One Year Older and Wiser Too!!

So here it is, the hump!  One year ago I was a scared-to-death, white boy entering the MTC and a year from now I will be a slightly fatter white boy with more desires to eat raw fish and share the gospel who will be sitting on the couch feeling terrible that he is not dendoing as he watches the NBA Finals.  I am sure most people don`t care about that so I`ll get back to the present Elder Hall on the computer over here in Numazu. 

Not much has happened this past week except for a crazy day adventure to a city called Gotemba which is an hour away by train.  We packed our bikes and carried them with us so we could hunt down some less actives that didn`t know we still existed and then cap the night off with a fun Brazilian dinner.  We had some trouble finding a couple of the addresses because Japan isn`t as easy as 800 West and 200 South and stuff like that in Utah but we talked to some cool people along the way.  One was an older man around 60 who told us he had recently started studying different religions.  That was quite a shock to hear from a Japanese man.  So we switched phone numbers and gave a free gift called `The Restoration` pamphlet and went to go to the half Brazilian family for some dinner.  When we got to their HUGE apartment building of hundreds of rooms, our phone died so we had to stop a group of about six businessmen and women returning from work, who were all in their early 20`s, to borrow their phone in order to call the senior couple in the area so we could get what room they lived in.  We hit it off really well with a couple of the group members and were joking around with them and actually really fluidly switched to the gospel.  We gave them a Mormon.org after they helped us out since they lived aways away but I`m sure their interest was peaked.  Then we spoke way more English than I have in a long time as we ate dinner and talked with a random American couple who were super heavy awesome Christians that are going back to America in a couple weeks.  The rice and beans were delicious and we were treated by the youth age kids playing Coldplay on the piano.  Other than that this week was pretty normal.

For the year mark on Thursday we did eat out at an all you can eat place so while it wasn`t healthy in the slightest, it was tasty none the less.  I can`t believe that I have been out a year.  Sometimes it feels like I`ve been out for a week and sometimes it feels like I have been out for a decade.  Mission life is weird for sure but it is definitely worth it in the long run.  I always thought I would be a much better missionary and person this far out in the mission so it has been kind of disappointing this past week to not see as much progress as I would like and not have done as much as I wanted to by this point when I was in the MTC.  Sometimes that is because I get complacent and am happy where I am but other times it is just a part of life.  I`ve realized speaking Japanese will always be hard, older people will always occasionally ignore our existence as we try to talk to them on the street, and certain things will always be the same.  Waking up won`t get any easier, the pressures of missionary work will stay the same.  In this, I am reminding of a quote that goes something like this `It isn`t that the things you do get any easier, it is just that you get stronger and better at doing them.`  That is pretty true as a missionary.  It is only through Christ`s enabling power of the Atonement that we can be strong enough to overcome life`s trials with our eyes set in an eternal perspective.

So being out for a year, I have come to know a lot of things.  The gospel is a lot more personal now it feels even though I might not be able to share it with people as much as i would like to sometimes.  I`ve come to learn how to be more humble as I try to give it over to the Lord because I can`t do anything most times.  I`ve learned how difficult it can be to watch others not take the neccesary steps to true happiness and I know a little more how God feels when we continually mess up.  I`ve learned that our words don`t matter as much as our actions.  People are driven a lot more by emotions and feelings instead of thoughts; and if we have the Spirit, it becomes much easier for us to help people come unto Christ.  I`ve learned of how close God and Christ truly are to us and that all we have to do is call out to them and be willing to receive their help and do the things they ask of us to do in the scriptures.  It hasn`t been easy but it has been worth, and will continue to be worth it no matter what challenges are continuously thrown at me.  It is all downhill from here so I`ll be able to run a little bit faster than before. 

I love you all and see you all in a year!

