So we dont have as many set lessons here in Roma we are in a rebuilding stage here. The ward is super small. It has 400 people in the roster but a good Sunday has 80 people in the chapel so we are workin on buildin the ward up and we contact all the time. Oh my gosh, we just walk and talk and meet some of the weirdest and most awesome people. So the contact of the week was super cool! We started to talk to this guy about God and Christ and the basic doctrine and all and he sad Oh ya man, Jesus man, he was a Rebel, I mean look at this guy! Hey Elder can I spit in your eye? I told him i would prefer it if you wouldnt please. he was like point made, Jesus went around and this rebel of man didnt even ask permission he just would spit in some blind guys eyes to heal him. You dont see anyone else doing that, this guy was a rebel! I tried so hard not to bust up laughing the way he said it and the movements and all oh my gosh i was had to fake a cough attack to cover up my laughter haha it was hilarious!! Then another day we went contacting again and I contacted some lady that was lookin out her window so i started to talk to her and she then started cryin and she said we could come back later. I looked at my comp and was like see, thats how you contact, that's a spirtual contact haha! Then some old lady starts yellin out the window call the police quick call the police, so I had my comp call the cops. The lady said the the daughter was goin crazy and that thats why the mom was cryin I was like dang it, I didnt have the spirit in the contact she was just sad. Then like 3 minutes later the old lady said oh actually all is well now dont call the police we were like oh ok sure but ya we already called haha!!! so we continued on our way and the police came to the door and we were like we better not be here so we just ran away haha!!
We are meetin and doin alot of fun things!!
This area is super different than my other areas. We meet alot of Atheisits it ridiculous! I dont know what to do with all of them so we try a lot of ways to start to try to make them change and understand. I actually like to teach them because atleast they think. We have figured out that to start off we talk about God. We first explain that God is a God of laws like they all believe in "Only Science" haha, (When they tell me that i try not to think of Nacho Libre haha) But we tell them that yes God has laws and if he would not live by the laws he would cease to be God. Then they start to listen to us and we get teaching them.
We actually have an athiest who has a baptismal date. We still dont really understand why he accepted the challenge to follow in the path of Jesus even though he doesnt believe in God but he wants to get baptized. He has a baptismal date for the end of November! So we have til then to have him gain a testimony of God!! But he comes to church and lives all of the commandments and everything haha! He even had a hardcore dream that he told us he had and he had a dream about like everythin of the temple we were like dude thats your answer, he was like no, what happened was that my brain waves had intercepted the brain waves of my wife and i absorbed her dream in my sleep we were like uhhhhh! So we just talked about receiving revelation. He is an interesting fellow but he will be gettin wet soon!
This week we have a baptism!!! YES!!!! I fell kind of down. This is the first month that i havent baptized in the mission. AHHH! But it was hard in this transfer but in November we will be baptizin but hey we will have people in the water haha!! The work goes on!!
We had to be in the house early yesterday because they had elections here and they have like marches and riots and things so we have to be home at 5 last night. So saturday I bought some pumpkins and last night my comp and i made jack o lanterns haha, and then i made pumpkin seeds. Today i am gonna make a pumpkin pie. We will see how it goes!!
This week was an excellent week!! The truth as far as numbers of the mission it aint too good but personal progress I feel I am gettin better!! I have been trying to focus more on the Atonement of Jesus Christ! Joseph Smith, the atonement of Jesus Christ is the central of our religion and everythin alse is just an appendage of our beliefs! So I try to focus every aspect of our teaching on the atonement!! Elder Holland came to Colombia about 7 years ago and I read the talk that he gave to the mission here! It was a stellar talk!!!! Elder Holland really gets me every time!! I have yet to even begin to understand the effects of my Saviors Atonement!! Elder Holland said, "When the going got tough God sent His best Son down to Earth to save us so quit whinning and go to work Elders. Get to Work. He cant do it alone. He has givin us the task to feed his sheep!! Elders Feed HIS SHEEP!!!" This talk is amazing. I dont know if you can find his talk on internet if you can read it, it is amazing!! He said i signed up for apostleship when i signed my name on the missionary form and i stand by that signature i signed so many years ago and i do so with ever such more devotion today!!! If you listen to the talks of Elder holland he always relates everything to the atonement because that is what the gospel is about. The atonement is everything! Sometimes we think that Jesus just suffered for us. He felt my pains so he knows how help me. Yes this is of course part of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus but that doesnt even scratch the smallest increment of the atonement! Our Lord and savior had His free agency. He chose this self sacrifice!! We all have duties like us we choose to complete or not fullfill our duties, Jesus had the duty to sacrifice himself but had the agency to not but it is His will, His agency, His love that has saved us!! He completed His Duty to God. He completed His duty to his fellow Brothers and Sisters. He did the impossible through His love and His Faith, and His duty! He has born His testimony on His Hands and Feets and on His side! He did it alone, he bore the unbearable he drank from the bitter cup, Even my Savior Jesus Christ has suffered even my burdens. Words do not describe, feelings cannot feel and we cannot understand the this concept but we can learn and we can strive to be better! Jesus was alone in the atonement, even his apostles were sleepin he had to bear it alone, when Christ was on the Cross he said, oh God why hast thou forsaken me, even the father had to let him suffer, there are many different things said about this moment in time, that maybe the father had to let him do die alone to complete the atonement, Elder holland said that the Father had to look away from the sufferin of His son for the pain was so great to watch His only begotten son, be betrayed by his own to be crucified and suffer, somethin that must be done, the Father had to look away to even fullfill all rightousness.
This week when we were teachin an athiest family they asked us why would we ever want to leave heaven, that makes no sense, everythin then would be perfect why would we want to come down to this Earth that is a hell! I asked him, JR. do you want to leave your house and one day liveo n your own, he said yes of course, why would you want to do that, you have everything you will every need here in your house, here in your family, that makes no sense to leave the security of your home to go live on your own in the cold cold world, but it is something necessary somethin that will help you grow, something that will define, one day you will leave your home and have the priviledge to Grow, for the same reason you will leave your Earthly home is the same reason you left your Heavenly home! I understood part of the plan of God, The importance of the plan of god and how we can apply all of the aspects to Gods plan in our everyday life!
My testimony of my Savior is growing , I love my Lord and i praise my Father for His plan and his tender mercies i may not understand i many not know everythin but i do feel the love of my savior Jesus Christ through His atoning Sacrifice!!
This is my testimony and my witness if His reality and name.
Elder Hammer
