Hey everybody!?!

June 4, 2012

Hey everybody!?!
So this week was pretty tough. We tried to get a lot of less active members, and a lot of new people to go to church, but most people made the excuse that it was too far... Im really sad, and wish that we would have tried a lot harder to get people there, because the Prophet spoke! It was broadcasted in from Salt Lake City, and it was amazing. We had one person there that I´ve talked to a few times at a grocery store by our house, but he lives in the other Elders´ area. Ele é um dez. haha, he is awesome! He came up to us and asked us for a book of mormon, so we gave it to him. The day after, I saw him at the store and asked him if he read it, he said yeah, its hard to understand, there are different prophets! haha, we talked, then he talked to the other elders too, and the day after he went to Stake Conference and got to see the Prophet speak! I didnt get a chance to talk to him, but I am really excited to when I get the chance.
Conferência da Estaca was sooo awesome!!! First Elder Gonzalaz spoke to us in Portugues, which was amazing, but a little hard to understand because of his thick Uraguayen accent. He talked about fortalizing our families in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then Elaine S. Dalton spoke, which I could barely understand her interperator. haha, then Neil L Anderson spoke. In portugues! It was an amazing talk, and his portugues is soo good! He has an accent, but he was very easy to understand he said that Him and Thomas S Monson talk alot about Brasil and they care alot about the people here. He gave 3 ways that parents can help their children grow, 1. Fortalizing their education, 2. Teaching about work 3. Bringing them to the knowlegde that Jesus Christ is the only way to bring us back to our father.  I loved these 3 points. He talked about how it is hard, but not impossible to give our children opportunites to work. He talked about how he lived on a farm, and he was paid 50 centavos to milk the cows each week. He learned about tithing, and saving money that way. He talked about how even though we may not live on a farm, we still have many opportunites to help our children learn how to earn money, save money, and pay tithing.
Thomas S Monson spoke, (through an interperator)
and talked about loving God with all your heart, soul and mind. He talked about how this is the greatest and first commandment. He also talked about how the second commandment is like unto it, to love your neighbors as yourself. I didnt hear much of his talk, because the interperator was very fast. But i remember he talked about following the savior, and how the saviour to everyone extends the commitment, follow me. He also said, we need to ask our selfs often the question. What would the saviour do in this situation.
He also talked about a beautiful story about one a day he felt inspired to visit a less active family in which ward he was the bishop. He knocked on the door, and someone said bishop, how did you know it was my birthday? haha, So he came in and they sang happy birthday, and there was one girl there with a beautiful voice, and he said, You have such a beautiful voice, you should sing in church this week. You could sing in the conference, you could even sing a solo? She came to church, and sang, and then the family started to go to church again:)
I Love listening to the prophet. We need to read the talks of conference over and over and over again. You will always find a message that will lift you up. We were at a persons home who the week before asked us to go to there house. They have 2 boys with severe mental disablilities, who are both in their 20s the whole family was baptized 10 years ago, but havent been back since. The 2 boys in their 20s kept asking for something that i didnt understand, finally on the 2nd visit to their house, I realized they were asking for the Liahona! haha, so I am going to bring on over that I have next time. We need to value the words of the prophets like gold! It is my testimony that Thomas S Monson is a true prophet. Em nome de Jesus Cristo, àmen.

Élder Halls

May 28 - keep praying for me.

Well, my time is very limited this week, because my companion and i are out of money for this month..hahaha, but I will try to express things that have happened,


So last week after I logged off email, a 24 year old guy named Obadias came to me and started talking to me, and I could understand just about everything and I began talking to him about the beliefs of our church. He was very interested about the gospel because his brother was baptised in São Paulo, so we talked, then followed him to his house and set up a time to meet with him. It has been hard to get a good lesson with him, because he has a lot of crazy view that he likes to explain. We found a family also, i will call the Carlos family, i dont know if I already mentioned them, but they live pretty far away on the top of the tallest hill. We taught them once, and it went really well, but the next time we showed up, the parents werent home, and the 3 children were going to church! but not ours... haha, so we walked with them on the way to church and taught them a lesson. We still are teaching Sydnei´s family, but they havent come to church yet, so it is getting a little discouraging.
Ok, so i have noticed some of you stopped praying for me to learn the language, because i said i already knew it, but i was just kidding. So hahaha, keep praying. Haha, it is very interesting. I can communicate fluently when the Lord needs me to, during lessons, extending invites, talking about the church, but when i go to buy something from a store, i dont know how to speak. haha, it is embarassing.. haha, so keep praying for me.


Also, We have a baptism marked!!!!! yayayayaya!!! It is for a women named Rosangela, her whole family is already baptized, at least her kids were a year ago, but she has had a problem with smoking, but we are going to work with her! I think she just needed someone to be excited and to ask her and help her with love, because she is so happy to begin quitting! so that will be June 17th, one week after the temple of Manouse (spelling?) is dedicated!


The confirmation for Daiane went amazing! She looked so happy! Probably the greatest moment of this week was that, and passing her in the streets and just seeing how happy she was. She just looks so much happier than the first time we met her! I couldnt help just being so happy that day because we saw her!


