Changes!!

Hey Yall!

So I forgot to tell yall this last week but President Holzapfel left this week. We now have a new mission president President Hanks! It was really sad to see President Holzapfel go but excited to have a new adventure:) We will be going up to Birmingham tomorrow to met Prez Hanks and have interviews with him. It will be super exciting:)

This week was kinda a weird week for us. It was super good but very unusual. As it was the last week of the month and we literally had no miles left on our car we did a ton of walking this week. Tuesday was really the only day we got to use the car and that was because we had gotten a call from the ward to go give a blessing to a lady that lives around 30 miles away from us. So as we were making our journey down to her house we wanted to see a couple different people. One was a referral that a less active gave us. It was her son. He had just gotten out of the hospital and she wanted us to go check up on him and see how he was doing. His name is Jerry. I think it was some surgery on his kidneys, but he shouldn't have lived and he did. Well we saw him and he was a really nice man and said he would love for us to come back and talk to him. He has never gone to our church, so we now have a new investigator! Which is weird cuz in this area we don't find to many new people to teach. Haha but then we made our way down to Delilah's House. That's the lady that needed the blessing. She is less active and we have never met her. Well come to find out she is one of the sweetest ladies ever! She is in her 50s and has such a strong testimony. She has a weird situation and basically has an adopted grandma that has Alzheimer's. She is in the violent stage and hits so that is why Delilah cant come to church. We are going to be visiting her once a week and taking the sacrament over to help her! I also finally met a couple, Jodi and Heather, that have been investigators but I haven't met. We were able to talk with them.

This week has been strange because we had more lessons with investigators then with less actives! I never thought I would see that in this area! But the rest of the week we didn't touch the car once and walked and walked and walked! Now before all yall that have served missions try and say, "O you get it easy. Don't complain about walking, or anything like the sort", Im not complaining, And I can honestly say that even though we have a car we walk a ton haha. To get to the nearest house to teach someone is takes a good 2 hours to walk there. But anyways it was really good for me to walk haha I got way to many comments about me and my intense sweating! Haha everyone is so surprised! Even my comp was surprised when he looked over and saw me dripping into a puddle:) I have gotten used to the extreme heat and humidity down here. I have just learned to live with being wet all day long haha. I wonder sometimes when we go see members or investigators if we stink like none other and just look pathetic. Haha just a quick story. So one day we were walking down a dirt road. It was about 1 in the afternoon. I was pouring down sweat and my comp was sweating. He looks over at me and just laughs. I said whats wrong? He then tells me how I have like 50 flies flying around me head. They are those little annoying ones too haha then I realized he had the same look to him! It was just like in the movies when people are stranded and walking then end up dying haha! We get so tired of swatting at flies that we just let them do whatever they want haha. O and btw if any of yall wanna come down south in the summer just know that there are a million bugs everywhere! I cant believe how many there are!!!

So spiritual stories now haha. Well one thing that Elder Jensen told me is that he has given more blessing the last two transfers then he has ever given! We do give a ton of blessings. As I have looked back on my mission it just seemed normal to me to give so many. But I have gained such a strong testimony of blessings. That the priesthood power is real and it does work as long as we have the authority, but also power! Power in the priesthood holder to be worthy, and power in the person receiving the blessing to have faith. I have come to realize that it is so so important for the person receiving the blessing to have faith, because by our faith we "can be made whole." We were able to teach Elaine again this week. We simply went over and bore our testimonies. The spirit was so strong and we feel like she is coming closer to making a decision on getting baptized or not. But I know that everything will work out. Wayne our other investigator we have been working with a lot got a job and realized that Heavenly Father does answer prayers. He still is the same and doesn't want to change. But we are being patient. :)

Other than that we have been teaching a lot of less actives, serving, shelling a TON of peas, picking cucumbers, moving people! Its a blast! I have just come to learn to be happy in life! To take on each day by itself and to focus on others. That's what can bring us happiness. Now I hope yall were able to read something out of the June Ensign. If not I want you ALL too! It is the greatest ensign ever! All the talks are so great! It talks about overcoming trails, having a happy family, improving prayers, and getting out of roundabout in life! I have learned so much from it! So please if you haven't read it, READ IT! I promise everyone of you will learn something that will help you be more happy in this life and something you can improve on!:)

Well again I love yall! I have been working on my southern accent every day and each day it improves:) Haha ill come back speaking redneck;) haha I hope that yall have a great week! Keep smiling, Keep believing in Christ! Keep serving! May you all be happy!

Love Elder Hall :D