Ranas y sapas

I heard there was a cold front in Austin and I guess there has been one here in California, but I'm still walking around in short sleeves and doing just fine. It has, however, been raining like crazy. We were talking to a family the other day and I said it was raining cats and dogs and they corrected me and said no, it was raining bullfrogs and toads (ranas y sapas). I don't want to sound like a white fool so I'll be sure to use that from now on.

 

I have an amazing new companion and we are super pumped to recharge this area. She's from Canada, is 5'11" and a redhead so she's really just a taller, foreign version of me. It's hilarious to see the faces of people when two, beautiful white girls with flaming red hair approach them and start speaking Spanish. It's like the best thing ever. I should take a picture of everyone's first reaction of us and start a tumblr - it'd go viral. I warned her early on that we have a sketch area and there are a lot of places we can't go unsupervised at night. Not totally believing me (as if my precious face is questionable pshaw) she wanted to go check them out herself...I was more than happy to oblige. As we stepped out of the car she said yup, I see what you mean, we probably shouldn't come here at night. I chuckled and we went forth to preach the loitering men the gospel and she decided not return after the safety of the sun goes down. baha. Told ya.

 

Yesterday the Elders had a baptism and they made us give the talks. Don't worry we had 5 minutes notice. Of course the President showed up to this baptism, which I didn't notice until I got up to speak and saw him staring at me. Awesome. At least I looked cute. Anyway, I talked about the Holy Ghost and I took advantage of the Christmas season and talked about the feeling in the air right now that makes everyone smile, be a little more kind, feel good and hopeful. To me, this was the best way to describe the feelings of the Holy Ghost, a confirmation of all the perfect and pure things God has to offer us. As a baptized member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we get the special blessing of having the comforter, the Holy Ghost, with us all the time. It's like Christmas all year round and as we live worthy of having him be our BFF we get even more blessings from our loving Heavenly Father; we receive inspiration, spiritual gifts, confirmations of truth and of course feelings of comfort, peace and joy. As missionaries we are just banking on the Christmas spirit to help people see what they could have with them forever! We couldn't ask for more. So take a few moments with me this week to remember the wonderful, eternal gift of the Holy Ghost as our chance for Christmas cheer all year round.

 

Also, if you haven't already heard, there is a new Christmas website: mormon.org/christmas that has a beautiful short nativity video, free music, e-cards and offers for a free bible. There are tons of ways to share this awesome tool with friends and family with a click of the button - take advantage!

 

xoxo

Hermana Hall

Cheese Fries

I know I'm a missionary and the highlight of my week should be that we got a new baptism date, but it actually was that we found the best cheese fries in the world! haha jk...a little. I need to be more excited for this baptism and I am - eternally speaking - but this investigator has started to leave us serenading voice mails so things are getting a little weird. Oh well, this gospel isn't just for those who can sing, it's for everyone. But seriously, the cheese fries were amazing.

 

My recent missionary role has been the word of wisdom police, walking into homes and demanding all the booze walk out with me. They don't seem to fight me too much which is rather shocking. I think they aren't exactly sure what the redhead will do so they'd rather not take their chances, but in the meantime it's helping them all keep their heads clear. win-win. The best part is the priceless looks on the neighbors' faces when they see the missionaries carrying around a bunch of six packs. Good thing President trusts me.

 

I can never stop bragging about how much the seniors at BINGO love me. I'm going to be so sad when I have to leave that place. We haven't been there in such a long time because of the holiday and meetings, but I finally made it back on Friday and there were gasps when I walked in the room. I'm starting to wonder if they can see my angel body guards. We were late so someone already started monotone BINGO, but she couldn't wait to hand me the mic and as soon as it touched my hands the room filled with applause. They love me! They really love me. I might have gotten a little teary eyed at that moment. I bet I could get them all to follow me to the baptismal right now. I'm gonna try it next time.

 

Christmas season is the best for missionaries! People are actually taking our cards without mocking us. I think the twinkling of the Christmas lights goes well with repentance. We've been handing out invitations for a free nativity exhibit the church is putting on in Palo Alto this week (which I actually get to host today and I get a free cardigan and scarf!) and people have been thanking us for the invitations. What? No one seems to want to hear about Jesus Christ any other day, but they are all about hand carved nativities - maybe people don't know what nativities are. It doesn't seem to matter what you know about Christ, this time of year changes everyone and it's blindingly clear as a missionary. It's magical how Christlike everyone becomes without knowing it during a time set apart for the birth of our Savior - people just can't help it. If only we could bottle it and sprinkle it around the rest of the time. We are really hoping to cash in on all the love walking the streets these days and help people find the happiness they feel right now be with them all the time. I am so lucky I get to share the gift that never stops giving, the gospel of Jesus Christ every single day. Ahh it's happening, I'm a cheesy missionary! Warm fuzzies.

