jan 25

Hey everyone!
Well i jinxed myself, the weather last week was so great and i talked way too much about it cause wednesday it snowed and it's been raining for the last 2 days....I LOVE MARYLAND! haha how is everyone? i hope everyone is doing well and i hear that there was quite the birthday bash for Marcia ha thanks everyone for taking care of her while i'm away. Well i hit 7 months yesterday and i have to say that the past month was the fastest month of my mission. It felt like yesterday that i was talking to you guys on Christmas, but it's because we are having a blast out here. Thanks for the letters and love everyone, i really appreciate it. Ha the elders i live with really appreciate your love too cause they get to eat lots of goodies.
Well where do i begin, first and foremost LUIS. Luis got interviewed to be baptized on saturday and he passed! He is getting baptized this saturday at noon! It really is such a miracle to see him get baptized. This past week we taught him the most amazing lessons that were just so spiritual and he just really understands what life is all about. I got one of those new spanish bibles and so i gave him my old one that has my name engraved on it, seriously i'd give that kid anything i owned if i could. We had such a good talk with him after his baptismal interview and he just really wants it and it's really good to see someone just truly converted. He can barely read and barely write so we read with him a lot from the Book of Mormon and he just has a good solid testimony thus far. We have had our ward mission with us a lot of the time teaching wiht him, brother wilcox. He served in Chile and is a linguist out here for the gov. We asked Luis who he wanted to baptize him and he wants Brother Wilcox to do it and i wouldn't have it any other way. It's so much better when a member does it because there is an instant connection with someone in the ward and he has his friend there. He chose me to confirm him and that's just fine with me. Ha its not important who does what it's not us doing anything. But ya Luis is going to be baptized and we are so excited! There is nothing better than a week with a baptism!
Other than Luis things are going a little bit slow, we have about 4 or 5 other people that we are teaching but the progression is going slow. But we are hopeful that they'll kick it in and also we ahve found some sweet new investigators. We are teaching a guy named AMILCA in BP and he is way religious and one question at a time we are getting him closer and closer, first it was about the book of mormon and we showed him the comparison in 2 nephi 3 and ezequiel and then it was infant baptism and showed him moroni 8 and just little by little he is learning more and more.
We had a way cool experience last night. We planned out a whole day and we had back up plans and everything and we were excited to just finish off our week right with a bunch of lessons.....and yep every single one we had fell through. By 7 00 we were out of ideas so we took the car home to drop it off (were low on miles) and we went to an apartment place close to our house. Before we left we just prayed that we would have the opportunity to teach and that we could have a good experience to finish off the week. 2 hours later we came home with 2 lessons taught and 3 new investigators! The lord seriously is blessing and watching out for us so much, even when it's goign a little slow. It was such a tender mercy to just see that right after we prayed the Lord put 3 people in our path and a lady who said she believes in the same things as we do and hates the catholic church and two other guys who are a little confused. I dunno what will come of these people, but i do know that the Lord answers our prayers people! Sometimes it takes almost down to that last moment when we don't think it can get worse, that's when we gotta just rely on the Lord! Prayer is sometimes the only thing we have out here and the Lord loves each of us to answer our prayers, but it's always on the Lords time not ours. I'm learnign how to be more patient out here I never realized what an impatient person i am before and what a attribute that is haha But i'm learning it and little by little it's getting better.
Everyone the lord loves us, Our father in heaven wants the very best for us and all we have to do is trust in him. I can't comprehend the love that i have felt thus far on my mission and the Love that our father in heaven has for us. He wants to help us and he will if we do what's right. I love this work, i love the rain, i love the cold because it always gets better! The lord is so mindful of us missionaries and we really are so blessed and watched over.
I hope you all have a wonderful week! Thanks for all your love and letters and my pen pals, thanks a bunch! I love you all and i know this is the greatest thing that i could be doing. Con todo mi amor....les amo
Elder Hammer