Coming Soon to a Potato Field Near You

Sometimes I wonder if people really care about what happened to me

this week, or if they care more just to hear from me. Describing what

you did as a missionary is a constant rehashing of what I did for work

this week. If missionary work was a desk job, emails would be mundane

and predictable. I like to stray away from travel log- whether to keep

things sacred or save you from recycling stories-,but if I do that

often events slowly get forgotten.

I know that those who take time to read this both care for me and want

to hear from me, and for that I am grateful. Even if you scroll down

to look at the pictures first.

I loved this week. Sometimes, when you get to a point of balance on

your mission, it becomes an art form. At least, for me it is. Deep

down inside I picture myself as this passionate painter with the messy

smock and beret curling his mustache while falling in love with this

masterpiece I made in the long hours of the night. It's the meeting

point of the me right above it, this goofball who loves bad jokes, and

the one below it, a philosopher thinking on a rock in the desert

night.

At any rate, this week was a masterpiece. Everything went the way it

should. Friday and Saturday we had back to back Preach my Gospel

perfect lessons with two of our progressing investigators. Both of

them want to be baptized and even agreed to a date. Heading out of

both of the lessons I thought to myself, "That went too well. There's

something wrong." Then again, I've said that with just about every

person that I have seen enter into the waters of baptism. There's a

small amount who didn't make it. My heart feels for them, but good

things happen. They happen all the time.

Thursday we had an important lesson with an investigator. He's been

looking into the church for almost a year now and after keeping all

the commitments he's made he hasn't made up his mind. Last week we

asked him to write down all of his questions, to which he said, "If I

knew the Book of Mormon was true, I wouldn't have any." Dang right,

Jai. The bishop of the Ward bore one of the most powerful testimonies

I've heard. Memorable night.

This week I ponderized Moroni 7:48. That one verse standing alone

could sustain a discourse on resurrection and the nature of God.

Reading Moroni 7 altogether, it's the grand finale of a symphony, or

less artistic, it is the bacon at the end of the all-you-can-eat

breakfast bar, or more entertaining, it is the Steph Curry 40-foot 3

to close off a blowout. All of these metaphors are needed to describe

how great this scripture is.

I have been quite happy lately. Just, happy.

Elder Richard Hall

Sorry people who scroll down to the pictures first.

Pass the Oreos Over Here

Joseph Smith liked to call himself a "rough stone, rolling". He was always a tremendous example of humility and obedience. If he was a rough stone rolling, then I am a boulder crashing through the forest. I remember what my first mission president said he'd like to have on his tombstone. "James E. Slaughter, friend of Joseph Smith." Why would anyone who is living 150 years after Joseph Smith died want to be known as his friend? Perhaps it is because when you learn about someone as amazing as him, you'd want to spend as much time with him and learning of him as possible. That's what's true for me. President Slaughter also wanted "Praise to the Man" to be played at his funeral- not for him, but for Joseph. That's a heck of a thought. 

This week was excellent. It was one of those weeks that you dream of as a missionary. Faith-based and Spirit-led. A whole lot of work, and a whole lot of fun. We had beautiful lessons with our investigators, and had perfect execution working with members of the Ward. We had a good amount of people attend sacrament meeting, and all of them came out loving it, probably more than I did. I always wonder what is going on in the hearts of our investigators. What are they thinking? How are they feeling? What can I do for them? How can I make this the best hour of their life? This is some of the most important moments of their lives, and I am a key part of this. I am the conductor of this religious experience for them, and the notes have to be hit, the rhythm can't be too fast, the intonation just right. This week everything had a pretty ring to it. 

With my time running short, I've been trying to throw all my wisdom onto my humble companion, Elder P

. There's a conflict within me though as I begin relaying information. "Let him find out on his own. It'll be better for him"/"You need to give him this knowledge now"/"What is he ready for?" different thoughts float around in my mind. If I do not give away this knowledge I have, it may be wasted. If I give it away improperly, it'll be lost anyways. How can I make this special to him? What is most important? The amount of advice I give narrows, but becomes more powerful.

