Elder Hammer

Aug 8th

2010-08-15T16:03:00.003-07:00

What's up guys!!!!!!

Well another week and i'm back. This past week was a pretty crazy roller coaster ride up and down up and down but a lot of good lessons learned for sure. Thanks for the letters and the packages mom and dad. They loved the scriptures so much and are so excited to finally have scriputres like the rest of the other members,THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I loved the pictures of the 1 year celebration, it's nice to get some pictures of the family once in a while and i loved the pictures of my niece haha she's so cute. Jess thanks for sending me alex's email and also thanks for sending me those pics this past week i love the picture of her sitting on the bed with the controller, she's adorable!

Well we had our big training meeting throughtout our mission that was awesome for 3 days this past week! It was quite the circus because a lot of people in our zone don't have cars so i was driving a 12 passenger ford econoline van full of missionaries through the city haha it was one of those experieces that you just don't forget about haha. Needless to say we made it and all went well for the 3 days as far as safety goes! I thnk i may have a career in being a bus driver! haha

This past week Laura Sandoval had her baby and it was awesome to be there at the hospital with them and also with Elder and Juana there. She had a boy and it was about time i thought for sure she was going to explode but it was fun to be there, they feel like family now it's awesome. Marlon taught priesthood and did so good. He volunteered to teach the class after 1 month of being baptized. He's going to be the branch president so quick! haha

Elder told us at the hospital that he wasn't going to be able to come to church on sunday becuase he needed to look for work because there struggling financially. It hit us hard becaus he was supposed to get the priesthood but we taught him about commandments and the blessings that come when we keep the commandments and he told us that he would see. Then we found out that Juana sipped some coffee and so we were like man we got to get them to church. Sunday morning rolled around and walked in Elder in a white shirt and tie with Juana!!!! He got the priesthood! And the sacrament talks were on the law of tithing. He was filling out a slip before he could even get done witht eh meetings. It was such a testimony builder to me of the faith that people put in the lord and when they trust in him. He blesses them so much. Juana understood why she needed to take the sacrament and that she had repented but still felt bad but she came to take the sacrament and said she wouldn't do it again! I have so much love for them especially just their willingness to change and do whatever it takes! It was a such a gratifying sunday.

Rafael couldn't come to church and wasn't able to meet with us this week and he was supposed to be baptized this upcoming sunday but that doesn't look to likely like it's going to happen. It's been a really humbling week as well. Rafael has been up and down and we felt really good that he was ready to do this. And satan throws the work excuse at him and he fell for it, which is a pretty valid thing, considering the circumstances of these great people, so we are excited for the upcoming week to see what we can do with him.

While we were in our leadership meeting we got a text message from kelly that siad, "elders something happened and i need to step away for a while, i don't want to talk about it, sorry" Yep it hit me like a ton of bricks. We talked to her boyfriend and i guess he said that she said that she wasn't doing it for herself and that she was just doing it for him. It was pretty hard to hear that because i know that she felt the spirit and that she knows that this is true. It's been a pretty humbling week to see both Rafael and now Kelly kind of fall. I have really been trying to just be patient and realize that it's on the lords will and on his timeline, but it's just been humbling to see how close someone can become and totally go the other direction. I feel like we gave it everything we had and that we gave her the best that we could give but something came up. So we've been praying like crazy that something will just tell her to call us so we can help her. It's been a learning opportunity for me to see things going so amazingly and now we are struggling to find new people and the people that we had fell ( not rafael, just kelly) We are hopiong fo rthe best for Kelly.

But i dont' want to end on a sour note though! Even though this past week has been a huge roller coaster ride in all aspects, We have been so blessed and we have seen so many blessings. Elder got the preisthood, jose and william passed the sacrament, marlon blessed and taught a lesson and people are progressing and we have to realize that and focus on the good. One of the best things i've learned is that on my mission ( and even in life) things come our way that aren't expected and that hurt us pretty bad, but we have the choice to be happy and to look at the good or be negative and it's just easier to just be happy so that's what we are doing! I love the gospel and i love the tests that we go through in our lives and they are just to make us stronger and to see what we are made of, but we can get through it and it's all because of our savior and the gospel. I love you all and thanks for your love and support!!! Have a great week

MUCH LOVE

Elder Hammer

Aug 2nd

2010-08-15T16:03:00.001-07:00

Bueno, Bueno!!!!

hey guys! We are back again after another quick week and it puts a whole new emphasis when i see WE because now im serving in a 3 man companionship with Elder Woolley and my trainer(first companion) Elder Caballero from St. George again. It's been a lot of fun to be back with him and the three of us are having a good time together. Just getting a little used to having 3 people doing everything haha knocking doors is quite the circus, but it's been fun and it'll only be for a few more weeks until elder woolley goes home. I'm glad to hear that you all had fun in AZ without me ha I don't think dad and nick are going to be able to play golf with me when i got back because they play so much now they might drowned themselves out! I'm doing good though, just so everyone knows my throat is fine it hasn't hurt now for 2 weeks, i don't feel sick anymore and all is well. Thanks for all the concern, mitzie thanks so much for the package and grandma hafen for the letter i really appreciate it!

Well this week is going to be a really big week! We have a brand new training thing that will last for 3-4 days where all zone leaders, district leaders, and trainers go kind of like zone conference but all we are working on is new training from the MTC and each zone leaders have their own section that they are training on so it should be pretty awesome. It's just what our mission needs and it's goign to help us out so much. So that'll be all day tues-thurs.

This past week we finally got back with Kelly. She was in Texas for the past month and so it was good to get back and teach her again. It was a really good lesson where i think she learned a lot. She finally came to terms that she's not going to get this big huge ANSWER. that she's been getting them all along. Her fear is for sure the family but we layed it all on the line and just told her that she was already living all the commandments but wasn't being fully blessed for living them because she hadn't been baptized. She was pretty shocked and it was pretty bold speaking but we laid it out as clear as could be and she knows now. She wants to be baptized it's just when is the question. She doesn't want people to think that she is just doing it for Blair her boyfriend but we still are working with her and she's great.

We moved Marlon and Laura into the same apt as elder and juana. It was a day full of moving on saturday we moved to different members. But our recent converts are doing awesome! We had the confimations yesterday of elder, juana, and rosa. Marlon blessed the sacrament. Jose and William recieved the preisthood and will be passing next week. And elder got interviewed to get the priesthood yesterday. It was awesome to see so many things take place with all of them. Last night we were over at their house and elder said "Elder's me and marlon were talking and we gotta fill the isles in the church on sunday" (when elder caballero was here a year ago, the branch had 20 people coming, yesterday was 90!) but elder continued he said, "There shouldn't be room in the parking lot nor on the streets nearby to get into the church" It was awesome to hear that from him and we got a new person that we are teaching who is a good friend of Marlon this past week at the move. They are so fun to be around. I really am so content with where we are and how much progress we've made in our branch when i first got here the branch was falling apart from people being offended and gossip and the missionaries did a fast for the branch, and Our heavenly father blessed us with 10 baptisms in less than 30 days. How's that for answers to prayers. It's been such a blessing and we got to just keep it going!

All is well though and i'm really happy i'm loving where i am at! and i'm loving being a missionary. I'm learning so much about myself and about trials and blessings. I can't even begin to explain how much i feel like i've grown but there's a lot more that i need to do. Thanks for everything and i hop eyou all have a good week!

MUCH LOVE

ELDER HAMMER

july 26th

2010-08-15T16:02:00.001-07:00

Hola!!!!!

Well it's been the sweetest month of the mish so far and this weekend pretty much just put a nice little cap on that!! We have been blessed like crazy and our zone for the month ended up hitting 13 baptisms which is the most it's ever hit i'm pretty sure! I know that you all have been praying for me and the investigators that we have and i'm grateful to all of you for doing that, this has for sure not been just me and elder woolley doing this alone.

We had the sweetest wedding ever for elder and juana! Elder and juana called us saturday morning and told us that they had been robbed and the rings they bought were gone and didn't want to get married without them, well a few hours later and a whole bunch of drama the lady that lived with them stole them and gave them back and we were back on for the wedding haha just when you think that it might go well something always comes up haha. But all went well, Elder invited a bunch of his family up from washington dc to come and his uncle who is a DJ for the music. haha we had lights and disco balls and all this crazy hispanic music but it was so much funa nd most importantly Elder And Juana were so happy!

But the next day for the baptism was even better! We had four baptisms yesterday and things were crazy! haha it was a circus from the time we walked in at 8 30 till 4 o clock when we left but i wouldn't change that feeling for anything! There was a bunch of people there and not enough room in the relief society so we did it in the chapel. Me and elder woolley were on the front row in white with rosa and elder and juana and then elder caballero and their investigator too and it was pretty awesome. We sang i am a child of god for the opening hymn and i lost it and start crying just looking at these people that i was sitting next to and their lives changing. By far the most satisfying feeling in my life! So we got all ready to go in to do the baptizing and we look at the font and the water had been slowly draining!!!! it was about midway to my thigh so we turned the water back on and sang a song or two and waited haha it was classic and thank goodness we were baptising small latinos because i dont' think they would have been able to go down. But All went well with all 4 baptisms and i got to baptize elder it was so awesome! He siad in the bathroom that he felt so good and that's my fav. part of baptisms! listening to the people talk right after adn seeing them completely submerged is the best! Rosa also talked to us after and just said that she had the chills and her heart couldn't stop beating like crazy. I can't believe these people, and how muhc i love them and their families. It's been pretty humbling to be apart of this month!

It's been a great week and elder woolley is staying here so i'm way excited about that! We are going to have another great month! Thanks so much for all you guys do for me! I'm so grateful for it and more than anything this gospel. We have so much to be grateful for like unbelievably. But wow the mission is awesome and the church is true! Have an awesome week! MUCH LOVE

ELDER HAMMER

July 19th

2010-08-15T16:01:00.003-07:00

Hola, hola

Well this past week was such a sweet week not only for our own area but for our enitre zone!!!! This past week our zone had 7 baptisms, 2 of which were from our area but it was such a sweet weekend for all of us. The month of July has been so sweet and we have been blessed like crazy. I guess as the temperature keeps on getting higher and higher, we just keep baptizing and more than anything being blessed. I don't really have any random information for you about maryland this week haha Thanks so much for the pacakage DAD, i was very suprised to see a package from you cause usually it is mom but thanks a bunch dad it lifted me up when i needed it! Mom and jace and bell thanks so mcuh for all of your letters as well this week ha i love to hear from you guys, ha hailey and jace your letters are classic thanks so much!

First and foremost i just want to let the Rogers Family know that they are in my prayers and especially Ricky! I'll be praying and fasting for you guys and hope all goes well in the upcoming weeks! Love you Ricky.

This past week Jose and William were baptized. Every 3rd sunday our branch has a linger longer where everyone brings food and we have lunch afterwards so we threw the baptism in the middle of church getting out and the food so we had a nice party haha. Jose and William are awesome. They were nervous for the baptism but i just wanted to share an experience. I baptized william and i was down in the water and he came down and we did the baptising and he comes up out of the water and just shouts out, "WOW THAT WAS AWESOME!" everyone just started laughing but it was so funny because that's just how he is, I think the spirit works in everyone differently and i guess for him it must have been more humorous. It was such a special day and one that i will never forget.

We have been teaching William and Jose's Aunt named Rosa for quite a while now and we have invited her to be baptized before and she said yes but she wanted her husband to be along for the ride as well and he hasn't been because he works so much, but we were over there teaching her on saturday. We were teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to her and really focused on Baptism. We got to the end and she said, " I've really been thinking and i need to be baptized" That brought smiles to our faces. then she says, " I should probably set a date for that right?" by this point me and elder woolley are just stunned haha and she says "Can i get baptized next weekend?" She put herself on date! I have never had that happen before but ya Rosa is getting batized next weekend with Elder And Juana! So in our branch we should have 4 or 5 baptisms next week! Our branch by the end of this month will have 8 or 9 baptisms and the rest of the zone will have about 6. Things are really happening in our branch and it's so much fun to be there!

Rafael is doing great, he's been stuck on the Bible so we went over there this past week and really taught about the BOOK OF MORMON and more than that the restoration and i think he is understanding it. We went back 2 days later and he had read 19 chapters and was giving us a summary, there was such a different spirit when he talked about the Book of Mormon that was so amazing. It's really cool to see when the Book of Mormon just opens up he heart of someone who is so stuck on the Bible. We have been greatly blessed, and i'm so excited for the upcoming week, we are throwing another wedding for Elder AND Juana and they are so excited! I'm sure next week i'll have much to report, but all is well here and we are doing great!

Thanks for everything you do for me i really appreciate it! Have a good one!

Much Love

Elder Hammer

july 12th

2010-08-15T16:01:00.001-07:00

Hola!!!!!

Well at the start of this past week all i can say is it was just hot! It was about 105 with humidity i thought i was going to be able to fry an egg on my dang forehead haha but we are good now and it's cooling off. This place is so dry the grass is dead and the leaves are falling off the trees because we haven't got rain in so long. It almost looks like it is fall with all the leaves falling off. It's a pretty wierd site thoguh that is for sure. Haleluah.....The world cup is finally over!!! I survived a world cup on my mission, that's pretty good i guess but man it's great to know that when you knock on the door people are going to answer now haha. Thanks for the letters from Sandiego mom and dad i'm happy you guys had a good time and that all went well.

This past week was a lot of fun with zone conference and some changes that are going to be happening in the training worldwide are going to be great.

I went on exchanges down in the city with an Elder Astle who's best friend is training Alex Darrow. It was a blast, the city jsut has this feel to it that's so much fun that you can't really describe but all i can imagine is that its kind of how you feel when your in a circus and just wondering how in the world haha. They have been way blessed with a media referral who is way solid that will be getting baptized this upcoming saturday. 4 weeks ago he was addicted to Cocaine and marijuana and since he met the missionaries he's been clean and we got to teach him, ha he even gave us a ride in his car, oh those wonderful memories. President talked in zone confernce how amazing it is how we can love some of these people and i was thinking that when i was in the car of an ex cocaine addict but the man looks like abishop and is so cool. He's so solid and nothing is going to get in his way from getting baptized. It was a fun exchange

Yesterday Marlon and Laura were confirmed at church. They are the best, they came with a white shirt and tie and she came in a dress, which usually doesn't happen but they are so solid. They told us after when we went and visited them that they aren't going to fall and they are going to stay strong and go to the temple. not to mention it was a litle helpful having the DC temple president speak in church yesteday on the blessings of the temple.

Elder And Juana also came to church and talked to our presdient about their wedding and baptism. They are doing great! When i was on exchagnes the other elders went over there and taught them and they made them dinner and gave a plate to elder woolley for me. Then next morning i got a call from Juana at 9 am "Elder have you ate my food yet, wasn't it so amazing? i'm a great cook huh?" haha it was pretty funny, i love these families more than i can explain.

Yesterday we had 10 investigators at church and Rafael came as well he's doing good. We got to get the Book of Mormon more into his mind because he is pretty set on the Bible but he is on date now for the 8th of August! He had a tuff time yesterday and shed quite a few tears talking to people about his son but he came and he's doing great.

Next week is the BAPTISM of the aviles boys on the sunday for Jose and William, they have already passed the interview and all looks good! We are being blessed so much right now in our area and things are looking up and up for our zone and the mission.

I gotta run we are playing basketball with our zone today but i hope you all have a great week! Thanks for all the prayers and for all the support!

Much Love

Elder Hammer

July 5th

2010-08-15T16:00:00.003-07:00

HOLA!!!!!

We had the best week on my mission thus far this past week! It was the coolest expereince in the world and i'll get to that later but ya we are pretty happy here in Towson right now! Thanks for all the letters and the packages everyone. Thanks for the package aunt Mitzie i really apreciate it! Thanks for 2 packages this week mom, ha elder woolley was a happy camper seeing all that food.

So this weekend was the wedding of Marlon and Laura Sandoval. Saturday night we had quite the FIESTA with the members to make, what we thought was going to be a tiny wedding into a huge blast! Marlon and Laura were so excited and they had been out shopping the day before and we met them in a parking lot and she had finally found a dress that she liked. You got to remember she's 8 months pregnant and she's about ready to pop so finding her a dress isn't an easy task. When they showed up to the church on Saturday night and she was all done up walking through the doors and he was smiling to ear to ear it made every hot hard day worth it. I've never felt so happy to see a couple come together like this. Weddings are a ton of fun, me and elder woolley said we are going to start doing this more often haha We had a very short ceremony and it was great and then all the members brought food and the relief society made a cake. For a little branch it was quite the party and it was so much fun to see them just happy as can be! We had 10 of our investigators come to the wedding so that helped but elder and juana are going to have the same thing on the 24th and 25th of July so they are excited!

Then it was off to the Baptism on Sunday. Marlon asked me if i'd baptize him and then elder woolley baptized laura. They were so happy. As all four of us were standing there in white taking pictures i just was filled with the greatest love for this family. Never have i felt so confidnet in a family to return to the temple in a year and be sealed forever than i have with the Sandoval Family! I told them that if they did go through in a year that i would be there and so would elder woolley ha they wanted us to sign something to amke sure that we were there. The baptism went great marlon went first and then i stayed in the water to help laura wiht elder woolley so she didn't haveto do too much being pregnant, the water was way warm and i was thinking i sure hope the baby doesn't get excited and come early that would put a damper on the baptism but luckily we made it through and they couldn't stop smiling. The Branch really supported them this weekend and they were so greatful, they have nothing they live in an apt with 14 people and 1 bathroom and yet these people have now found what happiness is! It's been the best weekof my mission for sure!

Yesterday Elder and Juana cmae to church and Elder bore his testimony. He did great and said we need to serve god and here serving god is where we will be! He's on fie right now and he invited us over to teach his family and friends yesterday. This past week we got 2 new investigators from elders friends being at his house. And it's almost like a member present lesson cause elder is set on the church. Yesterday he was going off saying these other churches where is their authority, they don't have any just because you study the bible and go to school doesn't mean you have power and authority from God. ha he's amazing i wanted to give him my tag and say go for it! We have been so blessed through Elder, that's how we found Marlon and Laura.

It was a great week and our zone is doing great as well we usually are at about 6 or 7 baptisms a month and this month we have a goal of 16!! our zone is on fire right now and we have been given so many blessings. We are really excited for our zone as well.

Life is going really good right now and i'm so happy. I've decided life is too much fun to be down and have realized how blessed we are. The gospel is the only thing that makes us this happy, there isn't any other thing like it! I love you all and hope you have a great week!

MUCH LOVE

Elder Hammer

June 28th

2010-08-15T16:00:00.001-07:00

Hey Guys!!!!!!

This past week can be described in one word.....HOT! It's so hot here i can't believe it haha There was like a code red warning 2 days last week because of the heat and the humidity, i think back to the great words from sandlot "Benny, I'm toastin' like a bacon cheeser!" It's great though, people are always outside and that makes missionary work a lot better, but we've been blessed again this past week and had a lot of great experiences. Thanks for all the letters and the love. Thanks for the 1 year package mom! Me and Elder Woolley had a little Fiesta in the apartment with brownies and the camel you sent me ha Mom one question though....the camel has 2 humps...is there another year i don't know about haha no, no thanks a lot mom it was a great day. I can't believe that a year ago i entered the MTC as such a boy and how much things have changed now but i'm so glad for all that i have experienced that past year it truly has been the most amazing experience of my life!

To start out this week has been great, especially with the lesson with Kelly! She didn't have too good of an experience last sunday and we knew that but she showed up to our lesson on tuesday in shambles, she looked like she had been hit by a bus. She just walked in and broke down. Rewind a bit...we have been struggling at finding someone for Kelly to be friends with but the night before we were tlaking to freddy about what we were going to teach her and he suggested a girl named amanda out of the clear blue, we called amanda at about 10 15 and she answered and said, elders i've been thinking i needed to call you for some reason but i didn't know why and thought it was too late to call, but i'm glad you called. Yaddi yaddi yadda and she was in for the lesson. She's from Thousand Oaks California and lives on twin ranch the course we played down there last year. Basically she's the only normal one haha so she came and when Kelly walked in she was there with us. Kelly had gotten curious and started looking on the internet and was upset that she even did it but more just confused. Amanda talked to her about it and come to find out Amanda's dad is catholic and mom is mormon and that is EXACTLY what kelly needed. We got her calmed down and began the lesson on the BOOK OF MORMON she had done all her reading and said "So the book of mormon is like really aplicable for our day" haha it was music to our ears. We talked about the tree of life and then we watched the Safety for the soul conference talk from elder holland on the Book of Mormon and there were tears in her eyes. Then Elder Woolley shared how he got a testimony and by the time he was done all 5 of us were in tears. I know i say this all the time but this lesson was the most spiritual lesson of my mission, it was like angels were in that room with us. She left doing a complete 360 and she's now in Texas with her boyfriend. We talked to her last night and she went to a normal family ward and she siad she loved it. I wouldn't be suprised if when she gets back she says i want to get baptized but we'll just keep praying. It was a great experience and great lesson!!!!

We put Elder AND Juana on date for the 11th of July this past week! They are doing so good and both said that they wanted to be baptized so we are planning a wedding for them too now haha Elder Hammer and Elder Woolley.....missionaries i think not but wedding planners yes haha I love those two so much.

Marlon and Laura are doing amazing. They both passed the interview on saturday and we are having a FIESTA on saturday for their wedding and their baptisms on sunday! They are amazing people and being around them is humbling. They live in one bedroom and there is 14 people living in a 3 bedroom apartment with 1 BATHROOM! it's unreal the sacrifices that they are going through but they are so content and so happy. I'm so excited for this weekend!

This past week we got a call from a former investigator who kind of flaked out on the missionaries but wanted us to come by and talk to him. So we went by and we asked what was up and he started to break down and told us that his son was killed in a car crash two days prior. It was one of the hardest experiences to see this grown man just in shambles wth the loss of his son and not seeing any hope for the future. BUT he did remember to call the missionaries at his greatest time of trial. Rafael knows what the spirit feels like and he's felt it so we tried to bring it with all we had with the plan of salvation! He felt the difference and asked us to come to the funeral which was last night. Probably one of the most akward experiences of my mission being in a baptist church and seeing the despair and absolutely no hope in the eyes of the people there for this 28 year man. It ripped me up quite a bit, but Rafael told us when we left that he wants us to come by and teach him again, and that he wants to come to church again. I am so grateful for the knowledge we have and that we have the ability to find peace through the plan of salvation. Hopeful something will touch him to where he will change and feel the need to be baptized. but i could feel his pain, we are so blessed to know what we know!

This week has been a week filled with highs of highs and last night i didn't necisarily feel the low of lows but my heart went out to this guy who had nothing and now had lost his son who was his pride and Joy. The gratitude for life becomes something more when you see that and i'm just grateful for all that we have. and especially for the peace and joy the gospel brings, especially the peace reading from the book of mormon can bring into our life. We are in for some great weeks ahead of us with 6 baptisms lined up for the next 3 weeks and we are doing great. Thanks for all you do and for all the love and prayers. Have a great week in all you do!

ELDER HAMMER

june 21st

2010-08-15T15:59:00.001-07:00

I know that i always start off my letters with it's been another great week in our area but it seems to be what comes to my mind because we just keep getting blessed and blessed more and more it's incredible, so yes It's been such a great week in our area! We are getting so blessed i can't say that enough, everyday me and Elder Woolley are just amazed at what has been given to us and the many things that are going on in our area! Thanks for the letters this past week mom and dad and bell. Grandma hafen thanks for the card and letter with the money i really appreciate it!!!

Yesterday at church we had 9 investigators there, 1 away from double digits two weeks in a row. I was hoping that we could do it two weeks but it didn't work out but all who came are so solid, the aviles family, marlon and laura and Kelly. We had a really good fathers day and the talks that were given in the singles ward were really good. I was thinking about you a lot pops, i hope you had a good one!

Man the singles ward got on my nerves this past week though. Yesterday we had a munch and mingle and there was so me ward members who just freaked Kelly out, talking about tank tops and bikinis and just freaked her right out so she didnt' have to swell of a time yesterday. She's going to go visit her boyfriend in Texas for 2 weeks so that should be a great environmnet for her to see the difference in living with a LDS family. The singles ward is great but all the people go to Johns Hopkins and they are so brilliant when it comes to books, but they can barely tie there own shoes or let alone carry out a conversation with the opposite sex haha but there great i love them but ya it was a rough day for Kelly especially being father's day and he dad dying it was rough, but we had a great lesson with her on tuesday and she's doing great though, still just waiting on that answer.

We went to the temple with Marlon and Laura on Saturday and that was such an amazing experience! They had been to the temple before but they really wanted to go the the one in DC because they had been to the one in Salt Lake. I was so excited to go with them and they had seen the Joseph Smith Movie before so we watched the Testaments with them. That was the first time i have seen the testaments on my mission and it was so powerful, After the movie was over and the lights came back on Laura and Marlon were just in tears and just sobbing away. It was so wonderful to see the spirit working on them. The temple is the greatest place on earth! I'm so happy that they got to go there and i'm so happy that the spirit there just fills people with so much happiness and love. They also got there marriage licence this week so they are good to go on the 3rd of July, who would have thought me Jordan being a wedding planner on the mission haha but i'm loving it though! We are way excited about them.

Last night we went to Elder and Juana's because they didn't come to church because Juana worked but we really had to lay it down on them about getting married, and as usual we had to wait and eat the food she gave us haha EVERYTIME without fail she feeds us but we started talking and teaching and Elder just out of nowhere looks at Juana and says " Juana, i've already decided we are getting married" haha and that was the end of that. They are going to get there licence as soon as they can and now we just have to work with them on getting sundays off for Juana because that could be a big problem because she always has saturdays off because she works for the Jewish people and Sundays she works so that is where we are to with her and Elder. It's so great to see them though they want to be baptized and married and the spirit just is working on people in so many ways.

The aviles family of 9 still haven't got there divorce papers done yet but the two oldest sons this past week said to me and elder woolley that they want to be baptized without there family on the 18th of july so we are going to have a baptism for them! They approached us about it and want to do it for themselves and there pareants are really happy that they took the initiative for themselves to want to be baptized. Once again we are just being so so so blessed here with the greatest people in the world!

All is well in Maryland and we are so happy here. We have some great thigns going on and we just need to keeep working harder and harder. I love you all and thanks so much for your support!

Much Love

Elder Hammer

june 14th

2010-06-19T09:57:00.001-07:00

Hey, hey, hey

Well it's been such a sweet week in our area again and i get to stay here for at least another 6 weeks with Elder Woolley which makes me happy. It's hot in maryland and at night it's hot too ha but i am seeing one thing here this is actually pretty cool, Fireflies are everywhere!!!! It's a light show every night, haha kinda random but a cool piece of information. Thanks for the letters this past week mom and dad and Jacie. I loved hearing from you guys and thanks for the new calendar mom, it's perfect!

Well this past week was awesome, yesterday at church we had 10 investigators there! The Aviles Family, Marlon and Laura, Elder AND JUANA TOO!!!! It was so much fun and such a circus but wow it was such a great sunday!!!

This past week with Marlon and Laura we set July 3rd for their wedding and July 4th for their baptism! They are really excited for it. It's so fun to see these two and how happy they are! This past week Marlon had a court trial thing because he had an expired licence that was going to cost him 300$ of which he did not have, but he only had to pay like 50$ and was so happy because he knew it was God helping him out! We had him meet with the branch president yesterday and the Branch pres. is a great guy, very loving and just made them feel like they were going to have a great wedding and that he was going to take care of it all!!!! We are so excited for them and it's going to be great. He told us this past week since he works all day until late, "I just wnat you guys to come over sometimes at 12 at night and eat chicken with us and teach us, we feel so much better when you both are here" It's so great to hear that from people because there isn't anything else in the world like this!

This past week we went to the Temple with Elder and his wife Juana. Elder is set on the church and has come before but Juana hasn't and has some issues. She's been addicted to coffee since she was a baby and works sundays so we have ben really working on her wiht the Word of Wisdom. When we got there saturday morning to go with them she was like Elders guess what, i quit drinking coffee it hurts my stomach now, and tomorrow i'm coming to church. I was so shocked and so happy, it was the greatest thing to hear, the spirit is for surely working on her and she's falling in love with the gospel. We watched the Joseph Smith movie and Elder got chocked up watching it and said he could feel it in his heart the power of that video. The temple was great they loved the temple, i have so many pictures and i forgot my camera today!!!!! i'll send them this upcoming week!! After he took us to this area in Washington DC just filled with HISPANICS to there favorite restaurant called Pollo Campero and payed for us, ha there turning into our best friends and that's the best!

Kelly got back from her cruise last night and things are going good, i feel like she is just going to take her sweet time ha It's on their time frame i guess, but she's so ready so that makes it hard. But all is well there and we have an appointment with her the upcoming week. 

Well all is well as you can tell and we are being so blessed right now in this area! we have so much going on and a lot of new changes on the zone that should be interesting, but we just have lots of work to do, but it's going to be fun! Thanks for all your love and support out here from everyone. Thanks nick for sending me the blessing! I loved listening to that, your an amazing dad with an even more amazing wife! I lov eyou both! I hope you have a great week everyone! 

Until Next Week

ELDER HAMMER

june 7th

2010-06-09T14:27:00.001-07:00

Fam!!!!!!!

This past week was something else! I don't know where to start off but the Lord has blessed us so much this past week and i'm just so grateful. The weather is good, no worries there it's just humid and hot...nothing more to say than that ha I just wanted to say thanks to you Uncle Scott and Aunt Jodie for taking me out to lunch. I appreciated it so much and it was so great to be with you guys for that short time and feel of your love. THANKS SO MUCH!!!!!!! Me and my companion were very grateful and we hope that you know that! Thanks mom for the letters and for the packages this past week they were so great. It's so great to hear from all of you and thanks for your prayers for me, i know they are being answered!

Well to start off with the best Marlon and Laura Sandoval are doing great. They came to church this yesterday and we changed there date from the 13th to the 27th because they aren't married and that's a pretty big thing to plan so we put it back a few weeks but they are doing so good and they love church and they are happy. So yesterday we were out knocking doors and he called me and was kind of panicked and said that he needed to tell me something, and that something big had just happened. At first thought i was thinking he was going to jail or something big, but he started to tell me that they have been low on money and just payed there rent and have no money for the next two weeks, i could feel the despair in his voice and it ripped my heart out. He went on to say that he had 15$ to his name and went to the store to buy his wife some milk...she's pregnant. So he said he had 10$ and there was a lottery card sitting on the counter that costed 10 dollars and he bought it. He told me that he went home and placed the lottery thing on his bed and prayed to god to just help him and that he could survive for the next 2 weeks on 50$ for him his wife and his 3 year old son, here this father was desperately doing anythign to get his family to survive and he thinks to pray to God to ask for help. He said he began to scratch off the card and he won 15 times on the same card and won 300$. As he has tears in his eyes and in his voice i could feel the gratitude, he said Hermano, i know this church is true and i know that god has answered my prayer, i know that the lottery is not a good thing, but the lord helped me and i know this is true, everythign you have taught me is true. I just sat there in shock and couldn't believe it and i don't think he could either, he called me almost instantaneously after it had happened. They are so ready to be baptized and he is so set on this. I love that family with all my heart and i can't wait to see the day when they get to go through the temple together!!!!

