family

Hello everyone,
It's so good to be back here and to telll you all about what's goign on this past week. We had such a good week this last week and i'm excited for you all to hear about it. Well i'm staying in glen burnie! Elder Caballero is leaving and i'll get a new comp on wednesday. I'm glad that i'm staying and to see the new adventure with whomever it may be. Thanks for the letters and packages this week i really appreciate them. Thanks grandma hafen and aunt jodie for the letters i loved hearing from you guys!
Well probably the biggest news is that our investigators from Fort Smallwood Rick and Loraine are doing so well! We went to the temple with them on saturday and had one of the msot amazing experiences of the mission there! We had a great lesson with them on thursday and invited them to go and they said they would love to and that they would drive and everything. It really worked out great. We went down to the temple and they were amazed and rick is just a character, haha that guy can talk, we listened to him for 45 minutes the whole way down and i really don't think he stopped haha he's such a good guy though and he is really progressing. When we first met him he was really struggling and he didn't know if there was a god or what and he is taking huge leaps of faith and it's so cool to see. Oh ya and little reba their 3 year old came with us too haha she's the cutest i love that girl. But we got there and went through a tour of the visitor center by a sister missionary and we have been really trying to get rick to pray and read and that's what they focused on at the temple with them so it worked out so good. Then we went and walked around and took some pictures and talked more about what the temple is, it was a little difficult to explain to them about the temple because we ahven't even got to teach them the plan of salvation yet but i know that they felt the spirit and they wanted to know more. And then we went to watch Joseph Smith the prophet of the restoration movie. Dang that movie is so good and couldn't have been mroe perfect for them. Reba starting crying and yelling half way through the movie so rick took her out and didn't come back haha she's a little snappy for a 3 year old but loraine was able to see the whole thing. Well long story short at the end elder caballero was in tears, i was in tears and loraine was in tears. That movie is so powerful and after it was over she was like i need to go to the bathroom and clean up, she was like balling and then the best part of the whole experience. Elder Caballero started to talk to a sister missionary from st george and loraine walked out of the bathroomand we sat down in front of the Jesus Christ statue and she started crying again and said "I know it's true, I know its true" it was such a spiritual experience and for her to say that she was just tingling because she was so happy and knew that it was true was so cool. She asked us if she could get baptized earlier because she wants to get baptized but we really want them to do this together, rick and loraine. What an amazing experience it was to see the both of them there at the temple and it was packed and there was so many families there and just for them to see that this is happiness this is where the families are this is where it is at. I was a little frustrated that we didn't plan better and have a member with us to take care of reba if she acted up cause i wanted rick to feel that same spirit in the movie of joseph smith, but i know that he felt soemthing on saturday and that he could feel the importance of the temple.so we drove home and challenged them to set up a time when they would read and pray together and see them at church tomorrow. Well sunday morning came around and they weren't there so we gave them a call and i guess rick and reba ate the same food and got food poisoning. and they had fevers and loraine started crying on the phone because she said she wanted to come to church so bad. She said that they went home that night and read until 12 at night and they are praying as a family at 9pm and that her adn rick would pray at 6 in the morning everyday! She also said that rick prayed for the first time since they have been married and she said it was just amazing. Man it was so cool to hear that i wanted them at church so bad but i knew that it wasn't an investigator excuse. It's amazing what the Lord is blessing this family with and they are just amazing to see progress in the gospel. This gospel is so sweet haha
We had a 14 year old investigator at church yesterady though who had ordered a Book OF Mormon and we have been teaching him the past few weeks. He's 14 and a little lost in life and doesnt' really knwo what he wants but he came to church yesterday and he is progressing as well, his name is richard johnson. We are doign so well and the work here is going so so good!
> We have a couple investigators named Reuben and his son manuel who we taught this week the plan of salvation to. They came to preach my gospel night at the church and it was so sweet. They came with their scriptures and were answering all the questions and reuben was like "usually in my family when we dont' have anything to do we just drink beer, but i think that we should start reading this book more" haha looks like the word of wisdom will be coming tomorrow in our lesson but it's so cool to see people change little by little and see the influence of the spirit in their lives. We have a lot of work to do with them as well but they are coming around and i'll have more updates next week. We want to set up a date with them this week so i'll let you all know.
This past week we found a less active family in Brooklyn park. There names are the Hernandez family and they are from Guatamala. Sister gonzalez is a gem and she loves the missionaries. Haha she fed us chicken chow mein sandwhiches haha bet you didn't think that was possible huh well in baltimore anything can happen haha we have so much work to do with less actives who are struggling and this past week we have really tried to get over to all the less actives and share something with them that might change their mind. Elder Caballero and i love to sing hymns with the members when we leave. How great thou art (Gran eres tu) en espanol is so good! we have the most success with that one haha It's amazing the role the hymns can make in our lessons and in our days.
Well everyone that's about it for this past week i'm so grateful that i'm hear experiencing all this good stuff and also the tuff stuff as well. This should be a new fun experience with a new comp on wednesday but i know that it's just another step in the road. Thanks for all your love and support i really appreciate it! tHANKS to my pen pals! Just thanks to everyone. I hope all is well and i'm so happy for this gospel in my life! Have a great week. Les Amo
Elder Hammer