Letter 5 "Hope of Israel"

Letter 5 from the MTC                          August 21, 2014


Hello all,

This week has gone by so fast. I've had some great adventures and wonderful miracles happen. My first adventure was that our room got bed bugs and we had to clear out of our room and move to a different one. This took hours because we had to unpack every item of clothing and wash it, take our suits to the dry cleaners, and sanitize all of our stuff. The other adventure I have had was that I got to Host the new missionaries for a second week and absolutely loved it. Every time a new PG person comes in I've gotten to be their Host and bring them closer to Christ by welcoming them and letting them know how much they're loved. 

I would like to talk about Hope for just a minute and then tell you about our investigators. First, what is hope? This is what I have been studying in personal study this week because we have an investigator who wanted to know how they can be closer to God. (The best question I have ever been asked.) So Elder Glenn and I decided that we would teach him the 3rd lesson of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is my favorite lesson to teach. There are two different meanings to hope: one means you hope that you get a letter today, or you hope that you don't get the same thing to eat for the 3rd day in a row; then there's a sure hope. This is the hope I want to expound on and discern more. Hope is a sure, tangible, and joyful determination that you know something is true. Elder Neal A. Maxwell describes Hope, "...real hope is much more than wishful musing. It stiffens, not slackens, the spiritual spine. Hope is serene, not giddy, eager without being naive, and pleasantly steady without being smug. Hope is realistic anticipation which takes the form of a determination-not only to survive adversity but, moreover, to "endure...well" to the end." 

Have Hope in the Savior Jesus Christ and His gospel. Because, only through his name can we return to our Father in Heaven. Alma 32:21. 

We had our last lessons with our investigators, and invited them all to baptism. Only one did not accept our invitation. Gabriel is doing wonderful and I love him so much. Yesterday he came and ate lunch in the cafeteria so we sat by him and talked with for a whole hour. I love this soooo much. 

Smile a mile,

Elder Hall

PS  Miracles that happened today: Saw my Grandpa and the temple, Saw Hannah Ahlander in the Cafeteria cuz she works there, and saw several of my friends who came in from PG at lunch. 

Also to keep you informed, my Visa still hasn't come so I will be getting temporarily reassigned until that comes. I don't know where yet, but I find out today.
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LATER:     

Hey so I still don't have very many details other than that I have been reassigned and it was supposed to come tonight but it didn't. So if I get it tomorrow, I will email you and let you know.  And here are some pictures. The first one is Elder Glenn and I with Gabriel and the second one is from the temple. How is Abbie?