THE BEST!

Me and Elder Hone

Hey everyone!! Aahhh this week was so good! I'm so excited to tell you about it! First off, it was sunny every day this week! I even started to get a little tan going on! I'm pumped! This week was the best one of my mission. It all started on Monday at transfers!

It was kind of bitter sweet on Monday because my dad, Elder Bang, finished his mission! I was so proud of him. He was a great missionary and I feel so blessed that I got to work alongside him. It's always fun to see Elder Wilcock at transfers! He only has a few months left, and we are currently on opposite sides of the mission. So, it looks like we won't serve together after all. At least we will get to share some awesome memories for our whole lives! 

My new companion is Elder Hone from Lehi, Utah! He is awesome! He goes home with Elder Wilcock, so he only has 3 months left. He played outside linebacker for Lehi and we figured out we totally played against each other! That's kinda fun! He is so freaking amazing. We've laughed our heads off all week! And the best part? His family is from Pleasant Grove. He loves Strawberry Days almost as much as me. We are going to make some strawberries and cream in the next few weeks! I'm so excited! 

We whitewashed into the Oregon City 3rd and 5th wards. The greatest part is that Elder Hone started his mission in the OC 5th ward so he already knows a lot of the people and can get us around without being lost all the time. It's a huge blessing!

Monday night we OYMed this guy named Thomas in the parking lot of our apartment complex and he wanted to learn more! We set up an appointment and went the next day. He wasn't there, but his roommate Steven answered and after teaching him, he wanted to learn more! We went back later that night and taught them both the Restoration. Thomas started to cry after I shared the First Vision. We asked how he felt, and he said, "it sounds like I need to be baptized." Steven agreed! So we set a baptismal date of June 17th for the both of them! We are so pumped! They are YSA so we will have to pass them off, but hey we're all the same team right? When we went by last night, we met another roommate, Jeremiah, who also wants to learn more! We are excited to teach him too! It was a miracle! 

We were blessed with so many gifts this week! We came home for lunch on Tuesday to find a cantaloupe with a note pushpinned to it. It was from our neighbors and they were excited to have  us there! It was so nice.  Elder Baugh from the mission office showed up at our house Tuesday night with two brand new mattresses for us! It's been so great!

Wednesday I had a leadership meeting in Lake Oswego. It was for all the new district leaders in the mission. We had a great time! President Ballard, Sister Ballard, and President Newsom are my heroes. I love them so much! I can't believe we have to say goodbye at the end of June! 

On Thursday I held my first district meeting as a district leader. It was so fun! I made everyone stand up and do the Hokey Pokey. Everyone thought I was joking, but then I started the music and put my right foot in. They all thought I was nuts! But by the end, everyone was dancing right along with me. There were two lessons in the Hokey Pokey. 1st: if you can't do the Hokey Pokey in front of your district, how can you talk to strangers about the gospel? 2nd: it's time to put our whole selves into the work! Well, the fame of the Hokey Pokey has already spread across the mission. President Ballard loved it though, so that's what counts! 

Saturday morning we helped out at the OC Farmers Market! It was so fun! Jackie, the chairwoman, is a beekeeper and florist from England. She was killing me! The whole morning she kept calling me Love and Sweetheart and I couldn't handle it. You better believe by the end of the morning I sounded just as British as her. Freak, it's a curse! It's good I didn't go to Australia or something, I would never be able to speak like a normal American again. 

We went on exchanges Saturday as well! I went to Canby with Elder Blocker. We met a white supremacist who threatened to kill us along with all the other Latter Day Saints in Canby. It was actually pretty scary. He seemed quite unstable and capable of really hurting someone, so we made a phone call to the police... We didn't stay long enough to find out how that went down. 

Sunday was fun-ish! We were at the church at 7:30 am and didn't get home until 4:30 pm. The two ward life baby! It was a long day, but full of the spirit and good people. I'm so excited to serve here. This week has been the best of my mission. We found 7 new investigators, we set 2 dates, we had multiple investigators and less actives at church, and I have an amazing companion and a killer district. I'm so happy! I know this is the Lord's work. 

I know the Savior loves each one of us. Take some time to ponder how you know the Savior loves YOU. His love is real. It's a tangible force conveyed through everything around us. I know He is always with us. I know Him because I serve Him. 

I love you all! Happy Memorial Day! 

And Happy Birthday Dad! You're so old now! Love you!

With love, 

  

My Memorial Day outfit!                               The view from our apartment window.  It's gorgeous here!

