Email 1/27/14

Well...craziness that was this past week. I know I haven't sent pictures in a while, so here are some "newer"ones!

Love,

Elder Hamblin

Email 1/13/14

What the heck! No one ever told me about Tell! Man, the things that you miss on your mission! I hope that the family is doing good and that everything is working out. That is sad to see one such as him go. Please let the Udall family know that I will be praying for them and that even though they are Udall's, I still love them.

Well, sorry about my letter this past week. I bet you are thinking to yourself "What letter?" Exactly, we were just about to leave this morning and I grabbed my notebook and realized that my letter from last week never got sent off. I don't know what has been happening lately, but I can't remember a single thing. I could have sworn that I sent you all that letter, but it will come in the mail this week!

Thank you soooooo much for the GPS, it definitely makes life a whole lot easier to get from appointment to appointment in an efficient amount of time. I know that I have not been as grateful for everything that you all sacrifice for me, but I really do appreciate it all. I haven't been as diligent at writing or as good at sending pictures (but let's face it, I never really was anyway), or any of the small and simple things that show my gratitude, but you will never know the thankfulness and love for all of you that I have in my heart. I have never found it too easy to love people, and I think that is why God puts us in families and sends us on missions. The charity that we learn in these two foreordained factions leaves an enlarged place to expand in each human soul who desires to willingly participate in these units. I only hope that you all will never forget how much I really do love and appreciate everything you do, whether I show it or not;).

This week has been good. We may have offended one of our top investigators, so it looks like we are going to have to apply some of that charity that is needed here soon. He has been investigating the church for a while and were trying to make daily contact with him to see if that will help him progress. We asked him one day if we could come over and he said that he didn't feel like it. A little upset we told him that he knew that he had to meet with us. He had told us again and again how much better he felt after we came by, so we thought that it might work. Since then we haven't heard from him. Yesterday we were talking with the family who is fellowshipping him, and they said that he took what we were trying to say as being too pushy.  As I have been thinking about this, I have learned so much about the charity that Christ must have had when He told the Jews over and over who he was and that he was only there to help them, nothing else. He never forced His will on us, nor can we force our will on anything else. We are going to try and see this man tonight and I think a big bowl of crow soup on our part might be eaten, but in the end it will be worth it!

Love,

Elder Hamblin

Email 1/06/14

The old year dies as we ring in the new. Commitment, change, and improvement are often the subjects for this time of year. We as a people look at our personal lives and try and make changes in three major areas: physical, mental, and spiritual. Each of these characteristic areas lead to improvement in the others, almost unknowingly; if you are exercising you are able to think clearer, which then leads to an open mind to which the Spirit can work more fully with you. When we fail to meet these expectations for ourselves we tend to get sarcastic or upset and say that goal setting is something that nerds do. (I may or may not have said that more than a few times....) But the point to it all is the same--improvement. Yesterday in our Elder's quorum meeting for the YSA ward we had a very interesting discussion on how the Atonement of Christ is in every facet of our lives, including our New Year's Resolution. The topic was more than a little inspired because we had an investigator that we found last week at church who was looking to make some new changes in his life. He seemed amazed at how much Christ is really in our lives and how much our Heavenly Fathers actually does care about us. We will have to see what happens from here, but we were excited for the lesson!

The rest of this week has been amazing! We, as a mission, made the goal when Pres. Taylor got here, that we would find 200 new investigators every week. For 6 months we have not been able to to so, but the New Year also brings new miracles! Last week we, as a mission, found 208 new people who want to know more about the gospel! Not only that, but since I have been here in Portland we have made it our goal to find 30 new investigators, and last week we achieved that goal too! I attribute it all to talking to everyone we see. What blessings this brings!

Well, I love you all and pray for miracles in your lives all the time!

Love,

Elder Hamblin

P.S. I just found my letter that I was supposed to send last week...so you will get two in a day:) Love you!

Email 12/30/13

Happy Holidays from the great city of Portland! I think that I can still say that right? I should be, after all I am serving in the most "politically correct" city on the face of this planet, and here in Portland we are always right! I guess it serves me right, but I still think that it is just down right funny. For instance, the high school right behind the library where I am e-mailing from (and where I e-mail from every week) is called the Jefferson High Democrats, complete with a donkey as the mascot. I wish I could say that I was joking, but I'm not. Other than that, it is amazing to see how different people respond to you. The other week wee were tracting and ran into a woman who was convinced that we were brain washed and that Christianity in general is the cause for everything that is wrong in the world. Now she wasn't the first person to say this, nor will she be the last, she just happens to be the stereotype of most of Portland--uninformed about a merciful and just God. If we would have so much as said anything against what she thinks, we would have more than likely ended up having a nice conversation with the other men in uniform. BUT the good news is that many people are just that, uninformed! What an easy and very fixable problem to have! We were able to see through this Christmas season the hardest of people let their guard down and listen to us even for the briefest of moments. I know that God will never take away our agency, but when it comes time to celebrate His Son's birth, I think that He opens people's minds just a little bit, even when they would normally turn away!

Now this Christmas has been one of the best yet! We were supposed to spend it in the prison, but we some paperwork didn't get filed and we ended up walking around the streets of Portland with our brothers and sisters who had no one else to spend Christmas with. We had many good and uplifting conversations with people and had experiences to boost us through the rest of the week. I really love this holiday season, and am ready to carry out the Spirit throughout the rest of this year. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Hamblin