Email 7/28/13

Mother,

 

https://missionary.lds.org/dress-grooming/elder/dress/shoes/?lang=eng 

 

This should have the bags that we can use for our mission. I think that if you just scroll down and look you will find one and then just order one online. I don't think that you can order on the lds.org site, but I think that if you look around, everything should be fine. Thanks!

 

I would just send you our address...but we are moving this week. The family that we are living with has a son that is getting married this week and will be moving into our appartment which is above their shop. I guess family takes priority! They could find a place for us to stay until Saturday, and so we are spending the next few days moving and preparing. I am not quite sure what the address iwill be, sorry! This week is going to be crazy! We ahve to move, take in a mini-missionary, go to several district meetings, prepare for MLC, go to MLC, and prep for a zone meeting that we are running. I really like being busy, it is the best!

 

This last week will stand in stark contrast with the current we are facing. Although slow, we did have some fun times and we learned lots! This next week should be fun!

 

Bytheway, Elder Taft got transferred. There was a misunderstanding in his previous area and President Taylor really needed his help in another area. He is going to White Salmon and Stevenson. I think they are still trying to recover from the mess that I left there, and Elder Taft is the perfect man for the job. I love you and I will write you soon.

 

Love,

Elder Hamblin

 

P.S. I will need the bag before the 24th of August. Elder Holland will be coming to the mission and President Taylor would like us to be prepared by then. Thanks!

Letter 7/22/13

Dear Family,
Just as lightening precedes an Arizona rain or the song of birds is a harbinger of Spring, so is "change" the loud and physical representation of the many blessings that are soon to follow.  The Arizona rain comes hard and fast but always leaves in its stead a rejuvenation of earth life;  robins and sparrows call in the new season, where in the rebirth of the earthly cycle begins.  We, as missionaries, have the opportunity to see this "cycle" happen daily in the lives of those we serve and within our very self.

We see these cycles often, some slow and some quick, as we help people understand who they really are.  This hastening of the work is not only manifest by the droves of new missionaries or the procedure updates by the church.  Rather, this hastening is very much professed in the knocking on doors and finding more people susceptible to hearing the message of the Restoration.  Literal changes manifested as miracles are pure evidence of this marvellous work.

So far this transfer we have seen miracle after miracle pile up.  Not just us but all the missionaries around us are seeing miracles which increase our faith and our desire to join in the work.

just the other day Elder Taft and I were walking down the street to an apartment complex we had tracted.  As we were walking we passed by a garage sale.  As we strolled by, the girl at the sale called out, "Hey, aren't you going to buy something?"  "Well, do you have any ties?"  I responded, figuring this would be a good opportunity to share the Gospel.  "We are always looking for ties".

"No, but we do have a suit and other church stuff."  We looked at the suit (which was made for an over sized cow) and the other items not really interested.  We picked a conversation with the girl and her brother, both of whom seem as uninterested as we were.  We gave them a card and turned to leave when we heard a crashing noise from the garage.

We turned about just in time to see a lady hurdle over the items of the sale.  "Wait!!!"  she called out, "I want a pamphlet or book or something!"

Bewildered, we took a minute before we realized she was talking to us.  She has always been religious and loves to learn about the different religions, hence the call for a pamphlet.  we talked with her for a bit, gave her a Book of Mormon, and got her address and number!  When we gave her the Book of Mormon it finally clicked with her who we were.

"Oh!  My best friend is a Mormon.  She lives in Utah now, but she really is great!  I have always wanted to be like her."  She became very interested the more we talked and gave us her life-story.  We set a time to meet.  She ended up living out of our area, but it was still a miracle to see.  We had something similar happen like that to us.  

A woman was found and taught in Woodland, but actually lives in our ward in Longview.  We met her in church on Sunday and she is very prepared to hear the Gospel.  It has been amazing to see all the work that is happening.

I love you all and hope you have a good week!

Love,
Elder Rex Hamblin

Letter 7/15/13

Dear Family,
Once again, transfers have come again with its changes.  Like seasons, missionary work tactics almost completely change with the area and companion.  We apply our knowledge we have gained and see what we can do to help "Lift where we stand".  Our zone completely changed as the missionary force continually increased; three areas were opened and a tri-panionship as we have more missionaries to help our fellow kin-folk.  Along with all the changes, we find that we too must change.

