Sister Jessica Hammond: Adios America!

Friends and Family!

Man am I super good! I want to take a minute and thank everyone who takes the time to read my letters. My mom says she gets a lot of feedback.

I want to share something with you that I learned this week. I had always known this but now it has sunk deep in my heart and will be a part of me forever. On Sunday Sister Carol McConkie (1st counselor of the Young Women General Presidency) came and spoke to us. She showed us the video "My Kingdom Is Not Of This World" I invite you all to see it. Then she said "Do you recognize who you are?" That just hit me like a ton of bricks. My heart swelled as the words stayed in my mind. "Do I recognize who I am?" And now I ask all of you, Do you recognize who you are? You are a son or daughter of a King, of a God. You are royalty. So incredibly special. God loves us to incredibly much it is incomprehensible for the human brain. He loves you so much He wants you to one day be like Him. A God or Goddess. He sent His only Begotten Son to die for you so that could be possible. We would not have life if it wasn't for the Atoning sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Then I asked myself, "After all the Lord has done for me, what would I not do for Him?" When I think about that, it makes serving a mission a lot easier. I remind myself often, God called me on a mission, He will provide a way for me to do it. (1 Nephi 3:7) This is His work so of course He is going to bless me with what I need to accomplish it. That is why I chose D&C 84:88 to be my scripture for my plaque. He doesn't let us do things alone. It is the same for every person on this Earth. Wherever they are, whatever they are going through. He will send angles to be on your right and your left and He will be at your front, guiding you, never letting you fall. I hope you all can better understand who you are. I say this a lot but it is still true. I don't know a lot. I hardly know anything in Spanish. But I know who I am. I am a daughter of God. I know He wants me here, on a mission, going to Argentina, because I was able to talk to Him and He told me my plan before I came here. I promised people I would find them, and help them come unto Christ. And that's all I really need to know. 1. I know who I am. 2. I know where I'm going.

So for those who haven't heard from my mama, I got glasses! Surprise! I can't see! Haha! Turns out I have astigmatism which makes a lot of sense. But what I loved most was I got to call home to get an insurance number! That was the BEST! I am so surprised neither me or my mom burst into tears over the phone. It was so good to hear her voice and talk to her. And now I can see so it's a win win!

Yesterday Elder Christofferson came and spoke to us. HOW LUCKY AM I?? 4 general authorities in the 6 weeks I've been here! And David Archuletta! Haha it's been wonderful! He shared a message on trust. Some things that stood out to me are he said, "It is better to be trusted than to be loved." Can God trust me? Am I someone who will be trustworthy to the end? Here are some scriptures he shared:

D&C 112:28-29

Helaman 10:4-5 (Verse 4 should be a description of who we are.)

D&C 20:29

D&C 88:3

D&C 19:18-19

Such great insight. I want to be the type of missionary who God can trust to the very end. And then I want to be someone He can trust for the rest of my life. When we meet again I want Him to say "Well done good and faithful servant." And then be welcomed into His presence and feel of the accomplishment.

There is one more spiritual thing I want to share. One of my MTC teachers, Hermano Avila (my favorite actually) changed my life in so many ways. One thing he said about missionaries is they are so ready to learn. He compared to some missionaries as:

A rock- someone who is not receptive of anything.

A sponge- someone who soaks up all this great knowledge but won't share unless it is squeezed out of them.

And a SUPERNOVA- someone who is just bursting with light and knowledge of the gospel. He told us we are supernovas and that is a perfect description of how I feel! I just want to scream "THE GOSPEL IS SO SUPER TRUE!!!!" I hope when I get to Argentina I won't be too overbearing because I will definitely be bold. :)

A lot of people have been asking me how I am feeling about going to Argentina. Honestly I feel excited, happy, and above all else humbled. Heavenly Father is letting ME go spread the gospel. He is letting ME grow and experience so many things. He is shaping ME to be who I want to be. He is in charge so there is nothing to fear. A lot of people ask if I am nervous. The answer is no. God is in charge. My experiences in the MTC have made me fearless. Everyday when I put on my badge I look in the mirror and say to myself, "I fear no one, because God is in charge." It's an amazing feeling to let everything go and completely rely on the Lord. I never thought it would be so relieving. But it is. Your mission is your attitude and I want to have a good one. There is not enough time to be sad, worried, scared, or mad. And there is no reason to be!!

Quick funny story... last night 2 of our smoke detectors started beeping because the battery was dead. We went to the office to get replacements. I changed them and then we heard another one start beeping. Luckily we had grabbed an extra battery so I changed that one too. Right after I put the battery in the detectors started going off!! Haha it was so loud and freaked us all out! I quickly took all the batteries out and then back in. I don't know how they started going off but I was proud of myself for fixing it! Haha lame story I know... but not a lot of crazy things happen here :) I'm sure I will have a lot more to say when I get to A-Town. :)

Well everyone it is time to wrap things up. I am so grateful for everyone who has written me, prayed for me, thought of me, or even not thought of me :) I can feel an overwhelming rush of love everyday and I know it is because I have an amazing fan club at home. I am so grateful for this opportunity I have. It is changing my life and shaping me into a better person. Adios America! The next email you get I will be in South America!

Love and hugs,

Hermana Hammond