I went to another church last night. I didnt want to, but i have a companion. haha, i almost got up and bore a testimony about the savior and his love, but i prayed if i should, and the spirit told me i shouldnt. The church was definately a wild experience, It is interesting to see what the other church think of God, and our saviour Jesus Christ. If anyone is reading this who is not a member of the LDS church, I encourage you to seek out the truth in the Book of Mormon, in the Living Prophets, and pray with real intent to God to see if these things are true. You will be amazed at how real God is, and how much He loves you. He has always loved you with infinate love, but Your view of these things will be made more clear through the tools that God has given us. Just try it! haha


I loved reading the emails this week from Emily, Dad and Mom! I got a letter from grandma last week and 2 missionary ties!!! So things are going good! haha, I love you guys, I can feel your testimonies everytime i think of you!


Com Amor,


Elder Halls
PS- Is Todd in Spain?
How is Trey?
Preston Hon?
Malcolm?
Austin?
Dallin Ray?
Sam?
EVeryone!
Jake?
umm
I have more friends on missions i think

I love you!

"I am so blessed to be on a mission serving the Lord."

Beautiful Baptism Day! Sunday, May 22, 2012  ~ Elder Squires, Daiane, & Elder Squires

Daiane with her friends and familyElder Halls

May 21, 2012, Jacarei, SP, Brazil


Well, I can speak portugues now! thanks for the prayers! But seriously! haha, this week was amazing! I love this area soo much, and I love the people here!!! I don´t know what I´m going to do when they make me leave. The members, the non-members, everything here is just so awesome!!! A girl in our ward named Jérsica told me that once I can understand I will smile more, and she has been right!!! This week I have understood so much more than I ever have, and I think I owe it all to prayer, and the study of the scriptures in Português.

Tão. Elder Jackson fui embora, and now he is in Idaho! If anyone meets him, they should tell him that we all miss him and love him! He was such and awesome missionary, and I learned so much from him, he was always very excited to do the work. That is one thing that I have learned that is one of the best things anyone can have. You need to be excited, passionate, animated and firm about whatever you are doing. If you aren´t, then its probably not worth it. I am trying to have a mission filled with fire as Jeffery R Holland said, with real love for the people. I feel like this week I have learned alot about that.

On friday, we were working really hard in one side of town, when Elder Squires said, alright, lets go to Rosalie´s house, I almost didn´t want to go because we were working so well in this area getting contacts, but he reminded me that it was my idea haha, so we went. We didnt have a compromisso with them, but we decided to go anyway. We got there and her second oldest son George was leaving the house, Rosalie said ´George, go get Daiane (His Girlfriend) and the missionaries will share a message.´ He said, ok. and Then 20 minutes later we were teaching her. We had already taught her about everything except all the commandments, and she had already ask God to see if these things were true. She also had recieved an answer and told us she knew it was true, but she couldn´t be baptized because George was living with her.
       So Friday, we taught her, and I felt really blessed to understand everything and be able to convey every thought I had in understandable português. We were teaching, and I asked her about her situation with George and if she feels ready to be baptized, she said that George was moving his stuff back to his mothers house, and she really wanted to be baptized, so we asked if she would be willing to have an interview saturday night to talk about baptism and see if she is ready. She accepted!
The next day we came over about 3:00 to see if Rosalie would accompany us to another investigators house with Altamir to teach 2 women in their 20´s. She said she was busy, and asked if we would teach Daiane instead, but we had a better idea! Haha, we took Daiane with us and she sat through the lesson, and gave the most beautiful answer when I asked her the question, How do you feel when you recieve an answer? She said you feel peace, joy and you just know that it is right.
    After that we had another appointment, so Elder Squires and I, with Altamir went and then returned at about 5:30. The zone leaders were getting close for the interview, and we needed to meet them at the Bus Station, so Elder Squires stayed at the house on a split and I went with Altamir. We did this, because we still needed to teach some more things before the interview. Walking back from the bus station was awesome. I´m walking with 3 Brasilians telling them everything they need to know about everything that we need to do tonight in Português. Muito legal, cara!!!!  I know that i had the gift of tounges because Daiane needed 2 missionaries to be able to teach her the things to be baptized. She had the interview, then we invited her to be baptized after church, she said, no.. that too early. So we said, you´re ready, you had the interview, you have a strong testimony, so what if you get baptized in the evening? Can we do a baptism at 5? The she said, sure! We were so happy!!! She was so happy too! The next day at church she was smiling so much! It was amazing! She asked me to baptize her, and I was so excited and happy for her!  
    Funny thing, but not really, Jérsica Called, George´s sister and said, sorry we cant have the baptism, she doesnt feel ready... so we were sad, and were trying to call her back because the call dropped. I went out side and prayed that everything would work out, and that she will feel the spirit testify to her, then when i came back in, Altamir (our ward mission leader) was leaning down to pull the plug on the fonte when his phone rang and they said it was just a joke. haha, but they ran out of credits on their phone, so they couldnt tell us! haha, it wasnt funny.. just a little i guess.. hahah
   The baptism happened, it only took me one try! She looked so happy, and she is so ready to begin the journey that will bring her more and more happiness everyday in her life. I have only experienced that feeling a few times in my life, when I baptized my brother Tanner, when I did baptism in the temple a few weeks before I left. It is such an amazing feeling, and you can definately feel the power and spirit of God in the symbolic ordinance to follow him and to be born again. I am so excited for Daiane! Also for George, her boyfriend. It was such an amazing experience, and I thank Heavenly Father for allowing me to share that special time with them.
   The Church is true, we all know it. We can feel the power and spirit of God in our lives, and if we cant feel, we know something is missing. I pray that everyone will seek the Lord, and be willing to do anything that he wants you to do. Even if you dont know why you are doing it, or you get an answer, and you follow it, but dont know right away if it is the right thing. Joseph Smith saw God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ then had 3 years where God tested him, and left him alone. Sometimes in our life we will recieve an answer, follow it and then doubt, because the consequences are hard. When Lehi sent his sons to get the plates, Sariah began to complain to her husband Lehi, because she thought her sons were in the hands of Laban, and they were going to die in the Dessert. Sometimes in our lives we feel simply dont know what the Lord has in store. What trials he will bless us with to help us learn, or what blessings he will give us so that we might learn and grow as well. I love you all, and hope that we can all remember to put the lord first and to be diligent in our obedience. I am so blessed to be on a mission serving the Lord. I love the people here, and am happier than I have ever been in my life. I never want to leave. haha, seriously
Elder Halls

