"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

Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-changes'!

What an exciting time to do missionary work! I am slightly terrified
by this week, since it was the funnest, most exciting, and most
enjoyable week of my mission, and it also felt like it lasted for
about 15 minutes. Where does the time go?

This week was crazy. Most of the time our faithful trio of Elders were
not even together, instead one of us out on an exchange with the other
Elder that lives with us. His companion is a traveling assistant to
the president, which means he is constantly out with other
missionaries, helping them with their work. That leaves his companion
rather companion-less. So, while the traveling assistant is out and
about, he took one of us into his area. It is super fun!

Unfortunately, we will no longer be able to do that. Elder Nebeker, my
wonderful companion of last transferred, was emergency transferred to
a different area in the mission. Now it is just Elder Hall and Elder
H. That's definitely going to confuse some people. But it's okay.
It's pretty easy to tell the difference between us.

The work of salvation in the Indian Springs and Evans Ranch wards has
been slow but sure! On Thursday we got a call from church headquarters
about a man in the Indian Springs ward who wanted to meet with the
missionaries. On Friday we taught him, and on Saturday we set a solid
date of baptism for him on November 7th. He really wants to join the
church of Jesus Christ. He even came to church early on Sunday to talk
with the bishop. Crazy. This is one of those moments that you don't
even dream of on your mission. It's just too good to be true.

There is a family in the ward that once took me and my companion out
to eat at Longhorn Steakhouse. I have written many times in my journal
that I am forever indebted to the M family for doing so. There I
had a full rack of ribs all to myself, which I polished off in about
20 minutes. They were rather impressed that a 6'1", 150-pound
featherweight could clean that off before they could finish their
salad.
This same family dropped us off some dinner at the apartment last
Thursday. It was all Texas classics. Mac and Cheese, barbecue chicken,
pork, Texas Sheet Cake, and to packages wrapped in butcher paper with
Elder Hall written on it. Inside of each were a rack of ribs intended
solely for me. God is looking out for Elder Hall.

It is surprising that I have had such a great time this week, because
This Sunday was pretty rough. Walking back to the apartment we ran
into some people who were, uh, inebriated. They came up yelling at us,
telling us we were deceived and some other awful things. One man
almost began throwing punches at us before someone held him back.
Apparently, most of the animosity came when they thought that we were
Jehovah's Witnesses. When they found out we were LDS they completely
changed, told us they loved us, but they still didn't like Joseph
Smith. When we left they cautioned us with great concern "Remember,
you must live the gospel. NOT the doctrine." That made us laugh a lot
back at the apartment.
That moment was not fun at all, in fact, it was dangerous, but in
retrospect, there was some pretty fun parts of it. I think it shows
two things:

1. We live the Word of Wisdom for a reason, and
2. Every person will eventually be backed to their own wall of faith.

Faith is crucial. We cannot rely on other people's faith and belief to
buoy our own's up. To quote the wonderful Jeffrey R. Holland, "Belief
is a precious word and an evem more precious action." The power of
prayer, specifically personal revelation, allows us to know the truth
in all things. Every person can know for themselves the greatness and
fulness of the gospel. It is within themselves. And through that we
can know that God has organized His church on the earth, and that he
has given us authority here on earth. And when we come to know this,
and live it, there is no greater joy.

Elder Richard Hall

This week was exciting! I have never been so engaged in a general
conference before. I was taken back by the beautiful sermon of Jeffrey
R. Holland, who took such careful description to poeticize the love of
God and mothers. And the solemnity of David A. Bednar's talk for those
who have passed, in which he emphasized that the "value of (apostles
who have passed)'s teachings are priceless". Or even the silly but
memorable talk of Devin R. Durrant that you can't help but ponder
about. What a wonderful two days we had to listen to the words of the
prophets. I think I will read Henry B. Eyring's Preisthood Session
talk again and again for many days.
For those of you not familiar with the terminologies of conference,
ask an LDS friend.

Elder Nebeker and I have a new companion! He is 240 pounds and about
5'10". We're still on bikes. This is going to be a slow transfer.

Some members took us to breakfast at a 5-star Marriot Hotel! Oh my
goodness it was beautiful. It looks right over a PGA Golf Course, and
there's a giant waterfall in the middle of it's lobby. I'd say that
was a highlight of the day. And the bacon there. Wow.

We started teaching a new family! They aren't very religious at all,
but the mother's father was LDS, but didn't practice it so he could
keep the peace with his wife. Her Grandparents were temple workers,
but she doesn't know much about it. They are such a friendly folk!
They're very interested in joining the church. Fun!

One of our investigators is going to make me a steak because I'm too
skinny! That's definitely noteworthy.

I finally think it is cold in the morning. Yay!

I wish I could write more, but I don't have much time this P-day. I'm
so glad to be healthy and happy again. I wish you all a wonderful week
while on God's green earth.

Elder Richard Hall

Highlights of the Week

Let me tell you some highlights of a week, because I have had so much
fun this week.

