload of work, but thats when we see the miracles. I feel like I am startin to understand what it means to forget yourself and go to work!!
All is well here in Patio Bonito, I love the Work and I love my Savior Jesus Christ,
"I found myself in my highest point of pride in my deepest depths of despair" -Elder Burnham
Love ya all
Elder Hammer
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
heaven over powers hell any day
This has been the week of heaven and hell! The powers are real of both!! Who you submit yourself you will see the power!! We had a week of many trials, but the Lord has sustained me! Elder Hammer to be an instrument in His hands and in His work!! I was never prepared for what would happen this week but the Lord has protected me in the darkest of times, healed the broken hearts, gives the strength to the week!! I will be writing some definately intense things in this letter, do not worry about me, i am fine. I have been givin it my all here in Colombia!!! The truth is, this country has a tender spot in my heart, I love it and i hate it!! But i love my Savior Jesus Christ and I am a witness to his Power and an instrument ot work in His sacred name!! Heres the stories of the week!! Monday, normal day!! we got some marriage papers to get started with the marriage of a couplee that will get baptized at the end of the week!!
Tuesday!! An investigator called us and needed an emergency meetin! We went and visited him. He needs to get married to get baptized but his wife doesnt want to!! He used to beat his wife when we first met him about 3 months ago but now he doesnt! This guy has had a huge changed from metal rock to church hymns Long hair to clean cut!! Anyways his wife now beats him! We told him about if someone hits you turn the other cheek and all that good stuff! He told me hey Elder Hammer I did what you said and my wife just hit me in the eye! I may not look good but i feel super good i was doing what the lord said and i didnt fight back! Anyways i didnt write that story good but it was crazy for sure!!
Wednesday We met some new investigators that are super hardcore awesome!! They will be baptized we hope in October but they still dont have a baptism date!
Thursday and Friday heavy problems with marriages and all! I can not put to words about the power of Jesus Christ can do!!
Saturday I was freakin dead tired!! We were super wiped we work super hard many times we dont have time for Comp and Personal study because we have appointments at 8 in the mornin with our busy schedule we do not rest!! Our investigators have huge testimonies of what we teach!! When we do our part as missionaries the Lord blesses us and the investigators and the investigators give us references to work with! Theres a family that we now have 4 other families in one small one room house we have over 15 people in a room as big as our down stairs office!! But we have blast!! Almost all of them have baptismal dates in September!! We also had 2 baptisms this day!!! it was bomb!!!
Anyways we were super tired Saturday night we had a baptism that night that we just got back from, we woke up early to go to an appointment we had to wake up a bit more earlier too to get ready and all! So we had an appointment in a bread shop with an investigator at 830 Saturday he didnt show up we waited about 1/2 hour for him to come, I saw him walkin all looppy and all I thought that he was drunk and i was like oh no Pedro you have a baptismal date in September ay no!! Then he screams Elder Hammer Help me! He was stabbed!! He got mugged and robbed!! I was like holy shoot bro!! Lets go to the hospital!! So we got him in a taxi and off we went to the nearest Hospital in our area and all! While we were in the Taxi I started doin my Boy Scout skills! I am glad and greatful for what ilearned in Boyscouts and I started to help him with some of his cuts and all! I did all that i could do! But i could do nothin for a wound in the lung!! He had a good one there!! WE arrived to the Hospital! and all he went in and all that stuff and started to stich him up!! He had over 14 stabs that they had to stitch up and all and he had more that werent serious enough to stitch! anyways! THey took the x rayand it said that he had a punctured lung! He barfed in the Taxi because there was the air flow gettin into his lungs!! So Elder Oquendo and I gave him a Priesthood blessing!! We blessed him and then when they went to do the xray again to start the surgery!! His lungs werent punctured any more!!!! That is what the power of the Priesthood does!! I am a witness and an instrument in the hands of my Lord Jesus Christ!!! We were wiped! This week was a week of hundreds of Thousands of miracles and trials!! But my comp and i have been working strong Trusting in God that if we carry on he will bless us! So thats what we have been doing!! Pedro is now well, we were with him all night long. We did not leave the hospital until 6 in the morning until his family could get there and be with him!! The Testimony of Pedro has grown too!! While he was lying there he told me!! Elder Hammer I now have even more desires to get baptized!! This is the work of God!! Oh Boy is he right!! The Lord uses us according to our willingness to serve Him! If we are willing and we do what he commands us he blessed us!! I am a witness to the Healing Power of God!! I do not write this thing to scare you about the world but to testify to you of my Iiving Savior Jesus Christ!! To tell the World and proclaim and carry His holy Priesthood!! I have seen and done some pretty crazy things in these past 10 1/2 months!! I have experienced the power of God!! Do not fear for me!! That is not the intention of tellin you these things! We are only supposed to write home about uplifting experiences in the mission! I dont write to make you think that i am in danger, for fear i have not in the things of my God!! He protects us and gives us strength in our weaknesses!!