I'm glad that I am surrounded by excellent examples, both of friends and family. When people ask about my family, I usually end up telling them more than they wanted. Hopefully it doesn't sound arrogant or flaunting, but I like to talk about them. They've known me for 20 years, and they don't just tolerate me, they're actually willing to help me! They're good people. 

I've been trying very hard to do things the right way. I've been trying to fulfill the Lord's vision the best way I can for the past 23 months, but even more so these past few weeks. About a year ago I began striving to be transparent. Even longer ago I tried to find the balance. I learned transparency, but I'm still working on balance.

This was a very nebulous email. Hopefully it was also a good one.

Elder Richard Hall

1. The wedding we went to last week. The Bride's side was Filipino, if you couldn't tell

2. Black's Barbecue after district meeting. Solid

3. Tom Glavine-signed Jersey a member wanted me to buy from him. Tempting.

Rounded Edges

This is the start of my last transfer in the mission field. In just a

while I won't be in Texas anymore. That's an awful thought. Mainly

because I won't be a missionary anymore, but also there's a chance

that Idaho will have a snowstorm in the middle of July. It hasn't been

under 70 degrees here since January!

The remainder of my mission will be spent with my camouflaged-hearted

companion in the pleasant towns of Buda and Kyle. He almost wept when

he found out he because this means he's still within walking distance

of a Cabelas. I've never met someone so static. Everything relates

back to guns and hunting. Everything.

Missionary work has been great around here. I've been looking back at

my mission and thinking about the character of a missionary. The Lord

is all about the one. If he has his 99, he will do what it takes to

bring back the one. It's nice to have help out with a lot of baptisms,

and it's nice to find people to teach, but we are to make such a

personal relationship with Christ that He will do whatever it takes to

help anyone overcome the opposition that he has. He waits until we are

ready to listen, but once that happens there's no turning back.

Whether you like it or not, he'll be a part of your life. As

missionaries, we do our best to use our time wisely so we can help

whoever is the most ready.

Friday we were able to attend the wedding of one of our investigators.

Elder P and I were two of the ten people there, not including the

happy couple. It was on a beautiful piece of property and it was great

to see the two of them giddy. It's the second wedding I've been to on

my mission. Weddings are happy times. There is a sacred experience

that all attendants get to be a part of. That is why worthy members

are married in the temple, where you can feel the greatest amount of

peace and concentrate all of excitement and energy into a simply

covenant.

Recently I have been doing much study on the prophet Joseph Smith. It

is astounding. Say what you want about Joseph Smith, but if you were

to pour through the life and history of Joseph Smith, looking at all

the doctrines and discoveries, miracles and trials, etc. I would say

that his character alone is enough evidence that he is a prophet. And

don't even get me started on the Book of Mormon.

I got to talk with my family yesterday. My family is a naturally

unserious and unaffectionate bunch. Well no, they are affectionate,

they just have a strange way of showing it. Definitely not serious

though. I love them for that, because I'm strange as well. Terribly

serious at times, though. Families are special. I love them.

- Elder Richard Hall

Old Friends/Bookends

You know that it is a good week when you go on exchanges with your MTC

companion. For the first time since July 6th, 2015, I was companions

with Elder Bl. WOW. 22 months can do things to you. For one

thing, in the MTC he was 10 pounds heavier than I was. Now I am 25

pounds heavier. Did he lose weight or did I gain weight? The answer is

yes.

Reuniting with Elder Bl was interesting. You wouldn't expect

the similarities we have. He is the only missionary I know other than

myself who still ponderizes, who memorized his call letter, and still

knows the track list to Vampire Weekend's first album. What can I say,

we were meant for each other.

Some things have changed. For one, we are much better missionaries

than we used to be. We're more obedient. We're smarter. We're more

experienced. We're happier. We're more focused. We follow the

unwritten order. We are better people. That's what the mission does to

you.