 

xoxo,

Hermana Hall

Confession: I danced

Thanksgiving was a blast which was a huge relief because I was all ready to be super sad missing my friends and family and outlet shopping at midnight. It wasn't sad at all! I mean I missed everyone but it was so wonderful to spend time with so many great families and I actually got to eat white people food! Yay! That might have been a tad racially insensitive, but I speak Spanish so I think it's ok. At one of the dinners I was a complete disaster. I needed to just lay flat down on the ground for a second (which is not lady or missionary like but whatever) and of course my dress flapped right on up, flashing everyone. Then at the table I spilled coke everywhere, used all the napkins and then I broke a serving spoon - I was on fire! Strangely enough the family loves me even more now or maybe they just feel so bad for awkwardness that it's super adorbs. 

 

The day after, we had a ward party eating more turkey and being a Spanish ward there was obviously music. We had TONS of non-member families show up so us 4 missionaries stayed the entire time and at multiple points I realized that I was for sure 'dancing'. My bad. It's just not possible to put me near dance music and expect me to sit there, it's against nature! The members were loving it and kept trying to get me in the middle of the dance floor the entire night. Several of them even came up and asked me to show them how to move like this white girl. ha! I'm sure I'll be getting a call from President in a few days...let me know if any bootleg photos of me show up on the interwebs. Oops. Totes worth it.

 

Our possessed investigator has been upgraded obsessed/stalker investigator and yesterday after church I literally had to step in between her and my companion because I'm pretty sure she is in love with her or is going to eat her heart. My sweet companion from Utah knows nothing about the wayward directions of the world. She'll for sure be transferred this next week now. Ahh the joys of missionary work and the often confusing warm, happy feelings of the spirit mixed with crazy obsession. Just another day here in San Jose Spanish program! Whoop whoop!

 

I am ever so grateful for everyone that has been so supportive of me on this mission. This is a trip like no other. This is the Lords work and he blesses us for it, but I would not make it without the love and support for all of you. Thank you.

 

xoxo,

Hermana Hall

Repent Ye Sinners!

Saturday we hit up our usual locations for some street contacting. It's a nice little street with lots of boutiques, food and people. This Saturday, however, much to our enjoyment was a Beerwalk! Hundreds of people were roaming the streets from store to store sampling beer. It was a missionaries' dream. We talked to almost 300 people in 30 min, giving out pictures of Jesus, mormon.org cards and calling all to drop their glasses and come sing praises to the Lord. haha. You could see some people's head's hung in shame and others were very grateful for the religious reminder.  All in all we did our duty and we sure cried repentance that day. It was fantastic!

 

Our family of baptism dates finally made it to church again and they've decided to get married this weekend so we really could be having a huge baptism in a few weeks. This is nothing less than a gigantic miracle since they've stood us up for every appointment the past two weeks and we've resorted to stalking them outside the house in our car - obviously with the seats down - waiting for them to come home. I am not going to hold my breath, but they know what they need to do to get baptized and they know they want it so we are going to do everything we can to get them there. Since this is part of a huge part member family if they all get dunked we will have plenty more in no time and we might actually double the ward with this one family. whoop whoop!

 

Yes, our possessed investigator is still after us. Our phone continues to ring and we have creepy messages. She even showed up to the chapel one day last week and talked to the Elders. She said she was going to come to church so we had some ghostbusters on call yesterday, but she didn't show. She did however, just call us again 2 min ago. Yikes.

 

On the brighter side, I've been reflecting (ooh that sounds so fancy) a lot on some of the things Elder Gavarett and his lovely wife said during his visit with us last week. He reminded us to never be afraid to declare ourselves. Our purpose is to serve the Lord, to spread the word and to make sure everyone we come in contact with knows of Jesus Christ. That turns out to not be super easy. However, there is no reason we shouldn't have the confidence to be bold in our declaration. This is the truth, this is the Lord's work and we have Him on our team. The only fear is of man, what other's might think or our own levels of pride. It's something I'm trying to remind myself of every single day when I look at my name tag. I know who I am right now, I know what I am here to do and I know whose name I bear every single day - I truly have nothing to fear. The same goes for every member of this church, we need not fear declaring the word of the Lord - I promise, He promises, He has our back. Elder Gavarett's wife also reminded us that we control the weather in our own mind. If we want a sunny day we need only put up a sun in our window. Although the world may be rainy or dark, we can make our own mind bright by remembering who we are and again what we are really here to do. Which, by the way is to keep the commandments and be happy forever. Yay!

