The Field

Hello!

This is a little difficult to type since I'm not used to Spanish keyboards yet. It's telling me that I'm spelling everything wrong. I'll get better with time though. Sunday night was long and uncomfortable and sleepless. We finally arrived in Rica and were able to leave the San Jose airport by about noon on Monday. The mission president, his family, and the AP's were there to greet us. We loaded our stuff into a bus which then took us to the temple. I was just gaping out the window the whole ride. It was in San Jose central, which is the most city-ish area I've seen so far. The thing is, it's so beautiful. I think the best way to explain how different it looks from US cities is that they've built their civilization into nature rather than on top of it. There can be skyscrapers on your left with a huge green valley and Lion King trees on your right. Everything was just so cool and new to me that day especially. Still is though.

We hurried and took pictures in front of the temple before it started pouring. It rained super hard for hours every day for about my first four days, but it hasn't lately. I think the main season is over. After that, we headed to the mission president's house for lunch and interviews. His wife made us gallo pinto, the most widely traditional Rican dish (which I ironically haven't had again since then), and we just sat around chatting for awhile. Eventually we went to the mission office to do some paperwork. Eric Cherrington was one of the people in charge of that. I was totally surprised when he walked in the room! We talked for a bit, and they brought us some sub sandwiches for dinner. Turns out there was a miscommunication about the address. The fastest way to get any letters (and I think packages? not sure) to me is at this address:

Elder Jacob Hampton
Mision San Jose Costa Rica
Apartado Postal 249-2010
San Jose, Costa Rica

We stayed in the mission home that night, which I thought was gross at the time, but I had no idea what was ahead. The next morning we had breakfast at the president's house before heading to changes (transfer) meeting. Everyone goes crazy at changes meeting. I saw Gus Fernandez there.They prepare a power point that reveals the pictures of new companionships slowly, one missionary at a time. Unfortunately, we only got to see who was going to train, but not who they were going to train. The trainers stayed behind after the meeting and we went to KFC for lunch, then to another meeting where after about two hours we finally got our companion assignments.

My companion's name is Elder Baca. He's from Las Vegas. He loves theater/anything with a story in general, so we get along pretty well. He's been out for 14 months and I'm the first missionary he's trained. He also unexpectedly became district leader a couple nights ago, so he's got a lot of new stuff he's doing all at once. That first night, we took a taxi to our apartment in our area called Vizcaya. The driving here is CRAZY. Lanes and speed limits are only relative, and pedestrians definitely don't have the right of way. Everyone accelerates so fast, only slamming their brakes when they have to, and pass each other within centimeters all the time. They're pro at it though. I've yet to see any evidence of even minor accidents.

Our apartment is pretty disgusting. I'm usually not one to go out of my way to clean things, I just prefer to live in a way that doesn't get things too dirty. I think I'm going to try to get some hardcore scrubbing going today though. It kind of reminds me of the condition in which we usually find the houses Dad buys before we fix them up. I'm dealing with it though. I've kind of managed to lower my desired living conditions. I'm much happier when we're out and about though. I just feel cleaner. That night Elder Baca just took me to get to know some members. We had three dinners that night, but I managed to avoid the second one by politely explaining how full I was. I can say pretty much whatever I want to, but I can only understand what people are saying here about 60% of the time. It's just completely different than talking with gringos. So that night we met a big extended family that all lives in on our street and pretty much run the ward, our cook, and the bishop (who is a drummer and loves Paramore!).

You might be wandering what I mean by "our cook." There are members that we pay each month to help us out with food and laundry. We get four meals a week from our cook, and our laundry lady does all our laundry every week. That's just how it is in this mission. I love it though. I love our cook, she's the sweetest, funniest lady, and always makes us play Domino's with her after we eat. I've never eaten a meal in our apartment. Almost every person we visit doesn't let us leave without feeding us pretty much a full meal. We don't eat breakfast because we just go get fed all day. I already know what I'm going to miss most about this culture. THE DRINKS. With meals, people always give us whatever fruit drink they can concoct right there. It's so delicious, because they just throw actual fruit and sugar and water into a blender instead of a bunch of artificial stuff.

All of our appointments fell through the next day, so we just visited more members. I didn't get to meet a real investigator till Thursday. We decided to just tract one house because we could see kids inside, and the mother is interested in our message. She couldn't come to church, but we're going back on Wednesday to teach her. I feel like I could tell you so much about all of our (as of last night) 6 progressing investigators, but I'll save that stuff for the future since this e-mail is already so long. There was a ward activity with food and stuff on Saturday. I felt awkward because the only things to do were play soccer or talk to people, both of which end with people getting frustrated with me, haha. So I just played with lots of little kids, and it was fun. That night, we visited some members who hadn't been to church for a few weeks. It turned out to be because of the dad's work schedule. He works for all kinds of companies as a programmer, and he showed us all about this amazing tablet by this company called Asus. Did you know that by the time I get home, there will be phones on the market with hologram keyboards and menus that can project onto desks or even into the air like in Iron Man? I can't wait. That family ordered us a pizza.

