"Streets ain't got no safety/ Lord please bless yo chilldrenn" - Palace

Palace was probably one of my favorite street contacts ever. We were
on the East side of San Antonio, getting a U-Haul hitch for Elder
N and M's car. He came up to us, called us the Jesus Boys,
and said he had a song for us. It was two lines long and didn't rhyme.
Then he very reverently said, "remember Palace" and walked off. Great
memory.

This week has been filled with great memories. On Saturday my Stalwart
companion and I were walking down a street. A car passed us blaring
"Sweet Home Alabama", and this lady I've never seen before waved at us
like she was our mother. The weirdest part was the Little Mermaid. She
was in the passenger seat waving at us and blew a kiss. She looked
like a carbon copy of Ariel. They took a right, flew off, and we never
saw them again.

I finally got to teach a lesson at the temple! We live only a mile
away from it, and it is a great place to feel the spirit. It was in
the morning, birds were chirping, and it was just really nice to be in
the presence of the Lord's house.
This was during an exchange that lasted for four days. Yes, it was a
four day exchange. Elder M, the traveling assistant, was on four
consecutive 24 hour exchanges this week. His companion, Elder
N, hung out with us, and we ended up covering two areas for
almost a whole week. That is four wards' worth of missionary work!
Needless to say, we were stretched. We were working our hindquarters
off, and it was funnest week of my mission hands down. I love
organizing chaos. Thankfully, we get the same opportunity to stretch
our energy and management skills for just about every week for at
least the next month. I'm so excited. Hard work is the best work.

All of this work has left us with little time to make our own lunch.
Last week we ate out for lunch five days in a row. It was glorious.
The best place we went to was this hole-in-the-wall Greek restaurant.
None of the chairs really matched each other, the booths weren't well
lighted. Pictures of Greece covered the walls. You grabbed your drink
out of an old fridge in the corner. I was enchanted by its quaintness
and simplicity. And I was converted by the Giros. Holy Moses those
Giros were made by the hands of angels.

One of the members in the Evans Ranch ward sells this product at HEB
and Walgreens. It is called Toe Juice. Whatever you use it for, it'll
work. It's like a miracle in a bottle. Use it for acne. Use it for
Eczema. Use it for mosquito bites. Use it to get permanent marker off
of white boards. Use it for aftershave. I testify it'll work. It's
crazy. He didn't even put me up to do this, I just love it that much.

Phillip, the golden investigator who we set with a date the first time
we met with him, is now being taught by the Young Single Adult
missionaries. It's a bit sad and frustrating that we don't get to
teach him anymore, but it isn't our position to. Elder H and I have
other sheep to tend to, and as shepherds of the flock we cannot be
satisfied with the few that are securely in the fold.

If there is something that being on a mission has taught me, more than
anything so far, it is that the worth of every single soul is great in
the sight of God. He has a plan for all of us. We may not see it, we
may not understand it, but he will not forget us. I was able to teach
the Plan of Salvation to many, many people this week, and it was a
wonderful breath of fresh air.  The path of joy is never quite as far
as we suspect it is. Happiness comes from the little things, the
simple things.

And a closing thought to a letter with no direction. GO TO CHURCH. I
don't care if you are LDS, Catholic, Baptist, Buddhist, Scientologist,
Shaker, Quaker, Free Mason, Stone Mason, George Mason, or Tree Hugger,
just practice your religion. Act on what you believe in. I've been out
just four months and I'm tired of seeing such a small amount of the
people I talk to at church. Let me quote James: "Even so faith, if it
hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast
faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I
will shew thee my faith by my works."
Or, to quote my mother: "Stop being such a butt"
Go to church. Feel the spirit. Allow yourself to be filled with the
praise to the Lord. Read from the scriptures. Pray to God for
endurance to the end. Exercise that mustard seed of faith you have,
because any amount of faith can move a mountain.

Elder Richard Hall