August 17, 2015 Loja

August 17, 2015  Loja

Yeah this week has been awesome!! It's been kinda slow but its been good!!

On tuesday we were going out looking for people to teach and were using a list of people that are lost or  menos activos and we started looking and we found a house that was super super scary, it looked just like the house after the bad witch off of lion witch and the wardrobe did to the house of Mr. Tumnus if you know what I mean when EVERYTHING is everywhere!! It was nuts we were like wow,.. there were dolls everywhere, and all the eyes on the dolls were popped out.. and it was creepy! haha but cool!!

On wednesday we did a interchange with some other elders in the zone that are here in Loja! it was good we started in the morning and we ended the next day! we worked really hard and after the day was done I shared with him the things about my mission and about being a true leader in this mission! He put all of his attention toward me because he is the district leader and he loved what i said! It was cool!!

On Thursday we were inside the whole day, because in the country they were doing a revolt against the president, here its called del paro, and we stayed inside all day long it was cool! I washed my garments and studied. I love the story of Lehi's dream, about the people who were strong enough to make it to the tree! Even though they were made fun of or mocked them they stayed firm i love that!! 

On saturday! we had our reunion! and i shared a scripture in Alma 16:15, the whole zone loved it! The reunion went good, and I hope they had more animos para trabajar! (energy to work!)

DOMINGO!! What A DAY!!!

Church started at 8 so we have to get up at 6 to get ready and get out investigators. 2 didn't really wanna come and i showed up at 8:10 to the meeting just in time to get the sacrament! Then the president was like  were going to listen to the elderes today, I was like okay lets go! one 15 minute talk without being prepared lets go! I had to get up first. I talked about Joseph Smith and how important he was in carrying out the restoration.  The amazing scripture thats found in D and C 136, I hope the members liked it because at the end we were crying and laughing! After that I had to go to a place called SARAGURO! Its a branch that had literally 4 people in the branch, 4 people! The place where they meet is a room as big as our computer room and theirs just a sacrament table, and a table for a the podium! I gave another talk about the atonement of Christ, it was such a testimony builder because there in saraguro its very very HARD!!! Every single person there is a catholic, its about 2 hours away from Loja. EVERYBODY has long hair; boys, men, and  women! They all have long hair and where these cool hats. There used to be missionaries living there but they beat the heck out of the missionaries about 5 years ago so they took the missionaries out! Its soo cool that 4 people in that little town would wait every week for the missionaries to give them the sacrament! because we don't come they can't take the sacrament! i was soo humbled and so grateful that really this church is true and its the same wherever we go!! I love this gospel! and I love this work! I am so grateful for Christ and his atonement I love him,and for that reason I am here on the mission, to thank him for all that God has given me and my family!!

Love you soo much!!!

Elder Hammond

the picture is of the branch is Saraguro!!