No Better Way to Celebrate Christmas

Yesterday we attended a meeting with our stake President in Brisol Virginia. Sister See, and I, as well as our Zone Leaders: Elder Macdonald and Elder Frederick were able to share and talk about the needs of our zone here in the Kingsport Stake and correlate our efforts with those of the leaders of the stake. After talking about the problems and concerns of dozens of people we wrapped the meeting up and President asked us if there was anything else we wanted to talk to him about. We told him there wasn't but thanked him for being willing to meet with us on Christmas Eve. His response floored me: "I can't think of a better way to celebrate the Christmas season than by being on the Lord's errand." Ummm okay! I want to be a disciple like President Bauserman, he is the man! And I completely agree with what he said! There is no better way to be celebrating Christmas this year than by being on the Lord's errand, by being a missionary in the great TKM! I am so grateful!!!!!! 

Yesterday at Christmas Eve Church our Bishop and his wife spoke and did a wonderful job reminding us about the reason for the season and the reason for life: Jesus Christ. Our Bishop's wife referenced a talk by Elder Causse (who also is the man!) called, "Preparing a Place for the Lord." In it he talks about how our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was born and raised in simple circumstances but that will not be the case when He returns. He then asks us to reflect on how we can prepare "welcoming places for Him for the day He returns." And he offers us four suggestions of how we can best prepare. I want to outline these four suggestions and share stories along with them.

1. Go to the Temple.
I briefly mentioned last week that we had plans to go to the temple this week. Well 2:00 a.m. Thursday morning that is exactly what we got up and did! We slept in a sweet member couple's car for four hours down twisty turny roads all the way to Columbia South Carolina. A recent convert, the half-footed vet, was there as well and he said that he didn't fall asleep until 1:00 a.m. because he was so excited! We were able to do 20 of his family names. 2 of which were his parents. His remark after being baptized and confirmed for his father was: "There is no word in the English language to describe the way that I feel right now, I am so warm and tingley, and I know that he and the Holy Spirit were right there with me." He also said that walking into the temple was like "walking into heaven." It was incredible to be a part of this lifechanging experience for him. Sister See and I were able to take his mom, and a female relative from 1859 whose name was Nancy and do their initiatory and endowment. It was such a privilege, and such a sweet experience to be proxy for a woman who shares the same name as my sweet mama. No coincidences on that one! It was also really important for me to be able to go and add names to the prayer roll. Both people I have met out here as well as people that have reached out to me and told me that they write my name on there each time they go. Thank you! What a great way to prepare for Christmas and prepare for Christ! Elder Causse says it best when he says: "One of the best ways we, as His disciples can prepare for His Second Coming is to go regularly to His holy house and bind ourselves to Him through sacred covenants." 

2. Prepare Your Home
My family, oh my sweet family. Talking to them today was such a long-awaited and counted-down to time! Ugh I just love them, I cannot even adequately express how much I love them. I am so grateful for the way that they have prepared our home so that the Spirit could be there and that I could learn all that I did so that I could use those experiences to prepare for my time as a missionary here in Tennessee. I am grateful for my companion Sister See and our sweet little apartment here on Fairgrounds Rd. that we have made our temporary home. I am grateful for the Spirit that resides here and the many things that we have learned together, and experiences we have shared. Saying see you later to her this upcoming Wednesday is something I am partially dreading because I am so grateful for her example and friendship. However I am also very excited to hear all about the adventures that await her as she heads home and heads to BYUI (we have a running bet that she will be married by November 18, why that date, I don't even remember but a trip to Hawaii is on the line and the way I see it it is a win-win either way!). But I also want to mention my gratitude for the many homes that have been prepared to welcome us into as missionaries, both by members and non-members alike. Southern hospitality is so real as is the Christmas Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. People have been so kind in reaching out to us and inviting us into their homes. I am so grateful for my Greeneville family, and my Greeneville home. Elder Causse said that "Our homes need not be spacious or luxurious. A humble dwelling, centered on the gospel and filled with caring family and friends, would make Him happy." I know that the homes that I have been in make Him happy and they make me happy, and they make my family happy knowing I am taken care of and looked after.

