Sept. 23, 2013

Sept. 23, 2013
Hey family!

How is everything?! So good to hear from you! Man this last week has flown by I swear that only two days ago it was p-day but that is good! I am glad that the time is going by fast =) that means that we are working hard! The week you guys had sounds pretty good! I am glad that dad was safe as he went down to New Mexico and everything went well and those machines look good! =) what is he going to do with the wild cat and the Kawasaki? Just getting a collection of toys ;) wow it does sound like that it was a rough week for football. That is sad the goal posts are now green but its ok not that big of a deal really. It is crazy how little of a phase high school seems like in my life when I look back on it now. haha kind of weird. Good for garret I hope that he keeps on being a stud and laying kids out taking names! =) haha sounds like everything in the ward is going great too! Man I really love hearing about how things went for you so thank you for the update and keep sending them please =) I love hearing about you guys!

Q and A

1. Ya, you know I am doing pretty well. This last week has been a lot better and I think that is all thanks to your prayers from home and the blessings of Heavenly Father. I have felt a lot better and feeling like I can conquer this and finish it with success in the strength of the Lord. haha I am feeling better. I still have urges to punch Elder Arjona sometimes but I just have to sit and cool down my thoughts and carry on. Really he is a cool person and can be pretty funny I just feel like he gets frustrated and irritated with me quite often and I feel the same sometimes. But it is alright. He thinks that he might be changed in two weeks cuz he has been in this sector for about six months now so we shall see... this might be bad but a part of me hopes that he is... hahah but come what shall. Thanks for the encouragement mom. I really appreciate it. I love your wisdom. haha There is no one in the mission field who I really respect as much as my family besides HF and JC and the HG. It is hard to have entire respect for someone you don’t really know that much about. Man it is hard to be myself down here though cuz I can’t express who I am in Spanish very well and when I make mistakes I don’t like it cuz I get a little flustered and embarrassed and I hardly every talk in English cuz Elder Arjona always says, “Elder you have to talk the language of the mission´´ or “élder, usted necisita hablar la idioma de la mision´´ that is when I want to punch him, haha but whatever. These past three days I have been so surprised at how much Spanish I can actually understand! It has been amazing and I know that it is only because of my HF and his blessings!! =) wow long answer

2. Um it is the Baquedano branch and the Rancagua stake and I actually don’t know the house number or street name. It is hard to remember names down here cuz they’re all in Spanish and it is just another Spanish word to remember!

3. Well I withdrew 40000 pesos today so about 70 dollars. I think that will last me for a while. It is hard to use a debit card down here so I just decided to take out cash. Is that ok? And you know I don’t think that there is anything you can do for me that is logical! I would love to give you all a hug but that is impossible for now so your letters and prayers and thoughts are perfect enough for me =) thank you though! I can’t wait to receive the package as well!

4. I do know Elder Dunmire! I actually went on a division with him two Thursdays ago! That was awesome cuz it was super rejuvenating to have someone with me that speaks the same native language! And he is a cool guy! And those are my shorts but that is Elder Aguirre not my comp. He is from Argentina and the zone leader who lives in our house. He is a cool guy and I really enjoy him. I joke around with him quite a bit! 

Ok so this week we found a guy who was inactive names Luis, his daughter who is inactive named Francisca and his “wife” not really, named Jasna who isn’t a member. We stopped by their house cuz their names were on the list of inactive or less active people and we visited with them for a while. He said the prayer when we were finished and he thanked the lord for sending us to his house and that we were the answer to his prayers! Super cool! He and his family, he has two little ones in addition to his older daughter, came to the branch activity on Friday (which was super fun) and then to church on Sunday! Wow could not have been better! I think some great things are awaiting them as they progress and I hope that the lord will bless us with the things we need to teach them as well in the future! Super excited for them! And also we found a lady named Mariela who came to church! She has a lot of pain in her life cuz her daughter has a kid and her daughter isn’t married and I feel like there is turmoil there but she has read some of the B of M and she will be progressing too! Super excited! The 18 of September is the Independence Day for Chile (ok we are leaving to lunch be back soon I am going to send this now. Love you guys! =)

To continue my message from earlier, lunch went great! I had chicken and potato salad! Ok so the 18th was really cool! haha it felt weird though. The town was like deserted and hardly anyone was home. But we got to eat a lot of food with the members that day! =) empanadas and lots of shishkabobs and goood stuff =) and this last week went good considering the holiday! We encountered several drunk guys but no harm done. I actually got bit by a little weasel dog this last week, bigger than a rat dog but not a real dog! haha didn’t hurt at all. um... not much else that I can think of right now. You will just have to read my journals when I get home in 22 months! haha those have a better account of what happens to me cuz they’re day by day =) but the activity with the branch went well and lots of fun!  I took pictures and hope I can send them to you! I will try today! Love you mom and that is about all there is to say other than a little thought I have. So the scripture in Ether 12:27 has really helped me lately. I try to humble myself before HF and he has been blessing me a lot lately. Spanish is coming along great and I feel fairly confident in general now! =) I miss you guys so much.. =( sometimes I just want to cry... but Christmas will be in a couple months and we will be able so Skype so we both need to set up accounts!! I will have a member from the ward help me. His name is Christopher Godoy and he is the first counselor in the branch and also the best! Love that man. ok mom I am going to read the other emails like you said but I love you and i hope that everything is going great at home and I love Olivia, dad, grandpa, grandma, the phips, everyone!! =) miss you guys... a LOT! 

