Christmas Blues and Truths

Today we already took down the Christmas Stockings and little
nativities and packed up extra presents we had. We get to begin using
the short stack of gift cards. Telling people Merry Christmas is now
instantaneously outdated. It was 80 degrees at noon, I finished my
Skype call to my family. Now there's 364 days until Christmas.
It's a little sad to think that it's all over now, but part of the joy
in life is moving on, knowing that what came will come again. Just as
powerful a experience itself, is memory. Memory is a key attribute of
knowledge. What good would knowledge do if we never kept it? The past
is in the past, and is not now, but many times the future is
determined upon what we did in the past, and the now is just a filter
of recognition.

At any rate, I loved Christmas. We had a beautiful sacrament service,
and many investigators came. One of them we've been trying to help
progress for a long time now, and her and her less active husband
loved the beautiful music and spirit of the chapel.

On Wednesday we had a powerful lesson with a Lady who has not had a
very merry Christmas. She's been working two jobs as a 75 year old
lady, and hasn't been able to attend sacrament, yet alone buy
groceries. But with youth she quoted Psalms 23 verbatim to the King
James Bible, and let us know she will make it out on top. It was
amazing to see her faith in the Lord. Sometimes, when you hear people
approach such a sticky situation with confidence, you think they are
foolish. Maybe it is a foolish thing to do, but faith is foolish to
worldly sight. It was a touching moment to spend some time with her in
the holidays.

Saturday we went caroling with the Elder that live with us. One of
them played the guitar, I sang the melody, and the other two prayed
for the ability to sing. It worked beautifully. It was wonderful to
see family after family touched at our service to them. Truly
Christmastime is a special time of year. When else will people
appreciate you coming to their door to sing?

When I finished skyping my family on Sunday afternoon, I turned off
the monitor, and wondered if they knew just how much I loved my
mission. Did I miss my chance to let them know how much fun I was
having? Could they tell that I was happy? It brought me back to
something one of my brothers used to say when playing sports. "You
gotta capitalize!" Did I capitalize on the situation? Maybe I did,
Maybe I didn't. It was a little numbing to see all of them together,
but I hope they know how much I've changed- even if I still like to be
a little fashionable.

It was the most wonderful time of the year. It was time for chesnuts
to roast on the fire. It was the time to watch Mr. Krueger's
Christmas, but it will always be time to remember the savior.

Elder Richard Hall

I'll Be Home For Christmas

NOT REALLY. But, I feel like it is worth noting that Christmas Eve
will be my 18 month mark. What an extraordinary thought. In a mission
conference that we had last week, we had a powerful testimony from a
member of the seventy, saying that when you are on a mission, you
count your time. I don't want to, but it might be a good idea.
I love Christmastime. I remember in my later high school years that
was thoroughly disenchanted with this time of year, but when we turn
our thoughts to the savior, there is no reason to not love the spirit
of Christmas. This week has been filled with many Christmas miracles
and joys. We have contacted more referrals this week than I have at
any point in my mission ever before. I tied my personal record for new
investigators found in a week, and the members of the congregation
here have been so charitable to us as we have been away from our
families.

Everyone has a Christmas tradition. Even if it is as simple as singing
Christmas carols on Sunday, or reading Luke 2, we all have something
that our family does together for Christmas. Of the many holiday
videos my family watches perennially, one of my personal favorites is
Mr. Krueger's Christmas. Back home, I love watching an old but lively
Jimmy Stewart run around with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and finding
out that the little girl put all the animals around baby Jesus in the
nativity. As a missionary, there are three things that I want to point
out to add to the beauty of this great Christmas specials.
For all of you that haven't watched this video, please do so. Not only
will it help with understanding the rest of this email, but it also is
a beautiful show.

1. Service pays itself. When Mr. Krueger is unexpectedly given some
money in his hat- money which he could definitely use- he gives it
almost immediately to the salvation army band. Sacrifice is needed to
be obedient to the lord and to receive his blessings. If it wasn't
hard, it wouldn't be sacrifice. Even in our times of need, there is
something that we can sacrifice to the lord.
2. Inclusion is more important than Perfection. The group of Carolers
that invited Mr. Krueger to sing with them didn't need him, instead,
they wanted him to feel the love and joy that comes with singing
carols. When we are invited to act, we should trust that they want us,
they we are qualified for what we are called. Perhaps we are not as
good as others, but it is still our place to answer the call to
action. Besides, the cat does sleep a long time.
3. The crowning sign of love is always loyalty. As Mr. Krueger, the
most humble man you'll meet, bows down and wishes he had something to
give to the Savior at his birth, he is reassured that his love for him
is enough. And then, after all of the glimmers of happiness that he
had- almost buying a new suit, buying the smallest of Christmas trees,
having his only visitors leave after so short a time, reminiscing of
his wife with only a picture- he receives a fulness of joy from
worshipping Christ. And then, the tender mercies of the Lord fell upon
him.