This past week we visited some other investigators 3 times, Elder AND Juana and they are doing really good. Elder is so set on the church but juana can't give up the coffee so we are trying to do our best to help them out, they love us though. Ha 3 times they cooked for us Tuesday night we had sopa de reis ( Cow stomach soup :) ) Saturday night (Fish head soup...even better haha) and Last night we has Savichi (Raw shrimp, oysters,crab cooked in lemon juice) It was a great week for my stomach haha. They are great though and love to feed us and love to joke around with us and ask us what you don't like my food, eat more haha it's great I love these families so much!

We had Elder Johnson of the 70 come to our mission this past week and that was a great experience that i will never ever forget. Here is this english man that just has so much love for life and for the gospel it was so great to see! I hope that when i'm 68 years old that i can just have that fire that he had! He taught so much i can't even begin to tell you how much but he said something to us that has hit me hard. He said your mission is so close to a miracle, so close and i want to tell you one thing "It's not what you do, but HOW you do it" That is so great to me for more than just the mission but for life. He really got on us to just have that fire of missionary work and to feel it! To be happy and excited for the gospel. Many missionaries are here to get there 2 years in and go home and it's too bad and he could tell that, which was the most amazing thing to me! It was one of those experiences that was so great. and i'll come back to him.....

Kelly is doing great, this past week we went to the temple with her and just tried to flood her with the spirit before she left on her cruise. This week a few issues came up and he boyfriend lets us in on what's going on it's great. She has a gay friend and so that is throwing her off a little bit because he is like her best friend and she knows that the church isn't about that. But we really just tried to focus on the most important and let that go by, but her family is telling her stuff and she just is feeling the heat. So we watched the Joseph Smith movie at the visitor center and tried to flood her with trials leading to conversion and she loved it. She wants it so bad and it was a great time at the temple. Then on Friday night Elder Johnson did a fireside especailly for investigators that kelly came too. It was great recent converts spoke presdient belliston spoke and then elder johnson spoke on the plan of salvation and WHO WE ARE. He told his conversion story about once he figured out that god and jesus christ were two seperate people and once he knew he was a child of god and that had significance, that made all the difference. Me and Elder Woolley have talked about Kelly alot and we talked a lot about her maybe not understanding who she is and what her potential is in life, Basically it was just an unreal talk that he gave that hit home to kelly! She was taking notes thae whole time and she was into his talk. After we introduced him to her, and this is where it gets really good. He said hi and asked bluntly "so when is your date?" and kelly then went into well i've been praying and asking and trying my best and haven't set one yet. Then elder johnson said "well how are you praying?" Kelly then went into i address heavenly father then i ask him and then i close in the name of jesus christ amen. Then elder johnson took her hand looked her in the eyes and said so lovingly " I think you've already got your answer" Kelly paused for a few seconds and said ya thats what i'm starting to think and he said "You'll know" It couldn't have been any better! She loved the fireside and then the guy who took us down there told his conversion story from catholicism and she really enjoyed that as well, she made a comment like " i just don't understand, this church is the only church where people actually practice what they preach, everyone else just goes to church and forgets about it once they walk out the door" Little by little the spirit is working on kelly and it's so fun to see. We are hoping and praying that she comes back and just says that she wants to be baptized. I have so much faith that she will.

As you can tell this past week was such a blessing from our Father in Heaven, we are being so blessed and it's so wonderful to feel those blessings. This past week was a wonderful week and I'm just happy, i can't say much more than that. I love you all and hope you all have a great week! The church is true.

Much Love

Elder Hammer

may 31

2010-05-31T15:08:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!!!!

It's been another good week in towson and it's just been great. I haven't given a weather report for quite some time so here's the latest..........IT'S HOT!!!!!!!!!! haha Summer is here and the humidity is here as well. It's been a really hot week and it's been taking some getting used to but everyone is outside and so that makes it so much fun. But yes Maryland is hot right now! it's been about 90 and some days the humidity is bad and somedays it's good but either way it's hot. I remember when i wrote you dad and you told me to not worry about the cold because the hot was going to come and i'd be doing the same thing haha. I love the hot though more than the cold you still can do so much. Thanks so much though for the letters this week, jace i loved your letter, and mom and dad thanks so much for your letters too they are the best!!! Grandpa Hafen i hear you got a new outfit....Hyundai????? I don't know grandpa i think the rogue is still calling for ya!!! Thanks for everything though i really appreciate those letters. This past week we moved into a new apartment and it's been great to have everything brand new ha i feel a little spoiled as a missionary living where we are at but it's been nice to move out and it was an easy move.

This past week was such a great week though. We only had kelly come to church which was a bummer after having 11 people the week before but every week can't be like that last one of else, missionary work would be too easy ha. We still have seen so many blessings though and just are being more and more blessed.

This past week we had our first Zone Leader Council since i have been a zone leader and that was great! Our mission has a very high goal this year for baptizing 300 people and it's never been done since this mission was opened. President has been on a rampage just making sure that people that have committed to be baptized go through and this past month that didn't happen. We had 16 baptisms the first two weeks and the last 3 weeks we only had 4. We are 7 behind our goal thus far and the last couple weeks our mission was tanking, so we were all a little anxious to see what was going to happen at ZL council but President just has so much love for missionary work and wants baptisms, but not for the number but for the people that are behind these #'s. It was such a great conference and i learn more and more each time that i listen to presidnet Belliston. There is 6 zones so 12 ZL'S and presdient and his counselors and Sister Belliston, haha one of the Elders there calls it the JEDI COUNCIL. haha

Last night we got all the numbers in from our zone and we had 8 people on date that weren't on date before so we are seeing the blessings that have been poured down upon our zone this past week and it looks like june is going to be a great great month with baptisms. We are the biggest zone so that means we have to produce the most and we are looking at about 10 for the upcoming month so we are really excited for the month of June. I can't believe it is already JUNE!!!! ha 11 months ago i felt like i was never going to see another June haha it's crazy though how fast time is going and picking up and it's been so much fun these past few weeks.

This past week with Kelly was great!!!! We had a really good lesson with her on the law of Chastity which wasn't a big worry being that she was dating a returned missionary haha. But man still teaching her is so much fun. She comes with chapters and chapters read from the Book of Mormon and this past week she was Designated Driver with her friends so that she wouldn't drink to try and keep the Word of Wisdom. She really is amazing. We are really trying to help her understand what HER "ANSWER" is and that she has already received it. She is expecting something big which i have no doubt that she can receive but she really is doing great though. This upcoming week we are going to the Temple with her on Wednesday to give her a spiritual high and then A general authority from the 70 is coming to our mission this week for zone conferences and is also doing an investigator fireside so she's going to do as well. We are so excited for her and hopefully she can get to her answer but she already knows it's true so we are just waiting on her.

I'm really excited for this upcoming week with the 70 coming....Kenneth Johnson. He is coming to our zone conferences and then after the zone leaders get to meet with him and the ap's and president. So this week i'll be meeting with a general authority ha i'm really excited and nervous too. That's some pressure but we are really trying our best and doing everything we can so ya it should be a great week.

Yesterday we met with Marlon and Laura, the friend of elder that used to live in Salt lake and we taught them the Plan of Salvation and put them on date to be baptized the 13th on June! We are so excited for them and they are as well. They are so sincere, and he actually might have been baptized when he was young he can't remember so we are checking and he said i hope you don't find the records because i really want to be baptized because now i know and really want to change so we are hoping we don't find the records but if so we'll have him get the priesthood and baptize his wife. We are being so blessed and are so excited for him and his wife to be able to do this. There son Christopher is the cutest kid. He's 3 and we come in and he just jumps on us, and says hola amigos ha and then starts his 100 questions "que es esto" what is that what is this whats that haha it's so fun. I love it so much

Well everyone i'm off again and i hope all is well and that you all have a great week. Have a great holiday and i love you alll!!!!!

Much Love

Elder Hammer

may 24th

2010-05-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

Hello, hello

Wow all i can say is wow! This past week was without a doubt the greatest week of my entire mission! I can't believe all the blessings that we got the last few weeks and i really didn't think it could be any better, but with the Lord i guess nothing is impossible and we had another miracle happen this week in our area!

Well first and foremost...Kelly Brinegar. This past week we taught her twice and yet again two great, great lessons. On tuesday we taught her the gospel of Jesus Christ and that lesson is just screaming baptism and we hadn't set a date with her. The morning before Elder woolley and i were in companionship study and hadn't picked out a date and so we picked one out on june 13th and decided that we should pray about it. Right as we got down on our knees i felt June 6th and didn't feel good about the 13th so after we prayed i just waited for a bit and elder woolley wasn't saying anything and then he was like write down in your planner the date you are thinking, so we did. We threw each other our planners and there he had june 6th written down as well. It's unbelievable how those prayers get answered sometimes. But we went to the lesson and just were very prepared for her questions and taught her the repentance process and really had a very spiritual lesson. And then Elder Woolley invited her to be baptized and she said yes if she found out that it is right. She's reading and praying and she will get an answer soon. Then we taught her on thursday for the last time with her boyfriend Blair because he moved back to Texas. We taught her the Word of Wisdom and she has a little problem with social drinking. It's the way she was raised and she expressed some concern, but we were able to teach her the blessings and at the end she said i just don't know what i'm going to tell my friends and my mom but then she said "but it's time to grow up". And she committed to live it. It's so amazing her progression. She came to church on sunday by herself to a singles ward and that just shows me so much faith. She gets freaked out easily but there she was in church on sunday and a member really wrapped her arms around her to be her friend and it's going great. I have never prayed for an investigator like i have for her and never have i prayed for such a miracle for her answer to be manifested but i know it will happen!!

This past week we were teaching one of our investigators named Elder and his wife Juana. They are the coolest young couple and have 2 youngs kids in Guatamala and a little boy here. They had been taught before i got here but they are such great people and believe its true but have problems coming to church because of Work. But we were over there this past week teaching him and he told me about one of his friends that he works with moved from Utah about a year ago and he was telling his friend about us coming to his house and teaching him the truth. Then his friend told Elder to give us his number to come and visit him. This doesn't happen very often so i hopped right on it and called him and he told me that he had talked with missionaries before in salt lake and loved it there and wants to move back ha. So we set an appointment for saturday and we felt really good about that appointment, He just was a solid person and i could tell that over the phone. So we went to his house on saturday and him and his wife Laura and his 3 year old son Christopher were all there. It was great. We got to talking and they lived in west valley and were really close to baptism and then he lost his job and had to leave quick out to maryland. Here this family is who were so close and had lost contact with the church for a year and through one of our other investigators he found us again. We taught him the restoration and he said "i know this is the true church of god, and I want to feel like Joseph Smith felt that day" I just wanted to jump up and down because i was so happy! These people were just plopped down in front of us and they want to be baptized!!!!!!! The wife is so on board and Christopher there son is the cutest kid ever. Me and elder woolley were switching off teaching and while he would teach i would play with Christopher and while i taught he would play with him. We got a family to bring them to church yesterday and i got to sit with them for the first part of Sacramemnt meeting. They loved it and want to come next week and we have an appointment with them on Saturday. Can you believe it? like seriously here we just get 2 golden investigators and they have been so prepared to recieve us. They've been to temple square, seen the testaments and the joseph smith movie and for a whole year had no idea how to get back to that. And through our investigator we got his number! It truly is a miracle, we are being so blessed i cna't even explain my gratitude right now we just find one after another. It's amazing!

Yesterday at church we had 11 investigators there!!!! i have gone months and months without that many ha and yesterday we had 10 in the spanish branch and Kelly in the singles ward. Elvis and Laura came and Elder came for his first time with a recent convert and then the Aviles Family as well with their sister in law who has come the past 2 weeks and came to the temple. It was a circus yesterday, i started in the spanish branch sitting with elvis and laura and chris because elder woolley plays the organ, then i left after sacrament to go to gospel principles with kelly, then i went to the first part of sacramemnt meeting with kelly and to get andrew confirmed and then i went back to priesthood with elder. It was the greatest sunday on my mission without a doubt!!!! All of them loved it and are all planning on coming back. I can't even believe it sometimes when i think about how blessed we have been. In my last area i felt like i worked and worked and worked and didn't see too much and i know now that it is after the trial of our faith that we get those blessings. We now have 11 poeple who are solid, NO FLAKES who should be getting baptized in the next 2 months. I have never loved anything in my life like i do now. This beats last year in Hawaii and California when i was playing my best golf ever ANYDAY! This is the best and i love it!

I hope you all have a wonderful week and know how much i love each of you and how grateful i am for all of you in my life. This is the truth and this is the only way to have happiness and i know that now! Have a great week everyone! Happy Birthday Bro!!!! Hope you have a great birthday man on the big 26!!!!!

Con Amor

Elder Hammer

may 17th & pictures

2010-05-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

Hola Familia!!!!!!!

Hello everyone! It's been such a great week in the mission!!! We have had so many great things happen and we are continuing to see the blessings of God being poured out upon us. Things for some reason just seem to be getting better and better and it's such a blessing! I'll just get started but thanks so much for the letters and love i really appreciate them and the 20$ aunt mitzie and letters from grandma and of course you mom thanks a bunch!!!!

So yesterday we had a baptism for a young guy named Andrew and it went really well. Andrew had been found about 2 months ago knocking late at night and they started teaching him and he really liked what they had to say and its all history from there. Andrew had a tuff life. He is a genius and is really socially akward and when the missionaries found him he had just gotten done from a breakdown where he just locked himself in his house and wouldn't go out or talk to anyone, it's a really sad story. He went to yale and is just a genius and he was just about that point of breaking when they found him that night. He's made huge steps and has changed his life completely and his a different person for sure! Yesterday his baptism went really well and his mother even came who is a catholic and wasn't interested. We showed the restoration video during the baptism and a young single who baptised andrew asked his mom if she had ever read the Book of Mormon and she said, " No....but i think im going to have to start now" It's amazing how the spirit works on people when they hear the truth about the gospel and now she is interested. God is a god of miracles and continues to put more and more people into our path!

So for the past few weeks we have been teaching a young girl named Kelly Brinegar. She's the girlfriend of the quarterback at Towson and he's a member she's not, basically she's a very very good looking girl and that was tuff at first but it's all good now ha. She is GOLDEN! I have never taught anyone that has grasped what we have taught her. She understood this past week the plan of salvation amazingly and every question was asked and we could answer them and she even said everything just makes sense. She asked us why mormons have "big books" (meaning the quad scriptures) at church so this weekend we bought her a quad and gave them to her ha, maybe as a little push to get baptized ha no but really i don't think i've ever enjoyed teaching someone like i have wiht kelly. She has been catholic and really wanted nothing to do with the mormon church, she just told Blair (her boyfriend) that she would be willing to listen to get to "KNOW WHO HE WAS BETTER" haha little did she know that the most sly missionaries were coming at her haha. Blair was talking to us at church yesterday and said that she was talking to him and commented that at first she had no desire and that now it's making sense and Blair told us that she's kind of scared ha because she knows it is true! Tomorrow we have a lesson with her and were going to put her on date for baptism!!!! It's unreal she even was at the baptism yesterday and i know she felt something there too!

This weekend we got to go to the temple with the AVILES family, a family of 9 who are ready to be baptized but are just waiting on some divorce papers back in El Salvador. It was the best to go down there with them to the temple and have all the little kids say i want to go in, why can't we go in ha. These kids are so funny and always going 100 miles an hour and have got the most off the wall question ever, but it's been the best. Families are so special and i've finally got to be apart of teaching a family that is big and to see all of them come into the gospel. Julio the dad was in the bathroom yesterday when andrew was changing and he told him congrats and said "This is the best decision of your life" ha coming from a guy who isn't even baptized. It's so amazing to see their conversion and it was a great temple trip. I even saw Sister Mary williams i think, the african american sister in our ward mom and dad? I got my first hug of the mission haha she saw me and ran over to me and i tried to give her a handshake and she slapped it away and gave me and a hug haha kind of wierd but it was fun to see her. she said to tell you all hello!

This week i got to go on exchanges with the inner city spanish elders!!!! It was so sweet! I was in downtown B-MORE wiht the crazies and it was so much fun haha. The city is so different, it's a whole other world down there, but it's fun to get those fun "Journal Entries" haha. It was my first taste of the city and it was a bunch of fun.

Well as you can tell, our area is rocking and it's the best. Being a zone leader is a lot of fun and i love working with all these missionaries, sometimes i don't feel like i'm the one that should be leading but the lord is for surely helping me in this call. I've never been so into the work as i am right now and it's a great feeling!!! There are so many miraculous blessings that i can't even explain in my emails that the lord blesses us with each and everyday! I love this call and i love this church! I love you all and hope you all have a great week!!!!! Thanks for everything!!! Adios

Elder Hammer

recent photos of jord

2010-05-14T16:11:00.000-07:00

Here's a little peak of Elder Hammer over the last few months

May 10th

2010-05-14T15:55:00.001-07:00

hello everyone!!!!!!

Well it's been a crazy past week but man I love where i am at!!! I'm in towson maryland with one of the best elders that i could have asked for. I told my comp. last week that if i got transfered i would want to serve with him but i didn't think i would cause i had no idea about zone leader but he's an allstar. We live on a college campus of towson university with a bunch of single women walking around haha not too good but were going to be moving soon so that should be changing quick.

Man so much has changed and it has been the greatest. we are now covering a singles ward and it's just about exactly like the movie. haha you have the different crowds in the church but it's a lot of fun. I am really excited to do a little more teaching in english. We are still over the spanish branch but there are also 4 other missionaries for the spanish so we aren't quite as interlocked there but thats alright. Sorry this is kind of a repeat from the phone call yesterday haha sorry mom.

Speaking of phone call i just wanted to say that the phone call yesterday was the best and i loved talking to you guys. I am so happy to be an uncle and to see all these AMAZING PICTURES of little morgan with that hair! oh my she's so adorable!!!! I would have to say it's been a good mother's day for everyone. Jess our newest mother and for MARSH as well. I love you all adn thanks for that great phone call.

Man i don't know what else to say i feel like we just got done talking ha because we did yesterday. I just wanted to share an experience that we had yesterday before the call for everyone else to hear....... So we went to this place just filled with hispanics and it really is filled like every apartment is hispanics and that doesn't happen too often here so we went back to try and teach this lady named Olga. We went in tehre and Olga was not interested and was giving us the cold shoulder in the lesson, kids were running around screaming and throwing toys, lets just say that it wasn't a very condusive area to be in for the spirit. But there was a nother guy in the home that when we pulled the eject button and said can we leave with a prayer, he walked in and asked if we could pray for him. Come to find out, he hasn't known god for 20 some odd years and hasn't been going to church because he's been so confused. He basibally knew the whole great apostacy and he said that after the lesson he just had this feeling that wanted him to learn more. It was one of those times when i knew that we weren't supposed to be there for OLGA but we were supposed to be right there for DOMINGO. I know that we are being led and guided to be at the right place at the right time here and it is the greatest feeling in the world.

Well all is well in maryland, i'm excited for this upcoming week and to keep on cranking it for our zone so they can keep up the good work. The BALTIMORE zone is the best and i'm excited to be here. I love you all so much and hope you have a great week! all my love

Elder Hammer

May 3rd

2010-05-14T15:54:00.001-07:00

Hola a todos!!!!!

Well big news for this week....This week is transfers and i thought for sure that i was staying but i got the call and i am leaving this area. I was pretty bummed at first because i love this area so much and wanted to stay and i for surely did not see this coming. But then i got a call from President Belliston a few minutes ago asking me to be a Zone Leader! Ya i was for surely not expecting that one. I don't ever know what to expect and i always remember what nick told me before the mission about right when you get comfortable the lord is going to throw a curve ball at you, but i'm grateful for this opportunity to serve and this new opportunity that I have. So no more columbia branch. That's going to be hard i have gotten close to a lot of members who have been changing their lives around so this wont be an easy leave but i know the area is in good hands with Elder Pauda, he's a stud and he'll keep it going for sure.

This week has been a crazy week it started out nice and warm and then it got so hot and humid on saturday!!!! It got up to like 85 or 90 this weekend and it feels like you walk outside and your just wet ha it's crazy. It was pooring raining this morning and we walked outside and i started sweating because it was still so hot but ya MARYLAND IS BACK!

This past week we had one of the coolest experiences. This area has been a tough one and it seems that we have been working and working and not seeing a whole lot of success and it's been a trial of the faith for sure. We have been through lots of different investigators and hoping to find one that is truly sincere that is ready. Tuesday morning elder pauda and i were doing companionship study and we got a text message that was a media referral. Usually media referrals just want a free dvd and not much to do with the church so we called the guy "selvin hernandez" as soon as we got it. He not only answered but we set up an appointment for that day! We went there and come to find out he had talked to the missionaries in arizona and has only been in america for like a month. He was planning on staying in arizona, but now with that new law that was signed he came here (it's like a flock of geese!!! the hispanics are going north and there coming here from arizona) He listened to the first lesson and we invited him to be baptized and he was a little caught off guard but he said he would read and pray. We went back on saturday and he had already read to 1 nephi 20 from the beginning! It's unreal the mind this guy has he told us the whole story of nephi and his family and all of that it was pretty amazing. He really struggles with prophets and joseph smith. We have tried to tell him that we don't worship him but he still doesnt' understand but these things can worked out over time ha but man it was such an answer to our prayers to have someone be lead to us or we be lead to them. This has been one of the coolest experiences that we've had with a media referral on my mission. I am really excited for him and hope that elder pauda and his new comp will be able to keep that going with hima nd get him baptized.

Also this past week we got to finally get in touch with Melvin Carranza, he was flying under the radar for about a week wiht no contact ha but he's still doing good. We taught him on saturday and threw down on keeping the sabath day holy. At the end we committed him to live it and he got this look on his face like something was wrong. Well basically every sunday at every field in maryland there is soccer tournaments!!!! and everyone goes and he got invited to play for a team and said he had to go. So we said to him well it's your choic and he knew that he needed to be at church. Haha actually our branch has a team that plays on Saturdays so we told him about that but he played soccer on sunday instead of church so that was a bummer but we'll stay on him though.

Well with this upcoming sunday being mother's day i have to give a shout out to the most amazing mother in the world. I know for sure i wouldn't be where i am today if it wasn't for you mom!!! I am so grateful for you and your example to me and your example of what love is. Your endless packages and letters and your support have been so amazing and i just wanted to say thank you so much for everything mom!!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful week and i'll be excited to talk to all of you guys on sunday!!!!!! HOpefully by then i'll be an uncle haha i love you all so much and am so grateful for all you do for me. ALl my love
Elder Hammer

april 26th

2010-05-14T15:53:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone!!!!!

Well back again and the weeks just keep getting faster and faster it's crazy i just hit 10 months i feel like i just got here and it only gets worse but i'm happy and we have had a pretty good week.Well the weather is rainy. Last night me and Elder Pauda were walking at about 7 30 and it had been cloudy all day but no rain but the darkest black clouds came over us and i looked at him and said we are done for about 5 minutes later we were soaked for head to toe haha it came down as hard as i've ever seen it in my life for about 3 straight hours, i thought we were going to be floating before we were going to wake up, lightning, thunder it was pretty sweet but no one lets you in when your soaked so that didn't make it too good, but oh well what can you do, we tried to make some fun out of it. We even tried hitchhiking but that didn't go over too well either haha. But it's been a good week and thanks for all the letters mom and dad and grandma hafen they were the best and thanks for the packages mom. i don't know who gets more excited to see packages me or elder pauda haha he's loving all this treatment, (just like every other one of my companions haha) Thank you so much mom!

Well this past monday we had a dinner scheduled with the Mora family and they had us over. When we got there brother mora had one of his friends there named Guillermo Caal from Guatamala, who used to listen to the missionaries but moved to texas for a year or so and now he is back and working with Brother Mora. So we got talking with him and he started to tell us more about talking with the missionaries and he was on date to be baptized!!! But his wife who lives in Guatamala said no that he couldn't get baptized and that he was going against her and would find some other lady in the church so it kind of turned into a bad situationa nd then he moved. Well when we were talkign with him he told us that he had asked his wife again about baptism before we had even talked with him and she said that she would give him an answer in two weeks. So there we are and he starts to tell us that he knows the Book of Mormon is true and Joseph Smith is a prophet of god and that he believes it's all true. So basically with him we are just waiting to see on his wife. He came to church yesterday and we are going over there to teach him with "la lamanita"haha brother mora. It was a much needed tender mercy from the lord but it's all on what his wife says i guess.

Last monday Karla called us and was just crying and wanted us to come over to her house on tuesday to talk with her, but she wouldn't tell us why she was crying. So here i am all day on monday and tuesday wondering what happened and hoping that she had the answer and wanted to get baptized ha but no it didn't work out quite that way. Basically her family is just coming down on her about this whole mormon stuff and they try to talk bad about the church and make fun of her and try to get her to drink and just all this crazy cruel stuff, but she just sat in front of us and cried telling us and she knows its true, it's just she has a loser boyfriend that needs to go ha sorry thats cruel to say but it's true, she leaves to church and then he tries to get back at her and says i'm leaving with my friends and just goes and drinks. It's a sad situation but i know it will all come around.

This past saturday in our branch we had a kids baptisms for two little girls in the branch and also a branch activity that was a picnic in a park where all the members come and play soccer and volleyball and food it is a big deal. So we invited Karla to see the baptism and then to just go to the picnic with us after. So we had the baptism and man there was like 50 people that came and we were just waiting on Karla and the two girls got baptized and i swear not more than two minutes after they got dunked she walks in the door and just had barely missed it! But she got to see the confirmation and then she came to the picnic which was just great! All the members were there playing soccer and of course not us haha it was tuff not to but it wasn't p day so we couldn't but it was great to talk to all the members and karla and brother more invited guillermo and two of his friends to come as well so we got to talk to everyone which is such a great missionary tool for hispanics- 1. Food 2. Soccer, i'm suprised we didn't have them all coming but no it really was great and i know that more than anything that karla loved it.Our branch has the greatest members who have such a godo time and have great testimonies but we just have seen that missionary work is just so distant for them so we hav ebeen trying really hard to get missionary work more in there minds. We've been inviting them to strengthen their faith and share there testimony with someone out side of the church just anythign to get their minds in the way of missionary work and were seeing a little bit of progress but we still have lots of work to do. But we'll get there.

This upcoming week is transfers and i think i'll be staying here but who knows what will happen? I would love to stay with ELDER pauda for one more transfer but that would be 3 and that doesn't happen to often. I don't think i've told too much about the pauda man but basically he's one of my favorite compaions. ALl i ask is for a comp who is obedient and wants to work and thats exactly what he is. at first he was wierd and i didn't understand him but he's opened up and basically he's just changed his life in a complet 180 degrees. I love the kid and he's hilarious and i hope we get one mroe together.

Well all is well and i'm happy and loving it. I hope all is well with you all. Jess good luck this week i hope all goes well and morgan is alright and healthy. Good luck too nick ahha your gonna need it. i lov eyou all so much. we're blessed so much. have a great week. much love

Elder Hammer

April 19th

2010-05-14T15:52:00.001-07:00

Hola Familia!!!!!!

Hey everyone it's been a great week in Columbia and we are doing good!!! Spring is here for sure and this place is back to GREEN!!! I can't believe this place and how much it has changed in just like a month to these ugly dead trees and now there is just all kind of trees and blossoms and it's actually pretty cool. haha i'm not much of a flower or nature guy but i gotta say that it's pretty beautiful. There is so much polen in the air that every morning there is like a green dust film thing on all the cars and the people here are all sick and having crazy allergy things but i'm good and i like it ha. I got your package this week Jess and Nick thanks so much for the nice cards and for those sweet ties!!!!! Thanks so much for the birthday package i really really appreciate it and it was just what i needed! You guys are da bomb diggity! Man i'm one spoiled elder for sure with all the love i get from the fam, thank you all so much! and thanks mom for sending me those letters and thanks so much Big AL I mean President Archibald for the nice email and for all those nice comments. I really appreciate it and i hope you and Sister Archibald are loving it up there in Canada. I love you both like parents so thank you so much for the email. Thanks mom and dad for your letters they meant so much to me and really were such a boost for this week and really helped me out i love you both so much thanks. Jon Rog and Kylee now married ha congratulations guys i heard it was great but i just wanted to throw out a congrats!

Well yesterday at church we had a new less active lady come to church for the first time! It's such a cool story...so we were walking up the street the other day and kind of in a rough neighborhood not too bad though and this van drives past us and were walking and all of the sudden who ever was driving at about 15 mph just shoves the car in park and it made that crazy grinding gears sound and i look over and i'm like well this can either go one way- someone gets out shoots us and takes our money or the other way- someone really really wants to talk to us....well luckily mother it was the second one and someone really wanted to talk to us haha. This young lady looks at us and just says please tell me you speak spanish in some broken english and i got a big grin and yes yes we do. She was baptized in 1993 in hondurus and for 2 years she has been here and not known where the church was or anything but she knew who we were thats for sure, we gave her the address and she cam ethis past sunday and it was great. After one of the counselors in the mission presidency was there and asked me to introduce her to him so they started talking and come to find out she had been praying earlier that morning to God to help her find her way and to find peace. Later that day she saw us walking and Xochil Aguilar (thats her name) just started crying, man it was such a sweet experience. I know she felt the spirit and as we were singing the closing hymn a tear ran down her cheek and she was singing because i have been given much. It was such a cool experience that i will never ever forget that. She wants us to come visit her this week and she has a 2 year old boy who is just a goof ball that is the cutest little guy ha.

This past week i went on an exchange with elder heywood in our district and we got a call from one of his members asking us to come and give a blessing to her sister in the hospital. We show up and call her and turns our her sister was 6 months pregnant and was visiting here from NEW MEXICO and her husband wasn't there. she went into labor and a had her baby 2 lbs. 8 oz. and still hadn't seen it yet and she was a mess but we were able to give a blessing to her and it was a cool experience to be there and be called on. I was thinking about JEss the whole time being like man this is her anyday haha i'm so excited to be an uncle and come to email and see all the pictures.haha

Melvin Carranza...man we had a lesson wiht him on saturday and found out that he is going to be returning back to Hondurus sometime in may to visit his mom who is really sick and now the baptism thing is kind of in limbo. He says he wants to do it when he comes back but he's not coming back for two months and man i just feel like so much can happen in that time. But then we also found out that he has a girlfriend back there that he wants to bring back and get married here by our branch president so i dunno about all this situation. We would love to have him baptized before so that when he goes back to Hondurus that he wont do anything bad wiht his girlfriend but he also is saying that he wants his wife to come back too and get baptized and all that ha it's a roller coaster out here thats for sure. That's just about how the story of the week went, one day we'd be teaching the next day dead ha one day were at church having a great experience with Herman Aguilar and the next were listening to our investigator bail on the baptismal date but it's all in a days work as a missionary and i love it.

I really am gaining a testimony of sacrifice and during those hard times to keep the faith strong. This week was a tuff one but we can't lose the faith out here and we can't lose it in life. It is hard though that is for sure we teach the principle of faith so much and how simple it may seem in our lives but yet how hard it is to live that principle and i see that a lot with our investigators as well. God loves us and he'll be with us if we just keep having faith and keep on going. I thought alot about your quote dad that i've heard since i was born....suck it up, or quit and quiting isn't an option. it's been on my mind a lot but i know that there are people here that are truly ready and we will find them!

