Celestial Grass

Celestial Grass

Another great week in the Kingdom folks!

So this week has been a busy one like all the others and we're facing new challenges like always.

Question of the Week! 

How do you explain to an 80 year old that they must be humble and submissive like a child!? 
We are having a hard time teaching Sammy right now, see Sammy is pretty old and is fairly set in his ways. When sister Rogers and I try and teach him he tends to be more argumentative than anything. For example Sammy asked if babies shouldnt be baptized, then at what age should they be. We explained to him about the revelation given to Joseph Smith on the age of accountability being 8 years old and he disagreed with us.... his reasoning being that one time he thought he read an article in a religious magazine about the age actually being 7...... -_- We have no idea what to do about this. Sammy will never understand the gospel if he keeps his mind closed and these blinders on. Plus it's really hard to teach and feel the spirit when he is coming up with all these obscure reasons why something isnt true. 

He is such an interesting investigator, Sammy is. He wants to know the truth, he believes the Book of Mormon is scripture and he wants to continue to learn BUT he argues with us when we try and teach him, he still doesnt believe Joseph Smith was a prophet and he still doesn't know why he would need to be baptized again. I don't know if all these concerns are stemming from his insecurities about what his family might think or if this is just what Sammy is like but either way I feel like smacking my head on a brick building. Charity and LOVE :D

My thoughts about teaching a family before I had taught one: "Man, that would be SO much fun and SOOOOOOO easy! :D"

My thoughts after teaching families: "Heeelllp meeeeeeee!"

Haha so I've learned the valuable lesson that while teaching a family is one of the most rewarding experiences on a mission, it is also one of the MOST difficult. This little gem came to my attention after Chauncey (age 8) fell asleep in one of our lessons. Sister Rogers and I have now taken to using big hand actions and funny voices when reading the scriptures with the girls... sometimes they look at us like we are crazy, but at least they arent asleep right?! Haha one particularity fond moment was when we were reading in 1 Nephi 1:6. This is where Lehi is praying and suddenly there is a pillar of FIRE!!!! (cue sound effects and wild hand motions!) While this tactic of getting their attention may seem flawless, we are a little worried that they will soon get board of our sound effects and cool voices so if anyone has some good ideas for teaching children with objects and such send them Oakvilles way :)

While tracting this week I came across the holy grail of lawns! Oh my goodness Dad, I could have sworn the grass was fake, in fact I actually asked the guy if I could touch his grass to make sure it was real! It was perfectly manicured, emerald green and perfectly cut without a blade out of place. The first thought that came to my mind was, "This must be what the grass looks like in the celestial kingdom!" I figured I had best learn from Walter what he did to get his grass like this so I could pass the information on to you.

The Formula of Celestial Grass By Walter 

1. Mow you lawn 3 x a week WITH an old school lawn mower 

2. Water frequently with water 

3. Make a concoction of beer, listerine, and coke (but not moms diet coke, the Real stuff) and pour on lawn

..... I cant remember the rest... he caught me off guard with that last one

Anyways, that's all for now!

Line of the week:

Me in utter amazement: "Is your grass real?!"

Walter: "Sure is!"

Me: "... I dont know if I believe you.... can I touch your grass?"

Walter: "Haha, sure!"

Me: "... oh my gosh.... sister Rogers, it is real!"

Rogers: 'No way! Let me feel!"

Scripture of the week: D&C 6:20

"...Be faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my love." 

A Haiku For You

remember

righteousness prevails 

God Loves You 

Sister Hall

Destination Eternal Bliss

Destination Eternal Bliss

Ok this time when you read my letter you have got to listen to Come, Come, Ye Saints by Libbie Linton (you know what to do Jill ;)) http://grooveshark.com/#!/search/song?q=Libbie+Linton+Come%2C+Come%2C+Ye+Saints

So this week we spent some time doing something I like to call "first week of transfer clean out" or in other words we take a look at our investigators, see who is progressing and who is not and create a course of action from there. As a result our teaching pool has gotten a little smaller, but I know that God is looking out for us!

We are teaching a family right now who are from Congo. The mothers name is Vivian and she has two girls Chauncy (8) and Allegra (10). They had previously been taught by missionaries about a year ago but had to be dropped due to Vivian not keeping commitments. The first time we knocked on her door, Vivian answers the door looks at us and says
"I know I need to be baptized I just dont know when..."

