Oct. 27, 2014 ..He sends his messengers to go and rescue them...

Oct. 27, 2014  ..He sends his messengers to go and rescue them...
Feliz Cumpleanos: Carlee, & Stuart Bradley!!!!!
We had SO many miracles this week! 

Can I first start off in saying how wonderful it was to hear about Roberts baptism! I would love to meet Robert one day, but in the mean-time tell him I am praying for him, and that he can do this! (and that a random person named Brittany says hi) 

So, 2 weeks ago I forgot to tell all of you that Hermana Izu and I on sunday (2 weeks ago) went into the young men and young womens class, with all of the Elders and gave them a PUMP up class about how to be missionaries. It was seriously awesome, we told the story of Gideons army and how we may be few but we are the Lords army, and seriously it was great. Since that time, MOST of the people we are working with ARE youth! 

Let me tell you about them :)

RAFAEL!! He is our new investigator who I am just in-LOVE with! He is 16, and he is a refferral from a member. He already wants to serve a mission and he came to church as well! He is one of the most humble people I have ever met. In our lesson last Monday (it was our first lesson with him) we asked him why he accepted to listen to us, and he said, "I just want to learn how to get closer to Jesus." He is amazing, and the youth in the ward accepted him at church and are PUMPED to come to lessons with us to him. We have a lesson tonight and we are going to show the restoration. He also said YES about being baptized on the 29th of November. I love teaching youth because they are SO open to trying new things. They are trying to find themselves, and Rafael did everything we asked him, he prayed, and he came to church! Now we have a cita with him and his family TODAY! I really do already love this boy, I think because God knew I needed to meet him, because Rafael has some lessons he needs to teach me. He is amazing. 

 Marisol and Vanessa (who I have mentioned in other letters) are 14 and 15, and they are AMAZING. We watched the restoration video with them on Tuesday and it was one of the most powerful restoration/ book of Mormon lessons in my whole life! We asked if she had prayed about the Book of Mormon and Marisol (14 years old) said, "I feel as though something washed over me, I can't describe it, its like I took a breath and I was a new person.." She went on and on about how she had received her answer. It made my testimony grow! I thought I would get sick of watching the restoration video on my mission, but I LOVE IT. Every time we watch it, I just think, "are these people FEELING WHAT I AM FEELING?? How can they deny this!!!" Then I just love watching their faces when at the end of the movie Joseph smith hugs his dad after getting baptized. 

    Marisol also said, "Like Joseph's dad, I want to be baptized too." We were both AMAZED. Seriously these girls are so so special. The spirit touches youth so strongly, and it grows my testimony every time they bear their testimony! Man, it was AWESOME! 

That's basically it for investigators, this week we also had some very big miracles contacting people on the street. I am going to tell you just a few of them. 

First we met a man named Alex, who told us that he didn't think we could help him. He was done with God, he was ready to give up. We told him we had something that could change his life. He told us that that's what all the churches have told him, and every time, it never worked. We promised him it was different. We promised him it wasn't a coincidence we'd met him just days after his cousin was killed in a gang war. I don't remember the words we said because they weren't our own. He was done trying.  And something in him, maybe without himself even agreeing to it, pulled him to accept our help. When these peoples lives seem to come to an end, God is then able to really make himself known. We got his information, we are going back this week! 

Then right after we stopped to talk to a man at a bus stop with three little boys! They were SO cute. His name was Mark. His wife had left him with four children. He told us that she accused him of domestic abuse, which landed him in prison for quite some time. I'm not sure if he was guilty or not - but possibly, because he had discovered that she was cheating on him with over forty men, and using crack in front of their baby girl. Gang bangers were pretty much babysitting their kids. He started bawling, alone on this cold street corner with 3 little toddler boys. We were just inhaling the bitter alcohol on his breath. He said he was willing to do anything, to accept anything. He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a stack of crumpled papers he found that his wife had written - laden with the foulest things one could ever say about God. There were gang signs, secret marks, bloodthirsty, sound like 4 Nephi?  We got his information and told him and promised him that God hadn't given up on him. Just as we walked away, the elders that are assigned to his area rode past and we flagged them down to tell them what had just happened. 