We didnt sleep a wink Saturday night!! We got home at 630 in the mornin Sunday!! Just in time to shower and get ready for church!! While on the way the Bishop called me to talk in Church i was like ight, if thats what the Lord wants thats whati will do!! After church we had a boat load of appointments!! And we didnt get back til 8 at night!! And as DL I took dates all the weekly reports and all and my comp and I went a full 40 hours without sleep!! The Lord Blessed us in our weakness!! I never had so much energy!! Yes our bodies were tested!! But our desires to work were greater then our desires to sleep! And the lord blessed us in His work!!
Again i testify to you as a witness of His power, I have seen the sick be healed, the afflicted comforted and the down uplifted!! That is what my God does!! THat is who He is!! I wish i could tell you more about all of the things that have happend in these past 10 months, but words dont explain it!! I definately cant write it!! But hey when i call home in October i will tell you all about it! haha!! Iove you all!!
Elder Hammer
P.S I will send pics of the Baptism next week!
Tuesday!! An investigator called us and needed an emergency meetin! We went and visited him. He needs to get married to get baptized but his wife doesnt want to!! He used to beat his wife when we first met him about 3 months ago but now he doesnt! This guy has had a huge changed from metal rock to church hymns Long hair to clean cut!! Anyways his wife now beats him! We told him about if someone hits you turn the other cheek and all that good stuff! He told me hey Elder Hammer I did what you said and my wife just hit me in the eye! I may not look good but i feel super good i was doing what the lord said and i didnt fight back! Anyways i didnt write that story good but it was crazy for sure!!
Wednesday We met some new investigators that are super hardcore awesome!! They will be baptized we hope in October but they still dont have a baptism date!
Thursday and Friday heavy problems with marriages and all! I can not put to words about the power of Jesus Christ can do!!
Saturday I was freakin dead tired!! We were super wiped we work super hard many times we dont have time for Comp and Personal study because we have appointments at 8 in the mornin with our busy schedule we do not rest!! Our investigators have huge testimonies of what we teach!! When we do our part as missionaries the Lord blesses us and the investigators and the investigators give us references to work with! Theres a family that we now have 4 other families in one small one room house we have over 15 people in a room as big as our down stairs office!! But we have blast!! Almost all of them have baptismal dates in September!! We also had 2 baptisms this day!!! it was bomb!!!
Anyways we were super tired Saturday night we had a baptism that night that we just got back from, we woke up early to go to an appointment we had to wake up a bit more earlier too to get ready and all! So we had an appointment in a bread shop with an investigator at 830 Saturday he didnt show up we waited about 1/2 hour for him to come, I saw him walkin all looppy and all I thought that he was drunk and i was like oh no Pedro you have a baptismal date in September ay no!! Then he screams Elder Hammer Help me! He was stabbed!! He got mugged and robbed!! I was like holy shoot bro!! Lets go to the hospital!! So we got him in a taxi and off we went to the nearest Hospital in our area and all! While we were in the Taxi I started doin my Boy Scout skills! I am glad and greatful for what ilearned in Boyscouts and I started to help him with some of his cuts and all! I did all that i could do! But i could do nothin for a wound in the lung!! He had a good one there!! WE arrived to the Hospital! and all he went in and all that stuff and started to stich him up!! He had over 14 stabs that they had to stitch up and all and he had more that werent serious enough to stitch! anyways! THey took the x rayand it said that he had a punctured lung! He barfed in the Taxi because there was the air flow gettin into his lungs!! So Elder Oquendo and I gave him a Priesthood blessing!! We blessed him and then when they went to do the xray again to start the surgery!! His lungs werent punctured any more!!!! That is what the power of the Priesthood does!! I am a witness and an instrument in the hands of my Lord Jesus Christ!!! We were wiped! This week was a week of hundreds of Thousands of miracles and trials!! But my comp and i have been working strong Trusting in God that if we carry on he will bless us! So thats what we have been doing!! Pedro is now well, we were with him all night long. We did not leave the hospital until 6 in the morning until his family could get there and be with him!! The Testimony of Pedro has grown too!! While he was lying there he told me!! Elder Hammer I now have even more desires to get baptized!! This is the work of God!! Oh Boy is he right!! The Lord uses us according to our willingness to serve Him! If we are willing and we do what he commands us he blessed us!! I am a witness to the Healing Power of God!! I do not write this thing to scare you about the world but to testify to you of my Iiving Savior Jesus Christ!! To tell the World and proclaim and carry His holy Priesthood!! I have seen and done some pretty crazy things in these past 10 1/2 months!! I have experienced the power of God!! Do not fear for me!! That is not the intention of tellin you these things! We are only supposed to write home about uplifting experiences in the mission! I dont write to make you think that i am in danger, for fear i have not in the things of my God!! He protects us and gives us strength in our weaknesses!!