   

This little Ethiopian guy let me take a picture with his hat.  Spotted my name on a Montana license plate!

     

I figured out who Elder Hone looks like!         Me and my pops!  Love you Elder Bang!

We found this free buffet and got our ward mission leader to bring it home for us!

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

 
Flex contest with Marissa, Elder Comish, and me

Oh my goodness! The sun is shining and it's 90 degrees! I am in heaven!

So, transfer calls came. I'm leaving my home of Westview after 6
months. It's so bittersweet. I'm going to Oregon City 3rd and 5th
wards (splitting wards again, woo). I'm very excited because I've
spent the first 10 and a half months of my mission in the three
smallest geographic wards in Oregon! I'm ready for some wide open
spaces across the river! My new companion is named Elder Hone from
Lehi Utah! I'm excited to serve with him.

My last week here in my Westview home was a ton of fun!

Tuesday was my last day at the pantry. I'm going to miss everyone
there so much! It was tough saying goodbye to Lynn, Sharon, Linda, and
Eric. They have become good friends! I will for sure be keeping in
contact with them. They are amazing people with hearts of gold.

Tuesday night at like 10:15 we got a call from Sister Ballard asking
if we could volunteer at a blood drive at the high school the next
morning. We said sure. Well, it was fun and horrible at the same time.
It was like being in high school all over again and I did not enjoy
it. Not to mention I've never been yelled so many horrible things at
me in my time as a missionary. But I got to be the blood drop mascot
and I had way too much fun! I was living my dream of being a Disney
character, even though I was being a drop of blood in a high school in
Oregon... but close enough!

Wednesday afternoon we went on a blitz (a blitz is pretty much a
tracting party) with some other missionaries. It was so fun because I
got paired up with Elder Comish, my MTC companion! It was the first
time on our missions that we did actual missionary work together. We
had a blast!

The next day was amazing! We met our investigator Shiv and his wife,
Oma at the Employment Resource Center in the church. Shiv and Oma have
an amazing story! We met Shiv at a bus stop a few weeks ago. He is
from India, and a year ago while living in India, he converted to
Christianity! Oma converted with him and they were so happy! Well, a
few months later, Shiv had a dream they needed to move to America
(sound familiar?? Lehi who??) so they left their posh and wealthy
lifestyle in India and moved to America, not knowing why or how they
would live. Fast forward a few weeks and we meet at the bus stop and
tell him that God had a message for him. He knew instantly the gospel
is why they were brought here to America. We talked for an hour and
gave him a Book of Mormon. A few days later we met them at the ERC to
help the, find a career here in Oregon. Not only did we find them both
very stable jobs, we taught them for two hours after! After reciting
the First Vision, I asked if they would be baptized and they said yes!
They are so prepared for this gospel, it's amazing!! They are the most
incredible little couple, I love them! I'm so sad that I have to step
out of their journey, but I will for sure come back up here when they
get baptized!

 Friday was bring your own cup day at 7-11 and living like half a mile
down the road, you already know we took advantage of that! Hahaha I'll
include pictures!

On Saturday morning, we got permission to go down to Tigard to help
Brother Rutledge paint his parent's house. It was a lot of fun! I'm
thankful for my parents giving me the opportunity to gain skills and
talents I can share with others! All that painting paid off dad!

My last day in Westview was tough. It brought tears to my eyes
multiple times. I'm going to miss this place so much. They have no
idea the influence they've had in my life. I am so blessed! I thank
God for sending me here to meet these incredible people. My last
lesson with Des was Sunday night. She said the most beautiful closing
prayer, it brought tears to my eyes. I will be back for her baptism
someday! I've met so many incredible individuals. It truly is home.

Even more comforting than Westview, or even my own home, is the
gospel. The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is my greatest home. The
best part is that this home travels with you wherever you go. My mom
and my sisters and Buster I had to leave. I had to let go of my home
in Woodhaven and now in Westview. But there is one constant. This
restored gospel is home. There is nothing that brings more comfort and
peace in this world than this restored gospel found in The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It brings true and eternal meaning
to the saying, "There's no place like home." I know this gospel is
true. The Savior is real. I pray that we will all do whatever we can
to come back to Him! After all, there is no place like home.

Have a good week!

Love,
Elder Hall

    

Last Pic! Marissa, Jordan, Asher and Ryan        Ryan and Corrin!  Love you guys!
with the photobomb
   
Des and the Rutledges                                              Me and my best friend Sam!

   
Eric!  I'm gonna miss this guy!                                   The Nichols Fam!

