Merry Christmas from Darrel and Joanne Hammon
from Pleasant Grove, Utah—December 2013
Joanne and I have had an eventful year. On January 28
2013, we flew from balmy Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to frigid Salt Lake
City, Utah. The moment we stepped off the plane we were ready to return to our
86-degree weather. But, alas, there were grandchildren and children waiting for
us when we walked down to the baggage claim. It was so wonderful to see them that
we forgot the balmy weather—at least for a few weeks.
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| "Welcome Home"--It was a very cold and snowy evening when we arrived! |
We enjoyed our mission! It was one of the best
experiences we have had in our lives. We love the people. They are so friendly
and loving. They may be poor, but they are grateful for everything they have,
which is very, very little, and they are willing to share everything with you.
Perhaps, one of the best parts of the mission was serving in the Santo Domingo
Temple once a week. They are so thankful to have a temple in their midst and
believe their island is protected from the elements because of the temple. We
also enjoyed thoroughly the privilege we had to travel around the Caribbean and
the Dominican Republic, training lay leaders in welfare and leadership
principles. We loved our mission and urge all of you to prepare now to go
somewhere in the world to serve. Your eyes will be opened.
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| A group of senior missionaries: Los Snow, Rucker, y Hammon |
As you all know, we sold our home and most of our
belongings before we left on our mission. So, Anna Rose said we could come live
with her and her little family when we returned. The day we were flying in, she
and her family were moving from Orem to Pleasant Grove. Thus, we started our
new life in a new home along with Anna Rose, Christiaan, and their little
family. It has been wonderful so far. We helped them finish the basement so we
could live there. We get to see Emiline and William every day. Emiline is going
to pre-school three days per week and loving it. William who was born while we
were gone learned to walk and now runs and runs and runs. Plus, he is just a
fun little boy.
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| Happy Grandparents! |
We have spent a great deal of time traveling about.
When we arrived home, Hailey, Joe, and little Clark lived in Wisconsin; so, we
flew there and spent a week or so with them. It was fun getting acquainted with
our little Clark who also was born while we were serving. Joanne did come home
to be with Hailey during the birth.
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| Haily and little Clark on Cannon Beach |
In September, we visited them in Puyallup,
Washington, where they are now living with his parent while Joe finishes his
master’s in math from BYU. While Joe was doing his thing, we trundled down the
Oregon coast and enjoyed four days of absolutely stunning beauty. Of course,
the best part was being with Hailey and our sweet Clark. The Oregon Coast is a
must see.
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| Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach |
We also spent time with our families in Idaho,
traveling there at least four times, once to just visit, once to bury Darrel’s cousin
Deloy, another time to bury Darrel’s youngest brother Heber who died from
complications of diabetes, and once to attend the 60th birthday of Darrel’s
oldest brother Dennis. One of our visits included a Memorial Day visit of all
of the cemeteries where Joanne’s kin are buried. Anna Rose and her little ones
came with us, and we all stayed at Brad’s. We had an enjoyable weekend with
Joanne’s family. We do have beautiful cemeteries in eastern Idaho, especially
the Annis-Little Butte Cemetery, where both of our parents are buried.
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| Little William at the Annis-Little Butte Cemetery |
When we were in the DR serving as missionaries, we meet
a Dra. Claudina Vargas, a Dominican by birth but schooled in Spain and the U.S.
having earned a Ph.D. in Engineering from the U. of Iowa. She has a foundation that
works with some of the poorest schools. We were able to return to the DR at the
end of July and spend nine days, working with the students, teachers, and
parents. Darrel did workshops on leadership principles and values.
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| MACILE students in the DR |
We also were
able to have a lunch and a dinner with our missionary couple friends and visit
our little Consuelo Branch. What an incredible homecoming we had with the
members there! We love them so. Overall, our return trip was extremely
fruitful. We do hope to return.
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| Los Hammon con la Familia Díaz en Consuelo! |
Although we are native Idahoans, we have decided that
while snow is beautiful, we would much rather be in a milder climate. There is
something about living in the tropics where the blue skies dominate throughout
the year and you can walk along some of the most beautiful beaches in the
world. Aside from the humidity, the weather was spectacular! Plus, the fresh
fruit was so enjoyable!
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| Snowy range in Pleasant Grove, Utah |
We wish all of you a Feliz Navidad! May the Lord continue to bless you always with the
knowledge that Jesus Christ, our Elder Brother and our Savior, is truly the
reason to celebrate Christmas.
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| "Precious in His Sight" by Greg Olsen |
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