6 months!!!

HOLY SMOKES. 

Well this week I completed six months here in the mission. Time seriously flies by. 

This week was a pretty good one I would have to say. We worked super hard and found the people we needed 

to find I honestly feel. 

Well let's start off with my new best friend Frank!!! Frank was contact literally 20 minutes after writing everybody 

last Monday. So in front of his house is like a park where everyone just throws all their trash, and for some 

reason he was burning all this grass there and all the trash. It was just black where he was cause he just set it 

all on fire. So I just was like this is cool--we're gonna go contact him. So we did. Come to find out he speaks 

more English than Spanish. He lived in Iowa for all his life, but for some reason he moved here. He's kinda a 

thug, and talks like one--its kinda funny. So we contacted him and asked if we could pass on Wednesday, and 

he said 'yes'. So we passed and taught him, and wow it was an awesome lesson. So we taught him the 

Restoration. He really liked it, but he can't understand when he reads in Spanish, so we got a Book of Mormon 

and a Bible for him in English. So the next time we stopped by to have a lesson with him, we talked about the 

Book of Mormon and at the end of the lesson I felt super prompted to invite him to be baptized. I know it was 

only the second lesson with him, but actually in predicad mi evangelio dice you should invite the first lesson. So 

we teach him half in English and half in Spanish. I invited him in English. Oh my goodness you guys--the Spirit 

was so strong--seriously. It was insanely hard to do. For some reason when I talk in English about the Gospel I 

always choke up and I don't know why--so I just talk in Spanish. But I asked in English, and he said 'YES'!! So 

we set a date for the 17 de abril. After the lesson I asked my companion if he understood what I said, and he 

said no, but he definitely felt something insanely strong when I asked him. No matter the language the Spirit is 

the same. We show up to church and he and his dad were there like 35 mintues before the meeting started! haha

So awesome. And in the Sunday School and Priesthood they participated a ton. So that is Frank.

We weren't able to have the baptism on Saturday due to the font, but its all good were going to have it this 

Wednesday. 

I will end with this story. So we ate with this hermana yesterday and her house was actually pretty nice. So we 

were eating rice, beans, cosala, and then KFC!!!! Goteem chicken wings. So greasy. So she has a Grandma that 

she takes care of and she has 100 years and she came out to eat as well. And she is so skinny. And she sat at the 

table and ohhhhhh baby. She started eating the rice and the beans and finished all that stuff kinda--more like two 

bites and got her eye on the chicken wing and the KFC.  Let me tell you--when she got a hand on that chicken 

bone she went to work. She was gnawing on that chicken leg like no other. I've never seen a 100 year old 

woman eat like this before. She seriously left the bone dry and literally had nothing on it. So she told her 

granddaughter she was done eating and she wanted to go sleep, and so she moved her to her bed. We go to 

leave, and where the grandma was sitting, on the floor was all of her food. Not sure how much made it into her 

mouth. haha It was a little sad but more funny haha.

Well I haven't talked about my Spanish in a while, but honestly its doing pretty good. I understand everything 

everyone says. My English is starting to fade away. Some words I have no idea how to say in Spanish, but then 

I try to think in English how to say it and I can't because I can't remember. My companion says my accent is still 

gringo, but its better than before,  and I don't sound totally gringo--so that's cool. I'm send a video of me talking 

and you can see a little bit of my accent. 

That's all I got for this week you guys.

Elder Hall

March 19th email

"For that reason I don’t believe missionary work has ever been easy, nor that conversion is, nor that retention is, nor that continued faithfulness is. I believe it is supposed to require some effort, something from the depths of our soul.

If He could come forward in the night, kneel down, fall on His face, bleed from every pore, and cry, “Abba, Father (Papa), if this cup can pass, let it pass,” then little wonder that salvation is not a whimsical or easy thing for us. If you wonder if there isn’t an easier way, you should remember you are not the first one to ask that. Someone a lot greater and a lot grander asked a long time ago if there wasn’t an easier way" -Jeffry r holland

Planchaaaaaaaaa.

But seriously, if it was never easy for Him why would we every think it would be easy for us? We can apply this to our life here in missions or in our regular life.

Well this week was a good one here in Caucel. We worked super hard and found some awesome new investigators. We got 6 this week I think--we had some of them in the Capilla and we set some fechas!!!!

Eduardo (eduardoso)--he wasn't able to be baptized on saturday cause he drank coffee in the morning. His daughter gave it to him, and his daughter isn't a fan of the missionaries or the church....