I love you all so much thanks for your love and prayers and i hope you all have a great week. All is well and i hope you all are doing well. Congrats on the baby ashley and matt! i love you all CoN AMOR

ELDER HAMMER

april 12th

2010-05-14T15:51:00.001-07:00

Hola!!!!!!!!

Come estan? Well it's been a good week in Maryland and the weather is great! We just got done playing some ultimate frisbee as a zone and it's been hot weather and it's been great. I'm remembering what it feels like to sweat and get sunburned, it's great. Thanks for the letters and packages this week everyone, Grandma and Grandpa Hammer i got your birthday card last monday right after i got done emailing, Thank you so much for that nice card and for the 20$ i really appreciate it! I hope Bell and Jess had some great birthdays and i hear the masters was a classic ha i was dying out here when people would start talking about it but there will be more when i get home. This past saturday there was a huge soccer game against Barcelona and Madrid where pretty much the latino world just shut down haha we were invited in many times by trying to teach a lesson when there is a soccer game going on never is a good idea ha. But it's been a really good week though and we are seeing the blessings coming.

This past week we had a really great zone conference and i loved it. As always president belliston is just the man and always just lays it down on us (in a good way) and you leave there all fired up it's the best. They had one of their kids move out here because he's working at John's Hopkins and they just had a baby that's not doing too good and has been in the ICU for like 25 days. Sister Belliston talked about something i really loved. She had a box of crayons and said what's your favorite color and talked about how her favorite color is yellow and she has a grandson who is 3 that has the same favortie color and he wont let anyone else have that same one so when she's with him hers is green or as he says it gween ha but she talked about how in life we don't always get dealt our favorite color and sometimes there isn't much we can do about it. She talked about her grandchild and the pain that he has went through and then also talked about her child who died at 5 to Leukimia. As i sat there and listened i think that was my favorite part of the conference was her talk about not always getting the things we want or gettting Dealt our favorite color but that we have got to find a new one sometimes and go on. It was a great zone conference though and our district had a really good week this past week so i know that's always something good that gets everyone fired up.

We had Karla Monroy at church yesterday which was so sweet and it was branch conference. It was a really good meeting and one of the high councilman spoke spanish on his mission and gave a talk about the work of missionary and it was powerful and gave some good stories from his mission and from his dad as well and Karla was just blown away by it and was saying to me after "he spoke with something that not many people speak with" so that was a really cool experience for her to have. She's doing good and we have a great member fellowshipping her and were probably going to go to the temple with her this weekend with that member and have the Sister Missionaries throw it down on her about eternal marriage and see if that sparks something. She knows it's true and knows all of it just she isn't married. Ha marriage has been quite the problem for us lately. This past week we had a lesson with Elder Duarte and basically just threw down the hammer (no pun intended) on baptism and that's why we are here in this earth to follow the example of Jesus Christ and we set a date with him for May 15th and he said yes, then he said well i've got a long ways to go though and we were like ya but it's all ok we'll help you get prepared and it was something else. He went on to tell us that he's been married to a lady for 7 years and has a 6 year old son and they are in Guatamala and he hasn't seen them for 4 or 5 years and now he's with another woman. It always suprises me that we don't usually have to teach about the law of chastity but that usually they bring it up because they know how important that is. So that is going to be a big stumbling block for him to try and figure out but if he's the elect and ready and really wants this in his life then he'll do what he needs to do to be baptized. The great marriage problem is something else, especially here cause so many many leave there families and wives and children to come work and most of the time don't go back, so we'll just keep praying for the miracles to happen and see where we can go with Elder.

This past week we got a call at about 9 45 and it was from Melvin Carranza and he called me in kind of a panic and could not figure out what the INDEX was in the Book of Mormon ha he finished it and turned the page and saw more and just couldn't finure out what it was supposed to be ha so we did some explaining and got all that taken care of. Then as i was sitting there in the car i invited him to open up the Book of Mormon and read moroni 10 3-5 with us and he did it, and then we invited him to pray after we hung up. So obviously i was way happy he had read the whole Book of Mormon and the next day we were going to visit him but i had exchanges so it was just ELder Pauda up there. When we met back up ELder Pauda came up to me with a big smile and said MAY 1ST and i didn't really understand what and Elder Pauda put him on date to be baptized for may 1st! I wasn't there so i dont' know how it went exactly but elder pauda told me that he said alright so now that you know that the book of mormon is true what is your next step and Melvin said i need to be baptized. It's so exciting to hear that and we are excited to put two people on date this past week and to really see the Lord blessing us. We've been working hard and not always seeing the fruits of the labor but it's really paying off and the Lord is watching out for us. We have a lot of work to do with the both of them to get them ready but we know we can help them but more than anything they have a lot of work to do so we'll keep praying and see what happens but it's been a great week!

Well that's about it for this week. I hope all of you are having a blast in life and enjoying it all. I really am seeing just how great this experience called life is especially as a missionary for these past 9 months. We are a blessed people to have what we have in life and the gospel is the ONLY thing that can bring happiness and make change. I was talking to our 2nd counselor in the branch presidency and he was talking about his sons eagle project and how he wanted him to help the community and he told me " ya the project may be good but it wont change much, the only thing that will change people or environment or circumstances is the Gospel" and that is so true. I love you all and i wish the best of luck to all of you in school, work, internships, and just life. I love you all thanks for your love and support our here i really am grateful for the people that the lord has blessed me to be around in my life!!!!
Adios
Elder Hammer

april 5th

2010-05-14T15:50:00.001-07:00

Hola!!!!!

Back again.... and the weather just doesn't get any better than this. Spring on the east coast is something else. And just like the plants the people are starting to come alive again too. I just wanted to start out the letter by first thanking everyone who made my birthday experience in the mission a great experience! I really had a great birthday and thanks for all your love and packages. Thanks Dee and Leda for the package of goodies, Grandma hafen for the card and money. Mom and dad for the Gps and for the book and the sweet shirt. Jace and Bell for the no-bake cookies and for the sweet tooth fairy chocolates!!!! Thank you all so much for trying to make my b day a good day for me and i really appreciate it. It still hasn't hit me yet that i'm 20 years old but i'm sure that'll come with time.

What a sweet weekend we had to listen to the Prophet and the apostles. I get the chills still just thinking about the great messages we heard and to feel the love of our great prophet of God. I think President Uchdorf takes the cake when he talked about Our hands being his hands! And then Jeffrey R. Holland with the Tea and Crumpets comment "you shouldn't be serving tea anyways" haha that was a classic and then Robert D. Hales "don't live with the regret of what might have been" I could go on and on and on but those were just a few of my favorites. We got to listen to all of them in english except the priesthood session and the sunday morning were in spanish and i didn't understand them perfect but we had investigators there and there more important than me.

Elder came to conference and that was so sweet on sunday! He usually works but for some reason he didn't go to work and he was home and we said lets go were going to watch conference and he didnt' have pants only shorts and tried to play that excuse and i was like here you can have mine and started to loosten up the belt and then he agreed haha he brought a friend with him but he came sunday morning and i think that might have been two of my favorites with presidnet uchdorf and Thomas s. monson. He's getting closer and closer and getting him to church was a huge barrier but we got over that now and he's only smoking 1 or 2 cigaretts a day so that's good. He's a good guy but just is constantly surrounded by a really bad atmosphere and lives with six other guys that smoke and drink so it's hard to get him away from that but he's taken huge steps.

Jesus Vasquez who was on date who we haven't talked to for 2 weeks also came to conference. We called him on saturday and invited him to come over and he said he would and didn't show for the first 2 and so i didn't think much of him and then he called us on saturday night and said i'm coming to the one that starts at 8 i'll be there in 15 minutes and he came. I know he feels it and wants to change but his wife is in the way and that's a tuff barrier to get over when it comes to that. So we are just going to try and ease back into it with him. We went past his house yesterday and said hi, they were out having a BBQ just like the rest of Maryland but that was really exciting to about this week.

Also Melvin Carranza is getting closer and closer he didn't come to the church but watched it from his house. He couldn't understand who President Eyring and President Uchtdorf were. He was like so is there 3 prophets? ha so we had to do a little explaining to him but he watched it from home and liked it. We are so close with so many people and we are praying like crazy to get these people to have that experience that is going to put them over the top.

I went on an exchange with our zone leader Elder Faverro from Ogden and he's just an all-star. He's one of those kinds of elders that you just can't help but be happy around. But we were at Chick Fil-a and we were sitting there friday night and he was like Elder Hammer you know what is sad, Moses is coming down from Mt. Sinai tomorrow and not one person in here knows it. And it just hit me like man so many don't know the blessing that we all felt this weekend to hear a PROPHET OF GOD and to hear the apostles as well. We are a blessed people and more people here need to know about what we have. You can just feel the love from them and from God to know that these men are truly from him. Our Savior is real, I love how we focus on his resurrection and not his death because he lives and he's here with us. I know that if we take the advice and council from the Prophet and "look to the lighthouse of the Lord" that we wont have any adversity or trial that we can't overcome. The church is true people.....Enough Said

Well off to go wash the car and get a haircut. There is this barbershop full of Dominicans that we are gonna go try and practice the espanol and get a haircut haha. Who knows we might even get to the golf course to hit some balls, but thanks again for your love and support out here. Enjoy life, love every minute of it, it's too good! Con Amor

Elder Hammer

march 29th

2010-03-29T19:58:00.000-07:00

Hola mi familia y mis amigos!!!!!!

Hey, hey, hey how's everyone doing? It's been a pretty good week this past week for us and we have seen some pretty cool miracles in the area. The weather has been cold and wet but Hermano Mora bought an i phone and was showing me the weather this weekend is supposed to be 80 so that's fine with me haha.

First off i just want to say to the North Family that my thoughts and prayers have been with you all this past week as Grandma Hafen wrote me and told me the news about Grandpa North. He wasn't even my Grandpa but still felt like family to me and i hope that all is with the Norths. We are really blessed to know the Plan of Salvation and i know that CAL is just up there resting now. I hope all goes well and my thoughts are prayers are with the North Family, love you guys.

This week has been a little bit of a roller coaster but it's been fun. We just got done playing basketball as a zone and our mission president came and played with us! He's 64 years old and he was out there running the full court dropping 3's getting all physical with me when i was posting up haha it was so sweet to see. Our zone has a lot of fun but we really got to step it up as far as the work were in the bottom when it comes to numbers but we are climbing back up there. On another note the Pauda man got sick on thursday and we spent most of the day inside which is never fun. He was having some major stomach pains and did a little upchuck at one of lessons with an investigator, we were gonna take him to the hospital but he got feeling better, but ya staying in the apartment for more than an hour drives me nuts but i'm learning patience and got to make a lot of phone calls to investigators and some potentials.

Family Home Evening every week with the mora family is going so great! Each monday we go over there and they stuff us full of the best mexican food i've ever tasted and then we've been having lessons with them that have been so great! We layed it down pretty hard on hermano mora and told him he needs to step it up...and yesterday he was at church and bore his testimony AGAIN! We were there last week and he went outside for a sec and his wife was like elder hammer i don't know where you came from or what got into you but i think if someone else was like you and called my husband a nina a year ago he might of punched you in the face and then she started thanking me and elder pauda for all we've done, it's a sweet feeling to hear that from the members. I feel like Brother Mora is an investigator and a hard headed one at that but he's changing so much and he's really starting to have the desire to be at church and be the man he should. Hahaha he calls himself a lamanite and he has way long hair in a pony tail and i asked him if i could cut it for him like us and he said he's lost his lamanite power if he cut his hair haha he's a goofy guy but i love him.

Elder is doing good. He works every sunday so he can't come to church but he really opened up to us and told us a lot of things this past week about his past and how he used to be in a gang and drugs and just everything (a little too much info) but he wants to change and so we are helping him. He's worked at the same place for 3 years and has never had 1 DAY off from work, i don't understand it sometimes but seriously he's such a hard worker, the hispanic culture in general, they just are hard workers and i give them some serious props for what they do. But elder is doing good.

We got a new investigator this week named Selbin and Rosie. We taught rosie one time but like a month ago and it didnt' go all that well but i was on exchanges with elder hale and we decided to go by and see how she was doing. little did we know that her husband was the one that was ready. He told us that we only had 20 minutes so we showed the restoration dvd and just let the spirit do the work and the guy felt it. ANd he said the prayer before we left and i've never heard a prayer so sincere and so powerful like that from an investigator. We also went back and taught him about the book of mormon and he wants to read it. But once again work on sunday is the problem. TRABAJO, TRABAJO, TRABAJO. ha that's spanish for work and we hear that alot haha but it'll all work out.

Karla is doing great. we got a call from her when we had our appointment that her son had a bad allergic reaction and took him to the hospital. We offered to come over and give him a blessing and she said yes. We went over there and saturday and gave him a blessing and had a great lesson with her. She is so ready for baptism she just lives with a guy who is the father of her son and he doesn't want to get married but she knows it's true and has felt the spirit in her life. She couldn't come to church yesterday because of work, but we got a text from her at church that said " i just wanted to thank the both of you for being tools in the hands of god, because of you two god placed his hands on my sons head and blessed him and now he is fine" I never have gotten a feeling of gratitude quite like that one and it was so special. The priesthood is so real and we really are nothing but just that, tools in his hands and to see the power of that blessing. She is coming to conference this weeked and were really excited.

Well we have conference coming up and just as we are doing with all of our members and all of investigators, were askign them to think of a question or two and start preparing to recieve answers from conference so that's something i want to invite all of you to do to think of some questions on the mind and look for those through conference. were so blessed to hear from the prophet and the apostles and i couldn't think of a better way to spend my 20th than that. i hope you all have a great experience this weekend.

Thanks aunt mitzie for the gift card and that picture, ha it seems like just yesterday me and little jon were like that and wow that time has come and gone. thanks grandma hafen for your letter and that crazy coincidence to talk to someone who served in my same mission. Thanks for your letters they really are the best and thanks for all that all of you do for me letters, prayers just everything. I'm so blessed to be here and blessed to have the people around me that i do! Have a wonderful week and enjoy conference! I love you all

Con amor
Elder Hammer

ps good luck bell with the wisdom teeth i'll be praying for ya!!

2010-03-29T19:57:00.000-07:00

march 22nd

2010-03-29T19:52:00.001-07:00

Hola!!!!
Well first and foremost today was callouts and me and elder pauda are staying here for another transfer. Not a big suprise though...but i'm excited for another one with the pauda man!!! This past week has been so sweet!! the weather is about as a spring as it gets and it was to the point where last night i got out all my short sleeve shirts that have been hibernating in my suitcase for about 6 months to wash them today and get them ready....and i wake up and it's pouring rain haha but it's all good spring is here and i'm loving it! People are outside playing sports have barbecues all kinds of good opportunities for us to get out and meet new people and find those elects. Thanks for all the letters, grandma hafen thanks so much for the letters and stories of grandpa snow i loved those and the 20$ your the best thank you thank you! and the Cope family thanks so much for your package and your sweet letters! And of course Marsh for your packages and letters from the fam thanks a bunch!!!!!

Well this past week our mission had a really cool opportunity to have Greg Droughbay from the Mtc who is the director of proselyting for all the church. He was 1 of the 4 who were in charge of getting Preach My Gospel started. One day he just sat down and started writing the first lesson. Basically this guy knows his stuff and we had a big meeting with him all the district and zone leaders from the mission and got to be instructed by him for about 7-8 hours!!!! It was such a sweet opportunity to listen to him teach us and what we need to do better. Most of the time when these guys come everyone gets freaked out becasue they lay it down on obedience but he didn't have much to say about that and just got to the good stuff which was way sweet. I walked away from that meeting about as fired up as i have ever been. And then after he was done President Belliston got up and shared his thoughts and had most of us missionaries in tears as he sat and talked about what a mission has meant to him in his life. He was balling the whole time and i've never seen him like that and most of us were in tears as the spirit was for surely there. It was a really cool experience and we have a lot to impliment in the work but there were some great promised from Bro. DROUGHBAY that i know will help us further the work.

This past week was a heartbreaker with Jesus Vasquez who was supposed to get baptized april 3rd. He didnt' come to church yesterday and we were kind of trying to figure out why so we went over to his house last night to talk with him. Basically to put it short his wife hasn't listened to us when we are there and i never have really felt to welcome in his house by here and it's always bothered me and i've invited her to listen and she shuts us down. But we went over there last night and he told us that she just is getting more and more bothered by us coming over there and that she just doesn't want to learn and JEsus wants to but it's killing the marriage and so we just had to tell him that we are gonna let them be for a couple weeks and come back. As jesus was telling us this it really was tuff because we were so close with him and his wife just wasn't having it. So were just praying and praying that something will happen with him and his wife to where she softens her heart enough to let us in to her heart and so they both can progress together.

We did have a couple of cool experiences with a couple investigators, 1 named Karla who the missionaries were teaching before i got here and were really close to baptism and then she kind of disappeared and we didnt' know what happened and so we kind of put her out of it. Well she called us and wants to keep listening and she came to church this past sunday! We had one of the greatest members of the branch there with us and she's a gem and picked her up and ya we are really excited about her and her progression.

Also Melvin Carranza kind of fell off the planet and then he called us and was at church this past sunday and now we have a lesson with him tonight! I guess the lord gives some and he takes some and melvin and karla really have been some tender mercies from the lord this past week we really are working so hard trying to find the elects out there and we knwo they are there. Elder is doing good we had a lesson with him this past week and teaching him to pray when he has the desire to smoke and he is totally committed to stop smoking and he wants to start excercising more so that he gets feeling better.

Well it's been a pretty good week and now were off for another, thanks for all the love and support out here people i really appreciate it. Have a wonderful week!!!!!!!
CON AMOR
ELDER HAMMER

march 15th

2010-03-29T19:51:00.003-07:00

Hello, hello
Well spring was here for a few days, we were going without jackets sun was shining for a good 3 days, then the rain came and it's been raining since thursday but i love Maryland haha It's been a good week in Columbia and we have had some really cool experiences this past week. Thanks for the letters and packages, aunt mitzie thanks for the birthday cake and grandma hafen thanks for the great letters and i loved the article to just smile!!! It was a really good reminder and to be thankful for the ride! There really is power in just a simple smile and being positive in life.

Well to start out, i don't think this week could have been any more eventful in the sight of knocking on doors. If there were doors that i probably shouldn't have knocked on....well we did haha We knocked on one door of an african american man who was pretty nice and let us in after we gave him a pass along card of jesus christ. We were thinking sweet he let us in....ha not so good he tried to prove us wrong and tell us that Jesus CHrist was black and that we are teaching false doctrine...we got out of there quick haha We also knocked into some hispanics who were really nice great people let us in we were thinking oh man sweet 3 people this should be sweet....crazy missionaries from the pentecostals haha didn't go to swell and yeah we were out of there quick. Then we had the lovely experience of knocking on another door of an african american who also yelled at us because we think christ is white because that's the picture we use on th pass along card haha man this week really was sweet those were jsut some funny experiences(journal entries).

I went on exchanges with one of the english elders in our district and we had a way cool experience. THey got this media referral from a lady from IRAN name armagahn. She let us in and it was so sweet. The past week she was in Salt Lake at a business conference and had heard the salt lake was a holy city and that she needed to find the temple. Well she went there 3 different times before she had the guts to talk to the sister missionaries and was fascinated by the religion. She said she could feel it when she was at the temple. She was fascinated that the people there were happy and she said that she even asked the lady at the airport why are you people so happy ha she really struggled with the concept of only men get to be prophets becuase she's muslim and they don't believe that god has a gender so we tried to explain that to her and we taught her the entire plan of salvation drawing it out and i know she felt the spirit that day it was really a sweet experience to be apart of. That night we had dinner with some members in there ward and i said i was from ST. george and the lady got all excited and her dad came over. Her dad is ken (kenny) bowler and her grandpa was the mayor of st george and i guess he was a singer. I told her that my grandma would have all this genology to me by next week ha but it was kind of a cool connection. Dad ken bowler and bruce hurst started the DIXIE CELEBRITY CLASSIC golf tournamnet and i was telling him how much i love that tourney. But it was a really cool exchange and a fun experience.

Jesus Vasquez didn't come to church yesterday for an unknown reason but he's doign pretty good. The doubts are starting to come in and satan is working on him just as he does with all of our investigators that are close to baptism but its just the usual. THe big thing that we are finding is that his wife isn't into listening to us and he's wondering how he can do this by himself and without her and so we are going to try and go the temple this next weekend with him and his family. THere is a spirit there that they can't not feel. We are praying and praying that he'll get his answers and that he'll know that this is for him.

ELder is doing well we went to his house this last week and he was walking out right when we got there and he was like oh well im going to 7 11 to get a drink and so i was like well can we go with you and so we hoped in his truck and went to 7 11 and he even bought our drinks!!! We sat in his truck and talked about repentance for about an hour to try and help him over come his addiction with smoking. OUr ward mission leader used to smoke so we are going to bring him with us to teach him this next week which we are excited about.

We have a 19 year old less active named MARTIN who is from uruguay and weighs about 3 bills, but he's a good kid and hasnt' been to church in like 4 years. We always visit him and try to ge thim to church but he's always got some kind of excuse. But we went to his house this past week and usually he's a downer but he was stoked on life and was liek you guys are right when you read and pray and do whats right life is good(he got a job) and then he was like i wanna come to church tomoorrow. WE found him a ride and he was there with us! It was hard not having any investigattors at church...really hard but seeing him come to church after 4 years of not coming was so sweet!!!

All is well in Maryland though we are busting it trying to find the elects out here and i know that we'll find them we just got to have the faith to do it. I know that the lord loves us all and i love you all as well. THanks for your prayers and your love. have a great week.
Con AMOR
Elder Hammer

march 8

2010-03-29T19:51:00.001-07:00

Como Esta a todos!!!!!

Ok this time i really can say that it feels like spring!! It was 57 yesterday! and today it's supposed to be the same, ha we've had 3 days of great weather here ha and i am feeling spring but i'm just gonna set myself up for a terrential snow storm tomorrow just to be safe! It's been a great week this past week and we have seen quite a few miracles come to pass. I can't believe it's already march i still can barely get into my mind that it's 2010 and were already to march. It sounds like everyone is doing great especially the new Jetette team captain! Congrats Bell you deserve it!

So this past week with Jesus Vasquez...He's doing really well and he's progressing. He struggles at picking up the concepts and really really struggles reading so that makes it even tougher but the guy is the best and lets us in, feeds us occasionally and just keeps showing his faith. He came to church yesterday and i don't usually get excited when investigators come to church on fast sunday because of some of the members sharing crazy stuff but man yesterday was just liek a beat down the members gave about how true the gospel is and the book of mormon, I think they knew that what they really needed to say and what to testify of it really was so sweet. The best part is, we don't even have to worry about people to fellowship him or any of our investigators the members just come up to him and say hi and greet by their first name it really is so amazing and so special to see how the love of these hispanic people is not hard to feel! And now they have some hook up with Trader Joes a grocery store and every sunday there is some type of load that gets dropped off at our church and its' huge ha the members dont' even have to grocery shop. I dunno what that is all about but they hook up the missionaries so that's very beneficiary, Jesus was loving that too!!!

We didn't get our goal of 20 lessons this week which really was tuff on us cause man that's what we need to get every week. Elder L tom perry promised a baptism every month every area per companionship if we do this so we missed it by 3 this week but were going to get back up to the 20's.

But on the other hand we did have some great success this past week with less actives!!! Hermano Mora came to church!!!! We had a lesson and dinner with him on tuesday and i just started up on him and started asking the questions so why aren't you coming to church and just was as bold as i could be. He started to complain to me and i stopped him and i said am i listening to a nina (spanish for little girl) haha i thought he was gonna punch me in the face but he laughed it off and i just said come hermano mora suck it up your better than this and he got serious and said alright i'm gonna come. He came, and he bore his testimony and i could just feel his the spirit so strong with that testimony and i wanted to share mine so bad but tons of members wanted to share there's so i didn't but it was a miracle. We have been learning a lot on how to work with less actives and how so mnay times we get the excuses and how were not bold wiht them and ha well i dont' really have that problem maybe i'm a little too bold but hey it worked! He payed his tithing as well! He was complaining about the economy and he is always scrapping for money and i asked well are you paying your tithing? and he just stopped in his tracks. and he kind of got down on himself and said i'm gonna pay my tithing and i watched him on sunday pay his tithing to the 1st counselor. Ha i feel like he's an investigator almost and it just makes me so happy to see him changing ha i think his life really likes us she's feeding us the next 4 monday's!!! I think she likes this change that's going on with her husband so she's just going to keep feeding us. We are seeing miracles with the less actives it gets better.......

So there is this family named the Merchan and they live in Reisterstown and it's way north liek ahalf hour but we were up there and so we stopped by and brother merchan gave us the cold shoulder, they are way less active for almost 2 years so i didn't think much of it. The very next day a lady from the ward sis. rodriguez calls us and says i really want to go visit sister merchan (they both are from columbia-the country) and i just think we should go up there. So we called sister merchan and she had us over there with sis. Rodriguez. Sister Rodriguez is the bomb diggity she's do anything for anyone and especially the missionaries! So we went up there and visited her and her husband again. It couldn't have gone any better. They used to attend in Baltimore like 3 years ago but then they moved to where they are now and haven't been to our branch yet. So all day i was thinking of how we can invite them to come and all that...didn't even have to Sister Rodriguez did all the inviting and they came yesterday!!!! Brother and Sister merchan there 12 year old son and 3 year old daughter. When we were there we started talking about food and sister merchan invited us over with la familia rodriguez para cenar con ellos it really was amazing last night we had the best dinner with them after they came to church and it's just sweet to see the people that are changing in the branch, investigators, less active members and even active members, there really is a very cool spirit in the branch right now and we are loving it!!!!

One last experience and i'm out. So last week on p day we were going out fr the night and we were in an area that was filled with latinos and we had an appointment but it fell through and we were walking out the door and a couple hispanic walked in the door and kind of ignored us and i was a little down about the appointment being dropped so i just walked by, and something said talk to him, and i kind of ignored it and then something really said TALK TO HIM! So i turned around and i started to talk to the kid he's about 23 and his name is ELDER haha but as we started to teach him on the stairs in his apartment building i knew that he was hurting and he just opened up to us about how he is struggling and isn't happy and is smoking and drinking and wants to quit it so bad. as i sat there that night and thought about what would have happened if i wouldn't have said hello and started teaching i was so happy that the spirit directs us especially those who are sick and weary in this world. There is so much junk we here about and so much pain and earthquakes and tsunami's and it is sad to see the people here scared and how grateful i am for what we have in our life!!! for the peace the gospel brings and for the peace we are startgin to bring to Elder! This work is so true and i know the lord loves us so much and wants us to be happy in this life, especially today in the world we live in. I love this work and the work that is yet to come. Thanks for all your support and love out here and i hope you all have a great week! Con AMOR

Elder Hammer

march 1st

2010-03-29T19:50:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone again!!!!!
Well i'm not going to start off this weeks email with the weather report or any of my feeling about the weather or anything i am hoping for because i did that last week and i woke up the next day to an inch of snow on our car!!! I've decided that i'm just going to hold out till June and maybe spring will be here by then haha Man it's been such a great week and we have had some really sweet experiences. Thanks for the letters and packages mom and jacie and the card aunt mitzie with the cash, your amazing aunt mitzie thanks!!!

This past week i got to do my first interview for baptism for the english elders in my district. I got to interview ARVIND SHAH from India. This little old man about 75 years old that is absolutely in love with the church and wants to be baptized so bad. His family is way against him listening to the elders so the elders teach him in their car because the fam wont let them in the house. But we were at a members house doing the interview and man i didn't think my first interview would be so difficult yet fun at the same time ha Arvind was pretty hard to understand and didn't have much sentence structure but he really is such a stud and i could feel it and knew that he had a testimony of what it was all about. He read through the entire gospel principles manual and is so stoked about the christian church "ladder day sauunts" ha he's such a good guy. He kept on putting his hands together when i would tell him how happy i was for him and excited for this step in his life and then he'd bow ha he said it's what they do in India to say thank you but i felt like he was worshipping me or something, but he passed. It was about a 45 minute interview because we had to take it pretty slow so that i could understand him but it was great. Then this is where it gets sad. I called the elders saturday afternoon to see how the baptism went and it didnt' go through. HIs family wouldn't let him leave the house and wouldn't let him be baptized. The elders called and his wife answered and said that no one named arvind lived there and to never call or come back. Man my heart just ripped out for these elders because arvind just wanted it so bad and the whole ward was at the baptism and they had a packed house and had to cancel it. I know that it'll all work out whether it's here in this life or in the next but man it was too bad for our district to see that happen.

On a better note this week we put Jesus Vasquez on date for APRIL 3RD HA MY BDAY i figured that would be a pretty sweet way to spend a birthday in white. Our branch in way stoked and we are trying to have a WHITE APRIL in our branch and our branch president is just totally behind us and i know that the four of us elders can do it so that we get this branch growing. Jesus though, man he's just the biggest stud, every lesson we have with him i just feel like he poors out his heart to us and it's so sweet to hear and see him grow. WE watched the Restoration DVD with him just to refresh about the restoration and man he's just so in for it and the spirit while watching that movie gets me everytime! I've seen it a hundred times in my mission and i really don't think i haven't felt the spirit while watching it!!! We spent alot of time with him in the plan of salvation and doing a lot fo explaining from the book of mormon. He can't read very well so he has a hard time applying the book of mormon in our lives so that's where we are headed to start reading with him and apllying the things that he learns in his life. But he's looking pretty solid.

We taught 20 lessons this week and we busted our buns to do it but i know that's how it should be. BUt man it was tuff sunday we didnt' have any investigators at church. We were so stoked on 20 lessons and to not have any investigators at church kind of stole the thunder of us teaching that many lessons. It's one of the hardest feelings that i've felt on the mission going to church without investigators ha it's almost like you don't even want to be there because there isn't anyone else there, but we are going to get after it this week and get back to getting members wiht us to lessons so they have no choice but to come wiht us to church ha

We had a really cool experience that i wanat to share with you guys. We got a call and this guy just starts going off on us how we have forgotten about him and how we haven't come to visit him in a long time and so i'm like ok i have no idea who you are but we'll come over. So we go over to this guys house named Miguel. Turns out he used to be taking the lessons but got busy wiht work and really wants to start with us again. He just started saying how alone he felt and how he has been to clubs and used to drink and just how unhappy he was in life and his friend who is a member in our branch told him to start talking to us again. So he called us up and he just told us, i want to change and i want to take the steps that i have to to get baptized. Ha so i'm sitting there and i'm like ok well golden investigator on a platter thank you heavenly father. But it's gonna be a tuff one with him he wants it but he's got some things going on in his life that he has got to figure out. He did say he hasn't drank in 3 months and that it's not even a desire for him anymore so that was good to hear. He's just a little bit of a ladies man and i think he's got some problems when it comes to the ladies. But as i started thinking about him calling us i couldn't believe the lords hand in all of this. We have been praying for new investigators and here the lords just handing them to us. It's a wonderful thing when the lord is doing the finding sometimes for us to help us out but man it is great! We are truly being blessed here with some great new investiagtors. We also are seeing who truly is solid and who isn't and the lord is placing more people in our path.