- We were invited to a bible study! After contemplating the
possibilities of entering into our own doom, Elder N and I
gunned for it. Turns out it the funnest time on my mission. We were
treated like regulars. There was a lot of laughing, and good input,
and a large amount of hugs. Those I avoided. But we even got a
minister interested in coming to church. That was way cool. We're
invited any time.
- The Hernandez boys went to church! I haven't talked about them, but
they are unbaptized children of Brother and Sister H, who have
been less active for years. We've been working with Brother H,
who really wants to go to church, but keeps the peace with his wife.
But the Hernandez boys loved it, and want to come again! (This is
especially surprising, because they're teenagers)
- Brother and Sister H got me cake and cinnamon rolls because I
was sick! Sister M thinks missionaries are her sons. She's great.
- Transfers this week! I have no idea what's going to happen, because
we get our transfer emails on Tuesday night. I hope I train!
- I have four talks that I call "fire starters". I read them any time
I need an extra boost in personal study. Lynn G. Robbins "Which way do
you face?", Tad R. Callister "The Book of Mormon- A Book From God",
David A. Bednar "And Nothing Shall Offend Them", and my favorite,
Gordon B. Hinckley's "Find the Lambs, Feed my Sheep"

So yeah. I hope you understand that I'm doing well.

Pictures!

The Power of the Gospel and Good Medication

I am tempted not to post this, as I have had the experience of being with
Richard when he has had pain meds.  It is funny, but not fun.


As a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I
am to use dignified language to help others recognize me as a servant
of God. But sometimes, a servant of God has to lay it down like it is.
This week was rough. I felt like garbage. I woke up in the middle of
the night writhing in pain multiple times. This was not a fun week.

Sorry, I just needed to get that off of my chest. Luckily, I am
feeling much, much better today. I even had some toast! Which is a
major improvement, because I was taken off of my liquid diet on
Thursday, and the only thing I was able to eat was soup, which
promptly made me sick to my stomach and I didn't have any strength to
get out of bed for the rest of the day. So things are looking up for
me.

Perhaps the most memorable part of this week is the part that I can't
quite remember. Last Wednesday, I went to the doctor for an
ultrasound. When I told them that I was still in pain, they told me
they would give me some medicine to help with it. What they didn't
tell me was that it was a shot of morphine.
Now, if you are a member of my family, then you know very well that I
don't handle pain killers or sedatives or anything stronger than an
excedrin very well. My mother especially has a few stories she loves
to share about me lying in the hospital, filled with medication, that
she remembers quite fondly. Whatever was about to happen was going to
be very embarrassing.
So here I am, hobbling out of the room, my companion and the Elders
giving us a ride waiting for me, and things are starting to get a
little shaky. I told them what happened, and they all smiled. They
knew as well they were in for a treat.
We had to go to district meeting right after the appointment. District
meeting is where all of the missionaries in the area come together to
have trainings and other important things. Me and Elder Nebeker
decided to sit out in the foyer as our district had their meeting. I
remember giggling a little, then flopping onto one of the couches.
The next thing I remember,I was lying in my bed with a major headache.
The district leader and his companion were there with a half dozen
bags of cheez-its.
"Hey there, Elder Hall. How are you feeling?"
"What are you doing?"
"When we passed by you while you were on the couch. You said you loved
Cheez-its. So we brought you some."
"I did?"
"Yeah, and you were also singing this song and drooling all over the
place. You were really happy."
"What the heck?"
Apparently I was singing songs for everyone that dropped by, which
included the Zone Leaders, the Assistants to the Mission President,
the sister missionaries in our district, and the Sister Assistants to
the mission president. I was also very intrigued by how paper felt,
and I was very concerned that my legs were numb. All I remember is
that my legs were numb.
Perhaps the worst part of that story was that I really do love
Cheez-its, but I wasn't allowed to have anything except for water and
gatorade for the next 36 hours. But yeah, my morphine incident has
been the talk of just about every missionary in our district and in
the North San Antonio Zone. At least I was happy.

The moral of this week is, sometimes you get sick That's life. And
sometimes, you get shot with a really good painkiller that totals you
and now you're the butt of a lot of jokes that you don't understand,
even though they are about you. But no matter what, the restored
gospel is here on earth. It's teachings and doctrine is of great
comfort for all those who earnestly search for it. There is no greater
joy to be found in life than in keeping the commandments of God.
"If ye love me, keep my commandments."
I know for a fact that Heavenly Father loves us, and that his only
begotten son, Jesus Christ, is our savior, redeemer, and lord. When we
show our love in righteous action, there is a blessing given to us,
and many times it is stronger and greater than we can ever imagine. No
sickness, no pain, no sorrow, no problem cannot be overcome by
applying the atonement of Jesus Christ in my life. The worth of every
soul is great in the sight of God.

Elder Richard Hall

Ain't That a Kick in the Pants

This week, to quote myself , was "a real kick in the pants." There was ups, downs, lefts, rights, general confusion, complete understanding, pure terror, and absolute joy. If there is a better way to describe the week other than "A real kick in the pants," you tell me. No really, send me a reply email back with a more-mission appropriate phrase.

