December 2018 Updates

December 5, 2018 Update:

Hola!!

I will be leaving Dickson tomorrow. I will be going to the Cunningham Ward with Elder Wright and we will train a new missionary. Cunningham is the ward right above mine right now. It's not in the same Stake, but we share borders. Cunningham is in the Clarksville zone/stake and I will cover the south part of Clarksville and anything underneath the Cumberland River. Actually, when the Cunningham ward was created, I was in the Clarksville 1st ward and to create the Cunningham ward they basically split the 1st ward in half. So I will be serving a lot of the same people I've already served and covering the same area I've covered. President said not to get too comfy because he will probably take me out halfway through the transfer to train some other missionaries. But I'll definitely have christmas in Cunningham! I'm still working on getting the Cunningham apartment address.

Sure do love yall! 

Elder Hamblin

December 12, 2018 Update:

Howdy yall! I'm alive! Love yall! 

December 19, 2018 Update: 

December 26, 2018 Update: 

November 2018 Updates

November 7, 2018 Update:

Hola Familia!

Stellar week here in Dickson. We went to the Nashville temple to do baptisms for the dead with our recent convert and his wife. I'll send some pictures of our trip. We also got to help out in another recent convert's industrial kitchen in her home. I was goofing around and trying to take pictures of Elder Shaw because he hates pictures of himself. I'll send some of those too.

See y'all in 36 days! Love ya! 

 Elder Hamblin

November 14, 2018 Update:

Familia!

I've got 3 big things this week!

1) We were doing some service at a food bank type place (counting potatoes, bagging broccoli, etc.) and like the second car that went through our line pulls out and gets slammed right in front of us. It was crunched in a V shape on its side. I was the first one on the scene. I was terrified! I wanted to help but I didn't know what to do. Fortunately, one of my companions had some emt type training and made a quick analysis that everybody was going to be fine but we shouldn't move them in case of spinal problems. So we just tried to talk them down.

2) I tried a pickle by itself for the first time in probably a couple years. And I love pickles now! I use to hate 'em, but now their my best friends.

3) In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe in revelation, including revelation to help guide those under your stewardship. My mission president, President Stone is therfore allowed to receive revelation to help me. I was approached by President Stone this week with this proposition, to stay out until February 8th. He said it was completely my choice. Whatever I chose would be honorable and there was no "wrong" choice, but that he would personally pay any fees to have me stay out until February and that the mission needed me and he wanted me to stay but that it was my choice. What a hard decision! One side is starting school earlier and being home for Christmas. The other doing what I love for another 2 months, serving the people of Tennessee and the missionaries in the TNM, and following the counsel of my priesthood leader. I decided to stay until February 8th. That's a final decision. I hope yall won't be mad about Christmas. I will see you when I'm home in February. But I believe in this work and I love it. I can sacrifice one more Christmas at home if it means I can help someone here in Tennessee (missionary or Tennessean) feel loved. Christmas is about giving, so I'm going to give!

Sure do love yall,

Elder Hamblin

*A picture of the trio and the Dickson Bishop

**A picture of Elder Shaw's new favorite sleeping spot

November 21, 2018 Update:

Familia,

Great week! We had a baptism for 2 incredible people we've been teaching for the last couple months. The young boy, 9 years old, is very spiritually mature and just awesome to be around. I also was taught how to crochet just a tad. It's hard stuff! My little sausage fingers don't move that fast or well. The Granny that was teaching said it's good for arthritis though! Maybe I'll work on it when I get back home.

I had an exchange with Elder Titus, my MTC companion. We had an exchange our first transfer together because we were in the same district we had an exchange when I was his zone leader and when he was district leader. And now we had an exchange when he is an assistant to the president and I'm a zone leader. Funny little switch. He is also going to be my companion when we travel around the mission for the last 3 weeks and train future leadership. Fun stuff.

Sure do love yall!

Elder Hamblin

November 28, 2018 Update:

Familia!

Hey y'all! Good Thanksgiving week here in Dickson. Our Thanksgiving dinner that was scheduled with some members ended up getting canceled because they got caught in traffic, so we ended up having frozen pizzas instead haha! It was a little disappointing at first, but we made the best out of it. It probably would've been harder if I didn't have great companions. We went over to a recent convert family this week and we made some ornaments. While we were in the middle of it, the mom gets a call from the son. She starts screaming He got a deer! He got a deer! So we all run in the backyard (that's where people hunt in Tennessee) and go up to where he had his deer stand and he ended up missing and just stunning the deer for a second. We were all disappointed we weren't getting any venison. Transfers are in a week so I'll let you know next Wednesday whether I'm moving to a new area for my last transfer! Love yall!

