Last email. 9/01/14

3 John 1:13-14. I love you all!

Elder Hamblin

8/25/14

Hello everyone! Sorry this is so late but we had a fun day at a roller
rink, so it was lots of fun! This last week was simply amazing!

The local Easthill Church here in Gresham has been a Mormon bashing
church for many decades. Throughout the years the local members have
worked hrs to build a decent relationship with this church with very
little progress. This last Saturday Easthill hosted a huge service
project in which they planned on restoring the beauty to a dozen or so
schools here in Gresham. At their count early in the week they were in
desperate need of help and finally reached out to the Stake's PR and
asked for help. Wednesday they sent out an e-mail and by Saturday the
LDS church had more members than they did at every school! It was
pretty awesome to see the church reach out and help them. All the
missionaries in our zone met at the High School. What an amazing sight
to see all the missionaries and members mingling with the local
community!

The rest of the week was packed full of teaching and works with the
members here. I know that I am forgetting something because I was very
excited to tell you all, but I really can't remember....hmmm...love
you all!

Love,
Elder Hamblin

8/18/14

Well hello there everyone! How are all you this week. I hope that you are getting my e-mails because my account has been going crazy lately so if anyone could respond as soon as they get this, that would be much appreciated!

This last week was a good growing experience for everyone here in the Blue Lake Ward; many trials have hit the four of us and have really tried each one of us very mentally, but I think that we were all able to grow spiritually from these experiences. We have truly grown together in the Spirit. I think this past week was also the first real taste that I had of going home. I had my last zone conference, which was a little weird because I am so used to seeing all my fellow missionaries going and bearing their final testimony and this time it was my turn. It just feels like yesterday I was arriving in a small town in eastern Oregon to begin this edifying journey down the Columbia River and back again. But the work goes on one foot in front of the other as there are still hundreds of thousands of people that I see everyday that have not the truth because they simply know not where to find it. Our efforts are also increasing among those who were once a part of our fold and now find themselves apart of the Church of God. Funny how we let the littlest details dictate the major events of our lives, but as President Monson has declared, "Decisions determine our destiny."

This week we were given a referral to visit a newly wed couple in the northern parts of our area. When we knocked at their door, we were received warmly as we exchanged pleasantries. As we talked it became apparent that this young husband was very well schooled in both mechanical engineering and the word of God (according to the interpretations of the Bible). We asked if we could simply share a message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and about the amazing events that have lead to the restoration of this gospel in our modern days. He accepted on the premise of asking a few questions before we got started. He came at us with all the intellect of his worldly mind and when that seemed to fail he began asking us questions originating in his Christian past. As boldly as we could and with as much love as we could muster for this man we answered every question and left every answer with an invitation to follow what James directs which is to ask God for himself. Unfortunately he declined, even so much as to the denying of the Book of Mormon once he had held it in his hands. I thought of all the missionaries in the Book of Mormon and Bible who had the message that they bore rejected, and much more violently than the encounter that we had with this man. My heart went out to him as he closed his door and his heart to this wonderful message. However, I know that this man was left a better man. He never rose above frustration, and had questions to ponder. How long he may ponder, I will never know, but pondering is what this gentleman (and in extension what we all must do) to find spiritual truth that only God can give.

I love you all and pray for you more!

Love,

Elder Hamblin

8/11/14

Hello there! Sorry for last week, I am still trying to recover. The time is flying; can you believe that it is almost half way through August! Uggh! The time is definitely far spent. However the blessings keep flowing as the work keeps rolling and the miles keep coming along.

One such blessing is in a part member family that the YSA Elders found and referred over to us. This last week Elder Twitchell and I went over to their apartment and talked to them. The mother had joined the church about 14 years ago in California and watched her family prosper in the church. Her son received his Patriarchal Blessing and she wanted to receive hers, but let other things get in the way. That led to a divorce in her marriage and to meet her current husband. They moved up here to Gresham and the YSA Elders went to contact the son. The current father of the family said that he had family that are members of the church and would like to know more. When we came over this week the couple said that they had been going to various churches, even though the wife always knew that our church was the only true one, the man said that he would just like to find a place that he could understand what was going on. There are many blessings from the work!