3. Gather the Elect
Oh boy, where to even begin? We are currently working with some amazing people right now that I love and care about and truly think they are elect. There is an almost 9 year old girl in the ward that comes weekly, but was never given a name and a blessing, or baptized but is ready to be. She reads her scriptures each night and is able to tell us about what she has read. She prays nightly and helps her siblings pray as well. We love her, she is such an example to us!
We also are working with the above mentioned recent convert that went to the temple with, his nephew. Who has been reading the Book of Mormon and wants to be baptized, when that time comes hopefully in February his sweet uncle will be able to perform that ordinance which is just so amazing to think about!!!!! I could ramble on and on about this one, but I think it will suffice to say that as I think of the past year from the time that I was sitting in Mexico getting ready to head to Tennessee, to sitting in Tennessee now, I reflect on the hundreds of people I have met and how many of them are an inspiration to me. There are elect all around us and we are the Lord's instruments in bringing them closer to Him, through membership in His Church. Elder Causse describes how apostles and disciples of Christ have: "relentlessly spread the gospel." We all can do that, with or without the tag we can live what we know and share what we believe by our examples and our choices.

4. Help Those in Need 
Here it comes, my weekly schpill on Light the World. Oh my goodness what a perfect way to help those in need! The 25 ways over 25 days campaign has been incredible to be a part of. Hearing about the outreach of those who have participated has been incredible. I want to share one such story that struck me nice and deep this week. Our ward has set up in the foyer what they call an "angel tree" where they hang paper angels, labeled with items needed to provide Christmas for local children. Normally they reach out to families in the ward, but this year those that were asked to be recipients declined. So the Bishopbric thought, maybe we won't do it this year. But they continued to think and received the prompting to reach out to the community. They went to local schools and were able to work with them to provide Christmas for 8 local children that otherwise would have had no Christmas. This story is touching already but the stipulations for the gifts is what tore at my heartstrings. Ward members were told that absolutely no receipts could be attached to the gifts and if at all possible there should be no indication as to where the gifts had been purchased because "the parents will try to go exchange the gifts to get drug money" oh. my. goodness. My heart shattered to bits when I heard that. There are so many in need, I am humbled to say I had no idea how needy some people even inside the United States, I know it isn't unique to Tennessee, there is darkness, drugs, grunge, hoplessness, and despair in each and every state, community, and city. Christmas is a time when we can do our part to help alleviate some of those burdens, yet how much better would it be if we could continue to reach out year round. That's why I am grateful for tithes and offerings, because that is how we as a Church reach out year round. I also really appreciate the way that the Light the World campaign emphasizes that there are spiritual needs as well as temporal. I am sure we all know someone who could use a spiritual boost, both today and tomorrow, and in the future I know that there will be people placed in our paths that we need to impact for the better. I know from personal experience that the Lord needs us to be ready to minister to His struggling children "at all times, in all things and in all places." (Mosiah 18:9).

As we do so we will find that in helping our brothers and sisters around us we will really be helping and serving our Brother Jesus Christ. The hymn "Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" puts it best:

’Twas night; the floods were out; it blew
A winter hurricane aloof.
I heard his voice abroad and flew
To bid him welcome to my roof.
I warmed and clothed and cheered my guest
And laid him on my couch to rest;
Then made the earth my bed, and seemed
In Eden’s garden while I dreamed. …
Then in a moment to my view
The stranger started from disguise.
The tokens in his hands I knew;
The Savior stood before mine eyes.
He spake, and my poor name he named,
“Of me thou hast not been ashamed.
These deeds shall thy memorial be;
Fear not, thou didst them unto me."

I know that our Savior lives, we can prepare our lives and ourselves to welcome Him and we will find that as we do so light will enter our lives and a happiness and true joy unlike any other will be ours as we are "on His errand."

I am so grateful for my life and they way I am living.

I am grateful for each of you and wish you the Merriest of Christmases.

Merry Christmas, and Feliz Navidad Y'all!


Love,
Hermana Hall

Spanish or Hair Dye

Ah man this letter is going to start out with a funny story. So we were in Walmart handing out Light the World cards, and we have had a goal to hand out 50 Spanish cards, because we have 500 and y'all I'm not even sure that there are 500 spanish people in this town. But we are bound and determined to hand 50 out. So we are always on the lookout, and so we were at Walmart talking to these girls and they were really sweet, and both accepted cards. Immediately after we talked to them Sister See said "I saw a Spanish guy walk by and so we take our cart and go hauling around the corner and she says "He's right over there!" and I stop in my tracks and squint and turn at her and say, that's not Spanish that is just bad hair dye. It was a guy who had a major spray tan and really bad black hair dye, he was definitely not Spanish but we really tried to make him be! We are trying our hardest to find them. 50 cards or bust by Christmas.

Other than that this week was a really solid week. I want to share three highlights.