It's weird. There's so much diversity here. After learning about future technology and having a very American Saturday night, we walked out onto the main road of our area to be approached by several different people begging us for money. As for our neighborhood, it's one of the most ghetto in our area. I like it though, it's fun times. I just love everyone I meet. Everyone. People are so amazing here. Everyone has unique, incredible spiritual gifts, members and nonmembers alike. Walmart is the closest I've come to home. I'm in it right now for the first time. It's pretty different than the US. It's like a mall. There are a bunch of different other stores inside it, like this internet service place, or a shoe store, and a food court.

Sunday was my favorite day so far. I was super nervous about the possibility of speaking, and talking to everyone, but I didn't have to speak, and everyone was so excited to talk to me! Word travels so far in this ward. I think I mentioned to one person during the week that I used to work at a pizza place, and already on Sunday, the Relief Society president asked me if I could do a demonstration on how to make pizza. I might if I can learn how to make dough by hand haha. I hope I've given a decent summary of my experience so far! It'll be easier to give more details in the weeks to come. I'm going to send an e-mail with three pictures. On is me with the mission president and his wife outside the temple. One is me and Elder Baca in our room. The other is me standing outside our apartment. You'll notice that all the houses are lined by a metal grate fence thing. Those are as standard as a front door here. Lots of interesting little things like that I'll explain later on. Love everyone and miss you all!

--Elder Hampton

The mission president, his wife, and Jake outside the Costa Rica temple

Jake and his first companion in the field, Elder Baca

On the streets of Rica--one of those buildings is his apartment...we're just not sure which one. 

Rica!

Hey, I´ve been given just a couple minutes to write you guys to tell you I made it here safely! Today is P-Day and I don´t get a companion till tomorrow. My address is indeed the mission office. I don´t remember what it is, but you guys should have it, yeah? It should end with a #6, since that´s the office room number. So yeah you can post that on Facebook! I should get back to what we´re doing, but just know that I do not even know where to begin describing how much I love this place already! I´ve only seen San Jose so far, but it´s sooo cool, beautiful, and different. I will tell you all about it next week! Love you! Bye!

Farewell, MTC!

Aaahhh! I'mma freak the freak out.

So close. So close. Two more days. I can't even believe it, yet I can totally believe it. I just got here, yet I've been here forever. The field is going to be so... amazing. I can't even express anything. People here always so calmly announce that they're leaving in a few days when asked. I just have like a breakdown episode of overwhelming joy and fear and excitement whenever I think or talk about the fact that I'm leaving for the mission field on Sunday night. I wonder what getting there will be like. Hopefully Monday is their P-Day. I've heard of mission presidents that practically send you from the airport to your first investigator appointment, and ones that give you a day to eat and take a nap. These flights will be the longest of my life since I won't be doing any of the things I'd usually do on an airplane. I really just want to get a Sudoku book at the airport, but I think we're supposed to do things that will make people around us interested in the gospel, which makes sense.

I have a goal to give away a Book of Mormon at the airport or on the plane. I bought one in English as well as Spanish to be ready for whatever situation I'm presented with. It's easy to be all pumped about it right now, but I'm sure that when I'm actually in the position where I have to make the effort to start a conversation, I'll suddenly have a fear of other human beings. We've been thoroughly taught here that we just need to open our mouths and begin talking, and the Spirit will guide us. I strive to have that faith. I just have to dive in head first. That's my method for these things. I've had to do it almost constantly at the MTC. What I mean by that method is that when I'm in situations and given responsibilities that stretch me out of my comfort zone, I have this moment where I have a split second to decide whether I'm going to hesitate and stress and get shy, or just push that all aside and dive into the situation, being outgoing and trying my best. It reminds me of pacing the edge of a pool of cold water. It's easier to just not think about the things that could be unpleasant or go wrong, and just dive in and experience it. I plan to do that throughout my whole mission, so I can find as many opportunities to teach, learn, and grow as the Lord will offer me.

