Elder C

Which companion taught you the most and how/why?  Hmm well they all have taught me different things but I think Elder C really taught me a lot about how I can't control other people I can just be paitent and let him do what he wants. 

What is your favorite scripture right now?  hmm well today I read Alma 21 where the king there talks about how he will give up all his sins to know God. I thought that was a really interesting message. But my favorite of all time would be in Mosiah, I think... where Alma asks God about what he should do with all the members of the church that are doing really bad things and God talks about repentance. I dont remember where it is right now but when I find it ill send it to you haha

What is your favorite tie? I Have a lot of favorite ties. you can probably tell by the fotos which tie I wear the most. 

But yeah this week was pretty normal. Im geting on a little early because we´re going fishing soon so thats gonna be fun!! WOOO!

The zone confrence was awesome! it went really well. This is a group of really good missionaries who love the Lord and love to serve. Im really sad that was my last zone meeting but it was a good one. 30 in attendance. hahah it was the size of some wards here. I gave the training on studying and how we can study better. It was awesome. Presidente gave that training on tuesday so really i just passed what he told me to pass on. But yeah Im gonna keep working hard! im super determined to baptize a few more before I go home!! I love you guys!! miss you all a ton! 

-- 

Elder Hamm

Hard week

How goes the adventure South of the equator? Its good. the Toliet water still spinns clockwise soo yeah. 

Did you pull out your wide brimmed hat now that the clothing rules have changed? Did all the Sister missionaries start wearing slacks all the time?   WHATY HAHAHAHA TA LOUCO!!?!?! NO ONE TOLD ME ABOUT THIS!! presidente will definitly say something about this tomorrow. hahaha are you crazy of course im gonna wear my hat. haha I think it might just be for americans

 Do they talk about Zika much there? yeah dangy (dengue fever) and zika is crazy here its literally getting everyone. half the missions got dangy already. its really strong in some areas and weak in others but its dangerous. it sends missionaries to the hospital for like a week. other cases are less serious. I think i had it for a week but it wasnt' too bad. Fever, rashes, at the end of the week my feet were like swollen and hurting super bad but you get over it. haha my feet hurt all the time so im used to it.

where do you shop for groceries?  we have to walk up a huggge hill to go to a little super mercado called pajeu. its alright but theres not a lot of stuff to buy. 

Do they have bakeries there?  HA! ive been living on bread for 3 months now. We live next to a bakery and there are like a lot of bakeries around brasil. 

Where you are now it is more like Ashburn (developed) or more like a third world country (people living in shacks and no sanitation)? third world country. There are some parts of the city that are super developed with huge houses but its like just a small part of the city.

So this week was pretty sad. I had a really bad day this week. That day no one wanted to hear our message, my recent converts had really bad news about serious sins, and one of my favorite ex investigators lost his soul. i was actually really sad. 

But yeah other than that the week was normal. had missionary work all day and all night. Im in JF today and ill go back tomorrow.

BUUTT I LOVE YOU GUYS!! Miss you all so much! 

-- 

Elder Hamm

Getting warmer

Questions from Dad: 
You said it was cold – have you been wearing a jacket?  Ive been wearing my long sleeve shirts ive almost never worn. Haha, I also have i think 2 sweaters so I was wearing those too but its already gotten hot again.

Did that 72 year old convert get pneumonia?  To my knowledge no. 

Do you serve in just one branch? Yeah I serve in the Sion Branch. There is one more branch in this city called Varginha branch. but our branch is stronger and has more members even though its like 1/4th the size of the other. Haha what can I say, we love to baptise ;) 

So yeah between today and yesterday not a lot happened. Transfers. Elder B is going to be close to Juiz de Fora and im going to stay here and be companions with Elder T. When I lived in staff one of the Elders there was Elder S and he was the man. He's up at BYUI waiting for me to get there. So he trained my new comp and always talked good about him so im excited. haha

Other than that its just back to the old grind. I got a year left so its just head down and plowin. 

I love you guys!! It was so good to see you all!! Miss you guys so much! Cant wait till we´re all together so we can mess around and play cards and stuff. I have a new card game called Truco to play with you guys. 

I Love you guys!!  

-- 

Elder Hamm

A little over a year left....

