Week 84 Another Busy Week in Bellingham

Hello, everyone. It’s been another great week in Bellingham, and a short one too! So, let’s get to it!

Monday

We started with going shopping. After we then emailed. Then we went and got the car washed for zone conference this week. Then we went, got changed, and got lunch at Subway to bring to Lake Whatcom Falls for lunch and games at the park. After a while, we then got the whole zone together and went to the falls. We took some pics there and had a great time. After, we had to drive straight to dinner in Sudden Valley. From there, we then went to a lesson with Shane, a YSA we are teaching, but soon passing on to the YSA sisters. We taught him the plan of salvation. After, we did some area book work at home. Then we exchanged with Bellingham Bay. 

Whatcom Falls

Tuesday

I was with Bellingham Bay, and we went to the food bank to start the day. After, we then had lunch at the church, did a little bit of comp study. Then we had a lesson with one of their investigators named Aston. We just discussed his reading in the Book of Mormon and helped him with things he was not understanding. After, we went and visited some people. We tried to meet as many people as possible, but with the effort we made, no one really was interested.  Later that night, I bought the elders Little Caesars with the gift card I still had from Christmas. After dinner, we then went and saw David Armstrong, a less active in the ward. He talked our ears off until the exchange back.

Wednesday

We had district meeting, and in that meeting Elder Brown just asked the question, "Is there anything we don't understand? Whether it be Gospel wise or missionary wise?" So, we asked some questions, just about the mission, and what make a person a new investigator. Then he turned the rest of the meeting towards why we use Preach my Gospel in our missions. After district meeting, we had lunch at the church with the district. Then we had a lesson with Hue. We just read from where she was at in the Book of Mormon. We were going to watch The Restoration with her, but she didn't have a DVD player. After that lesson, we went to the church and played some basketball with Nick Nelting, a less active that we are working with. We were going to have a lesson too, but he had to go so we couldn't get the lesson in. After, we then went home and had comp study. Later, we had a lesson with the Sibleys. We talked about church and young womens for Kayla. They didn't really seem interested in it, but they said they could try. It’s so weird when it comes to church and stuff. They just don't really seem interested, but they won’t tell us if they are or not. I don't understand. Later that night, we had dinner. Then we went to a lesson with Debra Land. We talked about learning and serving in the church. She is done with all the lessons now. We had to wear masks when we went, though, because she's getting sick pretty often, and just with her health, we can’t let that happen.

Thursday

We had zone conference in the morning. For the whole meeting, we watched the video training for our smart phones. We didn't get through everything though. We didn't have time, so we'll probably get the rest of it somehow. After, we then went to a lesson with some new investigators, Shawn and Farren. They are a young couple, and they are anti-religious, but they wanted to learn some more about our church... I can’t tell you how many of these kinds of people I've come across on my mission. They just want to learn what we're like. They say they don't want to change what we believe. They just want to learn and understand us. So, we'll do that and maybe if their hearts are softened, they'll convert. I don't know. I'm kind of done with getting these people on my mission. Ken was one, and many others I can't think of right now. After our lesson, we had dinner and then went home to do personal study.

Friday

We went and did some service at the Whatcom Land Trust. We helped them out last year, with painting their building. This time we went and did some yard work for them. After, we had lunch at home. Then we got changed and went to our lesson with Chris. We talked about baptism and put him on date for the 21st of April. He said he was good with that. He's the same way as the Sibleys. It kind of just seems like he has no interest. But he started to read the Book of Mormon again, so we thought it would be good to try and commit him to it if he's wanting to try. After that lesson, we went home and did comp study. Then we started our weekly planning. With the new technology, we also have a new Preach My Gospel. I haven't got it all yet, but we have a new way of weekly planning. It’s really nice. We now focus on the needs of the investigators, instead of going and looking through the teaching records for what lessons we'll teach next and stuff like that. After we weekly planned for a little bit, we went to dinner. Then we had a lesson with Sister Drake, and that ended the night. We just talked with her and shared a scripture with her. Nothing too big.