In my head: "Well how 'bout now?!" haha

Her girls are amazing and they really want to get baptized, but we are facing the same problem with Vivian as the other missionaries. She knows she needs to be baptized and she wants that for her family, BUT that want is not strong enough to motivate her to do things like keep appointments with us and come to church.... It's SO close for her yet so far.... the one thing separating herself for eternal salvation is her lack of motivation... that darn agency, getting in the way of the work again ;) 

A Tender Moment With Sam

I wish I could explain to you what a gift Sam has been to sister Rogers and I, but words seem to escape me. As golden as Sam is, Rogers and I had one small concern that we thought might keep Sam from being baptized and that was a lack of support from family and friends. Well as we have been teaching Sam her son Jordan (18) has been joining in on discussions. In the beginning he was put off by the fact that his mom was thinking of changing religions and he was more argumentative with us than anything, but he continued to join in on conversations so we figured he must be enjoying something. Anyways, we saw Sam and Jordan on Wednesday and invited Jordan to come to church with Sam. He thought about it for a few seconds and then said possibly. Fast forward to Sunday and low and behold here comes Jordan and Sam. 

-> actually it was a really funny story. Rogers and I are fast walking around the building from door to door trying to figure out which door Sam will walk through. The members are chuckling at us and next thing you know I see Sam and Jordan and Grace walking up, but I dont want them to think we have been creepily waiting for them this whole time so I grab Sister Rogers and run around the corner to make it look like we were just walking around and happen to run into them on their way in. The members watching are now busting a gut. 

Anyways, back to the story! So Jordan comes to church and we are SO excited to see him! He is still skeptical and his mom may have had to bribe him, BUT he is here and he had a smile on his face! So sacrament meeting goes great and we are now in Sunday school and are discussing the WOW (word of wisdom) both Jordan and Sam are throwing out their comments and everything is great. Then we head into the 3rd hour. We are sitting next to Sam and are having a lesson on donating to funds in the church. Sam gets up to leave (I assume she is going to the washroom) which is perfect because I had been wanting to get Sam alone so that we can talk about her baptismal date. We wait about a minute before we follow after her and end up running into her in the hallway, not anywhere near the washroom. In her hand is a tithing envelope... I think she saw me staring at it because after a lengthy silence she smiles and says, "Sister Hall, I hope its ok I left Relief Society! Rebecca let me know where the tithing slips were and I just wanted to run out and get one so that I could pay my tithing." 

We havent even taught her about tithing yet. 

I looked at her and just gave her a hug. 

Then we went into a room so that we could talk. She looked at us and tears started to well up in her eyes. She expressed to us gratitude that we brought this gospel to her. She has never felt the spirit so strong and she has never felt so "right." Then our wonderful beautiful Sam brought up her baptism. She said, "As I was sitting in the class room the teacher brought up baptism and I felt that baptism for me would be a way of regaining my innocence. It is the fresh start that I have been looking for since I was a girl." At this point we are all tearing up and the spirit is so strong you could cut it with a knife. I looked at Sam and saw her the way our Father in Heaven sees her; one of His precious daughters. I could literally feel the love that He has for her. Then we set her with a baptismal date for September 8th :D I cannot wait! 

To top it all off we were talking to Jordan after church and he had the biggest smile on his face. He told us about how people had been thanking him for all the comments he gave in class and how everyone was so nice and welcoming. We asked him if he would come back next week and he said he couldnt see why not. Sam was beaming! 

A mission is better than all the concerts, birthdays and vacations I've ever been to/had/on all combined into one And THAT is saying something! 

Sam was a member referral.... go out and share the gospel with your friends, be a good example! You never know who of your friends might be searching for this restored gospel. 

Line of The Week: 

In the car with Sister Rogers 

Me: "Who is someone you would die to meet?"

Rogers: "Eminem!"

Me: "What?! You're SO white.."

Rogers: "Oh my goodness! I LOVE eminem!"

Me: "Hmmm... you dont look like an eminem girl."

Rogers: "I feeel like an Eminem girl"

Scripture of the week: 1 Nephi 4:6 

"I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do."

A Haiku for You: 

perspective 

it is up to You

glass half full

Sister Hall

Last P-day our Elders wanted to go to Toys R Us.... This is what they got.... 