The Return of the Bean

So this week has definitely been weird.  It is not everyday that you get to come back to your first area.  Mt. Fuji hasn`t exploded on the little city of Numazu, the ocean hasn`t upheaved itself over the coastline, and the ward here hasn`t apostazed so things are looking about the same as when I was last here last October.  But then again, everything is different.  So basically the senior couple here that just barely arrived a couple weeks before I left has basically just torn up the area (in a good way).  A nine year old girl my trainer and I were trying to help out to get baptized who had a father that wasn`t too kind to the church ended up getting baptized along with her dad and now her dad is a ward missionary.  A less active I never met got re-activated and now pretty much runs our English class for us.  The elders teach an English Gospel Principles Class but it is harder to teach than a lesson in Japanese because of a member who comes to the class to learn English but doesn`t know any.  So in Japanese I have to find what I CAN say but when teaching the class in English, I have to careful what I CAN`T say.  Also, since my Brazilian trainer left, the ward was devoid of an awesome Brazilian influence until a Brazilian family moved randomly into the ward a couple of months ago.  We are taking the hour train ride north to their house tomorrow to cash in on some sweet Brazilian food and an FHE.  Did I mention they have a couple youth aged kids which basically doubled the number of Numazu youth?  So things have changed but a lot has improved.

Probably the best change is that the apartment is not crammed and squished with four elders but the small apartment only fits two of us now.  So that is nice.  Most of the members remember me and are like, `Wow, your back!`  And then I speak a sentence of broken Japanese and that is all it takes for them to think I`ve improved.  So that has been fun to see their reactions.  A couple investigators are the same, a few have fallen off the map and it is my task to find them, and a couple of old former investigators have popped up again.  Whitewashing has been weird but it is not pure finding but more `re-finding`.  All we have to do is follow the previous elders` tracks and the note they left us to make appointments with people and get the ball rolling with lessons and stuff.  We did find a new investigator though our second day here while on the way to visit someone.  His name is Yuta like the state and he told us he has interest in English (which he was very good at speaking) and in Christainity, which is unheard of from native Japanese.  So now we just need to meet with him and bring his interest in Christianity to a desire to follow Christ and BAM!  It should be fun.

So today`s message is about seed planting.  I`ve had a rare opportunity to met with people who I did stuff with a long time ago and be able to see a little bit of the fruits of my efforts in my first three months in the field.  Most investigators we found didn`t progress as much as I wanted them to or even at all and some less actives are still, well, taking a break.  It is weird to see change and compare from when I was here and when I came back.  I haven`t seen any direct results of my earlier work but I can`t help but feel what I did during my first time in Numazu helped out a bit, even if it just meant keeping the ball rolling.  I think back to my other areas to and I feel like I`ve done some good everywhere.  I may never get to see some people or places again but after seeing my bean area again, I can have more faith and hope that when I tried my best in past areas, all worked out and someone was helped.  I don`t think most missionaries get to see the full fruits of their labors and I don`t think most people see the effect of their good deeds and actions.  Something as little as picking trash up on the side of a street or smiling to someone can change a lot.  So I guess the lesson is to just keep on pushing, keep doing your best.  You may never see just what comes of your good actions but trust me, someone else will always be blessed as we do our best by living and sharing the Gospel of Christ.  I`ve been able to see just a glimpse of the results of my actions and I am excited to help out more and improve people`s lives once again in Numazu. 

 Love you all and have a great week! 

Deja Bean

So I got an interesting call this past Saturday morning.  Now as missionaries, we get a lot of calls, whether it be members asking us to help teach an English class, investigators answering a message we left them, or random people wanting to learn English from us.  This was a bit different though since it was in English.  My companion picks up the phone and talks for a bit.  It seems like a serious matter and he hands me the phone.  `Yeah.`  `Elder Hall, how are you feeling?`  `Well a bit nervous now to be honest.`  `No need to be.  Well Elder Hall, you are going to one of your former areas.`  `Are you serious?` I ask as I jump for joy I am going back to Takayama.  Then I realize I was just there before Matsumoto so it probably wasn`t there.  `You are being transferred to Numazu!`  WOW, I didn`t see that one coming at all.  So, I get to do what almost no elder gets to do, go back to their bean area.  I have heard it happening a lot for elder`s last transfers but this is no where close to my dying wish.  `You are going to be with Elder Ottesen and you are white-washing.`  So I am going back with an elder who used to be my zone leader and is on his last transfer.  One elder serving there had to go home sadly because of sickness and they needed to put two new elders in.  So, they put me back because I know the area from beanhood.  So basically what I wanted to happen transfer 3 happened transfer 8 but I am glad because I enjoyed my time in other areas too.  And it will be super cool because I will be leading a lot of stuff because I know the area so it will be good preparation for being senior one day.