Saturday

We did some more weekly planning with the progress record. Then we had lunch at home. After, we went to a lesson with Jason Byers. We read some scriptures with him. He came to church on Sunday. After being with him, we had a lesson with the Redelks. We read 1 Nephi 8 with them. She hasn't read the Book of Mormon before, so we are helping her understand it more for her to gain a testimony of it. After, we then went and had dinner. Then we came back home and weekly planned for the rest of the night until our lesson with Joey and a meeting with Brother Jones. We taught Joey the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

St Patrick's Day Dinner--Pictures sent by member with this message..."We were so lucky
to have your son over for dinner tonight! What a great missionary he is!!" 

Sunday

We had ward council in the morning. Then we had church. Nikki, one of our instigators, came to church, and she​​​​​ really liked it. Jason was there too. After church we then had a correlation meeting. Then we went and talked with Brother Drake. He and Sister Drake are going through a hard time. So much that they don't live together anymore. It’s kind of sad. Brother Drake is wanting to go into the military, and he feels the spirit is moving him to do so. We talked about revelations and how we can know if they are true. He needed some wisdom on that. After, we then went and had a lesson with Holland. We just read scriptures with him. Then we went home and did some personal study before dinner. After dinner, we went home, got picked up by Brother Jones to go get Jason Byres and Sister Caravue for the CSFY. It was in Lynnwood, so that was a drive. But we had a good time. There were great speakers, I saw tons of missionaries I know, and  I found out Orion is getting baptized on March 31^st! I can't wait!! I'll be going down to Arlington that day to see him get baptized by Elder Wolfe. After the CSFY, we drove back home and ended the night.

Well that's it for this week, friends! love you all, and I'll see you soon!!

Elder Hammond

Week 83 Lots of Baptisms!

Hello family. It’s been a wonderful week. The Lord has really been blessing us here in Bellingham, and I'm so grateful for it. Let’s get to it, shall we?

Monday 

P-day was pretty interesting. We started with going to email. After, we then went and did some shopping. Then we went to Target and hung with the sisters at the mall. We walked around and looked into shops that were there. We had an okay time. It felt really weird with just the sisters and us, but we had nothing to do because Elder Milner can't do anything really with his foot for another week or so. After being with the sisters for a really long time, we then went back to our area and had dinner. Then we went and had a lesson with the Sibley's. We taught them about the restoration. After, we then made some visits and then went home for the night and worked on the area book.

Tuesday

We started the day with mormon.org time. I looked up some talks for my talk I was giving on Sunday, and I also watched some videos on Mormon Channel. After that, we then went home and worked on the area book again and made some phone calls. Our area book just got a new ward list, so we’re trying to color code it and stuff. After doing that, we went into lunch and comp study. Then we went and saw Sister Drake. She is going through a hard time so we thought to go and visit her. After, we then went and talked with Brother Yuing about some new people in the ward and who we should go see. Then we traveled to Sudden Valley and had dinner. After, we had a lesson with a Jehovah’s Witness named Greg. Yes, sadly there was some bashing that happened, but in the end, he agreed to learning more about our church. So, we will see where that takes us. From there we drove back into town and did more area book work for the rest of the night.

Wednesday

We had district meeting, and everyone was there, our whole district, the zone leaders and the AP's, so we had a full group. Elder Brown instructed on having faith in our investigators. After district meeting, we went to MOD with the Shupes before our lesson with Hue. We talked with her about going to the temple with the Shupes, and then we talked about learning and serving in the church. After, we drove to Sudden Valley and had a lesson with Nick Nelting, a less active in the ward. We talked with him about how to get him to come back to church. He really wants to come back, so we are going to help him. After our visit, we went and saw Sister York. She is a person in the ward going through a hard time too. From there we then went back into town and visited people. Later that night, we had dinner. Then from that, we went to the church and talked with the activity day girls about missionary work. After, we then visited some more people before we ended the night.

Thursday

We helped at the food bank in the morning. After, we then had lunch at Boomers, a burger joint in Bellingham. Then we came home, had comp study, and then went to see people. Later that night, we had a lesson with Joey, Brother Jones’s son, on the plan of salvation. After, we then went to dinner. Then we had a lesson with Ivan. We talked about faith with him. He's an investigator we are teaching. He just doesn't have a full belief in God, but he does believe there is something out there. After that, we then ran to a lesson with Debra Land. We read the scriptures with her. After, we went home and ended the night.

