Sep. 14, 2015 15 MONTHS!!!!!

Sep 14, 2015   15 MONTHS!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY MOTHER!!!!!!!!!!!! MOM,  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!! I can't believe you have 49 years!! That's soo crazy!! You don't act or look like it at all!!! How in the world do you look so amazing and so beautiful being at that age!! I love you soo much mother!! You literally mean so much to me. During all my time here in the mission, Mom you have been such a huge help and a great support!  You have always been there in every moment bigger or smaller! I have always had the best Mom in this entire world! Every boy says that their Mom is the best! But just like the scriptures it says, for their fruits you shall know them. My Mom is the best mom because she shows it inside and out!! She's a helper she is always always willing to help anybody out with anything! Even if she doesn't feel good! She is ALWAYS there to talk to! To share something with! My Mom is always a supporter in sports and in anything I was doing! My mom is an angel! I know I am soo blessed and will be forever grateful to have such an amazing wonderful and beautiful mother like mine. My dad you totally lucked out! ha ha love you soo much mother dear!! HUGE HUG!!!

This week has been absolutely amazing.  I have loved every minute of it!!

So turns out that on Monday night some people in our zone had changes.  We went and had to check up on the district leaders because they have their reunions every Tuesday. As zone leaders we had to check up on them if they were doing good. It turns out that they had a switch in assistants.  The old assistant came here into my zone ha ha cool! So I hope he helps our zone out, and he has!

On Tuesday it was cool we had a different food. We had duck! It was alright, wasn't delicious but it was cool.

On Wednesday it was super cool, we found a guy named Carlos he's  bigger than a  refrigerator, haha and he has huge problems with smoking and drinking. He came to us and was like, "guys you know what your doing to save lives, I need your help." We talked with him and he wants to change, he's super cool.

Thursday: I had to do some interviews with a family that is going to get baptized. There are 3 of them! It went really well, one was like 30 minutes long and it was a huge testimony builder to me. Seeing how the gospel completely changes their lives is amazing. 

On Saturday we had our zone meeting. The whole goal was to animate them because we have had to deal with some really disobedience this week in the zone; we had a lot to improve on. The 2 assistances came and it went well thanks to the Lord. 

 Sunday was super cool. We got up at 6 and tried to go for all of our investigators, sadly not many could make it. But right 5 minutes before the church starts the bishop comes to us and says, "hey you need to give 15 minute talks!" I was like yippie! I hurried and picked a subject and talked about the plan of salvation. How each and every one of us  have trials and difficulties, but that God loves us and has a plan for every one of us.  I  hope it went well.

I love this work! I can really feel it in myself this last week.  I honestly can't feel that I have 15 months in my mission this week. I love you guys all soo very much! This week we will have many more miracles!!

Elder Hammond

                                                 This is the Zone I'm in charge of

Hermana Hammond feliz cumpleaños de part de la familia Pincay . Conocimos a su hijo hace casi un año atras y como nosotros le decimos es uno de nuestros angeles y hoy esta aqui visitandonos el guarda un lugar muy especial en nuestros corazones . Bueno le deseamos un feliz cumpleaños que dios la colme de   bendiciones. El elder Hammond le envia un fuerte abrazo y q la ama demasiado un guato inmenso saludarla que tenga una excelent noche. 

Sep. 7, 2015 Guayaquil

Sep 7, 2105 Guayaquil

FIRST OFF BRIELLE AND BROOKE CONGRATS FOR WINING And scoring goals!! and GENTRY FOR GETTING MARRIED THIS SAT. THAT'S AWESOME! I love you!
This week has been soo amazing I can't even tell you!!  Being here in Guayaquil has been such a reminder when I first came out here!!  Not knowing ANY Spanish. The smell of urine and poop and dirty dogs and sweaty people and SOO HOT!!  It's a fire here! It's great. I don't even sleep with a sheet! I just jump on my bed and that's how I sleep with 2 fans going!  It's funny!

Tuesday I had changes from Loja to here and had the counsel mtg. So awesome! Literally changed my life! I loved it!  Then got here and put all of my luggage in the house. I couldn't stand still so I went to THE PLACE WHERE I WAS BORN, SANTA MONICA! I couldn't stand still so I went there to see my converts. Turns out that my 1st convert got sealed in the temple AHHHHH!!!! GOT SEALED!!! When I came to the house they both screamed and the mom wanted to give me a huge hug but couldn't and my cheeks were hurting because I was smiling soo big!! We talked and talked some more it was one of the high lights of my mission for sure! We came back ready to work!

On Wednesday!  We worked like crazy. We went and just started working Guayaquil, its soo funny because the people here are just crazy. They are nuts and they just make you laugh!

On Thursday I got up and went to iron my shirt and the iron EXPLODED ON ME!! It totally exploded in my hand. I'm totally good, just my whole hand was super black. My companion was like, "what happened?!" It was a highlight too!

We had our meeting on Friday, we have 18 missionaries in our zone. It went great! I tried to animate the missionaries. It was also such a blessing to fast here!

Sunday was awesome, the ward here is  awesome!  We had 13 people come to church, and 7 of them are progressing! SO cool! We worked our heads off. Then after church I  couldn't rest and went to Santa Monica again and visited another baptism that I had. When I opened the door she (the convert) burst out in tears, and she told me, "I knew you would come!" It's a family and they are so STRONG in the church. The teenager had a girlfriend who is a member of the church and has gone to the temple 3 times to do baptisms for the dead, so awesome. I literally have honestly felt the joy and the happiness that the Gospel brings to the people! When we ended one guy said the prayer and one of the teenagers Johnny said, "thanks for sending Elder Hammond. The angel sent him from heaven to our home to bring us this message!." I couldn't stop the tears falling from my eyes, I was so happy! The mission is the best ever. I love it! Thanks for all of you support! I love this work, and we are going to keep working our tails off this week! LOVE YOU SOO MUCH!!!

Elder Jacob Hammond 
Making you proud in Ecuador

Sep. 1, 2015 Transferred to Guayaquil

Sep. 1, 2015  Transferred to  Guayaquil

I am a Zone leader in Guayaquil.  I was soo nervous and SOO stressed out to this new change. I am training a new zone leader he has been a zone leader for 1 week.  He's from Peru his name is Elder Pacheco! He has 16 months in the mission.
 It's sooo hott here!! I am the zone leader where I was born in the mission in Santa Monica! The place where I first came to the mission! So I can totally visit my converts and see how they are doing and everything! I'm excited! This zone has a bunch of potential and I hope we can break it!  I'm completely relying on the Lord for this one!  Hoping that He will guide my decisions as we make a zone and I hope he will give me the right words to say to my new investigators.  MOM I GOT THE PACKAGE!!  I got your package from Sister Riggins!  The bounce sheets and stuff for fleas! But I just got transferred!  NOO!! You worked soo hard for me! I appreciate it soo much! I love you soo much mother dear!
 I only have 20 minutes to write today!  Tell the family to keep praying for me! I really need it!! I am good, my health is good!  We're working really hard!  Going to prove to the Lord and see his smile over the faces of the people here in Guayaquil!  I'm in one of the most dangerous parts of Guayaquil.  But don't worry about it! LOVE YOU SOO MUCH!!!

Elder Hammond