I got to go on a few exchanges this week with elders in my district. THat's a pretty fun experience to go out with other elders and learn there way of doing things and seeing what we can learn from each other. We have a big district of 8 so exchanges are pretty much every week of the transfer. I went on exchanges with a greeenie and i can't believe how short while ago i was sitting in his shoes being like oh my goodness, what am i doing? But time goes and the mission just turns into the sweetest th ing in the world!

Well eveyone i love you all and am so grateful for your support out here with me. I know the lord loves us and i have seen the answers to many prayers this week. PRayer is the key to heaven and i know that the lord answers our prayers when we do what we should and have the faith to be better. I love this work i love it with all my heart and even though the weather is a bit annoying i still love that too ha Have a wonderful week!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!
con amor
Elder Hammer

feb 22nd

2010-02-22T18:34:00.000-08:00

Hola Familia!!!!!
Im feeling spring coming finally!!!!!!!!!!! Ha this past week in maryland has been nice were up in the 40's haha usually i'd be whining about that but after all this snow it's so nice to have some warmer weather to where we are just wearing suit jackets and no more huge coats, ha i like to give you all the weather update. But what a sweet week it has been here in Maryland. We have had some great success and i'm starting to see that this area is turning around alot. Thanks for the letters and package!
This past week we had a spanish zone conference. We have 24 missionaries who speak spanish and are spread throughout the whole mission and this was the 1st spanish zone conference they have ever had and it was all in spanish as well! It was really great and they touched on areas that really needed to be hit on and one is the SPANISH. We have a few elders who are a hop skip and a jump from going home and they are barely speaking spanish and it's because hardly anyone studies and even talks it outside of appointments and our 1st counselor in the mission presidency President McGinn can speak perfect and he got on everyone and we are starting a new thing in the mission called VIVA TU LENGUA (live your language) and in just 1 week and i can see the difference. Me and ELder Pauda are only speaking spanish all the time and it's helping him and it's also helping me because he asks for a lot of help so it's brushing me up on everything, but all in all the zone conference was really what the spanish elders needed. There is this big barrier between the spanish/english and we are on the same team so that's somehting that is going to change but ya it was way sweet to have all the missionaries there doing it in spanish.
This past week we were on a mission to find new areas and new investigators and we had good luck ha we went back to a lady who had only been taught once during the month of december but we went back with her this past week and wanted to start up again. Her name is maria from el salvador and her neice kenne lives with her and she has a 2 year old son. We went in there and we watched the restoration video with her and kenne. Her son was going crazy the whole video and was running around with the broom, but she never once lost her focus on the video. It was so amazing to see and when joseph smith was having the vision her son dropped a plate and ya just everything that could have bothered her or disrupted the spirit was happening. BUt maria didn't even flinch and i was watching here the whole time hoping and praying that she would feel something and after the movie she asked about baptism becuase it shows joseph smith's dad getting baptized and we led right into the bap. committment with her and she said yes!!!! She also told us that beofre we came over that she had so much stress and was fighting with her sister and that she just felt peace! It is so sweet to hear that stuff from people and especially to hear there stories of change and i love it. THey didn't come to church though which stunk, her sister got way sick and went to the hospital. I swear satan knows exactly what he is doign in thsi work, he'll do anything not to have people at church!!!
We did have one of our other new investigators at church though his name is Jesus vasquez. He came here from mexico about 13 years ago and got married and has a little family but he's been the only one that's been paying any attention to us. He's really sincere he doesn't know how to read very well and he really struggles because he says he wants to know what's right but he's heard so much that he doesn't even know who to listen to or what, but we got him to pray!!!! which is key with the people here and he came to church and he said that he loved it and that he would be back again. We are going to go back this next week to teach him and see what we can do to get him progressing to baptism.
One last experience, this past week we had dinner with the MORA'S they are a family who feed us all the time and sister mora and her daughter are active but hermano mora has been inactive for various reasons but mostly because him and his wife are always fighting and at each others throat and i don't things aren't going well in their marriage. BUt we had a great topic picked out about out savior and love and we read mosiah 14(it's my new favorite chapter in the book of mormon) it really hit me hard that morning of everything that the lord has done for us. ANd the worst part of all this is that hermano mora is endowed. He just knows so much and the inactivity is no excuse ha i think most of the missionaries have been scared to ask him to change or do anything but were supposed to be bold with investigators why now less actives so i was bold with him and just really started to bear my testimony of love to him and how love can overcome all things! I started to talk about mom and dad and how i have seen them love each other and how much that has impacted me. I started to cry in the lesson with him jsut thinking about the love you've shown me mom and dad and not only for each ohter but for the gospel and for us as your kids. I think something really clicked that night as elder pauda and i were teaching these people the basic principle of love in there home. I can't even begin to describe the love i feel out here from my heavenly father. What we do is because of love and i know that i know hwo to love only because of the amazing example you have been for me mom and dad!!!! I know without a shadow of a doubt that God loves us so so much and he wants us happy and demonstrated that everlasting love through the atonement of Jesus CHrist. I love this gospel, i love the power it has and the change that we can make and the love that we can feel!!! The gospel is true people i can't say much more than that! I love you all so much and hope you all have a great week!!!! Con amor
ELder Hammer

feb. 16th

2010-02-16T17:35:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone!!!!!
Well new area now, no more GLen Burnie now i'm in Gwynn Oak or woodlawn Md whichever you prefer. All i have to say is this is really such an amazing new area. It was so hard leaving GLen BUrnie but now i just can tell that the Lord really has prepared this place for me to be here and it's so great! I'm so happy to have this new challenge of new area, new comp which feels like i'm still kind of training, and DIstrict Leader so ya right now is a really humbling time for me to really rely on the lord in all that i do. We just got out of my first district meeting and all went well. We have some great ELders in our district who really have the desire to work hard and get out there. We are a pretty young district but we all have the first so that makes it so much more fun. THis area is really fun because it's really close to the mission office and so we are working really closely with President and the office missionaries and it's just a great place to be. Me and my new companion are doing great. He is really shy and his spanish struggles but i'm doing my best to help him get out of the shell and really get into the mission. HIs trainer was a really good elder but never let him do anything so i've been making sure that we are doing a lot of 50 50 work. He's great though, he is very loving and made me dinner the first two nights that i was here and i really do love the kid. He feels like my little brother sometimes but were having fun and doing well.
Well the first 2 days i was here it dumped snow like crazy again and we didn't get a whole lot done so it gave us a lot of time to get to knwo the area and bust out the map and go through the area book. That was much needed because we have a lot of work to do. The last baptism here was in october and the only one for 2009 and that's not good for how strong and amazing the branch is. We went to church on sunday all in spanish and it was so great! I finally felt like i'm a spanish missionary and we just have strong preisthood holders too. THe members feed us like crazy almost every night we are getting fed and they adore us missionaries! It's really cool, the latin people are so loving and i could feel that sunday more than ever. We have members who are so stoked on teaching with us and helping us with rides to church and just all the great things that you hope for on a mission i love it!
This past week we had an experience with a member. HIs name is Hermano MORA huge guy from mexico and he wanted us to give his boss a blessing, so we went over there and did. He told us about his boss and how he's a huge alchoholic and used to have all the money in the world and has lost everything. We went to his house and his house was a mess just trashed and it's the nicest house i've been in i think in my life. IT's probably 4 or 5 of our houses put together. But hermano mora and his boss are was close and a afew months ago hermano mora was telling him about us and about what we do and his boss kind of put it in the back of his mind. THEn last week his boss came to him and said i need help from your missionaries, i'm losing it. So we went over to his house and here is this guy who had everything, business cars, money everything heavy on the THINGS and still was miserable and just drank his life right away. HE has a daughter and is about to lose her too. This man seriously is on edge and we starting teaching him about the gospel! ANd it was such an amazing experience! We just told him that we can start over in life and be forgiven of what we have done. He literally is to the point where he thinks that he has gotten so low that he doesn't see that future ahead and he's only like 45. We were trying so hard just to get him to believe that he could start over and that's the thing that i love with the gospel is that we can start over and the people can have that hope to turn around and get on the path to righteousness. We gave him a blessing and invited him to listen to us more and as we were leaving he told us that he was lookign forward to seeing us again. We are going to go over there this week again and we are excited to help this man out.
We also found 2 brother Enrique and ILREALIANO villalobo. They are both from mexico and the elders had talked with them before once but we were really bold after the first lesson as they knew that it made more sense to them than anything else and we invited them to be baptized on march 20th. We are hoping the we can have them ready by then but they have been baptized before but they know that they also have to change their lives around. THat is the great thing about the gospel that i love so much is that we have that ability to change and to know that whatever we may have been doing that we can turn it around and repent of our sins, rely on the savior and become better. I see it in my own life that i've had the bumps and bruises of life and that the lord loves me and he loves us enough to where we can become better in life. I know that this area has been prepared for me to come here and i am so excited and pumped about the things that are already going on here. They had an investigator with a date but we went over to his house to teach him and he was on the phone with the person that lived there from JAIL! ha so that makes that date change up and we are teachign a lady named Karla who has the desire to be baptized but is living with her boyfriend who is the father of her child and he doesn't want to get married, so there is a lot of work to be done here and also a lot of less active work to be done too! THere is so much we need and have to do and i'm excited that i get to do it.
Thanks for all your support out here and for all you do for me. I really haven't been this happy and excited about the work like i am right now. It's such a challenge coming into a new area and starting over but it's so fun to figure all this out! I love it here and i couldn't ask for anything more. I love you all so much and i hope you have a wonderful week!
Con mucho amor,
Elder Hammer

feb. 8th

2010-02-16T17:34:00.001-08:00

Well i got transfered guys!!!!!haha my comp didn't get to email so i thought i would write you and tell you where i am at now. I am in Woodlawn maryland!!!! I am in a zone just above Columbia md. Actually the area that i am in is called Colombia north spanish. My companion's name is Elder Pauda from Mesa, AZ. He only has one transfer in the mission and he doesn't know the area all that well ha we got lost for about an hour after transfers because they were today because there is supposed to be another huge storm so i didn't even get to say goodbye to anyone. They called us at 6 last night and said pack up your leaving tomorrow morning. It was so hard leaving Glen Burnie and it still hasn't sunk in, but walking down crain highway last night for the last time was tuff. It kind of stunk but i did get to say by to Alan at least. But it's weird though we live in just a 2 man apartment just me and him ha it's a little strange but i think it'll be fine. Elder Pauda is way quiet his parents are from mexico but he doesn't know a lick of the espanol.So it's pretty much like i'm training again ha but i'm excited about it. And to make things a little more interesting...............President called me last night and asked me to be the DISTRICT LEADER! so here i am with a whole lot more on my plate right now. I really want to be the best at this Districe leader stuff! We have a branch with about 100 people in espanol!!!!!!! But this area for some reason had 1 baptism last year so we are gonna have to change that up. I don't know my address yet in the apartment ha my comp doesn't know it, he's still a little new at all this but that's alright i just gotta be patient but ya i'm still in the ghetto with the brothas haha they are all in here on the comp next to me so that brings me joy ha I really am happy and i'm excited for this new experience! I hope you guys have a great week ha pray that we don't get dumped on again!!!! The lord loves us guys and i lvoe you all and everything you do for me in my mission and in my life. Pray that i'll be able to do the DL stuff and that i'll be a good leader. I love you guys so so much. Have a great week and i'll get you guys more info about it all on monday!!!! I love you guys

Elder Hammer

p.s. Just write to the mission office address i'll get all the letters still, LES AMO MUCHO!!!!

p.p.s. I love you momma

feb. 8

2010-02-10T06:14:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone!
Well i'm alive i made it through the storm haha man you guys should have seen the people here in Maryland! They were calling this storm the snow apocalypse and it was just hilarious haha Walmart was cleared, snow shovels sold out it was so hilarious to see the pre storm preperations ha i think they might have thought it was the end of the world...but we made it. We got abotu 36 inches and for MD that's alot and they don't have the plows like they do in utah so ya full fledged panic mode. We spent the last 3 days just out walking in it and shoveling!!!! haha you'd be suprised what four misssionaries can do walking around and clearing cars, houses, driveways it was pretty fun! We got to talk to alot of great people and strangers just inviting us in there house for hot chocolate and even a dinner. It's been a fun weekend for us to be here.
We had Luis confirmed this week in his home and it was such an amazing experience. Ha because of the snow we had church canceled and we couldn't wait longer than a week but we really had such a cool experience there with our ward mission leader and us elders confirming him to be a member! It was such a great day and i was so happy that i got to be able to do that for him! I dunno we don't know if we are being transfered because we haven't been told yet about all that because of the storm and stuff so we wont know until tonight but as for right now i am so grateful that i have been able to be in glen burnie. The experiences here have been so amazing and i wouldn't trade them for the world. Seeing Luis yesterday after the confirmation say "finally" haha really made me realize what this gospel is all about.
We started teachign this young guy Junior and his wife evanya and his brother abraham a couple weeks ago. Junior and ABRAHAM are just straight up thugs haha i think thats why we talked to them just cause they just looked like cool people to talk to haha Lets just say if i wasnt' a crazy missionary i would have never talked to these guys but they really are such great guys. We watched the restoration video with them and left them Books of Mormon and went back there yesterday to see if they had read and to teach them the plan of salvation. We go in there yesterday and ask them if they read and they just started going off on what they had learned play by play 3nephi 11 and it was absolutely amazing! They had truly read and taken that step it was so amazing. Then we started in on the plan of salvation and it was like everything we said they were saying oh ya that's why this happens, oh ya thats why they were tempted so we could be here and just everything was clicking. Then we started to talk to them about the Atonement and we read 2 nephi 9 21-23 and verse 23 says repent and be baptized and when i was reading it my heart was just pounding because the spirit was just so strong and we got done reading and Elder WAITE just went right in and committed them to be baptized and they said well we've been batpized when we were babies how does that all work? So we addressed their concerns and really just went right back into committing them and March 13th! It was one of the most powerful lessons that i have had on my mission. I will never forget that overpowering feelign of the spirit that i felt to share that message with them! We seriously just are so blessed there is nothign better than this work and the Lord is with us. The lord blesses us so much and he's right beside us to lift us up when we are down. He'll do all the lifting if we'll let him! I gained such a testimony of that thus far on the mish.
Well who knows where i might be next week ha west virginia or still in the dirty! but i know the lord loves us and i just thank you all for your love and letters! your the best have a great week !
del sucio
Elder Hammer

elder hammer

2010-02-07T19:52:00.001-08:00

I wanted to do a quick update on the best missionary in the world

he's been out for over seven months now!

its crazy how fast time goes by, but also how slow it can drag on

i know most people who read my blog probably get the weekly email from my mom but i thought it would be fun to let everyone see some pictures Jord has sent home over the last few months.

this picture is at Loraines baptism back in december when Jord was with Elder Morales

This is Richard Johnson the 14 year old boy that had ordered the Book of Mormon

these are the shirts that the members made for the Elders on Thanksgiving

i guess its a tradition in the family to make shirts each year and the cute family made sure to include the missionaries in their tradition

Elder Waite, Jord, Elder Caballero & Elder Campbell

i love this picture cause those of you who know jord really well know that he has quite the obsession with shoes. I think its so cute that now instead of obsessing over the new michael jordans or the newest golf shoes he obsesses over church shoes. He said these are only for "special occasions"

These last few pictures are of Luis the most recent baptism
Jordan has really loved Elder Waite. They get a long great and have had so much success.

Its been so amazing to watch Jordan grow spiritually. Our family has been so blessed because of his service to the Lord. I miss him so much and wish he was home, but something Jordan said in one of his emails really touched me. . .
"We left the temple last night and i just had the most overwhelming feeling of why i am here and what we are doing here. We leave our families for a short time so others can live with theirs for eternity!"
How neat is that. Jordan definitely understands his calling and why he is on a mission. I really look up to him so much. Hearing him say things like this makes me realize how selfish I am for wanting him home. He's definitely where he's supposed to be and I know so many people are going to be blessed because of His testimony. He's such a great example to me of just trusting in the Lord and putting your whole heart into whatever the Lord asks of you.
I seriously could go on and on about Jord. He's just the greatest
I really can't wait to have my best friend come home, but for now hearing about all these amazing experiences & watching him grow into such an amazing man is definitely good enough for me!
love ya bud!

Here's just a little artwork from Jord that I thought was pretty funny

feb 1

2010-02-01T20:45:00.001-08:00

Hey fam and friends!
It's good to be back writing you all and thanks to some computer malfunctions at the wonderful Glen Burnie Library this might be a little short. It's been such a great week this past week and we have been so blessed to see the miracle of someone else coming into the waters of baptism. We had Luis' baptism on saturday and saturday morning it started to snow! The last baptism we had with Loraine it snowed too, ha satan is working on all cylinders in the Dirty. But we had our baptism with Luis. It was a bunch of Elders at his baptism which was kind of a downer but with the snow the people in maryland go almost close to fatal if they see any skiff of snow haha Church was even canceled yesterday because of the snow, so we are going to have to confirm Luis next week in Church but what can ya do sometimes. Luis though was so amazing to watch at his baptism, he was so affraid of the water but Hermano Wilcox who baptised him was great and helped him out. We had a polynesian elder sing at his baptism and he sung i am a child of god in spanish with his guitar and man it gives me chills just thinking about it right now. We had such a great spirit in that little room to see his baptism and i just am so thankful that we got to be apart of it. Luis was having problems with his job and we told him that he could pray to always have sundays off, and he did and before his baptism he told us that one of his friends needs more hours and just came up to him out of nowhere and told him he would work his sunday mornings for him. The lord answers prayers people! There is no doubt in my mind that the lord is listening to each and everyone of our cries and our needs and he'll help us! We have seen it time and time again with Luis and i know we will continue to see it as we continue to go along.
Oh by the way aunt mitzie thanks so much for your card and the subway card! AND JON ROG CONGRATS TO YOU AND KYLIE! dont' waste anytime baby i like that haha i'm happy for you guys!
We have a goal in the mission to teach 20 lessons a week and i have yet to do it on my mission and we always are at 17 18 19 and this week elder waite and i cracked the 20 mark! It was so sweet last night we were out till 9 30 gettting that 20th lesson but we got it and it was so great!
We had a lesson this past week with Lilian and sefredis the lady who was baptised 15 years back and has forgot everything. Well we gave her a lesson on the holy ghost and how we can feel it in our life. And we went back and asked her about her baptism and she was tellign us all kind of crazy things liek she got the holy ghost before she was baptized and she wasn't taught anything that the elders just said she needed an interview and all this crazy, crazy stuff. and we were tellign her about that there needs to be a certain way of doing things in the churcha nd that just isn't right. and then she said "well i'd return to be baptised to be able to feel the holy ghost in my mind" Ha it was almost like the angels were singing the background music! It was so sweet, so we are starting all the way over with her and her husband and she also has a daughter that's 10 years old so we want to do them all together. But we have a lot of work ahead of us before we get there. We really are seeing some sweet miracles here and especially with us and the less acitves, when i got here they wouldn't even talk to us and now we are having weekly lessons and dinners with them, one of the families told me last time we were over there that i'm the first white boy ahha that has cared about them this much and it was good to hear that ahha we have great things going on and we are excited about them. Now if we can just get the snow to stop and spring to come around that would be nice.
Transfers are coming up and next week i'll know if i'll be staying in Glen Burnie or heading out to some new ghetto adventure haha It''s been so wonderful though being in Glen Burnie. To see these people grow and progress is the greatest gift you can ever recieve as a missionary and it really is the best! I love you all and am so grateful for all you do for me, i lvoe your letters and i just am grateful for them all. Thanks a bunch, have a wonderful week and i'll be back next monday. les amo mucho
Elder Hammer

jan 25

2010-02-01T20:43:00.001-08:00

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

jan 19

2010-02-01T20:42:00.003-08:00

Hello everyone!
Jord here a day late but still here ha. Yesterday was a big day in the east with so many african americans that they shut down everything haha but everything is great though.This past week has been quit the up and down roller coaster but it's been a lot of fun and we have learned alot. The weather this past week has been amazing! yesterday we didn't even wear our jackets it was 55 degrees ha i'm trying not to think that spring is coming cause it's way too early for that but that's just how it feels and i'm loving it. Thanks for all your love and letters this past week!
Well this past week was just up and down and up and down ha We taught Richard Johnson again and he really wants to be baptized and we had a graeat lesson with him on Thursday and we were excited to see him at church and then his mom called us the next day. She hasnt' been against us but she has asked that we just teach him at the church because he has some problems going on at home with her and her boyfriend, but she called us and asked us if we were gonna ask for her permission to baptize him and she was a little upset but each time we have finished with Richard we've told him to go talk to his mom about it so she was a little confused but she said she would be at church with Richard and sunday and we could talk then. He's supposed to be baptized this next saturday but he didn't show up for church and so we called his mom. She just answers and tells us that she had him sleep over at a friends house for the first time ever and it's just kinda wierd i think she's affraid of him coming to be baptized and come in to the gospel so she's pushing him away a little bit. But man we were pretty down in the dumps on sunday cause LUIS got called into work so it was tuff but were gonna go back there and do all we can so that he can be baptized. Let's just hope that his mom will ok it and all will go well with everything.
Ok so on to Luis, man Luis has been the all time best man teaching him is such an amazing experience and just to see what difference this is really making in his life is the best. He's agreed to live all the commandments and he's doing great. Sunday morning he calls us and says that he can't come to church because his work a restaurant wehre he works called him and told him to come work. He told them he couldn't and they said if he didn't they wouldn't pay him. The saddest thing in the world is to see these illegal immigrants just get thrown around by people because they know they can. He was running to work which was 5 miles away and we were just sad and so was he. He asked his boss if he could leave for just 1 hour and his boss said no. It's sad to see this kind of stuff happen and we were way down because now he can't get baptized on jan 30 but i talked to president Belliston and he said that if we felt that he was ready that we could still have it that day and that's what were going to do! Last night we went to the temple with him and it was just an amazing experience to be there with him. We talked to him about baptisms for the dead and i talked to him aboaut his brother who passed away and i know it hit him hard. Then we started talking to him about eternal families and man i lost it ha i just got so overwhelmed by the spirit talking about such a wonderful blessing that we have in our lives and to see how much he misses his family and to see the sacrifice for his family that he is doing, makes me feel guilty for ever thinking i have it rough. We watched the Joseph Smith movie and after he just expressed that he knows now that this is his path and what he should do in his life. He talked about the faith of Josph Smith and how he couldn't believe the sacrifice he made for all of us. It's amazing how many people think we worship Joseph Smith and once they figure out we don't it makes more sense. We left the temple last night and i jsut had the most overwhelming feeling of why i am here and what we are doing here. We leave our families for a short time so others can live with theirs for eternity! It really is such an amazing thing that we have this gospel. It is the ONLY thing that can bring us happiness like we have it and i see that day in and day out. We are so blessed to have the truth and to just know why we are here and where we are going. The Lord loves each and everyone of us and i can't say that enough. I 've learned so much that all God wants is for us to be happy and that the Gospel is the way. I will be forever grateful for this opportunity. Luis really is such a stud i'll send pictures but he just is the man! We are so excited for him and just everything that we have.
Thank you for all you do for me out here i can't say it enough for each and everyone of you that are apart of my life, Thanks! Thanks for the letters and my pen pals and just everyone, you all make such a wonderful difference in my life. The gospel is so true people, it is so true and there is nothign better than being a part of it! Especially speaking spanish! I love it so much and it's getting a lot better. Thanks Jon Rog for the Jersey i sport that all the time now! I love you all and i hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy life. Oh yeah HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM AND DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 50 I lOVE YOU GUYS cards are on the way! Les amo mucho
Jordan

jan 11

2010-02-01T20:42:00.001-08:00

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

jan. 4

2010-02-01T20:41:00.002-08:00

Hey everyone,
Jordo here from the dirty, ha the cold dirty i might add. It's been windy this last week and wow the wind here makes things a little more interesting.But man what a sweet week we have had this past week i can't believe how much fun it's been to be training and to have this new experience. Ha just a funny note to add in there when i'm talking about the cold, the other night we were out walking and my new comp. Elder WAITE was just freezing haha and he yells out "Elder Hammer it's so cold i can't even form sentences" man this kid is the Best! He makes me laugh so much and we really are having a great time.
So ya here i go i guess ha Elder Waite is my new companion and he is from Bountiful Utah. He was at the mtc at the same time as me and he was going to rehab for his hip the same time i was goign to the doctor for my whole throat thing and we rode in the van together and talked to each other so weird! He got called to Vera cruz mexico in last march and a week before he was supposed to go into the mtc he broke his neck skiing and dislocated his hip. He's lucky to be alive. so that put him off till july when we were together but he had a ton of problems with his hip and the doctor wouldn't release him to go to mexico. So he went home for 6 months got released and got re called to baltimore a week beofre he came out. He really is the coolest kid and i've had the most fun with him than any of my other two companions. His spanish is way good and he's just a blast to be around. There is another new elder in our apartment named elder foltz haha he's a riot he's going home in 3 onths but is so hard working and he constantly keeps us laughing. We really are having so much fun out here and having a good time. New years eve we had to be in by 8 and it just kinda felt like any other day haha except the next day the whole latino population was "recovering" haha new years day was not the most profitable proselyting day ahah but it was fun and were having a good time together.
This past week has been such a learning experience for me, i don't even know where to begin ha i really was so nervous to get my new comp and to know that i'm gonan be training but i just am doing my best and relying on the lord. Man it's been so great for my spanish and it's really testing my spanish and my spanish is a lot better than i thought it was haha my comp says that he cant believe how much i understand but i don't really realize it hah but ya just relying on the lord is all i can do out here especially in this situation but my comp wants to work and that's the best he's been home and he hated it and he almost thought about giving up on the mission but he came out and he's killing it!
We had a lesson with Luis this past week and we went over there and asked him about how his prayer went about the plan of salvation. He had a dream! it was so crazy to hear this dream but basically he saw his whole family and even his brother that died and his daughter that died and he was trying to save them from this big wave of water or something and they got swept away and so did luis, but while he was under the water he said that he saw a light and he reached out to grab it and when he did he was ok. Man when i heard that man i felt like joseph and the technicolor dreamcoat sitting there trying to interpret his dream and appply it to the gospel and how he got his answer and the light is the gospel it was amazing. He said he never has dreams but when he asked god about the church he had this dream and he even said that he thought that was his answer. We put him on date to be baptized jan 30th but he's gotta get sundays off so he can come to church, but we told him to ask his boss and that his boss would if he had the faith and prayed for help so were going back tonight to see what happened. We also read Lehi's dream with him and tried to liken it to him and how the Book of Mormon seriously relates to everything that we do in our lives it was so sweet!
We got a new referall from a guy in a different branch for this lady named yaneth guardado. We went over there last night and talked to her forever about the church. She is catholic and doesn't believe in the saints and confession and all this and she was like im not willing to change but i want to listen to you guys. Before you know it we were talkign about tithing and the temples and how no one is paid in the church and tithing goes to making these temples and buildings and futhering the work. It was amazing we walked in there and she had her doubts and the spirit just came in there and started working on her. She couldn't beleive that we don't get paid and that we are paying to be here. I really got her when i showed her the family picutre and told her about my golfing and scholarship and everything back at home and i was like do you seriously think i would give two years of my life adn leave all of that for something that didn't mean everything to me? Ha we got her! We are going back to teach her this next week and i'm so excited the lord really is preparing people to be ready to receive the gospel here and me and elder waite are finding them. It's the best!
Well guys that's about it i hope all is well and you all know how much i love you! Everyone keep up the good work and happy new years. I hope 2010 is great for all of you! Have a wonderful week everyone. Les amo mucho
del sucio (from the dirty)
Elder hammer

dec 28

2010-02-01T20:41:00.000-08:00

Hello fam and friends!
> Wow what a crazy week this has been but one that i will always remember ha Christmas on the mission is quite the experience and it really was a great day. We had a great day with the mckellar family and then we had dinner with our 1sr counselor in the Bishopric that night. Man it was great to call home and chat with you guys and it really was the best! Thank you all so much for your endless cards and gifts. I really appreciate them so much and everything you guys have done for me over the holiday season!
> Well this morning we got call outs about transfers and I'M STAYING IN GLEN BURNIE one more transfer.......ha to make things a little more interesting Elder Morales is leaving. So i get a call from President Belliston this morning and he says "Elder hammer i need you to train this transfer" i about dropped the phone! haha I'M TRAINING i can't believe it i really can't. I've only been out for 6 months and training now haha keep me in your prayers especially my sanity. No i really am so excited and so excited for this new challenge. Especially with Spanish because it is going to force me to be the one in Charge and i've had 2 natives for my first two comps so i guess that's a blessing in disguise right there! So yes i'm staying in glen burnie at least one more and i'm training haha i'll find out wednesday who it is and all that but i'm way excited.
> This past week we met a lady from Brazil and her name is lilian. I went up and talked to her because i thought she looked latin and so i just went up to her and started speaking spanish to her, ha she started laughing and was like i'm from Brazil in english and then she went off in spanish and was like but i know spanish. So we are now teaching a girl from Brazil in Spanish but she is reading the Book of Mormon in portugese to better understand and she knows a little bit of english ha that's a pretty crazy mixture of languages for sure. But we actually i'm excited for her and what we can maybe get going with her.
> We had such a sweet lesson this past week with Luis and Jorge and we are going back there tonight. But we taught them the Plan of Salvation and they both have lost brothers and Luis had a daughter that died so the Plan of Salvation really hit home with them. We are hopoing to put them on date tonight for baptism, but we really need to get them to church. The past little while we have been going to everyone of our investigators houses right before chruch to get them there and it hasn't been working ha these people are good at not being home i tell ya. But luis and jorge really are alone here. they are both 18 and living in america all by themselves so i hope that we can give them at least somethign to look forward to.
> Ruben and Manuel...man they are driving us bonkers ha ok so not really but they just have fallen off quite a bit and drank the whole christmas break and we had talked to them about the word of wisdom so we are going to have to go over there and lay the law down with them. I think that they are just stuck in their ways and we are going to find a way to get them out of theirs, but were just not quite sure yet what it is ha.
> Well guys sorry this is a short one but the computers at the library didn't let us on today and so we are borrowing someones computer but thanks for everything and everyone seriously i hope you all had a wonderful christmas and have a wonderful new year! THanks for all the letters and my pen pals adn just everything that you do for me. Hav ea wonderful week! Les amo
> Elder Hammer

