Elder Bridger Hall: Romans 8:31

I love this happy face! My boy laughing in the woods!

An Oregon hello to everyone this week! I hope you had an amazing week! I know we sure did. I can’t believe it’s March already! That’s absolutely nuts! Time is flying by and there’s no stopping it. We had a week full of ups and downs, but thank goodness it was mostly ups!

First of all I just want to say how proud I am of Beav West! We’ve been going above and beyond these last few weeks and it’s so awesome! They are a bunch of hard workers and we are seeing dividends! It is a humbling responsibility to have stewardship over them. I always feel honored to serve them!

Wednesday morning was just so so good. We got to spend the morning at the temple. The spirit was a very tender love from the Lord. i felt a lot of peace! We hit up MOD Pizza after (temple trip tradition) and had a great time with the elders in our zone. I’m just so grateful for the spirit we can feel when we go to the House of the Lord!

If you guys remember Shaun from my email last week, we came out of the temple to a text from him on our phone saying he didn’t want to meet with us anymore. We were devastated to say the least, especially because he was so prepared. We haven’t been able to get in contact with him since. I genuinely hope he comes around and calls us back sometime. That guy felt the spirit, I know he did.

On Thursday we went on exchanges with the assistants. Elder Hadfield went to Market Street with Elder Beck and Elder Coombs came to Murrayhill with me! To say I was excited is an understatement. Coombs and I are very dear friends and always have a great time together! We did a lot of laughing in that 24 hours.

We hit up the Canfield rest home and did our weekly craft with the elderly. It went pretty well! We didn’t have one leave and everyone actually finished. Pat was still a grouch, but that’s ok! I’m pretty sure she’s warming up to me. We went and served at the Murrayhill Christian Church and their food pantry as well! They are so awesome over there and I always enjoy helping out. And I mean they give us free milk every week in return for our help and that just rocks because milk is FREAKING EXPENSIVE.

We taught a new investigator named James this week and it was great! He is so willing to read the Book of Mormon and find the answers to life’s questions that he has. We are excited to keep meeting with him!

Friday was a good day as well! We visited some members of the ward having a hard time and it was so good to feel of their strong spirits. One member we have been seeing every week has had a hard 2018 already. Since the new year, he’s lost his wife, his job, and his dog has cancer and has to be put down this week. Sorrow is palpable in that house, but so is the joy of the gospel. It is a unique experience that impresses on my heart every time we go over.

My sweet Peggy Jo in the ward is doing awesome! Her health is improving and she is able to move around a lot more now! She hopped right out of her bed like a spring chicken when we went over I couldn’t believe it! The gospel is present in her countenance and that is such a neat thing to witness. I love it so much.

Saturday was our day of service! Earlier this week a family in the ward had a pipe burst in their front yard. Of course it was the pipe that was like six feet underground, but they dug down and eventually got it fixed! The next day the father of the family had to go on a business trip and his wife and young family were left with a giant mound of wet clay (it ain’t dirt here in Oregon). We went over and got REAL muddy, but we got it all put back in the holes! It was actually a ton of fun.

Later that day we went to a Referral’s house and did some yard work for this guy. He ordered us a pizza and afterwards we were able to teach him and get a return appointment! It was pretty cool and a lot of fun. I also learned that I HATE the biggest craze in Oregon right now: soda water. It’s freaking nasty. I don’t know how people drink that stuff.

Ok last thing I promise! The other night we were talking to this guy in his driveway that was bringing groceries in from his car. The house he was staying in was an AirBnb, which is kinda like renting a house but not. I don’t know how to explain it, but there’s people staying there frequently. He says he doesn’t want a Book of Mormon, but we ask him to put it in the house for the other people at least. He isn’t down to do it. Well, he grabs groceries from the trunk of his car and walks in the house. As soon as he’s inside, I stick a Book of Mormon in one of the bags and tell Elder Hadfield to run. We run to the car and drive away just in time to see him look in the bag. It was classic! Kinda sad when this is the humor highlight of your week... Oh well!

You know, usually I try to end on a spiritual note, so I’ll try to end real fast. The Book of Mormon is true. It is the most important message you can hear today. There is literally nothing more important than hearing its message and heeding its counsel. Don’t be ashamed, don’t be afraid to read it. Share it with others. Romans 8:31.

Love you all, have an absolutely wonderful week!

Love,

Elder Hall