Love the gospel. Live the gospel. What great feelings. And I can tell
you, Mr. Krueger's Christmas really isn't that great of a production.

Thank goodness that it is Christmastime. I hope that you enjoy it with
your families, and that you enjoy the spirit of Christ.

A Christmas Card

To all my friends and loved ones, and even family
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

In 13 days

Christmas time is here

Everyone,

Saturday we had the first convert baptism in Schertz Ward since its
creation over 15 months ago. It was a great feeling. The bishop was
elated. He was signing the baptismal record and said, "you know
Elders, it's been too long since I've signed one of these. Good work."
Lots of members came to A's baptism and some surrounding
missionaries had investigators show up. It was an awesome experience.
A, the little 9-year old that was baptized, is such a great kid.
It was a pleasure to teach him.

This week started with throwing my back out while working out in the
morning. After finishing the set I dropped the weights, and I couldn't
move. That was pretty fun. NOT. It turns out that to do just about
anything, you need your back. By the time Elder V and I came home
from a day of biking I wanted a back replacement. But what can you do
when you have appointments and meetings all week? Out of the many
lessons I've learned on my mission, responsibility is a huge one. If
you don't do your job, who else is going to do it for you? And why
would you want somebody to do your job for you? Responsibility,
stewardship, whatever you want to call it, is part of growing up.

To try some different ways to use every honorable means to find
somebody to teach, we ware going to be part of a radio talk show. Us
and the Elders that we live with have been invited to be on a member's
radio show. He said that over 30,000 people will be able to listen to
us. That's a ton of people that we can talk to! What an extraordinary
thought that we could be sharing the gospel to thousands of people all
at the same time. Our mission president is all for having us on the
talk show. The person who owns the station wants us to do it weekly,
but I'll be honestly, I don't know what we'd talk about after the
first few podcasts, but what an incredible thought.

Wednesday we were able to rake leaves for one of our investigators who
has been having some major medical issues. Her front yard was ankle
deep in leaves, and for that 70-year old lady, it would have been way
too much. She came out so surprised. "You do this for people who don't
go to your church? That's crazy!" She put on her favorite Christmas
sweater and tried to help us. She's a funny old lady. I'm just glad we
could spend a few hours helping her out.

Thursday I had a feeling that I've wanted to have for a long time. It
was the feeling of being a new missionary again. New missionaries have
this fire to them that is addicting. Every moment is a spiritual high,
every experience is a treasured memory. Sometimes when you get further
into the field, it's not that you run out of experiences, you just get
used to them. But what a shame that is. Thursday night my companion,
the bishop, and I were meeting with a less active part member family
and the spirit was so strong, they were so grateful to have us there,
for the first time in a while, I was overwhelmed with the spirit
during a lesson. What a wonderful experience. I hope we all get
overwhelmed with the holy ghost.

Elder Richard Hall

1. Some missionaries going through some sound checks at the radio station

I Love This

I really do.

When beginning my weekly email, I usually think, "it's a good thing
that I wrote in my journal this week, so I can transfer all of the
great stories I wrote down throughout the week to the email." Then I
reach for it only to remember that I left it at the apartment. So I
usually add in the thoughts that I remember, the most savory parts of
the week. Hopefully, they are memorable to you as well.
Early on my mission, days felt like weeks and weeks felt like days.
Then for a good chunk of time, days felt like days and weeks felt like
days. Now I've decided to give up counting the days because I know I'm
going to be wrong, and the weeks sort of blend together the same way
your vision does when you on a teacup ride.

