Elder Hammer

> Hello everyone!
> Another week gone by and back again at the Good ol glen burnie library. It's been such a great week and a pretty good thanksgiving. I hope all is well with all of you and had a good holiday season. Thanks for all your love and letters and everything that you do for me i really appreciate it.Well it's winter here ha i put my short sleeve shirts away today and pulled out all my long sleeve ones, i was trying to hold on the short ones to convince myself that winter might not come this year but i think it's probably a good idea to put them away and make sure i'm warm haha biking in the cold has been a treat. Glooves scarf beenie 2 pairs of socks and shorts under my dress pants haha i'm so weak! no but it's great all in the experience i guess.
> Well Thanksgiving was pretty sweet. We had 2 dinner appointments, one with member in the ft. small wood branch and one with a member in the Glen Burnie ward. They were back to back so i wasn't feeling all that great when the night got over but it was a fun day. The members from ft. smallwood are the 1st counselor in the branch pres. and his fam with a daughter thats 16 and a 12 year old son so i thi nk they were happy to have the 4 of us elders over for thanksgiving. And then we went to a members house in Glen Burnie. They went all out! Kinda like at the cabin they had little turkeys with all of our names on them, haha they had made these tie-dye shirts for everyone in their family with their last names embroidered on the back and they had shirts for us too haha it was way funny and it had ELDER embroidered on the back with a happy thanksgiving 2009 on the front. It was way nice of them to include us in on all the fun and they did the go around the table and say why your thankful and of course many tears were shed, ha not from me though i held it together quite nicely, but it felt a little like the cabin. Ha holidays are weird on the mission but it was a good experience. Thanksgiving isnt' big with the hispanic culture so we werene't even with any of the members from the ward that were spanish but that's ok i guess i have cinco de mayo to look forward to haha It was a good thanksgiving though and i was fed way too much. And every meal we ahve ate since with members has had some kind of turkey in the plate it's been kinda funny but the members are so good to us and take good care of us. All in all it was a good holiday.
> We are set up for this saturday to have a baptism with LORAINE! I'm so excited, weeks with baptisms are always the best because no matter how tuff the week might have been always finishing up the week with a baptism is so sweet! We taught her the commandments this past week and she just kept saying "well if god said it, i'm going to do it" This lady is the best, she really has such a testimony already and everytime we are with her she just makes you wanna be happy. Her husband is really struggling with drinking and smoking and a lot of other things as well, but she seriously just is so strong and wants this so bad. There was a baptism this past saturday for some 8 years old girl and we invited her to it so that she would feel more comfortable and after we had a lesson with her at the church and she said " was it hot in there cause i felt like i was on fire in there" she's pretty exagerated about her feelings but she just keeps feeling the spirit. She talked to us about how she had attended other churches and never has she felt like she does right now, and i said yep that's why were here because it's the only true church on the earth today and she knows it too. It's gonna be so sweet this saturday to see that.
> We also had richard johnson at church this week and he brought his mom. His mom hasn't really talked to us at all except the first time we went over there and she's everywhere, smoking, has a boyfriend/fiance that moves in and out just on and on and she needs some help so it was way sweet to see her come to sacrament meeting. He's doing really well we have him on date for the 12th but we have a lot to teach him until then but i know that we can get him ready. He comes to church every sunday in his jeans and sweat shirt with his book of mormon and is really growing in the church. When we first saw him he was way shy and wouldn't say much to us but now he's a whole different person, talkign to people and being himself and that's my favorite part of this gospel and our work is to see that kind of change in people!
> We have been teaching a lady that was baptised like 15 years ago in honduras but has totally forgotten everything and goes to an evangelico iglesia now and her husband and her and just way confused. THis past week we went over there and taught her the plan of salvation and answered everyone of her questions with scriptures from the BOOK OF MORMON. I love to see that there is such a huge reason why we have the Book of mormon. People are so confused with just the BIBle and for us to go over there and show her that, is gonna make a change. we have been talking with her for about a month now and we ahven't gotten anywhere but now we have the bom in her hands and are way excited. Her husband wasn't baptised and she has a 10 8 7 4 kids. Nothing would be better than to see that family come back to the gospel and we might be going to the temple with them sometime soon.
> We found out that we are going to the temple of december 18th to help direct traffic in the afternoon but the AP'S told us that we were gonnna go down early and do a session! I'm so excited for that, i am having the temple withdrawls haha
> Well fam taht's about it for this week next week i'll have some good stuff for ya and have all the details about the baptism. Keep loraine in your prayers and that everything will go well with the bap. THnak you all so much for your love and i know you all had a agreat thanksgiving. Thanks for the letters and packages and my pen pals! I love you fam and friends and i hope that this christmas will be a great season for all of you! I can't believe it's december tomorrow crazy crazy. I love you guys have a great week! Les amo
> Elder Hammer