Almost a Super Neat Experience

Doing work in the pouring rain!

Hello friends and fam! What a week it was here in Oregon. Lots of cold and rainy days this week. You know the saying, April showers bring May flowers? Well here in Oregon it doesn’t really stop raining. It’s just one big storm. The saying out here goes, the April shower brings the May shower. Haha! Anyway, I don’t have a whole ton to write home about this week. Hopefully I don’t disappoint. 

We went over to see Dana this week and she’s doing great! We are excited to go to the temple with her for baptisms at the end of this month! She is such an amazing lady that I am so honored and blessed to know.

Man, Wednesday was a LONG day. It rained and it rained. I really was not a happy camper. In such a small area as ours, you can’t do much when it’s pouring rain outside. So, to the doors we went. Anyone that knows me knows that I hate tracting with a burning fiery passion. But my comp was eager to do it, so I gave in. And what happens? The freaking last door we knock is a lady named Grace who was holding a bible study when we knocked on her door. She took a Book of Mormon and invited us back on Sunday. Unfortunately this didn’t turn out like a President Uchtdorf “fourth floor last door” story. She told us to not come back when we went over on Sunday. But hey, it was almost a super neat experience.

Thursday was a great day! We were on exchanges with the assistants. I was in Market St with my boy Elder Coombs and Elder Beck went to Murrayhill with Elder Hadfield. Coombs and I go waaay back! I love this kid so much! We spent the day in downtown Portland talking to crazy people. We met the sweetest yet CRAZIEST lady I’ve ever met in my life. Her name was Koy. She was unforgettable! We ate oranges and read the Book of Mormon with another unique woman. We taught a very large man about the law of chastity. Long story short, downtown Portland is freaking nuts.

On Friday I hit my 21 month mark! HOLY COW! I was pondering and looking back through the last 21 months and all that I’ve learned. YOW. God took a stupid kid and just loved and nurtured the heck out of me. And now I feel like I’m understanding more about His Son, the Atonement, and what faith really is. 

We were at dinner with the Luman’s and they are crazy. And I have permission from them to write that. Haha they are great! Sister Luman heard I had a beautiful voice so she made me sing her songs all through dinner. All I can remember at this point are hymns, so she had to settle for some Old Green Book instead of Old Blue Eyes. 

On Saturday we finally made it back to the Woodside’s again! It was like coming back home. We made a massive bonfire and played with the dogs and goats! I’ll tell you, that place is pretty dang close to heaven for me. Now all they need is a fishing hole and my Buster Bluth!

Well, that’s all I have for the week. I want you  all to know how much you truly mean to me. I feel your love and support bear me up when I need it most. Thank you in advance for all of the love, support, and prayers you have given in behalf of me and my family. I know this gospel is true. I know that the boy Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I love that knowledge so much, and I love all of you. I hope you have the best week this week!

With Love,

Elder Hall 

 

Me and my mission dog, Starlord.

Me and my favorite goat, Lucy

 

Trying to throw gang signs like the cool kids do

When you go to Safeway just to pee but you find a loaf of cheesy jalapeño bread for 99 cents. 

Batty Blood

Ridin' a pony! Declarin' the word!

Hey there everyone! It has been a beautiful spring week here in the good ol’ 503. Some beautiful sunshine, some terrific rain, and everything in between. Even though we have had an average week, I feel like I’ve been learning a lot. Missions are amazing that way!  

Wednesday was a beautiful spring day! We were on exchanges and Elder Gard was here with me in Murrayhill. I love that kid so much! We walked by a park with a little family playing on the playground. This little boy saw us and just took off running towards us. He was the CUTEST little boy with big buck teeth. “Hi! My name’s Kalayo. You guys wanna play?” Well, the rest is history. Haha that little boy. We would take turns, one of us teaching his mom Lo, the other playing with Kalayo and his sister Kianna. While they weren’t interested in our message, they were interested in being friends. After half an hour or so, Elder Gard and I learned that we don’t fit down slides too well anymore, and keeping up with a 4 and 6 year old is no easy task. (Bless you, Libby and Sophie). 

We also met an amazing woman named Diane that day! She is Jewish, and from New York. (All of you that know me know that Jewish New Yorker is like my favorite accent to imitate, so yes. I was in heaven.) She was so neat! She told us how impressed she was with the Mormon church, and had always wanted to learn more. She was thrilled when we gave her a Book of Mormon! Unfortunately, she was moving to Denver the very next day, so we weren’t able to come back and teach her. But we did get her phone number, and encouraged her to check out Temple Square when she drove through Salt Lake City. Her and her dog Johnny Depp were very kind. 