Friday

We started the morning off with weekly planning. After, we then had lunch and comp study. Then we had a lesson with Chris. We almost dropped him, but he told us to give him one more week, and if he didn't start reading the Book of Mormon, then we can stop coming by. After our lesson, we went and had a lesson with Nikki. She was someone we were trying to teach for a little while, but every time we went over, she was sick, so we finally met with her and taught her the restoration. After, we then went straight to a lesson with Lailoni. We taught her about the restoration too. After, we went to dinner with Hue. She made us food from Vietnam. It was really good. After dinner, we went over to Jason Byers and read scriptures with him and watched talks with him. That ended our night.

Saturday

We started with printing off our progress record. Then we went over to Justin Lon's house who was taking us down to Arlington for 3 baptisms that were happening. Hank, Harlie, and David all got baptized! 3 people I taught in Lakewood!!! I was so happy for them! We spent most of the day getting down there, watching the baptisms, and then going to BW's for lunch. Justin did the blazing challenge there, which to complete this, you have to eat 12 wings that have the hottest sauce on it under 6 minutes. And he killed it with 3 seconds to spare. We had so much fun! Justin is a great guy. After, we then came back to Bellingham and hung out with Justin and the kids to go through the baptismal questions with Avery, and then we also spent our dinner hour with Justin talking. Then we went to a lesson with the Sibleys. We went over the Book of Mormon. They may be dropped soon. They don't seem too interested. I think the mom only likes the company, not the commitment to do things. After, we then went to the church and Avery got her interview with the zone leaders. Then we went to Brother Jones’s place and talked with him before the night was over.

 Sunday

We woke up early for ward council. Then we went through church. Elder Milner and I talked about The Joy of Missionary Work. After church, we then gave bishop an update on how things are going. After, we then went home, got lunch, and then we went and read scriptures with Holland. After that we ran to the church and started filling the font for Avery’s baptism. During that time, we got everything set up and helped with decorations. President Wilding also came to the baptism which really surprised me. It was the first time I've had him come to one. It really scared me. After getting everything ready, we had her baptism, and I do have to say it was great!!. After the baptism, we then ran to a lesson with the Redelk's. We just read the scriptures. After, we came home and had dinner.

 Well that's my week for you, brothers and sisters. I would like to share something from the Infinite Atonement this week.

Sometimes I like to imagine what the Savior had to take upon him for us. Then while reading the book, Infinite Atonement, Elder Tad R. Callister quoted Ezra Taft Benson:

"There is no human condition, be it suffering, incapacity, inadequacy, mental deficiency, or sin, which His love will not reach out to the individual."

He went on to add, "This is a staggering thought when we contemplate the Mount Everest of pain required to make it so. What weight is thrown on the scales of pain when calculating the hurt of innumerable patients in countless hospitals? Now add to that the loneliness of the elderly who are forgotten in the rest homes of society, desperately yearning for a card, a visit, a call, just some recognition from the outside world. Keep on adding the hurt of hungry children, the suffering caused by famine, drought, and pestilence. Pile on the heartache of parents who tearfully plead on a daily basis for a wayward son or daughter to come back home. Factor in the trauma of every divorce and the tragedy of every abortion. Add the remorse that comes with each child lost in the dawn of life, each spouse taken in the prime of marriage.  Compound that with the misery of overflowing prisons, bulging halfway houses and institutions for the mentally disadvantaged. Multiply all this by century after century of history and creation after creation without end. Such is but an awful glimpse of the Savior's load. Who can better bear such a burden or scale such a mountain as this? No one. Absolutely no one, save Jesus Christ the redeemer of us all."

To imagine that much pain and suffering is just eye opening. It truly shows how much the Savior had to suffer for us. I know he did it so we could get back to our Heavenly Father.

Well, that's it for me. I hope you all have a good week, and I'll see you soon. Bye!!

Elder Hammond

Week 82 Working in Lake Wattcom

Hello everyone! This week was pretty good. We had a fun time, and we worked hard. So yeah, here's the week.

Monday

We went and emailed in the morning. After we all decided that we would go to Blain and play soccer and football at the Peace Arch as a zone. So, before we went, the Spanish elders and us went to Wendy's. After, we then went to the Peace Arch. We got changed, and then we went to take pictures. Then we went and played soccer in the field. That was so much fun. It's so crazy! Elder Hunter is in Blain, so the three pack was back again in the same zone! After soccer, we then got changed and went to Edeliens for ice cream. I hadn't been there in so long! It made me happy when we went! I miss that ice cream so much. We stayed there for a while and then drove back home to head to dinner in Sudden Valley. Because we stayed a while in Blain, it made us late to dinner. That was really sad. We should have watched our time more. Oh well. We'll remember that next time. After having dinner, we went and saw a couple of people out there before we drove back home and ended the day.

