Area Roma

Well we are gettin down to business here!! This area is super hard!! The people have a bit more money and do not listen to us like they did in Patio and there is almost no action here!! In Patio we always had to stop people from killin each other or something. Here the people are actually civilized!! Its a bit weird. I really miss patio bonito!! Even though it is the ugliest place in the world but its got a soft spot in my heart!! I love being Zone leader. There actual is a big difference in being District leader and Zone leader!! But I really dont like to get mad at the Elders but we got some Elders that we dont know what they are doing or do just weird things. I got a bit on some of the Elders case in Patio Bonito my replacements. There are 2 elders from Peru that are there and they are very sweet young men but Patio is a bit rough for them and they get scared real easy. But at night I call them to check up on the investigators that I left them and they dont visit them. I get on their case a bit. They should have at least 5 baptisms but i dont know what they are doing. I get calls from my peeps from Patio and they call me in my new area I tell them that they have new missionaries in their area. Trust them. They can help them and all but its a different type of work we do in Patio Bonito. You cant find the answers in Preach My Gospel for what we do in Patio. It comes from being on your knees and then do the work on your feet! Its a different type of missionary work for sure there and i love it!!

 My comp right now is super fun!!! We get along great!!! My trainer was Argentine and didnt have an excellent time with him but my comp is super cool! We always joke about the argentinen pride and I teach him songs that he sings with me when we are in the street and all its fun!!! We are workin hard to meet new people and get some investigators to teach! the Elders before us left us almost nobody but we will change that! We are makin alot of changes here in this zone!! I believe in 2 weeks we should have a baptism here! The lady is super hardcore. Shes super fun! She has a baptismal date for the 7th of November!!! We will see how she does! In the mission the scriptures seem to come more a live!! I study them with more intensity but i am lovin them!! Everyone keep up the good work love ya all a tons!!

 Elder Hammer

Zone Leader

I am now on the down hill slope of the mission crazy huh! But time is flyin fast here in Colombia and it is freakin insane what we do here. We now have 5 missionaries livin in our small apartment!! It is super fun! Theres another Gringo named Elder Varney and hes from Georgia hes a cool dude we have fun! But he aint my comp. Its too dangerous to have 2 gringo together in Patio Bonito. I got super sad this week! They told me that I will be leaving Patio Bonito this Wednesday. I was like what the heck man, i thought i would have another 2 weeks here! I love my area but i am also ready for a change, This is a very heavy area and it will be nice to change areas and all!! My new comp is another Argentine he seems pretty cool! We will be ZL together! I am excited i need to get out of this area i feel!! There definitely have been some hardcore expereinces here that definately have marked my life forever!! And this week was no exception!! I am excited to be able to be ZL! We are going to change alot of things in this Zone! the cool thing is that its a brand new zone! In November they are forming another stake here so we form another Zone then!! But we will be the Best zone in the mission! That is for sure! We are raising the bar here! This mission has passed in some hard times with some missionaries that were super trunky and the mission is in a huge building stage! This mission has the record for most missionaries sent home early! Not the best reputation for missionaries But we are doin a lot of changes here and we are gonna be a baptizing zone thats for sure!! I was talkin to President the other day he told me that a normal mission consist of 24 baptisms in the 2 years the average is a baptism a month. I told him, President we will change the normal then of this mission! We aint here to be normal missionaries! Thats what i am focusin on these day, to not be a normal missionary!! we are raisin the bar higher! We are gonna work harder, baptize more and fill the chapels!! Thats what the world needs!! Thats what God needs sp that what we will do!! Obviously it means more work and more teaching more testifying and changin some much things!!

 This week my re-emplacements came here so i have been teachin them the area!! I must say i am super nervous to give them my area! They are good kids and all but very book strict missionaries!! THeir persaonalties are super different than how we work here! but the Lord has called them here and we will trust in the Lord but its a lot of trust in him!! I feel like part of the families that we teach and i love them all so much. I mean 8 months here and all is a lot of time to just leave them but the Lord has called me to another ward to edify and fortify!! we leave 10 baptisms for my friends here! The good news is thati am gonna come back for their baptisms and i am the ZL of PAtio Bonito. So i will do on division here and see my peeps and all!!

 I am startin to understand the power of prayer finally! I am progressin slowly but surely! At times we try to pray to change the will of God which is not the purpose of the prayer This is my definition of a prayer. The plead or cry to understand the will of God, not to change it!! It with our desire and hope to follow God that we recieve the answer. God answers prayers but we must be listening. At times i feel like God stills His hand until we come to the understanding to recieve the revelation because if we recieve revelation without fullfillin the revelation or doing our part, God knows this, then we would condem ourselves! Its ahrd to explain but i feel like i am understanding it in my head!!