ALLEN: I was able to see her at Zone Conference and it was sooooo great! Honestly the best Christmas gift ever. It was like reliving the time she came into the mission and President Griffin announced we are going to be companions and I went and nearly tackled her wirh excitement. The moment that I peeked around the corner and saw her standing there I jumped and ran and nearly tackled her again. Oh it was so exciting. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have had some incredible companions that I am so happy to have known and learned from and that when we see each other it really is like seeing an old friend because that's what they are such good friends forever!!!



LIGHT THE WORLD: I heard from my family that they are participating in light the world initiative, and that made my entire week! My mom handed out some cards from the local sister missionaries, they have a banner countdown and talk about it every day: what the daily service challenge is and how they are going to do it. My grandma also is participating which I am so happy about I love hearing the ways that y'all back home are serving the Lord and lighting the world. So keep it up!!!! It makes my day each time I hear about the amaxing things that you do on a daily basis. It helps me realize that my mission won't end because I can still do the same things that I love doing out here, reading my scriptures, sharing my testimony, praying for others, serving people, talking to people and doing what Christ did. That is something that Sister See has taught me. She goes home three days after Christmas but I know that she is going to continue being a missionary, continue those habits, and it isn't going to be an adjustment, it is going to be a transition, a new her in an old world.

TEMPLE TRIP: we are planning on going to the temple with a recent convert this week and we are so excited!!!! We get to go to the Columbia South Carolina temple. Helping him find 20 family names and hearing him say "I'm so excited to be baptized for my father he was my best friend." It was one of those experiences I will never forget and definitely tell my kids about in the future. This guy is a veteran who has half a foot, no knee cap, is missing some fingers and is such a stud! He began investigating the church because of a friend had in the navy he said that he was always so happy and didn't ever take part in any of the other normal weekend activities that they all would go to. When they were all hung over and hating life this guy was so happy and took care of them. It was his example over 40 years ago that lead to his conversion. So never ever EVER underestimate the power of your influence it might take 40 years but you will change lives.

It was a great week and I am so grateful for the chance to be here at this stage of life. I want to apologize that this is probably the worst group email so far in my mission. We have been running and gunning today and I haven't had any time to write. But I hope you all have a great week and a very Merry Christmas I'll talk to y'all (and see my fam next week!!!!)

Love,
Hermana Hall 

Running and Gunning

Before I address the title of this letter. I want to talk about the Light the World service challenge for the day. "I was a stranger, and ye took me in." -Matthew 25:35. I like the suggestion that says "Has a stranger ever done something nice for you? Determine a way to pay the kind act forward." I don't believe I ever shared the following experience that happened to Sister Jacobson and I when we were in Rockwood. It was at the end of a pday and we were pulling back into the driveway after a Walmart run when we get out and here this pssssssssssh sound and see the rapidly deflating... great... much to my own discredit I had never changed a tire before so I didn't have a clue what to do... Jacobson, didn't either. Ugh. We hurried and took our groceries into the house and then looked at each other and asked "what are we going to do?" Jacobson looked at me and said, we are going to pray and then try to figure it out. So that is what we did. Luckily we weren't stranded out in some country road in the middle of no where, we were right outside of our house. And a ward member and his family were coming to pick us up for dinner and a lesson. But we were still feeling a little desperate especially after calling the priesthood leader of the family and letting him know what was going on and he seemed a little frazzled on the phone and we weren't sure if he even heard us explaint the predicament we were in. So we decided to try it on our own. We took all of the stuff out of our trunk and go the spare out and the jack, and took it around to the side and were crouched down trying to put the jack in the right place when down the street walks this guy. As he gets closer we see that he has ripped baggy jeans, shaved head, tattoo sleeves, gauges in his ears and is otherwise kind of scary. In my former life I would've thought he was creepy, but I've repented and changed the way I see people and so had my companion so as he walks by we both smile and wave and yell "Hi how are you?" and he nods and says fine thanks. Now in my mind I was pray pray prayingggg that he would come help us, I'm sure Jacobson was as well. But he didn't he walked right past us. Two girls, in dresses, trying to change a tire, faking their way through it. In my mind I was like "ah dang it, we really are on our own in this."

But then came the miracle.