  
MTC Pals!  I'm gonna miss being around them!           The gang!

  
                                                                Me and my comp


   
Trying to look buff with my sleeves cuffed.   Bring your own cup day!


   

Elder Comish and I doing real missionary work!  Your favorite drop of blood, Elder Hall!

  
                                                              Me and my pal Elder Cedillo wearing the worst $150 pair of                                                                        sunglasses I've ever seen!

  

Westview!                                                Sam's fat head!

MOTHERS'S DAY

The best family history shirt I have ever seen!

Hey all!
I know what you're thinking, "Elder Hall you big dumb, you misspelled
Mother's Day." I promise it will make sense, you just have to read on!

A very happy belated Mother's Day to all the incredible women in my
life! Before I get to my thought, I'll give you guys a quick rundown
of my week! (Sorry fam, you pretty much heard it yesterday when I
Skyped home, but no one else did.)

Wednesday I was in the YSA Ward on exchanges with Elder Zimmerman! It
was so fun! We got to meet some CRAZY people. One guy preached to us
for a solid hour and a half about the Flat Earth Theory. He legit
thinks the earth is flat. No joke. What a guy though. Really nice.

Thursday we got to turn in our old car and get a new one! It's a 2017
Toyota Corolla! She's fire engine red, so we named her Rosie. She only
had 11 miles on her when we got her! I'm taking in every second
driving it because I know I will NEVER drive a car this new ever again
in my life. It's been so fun!

Friday we found a new investigator named Kaihli. She is so awesome!
She has friends that are on missions, but no one ever taught her about
the gospel! She was so pumped to learn about it! Too bad she's YSA so
we will have to give her away, but hey it was great!

Saturday it RAINED. Holy cow it rained and it hailed and it rained
again. You know it's bad when the parking lots become wading pools.
Then it hailed so hard it looked like snow on the ground! I took
pictures! It was nutso! We took some of the youth up to this little
diner and got shakes and fries. We had a ball!

Sunday was incredible! It was so fun to talk to my family! I was
relieved to find out I still fit in to that crazy bunch of mine. I am
so lucky I get eternity with them! My little kiddies are getting so
big, my siblings are happier than ever, my pup is healthy and happy
(though he was not happy with me still), my best pal is doing so so
good. I am so blessed! I have the greatest family. I love and miss you
all so much.

Now I get to my thought. I have one incredible mother. If you don't
know Debbie Hall, it is your loss. She's my best friend, my biggest
fan (she really is. She was known as Crazy Red at my football games),
my incredible, loving, sweet mother. To her I owe everything. To her I
would give everything to make her happy. She is my mom and I'm so
proud to be her son! As I sat yesterday pondering, I realized I have
lots of moms I need to pay tribute to. To all the incredible women in
my life, thank you. Only heaven knows the real influence you have had
in my life.

Proverbs 31:10 "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far
above rubies."
It's safe to say I am one rich man. Happy Mother's Day!

With Love,
Elder Hall

  

Shasta the supposedly ferocious dog.!        Post hail storm
She jumped right in my lap!



Skye call!!!

DON'T USE DUCT TAPE!

Hey everybody! This is going to be kinda long, but oh my heck it was a week.

Last Monday we didn't really have a P-Day because we were at the
seminary all day telling them about our competition! They officially
started Wednesday and they go until this upcoming Thursday, but man
I'm anxious to see what comes of it! They are really excited to be
doing it!

*Keeler family appreciation post*
I love the Keelers so much! Every time I type their name it corrects
to the keepers and man, that's the truth. They are keepers! Thank you
guys so much for being amazing! You mean so much to me. Thank you for
everything!

Tuesday is Pantry day and I just can't say enough about them over
there. I love them so much. They sure keep you on your toes, and you
have to watch for the old ladies that tell dirty jokes and hit on you,
but oh my gosh I love them! Tuesday night we went on splits and I went
with the Bethany Ward Mission Leader Brother Kunzler. We went to a
less active's address and it turned out to be a different guy. Well,
we pulled out the classic tracting approach and the guy was so
interested! We asked if we could come back and he said yes! I couldn't
believe it!

*Evans family appreciation post*
Oh my heck this family! I love you guys so much! Thank you for
everything you do for me! I'm going to have to make some trips out to
Texas someday! You guys mean more than you'll know to me.

