Elder Hammond and the Inspector: Mission Stories, #1

By Bill Wylson

Embark on a heartwarming journey of faith and perseverance as a young missionary faces his greatest challenge yet. Tasked with a seemingly insurmountable mission in a small town, Elder Hammond encounters the Inspector, a man who has held off the missionaries for over twenty years!

As Elder Hammond strives to make a difference through acts of kindness and unwavering dedication, he learns that persistence is often tested in unexpected ways. This poignant, humorous tale weaves together themes of resilience, faith, and the transformative power of the promise of Nephi 3:7.

Through trials and triumphs, Elder Hammond discovers that even the smallest gestures can ignite profound change. Join him on this funny, inspiring adventure that beautifully illustrates how one person's faith can illuminate the path for others seeking light in dark times.

• Language: English
• Publisher: White Horse Books
• Release date: Nov 23, 2024
• ISBN: 9798227369208

Bill Wylson

Bill Wylson is the author of over 50 published writings on family values, religious issues, and religious education. His work has appeared in The Ensign, This People, The New Era, Liberty Magazine, Success, and others.   Bill graduated as a commercial copywriter from the Columbia School of Broadcasting in Hollywood, CA. He wrote trade journal ads for a major advertising agency in Los Angeles and public service announcements for a Los Angeles television station.  He has served as a volunteer Board Member of Advocates of Single Parent Youth, Special Fun Games for the Disabled, and on the Boards of Arts and Theater Councils. He has also served on Advisory Committees for the Volunteer Center of Los Angeles and on the United Way Government Affairs Committee.   Bill Wylson currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

Book preview

A black background with a black square Description automatically generated with medium confidence ​Preface

This is [a] blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work. ​[1]

One of our Church’s greatest missionaries, Elder LeGrand Richards, stated: I have had many people ask me what my greatest church experience has been, and I un-hesitatingly say, ‘My first mission! That is where I began to really love the Lord and His Church and developed a desire to help build his Kingdom.’

Like the tens of thousands of missionaries today bearing witness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, I was elated to be similarly engaged in a partnership with our heavenly Father in the great work of gathering Israel. I was privileged and honored to give my time and means to the establishment of His Kingdom on earth. And though my objective was to teach and serve others, I returned from my mission with a profound sense of personal growth and increased faith, devotion, and determination. I learned from personal experience that God can utilize His children, as young and immature as we are, as agents to accomplish His great work.

Among other things, I learned to depend on the Lord. I learned to pray with greater intensity and power and to be led and directed by the Spirit. And I discovered that God does answer our sincere, faith-filled prayers. Through my mission experiences, I learned to love the Lord with greater feelings and to love my fellow beings more fully, especially Elder Hammond, the farm boy from Kansas.

A lot has changed over the years: the manner in which missionaries teach and the names we use to refer to ourselves and the Church. The cities where I had served have grown and expanded, and the Church has expanded globally. Despite these facts, I believe that the message of this story remains as pertinent today as it was when Elder Hammond and I wandered the streets of Villa Mercedes, attempting to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The events that I am about to relate to you actually occurred. In other words, they are true, sort of. I have attempted to retell them as accurately as my memory will permit. Names have been changed.

No book is published without the help of others, and I wish to thank, sincerely and in random order, all those who have helped make this book possible: Bertha Didley, Oldone Jimenez, Monica Foston, Donald Pibcolo, Merle Umre, and Lawrence Klingensmith. These individuals played significant roles in my missionary journey and I am deeply grateful for their contributions. Of course, these names have also been changed so it does little good to mention them at all. (You know who you are!)

I also thank my sweet wife, who patiently plays the part of the poor widow while I lock myself in my office to recount my tales and adventures. Her unwavering support and understanding have been invaluable, and I am deeply grateful for her presence in my life.   

It is our duty, divinely imposed, to continue urgently and militantly to carry forward our missionary work. We must continue to call missionaries and send them out to preach the gospel, which was never more needed than now, which is the only remedy for the tragic ills that now afflict the world, and which alone can bring peace and brotherly love back amongst the peoples of the earth. ​[2]

A black background with a black square Description automatically generated with medium confidence The Villa Mercedes District

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The sweet-scented odor of autumn rose from the withered leaves that swirled around our scuffed and worn shoes. I tightened my London Fog overcoat against a chilling pre-wintry gust.

What’s that thing they say about God? I asked Elder Hammond as we slowly shuffled—well, as I shuffled, Hammond sort of galumphed—through Plaza Pedernera in the center of town. Hammond was more the galumphing type.

What thing? he asked.

You know, I elaborated. "That thing...

...that they say...

...about God."

Do you mean that ‘God works in mysterious ways?’

Precisely, Hammond!

They say that God works in mysterious ways, which is just another way of saying, I don’t understand what God is up to. In my brief and puerile twenty-one years on this planet, I have seen some of the mysterious ways of God and the resultant miracles that follow. Still, whatever God was up to in the small town of Villa Mercedes was definitely a mystery to all of us.

Two weeks prior to my walking through Plaza Pedernera, I was serving as the District Leader in the city of Mendoza, with barely two months left before my mission ended. Transfers had already been announced about a month earlier, and my name was missing from the list. It seemed apparent that I would finish my mission in Mendoza. But then the phone rang.

Hello.

Elder Wylson? a voice asked. This is Elder Stevens, Assistant to the President.

Elder Stevens was not only the Assistant to the Mission President, but he and I also started our missions on the same day. We had spent two months together in the Mission Training Center, but our paths hadn’t crossed since then. During our time in the MTC, Stevens was laid back and easygoing. He lived in a languid mellowness reminiscent of a washed-out hippie. He probably was a washed-out hippie, but now, as Assistant to the President, he had become, well, let’s say, a little more militant in his demeanor. Rumor had it he was known as Sergeant Stevens around the halls of the mission home.

Oh. Hey, how you doin’? I asked amicably.

"No time to twaddle. You