Week 24 All Moved In

Hey everyone. This week has been really crazy, but let's get right to it.

Monday

We settled into our new apartment. Then we went to Target and did some shopping and ate at Costco. Elder Soelberg has a card. Then we went and played basketball and had a fun time. It was a good p-day. Then after, we had dinner with the Hoovers, members in our ward. After dinner we tried to have a lesson with a new investigator named Cody, and he bailed on us... It made me sad. Then we visited some people and went home to unpack.

Tuesday

We had mormon.org time, did some service, emailed you guys, visited some people, and tried to get lessons, but no luck.....We'll see what happens with that.

Wednesday

We had a lesson with Kelly, and we taught her the 10 commandments. The sad part is Sunday we found out she has some problems, and I cant talk about them because it involves one of the commandments, and I'm not allowed to talk about these problems because of my rules and calling as a missionary. We are hoping we can help her in every way we can. We also got a return appointment with someone, and we are seeing this person tomorrow! Hopefully it all works out.

Thursday

We went to Darrington and had lessons with Jason Henry and the Powell's investigators we just picked up Thursday and the week before. They are great people, and we want to teach them more, but we only go to Darrington once a week... It's sad, but we had a good day and a lot of success. 

Friday

We went to the food bank, had lunch, weekly planned, and that's it.

Saturday 

I went on exchange with Elder Wake from Arlington Ward. We had a lesson with Lydia, and we showed her that God still loves her and is looking out for her. We also went and visited a lot of people and had dinner with the Dicksons, a family that remind me of Aunt Barbara and Uncle Klar. Then I exchanged Elder Wake back for the night.

Sunday

We had church and ward council, etc. We planned, studied, and then visited some people. It was a pretty good day. We had dinner with the elder's quorum president's family and had a good time. Then we visited people and had a good night accounting.

Well, that's my week. I'll send a spiritual thought next week. I don't have too much time. Love you all! Have a good week. Bye.

Elder Hammond

Week 23 A New Missionary Schedule

Hey everyone. This week has been really short and really crazy, so let's get to it.

Monday

It was a normal p-day. We had FHE. We went to the new ward mission leader's house to see how he was doing. His wife was in the hospital, and we were able to help her and visit her. It was good to see she was doing well.

Dinner and "Noches de Papas" FHE

Tuesday

We went and visited a lot of people, did some service, painting for someone in our ward, visited some more people, had dinner, got some referrals, stuff like that.

Wednesday

We had district meeting and Elder Soelberg instructed on baptism goals and committing people on date. It was a good meeting. I learned so much, and it helped me to understand why we ask an investigator if they want to be baptized after the first lesson. After, we did some more service and went and visited some people. Then we had dinner and had a new member lesson with the Kurtzers. They really liked it. We talked about following the prophet and the word of wisdom. Then we helped with the mini missions the youth did, and then the night was over, and we went home.

Thursday

We had zone conference, and it was a very spiritual meeting. We talked about having love for your investigators before you meet them just like Ammon did in the book of Mormon. We also talked about how we can have love for our companions and others, and how to teach people that are not interested. It blew me away from what I learned, and I can't wait to continue to apply it to my mission. Our schedule has changed, and you can read about it on my letter to my dad. I sent him the email for mission prep.

Dear Family, friends, and the mission prep classes

(please read this to the mission prep class leaders, and teach it to the youth.)

The church has now changed some things in the missionary's schedule. It is no longer this:

6:30 Am arise, pray,exercise, and prepare for the day

7:30 breakfest

8:00 personal study

9:00 companion study

10:00 proselyting 

9:00 pm plan

10:30 bed

Now it is this:

We now have more agency to do what we want at what time but from 6:30 to 10 and from 10 to 9 we do all our planning in the morning and do everything else as follows, this is all brand new and you can put all these thing in the order you want, but they have to fit in those time frames, missonarys will be getting new hand books new PMG, new alot of things, weekly planning will be changed but we dont know when or how, and there is more to change i just dont know what yet. so please infrom everyone about this. thank you

Elder Hammond

Friday

We did service at the food bank, had a lesson with a former and gave her a blessing to give up smoking, did some weekly planning, and had a lesson with a new investigator. It was great until that night we found out that we had to move from our apartment with the other elders....😢😢😢😢

Saturday

I went on an exchange with the zone leaders and was companions again with Elder Kirk for the day!!!!! It was so much fun. He's changed quite a bit. He's a lot more fun to be around, and I think his last companion helped him out with that, but it's way cool because he teaches me so much! There's something I always have to write down about his teaching that I could use or something he tells me that I have to write it down so I don't forget it. We went and visited a lot of ysa's and bowled with the old folks. Then I exchanged back. 

Sunday

We had church, and during church we had a lesson with Kelly. We taught the law of chastity... following the prophet, priesthood, and blessings........ ya, that was an interesting lesson. I don't want to talk about it, but we learned something about her that we didn't expect to come from her, and it was really crazy. She felt she couldn't follow it fully because of reasons, but we gave her a blessing. It was really spiritual experience for her and me because I gave it, and I have never spoken ever in my life so powerful words like I did in that blessing. It comes to show that my patriarchal blessing is coming true. "You will exercise your priesthood in behalf of many. As you lay your hands upon their heads, you will feel the spirit of revelation come to you regarding the things you should say."

After that, we studied, had dinner, and then weekly planned. It was a fun Sunday

I will tell you all about yesterday next Monday.