Oh my the testigos pasaron sabado en la manana, cuando estudiando, y vi ellos y dijo a mi companero "aye testigos estan aqui". y el dijo "chispas, es suyo" haha, and then my comp came to the door and the lady vio the plaque de mi companero and she literally started shaking ahahha. She was so nervous. Well we didn't get to plancha them, but two of investigators from the other areas have gotten baptized this week in their church. There's so many around here. And they do this little blitz every weekend. We could just destroy them if we really wanted with their own Bible, but I dont really like doing that.

We taught Paola and Wilbert two times this weekend, and so they were going to be coming to the Batism and church. The baptism got cancelled and then we passed by this morning for them and they weren't awake. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh my, listen to this. So we were just doing small talk before the lesson and Wilbert left the house, so it was just us, and I asked Paola how she met Wilbert, and she told me. Then I asked her how old she was, and she said (remember they have a 1.5 year old) 18. Then I asked and Wilbert, 17. Wilbert has a twin brother and his brother has a girlfriend that has a 2 year old, and so I asked his girlfriend, and Paola said 15!!!!! Bruh.

Its all good. So we taught them and then they fed us food (which is an awesmoe sign, if investigators feed you, they will be progressssssss) and we ate and it was stinkin' good. Then she asked about the church. For some reason I asked, 'Have you seen the temple--or the big white building in Merida?' She said, 'Yes!!!!' Then she said this--"We walked passed it, and I said to my husband (Wilbert)--that's where I want to be married!"

Wooooooooooohhhhhhhooooooooo. Oh baby--we were so pumped. We just have to wait 'til wilbert turns 17 and then they'll get married I think.

We were walking yesterday and a man stopped us on the street and he said that the misisonaries had taught him before a couple times. And then we talked with him for a while and I was like, 'Well, hermano tiene como quince o diez minutos que podemos compartir algo con usted.' We walked to his house and we taught him a lesson. And so he expressed his duda and told us he had some problems with some stuff. But the Spirit was so strong and he was super interested. and so i just got super strong impression to ask him if he wanted to be baptized, but im not very good at that yet so, I just said a little prayer in my head like 'Please tell my companion to ask or give him an impression', and I kid you not, the next think I knew was that my companion was asking him if he wanted to be baptized. So he's going to be baptized in a couple weeks!!!.

I've honestly learned a ton about myself this week. Some good and some that I'm still taking in. I know with every bone and every cell in my body that God has a specific plan for me. It was never easy for jesucristo, so why would I think it would be easy for me.

We were talking about Apostles yesterday and our experiences with Apostles visiting our wards. We were talking about this with a member. The Spirit was so strong. Seriously. Just testified to me that we honestly have Apostles on the earth today.

Well that's all I got for this week you guys. It is still bloody hot as can be. Today is just miserable its so hot. But I'm living so that's all that matters.

Elder Hall

March 12th email

Well im here in Caucel! Woohoo! 

I'm doing pretty good here.

We honestly don't have much here in Caucel. We have two investigators that are progressing. One is going to be 

baptized this Saturday. His name is Eduardo. He has a broken femur so he can't walk. Its been broken for like 

11 years he said, but doesn't have money to fix it. So he's in a wheelchair. But he said he can stand for a little. 

So my comp is going to baptize him--but it'll be interesting.

I'm feeling okay right now, but this week was a hard one for me. I'm trying to stay focused and keep working my 

tail off. I'm trying to be positive, and with the help of my companion I've been able to kee my mind off it a little. 

My companion is seriously awesome. We had a pretty awesome talk after receiving a pretty hard call from Presidente 

and we talked for like an hour. He shared some personal stuff that really touched me, and will definitely stick for a while. 

We get along insanely well, and we laugh and have fun with the work. 

We ate one day with food from a member. Her husband wasn't home so we took the food (it was hamburgers) 

and it was so hot this day, and here we don't have any shade, so we literally sat against a wall in this little spot 

and it was so hot.

Yesterday was Sunday, and I had my suit on and holy--I died. I was sweating so much. It wasn't just hot as heck, 

but it was humid as well. Look at the weather of Merida--just imagine the heat of Arizona (not kidding its like that) 

with humidity. 

