¡6 Meses en La Misión!

(email from 3/3/14)

Buenos Dias Amigos y Familia,

6 meses en la misión, como podría ser 6 meses!! I gotta say after 6 months of being in the mission this week, I am pretty dang happy. The first few months I was a little unsure of 2 years, it just seemed like such a long time, but I really am to the point that I just love it. I love getting to serve the Lord everyday, I love getting to talk with new people (even though we come across some locos!), and I have hit the point that I just love the mission in general. Yes of course, I have my days, like everyone when I am tired, when I don´t feel the greatest, or even just days that kinda suck. But I think one of the big lessons the mission teaches people, is how to overcome those days. How to overcome the hard times, and just to enjoy the lives that we have. 

A lesson that Elder De Loayza and I learned this week, was from our investigator Emilio. Emilio has not had a easy life by any means, his life has kinda been like a movie, but especially within the last few months he has had lots of personal trials. But then he found an evangelical church who supported him, and he quit drinking alcohol, and then a month after this we arrived on his doorstep. And I can´t believe the change we have seen in him, and the change he says he has experienced. The lesson though that we have learned from him is that the adversary is always going to be strongest right before something good happens. There is two quotes I have to go along with this topic, one is from Batman, and the other from the Book of Mormon, and they compliment this topic quite well! haha 

From The Book of Mormon:

Ether 12:15

 6 And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the would that ^afaith is  things which are ^bhoped for and ^cnot seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no ^dwitness until after the trial of your faith.

From Batman

     ¨The NIght is always darkest, before dawn¨

Now in Batman they might not have been quoting a scripture about Faith, but we can easily relate the two, that Satan is going to do all he can to tempt us, right before something good or spiritual is going to happen in our lives, to try and prevent this from happening. The prophet Moroni in the Book of Mormon talks about how we don´t receive a witness (of good things) until after the trial of our faith, The lesson that we can learn from these things is that we need should never give up, that no matter how ¨dark¨our nights are, or how tough of a ¨trial of our faith¨ we have to keep pressing on. I know that the Lord will bless each of us, with the strength we need as we continue to strive to do what is right. If there is something in  your life that you are tired of, and want to  change, fix it. Don´t waste time with things that make you miserable, if you made a mistake, fix it, if you need to repent, repent. Don´t let Satan hold you down, under his guilt and misery, the path of our Father in Heaven is much better, and I can promise much happier. 

I love you all, and you are all in my thoughts and prayers. Keep the faith.

Elder Hall