We didnt sleep a wink Saturday night!! We got home at 630 in the mornin Sunday!! Just in time to shower and get ready for church!! While on the way the Bishop called me to talk in Church i was like ight, if thats what the Lord wants thats whati will do!! After church we had a boat load of appointments!! And we didnt get back til 8 at night!! And as DL I took dates all the weekly reports and all and my comp and I went a full 40 hours without sleep!! The Lord Blessed us in our weakness!! I never had so much energy!! Yes our bodies were tested!! But our desires to work were greater then our desires to sleep! And the lord blessed us in His work!!
Again i testify to you as a witness of His power, I have seen the sick be healed, the afflicted comforted and the down uplifted!! That is what my God does!! THat is who He is!! I wish i could tell you more about all of the things that have happend in these past 10 months, but words dont explain it!! I definately cant write it!! But hey when i call home in October i will tell you all about it! haha!! Iove you all!!
Elder Hammer
P.S I will send pics of the Baptism next week!
we didn't know! 8/8/2011
I testify that my Savior Jesus Chirst and that he live, he calls the pridefull to humility the poor to richness and the broken hearts to be healed in His name! The power of God is so strong, He works in the most humbless ways to bring His fellow man to come unto Him!! These past 2 weeks with my comp have been the best 2 weeks of the best 2 years!!! The truth is, the mission and the kind of fun that i thought it would be! I am dead tired i cant sleep i dont eat there is no time, the things of this world are not necessities, there are starving people, peopel without a roof without clothes and with nothing but the hope of a better world and We are the ones that bring the light of Christ into their lives. My comp and i have been declaring repentance to the people here in Patio Bonito. Wow and what a difference! I am understanding the power and understanding what is a broken heart and a contrite spirit!! We have stepped it up a knotch in the book here in Patio Bonito (Thats knotch one -Starsky and Hutch) haha! We are workin super hardcore here!! We have 15 peopel with baptismal dates, that not including the 7 couples that we hope to get married by the end of September!! We have almost 20 investigators in the chapel every Sunday!! Workin hard!1 We had a baptism and marriage finally here this weekend!! Jefferson Moreno know is wearing a ring on his finger and the spirit is on his shoulders!! YES!! Ive been out for 10 months now with 20 baptisms and we will have 2 more this weekend and hopefully 2 more the next week and we are shooting for another 11 by the end of spetember and it depends if we can get everyone married by the end of september we will have another 14 baptisms!!! Workin hardcore!! WE have planned for the 17 of September a night of rings as i like to call it! We are gettin everythin arrranged to have a huge wedding ceremony for 7 couples to get married this day!! people here are super poor and they have a boat load of legal problems that wont let them get married because of messed up documentation and all but we got a Lawyer of the mission helping us getting people divorced so they can get married, seperation of goods from old marriages changing birthdates and all of documents to help everyone get married and a lawyer is goin to come to the church this day and they are all goin to get married and with all the people gettin married we get a huge discount and we have some help from some of the resources here from the Church!!! But tis a headache with all of this paper work doing alot of errands looking for papers and all!! But we are doing it!! I dont sleep very well because there is so much on my mind. This week we put 7 more baptismal dates with a family!! they are beast we have been teachin them for about 2 months now and always preesnt us to there neighbors so we teach 2 families in one lesson and both families accepted the baptismal dates!!! but of course that means 2 more marriages but we will get them to the chapel in time haha!!
Yesterday was a day of awesomeness!! Wow!!! We have this investigators Pedro, We put a baptismal date with him the 1st lesson about 1 1/2 weeks ago, and hes is beast, the 2nd lesson he came to me and told me, Elder Hammer I have good news to tell you! Iwas like tell me me homie. He said i am going to get married! I was like YAH!! Hip hip hurray!! I asked him what made him make this decision we only had one lesson with you about the Book of Mormon he told me he read the Chapter we told him which was 3 Nephi 11 and he said i felt like it would be the right thing to do. I am ready to put my life in order!! I almost cried for joy and then we had another appointment with him yesterday and i did cry for joy!! we had no idea but he is actually homeless right now!!!! He lives in the streets with friends or with family!! He is gettin back together with his Grislfriend and said it would be best if they were married he needs compromisos in is life and reason to change and when he read and prayed he recieved his Answer about this book and he felt the need to change, this is the power of the Book of Mormon! it changes lives!! WE are here to change lives and that what i am tryiong to do with all of my heart!! My comp is a beast!! He helps out alot!! I love this little guy! Hes teachin me how to break dance haha! and he has a testimony and works good with me!! WE are changin the lives of the poeple here in PAtio Bonito, I ask him everynight what can we do better and what are the needs of the investigators and we get talking and we cant sleep cuyz theres som many of them haha! and then he tells me the everytime we go to an appointment he gets more excited to be a missionary! we love what we do and we do our best doing it. But shoot i dont sleep!! Im always thinkin of the freakin stress in the mission field, We had families that live in poor conditions that make get there house taken aways from them, people gettin robbed, families that physically beat each other, people get killed here like every week. Its ridiculous!! Some how we always find us when there spouse just got killed the week our two ago. but we try to comfort the in these times!! THere are miracles goin down here in Patio Bonito! I am glad that i will be here for more time!! I have almost 6 months here and i will be her more time! My comp is here for a little bit nad then is going to Argentina for his mission his waitin for his Visa. But i am enjoyin the time i got with him!! Hes a cool kid!! Hes a good worker!!!