To answer your question, I doubt that Elder Keysor and I will ever be companions in the field. Apparently those of us heading out into the field within just the next few weeks are going to have big responsibilities. The biggest wave of new missionaries is expected in February, and we're expected to train them. We'll be trained for our first 12 weeks, and then we're supposed to be able to train as soon as we're finished with that. That's awesome that you'll have some easy ways to get packages to me! Speaking of, thank you SO MUCH for the Chocolate Eclair Pie. It was the most pleasant surprise ever. The lady I was supposed to find wasn't around at first, so all these other medical workers sat us down and started to try to figure out what I was there for, if I needed some other shot, etc. Eventually they found the lady though and she took me to the fridge and I was so relieved. It was a super smash hit! I shared it with my district/some zonees and it was gone in about five minutes. Thanks also for all the stuff you sent me for the field. I'm going to appreciate it all so much, especially the Pod!

I don't know if I really have anything else specific to say, other than that I could not be more excited to get out and start serving the people of Costa Rica. This is a huge deal. People say your mission is like the plan of salvation. I'm finally about to leave the pre-earth life and be born to a (hopefully cool, nice, whatever) father that will train me, so I can have kids of my own (my trainees) and start many generations of families living the gospel. It's kind of weird concept. Don't know what I typed that. Some people go as far to compare your non-training-involved companions to be your spouse, but I won't venture into that territory. Anyway, now I'm just ranting because this email feels a little short. I love the gospel, and I already love missionary work! These will be the most incredible two years, I know it. So many great adventures and miracles lie ahead. I hope everyone is doing well wherever they are in their lives. Love everyone around you and look for opportunities to serve them. It's happiness. I love everyone, miss you all so much, and can't wait to let you know how Rica is! Adios.

I'm going to send several pictures in a separate e-mail. I doubt it'll work, but you know the drill. The drill is working, right? Meaning signing into my account and finding the pictures in the sentbox? I hope so! Thanks!

Jake and Elder Newman

Jake, Elder Keysor, Elder Knight, and Elder Merrill

Jake and Elder Fisher. They were college friends and are now both going to San Jose, Spanish Speaking on their missions! Kevin is headed to San Jose, California and Jake to San Jose, Costa Rica.

Jake and Elder Kevin Fisher

The district before they all started leaving into the field

Week #7--Last week at the MTC!

I'm running out of different ways to greet you guys with each letter, so I'm just going to start this one with this sentence.

I GOT MY TRAVEL PLANS YESTERDAY! So happy. So thrilled. I'm going to send a picture of my flight times. The mission is finally becoming real. It was really starting to feel like the MTC was all I'd ever know for the next two years. My mission hasn't truly begun yet though! I'm extremely glad it's almost time to get out of here. I leave the night of the 21st. My flight leaves from Salt Lake at about 1:00 AM, so I'm sure you guys would agree that I should call you in the morning on Monday during my three-hour layover in Atlanta, which is from about 6:30 to 9:30 AM their time. Just let me know what you want me to do! I've been loving every single package and letter I received this week. Thanks so much all who sent anything! I think we can put a cap on food. I have sooo much again, and I'll be lucky to finish it in one week before I go. I doubt I'll have the room to pack much of it, so nobody worry about sending anymore food unless it's something super small haha. Muchas gracias! As for letters, if they arrive at the MTC after I leave, they'll forward it to my mission. I have no idea how long that takes though, so if you have a letter to send (including DearElders) and want to make sure I receive it before I leave here, I would send it the 18th at the latest.

Thank you all, family and friends, who sent me their reactions to conference. I loved reading those, seeing what everyone's favorite talks were, and hearing thoughts and decisions regarding the new missionary ages. It's funny that you asked if you can put "O Lord, My Redeemer" on the iPod, Mom. I was going to ask for it! Someone sang it as a musical number and I recognized it and wanted it. Also, I'd love any version of the song "Lead Kindly Light." Those are my last requests! You guys should probably go ahead and send the stuff pretty soon. Thanks so much for doing it! I didn't need a calculator at all in college, so I cannot remember where that one is... It might be in one of my closet bins? or in a backpack somewhere in my closet? or actually your best bet is a stack of old high school stuff on the floor in the corner of my room, if it's even still there. That's all I can think of, sorry!

This week has been the best one at the MTC so far. Elder Bendar came and spoke to us on Tuesday. It was super interesting, because he didn't really talk about missionary work at all. He talked about the importance of studying general conference addresses and gave an example of a way to effectively do so. He shared the way he does it: DIB. (I totally thought of Invader Zim.) He goes through each talk carefully, especially the ones given by those who hold all the priesthood keys, and first picks out all the  1.Doctrine given in the talk, then he looks for an 2.Invitation to act in some way, then for the 3.Blessings promised when we act on the invitation and make a change in our lives. It was so cool. I loved it! It was a testimony builder and humble reminder that even an Apostle starts dissecting and learning from General Conference, even right after it's over, and makes such a big effort to gain something from it. The words of the Prophet and Apostles truly are the word of God, and we need to treat it as such.