Dad's Questions: 

How long does it take people to get to the temple from there?  here its actually pretty close. its like 7 hours. in juiz de fora its like 13.

Do they have ward temple trips?  yeah. in bigger areas they have them like once a month where the church rents a bus or van and people buy spots on the bus or van. here they are like once every 3 months.

I assume you don’t get to go to the temple since it is outside your mission?  That is correct

 

What investigator could use our prayers this week and why? Well there are a few who could use them but in Preach My Gospel it says to not ask your family to do prayers or special fasts for your investigators. but we do have 2 people who could be baptised this next week and that would be a huge blessing to them and would really help them out a lot.

So we went to São Lourenço this week to do an interview because their DL couldnt do it. it was 4 hours to get there and 4 hours back stopping off at every freakin farm and it was just the worst. but we did pass a little city called Lambari where I will probably buy a house as a safe house if I ever become a spy because its a small town with a huge lake and its super pretty. I took a picture and ill send it to you guys. its way pretty. but yeah.

We also had interviews with President Cascardi and then Sister Cascardi took me and Elder B back to our house to see if its clean or not.... lets just say last pday i was in JF so I couldnt clean so I guess no one cleaned. She was pretty mad but we joked. She told us what we could do better and this week our house is spotless. but President Cascardi is the man if I havent already said that.

So because I want to focus on the work here I have decided to pretend that i will be here for 1 more year. So do me a favor and play along. Haha I cant focus during the lessons cause I think about the beach and family and stuff so lets just all go along with this lie. haha.

This week I bore my testamony at church (not unusual because I normally do it every first sunday because there isnt a lot of members and I like to bear it) and I talked about gratitude. I realized this week that when we call people, its never really to just chat. When the missionaries call its because they need help or they have a plan and you are part of it! But me and Elder B were just feeling really humbled by the work and help of some of the members here and I was just so grateful for people taking care of me. And I thought how are we ever going to show our appreciation and repay these people? And then it hit me. I dont have to! well, not alone, I can show my gratitude of course and try to do the same to others but in a way, Missionary work isn't mine! I am not the owner of this work. God is! When these people give rides to my investigators or come to teach lessons with us during their lunch break or come pick us from the bus station at midnight they are doing part of this marvelous work! The work of God! They too are getting the blessings of our heavenly father. He will repay them in ways I cant even imagine. I am so grateful for people and their help and so imagine the gratitude of God. It was a good feeling and a even better feeling knowing that these people will be belssed. 

I love you guys! I'm so happy that Jackie got married and it all worked out. I guess ill see you guys next sunday for Mother's Day? Maybe? haha I only got a little over a year left so we dont have to skype right? ;) haha love you guys!!

-- 

Elder Hamm

Lavras

Me on the bus with the windows open

Have you been to any wedding or wedding receptions while there?  If so, what are they like?  Yes actually I married a few people here. they are like american receptions. some salgados and cake. nothing super different. 

What was the best discussion you had this week with an investigator?  With a investigator we found in Lavras. She was raped when she was 5 by her older brother and she remembers every little detail. She said she cant get it out of her head and she cant sleep at night and she doesnt know why she still remembers even now, 30 years after. I told her about how baptism gives us a new life and a new beginning. It was special.

One of the things they taught at a regional training this week is that we need to give the young men opportunities to find they can do hard things. What is something you did as a YM that helped you understand you can do hard things? haha probably scouting because every other hard thing I think I kinda found my way out. I dunno. Nothing really compares to a mission because you dedicate 24 hours of the day to one thing. its really nice knowing there is no way to back out and so you should just man up and take it head on. Scouting would be like that kinda. in a way less serious way

This is the church in Lavras

Soooo yeeah this week was pretty packed. We did splits in Lavras and ill have to send you a picture of the church. You wont believe thats the church. haha But it was good. other than the 3 hour bus ride -___- then 3 hours again to get back -___- but yeah then we worked out butts off to try and get our goals and we were SO CLOSE!!!! WE were just missing 2 more people at church... it was super sad.

