10/20/14

Hello family!

  It has been a crazy week! We went to the beach, had exchanges, had zone conference and stake conference. It was a week full of training and insights. Zone conference was so great. President Alba let us watch a music video by David Archuleta that he did for the movie, "Meet the Mormons'. I loved every minute of it :) President said that he wished that he could take us all to the theaters to watch the new movie so that when we would get questions about it we would be able to respond and I was thinking the same thing! We would be the ones who would get the most questions from the movie. Then President said, well we dont have to go to the theaters to watch the movie I have it right here on my computer, want to watch it? Haha we all freaked out! He gave us "movie snacks" and we all relaxed and watched "Meet the Mormons"! That movie is so great! I hope you all have had the chance to watch it.

 I really enjoyed stake conference! President Henderson (stake pres) talked about how as members we all need to be prepared to answer the questions that our non member friends will have for us. He had some members come up to do some practices. The non member friends asked questions about simple things like tithing, temples or word of wisdom and the members had to answer the questions without saying any gospel terms. They had to make it clear and simple. Seems pretty easy but once its your turn to play the member, words don't come to you. I encourage you to practice this in FHE. Be prepared for the questions because they will come!

We were also informed that two missionaries from this mission were involved in a bad car accident Saturday. They were hit by a drunk driver. There were four in the car and the two in the front seat walked away fine. The two in the back were severely injured. They have concussions and one of them were flown to the Santa Rosa hospital. Sister Alba said that right before President left to go see the elders and check on them they had a kneeling prayer and she felt and she knew that angels are with those two elders and that they will be ok. Once the members heard about these missionaries, they have been in their prayers ever since. I am so grateful for the prayers and the support that all the members give the missionaries. 

Ok anyways on the flip side, one night when we were leaving dinner we were walking outside and I literally tripped. It was so embarrassing! Haha oh my gosh. It was slow motion too. Oh my goodness. Thankfully it was just us hermanas, but I did it in front of the members. #thatawkwardmomentwhen...

Anyways thats pretty much my week! I hope that you all have a great week as well! Love you!   - Hermana Hamblin

10/13/14

Hello Family!

 Yesterday was so great! Our branch became a ward!!! The whole stake presidency was there, President and Sister Alba and some of their family came and we had three of our less actives come! It was such a great day. They said that they have been waiting 25 years for this change. This is now the first spanish ward in the mission!!! #happyday We are now the Laguna Spanish WARD!! :)

  I think that was the best part of my week. Other than that, we spent a lot of time visiting with members and doing service. Today is beach day and we are so excited!

 Congrats to Rad getting his permit! And I am happy you got to see uncle mike! Mom- it happens! Life gets in the way and sometimes we forget about (or have just had too many) missionaries to remember that letters are everything to missionaries. Remember what I said the night before I left? :) 

 Other than that it sounds like life is good! Thank you for everything. Support and all! :) Have a good one!  Love, Hermana Hamblin

October 6, 2014

Hello Family!

Ok I am so so sorry about the mix up with conference. During sessions on the KSL channel they showed us and our mission!! So go to KSL.org and it is called Dared to Serve and we are towards the end of the segment. It shows President Alba and Sister Alba and..everyone! Haha it is so great! We were all watching it yesterday in this tiny room because we were streaming it from a computer and we were all freaking out! It was so fun! I am sorry about that. I was confused too and then they told us that it wasnt on the same channel as conference, that it was on the KSL channel. Anyways go check it out on KSL.org. Its pretty great :)

Oh my goodness. Wasn't conference the best!? My hand is sore today from all of the notes that we took the past two days. A couple of talks stood out to me. I loved Lynn G. Robbins talk about which way we face. My favorite quote from that talk is, "Courage is all of your virtues at the point of testing" Amen! Dallin H. Oaks did great. I was able to remind myself of the great intercessory prayer this morning during personal study. My favorite verse from that whole prayer is verse 15! We are in the world, but not of the world. He reminded us how powerful kindness can be. Another one that stood out to me is President Monsons first address when he talked about walking where Christ walked isnt as important as walking AS Christ walked. He reminded us to ponder the path of our feet. All of the talks were awesome. I LOVED President Eyrings talk about personal revelation, and Elder Bednars talk. I can't wait to review all of them again. And wasn't the whole native language thing awesome!?! 

This week we got a brand new Greenie!!!! She is awesome! She has the BEST laugh!! Haha I love her so much. This one came pre trained. Her first night in the field she left a harvest blessing in spanish! Hermana Fernandez and I are so impressed with her. I guess in the MTC (she was in Provo, not Mexico) they were given ipads. Crazy! Its been so fun having her and I have been able to see my own spanish improve! I am feeling more confident in myself as well as with the language! 

Saturday night after the priesthood session, the Albas invited us and our investigators over to their house for an ice cream social. We were able to bring the Fonsecas and they loved it! It is always so fun to go to the mission home :) Their house is gorgeous. We gave them a tour of the house and they fell in love with their back yard. It is seriously like a mini forest. It is beautiful! Sister Alba wanted to talk to Hermana Fernandez and I alone for a few minutes during the social so she took us into President Albas office and when we walked into the office they had pictures with President Monson, Elder Perry, Elder Holland...I think almost all of the apostles. It was SO cool! Seriously, we have the best mission president ever. Our mission is super strict and I am so grateful for that because that shows President Albas love for each of us. "We are in the greatest mission in the world!" according to Sister Alba :)

Family. Missions are the best. I love my mission SO much. I have grown closer to our Savior and I have built more confidence in myself. This gospel will change your life. I have seen it in my own life and in the lives of my investigators. The change will happen only if you let it happen. I love you all. Thank you for everything. All the support, love and advice. Have a great week!!    Love, Hermana Hamblin

September 29, 2014

Hello family!!

