Happy 20th Birthday Elder Hall!

Heellllooo Everybody! :)

Buenas Tardes mis queridos amigos y familiares! :) 

Espero que todos hayan tenido una buena semana, me cansé de escribir lo mismo cada lunes en ingles entonces mi primer párrafo está en castellano, vamos a ver si su traductor de google puede traducirlo en algo que tiene sentido! :) Have fun! 

This week was good! We  have found some new investigators and have been focusing in quite a bit in a kid named Facundo. Facundo is almost 14 years old and has been attending church since he was a little kid. The interesting thing is that he has never made the decision to be baptized, but about a week and a half ago he talked to us at church and said that he wanted to be baptized as soon as possible! The great thing is that he had already listened to all of the lessons and because he has been going to church for so long basically understands how it all works! He is a great kid that has desires to do what is best, and to work for it. So it looks like he will be getting baptized this next saturday! Which is pretty awesome because saturday is my 20th Birthday and my companion´s last saturday in the mission! So it will be a pretty great way to spend our day! (Nice little rhyme there as well!)  

I am a little sad as well because it is my last week as a missionary in Buenos Aires Sur well assuming that they don´t take both me and my companion out this last transfer! So who knows either next week I will be a missionary for Buenos Aires Este, or I will remain in the south and be in a new area! So it will be interesting! 

Of course with yesterday being father´s day both here in Argentina and back home I couldn´t help but think of my dad and all of the other men that have played an important role in helping me to become who I am now. I am so thankful for my dad and for the man that he is. I feel in alot of ways over my time as a missionary we have both grown quite a bit and I anxiously await the day to be able to work by his side again. It is funny how the things that at one moment (like getting pulled out of bed a 6 in the morning (or earlier) on a saturday to lay pavers or other chores) were things I hated but now are some of the things I miss most! (Ok maybe not laying pavers that is never fun, more of the apsect of working with my dad! haha) I am thankful for the many things he taught me even if they were lessons that I was pretty slow to learn and he had to show tough love, and in general I am thankful and proud to be able to be his son. I am also thankful for my Heavenly Father and how He has lead and guided me and continues to help me as I stumble along the path of my life. He is alwasy there to lift me up and I have felt his prescence many times. I am also thankful for the knowledge that although not everyone has the blessing to have their earthly father present, all of us have a Heavenly Father and he wants each one of us to get back to Him one day. I am putting a link to probably my favorite Mormon Message that always chokes me up! Enjoy the video and have a great week! 

Elder Hall 

Earthly Father, Heavenly Father

Buenas Tardes!

Happy Monday Everybody! 

Seriously after 88 weeks of writing some kind of introduction to a weekly letter it gets pretty hard to not be boring and write the same thing week after week! But hey I am trying to manage! This week went pretty well, we had an interesting night on tuesday the power went out, and well some people got angry because it was kinda cold so they sent their kids out to protest and light the streets on fire! So we were at the bust stop when a bunch of kids and teens come running up and starting throwing a mixture of trash and old matresses in the middle of the main street in front of us and light fire to it! So we had to briskly walk to the other bus stop. Well that night we had a meeting with the mission president and the stake president, so afterwards Pres. Thurgood brought us back and they were burning stuff all over and shutting all of the streets off, he almost took us to the mission home but we told him we would be all right. Nothing happened to us during the night but they did rob all of the butcher´s (who lives below us) chicken! Then on friday we were at the same bus stop and out of know where a motorcycle comes flying buy and crashes with a car that was making a left hand turn and I watched the motorcylce go flying. (I am pretty sure he didn´t die, the good thing is that it is in front of the hospital!) So my companion and I decided not to go to that bus stop anymore! 

This weekend was also stake conference and it was so good! They were so many great messages that I just loved! It is always so nice when the members actually prepare their talks and try to share the message that God wants, you can always tell a prepared talked from a thrown together one, and all of the messages were great! It is nice to see strong leaders here in the area that are trying to help argentina grow and strengthen the church here! 

