Almost Time To Pack

Two Elder Hampton's

Dad,

May 23 - May 29th is my last week as a missionary.

May 30 - May 31 I have a few interviews with President Chaparro and free time to visit converts in Salta.

June 1st I will be arriving in California.

I asked Presidente Chaparro if you can come and be my companion for that last week. He said yes.

Dad, I want you to see what it is like to be a representative of Jesus Christ for a week with me. 2 Elder Hampton's for a week. Please come.

You can fly in to the airport in Tucumán, I will pick you up on Monday in the airport, and from Monday till Sunday Elder Moreno, Elder Hampton (1) and Elder Hampton (2) will bring people unto Christ.

Let Me Know, Please.

Conversation con Presidente:

Presidente,

Me guestaria saber si mi padre puede venir el semana 6 del proximo traslado (23/05/2016 - 29/05/2016) y ser misionero por una semana conmigo. El no servio una mision, y tampoco puede venir cuando termino por una problema con la fecha, y quiero que el sepa como es. El serìa un misionero de tiempo parcial digamos por unos 7 dias y saldríamos juntos el martes 31/05/2016 por los estados unidos. ¿Se puede hacer? No he dicho nada a èl toda via.

-Elder Hampton

Querido Elder,

Si su padre viniese ¿que recomienda hacer con su compañero? todavía estaría en la semana 12 de entrenamiento

Un abrazo

Presidente Chaparro

​Presidente,

Si viniese, seríamos un trío - Elder Moreno, Elder Hampton, Hermano Hampton. Yo obviamente terminaría el entrenar al Elder Moreno y trataría a mi papa como un nuevo misionero/un miembro que nos acompañe. Hay una cama extra en nuestra pensión y el viviría como un "mini misionero" por decirlo así por una semana con nosotros.

​-Elder Hampton​

​Querido Elder,​

De acuerdo invite a su padre y disfrute de la experiencia.

Un abrazo

Presidente Chaparro​​

​I love you,

Élder Hampton | Misión Argentina Salta

Just want to let you know, Elder Moreno and I are excited to see our next companion. We've got a nice place saved.

PS... you'll be sleeping in the twin bed with Elder Moreno. ​

Just kidding about the bed, you will have your own towel to sleep with on the floor.

Back To The Field ...It's White and Ready To Harvest!!!

So another transfer cycle ended. I am no longer Assistant to Presidente Chaparro. I get to train a new missionary and open a new area. I am still in Salta until Wednesday and then me and my new companion (when he gets here from the MTC) will head down to Tucumán together to open a new area. It will be a fun experience considering the fact that neither of us knows the area or have any idea what's going to happen. All I know is that I am so glad that this is the Lord's work and HE knows where everyone is, and who's ready to receive the blessings of being a member of the Church so the only thing we have to do is go to Him for help. All that being said, I have felt this weight over my shoulders and just a nagging feeling in my stomach these past few days. I want to be in my new área, ¡pero ya! My greatest desire is to be an instrument in the Lord's hand for these last 12 weeks, in the training of a new missionary and the baptizing sons and daughters of God. My lack of patience is the death of my faith, so I have been looking for every way to exercise my patience and faithfully continue forward with the Lord's help... It's been a slow couple of days.

My High: Juan baptizing Maria.. and then hearing the testimony of Maria after her baptism.

Love your Son,​

Élder Hampton | Misión Argentina Salta

Lifting Our Burdens Through Service

Good Afternoon,

We've been teaching an 85 year old lady named Ana.

We've been also visiting Raul a member who's been away from church for over 10 years.

I was praying 2 weeks ago trying to figure out getting Ana to church and her wheel chair and everything... and Raul name comes very clearly to my mind. He has a car. He doesn't do anything Sunday mornings... I wrote it down and moved on.

We were planning for the week and we get to Ana, and how she is going to get to church. I remember Raul and the very clear answer I had received the week prior.

We called him and asked him if he would help someone we were teaching get to church that Sunday.

It was silent for over a minute. He protested weakly and we told him "Brother, were not trying to get you to go to church. We need your help so that someone else will." Silence again.

He visited her with us Saturday night to arrange everything.

Sunday morning, he almost beat us to her house.

He lifted her from the wheel chair to the car and from the car to the wheel chair. He dropped us off at church and then drove away.

Church ended and he was waiting outside the door. He lifted her up and put her in the car. and then took us all back to her house to take her out again and put her in the wheel chair.

