Boy o Boy!

Hey Yall!

Wow this week was full of every emotion you could possibly have! Its crazy how as a missionary you can feel all of them in such short periods of time. Sad, because i had to leave one of my favorite areas with great people, happy because i get to met more good people and experience new things with a new responsibility and area, nervous because i dont know what will happen or whats going on, excited to lead many great missionaries and be able to continue to love and serve, tired because now we are super busy and work work work! haha and everywhere in between. Its a great feeling though, and we are doing it right along side the Lord! Me and one of the coolest families in New Albany!

Now.... A little about the area. Madison is a mini Utah! I cannot believe how alike they are. Im not sure if any one knows this but Madison and Huntsville are known for space centers. Here they build the rockets that get launched into space. Thats pretty much all i know about it. One of these days we are going to go visit the space museum i guess you can call it and learn more about it. Because of that a ton of people from Utah moved down here and thus we get a mini Utah. Just in Madison alone we have 3 wards with 150-200 active members in them. We only cover the Madison 1st ward. Not only do we have a ton of Mormons down here, but it is almost as civilized as Utah with a mall, tons of stores, including panda express, and neighborhoods with nice houses. hahah the funny thing is that i dont feel comfortable at all with all the people and stores. Im so used to living out in small towns in the boonies that coming back to real life is a weird feeling. So there is a little bit about the town. I will keep yall updated the more i learn. Right now i get lost and confused with directions but hopefully that'll change in a couple weeks. 

Me and my Dad, Trainer, He went home and is now a regular joe, we both cried at transfer meeting and can't wait to see him again!  I am so excited to start working with my comp and our new zone. Im excited to be a zone leader and to lead amazing missionaries. My favorite thing by far about being a leader is not that i get to slack off, be high and mighty on a pedestal, or charge people around, but its that i get to feel the incredible love that Heavenly Father has for each of the missionaries, his sons and daughters. Ive never been able to feel such a feeling in my life before, but now i can look at those i lead and the spirit is so strong with Heavenly Father telling me how much He loves them. Its the coolest feeling to be able feel that kind of love. My new comp is Elder Johnson. Me and him were in the same district and roomed together in the MTC. I love him and its so great we get to serve together. He is from Benson Utah, a little town right outside of Logan. He went to Utah St and is defiantly an Aggie haha so we tease each other about that.

We have been super busy since transfers! We got back and have had a ton of meal apts, which is unusual for me but i love them! We have been to district meetings, which we get to go to both in our zone. We have helped out missionaries that got double transferred in. We have been around to visit every missionary in our zone. We dont graduate from "grunt work" so we have done tracting, contacting, service and everything else missionaries do. I love it! We are busy all the time! And when we come home we get a good nights rest! I might fall over some nights, but as i told President Hanks, I can sleep when i get home:) 

Well thats kinda been our week. We are teaching a boy about 11 i think his name is Jason, his mom is less active and he is gonna get baptized in a couple weeks. We are also working with a young couple that the husband served a mission but then got ex communicated and his wife isnt a member. He is so solid. Im not sure why he got ex'd but you would never guess if no one told you. He can get re baptized in August and once that happens his wife will get baptized! Its great! One of the best things about missionary work is that you get to love, and not yourself. The first 2 great commandments are to 1. Love God 2. Love fellow Men and Women. As you meet new people the most important thing to do is make sure you love them! Its so simple and yet people try to complicate it. As we love and grow our relationships with Christ and Heavenly Father and with others we are being obedient to the most important commandments we have. This week make sure to let people know how much you love them! 

I hope yall know i love you. I may not say it a lot but i really do! I pray for yall every day. I hope yall have a great week. Remember as you love to be happy:)

Love Elder Hall 

Hope you all have a great day!!!

Hey Yall!

Golly has it been hot this week. Sadly or maybe this is a good thing, i havent figured out which one yet, I have gotten used to the heat and humidity here and also gotten used to just being a walking ball of sweat haha. We have only had the car one day this week so we have been walking around everywhere. You get used to it after a while cuz to me hot is hot haha but you also just gotta make sure your drinking a lot a lot! We had a police man come over to us and say make sure yall are drinking a lot of water then just drove off haha it was nice of him to stop and maybe help us with a ride;) but its been good to feel the heat and it turns you into a real good missionary. Also makes you appreciate your car 10x's more!  Me and one of my favorite people in this area, his name is Dallas:)

This week has been so good though! On Monday we got to go down to Tupelo and do a baptism interview for a girl which turned out great! I really love doing baptism interviews and feel the spirit testify and confirm to you that this person is truly repenting and the Atonement of Christ covers them as well:) We have been helping out at the food pantry we have here and that is always so fun, not only working but also talking with all the good people there. They are all volunteers so they are also happy to be there:) We have been trying to find people so we have been contacting in the stores and also tracting this week. That has used up alot of the week.  Our cake, its pretty close to the 6 month mark of Dec 25th, Jesus's Bday haha. Im also trying not to get struck down by lightning for making this ;)