I know that my Savior lives i have seen the weary become strong, the broken hearts been healed, Evil spirits cast out, Addictions broken, Hate turn to love!! Is this not the evidence of the hands of God in our lives!! God works in all places with anyone that is willin to let Him enter!! I am not who i was, i dont want to be who i am but anxious to be who the Lord needs me to be!! I am learnin! Learnin what it love, how to love, and most importantly learnin to listen, Listen to people, investigators, but most importantly to the spirit i am learnin to recognize the super soft impressions of the spirit!! The come super soft in spanish but they are comin haha!! I think i have a barrier between languages and the spirit!! haha!
All is well, doing the Lord work, dont need anythin, the Lord Provides!! But that doesnt mean that Birthday Presents will be rejected haha!! JK! Just hook me up with my other par of shoes at home and some candy and a foot massager and back massager haha!!
Love ya all!! We are doing for the Children!! You are the Champions!
Heres the pics of the baptism this weekend and the wedding and all.I love the pic of us at the wedding haha! My chest look super awkward! haha! I dont know how to take pics. haha! I am so big and all that i always pose awkward haha!
Love ya all!
Elder Hammer
Yesterday was a day of awesomeness!! Wow!!! We have this investigators Pedro, We put a baptismal date with him the 1st lesson about 1 1/2 weeks ago, and hes is beast, the 2nd lesson he came to me and told me, Elder Hammer I have good news to tell you! Iwas like tell me me homie. He said i am going to get married! I was like YAH!! Hip hip hurray!! I asked him what made him make this decision we only had one lesson with you about the Book of Mormon he told me he read the Chapter we told him which was 3 Nephi 11 and he said i felt like it would be the right thing to do. I am ready to put my life in order!! I almost cried for joy and then we had another appointment with him yesterday and i did cry for joy!! we had no idea but he is actually homeless right now!!!! He lives in the streets with friends or with family!! He is gettin back together with his Grislfriend and said it would be best if they were married he needs compromisos in is life and reason to change and when he read and prayed he recieved his Answer about this book and he felt the need to change, this is the power of the Book of Mormon! it changes lives!! WE are here to change lives and that what i am tryiong to do with all of my heart!! My comp is a beast!! He helps out alot!! I love this little guy! Hes teachin me how to break dance haha! and he has a testimony and works good with me!! WE are changin the lives of the poeple here in PAtio Bonito, I ask him everynight what can we do better and what are the needs of the investigators and we get talking and we cant sleep cuyz theres som many of them haha! and then he tells me the everytime we go to an appointment he gets more excited to be a missionary! we love what we do and we do our best doing it. But shoot i dont sleep!! Im always thinkin of the freakin stress in the mission field, We had families that live in poor conditions that make get there house taken aways from them, people gettin robbed, families that physically beat each other, people get killed here like every week. Its ridiculous!! Some how we always find us when there spouse just got killed the week our two ago. but we try to comfort the in these times!! THere are miracles goin down here in Patio Bonito! I am glad that i will be here for more time!! I have almost 6 months here and i will be her more time! My comp is here for a little bit nad then is going to Argentina for his mission his waitin for his Visa. But i am enjoyin the time i got with him!! Hes a cool kid!! Hes a good worker!!!
I know that my Savior lives i have seen the weary become strong, the broken hearts been healed, Evil spirits cast out, Addictions broken, Hate turn to love!! Is this not the evidence of the hands of God in our lives!! God works in all places with anyone that is willin to let Him enter!! I am not who i was, i dont want to be who i am but anxious to be who the Lord needs me to be!! I am learnin! Learnin what it love, how to love, and most importantly learnin to listen, Listen to people, investigators, but most importantly to the spirit i am learnin to recognize the super soft impressions of the spirit!! The come super soft in spanish but they are comin haha!! I think i have a barrier between languages and the spirit!! haha!
All is well, doing the Lord work, dont need anythin, the Lord Provides!! But that doesnt mean that Birthday Presents will be rejected haha!! JK! Just hook me up with my other par of shoes at home and some candy and a foot massager and back massager haha!!
