Elder Bridger Hall: Umkehr

Hello world! I have SO much to talk about this week, and I’m so excited to tell you all about it! First things first, I know my subject for this week looks like gibberish, but stick with me to the end of this email and it will make sense!

First of all, Elder Lott has finished his mission and will be returning home shortly. It has been so much fun being his companion! I’ve gained a lifelong friend. He has shown me a lot, and taught me many things. I am so grateful for him. I will see you soon enough my friend!

My new companion is Elder White! He is from Highland, Utah and we were in the MTC together! He has never been a zone leader before so I get to show him the ropes. I’m so excited to be his companion! We are going to convert nations!

This last Tuesday, President Bullen told us we needed to attend a meeting with him that night, so we threw on our suits and went to the stake center. At the Meeting was all of the Milwaukie Stake bishoprics, the Milwaukie Stake Presidency, President Bullen, and Elder Blunck, the Area Seventy. The meeting was about the efforts to rescue less active Melchizedek Priesthood holders. As the Milwaukie Stake, priesthood holder numbers are some of the lowest in the United States.

It was an amazing meeting! As Elder Blunck taught, he said, “I will now do a demonstration on how you should teach these brethren. Elder Hall, will you be my companion?” I tried to look cool and collected, but I just got asked to role play off the cuff with a freaking general authority in front of my mission president and all of our member trust for our whole zone hangs in the balance. I said a prayer in my heart and then went up and proceeded to teach with Elder Blunck. By the end, the spirit had entered into the room so fully, it was almost tangible. After the meeting, President Bullen said he was very proud and impressed. I was so grateful!

On Wednesday I had the opportunity to give a blessing to sweet Sister Huggard, a sister in our zone who I also happened to go to high school with. I am always so humbled and honored when I get to be the Lord’s mouthpiece for someone else.

Wednesday night we taught our investigator Austin! We planned to teach the Word of Wisdom, which teaches us to refrain from coffee, alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, and tea. We got there right as he arrived home from work so he was just moving a million miles an hour. He invited us to sit down while he got some things put away and such. When he came back to finally sit down, he had a big cup of hot tea in his hands and he went on to rave about how much he loves tea and how he couldn’t live without it and how he just spent like $150 on some tea. Elder Lott and I looked at each other with eyes I’m sure the size of dinner plates, but we both knew we needed to move forward. We taught the Word of Wisdom. At the end, Austin said he couldn’t give up tea. We were devastated, but we asked if he would just continue to read his scriptures and come to church for now. He said he would. Then he said the closing prayer. He asked God to give him the desire to give up tea, and to help all of the investigators and members that struggle with the Word of Wisdom. He asked for strength to keep the commandments, because they were true and from God. We were blown away. I’ve never in my life heard such a sincere prayer. I was almost emotional. I’m excited for Austin to be baptized on the day he chose, December 30th!

The hospital called us on Saturday and let us know of a patient requesting a blessing. When we walked into the shared room, we met a nice woman named Cassie who had just suffered a stroke the day before. As we sat and visited, her fears and anxiety were raw. Her biggest fear was passing away and leaving her 15 year old son behind. I went back to the time a few years ago when my own mom was in the hospital on the verge of passing away. It was a scary time. We gave her a blessing of healing and of comfort and reassured her she would be ok, and that her boy would have his mom still. Elder Lott had to use the restroom on our way out of the hospital so I sat down nearby and prayed with all my heart for her son. I knew how he was feeling. I had been there. I asked God to be there for him, just as He had been there for me. And I know He will.

Last night we had dinner with a member of the ward named Kylee and her family. She just returned from a mission in Germany and made us the most incredible German food ever! It was amazing! Not only that, she had invited her non member friend and we taught her! She is coming to FHE tonight! We are pumped! We taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and Kylee told us the most amazing thing ever. In Germany, the word for repentance is “Umkehr” pronounced oom-keh-r. The literal translation of umkehr is to turn around, or change. In fact, the word umkehr can be see on many street signs in Germany.

I have been seriously pondering how profound that word really is. When Christ visited the people in the Americas in the Book of Mormon, he said, “Repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me” (Moroni 7:34). Christ never turns His back on us, but He won’t come to us either. It is completely up to us individually if we come to Him. It is our conscious effort and desire to umkehr, turn around, and place ourselves closer to Christ. We do that not by just making good resolves, but by making righteous choices. I know there are physical and spiritual blessings as we umkehr to Christ. I invite you all to get your own umkehr on this week, and see the miracles that result! I would love to hear your experiences, feel free to shoot me an email!

Bridger.hall@myldsmail.net

Love you all, keep up the good fight! Have an amazing week!

With love,

Elder Hall