Diligence in Learning Christ's Gospel

Hello family, friends, and ward family,

What a great week. I feel like a grew this week, just like all the others.

I'm very glad to hear of all the missionary work happening at home. The best part of missionary work is that it doesn't end when we return home. I want to be a missionary for all of my life!

On Monday I managed to wreck in my bike again. I ripped another pair of slacks, and this time it also claimed a white shirt. Luckily, after we returned to the apartment I found another pair of unclaimed slacks that took the place of the tan ones that I lost. I have no doubt that I was protected, and I was gladdened that the injury didn't keep me from working the rest of this week.

The Rubio family is progressing well. Jorge's wife and their daughters are progressing towards baptism, and I can feel their faith in Christ grow as they learn more about the gospel. We visited with them on Thursday and then again on Sunday. It's amazing to see how Sister Rubio has progressed since I first met her in my first transfer here at Windcrest. I would say that their family is diligent in their desire to learn more. We'll do the best we can to help them learn.

On Wednesday, Elder Tews and I had an exchange with the Zone Leaders. To keep things short, Elder Pew (Yes, he's a zone leader) joined us and helped us work in the Windcrest area. I enjoyed the opportunity to talk about school before the mission and about our families. (Families are the greatest :)) Though the miracles we had that day weren't apparent until after, I learned many things from him.

One of those things he pointed my attention to is obedience. Obedience brings blessings. Anytime we obey a commandment of the Lord, we will receive blessings that relate to the commandment we are given. I've found as I get to bed on time and wake up on time, I find that my sleep lasts me longer. I love to be obedient to all the rules we have. I will receive blessings from each one.

From left to right: Elder Pew, myself & Elder Tews

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How is your Patriarchal blessing helping you as serve in the work of your mission?

My patriarchal blessing helped me this week and before by reminding me of my potential. When I remembered the promises in it, it became easier to serve.

What was the funniest thing that happened to you last week?

Elder Tews showed me the mug on his study desk, the one that holds his different pencils. It is a Christmas mug, with a picture of Santa on it. However, it spells "Merry Christmas" as "Marry Christmas." Good grief, what has this world come too? :)

I also tried to make pancakes this morning. What a disaster! Well, I laughed when it was all done.

Hmmmm.... Pancakes!

 

 













Have you used your long sleeved shirts at all this past week?

I use them on Sundays and during meetings during the week. Essentially whenever I wear my suit.

-Elder Hall

Investigators, Elder Tews and Answers to Questions

Greetings from the heat of San Antonio to y'all,

Elder Tews is a great companion. Many people in our ward have told us that he looks like Elder Scroggs. I'm not sure I can see the resemblance. I'll post a picture of him and I that we took last week.

More and more every week I enjoy all of the steps that we take to find, teach, and invite people to come unto Christ. It is a delicious food that I am growing to love.

Questions from Sister Hall:

 I was reading in 1st Nephi chapter 18 verse 3. 'And I Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; and the Lord showed unto me great things.'  What do you think that verse means to you as a missionary?

Our Heavenly Father wants us to come to him and pray. He will show us what we need to know and do if we come to him. Often times that means we must go to a 'mount' that is outside of where we would normally go. I think it also means that we should pray always. We must do these things 'oft.'

Where is Elder Tews from?    

 

Elder Tews is from Twin Falls Idaho. He tells me the school he attended was pretty small. Elder Tews left on his mission after he graduated in 2013. He has an older sister, two younger brothers and another younger sister. Just like Elder Scroggs, he teaches me many things through example.

How does the saying 'Excellence is encouraging. Perfectionism is criticizing.' help you as a missionary?

It reminds me that the people I teach will benefit far more from loving encouragement to read the Book of Mormon than demands to read it. Additionally, it tells me that perfectionism demands more than we can give, but Excellence will only ask for what we have.   

Also, how does this saying work for you as a missionary- 'Excellence is self acceptance and effort.'?