--- Mark and his children went to the primary halloween activity this saturday :) 

There was one more that really stuck out to me this week, and it was a girl named Jackie. We ran into her and then she just said right away, "Oh my goodness, can we pray right now, my mom just got diagnosed with stage 4 cancer." We said a prayer right then, right on the streets of Chicago, she then started weeping and said, "I am just trying to be strong." We then said right then to her, "We know where your mom will go after this life.." and she said, "Really?" We then promised her blessings, and more than that promised her that she WILL LIVE again, and of course got her information. 

These stories are very small, yes, and in all honesty happen ALL the time. they take like 10 min MAYBE, but its really these stories that make a person who they really are. It shapes them and molds them. At least, that's what it's done for me. 

I have such a testimony of how incredible God is. With each of these people, they hit their low, their personal rock bottom, He sent his messengers to go and rescue them. I always want to be ready for that call, whatever the Lords errand may be, I want to be ready for it. 

On Saturday we helped the ward with their Halloween party! They asked us to do something fun, like some sort of talent, so what did we do??.... we acted out the Book of Mormon! We had the kids follow the iron rod, and climb under the table for "time warp" and we acted out stories and they had to guess them :) then we sang Book of Mormon stories :) it was a hit! 

It was great! ... Halloween party? and the tree of life in the same night?.... haha what can they expect from the missionaries ;) 

I love you family, let us all this week be ready and willing to answer the call of the Lord, that we may be His messengers, or maybe His rescuers, or maybe both :)

I love you all. For another week! 

All of me loves all of you all

Hermana Brittany Hammond          Our Book of Mormon Skit for Halloween!!

                                              

We had to eat 7 sugar things!!!!

They go all out Here!!!!!!!

 

Oct. 20, 2014"I am perfect in one thing, I am perfect in trying."

Oct. 20, 2014 "I am perfect in one thing, I am perfect in trying."

Happy Anniversary Scott & Tirzah!!

It was a great week! It was really busy, but it really was a great
week. It's hard to say all that we do, so I will just share a few
stories, because I can't remember what we do these days, and they all
get mixed up! :)

On Tuesday we had exchanges! I was with an hermana, and she came out with me! Her name is Hermana Meanea. It was a great exchange. She came to our area and we taught algunas personas, Rosa Males, (who we ended up taking a picture with because all she remembers about the church is the law of chastity and God, and because she just always holds up that pamphlet every lesson.. hilarious) But we did have a good day, we were SOAKING wet from the rain, and you all know me, I was just loving it! I wanted to go on a run. 

On Wednesday we had a zone training meeting, it was fun! We get to teach a part of it, and this time we taught about the importance of companionship study, it was really fun! I like to teach, it makes me think that teaching at like the CCM would really just be the best! After that we went over to serve a lady in our ward. Her name is Hermana Rojas, and the doctors have given her 2 more weeks to live. She has cancer in her throat, and it's the saddest thing. She isn't sealed with her husband because he is in-active, but she always brought her 6 year old son and daughter to church, and the doctors have had to take our her tongue, and its really so sad. We went over to go take care of her, but there were already 3 Hermanas helping her, so we decided to clean the kitchen. The Hermana is so strong in the church, and was always going to the temple even without her husband, and it just makes me so sad to think about her husband. Now what we are praying for, is so the Hermano can come back to church because of this, so he can come back to prepare to make covenants with God, right now he still doesn't want to come to church, but I know soon he will! 