The guy walked two driveways down from us and then turned around adnd sauntered up to us and said, "Y'all need any help?" We look at each other and at him and nod and say "....Yeah... we have NO idea what we are doing!" He proceeds to help us, and talk to us. He explained how to replace it, why you need to loosen and tighten the lugnuts diagonally, and that we couldn't drive on the spare for too long or at high speeds... He not only helped us, he taught us. And of course we taught him a little too, we talked to him about missionary work, he wasn't really religious but we were able to bear a simple testimony to him about Christ and he accepted a card with our info on it. He turned to us as he was finishing up and said "You know I had a feeling I needed to come back... and it's been a while since I have done something nice for someone..." That warmed our hearts. And even though when he stood up, drugs dropped out of his pockets and he snatched them up and we pretended like we didn't notice, it didn't matter. You know why? Because he added some light into our day and we added some to his. And it wouldn't have otherwise been there. You can't change people like you can change tires. No it's not possible to change people. People have to choose to change themselves. However service is the best way to inspire change. Because service makes you feel good, and it is a pure kind of good. I would bet you big bucks that the feeling of doing a good deed that our tattooed friend felt was stronger and purer than any drug that he took later that day or week. You know why? Because lasting happiness comes from service. The world offers fake man made and evil inspired happiness that doesn't last. It might make people feel "good" but it is fake good. The good that was felt on that day that he turned around and helped two sisters out, still feels good months later. Everytime I reflect on that experience it warms my heart. He was a perfect stranger, we were perfect strangers, but he stopped to help. And it was a modern day good Samaritan. The tattooed Samaritan.

I don't know if I'm going to be able to pay that exact deed forward, but I hope that I can somehow some way today, tomorrow and forever be able to stop and help a brother and sister in need, even if I seem unqualified or uninterested that I can prove them wrong and help a stranger. Because are we really all strangers anyway???

Ok real fast to wrap up... This past week is summed up in "running and gunning" it was one of those weeks where all our plans fell through. But something I have learned is that the reason we make plans is to give the Lord something to work with. Sometimes He makes it seem like all those plans get swept away but really it is Him cleaning up the slate a little so that the real plan can be seen. The way I see it is a canceled plan is the Lord saying "I have something better in mind" and He then takes the pieces of our broken plans and builds it into something better, only if we let Him. Because if you sit there in bitterness thinking "You broke my plans, that was a masterpiece of a day." Then you miss out on the real masterpiece The Master piecing together your day, your life, the way He knows best.

And that is what happened for us. We trusted Him, alllll week long. And come Sunday we had 5 investigators at church. Five. After the trial of your faith comes the miracle. It was pure chaos running around making sure one of them had a ride, one of them had a glass of water when she almost hacked up a lung coughing during sacrament meeting, guiding them to their classes, making sure they met members, making sure they didn't get lost. We were running and gunning, that's for darn sure. But even amidst the running around and craziness we were able to pause and take in the masterpiece of Christ, who all along knew this was going to be the end result of the week. Just like how he orchestrated the details of that pday months ago, He made it so we got a flat tire outside our house, and that the tatooed Samaritan walked by at that precise time, that was all Him, we did not and could not have planned it. And it really was a masterpiece. That I wish I could frame and look at always.

In all the running and gunning we do in day to day life I hope we can pause to see the needs around us and reach out and help those we know and those we don't and promise that as we do so we will see the way the Lord has prepared a work of art out of us and our lives, much more beautiful than anything we could ever make on our own.

Love y'all!

Tengan un buen semana!

Love,
Hermana Hall


Continue to LIGHT THE WORLD!!!




More Snow than we have at home!

Don't You Dare Change Your Jersey

This week has been a good one! Did it go anything like we planned it to go? That would be a big fat NO so it seems that I am still a missionary or still a human being alive and well trusting that Heavenly Father's plan is better than anything we can come up with. Both are accurate.

But I have learned a lot this week about teamwork in missionary work, namely working together with members. Because my goodness last week when we were planning out our week everything fell into place where we were with members every single day either teaching them or having them come to a lesson with us or both. And let me tell ya it was SOOOO great. Because you know what we are all on the same team trying to figure this life thing out and ultimately the goal is to help each other back home and get there clean and in families. That is the ultimate trophy, prize, gold medal. But it takes the team to get there.

