Not much time

July 29, 2013

Thanks so much for the pictures. They are all so wonderful.  I love seeing your faces.

Thanks for the spiritual thought , so true.  That is my goal this week.  Do the best I can to be what He wants me to be. So I will answer your questions next week since I am out of time (my favorite month may just be Feburary).  haha  More to come next week. 

Love you so much! Miss you. 

Sister Jaclyn Hamm

PS-- Bring them in from the plains-- sometimes we sing Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd for comp study... I love that song... sometimes when it get to "wadnering out in the desert, hungry and helpless and...."  I sing hot instead of cold.  Cause that is life here.  haha So I will bring them in from the burning plains. :)

Pioneer Day

July 22, 2013 

All the Sisters in our Zone

Hello Family and Friends,

Thanks everyone for the mail.  I promise I am working on writing back to all of you... it just takes time. :)

Well it's been another great week! Mostly routine but the happy kind of routine. We had an FHE on monday which was fun and then we had a service project where we started to pull weeds but then turns out they just needed to be trimmed so we switched to that but there were only two.... machetes.... so mostly the elders just took turns while we raked or.... played with their bunny and hamsters. haha.  Anyway, it was nice and the investigator seemed grateful so hopefully it helped. :)

Random facts...

People here love menthol. (Okay, now I can't remember if I've already told you this) Anyway, so many candies here have menthol. A sister offered us mints in church the other day and I popped it in my mouth and then it was like Oh no. Immediate cough drop taste that was so overwhelming my eyes almost started watering. They have mentos here with menthol and just lots of candies.  You have to read the labels.  Plus, you know the vic's vapor rub stuff well that have different brands here but they love to use it for headaches, coughs, runny noses. They just smear it everywhere.  It always reminds me of when mom put it on my feet when I was really sick over Christmas break. And of Nanie for some reason. Anyway, just a fun cultural insight.

Also people don't have lawn mowers here.  So for big grassy areas they use machete type blades to cut the grass.  For small areas they use scissors. Yep, women sit and cut the grass with scissors (more like the clippers we use for cutting bushes in the states but with scissor handles and normal scissor size).  The area is huge but big enough that when I see them I am thinking... no way would I do that. haha.

So of course it being pioneer day here's a thought (sorry bammer you will hear this twice.) So one day this week I was so sleepy and exhausted, so was Sister R. One of those times when you are so sleepy you just want to lay down in the street and take a nap.  Then suddenly I thought about the pioneers. And how they were so tired and so cold that they just wanted to lay down and sleep in the snow but if they did they would freeze to death. I thought of how hard it must have been to not just give in, to just lay down and call it quits but they kept moving with a perfect brightness of hope that a better life awaited them. Then I thought of the story of the little girl who was walking in the snow when a rescue wagon came by. Now I'm not gonna get this all right but it was something like this... they said she could ride in the wagon but they kept going so she had to run after it and she was yelling for it to stop so she could get in but it just kept going.... and just when she was about to give up they scooped her up in a blanket and sat her in the wagon. Only later did she learn and understand-- they had to make her run so the blood would get pumping in her body so she wouldn't freeze to death while riding in the wagon.  It gave me the strength to go on happily as I thought of that little girl and all the pioneers pushing on even when they must have been soo tired.  And then I though of how that is how life is. Sometimes things seem so hard, or unfair, or we don't understand why they are the way they are.  BUT Heavenly Father knows and He sees the bigger picture. We just have to keep running and when we don't know if we can run anymore, He will always be there to help us.  When we look back on our life we will see that the hard parts, the running, was to make us stronger, to strengthen our faith so that we would become stronger and better prepared for the future. Trials are our chance to become.  So as you are running through the hard part of life don't forget, there is ALWAYS a purpose and if we endure it well we will be blessed.  There are blessings waiting for us that we simply cannot comprehend but I do understand that they are worth ANY sacrifice we have to make to attain them.

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying all the luxuries we have. I am so happy to be here and thank you for your love and support that helps keep me going.

