Week 67 (August 28, 2017)

So it has been raining a lot this week, I'm still trying to drain out my shoes, I've got enough water to fill up a pool, and yet it is raining right now. And yeah we use umbrellas but I still have to put 2 grocery bags around my scriptures with this wind. and then we just run from appointment to appointment! soaking wet yet still ready to find and to teach. The rain isn't that bad except i feel bad when a person lets us in and i soak everything in their house. 

This week we did some good finding. We went on divisions twice. That was freaking great! We also did invasions, we got to invade Elder McCoy and Elder Vasquez. Elder McCoy is my favorite person in this mission. I love this dude! and he works hard and motivates his district as a leader and it probably helps that we were in the MTC together but I still love him! So anytime I get to see him is a great time! 

This week our 3 baptisms fell through at the last second but we should be able to bounce back this week and have more. Also we had 11 investigators attend church this week!! That's a new personal record! We had a family of 8 Kunas come!! Two mothers and they had 5 kids, with 3 of them ready to be baptized next week!! Its so great to have people in sacrament meeting!! Even better we had a member of the 70 come to our sacrament meeting with Tad Callister, the general Sunday School president of the church. 

On Saturday I was able to go to the hospital finally. My companion was tired of me always having to use the bathroom (we are talking like 8 times a day, pretty much after every lesson I ask the investigator if I can destroy their bathroom) . I have had diarrhea for 3 weeks and so we went to get that checked. So I got medicine for that and I already feel so much better!! 

Also this week I found a good place to buy some Ramen noodles. I got one of every flavor that I hadn't tried. There were a ton!! I feel like this is great prep for college!! Always being hungry and not having enough money to do anything about it!! Haha!! 

Anyway I think thats it for the week! Love and miss you!! 

Elder Hamblin 

Week 66 (August 21, 2017)

SHORT AND SWEET

So this week has been a lot of learning. Learning of humility, patience, love, and I guess I will put obedience in here for my companions sake. But its been a long one. When I first met my comp we were in the same zone together when we both had 12 weeks in the mission. Now we are both at over 12 months and have learned and changed a lot.  

We had a baptism last week as well. Went great!! She is an awesome convert!! 

Week 65 (August 14, 2017)

So this week was pretty tough, I don't think that we found a single new person this week, but we did teach the majority of the 20 we found last week and most of them went decent. 

We had a way awesome ward activity that we planned as missionaries and it was so awesome. It was a ward talent show and we had so many people participate and it was just great! I was the host, and I was dressed up like a typical Panamanian and just messed around a bunch, also the judges were way hilarious as well. We probably had like 150 people at the activity and 10 investigators. I will send pictures next week if you remind me. 

Also this week were changes. I am currently with Elder P., my companion was sent with another elder to be the assistant to the president. Elder P. is pretty cool, he's from El Salvador and his favorite sport is Basketball. He loves to be obedient, which is good as a zone leader. Anyway that's it for the week, I was sick for most of it but I should be getting better. 

Love you all!! Miss you!! 

Elder Hamblin 

Week 64 (August 07, 2017)

This week we found 20 new investigators, and invited all of them to be baptized and all of them said yes. Hopefully they keep it up and progress and overcome their difficulties with our help and can be baptized. I just wish to quickly talk about one of the people that we found. 

So we were out doing cosechas, (knocking doors as guided by the spirit and offer a blessing of peace) when we were led to the house of an inactive sister. It just so happened that her mom was in the house at the time and we offered the blessing and put an appointment to talk to her later. So when we got to her house we met her husband. We taught them the restoration of the gospel and asked them to read the Book of Mormon. He immediately accepted and said he would read as much as he could, he then explained to us why the Mormon church is the true church, he basically re-taught us the lesson we taught him but talked about the parts that other churches were missing. (prophets, apostles, priesthood, revelation) It was great. He was convinced by pure logic, and I am very excited to see what happens when he receives an answer to his prayer and feels the spirit testify to him that it is true! He is so great!! He understood so well that my companion and I are actually concerned if he is already a member. This man is going to be baptized!! After he quits drinking coffee and tea and smoking and drinking. But he will do it I have no doubt!! 

So after a very awesome lesson we went to another house and taught the first principles of the gospel. When we invited her to be baptized she said yes, but then she asked if she could celebrate her birthday after her baptism. We were very confused. She asked us "you are Jehovah Witnesses right?" She accepted all of our message without even knowing what church, then we explained that we are the Mormon

church and she was so much more receptive! It was a weird lesson but it ended well and we have an appointment to go back.

So the picture that I have is from my comp. we have to walk through this jungle to get out to part of our area, its just a little shortcut but it cuts off like 45 minutes of walking and we have tons of investigators in that area so we take this shortcut a lot. So last night my comp took a picture while we were out there. 

Love you all!! 

Elder Hamblin