We asked him, while driving Elder Reynolds and I back to the church, if there was anyghint we could do to help him or him family. He responded "Keep doing what you have just done".

People stop going to church for so many reasons. The grand part of them being reasons very very small, that push us so very very far away from the Love and Unity we feel as active members in the Gospel (not church, but gospel... I am not talking about church attendance).

Serving others is one of the many ways the Lord uses to bless US. not the people we are serving, but US. Service has a way of lifting our own problems from our shoulders and for a few moments we are free to see the world as it really is and not how we think it is.

Keep the commandment and serve someone this week.

I love you all very much,

Élder Hampton | Misión Argentina Salta

Learn by Faith

Family and Friends,

Every other transfer cycle, Presidente and the assistants have a conference with each of the 10 zones in the mission. The conferences this transfer are focused on the Holy Spirit and His role in our work. I wanted to share a thought with respect to one of the principles we have be studying. I quote from a talk by elder Bednar titled “Learn by Faith”.

We firmly believe in the power and strength that comes through acting by faith. We believe in God and in His Son and know that they will guide us, but often times we find our self asking, questioning, or even doubting the faith filled footsteps before we even take them. We let uncertainty take the place of our faith and begin to search for evidences to anchor ourselves to instead of just acting. Elder Bednar explains how Faith is the evidence upon which we can anchor ourselves:

Assurance, action, and evidence influence each other in an ongoing process. This helix is like a coil, and as it spirals upward it expands and widens. These three elements of faith—assurance, action, and evidence—are not separate and discrete; rather, they are interrelated and continuous and cycle upward. And the faith that fuels this ongoing process develops, evolves, and changes. As we again turn and face forward toward an uncertain future, assurance leads to action and produces evidence, which further increases assurance. Our confidence waxes stronger, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little.

We find a powerful example of the interaction among assurance, action, and evidence as the children of Israel transported the ark of the covenant under the leadership of Joshua (see Joshua 3:7–17). Recall how the Israelites came to the river Jordan and were promised the waters would part, and they would be able to cross over on dry ground. Interestingly, the waters did not part as the children of Israel stood on the banks of the river waiting for something to happen; rather, the soles of their feet were wet before the water parted. The faith of the Israelites was manifested in the fact that they walked into the water before it parted. They walked into the river Jordan with a future-facing assurance of things hoped for. As the Israelites moved forward, the water parted, and as they crossed over on dry land, they looked back and beheld the evidence of things not seen. In this episode, faith as assurance led to action and produced the evidence of things not seen that were true.

As we exercise faith though our actions, we find that “faith [becomes an], anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works” Ether 12:4. As we abound in faith-full works, that same faith becomes something tangible in our lives, to which we may secure ourselves and our families.

Faith is a requirement if we hope to receive divine guidance in this life, but it is also a left-over to spiritual experiences brought about by our faith (evidence of things not seen). It is at the beginning and the end. “Assurance, action, and evidence influence each other in an ongoing process”, and “These three elements of faith—assurance, action, and evidence—are not separate and discrete; rather, they are interrelated and continuous and cycle upward.”

Thank you for the emails and letters and packages. I read every single one. I don't respond to almost any of them, but know that they do get read.

I love you all,

Élder Hampton | Misión Argentina Salta

Elder Krasnoselsky Visits

Weekly Re-Cap:

My week was a long one. Elder Krasnoselsky (that was a fun name to practice for like 2 weeks to be able to say it without stuttering) one of the Area Seventy in Argentina made a tour around the mission this last week. Elder Rich and I were able to get to know him and his wife, Florencia; Such awesome people. I think the Lord decided the Church needed some “called and set apart” motivational speakers so He called them 70’s. Listening to 3 different conferences, I realized that the Lord truly está acá para ayudar a nosotoros. Side Note *Presidente is really Buddy Buddy with ALL of the area authorities in Argentina. The Church has a very tight network in Argentina. It was SO funny listening to Presidente and Elder Krasnoselsky speak to each other in “vos” or the “tu” form in Argentina. I can´t wait to be able to practice vos every day and be able to speak it with other people… It is so “close”. It represents such a closeness in the relationship.*

We finished the 12 kilos of Mango that we bought 2 weeks ago, and bought another 10 kilos, on Saturday for this next week… I have been very regular. Papaya is also VERY VERY delicious… not like the LG´s corner store special… Papaya has grown on me.

