Oct. 27, 2014 Transferred to Machala

Oct. 27, 2014 Transferred to Machala

This week I had cambios!  Which means I got transferred! So, chow Santa Monica and chow my baptism! That's okay! Thanks everybody for your letter! I loved them so much! I love you guys!

This week has been very humbling for me!  I have a new companion, Elder Narro! He is from Peru! He is great! Funny!  He loves the people, and its great!   I live here in Machal!  When I came here with all my bags and everything I stepped into the door and I saw a cockroach run into the other room! There are spiders everywhere in my house and  yeah bed bugs in our beds!  So mom, thanks for your other sheet I am using it! Because bed bugs are amazing!  I love it!

Like I said I've been very humbled! I am here, it's like Guayaquil but a lot more poor so in my sector we have a place that is very very poor, they live in wood shacks that are about as big as our kitchen! They have wooden floors and their doors are wood ! We work there like all day... I'll give you the pics..! Really its Africa!  It's all black people. The dogs are as scary as heck! I had to kick a dog in the ribs because he was about to bite me!  It's tough!  It's really really hard for my heart! It's not hard mentally or physically! Just emotionally.... in the United States we are soo blessed its ridiculous! Here I see kids that ribs are showing and they don't know when they will have their next meal!  They don't have Dads and it's really lucky if they do! There are kids that have whip marks all over their arms and especially on their backs because people here rarely wear clothes...but... I had my first cry here in my mission ... their was a family and all their kids had bruises and everything! They said they don't have any food and that their dad  drinks and smokes and when he comes home he beats his kids and it is very very hard to see and teach!  We are so lucky to have running water and to have showers.. and just clean dishes and dishes in general!

But we had a baptism!! It was amazing!! I LOVED IT SOO MUCH!!!! I had the great opportunity to baptize her! Se llama Nicole! (Her name is Nicole!) She's awesome!  I love it!!

Then we had the great opportunity to give 2 more priesthood blessings!  I love love LOVE using the power of the Priesthood it's just a reminder to me every time we us it!

Really I am soo stoked to work and serve the people here in Machala! I love my family soo much you guys are all amazing! I am praying for all of you!!!

Elder Hammond

                                              My new comp Elder Narro from Peru!

                                                          I got to baptize Nicole!!

Oct. 20, 2014 Santa Monica

Oct. 20, 2014 Santa Monica

Well this week was a little sad! but that's okay!  

Alex... is not getting baptized and it's really really sad! We went to his house over and over again and just couldn't find him it was really sad! He has had all of the lessons and went to church and everything 4 times.
Also this week, Daniel my convert has been drinking and it's really really hard on him. He hasn't come to church in 2 weeks! So please pray for him!

This week in church there wasn't a teacher so we had to teach for an hour on obedience!

But,  we have been teaching a family! They are awesome!  We have been teaching them for about a month.  They remind me of the Jacobs family! They have so much respect for the family and others! It's so great! One of the most powerful things that happened this week is with Johnny, a 10 year old! Bore his testimony without being a member!

It was the most powerful thing ever! And that's why I love the mission! I love the mission because, yes its tough, but there are always things that are amazing and fun!

This week I made this burrito for breakfast and boy Mom and Dad you guys would be soo proud of me!! haha It was sooo good!!! It had potatoes and eggs and ham and aww it was delicious!

Also this week we had the opportunity to give another blessing! I love love love the power of the priesthood! It's always a reminder to me of this great gospel that we have!  I am running out of oil! I love it!

The Spanish is coming! It's tough, but it's coming! 

I love my mission! Sorry I couldn't write much but really not much happened this week!  I hope that we have a baptism of Johnny this Saturday!  I love you guys all soo very much and thanks for all your support I love you!!!

I love this country and I love the people!

Elder Hammond

                                          These kids remind me of Jared! They are so awesome!!

The eggs I made!

                                                                         My zone!!

This is the family that reminds me of the Jacobs! Johnny and Carlos and their cousin which is the member crouching and their Mom which isn't married but loves listening to us!

Oct. 13, 2014 Santa Monica

Oct. 13, 2014 Santa Monica

 This week was better than last week!  That's always good! haha

This week I got the RUNS!! ohhhh yeah!! It was awesome!  Only for one day not (until Easters!) :) Dang it!  It's probably because we ate something bad...  everybody is sick because it's super hot in the day but super cold in the nights! I love it when it gets below 70! 

This week not many stories happened!  That's okay I wanted to tell you a few though!!