Members homes tend to be easily recognizable, both inside and out. On
the outside there is almost always some child-friendly decorations and
a welcome mat with kind words. On the inside there are pictures of the
family, and the faint smell of seasonal candles- or doterra. There is
at least one picture of the Savior and one picture of the temple. A
few quotes from prophets and scriptures hang on the wall as well.
Figurines of  the temple where the family was sealed, or maybe an
angel from the top of the temple. Everything beautifully matches. A
patch of chevron here, flowers either on the table or on the window
sill. It's always so well decorated and so homely. I may get to see it
every day, but I love it. The spirit is invited so easily.
We were having dinner with a member family where the husband was very
active, and the wife didn't believe in the church at all, but came
from a long line of active families and whose whole social group was
faithful members of the LDS church. While entering into the house it
looked much like the warm houses of other member homes, but there were
no pictures of the temple, no scriptures or church history books
laying around. It was almost like something was hollow. Yes, you have
the flower arrangement, yes, you have the perfect matching colors, the
argyle tablecloth you found on pinterest was perfect, but something is
missing. It is the gospel. It was almost strange to feel the lack of
the gospel around me. The branches were there, but the roots were
gone. The fruit isn't worth much if it doesn't taste likes much.

Sunday we said "amen" at the end of sacrament meeting, and we turned
around to see the first person I ever taught sitting in the back row
next to his friends. I left this area only six weeks into my mission,
and I've tried to keep tabs with this 19-year old. From what i last
heard, he stopped investigating the church because his parents
wouldn't let him get baptized without kicking him out of the house. I
was a little depressed, but it is understandable. I was so excited to
see him I ran up to him and had to say hello.
"Hey, how's it going?"
"I just really need to get baptized."
He pulled us over and we tried to make a plan to help him be baptized.
He said that he's been going to different churches for the past year
to try and see if he could find what he found in this church, and that
none of them come close to what he's found here. He said he was tired
of his parents telling him he couldn't be baptized, he was tired of
not being a member. He;s read the Book of Mormon 4 times. "I can't
live without the spirit."
It was wonderful to see A again, but painful to see him in this
state of longing. Hopefully, after meeting with our mission president
he will be given proper counsel on what to do in this situation. It is
amazing to see his courage, and his fire for the gospel.

We've been teaching two people on different sides of life who both
want to be baptized. One is a 9-year old, who wants to be baptized by
his Dad before his Dad is deployed out to the Middle East. He is a
sweet soul and actually understands the doctrine very well. He should
be getting baptized within the coming weeks. We are also teaching a
lady who recently had a bad accident. While laying on the pavement
after her fall she thought, "I need to let Bishop Schneider know that
he need to baptize me in proxy before I die! Thank goodness, she
lived. Unfortunately, she can't be baptized in proxy anymore. She's
fine with that. All we are doing righteous now is waiting for here
cast to come off, review the lessons she has been taught many, many
times, and she is ready.

Life is great. The gospel couldn't be any truer.

Elder Richard Hall

1. A picture we took with our mission president and general authority
when they came to visit our mission. Out of the 14 people in this
picture, only 1 of them is from Utah. Go figure.

After All, There's Only 27 Sleep 'Til Christmas

I am super ready for Christmas. The holidays are always some of the
best times of the year. Families come together, hearts become warmer,
the eggnog comes out, it is just a good time to be alive.

This week we din't have any time. We had to take the car into the
dealership for a weekly checkup, and after we got it out somebody
slashed our front left tire. That left us walking for two days,
because the missionaries we live with use our bikes. Personally, I
wasn't too impressed by whoever cut our tires. They only cut one of
them. Everyone has a spare. If they really wanted us to feel bad then
he or she should have slashed at least two.

Thanksgiving was wonderful. Last year, we had four dinner
appointments, and as good as that sounds, that's a lot of food. This
year we only had one, and then we had appointments to teach members
and investigators the rest of the time. I love this area. The members
here love to work with us and there is plenty of people to teach.

It has been six weeks since I've been here. Things have been going
great. I feel that I am at home, to be honest. Not because this is
like home at all, but more because I have returned to this place. Many
times when reunion is more sweet than the first union. It's the
recognition of what is missing that makes what you have receive
greater importance. Now that I am in the area that I first started my
mission, everything is like being somewhere familiar. Perhaps
familiarity is something that we look for more than homeyness.

Many people that I talk to throughout the week seem to have that
thought. Even if what we are sharing its true, people like to say
they're uninterested- it's not because they understand the
implications of truth. Lots of times they say they are comfortable
with where they are at, or the grew up a specific faith their whole
life. Even if they aren't being true too that faith, they'll
occasionally say that they were born one way. It's what they know, so
it must be okay.