At the Peace Arch

 Tuesday

We went to the food bank and helped sort food. After, we then had a district lunch at Taco Bell. I still had my gift cards from Christmas, and I used it to pay for Elder Milner and myself. It was great to see everyone one last time before they got transferred. After lunch, we then drove home and had comp study. Then we went and saw people. We had a lesson with a woman named Fay. She is a less active that we met a week ago. We just talked about going to church and partaking the sacrament. After visiting with her, we went and saw more people. Later that night, we had dinner. A while after, we then had a meeting with Bishop and that ended our night.

Wednesday

We saw tons of people, only because we didn't have any set plans... So we were going all over the place trying to see people. We did have a few lessons mostly with people we met on the street, and then we had one with Jason French. We talked about the restoration with him. It was interesting because he has a lot of knowledge in the Bible and everything, but he doesn't really have that much faith in God. He knows it by script, but not by heart or faith, so we are working on that with him to help him out with that. Later that night, we had dinner at the church at the blue and gold. We got to frost a cake, but we did not eat it only because of how much sugar was on it. We made an American flag on it out of sprinkles... yeah, it was more for the looks. Sorry I don't have pics for you to see what it looked like. After dinner, we went and saw some more people before the night was over.

Thursday

We went and helped sort food at the food bank again this week. After, we then came home, had lunch, did comp study, and then we went out to see people. We had a lesson with a woman named Sister Kavay. She's a less active that lives outside of the ward. We read some scriptures with her. After, we came back and went around making more visits. Later that night, we had dinner and then went home to work on the area book for a while.

Friday

We had district meeting since transfers were on Wednesday. Elder Brown instructed on how to work with members and how to best use them in our lessons. We did a role play that lasted most of the meeting. After district meeting, we had lunch, then we drove back home and had comp study. Then we went and had a lesson with Scott Warren. He's an active member who we go and see how he is doing. We read scriptures with him sometimes. He's got some medical problems and loves when we visit. After, we had a lesson with the Redelk family. The bishop wanted us to go over and teach her the lessons. So, we taught her about the book of Mormon. We then went to see Lailoni and her mom and had a lesson on forgiveness because of some harsh things that were going on in her family. After, we then went and got to know some people we are planning on teaching next week. Their names are the Sibleys. They are a very nice family, a mom, a daughter, and a son. After our visit, we then went and had dinner with the Joneses. They fed us steak. After, we then had a lesson with their son. Brother Jones wanted us to teach him before he got baptized. After the lesson, we went over to Justin Lon's and talked about Avery’s baptism to get the program all figured out. That ended the day.

Saturday

We started with weekly planning and going to the church to print out the progress record. Then we came home, had comp study, and then went into lunch. After, we went to our lesson with Hue. For those that don't know her name is pronounced (whaye') emphasis on the E at the end. It’s Vietnamese. We had a lesson on the temples, and we talked about getting her to the temple this coming Wednesday. After our lesson with her, we had a lesson with Chris, our investigator. We talked about a part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We almost got to the point of dropping him during the lesson, but we decided to let him have one more shot. He didn't really seem to grab everything we were giving him, but he said he would start reading the Book of Mormon. So if he does and he wants to progress, we will see if that happens, and we can move on with him. His interest is not really there, so I'm not sure how long he may stay with us. After that lesson, we went home, got changed, and helped someone that was moving into our ward move a piano to their new home. Then from there, we got changed and then went to dinner. After dinner, we had a lesson with Jeremy. We talked more about the Book of Mormon, but then he dropped us and told us he is good where he is at. After our lesson, we went to Brother Jones’s home and shared the progress record with him.

Sunday

We had ward council in the morning. Then we went through church. After, we had ward correlation meeting, and then we went home and took a small nap before we went into comp study. After comp study, we then went to go see Holland. We read scriptures with him, and then he showed us his video game collection. After, we then came home and weekly planned until dinner. After dinner, we went and helped the Laural elders find investigators for this week, but with our efforts we found no one. So, we came home and finished the night with personal study and accounting.

