Continuing to Grow, Learning Restraint

Good afternoon everyone,

It seems that many things are going on at home. Life continues to move forward whether or not we are ready. Here in San Antonio, we've receive an excess of rain, especially this recent Saturday evening. If you ever wonder what the weather is like down here, guess "raining" and you'll likely be right.

Transfer news is here. 10th Ward is being combined into one area, and I'll be staying. Elder Hill and Elder Drennan are both leaving, and Elder Drennan will be going to the boarder somewhere. So using proper deductive reasoning, Elder Black will be my new companion, and he will take Elder Drennan's place. Elder Drennan is sad to leave the area, but he's also excited. I'm not going anywhere new, but we will cover the whole ward instead of a single half. Even when we stay put, things change.

I've been with Elder Drennan longer than any other Companion

Now for a review of the week:

This past week we had a great mission conference with Elder Allen and Elder Evans of the Seventy. What might of been more of a meeting to learn how to use Ipads became something much more. These servants of the Lord taught us of the importance of developing righteous digital habits. It struck me how often they used the scriptures to teach us how we should prepare to use these tools. They helped me to strengthen my understanding that the scriptures were written for our day, most especially the Book of Mormon.

Last Monday while we were out in the evening, we approached a Hispanic man who was working on his car. When we offered our help, we learned that he was a preacher for a church in the area, and we shared a little bit of our beliefs. Rather soon, however, we lost control of the situation as his Spanish out classed ours in fluency :). While frustrated towards the end, I did my best to respectfully exit the conversation, when we met Chris and Darian outside. We followed them to their home and shared something with them. It turned out that work among other things made it difficult to meet with them. We hope to continue to meet with them in the coming weeks.

When Elder Drennan and I were with Elder Pope on an exchange, we met a man named Ray. He expressed sincere interest in a modern day prophet, and we had set to come by this past week. He wasn't there when we first tried by, but on another day we knocked on the door and met Ray again, with his brother, Clay. After sharing the Restoration with them, Ray explained that he and his brother were talking about prayer just before we knocked on their door. I knew that God was mindful of them, and I felt honored to be his tool.

Outside of the weather this week, our weekend felt long. We set up appointments with many of the people we've been in contact with in this area, but nearly all of them fell through. In a scenario like this, it's easy to think to yourself "It's all right, in the evening we'll see a miracle" but the miracles were harder to see. When we got home, I was reminded of my "weakness" as we read about often in Ether 12 : 27. The difficult day drove me to my knees figuratively, and I felt myself relying more on the Lord to remain positive and to continue to work my best. Minimize the Lords role in missionary work, and get focused on ourselves and our own strength. I can no more take credit for giving a priesthood blessing to someone else than a hammer can expect payment after a construction job involving nails.

And so, though the week was difficult towards the end, I won't lose focus in the reason why I serve. I can't serve looking for recognition, or serve in the hope that I will become a leader in the mission field. Whether I serve as a leader or not, I will have a happy and successful mission.

Questions and Answers

Has weather impacted your work this week?    

In a variety of different ways. Saturday had plenty of rain that came off and on throughout the day. Towards the end of the evening, we received a few severe weather alerts, but we were able to get home before the worst of the rain got us.

The rain tends to make things hotter outside because of the moisture. Summer is on it's way.

How are Yesenia and her family, and Bro. H. and his grandchildren, and Karla and Joe and Adam?   

Gregg took us out to dinner this week at a Chinese place nearby. The food was extremely quick, but the restaurant played some distracting music off of the radio. It offered me an opportunity to practice focusing myself on the people, rather than the food or something else. We only met with Bro. H's family once this week. As we read from the Book of Mormon with them, other members of their extended family and such went in and out. Combined with other sounds, it was difficult to hear them. Regardless of the other difficulties, I was glad to see their faith grow as a family.

Karla's family is difficult to find. Elder Drennan and I joke that it's easier to catch the rest of her family at home than her. Because of the other people that we are working with, I believe that we may have to move on from her family, and only drop by occasionally.

As a side note, I learned from Elder Vergara that Tony and Staniel should have been baptized this past Saturday. If all went well, as I can be sure it did, they should be members of the church.

How has the Spirit helped you in times of change in this past while?      

Well, I feel like this is a rather deep question.

This past week was rather difficult. I feel that the studies we have every morning to a great amount to help me to survive the day, spiritually. I read recently from Alma 29. The chapter taught me that I need to be content with the work I have to do, because I am immensely blessed to have this opportunity. I feel the happiest when I can discern the needs of others and work to serve them through the guidance of the Spirit. The times that I feel down are the times that I want to serve others. This helps me to feel the Spirit.

