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