 
Missionary work cannot exist without effort. On the other hand, self acceptance allows missionaries to understand their limitations and turn to the Lord to make the difference. Did I mention that I absolutely love missionary work?

Where has Elder Tews been serving prior to being your companion?  

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He has served in a branch near the Mexican boarder and in Montevista, which is nearby in San Antonio. This is his third area even though he has served in the TSAM for almost a year. I suppose some missionaries stay for longer than others. What wonders does this mission hold for me in the future?

Which of your ties is your favorite right now? 

Probably the maroon one that has squarish patterns dispersed across it. My parents will remember which one this is. It reminds me of the cherished heritage I have from my high school. (It looks like I wore this same tie in the picture here.)

Saturday was a long day. In the evening, the Young Women of our ward held a fund raising activity that they were preparing for quite a while. Brother and Sister Johnson came with the Watkins family, and we were extremely glad to see them there. Sister Johnson hasn't smoked at all since last Tuesday, and Elder Tews and I are extremely proud of her, and her husband. But it wasn't this activity that really worked us.

After the activity, we took our bikes and went to contact a few referrals that the Sisters gave us. Their area is much further away from us than ours, so biking from the chapel gave a huge advantage. We biked this one road for an extremely long time, and it wasn't until we got to the edge of the Sisters' area that we found the man we were looking for.

It was well worth the biking. Tony is the name of the man we met, and we had an encouraging talk with him. He, like a lot of the hispanics who live here are extremely humble.

Last night we went with the Ward Mission Leader and visited the Rubios. He is currently a member, but his wife and three daughters are not. I can hardly believe how they have progressed in the last transfer with Elder Scroggs up to now. We invited them to be baptized in late September.

I'm having trouble condensing so much blessings into one email, so if you have any questions, feel free to email them my way. I bet I'll get better at writing emails as I go.

-Elder Hall

P.S. I love all of you at home.

My new companion Elder Tews

Hello to everyone, ward, family and friends.

I'd love to start off with questions:

From Matt W.

1. What's the biggest change you've seen take place in yourself?

Confidence in myself. I've noticed my confidence grow in many different areas that I never knew existed. I feel confident shopping for groceries on P-Days. I feel confident calling members of the ward and asking them to come with us to lessons. I grow my confidence to talk to people we meet every day. The best part is I have 22 months+ to grow this confidence even more.

2. What's the terrain there compared to Alpine?

Different types of green plant life exist everywhere here. No visible mountains anywhere. While this part of Texas isn't a desert, I've seen a bunch of cactus. Different kinds of Cactus, too. Most of the cactus aren't shaped the way I expected them too.

3. What's the hardest missionary rule to follow?

The hardest rule for me to follow is getting to bed on time. Getting up on time is much easier.

In what ways has serving with Elder Scroggs helped prepare you to serve with your new companion?

Serving with Elder Scroggs has helped me learn to serve my companion. There are many ways that we can serve one another.

 How do you Elders assist the Sister missionaries as you serve?

As fellow missionaries of the Windcrest ward,

 Is it getting hotter or cooler at this time in the year?

Hotter. A lot hotter than I'm used to in Utah, but there's only so hot it can get. Drinking a lot of water is important.

How is the Spirit guiding you this week? 

The spirit has guided my new companion, Elder Tews and I, by helping us choose who we want to visit during the day. The spirit has guided me to take care of myself, and get the relaxation that I need during the short time we have in the evening.

The spirit has guided me to read my scriptures, and my patriarchal blessing during times when it would comfort me most, and fill me with the power I need.

So this transfer day we met a bunch of new missionaries. I recognized one of the Elders from the Provo MTC. But best of all was the opportunity I had to meet Elder Tews. Elder Tews is from Twin Falls Idaho, and he loves basket ball. He's the first missionary of his siblings to go out on a mission.

Elder Tews and Elder Scroggs are both very laid back. Their vigor for the mission can't be seen by briefly meeting either of them. When Elder Tews and I left the transfer meeting and got back to our apartment, the trunk of our car wouldn't open. This worried me quite a bit, but Elder Tews was  calm. It took us some time to figure out was wrong, and we went from place to place asking for help, and eventually we found ourselves at the dealership. When a worker there took a look at the trunk, it took him a few minutes and he got it open for us. I was very relieved when it finally opened.