We live in a tiny little house on the very last street in the Ciudad. All the houses here are the same except for this one neighborhood................ bien fresa!!!!!!!!!!!! We went there for comida one day and oh my it was so nice. I mean not 

like Stafford, but it was stinking nice.  I saw a brand new Stingray. I almost cried. jk haha   But I see Camaros and 

brand new Mercedes and Audis all day. It feeds my car addiction haha. We went to the clinic de Merida today for 

tests and I saw like a new Camaro. They're pretty sweet looking. And also a brand new Porsche Cayenne Turbo. 

I wanted to go talk to the guy but I cant speak car stuff in Spanish so I didnt. haha

Well I was reading in 2 Nephi (in the Book of Mormon) and its in chapter 4 versiculos 20-35. If you read it, its so 

powerfulllllll. I made this quote from these scriptures. 

"Quit feeling bad for yourself, and look to him, pray to him, and then change through him".

Thats all I got for this week. 

Love you guys. 

Elder Hall

March 5th email

Well the last week in Oxk was way too fast. I've been super, super sick. I haven't been throwing up too much,

but my diarrhea has been picking up. Presidente Villareal just kept offering me medicine, and I just kept telling 

him that I wasn't going to take his medicine. I'm not going to take medicine that I don't know or a real doctor 

prescribed me. And he was like 'Do you think I don't know what I'm talking about?'   I said, 'Kinda--honestly. 

'Cause you aren't a doctor and you don't know what it could do to my body.'

Well just like everyday I just have cramps all day. 

I got the pride talk from Elder Nuñez. It was definitely hard to take again again and again. It was our inventory. 

This was the basics--he told me that I didn't serve him or the members at all this past change. And that I never 

asked him if I could help him or the members, or never asked them to serve them. ZI interrupted him cause I 

couldn't take it anymore and I said,  'Elder, every time we eat at members' house who asks if we can help them 

with anything?'   And then I didn't let him answer and I asked, 'When in this cambio have you asked if I needed 

help with anything? From what I see all you have done is not follow the rules and tear me down and tell me I'm 

prideful and have no humility--just like all my other companions.'   He was silent. And I said, 'You know--its 

really hypocritical for you to say that.'  He didn't understand I said. Whatever--I got a new companion!!!!

My companion is elder Argueta. He's from Guatemala--not sure what part. I got transferred to Caucel 2. 

Its a small/mas o menos area in Merida. We have some people with fechas and some investigators. I don't 

know much about the area. But I'm pretty excited to start fresh with everything. They white washed Oxkutzcab--

which I think will be good. 

Well when the lideres de zona called us they told Elder Nunez the changes. They told him my changes first and 

he just started laughing when he heard. So after the lideres hung up, he called the missionaries of Takash which 

are Elder Olguin (my first trainer) and another elder, and I guess Elder Olguin and Elder Argueta were companions 

in the MTC.  When Eldre Nunez hung up the phone he just said, "well two prideful missionaries in Caucel. perfecto). 

I just laughed like it didn't bug me. So Elder Argueta and I talked about it and Elder Nunez I guess talked to Elder 

Argueta at the offices this mroning when we changed and said stuff about me--that I have a lot of pride and that 

its good cause were both prideful. Why cant people just be nice?  Nothing good comes from being rude. and when 

your rude you feel so horrible--so why do it???.

We just have been laughing aaout what people think about us all morning and its pretty fun. 

That's about it for this week. Hope all is well

Elder Hall

well the last week in oxk was way too fast. ive been super super sick. i havent been throwing up too much but my diahrea has been picking up. well presidente villareal just kept offering me medicine, and i just kept telling him that i wasnt goin gto take his medicine. im not going to take medicine that i dont know or a real doctor prescribed me. and he was like do you think i dont know what im talking abut, and i said kinda honestly. cause youre arent a doctor and you dont know what it could do to my body.

well just like everyday i just have cramps and just poop all day. 

well i got the pride talk from elder nuñez. and it was defineltly hard to take again again and again. it was our inventory. this was the basis. he told me that i didnt serve him or the members at all this past change. and that i never asked him if i could help him or the memebers, or never asked them to serve them. and i interupted him cause i couldnt take it anymore and i said elder everytime we eat at members house who asks if we can help them with anything? and then i didnt let him answer and i asked when in this cambio have you asked oif i needed help with anything? from what i see all you have done is not follow the rules and tear me down and tell me im prideful and have no humility just like all my other companions. and he was silent. and i said you know its really hipicritical for you to say that. and he didnt understand he said. whatever i got a new companion!!!!

