Quincenera

We went to Santa Cruz yesterday. This time we buried a Hermana in the sand. I felt 12 for doing it but I'm not going to lie, it felt fantastic! The beach is the best medicine for a long missionary week. I wish it was closer, but a 45 min bus ride really isn't bad. I'm so glad our President let's us go...now only if he'd let us ride the roller coasters on the Boardwalk! Our district had a blast yesterday. We were all laughing and smiling and just having a grand time. I don't think this zone has seen so much happiness in awhile and it was nice to be a part of that cheer. I think it's kind of hard to be unhappy around me. I'll take the bullet for that responsibility of providing joy unto all who will partake. Humility first.

 

This past week was my 15 month mark on the mission so my precious Spanish district threw a Quincenera for me. It was THE BEST! They got me 15 Dt Cokes, 15 bags of chips, 15 hand written priceless coupons for things that only missionaries can give to other missionaries and a bunch of other adorable memories. It  was so sweet I almost cried. The only thing missing was a big, huge, poofy dress and 15 men dressed up the same lined up by my side all night. So presh.

 

Just the normal missionary business the rest of the week. I went on exchanges up north and got to sit in a massage chair. I'm now considering telling President this is a must have for the well being of the missionaries. I didn't realize how busted up my back was. If anyone is planning on my Christmas present already...massages is a good start. Just saying. Oh, also I'm looking for a husband. No big.

 

Contacted a nun the other day. She sure looked uncomfortable when I talked about the power of God we have as a result of Joseph Smith and then I could see her getting a little jealous when I told her that I get to date when I get home. Ah poor nun. Come join us - life is better!

 

The other day in Zone Training I was in charge of a 20 min presentation on how to work well with others. I got up and told them we had to get the wiggles out like we do in primary so I made all 16 Elders stand up and learn all 8 verses of Book of Mormon Stories with the matching hand motions. It was the BEST. They loved it so much. Each pair ended up learning one verse and then performing their own each in order. It was fantastic. It should have been on television. I'm also glad they were good sports about it and didn't boo me off the stage. That would have been super embarrassing. Talk about backfire.

 

Well that's all for now folks. Until next week...say your prayers.

 

xoxo,

Hna Hall

Mt Everest

The service projects in this area are really intense. I've been spoiled my whole mission with calling BINGO to old people and reading English books to 7 yr olds. In the Los Altos zone they work outside in the heat...with their hands! On Wednesday we had to rake, I swear, an entire acre of these tiny, pokey ball things that had been falling from the trees. There were millions. I was sweaty and blistery by the time we left. These hands are not made for that kind of work.

 

The very next day we went out to a ranch and summer camp for kids. They said we were going to hike up the hill over there carrying heavy things. I laughed because clearly they were kidding. Why on earth would we be doing that? Well, they weren't kidding. That's exactly what we did and it was a HIKE, like a Y Mount hike. There were about 10 times along the way where I really thought I better just lay down because I was going to die right there. The Elders were carrying these long pipes and we were just lagging behind them occasionally shouting out "is this poison oak?!". For the record, it was poison oak. We got to a really high point and I was done. Like, done, done. The Elders were still going straight up and my companion and I said we were just going to stay and wait here. A few of the Elders turned around and came back. They were so precious. No, Hna Hall, you can do this. We started this together and we are going to finish together! You can do this! Come on. They were so sweet to the old lady missionary that somehow ended up on this trek up Mt Everest. By the way, I'm still confused as to what kind of service this was because I for sure did nothing for nature except almost die in it. Finally, after A LOT of help and encouragement and probably just sheer miracles, I made it to the top to enjoy the beauty of the tiniest natural spring I have ever seen in my life. I didn't even care that the spring was so pathetic I could have made one myself about 300 feet below, I was overjoyed that I actually made it and shoved my face under that water and drank and drank and drank. It was the best water of my life!

 

Obviously on the way back down, us missionaries were joking about this being the metaphor of life. There were so many times where I really was going to give up, but thanks to the help, encouragement and love of others I made it to that spring and it was glorious! Totally worth it. In fact, after I made it up to the top I had forgotten all the pain, shortness of breath and negative/murmuring thoughts that had accompanied my journey all the way up. Indeed, that is life. The trials come, they are hard, and we may at times want to give up, but the end is always worth the effort. Thank heavens we have angels along the way to encourage and support us. I would have never made it without my companion and my Elder Angels and there are many times in my life when I have felt the same. This week I'm going to try to be an angel to someone else in return, hopefully not up another hike. See who you can be an angel to this week where you are. Help someone climb their Mt Everest today!