Thursday was also a success! From our plastic spoon tulips we made with the elderly, to the food pantry where we always get free milk. We ended up having dinner with the YSA missionaries, my pals Elder Boychuk (one of the  Canadians that I seriously love), Elder Moran, Sister Moore-Ferguson, and Sister Nielsen. It was a party! 

We taught James on Thursday as well. We invited him to be baptized and he said he would need to pray about it. He expressed how big of a commitment that really was, and how he was unsure. I think we might have to drop him soon, but I was so happy when he said that. Not because we would be losing our only investigator, but because he understands what we teach. Baptism is a big commitment, one that will bless you for the eternities. But it can also be a difficult thing for people to change the way they live to follow God’s commandments. I was grateful to know that even though we don’t have nations to teach, the times we do teach we teach well. 

Now this last story exhibits what is commonly referred to as the “Batty Blood”. For those of you that don’t know, my mom is a Batty, and the Batty family is known to sometimes be a little... passionate. It was Thursday evening and we were on a stroll through the park talking to everyone we saw. A nice old couple was walking down the trail so we stopped and told them we were sharing an important message about Jesus Christ and His church. Turns out they were very anti-Mormon. My favorite. Now, let me say this: I don’t care if you are against the Mormon church. I understand some people don’t believe what I believe. But that gives you no right to disrespect our beliefs, or the people that believe it. It certainly doesn’t give you any right to be a vilifying jerk. They started verbally assaulting us, telling us we were the vilest, most accursed, damned people to ever walk the earth. I told them they were very rude and that Christ and His followers never hated anybody. They began to slander the temple and the sacred things we do there. I told them they were being extremely offensive and disrespectful. We then told them we teach people the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to those that are ready to hear it. Boy, they didn’t like that. Then they crossed the line. They said that our prophet was a horrible man, the best of Satan’s servants, exemplifying the devil himself. I stood straight up. All 5 feet 9 inches of me. And I testified of the gospel and of our living prophet on the earth. They told me I was damned to hell, and I thanked them for the warning.

This gospel is true. This church is lead and governed by the Savior Jesus Christ and His chosen servants, the prophets. Russell M Nelson is a prophet of God on the earth today! There is no changing that fact. The Book of Mormon is the word of God and contains the vital doctrines of the Gospel of Jesus Christ required for returning to live with God again. I know I speak truth! This is the light, the way back to our Heavenly Father. 

I love you all so much. I hope you all have an amazing week!

With Love,

Elder Hall

Beav West Zone Frisbee day!

Rise Up O Men of God

Springtime!

Heyo fam! Happy belated Easter! I hope you all enjoyed your conference weekend! Happy birthday yesterday to two of my favorite people in the world, Maddie and Josh! I love you both so much! Man, what an amazing conference we had! President Nelson is a stud. This week wasn’t much, but still a gem!

Tuesday and Wednesday were filled with boring finding and lots of people saying no to us. You know, the usual.

Thursday was a good day. Crafts with the elderly at Canfield wasn’t terrible. We made bunny Easter baskets out of paper plates and they actually turned out not bad! Elder Hadfield and I are refining our crafting skills! Hahaha! We had a great time at the food pantry too. Martha is such a sweetheart!

We had interviews with President Bullen on Friday! It was so good to see him and be able to sit and talk about the Beav West zone and all my little kids as I like to think of them. I love these missionaries so much and I’m so blessed that I get to serve them as their zone leader.

Friday night we went and took Elder White and his companion to dinner! It was so fun catching up and seeing each other again. It was like we picked up right where we left off. I’m so grateful for the friendship I’ve gained all because of my mission! What a blessing!

Saturday and Sunday were just awesome days! Most of our ward was out of town for spring break, so we just watched General Conference on a tablet in our apartment. Saturday morning we had the Reedville elders over and we made breakfast and watched the morning session. It was a ton of fun! 

My favorite part of conference was in priesthood session, when President Nelson stood and spoke with great power. At the end of his address, he invited all bearers of the priesthood to stand as he called their office. Deacons, Teachers, Priests, Bishops, High Priests, Elders, Patriarchs, Seventies, Apostles. Once all were standing, he invited us to join and sing “Rise Up O Men of God”. It was a moment I will never forget! What incredible feelings of empowerment and love of God filled each of our souls. I know this gospel is true!

I love you  all so much, have an amazing week!

With Love,

Elder Hall 

Elder Hadfield and I after Priesthood Session

The Sons of Old PG

Me and Elder Eddleman, the PG boys!