well my companion is elder argueta. hes from guatemala. not sure what part. i got transferred to caucel 2. a small/mas o menos area in merida. we have some people with fechas and some investigators. i dont know much about the area. but yeah im pretty excioted to start fresh with everything. they white washed oxkutzcab. which i think will be good. 

well when the lideres de zona called us they told elder nunez the changes and they told him my changes first and he just started laughing when hee heard. and so after the lideres hung up he called the misisonaries of takash which are elder olguin(my first trainer) and another elder and i guess elder olguin and elder argueta were companions were comps in the mtc. and when eldre nunez hung up the phone ghe just said "well two prideful missionaries in caucel. perfecto). and i just laughed like it didnt bug me. and so elder argueta and i talked about tit and elder nunez i guess talked to elder argueta at the offices this mroning when we changed and said stuff about me and that i have a lot of pride and that its good cause were both prideful. punks i swear. why cant people just be nice. nothing good comes from being rude. and when your rude you feel so horrible so why do it???.

well we just have been laughing baout what people think about us all morning and its pretty fun. 

thats about it for this week. hope all is well

elder hall

Feb 26th email and pics

Well I'm sick again and its sucks--I got the double headed dragon. 

I asked Presidnte if i can go see someone in Merida that knows what they're doing.

Well this week was pretty slow, but it flew by and transfers are next week. I'm probably going to be transferred. 

We taught Alma this week only once, and we taught her how to recognize the Spirit.  And we read the scripture in Galatians that talks about the Fruits of the Spirit. When I told her that what she feels is the Spirit she said, 'Really??'

Well we invited her to be baptized again and she said she wants to be baptized, but won't commit to a date until she knows for sure that these things are for sure true. She wants to attend church, but she has to ask her parents. She's awesome. 

Well I gave a talk yesterday in Sacrament Meeting, and then I taught Priesthood. Half of our sacrament meeting was in Maya yesterday. One hermana doesn't know very good Spanish, so she bore a 20 minute testimony in Maya--it was pretty cool. Its pretty awesome when I can understand.

Oh my--I saw my first dead body in the Calle this week (actually yesterday). The guy was hit by a car and he was on his motorcycle. His helmet was like 40 feet from his body and he bike was like 15 feet from the body. Just face down and a ton of people were gathered around. It was pretty freaky..

Sorry for the short letter--I'm not feeling too good today and nothing exciting really happened this week. 

When we go to Yotholin (which is another pueblo) we always hitchhike cause its pretty expensive to ride in a combi. So we have been hitchhiking a bunch this week, and its pretty fun. People are pretty nice. 

Oh my watch--the video I send. We contacted this guy so that I could use the bathroom, and I asked where in was and he said in the isquina.  And I was like 'Where?...'   And I walk back there, and this is what was back there.... watch video. 

Elder Hall

'Who else is hungry????'

Well hello from the South America. I heard that there was an earthquake. I didn't feel anything. My companion said we wouldn't really be able to feel it cause its muy duro aqui en merida. Well, umm my Spanish is coming along pretty good I would have to say. My accent (my companion says) is coming as well. We're actually getting along a lot better, except when he uses my pan and doesn't clean it. :) 

We had a pretty good week here in Oxkuitzcab I would have to say. Our investigators are doing awesome and we had (for the first time) investigators go to church yesterday. We had 6 people go and 3 of them were a family!!! Fam Chab ix

Well let's first start off with our investigators and how they're doing:

Well we taught Alma only once this week, but it was such a good lesson. We taught with a member Alma. She's a returned missionary, and she came with us. We talked about the mandamientos, y dia de reposo. She asked about the imagines thing, cause all the people have them down here. We basically told her that they were breaking a commandment and she was like 'hmmmmm'..... like strange. It was a good lesson. She's going to Mutual Saturday with the young women. She doesn't feel prepared to attend church yet, but I think once she attends church she'll realize and know she got an answer already. She's awesome. 

Well then we have her cousins and aunts as investigators Tambien. The two sons and the mom are awesome. And the dad is a borracho. They are futuro miembros de la iglesia. Muy pronto. But I will say that I learned this week that alcohol destroys families. The minute you take a sip of alcohol you are basically telling your wife, your kids, and your husband (if you're a woman), that you could care less about them and your body. Literally Hermano Ucan is doing the same thing to his family. His wife can't do anything about it cause if she leaves with the kids he will do something to them. But Silvia (the mom) really wants to hear the lessons, and same with the sons, but the dad is always borracho and we can't teach when there's that.

