Elder Darrel L. Hammon
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| Puerto Plata in the a.m. |
Thanksgiving is approaching, and we are
thousands of miles away from home. No snow haunts our doorsteps--thankfully; no
trees are turning their beautiful green leaves for the multicolored reds,
yellows, and gold of harvest falls; no pumpkins, carved or otherwise, line our
driveway or even our window sill because a) we don’t have pumpkins here and b)
we don’t have a window sill. But Thanksgiving is more than turkey, cranberries,
stuffing, numerous salads, and pumpkin pie. It’s about being thankful for what
you have and/or what you have experienced.
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| Vision Project in Los Alcarrizos |
In
our Family Home Evening (FHE) on Monday night, six couple missionaries sat around
the living room of President and Sister Bair, the Temple President and Matron
of the Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple. We discussed what we were
thankful for during the past year. For all of us it was hard to come up with
just a few things to occupy our five minutes per couple. In fact, we went over
time because we could not give "a full account of
these things” And so it went.
My
thankfulness this year includes the following:
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| 33 years--Celebration in Puerto Plata |
My lovely bride of over 33 years—We celebrated
our 33rd this year in July. What a great 33 years we have had. They
haven’t all been easy, but they have filled with opportunities to serve and to
learn together. Thankfully, she is patient with me and overlooks my flaquezas, my weaknesses. Gracias, my Querida, for all that you
do, for that you are—for you are truly one of Heavenly Father’s finest.
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| Anna Rose, Christiaan, and Family |
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| Joseph, Hailey, and baby |
My two daughters and their growing little
families—Our two daughters are spectacular, they married wonderful
husbands, and they are mothers with beautiful, intelligent children. Our youngest
had her first in September. We thank you two for being such incredible human
beings and for your consistent and ongoing support.
Skype—Yes, Skype! Without Skype, we
wouldn’t be able to watch our grandchildren grow. Without Skype, we wouldn't be
able to talk face-to-face with our children and our family members. Skype
lessens the challenges for couple missionaries in staying in contact with our
families. We thank you, Skype, for allowing us to communicate with our family.
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| Hermano Zarzuela is second from left |
Our Mission—We always knew we wanted to
serve together. Our mission as welfare specialists in the Caribbean Area Welfare
Office has truly been a life-changing experience. We have been members our
entire lives. We thought we knew about what the Church did. In reality, we knew
little of what the Church does throughout the world and its far-reaching
service. Having opportunities to be a part of welfare and humanitarian projects
and working in the Area Office have opened our eyes and our hearts. For
example, watching Brother Zarzuela from Santiago receive a prosthesis in the
a.m. and then witness his walking up the stairs in the Santo Domingo Dominican
Republic Temple and into a session was one of the most inspiring days ever. We
thank the Lord for sending us to the Caribbean Area to serve.
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| The Díaz/Beloni Family |
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| Cristina, Los Hammon, y Fransica |
Dominican people—We have met some
incredible people. Los que trabajan por
la Iglesia en la Oficina de Área son unos de los mejores! They stop by our
cubicle often and see how we are doing and then stay and visit for a bit. They
have become friends and colleagues, ones we shall never forget. Additionally,
we have enjoyed visiting people from different organizations who are wonderful
people who want to help those most in need. We thank them for their service and
for who they really are.
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| Sister Hammon and some of the sisters from the CCM |
The Centro de Capacitación Misional (CCM)—This
is the Dominican MTC. We have had the privilege of working with so many
missionaries from around the world who have come to the DR to complete their missionary
training for a few short weeks. They are indeed men and women of God. Some of
their stories cause lumps to emerge in our throats and tears to stream down our
cheeks. Their lives have been filled with experiences beyond their years. We
thank them for their willingness to serve despite sometimes severe opposition and
obstacles.
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| Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple |
The Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple—The
moment you drive or walk through the gate to the Temple, you instantly feel at
peace from the chaos that surrounds the temple in this huge city. The Temple is
gorgeous, the temple grounds immaculate, and the setting stupendous. Truly, the
Santo Domingo Temple is one of the most beautiful temples build. Thank you for
the beautiful temple.
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| Relief Society President and President and Sister Muñoz from the Las Americas Stake |
The Love of our Heavenly Father and His Son
and their protection—We cannot finish giving thanks without giving thanks to
our Heavenly Father and His Son for their protection during our mission. There have been many times when we have physically witnessed being protected
and many more times when we know we have been protected. We can thank them
often enough for all of the blessings we have received.
And,
yes, there are many, many more reasons why we are thankful during this week of
Thanksgiving. Indeed, every day is Thanksgiving for us, and we wish you all a reflective
and fulfilling Thanksgiving, not just this week but for the entire year.
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