dec 21

2010-02-01T20:40:00.001-08:00

Hey fam and friends!
> Jord here from the literally frozen tundra of maryland! It snowed like 2 feet on friday and it has just been a crazy time. haha i have pushed more cars out from being stuck and dug so many houses and cars out but it really has been some of the funnest times of the mission. Thanks for all your support and love this week. Grandma hammer thanks for the package, and grandma hafen too. Aunt shelly thanks for the cards and just thanks for everything i really appreciate it! Back to the snow though. We woke up saturday morning and our place was just covered in snow everything was just getting dumped on and when that happens in maryland, pretty much the whole city shuts down. And when that happens the missionary work gets a little interesting. So we basically said alright were gonna go walking and just try to help and serve and see members and carol to them and that's what we did. It was so fun and it was such a blast we would just walk down the road from place to place and carol and push cars out, shovel peoples driveway and people looked at us four missionaries like we were on crack it was kinda funny to see there reaction as we came along and asked if we could help. We got lots of Hot Chocolate though and some stranger invited us in for some homemade Chili that was so so so good. Ha i haven't been in the Christmas spirit much lately but man this storm and serving others and caroling has been so much fun and it really has helped out a lot. So it just getting back to where people are digging themselves out and the sun in shining but man it Dumped! but it was a fun weekend and a fun experience.
> We got to the temple this past week and do a session! It was such a blast and a much much needed temple trip! The washington dc temple is absolutely amazing outside but wow the inside is so sweet and we had such a good time there. And then later that night we were out in the parking lotas people came in and directing traffic. It really was such a blast and such a fun time to just be out and wishing everyone a merry christmas and talking to random people. Christmas time really is a blast to be serving the Lord.
> This past week we found some sweet new investigators and just have been so so blessed. The work is a lot tougher than i thought it would be serving espanol in the states because finding people ahs been the tuffest part for sure, but this week just being out and about we have talked ot people and they have let us come over and teach them it's been so so sweet. We have this lady named MARIEL and she is about 45 and she is catholic but is really strong, ha those catholics man they are tuff people haha no offense but they are just so set in their ways, but she said she has nothing to read in spanish and we gave her a BOOK OF MORMON in spanish and i know she will pick that thing up and get taken away by the power of that book. And then our two 18 year old kids who are way sweet luis and jorge, were going over there tongith to teach them but they didn't have any snow stuff or gear so thank you grandma hafen we gave them w whole load of scarfs and mittens and caps but they are progressing and the work is going really well. With the snow this week church was only from 1 to 2 and a ton of people didnt' come because of the snow but we walked up there and got to have a little sacrament meeting and that was really nice. It's cool to see some of these members just do all they can and shovel who ever needs and whenever.
> Ruben and Manuel and Jose are doing ok, i'm a little worried about them. they just aren't understanding it all and the importance of it and i know we have to be patient and just keep teaching them, but this past week we had a sweet lesson about quiting smoking. We got the cigarette out and put in our hand and just said can you believe that something so little has so much power over you and were just holding it there and they were feeling the guilt and we just broke it in front of them and said you can quit with the lords help! It was way sweet and i hope they took it to heart.
> Fam at this time i really just want to say how much i lov eeach and everyone of you in my life. You all have played such a big role in where i am today and i really am so greatful to be here. I know that our savior lives and that he is with us at our highest and lowest times as well, especially when we don't think we can go on. He's right there with us and i know that with all of my heart. I'm so grateful for this gospel and i hope you all have a merrry Christmas! I know that you all will but i just wnat to say thanks to you all and my pen pals. I really am so grateful for all of you! Thank you so so much Have a great week! Next week when i'm writing you i'll know if i'm getting transfered or staying. Hopefully i stay i'm not ready to leave this place yet. Merry Christmas everyone!
> Singing off from the WHITE DIRTY
> Elder Hammer

dec 14

2010-02-01T20:39:00.003-08:00

Hello everyone,
> Elder hammer here from maryland or should i say the frozen tundra. Haha man i'm so weak but this past week was so cold and man i just do not do as good as i really thought i'd be in this cold. But i'll be fine and the work must go on! Thats so sweet nick and jess i really am so happy for you guys a little girl! i lvoe the name morgan and i can't wait to be an uncle CONGRATS GUYS! But i really just wnated to thank you all for all that you have been doing for me and sending me and just everything. This has been a fun week for us and i just hope you all are doing really well. Thanks for all you do for me once again i really appreciate it.
> Ok well this past week we got ruben his son manuel and jose back on date! for Jan. 9th. They are all 3 going to do this trip together and it's going to be way cool to see. They stiffed us though this sunday and i really don't know what to think about them because i dunno if they really understand why we are here and what we are trying to help them with but i really am hopeful for them and just know that if we keep the faith that they will be there one day!
> We went to the temple this past week with lilian a lady who had been baptized 15 years ago and has forgot everything. And her husband has shown a little bit of interest. But we went over there and we have these cards that we give out and they have 4 kids and the one son DIEGO is the man i love that kid but we gave him a card of the temple with all the lights and i was like thats where we are going. He gets the card and just starts screaming with joy "VAMOS A VER LAS LUCES" (were going to see the lights) oh man it sesriously made my whole entire day and to see all the little kids start screaming was the best! They followed us down there and we went with our ward mission leader who served in Chile and he really is just a stud! I can't believe that we got them to the temple first off but it really was so so sweet. And we watched the Joseph smith movie and went to the concert there that night we just had it all and it really was so sweet! I know it started something beause the next day we went over there and they were telling us that they were talking about people from work about tithing and the word of wisdom and all that. THE WHEELS ARE TURNING that's for sure. Ha we went over there and there kid said the closing prayer and the little kid just starts going off on the Lord's prayer it was crazy and then he started his own prayer and started thanking god that "los pastores" came and taught them. hahah he called us pastors man it was hilarious and the mom just started cracking up it seriously was the best. This family seriously nothing woould make me more happy to see them come back to church and see it all! I really am so hopeful for them because she has had the truth and has had it all but jsut has forgotten everything and i know that if we can just ge tthem to church one time that it will make all the difference in the world for them. Those kids need to get to praimary and just all of that would be so sweet but not having a spanish branch is hurting that but one day they will be there and they will come back!
> Well that's about it for this week i know it was way short but the computers at the library are going crazy and i got kicked off twice haha long story. But i just wanted to say thanks for all the packages grandma hafen and dee and lida thanks so much i really appreciate it. I hope all is well and you all have a wonderful christmas time. I love you all and i love this work thanks again to everyone! les amo
> elder hammer

dec. 7

2010-02-01T20:39:00.001-08:00

Hello fam and friends,
> Well to start off this weeks letter i dont' know exactly what i was thinking when i got called to serve in Baltimore, but for some reason it just didn't register in my mind that it was gonna be kind of cold over here....well i woke up on sat. morning to snow! haha it's about 35 outside but it's great ha it sure makes it feel alot more like christmas thats for sure but riding the bike in snow isn't all that fun haha. What a great week though we have had. Thank you all for your prayers and support and just everything you do for me. Letters,packages, notes, prayers whatever it may be i really am so grateful for it. Thank you!
> Well to start off and most importantly the baptism of Loraine was this weekend and it couldn't have gone any better! She was there all dressed in white wiht just smiles on her face and i will have her picture engraved in my mine forever of how happy she was. We were talking a little bit before the baptism and she said that she didn't sleep the night beofre because she is so excited to get baptized. We had a really good first talk about baptism for a member from the presidency of the brancha and then his wife sang a song right before the baptism, "where love is" from the primary book. This lady had some pipes on her and man she just brought the spirit in there and loraine was just in tears ha it really was the greatest feeling in the world i was so happy. And then right after that was the baptism and she chose me to do the baptizing. It really was such a sweet experience. She was still in tears and she came up out of the water from the song and the smile she had was PRICELESS! We let her share her testimony after and she literally blew the room away ha i dont' think there was a dry eye in the room. She talked about how she needed spiritual help more than anything in her life and said that she has never felt the way she does now in her life. She said the minute she walked into the church that she knew this church was different and then she started to talk about the temple and the movie of joseph smith. I have never seen conversion like she had and she just filled that little room with the spirit. Her husband is kind of a bum and just didn't come because he didnt' want to and he really missed out on such an amazing experience. Loraine told us that her husband wasn't going to stop her from progressing and boy was she right. And then the best part, fast sunday yesterday she was the first person up to bear her testimony and once again she just blew the congregation away and after her about 5 other people got up and talked about there baptisms it was just way sweet to see. We were sitting in gospel principles before the teacher came in and she just looked and elder morales and i and said "thank you" and i don't think i've ever felt a more heart felt thank you in my life. Man i get the chills just thinking about it and about this weekend. Yeah it snowed and it was freezing! haha but that didnt' matter and it was the best to see her have a wonderful experience.
> This last week we had a Christmas 3 zone conference with a talent show and all that good stuff. It was so sweet and especially to be with a bunch of missionaries there was way fun. I know that i have said this many times before but seriously President Belliston is the man! He is so powerful and whwen he starts talking, there is power there. I really am so grateful to be here at this time in the mission.
> This week we said goodbye to Luis and Alejandra and had our last lesson together which was a little tuff, i was just sharing them the scripture in moroni 8:25-26 where mormon is telling moroni to stay firm in christ and i look up and alejandra is balling and then i started crying haha it was bad but a really special experience that i wont forget. Saying goodbye to them was really tuff but i know that they are going to do great there and will stay strong.
> We watched the christmas devotional last night at a less actives house and it was great. We watched it in spanish so i don't get every last thing but i'm suprising myself at how much i am understanding and being able to comprehend. It was great though i loved Pres. Monson's talk about do we have room for christ because that is exactly what they needed to hear because they are great people they just need a little kick in the butt. THey are from peru and fed us soem good peruvian food i was thinking about jon rog the whole time i can't believe eh's coming home on the 23rd that's crazy! Thank you so much aunt mitzie for the card i really enjoyed it so so much thanks a bunch! But ya this week really was just a good week.
> Reuben and richard our two other people that were on date to be baptized this saturday and next aren't on date anymore they didn't come to church on sunday but were gonna get over to both of them and set som new dates and make sure that they are progressing, which they are they just missed church ayer and they need a little kick in the butt as well haha
> Well everyoen i just want to say thanks again for all you do for me and for all your love.thanks to my pen pals, thanks for everyone and everything that you all do for me! Have a wonderful week and i will talk to you next week! I lov eyou all!
> Elder Hammer

2010-02-01T20:38:00.005-08:00

> Hello fam and friends,
> Well to start off this weeks letter i dont' know exactly what i was thinking when i got called to serve in Baltimore, but for some reason it just didn't register in my mind that it was gonna be kind of cold over here....well i woke up on sat. morning to snow! haha it's about 35 outside but it's great ha it sure makes it feel alot more like christmas thats for sure but riding the bike in snow isn't all that fun haha. What a great week though we have had. Thank you all for your prayers and support and just everything you do for me. Letters,packages, notes, prayers whatever it may be i really am so grateful for it. Thank you!
> Well to start off and most importantly the baptism of Loraine was this weekend and it couldn't have gone any better! She was there all dressed in white wiht just smiles on her face and i will have her picture engraved in my mine forever of how happy she was. We were talking a little bit before the baptism and she said that she didn't sleep the night beofre because she is so excited to get baptized. We had a really good first talk about baptism for a member from the presidency of the brancha and then his wife sang a song right before the baptism, "where love is" from the primary book. This lady had some pipes on her and man she just brought the spirit in there and loraine was just in tears ha it really was the greatest feeling in the world i was so happy. And then right after that was the baptism and she chose me to do the baptizing. It really was such a sweet experience. She was still in tears and she came up out of the water from the song and the smile she had was PRICELESS! We let her share her testimony after and she literally blew the room away ha i dont' think there was a dry eye in the room. She talked about how she needed spiritual help more than anything in her life and said that she has never felt the way she does now in her life. She said the minute she walked into the church that she knew this church was different and then she started to talk about the temple and the movie of joseph smith. I have never seen conversion like she had and she just filled that little room with the spirit. Her husband is kind of a bum and just didn't come because he didnt' want to and he really missed out on such an amazing experience. Loraine told us that her husband wasn't going to stop her from progressing and boy was she right. And then the best part, fast sunday yesterday she was the first person up to bear her testimony and once again she just blew the congregation away and after her about 5 other people got up and talked about there baptisms it was just way sweet to see. We were sitting in gospel principles before the teacher came in and she just looked and elder morales and i and said "thank you" and i don't think i've ever felt a more heart felt thank you in my life. Man i get the chills just thinking about it and about this weekend. Yeah it snowed and it was freezing! haha but that didnt' matter and it was the best to see her have a wonderful experience.
> This last week we had a Christmas 3 zone conference with a talent show and all that good stuff. It was so sweet and especially to be with a bunch of missionaries there was way fun. I know that i have said this many times before but seriously President Belliston is the man! He is so powerful and whwen he starts talking, there is power there. I really am so grateful to be here at this time in the mission.
> This week we said goodbye to Luis and Alejandra and had our last lesson together which was a little tuff, i was just sharing them the scripture in moroni 8:25-26 where mormon is telling moroni to stay firm in christ and i look up and alejandra is balling and then i started crying haha it was bad but a really special experience that i wont forget. Saying goodbye to them was really tuff but i know that they are going to do great there and will stay strong.
> We watched the christmas devotional last night at a less actives house and it was great. We watched it in spanish so i don't get every last thing but i'm suprising myself at how much i am understanding and being able to comprehend. It was great though i loved Pres. Monson's talk about do we have room for christ because that is exactly what they needed to hear because they are great people they just need a little kick in the butt. THey are from peru and fed us soem good peruvian food i was thinking about jon rog the whole time i can't believe eh's coming home on the 23rd that's crazy! Thank you so much aunt mitzie for the card i really enjoyed it so so much thanks a bunch! But ya this week really was just a good week.
> Reuben and richard our two other people that were on date to be baptized this saturday and next aren't on date anymore they didn't come to church on sunday but were gonna get over to both of them and set som new dates and make sure that they are progressing, which they are they just missed church ayer and they need a little kick in the butt as well haha
> Well everyoen i just want to say thanks again for all you do for me and for all your love.thanks to my pen pals, thanks for everyone and everything that you all do for me! Have a wonderful week and i will talk to you next week! I lov eyou all!
> Elder Hammer

2010-02-01T20:38:00.001-08:00

> 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

family

2009-11-16T21:04:00.000-08:00

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

fam

2009-11-16T06:15:00.001-08:00

Hey fam and friends! How are all of you? I know that you are all doing great so i don't even need to ask that but it's always akward trying to start off my letters haha so i guess i'll just doing it in an akward way by saying its akward haha alright enough of that. Man we had such a great week this last week, our numbers didn't give justice to the week we had but sometimes thats how it goes. Thank you all for the letters and love this week! Thanks grandma hafen for the box WOW you should have seen the other elders eyes when i opened that box ha and they have been snacking on that for the past week and it seems like it's still full haha thank you so much for the letter as well. Thanks rodgers fam for the card. I really appreciate all you do for me guys like really you guys are amazing.
Alright well first and foremost Luis and alejandra. So last week we taught them about the priesthood and about relief society. It went really well and luis is getting more and more understandign of the importance of this stuff. We had planned to just confirm luis yesterday because alejandra had to wrk so we were gonna do her on next sunday. But she asked if she could have work off which never works for her and they let her off. So yesterday one after the other luis and alejandra were confirmed by Elder Caballero. It was so sweet! Luis was all smiles and of course alejandra was in tears haha she's a little emotional roller coaster but thats good the tears are always good when their tears of happiness. And it was so sweet we had 6 spanish members at church yesterday! when i first got here i'm not gonna lie the spanish was pretty low and the work was slow but elder caballero and i with all the credit going to the lord have got this spanish ball rolling. We have never had more than 2 or 3 members there and we are starting to really get things going here. I hope i don't get transfered and i dont' think i will cause elder caballero has been here 6 months but i just have so much more i wanna do in this area before i leave and to get a branch started. We really gotta work on the preisthood holders and aget them here, but little by little things are getting so much better and this area is startign to grow. Before alan the last baptism here was in january of 08 almost 2 years and we've had 3 in the last 3 months. It really is so amazing that if you wanna work the lord will bless you with these sweet opportunities. But we have so much more to do.
This past week we went over to Alans house and lately he has been on such a kick to join the marines and go serve his country and all this which is great but we have been trying to get him on a mission first! We haven't forced it too much but this week we were over there at his house with his mom and his best friend and he was like "i think i wanna go on a mission" It was so sweet to hear because he is the type of person that says something and he'll do it so to hear him say that was so sweet. We went over there the other night and he wasn't there but we got to talk to his mom for like an hour and a half. We have been trying to get to teach her but it just wasn't going anywhere but we had the best discussion about life and the loss of her husband and she said that she would want to go to the temple with us! And then to make it even better, Alan has a best firend named jose who is in a world of trouble and has been in and out of rehab and drugs but is a nice person. Well he started askign me about the church and about the mission and said that he would want to listen to us because he hasnt' found himself yet in his life. Man is the lord looking at over us or what, we have people coming in from everywhere that need this happiness so bad and it's just so sweet to see it all coming together.
So elder caballero and i are the spanish missionaries over 6 different wards but the spanish meets in glen burnie, but we are also the english elders in fort smallwood branch, so we go on teamups a couple nights a week with them but dont' do much work over there. This past week though this couple came into the church and need financial help and most of the time when that happens you kinda get that feeling when you talk to them that there just there for the money. But our branch pres. said that they committed to letting us teach them so we went over there this week and taught the lady and her husband. Rick and evalyn. rick is from baltimore and is a little ruff around the edges and evalyn is from honduras and is just a sweet sweet lady. She's was religious and her mom is a missionary for another church. When she was 8 years old she and her mom and some kids from her church walked from NICARAGUA to Honduras in 14 days non-stop! This lady knows what faith is and her english is really good too. So we went over there this week and taught them with the Branch Pres. During the lesson i asked her how she felt about everything and she said, when i walked into your church i felt the greatest peace come over me and i knew that there was something different. We walked out of that lesson and they are both on date to be baptized december 5th! ShE was in tears during the lesson and it was one of those great experiences that i'll never forget. Yesterday there they were 15 minutes early to church in the best clothes they could find with little REBA. Reba is the niece of rick but they have had her since she was 9mnths and she is 3 now. THe mom is a drug addict and the dad is in jail and they took her in. She is the cutest little thing in the world and has a question for everything, hey you what are you looking at, why are you smiling, whats this green book? (the hymn book) haha she is so cute and i can't wait to see where this family goes. Usually i'm not too excited about english work because i just wanna do spanish, but she speaks spanish a little with us and mostly just english but it doesnt' matter. They were put in our laps and i am so happy to be the one that gets to teach them and see them progress. THey had a way good experience at church yesterday and they were answering questions in gospel essentials, reba cried when she had to leave nursery haha its amazing people this is the most amazing work in the world!
This past week we ran into a guy knocking that was like hey i served a mission he's 26 years old from el salvador and served in honduras. hE'S not active for some reason but we'll figure it out and get him back to church no worries there, but i can see him as the branch president of our branch that we need haha can you see what i mean when i say that the lord is watching over us, it's amazing!
> Well thats it for this week guys, i love it in the dirty i love this work and i am happy! Thanks for all your prayers and love. Thanks for the letters and packages and my pen pals, Thank you! I love you all and hope the best week for you all. Les amo
Elder Hammer

{family}

2009-11-09T08:33:00.000-08:00

Hey family and friends!
Jordo here from the Dirty and what an amazing week this week has been. I have learned so much this week and man we are just thriving in the MD right now. Things are going really well for me and my companion and most of all were happy. The mission is a roller coaster ride but were have such a blast and getting to work. Thank you all this week for your letters and love. It really meant a lot to me and i know that there were prayers out there in my behalf and i just want to say thanks to you all so much. I can feel them in my life and i just am grateful for the support always! Thank Hermana dean for your letter its so great to hear from you guys. Thanks fam for all your letters this week they were the best! Halloween was crazy here people are a little whacky on the east coast haha we had to be in at 6 and we did our weekly planning and then we just ended up getting all the stuff ready for the baptism haha but no one knocked on our door, maybe the big picture of christ scared them away ahah but a member took us to dinner before so that was alright, i guess holidays just turn into another day when your a missionary haha Well to get right into things....
Luis and Alejandra were baptized yesterday! and yours truly did the baptizing! Wow where do i begin with yesterday and how alejandra got to be baptized ha well friday night we had a ward halloween party and they came and after they had their baptismal interview from one of the members of the mission presidency who speaks spanish. Going into the interview alejandra said she needed more time but she came out of the interview and she said she was going to be baptized! man i dont' know what president mcginn said to them but they came out of there with a glow on their faces, and i knew that they were ready. Then we asked who they wanted to baptise them and they said me so i was happy about that. But one thing now that i've done both is that it doesn't matter who does what because it's not us doing it were just their for the lord and their for the people. But it was fun to be the one doign it though i'm not gonna lie. Ha and to do it in spanish was so sweet. THe whole baptismal service was in spanish and i just was so happy about that because we are in an english ward but everythign was geared towards luis and alejandra and it couldn't have gone any better. Ha they were both scared of the water and didn't exactly know what to do but we got them down in there and i just kept saying to myself please don't mess this up haha and i didn't so it went well and they were both baptized! What a miracle it is to see them baptized. they have been investigating the church for about 10 months now and a few months ago when i first got here they were about ready to be dropped. But we kept on them and didn't lose the hope and here they are members of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints. When me and luis were in changiing out of our wet clothes we got dressed and we had a suit for him because he usually just wears jeans and a button up shirt with no tie, but we brought him all the stuff and i was helping him tie his tie and he looked at himself in the mirror after we were finished and he said "hay un diferente luis" that means in english "there's a different luis" man when i heard him say that i was so happy. He knew what he had just done and it was so sweet to be able to know that it meant that much to him. We gave them the chance to bear their testimonies to everyone and Alejandra just cried through hers and i love when people cry cause it means they are sincere and are feeling it. The night could not have been any better and these two the best. I can't beleive a few months ago we went from almost dropping them to them both being baptized it was so sweet!
On to other good news and a cool experience yesterday as well was with alan. yesterday was fast sunday and i got up and bore my testimony and then after i did alan went up. Last fast sunday we said to each other that we were gonna go up next month together but i totally forgot. But i did ok (very little tearage i might add). And then alan got up and started talking and man the tears came. He got up there and just bore his testimony about being spoiled, not with cars, money, mcdonalds haha yes he did say mcdonalds from the pulpit and then he said the classic line "who needs mcdonalds, i had rice and beans" haha he got quite a few laughs from that. But as i was sitting there watching my 1st baptism stnad up after blessing the bread and get up and bare his testimony, it was the greatest feelign in the world because i knew that he knew that this was everything. To have a recent convert and then soon to be baptized sitting there right next to me was everything. THis is why i am here and to see these people just get so happy it's the best!
I can't describe how hard some of these days out here are, but its days like yesterday where you see people take the first step, or a recent convert share a powerful testimony and then to look at yourself and see the growth individually, man it makes those terrible wet cold crappy days all worth it! There is nothing that i could ask for more in my life than what i have. I have the gospel at the forefront of everything i do and i get to be around people who have nothing, who can't see past terrible days, and can't see past the world. We are so blessed people, SO BLESSED! I know that this letter has been a little shorter but were running out of time but i just wnat you to all know that i know this gospel is happiness! there is nothing more than i could ask for out here or in my life. I am so grateful for all or you for your love and for your support. Thanks to me pen pals your the best! I love to hear from all of you and i hope all is well with all that you are doing. I love you all and i love this work. I am so happy and loving it here in the dirty! Les amo mucho
con mucho amor elder hammer

{hola}

2009-11-09T08:32:00.000-08:00

Hello fam and friends!
It's so great to be back here writing you about the amazing week we had this past week. I dunno what it is but the weeks just seem to be getting better adn better and they are going faster and faster ha that part is kinda scary. But man did fall come in a hurry the leaves are changing colors here and its really beautifull here right now. There aer so many trees and so many colors that i hope fall can last all the way to spring and we wont even have to go through the winter haha i'm a bit nervous for the winter here cause i'm so weak when it comes to the cold stuff but that's alirght it's nice right now and thats all that matters! Thank you all for your letters this week adn for the packages as well i appreciate them so much and they just are great to hear a little piece of everyone elses lives going on right now. But i can't say enough how thankful i am for them.
Well the big news for this week is that Luis is getting baptized next sunday! after church. Him and his wife came to church again together yesterday and it was so great to see both of them there. We met with them quite a few times this past week and it has been great to read with them and see them grow. We put his wife on date and then last week she said she wasn't ready and so we tried to talk to her about what was holding her back, so we finally figured it out that she sings in the choir at the catholic church and she is affraid that if she joins the church that they wont let her sing in it anymore. Oh the struggles of not having a spanish branch with a spanish choir. Ha but that is our struggle with her right now because she has such a strong testimony and when we erad the scriptures together she is always the first one to point out a scripture that she liked the most or how we can apply it in our lives. It is really cool to see them change. They have been kinda ify this whole time until we started implying the book of mormon in their lives. I know now that the book of mormon is the key to conversion, without reading that book these people will never feel the need to change and can never know that the gospel is true. I am really starting to realize that need and the amazing power the Book of mormon has to change people's lives.We want them so badly to be baptized together because that would be so good for them but we just are gonna have to see what happens this week but luis is on and next time i email you all we will have another new member in the church! i am so excited! Yesterday was the primary program in the church and the little kids were singing and saying there talks and all that and it was so great, and i looked over at Alejandra and she was just balling her eyes out. They have 3 kids a 8 5 3 year old and they live in chicago with their grandma. i dont' know why i haven't really asked but she was hurting yesterday watching all those little kids, i felt so bad for her because i know that must be so so tuff, but at the same time i know that gospel is exactly what she needs and that can be her so called refuge from missing her kids. We have a lot of work to do with both of them this week but i will hopefully have the best news for you guys next monday that they were both baptized together.
Alan is doign great! he blessed the bread and water in sacrament yesterday and said his prayer perfectly! I was so happy for him cause he was so nervous before he went up there to do it. I know that the lord answers our prayers cause i was praying the whole time that he would be able to get through it and he did. And i know that it was a good experience for him so that he will want to do it again and again.He really is such a stud and i know that i'll be in contact with him for a long long time. His mom just found out that she might have thyroid cancer and i think that is throwing alan for a whirl, but elder caballero and i haven't been able to invite her to talk with us, but i think after hearing the bad news that might be a hint fromt he man upstairs saying get in there and teach her. I know that she's worried and alan is too and we are excited this week to try and talk with her and try to get to her heart. She's a catholic and they are tuff! haha
Well i wanted to share an experience that we had this week that i will probably never ever forget and might just be one of the best experiences that i have had on the mission. So the other night we went up to Brooklyn park to visit some people that have been taught but alot of them aren't progressing and our spirits were a little down. We went to a house of a man named edwin who has been taught for quite some time and isn't progressing. The last time we were over there was when i was on exchanges with our distirict leader and we had left him with a chapter to read and we got there and he hadn't read and i was really frustrated and just wanted to leave. But the last tiem we were there we asked him to pray and he said no but he promised me that the next time he would pray, so we were frustrated and wanted to leave so we said alright well your gonna at least say the prayer, and the excuses started flowing that he couldnt' and didn't know how and that the other people in his house might here him and all this, and we just kinda threw that aside adn said can we kneel so we knelt down and said alright will you say that prayer and he wouldn't, and just keep saying no you do it. We sat there on our knees and argued back and forth with him for about 30 minutes no joke and then i said alirght well i will right it down for you on a piece of paper and so we got back on the couch and i wrote how to start and end on a piece of paper and we gave it to him and got back down on our knees and he was still in his chair and something just keep saying to me don't give in and say it. And so he was sitting in the chair with his hat on and elder caballero said will you take off your hat and kneel and he did and he was just staring at the paper. We said alright you say it, and we folded our arms and closed our eyes. And we waited.......and waited....and waited about 2 or 3 minutes no joke! The whole time i was just praying with everything i had that he would feel the spirit and pray and just do it i've never prayed so hard for somethign in my life. And i opened my eyes a few tiems to make sure he hadn't fallen asleep but he was just staring at the paper. and i closed my eyes and kept praying and then i heard the 3 best words of the missions thus far "nuestro padre celestial" thats our father in heaven in english! He did it! He prayed and i jsut wnated to scream for joy. It was so cool to see him feel the spirit and just do it! I couldn't believe it and now there is a whole new attitude about him and he took that huge leap of faith and we are excited about him. Ha yesterday in my talk i told that story and i just cried through it. hA You would think that i could quit being a softy and not cry but no i think my emotions are on high out here! But it was such an amazing experiece and one that i will never forget. The lord works miracles and sometime it takes patience 30 minutes of going back and forth and 2 or 3 minutes of silence but the spirit came and it worked! I know the lord answers our prayers no doubt in my mind because he does it daily!
Fam and friends it's been great to write you and tell you whats going on oh yeah we had zone conference this weeka nd that was so sweet our mission pres is just a man of god i can't say much more than that. And oh yeah saturday we were on our bikes and i'm not kidding a TERRENTAIL DOWNPOOR came upon us i thought we were gonna get flooded like noah. You could dump the water out of my shoes it was rediculous and we were so soaked! Ha just another day in paradise right? haha i love it here everyday is an adventure and a learning experience and i can't beleive that 4 months have come and gone. crazy stuff. But i love you all thanks to all of you who wrote and write me and my pen pal. I love you so much for your love and support out here. Things are great in the dirty and i hope you all have a great Halloween! I will talk to you all real soon. The church is true and i am convinced that without a doubt this is not me doign anything out here, this is the lords work. The church is true and waht a blessign it is for all of us in our lives. I love you guys. Singing off from the Dirty! Les amo
Elder Hammer