Some other great news, Bruno came to church yesterday. At first, I was a bit worried if he'd come or not. It was during sacrament meeting that I realized he still wasn't here. But a little bit later I saw his red shirt out the back left door nearby where we sat, and I knew it was him. It turns out that Bruno got lost and went to a Jehova's Witness church first, but he realized it wasn't ours. Then he found his way to the chapel and was able to hear the talks in sacrament meeting.

I love Bruno an awful lot.

Thank you all for the emails. Enjoy your scriptures, and enjoy the journey.

-Elder Hall

P.S. I love you all. Especially my family.

Elder Scroggs Transfer

Hello everyone!

My my, what a packed week. During transfer calls this Sunday, I discovered that my companion Elder Scroggs will leave this area. I will miss him for sure, but I am happy that he gets to experience another area in this wonderful mission. I will stay here in Windcrest. On Thursday my new companion will also fulfill the role of trainer as well. It surprised me to learn that Elder Scroggs will become a zone leader in whatever Zone he goes to. It also seems that the rest of the companionship in this district will still be sister companionship.

 Windcrest, you haven't seen the last of me quite yet!

(No need to post this paragraph on the blog) I loved writing hand written letters from time to time. Unfortunately, I don't have addresses for anyone except my parents. Please feel welcome to share your addresses so that I can write to each of y'all and your families.

Another bike wreck. This one, was fairly less traumatic. As I turned a corner on our way to visit some people, I slipped on some sand and fell over. This time, I didn't rip a pair of slacks, and I made fairly little noise. It was humorous because the fall caused my front wheel and the handle bars to go a bit crooked, so when I got up and continued, the crooked nature of the bike caught my attention immediately. A few days later we fixed it. Until then, I got a good laugh every time I mounted my bike.

This Friday Elder Scroggs went to a leadership meeting of some kind. While he was gone, I paired up with Elder Hendericks in Windcrest.  We had studies together, we planned for our lessons of the day together, and after lunch we went out. This experience gave me a chance to stretch myself and lead. Honestly, I was afraid to lead. Leaning on my own confidence, I felt bad every time I perceived I made a mistake. We did have great success. We even set an appointment to met with someone this week.

Yesterday as we visited various people, we met a young black kid who made me smile. As we made and received a few calls, he approached us and we began talking to him. He had never met missionaries before, and at one point he asked, "Are y'all homeless?" I answered in my mind, "Not really." If we ever visit his neighborhood again, we might find him. He wasn't too excited to invite us over to his house, which I understand.

On Saturday, we went over to a part-member home and helped them move some sand into their sandbox. After that, we had steak with their family. This steak was huge. The biggest steak I've ever seen in my life, let alone eaten. Wow.

Questions!

We have, surprisingly, gotten some rain in the past week and have more on the way- Are you getting much rain, or is it humid and hot and no rain?
No rain this week. I'm told that August is the worst month in Texas as far as heat goes. I can't remember which day it was, but one afternoon the heat was considerably hotter than the others. I can expect the heat to rise, giving me energy. Not too much rain, but it'll be here eventually.

 Are you excited about the thought of a transfer, or do you wish you can stay a bit longer at  Windcrest?
Well, I'm excited at the idea of a new companion, but I will miss Elder Scroggs. I have a feeling that this transfer will stretch me in different ways that this transfer with Elder Scroggs. Usually trainees keep their trainer for the 12 weeks that they train, but it'll be different for me. I'll need to take initiative for a while as my new companion adjusts to new streets, people, ward stuff etc.

 Have you had any opportunities for service projects in your area?
Just a little. Saturday evening Elder Scroggs and said hello to a latino family that sat on their driveway. One of them was changing two tires on their car. While Elder Scroggs talked to the oldest father, I helped the one who worked on the tire. I want to serve in other ways this next week, and I'm sure as I pray for the opportunities I will find more.