Love you,

Sister Hamm

I threw my tag on my desk one morning before I went to shower and saw Sister Hamm and the Book of Mormon and the Conference Liahona and it was like....cool :)  I'm a missionary. 

Nagpasalisi

July 15, 2013

Hello Family,

Well this was a great week.  It started out with a zone activity. This may sound lame but we got to watch a movie! Rise of the Guardians. And yes I am a missionary and even without trying the gospel analogies just kept coming.  It was great cause everyone else was missionaries too so once in a while you'd hear "apostasy" or something like that.  It was a lot of fun. Then we also got to play outside in the grass.  We played a Filipino version of leap frog where all the other players jump over one person and its like reverse limbo where the one person goes from crouching to bent over to less bent to standing.... Okay so none of us did the standing cause it seemed a little risky but it was a fun game.  I also got to play ping pong which brought back so many memories of ward prayer and college. haha.  It was way fun.

Then on Tuesday we had zone meeting. Yep all the same people from Monday. Then Wednesday we met President and Sister Tye (so pretty much saw the whole zone again. haha) 

So Sister Tye is great.  She was very down to earth and really nice.  She said she is more comfortable with the Sisters because she has 5 daughters. The only funny part is she didn't mention her sons but President Tye did so I know they exist. haha. It was fun to be adjusted to the culture and have her ask about stuff because it is still new to her.  It took a while but I am adjusted and I love pretty much everything here so I know she will too.

President Tye was also very nice. His son actually served in the DC south mission... I think he said 2005 maybe...  Anyway, we had a good interview and I am excited to serve with him.  It was weird though, later that night realizing that President Stucki is no longer my mission president.... I don't know it was just weird.

Every other day was pretty much normal... Regular routine sprinkled with little miracles... like people reading the Book of Mormon, feeling the truth, ward missionaries to work with us, surprise eating appointments, riding on the back of the trike at night after a rainstorm so it was nice and cool.

Dad's questions: 

"Does that mean that you walk past farms?  What is growing in their fields?  Do they have livestock there?" 

So I am in "province" area but it is still pretty much city.  We don't walk past farms usually. There are a couple of big grassy areas but some are unused. Others have pineapple growing or fruit trees like jackfruit. There is livestock. In these big open grassy areas that seem pretty public and unused.  But the cows and sometimes bulls graze there.  It's pretty funny though cause in some neighborhoods they just wander around. These big cows just walk around and poop everywhere on the sidewalks and in the street. Sometimes they walk right up to people's gates and start eating their plants. haha.  They are fun to see and sometimes we walk right by them. haha.  There are also lots of roosters that are tied up in front of peoples houses.  I think it is mostly because fighting cock is really big here.  They don't seem to really use them for food or raising other chickens.

 "How do people react when you tell them you are from the US?"

Most people expect me to be American.  When we walk by sometimes people will say "Cana" for Americana.  So when people ask they usually aren't really surprised.  I met someone the other day who is a seaman and he said he goes to Norfolk Virginia a lot.  That was fun.

"Who is your favorite non-full time missionary you have met?"

Not sure if this means anyone not a missionary.... I dont know there are so many I love.  Our new relief society president is so smiley all the time and always comes up and talks to me. Brother P. is the best example of a member missionary I have seen and stopped by this one investigator for 4 weeks every Sunday to invite him to church without us even asking. He is super. We have lots of great ward missionaries that work with us that are also way nice and fun to be around. Investigators, less actives, ward members..... there are so many people I love here!

As for spiritual thought.... It may seem like no big deal but it was literally a thought from the Spirit during our companionship study the other day so here goes....  I finished sharing about my scripture reading and a talk I had read from conference when it was like; I used to think that if I was choosing the right, doing my best to be worthy and attend church and go to the temple and that whole biz. that I was doing good, I was living right.  But now I realize it's not enough! It's simply not enough to live in your only little bubble.  Doing everything you are supposed to is kulang (not enough) if you don't help others to do the same.  Yea, I know you're probably thinking you already knew that.  But it was like seriously a light bulb moment for my companion and I.  We knew it before but as the song about Enos goes, I felt in my heart, what I knew in my mind. SO there it is. Our whole goal in this life is to become like Jesus Christ. Not just be good but literally become like Him.  And pretty much all of His life was spent serving others. I know that when we serve others we will be happier and as we help others live the gospel by magnifying our callings, doing our visiting teaching, and lifting the hands that hang down, we will come closer to Christ and it will become easier to do what we are supposed to be doing.  I know this is true.  I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not just the only true church but literally God's kingdom on the earth.  If you are not a member you are missing out and I invite you to learn more.