How do you say 'enjoy the journey' en Espanol?

I could try and translate it literally, but I think I'll have a better job studying it this week and answering again next week.

What is your favorite tie?

I like this one. Not sure if I have a favorite tie. (This is a photo of us in front of the chapel. This is the only chapel in our mission boundaries that has the church's name in Spanish)

The only picture I managed to get after the mission conference this week. Elder Hart (far right) was Elder Downer's companion (middle) in the MTC. Elder Hart was Elder Olsen's and now Elder Bertelsen's companion.

Language Surrounds Us

Greetings to all y'all,

Texas is really quite diverse. I love working in this part of town because a bunch of culture hits us. As Elder Drennan and I worked to speak Spanish as much as possible during the day, we were able to find a lot of Spanish speakers from plenty of different places. We ran into someone who was painting a house with his wife, and he was from Honduras. Turns out that he had met missionaries before, and they had a profound impact on him. I'm starting to relish every opportunity that I have to speak Spanish. I never thought I could grow my speaking ability so much while serving in a Spanish ward.

I'm also developing a "Texan" accent. My s's and sh's seem to whistle a little bit. It was kind of my fault though, because I was practicing them to see if I could make them happen. No they happen without me thinking about it. Most Texans, however, don't whistle as they say those consonants though.

We've started to work with the grandchildren of one of the members of the ward here. With no prompting question from us, the other day Bro H asked if we could start teaching his grandchildren. A boy, a girl, and a boy, and none of them are baptized, but all older than 8. His daughter, the kids mother , wants to attend church again, and she is open to us teaching the kids. While I'm grateful for the opportunity to help them, it can be stressful helping them to understand. Adrian, the youngest boy, is extremely interested and asks several questions. Francis, the daughter, is a little quiet but also interested. The older son is Zack. We visited them three times in a single weekend. I want to be prepared to help them as much as I can.

Karla is back on our radar, and many miracles. When we got back in touch with her, she told us of the many concerns she's had and we were sorry for her. During the past few weeks when we were unable to meet with her, the Book of Mormon app that she downloaded kept popping up on her phone for whatever reason. She thought it was creepy, but it helped her to read during times she was stressed. I can definitely tell that God is mindful of her family. We were able to sit down and talk about the beginning of the Book of Mormon with her, and we finally got to meet her husband, Joe. Seems to be shy, but he is comfortable with us visiting, and we hope to teach them as a family. Joe, their son, Adam, and the little one seem to be doing fairly well too.

Rain has been abundant this week, and it was raining hard before church last Sunday. Sister R and her oldest made it to church, but no one else that we have been visiting in particular made it. It was a small, spiritual, sacrament meeting.

Questions and Answers

What about your new IPad?

(We received the announcement that we would receiving them soon a little bit ago) I don't know too much about the details, but we should be getting them within a month or so.

Are they going to be part of your teaching?

I would guess so. We don't know all of the details, but the IPad will definitely change how we do the Work of Salvation.

Have you had the chance to check out getting new slacks, or is that really impossible in your present area?

(For those of you who don't know, I've lost a few pairs of pants to damage and or wear and tear)

I'm hoping to repair what I can with my primary sewing and patching skills. There are a lot of shops around here, but we don't know which ones would be able to fix my pants.

Are you using you bikes at all now that it is very warm at all or is the car's efficiency just too important to not use? 

Our area is hard to bike in. Not impossible to bike, but we're being efficient with our millage. Who knows?

How has the Spirit given you wisdom and strength as you and Elder Drennan have sought to teach what the Lord wants you to teach your people?

In the past week or so I've had many opportunities to learn from my leaders. In our last zone meeting, the area leaders and the sister training leaders helped us to recognize that we need to both teach about and invite people to be baptized when they understand. The Book of Mormon is without a doubt the most important tool we have. We want to use it during every situation we can. The BoM teaches us that the authority to baptized is essential to the authenticity of the baptism (Mosiah 21: 33).

We are also trying to help those who are ready to learn, and spend less time with those less interested to read the Book of Mormon. The Spirit is essential in discerning the preparedness of those we meet every day, without judging false judgments.

What has been fun or funny happening this week?

While we were driving the other day we got a text that made sense but was missing punctuation that makes it clear. I translated it in my head and read it out loud to Elder Drennan, and proceeded to say, "Oh, so that would mean (word for word copy of what I had just translated)." I had no idea that I said the same thing, so Elder Drennan started laughing. I laughed because I didn't know why he was laughing. It took us a while to understand each other, but we laughed pretty hard until then.

How is the Texas fruit tasting?

Fruit is cheap and delicious and the fruit flies that spontaneously come along for the ride are free. Texas fruit tastes pretty good. I have another cantaloupe and a watermelon that I need to eat before they go bad.