I could write about Elder Blackhurst and I's reunion for a while, but

there's other things I will mention. For one, there is an investigator

we have that was going to be baptized on this Saturday, but is

starting to face some serious opposition from his family. The whole

week the situation has been up in the air. It's hard to see someone so

close to the truth and what he wants to happen be facing adversity.

But as missionaries, we only see part of the puzzle. It is when we

fail to see the big picture that we begin to make mistakes. We must be

patient, but persistent.

Patience has changed me. I am a much different missionary than I used

to be. I used to think that patient meant you were slow to react, or

indecisive, or time-inefficient. But patience isn't about the timing,

it's about the faith in the action. It is all about a decision we made

long before, and having the faith for it to come to pass. It is highly

time effective, and quick to react. Patience is more about the mind

than it is about the matter.

Last week two of my investigators from paste areas were baptized. One

of them I worked with week in and week out for the first 5 or so

months of her investigation. She could just never find her answer. It

took 10 months from start tot finish for her to be baptized. The other

one was set with a baptismal date the day we first met her, and was

baptized not far from that date. Was the truth different for either

individual? No. time does not determine whether or not the truth is

truth. The same way that love is not determined by time, or how much

you know about someone. Love starts when you begin to see the same way

Heavenly Father sees us.

Elder Christensen of the seventy says that your missionary life is a

microcosm of actual life. You start out fresh and willing to do

anything and not knowing what's going on, and then you go into

adolescence, where you think you know everything. After that you slip

into adulthood, and all of its stages, including mid-life crises.

Then, towards the end of your mission, you become wise and a little

slower, watching the whipper-snappers cut across your lawn. For a long

time I thought I was in adulthood of missionary work, but I see now

that my stride is getting shorter, and it's hard to teach this old dog

some of the newer tricks of the mission. I am getting old, but I don't

want to believe it.

- Elder Richard Hall

1. Elder Bl and I looking like punks at the temple- July 5th,2015

2. Elder Bl and I looking less like punks at Buc-ee's May 3. 2017

How Great the Wisdom and the Love

Hello Everybody!

Last Monday I spent almost the whole day washing down our apartment

from the fumigation and adding further preventatives. Bed bugs are not

fun.

Other than that, everything has been splendid. We had a week filled

with excellent lessons and lot of work with the members. It's a

wonderful moment when as a missionary you not only perform your own

missionary work, but you can coordinate the missionary work of the

members around you. Suddenly your purpose becomes heightened. It's a

lesson I learned from a wise man a few months into my mission, but

took me a little longer to realize.

This week was filled with wise men. Wednesday I was able to have an

interview with our mission president. President P is so full of

light and love. I knew it was going to be one of my last personal

conversations I'll have with him in a while, so I took my time. He is

a student of the scriptures. He is also a student of love. The amount

of understanding he has is immense.

That night a wise man in the Ward wanted to take us to some of his

friends he wants to share the gospel with. We spent three hours going

home to home of people that he loved enough to introduce us to them.

About half were less active members of the church, and the other half

good friends that he simply wanted us to teach. At the end of the

night, I was impressed with the spirit of charity, not missionary

work, within this man. But why would these feelings be any different?

Sunday was stake conference, and an area authority visited us. While

he was speaking, I was impressed by the amount of wonder he had for

everything happening around him. He turned around and watched the

choir sing, he looked through the audience to smile and wave at anyone

he met eyes with.

While Elder T was sharing a story about how he was guarding

Michael Jordan in the olympics, it hit me like a sack of bricks. "This

is my brother's mission president." I knew this man from the emails me

brother sent home from his mission, telling stories about how great

and wise President T was. I then realized that this man changed

my brother's life. My brother changed my life when he returned from

his mission

When I went to shake his hand, he gave me a hug. He met me, my

companion, and our investigator the day before, and in a day's time he

grew to love us. I told him who my brother was, and he exclaimed,

"That's my missionary!" He was overjoyed. I was too.

More powerful than wisdom is love. They often come together.

- Elder Richard Hall

1. The struggles of weekly planning in a member home.