Well, that's the week for you. It was currently a busy week. Below is a picture from Elder Allsop that he just sent. He took it before I got ET'd. I hope you have a good week, and I'll see you all soon. Bye!!

Elder Hammond

Elder Allsop & Elder Hammond

Week 81 Blitzing in Bellingham

Hello family. Yes, everything is okay with me. I got emergency transferred because of Elder Milner. He sprained his ankle and couldn’t drive. Now he is doing a little better, but I still am the one driving us around everywhere for now. This week went pretty well. Our trio went down to two after yesterday. It’s now just Elder Milner and me. A little sad but I enjoy it just being us. I kind of got sick of being in a 3 pack for 3 transfers. Well anyway, let’s get to the week, shall we:

Elder Milner, Elder V, and Elder Hammond

Monday

We had a great p-day. We got to email in the morning, however, I did not get to email because some of the computers were not working and so since all the rest were taken up, I had to email on Tuesday. After, we then went to Coconut Kenny's, a restaurant in Bellingham. We had a good time there. It was Elder V's last time. Then we drove up to Winco and went shopping. From there we went and washed the car, which has always been one of my favorite things about B-ham is the free car wash. After making our red car look nice and shiny, we then went back to the church and played games. The vertical coordinators came up with the Eastmont elders and played basketball with some of the other elders. The rest of the missionaries played a game called Signs and another game, but I don't know what the name of it was. We had a good time. Later that night, we went and had dinner. Then for the rest of the night we went and saw some people.

Tuesday

We started the day with helping at the food bank. With this one in Bellingham, we usually just sort food, and that's what we did here. After, we then went to the church and did our mormon.org time. I got to email at that time. After, we then had comp study and then went and saw some people. Later that night, we had a lesson with our 8-year-old that we were teaching named Laihloni. We taught her about families and temples. After her lesson, we then went and had a lesson with a less active named Irres. She also fed us dinner. We just taught her the restoration. After, we then drove to the church and had our meeting with Bishop. That ended the night.

Wednesday

We had district meeting. It was pretty nice. We had President come up and be a part of our district meeting, only because I got ET'd and needed an interview since he did Arlington's on Tuesday, and I wasn't there anymore. However, I didn't get to hear Elder Brown’s instruction. But I got to hear Shaylas. She's a member from the Laurel Ward who is really close with the district. After district meeting, we went to the family history center, and Elder V did My Plan. From there, we did comp study. Oh, and we had lunch after district meeting too. After comp study, we went out and saw some people. We had a lesson with Jason French, an investigator they have been teaching. We just talked about the Book of Mormon and understanding it. We also taught tons of people that day and picked up 5 new instigators too. Later that night, we had dinner, and then we went and saw some more people. We also had a lesson with Fabian, an investigator, and put him on date for April 7th. That's how we ended the day.

Thursday

We started with comp study. Then we went and saw some people in the top part of our area. Nothing big happened so we went to the Laurel Ward for a district blitz in the zone leaders’ area. We had lunch at a taco truck and then went out to go tract in their area. We tracted a couple of apartments and got a couple potentials for them, but no investigators. After helping them out, we then drove back to our area and started to see more people in our area. Later that night we had a lesson with Laihloni. We taught her about learning and serving in the church. After her lesson, we had dinner. Then we drove out to Sudden Valley and saw some people. We were going to have a lesson out there, but it got canceled. So, we drove back home and ended the night.

Friday

We started the day with blitzing in Bellingham Bay’s area. We had a good time! Elder Milner and Elder V went and tracted somewhere in their area, while Elder Brown and I went somewhere else in their area and tracted. Elder Brown’s comp went with one of the Spanish Elders and went to some appointments. Can I just say, it snowed a lot this week! We got snow almost every day this week. It was so weird. Elder Brown and I had a good time though. We went tracting in one of the streets by the college, and I recognized some of the streets we went down because it was my old area. After the blitz and helping to find people, we then went home as soon as we could because the snow was coming down really hard, and we can’t drive in snow. So, we came home and had lunch, then we went into comp study and did weekly planning while Elder V packed his suit cases. After planning the whole day, we then went out and saw some people before we had dinner. Later that night, we came back home and did the rest of weekly planning.