How have the scriptures helped you in your work this week?

Wow, I love this question. I'll answer it next week too.
In our first lesson this week with Ed and Diego, we read Mosiah 2: 1- 21 with them. This scripture helped display some of the teachings we receive from prophets. While before my mission I knew the scriptures were important, now I understand more fully that the scriptures will change the people we teach more than philosophy related to scriptures will. Ed and Diego committed to come to church this Sunday, which is exciting.

As separation "makes the heart grow fonder," I truly believe that prayer will bring us closer.

-Elder Hall

A picture of Elder Scroggs and I passed out in the back seat. This picture is from the beginning of our transfer together.

The Work Hastens in my View

Hello Everyone!

Right about now the work seems to go even faster. As a missionary, every week seems faster and faster. I still have many months left, but I don't want to waste a single day. From the emails I've read, so many things have changed at home. I can hardly process all of the good and difficult things that are happening at home. Stay strong, everyone.

Questions from Matt. W:
Is your companion taller than you?

No, he isn't. But the height difference isn't large, and he looks taller than me when we sit down.

What color is your tie right now? OR ARE YOU EVEN WEARING ONE!?!?!?
Maroon. Maroon with two white stripes.

Questions from Mom:
How have members of the Church in your area been able to assist your work?
I love this question.

Members mean everything in missionary work. They can unlock the way for missionaries to touch people's hearts.

   The members helped us this week by fellowship neighbors. We had a wonderful pioneer day party on Saturday, and while Elder Scroggs and I invited several people to this party, only the people invited directly by members ever came. We weren't demanding of the people we invited, but the fellowship that members engage in is quite different than the love Missionaries show.

Members also help us by doing work that we can't efficiently by ourselves. Member are awesome :). I'll leave that at that.

What is your favorite San Antonio style food you have encountered? 
My companions favorite is "Tacos Al Pastor." This dish is authentic, and reminds me of the gyro, like ones you can buy in New York City. My favorite so far is "Chicken Mole". The mole has a slight sweet taste to it, and normally you roll up tortilla to eat the mole like the tortilla was a spoon. Yum.
 What is the most wonderful way that the Spirit has guided you this week?  

This question is very difficult. The spirit has guided me in many ways, and I don't feel like I can judge which is most wonderful. I did, however, receive the chance to give a priesthood blessing to Bruno.

What is the most important thing you have learned this week (anything of physical, mental, spiritual, sociality -any category of learning)?

 As a missionary, it is extremely important that my faith stays in Christ, and not in results. This will bring true success. Also, I learned it is important to love my companion.

Have you seen any turtles in your area : )? 

Yes, I did, I saw some in a family's home that we visited. This family lives in the Sister's area, so we don't see them too often. We went to their house to give a blessing to the father, and a daughter who will go through operations this week, and then a blessing of comfort to the mom.

I saw them in a tank as we came in.

Alright, this week was jam packed with many share-able things.

First off, on Friday I went on my second exchange with Elder Lundstrom. Elder Lundstrom is an assistant to President Slaughter, and I learned many things from him. His companion and he are urgent about all of their decisions. They understand that the time they have is precious. This missionary is full of love for everyone he meets, and I felt it abundantly during the time we spent on the Lord's errand.

 Speaking of the Pioneer Day Party on Saturday, it helped me feel a good taste of home. The members of our ward treat us kindly, just like the ones back home. We had a watermelon eating contest, and I completely thought that Elder Scroggs would win. He didn't.

Here's a picture of myself and Elder Lundstrom:

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-Elder Hall

P.S. I love the emails. I promise that I will read them, even if I don't reply specifically. Questions help too.

My Favorite Thing in San Antonio

Greetings, everyone!

Here are some questions I got:

Questions- 

Are you in contact more with Spanish speakers than English speakers this week?