Testimonies are foundation, but they are added to; conversion is deepened as we drink from the never dry fountain of true water.  We change in our capabilities and, in doing so, increasing in our availabilities to the Lord.  I have learned much of this as I have had this amazing opportunity to be "white washed" into an area which is primed to perform for primium missionary efforts and a companion who is still climbing to the peak of his missionary efforts.  How lucky am I to be so blessed with both?

I didn't make a big move, but I made a huge transition.

Other than that I had some really cool stuff to tell you, but I can just bet that you really don't want to hear.  It's too bad because it was an amazing story that involved more than your average white tale.  Honestly I did have something to say, but I cannot remember.  Sorry, I guess all you need to know is that I am having fun and staying alive.  I love you all!

Love, Elder Rex Hamblin
P.S. Mom, I couldn't find a bad today and they probably won't come in for a while.  Could you please order me a bag?  Thanks!

Letter 7/08/13

Dear Family,
This week has been one full of running, remembering, and growing.  The 4th of July is, and always has been, a wonderful day to celebrate my freedoms.  What better way to show my rememberance than by teaching about He who made all this possible?  Without the unknown soul and the family of the nation we would never have the opportunity to hear the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ in its fulness.

Now I know this letter is terribly short, and for that I apologize.  I am packing and cleaning right now, and have not had time, but I thought I would just scribble out a letter, so ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
``~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The End!
Sorry, but I thought that was funny.  Just remember I love you ALL!
Love,
Elder Rex Hamblin
P.S. I really am sorry!

Email 7/22/13

Dear Mother,

 

I really don't have the time this week, and for that I am very sorry. We got to our e-mailing session late, and we only have 25 minutes! This past week has been a blast. I went out on excahnges to Long Beach, Washington and for moring exercises we ran to the beach! We couldn't go on it, of course, but it was amazing to see the ocean and smell the salty fresh air. (That is where I ate the squash. It is amazing to see how small the world really is.) Tell Rat the football is the best preparation for a mission...if you know how to work the system right! I honestly think that it would be in my top three activities that prepared me for my mission, so don't lose hope. It is the best!

 

Love,

Elder Hamblin

 

P.S. Mom, I think that I am going to need you to order me a new bag online. Just look it up onlds.org and use my money and pretty please send me a bag. You are the best!

 

P.S.S. When is Kale getting her mission call?

Elder Babers

This is Elder Babers, Sis. Brown's grandson. He is in the Kennewick Mission, but somehow this got to me. Enjoy!

http://www.nbcrightnow.com/category/189473/video-center?clipId=9065783&flvUri=&partnerclipid=&topVideoCatNo=0&c=&autoStart=true&activePane=info&LaunchPageAdTag=homepage&clipFormat=flv. 

Email 7/08/13

Thank you so much for the birthday stuff, it was really needed (especially the jerky;). I really did have a fantastic birthday, all we did was run around! I think that I told you before but with the mission split, our zone just was added upon with the Rainer, Oregon Stake, so our zone went from 10 missionaries to 22! Talk about Mt. St. Helens exploding! So Tuesday we had a leadership training in Vancouver that started at 9. Our mission vehicle is a mini-van, so we took all the DL's in our zone. We live at the very edge of our zone, so we literally drove all day running missionaries to and from places and then went to the Stake Correlation. In total we spent 45 min. proslyting, 5 hours in meetings and the rest driving (and we started at 7:30)! Over all we drove just about 250 miles just on my birthday! It was a blast though; when you're with Elder Babbitt, you know that you are going to have a fun time!

 

Transfer calls were also this weekend. Because we are at the end of our zone, they doubled us out of Woodland and are moving us up to one of the "struggling" ;) wards in Longview. Not only that, but they are adding 2 more proslyting companionships to the zone and have a tri-panioship, so in total we will have 27 missionaries in our zone! I AM SUPER EXCITED!!!!!!!! This week has been great, but deffinately not like the 4th in EAGAR! I kinda missed that, but we were having more fun up here! O, I forgot to tell you that Elder Babbitt is also getting transfer to Washoogal, and I am recieving a missionary fomerly from Portland, Elder Taft. Love you all!

 

Love,

Elder Hamblin