Hey fam! It’s been a good week here in the 503. We’ve been talking to lots of people and having exciting adventures! The weather was wet and cold for most of the week, but Sunday was a beautiful spring day! Anyways, here is what happened this week!

On Tuesday morning an Elder in our zone needed to go to a doctor appointment in Canby (35 miles away) and he’s on bike, so away we went! Hadfield and his comp stayed in the area and this Elder and I made the trek down there. It was a long drive, but I didn’t mind. It’s good I enjoy driving and I have the patience to deal with Oregonian drivers! (After all, I was trained in Utah!)

Wednesday was zone conference! It was a great day of learning and the best part was that we didn’t have to teach anything! It was so nice to just sit back and enjoy the presentations rather than talking all day long. We played the traditional Jazzminton after lunch and it was a ton of fun! On the way home from zone conference, we got a flat tire. Well, good ol’ Fat Pat (the minivan) doesn’t have a spare, so we slowly drove down the highway to Les Schwab. After pulling out two nails and waiting about an hour, we were back on the road good as new! 

Thursday morning was a rough one at the senior center. The activities director decided to make Faberge eggs with paint, glitter, and stick on jewels. It was a mess. Glitter was EVERYWHERE. The residents were a mess and so were we! I guess it was ok though, because they all had a good time. Even Patricia! Later on in the day we were at the food pantry again and it was a ton of fun. I love food pantries!

Friday was a fun day despite the pouring rain! I was with Elder Eddleman, a new Elder out here in the OPM who happens to be from Pleasant Grove! We’ve never met, though we can talk PG to each other all day. We are both passionate about our little hometown so it was pretty fun to talk with each other! We taught our investigator James and he’s doing great! Reading and praying and asking such great questions! 

We also met with Dana on Friday night and it was so neat! We talked about family history and Dana shared with us some of their family’s stories. Her ancestors were slaves in the south. When slavery was abolished and the Civil War had ended, the government promised each freed slave 40 acres and a mule. Contrary to popular belief, that actually happened! Her ancestors really did receive 40 acres and a mule, which they still own today! Unfortunately the mule is dead though (don’t worry, I asked). It was pretty neat to hear about such amazing family stories!

Then Friday night happened. At about 9pm our phone rang. I picked up to hear a very distressed Elder White on the other end. His companion was having issues breathing and they needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible. We were the only elders close by that had a car to take them. We ran to the car and I don’t think I’ve ever driven so manically in my life. We flew down to their apartment and picked them up. I drove as fast as traffic would allow me to the hospital a few miles away. We waited until President Bullen arrived to sit with them and handle the situation, especially because we aren’t even their zone leaders. When it was all said and done, we got home at about 10:45pm exhausted and ready for bed. The good news is the poor Elder (who was a greenie, only out about a week) is going to be just fine, and just had a bad allergic reaction to some medication. 

On Saturday we spent most of the day up at the Woodside’s! They just make my day! It snowed on us and the trees we cut down put up a pretty good fight, but we enjoyed our time there nonetheless. I love that family so much!

Well, we are dying eggs as a zone today in preparation for Easter! I hope you all enjoy this week and look forward to General Conference on Saturday and Sunday!

With love,

Elder Hall

   

t tied my tie a little short         

            

They REALLY don’t like missionaries at this complex

There Were Goats and a Naked Guy

Me and my pal Schugk!

Hey family and friends!! You know, being a missionary in Oregon has brought me so much joy and so many crazy stories. Way more than I ever thought I would have! Stay tuned for that...

It was transfers this week!! Holy cow, transfer weeks as a zone leader are THE WORST. But the saying is true, there is calm before the storm. Transfers were on Wednesday, but Monday and Tuesday were semi normal!

On Monday we went as a zone to a new nature park and found a weird little pond we hung out at for the day. It was fun, I’ll send some pics!

Tuesday was pretty good. We taught our investigator James again and it was so good this time! We didn’t bring a member with us this time and Donald Trump wasn’t mentioned, so we actually were able to have a good lesson without it crashing and burning. We read the Book of Mormon and promised him some pretty neat blessings. He’s such a good dude, I really enjoy meeting with him. Not to mention his hobbies are football and fishing! 

Wednesday. Oh my goodness. It was just a whirlwind! Because we drive a minivan we ended up hauling a lot of stuff. I’m talking like, not being able to see out of the windows stuff. It was kind of ridiculous. After 7 hours of driving and 130 miles later, we finally got home at 10pm. It was good to see some old friends again though! Elder Mobley and his companion Elder Osterhout went to dinner with us and it was good to catch up with my old pal! Man, we’ve been through a lot together!