So this is the BIG news haha i figured id write it in the middle of the email and see how many people even make it this far if not read the email at all;) haha but im getting transferred again! Ahhh man! Im so dang sad! Yesterday was the last Sunday in New Albany and we had a great branch conference! We had the most people there ive ever seen we had around 110 people! We had a huge pot luck afterwards and it was so good! I got to take pics with everyone and visit one last time. Also some other big news is that im now becoming a Zone Leader. Ill inform yall more when we get to transfer and i get to my new area, but im excited about my new position. I cant wait to be able to help more missionaries and members! Me and most of the youth in our branch.

Well sorry this is kinda short! We have been super busy and time is flying by so dang fast! I can wait for getting old cuz the older i get the faster time goes by and it seems like i cant get anything done cuz there is no time! But the church is still True! My message to yall today is something special and I know that if yall think about what im going to say and study it a little it will all make sense and youll have a deeper appreciation for your Lord and Savior and for missionary work. The message is this #CTR. Ok now go study it! haha jk its about what CTR means. Now some of you may know this from Bro Eliasons church tour but im gonna say it in this order. 

Choose The Right, Current Temple Recommend, Cross The River, Christ The Redeemer, Continue The Rescue, Return To Christ. Ok now I think thats all. But the simple message is this, we need to choose the right in our lives. If we are we will always have a current temple recommend. As we do that we will be able to cross our rivers of temptation, trial, sickness, etc.., and we can help others not only in this world but also the spirit world. As we over come our rivers we will come to know who our Redeemer truly is and have a more personal relationship with him. As we gain that relationship with him we will want to help others and continue the rescue. When all that is said and done we will be able to return to Christ once again and not return by ourselves, but return with all those who we have reached out to and helped and those who have helped us. We can return Together! Now go and think about and study those 6 CTR's individually and it will help you change and grow for good! #CTR

I love yall so very much! Hope you have a great week! Remember #ctr #behappy #lovelifeasyouliveit #bethebestyouyoucanbe

Love Elder Hall:)

Temple, Exchange, Recommit!

Hey Yall!

So i dont have to long today but I will tell yall about the highlights of the week!

• We had an awesome temple trip! I forgot to take pics on my camera but i have someone else emailing me some so ill send them when i get them. I love the temple though. The things you can feel, the lessons you learn about the gospel and your self! 
• We were able to visit tons of less actives that we havent ever seen, also we found new investigators and have been working harder then the beginning of the transfer. I have recommitted myself to the Lords work. It seems like im doing that daily now to be able to have the best days ever, to keep busy, and to remember whose time im using. We had a zone fast this past weekend to remind us to recommit and to focus on whats most important. 
• We were able to go on exchanges, I went with one of my best friends Elder Gale and we worked in Tupelo. We saw a lot of part member families and had a great exchange with meaningful lessons, and we were able to help teach each other! We had a great time and also my comp Elder Daw and Elder Thayer stayed in New Albany and had a lot of success as well.
• Fathers Day was great! We had a very special sacrament meeting. Great talks. I also had the spirit tell me some things that will help me out the rest of my mission. It may sound trunky but i hope that you dont take it that way because I feel like its really gonna help. But this is what I felt: "Learn to be the Daddy you want to be. As a missionary you prepare yourself for the sacred responsibility as the role of a parent. Prove to the Lord each and every day that you are worthy to fulfill that role." As a missionary you help others, the only change when you become a parent is that your helping your own kids. I thought it was pretty cool:) 
• For District Meeting this week we talked about recommitting our selves and what that really means. We talked about who our heroes are and how we can become like them. If you havent ever heard of this talk please look it up and read or watch it! Its "The Word is Commitment" By Elder Ashton. One thing I wanna share from his talk is this, 

Most of us who have ever heard of the great American leader AbrahamLincoln will recall what he said of his mother: “All that I am, all that I hope to be, I owe to my Angel mother.” (in Abraham Lincoln’s Philosophy of Common Sense, ed. Edward J. Kempf, New York: The New York Academy ofSciences, 1965, p. 60.) But how many of us know what his mother’s last words to him were? They were “Be something, Abe.”

Not only is this wise counsel, but it also expresses the yearnings of most fathers’ and mothers’ hearts to have their children be something. Simple terms, but, oh, how powerful, “Be something.” I am so pleased she didn’t say, “Be someone.” She said, “Be something, Abe.” There is a significant difference. In the dictionary someone is defined as “conceived or thought of, but not definitely known,” while something is identified as “a person or thing of importance.”