On Wednesday, our district got to host new missionaries! You take them away from their families at the curb, help them with their luggage, and get them to their residence hall, pick up their books, and then finally take them to their classroom . It went by way too fast! I only got to host two missionaries during the couple hours we did it. It was so fun though, and also emotional to stand at the curb watching so many tearful goodbyes around us. Wonderful experience, though. We get to do it again this week, and I can't wait. On your first night in the MTC, you go to a workshop in a group with 50 or so other missionaries, and learn how to get to know people and begin teaching. You meet three different "investigators," and watch a companionship demonstrate getting to know them and their needs, and transition to applying the gospel to them. That companionship this week: Me and Elder Keysor! Well, there are lots of groups, so there are like six companionships in the whole MTC that have to do it each week, but still, the odds aren't very high to get picked for it, and we did! Conner Cope did too haha. We were nervous to teach in front of all those missionaries, but it ended up being really fun, and it was easy to pretend they weren't there.

Yesterday was In-Field Orientation! That's why I'm sending this today. In-Field is an all-day workshop everyone does the Friday before they leave for the field. Normally, I'd do it this coming Friday, but two missionaries in our district are leaving on Thursday, and apparently we're supposed to do it all together as a district, so we all did it this week. We have P-day today since the orientation took up our usual P-day. It was pretty cool and interesting I guess. It was weirdly bombastic and came with so much fanfare, like balloons and iPads displaying fake fireplaces. Maybe they're just trying to get us hyped. I guess it worked, because I cannot wait for the field even more now. At the beginning of the workshop, I was just sitting amongst the hundreds of missionaries minding my own business, when the guy in charge says "Is there an Elder Hampton here?" It turned out that two Hermanas from my district were in the front row and had volunteered my piano-playing, so I had to play the opening song for that whole huge room filled with missionaries, then the guy did the same thing and asked me in front of everyone later for an intermediate hymn haha. It went fine though.

To top everything else off, I got my travel plans yesterday! I already talked about that though. I don't know if anyone understands how excited and happy and terrified I am about that though. It was a really huge deal to me. Still is. I'm gonna be in Rica so soon! I can't even believe it. It's gonna be an adventure. I can't wait to share this gospel. I know it's true, and that it brings us more happiness than anything else in this world. Prayer is so powerful and real. We just need to have faith that we'll receive help and strength and answers. Everyone have a great week! My next email will be my last MTC one! So thrilling. I love life. You all should too. The weird picture of me is just a gem from like my second week here.

--Elder Hampton

PS: I don't know if you ever answered: I'm not supposed to have my passport, right? It's with my Visa? I don't know anything about that stuff. It says I'll get my travel documents the day I leave.

Conference at the MTC

October 6, 2012 (Saturday night)

Hello Family (and friends)!

We were sent back to our Residence buildings early tonight with an invitation to write our families about Conference. Let me start by saying that there is absolutely nowhere else in the whole world I'd rather have been than in a room filled to every corner with full-time missionaries this morning. The second President Monson announced the new mission ages, everyone went ballistic. The room erupted into a roar of cheering like a bunch of fun. fans hearing the intro to "Be Calm" at a concert. I must admit that for a split second, I was filled with all kinds of emotions as I thought about how much sooner future missionaries will get this opportunity, and how I could have left a whole year earlier if this change had occurred earlier. HOWEVER, those feelings were replaced extremely quickly by a powerful witness that the Lord changed the requirement at this time for a reason. All of us here at the MTC right now are supposed to be here right now. Also, the people I met and experiences I had during my year of college are crucial parts of who I am. So, in summary: I'm glad to be here at age 19, but I'm also super excited for those who get to come at 18, and the sisters who now get to serve 2 years earlier! Do you guys happen to already know of anybody, guy or girl, who has decided to serve sooner than they would have? *ANYBODY affected by this change, PLEASE write immediately and tell me how you're feeling about it!! So yeah, things were crazy today. Everyone was deeply discussing the effects this will have on Mormon culture and BYU and stuff all day long. We got to walk to the temple between sessions and we were like celebrities at the intersection because all the people driving by were so psyched about missionaries. This is so historic. I can say that I was in the MTC when they lowered the age requirements. Anyway, conference will be over by the time you get this. What were your favorite talks? I especially appreciated Elder Andersen's talk on enduring through trials with faith. I'm sure many more fantastic messages lie ahead in the Sunday sessions. I've never enjoyed conference this much. It helps to not be on a couch in pajamas with a bunch of food. I'm way better at paying way more attention to each talk. I'm literally sad that I have to wait 13 hours before hearing more from our prophet and apostles! I LOVE CONFERENCE! I'm so grateful for it and the revelation we can receive through it. So this coming week is going to be full of exciting, new things. I'm going to save those things for my email, though. There's a good chance that I'll be emailing on Saturday instead of Friday this week because our schedule will probably be different, so heads up.

