Email 7/28/13

Dear Family,

I am SO excited to hear the Kale sent in her papers last night! Man that makes me so excited! I can't believe that we will have so many missionaries out at one time! I thought that having 4 out was a lot but now we will have added The Other Sister Hamblin and Hermana Hamblin, how could things go wrong in the world with so many Hamblins out there trying to save it? I don't see how it could. ;) I can't wait to hear where she is going! I almost wish there were a faster way than only Monday's to hear about it! But you know what i'm going to need when the day comes that she recieves it... PICTURES! Oh speaking of Hermana Hamblin sent me the Fourth of July pictures. Kale and Riann and Mom, you guys look so BEAUTIFUL! I loved your outfits, Kale, I'm not too sure about that shirt but we'll talk about it later :) 

This week flew by as well. We had exchanges with sisters from different zones this week. We got to work with the Sisters in Freport. Some cool experiences from that, I was flashed by a spanish lady, sat through a lesson that I had NO idea what was going on, was able to invite lots of people to a Restoration Fireside, and play Beach Volleyball with a BYU Men's Volleyball player [Elder] Durkin (Sorry I don't know his first name). I don't know if you've heard of him but he's pretty good. They play in this huge summer long volleyball tournament at the beach in Belle Harbor right where the storm hit. It was REALLY fun! It's mostly to bring the name of the Chruch out of obscurity but they had a few investigators show up and they were SO awesome! I really hope to hear about their baptisms soon. They wear as jurseys their yellow "Helping Hands" tee shirts and they are pretty hard to miss. 

I think I wrote everything else in my letter for the week. Sorry this is so short. I really do love you! Mom I hope that things go well in Kindergarten this year. Rad when are you going to get the hint that I would like a letter from you? Dad, thanks for the letter! You always know just what to say. Riann how long till college? Kale, you've got this. Keep studying, pray NOW for your companions, investigators, and district members, and ward members, and mission president,etc. That was the best decision I ever made before I came out here. Elder Hamblin, Keep up the good work, also you're in trouble.

Ok, I love you all so much!

Love,

The Oldest Sister Hamblin

Letter 7/22/13

Dear Family,
Wow! Can you believe another week has come and gone again?  The days are just flying by and I honestly can't tell if I am happy or sad about that. I of course miss home so much so I am glad that the time to see you all draws closer and closer, but at the same time, I love being in New York serving our beloved Father in Heaven.  I think this is so hard because life is really a lot like a massive mission.  We really are, or should be, excited about making it back to our Father in Heaven and I guess we really should just be excited about who will take our spot when we leave.  There are so many amazing people in our lives and really we don't know most of them well enough to realize how great they are. 

Ok, I'll get off my soap box and move on with the rest of my letter.  I really don't know what else to say because I literally just wrote it in my email.

I can't believe how many cousins are out and going out.  What a great family we have.

Ok, I'm going to close.  Thank you again for all you do for me!

I Love you all!

Love,
Sister Amanda Hamblin

Letter 7/08/13

Dear Family,
Oh how I love New York!  This place is so great!  The people are so nice and the scenery is BEAUTIFUL!  I just truly love it here.  At the same time, there's no place like home.  I can't tell you how hard it was not to be in Eagar celebrating my favorite day of the year.  I saw no parades, no fireworks, and definitely no rodeos or dances.  Most of the reason why is because...I'm a missionary :)  But I can't wait to get home next year and celebrate the 4th of July the right way! This New York place is really awesome though.  They have had flags lining the streets for weeks!  SO BEAUTIFUL!  Also one house had a giant flag hanging from the top of the 2 story roof to almost the ground!  It was awesome!

This week has been hot and beautiful!  I have sunburns everywhere except my legs, so yes, I am still white, so white!  And don't worry dad, I'm using every caution to not get burned that I can.  I am working hard to stay covered while not being too hot.