{hola fam}

2009-10-12T11:51:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone, it's so good to be back here writing you all again and it's been a good week for us for the most part. Many good experiences happened this week and we are really working hard. I am excited for this new transfer. As i'm writing to you all in a library it's dark and cloudy outside and it's cold ha man i can just feel the cold coming yikes! haha but maryland weather is crazy i asked for long sleeve shirts cause it was gettting cold and i haven't worn one yet cause it was like 80 degrees and sunny and hot this week. haha maryland to put it short is just....different. but i love it and we are having a good time in the DIrty. Thank you all for the letters and the packages this week i was fed this week with letters and that was so so sweet. Thanks mom and dad for your letters they were the best and the shirts momma! I got a package from the young's in the ward mom and dad our home teachers. they went me a bunch of halloween stuff that was really nice of them make sure to thank them for me. and thanks to my pen pals those letters were the best this week. People are going all out here for halloween it's crazy how big of a deal it is out here. Every house is decked out and decorated it's really crazy i'll take some pictures of some of these houses and get them to ya.
Well this week we worked a lot with alan and teaching him so that he could get the priesthood. He passed yesterday and will be confirmed next sunday! Man that kid is such a stud you guys have no idea. Ha we had a member from glen burnie feed us this big black family and they just stuffed us full of spaghetti and bread and then we went over to alans house and his mom had made us authentic mexican carne asada tacos! Man i must have gained ten pounds just that night. I wasn't hungry at all and she just kept bringing more and more and mroe food i could barely hold it down. ha new rule for me and elder caballero, when we have alan we can't eat dinner because we went last night and same exact thing happened how a member fed us and then went to his house and his mom had a huge meal. I guess i can't complain though right haha But i'm so happy when were with alan because he just has a testimony and we watched Mountain of the Lord with him and have been talking a lot about the temple. One of my favorite things to talk about! But he's a stud and i can't wiat till you get to meet him one day, because i know that he'll be around for a while.
Well this week was a bit of a struggle as far as teaching and getting investigators to church. This is two weeks in a row that we haven't gotten any to church and it's really tuff, because when we invite them they ask if it's in spanish and we have to say no but we translate and that turns a lot of them away, and we really need to start working with the members that are spanish. we have two big families that never come and they are turning into our number one priority because unitl they start coming we'll never be able to start a spanish branch and we need one badly! So that's our big goal this week is to get the members who are less active back and coming to church because without them the investigators don't any support system to see that other espanos are there are listening with their head phones too ha.
This week with Luis was tuff he got into some financial trouble with some people and couldn't meet with us and said that he was gonna come to church because we wanted to baptize him in 2 weeks if he came for the next 2 sundays and he didn't show up. It's getting tuff with him because when we are there he's great and happy and excited and then we leave and he forgets so we need to do better at seeing him more often. Elder Caballero and i have so much work to do and have so many people that we need to contact alot like alan and luis and the less active members but we can do it. We haven't found a lot of people in glen burnie because we usually go out in different areas but as of lately we have been finding more and more and it's been great. We have an appt tonight with a lady that we think were gonna commit her to be baptized tonight! And elder caballero when he was on exchanges on sat. found another lady that seems promising. We have lots of people that will listen to us it's just getting that return appt.but were gonna get these people to baptism no doubts it's just gonan take some time and paciencia, which the mission is teaching me haha.
This week i went on an exchange with elder bankhead the AP. He was the one that i got to talk to first thing wehn i got here and i love the guy! He's 24 years old lives in provo and is almost done with school and just decided later that the mission was for him and he's here. He's the most loving person i think that i have ever met, and we had a great exchange. Where the Ap's live is the same area as us up in brooklyn park and that area is just a really poor area.We had a few appts up there and there were a few members that we went and visited. I think i've seen some of the most poverty in my life up here and these people are the most humble people. They have nothign and ya they make choices that don't help them out but to see elder bankhead go into one of those houses and just love the people was a amazing to see. These little girls just came up to him and swarmed him haha it was a good lesson on loving the people that's for sure! His area also covers part of baltimore so i got to drive right by the city for the first time that i have been here and see camden yards and the bay and all that good stuff. That was pretty sweet to finally see what i had been looking at on the internet for the past 3 months. It's really cool though to go on exchanges with these guys because i've learned a lot on the type of missionary that i want to be and the things that i need to get there. Elder bankhead talked to me about what he would suggest for me to do for the rest of my mision and i lvoed what he told me. He was like don't let other people do it for ya, be a go getter and be the solution to a problem. Figure things out and always try to find a solution and i really liked that. we got told a quote by elder robbins who said "problem=gold mine" and it's that mentality that is key out here especially for elder caballero and i for the spanish and the ward.
Yesterday was a sweet fast sunday though we did a apartment fast and i really feel that the things that we fasted for were so good and the lord is gonna help us out. We live with two other great elders and we are trying to get the ward behind us and get their support. We are trying to do a night at the chruch where we will bring investigators to the church and members come too and we teach and so the members will get a hang of what we do and then when we ask them to come teach with us they wont be so affraid, and i think that we can get this going and that it will turn out good for us if we can be persistent with us, ha you gotta learn how to be persistent in the Dirty. But that's somethign else that we are workign on. The espanol is going ok we are doing our best to talk more while we are together and i am learning more and more it just takes time and i am figuring out that i am getting way better at understanding it so that's the best feeling. I just gotta open my dang mouth more haha.
Well fam this is it another letter and i'm out ha i love you all so much and i hope you have had a great week. I'm glad to hear your ok Bell and i know that your driving the truck for a reason:) i love you bell. And once again congrats nick and jess i lov eyou both and am so happy for you two. I'm gonna be a sweet uncle that's all i can say! I love you all this gospel is amazing and yesterday as i bore my testimony is church about conference and this happiness that we have, man we have it all and i am so happy that i'm apart of this. I love you all so much, thanks for the letters again everyone and pen pals. Have a great week and i'll be just fine in the Dirty no worries! Les amo
Elder Hammer

{family}

2009-10-05T19:37:00.000-07:00

Hey family,
Wow what an amazing weekend this has been and what an amazing week this has been as well. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have the apostles and prophets speak wow that was absolutley amazing! Thank you all for your letters this week! I can't tell you enough how much they mean to me. Thanks mitzie, t bone and grandma hafen. Happy birthday today grandma hafen and linda and grandpa on sat and lindsey tomorrow wow my best wishes to all of you! Thank you thank you.
Well the good news is that i am staying in glen burnie with elder caballero! We got called last night and they let us know. We are one of the only missions that has an actual transfer meeting. and they call this time Transfermania! because they just call you and say your leaving or staying and that's it. and then you find out when you get to transfer meeting. They do that so all the gossip and stuff throughout the mission doesn't happen and stuff and so the next few days you can still work! But wow what a blessing it has been to have elder caballero and i am so happy i get another transfer with him! I wasn't exactly ready to get out and start going through this area all by myself haha but i know the lord knows that i needed at least one more with him. But pres belliston was telling us that the prophet instructed him that the average should be 6 months in an area so i think i'm gonna be in the DIRTY for a while ha we call it glen dirty.
What an amazing conference it was this weekend! Ican't believe the things that we were taught and how different conference is watching it from a church than up in pine valley haha i couldn't help but think of you all up in pine valley watching conference together but thats alright cause it'll all be there when i get back!I would have to say that this conference was one of my favorites i think it's just because my mind is a little different on this kind of stuff and i realize what a blessing it is to have conference and to listen to these great men. I can't even say enough about them all. But i think the two things that i picked out the most was LOVE and Personal Revelation and the spirit. It is so amazing that of all those things that love something so basic is what was portrayed. I know that love is all we can do. If people don't know we love them then why would they join this church so thats somethign i need to work on the most. But wow Jeffrey R. Holland wow is all i can say. He should be the prophet haha I couldn't wait to here from here and yes i had some tears as he talked about joseph and hyrum and going to the book of mormon in their final hours together. That was so deep and i loved that. And then i loved the priesthood session with henry b eyring and being prepared, this last week we gave a blessing to this man from ft smallwood branch the other ward we are over and it just made me really realize what was important and to always be prepared but i loved it. I could go on and on talking about conference but there is other stuff i want to talk about but wow we are so blessed i can't say that enough.
Well this week was a really tuff week for us, we didn't have a lot of lessons and we were doing a lot of knocking! We are started to see some investigators that are fallign off and just wont answer there doors, there will be some that will see us through the window and still now answer, crazy stuff ha but that's alright we just keep pushign on i guess right? But when appointments feell through this week is when we were able to have the most success! We went to an appointment one mornign the lady said she could only do it then during our study time so we went and she stiffed us, so we went over to these guys near by and started talkign with them. One of them's name was saul and he talked to us for about an hour! It was such a cool conversation. He has epilepsy and he just told us his whole story how he became a catholic and what jesus christ has been in his life, and then the fun part happened. We started to teach him. And he asked that question that you always love to hear "well then why are there so many churches out there, which one is true then" that's when you as dad would say "put the foot on the throttle" haha and then we just went on to say this is our message to the world that there is a true church and because of the apostacy there are so many that just ahve parts of the truth but not the whole truth. Man he could just see it in his eyes. I am so excited about him and we are gonna go back this week and teach him.
And then another cool experience we were walking and we saw this lady and her son about 15 years old and there daughter and we gave them a pass along card and didn't think much of it. two days later we were knocking and we knocked at there house. It was so cool we sat there and talked to them for an hour on there doorstep and they are just so poor and have nothing they have lived here for 6 months in america from mexico they don't know any english but they are just making it and the gospel is what they need! The Lord really jsut places people in our paths and i can't believe it that more and more we work the more he helps us out. There really is nothign better than work that's for sure! nothing is better!
As we start this new transfer i am so excited. This whole time i have been kinda walking in the shadow of elder caballero and i want to walk side by side with him this transfer. I want to speak more spanish do more teaching and just get immersed in it. I have 6 weeks experience and the only way to progress is to get more into it. I am so excited for this time and this new transfer.
I am so happy right now where we are at and the work we have ahead of us man i just am pumped for the road ahead. I love you all so much. Thank you all so much for your love and support i love you tons! Have the best week and know that elder hammer is doing great i love you all thanks for the letters from everyone and my pen pals. i love you!
Con mucho amor,
Elder hammer

elder martillo

2009-10-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

Hello family!
What an amazing week this has been! I can't believe it has come and gone and i have learned so much and am so excited to tell you all about it. Thank you all so much for your emails and for your love i can always feel the love from the family. Thank you mom for all the post cards from hawaii and jace thanks for the letter too! Thank you grandma and grandpa hammer for that wonderful card and the money and the stamps and gift card thank you so much! And thank you grandma hafen for writing me about the rodeo. Man i can't beleive it's already rodeo time and now it's come and gone haha but thank you all and thanks to my pen pals too!
Well this weekend was the baptism and that was such a sweet sweet experience i don't thin i am going to have enough email time ha to put down into words how i was feeling this weekend and of the things that happened. Man it went so well and i just am so happy and yes alan gonzalez is a confirmed member of the church! Well saturday was a crazy day we had a lot to do to prepare for the baptism and i just wanted it to be perfect. so most of saturday was all about calling and inviting people, making sure those that had assignments remembered and filling up the font, setting up chairs, we had a video presentation etc... But i just wanted it to be so perfect for him. He had his whole family coming who are all non members and i knew that if we could impress him and his parents and family with the spirtiual experience of the baptism that it would be just great. Well one of our speakers bailed on us for something and so we couldn't find anyone to speak on the Holy Ghost, so yours truly did the talk on the holy ghost at his baptism. I was more than happy to do it and i was actually really excited because i knew that i could say some things that others might not say or would say. So i had a little preparing to do for the talk so i did that, and saturday we actually went on exchanges with our district leader elder seegmiller who lives with us. So i went with him and his companion went with elder caballero, so on the day of the baptism elder caballero and i weren't together until about 4 in the afternoon haha that was kind of interesting but i guess that's the blessing of having a cell phone out here. The four of us were all working on this baptism together so it was really good. So the person too that was gonna bring refreshments also bailed on us so thats why there's a ten dollar charge at wal-mart mom. I couldn't stand not having something there for him and his family so we went out and got some cookies and drinks so that after there was a good treat for everybody. Sorry mom i hope that was ok, it was for a good cause though haha. So we got to the baptism pretty early to set everything up and get everythgin going and everything went really smoothe and it all worked out for the best. He showed up at about 5 45 when we had asked him to come at about 5 15 which was totally fine because it started at 6 so we had plenty of time. haha that was until his family didn't show up till about 6 30 haha so we had a lot of prelude music and plenty of time to take pictures, but we weren't gonna start this thing without his family there. But we had a great time. The baptism went so well and this lady from our ward named sister crites who is just a gem! recent convert and would do anythign spoke on baptism and just shared her testimony and was in tears and yeah it was a spiritual experience listening to her and i know that some of the things she said were exactly what alan needed to hear as well as his family too. He comes from a catholic family and they aren't active they just say they are catholic so we are really hoping to not only see alan progress but get his family on board as well! Then was the time for the baptism and that went great Alan is about 5'3'' just about the size of another small person i know haha so we didn't have to fill up the font very high to get him under, but elder caballero did really well and first time was a success. Ha alan was so nervous before the baptism because he only had on black briefs under and he was nervous everyone would see so man after he was up out of the water he jetted out of that font haha it was funny but no one noticed but he came out after changing and just had the biggest smile on and i could tell that he was just a happy happy person. And then it was my turn to speak. I held it together really really well only a few tears and i was pretty proud of myself ha i'm such a boob and i held it together really well so i was happy about that. But after experiencing this baptism and talking on the Holy Ghost it really made me look at myself in the mirror and remember those convenants that i made that day and it all is just becoming to be more and more and more important to me. Along this whole ride with alan we have been teaching him and teaching him but i think the person who is learning and growing the most is me! It's really wierd how that works like that but it does and i am so happy that that is happening! But the baptism was a success for sure, he got up and bore his testimony and cried up there about how tuff his life has been and how he had to learn on his own, and it ripped me up a little because i am so glad that i have never felt alone and no matter what happens from here on out he has his savior and he has this gospel and that is the best part of the whole thing this weekend is that he now is on the path for him, and his family and his families family. I remember talking with someone about seeing that first person baptized and seeing that smile and joy and seeing that happiness and seeing the joy, and it couldn't have been any better. I tried to imagine it that day and i didn't understand at all what this day would actually be like, it was amazing absolutely amazing. Then in sacrament the yesterday i got to confirm him a member of the church and give him the holy ghost. wow what a cool experience that was. I will never forget that day standing up there with alan and him asking me to do that amazing thing. I am so grateful that i got to do that. Words really can't describe it! It really is the coolest thing in the world to see that happen to someone and just know that change that's gonna come from it. And the part that makes me the most excited is that i wanna see that day when alan is serving and doing the same thing that i am doing right now.
And to top that off we had zone conference this week and elder robbins from the first quorum of the sventy was there this whole week with president belliston and wow i learned a lot. We had zone conference on friday and you come out of those things just fired up to get out to work and it was a really cool learning experience listen to him to talk to us for 4 hours and not loosign a breathe. And his wife talked to us as well about not being a casual missionary, and i think that was my favorite part because she said a quote that being sensual and casual is the same thing, because you've already lowered your guard. And i loved that quote so much because really satan works hard out here and he just wants to get you at every angle and little by little and it's sad to see because he gets a lot of missionaries but it's not gonna be that way for me! I can't tell you enough how easy it is to be obedient out here like i really struggle when people tlak about disobedient elders cause i just dont' get how you can be like that, and i am not sayign i'm perfect by all means i am far from that but the rules are seriously what make or break you as a missionary and i can already see that in just one short month of being here. But we have had such an amazing weekend, we have been so blessed to have a general authority in our midst and to have a person like that teach and instruct us was great. He told us one thing that has been stuck in my mind now for a while and that was "That black badge is your license to open up your mouth, not only should you do that, but you have to do that" and i loved that because sometimes i get a little affraid to tlak to some people but there is people all over we gotta talk to them all. President and sister belliston are so amazing and they can talk for two minutes and you can be spiritually overwhelmed! I love president belliston with all my heart, man that guy is a giant! I can't say it enough how blessed i am to be here at this time teaching and talking to this people. Everything happens for a reason and i know that this week was prepared long before i ever came to this earth as well as other weeks to come and i know that more baptisms are on the horizon. We have to get this message to these people because they are lost because they don't know where to find it.
Well i know that there wasn't much else besides that but that pretty much consumed my thoughts for the week haha i am so happy and so blessed to be here and i am so excited to see what else we can get done this week. I love you all so much and i am so grateful for your prayers and for all of your love! I know that you all are praying for me and i feel that love everyday and i am so thankful to you all. I am so excited for conference this weekend and i can't wait to talk about that next week with you all. Thanks for all your letters and me pen pals! Have an amazing week and know that i love you all so much and i love this work.
Tenga buena semana!
Les amo
Elder Martillo

one month in maryland

2009-10-05T19:33:00.000-07:00

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!

{hey family}

2009-09-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

Hey family!
Wow what an amazing week this has been and i don't even know where to begin all i can say is that the Lord is watching out for Elder Caballero and I am so grateful to be here. Well first off mom i just barely got the package thank you so much! I love all of it and i'm only getting letters that are normal letters the dear elders haven't come since before labor day ha so ya but thanks so much for the glasses i like them and i know i'm gonna be wearing them more! But ya we left the library last week with the intent of going to a dinner at a mexican ladies house and yes she stiffed us! haha so we rode our bikes all the way out there and got nothign but thats alright we got to talk to other people.
So this week i have been introduced to maryland rain! it rained for like 3 days straight and you can't not get soaked out here thats for sure! Elder caballero and i decided to walk one day and i was soaked from head to toe! ha that was a pretty sweet experience that i wont forget but ya it's been raining so bad here but yesterday and today have been hot and muggy just like it is supposed to be and i like that! haha
So we talked about going to the temple this weeked with Alan our investigator for a latin cultural thing! and yes we went! holy cow that temple is so sweet i didn't think that it was gonna be that cool and all of the sudden your driving on the freeway and you come over a hill and BOOM the temple looks like it's just floating on the trees it is so sweet!Haha the temple is funny we will ask people if they have seen the temple and they are like no we ha ven't and then we say have you seen the big building off of 495 and then they say oh yeah that thing that looks like disneyland haha i thought that was kinda funny!
So alan is a stud! we have taught him and everytime we teach him and leave him with a chapter he has got it all studies out and has lots of questions. He is like the Golden investigator! So we were driving in the car of a member who is 18 and preparing for a mission and we started to talk about the chapter 2 ne 31 and he was like i need to be baptized and repent and he wanted to know why they kept talking about Baptizing a LAMB ha but it was such a great question and it's so great to have someone actually read and be so interested so it was nice to talk to him about the chapter. So we went to the temple and got there and they had all kinds of different countries there and all these different kinds of dances and they just were really cool to see so many different countries come to the temple and do that it was so sweet! During the presentation alan leaned over to me and was like "Man everywhere i go with you and anytime i'm with you guys everyone is happy and the people around us are always happy" and i just said well alan thats the church! We really had a great night and after we went around the temple visitor center and he looked at the pictures of the temple and was asking about the baptismal font and why there were cows under it, but man i just loved his questions! Because he is so interested and so into the gospel!And as we were driving home he started talking to us and started to tell us that he hasn't really had friends and that for the first time in his life that we (elder cabe and i) have came into his life and are truly his friends and he feels that we are true and loyal and all this. And the church stuff matters don't get me wrong but to have him tell me something like that meant all the world to me becuase i know thats what is most important is that these people feel this way! Man i just wanted to cry cause this kid comes from nothign and works for his mom and little brother and he's fine with that because he has got his head in such the right place!So we had a great night and this weekend was stake conference and he said he would come so smooth sailing!
Well sunday mornign came around there alan was 15 minutes away from his house at church, they had a meeting at 9 for all people who have been new to the church or baptized or endowed and they all shared there testimonies of their conversion stories, and that was the best for ALAN! because some of these people are really really different but you just see the joy that the gospel brings and that's what he needs to know!So then it was stake conference and wow waht a agreat meeting that was! President Belliston spoke and gave one of those kind of jeffrey r holland savior talks that had me in tears! My mission pres. is a powerful man! His testiomony could have shook the room! He talked about that lonely road of the savior and because of that we don't have to go alone and ya he had me in tears! haha i'm such a boob but man it was just powerful! and i could feel the spirit so strong and alan could too!There is just somethign about being out here on a mission and feeling that love of the savior and feeling the joy and peace that we can get from him and i love it! My testimony is strenghthened everyday with the savior and just the love he has and his hand is apart of everything we do!But after stake conference we were able to go and teach alan the third lesson the gospel of jesus Christ!
This lesson was one of the most powerful lessons i have ever been apart of and elder caballero and i were just filled! But it was the perfect lesson cause we wanted to give him a baptismal invitation, and thats exactly what we did! We got to the part about baptism and i just flat out said "alan you know the bom is true and joseph smith is a prophet of god, the next step is baptism, will you be baptised september 26th?" and he said yes! Were having a baptism in two weeks! I am so excited you have no idea! He is such a stud and he is gonna be such a great member and wow the lord had blessed us so much to put alan in our path and he has been prepared! We have been so blessed to have him in our lives. One part in the lesson that i want to share is he told us that his family meant everything to him. And i told him that i know that he is going to be a great example by being baptised to his family. and he has a little brother thats 13 the same difference between me and nick and as we talked i started to talk about the example that he is goign to be to his little brother, and yeah i started crying in the lesson because i just know how much nick means to me and the example that he has been in my life. i love you bro thanks for the opportunity to be able to talk about you like that! you really are the best example! But ya just an emotional sunday but the greatest happiness i have recieved since i have been here was to feel the spirit that day and to have him commit to be baptized in 2 weeks! some people wait so long for that and i just am so happy and know that the lord has done all this not me, but that he has prepared alan so we can bring him the truth!The hand of the lord is in everything that we do and i feel so blessed to be here ahh you have no idea how amazing it is out here in maryland, ha i'm falling in lvoe with the people and the area.
One thing that i have noticed about maryland is that the roads are rediculous ha no organization whatsoever! Thank goodness for Brigham young in utah! you all have no idea how lucky we are. i'm becoming quite the navigator though.haha one other thing i have figured out about this area is that every house is so dark. they don't have central lighting here for some reason it's really strange haha just the little things that are so different are so funny to me and ya it's just funny to see the difference between here and utah haha because there's alot!
But i'm running out of time and i just wanted to thank you all for the emails and thanks for the story about president holland jace i loved that! we listened to a talk from him today and wow just a powerful powerful man!Thanks nick for the email and i am so happy to get your new address. Thanks for all the updates and GO IRISH haha bell i am glad to hear that your prom went well and kissless! nice work! Thank you all so much for everything and for the prayers and for the love i love you all so much, and thanks for my pen pals too! i am so happy here and we have lots to do but i love you all so much and the lord is with me! Have a great week and kow that i am loving every minute here and i love this place. the church is true and we have lots of work to do for our baptism this week so i'll keep you all posted. I love you all and the church is true enough said!
Les amo mucho!
Elder Hammer

{hola fam}

2009-09-17T08:14:00.000-07:00

Hey family! Wow another has gone by! And i though the time at the MTC went by fast wow these last two weeks have flown by and i can't beleive the places i've been the people i've seen and the opportunities i have had wow! I can't believe what a mission really is. You can't prepare yourself at the the MTC for this experience haha it is just so different but it is the greatest, most humbling work that i have ever done. I loved opening up your emails this week thank you all so much. I really am so blessed to have such great people in my life who constantly write me and who are continually filling me in on their lives and i just love it, so thank you all very much. First and formost i have an announcement haha P DAYS ARE NOW ON MONDAYS AFTER TODAY. so this next monday the 14th i will be back emailing you again. President Belliston wanted to change it because he has seen some declines in the days of monday and tuesday after sunday when for our whole lives sunday has been the end of the week and he just wants us to start the week on monday for p day and the rest of the week working hard so ya thats something you might like to know haha but that is a permanent swith and will be like that forever.
So this week i was spoiled with packages and letters thank you all so much. Mom the tie hanger was a must i was gonna get one of those and you read my mind and now i've got one and all my ties hanging on there (color coordinated of course) haha I know nick has that same appreciation of color coordinating ties haha but thanks so much mom for the treats and the letters and notes. And thanks to everyone who sent me stuff. i have no need to ever feel hungry or loved cause you all take care of that for me so much and i appreciate them all so much so thank you thank you.
So i've had my first glimpse of east coast weather this week ha It's been raining and cloudy for most of the week and it doesn't look like it's gonna be changing ha but wow if you all wanna try something fun, get on a bike and ride from st. george to about......cedar city haha in the rain. Ha it's great knocking on doors when your soaking wet, people actuallly let us in ha. I don't think it's cause they want to listen to us though but more of that they feel bad for us. But ya the weather here is crazy haha but i love it cause when we are out on bikes we get to see and meet so many people and thats the best part because most people will at least listen to us. But ya i am a little akward on a bike. ha 6'5'' people just were not made to be riding bikes. Ha my seat is as high as it can go and it kinda looks like a circus when i'm on there but hey i manage alright and it's fun. haha You all know i'm just joking around because i love biking and everything about it!
This week we had one of our investigators names Elso come to church again! which was sweet because it's in english and that pushes alot of people away but he has came for the last two weeks and we put the wood to him and he committed to be baptized! We need to set up a date with him and he's got a lot of work to do but i have so much faith in this guy, and obviously he does too because he wouldn't be coming to church if he didn't ha but ya i'm excited about him. And then we have another investigator named Marta who was a media referal and we have been over there a couple times and were able to commit her to baptism. But then we went over there last night to talk with her more and set up a date and she gave us the cold shoulder and said she didn't want to change from catholic and that she just believes that all about christ is good and that we are true but so is catholic. for the first time i was like slapped in the face i couldn't believe this lady was saying this but i think that her family is influencing her not to join and so were gonna have to keep working on her because i know she has felt the spirit and knows it's true so were gonna keep working on her and hopefully we can get her to feeling the truth again.
We were up in Brooklyn Park the other day knocking some houses and were able to find this lady name veronica and she had a couple kids and she is really interested and her sister lives down the street and is married to a less active member. We are so excited to go after these people because they are such great people and elder caballero had the opportunity to talk with the guy and we think he's gonna get coming back to church and ya i'm just really gaining a testimony that the lord really puts people in our way for a reason and there is constant opportunities to serve. Like yesterday we went to a place that we haven't been to in a long time and we talked with 3 new guys and got return appointments with all 3 of them and it just amazes me that we are able to find so many new people. I know thats not us though thats for sure it's the lord, we don't have many baptismal dates but we have a lot of new people that we are gettign started on and that is really exciting for sure!
So this week i got my first experience with the LATINO COMIDA (food). haha we went over to one of our iffy investigators and are trying to teach them but they can't read adn so that makes it difficult but were workign with them, but we walk in there and she chatters off this thing and i don't know what she says but elder caballero just looks over at me and says "i hope your hungry" haha and now my mind started to imagine what we were gonna eat ha. So we sit up at the table and there's three torillas on my plate and they are stuffed with this "stuff" ha and i din't want to know what i was eating i just said please bless this food not to kill me haha and i dug in and wow it was so good! They had this hot sauce that was HOT but i'm starting to like that stuff but i ate and ate and we were stuffed. In the middle was like this bean cheesy meaty stuff and it was pretty good so i din't ask any questions and i guess they are called "POPUSO" OR POPUSA i don't know but they were really good and come to find out after, the stuff inside was beans and cheese and pig skin grinded up in a food processor haha i didn't care though they were dang good and i'm still living and i'm here today so i'm alright and i'd eat them again for sure haha. Tonight we are going over to a less actice members family named the chavez and she is making us dinner so i'll have a story to report on monday haha. No but we are being fed so good and we took over a new area and that ward feeds us two or three times a week and we are having good food, so don't you worry mom.
So this week we were at a lesson and Elder caballero pulled out a picture of his family in his scriptures and started to talk about his family and i was like i need to do that. So i put one in there of us and 3 times this past week i have pulled it out and shown them my family as we teach about eternal families and the importance of families. I love pulling that thing out because they are all just excited to see the fam and everyone says i look like you pops! Every person has said that i thought that was kinda funny but ya so i have the pictures of our fam and your being shown to Maryland. haha
So this week at church we got a note in sacrament meeting and there was this kid sitting up in front the was hispanic by himself and we had never seen him before. So we went up there after church and talked to him. Come to find out that he has wants to investigate the church and he just showed up and wanted to see what it was like. (It doesn't get any easier than that wow) So we set up an appt with him and we taught him two days ago. Wow this kid is a stud he's 19 and lives with his mom and brother and is supporting them and paying for everything, and he siad that his mom has taken care of him his whole life and that it was time for him to step up and take care of his mother who he loves so much. Wow i never realized how blessed i am and to hear someone say that hit me. These people sacrifice so much out here and i just dont' think we will ever realize how good our life is. We are so blessed. But back to the lesson he totally was feeling the spirit and we taught him the first lesson and this week at the D.C. Temple they are having a culutral hispanic night on sat and sunday so we invited him to that and he siad he would. I'm so excited because we don't get to go to the temple here more than like once a year unless we take investigators and we can go, so we are going to the temple with him on sat night with his mom and brother, adn we committed him to be baptised and he said that he would be baptized on the 26th of sep! I am so excited to teach him more and to keep him progressing but i feel liek he is so solid and i hope that he keeps feeling the spirit because he is an amazing kid and could be a big bonus in helping us get a spanish branch started! I'll keep you posted on that for sure! But ya i'm so excited about him and others that we have too.
Well thats about it for this week and i hope you all have enjoyed your week and thank you all so much for all you do and for the great people that you are i dunno what it is but there just is a whole new appreciation in my life for the people that are with me and have influenced me! Thanks for the letters and all my pen pals for writing me and keeping me all updated. i love them. I am loving it here in good ol glen burnie, maryland. we really are so blessed and have so much to do and i hope that all goes well this week with marta and elso and alan and all our new ones as well. Thank you all so much and i love you all tons. Have a great week and i just love this gospel and we are all so blessed to have a savior and his sacrifice for us. It's the leas ti can do to be here for him! Have a great week everyone and i love you all!
Con mucho amor,
Elder hammer

