Dont Worry, Be Happy!

Hey Yall!

What a fantastic week! Crazy, busy, happy, depressing, and everything in between!! Thats life as a missionary. You get every emotion all at once, constantly and it never ends haha thats why its the most satisfying work to do on earth!! Its also been hot, cold, rainy, sunny and you better believe that messes with your sleep haha no wonder missionaries are always tiered;) haha just joking. This week has been fulling though! My comp Justin Bean.

On Monday we had a cool experience. We had to drive up to Tupelo to get our trunk fixed so we decided to do that later that night, drop the car off and they could fix it the next morning while we were in Zone Conference. 

Investigator Justin Bean They even look a little alike;) Crazy? Nah, Heavenly Father just has a sense of Humor:)  So we went and dropped it off. Then we tried calling everyone and there dog to get a ride back to the Zone Leaders house. If not then we would have to carry all of our luggage, suites and backpacks about 10-15 miles and cross over 3 or 4 highways to get there. No one was answering there phones though. So I made Elder Daw just start walking with me. We got almost to the end of the road and we saw a greyhound bus stop so we decided to stop there and wait. Not even 30 secs after we stopped a car pulled up and the man inside said, "Hey Missionaries, we were just talking about yall!" Haha turns out one of the guys was related to a member in a ward in our stake. They took us to Cracker Barrel and we had dinner with them as we taught them about what missionaries do and what we believe in! One guy was a catholic, the other was Episcopalian. haha then we got there info to pass on to the Boonville Elders. It was so neat though, we got a ride back from them and dinner!! All we had to do was act first. We had a decision to make and we acted on our faith!

Me and Elder Daw. Tuesday we had Zone Conference which was great! Wednesday we planned and we are really trying to come up with good ways to help out our branch. Its really struggling and not improving. We are trying to think of other ways to help. We have been putting things into action and we are starting to see, little by little, changes. It will take a while but we feel like were turning a corner. We also helped our branch president move a lady out of our branch boundaries. On Friday night I was able to do another baptism interview for a man named Justin Bean, which is really funny because one of my comps names was Justin Bean haha So ill send pics:) But then on Saturday we were able to help with more clean up in Tupelo.

This week I was able to talk with our Branch President for a while. Its been really hard on him not seeing the instant success. He's only been in 8 months and is doing fantastic, but is kinda down in the dumps. I realized how very important it is to have a happy attitude and to be grateful. I also realized how much more me, Elder Hall, can be doing to help out. You can never do enough service to help someone. I have refocused and have thought alot about one important thing this week. Its not about our will. Christ when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane said this, "Father remove this cup from me" It was hard for him. He now had a very hard trial that he wanted taken away. He felt like He couldnt handle it, but the story doesnt end there. Christ gives us the perfect example and says something that will change the eternities, "Never the less not my will, but thine be done." He gave his heart, might, mind and strength to Heavenly Father. He Endured to the End and because of that He, one person, effected billions of millions of lives. So when life gets hard, when you think you cant go anymore, just rememer whose choice it is. Sometimes we need to remember to rely on Heavenly Father and let him take the cup from us or not. Sometimes He does. Other times we need to Endure to not only help ourselves, but effect thousands of lives. It all starts with one small decision. Now you make it.

I hope yall have a great week! I hope your happy and doing well. If not let me know! Ill be here for you! I love yall so very much!! Remember to be Steadfast in Christ and Happy:)

Love Elder Hall:)

Our new beds;)

Wow, what a week!

Hey yall!

So this week has been crazy busy. I don't know why but things are never gonna slow down. Its great but it feels like i can never get anything done haha. Just some highlights of my week. 

• Elder Black and I went to say goodbye to everyone. We packed up and left New Albany at 6 in the AM. About 6 secs after merging onto the freeway I hear a big bang, look back and Elder Black's bike is bouncing on the road. Luckily the cars swerved and no one was hurt. Elder Black ran and got his bike and I put it on for him this time making sure that that wouldn't happen again. haha 
• After Transfer meeting it started to pour! All the missionaries were running around trying to get luggage from one car to the next. Then we were gonna leave, but our trunk on our car wouldn't shut. We spent 2 hours out in the pouring rain trying to fix it, and ended up tying it up and driving back to New Albany. 
• Elder Daw my new comp is great! Ill send pics next week cuz I forgot to take some with him. But he is from New Mexico. He has 3 months left of his mission. He served in Highland Home when i left, he took my place. He is fun and loves to laugh. We are gonna get 3 baptisms this transfer! 
• Our Branch is still struggling but we have plans to help it! Trying to keep everyone happy and in good spirits! 
• I love being on a mission. It changes you, makes you get out of your comfort zone to become a new and improved you! It makes you rely on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in a way you never have before. It helps you learn how to shop, cook, clean, do laundry, fix things, talk to people, have patience with companions and have the best time of your life! 

After 2 or 3 hours trying to fix this thing we just did this and got the car back to our area haha  Sorry my emails have been all over the place, Ive just been super busy. Ill hopefully get time later to improve them:) I love yall and hope your happy, healthy and love life! If not write me and ill listen and make you feel better or tell ya a joke or something. I'm here to help:) Remember to be happy and make each day the best day ever! What a joyous time to be alive:)   

Love Elder Hall:) 

Change is good!

Hey Yall!