Wow! It sounds like you all had a great week. Raddon!!!! Congrats! I
am so proud of you. I know how much you love scouts..so congrats! That
is awesome. And mom! How did you like women's conference!? It was so
great. I loved Linda K. Burtons talk about how we can't share our oil
of preparation. I felt that it was all about the importance for women
nowadays to seriously learn the doctrine of the gospel so that we can
have a firm testimony and share it with others. I am so grateful for
the opportunity that I have to serve a mission. Before my mission I
couldn't telling you what the word gospel meant..lame right? That's
why missions are the best! :)

So we got transfer doctrine on Friday night and Hermana Fernandez and
I are staying together (3 transfers together..oh my goodness!) AND
Hermana Fernandez is training!!!!! We get a brand new greenie on
Wednesday! We are so excited! So that means another trio for the both
of us! Haha. It will be so fun and so interesting. There are going to
be 11 missionaries in our branch. So for those of you who complain
about feeding two missionaries, just remember the faithful members of
the Spanish branch here in Santa Rosa feeding 11 missionaries. 11!!
It's crazy. There are going to be three trios and four new greenies in
our branch. Also! Our branch is going to be a ward this month! How
exciting is that! First Spanish ward in the mission. We are so
excited!

Also, this month Carolina (recent convert) is having her baby this
month! We are having a baby shower for her this week. I am so happy
for her. She is going to have a baby girl. They are seriously my
favorite. Their family is so sweet. I love them!

This week we also went to the temple. I was able to go to the Oakland
temple for my first time. That temple is gorgeous! It is HUGE! I am
used to the little Snowflake temple and Sacramento temple :) it was so
great to be in the temple again. I am so grateful for temples.

Who is excited for conference!? Mandy you are so right, conference is
better than Christmas for missionaries. I have so many questions and I
am excited to receive my answers through prayer and inspiration from
the prophet and his apostles. I hope you all prepare for conference
and are ready to act on the revelation that you receive.

Yesterday as we were sitting in fast and testimony meeting I thought
of our investigators and what their needs were, and it brought me back
to thinking of a lesson that we had with one of our less actives. Her
testimony has dwindled and we are trying to help her get back on her
feet and maintain a firm testimony. How important it is to read our
scriptures DILIGENTLY every day and to pray and have that relationship
with our Heavenly Father. There is a familiar yet sure promise at the
end of Moroni that says that IF we read, ponder and pray about the
scriptures we can have a firm testimony for ourselves that the gospel
is true. I invite you all to always remember to read and pray every
day because as we know satan will not back down, why should we?

I love you all so very much. You are my examples! Enjoy this week!
Love, Hermana Hamblin

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September 22,2014

Hola familia!

 Oh my goodness. I am so spoiled! Thank you for all of the birthday
cards and gifts! I appreciate everything you all did for me. You
helped my day be the best birthday ever! And guess what! Sister Alba
and I have the same birthday :) cool huh!? All of my companions have
told me that Sister Alba and I are so similar haha. She is so crazy
and fun but at the same time everything she says goes. It's kind of
true,  Hermana Fernandez even calls me "valley girl". Ok..thanks
companion :) haha. #itssotruethough #valleygirl #countrygirlatheart

 Anyways I had a great birthday! I woke up to the apartment decorated
all cute and as we went on our morning run the zone leaders and the
elders that live with them sang happy birthday to me...like four times
haha. Every time they passed me on their run they stopped and sang to
me. Then when we got back to the apartment I walked in and the
apartment was a complete mess! Some of the elders that are in the
branch came by and decorated it like crazy and left a cake with
candles burning #oc and they had a poster that everyone had signed for
me. Then they made a scavenger hunt for me and it led to the church
where they had made crapes for us! They were so good!

The night before some members took us out to eat and had the workers
sing to me and I got a free sombrero from it :) I also received gifts
from members and one of our investigators, Julio! He bought me a huge
purse haha! It was so sweet. My district leader and his companion
called about fifty times throughout the day singing happy birthday to
me :) Then Saturday we had a wedding in the branch so the reception
was held at the church and that's where we had dinner so we got to
party for dinner with the members haha. It was so fun! I had such a
great day!

 Yesterday was the primary program so we combined with the english
ward for sacrament. The kids were so cute! Lizbeth and Aiden were in
the program (our recent converts) and they did so good! We were so
proud of them! Also one of our investigators that we have been
teaching for three transfers came to church for the first time with
her two boys. It was so great!!

Last night we had an ice cream social at the Albas for Sister Albas
birthday. It was so fun! I hadn't been to the mission home since my
first day in the field and it brought back A TON of memories!! Their
house is so big and so nice! It was so fun. All of the missionaries
here in Santa Rosa right now sang "Come Unto Christ" to Sister Alba
and it was so sweet. I loved it. We also got a little tour of their
house and even saw "the dungeon". I wish I would have taken a picture
while I was down there haha!

Also! Happy Fall! My favorite holiday is coming up!! All of the cute
Halloween decorations are all getting set up. It is so fun!

Anyways thank you all for everything. Mom you spoiled me! Thank you so
much for the cute outfit! I love it! Grandma Nancy and grandma Hamblin
thank you for the bday cards. You are so sweet to remember!

I hope you all have a great week!! Thank you for everything! I love you all!!

Love, Hermana Hamblin

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