I want to share about some experiences with the dream team up here in Greeneville (sidenote the local high school football team is the Green Devils, if that isn't ironic here in the south and Bible belt I don't know what is, I cringe when people say Goooo devils!!!) But anyway I'll share stories and then I'll share my fiery half-time pep talk that has been running through my mind all week. It's a good one, so gear up and check your eyebrows because I'm fixing to singe them a little just like Elder Holland "when the game is on the line and victory is everything"

Alright first off, we went and had a lesson Monday evening with this couple from North Carolina. He is a recruiter for the Marines and she is a fairly recent convert that works as a personal trainer at the YMCA so basically they are hard core and really cool people. We loved talking with them, and drawing parallels between what he does as a recruiter and what we do as missionaries: talking to everybody, making house visits, calling people, reaching out over social media, focusing on the younger generation in their prime when they are at a crossroads, etc etc. It had a lasting impact on him because he was able to invite one of the people he had met to our Christmas activity Night in Bethlehem where church members bring in their personal nativity scenes and they are put on display and the community comes to view them and have refreshments and enjoy live music from local bell choirs and song performances from ward members (and missonaries who found out about it two days before and didn't rehearse, also "O Come O Come Immanuel" is a gorgeous song but don't EVER attempt to wing it and sing it without practicing it,  I was hoping for silent night or Away in a Manger, oh well what's done is done I don't think anyone's ears bled so it must have been ok:)   but anyway this mom of a guy that is in the Marines came and really enjoyed it and had never been in an LDS church building and was happy for the invite. The next day at church this same tough Marine guy got up to bear his testimony and broke down over the pulpit about how service makes your days better and how much happier you are when you reach out to others. He encouraged us to be more Christlike and gospellike, I loved it, definite peach. GO TEAM!

We went to see a ward member's less active daughter whose son wants to be baptized. He just turned 8 so it wouldn't technically be a "convert baptism" but that doesn't matter a lick to us we just want to help anyone and everyone draw closer to our Savior and make covenants with our Heavenly Father no matter their age! But we had a really good lesson with the grandma, mom, and little boy. We got the chance to share light the world and they really enjoyed it, I absolutely LOOOOVE that video, it brings the spirit and connects people and it never ever ever ceases to amaze and inspire me when I watch people's faces as they watch it and the moment it turns from the man putting glasses on the little girl's face to the Savior healing a blind woman there is a light that comes into their eyes and a smile across their face that is priceless.  I just love it!!!!!! GO TEAM!

Alright y'all this might be my favorite so far. So I don't know if you remember that I share the same birthday as a girl in the ward... but regardless we were able to get to know her a lot better this week and take her with us to a lesson and my goodness her input she gave and the sincerity that she demonstrated as she bore her testimony was priceless. She is incredible I Iove her and plan on being friends long after my mission. She is AMAZING. She later posted on facebook: "After going out on a team-up with the sister missionaries in my area,I was told by one of the sisters that I would be a "companion's dream" and that is BY FAR...the best compliment I've ever received. I feel so much joy and peace when sharing the gospel with others and to hear that from a missionary,it makes me want to go on a mission that much more! I have an immense love for the gospel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Before you believe any rumours about the church that have been said by a non-member,ask a member or missionary yourself! I can ASSURE you that we will answer any question with kindness and respect."
I don't share this as a pat on my back because I was the one that told her that... actually
 I share it because once upon a time a return missionary said that same thing to me "you'll be a companion's dream!" and I have never forgotten that, as we were talking with this girl from the ward that phrase popped into my head and so I decided to share it with her and it seems to have made an impact, and I meant it! I meant what I said and said what  I meant! and I just think that she is the sweetest and is going to be an incredible missionary one day. Sister See and I speculate she'll go to Kobe, Japan so we'll just have to see!!!! GO TEAM!

Brace yourself, here comes my rant. So I was able to write a letter this week to someone from a past area where I gave him a pep talk about how in this game of life we know whose team wins but sometimes we have a hard time deciding whose jersey we are wearing. I talked to him about continuing to do the basics of prayer, scripture study and going to church, that is all what it boils down to because that is how we train for our own performance and that is how we help other people: by first helping ourselves and being as strong as possible so that we can lift others. I also wrote to him that the moment he stops doing one of those things is the moment that Satan gains a point. Now he isn't going to win in the end, we know that, but he might win in recruiting another team member if we sign over to his contracts. Which never amount to anything. I finished my letter by saying, "DON'T YOU DARE CHANGE YOUR JERSEY!" I firmly believe that, we cannot afford to change our jersey. The Lord needs us on His side, He needs us playing for His team. We know He wins, so why is there even a conflict of decision?

I hope y'all have a great week and go for gold and play your hearts out helping others along the way, because that's what teams do!!!!

"Who's on the Lord's (TEAM) who?"

DON'T YOU DARE CHANGE YOUR JERSEY!!!!

Love y'all

Love,
 Hermana Hall








"Neature"  "That's pretty neat"

Hi Rodney

# LIGHT THE WORLD

?   Nails ?  Hope we get a follow up explanation... stay tuned

Las Hermanas