We have been able to find some new investigators and we have two baptismal dates for the 27! :) Liliana and Facundo, we are not sure if Liliana is going to be ready because her mom has been in the hospital but we have an appointmetn with her tonight so we will see, and I am pretty sure that facundo will be ready! He already listened to the discussions and has been attending church for quite a long time, just finally decided he wants to get baptized so overall we are pretty happy! 

Hope you all are doing good, and still reading along in the Book of Mormon! I am in 3 Nephi (not where those of you who took the challenge need to be!) and am about to finish the new testament again! I love the scriptures and the difference they can make in our lives! So keep on reading!!

Hope you all have a great week, and are enjoying the heat of summer, it is starting to get cold here! Love you all! 

Elder Hall 

Hey Everybody!

(email from June 1, 2015)

Hey Queridos :) 

How is everyone doing this week?? I am doing good! We had a good and busy week! On friday we had our last zone conference with President Thurgood it was pretty sad knowing that it would be for almost all of us our last time getting to be taught by such an amazing man. I haven´t really made a general update to everyone in quite awhile but on July 1st my zone and I will become part of the brand new Buenos Aires East mission, we will all be the first missionaries and have the opportunity to take part in a small part of the history of the church here in Argentina. Our new president will be Presidente Nuñez from Santiago, Chile. It is sad for me to not be able to finish my mission with President Thurgood because he has been such an amazing example for me and honestly will always be one of my heros, but at the same time I am excited to get know (even though it will only be for 6 weeks) Presidente Nuñez and have the opportunity to learn from him! At the end of our conference President and Sister Thurgood gave all of us a big hug which was something different because president doesn´t ever hug the sister missionaries and sister thurgood never hugs the elders. I was surprised because when were in the line there were lots of elders that didn´t really want to hug sister thurgood because she was a lady (her response was that it would be like hugging your mom!), so when it was my turn she told me, ¨Oh Elder Hall, I know you, you´ll give me a good hug!¨ And of course I gave her a good hug she thanked me for all my work in the mission and said I was going to do good in life :) so it made me happy. The Thurgoods are amazing and I hope to have contact with them all my life! 

Here in our area we are doing our best to find some new investigators, we basically quit visiting the other people that they had before I came because it just isn´t quite their time yet so we are really trying to focus in on finding a few new  families to teach! Our ward needs new families to help rejuvenate it and liven things up a bit. Anyways hope all is going well at home and that all of you who accepted my Book of Mormon Challenge are staying strong! I finished Alma this last week! (I am a little ahead of the challenge though haha) Let me know where you are all are at and something that you have learned while reading! I promise the Book of Mormon can and will change anyones life for the better if they read it with a willing mind and an open heart! I love you all! 

Elder Hall  

Happy Monday! :)

(email from May 25, 2015)

Hey Everybody! 

Hope everyone has had a great week! Elder Perez and I have had a good one and we just keep on working! We are trying to find some new investigators because there aren´t too many that are progressing so we have focused in on finding new people and trying to help those that we are already teaching get closer to Christ. It is interesting because as a missionary you meet people of all shapes and sizes with all types of backgrounds, styles and differences each person is unique and has a special way that the gospel could apply to them and help the progress in their lives, the trick is finding that special way. As missionaries we help people in all stages of the spiritual conversions wether it be a few words of testimony to an athiest or a struggling christian mom, the sharing of beliefs between people with jewish or muslim faiths each and every circumstance we have to opportunity to help people in their spiritual path and it is an awesome experience. I think more then anything I am just greatful to have the chance to dedicate this time to the Lord, there are lots of times when I need to be alot more dedicated and sometimes I get a little down for not doing exactly what I should I definetly have come to understand what Nephi meant when he said in 2 Nephi 4

 17 Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.
 18 I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me.
 19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.    

20 My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.

Like Nephi I know in whom I have trusted and although I have many weaknesses and many temptations throught the power of the great atoning sacrifice of my Savior I continually become better and one day become the person that I want to be. I am so thankful for my Savior and for the time I have to represent Him, I only hope that I can be a better servant for Him. I hope you all know that I love you, I miss you, and I hope you are all doing great! Have a great week! 

Elder Hall

PS. I am sending some pics with the entire zone in front of the Cathedral of La Plata that we went to today! Super beautiful! :)