Elder Brown and Elder Hammond

Elder V packing

Saturday

We started by helping Justin, a person in the ward move to his new place. He used to be a member but got excommunicated, but he's making his way back! Anyway, we helped him move. Then we had to leave to go to a lesson with a recent convert named Hoiet. She's from Vietnam. We taught her the word of wisdom, the law of chasity, and the law of tithing. After, we went to our next lesson with Crise, our investigator. We taught him about the plan of salvation. From that we then drove all the way to Linden to watch a baptism happen for the YSA Ward. I got to see a few members from my time serving there. It was really cool! After, we then drove back home. Elder Milner got changed, and then we went to Laihloni's baptism. It turned out great. She liked it, and Elder Milner baptized her. Later that night we had dinner with Brother Shank at a restaurant named Anthony's. We had some good food there. After, we then went to a lesson with Avorie. She's a 9-year-old we have on date for baptism coming soon. We just read scriptures with her. After, we then went to the ward mission leader’s home and showed him the progress record. That ended the night.

Laihloni's baptism  

Sunday

Sunday was a sad day... Elder V is dead... (not for real though) He is just on a plane ride home. We started the day with church. After, we came home, had lunch, and then went to a lesson with a less active member named Holland. We read scriptures with him. After, we took Elder V to the church, and he got picked up by the AP's. After that sad moment, Elder Milner and I went home and did personal study. Then we went to dinner all the way down in Sudden Valley. Just so you know, that's the end of our area. After dinner, we drove all the way up to the Laurel Ward and helped them find 2 new investigators with the YSA sisters. We went and tracted some apartments in their area and helped them find 2 new investigators. It was great. After, we then drove back home and did our accounting with Elder Brown. 

Elder V's "Funeral"

Well, this week has been really good number wise. We picked up 7 new investigators this week. It was pretty great.

Before I finish, I want to share a spiritual thought. From the Infinite Atonement:

"One Sunday morning, our teenage son stood with two other priests to administer the sacrament, as they had done on many prior occasions. They pulled back the white cloth, but to their dismay, there was no bread. One of them slipped out to the preparation room in hopes some could be found. There was none. Finally, our troubled son made his way to the bishop and shared the concern with him. A wise bishop then stood, explained the situation to the congregation, and asked, "How would it be if the sacrament table were empty today because there was no atonement?" I have thought of that often - what would it be like if there were no bread because there had been no crucifixion, no water because there had been no shedding of blood? If there had been no Atonement, what would the consequences be to us..." 

Let’s ask ourselves where would we stand without the Atonement, brothers and sisters. Brother Tad L Callister goes on to say that we would become a follower of Satan, that we would not be able to get back to our Heavenly Father because that's what it really means. The Atonement if you look at it, it really looks like At-one-ment, as the book describes and as many have studied about it. The Atonement means that we are reuniting ourselves with God once again. Because Christ took the world’s pains and sins upon Him, we are able to repent and go back to be with our Heavenly Father.

Hugh Nibley says it best: "The word really does mean when we write it out, at-one-ment, denoting both a state of being 'at one' with another and the process by which that end is achieved." 

Sometimes we have to try to understand why God did these things and when we do, it gives us great joy and gratitude to our Savior and our Heavenly Father. I know that this is true, and I hope we can truly ask ourselves this same question. If you do, you may find something different then what Brother Callister says. I leave these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Elder Hammond

Week 80 ET to Lake Wattcom Ward in Bellingham

Um,so I got ET'd, (emergency transferred...) Yeah, that was fun. It was so unexpected, hence the reason why it's called an ET. That all happened on Saturday. Anyway, let me explain this week.

Monday

We had p-day. We started with going and picking up Sholtes. Then we all went to Winco and went shopping for the week. After, we then went to the library and emailed for four hours. That was long. From there we went to the post office, got some boxes, which I'm sending one home this week. Then we drove to the stake center and played some games with Sholtes. Elder Call got a game called Age of War. It’s a pretty fun game. Later that night, we went on an exchange with Sholtes. Elder Allsop went to Sholtes with Elder Jolly, and Elder Call came with us to Lakewood. So, we went to dinner. After we had a lesson with the Lawson's. We taught them about the Holy Ghost and the Godhead. After, we went and saw some more people. Then we ended the night with coming home.

Tuesday

We started the day with a lesson with an investigator named J.R. We talked about the Book of Mormon with him. He was a former from the past, but he said he didn't remember much from the lessons. After the lesson, we went to BW's with the zone leaders. We had a fun time there. Then we went home and had comp study. After, we went and saw some people in Carols Creek and the Lodge. Later that night, we had dinner. Then we went to our lesson with Jordan and talked about the priesthood with him. Then we went down to Sholtes and exchanged back.