Love ya all!! We are doing for the Children!! You are the Champions!
Heres the pics of the baptism this weekend and the wedding and all.I love the pic of us at the wedding haha! My chest look super awkward! haha! I dont know how to take pics. haha! I am so big and all that i always pose awkward haha!
Love ya all!
Elder Hammer
6 lbs 6 oz and a worker! 8/1/2011
Yes!! My father in Heaven has answered my prayers and has given me a companion that actually works and gets down to some do some business!! YES!!! I must say that it was a good challenge birthin him but he finally came out and is a lovely brown baby! Elder Oquendo from Cartahana, hes colombian! He works super good with me!! We have been having killer lessons these past 3 days!! On Saturday missionaries from the MTC came! It was super stressful!! Out area first of all is very heavy!! The things we deal with is very heavy, rape, drug addiction, spouse abuse, neglegance of family, poverty, the depresses the gothic the witch craft, A Witch a witch!! Burn her! (said in the monty python accent!!) But we had to do division this whole day and my comp only had 1 day in the area, so i went and showed him where the houses were and him and the MTC elders taught the lessons and he didnt even complain or nothing he just did it!! He works!! Hes a break dancer so he is gonna teach me how to do a back flip, im almost there!! I land on my kneesSo we had some good experiences this week!! WE casted out devils from a house!!! It was a super spiritual experience!! We went to this appointment with a family, it was the first appointment with them, they said that they had deamons living in their house, we were like well we can get rid of them, so we blessed the house, there was a huge notable difference once we casted the devils out in the prayer, we all noticed the difference. So we put a baptismal date with the family for the begginning of September. they have 4 kids and 2 parents, the parents have to stop their drug addiction first and they can get baptized but they will overcome their addictions i have seen this happen many times in the mission, drug addicts and when they come unto Christ they change their habits!!!! Its a miracle!!
So we had a killer week this week! We could be baptizin like crazy if people would just get married!! But no they dont want to get married!! AHH!! I get so frusturated! One person wants to they other no, then when they come to the same conclusion to get married they find out they have some legal issues that wont let them get married and ahh!!!! That socts a boat load of money which no body has here!! But this Saturday we have a marriage!!!!!I am super stoked!!Jefferson Moreno will be getting married on Saturday!! WOOO!! then on Sunday at 7 in the Mornin we will be in the stake center and be puttin him in the water!! Wooo! My first marriage of the mission!! We hope to have a few more very soon!! But we have great church attendance this week of a whopping 18 Investigators in the chapel!!!!! YES!! But there were a lot of them that werent there!! we have lot of investigators coming to church but not gettin married!! We put 5 baptismal dates this week with 10 investigators progressin 14 with baptismal dates! It is bomb! I love it when my converts pass me the sacrament i converts here that are in the presidencies of their quoroms and all! Every week Miguel passes me the sacrament and winks at me when he passes it to me!! ITs hardcore!! Then yesterday one of the Moms of some of our converts came to church for once!! We have baptized the 7 kids!! ITs beast! The mom came yesterday finally!!! I love it whne our investigators present their friends to us. it means that we are workling effectively here!! There bring friends to church too!!! I love it when that happens!! Sometimes i feel like a super star here haha!! I know everyone it seems like!! My last 2 comps didnt like it that i was always talkin to people but it pays off, we are now teachin some dudes in a hotdog truck our security gaurds in our complex and everyone in everyplace!! haha!! I have found out a way to test if i contact people good. I got to some people selling some food on the street and tlak to them, usually if i do a good job they give me food haha!! Maybe i take advantage of my missionary powers to get gain, but at times we get hungry in the field haha!! But i am gald to have my new comp he works and is cool!! I played more with Elder Lopez but i have felt the guiding power of the Spirit here in these past 2 days than i have with my other comps!!! We will put some down together but i am sad that this will be a short companionship, he leaves at the end of this month for Argentina, hes here until his Visa comes to leave the country! but i will take the help i can get here! We will have less lessons in the week for a while because we cant do divisions until he learns the area but we will put some feelings into the hearts of the people!! I love the work and we are doing it for sure!! we will hopefully have 8 baptisms this month!! But way to get me all homesick with all going on with the fam! Hen good luck in Virginia, after the mision i will be joinin you soon i think in Virginia, My Gringo homies here and i have decided we are gonna make a town in Virginia with all of our Gringo missionaires here in Colombia!1 We are all super cool friends! Last night we had a sleep over in my apartment!! some elders in my Zone came over and we all partied for a while last night with the good times rollin by!! Talkin about the states and all the weird thing the Colombians do! haha Today we a re going to watch entangled for pday and try to play some bball, but Latinos dont shoot hoops! haha!! Heres some pics of the baptism we had about 2 or 3 weeks ago i never sent the pics!! Miguel, Ruben, y Juan!! We call Juan Joseph smith!! haha! He looks like a kid Joesph haha!! They are all cool kids! Miguel is the kid under the arm of Elder Lopez, hes super cool and Ruben is another story!! Look at his baptismal suit! I brought the wrong baptismal outfit that was obviously too small but ruben wanted to wear it still haha!! So i let him use my socks so it wouldnt look too bad as high waters haha!The mission comes to life when you go through a state of repentance and an understanding of what you do as missionaries!! I have learned you must release the frusturations to receive the revelation!! ITs crazy how we can connect to the spirit and know the will of the Father!! I dont pray for the Lord to Change His will but to put my Will in line with His!!!