tour de maryland

2009-09-06T14:38:00.000-07:00

Hey Family!
Well i can't believe that one week has already gone by and here i am again emailing my first full week of the mission haha wow what a week! All i have to say is that i haven't slept this good in my entire life! i come home at night and colapse in bed and it's the best feeling in the entire world! Ha wow when i talk titled this email tour de maryland is because i feel like we have been all around the state...yep on bike haha i'll be like lance armstrong when i get back you just watch! haha Ok well thank you so much for the emails i loved reading those and being able to open up my emails and see some emails from ya wow that was fun. i can't decide if you should email or write just becuase we only get an hour so maybe do some shorter emails and write dear elders because that will be easier i think but i'll let you know as time goes on. Well this week i got a couple letters from you mom and one from grandma hafen and a couple from my other pen pals. Thank you so so much i loved reading them and love the happiness to hear from all of you. Thank you i think the best is to just send stuff to my apartment because i think the mission home is a little slow on sending them to us so ya. But thank you all for those they have been so great. Thank you grandma fro that wonderful story in your letter what a inspirtaion that was thank you thank you!
Well now to the good stuff, my week! Ha well after we left last week we went shopping and got some stuff and i got unpacked and had to hurry and get to an appt. Sorry for not writing letters last week to you all and my pen pals but i didn't have any time i'm sorry but there will be some goign out in the mail today so be watching for them! So we get ready to go out and teach a lady named marta and were on bikes and i have no idea wehre i'm going ha i'm just following my companion and my eyes are wide open haha Welcome to the east coast! Wow there is some things out here that are just hilarious. But wow that first day was an eye opening experience i tell ya but i love it it's really great out here. So we are riding our bikes and i'm riding and i hear this clink, clink, clink...yep my pedal off my bike fell off! haha it was funny and we couldn't get it fixed and we were luckily clost to home and just walked it back(Don't worry mom my bike is fine i got it fixed and it's perfect now it just needed a screw don't worry)so we missed our apptment and i was like dang thats not how i want to start off ha but we got right back out there and started looking for people. We ran into a hispanic on the road and we started right then and there teaching him and i couldn't understand a lick! but i got to pipe in quite a bit and do some teaching. It was a lot of fun to get to talk and now that i have been around so many hispanics, my ears are starting to get trained on how to pick words up and i'm understanding better and better everyday. The lord is blessing me that's for sure. But ya it was nice to get that first spanish contact but we haven't seen or heard from him since. The latin culture is different and in a week i can already tell that i love these people. That night we went knocking and it's really difficult for me and my companion just because we are spanish and want to talk to just spanish cause there is english elders but when we go knocking we have to be prepared to do either or haha so that kind of makes it interesting. But that night we were able to knock on a door and his name was Jeremiah and he was pretty anti at the beginning and then as we started talking to him about the book of mormon and what we bleieve in he started to really warm up to the idea of us. I could tell that the spirit was working on him a little bit and we gave him a book of mormon and it was sweet and were gonna go back this week and check up on him. So that first night was pretty fun and yes i slept like a rock ha i have no problem getting sleep that is for sure! So the next day we were up and at em again and on our bikes again and it was hot! haha i was leaking pops absolutely leaking! I loved it though my companion just said follow me and i did and we were off to referals homes and riding the light rail (ha that's a sweet experience!) and ya the tour de maryland had officially begun. I've never been more tired in my life at the end of that night being on a bike and my bottom getting used to that Bike seat ha thats an experience in and of itself haha but that day we had been everywhere and we had a dinner aptment and we were late and we were just booking it there and we were about a half hour late and we got there (it felt like we had just biked across the state i might add haha) and we get to this house and tortellini was waiting for us. ha i am gaining a great appreciation for food out here cause good home cooked meals are the best! The couple that had us over for dinner are two young married people that just live in a little house in maryland and are so nice. So we get talking during dinner and he says he served his mission in fiji, suva and i was like oh really thats strange and then he starts saying that he was in the kiribus islands for most of the time and i asked him if he knew mitch north. OH YEAH mitch was this guys zone leader! his name is matt larsen. i swear the world is so small and everyone knows everyone here i tell ya, but ya i thought that was really funny! So after dinner we went and visited some less active families and wow these little kids just steal my heart. These people have nothing here absolutely nothing, and these little kids come out and play with us and smile and laugh and it just gets to me how these kids can be so happy when they have nothing and its really humbling. Ha they make fun of my spanish and at the same time they help me with it too but i can tell that the little kids here are gonna be really fun and i love it. I absolutely love it here and being so out of my shell in utah. There is so much poverty here and everything is so different but it's humbling to know how much i have and how grateful i am each night when i pray to have a family and a home and food.
So the next day we headed up to Brooklyn Park ha now thats a sweet area, but one thing i ha ve figured out here is don't judge the people by the house beause some of the worst houses is where the Best People are! We ttalked that night with a lady named marleni and her husband marco and we hadn't talked to them before and we were just trying to get to know them and not just jump into a lesson and it was so great. The people in this culture are so NICE. They always invite us in and always ask us if we need a coke or orange soda ha (orange soda is turning into my new favorite) and we sat there and talked about families and the blessings that they are and the joy in our lives and if there is one thing that i ha ve learned to do it is to testify of my love of families and how grateful i am for mine. And it was really cool to listen to her haha actually TRY and listen to her, this lady talks as fast as a speeding bullet ha but she just talked about how amazing it was to see 19 year old boys dedicating their lives to this work and how amazing it is how fast we can learn and communicate in spanish, and i just looked at her and i've been getting in this habit when we talk with people and i was like ok you'd be an amazing member ha but ya it's just fun to be around this culture that is for sure.
So elder caballero and i have a huge area and we only get so many miles the car every other day so we are working the pavement on the bikes ha. We ride the light rail and buses too and it's sweet to talk to people on those and just see the different kind of people that are in this world ha. It's really weird though i have been in some fun areas and around some funny people and never not once have i felt unsafe. i remember when nick talked about his tag being his shield and i am gaining a testimony of that for sure. The lord is with us and takes good care of us! No need to worry mom i promise that i am safe and sound and loving every minute of it!So we also have another area that we just took over too cause the sisters aren't there anymore so that's just peachy haha. This sunday we went to 2 different wards and 6 hours of meetings that was fun haha
We had zone conference on monday and that was a fun experience. Our mission pres is the man. He was on one about being obedient and get to work ha he was saying i get so tired of whining out here and then he was like "so buck up and get to work" and i just love his personality. He always has a smile on his face. ALWAYS and he just has so much love ofr all of us and i am excited to spend more tiem with him but zone conference was great!
Last night we went to Golden Corral with a member from the other ward ha i never knew i liked Golden Corral that much but as grandpa hafen says when we go to buffets "they didn't make any money off of me" that was true last night. haha
So i have one last story. We knocked on this ladies door the other day and she thought we were JW'S. But she said we could come back and teach her so we went back and it was her birthday. She invited us in and gave us cake and ice cream. It was sweet and then we started to talk to her. And she told us this story about how she had heart surgery and during the surgery she was dead for about 5 minutes and she said she had seen the other side and all she wanted to know was if we believed in life after death. And i got so excited beause everythign she was saying was the Plan of salvation and wow i just got chills she said she had seen the light on the other side and her husband was there telling her that she needed to go back. So basically it was the most spiritually uplifting lesson i've had since i've been here. She talked about faith and how she's always had it and that is what has got her through. It was a testimony builder to me that we need to have faith. She had so much and had a really ruff like and the only thing i can say is i feel like she's gonna be a baptism, i just feel it so i will keep you posted on her as well!
Well fam everything is great in maryland it's beautiful here the trees are enormous and the east coast is great. I have so much to learn and so much to do but this is a happy time. I love my companion and i love the people that we are teaching. Mom and Dad congrats on 28 years i'm sorry i forgot that but I'M So happy for you! Thanks for being great examples to me and i love you both so much. Bell congrats on getting asked to Homecoming. If he touches you i'll kill him plain and simple haha I'm healthy and i'm happy and this work is amazing. I am doing great mom don't worry. We've got the lord on our side and we have no need to fear! I love you all so much and i pray for all of you and hope that you can feel the love of me and the lord in your lives everyday because i can feel yours everyday! Thank you all so much and i can't wait to tell you the new adventures of this week! Take care and thanks for all the letters and packages fam and pen pals your the best and i love you all!
Nos vemos,
Elder Hammer

a visual

2009-09-03T19:31:00.000-07:00

the classic map picture

elder hammer & elder bowden

President & Sister Dean

Elder Hammer & Elder Archibald

Elder Hammer & Elder Bowden

{i'm here}

2009-08-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

Fam!
Goodness gracious i am here! Ha wow is all i can say! I can't believe it. These past few days have been a crazy roller coaster and now we are here and it's gonna be great to get going on all of this! Well i'll just start from where we left off on the phone but ya we got on the flight and it went well and i got a little nap which was much needed! ha but ya it was a little strange going passed the mountains and knowing that it'd be a while haha but all in all it was a good flight and once we touched down in Baltimore the nerves were crazy crazy haha we walked out of the plane and i couldn't figure out why people were lookign at me so crazy but then i realized oh yeah your a missionary and welcome to Baltimore ha it's weird to be back in the real world and all that but i'm happy though really really happy! Today is my P day by the way just so you all know Wednesdays are P DAYS ha So we were walking down the stairs and there was our mission president and sister belliston and sis belliston just jumping up and down and clapping and doing all that stuff and it was so great to right off the bat feel the love and excitement that they had for us. wow it was great and a big bear hug from our mision president was great from the moment i saw them i fell in love with both of them and they are such such great people wow! And the ap's were there as well wow they are way sweet elders. They taught me somehting right off the bat that you can be serious wehn it's time to be serious and have fun when it is time to be fun and they were just having a blast with us and all of that was a lot of fun. We got in the van and drove to the mission home. I cannot bleieve how many trees are here! You can't see any land marks or anything it's just thick and lush and it's crazy i kinda get discombobulated not knowing where everything is it's really funny but ya. What a great mission home it's a red brick house and just tucked back in all these huge thick trees it was amazing. So we had the first real meal out of the mtc and that was so so so good burritos and everything was fresh and wow i was kinda happy to have a nice meal that was homemade! So it was a really relaxing night but it just was weird to go from utah to maryland just like that and wondering whats going on and what's next and ya it's really strange, but it's really fun to try and get all of this down. So we met with sister beliston about health stuff and then an interview with president. Those were both great they really do care so much about us and i could jsut feel there love the whole time. Don't you worry mom i'm in great hands! Angel Caballero is here in the mission and he went to dixie and we were pretty good friends i knew him really really well and ya president showed me the board of all the missionaries in the mission and the companionships and ya that was way cool to see. President asked me about elder caballero and i just told him a little bit and he said he was a great missionary. So we stayed there last night at the mission home and transfer meeting was today at 9 am, so all night i was thinking ok where am i gonna go where am i gonna be who am i gonnna be with? I'm sure you all can just imagine haha but i fell asleep and it was all good. We woke up, got ready and headed out for the meeting. We had a little orientation on some things just the new elders and then they have this tradition werhe the new elders walk in when the elders start singing the opening song of the meeting and we walk in and all these elders stand up and look at us and are singing wow it was a crazy experience welcome to the mission i guess haha and so we had a good meeting and there are some elders going home and they sang a song and presdient beliston spoke and his wife and jsut thier love for the gospel and missionary work is really amazing. Then was the fun part we all got to get up and bear our testimonies to everyone and stay up on the stand and look down at all the missionaries, adn while i was up there i saw Elder Caballero down there and things started going through my head and one by one president would call our names out for a new elder and then have their trainer stand. Well a little time went on and guess who my trainer is? ELDER CABALLERO! Ya we go to the same high school and totally know each other and hear he is my trainer. I couldn't beleive it and i still can't haha he is the best and i know that he is a hard worker you can just see it in the way he works and talks wow this is gonna be a sweet time with him that's for sure! So we got done with the meeting and kinda hung out and talked to all the new missionaries. Dad the kid that was with me and mike on our recruting trip to byu is here in my mission! he's from idaho and i dunno if he's gonna go back and play or not i'm not sure but i swear this place is just a small small world!So i went and got my bags and my bike...My bike is perfect mom i'm so happy we bought that one and not a brand new one it's really really nice and it's gonna do the job just great i'm really happy you got that one for me thank you thank you! So a member picked us up and elder caballero and i and two other english speaking elders that we live with got in the truck and went to our new pad haha Oh and by the way mom i had two packages from you when i got there. Thank you so so much those were perfect i'll make sure to send you pictures of our nice celebration haha Thank you mom those were so so nice. So i'm now at some library in Glen Bernie is the town were in it's south of Baltimore. My new address is 303 Oak Manor Dr. apt. # 104 Glen Bernie, Maryland 21061. You can send letters here or to the mission home and they will get to me either or your choice. But our place is pretty nice. Not too bad at all and it's just different but i'll get used to it and it'll be great. We have a huge huge huge area cause there is only like 20 spanish missionaries in the mission but from what i can tell they are a bunch of great elders who work hard. So ya and we have a car every other day that we share with the english elders so one day is car and one day is bikes which isn't too bad at all. I can't tell you the feelings that i am having right now ha it's just so different here and i just feel so out of place but i am so excited to just get to work and do all i can. Last night the ap said something to me that really stuck out he said well your here and now you have 3 options 1. you can have the time or your life love the mission and work as hard as you can and enjoy it 2. you can grind everyday of your mission and end up hating it in the end 3. you can go home. and i thought a lot about that last night and i'm jsut so excited to fall in love with the people and to fall in love with the mission and work work work and just do everything i can tell we are going to have a lot to do and a lot of land to cover but at the same time i wouldn't have it any other way. I am so happy to be here you have no idea. I know that the lord blessed me with someoen that i know and someone that is like me for a trainer and i really think that the sky is the limit for elder caballero and i! I can't really tell if we are in the ghetto or not here but it seems like a pretty nice area ha but i can't really tell where we are there's trees everywehre and it's tuff to figure out but that'll come through time i'm not worried but ya i feel great about this place. Wow the humidity here is different, ha dad all i could think of when i got here is when we were at fenway park and i looked over at you and said dad i'm leaking! cause thats what i'm doing here yesterday was worse than today but for the most part it's not too bad just a tad bit warm ha but i'll get used to it. I really have no idea what to expect but from talking to my companion he has loved it here and everyone seems to be really really close and everyone is happy and i just always wanna be seen as that way too because this is seriously the best time of my life and i wanna take advantage of everyday and not miss a day. So today after i'm done emailing were gonna go to walmart and get some food and i need some pillows and a blanket of somethin cause all i have is sheets so mom i hope thats ok i dunno what to do but i know i will just get a cheaper blanket and then we can talk about it next week and you can let me know what you would liek me to do but i should be totally fine and our apartment is pretty nice. We need to clean it up a bit but i know i'll be the one thats gonna be keeping us nice and tidy haha it's not liek they are slobs they just need a little jordan clean up and they'll be good. The other elders that i live with have been out for 2 months and 14 months and they seem to be pretty cool. Ahh i just can't believe that elder caballero is my trainer and that here we are two kids from the same high school and now were companions and he's my trainer. Seriously i've been praying for a good trainer and my prayers have been answered for sure! I can't believe i am here and i can't believe this crazy journey i'm starting up but it's time and elder caballero is fluent in spanish and i know that's gonna help my spanish so so so much and that's another blessing for me as well! I can tell that these next few weeks are gonna be tuff but i'm excited to just work work work. I have been so blessed to be here at this time i know it. So after we go to wal mart and get that stuff were gonna go back and do laundry and make dinner and then we have an apt tonight at 7 and were gonna try and get them to commit to baptism haha i'm nervous! and then after that we are going to another one at 8 crazy crazy and just to remind you all these are in spanish so we'll see about that! haha this first day we just get thrown into the fire and i'm so happy that it is this way for sure. Elder bowden is in annapolis and elder hale is in d-town baltimore haha so it'll be fun to see them grow too. I can tell i have so much work to do and so much stuff to do but i'm so happy cause at the mtc you just don't get to feel like that but out here you get here and you just know that there is work to do! Elder caballero is a horse i can tell that i'm just gonna be riding him for the next few weeks but we don't have a branch here and he's like "Elder Hammer we're getting a branch started" and i'm so excited for that. There is work to be done that is for sure and I couldn't have asked for a better trainer. I think i have every last thing that i need here for now and i am prepared and now it's just time to rely on the lord. These missionaries have a light and glow about them and they just are sweet to be around! I dunno what to say other than i'm really really excited and i just am ready for this crazy journey to begin. i'm excited for me adn my new pony(bike) to start stompin the pavement together and to really really work ha can you tell i'm excited people cause i am. Elder caballero didn't have anythign bad to say about safety here and siad that this area is really good area and that he feels safe and that were watched over really well so mom don't worry. Wow i'm at the library right now and i never realized how sheltered i was ha i'm seeing some eye opening things and people here and i just wanna stand up on the table and give a sermoned so they can all quit lookin so mad and sad ha But wow Baltimore, Baltimore, Baltimore! Jace kars and hailey i can't wait till tomorrow i can start singing "Good morning Baltimore" haha. Well fam i know i'll be hearing from you and i hope i ahve got you all caught up to speed on everything. But ya i'm happy and i'm excited and i'm ready! Don't you worry about a thing i am in good hands and the lords with me. just like i said yesterday fam. We have everything in life and we have no need to complain and i just am so happpy that i can look back at home and know that my fam and friends is healthy and happy and safe! I love you all so much and i feel the love of your prayers for me. I'm gonna need them i'll just tell you that much haha but family i love you all and everyone who writes me and all my pen pals and i just am grateful for all that you do i know it's only through email but i mean every word that i say! Thank you thank you thank you. Today is my P day so i'll be talking to you all in a week with i'm sure an eventful email haha. I love you so much and i'm happy and excited don't forget that ever ever. The lord is with us and it's time to start pounding the pavement. I love you all!
Con mucho Amor,
Elder Hammer (Residing in Maryland haha)

{one more day}

2009-08-26T10:20:00.000-07:00

Hola Family!
Well the email is a little early this morning because we are doing laundry early today cause i have a lot to do so hopefully this doesn't throw you off too bad ha. Wow what a great last week we have had. We have had so many great experiences here this past week and i just am happy that we are leaving on such a high note. Thank you all for your letters and last packages to the mtc this week. I have loved everyone of them and have loved seeing letters from all of you. Thank you thank you. Well the elders from our district going to Cananda left this morning and that wasn't all that fun ha Those elders feel like my brothers and saying goodbye to all of them was tuff. But i really have been so blessed to have been with all of them and i'm excited for them to have one of the best mission presidents in the world. This past week we had a testimony meeting just with our district and our two teachers and it was a very spiritual experience. Our district has really grown up and i know that every elder in our district is ready. It was really sweet to hear some of the things that our teachers said and there passion for us. Hermano Shulca said he's taught for two years and he's never seen a district as ready adn strong as ours, he was crying through telling us that and i don't knwo if he really meant that but it's amazing to have a teacher who says that and feels that way about us. Our first week he told us if nothing else he wanted us to become disciples of jesus Christ by the time we left and i remember him saying that and being like what in the world how am i gonna do that and i think i have just begin to scratch the surface of what i can do but i am so grateful for our teachers. our other one Hermana jacob is in the tabernacle choir orchestra and plays the violin and played for us her last night, all i could think of was jacie palying her violin and how much i wish i would have had her play for me more. Music is seriously the best thing here and i have come to really love it and she played a poor wayfaring man of grief for us and i couldn't believe it she had some of us in tears by the time she was done. She is really good but jace i think you've got her beat haha So ya tonight we have one last class with hermano shulca and then were off to BALTIMORE! it still hasn't hit me yet that i'm going there ha it's a strange feeling i have right now but i'm really excited.
Yesterday we got to go to the temple dedication at 3 and wow how amazing was that! They had the pictures going with music and for a half hour we had to sit there and watch it, excuse got to sit there and watch it and i couldn't believe that temple. That is way too nice in there to be a temple wow that celestial room with that shandaleer was amazing. I can't believe how lucky we are to have so many temples so close to us and one in our little town. As i went to the temple this morning for the last time in who knows how long i just sat there and am so grateful for temples and for what they bring into our lives. I'm so happy to know that i'm sealed to my family and that no matter what happens if we do our best we will all be together again. Thanks mom and dad for being good examples to me and always attending the temple and being worthy for that. I'm forever grateful for the temples. The dedicatory prayer was way cool, i've never been to one of those and if you can just imagine waht it looked like with over 2000 missionaries doing the Hosanna shout WOW! I'll never forget that day and all the memories we have had here. First week we get here 7 apostles and the last week the temple dedication. I came at the right time!
The firesides this week were pretty good as well on tuesday we had Spencer V. Jensen from the 2nd quorum of the 70, he spoke in one of the dedications for the temple this week too. He taught almost the same talk as president holland taught our first week and just really stressed the importance of teaching with the spirit. Since i have been here there has been two topics that seem to get touched on every week, teaching with the spirit and temples. I have been so lucky to have all these great speakers and we really take it for granted ha wehn a 70 comes everyone here is like disappointed cause it's not an apostle and it's sure easy to take these amazing men for granted.
Last night we had Stephen B Alan, he has spoke to us 2 times already so i was a little skeptical but his talk was really good. We sang count your many blessings for the opening hymn and he talked alot about counting our blessings and when life on the mish gets tuff to count your blessing one by one and how different it will make us all feel. He gave us a minute or two to write down the blessings in our lives and it just got me thinking that i'm very very blessed. We have everything in our lives, the gospel, families, jobs , temple and churches near by were very lucky oh and lots of golf courses haha i had to throw that in. I haven't been thinking about that much so i deserve to throw that in there ha I just am really grateful for everything and i hope that i can show people in Baltimore that it's all because of the gospel. Thanks fam for everything i love you and am grateful for you all.
Well tomorrow is the day. I can't believe how fast this time has flown by as i was packing up i was looking through that picture book you sent me with the pic's of the mtc day in there and i looked at that and was like wow that seemed like yesterday. It's time to get out to the field though, 9 weeks is inspired for spanish because we ahve gotten to a point where there has been alittle plateau because we are just saying the smae things over and over again, but i can't wait to get out there and just not understand a word ha it'll be great.
Well family i hope you know how much i love you all and how thankful i am for each and everyone of you for making my mtc experience great with letters and packages. I think i might have the new mtc record with letters and packages but thats a record i wanna have! Thanks you all i have had the best tiem here and have been so blessed with your love in your packages and your letters. Thanks everyone and all my pen pals who write me! Tomorrow is a big day and i can't wait because it's time. I remember what you told me nick about getting comfortable and the lord throws change at ya and thats exactly what he's doing but it's the change i'm ready for! I love you and i can't wait to chat tomorrow. I love you family and i hope everyone has a great week this week, cause i'm gonna be living it up in Baltimore! haha Nos vemos
Con Amor,
Elder Martillo

voy a baltimore

2009-08-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

Hola familia!
Well i have one week left here and i can't believe it. One week i'm supposed to be speaking fluent spanish haha not exactly on track for that but that's alright I'm excited to get out of the MTC and get to Baltimore. What a great week this has been. Many great experiences this week but this week has for sure been the slowest because we got OUR FLIGHT PLANS on thursday ha that's making the time go a lot slower but thats good because i'm not ready to leave this Place this. Alright here it is I leave AUGUST 25TH TUESDAY, MY FLIGHT LEAVES SALT LAKE AT 10 AM (DELTA AIRLINES FLIGHT #1106) AND I LAND IN BALTIMORE BWI AT 4 17 i'm guessing that time is eastern time zone. I have to be to the travel office at 6 am which isn't too bad that morning. There is some elders that are going to Mexico that i know that have to be tehre at 3 A.m. But yep there are my flight plans. I can't believe that this time is already here. For 8 weeks i've looked at other elders get there flight plans and been like well i still have a lot of time ha well thats not so true anymore.
Today has been a great day. we went to the temple this morning and both of our teachers were there with us in the session. Hermano Shulca and Hermana Jacob. They really are the best people. I have been so blessed to have such great teachers and i dunno they have never been to the temple with other districts that they have taught so may be were just a special district. They really are the best though and it was a lot of fun to be with them today in the Temple. I always thought the provo temple was so weird looking but i have come to love that temple. It's amazing and just really different but very nice.
So this week i have been so spoiled beacuase of all of you. I recieved so mnay letters and packages this week, i was in heaven. Thank you grandma hafen for the snickerdoodles i absolutely loved them! Thanks aunt mitzie for the cookies and all of your love! Thanks jodie and tiff for the great letters about your trip it sure sounds like that was a blast! Thank you MAUDI AND MARLEE for the letters and pictures i loved them thank you i love you girls. And to my adorable amazing can't even describe the words Mother! Thanks mom for all the packages this week and the living christ and proc to the world and pictures. I loved them so much Thank you all for all your love through packages and letters i am so blessed to have such an amazing family. THank you all!
Well this week Elder Nelson left and that's crazy to see cause i have been here the whole time with him but i'm happy and excited for him to get out there. This week we had a great fireside from Elder snow from the 2nd quorum of the 70, i forgot his last name but they said he was born in st george so he might be one of our relatives. But he gave a talk about things thtat he was working on in his life to better serve the lord and the things he talked about were amazing. He talked about moses chapter 7 and how his whole talk was about "i will choose him" and he talked about choosing the lord in everything that we do, and the part that hit me the most was a story from his mission. He said he had a new companion and he was terrible at german couldn't speak a lick. and one night they went on exchanges and the two new companions went with each other not knowing any german and the two senior companions went together. Later after they got back the junior companion told them about how they got into a ladies house and are going to teach her again. He couldn't believe it. That lady was baptised later and is a member adn the junior companion and elder snow have stayed in touch since then. She ended up passing away and elder snow was talking to him just recently about how that night he got into that house that day. The man told him that she ahd told him beofre she died that she opened the door and the reason she let them in was because "i could see the virtue in your faces" Elder snow talked about how important it is to have that light of christ and to have his image in our countenance. I Loved that story and it's just a reminder to me that i don't know who is watching and that i better have a smile on my face no matter what and get that image in my countenance. I loved that fireside and his words and we just were very lucky to have that talk.
Last night we had the head person over proselyting for the Church. He gave a really good talk about reminding us all what our purpose is. He really stressed to us that we are to always INVITE and that Baptism is our main goal. We teach here so much to missionaries and it's really easy to forget what the purpose of our lessons are because it's hard to teach fake investigators. But i really learned alot last night and how important it is in everythign i do to remember what is my purpose and apply that to every lesson and every person. it was another great firesdie. We only have two left! i can't believe it. the firesdies and devotionals are the best times here and i have been so lucky to have such great speakers. PRAY WE GET AN APOSTLE THIS WEEK haha. This next week we dont' have sacrament and we get to watch teh temple dedication. I am really excited for that. Thanks mom for the hankerchief! I needed one of those. I don't think a white sock is allowed huh? haha no but that should be a great experience for us right before we leave.
The espanol this week has been doing pretty good we really are trying to speak it alot and our classes are only in spanish. Today we are actually fasting as a district from english. It's fun to do that because we have to come up with some crazy broken spanish to say what we want haha. But i am excited to get out there and get to work and have to really rely on spanish becasuse i know thats when i will learn the most.
Well fmily i love you all so much and am so grateful for all you do for me thanks for all the letters and packages and all my pen pals. I have the best family in the world. Nick i sent you a letter last week to your old address i hope you got it, just letting you know let me know about your new address if you already have moved. I love you fam and i can't wait till the hoods of baltimore start calling to me haha nos vemos
Con amor
Elder Martillo

letter number 8

2009-08-10T20:23:00.000-07:00

Hola fam!
Jord here once again from the spacious laundry room at the mtc! Wow i can't believe that i'll only be writing you all two more times from the MTC and then it's out in the hoods of Baltimore! haha i'm excited though thats for sure. This week was a really good week and we are really pushing it hard for these last couple weeks because we can tell now that its goign to come even faster than we think. Thank you all so much for your letters and packages. Mom i just barely barely got the package with the missionary letters in it and the magazines. Thank you so so so much! But thank you to everyone who has written me. I really love to hear from everyone and all the fun that everyone is having! This life is just to good not to enjoy so i love hearing from you all.
This week we had a couple firesides that were really really good. On tuesday we had Brother Bateman and his wife talk to us. They are the presidents at the Provo temple, and yet again i have really really realized how important the temple is in this amazing work. It literally is the most important thing that we can get our investigators to do. His wife was really sweet, it's always nice to hear from there wives first cause they just tell you how great you are and they are just all happy and so they get you ready for the husband. haha No but brother bateman gave a great talk on the power that we have. He talked alot about ammon and the sons of mosiah and the power that they taught with and how blessed they were for their righteousness. I love that story and i think every other missionary here loves that too! He said somethign that i'll never forget and that is we "are endowed with power" and i guess i just forget sometimes the promises and blessings that come from the temple. The very next day i was reading in D AND C and there was a scripture that said that same thing. I am about half way done with d and c and i am loving it by the way. But ya we just are promised so many blessings and we have so much to look forward to with the Lord.
Last night's devtional was from a guy that we have already heard from but he is a good speaker. He talked about Charity and the importance in just loving the people whom we serve amongst. I need to work on this more and more adn i don't think we can ever become perfect in Charity but he just emphasized the success that will come from within when we practice charity. We are really blessed to have these devotionals and firesides, i will probably miss those the most when i leave here.
Well for some not so great news but still ok. Presdient Dean got realeased this week from being our Branch Pres.He thought he would get released after we left but they did a few weeks early. So we now have a new branch president named president lindsey. But it was tuff to say goodbye to that man. I don't think you will ever know fam how amazing of an impact that man has had on me in the Mtc. I give him a lot of the credit for this being an amazing experience and i know that i am really really blessed to have been with him and serve with him. I have had the best priesthood leaders throughout all my life adn thats something that still hasn't changed. The Lord knows me and knows what i needed during this Mtc time and President Dean has been the best! Yesterday we took tons of pictures and there were a few tears as we sang God be with you till we meet again, but all and all it's all good. I can't get attatched to people so easily haha (I hate that song by the way!)
We got another new district this week in our zone and were getting another one on wednesday. our zone is huge! But adam timo from snow canyon the football player is in my zone! He's a stud and boy can that kid jump he threw it down in the gym the other day and it was nasty haha but ya the new district is a bunch of great elders. That elder that i was helping last week is going home for sure i think tomorrow. It's really sad because he just has a lack of faith and just can't do this and has his mind set up. But it's been kind of good for me to see someone say all those things and it's really made me realize how blessed I am and how i know i can do this and how I KNOW that i have a testimony of this gospel and of this work. D and C is amazing it seems like every chapter has some reference to missionary work and the promises that the lord has promised us all. It is amazing the love the Lord has for all of us and all of his missionaries and i know that no matter how hard it gets, it's only gonnna make me stronger and that much better.
So to add to yesterday's tears with president dean, i also had to say goodbye to Archie. He's probably somewhere over the Atlantic ocean right now flying but ya that wasn't too bad, But i just am grateful for someoen like arch who has been by my side for everything. He's gonna be such a stud out there and his spanish is amazing. But yes i will miss seeing Archie at the Mtc but it's his time and it's going to be my time soon so no time to waste!
This week has been a good week for spanish. We are studying hard and are putting a lot of emphasis on using spanish for entire days. It's really tuff to express yourself sometimes throughout the day, but it is helping us so much and we are all looking up words and doing all we can so we can say things we want to say. Were still all pretty Gringo though. Pretty much my best friend is my dictionary i carry it everywhere with me and wehn i dont' know something i just whip it out and WAALLLAA Espanol haha. I'm excited to get out have to work through espanol. Puerto Ricans are the main culture in Baltimore adn they have the fastest spanish so that will be fun, But i'm ready to just immerse myself in spanish.
We should be getting our flight plans on thursday and so i will have all that information for you next week. I am almost 100% positive that i will be leaving on tuesday the 25th so i would say plan on that for sure. But i'll get you all the details and all that good stuff next week. it's crazy though just when you get comfortable it's time to leave ha i really have loved the MTC so much. It's is the spirits playground and i have never been somewhere where i just feel so at peace and so happy and it's just kinda nice to be out of the world a litttle bit.
Well Fam i love you guys so much. I have an elder in my district whose dad has cancer and has 4 months to live and here he is out on a mission. I look at him and just realize that i really am so blessed. i have an amazing family who i love and care abaout so much and they are all healthy and are doing great, and i have no worries ha just spanish. no but i just want to thank all of you for your love and your prayers, I feel your love through all of your letters and i know that heavenly father is watching over me because of all of your prayers for me. Thanks for the packages and the letters and all my pen pals i have the best people surrounding me and i love you all! Two more weeks people! Ha i can't believe it, but i'm excited as well! I love you all and pray for all of you always! Have a great week everyone and I will talk to you next week! Adios
Elder Martillo

