Sister Jessica Hammond: The One where the rains came down and the floods came up

WHAD UP 2015!?!?!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Wow I love the feeling of starting a new year! I have high goals and high spirits!

I am pleased to let you all know I only woke up once on New Year's Eve!! Haha we spent the whole day on Wednesday cleaning our apartment, killing bugs, and organizing everything! I was absolutely exhausted and crashed at about 11:30. Haha it was awesome!

Thursday we had a crazy Georgia storm!! It was glorious!!! It rained and rained and RAINED!! There was thunder, lightening, even some trees fell down! We kept studying and then every couple minutes would run to the window to look outside. Within 5 minutes the streets were completely flooded! Haha because the gutters were stuffed with trash...it was crazy! AND the best part was it was COLD afterwards!!! Yup. I wore my winter coat in January in A-town. I was pumped! It was cold until yesterday!! Today is hot... but really not bad. I know Heavenly Father sent me here for a reason... so I don't die of heat stroke. anyway...

Friday was awesome! I had the idea of starting some classes for the adults and the youth in our branch. We started mission prep and family history classes! They are at the same time and the 4 of us take turns teaching the classes. Hermana Sanhuez and I taught Family History and the other sisters taught Mission Prep. We has SUCH a great turn out!! Everyone loved it and we are looking forward to doing it every Friday.

So updates on investigators! We found some great families this week! I will keep you updated on who progresses! Natalia came to sacrament meeting!! She brought her 2 girls. She told us that she KNOWS she needs to get baptized. She's awesome! We are still preparing for the 17th! Carolina had other commitments and couldn't make it but said she will come this week and bring her sister! Works for us!! She is now preparing for the 24th :)

So this week in our Book of Mormon reading I have loved reading the stories of Nephi! He was so courageous and steadfast. I told my companion that I want to work on being more like Nephi. Sometimes I feel like Laman or Lemuel... but don't we all! I love that we have the great example of Nephi in the scriptures. Also I love that Lehi and his story is comparable to that of Joseph Smith's story! They both had visions, were commanded to do something that was hard, nobody believed them, and they had to rely on their faith in the Lord. No wonder it's the first chapter in the Book of Mormon! If our investigators can accept the Book of Mormon as the word of God, they will be able to more easily accept that Joseph Smith was a prophet! I love it!

I don't have much more to report on. We are doing good here! I started a "miracle journal" this year. I bought a planner and everyday I am going to write down a miracle that happened that day.

HOLY SMOKES SIDE NOTE...... I JUST KILLED A SPIDER!!! It was crawling on the wall next to me and I smushed it. People do change.

OKAY back to the miracle journal... so yeah I am excited to be able to look back on it and just see all of the positive things that I have enjoyed so much on my mission.

I LOVE being here. I LOVE being a missionary. And I know I am going to LOVE 2015.

Happy New Year Everyone!

p.s. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUT TO MY COUSIN BROOKLYN!!!! Happy 10th Birthday Brookie!! LOVE YOU!!!