Merry Christmas from Elder Darrel and Sister Joanne Hammon

Merry Christmas from Elder Darrel and Sister Joanne Hammon

from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic—December 2011

Wow! What a year this has been for the Darrel and Joanne Hammon family. We decided to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In January, we completed our missionary paperwork and sent it off to Salt Lake City. Then, the wait began.

On March 24, 2011, we were driving home from some event and stopped at our mailbox, just down the road. Darrel cautiously opened the box because of the incessant Wyoming wind, which can whip anything out of your hand and fling it anywhere. He pulled out a large white envelope that read “Elder Darrel L. and Joanne B. Hammon.” We held our missionary call in our hands. We looked at each and said, “Shall we wait for the girls?” As tempting as it was to just rip open the envelope right there and then, we decided to go home, call them on Skype and the telephone, and open it up with them. Traditions! So we rushed home and called them.

Anna Rose was on Skype; Hailey was on the phone. We opened up our call and read: Elder and Sister Hammon, you are hereby called as Welfare Specialists in the Caribbean Area Welfare Office.” There was silence for a moment and then tears of joy burst forth on both ends of the phone. Then, the real work began—decisions about our home, our belongings, and Mother Boltz, Joanne’s mother who had been living with us for five years.

We decided to sell everything we did not need, including our home in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It was amazing what we really did not need. Anna Rose and Emiline came and helped us prepare our home and get ready for our three garage sales. John, Joanne’s brother, and his wife Lawane decided to care for Mother Boltz while we served.

Then in July, just before we went into the Missionary Training Center (MTC), we loaded up a huge truck and headed to Provo, Utah, where we placed everything we now own in a 10’ x 20’ storage unit. We spent the next two weeks, visiting family and friends in Utah and Idaho. Dennis, Darrel’s brother and a professional photographer, took us on a “Jackson Hole” photo shoot, truly a highlight. Finally, it was time to pack the one suit—yes, just one suit—and lots of summer short-sleeve shirts and head to the MTC.

We reported to the MTC in Provo, Utah, on July 25^th. We celebrated our 32^nd wedding anniversary while there. It was actually quite romantic in the dorm-like room with a hint of that men’s locker room smell where they put missionary couples. Plus, the evening food at the MTC was especially generous, and we topped it off with a delicious dessert and a glass of milk.

Hermana Joanne y Elder Darrel Hammon

We arrived in Santo Domingo, the capital city of the Dominican Republic, on August 5, 2011, a tremendously hot and muggy night. Since then, we have been on the run, doing Priesthood trainings (“capacitaciones”), introducing the Addiction Recovery Program, helping oversee the Bishops’ storehouse (“el Almacén”), serving with President Glazier in the Centro de Capacitación Misional (CCM or MTC), working with a small branch, attending the Santo Domingo temple every week, teaching a Spanish class to the spouses of some of the senior missionaries, assisting the Humanitarian missionaries, and doing whatever else needs to be done.

We are totally enjoying the 86 degree weather and having incredible experiences each and every day. We are learning to love the people and the work that we do here. Yes, we also enjoy the beach, the fresh fruit, and vegetables. Just think of it: the biggest avocados you have ever seen for about 25 cents. And the mangos, pineapples, banana….Truly we are blessed.

 Christmas is almost upon us. Thus, in lieu of a Christmas card, we are sending you this newsletter directly from sunny, beautiful Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Elder Darrel y Hermana Hammon overlooking Santo Domingo

Merry Christmas! May God bless you all

with His love and spirit this Christmas season!

Elder Darrel and Hermana Joanne Hammon

You can write us at darrel.hammon@gmail.com and/or joanneh2010@gmail.com. You can also send a letter to Elder Darrel and Sister Joanne Hammon, 2250 NW 114^th Ave., Unit 1A, Miami, Florida  33172

“José Ramón Rotellini: Escultor Dominicano”

“José Ramón Rotellini: Escultor Dominicano”

Elder Darrel L. Hammon

José Ramón Rotellini and Bennie Lilly

The day dawned early for us. We went on a special tour today with Brother José Rotellini. Sometime ago, I learned he was a sculptor of some merit here in the Dominican Republic who is actually quite famous among the art crowd. He has worked at the University—Universidad Autónomo de Santo Domingo (USAD)—for some years and still does.

José Ramón Rotellini

José Ramón Rotellini, the son

Juan Pablo Duarte

In the art world, he is known as José Ramón Rotellini who began his artistic studies in the Dominican Republic and spent a couple of years in Spain honing his sculpturing craft and his ideas. He has won many awards for his sculptures that have been placed in numerous public and private places throughout the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, United States, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Venezuela, Martinica, and Spain.

Brother and Sister Rotellini are the Thursday coordinators at the Bishops’ Storehouse and work in the Santo Domingo Temple on Friday evenings. They are truly amazing people. And we were able to find a little more about Brother Rotellini and his incredible talent that he has passed down to his son also named José Rotellini who help his father guide us on this tour I have titled: “José Ramón Rotellini: Escultor Dominicano”. The depth of each piece is intricate and detailed. We were pleased to view just a few of his pieces:

La Justicia

• Estatua de “la Justicia” en el Palacio de Justicia, just a few blocks from where we live
• Busto de Eugenio M. De Hostos, a bronze near the Iglesia Regina in the Zona Colonial
• Estatua de Patricio Juan Pablo Duarte, Bronce, Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD)
• Busto de Patricio Juan Pablo Duarte (He has done many of Juan Pablo Duarte who is considered one of the fathers of the Dominican Republic)
• Mural, “El Cangrejo,” located on the Malecón, one of the main travel arteries in Santo Domingo that winds its way along the ocean front
• Bustos de “los Trinitarios”—Juan Pablo Duarte, Fransciso del Rosario Sanchez, and Matías Ramón Mella, Pedro Alejandrino Piña, Vincente C. Duarte (brother to Juan Pablo Duarte), y Juan Isidro Pérez. These busts are located in the Museo de Duarte, which is the old home of where Juan Pablo Duarte was born.
• Estatua de “Musa de la Pintura” outside the Palacio de Bellas Artes

José Ramón Rotellini and "Musa de la Pintura"

We enjoyed our time immensely. Brother Rotellini and his son are incredible artists whose talents far exceed their contemporaries. We wish we had had time to have seen all of them, but I think it would take us years to do because José Ramón Rotellini has over 130 of them around the world. Some of the ones we saw today were a joint effort between the two of them. The Dominican Republic government commissioned many of the works of art, particularly the ones of former governmental leaders.