I love you all very much. Christ is the reason for my happiness; for He is the reason I am able to feel charity, His pure love!

--

-Elder Hall

Texas San Antonio Mission

Texas

Hello family, friends, and all the others,

So yesterday my companion and I had the opportunity to video chat with our family. That was fun. If I think of any specifics I'd like to share, I'll include them later. As for animal stories this week, I guess I'm just getting too used to them. We had this one dog that seem to bark like a werewolf, many dogs charge us only to be stopped by fences, and plenty of other things. I'll remember others later.

Though you wouldn't know, I've realized that I need to work on my Spanish. This past Wednesday we had a great Spanish Conference where Spanish missionaries, their companions, and English speaking missionaries with native Spanish speaking companions attended. I received a great deal of confidence, and a little bit of a rebuke for my slight laziness. I saw many of my past companions and some other missionaries that I admire: Elder Downer was there, where I learned a little bit more about Uvalde; Elder Aguila, with his trainer Elder Loveridge (woo!), and others who I knew well. It's funny to see how many connections you make as you serve. More importantly, I notice the emphasized principle of receiving correction. If we are hesitant to receive it, we will have a difficult time growing. Especially as I learn to speak the language, I have to make many mistakes before I improve. Better make those mistakes earlier, rather than later.

On Saturday we tried to meet with someone that the Las Palmas missionaries referred to us. This would have been the third or fourth try to meet him, without fail, but he answered. When we talked to him, he told us that he was having some difficulties and had been praying for a while. When we shared the Restoration with him, he seemed to light up and we could tell that he felt peace. Ralph, which was the man, seemed prepared and willing to step forward. I'm hoping he is able to embrace more.

The chapel yesterday was pretty full. There were plenty of people visiting, others who had a connection with the military, and then some faces that I don't know too well, but we had a fair amount of people visit today. There were so many little things going on that it's hard to pick the out.  But in the middle of the program that was prepared to honor the important role of motherhood, which was indeed good, a confused person stumbled into the church building yelling about something, and Elder Drennan and I did the best we could to help her. She seemed a little bit drunk (poor lady) and was trying to come to an activity that the Spanish ward had the night before. Luckily we were able to escort her out, and no harm to person or the building happened.

Missionary work is fast. Sometimes I've felt the need to rest spiritually when my body felt raring to go. Other times my body simply didn't want to go where my spirit had the energy to work. Both situations demonstrated to my how rest sometimes needs to come part by part at a time.

Questions and Answers and Pictures!

So, last week we didn't get to really find out what you think about Matt's mission call to Oklahoma City- so what do you think?

I was excited that he was call to serve. I'll say, I am at a loss for words, but that doesn't mean I don't feel exceedingly happy for him.

How has that experience (Dulce's baptism) continued to strengthen their family?   

We visited this past week and found out that Yesenia held a family home evening. Yesenia continued and told us that Dulce took control and with little help from her mother, she guided the rest of the family home evening. It wasn't perfect even then, but we're glad that there are now two members of the church in the family, and that Dulce can help her family out.

How are the Aldrich and the Fernandez families doing? 

They seem to be doing quite well. Both families were able to get to church, and I think they both enjoyed the experience. The Fernandez family is always getting sick however, and it seem that they had to leave early ( I really feel for them).

This will be the second time in a row that both families made it to church. Each time they make it will increase their faith and strengthen their resolve to make it to church again.

Elder Drennan is a very fine and gentle Elder, what a very good companion!

I will be sure to pass it on.

How has the Spirit guided you this past week? 

Most of the guidance that I have the privilege to receive was subtle, small, but powerful whispers. I had some difficulty coping with stress at times. However, when I chose to listen (to follow Christ's humble example as best as I could), many concerns that seemed great were broken down into manageable pieces. If I listen more intently with my heart, I will hear more intently with my heart.

If y'all have any questions, please send them to me. Questions help me to focus my thoughts, and they make it easier to write. Keep reading the Book of Mormon! It never ceases to amaze me what I can learn from studying a plain topic.

Classic dashboard picture (I believe I'm wearing my newest pair of glasses in this picture)

I cut this cantaloupe all by myself. Does that mean I can cook?

--

-Elder Hall

Texas San Antonio Mission

I Simply Love Missionary Work

Hello Y'all!

A bunch went on this week. Animal stories are a highlight in my mind, but they simply aren't important enough to list. There certainly were too many in my opinion.

We couldn't really catch Omar. His crazy schedule at the baseball field takes his sleep, and interferes with visits. Did I mention Omar in an earlier email? If not, well, I'll try to touch him more next week.