In other news this week, my zone leader Elder Bedwell just went home after serving a honorable two year mission.  He stayed at our apartment last night and we had s`mores over a stove flame to celebrate.  It was really weird saying good-bye to him and seeing him walk out of the apartment alone to walk to the train station to go to the mission home to go back to America.  It was really bitter sweet because he was going back home but also leaving behind Japan and the mission experience.  It made me think how one day, it will all end.  I haven`t been able to see that before really.  I knew it would end but I never knew what that really meant.  We often realize that this Earth life isn`t forever yet we forget about what death actually entails.  So it is kind of like that, knowing I won`t see one of my best friends for a year even though he is in a better\not-as-cool-as-mission-but-moving-on-to-bigger-and-better-things place.


So sometimes we feel that Earth life is the only thing we got.  I know waking up at 6:30 just seems like an eternal thing to do but it won`t be.  I remember in 6th grade using our gradation year for our computer password and thinking `2013 will never come.  That is so far away!`  But it has, and 2014 and 2015 too.  So us young-ins might not think so but death will come to.  I`ve come to realize we need to prepare now to meet God because we don`t know when we will or we just don`t realize that that day will actually come.  So Y.O.L.O. should be more like, Y.O.G.J.O. you only get judged once. #finaljudgement  Because the little decisions in terms of Earth life don`t seem so big but they actually matter in the eternal scheme.  So it might be hard now but in the end, it will all be worth it.
This week in order to say good-bye to Elder Bedwell we ate out a lot.  One day, we were so hungry, we could eat a horse!  So Elder Toma (the senior missionary here) decided to spend some money to buy us exactly that!  The Horse Sushi was really good but the egg was better.  Nothing salivates my mouth like raw horse dipped into raw egg and put straight into my mouth!  Not exactly my mother`s cooking but definitely good none-the-less.

So I am transferring but other news is Tommy our investigator with a baptismal date... well, he kind of chickened out a little bit saying it was too soon but we had a good lesson about the purpose of baptism and the interview and why it is important to know baptism isn`t the end of the line.  And speaking of baptism, my favorite 11 year-old investigator from Takayama got baptized this past weekend!  I was super excited to hear about it and that everything went well and that the parents went back to church.  Maybe they will transfer me back there too.  I am hoping that if they do that it won`t be in winter...

Sorry this is long but I love you all!

Enjoy the picture of a super typical Japanese rice field and have a great week!

My First Trip to the Japanese Emergency Room

I saw a similar e-mail title in my friend in Nicaragua`s (shout out to Chase!) group e-mail awhile ago so I thought I would do the same thing.  Unfortunately, his was a joke and mine wasn`t.  Don`t worry though, I only went to the Emergency Room every other place was closed because of Golden Week.  I got meds and just went out the next day after resting the first couple of days in the week.  Luckily that is behind me and, as my companion calls it, Bronze Week is over, because it wasn`t a Golden Week, or a Silver one either.

Elders Hall and Martini....The Contagions!

So not much happened this week good, since my bike was also stolen.  We got back from the other area in the District Suwa and went to the bike parking to retrieve our bikes and I noticed I couldn`t find my bike since I didn`t remember where I had parked it.  After some searching, my companion found my white, classic, missionary helmet in someone else`s basket.  So, we called the police and filed out a report and hope they find it.  Luckily there was a highly feminine/cheap bike at the church I am now using called a Mamachari in Japanese.  So although it works, let`s just say no one will be stealing this bike anytime soon.  I sure do miss my mountain bike!

My new bike!