Wednesday

We had district meeting. Elder Oaks instructed on Faith, Hope, and Charity. After, we went home. We had lunch and did comp study. We went and saw some people after, and later we had a lesson with Nikki. We just read scriptures with her like normal. After, we had dinner. Sister Schwagert was our dinner for that night, and she made sure we had a good Valentine’s dinner. After, we went and saw some people before our meeting with Bishop.

Thursday...

So, um, I don't know what happened Thursday. We had nothing planned, and Elder Oaks was really depressed, so we stayed in all day, except in the morning for a move we helped someone with. It took us 4 hours. After, we then stayed in the apartment for the rest of the day... I don't why! Elder Oaks never told us why he was down, plus he's the senior comp so he would not get up to go do the work. He slept for most of the day. Later that night we did get up to go have dinner with Brother Noe at Junk Yard Grill, my last time getting to go there. That really ended our night, besides going back home and chilling...

Friday

We had the food bank. After, we went home, had lunch, and sat in the apartment again. We thought that the work was going to happen, but Elder Oaks just sat there and did nothing, so we gave up on him and went to go study. Later that night, we had a lesson with Harlie and Jordan. Elder Oaks planned it out! If he had enough energy to do that, why didn't we go work for the day? Ugh, it made me so mad. We taught about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. After we went home and ended the night.

Saturday

I got ET'd to the Lake Wattcom Ward in B-Ham (Bellingham)!!!! I am so glad I'm back in my birth area. The assistants called me up that morning and told me to pack my bags because they were going to pick me up in like an hour to go to B-Ham. Elder Milner sprained his ankle, so I went to a baptism in Mount Vernon with the assistants. After, we switched me with the B-ham zone leaders, and they drove me to my new area with Elder Milner and Elder Valencic. I am now their designated driver because neither of them can drive. The whole day we went and saw people and had lessons during the day. I really can’t remember who they were with, but this area is doing pretty well.

Sunday

It snowed up here. We had ward council and church in the morning as well. The wind picked up and pushed a lot of trees down up here. We went and saw a lot of people. I'll talk more about the people next week, because I don't know the area yet.

Well, that's this week for you, I just want to end with a spiritual thought. I haven't done one in a long time, but I've been reading The Infinite Atonement, and I want to share some words from it. 

Talking about the Atonement, Tad R. Calaster said:

"A person studying the Atonement is somewhat like the man who retreats to his mountain cabin to enjoy the scenery. If he looks out the window to the east, he will see the snow-capped peaks of the Rockies; but if he fails to examine the view on the west, he will miss the crimson-streaked sunset on the horizon; if he neglects the scene to the north, he will never see the shimmering emerald lake; and if he bypasses the window on the south he will fail to witness the wild flowers in all their brilliant glory, dancing in the gentle mountain breeze. Beauty besets him in every direction. So it is with the Atonement. Regardless of our vantage point it is glorious to behold. Every principle underlying it, every consequence flowing from it, rewards our intellect, animates our emotions, and enlivens out spirit. It is a doctrine for all seasons..."

Such a doctrine must be studied with that much depth and focus, otherwise we cannot fully understand why God, our Father in Heaven gave it to us through his son Jesus Christ. Brothers and Sisters, I ask, have you ever studied the Atonement with so much depth? If not, I challenge you to do so. I know it will help you, and as I've been doing it, it’s helped me to really see how much my Savior loved me, to do this marvelous work for me. I know He lives, and I leave this witness with you all in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Elder Hammond

Week 79 Happy 18 Months!

Hello everyone. This week was a rewarding week to begin with, but then ended with sadness. It’s crazy how even when you feel you are on cloud 9 how the mistake of one person can change the outcome of your week on your mission. Let me walk through the week with you.

Monday

We had a pretty fun p-day. We had some members in the Sholtes Ward let us come and play on their pinball machines. That was a lot of fun. We also did some shopping and some emailing in the morning before we went over. After playing to our heart's content, we then exchanged with Sholtes, and I went with Elder Call to his area. We went and had dinner at a member’s home and then went and saw two members before the night was over, however one was not home and the other was not wanting to talk at the moment. After that, we went home and ended the night.