Have a wonderful week, hopefully full of service.  Love and miss you all.

Sister Hamm

oops! No blog email

July 8, 2013

Well the email window doesn't want to work and I am super short on time so no blog email this week.  Know I love you and I am happy, and safe and having fun here.  Be safe and always follow Him.  I will be praying for you all.  Tell my brothers I love and miss them! 

That is so cool, dad, about your chat with mission buddies.  There are definitely people here I want to touch base with.  My first district leader is now my zone leader and it's nice to have him around again, mostly just because it brings back memories and shows me how far I have come. 

Sounds like you are working and playing hard.  I am super jealous of raspberry cupcakes (and the bluberries) and may  buy some sweet bread today. :)

I haven't met President Tye yet but we have interviews this Friday so we will get to meet him and get to know him a little there. :) yay! I'm excited.  It's weird how the work just keeps moving even though there are big changes happening all around me. It's cool though... kind of like how the gospel doesn't change.  And I am almost positive transfers are same.

You all can share the gospel in different ways - like Josh and I.   Just sing the "You made me wanna be brave" song and bear your testimony like, "yea, I'm so glad I get to be with my family forever, or oh yea I read a really good talk from a church leader about that, would you like to learn more.." like that. :) haha.  I know it isn't easy but if we do our best we will be blessed.   

Love you so much! 

Sister Jaclyn Hamm

Cavite Missionary!

A front view of the Jeepney that just happened to have my name on it
when I went on splits with Sister C! :)

July 1, 2013

Dear Family,

So I am officially (as of today) in the Philippines Cavite Mission starting today and the Church doesn't waste any time. My missionary account already says Cavite mission. :) Also we found out there will be no transfer day for the Cavite mission this transfer. Which means I get to stay with Sister R. Yay!! We are excited. We are also very excited because we finished the 12 week program yesterday which is means 1 hour long companion study. This is honestly bittersweet because the 2 hours is super helpful sometimes but it is sweet because it can be very long and this gives us more time to be out finding more people to teach!

Speaking of that.  I hope everyone was able to watch the leadership training broadcast and if not hopefully it is online and you will take the time to watch it. Very inspiring and so true.  We need the members help. Is it easy? no. Will it yield immediate results? Probably not. Will it help? Yes. Is it what God wants? Yes. And you will be blessed and if we have faith, we will see results!  I know that Heavenly Father is a God of miracles and He works in mysterious and marvelous ways. There is a quote by Joseph Smith, "Let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power and then we may stand still and see the arm of the Lord revealed." (paraphrased poorly haha) I know this is true and the Lord sure is revealing His arm.  I so wish I could better see the big picture.  Every once in a while I get a little glimpse and it blows my mind.  I am blown away by the love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for us.  I am blown away by the PERFECT plan of Heavenly Father, of His infinite knowledge.  I am amazed at the fact that the human race is one big family and I wonder what it will be like when we all reach the "other side". I think people, myself included, would be so different if we could keep that eternal perspective in mind.

So life here is good.  We keep waiting for rainy season but so far only a couple of days of kind of heavy rain. But it has been nice. The one morning was really cool which felt great during personal study.

I really don't know what to share this week.... Pretty average week.  Lots of little miracles and some disappointments too. This area is great and my companion is wonderful. We have a lot of fun together and I am grateful for her.  Grateful for all of you.  Love you so much and miss you all.

Love

Sister Hamm

 

This is me really excited about Bammer's package!

A side view of a Jeepney with the windows closed