another week goes by... #7

2009-08-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

Hello Hammer fam!
Jord here from the mtc! Well i have 3 weeks left here and it's pretty rediculous how fast the time flies by here. Not gonna lie i got my first little bit of nerves this week to see the end of the mtc is coming near but i am excited to get out to Baltimore! I still have a l ot of work to do though over the next 21 days though so i'm far from done. But wow this week was another fast but great week. I really am enjoying it so much here i always used to joke around how the mtc is going to be bad and all that and it really a place that i love! It's gonna be tuff to leave this place that is for sure.
Well i finished the Book of Mormon this week and am cruising through D and C now. This past week we had a fireside and the guy talked about how incredible to Book of mormon really is and how it only took 63 days to translate whereas now days he said it takes about 4 years to translate the Book of Mormon with the technology we have today. It really made me realize how true this church really is and how true the Book of Mormon is. Joseph Smith was a prophet of God no doubt in my mind!
>We had a fireside last night from a couple and the guy is over all the international MTC's around the world but the guy was so young like 40 and his wife spoke too. She seriously was a hoot she was just laughing and cracking jokes the whole time it was really funny. She was a mix between like a tammy cope and a brenda curtis mom. ha and i know how much you laugh around those two! But he gave a really good talk about when he was a mission president in nagoya japan. He talked about an experience when he was younger in a wood shop class and how was sanding something and he kept sanding the middle of the board and his teacher came up to him and said "worry about the ruff edges and the center will take care of itselft" He talked more about his teacher and the kind of man that he was and that he wasn't talking about the wood that time. He was talking about serve others around you and you yourself will get taken care of. I loved that quote and i loved that story because it really is true its time to "forget about myself and get to work" as gordon b hinckleys dad told him. I loved the firesdie last night and it really was such a great story and one that i'll remember forever. We really are so blessed to be here we get so much good doctorine and speakers and just this whole experience is a mission in and of itself.
Well this week we got a new district and elder bowden and i were in charge of orientation and kinda showing them around and stuff which was a really fun experience but i think i have figured out why i was called to be a zone leader. One of the elders here is from idaho and is an only child and is just a big ol teddy bear his name is elder conder. He has beeen struggling a lot and he had an interview with pres dean on sat mornign and pres thought he was gonna go home for sure. But after that he talked to us and told us that he was gonna stay and that president dean had talked him through it so no big deal. Well on saturday nights we go to the Referral center and call people about referals and book of mormons that have been sent to their house jsut all that good stuff. Well i've been here five weeks and elder bowden and i haven't had any good experiences there no one will ever talk or just no one answers so elder bowden and i prayed that we'd have a spiritual experience sat night at the RC. So we walk out of class on our way over there and elder conder is out in the hall and he stops us and tells us that he needs us to call president dean. He just said he didn't know if he could do this anymore. So we went and called presdient dean and he wasn't gonna be there for about 30 minutes so we went back to talk to him. He just is homesick and just doesn't know why he is here. But his companion said he'd give him a blessing. so elder bowden took him and went and talked about it and elder conder and i had a moment together. Basically this was that spiritual experience that i was praying for in the RC. We started talking and he said that for the first time he started tdoubting his testimony, and once he said that i was like no no no this isn't happenign and i pulled close to me and i put my hands on his shoulder and just started reassuring him with my testimony that he had a testimony and i started to cry ha i don't know why but i just wanted to help him so bad and i just bore my testimony and told him that it's tuff here no doubt about it but that it is so worth it and that he was called of God. It was an amazing experience and i felt like i had maybe gotten through to him but his companion came in and gave one of the most amazing prayers i have ever heard. it was just a spiritual night and i think he's gonna end up staying for one more week to give it a try. More than anything it was what elder bowden and i had prayed for and it was that spiritual experience that we weanted. It wasn't at the RC but the lord knows when and where to place people for us. I know that our heavenly father is watching out for me guys! No doubt and he is blessing me with the experiences that i need out here. I really am so grateful for prayer and how much more it had become more important to me here!JUst thought i'd share that story with you all.
Well the espanol is going pretty good and it is getting into crunch time. We only speak spanish in class now which is tuff sometimes but the gift of tongues is so real. I read through a section of predicad mi evangelio PMG the other day and i understood it all and i was like wait did that just really happen ha its so fun to study it and to use it. But i have a long way to go that is for sure, but i know that lord is right next to me on this journey and he'll help me out.
Thank you all so much for your letters and love keep writing me i love to hear all about life outside of the mtc. I hope all is going well and i hope you all know that i love it here and i am enjoying it so much. The gospel is true and i can't wait to tell people how amazing my family is and thats why i am out here because i want people to klnow that it is possible to love their family just as i do with mine! This message is so powerful fam, i am teaching only in spanish now and the words just come and i am able to bear testimony its just amazing what we have and what i have! I love you all so much and i hope all of you know who are reading this email how grateful i am for each and everyone of your influence on me in my life. I wouldn't be here without all the great peoople that have been given to me in my life. I love you all. Thanks again to all the letters and packages and to all my pen pals who write me. I love you all! The church is true! Have a great week everyone and i will talk to you next week. You'll be getting some pictures this week!
Te amo mucho!
Elder Martillo

numero 6

2009-07-30T18:21:00.000-07:00

Hello Familia!
It never ceases to amaze me how fast time goes by and i am right back here writing an email while doing my laundry. I really can't beleive how fast the weeks go by here. We do the same things every week so the days just turn into weeks so fast but its going great and i love it here. I am learning more and more each and every day! and I love that about the mtc. Well my health is great just to let you know i haven't felt sick or anything since then and i am 110%. I really am not exaderating i am rolling here! But i do appreciate all the packages and all the love that you all have sent. Thanks aunt mitzie for the package i really appreciated the letters and the vitamin c! Just so everyone knows i have tons of vitamin c now haha no problems there!
> This week we had some great firesides. JoHN H. Groberg spoke to us on tuesday night with his wife and what an amazing night that was. They discussed the importance of temples and missionary work again and i can truly see the importance of the temple and my investigators. He told an amazing story who was in an indian reservation and no one was letting them in and so they were walking home and he saw a broken wire on a fence with a lot of cattle in there. The one missionary wanted to leave and go but the other one said"I was taught to NEVER was past a broken wire" The missionary stayed and fixed the fence and just as they were getting done a man walked up to them and said thank you and thought that he probably had time to listen to their message! It was an amazing story about not knowing who is watching us but to always do everything we can to go out of our way to help someone else. I think that story wtih stay with me forever. But it was a great fireside and i enjoyed listenign to him and his wife.
> Last night we had a fireside by Stephen B. Alan. he's over the missionary department and his talk was about adversity as a missionary and how to overcome that. His whole talk was based on the song Come come ye saints. He has us listen to it during his talk by the MOTAB and wow! I had the chills reading that song and to just keep hearing ALL IS WELL was amazing. I think i have a new favorite hymn because he compared us to the pioneers and how we are the pioneers of our day. Last night was just an amazing night. After our firesides on sunday they let us watch movies like Joseph smith, legacy, testaments etc... But last night was the Joseph smith video. We have already seen it twice and it still just gets to me everytime. The sacrifice that he made for this gospel is unbelievable. There's a part of the movie where i lose it every time ha it's when he's on his way to carthage and he goes down a street and it's all the people who he has touched, and i just hope that i can have that same experience with people in my mission. All in all it was probably one of the most spiritually uplifting nights here. It was really amazing.
> Well now on to the espanol. Our teachers speak all spanish now to us which is really crazy, but it also is very helpful. It's tuff to pick them up but i can usually get the gist of what they are saying. We are teaching leccion 1 in spanish now and it's really fun how each day elder bowden and i just keep adding to our spanish vocab and are able to teach better and better. It's tuff to not just be scriptive when teaching spanish and make it personal and keep the questions coming that let us teach to the investigators needs but with time that'll come. It's just fun to get studying about espanol and speaking it more and more. Our teachers expect a lot out of us and are pushing us in spanish but all of us are more than willing and can all do it. so it's really fun.
> This week we lost a district to mexico. So we will be getting a new one on wednesday. Elder Bowden and i are in charge of orientation and taking them around and showing them the ropes so that'll be fun. In one week our district will be the senior district which is unreal because i still feel like the young new guys but wow time sure goes fast in this place. It's hard to remember what we do each week because the days are so similar that it's tuff to remember all of the great experiences. Elder bowden and i forget what we eat the day before sometimes because it's just so repetitive. I mean that in a good way not a bad way ha. I am loving it here. Gym time is the best. Basketball in so fun and i am working it on the floor. Ha everyday i am just drenched in sweat cause i love it so much. Had a wipe open dunk this week...doinked it off the back of the rim! I was pretty disappointed in myself i must say. Hopefully i'll have better news about dunking next week.
> Thank you everyone for the mail and packages i really appreciate all your love adn support. Ha the mail is funny here saturdays we don't get like any mail cause it closes and no dear elders ever come on sat. then on monday afternoon i end up getting about 10 dear elders ha i love that it's the best time of my week. i absolutley love to hear from all of you and all the adventures going on. Thank thank you
> Well this week i'll be finishing the Book of Mormon. I have about 30 pages left. I'm so excited to finish it and get right into D&C. I should have that finished before i leave the mtc which will really help me. I have loved my personal study of the Book of Mormon though. it's so much better reading it fast the storyline just sticks and it just is so much more meaningful. I know that Joseph smith translated that book through the power of God and i know that the Book of Mormon is true. NO DOUBT! I can't beleieve how great my days are because of my studying it and praying to know that it is true. I love it, and i love to study. elder bowden and i are reading all the way through pmg and true to the faith together and it's really helping us out. Doctrine, doctrine, doctrine right nick? I truly know that i'm here for a reason and that are people out there being prepared for me. I nkow that the spanish will come and i ahve no doubt in my mind that in a few months i'll be able to do everything i need to in spanish. The gift of tongues is real! I know it. I'm saying things some days that i don't even know where it came from but i said it and i know that the lord is really blessing me right now! I am surrounded by the greatest people. My zone is amazing, my district feels like my other family and my branch pres. is amazing i truly am so blessed to have them. Well fam i love you all and i am so grateful for everything you do for me. Thanks a bunch to Everyone and all my pen pals. I love hearing from you all and i am grateful for each of your examples in my life. I really have been blessed to have great people surround me in my life and it couldn't be more true about my family and friends. Good luck this week bell at the doctor! ill be thinking of you! I love you all so much. I'm doing so great and i love it here don't forget that! Have a great week everyone. Love you tons
> Elder Hammer

letter number 5

2009-07-30T18:18:00.000-07:00

Hey fam,
well another week goes by in the mtc and i can't believe how fast time flies. Yesterday in our presidency meeting with president dean i literally felt like it was deja vu from last week ha i love that about this place though is that when your working hard time goes by nice and quick ha Well to report on my health i feel so good. mom im a 10 now so don't you worry. The medication helped a bunch and the only day i felt sick was the day i went to the doctor but i'm taking really good care of myself and no need to worry. I think that was just to make sure i was on my toes and make sure i take advantage of the mtc. Well i'm happy to report that the basketball gym is officially open and they are letting us play 3 on 3! it's so fun i can't get enough of it. I think the lord really knows us 19 year old men and knows that we need an hour break per day so we can run around and sweat and do all that jazz. its amazing how many good bball players are here but i am holding my own when i play. My shot is really starting to pick up and i'm starting to feel it ha i know thats not important but i just thought i'd let you know anyways.
> Well this week was a great week for spanish. we really are starting to really get after it when we study and we are speaking more and more in class. All of our prayers, himnos and thoughts are in espanol. We are contacting people at the mtc like crazy. Our district made a goal to have 200 contacts this past week and we had 198! our district is crazy how motivated and how many goals we have. We also taught 40 lessons this week between 5 companionships so that was really good as well. We teach one more time this week in english and after that the rest of the time is espanol only! so keep praying for me but i also am excited to keep speaking more and more of it and to start teaching it. This week we have to teach someone how to pray in espanol and i can do that but i've been studying a bunch to be able to do that ha. The other day in class our teacher had me stand up in front of the class and she starting teaching the 1st lesson in spanish and then looked at me and was like ok your turn to say something about this principle and it was amazing but i actually did pretty well. one thing i have figured out since being here is when you get put on the spot and you have to speak espanol it makes you realize how much more you know than you think. I think i had some serious help from the man upstairs for sure but i am starting to get this language running through my big noggin! This week elder bowden and i taught preisthood meeting and it was a great experience. we taught about personal revelation and how it is key that we as missionaries need it in our teaching and in our lives, but not only for us missinoaries but that it is important for everyone to get that own personal revelation. We taught a really good lesson and elder bowden shared a personal story that was really amazing. I can't believe how much we are coming together in our teaching and how much better we get as we go on. Oh and the lesson was in english ha im not anywhere near that YET. ha The firesides this week were pretty good. no general authorities or anything but there was still alot of good info that was shared. Tuesday it was the temple president from the ogden temple and him and his wife came and shared some experiences from their temple. They also tied missionary work in to the temple and how important it is to get people to the temple. He really stressed getting the priesthood holders baptized and that if a dad is leading the charge in conversion then we are golden! Basically he just said that as we baptize we need to remember that that is the first step and the next is to get them to the house of the Lord. It was really a cool talk. The talks that are given are all so different and we never really know what we are going to get.But each one has been really uplifting. This guy said a quote that i loved and it was "if you think you can or you think you can't, you're right" I had heard this but it really got to me this time because how we look at what we are doing is what makes the difference and i truly am loving it here and loving what i am doing! The fireside last night was all about prayer. He was an mtc administrative director guy ha sorry i don't have my notes with me i forgot his name. But he really hit on that prayer is so vital in conversion. We always focus on fulfilling our purpose as missionaries but the first step for people is to have faith in Jesus Christ and to have that faith we must pray to our father in heaven. He said a lot of missionaries look over how important it is to really focus on prayer. I have seen what a difference prayer has made since i have been here and really praying with real intent and im excited for other people to see that. Oh ya me and the elders in our room had to move to the other side of our building this week because we were out in the middle of no where by the phillipino missionaries for the first few weeks but not a big deal. Our room is much bigger though that is for sure! I think our old room used to be an old custodial closet! haha No but it's fun our whole zone is right by each other and i love our zone! we have some people in there that are just goof balls but that also keep it light and funny which is good. I didn't think i would become such good friends with some of these elders but i can tell that some of them are going to be good friends for more than just the MTC! We have the best branch president! I have never met someone who always just shows love and is never mad. THe other day he was saying that he wont allow himself to have a bad day and i truly believe that he hasn't had a bad day. He really shows so much love to elder bowden and i and it is so great to work along side of our branch presidency. THey all are great men and i love my calling. Well fam the work is going great and i love it here so much. I really have realized that if i had the chance to leave this place i wouldn't ever! I really think you'd have to drag me out of here because i know this work is so valuable and is going to be the standard for the rest of my life! Thank you all for your letters and packages and love. They mean the world to me and i love to hear from all of you. Thanks again and know that i love and pray for everyone and all of you. This work is amazing and i just love it here and this opportunity to serve. LOVE YOU ALL until next week,
Elder hammer/martillo

#4

2009-07-14T22:31:00.000-07:00

Hey fam!
Wow another goes by and i'm right back here emailing you guys again. I love to share with you my weeks. I love forward to pday so much cause my experiences here need to be shared to everyone ha ok not really but i really like emailing you guys. Well like i said its been another great with with tons of learning and speaking espanol. I can't believe how much spanish we are learning sometimes i feel like the noggin is gonna explode because there is so much to learn but i know i'll be fine. Thank you all so much for the letters and packages I seriously am so blessed for all that everyone sends me! I absolutely love it when i get back and there 3 or 4 letters wating for me. so keep writing! Well yesterday was my first official day as the zone leader. and before sundays used to be another relaxing day like pday but boy did my schedule just change. haha i love it though and i am goign to love to serve everyone. Well to start off the day i have meetings with the presidency and district leader from 745 to 9. Then we have preisthood at 10 and we always take the first five minutes of that to go over the white bible. But our presdident was really nice to us and let us know that he will be out of town next weekend and that elder bowden and i would be in charge of teaching priesthood. Ha just put in on my tab! Seriously we have so much to do but at the same time we can do it. It's not too crazy just a little overwhelming. We then are in charge of conducting a meeting after sacrament with all the zone leaders in our building. so pretty much its just a baby sitting thing etc... Its funny though to hear all the dumb things missionaries do. Last week a missionary snuck a sister in our building and was hanging out with her. No bueno! But basically we are just in charge when president isn't here to make sure everyone is doing ok and following the rules. We don't have that much but it's an added stress on top of the studying ha but it's all good we will find time for it all. Jacie i know how you feel with becky's kids ha imagine being in charge of 52 19 year olds ha. The firesides this week were really good. This last tuesday Angel abrea talked to us from the 70. that man had a testimony and he told us how much of a miracle it was to be able to see that we KNOW that jesus is the christ and that we Know that joseph smith was a prophet of God. It was really cool to hear him bear his testimony, he was like yelling i know this and i know that and the man just had some serious power. Last night we had a fireside from one of the members of the MTC presidency. Him and his family did the entire program and they did the singing too. He has like 25 grandkids and all of them are under like 10 and all of them were singing I hope they call me on a mission it was so cute and so fun to see kids. ha i haven't seen kids for a long time so it's nice to see someone other than older men and women. Then they had each of their sons get up and tell about one tip they would share with us on their missions. And that was amazing to hear the little tips that are so meaningful to them. But the fireside was really really great. The espanol is coming along it's amazing how much we are using spanish in our daily vocab and we just are starting to replace a new word in spanish with the one in english. Our district is amazingly motivated and we have english fasts during class where we only speak spanish and it really really helps. The more i speak it and talk the more i understand. Each week we teach a lesson to a investigator and we start out for 15 minutes of spanish and then 35 for a lesson and in three weeks the lessons go from english to spanish, so that should be interesting but other than my personal prayers all of them are in spanish and my personal prayers and turnign into spanglish! Its really cool to see the transition. I got that picture book from the imac or whatever, THANK YOU SO MUCH. That is seriously so sweet of you guys to send to me and i love it. I am so happy that we could have so many great memories beofre i left. And many more are to come when i get home so don't worry mom, they'll be tons more to add to it! Your letters are so uplifting and your packages mean so much to me. Thank you thank you i cannot say it enough! Probably the best experience this week was in class on friday we watched a talk that Jeffrey R. Holland gave in 2000 called the miracle of missionary work. Take some time to watch taht if you haven't it seriously gives me the chills just talking about it. Jeffrey R. Holland is amazing and pretty much just laid the law down about what a mission is. I seriously will never forget the things he said in that talk. Sometimes it gets so good here and other times are a little tuff but i swear in all those tuff times the lord blesses me with uplifting things such as this talk. I'm sure nick has seen it but take some time to watch it together as a fam, it might be the most amazing talk i have ever heard. I sure hope you guys know that i love this work. I really am getting into such a groove and i have nothing to do but get to work. Thats all i can really do. i know that if i give it my all this mission will be something that i look back on with no regrets and thats all i want. The mtc gets a little redundant at times but you know thats just how it is and i really enjoy it here. I have got to be really good friends with random people from the gym and eating and i just see a lot of people here and its so great. Archie and Steve nelson got called to be district leaders this week , so i'd say us st. georgians are shwoing the mtc where the church is so true haha. thats a joke i know this is gonna be a humbling calling and experience. I have already been so humbled up here. I literally am nothing compared to what i need to be but thats what is so great the lord makes up the rest for us. I have learned just to put my faith in our savior and we will be blessed thats all i can do. Thank you all for the prayers i can tell that i am being blessed because of your prayers for me. Mom i'm pretty sure i have got everything i could possibly need here. You guys have taken such good care of me but if i think of anything i will let you know. I'm sure you will but tell everyone i love them and tell everyone i am loving it here. Oh guess what they might open up the gym this week for 3 on 3 so hopefully that will happen. i'm ready to dunk on someone! haha ya thats right nick i just said that. Everyday here is another spiritual experience to add to the journal. Don't worry i'm keeeping a good journal and i write init every night. I really love to write in there and it is really good for me to remember the thoughts of the day to write down. Keep praying for me, i know you will but the espanol isn't gonna get any easier and i need all the blessings i can get! But thank you for all your prayers thus far, they mean the world to me. We were able to go to the temple again this morning. Wow it's early when we go but my favorite part of the week is walking out of the temple early morning as the sun is coming over the mountain and looking out, it's an amazing experience. Well fam i love you so much and i hope you know that. Elder Hammer is loving it up here and is doing just great. The work is ture and i know that we will are all so blessed because of this great news we have. i LOVE YOU GUYS!
Elder Martillo (Hammer en espanol)

tres

2009-07-09T22:03:00.000-07:00

Hello family!
Wow what an amazing week this has truly been i don't even know where to start but it's so great to hear from all of you you guys are seriously the best. I can open letters right when i get them so keep writing me ha they make my days. Mom i know you talked about that bike situation but ya for sure buy that bike it sounds like it's great and i'm totally fine with that thanks so much for doing that for me! Well this week has been a great week i have learned so much and the espanol is coming along. Elder Bowden and i are teaching pmg lesson 1 like crazy and were really starting to get the hang of things here. We go around bearing our testimonies to random people during the day and it is so fun. The gym finally opened! but we still can't play team games we have to play shooting games like pig horse and speed but it's still fun and we play volleyball too. Jace you know how me and arch wooped you that one day. Well pretty much i just tear it up out there and thinkin of you. Bump set spike! thanks to everyone for the letters and the packages! rodgers fam thanks so much for the cinnamon rolls, mom thanks so much for the fourth of july package we totally decked our room out i'll send you pictures and the fans were the best! Thanks so much for sending me the G'S mom your so on top of things and the camera chip as well! wow i am just spoiled that all i have to say! The mail shop has been closed for the last three days cause of the holiday so it's still like coming so if i don't answer questions i'm sorry. sounds like you guys had a blast in denver! i hope your not beltless nick cause i know pops is bringing his a game with you! This week Gerald lund the author of the work and the glory was our speaker at the devotional. Nick i was thinking of you and that those were the only books you had ever read haha. He talked to us about finding people while we are out on our missions! it really made me just want to get out there and get right to work but i have a lot to do here before i get out there! OK everyone hold on to your seats cause i have some huge news! Me and elder bowden got called to be zone leaders yesterday! We have a district thats leaving in a week and one that leaves in two and one that leaves in like four and my companion and i were called after a week and a half ha i know it's so crazy i couldn't believe it when our branch president told us that yesterday. He told us that from the night he met us that he knew we would be the next ones! I couldn't believe but i'm excited for the calling. I have been praying a lot lately and just wanting to feel comfort and know my purpose and all that good stuff and as he called us i knew that there is reason for me being here. I literally have just been saying everynight to the lord that i'm putting my faith in him and letting him doing the rest and i get this calling. It was such a great sunday. It was fast sunday yesterday and i was nervous cause i'm not a good faster and i get light headed and all ha you all remember when i passed out passing the sacrament ya that was fast sunday. But i just wanted yesterday to be more of a testimony builder and i totally felt the spirit yesterday more than i ever have. We had mission conference after we got called and the whole meeting the spirit was just radiating. There was a musical number in humility i think it was the song at my farewell. But i just cried the whole time cause the spirit was so strong and i know exactly why i am here! After mission conference we had sacrament meeting. ALL SPANISH! its amazing though how much i could understand though. I bore my testimony in SPANGLISH ha but i just cried you know how big of a boob i am and i just know that yesterday was exactly what i needed! I have so much more to do now because of my calling but i know that the lord will help me out. I have been praying lately like i have never done before. I absolutely know that this mission is exactly where i need to be and what i need in my life. The other day in my prayer i was asking to have more faith because me and my companion are focusing on a christlike attribute each week from pmg and two second after i asked in prayer to build my faith we were walking to breakfast and an old man stopped me and said "i just want you to know that you are doing the lord's work and what you are doing is true" I was stunned. It literally was an answer to my prayers. I can't believe how much i have learned about myself and the gospel this past week it literally is amazing to me how wonderful this experience really is. Today we got to go to the temple! it was so amazing the provo temple is so different compared to st george but it was all the same stuff and i felt like something was missing in my days and the temple was it. Ha mom i can't not go to the temple in a week its just such a habit we built up! I love it though. we go every monday at 7 am so we have to wake up at 5 30 to get up there and get ready. But my experience there today was really cool and i just know that our heavenly father watches out for us when we need him most. We had a 4th of july devotional thing that was about the early reformers and kinda just lead into the restoration that was really fun. They let us watch the fireworks past curfew! ha it was really funny cause there was only like one little aly way that you could see them from so imagine 2 thousand missionaries as the fireworks were going off in like a 50 yard square ha it was a little crazy. It really is so amazing to me how many kids are here. when we sing at firesides its absolutely amazing how many and how loud that place can be! I am starting to be pretty good friends with zome other guys from different zones at gym time. One of them is connor atkin he played basketball at pv but he really is such a great kid. Everyone is friends with everyone here and i love it. I just wanna say thanks to all of you who write me. I literally just light up when i get letters from all of you and it is the best! I love you all so much please pray for me and this new calling1 i'm gonna need all the help i can get. i love you all so much! Until next week adios,
Elder Hammer

#2

2009-06-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!
It's so good to be able to write to you guys. It seems like forever since i have talked to you but at the same time the MTC is just flying by i feel like i just barely got here. Thank you for all your letters and love and support i have the best support group in the world!
First Items of business
1.I have tons of pictures to send to you but jacie do you remember what i was tlaking about when i told you i might need the bigger chip memory card well i do! I think its in the camera box in my closet on the top left shelf. Could you send that to me?
2.I have to send my ipod back it has video capapbilities so i was maybe thinking i could have dads old old one thats silver. JACE if you could upload songs on it to send to me that would be great. OBEDIENCE WITH EXACTNESS PEOPLE! delete the music off there though please
Ok, well now i got that out of the way i'lll get started the first day was so overwhelming after i said by to you guys i saw archie which was so good for me to see that smiling face of his ha. answer to my prayers. Then i felt like i was at disneyland july 4th weekend waiting in lines for pictures swine flu questions and immuniziations. There crazy about swine flu up here ha were not allowed to shake hands with anyone ha but a lot of people still do. I eat at the same time as steve nelson and it's great to see him and also i see rich durham jordan rodgers friend. There is so many people up here that i know it's great. I wrote you all today so hopefully you'll be getting those letters soon. But the first day i went to a ton of meetings and orientations and met my distric. I am the most popular in my distric with letters ha i've got tlike 15 things my distric leader says to me everyday i'm going to go get your mail elder hammer ha thanks guys i love them. My companion is great we get along so well and we taught lesson 1 to another companionship on sat and we totally just go well with each other. In my district there are 3 of us gong to baltimore 1 to boston 6 to calgary and 2 to guatamala. One of the kids is from st george going to alan and pams mission. i got to see them the other day and man it was great to see them it was almost like seeing my own parents it was so good. My p-days are on monday and i'll be emailing about 12 ish but i have so little time 30 minutes with a timer so i wont be able to read huge long emails so write me and then i'll write back and email back as well. well pretty much we are in class so much and i love it our teachers are so great and they know espanol and the gospel inside out. Brother shulca and hermana jacob. They are both great. We have a great zone and i love my district we all get along so well and the testimonies of the other elders are amazing. I can't believe how amaizng this place is ha it's just thousands of elders going crazy fast and learnign so much. My room is muy pequeno which means very small and i have a top bunk that feels like i'm on a rolling wave in the ocean haha it's not that bad i sleep just fine you know i have no problem with that. We get to go to gym time 5 times a week everyday except p day and sunday but the gym was closed this week since all the mission presidents were here. they took up a lot of room so the cafeteria was way packed but it was ok. I had chicken cordon blue my first day here and it was really good. THe food is really good and mom im drinking a ton of water and liquids and my daily cup of orange juice for the 100% vitamin c :) the days go by so fast and sleep goes by even faster. There was a teacher that came to our class the other day that was from another district that was telling us about how we are the face of god and how when he was serving in peru when there was an earthquake and everyone was scared they came to the missionaries! He also told us that the latin culture doesn't see any difference between us missionaries and the apostles. What a cool experience that was. i'll never fortget that. On friday night we had a devotional and elder holland spoke, it was amazing and to make things better elder oaks, bednar,cook,christopherson, and anderson were there too. I WAS ABOUT 25 YARDS AWAY FROM THEM! It was so cool. President holland told us that we go 3 by 3 because we must always have the spirit with us. I realize that thats all missionary work takes is the spirit and a testimony. It was amazing. jace i saw sister cochran on sunday at the temple and that was so cool to see her.I can't believe how busy we are we have comp study, personal study, language study, and mdt which is more study time which is about 5 hourse of study a day. I cna't get enough i just started over in the book of mormon and i'm in second nephi and i read something that was so good. 2 nephi 25-36. It gave me great hope out here and made me realize who i am and what i'm supposed to do. Thanks nick for your letter and jess as well i just read jessica's i loved it. Those scriptures you gave me nick were so amazing and just made me so excited and happy. Thank you grandma and grandpa fro your letter as well what a cool story that was grandma we just can't learn enough huh Thanks for the updates dad i love telling people whats going on with sports and stuff it's so fun cause its crazy how rumor spreads up here. Like the michael jackson things was so funny everyone was tlaking about it. The package was so great mom i took a picture in those glasses for you i just need that memory card so i can send them to you guys. i have so many of them! Mom thanks for you constant notes and letters. they make me smile everyday. i wrote all those thank you letters today and got all that done just so you know. Thanks for doing those other ones for me i appreciate it. The mtc is so fun guys and i am learning so much. I know that there are people out there waiting for me and i know that i gotta work so hard here i just can't learn enough. The espanol is ok, i'm gonna have to work really hard to get all of that in but slowly i'm gettng it. i can pray and testify in espanol and i'm learnign my purpose right now is espanol too. I can't tell you guys enough how much your letters mean to me i seriously have the best support anyone could ask for! I got a little down on sunday and a great devotional was given on sunday about not giving up. and i know that that was an answer to my prayers. THis is the hardest, most fun work i've ever been apart of. Heres some of my testimony es espanol. Se que el evangelio es verdadero. se que profeta jose smith es verdadero. Jesucristo es my salvador. I love you guys so much and keep me updated on everything. Mom send this on to everybody. Thanks so much mom for everything your the best mom in the world. The church is true and i love all of you. Thanks jace for the letters too. jsut thanks to everyone. I love you all so much. talk to you again next week!
Elder Hammer

first letter

2009-06-28T15:23:00.000-07:00

Mi Familia!
Wow I can't even believe that my first day at the MTC is almost over. I'm just sittin on our desk and our brach president said to make sure we write home. Guys i'm doing so good. Today was a great day. The second you guys left I got to see Archie. I was so sad, but I knew that the Lord put Archie there to let me know that I'm going to be okay and everything will just be great. I love my companion. His name is Elder Bowden from Lincoln, California. Jacie you were right. He's a total athlete, football, wrestling, and a dare devil on motorcycles and that kinda of stuff. He loves to garden though, but I can tell we are going to get along great. Monday is my p-day and thats the only time i'm aloud to email/write letters. I am the 1st branch and district A and mailbox #267. Our branch president is great and I know my second counselor. I sat by him at a missionary fireside at BYU last semester. I tell you what this place is such a small world. Archie is in my building and 4 guys in my district are going to Calgary and one from St. George. Guys this place is great and I will tell you more on Monday. But we are going to be so busy. I have the top bunk and our room is as big as our scrapbook room HAHA but I love it. It's so fun and I can't wait to keep learning. Today was so busy and so fast and I can tell it's just going to be the best. I can only write you guys today so tell everyone I will write them on Monday. I love you guys! The church is true and this is the greatest place on earth! Talk to you on Monday!
Elder Hammer

mtc

2009-06-28T15:00:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of our goodbye with Jordan
at the MTC on June 24th

Elder Hammer about to begin this great journey...

We are so excited for Jordan and know
he will be a great missionary!
We love you Jord!

the airport

2009-06-28T14:51:00.001-07:00

The goodbyes started Monday night when Nick & Jess
left the Las Vegas airport to go back to Denver

Nick & Jess have been a great support for
Jordan as he prepared for his mission.

june 24th 2009

2009-06-24T22:52:00.000-07:00

Jordan is now officially a Missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and will be laboring in the Maryland Baltimore Mission. He will spend his first 9 weeks in the MTC learning the Spanish language. We are anxiously awaiting our first letter from Jordan and hope to find all is well in the MTC.