Selamat Pagi, Mama and Dad and family!!!
Guess what.....
I'M. AT. THE. MTC. WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
I'm alive and well and a bit wet, but super excited!! My tag is in Malay and it's super cool (and Markie is right, EVERYone says hi and welcome to you). Everything's good so far and I think I'm about to get my companion, so I love you and will talk to you soon!
love,
sister hamner
August 2, 2019
Selamat tengah hari! (that's good afternoon)
It is insane that I'm now officially a nametag-wearing, sleepy, spirit-filled, slightly overwhelmed missionary for Gereja Yesus Kristus Orang Suci Zaman Akhir!!! If I'm honest, it doesn't quite feel like it yet (of course, I've never known what it was like to feel like a missionary before, so maybe this is in fact it). There's definitely a more special spirit here than a church camp or youth conference, my mind and body and spirit are still trying to soak it all in. It can be overwhelming at times, but I say a quick prayer, smile, and everything seems just a bit better.
Fridays are my P-day for these 6 weeks. My comp is Sister Gordhammer (everyone looks at our nametags and thinks we're related at first, haha), and I love her. She's lived all over the world because of her dad's job (including Singapore when she was 7-13), which is super cool. She's quiet, but super sweet and is very spiritual. We are the only sisters in our district, but the elders are super cool, too! Our zone includes missionaries speaking Samoan, Marshallese (sp?), and a couple of others, I think. Our STL's (sister training leaders, almost like sister district leaders) are a trio, and one of them (Sister Davie) is the one who helped me with my bags! She's Aussie and is super nice, too. There's only one sister, a single missionary, in the district speaking Marshallese, so she hangs out with us! Her name is Sister Ametu and she is from Samoa. She's literally always smiling and is always willing to make others around her happy.
I actually saw Elder Hamner (her cousin Ben) in the MTC store yesterday! I heard someone say, "Sister Hamner!" I turned around, shook his hand (we can't give hugs), and said, "Hey, Elder Hamner, how's it goin?!" My comps were a little confused that we had the same name and didn't really look alike, haha. But he's doing well, it looks like! And I spotted Elder Zeller coming from breakfast today, but he was studying the scriptures so I just whispered, "Hey, Elder Zeller!" and he smiled and waved. I love seeing familiar faces, it makes things easier. The only person I know from EFY is coming on August 14th I think, so I'll be excited to see another familiar face then, too.
Okay, I had THE BEST. lunch yesterday. It was a delicious wrap, filled with just a bit of guac, beans, banana peppers, jalapeno peppers, and spinach and WOW, WAS IT AMAZING. My favorite thing so far is language study, it's cool to hear the class ask questions and discuss and learn together! The whole language thing it honestly intimidating, but I've already learned so far, from workshops and other's testimony's and my personal study, that everything will be just fine :) Bagus!
We get allotted exercise time, so today is the first day of official gym time. And GUESS WHAT. MY COMP WANTS TO RUN. I was blessed BIG time.
One of the biggest things I've learned so far this week is how to have faith when something seems absolutely impossible. I personally wanted to have more faith that Heavenly Father can help me learn this language, and to be patient with myself in the process. Think back to a time when you prayed for something, but didn't know if you'd get the result you wanted, and was later blessed. Did you pray about it all the time? Did you do everything you could before handing it over to the Lord? It may have felt completely impossible or worthless before you received an answer or result, but we can't realize how much we've progressed or how much faith has done until "the hour He will show us." From a previous faith-building experience of mine, I can testify that I know the Lord recognizes every bit of faith, even the teeniest tiny-est "I will go and do" that we can give. If we put in as much as we can, more than ever before, and let the Lord guide, the impossible becomes 100% possible. I am grateful everyday that I have been blessed with the responsibility to love and teach God's children. I know He loves Sister Hamner and every one of you. Well, gotta run!
love,
sister hamner
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