Oh yeah! I could really use a cheap watch. I have no way to tell time and I'm always asking my companion. Anything will do. The cheapest of cheap. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed conference! Hope to hear from you soon. 2 more weeks till Rica!! Can't wait. Love you all! Oh yeah, Dad, I'm really sorry that I haven't been able to go to Priesthood session and dinner with you as much the past couple years. I was thinking tonight about how much I miss that tradition. I'll look forward to doing it again in October 2014!

I miss everyone! Love you, bye!

Week #6! Counting Down the Days Until Rica!

Hola otra vez!

Thank you for the updates on other missionaries. I loved reading those, so for sure keep 'em coming while I'm at the MTC... which should only be for 16 more days! I know my address says I leave the 23rd, but a white card I got on my first day says Sunday, the 21st. From what I hear, that card is the real date. I should get my travel plans within the next couple days, so I'll know for sure before my next e-mail. I'll also know if I'm flying Delta, which will apparently mean that I'll need $75 dollars to have a second suitcase no matter what it weighs. I don't know if you'll want to send me money for that, or if that's what the cash you gave me is for. Anyway, just thought I'd give that heads up, but we can work it out next week. That phone thing sounds perfect and amazing! I would love to do that. Thanks for getting my last check! I kept forgetting to remind you, but thanks so much! Sorry that happened. Mom being in the paper sounds totally hilarious. If you guys are able to get an extra copy, you should cut one out and send it to me!

I keep trying to think if there's anything else I'll need before I go, but I haven't been able to. Thanks for the Pop Tarts and Milky Ways! Breakfast around here will be so much better now. Thank you also for sending the CD for Hermana Stum! I'm guessing you'll do the same songs for my iPod? It seems like there would be more than 18. I know it's asking a lot, but for my iPod, can Morgan or someone just listen to a little bit of each song on the album to determine if it's religious/spiritual at all? Because I feel like some of them have weird not spiritual titles, but the actual songs are really spiritual, and I want to be able to listen to as much of the album as I can while still keeping a good environment for the Spirit. I would love to have that piano CD you guys gave me on my iPod. I'll send that to PostMart today along with those replacement pants. The zipper is broken on those too! Not broken off, but it doesn't work. They don't zip up. They were a little too big anyway. So sorry, you don't even have to find a good exchange if you don't want to. I have a decent amount of pants.

I totally did see Addison Soelberg in a car at the temple! I didn't think she saw me, haha. That's hilarious that she mentioned it. Funny, funny. It's weird seeing people I know from the outside world. I still see more missionaries I know almost every week. Most of them are just distant acquaintances though. Man, this email has really been strictly business. Sorry about that. I should share something I've learned. I've never been good at feeling that I should do something and thinking "That's a spiritual prompting, and I'm going to do it." I've always been bad at knowing which things are my thoughts, and which things are from the Spirit. Something I've learned here, through hearing certain talks and having experiences, is that it doesn't matter. I already knew that in a way, and would try to tell myself that if I have an idea to do a good thing, I should just do it no matter what. I've now learned that it might not even be as clear as a thought coming to my mind.

Being in tune with the Spirit doesn't necessarily mean being able to decipher promptings. It means living righteously enough that the way you live and the things you do are naturally the things God needs you to do. You're guided in everything you do. We might do something good just because it's who we are, without having an official sudden thought that we should do it. We might not know it was the guidance of the Spirit until we learn the results of our action much later in time. We may never know it was the guidance of the Spirit. The most important thing we can do is be obedient, and live righteously and worthy of the Spirit so that He can guide us whether we're aware of it or not. I hope that made at least a little bit of sense! I'm getting uncomfortably anxious for Rica. The countdown is on. Love you all. Miss you. Everyone hurry and write me before I'm in Rica where the mail system is poo! Keili: I see Carsen here sometimes since he's a teacher! Tell me about your life! Jared: Tell me about your life and online album sales! Please, I'm dying to hear from you guys. Anyone else reading this: Please write me. I love letters so much. Thank you everyone, God bless.

--Elder Hampton

Jake and Chance Werner

Jake and Sam Grover