Love ya all! Keep it real in Cali and in Virginia!!
I got letters today from Sis. V from Januarary and Tyler Howell also from Januarary and also my beloved Parker Family from Januarary haha!! I guess it takes 6 months for cards to get here! haha!
WE do it for the Children!
Se Cuidan mis Amigos
Elder Hammer
So we had a killer week this week! We could be baptizin like crazy if people would just get married!! But no they dont want to get married!! AHH!! I get so frusturated! One person wants to they other no, then when they come to the same conclusion to get married they find out they have some legal issues that wont let them get married and ahh!!!! That socts a boat load of money which no body has here!! But this Saturday we have a marriage!!!!!I am super stoked!!Jefferson Moreno will be getting married on Saturday!! WOOO!! then on Sunday at 7 in the Mornin we will be in the stake center and be puttin him in the water!! Wooo! My first marriage of the mission!! We hope to have a few more very soon!! But we have great church attendance this week of a whopping 18 Investigators in the chapel!!!!! YES!! But there were a lot of them that werent there!! we have lot of investigators coming to church but not gettin married!! We put 5 baptismal dates this week with 10 investigators progressin 14 with baptismal dates! It is bomb! I love it when my converts pass me the sacrament i converts here that are in the presidencies of their quoroms and all! Every week Miguel passes me the sacrament and winks at me when he passes it to me!! ITs hardcore!! Then yesterday one of the Moms of some of our converts came to church for once!! We have baptized the 7 kids!! ITs beast! The mom came yesterday finally!!! I love it whne our investigators present their friends to us. it means that we are workling effectively here!! There bring friends to church too!!! I love it when that happens!! Sometimes i feel like a super star here haha!! I know everyone it seems like!! My last 2 comps didnt like it that i was always talkin to people but it pays off, we are now teachin some dudes in a hotdog truck our security gaurds in our complex and everyone in everyplace!! haha!! I have found out a way to test if i contact people good. I got to some people selling some food on the street and tlak to them, usually if i do a good job they give me food haha!! Maybe i take advantage of my missionary powers to get gain, but at times we get hungry in the field haha!! But i am gald to have my new comp he works and is cool!! I played more with Elder Lopez but i have felt the guiding power of the Spirit here in these past 2 days than i have with my other comps!!! We will put some down together but i am sad that this will be a short companionship, he leaves at the end of this month for Argentina, hes here until his Visa comes to leave the country! but i will take the help i can get here! We will have less lessons in the week for a while because we cant do divisions until he learns the area but we will put some feelings into the hearts of the people!! I love the work and we are doing it for sure!! we will hopefully have 8 baptisms this month!! But way to get me all homesick with all going on with the fam! Hen good luck in Virginia, after the mision i will be joinin you soon i think in Virginia, My Gringo homies here and i have decided we are gonna make a town in Virginia with all of our Gringo missionaires here in Colombia!1 We are all super cool friends! Last night we had a sleep over in my apartment!! some elders in my Zone came over and we all partied for a while last night with the good times rollin by!! Talkin about the states and all the weird thing the Colombians do! haha Today we a re going to watch entangled for pday and try to play some bball, but Latinos dont shoot hoops! haha!! Heres some pics of the baptism we had about 2 or 3 weeks ago i never sent the pics!! Miguel, Ruben, y Juan!! We call Juan Joseph smith!! haha! He looks like a kid Joesph haha!! They are all cool kids! Miguel is the kid under the arm of Elder Lopez, hes super cool and Ruben is another story!! Look at his baptismal suit! I brought the wrong baptismal outfit that was obviously too small but ruben wanted to wear it still haha!! So i let him use my socks so it wouldnt look too bad as high waters haha!The mission comes to life when you go through a state of repentance and an understanding of what you do as missionaries!! I have learned you must release the frusturations to receive the revelation!! ITs crazy how we can connect to the spirit and know the will of the Father!! I dont pray for the Lord to Change His will but to put my Will in line with His!!!
Love ya all! Keep it real in Cali and in Virginia!!