With the increase of missionaries in our area we are seeing an increase of people interested in learning a bit more about the "Mormons".  We hope to be teaching 12 people by the end of the week so we'll see what happens.  These people are all amazing with crazy individual stories.  One of the greatest blessings in my mission has been to be able to work with these people and learn from their lives and stories.  There are so many interesting, kind people here and everywhere I'm sure.

Well I'll close for now.  Thank you all so much for your letters, prayers and emails.  I love you all so much!

Love, Sister Hamblin

Email 7/22/13

Dear Family,

I just want to thank you all so much for all the love and support I receive from you each week. I can't thank you enough for the prayers, packages, and letters! I feel so honered and blessed to have such a wonderful support system in the best town in the whole world! 

This week has been crazy and I have had such a hard time remembering what has happened. But here goes:

We had a trainer/trainee meeting at the mission office on Tuesday that really helped to change the course of our companionship. Sister Kapisi is amazing and teaches me so much every day. 

Friday we had interviews with President Calderwood... Can I just tell you all how truly blessed this area is to have such an amazing leader as President Calderwood? Truly, he is amazing! I mentioned my love for my father and he literally started crying (ok not like my crying, crying but like respectful man crying... does that even make sense?) and said he is so grateful for fathers who treat their daughters like mine treats me. Daddy, thank you for being so awesome that someone who has never met you can love you instantly. Mom, you are amazing as well. Thanks for picking such a great guy. Also thank you for being the perfect woman for him. He wouldn't be quite as amazing without you :)

The rest of the interview was amazing too but I really don't have a lot of time today... sorry. 

Yesterday we had such an awesome experience teaching a 23 year old mother who is so awesome and comes from a really rough background! We really hope to see her progress and make it to the temple. 

We also were able to go to the baptism of a member last night... a member as in she is 8 and it is time for her to become a member...? Sorry I really don't know how to express myself today :) Anyway the baptism was AMAZING and the family of her father is all non-members. It was really interesting to see the love that they felt for this young granddaughter, niece, cousin, and sister. They all were so nice and were all so grateful for the opportunity to be there and share this special day with them.

I really don't know what else has happened.... Oh the pictures will explain a lot :)

373- Look what I found in a thrift store for $4! Yes I bought it! How could I not?!

325- The view from a bridge over the train tracks near the chapel at Rego Park in Queens... cool huh?!

Email 7/08/13

Dear Family,

I don't know what to write because I wrote most of it in my letter. It is really hard writing a letter and an email all on the same day. I seem to get all the information out in one way or another. But anyways... 

This week was great! We did a lot of tracting. It is really not a favorite activity of mine but I guess we've seen some success from it... well my companion and I haven't but Elder Clark and Elder McPherson have found a lot of people for us. We are doing all we can to help them too but we are just not as good as them I guess. We did find one guy for them and we are praying that he will be good for them. 

The thing that I am learning right now is that I have to love everybody even when it is really hard to love them. Love is the most important element in this work and if people can't see that you really truly do love them, they don't want to listen to you and what you have to say. Even if it is just an invitation to come to a free Family History night at our church. People need to feel loved by us and by everyone at church and in the community around them to want to succeed in this church.

We have a zone activity today that should be really fun. Water balloon Volleyball and lunch! It is so hot here and we have wanted to just jump in eveyone's pool (or the ocean) that this will be a good way to compensate. Our zone is pretty great and I have a good friend in this zone who I am so excited to see today! Her name is Sister Millit and she is from Kingston Utah. She is so cute and always willing to listen... there's that listen work again. Anyways yeah, it should be really fun.

I am sorry this is so short but I really don't know what else to say. I love it here! I am going to be so sad the day they take me out of the Bay Shore ward. It is the BEST!!! If you have any ideas about community activities that we could do please let us know. 