Saturday we got up at 6:30 and then got dressed for a service project that started at 7:30. It was super fun. Pedreiro stuff. We made cement by hand on the street (which is kinda hard but ive had a lot of practice so I can turn it pretty well if I do say so myself) and then replaced the floor in someones house that was kinda falling apart. Then we had to run home at 12:30 and shower super fast to go to lunch at 1 and then just grindin on the road all day long. it was tought but good. we found a lot of good people who need our help and who need the Gospel. 

Some guy tried to bible bash with us this week, nothing new, but kinda the way we handled it. So he was shouting and stood up and was screaming and stuff and I just decided to open the book of Mormon and read a part to him. 2 Nefi 33 10 11 14 and 15 and it was weird, when I was reading those verses (which you can find on the internet just google it) they were compleatly silent. They didnt say a word. I said ''you can fight all you want you can tell me about how you cant add anything to the bible or about angels can´t announce a new gospel but you can't say anything untill you read this book. so here is your chance, probably last chance too, repent, and read this book. Test for yourself if this book is true and untill you do that you will never know what God has in store for you and your family." they just kinda exchanged glances and said they would read it and then teach US about it. I said "I hope so. Ill mark my favorite chapter 2Nefi 21" ;) haha so yeah it was a whole different ball park reading the book of mormon to someone who doesnt believe in it. The spirit burns.

But yeah im in Juiz de Fora.... again. but this time with Elder Howard!! We renewed our visas here so we´re going home at 5 so we get to varginha at 12h midnight... like always. oh my gosh I cant wait to not have to take a bus everywhere. or go to some place just to pass the time and not work. haha I love you guys!! ill send you some pics!! 

Love, 

Elder Hamm

Maritacas!!!!

Do most the churches have baptismal fonts and is the water warm? So they all have fonts, some of the groups and branches have like a pvc pipe pool and stuff but they all have some way to baptise. As for warm water.... hmmm... well all the chaples that ive passed in have a water heater that like pulls in water, heats it up, and then pushes it out. and in all 5 areas only one in one area it was working.... haha and that was the presidents ward so I think he had something to do with that. other than that its cold water. unless you heat it up in a pan and put it in the water. we did that a few time for some oldies who were gettin baptised. 

Tell me about what you do on a P-day in your current city.  What is the best Pday activity you have ever done?  Pday here is pretty calm. We just hangout, buy things in center if we need to. Go get açai (I eat like a ton of açai here cause its cheap and so good). Play cards with some dudes  in the ward, play basketball. its pretty calm but the best P-day would be in Barra Mansa were we played water sports and vollyball and queimado with the ward all day and had a picknick then at night had a family night with the whole ward there. That was missionary-planned but like member-ran so it was sick.

What thing you took with you has lasted the longest and what wore out way too soon (shoes, books, whatever)? Shoes wear out wayyy too soon. My boots already have 2 holes in the bottoms... -_____- Ill show you at mothers day. but yeah and then what lasted the longest would be.... that MP3 Jackie gave me.. haha its still kickin. also all of my shirts are still white and my pants are sun stained but still in one piece!



So this week it was truly a miracle week. Our investigator who we had been working with for 7 weeks finally stopped smoking. it was a  really touching experience and really cool how  she truly hit rock bottom and cried for the first time in years. She didnt cry when her daughter died or when her husband died but I shared Ether 12:27 with her and the tears started rolling. I knew she was stronger than her addiction and she knew it too.  so after 2 months of going to church, she was finally baptized. it was a  glorious day. And I wore a sick jumpsuit I found at the church to baptize her. haha the ward loved it.

So when I was baptizing her we got in the water already laughing because the water was ice cold. Then I kept forgeting her name and she was so nervous  I just couldnt help  laughing cause  shes like my aunt shes just the best hahahah. So I say the prayer and when I go to baptize her she throws her hands out and arches her chest so im like  trying to push her under and 5 or 6 strands of hair didnt go under..... I was like laughing so hard I was like,  oh euza mais uma vez. haha  but dont arch your back this time just bend the knees and lean back. haha so it worked the second time and till today she said I tried to drown her. haha


So today im in juiz de fora. Yep. 8 hour bus ride and tomorrow we have a meeting with pres. and today im gonna visit some of my recent converts and members who i loved. that the benifit of comming back here.