Honestly, hard to tell. Probably more English. The reason why my emails are in english  is because our neighbors are typically english speaking. I try to surround myself in Spanish from time to time, but I still think in english. I still pray for the gift of tongues often.

What is the most peaceful experience you have had this week?

The Frost family invited us to dinner yesterday. They live pretty far away from our apartment, and because of how our scheduling ended up, we had little time to get there. I don't think I've ever had more fun "biking my heart out" in my life. Meaning, we biked vigorously, but I enjoyed it. When we arrived at their home, I was very tired. They were extremely understanding to us, and I loved to learn about their family. After we ate dinner and Brother and Sister Frost showed us family pictures, Elder Scroggs and I sang Joseph Smiths First Prayer with them.
By the end of the song, I felt great peace. The type of peace that only the message of the restoration (Joseph's prayer in particular) could bring. I love this message.

 What was the most encouraging experience you had this week?

I'll talk more about this later, but I sang "Abide With Me Tis Eventide" for zone conference this week. This experience encouraged me because I knew the Holy Ghost was comfortable with my singing. If that makes any sense. :)

What was the funniest thing that happened this week?

This week was really funny in general. In between a few appointments we stopped and knocked at this one house. The house was pretty tall, and had a window directly above us as we waited at the front door. Next thing we know, this man pops his head out of the window and says he wasn't interested. I had no idea where the voice was coming from, so it was pretty hilarious when I saw him. Well, I suppose the context made it funnier than it sounds.

This was the first thing that comes to mind.

This week I had my very first Zone Conference. Future missionaries, get excited for them. They are wonderfully long, but you'll like several parts in between.

President Slaughter talked about remembering who we are. As missionaries, we do know that we are called by a prophet to serve the Lord. We often times forget that we are also part of Israel, and we can know our lineage through patriarchal blessings. He told us that as we come to know who we are, our desire to invite others to discover these same truths will increase (not exactly the words he used). We aren't simply Israelites either. We are children of God, chosen to declare this same knowledge to others. And we will receive help to do this.

During Zone Conference, I had the chance to sing a solo with Sister Woodward as my accompanist. I didn't sing a special arrangement, but I did sing with my heart. Part of what humbled me with this opportunity was I knew a few other missionaries in my Zone who could sing very well. Perhaps sing better than me. But because Elder Rogers, one of my zone leaders, asked me to sing, I did it. I loved this experience.

Our district has had great success this week. I had the chance to attend two baptisms this week, and we only missed another because we had a lesson with Bruno (amazing man who I will talk about later) we had. Another thing I learned from Zone Conference was success depends on how we work. Often times the agency of others will interfere with a person's progress, but it will not change the success we receive for working hard.

Elder Scroggs and I met Bruno a few weeks ago as we traveled to meet with the Rubio family. He was outside working with two young guys that he paid. To keep it short, we talked, he liked us, offered us some "big red" soda which I didn't want to refuse. Because I couldn't drink all of it then, I put the rest of it in an empty bottle I had. That bottle spilled (still a bit embarrassed about this, but no worries :)) while we were biking.

Since then we've visited him a few times. I'm not sure if he completely understands why we want to visit him, but he's progressing. His christian heart reminds me that I can pray to help him, but not influence his agency.

Thanks for all of the prayers. I have felt them immensely from family, friends, and family of friends.

-Elder Hall

 

P.S.  Here's a photo of the missionaries serving the Windcrest Ward.  From left to right, Hermana Woodward, Hermana Pyper, Elder Hall, Elder Scroggs

 

 

 

Ripped Slacks

Hey Y'all!

Hard week this week, but totally worth the difficulties. All of my mission will be, and I'm not just saying that. Thank you's to Mom, Dad, Erin, Nat L., Matt W. for emails.

Yesterday ripped my first pair of slacks. It was pretty traumatic :). It was late as Elder S. and I came into our apartment complex, and because the entrance has a few mini strings of potholes there, I fell over as I made a left turn. The pants probably won't recover from the experience, and the scrapes I got from the fall on my leg hurt a bit, but I was able to treat the bleeding and I'll be alright.  The battle scars were well earned, I think.