Thank you all so much for your prayers and for your love,

Love,
Sister Hamblin :)

Letter 7-1-2013

Dear family,

     Holy crazy week! I have had one of the craziest weeks of my life and I probably would have had a nervous break down if I hadn't had such a great relationship with our father in heaven.
     Missions are times of constant change. We develop a love for an area, the people, our companions, our district and zones and in less than a week EVERYTHING changes. This week two solid families moved out of our ward and a new couple (from the blessed state of AZ) moved in. Our mission went from nine zones to ten because of the increase in missionaries and people coming to the gospel. Our district went from having four missionaries to six and my sweet companion went to the beautiful island of Bermuda. I feel almost as if the floor has been ripped out from under me and I didn't know where I was to land.
     My new companion is wonderful! She, besides Sister Moreno Diaz, is the most organized person I have ever met. She knows exactly whats going on where and what needs to be done. She is a hard worker and is already bringing so much to this companionship. Her name is Sister Kapisi and she is from Hawaii. She is going to school at BYU and majoring in Business. She is very smart, a very picky eater and she loves missionary work :) I am so blessed to have her as my companion.
     We have got a lot of work to do. There are many people whose lives are just waiting to be changed. We just have to seek the Lord's help and guidance in finding them. This applies to both sides of the veil. In church yesterday we had the Temple president come talk to us. He said that missionary work is being done with urgency on both sides of the veil. The work we can do for them is crucial, just as it is for the people we talk to here now. keep up the good work!!
     I love you all! Thank you for your prayers and letters! You are AMAZING!

                                  Love,
                              Sister Hamblin

LETTER FROM MISSION PRESIDENT 6-28-13

Dear Sister Hamblin,

This letter will serve to confirm your assignment to serve as a Sister Training Leaders in the New York New York South Mission. I am confident that you and your companion will make a great team and will build on the positive momentum in this mission.

I invite you to serve the sisters with love and enthusiasm. It is important that all of them feel their inherent value as a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is true for our newest arrivals as well as those who are completing their service. All are vital! All need our support and at times, our candid counsel. We invite you to pay particular attention to the trainers and their companions, and help them to have a meaningful training experience. The strength of the mission and the effectiveness of our work will be determined by the development of powerful new missionaries.

In a very real way, you have a unique opportunity to affect the lives of all the sisters who will serve during your leadership tenure. While a great deal may be accomplished through teaching, you will find that your greatest tool will be the example that you set as you live your life and discharge your own duties, especially in your own area. God bless you and those for whom you have stewardship.

In this assignment, we will have an opportunity to work more closely together and that is something I personally will enjoy very much. I pray that the Lord will bless you with all that you need as you serve in this responsibility and that your heart will be "Forever Changed". 

                                             Warmly,
                                              Kevin E. Calderwood
                                              Mission President

Letter 6-17-2013

Dear family,

     Well not a whole lot has happened since Thursday but, the Elders did have a baptism yesterday so something great did happen :) Anthony is his name and he is getting ready to go into the military. He had asked the Elders if he could go on an all day split with them so he would be able to find out what missionary life is like. He is also getting ready to go on a mission! he is a great kid! I can't tell you how grateful I am to be serving with dedicated people.
     I had a question about Luke 7: 36-50 and how much one person can love our savior. Because I am dramatic and I blow things out of proportion, I was quite upset-luckily these amazing teenagers I'm serving with are very close to our Heavenly Father and they answered my question in a very respectful and clear way! These people are simply amazing! I am so blessed! :)
     We are working with a lady who for a while only wanted to be friends with the missionaries because of the help they gave her during Hurricane Sandy. Slowly she is breaking down her walls and we are seeing tortise like progress in her. We love her so much and yesterday morning she made us the most beautiful breakfast! Fruit, juice and cream cheese strawberry french toast. Yes you are right, It was so delicious! It was the perfect start to a beautiful father's day :) We decided that we were celebrating our father in heaven's fathers day. Something I had never thought about before. She is amazing! 
     Well I love you all so much!!