I got letters today from Sis. V from Januarary and Tyler Howell also from Januarary and also my beloved Parker Family from Januarary haha!! I guess it takes 6 months for cards to get here! haha!
WE do it for the Children!
Se Cuidan mis Amigos
Elder Hammer
It's a boy! 7/25/2011
Yes its true! IM PREGNANT! WOO!! Last night I got the call from the Doctor (LZ) and told me that i am expecting a boy and he is due this Thursday! I have to be in the hospital (Mission office) at 9 in the morning to deliver (pick up) my baby (new missionary!! Im gonna be a DAD! (trainer)!! haha Check out my Baby photos!! haha!! I am super stoked to train!! I got Elder Oagden! At first I thought he said oakden i was like sweet!! But hes from Colombia which will be freakin sweet!! I am super stoked to work with a fresh one for once!! I am getting super stressed working with a dead man! My comp is totally off! I have had to sit him down a whole bunch of times and tell him to shape up!! HEs does nothing of value only damage to the Lords work!! He plays in the lessons and is a freaking little girl, when i tell him that there is something that we need to work on or something to fix he gets made at me and tells me i cant change who i am, then i have preach repentance and change to my comp!! Comp are supposed to help and support each other!! he does nothing!! For the past 5 months with both my comp i have been feelin super overloaded! Because they do nothing or make it hard to teach!! Yesterday my comp over exaggerated a point in the Bible and told the guy it wasnt correct and it was a disaster!! WE believe in the bible to be the word of god as far as it is translated correctly but not that we dont believe in the Bible so our friend was like then how do you know what parts are true and whats parts arent i wouldnt take advice from a book of lies i only what help from the God of Truth. Then he got frusturated because the investigator wasnt understanding him!! so it took me like a half hour to clear up the whole mess. But it will be so awesome to train!!! Some one with new energy and advice and to help me!! I hope that i will be able to go to bed at 10 30 for once!! Because of being DL (which i love) I check up on my district take dats and all that good stuff and i dont finish til about 10 with that and then to plan, my comp doesnt nothin to plan. he says why do we plan if when we get there they have anotherr question about somethin we didnt plan for!!! Ahh!! so i basically just tell him the schedule for the next day, and he refuse to fill out the area book!! AHHH!! But a fresh one will be nice to train!! YES I am so grateful to my Father in Heaven!!!
I am learining so much here about the Power of God!! He is all knowing!! I want to be so obedient here I want to teach and share this message, i am a terrible teacher but i can help the people understand!! I am tring to strengthen my strengths and trying to make my weakness become my strengths but oh boy thats hard!!! I read DyC alot!!! Doctine and covenants 1 verses 20- 30 alot it talks about why we have weaknesses!! ITs to understand the power of God!! That there is hope in a better world like it says in Ether 12 4, I am in love with the scriptures, but i have a hard time putting emotions into thoughts into words into spanish but were going! I love it when we are in a lesson and someone hasa question and im like i have scripture for that!! Its so beasty!! I love it! Ive always loved the scriptures but i feel like i ma just starting to unlock the powers of them!! The Book of Mormon was a sealed book but oh boy now its startin to open!!
We deal alot with peoples problems!!! holy dogs!! THey have a boat load of problems here! And its not just little gossip problems they are some heavy stuff and they look to Christ and they go to us!! We are teachin a boat load of people but we deal with alot of people that arent married and are living together but dont love each other! AHHH!! We have so many of these circumstances!! My testimony of the commandments has strengthen a ton!!! if they would just keep the law of chastity how there world would be different!! The people are super poor and dont do nothin here so they all come to me and ask me what they can do to play and make up games. Its pretty funny i make up dumb games that they love!!! Yes I have played quite as a mouse haha!! Its hilarious to play with them It Callado como un raton in spanish haha!! I play it with my homies and we run around there house i aint as dramatic as it was with my seniors haha!!! But shoot why poeple just dont keep the commandments. But the family is definately under attack here!! Love is so misunderstood. Love is not in breaking the commanments, but they do not understand that here. THen the society makes them feel worthlesss wihen someone does obey the laws here, laws are more of a suggestion then a law, if someone is getting beat here to police do not interefer until the person is dead, its not a crime here i think of attempted murder only muder but thats just based off of knowledge of experience. It's ridiculous!!
But learining a ton and lovin it!! WE definately have struggles aas servants of the Lord but i love my District and me converts here!!! I almost cry ever Sunday in Church, I have 4 converts here that have the priesthood here that pass and bless the sacrament. I love seeing this change in them, Yesterday my homie Miguel passed me the sacrament and he always gives me the little wink when he passes me it!! I love it its so bomb!!