Abraham Lincoln’s mother knew her son, his potential, and the rocky roads ahead of him; hence, she wanted him to commit himself promptly to being steadfast and immovable in living and promoting deeds of courage and faith in the lives of all mankind.

This is powerful! Let us all remember to be something! When we remember our worth we will continue to do better and better!

I love yall so much! Have a great week!

Love Elder Hall

How does time fly?

Hey Yall!

Haha i hope yall arent getting sick of me starting with that every time? Maybe you have already gotten so used to it that it doesnt register to ya anymore?;) But this week has flown by so fast as always! And just as always the weather is normal with sun, rain, hot, cold and everywhere in between. Its humid as can ever be and its weird now cuz im used to the humidity and just being a walking sweat ball hahah kinda gross:/

This week we have been trying to put together different activities and plans to help our branch. We have had a few coordinating meetings to plan and execute them. They are: Meal Calendar, so we can get out to everyones house to see and talk with them individually. FHE, which we started then it kinda fell through but we are gonna pick it back up and we set a schedule with it so it wont be able to fall through anymore. A Call Tree, so that everyone can start getting used to Home and Visiting teaching, it will give them a sense of responsibility and help them unify. And last a fireside in July with Prez Hanks to 1. help people get to know what Mormons are and what we do, and 2. To help the members get excited about and start doing missionary work. So we have been doing a lot of planning this week. But thats good, cuz we are following the example of the Gods before us. In Abraham if you read the chapter headings for chapters 4 and 5, it talks about how they plan and make plans to create the earth and then how they act on those plans. When we plan we become more effective. 

We were able to have zone training this week, where we learned to be more confident in ourselves and how we will be able to talk more and be happier if we are confident. Also we talked about some steps to put in place instead of bible bashing or fighting. But to listen, repeat what they say, go to the scriptures and bear your testimony. That way the spirit is there and they can either decided if its true or not. We also learned about how our journey as missionaries is not easy, but as we continue in righteousness we will be rewarded. Sunday was the highlight of my week though! We had sacrament meeting, and in the meeting Sister Hazelgren gave the first talk on being Converted, not just having a testimony. The next talk was given by my companion, Elder Daw. He talked on the love that we need to have for ourselves, for others and for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Also how Christ loved us so much and all He did for us was out of love. Then we got to confirm Dany right after that! It was neat to do it in front of everyone and let them see. Then I gave a talk about acting upon the feelings that they feel right now. Making one small decision and how that can make a huge effect, and also how its not gonna be easy, its gonna be hard but are we willing to pay the price not only for ourselves but for Christ and for eachother as a branch, and then put all 3 talks together talking about the story with Peter and Christ on the seashore and Christ asking Peter, "Do you love me?" Are we willing to let go of the net of fish, and give our all to Christ, become converted. Do we love Christ enough to let go and follow him? And will we make that one small decision to drop the net and go? Are we willing to pay the price? That was our sacrament meeting and I felt like it was great! All of the people there had a different attitude after the meeting. You could feel the difference. It was great:) Some people even said with the 3 of our talks it felt like and sounded like General Conference. haha

This week is already looking good as well. We are going to the temple tomorrow, we are gonna have district meeting and we have a few team ups with the members:) Miracles are happening around us! Haha just one more quick story that happened to us yesterday. So last night all our plans fell through so we decided just to go out and walk around. Well we ran up on 6 boys, they were all black and pretty good at basketball! They were all between 16-18 and one was 13. So we talked with them a little bit then played a couple games with them. Me and Elder Daw being the white nerdy looking kids were picked last hahah but then we started to play. Well we both were embarrassing ourselves cuz we havent played basketball in forever. But funny enough in both games my team ended up winning and both the game winners i made. The first game we won by me dunking on one of the kids haha. Now dont get me wrong, im not dunking on a 10 foot hoop. I cant jump anymore since ive been out on my mission. But im pretty sure it was 9 foot. And after i dunked on the kid he said, "Man.... that was not supposed to happen!" haha the 2nd game we won by one of the kids shooting it and missed, it bounced off the rim and i jumped up and had a sick put back over another kid. haha one of the other players on his team looked at him and said, "Maaan your gonna let him do that to ya in his business clothes??" Haha it was so dang funny. We talked with them a little bit afterwards and gave them some pamphlets and hoping we can come teach them in the future! Haha it was good though, they schooled me and a couple times i got to school them;) 

But i hope yall are doing well! Have a great week and remember to make every day count. Remember in the words of Prez Monson, “Regarding one’s testimony, remember, that which one willingly shares he keeps, while that which he selfishly keeps he loses. …" Remember to share your testimony as much as you can, and with everyone!!