 

Another one bites the dust

Another possessed investigator: check. I'm starting to gain a reputation around here as the Sister that brings out the crazies...but also the one that has the best weekly stories! This time I actually got to witness what happens to someone's face when they let the demon inside. yikes! Not to worry, I was prepared with my garlic and stake...wait that's not for...anyway I was prepared to pounce if needed and protect my baby companion and I also had the word of God in my hand to bonk her unconscious. We survived unharmed although the President informed us we are not to have any contact with her. She's been calling us every 10 min for the past two days...the voice mails are even creepier with just stale air. Eek! The devil is calling but we ain't answerin'. Take that Satan! Needless to say she will not be getting baptized Sunday. Oops.

 

I spoke this past week at the Mission Conference with Elder Gavarett. I had no idea how nervous I'd be until I got up there and my knees were shaking so hard I almost knocked myself over. Not to fear, the talk was well received and I even got a nice firm handshake from the man. I spoke about the Book of Mormon and told a story about my mom and me when we first moved to Texas. We were trying to get to the Target on MoPac and 290, but if anyone recalls, it's confusing and if you don't know anything about u-turns like we didn't at the time, it's impossible to get there. So I was sharing this experience about how we just couldn't make it to the Target, we could see it, smell it and practically touch it but we just couldn't get there. We eventually gave up and went home. Later someone mentioned to us that you have to take the u-turn to get there. We had no idea what they were talking about, but ventured out again and as we approached, this time really looking, we saw the tiny lane under the bridge that brought us safely to the Target. We didn't stand a chance getting there until someone pointed this little road out to us. I then compared this to life and how we often have no idea where we are going. Thankfully we have a loving Heavenly Father who has given us tools to help guide us, one of these is the Book of Mormon, a modern day GPS. Then I shared 1 Nefi 16:16, about how Lehi and his family were guided on their desert course by the Liahona. What I love about this verse is that not only were they guided by the ball, but they were taken to the most fertile parts of the land. Sure, in life we can be moving in some direction, but without the holy guidance of our modern GPS, the Book of Mormon, we won't be able to find the most 'fertile' paths of life. I then reminded everyone how as missionaries (or as members of the church) it's our sacred responsibility to help our brothers and sisters that can't see the path or that think they are going in the right direction but are clearly not find those little u-turns by studying the scriptures. It is only by following the direction of the Book of Mormon that we can have the most happy life, to have all that God has promised us, to obtain all the blessings and to make it back to that big red bullseye, eternal life with our heavenly family. I obviously also bore testimony of the Book of Mormon. Because it's true. Amen. Apparently I done did a good job because he requested a personal interview with me after. I'm a gold star missionary! yippee!

 

Ack! I don't have time today to share our mindblowing Friday night adventure when I had to get the Elders to break into a member's apartment...on the second floor...by climbing a tree, jumping over a 6 foot gap onto a dark balcony full of dangerously sharp objects, but I'll be sure to fill you all in on the adventures of our super hero Elder next week. Stay tuned.

 

xoxo,

Hermana Hall

Lucky Hair

People have been touching my hair a lot...for good luck. That was new and a little odd, but I really can't blame them and it probably does bring good luck. I should sell it.

 

Daylight savings was a little treat from heaven, but my body just absorbed that hour and wanted more. The only thing that really changed was the sun now blinds me in the morning and we have another awkward hour each night where we can't safely do any work in about 80% of our area. So that's going to be interesting. Halloween was weird. California is weird. There are a lot of gun shots and drunk people. It's likely the part of town we are in because I heard in the rich area there were awesome, free haunted houses and all those missionaries got tons of candy and free food. We had to be home early, we couldn't dress up or participate in shenanigans so we went home and watched Legacy and I made my companion rewind the kiss scene a hundred times and giggled each time. When there is a drought, you'll drink whatever you find.

 

The other day a precious little toddler asked me if I had a baby in my belly. At first I thought I misunderstood him, but when his mom covered her face in shame and giggled I knew I had translated that right. I told him no but he didn't believe me so he poked me to find out. I don't know what he determined from that poke but I assured him there was nothing but beans and rice in there. At least the old people still love me. It kills me every time I walk into that place and they start clapping and chanting BINGO, BINGO like we're at a pep rally. My 90 yr old Filipino boyfriend gave me a huge bag of persimmons and some weird green fruit that smelled like a dentist office, but I ate it. An old Asian lady came up, squeezed the crap out of my arm, smiled and in broken English said "B-Four" in my exact same sing-song voice. Best thing ever.

