Dear Mom and Family My heart just sings with joy that Heavenly Father lives and His Son-my Savior Jesus Christ. As I write this email there is a mural of the first vision and I gazed at it a bit before beginning this email. What a blessing that it happened. Because it happened I can trust that when loved one passes away I will meet them again. Also that as I keep the commandments that Heavenly Father will provide everything I need. Additionally, that even when many may reject this glad message, I can still trust in the promise that He is preparing the elect to receive it.
This past week has been full of little miracles. M, a less-active member, has recently chosen to come back and actively do missionary work. He loves coming to teaches and seeking for opportunities to spread the gospel. I asked him what influenced him to come back and he said, '' This desire to become like Jesus Christ has grown within me.'' When I heard that all I could think was...Wow...P-R-O-F-O-U-N-D. He has recently been called as a ward missionary and is stellar at teaches.
An observation on teaching- I was discussing the gospel with a brain doctor a week or two ago who was interested to hear what we had to say. On our way to the trolley he shared something that stuck in my mind. He said, ''A good teacher is a good learner.'' That is so true. A good teacher wants to learn from his or her students. What he said has helped motivate me to strive even more to learn.
This past week was Zone Conference in which was a spiritual feast. President Brown spoke on ''Consecrated Missionary'' and opened our spiritual eyes to how to gain greater spiritual power. I am working to apply it for the rest of my mission. Everyone needs greater spiritual power to succeed in life and bless others.
I will write more about our investigators next week. I love you and please pray for A and J to obey the Word of Wisdom.
Love
Elder Hamner
Monday, February 21, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Feb. 14, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day This week feel that I need to share is how Heavenly Father loves His children and because He does, He has given us all the opportunity to prove ourselves worthy to live with Him forever and enjoy all of His blessings. As I have studied the plan of salvation and understood it more I can not help but want to share it and help others to understand it. What a blessing it is to everyone! It brings understanding and peace that you can not find anywhere else. I would like to know how much rejoicing there was in the Pre-Earth life when we found out about this plan. We now have the opportunity to make something miraculous. The principle of agency is so exciting and brings the Spirit more and more into my heart as I ponder about it and how to use it better.
Also I wanted to thank you for your prayers. At this moment our investigators are progressing well as they keep their commitments and as a result A and his brother, J, have baptismal dates. Please pray that they can break away from alcohol and tobacco. A has been sharing with us how he is experiencing the atonement. He said that as he has been praying and keeping the commandments better and better he feels a load of burden leaving. He said that is such amazing joy which he could not describe. As I was sitting there just listening, I felt strongly a portion of Heavenly Father's and the Savior's love for him. What a tender mercy to be a part of the powerful process of repentance and in long-terms-conversion.
Thank you again for your prayers. I love you.
Elder Hamner
Also I wanted to thank you for your prayers. At this moment our investigators are progressing well as they keep their commitments and as a result A and his brother, J, have baptismal dates. Please pray that they can break away from alcohol and tobacco. A has been sharing with us how he is experiencing the atonement. He said that as he has been praying and keeping the commandments better and better he feels a load of burden leaving. He said that is such amazing joy which he could not describe. As I was sitting there just listening, I felt strongly a portion of Heavenly Father's and the Savior's love for him. What a tender mercy to be a part of the powerful process of repentance and in long-terms-conversion.
Thank you again for your prayers. I love you.
Elder Hamner
Monday, February 7, 2011
Feb. 7, 2011
Dearest Mom and Family,
What a crazy, blessed week!
I pray that the Holy Ghost will help me as I share about this past week. The Lord does lead this work. I can illustrate by an experience. This past Sunday we had a lesson with a less-active/part-member family after church. We needed to leave from church shortly after the third hour but we were called into a short meeting. We could have canceled on the meeting but we felt alright to attend. Then upon the end of the meeting we were off to catch our bus to the family's home. However we found that we missed it but we are at peace, and we called the family informing them of our tardiness. While waiting at the bus stop we meet one young lady, A. I started to talk to her and shared how Heavenly Father is interested in our lives and is very personal. The Spirit touched her heart and she accepted the missionaries to visit; however she is going back to Estonia for school. We said, ''No problem, there are missionaries there too who want to share more about this message''. We got on the bus and we taught more about the Restored Gospel and the Book of Mormon. A was surprised and grateful when I offered to give the Book of Mormon before she left. I shared how the Book of Mormon has changed my life and opened my eyes to Heavenly Father. She then left, but before she left she gave her address for the missionaries to visit. This was a tender mercy to find A and give her a piece of heaven. Also thank you for your prayers. They played a role in this miracle. We will be sending her info to our mission office and then she will be taken care of.
One of our investigators, A is progressing well. We are helping him stop smoking and the Lord is strengthening him little by little. It is blessing to be a part of his developing greater faith. For example, he set originally to stop smoking by September and then we helped him move it up sooner to June. But we felt he could do better as the Lord's servants we helped him see that within a month he could do it. He felt good with that and has set it as his goal. He has shared that as he has prayed and read from the scriptures more and more the desire to smoke has decreased. What a simple miracle!
At this time in Helsinki the weather has been quite warm 32 degrees F. Usually the month of February is the coldest of the year. Because of the good weather, Elder Pace and I have been running each morning.
Regarding our food, this past week I made broccoli cheese and potato soup! Oh it tasted just like home except in the potato soup I added broccoli and carrots. Soups are great for the winter.
I hope your first week of February has gone well. I love you and pray for you too.
Love
Elder Hamner
What a crazy, blessed week!
I pray that the Holy Ghost will help me as I share about this past week. The Lord does lead this work. I can illustrate by an experience. This past Sunday we had a lesson with a less-active/part-member family after church. We needed to leave from church shortly after the third hour but we were called into a short meeting. We could have canceled on the meeting but we felt alright to attend. Then upon the end of the meeting we were off to catch our bus to the family's home. However we found that we missed it but we are at peace, and we called the family informing them of our tardiness. While waiting at the bus stop we meet one young lady, A. I started to talk to her and shared how Heavenly Father is interested in our lives and is very personal. The Spirit touched her heart and she accepted the missionaries to visit; however she is going back to Estonia for school. We said, ''No problem, there are missionaries there too who want to share more about this message''. We got on the bus and we taught more about the Restored Gospel and the Book of Mormon. A was surprised and grateful when I offered to give the Book of Mormon before she left. I shared how the Book of Mormon has changed my life and opened my eyes to Heavenly Father. She then left, but before she left she gave her address for the missionaries to visit. This was a tender mercy to find A and give her a piece of heaven. Also thank you for your prayers. They played a role in this miracle. We will be sending her info to our mission office and then she will be taken care of.
One of our investigators, A is progressing well. We are helping him stop smoking and the Lord is strengthening him little by little. It is blessing to be a part of his developing greater faith. For example, he set originally to stop smoking by September and then we helped him move it up sooner to June. But we felt he could do better as the Lord's servants we helped him see that within a month he could do it. He felt good with that and has set it as his goal. He has shared that as he has prayed and read from the scriptures more and more the desire to smoke has decreased. What a simple miracle!
At this time in Helsinki the weather has been quite warm 32 degrees F. Usually the month of February is the coldest of the year. Because of the good weather, Elder Pace and I have been running each morning.
Regarding our food, this past week I made broccoli cheese and potato soup! Oh it tasted just like home except in the potato soup I added broccoli and carrots. Soups are great for the winter.
I hope your first week of February has gone well. I love you and pray for you too.
Love
Elder Hamner
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Helaman 5:12
And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