"The reason why we do everything is because of our love that we develop towards God and all of his children" ~Elder Halls

Note from Elder Halls Mom - We had the BEST time on Mother's Day talking to Elder Halls on the phone and using Skype! AmAzing!!! It was a beautiful experience for our family!

Elder Halls, Squires, and Vanessa singing "Abide With Me"

May 15, 2012

Long time no communication! Exept for yesterday... haha, Anyway, thanks for the spirit that everyone brought into the home of  Vanessa and Felipe and Mario. We have been working with Vanessa, the girl who spoke english  over skype, trying to get her to come back to church so that we could also get her little brother mario baptized, but she hasn't had much of a desire. But we kept teaching her and the last two weeks she has come to church! So she is making progress, we have also been helping her to know the importance of prayer, which has been hard for her, but last night, after dad gave the prayer over skype to everyone in that home, we were leaving, and she wanted to say a prayer in English! We taught her a few words, and then she gave a very sincere prayer. She told me to tell dad that he was the inspiration. She said she wants to learn how to bear her testimony in English and read the Book of Mormon too! She was very touched by dad´s prayer, and the spirit it brought, there were also 3 non-members in the room including her Grandma, Mother and her younger brother. So thanks for the help dad! Everyone thought tanner´s song was so cute too! And they couldnt stop talking about how beautiful mom, emily and chaille are! haha, Vanessa thought you were muito simpático mom! haha, so everyone here was touched by everyones kindness and spirit. I think it was also amazing for them to see how close the temple is to our house and to see the reality of it. Vanessa has never been to the temple, and now she has! haha, i love you guys, it was an amazing experience to talk to you all.

Transfers are tomorrow, next week i will have a camera, and i will try to send pictures. Elder Jacson is going home this week to meridian, idaho. So we are getting someone here for sure, i hope it is a brazillian so i can learn from a brazillian.

Seeing Elder Jacson go home is making me think about what i want to be, and how i want to feel before i go home. The Lord wants us all to be sucessful and to feel the feelings associated with it. Success to me as a missionary is feeling the spirit work through you and touch peoples hearts, obedience to the rules and how much you love the people. I have also been thinking about what Jeffery R Holland taught us. What makes the busy schedules worth it, and gives the strict rules meaning? It is our love for the people, without that, nothing has meaning, even life. With it, everything has meaning, even death. How we show that love is through our obedience to the Commandments of God, and really seeking to follow them, which commandments encompass every aspect of our life, from Loving God, Loving our neighbors. The reason why we do everything is because of our love that we develop towards God and all of his children, and we see God´s children as that. Children of God. Even if you see someone on the side of the road smoking, drinking, and asking you for money, you can still see the potential in them, they have a Father who commands the Heavens, they have a Father who weeps to be with with them, they have a Father who loves them. If we remember who we are, we can return to him, through the Love and mercy of God, because he sent us his Son, Jesus Christ.

Elder Halls

This is one of my favorite mormon tabernacle choir songs-

In the quiet misty morning
When the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing
And the sky is clear and red,
When the summer's ceased its gleaming
When the corn is past its prime,
When adventure's lost its meaning -
I'll be homeward bound in time
Bind me not to the pasture
Chain me not to the plow
Set me free to find my calling
And I'll return to you somehow

If you find it's me you're missing
If you're hoping I'll return,
To your thoughts I'll soon be listening,
And in the road I'll stop and turn
Then the wind will set me racing
As my journey nears its end
And the path I'll be retracing
When I'm homeward bound again
Bind me not to the pasture
Chain me not to the plow
Set me free to find my calling
And I'll return to you somehow

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