Well this week we will be callin home!! I will be callin home Saturday night! With this new transfer we kind of changed plan, it will be Saturday at like 7-8 Colombian time, i dont know aht time it will be with ya all. But i would love to talk to ya all of the family!! }so do what you can do do be on skype at this time please!! I want to see you all and see how big EVY is!! haha!!
 love ya all
 Elder Hammer

Here are some pictures of some people here in patio bonio and my best friend Elder PAsado hes a funny dude!!

we take no junk from no one 10/3/2011

Well we are all in a repentance state here in the Mission field!! WOW!! Conference was super hardcore!! The Bomb!! We had a spiritual 2 day feast!! Ladies! you all need to check out the talk from Elder Holland he ripped it up and started off priesthood session of with a bang!! We got slapped up and back on the head super hard at conference i loved it!! I have never been so pumped up for conference before but this was like the biggest awesomest thing in the World!! This week was super fun!! we had multi conference as missionaries, we had the temple on Friday and saturday and sunday we had conference!! Loved it!! Well on Wednesday i got a surprisin call in the mornin frmo Pres. He called me to go to the meetin with all of the LZ!! I was like well why am i goin to this meetin, im a DL! I dont go to these meetings anyways i went with my LZ to this meetin and we were jokin the whole time that President was just wantin me to come to dance salsa for him for a little interlude to the meetin haha!! I am a famous Salsa dancer here!! I imitate dancin Salsa here just to make fun of the Latins here but they all love it!! haha! But i went to the meetin a President said that he has changed my assignment and i will now be the LZ of the new Zone!! we form a new Zone and new stake this week so Wednesday i will be the LZ of Zona Libertad!!! its gonna be an interestin 3 weeks!1 Wednesday comes 2 mroe missionaries to our area! I am gonna train the Elders our Area and then in 3 weeks i go to my new area called ROMA! Its like a 2 minute drive haha!! It will be fun!! But its gonna be an interesting assignement!! But i am excited to be the LZ! We will see how it goes and all!! WE are gonna kick some bootie as a new Zone!! We will work hard!! We are workin hard to change the mission here!!! It has passed through some hard times! but i am stoked!! Well time for the lesson of the week!! Well I have been praying and fastin to be re'energized! I am gettin tired but i want to work but theres somethin that doesnt let me feel the spirit like i now i should! so while we were in the temple this week I said a heart felt prayer to my God to help me recieve the revelation i need to help me change and be better and stronger!! Well I got my answer on Saturday!! After Conference i was super pumped after the Priesthood session after being slapped around by Elder holland I was ready to preach with more conviction and power then ever!! Basically Elder holland said dont take any junk from anyone and just man up and teach the gospel!! I was like alright lets do this!!! When we were walkin to the bus i saw 3 hobos stealin a sewer lid in the street!! I felt like i should tell them not to do that but did nothing and kept walkin!! It wasnt that i was scared our anythin! I was just too lazy to do anythin, they were out of my way. then i got on the bus and i was thinkin, Wow, Elder hammer you are a lazy son of a gun. Then some hobo got on the bus and begged for money, i gave him a little and i felt an impression that i should get off the bus with him and then contact him! So when he got off we got off, but we had to go right and he went left!! he was out of our way so what did i do! I did nothing!!! What the heck!! When we got home i was like dude what is my problem!! when will i learn!! God gave me 2 chances to talk and help and stop sin but what did i do, i did nothin because it was out of my way!! I had to have lovely chat with my Heavenly Father that night and get my head on right!! I dont know what happend!! then Sunday night after conference we went to an appointment!! this couple is not married!! they keep goin bakc in forth in their relation ship! sometimes they are together then later not and its a headache workin with them!! but they need this gosple! I usually am a really laid back dude and just like hey, i taught you the commandments, live them or not, its your salvation but leave it up to them but i dont teach like Elder holland. Like Elder Holland told us, we need to talk bold, confident and in your face, cause any other way doesnt seem to work!! So I told my comp, we are goin to Elder Holland them! haha!! And that what we did! I was very in direct, there is no way that they have anythin to assume there is nothin the guess, they know what they have to do and we got in their faces!! It was an awesome lesson!! I usually dont like to get in peoples face and tell them to be better, i like to just be a livin example, but that doesnt work, words also have power!! I never have done anythin like what i did Last night i didnt know how they would react!! In the end the sister ended up crying and then the brother was like Elders I would like to tell you somethin!! this brother is a firey man he was a sniper in the army here and he is very hardcore. But it ended up that he thnaked us for our work and word and diligence with them and the sister said the smae thing through here teary eyes!! I never thought that i owuld be thanked for gettin in someones face like we did but I am learnin and understandin! Like it says in Moroni 7.7 god works through power! Gods gosple deserves that we work in Power! As messengers of Him must be like Him and work with the Power!! In Alma 4.19 it talks I talks about the power to be a missionary. In this part Alma i out preachin the gosple and talks about the importance of bearin a testimony against the people that they might remember there duties to God!! thats what we do we bear a testimony of the Saviour against the sins of the person that they might remember there duties and come unot the Master!! I love the Scriptures and the power of them!! This week we have planned OPERACION COBRA!! We will be whippin the people into shape not being forceful but with assurance and more confidence and not takin no junk from no one!! Lets bring em heaven boys!! haha!! thats the cheer of the week! haha! love and miss ya all! this wednesday I complete one year with the name tage on my chest!!! WOW!! I am on the downward slope!! nuts!! It goes by way too fast!! but I love my God and my Family!! Love ya all! I think next week is when i will be callin home!! but i will tell you all more next week! Love ya, Elder Hammer