Next thing you know we are in a church gym and I am defending myself with a racket 

Nearer My God To Thee

Nearer My God To Thee

Transfer calls came last night and guess what............ I'M STAYING! And my baby is staying with me :) Sister Rogers and I are not done here in Oakville and boy am I ever glad because the work is just starting to get going over here.

Ok so while you read this letter you need to listen to this song... http://youtu.be/i7Cdmm3g7_k Nearer My God To Thee by Kyle Henderson. It is from the album Nearer: A New Collection Of Favorite Hymns. You will all love it, listen to it!

I want to apologize real quick for how short this letter will be. We are going to go explore some caves as a district so I've got to keep things a little shorter :)

Best district ever:)

First off I'd like to reflect with you guys and share some of the things I have learned this past transfer

-The Lord really does qualify those He calls

-They shouldn't call us trainers but more of guides

-You've got to do something on p-day or else you're going to go crazy

-When you give everything over to the Lord and totally surrender yourself He blesses you 10 fold

-Sometimes you've got to let people fail for them to learn 

-When your companion wakes you up at 3:30 telling you we have to check the apartment for an intruder.. just go along with it 

-My dad wasn't joking when he said you cannot change a man 

-God is always listening and watching but He will answer prayers in His own way in His own time. It may not make sense at the time but rest assured He knows best and in due time it will all make sense 

-Go to the washroom before you leave the apartment, like ALWAYS! Even if you don't think you have to go. (same goes for road trips, right Dad?!)

-Discouragement leads to a weakening of faith. If you let yourself get discouraged, you are letting Satan win. Trust in God, trust that everything will work out because it will

-Sound effects make missionary work That much better

-my job is to preach the gospel NOT to convert people 

-The Lord will never forsake or abandon anyone. You may abandon Him, but He will never abandon you. You never need to feel that you are alone.

I have been very blessed these past 4 weeks. As Sister Rogers and I have consecrated ourselves to this work we have seen the work explode over here in Oakville. So I didnt know this before, but Oakville has been struggling missionary work wise for a few years now. As a ward they havent had a lot of baptisms and the missionaries havent been able to see much success, however things are starting to turn around. We are currently teaching 5ish families and 6 other individuals and we have 7 investigators with baptismal dates. For the past 4 weeks we have also hit standards which is something this area hasnt been able to do in at least 6 months. Now I am not telling you this to boast because all these little miracles we have witnessed are all tender mercies from our Heavenly Father. This is just a testimony to me that He is watching and that when we give to Him all we have, our minds our hearts our will, He truly does bless us.

Scripture of the week: Mormon 8: 38 

"...Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that over misery which never dies- because of the praise of the world?"

A Haiku for You: 

discourage

enemy to Faith 

Trust In God 

Anyways as my beloved Sammy would say "I loved you too too much! You are my children!" 

Sister Hall

Collapsing Boys and New Friends

Collapsing Boys and New Friends

Shout Outs!!!!!!!!!!

I got a letter from Tory asking me for some advice about going into Junior High and let me tell you Tory, you came to the right missionary! There is the best advice I can give you

1. Find a good group of guys who play football at lunch and be their best friend

2. If you need a break from class take a long walk to the water fountain 

3. You are going to find that a lot of your class mates are going to start acting REALLY weird... dont worry, its just their crazy hormones...

4. A real friend accepts you for who you are and doesnt try and change you. If your friends start pressuring you into doing things you dont want to do, ditch them! 

Kerry Roberts I got all the pictures you sent me and I keep them in my purse and show random people on the street haha! They are wonderful and I love them SO much! I've also found a few potential wives for Justin... you are welcome ;)

I got your package mom and oh my gosh you are THE greatest! It put such a smile on Sister Rogers and mine faces and we shared all the goodies with my district. The elders say THANK YOU! I also adored the theme to this package :) I told Sam about it and she just about died. Her and her daughters song is "you are my sunshine" so she thought your package idea was top notch!

My Sunshine package!!

So Dad... your ward has the best missionaries in the world eh?! Haha I can take that! The Lord has done a wonderful job of humbling me on my mission. Sister Rogers and I are actually trying to brainstorm some more effective ways to work with the ward council and our ward mission leader so PLEASE tell me what these missionaries are doing that is so effective! Ask them for some good advice fOR Sister Hall :)

Alright folks, let me fill you in on this weeks adventures!