We caught Jonathan and Sandra and shared the 10 commandments taught by Abinidi. We tried to focus on keeping the Sabbath day holy, and he seemed to expect it. However, he didn't make it to church, so we were a little sad about that.

Karla is really hard to catch. We keep missing her, and we try by too much. We'll catch her and the rest of the family eventually.

This weekend, Elder Drennan and I were able to participate in the baptism of Yesenia (no ~ in the name, i actually had the wrong). By participate, we actually mean we helped set it up. She and Gregg weren't aware that they were in charge of organizing the program, they were stressed, but we came in to help as best as we could. So when the day itself actually came, we went to the church quite early to fill the font, set up chairs, and attempt to make a program. Eventually Gregg's family, Yesenia, him, and the rest of their kids came, so we juggled setting other things up, and giving a little bit of direction. The first counselor made it, he helped a bunch, and the printer malfunctioned, so the quickly made program didn't actually happen.

The service started late. We had no piano player. Luckily, I have been blessed with a booming voice, and I attempted to replicate the accompaniment and words by leading the music. I'm glad I was taught how to lead music. We began with "I am a Child of God," and lead into a few talks. Elder Drennan gave the one on Baptism in English, and Yesenia's father gave the one on the Holy Ghost in Spanish. Then Yesenia's brother baptized Dulce. We had practiced the motions with him a few days before, and he did a wonderful job. They were a little too worried about doing it right (we did emphasize that it needed to be done correctly), so they hesitated a little, but it was done well. Then we followed with part of the Restoration video, and lead to the confirmation. This was extremely significant for me, because I had the opportunity to confirm her. It was a powerful experience. I felt humbled that I held the priesthood necessary to do it. Really, I can't take credit for the experience at all. I won't forget the feeling I felt.

We helped a little with desserts, clean up, and taking family pictures. We couldn't take any pictures ourselves, so we will probably need to get them from Gregg. He took a few. We invited Gregg's father to visit with missionaries, but he declined, saying that he wanted to keep a open mind, but he wasn't interested. I'm glad he wasn't hostile about it. We'll continue to serve Gregg and the rest of his family, and Yesenia's family as we can. Gregg was happy about the baptism in general.

Gregg ended up being one of the only non members that made it to church yesterday, but many families that we have been inviting made it. We were extremely pleased to see them at church. The Adrich's, the Fernandez's, and a less active member we found with two of her kids, (her name is Sister Rodriguez), also made it. Sister R's oldest daughter is old enough to be baptized, and really wants to be baptized as well. We'll be working with this family as well. Unfortunately, Sister R is living with her boyfriend who isn't as interested. . . but we will invite him as often as we can to learn about Christ's Gospel as well.

Questions and Answers

Are you and Elder Drennan all better from your sickness last week?   

Honestly we are still recovering. It's quite difficult to discover where the illness came from, but we are still well enough to work every day. We have cited a few suspects, and we're going to eliminate them to see if it helps in recovery.

Was Jonathan able to come with Sandra to church this week?  

Sandra got called into work on Sunday, and Jonathan probably wouldn't go by himself. When we saw him again he told us he was catching up on sleep, and told us about Sandra's dilema. Apparently Mother's day will cause her to work on Mother's day. Basically the store she works at is trying to make money. Don't blame them for that, but we wish Sandra had the day off.

How are your prayers on behalf of Gregg and Yesen~ia helping you to 

help them?  

Prayer is helping. I can see that family growing in faith. Especially with Dulce's baptism, now they have two members in the immediate family. :)

How has knowing that mother's day is coming up this Sunday made you want to make sure you tell your family when you are calling?

Knowing this makes me want to ensure less stress is involved. (I already sent the details directly to my parents)

I'm sure you're back to your short sleeved shirts- how are they holding up?

Long story short, my whole wardrobe is having problems. If I didn't explain in the bulk of the email, not worry, I'll touch it in detail next week.

How has the Spirit helped you this week?

I felt the comfort of the Comforter a bunch this week. In the Sacrament prayer, we are promised that we may "always have His Spirit to be with us," meaning we can have it, but not always feel it. But I felt it's comfort this week. It was a great week, but it was hard too. Nothing of great value comes easily.

 Is it still raining a lot?

Off and on. The weather here is hard to predict. It's definitely felt hotter outside, but we haven't hit the peak of the mountain of heat, so to speak.

Happy Mother's day to y'all. Whoever you are, enjoy your time you have with your mothers, and tell them how much you love them. Mother's day is really really important I would say.

Shout out to the best mom out there -- you know who you are :-D.

I love you!

Elder Bertlesen Cooking with his bandana

--

-Elder Hall

Texas San Antonio Mission