April 27, 2015 This week in Naranjal!!

April 27, 2015 This week in Naranjal!!

Well, this week was good! It really just seems like I wrote to you yesterday even though it was a week ago! How crazy is that!! This week was really good! I love being here in Naranjal! It seriously is soo hard but such a growing and learning experience for me! ha ha I can honestly feel myself changing!  It's  awesome!

On Tuesday, it was  Elder Espinoza's birthday! So that was fun!!  I got up and made him French toast!  So that was fun!  He loved them! I can make some pretty good French toast! (even without peach yogurt and whipping cream!)  haha but yeah then we worked and I bought a few presents and shared some things in the packages that I have gotten from my beautiful Mother!  I love it! But I made It  a special day for him!!

On  Wednesday, we went out contacting and working and I went to buy some water because it was seriously soo sunny and just BURNING hot! And I am talking hot!  2 kids that are just dirt poor asked me for the water but they knew us! (so they said!) So I said "where do you live?"...  We went to their house! Apparently in their house lived a member. I took a picture to show you, but 400 of my pictures just got deleted when I was trying to send them to you!!  I had the greatest pictures to show you- so sad, 4 months of baptisms and everything!!!! I can't believe it!!! 

   Anyway, we went there and this family is just absolutely dirt poor... just soo poor I just wanted to cry... all the babies you could see their ribs and their stomachs were bloated!  Within 5 minutes came 15 little kids just asking us for stuff and water and ice cream so I took out 3 dollars and told them to buy everyone a Bolo! Which is like an ice cream thing here!  They were more excited than my family on Christmas morning! Tears were just streaming down my face! The parents just leave their kids because they go to work and don't return till the night time! So those little kids need to find food during the day because their parents can't feed them! 

 Thursday! I had one of the coolest lessons I have probably had on my mission! I have never felt the spirit so strong! We are  teaching a man that looks a lot like Hagrid! haha super big guy! But wow he was just so attached to us! When we were teaching it was awesome! He said I am going to read that blue book that you guys have it is SO POWERFUL!!! haha

On  Friday I went to Guayaquil! so that was fun!!

On Saturday we had our reunion (meeting) and a baptism fell thru for the Hermana's so that was pretty sad!!

 Sunday!! PHEW!! I am the most stressed on Sundays because we have to do soo much!!  So we get there - I  have to play the piano!  And in comes President Torres and his counselors and their families to church! So I was like cool! But then they decided  to combine Gospel Doctrine and Sunday school again in my second hour class! Thank goodness I had help from the  sister missionary from Mexico!  President tambien (also) was there too! haha   Then went to priesthood and the teacher didn't show up!  So I had to teach the Elders Quorum and there were like 15 elders along with President Torres! So l taught for 2 hours and  didn't know the topic until 2 minutes before! Awesome!  But I did it!! haha

Well, that is about the sum of this week! Really I love it here! It's super super hot, but its the best work EVER!! I love it!! IT'S THE BEST!!         I hate getting paid to lose I wanna WIN!! haha 

Lettuce LEAF!!

Elder Hammond

April 20, 2015 Naranjal !! 10 months in the mission!!

April 20, 2015 Naranjal !! 10 months in the mission!!

 I can't believe it!  I really have 10 months in the mission! Like seriously, how in the world is it April!!  I love it!! It seriously is just FLYING BY!! I Love this work!! Just like last week I can't really remember what I did!   pues!!

This week what even happened... we had an awesome experience with my companion Elder Tague! We were walking and working here en Naranjal! It was this super poor area and  Ecuador has the meanest dogs ever!  We went contacting  to this house and  4 dogs  started barking their brains off and they wouldn't stop!!  They kept getting closer to us!! These dogs, oh my gosh! I picked up some rocks  but all these dogs were just surrounding us!!  Just barking like crazy! One almost bit my comp but he turned and kicked that dog to Madagascar!  He totally drilled the dog because it almost bit him! He almost did a back flip and wanted to come back for more  I still had the rock in my hand!  He ran back at us so I pretended to throw the rock and he ran off yelping at us!! so wow!! I love getting bit by bogs! (almost!) 

This week I had the great opportunity to finish the Book of Mormon and read its passages and versus with power! Really something I have really focused on here in Naranjal is the Book of Mormon saying REALLY did you guys know that Jesus Christ did come here!  HERE is the evidence that He came here! Some people will start to mock the Book and I just boldly declare that the Book is true!   This book comes from God! Some people just tremble before us it's so amazing to see the power that God has! This book is really sent from God and I LOVE reading it for an hour every day!! It's the 3rd time I've read it in Spanish during my mission! Starting again this will be my 4th time!!

Also we had the great opportunity to help out our zone and do a lot of divisions with them! To see how the Hermanas  are and what they are doing! That's  our responsibility as zone leaders! They are doing good! I really hope so at least! ha ha

This Saturday we had a great zone meeting.  After, I got a phone call from the Branch President and he wanted me to go visit a man in the hospital, and so we went. This man has been inactive for more then 5 years and we went there and gave him a priesthood blessing! I absolutely Love using and being a servant and bearer of this powerful priesthood! I love serving with his power!!

 Sunday like normal, we went and I had to teach gospel doctrine but thank goodness they didn't combine with the youth this time but it was fun we taught about Nuestro Padre Celestial! (Our Heavenly Father) I love working and helping this branch!!!

I Love this work and we will keep fighting and doing as much as we can as the Lords servants to do His will and say what he would say and do what He would do!! I absolutely love my mission! Even though this week has been really hard with the persecution that is hard with other churches we keep battling and keep working and preaching the most correct message that there is on the earth!! I love you so much!!!! 10 months in this great and amazing pais!!