First off, some of you may not know, but I really wanted to serve in Africa somewhere where it was really dangerous and where there were lots of gangs.... needless to say, my mom no doubt pleaded with Heavenly Father to send me anywhere but there. And here I am in Oakville, one of the richest areas in Ontario haha! But alas, after much searching, Sister Rogers and I have found the rougher part of town and now have an investigator named Steve! He is an alcoholic who has a hole in his heart that needs to be filled. The fiRst time we meet with Steve, him and his buddies were sitting outside and we asked if we could share a message with them. They welcomed us in and we started talking about how they could find greater happiness! We were happily chatting when Steve randomly jumped up and told me to stand up... I slowly got up and he proceeded to give me a hug.... BAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sister Rogers almost died laughing at the expression on my face! After she told me my eyes were about as big as golf balls and I looked like I was about to vomit or something haha. 
Needless to say, it will take some work, but we have already seen him 3 times and have him with a date for september 22nd. We havent been able to see him sober yet, but we are hopeful! 

-->Side note: dont fret mother, I dont actually go looking for trouble ;) 

Steve is in the middle, Wayne is to the left and the other guy is from Newfoundland! 

As for our other investigators....
Sam never ceases to amazing me :) She came to church this week and LOVED it, she even cried during sacrament meeting
Sammy also came to church this sunday and got a priesthood blessing for his health. He enjoyed church and has got a few old men friends now which is really nice 

Mario we havent gotten to see for a little over a week now because he went away for the weekend :( 

FLASH BACK 

Does anyone remember me talking about the less active 21 year old named John???? He really made an impression on me even though we only got to see him twice before handing him over to the YSA elders. Anyways, I had been thinking about him lately and was wondering what had ever happened to him so Sister Rogers and I decided to give him a call. He was happy to hear from us and when we asked him if he had been seeing the missionaries we were unimpressed to hear that there hadnt been any contact except a phone call -___- Boys..... I decided to take matters into my own hands (this is so Sister Hall! -J) and set up a time that we could meet with John again. We got to see him a few days later and we asked how things had been going. We talk with him a little about where he sees his life going. He admitted to us that his life wasn't turning out the way he had envisioned it and it was due to the poor decisions he had made in his life. 

Sister Halls insights: While listening to John, it became so clear to me how much Heavenly Father is trying to help him.The spirit has helped him to realize
1. the worldly things arent bringing him happiness
2. the difference between the happiness that people in the church have compared to others
3. and in just a few minuets John went from not knowing if there is a God to looking me in the eye and telling me there is no way there isnt a God.... (literally, I asked him if he believed in God and he said he wasnt sure and a few minuets later after talking some more, he told me there was no way there wasnt one... he could just feel something)

In the end I told John that I was going to call his elders and we were going to make an appointment right then and there for them to see him. He paused for a few seconds and then said, "Man when you said that, I just got this really warm feeling like this is what I need to do." 

Before we left I got John to write down his email for me and I told him that when I got off my mission I was going to look him up and see how he's doing. He seemed to appreciate that :) 

This is John, he will do great things.

BIG NEWS: I had my first King Lamoni experience... let me explain

So on Sunday we had a dinner with the Tiemen family. They are awesome! Brother Tiemen has a sense of humor like Uncle James so I really enjoy watching him banter with his 4 little boys. Anyways, while having dinner I mentioned that one of my goals on my mission was to have someone so overcome by the spirit, that they pass out for a few days. They all had a good laugh over it and we continued to eat. About 30 minuets later we finish up dinner, I share a spiritual thought, and conclude in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.... Next thing I know their oldest son collapses! We are all confused and then realize that he was SO over come by the spirit that he passed out! Hahaha needless to say he is my new favourite.

Line of the week: So we are talking with Steve and some of his slightly intoxicated friends and out of no where we get this question.....

Wayne: "Here is the real question, where are Adam and Eves Belly buttons?! They came from God, right out of the air! They can't have belly buttons..."

Rogers & Hall: ".............."

Scripture of the week: Alma 13: 27-28

"And now, my brethren, I wish from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great anxiety even unto pain, that ye would hearken unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not procrastinate the day of your repentance.

But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering;...."

A Haiku for You: 

over come

No one left untouched

Gods knows all

You are all beautiful sons and daughters of God, go out and act like it :D 

Sister Hall