This week i was a bit down for like 3 days. Sometimes i feel like i put some much in with little results, people that arent progressing but the lord answered my prayers to make me feel like i had a purpose here. Thursdays Me Homie Marta talked to me and bore me here testimony. We are teaching family that has been investigating the church for 10 years almost and we are working xuper hard, they are poor and cant afford much. THe husband has to get divorced and she needs to get a new birth certificate make up because her documents all have different birthdates. Its a difficult task, they go to church and all but cant get bpatized until they get married but have a boad load of legal papers they have to get cleared up before they can get married, so the missionaries kind of gave up on them saying that they were loosing time with them, this is the famil i gave them the eternal pig, A little piggy bank, they are leaning the power of Diezmo, they pay 10 percent to the pig until they get baptized and this money they are going to used it to deal with all of there legal things to get married!! The hermana came and told me, elder hammer you know what, this pig you gave us gives me more desires to read the scripture to follow the commandments and we are know paying 20 percent to the pig!! I felt so good afterwords!! YEs
Well heres also some pics of Guadalupe that we hike last week! It was fun walking with Elder ruth. This is a chapel dedicated to the Virgen Guadalupe it cool theres a huge statue of this virgen that over looks Bogota its coo, youwalk through the jungle a bit Saw some cool bugs.
Elder Hammer
We Do it for the Children my champions!!
I am learining so much here about the Power of God!! He is all knowing!! I want to be so obedient here I want to teach and share this message, i am a terrible teacher but i can help the people understand!! I am tring to strengthen my strengths and trying to make my weakness become my strengths but oh boy thats hard!!! I read DyC alot!!! Doctine and covenants 1 verses 20- 30 alot it talks about why we have weaknesses!! ITs to understand the power of God!! That there is hope in a better world like it says in Ether 12 4, I am in love with the scriptures, but i have a hard time putting emotions into thoughts into words into spanish but were going! I love it when we are in a lesson and someone hasa question and im like i have scripture for that!! Its so beasty!! I love it! Ive always loved the scriptures but i feel like i ma just starting to unlock the powers of them!! The Book of Mormon was a sealed book but oh boy now its startin to open!!
We deal alot with peoples problems!!! holy dogs!! THey have a boat load of problems here! And its not just little gossip problems they are some heavy stuff and they look to Christ and they go to us!! We are teachin a boat load of people but we deal with alot of people that arent married and are living together but dont love each other! AHHH!! We have so many of these circumstances!! My testimony of the commandments has strengthen a ton!!! if they would just keep the law of chastity how there world would be different!! The people are super poor and dont do nothin here so they all come to me and ask me what they can do to play and make up games. Its pretty funny i make up dumb games that they love!!! Yes I have played quite as a mouse haha!! Its hilarious to play with them It Callado como un raton in spanish haha!! I play it with my homies and we run around there house i aint as dramatic as it was with my seniors haha!!! But shoot why poeple just dont keep the commandments. But the family is definately under attack here!! Love is so misunderstood. Love is not in breaking the commanments, but they do not understand that here. THen the society makes them feel worthlesss wihen someone does obey the laws here, laws are more of a suggestion then a law, if someone is getting beat here to police do not interefer until the person is dead, its not a crime here i think of attempted murder only muder but thats just based off of knowledge of experience. It's ridiculous!!
But learining a ton and lovin it!! WE definately have struggles aas servants of the Lord but i love my District and me converts here!!! I almost cry ever Sunday in Church, I have 4 converts here that have the priesthood here that pass and bless the sacrament. I love seeing this change in them, Yesterday my homie Miguel passed me the sacrament and he always gives me the little wink when he passes me it!! I love it its so bomb!!
This week i was a bit down for like 3 days. Sometimes i feel like i put some much in with little results, people that arent progressing but the lord answered my prayers to make me feel like i had a purpose here. Thursdays Me Homie Marta talked to me and bore me here testimony. We are teaching family that has been investigating the church for 10 years almost and we are working xuper hard, they are poor and cant afford much. THe husband has to get divorced and she needs to get a new birth certificate make up because her documents all have different birthdates. Its a difficult task, they go to church and all but cant get bpatized until they get married but have a boad load of legal papers they have to get cleared up before they can get married, so the missionaries kind of gave up on them saying that they were loosing time with them, this is the famil i gave them the eternal pig, A little piggy bank, they are leaning the power of Diezmo, they pay 10 percent to the pig until they get baptized and this money they are going to used it to deal with all of there legal things to get married!! The hermana came and told me, elder hammer you know what, this pig you gave us gives me more desires to read the scripture to follow the commandments and we are know paying 20 percent to the pig!! I felt so good afterwords!! YEs
Well heres also some pics of Guadalupe that we hike last week! It was fun walking with Elder ruth. This is a chapel dedicated to the Virgen Guadalupe it cool theres a huge statue of this virgen that over looks Bogota its coo, youwalk through the jungle a bit Saw some cool bugs.
Elder Hammer
We Do it for the Children my champions!!
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