An Unfortunate Dislocation

We went for a hike on Saturday the 8th. It was a pretty good hike. We hiked for a little over a mile and came to this over looking bluff. So of course we had to climb it to see the valley we just hiked from. Now climbing down was a little tricky and I went a different way from where we all came up. My hand holds weren't the best and I lost my grip. As I started to fall backwards I turned around in an effort to land safely. I landed on my own two feet and everything was okay. But, then I looked at my feet. It turns out my right foot was a little out of order. I fractured my Talius and my ankle was dislocated from were it was supposed to be. Pretty nasty! Unfortunately I will have to return home for at least 10 weeks. It might be more than that. But, I know God has a plan for me and my Mission President said I would be able to return and finish my mission.

I am grateful for all of you.

Elder Hamson

Faces

Transfers were last week! My new companion is Elder Taylor. Funny enough, my old companion Elder Boyce was trained by Elder Taylor. 

Also, the two other Elders we live with are Gone! They got moved out so it is just us.

It was a good week but, I am really tired. Next week will be better. 

The fourth of july was good we had a booth and we talked to a lot of children because my companion can do balloon animals.

I really am sorry, it's one of thoses things where so much happened that I can't mentally recall what happened because I am fatigued.  

Love you alls faces!

Elder Hamson

Christine

It was a long week. 

We had a fantastic start to our week. We had an opportunity to go to the temple! It was awesome and beautiful! Not too hot so, that is good. I got to talk to my son! Shout out to you my boy! It is always magical to catch up with old friends. 

Wednesday was probably the highlight of the week. After coming off Mount Sinai, so to speak, and we put our potential investigator on date for baptism. She is a cool lady. Her name is Christine. We met her after trying to have dinner with one of our members. She came over to tell us they weren't home and we talked for a bit about her. About how she used to live in Salt Lake City and she used to work for Deseret Industries! She even said she would walk past the Salt Lake Temple everyday and would wish she could go inside!

She is pretty awesome. We taught her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how it is available to us in modern times. She said she would read the Book of Mormon and said she wanted to be baptized so we gave her a date to work towards. So, we'll see. Hopefully she is serious and committed. We'll see, hope she reads.

My companion was sick the rest of the week. Some kind of stomach flu.

Have an awesome possum week!

Elder Hamson

This was supposed to be 6-5-17

Fam fam bam!

This was a cool week! Super stressful but, that is okay! As you know we have been planning and preparing for this dutch oven cook-off thing. Well this is happening this week and that is super exciting because everyone will be there. We have been doing a bunch of miscellaneous things for that like, we just made a deal with safeway they are giving us watermelons half off. 

Anyway, at the beginning of this week we had Zone Conference, it was super good. This one was a little different beacuse we had an opportunity to sit down and meet as a Zone. So, to explain this we are combined with another zone and because we have been doing zone conference so often we stopped having training meetings as a zone. It was cool we split off ans had a mini zone training meeting where we talked about sacrifice and how we view it as a sacrafice but, really it is an investment. Because we get more by following christ's example than we do give up. We also had a good opportunity to role play and learn about repentance.

The week went by so fast because we went from there straight over to Young and spent a day in Young. Thursday, the zone leaders came up and they went out with us. We had another district meeting this week. We have been having those a lot more often too, I kinda like it and also, it just means that there is a lot more for me to do. We had a good meeting though, we talked about goals and our plans. It was very productive and I think we have an awesome group of missionaries here in Payson.

Now the weekend... Holy! The weekend was crazy. There was an event that they called the "monster mudda" it was a giant mud run. We helped out with that. We didn't run the course but, we helped pass out water and be more of guides/judges becasue money was on the line for this race. We had to make sure they did all the obstacles right, haha. It was a good event. I could go without the heat though. It wasn't that bad, it is just more deserty here than in Utah. Also, let the record show that once in my life I didn't get sun burned. I surprise myself sometimes.

Well anyway, that's what I have been up to. Something cool I can leave with you that helps me with those negative thoughts that always find a way to attack. 

There is a scripture in 3 Nephi 9:20 that talks about when the lamanites were converted and baptized, they were cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost. Just as Nephi explained in 2 Nephi 31:17, after repentance and baptism, we are cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost. Now, in 3 Nephi Christ explained that those converted lamanites KNEW IT NOT. I have always thought that that cleansing moment of the Holy Ghost would overwhelmingly reassuring but, they lamanites didn't know that is what happened. What I do know is that thought of helplessness and hopelessness don't come for God. And that sometimes we may think that we don't deserve to be forgiven for what we have done and miss that fact that God forgives us and as long as we keep his commandments and have a broken heart and contrite spirit he will help us change. Now that hard part is believing that and what the scriptures say and not those voices of negativity.

Love y'all!

Elder Hamson

Luv u

Forward, pressing forward

The climax of this week was the dutch oven cook off. It was good, we had the place prepared for about 300 people and about 60 or 70 people came. Oops... haha, it was a good time though! There was a contest for the Dutch Oven cooking and for those that brought desserts. The most entertaining part was the watermelon eating contest. Haha, watermelon is harder to eat fast than you would think. Well at least for me. All us missionaries competed in the watermelon one. Well, all of us except for the one that is allergic and would die if she ate it. Just kidding, not that serious but, she was allergic! Anyway my companion tooking all. I don't know how he did it. I was thoroughly impressed that he didn't through up. Elder Stone got like two thirds of the way through it and he threw up, I got video of it. Crappy video but, I got it none the less. 

Anyway, push comes to shove and my companion was sick all day yeaterday. Maybe he is alllergic too. We ought to get that checked. Haha. 

Something that I have been studying about recently is change. Well, repentance but, specifically the pattern  of change. How to do it. What works, what the scriptures have to say about it. From what I have so far and what God has led me to understand for me is that, change always starts with desire. Really everything starts with desire, this is a pattern of living too. And for that desire to lead to any sort of action or accomplishment we have got to be committed. We must have goals and plans that we are committed to so that they actually happen and result with change and blessings we are searching for. For me it is getting from desire to committment. That is the hard part. I know that I when I have something I want to do and it doesn't happen I look back and it's I was lying to myself. I told my self that I

Elder Hamson

Busy

This was a long week.

I started off with an exchange with Elder Hale. Which means I went with Elder Hale instead of my companion Elder Boyce. It was a good day. We spent the most of the day visiting members that aren't at church often and offered help and it was good to meet them, well at least the ones that were home. 

From there this week has been stressful because ee have been planning a couple of events. One with the members where we can talk about their family mission plans, we are calling it a member missionary workshop and the other event is a Dutchoven cook off thing were we are expecting 300 people to come!! So, it is stressful figuring out all those logistics. But, I am happy to report that stress plus work adds up to great success. We are getting very close to being totally ready for this event. It will be totally wicked!

The mission had a meeting in Payson for all the leaders and basically we have to set it up for them. We set up a bunch of tables and chairs, get a white board in there and get the projector ready for them. That is pretty much it and we go to pizza hut and pick up a bunch of pizzas. But, that's okay because we get to eat one ourselves. Anyway, that happened this week on Friday and usually when this happens we have interviews with our mission President he had to reschedule for some reason. 

This week is going to be just as busy that is what is crazy! We have Zone Conference down in Scottsdale tomorrow. Right after that we are going to Young. Once we get back home from Young we are spending a day with the zone leaders. Friday is the member missionary workshop I talked about. And, Saturday we are volunteering at two community events, a mud run, and something called the gladiator Challenge.

So, pray for me this is going to be nuts! :)

Have a great week! Love ya'll

Elder Hamson