Also this week as we were texting one of our more solid investigators, she drop us. She had been gone for about a month with the death and funeral of her brother. The ward here has been super though! The Bishop was in constant contact with her, many people from the ward tried to visit her (too bad she was out of town) and someone from the ward came by and took care of her lawn. She had only come to church about 3 times, and to see the our pouring of love from the ward was quite amazing! She had found a guy going to another church and decided to go with him. Before her brother died we ate dinner with her and she had left us with a ton of leftovers, so now we have to return all her Tupperware, so we will have to see what will happen!

Other than that there has not been too much going on. Well...our district really wanted to do some service to help unify us. We haven't been able to find any so the Sisters in our district took matters into their own hands and called up the county to tell them we were going to clean up a road in their area. It was fun to get out there all as a district and help clean up the local area. 

Hope that is what you were looking for mom! I love you all!

Love,

Elder Hamblin

Email 7/28/14

Well hello there everyone! This week has been full of ups and downs, but you now sometimes the ups out number the downs. Everything here in Gresham is going great! Elder Twitchell and I have been adjusting to the two new Elders in our apartment, Elder Santo and Elder Smith. They are wonderful missionaries full of energy and love to work with people. They have come home every night now with a new story to tell or a new burn to show;) I think that this will be a wonderful transfer.

The summer heat is here in Oregon and we are seeing many new people open up. Last night I was reading through one of my old journals and I found a quote that I had put in there from good ol' Dad; he said: "People don't view the world as it is but rather as they perceive it to be." It seems that  when the summer is here, people here in the great NW seem to soak deep in the rays of the sun helping them feel better. This in turns helps them see the world a little different, a little better. I love to talk to people that are already happy, they just seem to be more receptive. Sorry I don't have too much more to say than that. I love you all and hope that you are all doing well!

Love,

Elder Hamblin 

Email 7/21/14

Well hello there! This past week was a little slower than many of the previous ones, but I still had a ball with Elder Twitchell. We got our transfer news this past week, Elder Twitchell and I will be staying together (thank goodness) but unfortunately Elder Burk and his companion, Elder Goldman, are being transferred. That is too bad because I thought that I would be able to finish my mission with a great childhood friend, but God doesn't do random so I think that it will be for the best. We are getting two new Elders in are area, and I don't know either one of them very well. It is a little sad to see everyone move on and try and get to know everyone coming in. Frustrating, but fun. 

Other than the transfer news there hasn't been a whole lot of excitement. Many of our investigators have been going through many trails and have not been able to meet with us. It is a sad sight to see what many of the people have to go through. I know that each and every trial that we have was designed for each individual personality, but I am grateful that I do not have to go through what many of these people struggle with. I hope and pray that we have taught these people enough and allowed them to feel the Spirit enough to help them see that the gospel is the answer. It scares me to death to think that I may have neglected my duty somewhere and these people will not be able at this time to be comforted by the gospel which brings so much hope to we who have it. I know that these people will accept the gospel eventually, but I in my mortal minds want to force it on them now! However I realize that it might be extremely counterproductive considering all the other trials they are being put through. One trail at a time. One focus at a time. We are here simply to motivate and provide another option.

I love you all and hope that you have a great week (especially you Ship:)!

Love,

Elder Hamblin

Email7/14/14

Well hello there! Things here in Gresham are just as good as ever. We are having more fun than a scout in the middle of a knife throwing competition. Fun. Elder Twitchell is the man, he is pretty blunt, but it is fun to be with him nonetheless. He is a very simple and clear teacher of the gospel, which makes him very harmonious to work with. The people here in Gresham simply need simplicity in their lives and Elder Twitchell is the right man for the job. I love serving with the guy.

This week was above normal. President Taylor has asked us to focus a little more on the sheep here in our pastures who were once a part of this fold but now find themselves apart from us. We have been focusing our efforts around this inspiration and have seen quite a few miracles already unfold from our obedience. Many of the less-active members that I have attempted to contact in the past were simply unwilling to meet with us and change their ways. A simple invite into their homes was almost never extended as we would stand at the door and talk. This past week, however, an open-door policy has seemed to rest in the hearts of those we were set out to find. Many have invited us back and were ever kind to us. Now we will have to wait and see what will happen to these future faithful members.

Other than that we have been doing well. The great NW is a great place to be this time of year--there are many fresh berries along the roadsides and just as many people out and about to talk to! I love you all and hope that you have a fantastic week!

Love,

Elder Hamblin