On Friday we had exchanges! I went to this Hermanas area, it was really interesting because it was one of the hardest exchanges I ever have been on. The hermana just was pretty much done with being a missionary. We actually have become friends on the mission because we served near each other in Woodstock. She was having a hard time. There are times when you just feel like, "okay, I am done, I love it here, I love the people, but I am just done...." I know because I am certain that that's how every missionary feels at least once, but I felt really close to the spirit during this time because the Lord had guided this exchange so that this hermana could have a friend to talk to. I am certain that it really wasn't me who helped, but it was the fact that someone was there, who cared about her, and mostly to just tell her she could do it!- With Presidents permission she got to call her mom while I was there, and I think things will just be fine :) 

We had an incredible lesson this Sunday with la familia Pule, it was
amazing! We had the lesson in their home and it was the Hermanos mom who
we were teaching because she isn't a member. It was one of the most
powerful lessons ever. We were teaching Hermano pulses mom, but his
dad is a member, and we were teaching her about the restoration. It
was the sweetest thing, because the husband just comes right out and
says, "wife, we are waiting on you, we want to be a family sealed
together for time and all eternity, I want to be sealed to you." Then
the son just said, "Mom, I have joined this church and left our family
traditions because I know this church is true. I know it, and I want
my family to he together forever,  (this is when he started to get
pretty bold!.... It was awesome) but," he said, "mom God is going to
hold you accountable after this life, and he will say to you, 'I sent
my gospel to you, and you didn't accept it....' Mom, we are waiting to
be sealed to you, please come join us...." It was awesome. She is
still pretty strong in her beliefs, but I know one day she will be
baptized. It was really powerful. This family is so super cool! I love
them! The Hermano grew up in this place in Mexico with mountains, and
it's summer all of the time, and it's just a bunch of farms and fields,
and they were so poor they didn't wear shoes, they would just run up
and down the mountain side sin zapatos, and picking fresh fruit all
day. Legit right? Yeah.

Well family, I love you all! This week we have had SO MUCH MEMBER HELP! In EVERY SINGLE one of our citas, we have a member there, why?... because its the genius of this gospel! I love the analogy of us all climbing this big mountain, we cant do it alone, we need our family, our friends, our neighbors to all lift us along this journey! Members are key to this work, they find, we teach, they testify, its the best. I love it.

Also-- theme of the week, "I am perfect in one thing, I am perfect in trying.." - meet the Mormons. 

My challenge for all of you, is to try to be a little bit better, a little more happy, a little more positive, a little more forgiving, a little more Christ-like. 

I love you all! Keep baptizing people at BYU-I! So pumped for ROBERT! How amazing! Family que impresionante!!! I love you all! 

All of me loves all of you all! 

Hermana Hammond

 go make miracles this week :)
                                                         We contacted this woman- she gave us flowers!

Oct. 13, 2014 Soo.. I have made the decision that our next family vacation is .... COSTA RICA.. yep.

Oct. 13, 2014 Soo.. I have made the decision that our next family vacation is .... COSTA RICA.. yep.
Feliz Cumpleanos: Camee!!!!!

I just wanna give a BIG shout out to my mother.. who is the best missionary del mundo! One day I will be like her! With all of the amazing stories from her trip to California! That is exactly what we are supposed to do! Magnify the scripture that says OPEN YOUR MOUTH! Man! Its amazing! 

NEXT- I wanna give a huge shout out for MEET THE MORMONS!.. It was seriously the best movie I have ever seen!... funny story real fast... So, I haven't seen a movie in a REALLY long time right?.. so watching Meet the Mormons was pretty emotional for me, like it was SO intense. When the football team was going out (during that part) I started to tear up because of how intense the music was, ha ha, (imagine me with tears in my eyes watching the football players. yeah. ridiculous.) I whispered to my companion saying, "Wow, Hermana this is so good, I am gonna cry.. I am crying.. " Tears were shed during this movie, not sure if it's just because I haven't seen a movie in a long while or what...

   BUT I just loved the movie! DAD.. our next family trip, I have decided we are going to Costa Rica! That part was SO cool! Man, I just loved it!- and we have to do that !

Okay! now about my week!

So I don't have too much time today so I will just share a few stories! 

