July 2018 Updates

July 4, 2018 Update:

Happy 4th of July!

I went on exchanges in Fairview TN this week and man oh man was that apartment gross. Sometimes when missionaries are going home they just don't do anything especially clean and that was definitely the case in this apartment. Previous to this point I've been sent to a couple apartments to clean them and prepare them for Sisters that would be moving into the area, but this Fairview apartment is the worst one I've seen. We had to set up mouse traps and caught a couple the night we set them up. It's looking a lot better now though!

As for Dickson, there is lots and lots of work to be done. We have a baptism coming up on the 15th and hopefully more to follow soon. There is lots of work, but the progress with some is slow. They don't mind pushing back lessons 1 week or 2 weeks later. Just classic slow moving small town.
I've got quite the garden growing. I've got a mint plant, a couple aloe vera plants (I've given a couple aloe vera plants away already too), a spider plant or at least that's what I think it's called. And a bell pepper plant which has a bunch of green peppers and a surprise red one. I didn't even know pepper plants did that multi color stuff on the same plant haha.

Nothing exciting for Independence Day. We will be on exchanges with the APs which means we will be working. Hopefully some stranger will take pity on us and donate some barbecue though.
We have separate zone conferences for each zone this transfer which means us zone leaders will be running the show. It should be pretty cool. It'll be pretty low key and really focused on our individual zone. Also, Preach My Gospel and a lot of missionaries things have changed recently. No more saying investigators, now they are "people" haha. No more saying dropping, now it's "stop teaching". A bunch of tic tac stuff. It should be leading to something good though.

That's my week! 

Love y'all, 

Elder Hamblin

July 11, 2018 Update: 

Howdy howdy!

What a sad day! It's 7/11 day and we have no 7/11 in our entire area (3 entire counties and part of 3 others). No free slurpie for Elder Hamblin. Seriously though, our area square mileage is huge! The Nashville Stake which is 7 wards covers less area than the whole Dickson ward. We drive and we drive and we drive. Just a bunch of rednecks who don't want neighbors. Dickson is great though. Great missionary minded members! 

There will be a baptism this Sunday before church. Elder Carlson is performing the baptism and I'll be confirming in sacrament meeting that day. We also started a 40 day fast, where a member will sign up for each day for 40 days and will volunteer to fast that day for the missionary work. Sometimes members have a hard time doing missionary work, but this is perfect for those that maybe struggle opening their mouth. 

Sure do love y'all! 

Elder Hamblin

July 18, 2018 Update:

Familia!

Dang good week. There was a baptism and confirmation this past Sunday and I was blessed to confirm her a member. Dickson is the place to be!

I was told I look like Matt Le Blanc (some guy from the show Friends). That was a funny one. Some guy said Elder Carlson was smaller than a poot and I was bigger than a burp. Not quite sure what that means haha. We also got a call to dedicate a grave in the Catholic cemetery right next door to the former Guinness World Record holder of the Biggest Picnic or Barbeque. I can't remember which one. Google McEwen TN and you should find it. We also got a tour of a funeral home. There's a thing among missionaries called 6 months to sexy, where you try to lose all the weight you put on while on your mission. I have attempted to start that, but we are teaching a lady who just started her baking company (pies, cookies etc). And boy oh howdy does she load us up! It's dangerous. Oh and I made a Top Ramen pizza! Fried top ramen noodles with scrambled eggs holding it together with just your regular pizza stuff on top. It was as missionary as you could get. That's all I got.

Sure do love y'all

Elder Hamblin

July 25, 2018 Update:

Hola!

So we started teaching some serious ex mobsters this week. There is one guy from New Jersey who lived in Miami that is a less active member and we've started teaching his son and wife. He tells us some of the craziest stories of him doing some serious mobster stuff. This isn't gangster, pow pow shoot em up kind of guys. This is the "have the respect to call me godfather" kind of guys. Intimidating but strong testimony haha. Also, there's another less active mobster from South Philly. We are trying to start teaching his wife, but every time we go over to try to catch her, he ends up telling us his Italian Mafia stories for like 3 hours. They are crazy! He was like the head chef for some huge mob family and makes the best meatballs ever. So it's gotten pretty "polpette piccanti" (Google translate that one!) here in Dickson County.

Also, I make my bed every morning. How crazy is that one?!?

Love y'all!

Elder Hamblin