August 17 2012

Dear Friends and Family :)

Favorite quote from this week "Be the missionary your mother thinks you are" :) ~love you mother :)

So P-Day today was a little wonky. Sorry the email is late, but the schedual was a little switched up today. I got my HepA shot yesterday and yes I've seen Justin :) The first night he was here I paid him a visit in his room to welcome him :) and then I saw him again at the immunization place. It's good to see family here even if he gets here later than I do and leaves earlier than I do :P [Mark's cousin, Justin Hall, who is a week younger than him, entered the MTC on August 15th. Justin is going to serve in the San Fernando CA Mission.]

Thank you mother for the update on my account. The Hep. A shot cost $71 so with that I'll have $299 left. How much do you think I should convert and how does that all work with the bank and the airport? Which way is better? I have no idea what my travel plans are. I should get those in a a little over two weeks! My roommates are leaving this Sunday and Monday morning so I'm finally gonna get a bottom bunk! :P We will see if we get new roommates before we leave or not.

It would be awesome if you could send me some more athletic socks for P-day with some Vit-C, plus maybe a phone card for the airport. I don't know if I'll have a layover or not yet. Also it would be great if you could send me a copy of the color code test. I want to take it before and after my mission so I can see what filters I have put on my personality throughout my mission.

I don't know if it's possible for you guys to get access to the MTC firesides or not, but if you can you must watch "Character of Christ" by Elder Bednar! It is an absolutly amazing talk and really chaged the way I read the Book of Mormon, and think about Christ. The crux of the whole talk is "the Atonement would not have happend Without the character of Christ." "Character is moral qualities, strongly developed, strikingly displayed, and consistantly lived." "Christ turns out when the natural man inside of us would turn in." Also if you get the chance watch "The mediator" which was given in general conference by Boyd K Packer.

So it would be really great if you could add alanis_nadia@hotmal.com to the forwarding list of emails! She was my teacher here but her visa expired so she couldn't work here anymore and she wanted to keep in touch. She was a really awsome teacher and she was my first 'investigator' at the CCM. And can you get me Bo and Jessie's address please?

I'm glad you guys had fun at the ward campout and the aniversary festivities with Gary and Laura.

Grandpa Hall,

Thank you for your letter. I look forward to hearing more from you guys cuz I hear your gonna have a busy month with the wedding and all that. Plus Rachelle will be on her way up there. You have to get her to wrtie me too :P Thanks!

Ryan,

Thank you for your letter :) The priesthood that we hold is real and powerful. I'm honored to have a brother that understands that so well :)

Laura,

Thanks for your letter :) I hope I get the opportunity to Skype for Christmas so I can see Ellie and all her new tricks :P She sounds like she is geting so old and almost like a real person :P jk She was pretty independent when I left :)

Stephen,

I'm expecting a letter from you soon ;P Happy B-day in two days :) I hear through he grapevine you will be receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood that day as well! What a great birthday gift from your Father in Heaven :)

Missionary work is slightly parodoxical. You take two years to focus on others and other's needs, trying to bring happiness to others around you; but in the end, you can't help but help yourself be more happy and better yourself. I feel slightly selfish when I say it like that because I've been trying to really focus on others. But that's what I've observed.

All is well,

Elder Hall