 “In the Book of Mormon there are over 240 instances of the word remember or forms of the word (such as remembered, remembrance, or forget not). Fifteen of these instances are in Helaman 5. What must we remember? (See Helaman 5:9; see also Mosiah 3:17.) Why is it important to remember?

Elder Spencer W. Kimball said:

“When you look in the dictionary for the most important word, do you know what it is? It could be ‘remember.’ Because all of [us] have made covenants … our greatest need is to remember. That is why everyone goes to sacrament meeting every Sabbath day—to take the sacrament and listen to the priests pray that [we] ‘… may always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given [us].’… ‘Remember’ is the word” (Book of Mormon gospel doctrine teacher’s manual/lesson-33)

This Saturday we will be baptizing Juan y Romina Caberos or Caveros, I don’t know which. First Husband and Wife Baptism…en 1 año, al Templo. Juan and Romina keep inviting new people to their house to listen to the lessons. Last night we invited on of their friends to be baptized, and she accepted. Love new convert referrals (well…almost new convert referrals).

Keep Calm and Keep the Commandments. “In this there is safety and peace”.

Peace Out Family.

Élder Hampton | Misión Argentina Salta

Where Do I Go For Peace?

I was asked a GREAT question: "Where do you go for peace?"

I thought I would share my answer with you guys:

If there was a physical place (within mission boundaries) that I could encounter peace, I have not found it yet. However, I do feel peace as I go to God which specific questions and workout with Him my understanding of His answers. That peace comes when He opens my mind to the knowledge and understanding that awaits on the other side of the veil. Not the veil of death, nor of forgetfulness, rather the veil that I believe God places between us and His reviled truths in order to keep them sacred and peaceful. This peace sometimes feels like a mental expansion or physical connection with those “things which are not seen, which are true.” I go to the scriptures to invite this peace, but it is not until I kneel down and vocally ask “with a sincere heart” that I am allowed to cross this veil and find peace.

Take time to find peace this week; not the peace of this world, but the peace Christ gives us.

I love you all.

Élder Hampton | Misión Argentina Salta

"Don't Cry For Me Argentina"

Hello Family!

Happy New Year! So this week’s Testimony Meeting had some very similar testimonies… 4 or 5 mentioned that they received a watermelon from “angels”… All of the rest of the members who received watermelons realized that they got watermelons from the same “angels” so after sacrament meeting, people stopped us in the hall and said “I KNEW IT WAS YOU GUYS!”… I didn’t really like all of the ward finding out that we gave watermelons to everyone… big scale surprises don’t stay surprises for very long… Not much you can do. I did, however, appreciate hearing that it made their Christmases brighter and that some of them were really in need for a spiritual pick me up. One lady said she opened the door, and before she even knew who it was from, started to cry (I thought Mom and this lady would be best friends) and just felt really grateful in her heart (yes… sounds like mom). 

Tomorrow, we have a Mission Leaders Counsel with all of the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders in the mission. I always over think everything and get stressed out before hand for things like this… But then tomorrow it just feels like another normal day. I’ll be giving a training on “Personal Revelation through Prayer” and “Personal Revelation through the Book of Mormón”.

My Peruvian companion is trying to learn more English. He keeps repeating the line "Don't cry for me Argentina" all day long.... mercy...

I was reading the Liahona from November (we received it last week… “Don’t cry for me Argentina”) and the Insert about Elder Scott. He was the Mission President for the Argentina North Mission (my mission is only a part of what his mission was then). He related a funny story about his Assistants and how they messed up one time. I found comfort in the fact that I am not alone.

“Serving in Argentina, President Richard G. Scott was an efficient but compassionate mission president. One of his missionaries, Wayne Gardner, remembers having to make arrangements for a missionary conference located far from the mission home and being responsible to pick up President Scott from the airport. At the last minute, the building Elder Gardner had scheduled for the conference became unavailable. Then he and his companion were late getting to the airport to pick up President Scott. They also forgot to tell the taxi driver to wait for them and there were no other taxis, so they were stranded.

“Even though I could see frustration in the president’s eyes,” Elder Gardner recalls, “he put his arm around me and told me he loved me. He was so patient and understanding. I hope I never forget that lesson.”

As far as reading the Book of Mormon goes… Do It.

Don’t make excuses for not reading the Most Important Book we can ever occupy our time with.

Have a great week Family!

Élder Hampton | Misión Argentina Salta