Busy serving and teaching in Brazil

Ok, I dont have much time to write this week, but it went very well!!! We had a conference with the president i think on thursday, that was amazing!!! He has such a Portugal accent, haha, i could understand alot more of what i hear this time around. haha, the language is coming. After the conference, i was speaking really well, and i could communicate and express my thoughts really well! its really hard without Brazilians in our home.
Então eu acho que dois dias atrás, I think two days ago, we were teaching Daiane. She has a boyfriend who is a member, and we have been teaching here. During studies in the morning, i felt like she really wanted to be baptized, and its something that we havent asked her directly yet, but i really felt like she really wants it. So during the lesson, i was teaching about something, and i just asked, do you want to follow the example of Jesus Christ? and she said yes, then she said she really wants to be baptized!!! I was so excited when she said that, but then we realized she is living with her boyfriend/unofficial husband, so she told us that she will pray to figure out what to do about it, whether they should get married, or not live together. The work is going great, we are teaching a family that 2 weeks ago spent an hour in the rain trying to find the church, and couldnt find it, haha, because of our bad directions.. but we are really excited to see them, and we asked them to be baptized, but they want to see how church is first, which i know that they will love, so i am so excited for them!! We are also teaching Daiane´s aunt, and a family we have been working with for a while to come back to church came this week! so it ahs been great!!!

I love you all! I know this church is true, i can feel the spirit manifest its truth whenever i put faith into reading the scriptures, praying and keeping the commandments. No unhollowed hand can stop this work from progressing.

Elder Halls

ps, I have blisters from swinging a macheté to chop down banana trees (service project), and we ate beans with pork and a full scalp of pig hairs! haha, it was the first meal that i couldnt down.. haha

P-Day April 30, 2012

April Showers..."Just singing hymns in the rain"

Elder Halls P-Day 4-30-12 

A little bit more from his Dad's letter...

 I love our area, there are a million hills and so it is extremely tiring, but im used to it now. our area is about the size of all of queen creek with as many people as gilbert. it is a very big area. I live in a house on the corner of a very tall hill. There are two american missionaries that live with us, elder Merril from medford oregon and elder Jacson from connecticut, but his family moved to meridian, idaho. he is going home in 2 weeks, so he is trunky.. haha
Our apartment is tight, its a covered garage type kitchen with title everywhere, then inside we have a bathroom and one room but its pretty big. We hang dry our clothes in another driveway place. it feels like a beach house. haha, its all made out of block.
Its hard for me to not to tell you everything im doing too!! haha, We walk everywhere, we take a bus to district/zone meeting every tuesday in Sao Jose Dos Campos. The members are amazing. We get fed lunch everyday, lunch is the biggest meal here, and everyone just eats soooo much. haha, so big lunches and no dinners... The members are very kind and the honestly adore all the missionaries. I cant understand all of what they say, but i always here the words missão and almoço in talks on sunday. mission, and lunch.

THUMBS UP...7-UP!!!!

 Elder Halls giving a THUMBS UP!!!....Elder Squires just smiling!!

...still raining....

April 30, 2012 
Note from Elder Halls Mom: In the last letter, I  shared my thoughts on how the ability to learn another language "beautifully" is in our blood, and I reminded him that his Papa Roberts went to Argentina on his mission and learned the language "beautifully", and even helped other missionaries learn the accent/dialect of the language. I also reminded him of all the Cox relatives who have served in Brazil and South America and have been able to learn the language. I said one day it would just "click!" I also reminded him of the blessing he received from our Stake President, Matthew Riggs, that said he would be able to learn and speak the language. Our Stake Presidency in Elder Halls home ward was changed, and they put our Bishop, Matthew Wright in as the 1st Counselor. Also, about the Prom dress reference. I spent the past weekend sewing sleeves on a gorgeous dress for his sister after the one we custom ordered was stuck in New Jersey the day of Prom. I sent him a picture of his sister and her date.



Haha mom! I love your letter, the language is coming.. haha, having only americans in my apartment isnt helping, but i am learning alot. I pray as well for it to one day just click. The stronger my desire to communicate is, the easier it is to speak. This week, the spirit led us to a home of a man named syndei with his family, Mariana, orlando and Edina. Mariana and orlando are probaly about 20, and Edina is his wife. We met Sydnei on the streets about a week before. We clapped there door, and they were so kind and welcoming, and we walked in, got to know them a little bit, and taught the restoration. I dont remember all that was said, but i remember the spirit was so strong, and they are truely ready to recieve it. They understand the need for a restoration of Gods church, and they accepted the book of mormon. I was able to communicate very well to them, and the things that i wasnt able to communicate, was even the more remarkable experience. I had things that i wanted to say, but had no idea how to express it, so i prayed that my companion would have the same thoughts and that the spirit would teach this family. As i prayed earnestly for the spirit to enter the home, my companion said word for word, ideas that i wanted to say and thing that i wanted expressed. Both times we left this home, we fell on our knees as soon as we were away from the home, and thanked our Father in Heaven for showing us this family. I am very excited to see them progress.

About this week, it has rained for the past 3 days, and walking here was crazy! im still trying to figure out how to upload pictures without a cord... haha, ill figure it out! I am very excited for the new stake presidency!!! I wonder who our new bispo is going to be? Maybe... (((please edit out before showing- (??????????????)- thank you :)))

:) I love you all! I,m glad everything worked out for emily at prom!!! Parabens on the dress, I give you the MVM(most valuable mom) award for the week! That beats all the amazing lunches i had!!!
Keep Praying for me, i hope i can pick up the language and start doing some work. i just need to remember that most missionaries by this point would still be in the CTM, because they did the 6 week program with us, the old program would have me go into the field this week! Well its 3:00 and we are going to eat lunch. Still raining. haha, its starting to get really cold! Whats the weather like over there?  I love you!