Ohhhhh--my most crazy thing happened yesterday at church. More crazy than things in the past. And we had investigadores!!  We have a member that has mental problems--not big problems, but his brain and the wires in the brain aren't connected. And he is crazy. So we sing the closing song in sacrament meeting and he slams open the door and he says something I can't remember.  I'm playing the piano and I stop and I'm like oh shoot he's going to shoot up the capilla!! Get down!! ha (just now remembering that one video of the lady from a long time ago) haha   Hermano Chiu says the closing prayer and David Tzui was taking down the sacrament and Julio (the crazy guy) runs to the sacrament table, and yells 'I'm thirsty and I need the sacrament', and Presidente is like 'hermano usted es siempre bienvenido pero por favor be reverente'.   And Julio takes one of the water cups and drinks it (remember we have investigators in the capilla and everyone is just like frozen and straight up shocked and watching this all go down).   And he says "tengo hambre" and David was holding the bread tray with all the bread on it like about to dump it in the trash, and Julio grabs all the bread in the tray and shoves it all in his mouth, raises his hand in the air with the bread, and says 'Who else is hungry????'   Everyone was just like 'uhh', and he walked out of the capilla. 

Well he left for like ten minutes and while I was teaching Sunday School he comes barging in otro ves and I'm just like 'oh my goodness, please don't do anything more'.   I gave one of the teenagers (that is kinda the jock of the rama, and hes also kinda strong) kinda like the eye, like please do something.  And he got up and told him to leave--it was nice-- he didn't come back.  I have no idea what the hermano said to Julio, but he didn't come back.

Well there was a transmision de un conferencia de Elder Anderson ayeer en la capilla. We didn't go cause we went to another pueblo, but Julio showed up!!!!  He somehow got onto the roof of the capilla one night and there was mutual for the young women and he showed up and hopped on the roof somehow.  He's crazy.

Well the Fam Chab ix went to the capilla ayeer. And they are awesome. Its a family of four, but only one of the kids could go yesterday. The mom doesn't understand much Spanish, so starting this next week we're going to have a member translate for us in Maya. Its pretty awesome to hear. I can pick up some of the stuff they say, but it is wayyyyyyy difficult. 

We have two new investigators this week that are part family members. Its ninos and they are actually active this time. So they have a date for 3 de marzo.

Well we went to Merida on Friday for the multi zona, and it was pretty good. I met with Presidente Ruiz. and yet again it was an awesome interview. He's seriously so awesome. We mainly just talked about rules. He started out by telling me that he has come to realize that he's  naive when thinking that all his missionaries are following the rules. And every time he asks me who I have been companions with, and I tell him the same thing every time.  So we went through them and the areas, and then when I finish telling him, he just said "what a rocky start, huh?' hhaa. He's awesome . Well he asked my opinion on what kind of missionaries he has in the mission and I told him straight up. 

I said you don't have missionaries that follow the rules. I told him nobody does companionship study, nobody does language study, nobody ever does 12 week program. And then I started to ask him about the questions I had about movies, music and my ties. So first I asked about movies. And he said we don't watch movies here in the mission. I told him that I had a movie but it was about the church and he said nope no movies, and I said okay, I will be deleting it.  He just laughed.  And then I told him that we have missionaries her that have seen the new Superman and have all sorts of movies. I asked about music. and he said only hymns from lds.org and the Children Hymnbook, and I said that I was doing good with this, and then I told him that missionaries here have all sorts of music.   Then I put my tie on the table and I said 'What do you think about this?'  And he said, 'I like it a lot.'   It was my floral tie.  I said, 'That's all I have Presidente.'   He said,  'Elder Hall, you are probably the most honest missionary I have here in this mission'.   I love meeting with Presidente Ruiz. He gives me the motivation for the next six weeks. Its like the perfect amount of time.

Well all in all I would say that this week was a pretty stinking good week here in Oxkutzcab. I don't want to be transferred, but I'm thinking my time here in Oxk is coming to an end. Ambios are in two weeks so we got some time--we're still good.

Oh my--we just ate at a member's house and let me tell you--I thought we had some pretty racist people in the United States.  I would say that today was one the worst and most racist things I have ever heard. So horrible, but its all good--we got the expiacion and we can repent

Elder Hall

I love this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCH_s7BB3fs