Elder Hammond

April 13, 2015 This week in Naranjal!!

April 13, 2015 Naranjal

 Well, can you even believe it!?  It's another amazing week here in Naranjal!  These weeks are going by soo fast!! I can't even tell you guys!!  Honestly it's been one of those weeks where you just don't remember anything!

But, it has been amazing and full of miracles!  I really do love this work!! I  know that it is the work of the lord!!

Brooke I am so proud you got your braces off !!  Haylee, good job going to the dances! I seriously have the most outgoing family in this whole word!!!

It's been really cool! This week we had the privilege to have a baptism! We have had to battle against Satan with this baptism a  lot!  We carried it out and it went great! Now in a year this family can go to the temple!  His name is yulianno and he is one of my buds! We became to be amazing Friends! Now his whole family are members of the church!

This week we got a new missionary here in Naranjal she is from Canada! She is kind of  freaking out about Ecuador and the living conditions that we have! It's fun and a little sad to see because I remember that just like it was yesterday!  Tuesday and Saturday we had  zone meetings and they went great. I could feel the lord working through us to uplift and animate His missionaries! 

This Sunday I had to teach the principles del Evangelio (of the gospel) all by myself.  This week they decided to combine principles del evangelio with the jovenes! (youth) haha so together there were 60 people - men and young women ready to listen to a gringo teach a lesson an hour long! I said a quick prayer that I could teach and I did it!  Even though fasting and my throat was super super dry because it was burning hot on Sunday I was able to teach the class alone with the help of the lord and be able to touch the hearts of the people! 

 This week we have worked really hard even though maybe our numbers aren't really showing it! We are inviting people to be baptized and I can see every day the hand of the lord in what we do and say! I know this Church is true and I Love being on His errand!

 Thank you soo much family for your support! Nada concerns! I am doing great! I am not sick!  I am still eating more rice than potatoes here! Some of the cool foods we have eaten are Fox!! haha cool right?! And we have eaten wild boor!!  Cool right? Fox is actually good just to let you know! I love you so much family! Another week here in Naranjal! working our tails off for the Lord because WE LOVE Him!!

Elder Hammond

The funny Easter candy mom sent!!

Mom sent easter bunny chair covers!

April 6, 2015 This week in Naranjal!!

April 6, 2015 This week in Naranjal!!

Well family this week was just awesome here!!  First, I want to tell you  about Naranjal! Naranjal is awesome!! It's like Idaho!  Just  a lot greener!! Naranjal is super super SUPER poor!! There are SOO many people here that have cement homes and their houses are as big as our piano room! It kills me!! The thing about Naranjal is that it rains a ton!  I LOVE the rain so it's all good!! ha ha but Naranjal is super new to the church like almost 2 years now! It's such an opportunity to serve here! Because a lot of people haven't heard of the gospel here so we can talk to everyone we want about the gospel!!  This week we have worked a ton with less actives!! I love working hard!! It just makes everything exciting and the days just FLY!!! This week we had the opportunity to give blessings to 3 people who are really sick and that need help! I love love sharing and serving the people with the power of the priesthood and I know this power comes from God!

It has rained soo much this week that the power has gone completely out in the whole city at night time!!! It's soo COOL!! There are no lights and everything is just quiet!!  Some times there is no water so that's pretty legit!! 

And noo... we didn't do anything for April fools day!! I wish we would have though!!

Here in Naranjal I have learned that testimony is what brings men to conversion!! Every single day we hear something new that the members have a problem with: so it's true that the Mormons don't believe in God! That you guys have 7 wives! And this and that and this and that!  Aahh  but I was like what did Moroni do?? He was a leader!! He was a powerful leader!!! He was the man!!

Ya pues... esta semana fue fantastico!! Me encanto muchisimo conferencia!! Con todo mi corazon!      (This week was fantastic! I loved conference so much with all my heart!) I LEARNED SOO MUCH!!! Something about Naranjal remember is that we have soo much persecution.   A new video about Joseph Smith came out saying he had 15 wives and that he was a false prophet and that we dig up the dead and baptize them in the Temple. So people are scared about the church but a talk I LOVED!!!! was in priesthood about being a modern day Moroni!!

 The talks in General Conference were just soo powerful to me !!  Every member needs to be a modern day Moroni!! WE NEED to be leaders! We need to stand up for the truth!!! No more sitting back and eating  potato chips! Satan is working harder then ever and the lord needs men and women fighting and preaching  and defending His gospel!! Something that President Eyring said!!! It is not how Long you have served it's HOW you serve!! Then will the lord say well done thou good and faithful servant! I want to be able to stand in front of the lines and defend the truth!  When Christ comes in his glory and say well done Elder Hammond you served faithful that's my goal!!! It was soo cool here in Ecuador!!
This week we got to talk alot about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ!! I loved it!! People dressed up in costumes of Romans like in Christ times and I guess it's part of a tradition here where a Jesus will walk around the streets with a cross and people will beat him and maybe whip him and I was like don't you DARE even get close because no man could ever do that except for Jesus Christ!! He was the only one who could save us from sin!!  It's important that we take his name upon us!! And defend his truth!!!! I love this gospel!!! I KNOW IT'S TRUE!!!! I love being a servant in His hands here in Ecuador!!
Love you all
Elder Hammond

 

                                              Hermana Joicey Baptism!!!!!!

                                     Such an amazing experience!!!!

                                 Baptism at the pool because the rivers are all flooded!!!

                                             Feliz Cumpleanos!!!!

The Birthday party package came!!!

No electricity!!!