This week we were teaching our investigator with a baptismal date for
this Saturday, and his nonmember sister came to join us. We were
discussing the difference between the trinity and the godhead, and
Brother L was explaining what it took for himself to accept the
restored truth. It takes humility. More than reason, it takes
spiritual willingness to accept that which God has in store for us.
You could see H's brain whirling  as he told her that maybe there

is something on the other side of the mountain, perhaps there is
something better. The grass is always greener on the other side,
unless it doesn't make any worldly sense. But that is the gospel. It
is not of this world.

Elder Richard Hall

1. our zone did service for a recent convert. Of course, my companion
got the machete.

2.exchanges with Elder H
3. There was frost on Sunday. Elder V freaked out.

An Island in the Middle of America

The amount of Tongans I knew in my last area: 0
The amount of Tongans I know in this area: 6
The amount of people that they mutually know: over 100,000

I guess when you come from a country who's major island is a 2x21 bump
in the ocean, the community is small. My companion, a Sister
Missionary in the zone, and four members of the Wards I cover are all
Tongan, and they are all related. By how far? I don't know, I can
hardly keep up, but whether the are first cousins or eighth cousins
twice removed, they know exactly.

Elder Vaitai and I have been having a great time in my old stomping
grounds. It is strange to be serving in an area that you have already
served in. Everything is like a really long span of deja vu. There are
a few things that changed since the 15 months ago that I served here.
It helps that most of the ward are in the military, which transfers
their members almost as much as the church transfers their
missionaries. It's been so much fun though. If anyone tries to tell
you different, let's get this straight now. Missionary work is fun.
Feeling the spirit is powerful, the work of salvation is serious, but
if you are cool, calm, and collected, it is fun.

This week Elder V and I were able to go on the bikes for two
days. Let me tell you- it has been a long time since I have been on a
bike, but you have so much fun when you understand your purpose.
Sure, it might be 85 at the end of October, your on a bike in the
humidity, but you can't complain. If you know who you are and if you
are and why you are here. We actually had our most successful days
when we were on the bikes. Personally, I think that our willingness
and our attitude made it more successful than whether we were in a car
or not.

This week we were also blessed with a few meetings with Elder Do Hoyos
of the seventy. It was a lot of fun to travel around to the different
areas. I went to the West side of San Antonio for the first time in
ages. Halloween is going to be spent having dinner with some recent
converts and a lesson with some less active members of the church.

I hope that you are all having an excellent and chilly November week.
I am beginning to miss the fall.

Elder Richard Hall

Reply Reply to 

Time's Up

I am getting transferred. Wow. I honestly never thought it was going
to happen, and I was going to be okay with that. I have grown to love
this Ward and the people of Round Rock, Texas so much. It is kind of
weird to think that I just got to this area before Christmas, and now
it is almost Halloween. Who would have thought that this would be my
home base, 2.0. 10 and a half a months in one area almost makes you
feel at home.

So where am I going to? Cibolo, Texas. Sound familiar? It should! That
is one of the three area that I was trained in. I was there for five
weeks, and I loved it. Now I am hoping to enjoy it once again, with my
new companion, Elder V. He is from Tonga and was on their
national volleyball team there. It will be fun to work with him. He
has been out for a very long time and he is known as one of the
hardest working Elders in the field. There's many great things to look
forward to in the upcoming weeks.

This week has been wonderful. We found a lot of new people to teach,
and it's a nice way to send off the area to the new missionary coming
in. We have also made a lot of progress with those who we are
teaching.
The highlight of the week though was the Old Settlers Ward primary
program, which featured almost 100 children betweeen the ages of 3-11
singing about Jesus Christ and teaching us great truths about the
restored gospel. It was very well done for consistently mainly of a
group of kids who can hardly get a frame of tag going for twenty
minutes yet alone be a part of a fifty minute program. It really was
beautiful though. All of the songs sounded great and some of the older
kids even wrote talks about Jesus Christ, Joseph, Smith, temples, and
other things. You can truly feel the spirit come from these little
children. It reminds me of one of my favorite scriptures

"And their little children need no repentance... But little children
are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world; if not so,
God is a partial God, and also a changeable God, and a respecter to
persons" - Moroni 8:11-12

Today I don't have much time to write. I've been spending much of it
packing, since I'm going down to Cibolo tomorrow. Have a great week,
enjoy the blessings of the atonement, and enjoy the weather wherever
you are. It is still nice and hot down in Texas.