The week started out fantastic. Tuesday was highlighted by a great zone conference where we got to be trained by President Slaughter and his assistants. Now, I suspect that many a missionary says this about their mission president, but this guy could be an apostle before he leaves this mortal realm. He has this wonderful way of making the gospel so conversational. He has a great way of showing that this isn't a two year mission, but a mission is for life. 

Later that night we had the best lesson anyone could ever ask for. We were teaching the Restoration to a family of four. About halfway into the lesson, the family started to perfectly describe the apostasy and why the fulness of the gospel needed to brought back through a prophet. Elder N and I took a moment to just stare at each other and wonder why everyone isn't as perfect as the Lambert family. When it came time to invite them to baptism, we literally didn't even have to ask. We just brought up the blessings of following the example of Christ when the mother interrupted us and said,

"We'll get baptized."

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah, it'll be great. Everything you say is exactly what I believe."

The bishop, who was present at the lesson, did his best to keep his cool, but after the lesson he drove us to get shaved ice and we had a party until 9:29. It was pretty much the best moment of my mission so far. 

The second half of the week has not been so hot. I mean, yeah, we have had a lot more success and work to do this week than any other week, but Saturday I got sick. Way sick. And there is nothing worse than being locked up in your apartment all day when you know you are missing important scheduled appointments, and you can't do a thing about it because you can hardly get out of bed. I don't have any idea what it is, but it is painful, and I have had it for three days now. It is far from fun. The Mission President even came by just to make sure I was okay, which was awful nice of him. then again, he lives about 20 minutes away from our apartment. It was a good gesture. 

Being sick really takes the energy out of you. There's not much I want to do but crawl in bed and try to not think about the pain. But for some highlights of the week:

- I helped a member move into our ward. He was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the fifth round out of high school. I talked to him for a long time. I looked at some of his old baseballs and trophies. He has the sweetest David Justice figurine.

- I found out that there is a member in Austin that has a baseball field in his backyard, and he lets missionaries play on it on P-days. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

- It was my brother's birthday yesterday. Happy Birthday Keith!

  - If it wasn't your birthday yesterday, sorry I forgot what day it was, Keith!

- I have only thrown up once since I have gotten sick. Optimism!

I wish there was a greater spiritual fire with this message, but on a scale of 1-10, I feel like a 1.1. 

Have a great week!

I Look Just Like Buddy Holly And you're Mary Tyler Moore.

No, I don't know why I decided to title my weekly letter after a
Weezer song, but I do know why I have it stuck in my head this busy
P-day in San Antonio. This Sunday I was sitting in the sacrament
meeting of the Indian Springs ward when I reflected upon my first
sacrament meeting while on my mission, which was spent in a small room
in the Provo MTC. I was a swell four days out on my mission, and my
mind was filled with information tumbling around in my mind. It
brought me back to the sacrament before I left on my mission, where
even to that day I marveled at the missionaries in their suit jackets,
sitting in the pews and wishing that there was an investigator at
church. I now feel how they feel, and wish what they wish. At the same
time, I suppose that also means that there are young men in the two
wards that I cover that have the same feelings towards me that I had
towards those two missionaries I saw back in Idaho. It reminded me of
the simple, beautiful Buddy Holly song "Every Day".

It seems that every day I am improving as a missionary, bit by bit. I
have gone from a sense of wonder and near surreality to a true sense
that I know what the heck I am doing. In the past two weeks, Elder
N and I have put a hard nose to the grindstone and found 12 new
investigators of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
That's quite a bit, concerning that 14 days ago we didn't even have 12
investigators to teach. The two of us, as well as the wonderful
members of the church that we look over, have been working very hard
to bring in the white harvest of the field. And I truly believe that
we are finding people who are prepared to not only hear and
understand, but to convert to the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ in
its fulness.

Recently, we committed a woman to date of baptism, which is beyond
exciting. However, we have two appointments, one with a family of four
and another family of six, where I have a great confidence that they
too will take the great step into baptism, if not this week, then
surely within their lifetimes. To me, it is another testament of the
truthfulness of the church, and the power of the atonement that can
work within every single one of us.

Fun fact, about 35% of all the living member of the LDS church have
been members for less than  15 years. To me it is amazing that almost
4 out of the 10 people that go to church have not been members their
whole lives, but have made an astonishing step of repentance in the
mature years of their lives.

Also at the sacrament meeting that I was describing, we got to talk to
an 87-year old member named N. He speaks only Spanish and shuffles
around in his ancient rattlesnake boots. he told me what was probably
one of the most empowering, sincere, and loving statements that I have
heard not only in my mission, but in my life. He spoke to my companion
Elder Nebeker, because he actually can speak Spanish, and said
"You two are Angels. It says in the Book of Mormon that Angels speak
the words of Christ, and that is what you are doing. So you are
angels. Thank you for what you are doing."

"Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost, wherefore, they speak
the words of Christ. Wherefore, I say unto you, feast upon the words
of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things
what ye should do."
- 2 Nephi 32:3

Elder Richard Hall