Wednesday was amazing! We kicked off the MTC challenge at seminary and
had a ball! It was like 80 degrees and sunny all day. So glorious. The
problem with Oregon though, they don't believe in air conditioning. We
live on the third floor and our apartment was cooking! We came upon a
window A/C unit from probably the early 90s and decided to install all
90 pounds of it. A shoe rack, a toilet brush, a train whistle, 10
rags, 200 zip ties, a flashlight, duct tape, a piece of broken
plexiglass, and 3 half inch screws later, that thing isn't going
anywhere. I'll include pictures.

Thursday was eventful. Guys, I'm so stupid. Hahaha just wait.

After we finished up at the seminary building, we got a call from
Sister Franey asking us to walk the dogs because she was sick. I
couldn't wait! Grundel and Geneva are so fun! Geneva is the girl
version of my Buster Bluth. She kills me! We took them to the dog park
and they had fun playing while we talked to the other people there.
Most people in Oregon love their dogs more than their children, so it
was really entertaining. It kinda thunderstormed here... thunderstorms
are pretty rare in Portland, so when we heard they were in the
forecast we were pumped! We heard two cracks of thunder and saw one
bolt of lightning. What a storm! Hahaha it was a let down. Sports
night was after dinner and it was so fun! These kids have such a
special place in my heart. I love them so much I can't even explain.
I'm so blessed to know them!

Earlier in the day we got a call from Brother Kunzler saying his
friend's daughter was sick and they asked for a blessing. We went over
to their apartment, and there were Hindi gods everywhere (pretty
common here in Portland, there are Indians everywhere) so we knock on
the door and they let us in. They barely speak any English. We are
trying to describe to them a blessing. They were very nervous.
Finally, they tell us to go ahead with it. The vial of oil I carry
with me has a reputation of unscrewing in my pocket and spilling, so
last time I duct taped it together and thought, I'll just use my knife
to cut it whenever I need it next. So, not thinking, I whip out my
knife to cut this tape. And they go nuts. They thought I was going to
cut open their daughter or something. There was a lot of yelling in
Tamil by them and English by us. We are trying to calm them down and
assure them that's not what's going to happen. We finally convince
them we aren't there to kill their daughter. I anoint this little girl
and the second I say amen, she bolts. She hides in a closet. We can't
get her to come out. Lots of yelling in Tamil again. She finally
sticks her head out enough for us to lay her hands on her hand and
seal the anointing. And we get out of there. Many lessons were learned
that day.

Friday we got a call asking us to teach seminary. Of course we said
yes! I love teaching there so much! I hear there are careers in
teaching seminary in Utah... anyway, it was tons of fun. We had
interviews with President that day and he is so amazing. I love
President Ballard so much! It's going to be hard to say goodbye in
July. We had some good laughs and talked probably too long about
football. Then he taught me from the scriptures. It was an incredible
experience learning from him so intimately. I'll never forget it!

Saturday morning was awesome! We helped at the annual Bethany Ward Fun
Run. I was the best dancing crossing guard you've ever seen! It was
even more fun because the trial was still open, so more than just the
ward members were passing by. Some even joined in with me dancing! It
was a blast! Afterwards, we took an awesome guy named Asher to lunch
for his birthday! He is not a member, but has become good friends with
us. He told us he was taking us on an adventure and boy did he. He
took us to this incredible railroad trestle that is over 100 feet
high. After that, we stopped at this cemetery at the top of this hill
that overlooks the valley. It was beautiful! I'll include pictures!

One of the greatest truths restored in this dispensation is the
ability to receive personal revelation. But sometimes we ask, "How do
I know something is revelation, and how can I receive it more?"
President Ballard answered these questions for me. He said,
"Revelation is uncomfortable and inconvenient. It's 99% perspiration
and 1% inspiration." Revelation doesn't come because we want it to,
though the desire must precede it. Revelation comes to us because we
look for it. Joseph Smith went into that grove of trees in 1820
looking for an answer. He didn't sit waiting and wondering when God
would answer his question. It's the same for us today. Revelation is
essential to salvation, joy, and eternal families. So get on your
knees, ask God, and go to work. Then, and only then, your answer will
come.

I love this gospel. I love my Savior. I know He lives!


With Love,
Elder Hall

       
Selfie with Geneva!           A real Aston Martin! James Bond must have been shopping at Walgreens!          

    

Jordan and I have some killer shades!    Teaching Seminary in the OPM is the best!

    

                                                                                         The trestle.

    


      

  


    

  What a view!                                                                         Best bumper sticker ever!

   

The trestle!!!                                                             Me trying to be a muse from Hercules