August 20, 2012

Well as time goes by the stress comes on even more!! AHH!! only like 6 1/2 more weeks in the field and the work just keeps on coming!! It is a camels work workin and dying and training and trying to do the AP work all at the same time!! AHH! We are putting in practice a thing called Plan Perry so i meet with the District and branch presidents alot in Tierra caliente to make sure the program is workin alot! What i have been trying to do here is make the wards and branches are self sufficient! There is an over dependence on missionaries in these areas so we are helpin the districts learn how to train members to do their home and visiting teaching or how members can teach classes and all of that basic stuff! So we are doing alot of member trainnig right now! I try to be the best example for my companion but i must admit, that the lord is working on making me a patient person i believe haha! I try to help my companion with the spanish and with learnin the lessons but in a timely manner. I try to do all of my AP work but not to interfere with proslyting time or study or anything which is so hard to do when the missionary life is soo structured! But hopefully i am becoming a more patient man! I have learned the great value of time. Time flies by. It seems that at times there isnt time enough to even breath haha!

I got only a little bit left here in Colombia but i want to give it all! When we teach I really try to emphasize the great importance of everything and how it all leads us to know our Savior. It seems that God has become a God on Paper, just a written God. People might know verses or maybe even the story of Christ yet they really dont know him, really people just know the surface.

WE are workin on a less active family and we talked about our baptismal covenants. I love how in Mosiah 18 it talks about how Alma was preaching repentance and faith and afterward invited everyone to be baptize and asked them what would impide them to take upon themselves the name of Christ and be a witness of him! This scripture just came to life for us! we talked about how we can be witnesses of Christ! Really to be a witness means that you can experimented you have seen or heard or felt something! We are witnesses of Christ not because of what we read but for our own experiences I know what it feels like to have Christ take my load. I know what it feels like to feel is relief because he has relieved me. I know the power of His mighty hands for they have held me, I KNOW the power of the ATONEMENT because i have felt HIS FORGIVENESS! To be a witness of Christ is to know Him to understand and know how to use HIS ATONEMENT! Alot of times we feel like just keepin the commandments is suffecient enough to considerd a christian but have we really witnessed the Power of God can we testify of Him becasue we witness His power! I love the power of the Scriptures for the understanding they give to me! I would have no problem just sitting and reading the scriptures all day long! They are filled with sincerity, with true testimonies not only writen down on paper but sealed upon the hearts of those bearing Testimony of our God! I am very proud to be counted among the few soldiers of Gods army to day actively serving! At the ending point of the mission i am understanding the great part of the atonement. I have figured that these next 6 weeks will probably the hardest of the mission, but i will finish my time here in Colombia serving with my all.

I cant wait to see you all! With all of the work we have going on here in Colombia in the Lords work, the Lord has made more sensitive to feel his guidance to feel His love to be His Servant! THe Truth is worth fighting for, even til the end! I cant wait to come home and hug you all! I am stoked! I am thrilled! I am overjoyed to go back home! Love ya alla ton Elder Hammer