On  Wednesday we were running at 6 in the morning and we started doing some lunges and we look up and who do we see??..... ONE OF OUR INVESTIGATORS. Her name is Irma, and we met her contacting on the street. She told us to pray for her mother in Guatemala and so we did and then we saw her, and she came and told us her mother had passed away. What a miracle we were out there and she just happened to be walking (crazy right at 6 in the morning). Later that day we went to her home and taught her the Plan of Salvation, (just a little part,) it was a really powerful lesson. It was awesome, she was so grateful. Later on that day she told us that there was a pastor from the Catholic church going to her home to pray for her mom, and it just made me think that the message we brought her was nothing but hope. It was centered on Jesus Christ, and how families can be together forever, and about how she WILL see her mother again! The prayer they brought her, was nothing but mourning over those who are passed, and a sad time. The gospel is amazing. It was a really cool miracle! 

Then-- on Saturday I had the most wonderful opportunity to see the GOMEZ FAMILY FROM WOODSTOCK SEALED! It was the coolest thing ever. They were baptized two years ago, and we got to do a session and then go into the celestial room with them! I just died, I gave them the BIGGEST hug and just started to cry because the only thoughts I had were, "This is what I am here for, this is the great goal! I came to Chicago to help families achieve THIS." It was amazing! Then when we were in the sealing room, and Alex and Jony walked in, in their white clothes, tears just welt up in my eyes, it was SO awesome. THIS FAMILY IS ETERNAL NOW! I felt so blessed because I wasn't there when they were found, or when the Hermano was a huge heavy alcoholic, or when they were being taught, or when they were baptized, but I did get to see them sealed! Lots of other people were there from Woodstock and it was the best thing in the world cause I miss them all. Man, it was SO cool! 

Best week ever! Other than that, we had a great week! Went on exchanges-- I went with Hermana Francom, on Tuesday and then with Hermana Knowles on Friday. It was awesome! Exchanges can be tiring, but they are great! 

Well, we are doing great! I just keep learning more and more. Heavenly Father is really blessing us right now. More and more I realize that we are all SO inadequate for this work, but HE lets us go out there and He lets us FAIL and he lets us go preach the gospel in a language that isn't even our own, and he lets us try to cry repentance, and he lets us see miracles. It makes me think, that this is how God makes himself known, to work through very weak things so that great things can be brought to pass. Isn't it amazing? 

God is amazing. 

All of me loves all of you all! 

Hermana Hammond 

                                            These are the Gomez boys!! We didn't get the parents but esta bien!!

                                               This is Pero! Interesting man!

           Emailing!!!

Oct. 6, 2014 Do It!!!

Oct. 6, 2014  Do it!!!
Feliz Cumpleanos: My amazing Aunt Gina, Todd F., Uncle Donald, Mykel, and McCall!!
Super excited for Danielle! Super upped for Chad and Anna!!
Wasn't conference just the best thing ever!

From actual SPANISH speakers, to Elder Holland lightning up, to ELDER HAMULA, such a cool man!  To HOW WE NEED TO SUSTAIN OUR PROPHET. Holy cow, coolest conference 

ever. I loved it! -- I was looking for a close up of Teri.... But I did see her! SO FUN! 

I hope you all were edified and more than that, I hope you 

were called to repentance on how you can all do better. I know I was! 

So, first of all, it's starting to get cold again, we got the tights
back on, and put on the pea coats, and now we are wearing sweaters and
socks. It's crazy because I feel like it just got warm, and also it's
so weird because it brings flash backs of when I was being trained
down in Midway. It feels so long ago, and yet so close, mission time
is so warped, anyways, yep it's cold!-- the people tell us that this
winter is supposed to be even worse than last winter, and last winter
was literally colder than Alaska and Siberia, so it'll be great!

We have had a great week! It was interesting because it was a week of
lots of contacting on the streets!- The first part of this week was
really warm, then this weekend, that's when it started getting cold.