Happy Mothers day for all those Moms out there!! This week has been another crazy busy and wonderful week. We are starting to feel the dense heat that the humidity brings, and sadly I'm used to it haha so I'm excited for this summer to come:) Yesterday it was great getting to talk with all of my family:) We also will be having transfers this week and I will be staying in the New Albany area. My comp Elder Black will be going. I'm sad but very excited for change and hoping my new comp can come in and help me with the area!

• Just a few highlights of the week. 
• We are still working at the food pantry and loving it! 
• We are coordinating with the sisters and trying to find a way to help coach the members into doing missionary work. 
• Trying to get into the houses of potential investigators! 
• Had Zone Traning which was great! I learned that the more equal we are with our companions the heavier, larger, and better load we can carry. Just like how ox are yoked equally they can carry a much bigger load than if one is infront of the other. 
• Got to do another baptism interview for a 9 year old girl! Our district is on fire with baptisms! 
• All of Saturday we spent working, and cleaning up the tornado again! Super fun! 
• Sunday Mothers Day! 

I cant wait for a new transfer. To have a fresh new start and to refocus again. This is gonna be short cuz i dont have much time. But let us all refocus our lives. Have a fresh new start to a new week and make it the best week ever! I hope yall can do that and be happy this week! Love yall so much!

Love Elder Hall

Tired......

Hey Yall!

Wow this week is one that I certainly will never forget! As yall know the start of my week trying to avoid the tornado. Then Tuesday we had to stay inside all day, which was kinda funny because there were kids riding there bikes, our neighbors were mowing there lawn, it was bright and sunny with like 2 clouds in the sky but to be obedient to prez Hanks we stayed inside. Then Wednesday and Thursday we tired to get work done. We saw some of the recent converts in New Albany since I hadnt been in New Albany and worked in a few days. Then Friday rolls around and we had a huge meeting with all the district leaders in the mission in Birmingham. 

I woke up at 4:30 and another district leader dropped his comp off in New Albany and me and Elder Cusick went to pick up some other district leaders. The meeting was so great! I will tell you about it a little later. Then we drove around all of western alabama and finally at 9 oclock at night ended up in Amory Mississippi doing a baptism interview for a lady. She is great and is going to get baptized this weekend. Then I stayed the night in Tupelo with 14 other missionaries, with only the suit on my back as what i owned. Haha. The next day Saturday Elder Black and the other missionary that was with him came up and brought me work clothes. 

All that day we spent in the sun picking up limbs, branches, logs, and anything thing else you want to call a tree and making piles by the street for the city to come pick up. It was great! There is a ton of damage but it couldve been a lot worse. It was cool to see the work force of missionaries from 2 zones helping everywhere! We were all in our helping hands shirts. At the end of the day we were all sun burnt and had scrapped up arms from a good hard days work. We were all really sore. Then that brings us to Sunday. We woke up that morning and went to church in Tupelo, which we just had sacrament meeting, then we went out and for the rest of the day moved, carried, rolled logs and branches and trees. By the end of that day boy were we all super dang tired! haha our muscles hurt, we had sunburns, but we had so much fun! That leads us to yesterday. Thank you to all for the Happy Birthday wishes! I had a great birthday, I was able to spend it with 14 missionaries and we had a ton of fun going to Chilies for lunch and Elvis's birth place, and then hung out at the chruch while some of the Elders emailed:)

A very busy week of service! We didnt get a whole lot done here in New Albany... Well i didnt cuz i only spent 2 days there the past week and a half haha but I have been busy in other areas helping strengthen them and serve them! Some crazy things I did this weekend are eating 8 krystal burgers from Krystal's (for those of you who dont know what Krystals is, its a fast food restaurant and there burgers are tiny haha but they give you bad stomach problems, which I didnt find out til later that night), Saturday night we went to Buffalo Wild Wings and i got a pulled pork sandwhich made with the hottest sauce they had there. It was fun, it kinda hurt but not to bad, got to climb a tree and get on top of a shed and throw limbs off. So all in all it was a very good, busy, tiring week! The pic of the hotel where prez and sister Hanks had stayed the night before!

Now just a little about the training for all the District Leaders. They talked alot about how our area is where ever our missionaries in our districts are. So this week i was working in my area, even though i wasnt in New Albany. They talked alot about how we need to take care of and help every missionary. How we need to be examples to our missionaries. We need to lead in everything we do. It got me super pumped up and I realized how i need to be a better leader and how I can now do that. So i guess my message today is that we can always be improving. In 2 Nephi Chapter 28 it says,

29 Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more‍ of the word of God, for we have enough! 

30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept‍ upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth‍ I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.

Thats obviously talking about the bible and the prophets but we can relate it to everything in our lives. If we stop improving we are gonna have taken that which we have. If you quit doing the right things, satan wins, even if you arent doing wrong things. As we do that and improve we will want to help others and serve. At the beginning of this transfer I kinda had a break down which no one knows about. I was worrying about myself and was just being really self centered about things that have happened out here. I kept telling myself that things werent fair. Well I talked with Prez Hanks and we got things figured out. That next Monday I wrote him and told him my motto for this transfer will be "Forget myself and go to work" Well just like people say, be careful for what you wish for. This transfer has been the busiest transfer of my mission! I have been working with everyone in my district and working here, serving, teaching, interviewing. Ill tell ya what though Its also been one of the happiest transfers in my mission! When we forget ourselves we really find ourselves and are happy!:)

I love yall so much! Hope you have a great week and remember to be happy!

Love Elder Hall

Here is my pic of my b day. I didnt have my camera all day so i got one that night haha thats how tired i am;)