My spiritual thought this week comes from Elder Holland, and I can't say it better than him, so I'm going to let him say it. Look it up!

http://laytreasuresinheaven.com/feed-my-sheep-elder-holland/

Elder Hammond

Week 22 Kurtzer Family Baptism

Well, what a week this has been! People left. I got a new companion, and we had 3 baptisms this week. It was awesome!!! So let's get to it.

Monday

We did normal p-day stuff like email, shopping, basketball, and packing Elder Stoddard's bags... 😢😢

Tuesday

Elder Stoddard said goodbye to a lot of members, and we went off to transfers. I picked up my new companion, Elder Soelberg, who was with Elder Lindsey in Port Gardener. It's funny though because Elder Lindsey was Elder Poulsen's companion 2 transfers ago. Elder Soelburg is way fun and way cool. The Lord has blessed me with really cool companions, and guess what? Elder Kirk is my zone leader again!! He was one of my companions in Bellingham. It's so cool! After getting him, I took him to a burger joint in our area for his first dinner, and he loved it. Then we went and introduced him to members, and they really liked it.

Wednesday

We had district meeting, visited members, went to find people, tried to have lessons, but we only had one lesson that day with Kelly. We taught her the law of tithing and tried to get her back on date with the 21st. She said she will pray about it. We haven't heard from her since, so I don't know what's going on with her. We gave Lydia a blessing and taught her about it We had the Kurtzer's baptism interviews which went way longer then needed... We were late getting home that night. but that's ok.

Thursday 

We went on an exchange with Elder Jensen. It was a lot of fun to 3 pack again. We went and got a lot of member referrals, and we went to talk to a lot of people to try to have lessons. We had a fun day. Elder Jensen is a super fun elder.

Friday

We went and helped at the food bank. Then we dropped wood off for Lydia. We tried to have a lesson with someone, but when we got there, no one was home... it made us mad because she said she would be there, and the situation could have been handled better when we talked to her on Thursday, but oh well. We had a lesson with the Kurtzer's to finish all the lessons off with them, and then we sized them for their jumpers for their baptism!!!!

Saturday

We dunked the Kurtzer family, and I baptized them with Elder Stoddard. We helped at the old folks place, went to Darrington, and had a lesson with Alex Deval, an old former that we picked up again for an investigator. Then we went to visit some people, got referrals from the Mauldins, and went home so we could study and end the day.

Sunday

We confirmed the Kurtzers. I was able to do that. We went to church, did weekly planning, and that was it for the rest of the day. 

Sorry it's a little short, but I hope everyone is doing well at home. Tell Elder Stoddard's family that their son was an awesome missionary, and I miss him dearly. Love you all, and have a good day!

Elder Hammond

Week 21 Staying in Stillaguamish

Well everyone, I have some good news and bad news. The good news is that I'm staying in Stillaguamish. The bad news is Elder Stoddard is not.... I am losing a best friend. Am I happy about it? No, but the Lord wants him to do some work somewhere else now, and he wants me to help finish everything here. Since I am behind telling you about a last week, I'm going to tell you! 

Monday

So since we went to the temple Thursday, Monday was just a regular day of work. We visited a lot of people, and that was pretty much it. Not much happened.

Tuesday

We had a lesson with the Kurtzers, and we watched The Restoration with them. They liked it, but what we really want them to do is get a testimony of Joseph Smith. We still don't know if they have one, but we are going to try our best to help them before Saturday because they get baptized that day. 😊😊😊 It makes me so happy. We visited a lot of people that day too.

Wednesday

We had 3 lessons. One of them was with Lydia, and we talked about the atonement with her and helped her see that God really loves her. As I bore testimony to everything that had been said, the spirit was so strong in the room that she started to cry. As I gave my testimony, she said she didn't know why she was crying, but Elder Stoddard and I knew, and we put her back on date for the 21st of January. She is doing so well, and I can't wait for her to be baptized. Then we had a lesson with Kelly, and it worked out pretty well. We talked about the gospel of Jesus Christ, and then at the end, we gave her a word of wisdom pamphlet because she said she had some problems she needed to work out with that. She is now off date because of reasons...😑 but we are going to put her back on date for the 21st because I feel that she can be baptized on that day. I don't just feel, I know. The spirit has made it known unto me and Elder Stoddard that there is no other day. Therefore, I know it, and I know God knows it. Therefore I cannot change her date, for that reason. Then we had a lesson with the Kurtzers again and helped them progress.

Thursday

We went to the temple, an awesome experience. Then we had the rest of the day to have fun and email you guys and shop.

Friday

I went on an exchange with the zone leaders, had a good time, tried to teach some people, but not a whole lot of luck... 😑 That's ok. I have faith in them.

Saturday

New Year's Eve was great! We had a lesson with Kelly about the word of wisdom and found out she has a coffee problem too. Why do we have a lot of investigators that have problems with coffee? All of them do, even Lydia... but anyway, she said she can try. We will help her when needed. Then we taught the rest of the plan of salvation to Lydia and helped her out there. Then we had to come in at 5 and do weekly planning.

Sunday

We had no investigators at our sacrament meeting, but Granite Falls had the Kurtzers at theirs. They switch off every week with our ward and theirs. We hit our standards this week, and it made me really happy!!!! That's it for Sunday.

So that's it for this week. I've got to go, but I hope everyone is having a good week. Love you all!!

Elder Hammond