letter 1/16/2012

Well this week was a fun one!! I dont know why but i decided to mess with my comp a bit! so i have been telling that i have like a fainting disorder (which could be true) so at random times i just fall to the floor and wait to see his reactions haha!! Like last night he was in the bathroom brushing his teeth and i made it sound like i fell off the top bunk and i laid on the floor with ketchup coming out of my mouth and on the floor and all haha!! He freaked out like a good comp. haha!! Then another time I fell down the stairs, made it look like i fainted out of the window, tripped on the mop ets. etc.. haha its good to mess with my comp.

This area is just getting crazy now. We meet some interesting people here!! You get the people that just ask for help but they want it and then they wont really let us help them. There are a lot of people that just want to tell us their problems but wont really let us do anything!! The other day we were talking to this guy and we were like we are missionaries and all and then and he just told us every problem he had ever had and we were like well we can help. God is the one to help you, but then he was like oh dont come talking to me about God. I was like well good luck in life. We are here to help you but if you dont let us, we cant do nothing. Really at times its just like well, what is going on here, i dont know what to do to get these people to understand what the gospel really is! Like at times I will bare my testimony to them and then in the middle they will cut me off and tell me how one time there was some guy who tricked them and ripped them off in some deal. I was like where did that even come from. They just change the topic so quickly and randomly, but we continue onward we shall see how we can change the hearts of the people here in Roma!!

 We will be having a baptism next week!! Yes!! I am stoked!! It's a guy that we have been teaching ever since i got here but had to live the law of chastity and now is living it so he can now get baptized WOOO!! I am stoked!! Slowly but surely the work goes on here in Roma!!

We had an awesome zone conference this week!! The assistances came to our Zone this week! They talked about all of the points that we need to better as as a mission and so many things we should be doing better!! It. was awesome. I love mission training and conferences and all! Its the time that we get to get the instructions that we need, the spiritual uplift that we need as missionaries!! At times i get super discouraged about the work that we try so hard but the people just dont get it!! I am learning now a lot about the power of humility to really submit yourself to give up you own will to a greater cause than mine!! I have seen what has happened in the course of my life doing my own will and the difference of putting aside my own wants and desires!! But i have really noticed the difference of the puttin aside my fears!! Really being a missionary is to put away all fears and continue onward!! There's a scripture in 1 John 4:18 that says how there is no love there is no fear, but in love fear is kicked out, something like that. I dont know the translation very well. But when we are really humble enough to understand that it doesnt matter what are my weaknesses are or what i what, my purpose is to put off the natural man! Mosiah 3;19 the natural man is an enemy to God!! I cannot afford to be an enemy to my God, I need Him by my side!! I want to be a tool in His hands, that is my purpose here as a missionary. To be what he wants me to be, not to have God change His plans to be modified to mine!! As i live the mission rules, follow the spiritual promptings we recieve is how i come closer to God!! I can really tell the difference when we follow the promptings of the spirit!

I told ya all about the lady who told us about the guy that started to dance like a cow that was the devil and all!! Well we were thinking about leaving her because she just talks about some interesting things but we decided we would give her one more week to see how she goes and we went last night to visit here and she had like legit questions and had a huge change in her being. She actually followed the lesson, didnt go off topic or anything and even had a reference for us at the lesson. So here we go, small but great miracles here in Roma!! Love ya all a ton!! keep up the good work my lovely family Elder Hammer