OH MY GOODNESS WE HAD 2 LUNCHES where the irmãs in the ward have maritacas!!!! Haha we ate lunch and then played with the maritacas for a few minutes haha it was so sick.   I'll send pictures. It made me so freakin happy. And one of them was so friendly he liked being scratched beneath his wings and he would like coddle in your neck haha. And the other one was a little more wild. He would like bite my neck and chin and then start laughing. hahaha it didnt hurt because he was playing but it did always startle me.  



Buttt I love you guys!! miss you all tons!! Im workin so freakin hard here it's exhausting but its good. I wouldn't have it any other way.  love you guys!!

Elder Hamm

Recent convert who also has a horn

Pink church

Dad, this is what you want. 100 acai with mouse de morango
 and leite em pó

Olympic Coins so far!  

The one where she almooooooost went to conference

What do April showers bring in Brazil if not May flowers? haha uhhh we didnt really have april showers...

Do they watch conference live there, even Priesthood Session since it is late at night? Yeah the sessions start at 1 and 5 and the priesthood session starts a 9 so we cant go....

 What was your favorite talk?  President Uchtdorf. That dude is the man.

And President Monson gave a good talk. I liked that. Keep on workin hard and endure to the end like Thomas S Monson. That dude is a trooper. But yeah im workin hard. The other day president was here right and he was thanking us for our work and knows we´re trying to lead the zone to get better numbers and being an example is the best thing we can do. Everyone here isnt even getting half the numbers we´re getting and its just lack of interest. Its sad cause this is only 2 years. Im workin hard and ill work hard cause im not about to lose all of my blessings in the last 11 weeks. haha Next week ill be in Juiz de fora. haha thats a 7 hour bus ride. but what can you do? 

So this week we had some more miracles!! So we were doing contacts between the sessions of confrence and everyone we were talking to was just ignoring us... like we started flagging down people just to see if they could see us cause at one point I thought I was invisible.... So Elder B was getting wayyy more rejected than I was haha poor guy.  So I was like "oh B dont get down man. Satan is trying to get to you. He knows you'll talk to some super elite person soon and he doesn't want you to make that contact." and B's like, yeah and the next girl walks up and we stop her and she TALKS TO US! But she said she lives with like 3 pastors so we probably couldnt go over there. so we leave a card and take like 30 more steps and then think, well conference will start soon so we should probably start heading back. So we turn around and that chick is walking toward us, which means she turned around too. haha.   So when we get close i say, What are you lost? haha and shes like, no I was gonna get acai but its closed... So I was like, uhh we just walked past it, its open. She was like, oh it looked closed. So we both start walking in that direction and Im like, so have you lived here a long time? And I swear she didnt even answer the question and she was like, What's your religion about? And we give her the watered down version of the restoration based off of revelation like Christ's church was and tell her we got all of this from revelation and we can prove it in the Bible. She was like, this is just super weird. haha she was pretty straight forward but we kept talking and she started understanding and we invite her to conference and shes like, "this is all too weird" and im like, why? She said when she left home she prayed that God would talk to her. And then we stopped her. After we walked away, the spirit told her that she should talk to us again. Thats why she turned around. I said "this is way to weird... you should hear what I said to Elder B right before he talked to you!" and we almost ALMOST got her to go to conference. But instead we made her pull up conference on her phone and watch it while she ate acai. 
We're gonna go back there this week and see if we can teach her. 

We also left lunch late on sunday. we left at 12;50 and were like a good 35 minutes from the church. We were devastated. it was so sad. So as we start walking and our former investigator passes in a car and is like, Hey do you guys want a ride? I was like oh my goodness I cannot believe this. its crazy. God works so hard to take care of us and to take care of his children. He definitely is helping us out wayyy more than I ever thought. I am so grateful for his help. 

Conference was super cool. it was super good this time and for the first time I reeally was excited to hear them talk like every single one. I remember how freakin hard it was for me to sit and watch conference at home and it was just torture haha but now I really like it. It was really good. Elder Uchtdorf gave a super good talk. I loved it and so did my investigators!

Haha!  And I definitely thought of family councils when they talked about it.  I explained that family councils are the worst.  haha!!  3 hours of quoting movies and reminiscing and 20  minutes of planning.  haha Come to think of it, sounds like our weekly planning here on the mish.  

I love you guys!! Miss you all!!!

Elder Hamm