Martes- Most of our day was spent trying to find people. Before the
mission I didn't realize what a big part of finding was, but it's a
HUGE part, for us it's more than we teach. Finding the elect people
who want the gospel. Then that night we taught an English class and one
of our investigators came. It was great! His name is Gugenio. He came
by a referral and he's legit! He loved English class, and soon we are
going to start teaching him.
    Then, we had a great lesson with Giovanni, Ailene, and Ivonne our
in-active family. And we watched the entire talk by Dieter F. Uchtdorf
from the women's conference because it was so good! About how we can't
choose the commandments we want to follow and about how blessings from
God are waiting to be poured upon us if only we lift the umbrella!
They loved the talk and sat through and listened intently the whole
time! I was very impressed. Giovanni still said no to coming to
church, but it's alright, he is getting closer!

Miercoles- We dropped by a family, a less active family, Nunez. and they are awesome, but just going through some hard things, and testimony problems, it's so sad because we teach these families and there is just a sad, dark spirit about their home, and you can tell because they don't have the gospel. It's really sad, BUT it has given me such a strong testimony about the very fact that being a member of  this church, isn't just going to church on Sundays and going through the motions, it really is a  LIFE STYLE. It is how you live everyday, If you are truly converted by it, you cannot separate from it, no importa trabajo, amigos..(work ,friends) nada.... it simply is who you are! We also ate nasty spaghetti's and fried meat with them. STRAIGHT after their home we went to go visit Wanda. She is so sweet, she is having some issues right now, and her "friend" cooked for us. He is crazy. But it was really nice, he also made it super clear that we must eat ALL the food. So we did, and we were so full, he also did not listen to our message, but we did get a nice sermon... thank you Pedro, loved the spiritual message. Anyway... then right after that we went straight to a lesson with one of our less-actives Rosalba. She's awesome and we have been teaching her son Emanuel (who we had taught once last week) well, last week he told us he never wanted to get baptized, BUT miracle, right when we came in he sits us down and he (he is 12 years old) he was like, Hermanas there was a Ghost in my room, so now I really want to get baptized so that it will go away..... well that was a first for me. miracle? He came to the WHOLE day of conference on Sunday and the young men totally fellow shipped him it was awesome. He is getting baptized on November 1st!~ GO Emanuel! 

Anyways- after that we just had a lot of contacting on the streets it was a great! 

After the Sunday morning session of conference we went to go contact for awhile because we had some time and we contacted this man, and we asked if we could give him a card and we were pumped because the whole session was on Prophets so we just were like, "We share a message on how GOD SPEAKS TO PROPHETS." annd then...... We got YELLED at, this guy went off and off and basically screamed at just saying, "WE HAVE 66 BOOKS IN THE BIBLE, WE NEED NO MORE BIBLE You crazy Mormons who think there is still a prophet.. blah blah blah.." The whole time we just smiled and in my head I was thinking, ummmm "2 Nefi 29.. and do you really think you can scream at me and try to convince me when I just heard 2 hours of pure testimony on how God still speaks TO PROPHETS?" In the end I really just felt so bad for this man, and I just said a prayer in my heart for him that one day God would give him the chance and one day soften his heart for our wonderful message. Pobrecito..(poor thing) At the end of it all, we ended up just smiling and saying thank you for believing  in Jesus Christ.. he seemed to kind of like that :) 

 It was a great week! Conference was awesome! We eat a lot of food, and I seriously just love it here. Yes, it's hard, yes, sometimes you want to shake the gospel into some people, and yes, sometimes you just feel tired, but when it comes down to it, it just doesn't matter what you want-- What matters is what God wants you to become! That's my quest for this mission-- the person that God wants me to be. 

 Family, I love you all! This week I challenge you all and myself to read over the conference talks, it is SCRIPTURE! We were given SO much council, so many ways how to better ourselves! Find what you can work on, and work on it. From the words of Richard G Scott this weekend, "Do it." 

Love you all

All of me loves all of you all! 

Hermana Hammond

                              You know you are in Chicago when there is a CTR sticker with a ghost sticker behind it!