 

We had to walk an investigator from the bus stop to the capilla the other day and I quickly realized that she walks a lot. I could not for the life of me keep up. I was huffing and puffing and getting further and further behind. Then all of a sudden a little tiny dog started following me, with a little yap and nipping at my heels. He was taunting me! It's like he was yelling at me, "you're not even trying!" (thank you 80's Matt). Needless to say I think I got my exercise for that day.

 

We stopped by two former investigators a few days ago to see if they'd be interested in learning more again. They graciously let us in, because they are Latin and they are all nice like that. I told them I was from Jalisco, Mexico and they totally believed me. haha good times. They also had a dog that loved to nip at my feet. Maybe my tiny feet look like little hot dogs. Anywhoo, as we were sitting there listening to them I realized this might be the time they actually do accept the gospel and just how important the Lord's timing is in all of this. We really never know when someone is going to be ready to accept the gospel, we just do everything we can to bring the spirit into people's home and hope that something pricks their heart so they have a desire to grow a little closer to Jesus Christ. Sometimes that happens immediately and for others it takes years and a lot of missionaries. Then as it goes, I realized that's the same with us. There are so many things in my life, like scripture reading for one, that have taken me years to accept. How many times have I chosen whether knowingly or ignorantly to reject an invitation to come closer to my Savior. The signs are all there but they can often be easy to overlook. As missionaries we have to be very patient and loving with people, just as the Savior would, but it's also our job to help them see the things they just can't. I'm grateful for this opportunity because in the process the Lord is showing me those things that I've missed too. That's the bonus of the Lord's work, any time we do something for him, he blesses us even more. Blessings all around.

 

xoxo,

Hermana Hall

Senior Scarefest

Friday BINGO was cancelled as a result of the senior Halloween Party and it was totally worth it. I'm still kicking myself that I forgot about it so I left my camera at home. I cannot believe how spirited these seniors got and I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. They went all out with their costumes and they were parading around the place like they were in middle school. There was even a 90 year old lady of the night. I couldn't believe it, tears were shooting out of my eyeballs when she walked in with her fishnets and corset top. My poor companion was mortified, completely frozen solid. Then Wendy, our Asian friend, brought us costumes she insisted we put on right then. I glanced down at the description of the bag she handed me, "Sexy Cat", complete with studded ears and bell collar. She watched as we both put them on and I could feel my companion's innocence shriveling up inside. It was glorious! There we were, two missionary sexy cats standing among 90 year old hookers. Halloween is amazing.

 

I've been in some serious hot sauce training and it's paying off. A few days ago I ate some freshly made salsa that really kicked up in my mouth, but I pushed through the sweat and the tears and yesterday I was able to eat two jalapenos like they were pickles! My Spanish isn't any better, but I feel like they take me more seriously when I can eat the hot sauce. It's the sacrifices we make for the gospel that bring about those miracles. I'm just talking one for team Jesus.

 

We had a pretty rough week so I needed a restaurant break. We were driving around, but I was so grumpy nothing sounded good. All of a sudden I saw the green lettering of the Olive Garden. For some reason I had a double take, asked my companion if she liked the place - never been! - so I flipped a u-ie and we went in for some serious breadstick/alfredo therapy. After we were seated, a lovely waitress came up and welcomed us with 'hi, sisters'. Naturally, our ears are up, we're so famous! Sure enough she was a member...that hasn't been to church in 7 months...and had just moved into our ward boundaries. WHAT?! After she took our drink orders and walked off I looked at my companion and our mouths dropped and I said, whelp I guess the Holy Ghost talks to me through my stomach. We had a great chat with her about church and the blessings of coming back and all chuckled as this was clearly a call from God to get back there. We left happy, stuffed and hopefully helped a lost sheep return back to the fold. It's the Olive Garden miracle!

 

Satan has been a big fat jerkface to us recently. It wasn't until the mission that I realized how hard he works on discouraging us. I love how everything is so cut and dry on the mission because you're only worried about one thing so if you feel anything bad or negative, it's Satan - it makes things so easy! I don't think I was prepared for how much Satan would try to discourage us, but it got me thinking about other times in my life when he was doing the same thing and I didn't even realize it. He's so sneaky and he uses these little negative feelings, moments of frustration or discouragement to take away our feelings of hope and peace so it becomes harder for us to feel the promptings of the Holy Ghost. It's a mad genius plan and it works! It's hard to remember that it's the adversary beating us down when we feel that way because nothing seems to be going right but really it's those times when we have to remember that there is only one reason the adversary is working so hard on us...it's because we are capable of so much!

 

xoxo,

Hermana Hall