Elder Halls

Elder Holland visits Sao Paulo East!!!

	Mon, Apr 23, 2012 at 9:56 AM
Mom, Emily, Dad, Ammon, Tanner, Friends, family. haha you are all my family. I feel inadaquite. The faith and testimony of your letter (mom) and especially emily´s letter brought me to tears. Eu vou sentir saudades, i will miss our ward and stake, but i know the lord is in control and does things to prepare us for the blessings he wants desperatly to give us. Sorry about saying i sent a letter... i meant email... haha, i will send one this week :) Except i lost all of my addresses that i brought with me... sooo... yeah.. haha. I am very excited to see where we are moving to! Sounds awesome! I think i sent an email to dad telling him how much i love him, but i dont think it went through, to mushy i guess. anyway, dad, i love you, and am so grateful for your example in my life. Mom, i love you para sempre, Emily, your letter made me cry, and I love you. Ammon, I love you so much! I still am waiting for a letter from you!!! Tanner, i miss you! cant wait to talk to you!     So seeing Jeffery R Holland was the most amazing part of my mission yet. He is truely called of God, I know it, and I cannot deny it. I dont know how anyone who shakes his hand and looks in his eyes could not know. His wife gave an amazing talk. She is just as inspired as he is! His talk was amazing, i dont have my notes, but i remember what he talked about. He talked about us doing the same thing that we ask our investigators to do. We ask them to make sacrifices that will change their lives, God is asking nothing less from us. We are God´s investigators. We ask our investigators to study a little harder, God is asking us the same. We invite our investigators to be batized by water and the spirit, and he asks the same from us. We need to become converted, he said, do you want to serve a mission, or do you want to serve a firey mission with passion, prayer, love for your investigators and everyone that you come across.    He looked as us, and with tears in his eyes said, I weep so much because of the sin and sorrow of this world. He said that one of the beautiful truths that our church has brought the world is the image of a weeping God. He told us that no young many in the history of time was changed by a mission as much as he was. It shaped every aspect of his life.    I am so grateful for being here, if anyone has doubt about serving a mission, tell them to talk to me. I have only been out for 7 weeks and i know, without a doubt this is where God wants every worthy male who is capable. Giving your time in service to the lord will only help you come to realize how much you are actually recieving.    ANYWAY>>... about the details of my area, because i know it´s killing everyone! especially mom. haha, I am in Jacarei, and everyone speaks portuguese. I am trying very hard. haha, there are hills EVERYWHERE. its funny because the city is divided into two areas, the city, which is elder Merrill and elder Jackson, and they have a ward, and no hills. And the other half of the city is like a gilbert/queen creek suburban area condensed in a way we can walk around to every place. There are sooo manny hills. But i love this area. haha, i love the members of the branch. We have some farm land too in my area that i hope to send a picture to you of next week. Most the roads are stone, mom, i might need some more shoes.. haha. My companion is awesome! Elder Squires has actually only been in brazil for 3 months, because he served is first 7 months in texas waiting for a visa!!! haha, so we are two gringos running around trying to learn portugues and invite people to come unto Christ.    Last night, we were walking down a street when i saw some kids, and i started to joke a little with them while showing them how to play futebol. haha, after a few minutes of doing hand stands and playing futebol, my companion and I found ourselves in the home with 10 people, most being children about 12-16 years old, and a mom. We taught the restoration and the mother and one of the children prayed. The spirit was so strong, and i felt great, so i started to testify about God´s love for us and how he sent his son, Jesus Christ. And how he gave us prophets to guide us. When i realized everyone there was laughing at me... i couldnt even finish and then the mother of the home said, Eu não intende nada! haha, i laughed, and appologized, but inside i was kinda hurt.. haha it was a very humbling experiance for me, and i realized i really need to work harder on the language. haha, i am very excited to go back to that home and teach them again. It was an amazing experience, even if they couldnt understand anything.. hahaha    Well, i wish i could have been there sunday! Sounds like a lot of very powerful missionaries are going out. Sam, Taylor, Cody, Lincoln, Conner, i would love to get all their email addresses to write them! They are going to love every second. It goes by too fast. Love you! Elder Halls ps. Mom! i love you, i have some things you can send me :) haha, just an idea Granola (homemade, vacuum sealed if possible) Reflections of Christ (If you cant mail the book, could you mail the DVD?) Pop Rocks (members want some :)) Addresses (i lost them all... haha) A new watch? (haha, maybe? just thought i´d throw it out there, one that doesnt have cloth, because the cloth got really stinky... or you could just let me buy one here) English Dictionary Peanut Butter CTR ring (the one that chaille gave me.. i forgot it..) Can of Chille? (Cattle drive) LOTS OF LETTERS!!!!!! LOTS OF PICTURES!!!! (everyone asks to see pictures of my family, and all i have are ones of us all crying the day i left. haha) pss, i didnt bring the right charger for my camera, so i need to either find a universal camera battery charger, or i need a new camera... haha, but i will figure that out. I will pay you back if you do happen to buy one, and i think that we could get a good 12 mpx one for only $140, I am sorry this is so long. haha, these things are just suggestions, also. I hear that flat rate boxes are the o melhor facil way to send things. Use alot of tape though, the more tape, the less likely the box will be randomly checked by customs. I love you. [Quoted text hidden] NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.