 

xoxo,

Hna Hall

Deadly Straws

The other day whilst enjoying dinner with some members in a local hamburger joint, we were all sharing funny animal stories. I'm not sure how we got on the topic, but our Guatemalan Elder (he's so much funnier now that I can understand him) shared about 6 stories involving him and some kind of tragic/hilarious animal death. I started laughing so hard my body was shaking and then I couldn't control my shoulders, then my head shot back and then forward right into my beverage...dead on the straw that was sticking out. That's right, I stabbed myself in the head with my own straw. My forehead started bleeding and everyone just laughed even harder. So now I have a tiny, circular wound right in the middle of my forehead. Classic.

 

In other news...a bird lady came to church. She was wearing about 500 different colors because she said the birds like it and they will follow (and sing) her all the way down the street. Sure enough when I looked outside the hall, I saw birds pounding on the window just to get closer to her. True story. Anyway, pretty sure the birds guided her to the church because she loved it. She even got up and did the hand motions to Popcorn Popping with us in primary. That's a solid baptism right there. We'll just have to get a drop cloth for the birds.

 

We were back at our apartment pretty early on the 4th of July for safety reasons. After dark, we started hearing tons and tons of fireworks so we all ran outside to the tot lot to see if we could see them if we stood on top of the plastic castle. We could not. But we listened and imaged for a bit. Then we walked back to our apartment and realized we'd brought the wrong keys. I then watched as the 3 sisters took turns hoisting each other up into the tiny window. After about 20 min they finally pushed one through...with a little too much force and she landed face first on the carpet inside. I bet we never forget our keys again...well at least the Sister that face planted, I might on purpose just to watch that again.

 

This past week I had a leadership meeting at the mission office with a special guest speaker who was some kind of organization coach for the coach of the BYU football team. He taught us some strategies for how to help missionaries...using football. No, seriously, he made us all get up and practice how to be an offensive lineman. Now I know that a successful blocker depends on 4 things: your stance, how low you can get, the power you can explode through your butt and your ability to keep moving your feet. So, the next day when I went on exchanges I obviously tried my newly learned talent on the sister I was with. I took her down hard on the ground. I think we both learned some good things that day. It really is all in the stance.

 

My sweet new companion who said she prayed me here (oh man, she had no idea what she was thinking) shared with me a quote from President Ezra T Benson I'd remembered for years but could never find. He talked about the power of the Book of Mormon. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to get up and bear testimony during sacrament meeting and I shared my testimony of the power of the Book of Mormon. That book and I have had an interesting relationship throughout my life, but one of the things I am most grateful for is the opportunity to really come to love it on my mission. There are very special and powerful promises included in the sacred words that were preserved especially for us. As I have watched this beautiful book change lives and mine, the words of President Benson are seared on my heart (in my own words because I have a terrible memory). There is great power in the Book of Mormon. It gives us greater power to resist temptation and to avoid deception. I can't think of anything we need more than these two things in today's world. It's like Vitamin C on steroids...uh, healthy kind. We need these words every day, even just a little, and with them comes the power to resist temptation and to avoid deception. Thank heavens because Satan is getting really sneaky.  

 

xoxo,

Hna Hall

El Camino

I'm in heaven, like Celestial kind of heaven! Transfers were last Tuesday and I'm now in a new area a bit northwest of San Jose and with an awesome new companion. We will probably only be together for one transfer so we are just going to light up the place. We started by getting a new baptism date today. Holla. That's how I roll. This is the first one for my precious companion so she was all smiles and giggles all day. It was the best. We are going to do epic things.

 

Last week we did some service at an old people museum. Well, I don't think it's exactly an old people museum, but I think of most museums that are not in France...cause like this one time I went there...as for only old people. Anyway...it was SO fun. First we were banned upstairs doing inventory in a creepy museum attic. Obviously, we were surrounded by ghosts and what not. I'm a firm believer in all those things now after being in the Spanish program for so long. Holy cow. Later we helped out in the little gift shop and old ladies followed me around telling me how well I did on the museum and how beautiful and how much they loved it. I just told them they were welcome and if they wanted to have this kind of joy all the time they should check out our church. Tehehe.

 

Anywho...that's about all the time I have this evening. Don't worry, I've already managed to make a fool of myself a billion times in this new area. So I'll have plenty of hilarious and endearing stories for everyone next week. Thank heavens I can get away with it otherwise President would have shipped me home by now.

 

Oh and I have a new car with a blue tooth phone connection so I get to yell Spanish at the console while I'm driving down the 101 - it's the best!

 

xoxo,

Hermana Hall