                     Love,
                Sister Hamblin

Letter 6-13-2013

Dear Family,

     Whew! It's been a long week without preparation day! So great but also exhausting. Our ward is going through their records and "cleaning them up". there are so many less active names that they're not even sure who has moved, died, wants names removed etc. so we are in the "cleaning up process".
     We are receiving names from Sister Urban, the Relief Society president, and we go see what we can find out for her. Lots of times they have moved but sometimes they are there and very excited to be contacted again. Some of them feel very left out, forgotten or not needed. Those are the ones I fear the most. How can this be a church of love and someone feels this way? How great the call and example of Jesus Christ to leave the 99 to find the 1.
      I feel bad for all of the people in our ward whom I've never reached out to because I have been too afraid, proud or busy. I obviously didn't understand the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is not about you, it's about them. You want to work on your patience, humility, charity, scripture study, prayer, etc., etc, etc, work and serve those around you. Heavenly Father sent Jesus Christ the perfect example to help us see just that. It is not about us, it's about them.
     I'm so excited for all the missionaries in our family, both in the field and at home on the front lines. Lots of times we as members think that the missionaries are on the front lines doing the "hard work" but that is so not true. The members role in this great work is far more important than the missionaries. The members are charged and privileged enough for the investigators long after the missionaries leave. If there weren't dedicated members this work would cease I'm sure of it! New members need that love and support before, during and after baptism and investigation. Thank you so much for always helping the missionaries.
     You all are the greatest family EVER! There is no one more blessed in this world than I am :) Thanks for being awesome!!

                  Love,
            Sister Hamblin

Email 7/01/13

Dear Family,

Yay for Bishop Smith! I knew it was only a matter of time. That man is truly amazing! He is been such a great example not only in my life but I know in the lives of so many youth in the church in Eagar AZ. I am so excited for him and I know he'll do great! He has great counselors as well. 

This week has been full of emotion and excitement. I was really struggling at the beginning of the week because I loved my last companion so much. She really was one of the most amazing people I have ever met. I love and miss her but I have an excellent new companion who works really hard and loves missionary work. She is a Business Major from BYU and only has 3 semesters left when she gets back home. She is super organized and loves to work hard. She is a great example to me of talking to people and just getting a positive face out there for the church. I am so blessed to be working with her. 

Our mission is changing as well as Elder Hamblin's... no we are not splitting but we are gaining zones, which means smaller working areas, which means more missionaries in less areas, which means people being baptized and there being REAL GROWTH in the wards and stakes here in the NY-NYCS mission! What a blessing it is to have such an inspired man as our president! I love him and he is doing great things for our mission. 

Things in New York get pretty crazy around the 4th of July. I haven't seen the day come yet but the stores are crazy today and the traffic is out of this world! I can't believe how many people flood to this area for this wonderful time of year! As you all know this is my favorite Holiday and I can't wait to see how it is celebrated New York style. There are flags everywhere and people are so excited for this day in which we celebrate our independence. I received some amazing emails from Bishop Eric and Bishop Merrill Hamblin. They both talked about the importance of the Constitution and how important that document is in our history. I can't wait to be able to study it more in depth when I get home. I just love this country and I am so grateful that we live here where Joseph Smith was able to freely ask the question about what church was right. What a blessing it is to know that we are still able to celebrate our religious freedom. I LOVE AMERICA!!

I also love this gospel. What a blessing it is for me to be able to go to my Father in Heaven and ask and thank Him for things that may seem small and insignificant to most people but for me it is sooo huge! I am so grateful that he understands my needs and that he knows that what I am going through is important and a big deal to me. I love Him so much! Now I only pray that I can love and understand His children as he does. I am so blessed to be here. Thank you all so much for you letters and prayers.

Love,

Sister Hamblin :)

You know that I am going to need pictures from the 4th right?... Yes?... Good, glad we are on the same page :) Thank you!

Oh p.s.

The first picture is taken in our apartmen yes it really is only that big... I am at the front door and that is the only room down stais... 

The second picture is of Sister McKee  (right) and Sister Kapisi (left). Aren't they beautiful! They are amazing sisters!

Ha ha sorry, I also forgot to tell you that I wont be sending any more picture cards home... I hear that people steal them from the letters. If you could please let me know if you got my last one