Thursday was a lot of post transfer aftershocks. We did a lot of running errands and getting people settled in. We did go serve at the Murrayhill pantry and it was so much fun as always! Martha and Sy Cook are some amazing people whom I’ve come to love very much! 

Friday was MLC and it was so much fun! MLC is always good food, good friends, good laughs, good spirit, good everything! Elder Hadfield and I had to do a little training and it went super well! One of my favorite parts was something President Bullen said. He said, “We don’t go up, we don’t go down, we go forward.” I think this principle can apply to so much in today’s world! What a great little nugget of wisdom.

Oh man, Saturday was seriously the best day I’ve had in a very long time!! I pulled some strings and we made our way up to none other but Dan Woodside himself!! I have missed the Woodside family so so much. To see Dan, Melissa, Peter, Megan, Addie, Grady, Starlord, and my goats again was just the best thing ever! The second we walked in that little Addie grabbed my hand and we went off to play just like old times. AH my heart melted I love that little girl so much! We had a manly day up there with Dan, cutting down trees, splitting wood, building a bonfire, and herding the goats. It was heaven!

Then yesterday happened... Haha oh my gosh you guys. So there we were, enjoying a beautiful Sunday morning. I’m reading the Book of Mormon when I hear grunting and yelling from outside. There’s a nice little green space outside our apartment so I’m thinking it’s just some guy playing with his dog or something. But then the more I listened, the more I realized it was very aggressive. I got up and walked over to the back porch. There was a man grunting and yelling and thrashing out on the grass right outside. He continued to scream and yell and thrash around. Then in the 40 degree weather, he took off all of his clothes. And then proceeded to jump into the blackberry patch. That kinda sealed the deal that home dog was on some serious drugs or possessed, or both. The freaky part was that out of nowhere hundreds of crows came and started surrounding him. We never see crows here. I called 911 (for the 5th time on my mission now) and the police and paramedics soon showed up. It took 5 fully grown men to cut away the blackberries, drag this guy out, wrestle him to the ground and sedate him (all while this guy is naked mind you). The police came over and thanked us for calling it in. And then I sat down and enjoyed my breakfast. Haha it was insane! 

Well, despite this crazy week I felt something very strongly. I KNOW God is aware of each one of us. If you don’t believe me, just ask Him. The power of His Son is real, and through Him we can repent. The opportunity to repent is a glorious positive that should never be passed up. I love my Savior Jesus Christ!

I hope you all have the best week, enjoy the springtime!

With love,

Elder Hall

 

Resting with Starlord and Grady after a hard day’s work! 

Dan told me the next time I was there I would be in a minivan... and he wasn’t wrong!

 

Beav West Zone!

                                                          

Me, Elder Hadfield, and my pal Elder Anderson!

                                                                                    

  

Me and the squad last P-day        

Trying to look tough in that shirt...

Seussical the....cultural event

March 13, 2017.  It was sunny last year too!

Hello from the beautiful bright spring day in Oregon! It’s seriously one of the most beautiful days of the year today. I’m grateful for a little sunshine! I’ll be honest, I really don’t remember a lot that happened this week so it probably isn’t very exciting. I do remember we did a lot of running people around, getting them to doctor appointments and other things. 

On Friday we had a great lunch meeting with President Bullen and our stake president as well! We had a delicious lunch and pulled great action items for this upcoming transfer. Speaking of, Elder Hadfield and I will be staying in Murrayhill for another transfer! We are pretty excited, especially since we are finally getting a little traction here. It should be good!

Friday night we got permission to go see the play Dana’s kids are involved in! it was Seussical the Musical and you know, it was good! They did a pretty great job. It was the most diverse play I’ve ever seen that’s for sure! Who knew a Hindi Gertrude McFuzz would work so well? Not to mention the Chinese Mr Mayor and Greek Jojo. All in all we counted seven different ethnicities! And there was only 20 in the cast! Haha it was pretty cool.

This week warrants one of my favorite quotes! It’s from Delbert L Stapley, of the Seventy: “Good habits are not acquired simply by making good resolves, though the thought must precede the action. Good habits are developed in the workshop of our daily lives. It is not in the great moments of test and trial that character is built. That is only when it is displayed. The habits that direct our lives and form our character are fashioned in the often uneventful, commonplace routine of life. They are acquired by practice.”

I love you all so much, have a fantastic week!

With love,

Elder Hall

P.S. Happy Birthday to Libby this week! I love you sister!

P.S.S. Sorry, no pictures this week :( 

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 

   

      Our zone at the Tualatin Hills Nature Park for P-day

    

                Getting in touch with my inner Oregonian 

    

                      Me and Elder Hadfield at a lake