August 31 2012

Dear Friends and Family! :)

I got my travel plans yesterday!!!!!!!!! SOOO excited!! I fly out on September 10th from Salt Lake in the afternoon. I've got a 4 hour layover in Georgia from 6:30-10:30 PM (don't know what time zone it is in Atlanta - either 1 or 2 hours ahead or the difference that will be for you guys; but look for a call at that time :P ) Then I fly all through the night to Santiago, Chile and I'll get there at 9:10 AM the next day! Perfectly timed flight if you ask me! So I can sleep on the plane the whole way and wake up in CHILE!!! Only 10 more days..... That's slightly frightening but I'm so much more excited than I am frightened :P

Okay, so Stephen... Please inform me of where you have been called to serve!! It has been killing me. You don't even have to use a stamp, just dearelder.com me at Provo MTC Mailbox # 222. I'm dying to know!!

Mother, Thank you so much for the setting apart blessing that you sent. I was actually planning on asking you for it this week, but you just read my mind :) Also thank you for the card that will make it possible to call you from the airport, and the package :) I think everyone outside of the MTC would be surprised to see how happy a package or a letter can make a missionary :) There are some elders in my district who don't get mail regularly or very often; but when they do they basically jump off the walls :P Hopefully after this Sunday, when I can get a picture with Elder Hall (Justin), I should be able to send you my SD card with all the pictures I've taken so far. There aren't many actually, but hopefully you will enjoy them and be able to send me my SD card back before I go down to Chile :)

So something really cool happened this week :) Last week we were told by Neil L. Anderson that when we are endeavoring in the Lord's labor we are entitled to his help (paraphrasing). I was thinking about that alot because I've felt like I've needed a bit of extra help lately. Then this week on Sunday during the fireside, the general authority said that if we could only see the angels around us supporting us and helping us. Right after he said that I could feel the presence of Grandpa Farley. I could feel that he was proud of me for choosing to serve a mission and continuing the example of being a "missionary family" because in our family we serve the Lord, and for the example that I will be setting for my children. The closing hymn for that meeting was a primary song, "I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ" and I realized how simple that song is and how powerful it is. When I was a child I had no idea what I was singing about; but I was singing about missionary work - this church is a missionary church!

"Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words" ~ President Uchtdorf

I am really grateful to be a missionary and to be able to continue in the 'faith of our fathers'. Elder Bednar said every time he hears someone say, "Oh my great great grandpa came across the plains in the Martin and Willie Handcart companies," he silently says to himself "Oh that's good, What have YOU done recently?" :P It's awesome to have a great Pioneer Heritage, but we all need to continue in the faith of our fathers and have as deep of a conversion as they had.

Sorry this is a little jumbled, but I don't have much time to write, so I hope it makes sense to you all :P But since I'm speaking Spanish so much now I'm forgetting my English :P The other day I couldn't think of the word 'commitment' because in Spanish it's 'compramiso' (I think that's how you spell it) and I kept on saying compromise :P So right now I'm kinda terrible at both languages :P

All is well,

Elder Hall :)

Hey, could you add janea.rose@hotmail.com to the mailing list? She is a friend from school. She says she tried to facebook you and still hasn't gotten the emails. And next week there should be another one to add, our investigator, Gabriel, who is native to Chile!!

By the way, if I don't get a letter from Stephen in a week, you have permission to tell me where he is going :P

Tell Rachelle that I need her address to write her back :P But also tell her I miss our crazy adventures and that I love her :)

And Thanks Mother I love you too :)