1, This week we didn't have much, so we asked for references!  This member said  there is  a menos activo that lives here. So we went over there!  She hasn't come to church for a year because she died... that's how bad  the people here are about home teaching and visiting teaching. I died laughing, it was so bad but gosh soo funny!!

2. You know when your in Ecuador and there is a member of the church in a bar with a liahona!  I bet you he couldn't read it because he was drunk!  Oh I died laughing again!  

3. We found this black family with little people. They are cute but all of them said  "wow your hair!!!"  I said yes it's natural!  They all wanted to touch it!  I was like guhh.... can't... haha it was funny! but it's common. Alot of people ask me where  I get my hair done!  It's funny!

4. Our class of Inglis was better this week! We had  2 people! Yes!! We taught them how to pray in English! 

5. I gave a talk in front of all the zone here, which is like 22 missionaries!  It was tough, but my topic was being happy, and how to be happy!  I don't know why I did. I have been here for 2 months! I had to give advice to people that have been out for like 16 months! But, I realized you don't need that much experience to be happy! haha By the time  it was over, I had everybody laughing!  Probably because my Spanish was terrible! haha but yeah!

Something I learned this week is that it is very very VERY!! important to have converts!  Not baptisms as a number! It is soo crucial to teach and love your converts because every single soul is great in the sight of God! It's our job as members and as friends to keeps those in the church and active! This is our salvation!! And it is theirs!! We cannot afford to loose people here on this earth!  Through service and example! We can do it! 

 I love you my family, thanks so much for everything!! I love my family with all I have! and I love love my Savior!!!

Elder Hammond

Tell Kolton I am praying super hard for him!!!

This computer won't send pictures. ..So next week! 

Oct. 6, 2014 Santa Monica

Oct. 6, 2014 Santa Monica

So excited for Danielle & Zac! Now Chad & Anna!!!!
 I am soo glad everybody had just an amazing week with conference and absolute parties with spud harvest and everything that is just awesome!   This week was a little different for me but that's okay!  I love my mission! My week was a total Ecuadorian week! More people going to the bathroom in the streets more girls trying to speak English to us and more dogs trying to kill us oh, and more bugs to see! 

Martes!  A pretty normal day!  It was good and I was happy we worked hard! Had pretty good success! So I was happy! Always had a smile!

Miercoles! This is when my week kinda dropped a little bit!  We got news that our investigator Alex doesn't want to be baptized anymore! That was super super hard! I am  just like noo.. you cant... this is your salvation!! You can't say no to everlasting happiness!! But, he did!  He still came to conference with us! 

An exciting part of the day was..... we can always hear the rats above us because we have a roof kind of....well you know!. The rats are always playing tag up there and one of them fell through the roof! It was awesome!... We could hear him running around the house!  It was just great.. and so in the middle of the night I just opened the door and threw a cracker in the doorway and hoped he would run out! haha

Jueves! We walked so much like 12 miles it was awesome!  We didn't have much success! My legs were absolutely dying!!  It was so much fun! It was so hot and not much success today but that's okay!  A high light was that Daniel our convert was driving a semi and he gave us a ride for free, so we didn't have to walk! Wow semi's in Ecuador are so funny!  Literally control the road it was so funny!

Viernes!

Well this day was a little downer!  That's okay! I was happy!  During the street we had fun!  A drunk guy in the night (they are so fun) one of them said Mormons under his breathe!  So many people spit here so I was like sweet... I looked down and yeah there it was.. so yummy!   That was an adventure too!  But, we worked hard today too so that was fun! 

Sabado! Today was better! We were able to go to the first session because if we didn't have an investigator we couldn't go to conference. So the first was good!  We couldn't go to the 2nd session because we didn't have an investigator! It was hard but that's okay! We worked and tried to find other people!  sacerdocio (priesthood) was awesome! Alex came with us!

I missed going with dad and everybody!  But that's okay! 

Domingo! We got to go to all sessions which was really nice!  I loved it! I couldn't understand all of it but I got the themes which was a blessing!  When I saw Teri I was like ahh that's my aunt!! I love it when I see her!!!  We had 2 investigators come to the 2nd session it was awesome! They are great investigators! 

+This week was hard and not much success! but I am working my tail off and I am learning everyday! When we are obedient and work hard, the lord will bless us right!  I love my family! So glad everyone is good! I love you all so much!!

Love

Elder Hammond

                                          Alex at General Conference

                                           Yup!!! This is where the rat came in!!

                                                 Some youth at Conference!

                                                Beautiful Sunset!!!!!