Pasko :)

Me with all 3 of my "anak" (trainees).  Just missing one "apo" (grandchild).

Hello family,

SO how are things in the US?  Things here are good... it's beginning to look a little like Christmas.  I even got a nasty cold to go with the season. haha. This morning there was this awesome, cool breeze that just felt so good! :)  Really put me in a good mood. :) Hopefully the tylenol I am on will be able to sustain me through our ward Christmas party later that starts at 2pm and goes until 9pm! What!?!  I don't get it but.. okay.  The missionaries were put in charge of games so we will be attending. haha.  

We went out to eat dinner cause the West's drove us
home and we were all hungry. :)

So the big news this week is that I have a new companion! She is from.... Tonga! Sister V.  She is awesome and her Tagalog is already really good for being brand new but she reminds me of me when I first got here because Tagalog is her biggest stress right now.  She has 5 siblings too she is the oldest and she has one other brother on a mission now in Hawaii so we have a lot in common.

This was definitely a slower week of work because the first half of the week was busy with Christmas party and transfers. and the second half of the week... um... nobody was home. But we had a good time anyway and got to have some great lessons.  I love this one woman who is preparing for baptism.  She reminds me a lot of Grandma Hamm. :)

So spiritual thought comes from Preach my gospel.  In the section on repentance (Lesson 3) it reads something like, "Bringing our lives in line with God's will through repentance is one of the central purposes of our lives." So maybe this was just me but I feel like I grew up mostly focusing on the fact that we must repent when we do something wrong in order to become clean again.  And while this is true and necessary for us to return to God there is another purpose to repentance.  We should be using repentance to literally become more like Christ and change.  We learn in Mosiah 5:2 that the Spirit had wrought a change that made it possible for these people to "have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually."  Their hearts were changed.  Also in preach my gospel it explains that as children of God we need not continuing making the same mistakes over and over again. So now I have come to realize that true repentance comes when we can say, "I'm ready to give up what I want to do for what God wants me to do." We repent and realize that His commandments must be followed and that it is the way we will be the happiest. I know that as we truly repent we will find joy in becoming clean and we will bring our lives in line with God's will leading to the best way of life.

Merry Christmas everyone!  So grateful for all the blessings God has given me, the greatest of which is His son.  I love you all!

Love

Sister Hamm

Oh before I forget again.  The letters from Sister Kisa Smith and the young women came.  I can't tell you how much it meant to sister Tierra.  I said "this is for you" and she didn't want to believe me and then I had her read Sisters letter and you should of seen her face.  She was so surprised and then she went through and read each letter. (plus bubble wrap is her favorite so she popped all the bubbles of the packaging. haha) Anyway please give a big thank you to the young women and to sweet, sweet Sister Smith!