Elder Richard Hall

1. My last haircut from Sister C

Signing the Guestbook

Last night the relief society president of the Old Settlers Ward asked
us to come by for cake and ice cream and to discuss missionary work in
the area. Her husband travels five days out of the week and most weeks
of the year, so it was one of the few times we have ever been in her
house. The cake was delicious, the ice cream was fine. The message we
shared with the family was heartfelt, and the work we got done there
was perfect. However, the moment I remember the most came from signing
her guestbook. She asked us to put our names and contact information
with our note, so her family could contact us after the mission, but I
added one more piece of information. How many days I've been serving
in the ward. After counting them all up in mind I signed off with
"Elder Hall, day 296 of serving in the Old Settlers Ward."
Yep. I've been officially been in this Ward longer than I went to my
ward in college. Fun times! All of my missionary friends like to joke
around about it. We had a zone conference a few weeks ago in South
Austin, and it was so strange to see some people. Even in the tight
knit community of missionaries, when you're in an area for a while,
you lose track of some of your friends.

Not that I'm complaining. I love this area! It's been great. This week
we had a great amount of success with working with the members. As a
missionary, you may be susceptible to the notion that members of the
church aren't allowed to participate in missionary work as we do. Not
so! Every christian on earth has a commission to preach the gospel. As
a missionary, I am in the interesting position of being their leader
and servant. I lead them to people that we found that they can invite
and teach alongside us, but I also serve them when they have friends
and family that they want to share the gospel with. I've been able to
teach families and families of latter day saints valuable missionary
tools, such as practicing sharing the gospel with friends, teaching
them how to pray for missionary work, inviting them to hand out Books
of Mormon, and sharing the principle that no effort is wasted when you
are serving the Lord.

One of my favorite stories starts with my first Sunday of my mission,
and ended with my first week in Old Settlers Ward. The S Family
invited us to dinner, and they asked us how they can be better
missionaries. We practiced inviting a coworker to meet with
missionaries, and bearing your testimony. For the rest of the weeks I
was in the Cibolo Ward, they didn't give us a referral, or let us know
if they did it or not. They did invite us back to dinner after their
vacation to California, and bought me an A's jersey.
I was transferred, and months passed, and I forgot about that dinner
with the S. I was transferred again to Old Settlers Ward, where
I was shocked to see the S family sitting in the chapel, an hour
and a half away from Cibolo. I asked them what they were doing, and
they said, "We're meeting an old friend. She is giving her first talk
in sacrament meeting."
On the stand was V, a 17 year old who was baptized only months
before that sacrament meeting. After that dinner I had with the
S, they prayed about how to ask to meet with missionaries, and
remembered some family friends from long ago. They invited V's
family to meet with the missionaries. The parents denied, but V
said yes. With the parent's permission she was baptized not too long
later, and today she has taken four trips to the San Antonio temple,
filled out temple work for dozens of ancestors, and now is the Laurel
Class President of over 13 young women. She plans on attending BYU
next fall.

Who knew that the hour or so of time spent with the Ss would
touch the lives of so many others? It is the miracle of faith. Having
the faith to extend an invitation, having the faith to ask
missionaries for help with your own missionary work, and having the
faith that something good would come of it. Out of small and simple
things shall great things come to pass. V and the Ss are
just one of the many stories that I have been a part of. To me, I have
felt like I've been writing my name in the guestbooks of many
families, leaving behind my witness of the gospel to add upon the
testimony that is there.
Flipping through a guestbook is like dumping out a jar of memories.
They come fast and there's a lot of them. I may be one of many, but I
am proud, because that means that there are thousands- maybe even
millions- of people who are able to share such sound testimonies and
stories as mine.
May God ever be with you.

Elder Richard Hall

1. A good day of soccer
2. Me and the other Elders with S, an awesome youth in our Ward that
loves missionary work.
3. A set of missionaries with a man who was baptized on Saturday.
After his baptism he testified of the church- specifically of the
restoration- for almost 15 minutes.

Elder Hall Goes To...