Another highlight from the week was when we met Grace, a rough, tough Jesus fan with a contagious, positive personality. That day (Thursday) we were looking for directions when we passed by his house. At first he said something to the effect of "Nope. Move along," as if he thought we were going to talk to him. He was right. After I hollered over to him to ask for directions, we discussed streets and eventually started talking about Christ. This guy is awesome. I love how he hasn't let his past depress him, even though it was troubled and dangerous. He invited us to go eat tacos with him on Saturday too. I couldn't wait for the tacos and talking with him, but we had a misunderstanding with the time we were supposed to meet him, but we'll get another opportunity to talk with him.

Earlier last week I had my first exchange. A missionary exchange means two companionship swap a missionary with each other, and spend a day like this. I swapped places with Elder Braathen, one of our zone leaders, and I got to spend a day with Elder Hendricks. Boy, exchanges take a lot out of you because of the rapid change, but I loved talking and learning from Elder H. He's from Bountiful, Utah. He was in student council, he sang in choirs, preformed in musicals, and I could relate with him in other areas as well. Plus, he had a real power to maintain positive energy about everything that happened. I accompanied him during a lesson with Patricia, a kind chatterbox. Because Randolph ( Elder H's and Elder B's area) is so large, we drove in a car, and we visited several people in short amounts of time. Pretty awesome.

Questions from home:
How are you doing?
Pretty good. Stressed, but good.
Last week was difficult. On Thursday we met a bunch of people on the streets in between visits who were willing to talk to us.

What is the most encouraging thing that happened this week- maybe with the Dillard family?
We went out to dinner with a member named Adam, and just before we left the apartment to wait for him to pick us up, we discovered his non-member friend was going to come with him. Raul, his friend, was really nice to talk with and every part of his countenance showed me that he was prepared. We hope to teach him again today. Please pray for him, and for his family, who we have yet to meet but I have a feeling they could use the prayers. We all could.
Plus, that meal was at Whataburger, which easily surpasses In-'n-out Burger. I was not disappointed.

Also, Sis. Johnson, an older lady, has changed for the better as we meet with her. During our last lesson with her, we tried to show her a Restoration Video that was about 20 minutes long. Her DVD player wasn't plugged in properly, so I had the chance to work with wires to tackle the problem. I managed to fix it well enough that we could watch the video. Also the couple that helps us fellowship her and comes to lessons regularly, the Watkins, have been instrumental in this teaching process. Without members help, missionaries might as well try to run Apple ourselves. It would probably be easier.

How has the Spirit helped you this week?

The Spirit has helped me to know that I am a person of value, and that my effort in serving the Lord only adds to that value. And the Atonement means more to me every week as a result of the atonement.

Questions from Matt W.:

So how was your first day in the mission field?

It went pretty relaxed. Got to know Elder Scroggs, we visited a few people in the afternoon, and I was introduced to frequent stopping during a bike trip. Those stops caused me to trip. A lot. Sure, I felt stressed, but the biking did help to relieve the stress.

Compared to then, do you feel like you know what you're doing? Do you feel comfortable leading lessons or anything?

Comparatively, yes. I'm growing little by little. I don't lead every lesson or every conversation, but when I do, I know the spirit is there.

How much Spanish have you used? Have you learned any new Spanish? From your emails it seems like you don't encounter anybody who doesn't speak English.

What's the most embarrassing thing you've done so far?

During lessons with spanish investigators is when I have used the most Spanish. I've learned that the Mexican people here in Texas are very relaxed and aren't anxious about correcting there own grammar. Or yours. I can't think of anything too embarrassing right now, but speaking to natives is nothing but awkwardness and embarrassment. It's only there if you look for it.

How many emails (like average) do you get per week? Obviously i'd guess from me and your parents, but how many of your friends write you? Ward members? Any family?

About 15ish. Some are from MTC friends, others are mission related stuff, and the rest are from family and a few friends. Every email is appreciated.