Remember to be happy and to love life each day you live it:) Love Yall!

Love Elder Hall

What a Blessed Week!

Hey Yall!

This week has been one of the best weeks of my mission!! So much good has been happening! Its crazy how one week can be so bad and the next its great! Haha this might sounds a little weird but I love how life is like that. Just think about it we have to have opposition, so if you realize that then when your having a hard time, you are grateful for the good in your life, then when the good comes you feel on top of the world! But we wouldn't feel that way if we didnt have hard, sad times in our life. And then we can realize how great our God is to us! 

Haha and i digress... Anyways, this week it has still been the bi polar weather. There is a saying for the weather in Missippi, "If you dont like the weather, just give it an hour.." haha how true that is, the weather here changes so quickly! Our branch still has its struggles and sicknesses so if yall could keep the people of the New Albany branch in your prayers that would be great! We are starting to have blessings though, even if they are little blessings at a time, im very grateful to Heavenly Father because he still knows we are here:) This week we have stayed busy, like always, but we got to go see members at there house that we haven't been able to get out to. We have had the branch president and elders quorum president come and take us out to different places. We sat down and coordinated with the branch president for a while trying to come up with a game plan that will help the members become more committed to the gospel, and i think we got one. We are gonna focus more on family home evening, and also Im putting together a call-tree, its a dumbed down version of home teaching and visiting teaching so that people will have responsibility, it will help the branch be more unified, and we can get more information this way instead of us as missionaries and the branch president trying to call everyone on the roster. So im excited for new things to come:)

So many good things have happened though. On Thursday when we went out with the elders quorum president we tried seeing a few people and not one door answered. I was feeling really bad because i dont like members to come out and then have nothing get done. But we tried another door. It was a less active. He answered and we got in and got to talk with him for a little bit. His name is Jorge! He was so nice and to make his life story short, his mom found the missionaries when he was 9 and he got baptized with her, he went out with the missionaries all the time and he loves the church. He is going through a hard time in his life right now and said his goal is to seal his family together!! We are gonna go back and help him in this hard time of his life! Im so excited to get to know him more and to help him! Thats what a mission is for, is to help others. We have also been helping other less actives, recent converts and investigators. 

On Saturday we got to go to the Memphis Tennessee Temple!! Yes that is defiantly out of our area haha but we got permission from Prez Hanks to go with our branch to help give them support. The Tupelo stake, our stake, goes to that temple thats only an hour and a half away, instead of the Birmingham temple thats 3 hours away haha. It was so much fun though! I got to do baptisms and confirmations for 4 of the youth in our branch that are all recent converts of less than a year! There were 2 boys and 2 girls, one of which was going to the temple for the first time. It was so neat to feel the special spirit of helping those beyond the veil receive these ordinances! 

When we came back from the temple, we got a call from the sister missionaries in Pontotoc. They had been teaching a man named Dany and he all ready to be baptized but he worked on Sundays as a waiter and they didnt have enough people to work to let him off on Sundays. Then he told the sisters that he just needed more time. So that was all a couple months ago to the last 3 weeks. Then they got a call this week from him saying he wanted to get baptized on Sunday!! He used to live in Pontotoc but moved to New Albany. So we called him and met with him Saturday night. I had never taught him before so I was given permission to be able to interview him. Then he came to church on Sunday then next day and loved it! We were able to baptize him Sunday night:) and we will confirm him next Sunday. He is such an amazing man! He is from Honduras and just wants to help everyone! He will be such a blessing to our branch! 

So needless to say this week has turned out to be just what i needed:) We had district meeting this week and I wanted to share with yall what i shared with them. Its about sacrifice and consecration. When I was studying about this and pondering I came up with a quote with the help of the spirit, "Sacrifice brings forth temporal happiness, consecration brings forth eternal joy!" Now both are good things, but the later is what we need to achieve. When we consecrate we not only give up things, but we give them up in our heart and mind as well. When we are consecrated, we give the Lord the only thing He doesn't already have, that is our heart and will. When we give that to the Lord, He will in return give Himself to us! (I got some of that from "The 4th Missionary" By Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge) Think about it, Christ literally gave his life for each and every one of us individually, so why should we not give our lives to him? Its something to think about. And some easy steps to living a consecrated life are as follows: Faith, Repentance, Making and Keeping Covenants, Receiving the Holy Ghost, and probably most important Enduring to the End. Now ask yourself, what does Enduring to the End mean to me? There in lies the answer to a consecrated life! 

I hope that even in the tough times of life you can still see the Saviors footprints in the sand. He is the one who carries us! I hope yall have a great week! I love you tremendously! Remember to always be happy! Dont let Satan win! Kick him in the dust! 

Love Elder Hall:)