Sister Rachel Hamner | Singapore Mission: May 2020

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

"When all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you..."

May 25, 2020
Just a little reminder for y'all...

Heleman 5:12 - "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fail."

We can build our foundation on Christ in the little things we do every day. A simple act of faith, like daily prayer, will help you see how much He cares for you individually. I know He does, no one is out of the Savior's reach.

Selamat tinggal (Goodbye),
Sis. Hamner

Pic- Sis. Hamner and Sis. Smyth got caught in a rain (turned into hail) storm trying to find their car at Walmart this past week. (There were a lot of storms last weekend in the Texas/Oklahoma area.)

Sis. Hamner also said that if anyone ever needs anything, please let her know! (Prayers, letters, etc.)

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Sunsets, Tornados, and Old Ward Friends

Hey y'all! May 18, 2020

(My brother started saying that when he served in California and we'd all make fun of him for it...they reassigned me to the south, and I've since repented.) 😉

Although this is the Oklahoma, Oklahoma City Mission, the southern part of this missiom dips into Wichita Falls, Texas, where, you guessed it, I've been assigned! The sunsets are pretty similar to Indiana, so we're never short of a scenic evening. Except when there's a tornado like there was this week...then it's different. Nothing crazy happened, thank goodness! In fact, right when it was headed towards us, it changed direction. (#blessed) We definitely have a jar of pickles* and a set of blankets in our closet, though, just in case. (*Rachel loves pickels. Haha!)

The missionary work is a little different here, mostly because it is becoming a lot more internet-involved. We do a lot on Facebook, work with members, and have phone/zoom calls with friends. (Get in touch with your ward/branch missionaries and ask what you can do to help! Missionary work is super easy on Facebook, and you'll feel a lot of joy from it😊). During a missionary training zoom call this week, the trainer said, "Missionary work on Facebook won't go away. It isn't a 'quarantine boredom buster.' It's now a part of missionary work." This is an exciting time when we're seeing the work of the Lord roll forth in ways we never imagined before! And you can be a part of it! The gospel will continue to be spread "til the great Jehovah shall say, 'The work is done.'"

Keep praying, reading, serving, loving, and doing good. Heavenly Father is with you always and this is His work.

Selamat tinggal (goodbye),
Sister Hamner

*Side notes: This week was the first time Sis. Hamner rode a bike in a skirt and she said it was a new experience. She had a hard time at first trying not to fall over because of her riding with a skirt.

Also, there are members of their ward that bring the missionaries food every night. (Very kind!) This week, one of the ladies who brought them food recognized Rachel's last name and asked where she was from. When she said Indiana, she got excited because she said she used to know some Hamner's when her husband was in dental school. Turns out that it was Joni Potter...an old member of our Indy 3rd Ward and she used to teach Mark, Jr piano when Rachel was a toddler! Small world out there!!

Sunsets and storm clouds in Texas...

Thanks for a great birthday!

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Mission Continued...in Oklahoma, Oklahoma City Mission

May 11, 2020
Sis. Rachel Hamner has left once more to continue her mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but this time in the Oklahoma City Mission. She left the morning of Tues., May 5, and arrived safely that afternoon in Oklahoma City, greeted by her Mission President and his wife, Pres. and Sis. Christensen. She was set apart, met her new companion, Sis. Smyth, picked up her bike, and headed to her new assignment. (Fun fact: there were 40 new missionaries that arrived that day to Oklahoma City.)
Sis. Hamner and Sis. Smyth (who's Dad is first generation Irish) are serving in the Wichita Falls, TX, area, the southernmost part of the mission. Rachel said the weather is lovely right now and she is excited to have people to teach again, even if it's over the phone or through social media during this pandemic. Sis. Hamner was all smiles as we video chatted with her on Mother's Day, which happened to also be her 20th birthday (we celebrated with her before she left).
While she deeply misses Pres. Woo and his dear wife, and her friends and Branch family in Malaysia, she loves her new area, her companion, her mission president and his sweet wife, and she is thrilled to be able to continue serving as a missionary for the Lord.
If you would like to write to Sis. Hamner while she is in Wichita Falls, her address is as follows:

Sis. Rachel Hamner
3001 Kemp Blvd. Apt. 709
Wichita Falls, TX. 76308