It is always a good week when you have General Conference. General
Conference is one of the great blessings of being a member of the
church. You can listen to men and women of the lord speak words of
truth and comfort to you, and you are able to feel God's love for you
through them.
If you remember from the April session of 2016, I created an awards
ceremony for conference to help add remembrance to the special event.
It was called the Tommy's. I'll take some time this week to offer my
thoughts and comments through these enjoyable awards ceremony.
Your condensed Tommy Awards Ceremony Begins!

Best Costume Design (Who wore the best tie in conference)
The Tommy goes to.. Elder Enrique R. Falabella! He gave the opening
prayer in the Sunday Afternoon Session. It was beautiful. Second place
was Elder Rasband's, and Third goes to President Eyring Saturday's
tie.
Note: President Uchtdorf wore the same tie Saturday that he wore on
Sunday tie in April 2016. That tie won the Tommy as well.

Best Picture (Best Visual Aide used in a talk)
The Tommy goes to... The Savior in Gethsemane, used by Sister
McConkie. It's a powerful moment to catch in a photo. Second place
goes to 1991 Elder Andersen, and last place goes to the Compound Gears
from Elder Cook. Sorry, never was into mechanical engineering.

Best Adapted Screenplay (Best Use of Scriptural References and Quotes)
The Tommy Goes To... Elder David A. Bednar! A Doctrinal wizard, he
beautifully intertwined scripture upon scripture. other nominees were
Elder Ashton's lecture on the Doctrine of Christ and Elder Cook's
excellent analysis of Paul's sermons.

Best Sleeper Pick (The one you probably Slept through)
The Tommy Goes to... Elder Brian T. Ashton! The two spot in the Sunday
Afternoon session paired with a monotone voice probably got your
eyelids closing. If not him, then Elder Cook probably got you right
afterwards. Sound doctrine, soothing voice.

Best Original Screenplay (The most memorable stories and one liners)
The Tommy goes to... Elder Legrand R. Curtis Jr.! I loved his stories
of finding a testimony of the Book of Mormon. Powerful, personal,
lovable. A very close second and third are Elder Nattress and Elder
Holland.

Best Soundtrack (Best Song in Conference)
The Tommy goes to... Called to Serve! How could anything be as
powerful as a choir of missionaries singing Called to Serve with
millions of members throughout the world. Beautiful. A close second is
"I'll follow him in faith", a heartstring plucker, and priesthood
sesison's "Hope of Israel"

Best in Show (the best conference talk)
The Tommy goes to... Two time winner of best in show, Elder David A.
Bednar. You cannot write a more straightforward, empowering talk than
he can. A great step by step instruction on how we can come to know
our Savior Jesus Christ.
Elder Quentin L. Cook is my second favorite, filled with great
references and compelling thoughts on stumbling blocks and stepping
stones.
Elder M. Russell Ballard's powerful thoughts on "to whom shall we go
to?" Takes my third place vote. I feeling I've had in the back of my
head for a long time finally explained to me.
Elder K. Brett Nattress almost made me cry with his great talk on
children, parenting, and conversion. Beautiful talk.
Elder Russell M. Nelson's talk on joy was wonderful, and it made me
realize the importance of being happy.
Other favorites were Elder Ronald A. Rasband, President Dieter F.
Uchtdorf, and Dallin H. Oaks.

Conference is always such a great time. The main takeaways I received
from conference this October was to
- Repent often. It's not a bad thing. It's the best thing.
- Have a relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. They love
us more than we can imagine
- Do missionary work!

Conference is the best. I love it.
Now, if you want to know what happened in missionary work this week here it is.
On splits, my companion and his split knocked on the wrong door. The
woman opened up and was excited to see them! She's been "studying
Mormonism" as she puts it, and was glad to have us come in and teach
her. We've had two lessons and great conversations over the phone. She
is truly searching for the truth.
We had a great lesson with a part member family this Wednesday. The
nonmember is more excited about being active in the church than the
member is. She wants to be baptized, but wants to wait until her
husband is active the church again. The gospel is meant for families,
it is best felt within them. We hope to have him active and her
baptized this month.
We had a member with us to every single lesson this week. It is great
to see just how much these wards support missionary work. They do it
with us, they do it on their own, they are an inspiration to me and my
companion.

I'm going to wrap up this email before it gets too long. Have a great
week. Study, re-study, and re-re-study General conference.

