Week 57

"Thank you, Officer!"

oops! We might have accidentally been involved in a minor car accident last night. But the Lord is so good so He protected us and also the poor other car. We were maybe going like 5 mph because we were just pulling out onto the street and bumped another car. The police officer that came was driving past, he was SO nice! Blessings.

This week has been one for the record book! Where to even begin?

-Thanksgiving was a blast! Had tons of fun from our adventures with the other missionaries. We got together with half of the mission and played sports, one of the Hermanas brought Book of Mormon Charades. Best game ever btw.

-Thanksgiving dinner was amazing and now our fridge is full of left over turkey and pies. I promise that when missionaries come over to your house we are not broke and starving. Everyone, literally everyone, feeds us or sends us home with stuff. ;)

-A missionary came home from Australia and had her homecoming on Sunday. It was so amazing and the spirit was so strong. She invited us over to share a message with all of her nonmember friends. That was pretty legit.

-Said goodbye to all of my Lake Holm ward members because I'M GETTING TRANSFERRED! :( We got the call on Sunday night and I'm so sad that I'm leaving. But it's okay because God qualifies us for the work no matter where we serve. I'm going to be going to South Hill in the Puyallup South Stake - same stake where I started my mission last year. It'll be great!

The church is true so #lighttheworld with Jesus Christ this year.

https://www.mormon.org/christmas/light-the-world?play=hero

Sister Hammond ♥

Week 56

"What do missionaries do for food on holidays?"

With Thanksgiving coming up we've been asking people what they are thankful for. It's so fun to see how many people talk about their families. I always agree with them, so grateful for my family ♥

This week has been full of miracles. It started off a little rocky, but Elder Robert C. Gay of the Seventy came to our mission and called us all to repentance ;) We learned so much about what it means to follow the spirit and really trying to understand God's will. Sister Arnold and I have been working hard to follow the promptings from the spirit. We've also found some people that we're really excited to work with.

We taught a missionary prep fireside and had a Q&A afterwards. It was so much fun! One of the boys asked, "what do missionaries do for food on holidays?" everyone laughed. Answer? we have a 2 hour dinner with a family and then we get to go proselyte with a full stomache! It's a hard life ;) 

Sister Mitchell and Kevin got married! what a great experience. The ward came together and threw a little party for them. It was a lot of fun

AND ANDREW WAS BAPTIZED!! Isn't he a handsome little fellow?

I'm so thankful for the gospel in my life and the chance that I have to be a missionary and a representative of Jesus Christ. I am thankful for His sacrifice and all that He gave so I can become the person He wants me to be. I'm thankful for Washington and all of the people here. they are so amazing and every one of them has changed my life. I especially love the Lake Holm ward ♥ blessed have been here for 8 months. I am so thankful for my friends and family and for the examples that they are to me. Most importantly, I'm thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who watches over us. 

Have a great week! Happy Thanksgiving!

Sister Hammond ♥♥

Week 55

"Careful, he's a handsome fellow. Don't get distracted."

This week Sister Arnold and I have been praying for the Lord's help in finding people who will progress. We have seen so many miracles this week as we've been praying and studying more specifically to see what we can do. Most of our success this week has come as we've taken the time to be diligent with knocking on doors and finding for at least an hour everyday. Even when it's dark and raining! Haha! In fact, last night we met this really incredible man named Bud and his wife, Angela. They have an amazing testimony of the love that God has for each of His children. They said that even when they chose not to be obedient or to listen that God was still there when they decided to come back to Him. One of my favorite scriptures is Alma 26:37 because it says, "we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in. Yea, his bowels of mercy are over all the earth." I know that this is true. Heavenly Father loves us each perfectly. That means that He provides the way for us to learn and to grow and to be better. He doesn't condemn us because of our weaknesses but He sees what our potential is and He provides the way for us to be better through His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.

Another guy we met last night was pretty funny. He was probably in his early 20's. Not too interested because he's agnostic. (those people are annoying because they believe in something but they aren't sure what it is...ugghhh. Obviously it's God.) Anyways, we asked if he knew anyone we should go talk to and he said, "probably my friend Nick. Careful, he's a handsome fellow. Don't get distracted." #lifeofamissionary

Oh man, so we met this lady named Lupa. Since I've been in this area for so long I've basically met everyone (kay probably not but it seems like it ;) so I've met Lupa before and she wasn't interested. Soooo....because I had this previous knowledge I basically word vomited the Restoration and the first vision, shared 2 Ne. 31:10 and invited her to be baptized ALL IN ONE BREATH. It twas terrible. haha!! Sister Arnold and I were laughing super hard after we left her house. It was great :)

Happy almost Thanksgiving! I love you all!

Sister Hammond ♥

one of our members has an iguana. brought me back to my childhood ♥♥♥

Sister Shoemaker is a jollyologist. This means that she dresses up like a doctor clown and sings to people in the hospital. She's the coolest person ever.

Week 54

"I was probably the greatest average missionary"

We went to the house of one of the stake presidency counselors for Halloween. We carved pumpkins and hung out with the other sisters in our zone. Hermana Huhem was asking him (President Wilkenson) about his mission and his response was, "I was probably the greatest average missionary." haha, he's so great ;)

Something that I'm coming to learn and understand more about is how involved God is in each of our lives. I'm studying about faith this month and the scriptures are full of examples of how people choose to show their faith. I love in the book of Mosiah when the people hear King Benjamin's words and express how their very hearts have been changed! Faith leads us to want to change our hearts as we choose to follow Christ. Alma says that "the purpose of this life is to prepare to meet God." (alma 34:32) Well, we can do that when we choose daily to put Christ first. Every act that we do on our part to put off the natural man and become more like Him will prepare us to see Him again. I love the promise in Moroni 7:48 that says, "when He appears we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is." That is only possible as we make a daily effort.

I have gained such a love of the gospel while I've been here. I know that God hears our prayers! We had a cool experience this week with our investigator, Andrew. We took him to the Seattle temple and the family history Discovery Center right next to it. The spirit was so strong and he bore his testimony in church yesterday about how God has helped him and answered his prayers about the prophet Joseph Smith and President Monson. It was a tender experience to hear this 15 year old boy share about the love that he has come to realize God has for him. 

I'm so grateful to be on a mission and to have the opportunity to teach of these precious truths that bring us so much happiness. I love you all! Have a great week!

Sister Hammond <3

​We are family history detectives

Andrew's on the other side of me. We dressed up as people from different time periods, they took all of the cool costumes so I tied the thing in my hair and decided I was from the 1920's.

Andrew got a new suit and a new set of scriptures. He was pretty excited when he walked into church :)