Stress Relief

 Salta has mountain and at the top you can take mountain bikes down. It was pretty fun. White shirt and tie and bunny hops all the way down the mountain. It was a great way to let out some stress and run into some trees on the way.

What a difference it is when we accept our weaknesses and turn to the Lord for help. I know that prayers and prioritizing made the difference this week. I MADE the time to study thus making my days more productive and my lessons at night more powerful. As for the temptations as a missionary I have renewed my decission to be as exactly obedient to mission rules again. I forgot the process of change but was reminded by my buddy Lorenzo Snow: 

"Do not expect to become perfect at once. If you do, you will be disappointed. Be better today than you were yesterday, and be better tomorrow than you are today. The temptations that perhaps partially overcome us today, let them not overcome us so far tomorrow. Thus continue to be a little better day by day." 

Why is it so easy to forget what we need to do in this life to recieve the strength we need to continue oneward. Thank you for your help. I love you very much.

MY HIGH:

I recieved a "CAM PHAM" this week!!!!!! I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO EXPRESS HOW EXCITED I AM! Hermana Reynoso (aka Cam Pham version Argentina) is a senior-ish member in a neighboring ward who has been called to be a service missionary. Her assignment is to help me! YES!!!!!! She freaking rocks. She loves to try to speak English even though it's really really...she's learning, and I'm trying to help... This week we completed the legalization of 15 missionaries! BOOM! We've also started going file by file planning out way to 100% legality by my birthday. Ask and you shall recieve. (in the true spirit of Mom, I have another high). I  "bajé la caña" or droped the cane (its a phrase in argentina which people use when someone talks very directly and very strongly in a rebuking way. It's like hitting someong in the head with the Spirit - The Spirit cane). I felt so full of the spirit. Normally when poeple aren't completting their commitments (reading, praying, etc) I take a supportive Christ-like approch, but this time it was the Christ-in-the-temple approach. I dropped the cane and could see the spirit working a number on the heart of this man. I don't think he will skip a day reading the scriptures again in his life.

MY LOW:

To legalize missionaries, they need to come to Salta (one of the 4 provences in our mission). To get here, I buy them bus tickets and then send them codes to pick up the tickets in their cities. I was organizing a larger group of missionaries this past Jueves, and had 6 missionaries comming to Salta for 5 of them to complete their "tramites" or the papers to recieve a visa-religiosa. I forgot to tell 2 of them.... In the middle of a family home evening everything came to a head, I had forgotten my cellphone, I didn't have the codes for them to get their tickets, I was in charge of the activity, and the bus was leaving in 5 mins.... They missed the bus, money down the drain,. The activity died, spirit down the drain...it was just a bad night for Elder Hampton.

Mi lista de diez de gratitud:

1. La Oración
2. Jugando basquet con mis compañeros de las oficinas
3. Discursos del Conferencia General 
4. Hablando con Presidente 
5. Escuchando la voz del Señor en las paginas de Las Escrituras
6. Manejando la camioneta de la misión
7. Decoraciones de Navidad 
8. Mensajes Mormones
9. Avena
10. Remolachas

I love you very much.

Keep your eyes on the Lord as he will lift you above that which you could ever accomplish alone.

Saludos de amor,

Elder Devin G. Hampton