Elder Richard Hall

1. District Preparation Day. Fun times.
2. A great exchange with Elder C

How Can we Sleep When our Beds are Burning?

You know that you still haven't quite acclimated to Texas when you are
sleeping with no covers in late September. Luckily, we have hit a cold
front and rain over the weekend, and the high today is 79. Sweater
weather! Not really, but in Texas, you take what you can get.
I also congratulate anyone who knows what song my title is from.

These past few weeks have been filled with many miracles and lots of
work. I have found myself leaning towards the administrative side of
being a missionary. Making lots of phone calls, having multiple
meetings, going on exchanges, writing reports. It's a fun side of
missionary work, but it isn't quite as fun as going out and getting to
work. This week we were able to have a lot of lessons with our recent
convert families, which is important. When you are young in any
transition, there is a lot of opposition that you face. Our recent
converts to the church in this area have been facing many oppositions.
Thank goodness that they have many friends in the faith and they are
Abel to be continually nourished by the good word of God.

One of the highlights of the week came from a combined dinner we had
with my replacements in the Stony Point Ward. We ate with the Tejada
family, and shared a bright lesson on how to feel the Holy Ghost. It
was so great to have a powerful discussion with this wonderful family.
The fruits of our labors are so sweet when they are fully ripe.

We were also able to teach the Bice family, who have been having a
difficult time since their children were baptized. We were glad when
they answered the door, and within minutes of starting our lesson,
there was a great feeling of light and love in the house. Their family
situation has not been the greatest, but even now they are donating
blankets to hospitals, letting friends live with them, and helping
widows in the neighborhood. This family is an excellent example of
charity and service.

I was able to have diner with another one of my recent convert
families, the C. They were baptized in March. In May they moved
north of Round Rock to the Liberty Hill Ward. After not hearing from
them in a while, I reached out and scheduled a dinner appointment. We
got talking about their jobs, their 3-year old daughter, other things,
but most important, we talked about how happy they were. They love the
Ward they are in, and plan on being sealed in the spring. What a
wonderful feeling.

We were able to teach P, a recent convert in the Pflugerville
Ward. She is from Senegal originally, but said she came to America
with her husband, and decided to find the right church while she was
at it. Now she is a happy member of the Pflugerville congregation, who
had their children's primary program yesterday. Almost 100 kids sang
and talked in our sacrament meeting. It was P's first time
seeing one, and she thought it was hilarious. i think that too,
P.

As for people we are meeting with who are not members yet, we had a
beautiful lesson with M H

, an elderly lady who has
attended church with a member for four months now. She loves the
church and the people, but wants to be absolutely clear that she knows
the Book of Mormon is true. We have been teaching her about faith and
the Holy Ghost for the past few weeks, and slowly but surely she is
realizing that this church is true, but the power is in the faith.
We are also teaching a woman who recently married a member. She loves
the Book of Mormon, but has a hard time committing to the church
because her husband is not active in the church. She has a great heart
and a good spirit, and I know with the help of her husband will take
the faith to be baptized.

We are teaching and having so much fun and working so hard, but I
won't make this too long. I want you to know, that there are few
feelings as great as the one of conversion. A man taught Elders quorum
yesterday. He and his family have been members for four years and has
been in four wards and have never faltered in the faith, even though
the world has offered them every reason to. And why is that? Because
the Lord's kingdom is not of this world. He bore powerful witness of
the truthfulness of the church and all that it concludes. I had my
testimony to his.

Elder Richard Hall

All the Members are Shocked

Hello Everyone!

I do not have time to write a weekly email this week, but if you
actually enjoy reading these, know that I am doing well and loving
life. The start of the new transfer is always daring and exciting and
filled with hope. My companion and I are doing a great job of being
obedient and heartfelt. The members here are fantastic. I'm so glad
that I've been able to serve around them for so long.