Elder Hamblin

October 2018 Updates

October 3, 2018 Update:

Family!

Hey y'all! It's been a slow week. Elder Shaw and I have been cooped up for about a week trying to get over our cold/sinus infection stuff. I'm rocking some steroids I was prescribed and some Mucinex and Nyquil. The 3 hitter quitter! I think we actually got our investigator sick and when he was baptized this last Saturday, he and I were just congested, coughing and feverish in the baptismal font together. A cool mission experience that doesn't need a repeat haha. 

I've got 10 weeks and everyone around takes every opportunity to remind me. Missionaries around me saying I'm practically dead. Emails from past missionaries reminding me of the countdown. Church headquarters initiating the "MyPlan" course for my final 6 weeks. Time is still flying by though and I'm having a bunch of fun with Elder Shaw. 

Sure do love ya! 

Elder Hamblin 

October 8, 2018 Update:

Hey Y'all!

They changed our p-day to Monday this week because Elder Shayne M. Bowen will be visiting the mission on Wednesday and they want us to actually have a p-day, cause that's important to have time to do laundry haha. Well, we had quite the spiritual blast of revelation these last couple of days with General Conference. And President Nelson holds true to form with another big juicy change announced. 2 hour church! 

Elder Shaw and I did some serious preparing for ourselves and to help a person we are teaching. Her one hold up from being baptized was modern day apostles. So we fasted and prayed that she'd receive a witness from the Spirit of God that President Nelson was the Lord's prophet and she fasted an prayed for the same thing. Yesterday evening, she decided to be baptized. Her baptism is today at 6pm!

Other than the exciting news of the baptism today, our week has been very uneventful. I've been sick for the past week and a half or so and we've been quarantined in our apartment. I feel like Jack Nicholson in The Shining. I've started going stir crazy. But I've been feeling better and should be good to go very soon. 

Sure do love ya! 

Elder Hamblin

*pictures from a member who wanted to send pictures to our moms but I'm just gonna send them to everyone! 

October 17, 2018 Update:

Hey y'all!

Elder Shaw and I just got back from visiting Nashville. We stopped by there Tennessee State Museum and the Parthenon. The state museum was sweet. Saw some sweet fossils, ancient baskets, and a flintlock pistol or two. Also, Tennessee really cares about their civil war history apparently! We didn't get to see the giant gold Athena in the Parthenon, but on the drive up we drove on the street (I don't remember the name) near the predators' (hockey team) stadium. And the street was packed with people at 1:30 on a Wednesday because there are so many live music performances! We rolled down the windows and caught a little of it.

This week, the last of the Gunters was baptized. So the family of five all made it through the "narrow gate". I think they all wanted 1) not to intrude on anyone else's baptism and 2) to have their own special baptismal service. So we had 5 baptismal services for a family of 5, but I'm okay with it! I'm just glad it all worked out. The Gunter mom has a couple relatives that have really been ridiculing her for her decision. It's pretty sad to see her family treat her so poorly. But we've been trying to lift her spirits as much as possible!

We had Elder Shayne M. Bowen of the 70 come this week to train us and crack the whip a little. Our mission president really emphasized our preparation for Elder Bowen so I did everything I could to prepare. In my preparation, I found a training he had given to chaplains in the military and it was exactly what he trained us on. So I had all the answers to his questions about the gathering of Israel and the Abrahamic Covenant. It was pretty funny because he'd try to stump us on a loaded question and I already knew where he was going with it, so I would jump the gun a little and surprise him a little. I probably shouldn't be messing with General Authorities but oh well.

I won't know if I'm leaving Dickson until Saturday, but I'll let you know as soon as I can! 

Sure do love ya! 

Elder Hamblin

October 31, 2018 Update: 

Hey Family,

40ish days left.... That's kind of close haha.

Sorry for the lack of an email last week. P day was changed to Monday and Elder Shaw and I got a little confused. But Transfers happened and President decided to let me stay in Dickson for my last full transfer. I will be finishing Elder Shaw's training but Elder Swanton has arrived, putting us in trio! Elder Swanton will be my fellow zone leader and we will co-train Elder Shaw. Elder Swanton has served primarily in biggish cities his whole mission, so Dickson has been a culture shock.

I'm pretty tired, so I'm not going to write a lot, but that's okay I'll see you in month or so.

Love,

Elder Hamblin