one month in maryland

Familia, familia, familia,
Wow what an amazing week it has been and what an enjoyable time it has been as well. I can't beleieve how amazing it is here and the people that we continually work with, i am started to really gain a testimony already of why we are called to certain areas at a certain time for a certain people. I can't beleive that i have already been here for a month! it's kinda scary but time flies out here and i dont' exactly like it haha but it's really wierd that i've been gone for 3 months and it seems like yesterday that i was getting dropped off at the mtc, wow i guess time flies when you having fun. Because that what this is out here FUN.
This week has been a great week and i just want to thank you all for writing me and my pen pals as well. I got letters this week that were a real booster and i just thank you all and can feel of your love so much. Nothing is better than coming home at night exhausted as can be and have a letter sitting in the mail box to read before going to bed, THANK YOU!
Well i'll start out with the best imformation first. Alan came to church this week and passed his interview so he is forsurely gonna be baptized on saturday! Oh man i can't even put into the words that describe this kid guys, he really is so different from 19 year old boys that are living in the hoods of maryland. He looks at life so different and he really has got a strong testimony already. This week we taught him about the commandments and i was a little worried because thats where the tuff stuff kinda comes in tithing, WoW, Chastity, sabbath day holy, all that stuff. But they all went so well! He is such a strong person when it comes to making committments. He always says to us YES SIR when we ask him to do something like we are his drill sargent or something but it's great to have someone so committed! We taught him the law of tithing and i usually wouldn't share something like this but i really loved it. We asked him to pray after the lesson was over and we talked abou the windows of heaven being opened and the challenge the lord gives us in malachi 3 to test and see if he will not pour a blessing out upon us. So he committed to pay his tithing and in his prayer at the end of the lesson he said "and thank you for openign up the windows of heaven for me when i pay my tithing, and something like i can't wait to see what those blessings are" Man this is too easy with him! He is a golden investigator and we teach him and testify and he just takes it all in! Yesterday he came to church and sat by me and the lady who spoke shared the quote "forget yourself and get to work" and he leaned over to me and was like "wow, i love that quote, i think i might get it tatooed on my back" haha and i had to kinda explain to him that thats not exactly what we wanna do haha but he really has so much faith and he reads all the chapters we leave him and i am so excited for his baptism on saturday. Elder Caballero will be doing the baptising and i'll confirm him on sunday. Words can't even express how happy i am that we are getting this opportunity to baptise adn confirm him. Together elder caballero and i have become so much closer through alan it's wierd but it's true! I'm so excited to confirm him in church, ha but he hasnt' decided if he wants to do it in english or spanish because he is fluent in both (haha hopefully english or it could be a short confirmation haha) no i know it's not me doing the confirming i know that it is the lord and i know whether it's in english or spanish it doesn't matter. If we are fluent in spirit, then that's all that matters. So yeah i will keep you all posted on that next week and try to upload some pictures next week on my email of the baptism!
> To update you on our other investigators, things have been pretty slow other than alan. There is a guy names luis who was supposed to be baptised in june but his wife couldn't be so he didn't and we have been meeting with him and we just decided that it would be better if he just got baptised but he hasn't come to church in like 3 months so we told him if he comes to church this week that he could then be interviewed and be baptised with alan. I had such high hopes that we were gonna have a DOUBLE baptism. But he didn't show up to church and i think that it's just gonna take more time with him. he has been taught for like 8 months and It's better that elder caballero and i not baptise him in inactivity because i think he still hasnt' connected the dots all the way that after baptism it's not over, it's just the beginnning. So we do have a baptism on the horizon with him and his wife but we have got to get them beack coming to church and learning more so i'm very hopeful of that! I was so excited to write you all this week and say ok i dunno what i'm doing but now were having two baptisms haha but that's alright we have some work to do with them before they can enter into that sacred convenant!----------Now Elso, man elso is struggling. We have been to his house like 5 times this week when his car has been there and he just wont answer the door and he never calls us back. I don't know if somehting happened to him but he was progressing so much and then all of the sudden he just went cold turkey and hasn't talked to us in like a week and a half! He speaks only spanish and his car was there one day and we knocked on his door and an african american lady opened the door speaking english said he wasn't there. so were a little suspicious that he might have a little girlfirend problem and maybe that's why he hasn't talked to us but man it's tuff with him because he was progressing but everytime we go there he wont answer. But we'll keep workign on him that's for sure we'll find him even if we have to sit on his car unitl he comes out, we'll do it haha We have many investigators and prospects up in an area that's a little tuffer and the only time that we are supposed to go up there is during the day and during the day EVERYONE works and it's a little ruff in that area at night so were not supposed to be there so getting a hold of them is tuff but we have a lot of people that we are continuing to get a hold of and continue to teach. Elder Caballero is amazing man the other he put a lady right in her place and i think she's gonna get batpised soon. he is so good at turning things around on people and makign them realize that there a little confused in their beliefs. I love it ha i really am getting better in understanding espanol but i struggle openign my mouth sometimes in lessons and that's my goal for this week is to open my mouth! I love the latin culture and the food wow!
So speaking of food i gotta share this experience with you all. Elder caballero and i went to a family who we actually played indoor soccer with last p day and they have had the missionaries before but are really traditional catholics, but they love the missionaries. So we went over there one night and yeah the night we went there we had the car, thank goodness, it was raining harder than i have EVER SEEN in my life! It's unbelievable here! We walked like 20 steps and we were drenched! But we go in there and the first thing they ask us is are you hungry, and we never turn that down. Ha i probably should so my figure doesn't change too much but they are mexican and the mexican food is the best! Next thing ya know we've got beef quesadillas with homemade cheese in front of our eyes, beans avocado and this red sauce. Man it was a feast they just kept bringing them out i think between elder caballero and i we had about ten haha. But i asked them what the red sauce was and the sweet mom just kept saying "cuidado,cuidado" that means careful in spanish so i put a little on there........OH BOY BAD DECISION it was habanero peppers mixed into a salsa! They are the worst peppers in the world if you don't know that but oh my goodness my mouth was on fire and then i started to sweat ha it was crazy just like boom and a fire had started in my mouth and the little mexicans just laugh at me, ha i think i act like a gringo, but i am started to like the spicy stuff though cause once i got used to it ikept puttting a little more and a little more but wow it was hot! haha we are getting fed so good, everywhere we go we eat i swear. The other branch that we are over feeds us a few times a week and thats always the best. This week we went to Golden Corral again, yep they lost money off of me and elder caballero, but don't worry i'm sure your all thinking that i'm getting fat don't worry elder caballero and i are workign out every morning, a lot of crunches is all i gotta say haha.
Winter is just around the corner i can start to feel it, it's getting a little more chillly in the mornings and it's just chillyer but it's nice cause when we are riding our bikes it's perfect were not drenched in sweat but the weather is getting so nice here it's the best time of year here!
Alright well i think thats about it for this week i hope you all enjoy and have a wonderful week. Grandma hafen thanks for your letters they sure are great to read and i'm excited to see pine valley with trees in the yard! Thank you all for the letters and packages. Thanks mom and grandma and my pen pals and for the emails as well i feel so blessed to ahve you all thank you thank you! This gospel is amazing i tell ya it really has so much power and has blessed me so much and i'm so grateful for all of you and for your examples in this gospel to bishops, stake presidents, counselors you all have done it all and had your callings and it just is great to know that my family is full for this gospel and that is the reason our family is so close because of the gospel, i know that without a doubt! I love you all and hope the best for all of you!Have a great week and know that i'm loving it out here.
Con mucho amor
Elder Hammer

Les amo!