Goodbyes, Temples, and Heifers

I've been transferred! I'm no longer in the hilly sprawl of Northern

San Antonio. I've been sent to serve in the Old Settlers Ward in Round
Rock, Texas. It is just North of Austin. It's actually quite nice.
There's a lot of parks in the area, and there are NO HILLS. It might
actually be enjoyable to bike now.
Yes, we are still biking. Elder M and I are got lots of area
to cover. But it's awesome. It's beautiful up here, and the houses are
gigantic. I'm pretty sure that the Lord wants me to be a preacher to
the rich, because I haven't seen much else on my mission. The people
in this ward are different there. In San Antonio, all the people were
military, FBI agents, and dentists. Here, they are all computer
programmers, video game designers, and dentists. It's a fun time.
I was getting shipped off to Round Rock Thursday, and I had three days
left in Indian Springs and Evans Ranch ward. On Monday we had our last
lesson with the Branconiers. They're moved to North Carolina on
Saturday, and they'll be sorely missed by both me and the Indian
Springs ward. They are fantastic members. You couldn't guess that
they've been members for only seven months. I'm so glad that I got to
be a part of their progress in the Kingdom of God.
The next day we got to go to the temple with Brother B! Brother
Bacak invited us to escort him through the temple. Brother B is 30
years old and just reactivated from a long stint of inactivity from
the church. He loves missionaries. I still remember the first time
that we knocked on his door. Brother B, a towering 6'4" meathead
that served 4 years in Afghanistan opened up the door, saw poor little
Elder Nebeker and I, said "Sup Geeks" and slammed the door. We sat
there for a moment, dumbfounded, and then he opened up the door. "Nah,
come on in." He's a joker.
It was wonderful to see Brother B in the temple, as well as half
the Evans Ranch ward. But Brother Ba had this goofy grin. He was so
happy to be there. He was at peace. And so was I. It was wonderful to
be in the house of the Lord. It is a feeling untouchable. That is why
I went to the temple every Wednesday morning my senior year. What
better way to spend your time at 3:30 in the morning?
Old Settlers ward is treating me well. Elder Muhlstein, maybe not so
much. Nah, I love him, but he did heifer me good alright.
On Saturday we were biking in the northern part of our area. Now let's
just remember, by Saturday, I would have been in the area for a
whopping 48 hours. It's a big area, let me tell you. Everything is new
to me, I couldn't tell you east from west and up from down. It really
doesn't help that there are no mountains here.
So we were riding around this nice suburb when I hear a clash of
metal. Next thing I know I sprawled out on the ground in the middle of
an intersection. Elder M biked right into me! He didn't tell
me we were turning, I just got t-boned by my own companion! That's
what you call a heifer.
I got up, put my chain back on and then noticed that my front tire
looked more like a black potato chip than a wheel. My wheel is gonzo.
I tried to hammer it back into shape, and I did pretty good at it, but
let's just say I look pretty goofy riding my bike now. We took it into
the bike shop a few miles down the area. The guy working in the
workshop comes up to us. Apparently he's really familiar with
missionaries.
"Hey what's up guys?"
"Our rim is a little bent." We hand over the tire."
"Oooo... I'll do my best guys." That "ooo" was one of the funniest and
saddest sounds I've heard.
Elder Muhlestein, who just got out of training, looks over painfully.
"I'll pay for it if you want to." I think I'm going to take up his
offer. His father is one of the best cardiologists in Utah. Mine is a
teacher in Idaho. If his bowels are filled with charity, I'm not going
to deny him the blessings.
Turns out, he was able to do some black magic to it and it looks great
now. But man, it was in rough shape before that. I took a video. It's
pretty funny in retrospect.
So that's life for now. I've been super busy lately, and that
includes today. May the Lord protect and bless you. Help you in the
hour of your need. I'm loving it out here. Truly am. Merry Christmas
everyone! I'm short sleeves most of the days. And to be honest, I
don't really miss the cold.
Joy to the world. Let us turn our hearts towards Christ.

Elder Richard Hall

1. The video of the bike tire. We had a lot of fun playing with it.
Dang scary to ride on.
2. The trains in our backyard. It's awesome to watch it go by off of
our balcony. I guess that's what my brother meant when he said that
the Express was in my backyard