jan 11

Hello Everyone!
Jordo here from the dirty reporting once again haha. We have had such a good week this past week! It's been one of the coldest weeks here but it's been fun. Ha the cold here doesn't come with the degrees it's all on the wind and it's blows every single day haha It's been a blast htough this past week once again with the elders in our apartment and elder waite as well. In our zone each week we have to call in our numbers and our district is us four in our apartment and the AP'S and yes we are the two week raining Champions, MOST VALUABLE DISTRICT for the annapolis zone haha (based on our numbers). It's been kind of fun because the zone leaders are doing that now this new year and it's getting us a little more motivation. so ya but we got a little prideful on tuesday in the apartment and wednesday was a humbler, that's just how the lord works huh.
Well first and foremost we have Luis on date for Jan. 30th and we taught him a lesson on monday night, but we were waiting to here what his boss said about him getting work off on sundays. We got there and he told us that his boss cut his hours to 30 hours instead of 40 and he has to work sundays still but doesn't have to start until 12 and our ward just switched to 930! Seriously the tender mercies from the Lord and so real and so amazing it was an answer to our prayers and it just set the tone for the lesson that we had with him. We went back on saturday to teach him the restoration again just to make sure that he's got the testimony and we watched the restoration video with him. After the movie was over i just asked him how he felt about everything that we had taught him and he just looked at me and said "ever since you guys have been coming over to my house i have felt the biggest change in my life, this is the path for me and i know it was an answer to my prayers" I don't think i've ever been hit more by the spirit to confirm to me that what we are doing out here is so real and so amazing. There is so much power in this gospel and to hear him say that was icing on the cake! We had our ward mission leader pick him up who served in CHILE and he walked in and man it was the best. we haven't had a spanish investigator at church for 5 weeks and it has been pretty tuff but we got him there and it was amazing. Ha usual we translate but the cord was broke so i just had to sit next to him and translate everything for him and it was so amazing. I know he felt the spirit and we just are way excited about him. The spanish work is a lot tuffer than i thought it would be especially since we dont' have a branch but we are just finding a way around that barrier and are gettting people and it's been such a blessign to see the faith of these people to come to a church in a different language where they stick out like a sore thumb and have to wear head phones but because they knwo it's true they do it. It's been such a testimony builder to me that it doesnt' matter what language it's in it's all true.
We taught Richard the 14 year old kid who ordered a book of mormon and we were gonna have him baptized this next saturday but he did'nt come to church so we are going to push it back one more week. This past week i gave him a white shirt of mine a tie a pair of pants and some old shoes because he doesnt' ahve any money and feels a little out of place i think so we went over to his house and gave him all that, ha he looked at me like i was santa, oh yeah and we gave him a scripture case too he wanted one of those so bad. I was so excited yesterday to see him role up looking like a teacher about ready to pass the sacrament but he no showed. He's really legit about everything so something must have come up but we are gonna have to push his back a week. When we first started teaching him he would pray and it would be about 2 lines in his prayers, but this past week we asked him to pray and he was talking about this learnign experience of his and all about baptism and all this long prayer, it was really cool to see his little testimony growing. We are really excited about him but we jsut have to get him to church.
So this last week we had zone conference up in Baltimore. So we drove up there and yep we got lost haha of all the places you don't want to get lost in is Baltimore but seriously that city is so sweet we saw so many sweet things and buildings and people haha gotta love the people, drove past Johns Hopkins Medical School, i could see myself there one day haha but seriously Baltimore is a way sweet city. We drove past this place called lexington Market. It's like this huge food place that is just run by the brothers haha just thought i'd let you all know that i got lost in Baltimore but we made it and had a wonderful Zone Conference. I can't say it enough how much i lvoe president Belliston. He really is such a great man and i'm lucky to be here. Now i'm just itching to serve in the city haha
The lady we talked to last week about tithing and the temples and all that, Yaneth. well she got el gripe de chancho ( flu of the pig) haha this past week and so that put a damper on our teaching her. We are going back though this week and i can't wait.
Well that's about all from the dirty for this week. THings are going great and i love it out here. The work is going really well and the spanish i getting so much better, i can actually talk to these people adn understand them too. I love this gospel we are all so lucky to have it in our lives. Thanks for all your letters and support out here it really makes such a difference everyone! THanks again and have a wonderful week! LES AMO MUCHO
Elder Hammer