In lieu of my average email, here is a training that I made a few
weeks ago. Feel free to open up your Preach My Gospels and Follow
along.
Pray With Faith
How do you teach in the Lord's way?
PMG, 93
What is the prayer of faith? How do we pray with faith?
To strengthen our prayers, let's strengthen our faith in prayer, by
learning more about prayer. Knowledge and faith grow together.
What is prayer?
Calling upon the name of the Lord (BD, Prayer)
Is there different kinds of prayer?
Yes. There are vocal prayers (3 Nephi 19) and prayers of the heart (3
Nephi 20:1)
There are songs of the righteous that are prayers (D&C 25:12) even
group prayer is a separate type of prayer (3 Nephi 18:21)
It's a communication with our Heavenly Father.
We always pray in the name of Jesus Christ (3 Nephi 18:19)
How often should we pray?
Luke 21:36 Thessalonians 2:11 2 Nephi 32:8-9 3 Nephi 18:19 D&C 10:5 D&C 93:49
Pray ALWAYS! That phrase shows up in the standard works over 18 times
What are some reasons that it tells us to pray always?
That we may not enter into temptation (prayer cleanses us, prayer protects us)
That whatsoever we shall ask it shall be given to us
That God may consecrate our performance
To be counted worthy
Do we always get what we want when we pray?
D&C 50:29-30
We must be cleansed from sin (story of Enos), and
The sprit will tell us what to pray for. If our will is the will of
the Lord, then it shall be done as we pray for it.
Let's go back to PMG. 93. How do receive the spirit? The prayer of
faith. We cannot pray with faith until we are truly repentant.
Why truly repentant and not clean? Enos 1:8
Attributes of the prayer of faith.
1 Nephi 1:5-6, Ether 3:5,6,9 Enos 1:11-12
We pray for the welfare of others.
The lord visits us and gives us revelation. this is why it is so
important to teach with the spirit, and to pray for the spirit
PMG.93, PMG 94
Prayer is work. Prayer takes real intent.
Consider the following when you pray:
Ether 3:19
His faith was no more, it was replaced with knowledge.
Ether 12:6
The witness comes after the trial of our faith
We must always increase our faith. Faith is progressive. We gain faith
and lose faith based upon our consistency to the knowledge we have.

Elder Richard Hall

Week 39

Week 39 of what? 39 weeks is going to be how long I'll have served in
the Old Settlers Ward by the end of this week. I came in to the Ward
before Christmas, and I'll be here until almost Halloween. Transfer
calls were today. I'll be serving in the Old Settlers and the
Pflugerville wards for the next six weeks, at least. Isn't that
great!? I'll spend over 10 months serving in one Ward. Unfortunately,
I will be losing the chance to serve in the Stony Point Ward. They
have had so much work to do, that sharing missionaries has been too
much for the Ward. I will miss the Stony Point Ward dearly. In there
are lifelong friends.

We don't have much time today to write emails, which is what usually
happens on transfer days. But my new companion is going to be Elder
H. He came out with me, and is a Spanish called missionary. I
love having Spanish called companions, I am able to help them with
their Spanish, as well as get some additional study time. I've been
using it to make extra plans for the day, and to read Jesus the
Christ, which has to be one of the most excellent narratives on who
Jesus Christ is. The more I read it, the more I know that Jesus is the
Christ, the Savior and redeemer of all. He is perfect, and he is
eternal.

Elder Y got to take his stitches out last week. You know what that
meant: Jeopardy, round 2. Unfortunately, it wasn't on while I was
waiting, so I brought my paper scriptures and looked at old Scripture
Masteries. Back in high school, I added 2 Kings 2:22-23 to my personal
canon. I was funny.

Elder A, one of my favorite companions, is going home this week. He
served an excellent full time mission and I am excited for him to
succeed in his time back home.

We've been able to teach many people this week. One of my favorite
people I was able to teach in the Stony Point Ward was F. He found
about the church through the hit musical "The Book of Mormon." I just
think that is one of the craziest things. Who knew that the people who
made "South Park" would actually be able to help souls come unto
Christ. he has come to church almost every week that he has been in
Austin and plans on meeting with the bishop soon. What a great guy. I
need to get a picture with him soon.

The power of service is real! "When you are in the service of your
fellow begins, ye are only in the service of your God." (Mosiah 2:18)
This week we were able to help a home bound man with his yard. It was
a lot of work, but it was nice to see just how grateful he was for it.
And then we put together a cabinet for one of our investigators. She
hasn't been progressing very well, but after helping her on Friday we
saw her come to church. She stayed all three hours and loved it. I am
so glad that we have the ability to serve other people.

I apologize, but that's about all I can talk about this week. Next
week will be filled with the many great adventures of the dynamic duo,
Elder Hall and Elder H!

Elder Richard Hall

1. District Pictures
2. The Mighty Fine burger, in all of it's glory.