Tuesday

Still in sholtes…we started the day with going and seeing some people. They have a hard time finding new people to teach, so we went and saw a lot of people that had been taught in the past. After seeing quite a few people, we then went back to their apartment and had lunch and comp. study. Then we went and saw a couple more people before we went and helped at the food bank that night. After the food bank, we had dinner at Subway and got some good sandwiches. After, we went to the church for a meeting we were supposed to have, however no one showed up. So, we went back to the apartment. I packed up our things, and the other elders came back so we could exchange back. That ended the night.

Wednesday

We had district meeting, and Elder Oaks instructed on virtue and diligence. It was a great meeting really. After, we had lunch together as a district. Then we went back home and did some planning and had comp study. Then we went to our lesson with John. We had a church tour with him and then taught the gospel of Jesus Christ to him. He has talked with his boss, and they are looking for someone to cover for him on Sundays so that he can come to church. We told him to pray for it, and we will pray as well that they find someone soon. After, we then went to Nikki Decker's home and read some scriptures with her. From there, we went to dinner with Sister Schwagert. After, we went and saw some people close by her before the night was over. We ended the night with having a meeting with Bishop.

Thursday

We started by seeing some people in the city, however, every person we saw was not home, and we were walking around. So, after trying a couple of homes, we then went home and had lunch. We did comp study as well. Then we went and drove out to see some more people. We went and saw a new family that just had moved into the ward. Their name is the Scott family. They are a young family and have one kid, but they have one kid coming along the way. We talked with them and turns out the wife was investigating the church in the Federal Way Mission. So, we talked about the 10 commandments with her and now we are teaching her! She just needs a couple more lessons. Her name is Kayla Scott. After meeting with them, we ran to the Millers and looked over Sister Miller’s family history work. We talked about with how it’s already been done. Now she just needs to put it all in the computer. From there, we went to dinner, and then we went and saw some more people for the rest of the night.

Friday

We went and helped at the food bank. After, we then went to MOD and had lunch as a district. Really good pizza joint, I highly suggest it. They are in Utah. After, we went back home and had personal study. Then we planned out the night before we went to go do service for Jack Jenkins. He wanted us to go and help clean out a greenhouse he owned, so we went and helped him with that. After, he took us to dinner, and then we went back home, got changed and had our lesson with Jordan. Harlie was with her dad. We talked to him about the priesthood. After that lesson, we went and saw a couple of people before we called it a night.

Saturday

We started the day with weekly planning. Then we had lunch at Wendys, on the way to Sholteses for a blitz. During the blitz, we went and saw people with them and tracted some streets. The sisters did the same thing in a different part of their area. We weren't able to help them find anyone to teach, however, the sisters found a couple good things for them. After, we then went back home and had comp study. Then we went and had dinner with the Lawson at Costco. I saw the Glens. They are from the Stilly Ward. It made me really happy. After that, we went and saw a good amount of people before we ended the night.

Sunday

We started with having comp. study. Then we went to the church to have our meeting with Brother Lytle and to print of progress records for the ward council. Then we had ward council. After, we went through the church service, and that's when the whole world came tumbling down. Sister Mathis pulled us aside and told us that Orion was smoking again, and that he was not fully telling us the truth. He still swears; he's still taking drugs; and he's still doing things he shouldn't. We told her we would talk to him and try to help him. After church, we had a meeting with the ward mission group. Then we went home, had dinner, and then went to go see some people with George Topance. We went to go see Orion, and when we met with him, he was not happy to see us. I wish we handled the situation better, and I feel that I was the whole reason why it didn't go like it should have. We wanted him to tell us what was going on, but he wouldn't tell us, and I told him, “That's okay, you don’t have to tell us, but we do want to help...” Well, we can't help if he doesn't tell us, so... that wasn’t really smart of me. I know, however, when we talked, he felt the spirit, so I hope he took what we said to heart. I really love that kid! I love all my investigators! I just really would hate to see another run away from the church because they don't believe in a certain principle or commandment of the gospel. The spirit has told me not to give up on him, so I won’t. After, we then went and saw some more people before we came back for accounting.

Well, as you all know I have now been out for 18 months. It’s very exciting, however, with how this week went, I just wish I could have been more excited for that. Thank you for everyone's help and support. Have a good week, and I'll see you soon!

Elder Hammond