So with all of my troubles with week, I, of course, thought back to Elder Renlund`s `Latter-day Saints Keep On Trying`.  In his talk, he talks about how even though we aren`t perfect, we have to keep on trying.  As Mr. Wayne once said, `Why do we fall Bruce?  It`s so we can pick ourselves up again.`  How true is that.  Imagine if little Bruce had just given up on helping Gotham with the passing of his parents, we`d have no Batman!  Imagine if President Hinckley gave up as a missionary when he felt down, depressed, and homesick; even worse, we`d have no President Hinckley, a much better superhero than Batman!  What if our Moms gave up when they had us little brats come into the world?  Well, we wouldn`t be the people we are today!  Sometimes it is hard to keep on going.  Some days I just want to lie down in my futon and sleep the day off but that wouldn`t do any good!  It might be hard but it is always a better option to keep on trucking than to lie down.  Imagine if you were driving down a freeway and decided, `I`m tired of driving, I'm going to put it in park!`  Only disaster would come from that!  So keep on going!  You can do it!  Don`t leave any in the tank for the way back!  Keep on pushing!  You are always doing better than you think you are so keep on giving 100%!  So for this Mother`s Day I would like to thank my Mom for never giving up on me, no matter how many times I `forgot` to do the dishes or how many times I called my siblings a baby.  Thanks Mom for always keeping me going and for helping me develop a hardworking attitude!

Love you all and I wish all the mothers a Happy Mother`s Day!!!  So you next week!

Skyping with my family!

W. W. S. D. (What Would Shiblon Do?)

So, not going to lie, this past week has been a little bit of a let down.  One of our investigators went to Canada for an indefinite, extended period of time, another one told us he`d come meet us Sundays at 6.... only if he has the time (which he obviously hasn`t had recently), another investigator is in Nagano city for a little bit and our star investigator with a baptismal date informed us he can`t met for another week because of Golden Week.  Golden Week may sound golden but, at least for missionaries, I have found that this upcoming week will hardly be golden as people are chilling with their families for three days instead of learning about how they can live with them forever with us.  It is a bummer about Tommy too because we are trying to meet with him more than once a week because just like how it is hard for us members to come closer to Christ by just going to church once a week on Sunday and then forgetting about religion, it is nearly impossible for investigators to make the necessary commitments to be baptized if they only think about their choice to be baptized an hour every week.  But McDonald`s does still have their limited time Sakura Milkshakes so that is definitely a positive!

Another reason the week has been less than stellar is because, well, I have been sick the last couple of days.  Sore throat, slight nauseau and the like, and since sleeping two days straight except for going to church has helped, I figured the doctor might.  But, because it is Golden Week, the clinic is closed so that makes life much more difficult.  Luckily I have downloaded a bunch of seminary videos today at the church on my IPad to get me through if I will be struck down with this plague for a day or two more.

This week`s General Conference tidbit comes from my best friend Elder Michael Ringwood.  We met for the first time this past December when he came to the mission to explode our minds on Moroni 7 and give us some awesome dendo tips.  So, I was naturally excited that one of my fond friends got to the pulpit during General Conference.  Then he said he would like to talk about one of his favorite scripture heros.  I was guessing he would say Nephi or Ammon or the usual but I was kind of thrown-off by Shiblon.  I like it though.  I have often felt like Shiblon, not outstanding enough to be applauded and given holy records of scripture like Helaman but not a great sinner who needed to be chided for his disobedient actions like Coriantan.  Just doing my job, meeting the requirements, just like a normal person.  So his talk related to me quite well.  It made me think, `Why am I trying to be a good missionary?`  Sometimes I feel left behind and I feel the need to catch up.  I like his story about his companion that others gossiped about and wondered why he was never a leader.  Sometimes we think that being a District or Zone Leader makes you better or more qualified, or more righteous but in actuality, it just is an opportunity to help more people.  At the end of the mission, God won`t ask us, `How young were you when you went senior?  How many transfers were you a district leader?  How many elders did you train?`  I think my mission president will just ask me, `Did you do your best?  Did you serve God with your whole heart?`  We are all Elders, we are all Brother or Sister, so why worry about comparing?  Just be the best person you can be, regardless of titles, honor, or position.  Ask yourself, What Would Shiblon Do?  Keep working, keep trying, no matter what other think because there is only one`s thoughts that should matter to us.  

Everyone have a great week and love you all!

Picture: My weekly Japanese adventure... Chocolate Corn!