I'll be home for christmas 1/6/2012

This was my last Christmas and years in the mission field!! A bit sad actually!! But life goes on i guess!! but have no fear I ll be home for Christmas!! I have a special request that the WHOLE FAMILY be there!! It was a fun holiday season in Colombia i liked it alot living Colombian traditions but it aint the same without the family!! For New Years my comp and i went to bed like normal but woke up at 12 to see the fireworks and all!! Like Dad says they burned the old year to welcome in the new year!! The get a huge scarecrow man and the put fireworks in him and then at 12 they burn him and he explodes and all sorts of stuff it was pretty cool!! Theres a tradition here that the people run around the block with their suitcases. This is supposed to give you goodluck to travel somewhere within the year so my comp andi saw some guy doing that and we looked at each other and where like ok a quick run around the corner so we did a quick run around the block in our PJs with our suitcases. haha then we went to bed afterwards haha!! IT was a good time!!!

 Well this was an interesting week!! We met this Israelite family! they still live the law of Moses with burnt offerings and everything it was interestin! They guy had a Book of Mormon and he invited us over to talk about it!! When we went back to the appointment they were all dressed up in Jesus Clothes with tunics and all!! It was awesome!!! Apparently one of the guys is an Israelite pastor or something but he used the Book of Mormon to prove his doctirne, but only 2 nefi because it has part of Isaih in 2nd Nefi!! But that kind of threw us off gaurd when he did that. He was quotin scriptures from the Book of Mormon!! He doesnt belive that Christ came to establish His higher Law!!! but it was a killer Lesson!! We let him go off for a little bit then we came down to business!!! It was super cool!!!! So we showed him how when Christ came he came to fullfill the Mosaic law then he got super mad at us because we totally showed him with solid scriptures of Christ comin to fullfill the law and he whipped out our comdenation and told us we would go to hell if we didnt believe him!! My comp is good at bible bashin he wants to be a lawyer and will be good at it but that aint really my style!! So i calmed my comp for a sec and he let me speak!! I love hwo God really just asks for a testimony and the sweet simple testimony can change a lesson so quick!! So i testify of my Savior how He is my Redemeer and how He came to fullfill the law. I showed them how when Christ came to this Earth He came and showed and lived the higher law! Christ healed a man on the sabbath he let the adulterer go free with out stoning her and other scriptures showed how Christ was livinf the Higher Law and testified that this is my savior and my redeemer!!

I love the power that comes from testifying!!! Its so great!!!!I amtrying to be a better testifier as that is one of the most powerful tool God has given us as His servants. Then my comp whipped out some scirptures that were amazing!! At first the family was like mad at us for not living the Law of moses!! We were teaching a family but they also had their Israelite leader guy to come meet us or something!! This isrealite guy knows His scriptures through holy shcnicks mostly the Old testament but had us goin in circles but it was awesome i thought at first it was just gonna be bible smash party but at the end the family really liked our message and we left them thinking with a little taste of the spirit too! and they invited us back this week!! WE will see how it goes haha!!!

 We also met another guy who was part of the gorilla!! They enemies of Colombia that hide in the mountains and are usually drug trafficers!! I didnt understand what this guy was talking about til the end of the lesson!! He said that he was desmovilized!! I thought that meant that he couldnt move. like he was handicap or something!! but no, he has some contract with the goverment that he wont go back to the war and all other sorts of stuff!! But he is awesome!! We met him Friday and hew went to Church on Sunday!!NEW YEARS DAY!!!!! It was so cool!! We passed by his house, really with little faith that he was really goin to go to church but was already to go when we got there!! He had his book of mormon in hand and the bible in his back pack! ready to go!! We taught him once and then 2 days later he went to Church and he loved it he said!! How great!! He told us some of his stories about his life its a bit scary but more than anything sad to hear what he has gone through and has done in his life but is looking for a change and that change only come from God! He told us some crazy stories of while he was in the Gorilla and how he got wrapped up in some hardcore things!! I love being a missionary cause people just up to and first sight and tell you everythin and we meet some super interesting people!! So we got anoth 10 investigators this week!! YES!!!! Our area is growin a bit more!! I am startin to do things abit differently now. I want to change and be better as a missionary, as a companeon as a Zone leader as a Child of God!! Loving it!! Elder Hammer