With much love and sending my blessings,

Elder Tegan Hall

Week 3 in Chile

Sept. 16, 2013
Hey family! How are you? Ok to start off the “a” key on the key board is hard and my fingers are cold so this will possibly be a crappy email. Alright... 

How fun for grandpa! I hope that he had a good time. I am glad that work is going good for dad and that you are enjoying IRI testing and Olivia is adjusting to middle school =) how great! I want to start off by saying that I miss you guys and I think and pray about you every day! I am glad that you are still hanging out with the Phippens frequently and everything is well back at home. That is cool dad is going to be a dealer for those side by sides. They look cool! I hope that he is safe driving down to New Mexico. I am happy that you are enjoying Elder Tidwell. He is a great guy and I hope that he enjoyed the whiskey river burger cuz I miss it! I love hearing about your week and please keep me updated cuz it is fun to read and helps me feel good =) I love hearing about you guys!

haha ok Q & A time

1. Typical day, elder Arjona likes to run about 3 times a week and that kind of stinks especially cuz it’s in the morning and I am not a morning person. You know that but I am getting better. When we don’t run I will usually do some push-ups or something. Then we have time to shower until 8:30 and at 8:30 personal study starts. That goes to 9:30 then it is companion study until 10:30 or 11:00 then we try to have language study but that doesn’t happen very often. After we usually go and have a visit with a less active or investigator or go do an errand in the centro. That is like the center of Rancagua then we have lunch at a member’s house every day at 1:30 except p-day we eat out that ends at 3:30 and then we go out to our various contact appointments and visit less actives and what not. This last week went poorly for finding new investigators. At 9:30 or 10:00 pm, depending on if we have a lesson, we come home. Then we have daily planning session for about 20 mins and then dinner, prep for bed, journal, and bed at 11:00. On average I would say that we teach about 10 lessons or something like that. When we have a first real lesson we try and give them a baptismal date. We have two dates right now… but that is ok cuz we are still working on several other investigators that haven’t committed and followed up with a date. Talking to people is pretty fun. We go out and shout halo and then just wait and I usually initiate the talking and then elder Arjona will help. My Spanish is improving but still I get so frustrated at times. 

Tegan is on the left. His companion has the ball.

2. My companionship has been rough this week. I feel like elder Arjona’s dog sometimes. He just says vamos or venga which means let’s go and come on and it is irritating. I feel like when I try and talk sometimes he will kind of just scoff because my Spanish is barely understandable. I don’t know.... he talks super fast and slurs his Spanish so he is hard to understand and when I give him a blank stare he will repeat it in his poor English... makes me feel dumb sometimes. Then he tells me that I need to take the lead sometimes but I don’t even know what to do cuz he doesn’t tell me. I broke down and cried a couple times this week cuz I have been having a hard time with the whole companionship. It is definitely hard. I am trying to develop patience but it’s hard. I just want Blake for a comp!! But it is ok I will try and learn what the Lord is trying to teach me. We live with two other Latino’s from Argentina both around Buenos Aires. One doesn’t speak any English and the other a little so often times when they are all talking and I can’t understand I just sit there and think about home and stuff cuz I can’t help it sometimes. I feel really excluded. But I have been making a better effort to improve. And yes they take the full hour fifteen to email too. It was just that one day that was a bummer. haha

3. I haven’t received anything from Mexico MTC. Nothing, and just email to the mission home. I think that is how it is supposed to work.

4. I am not sure if I have had horse meat or not. I think I might have on Saturday! haha but it was good anyway. Um the grossest thing has just been the bones in chicken. Everything has really been pretty tasty!! I love the food here. =) There is a family in the ward called the Ramirez family and their food is great!! Yes I can drink the sink water, no problem and I actually haven’t had the squirts yet knock on wood ;) haha

Alright well the weather here was a weird adjustment because it is coming out of winter. Haha so we have electric blankets and all at night cuz it gets cold but overall I like the weather. The people are really kind and most all of them will talk to you for a minute. The members are cool and funny! There is this one member who talks to me about the NFL and how much he loves it. He went to SLC for his mission. Everyone seems to be really helpful and understanding of my Spanish and I appreciate that! This last week flew by. I couldn’t believe it actually! Our investigators are cool too. I love having lessons with them. We have this one lady named Anita who her husband was baptized a while ago but she can’t quit smoking and we have been working with her a lot. She is funny and she sells these little treats that are delicious! But she won’t quit smoking... elder Arjona and I have fasted every week for our investigators. There is this boy named Jorge, about 16 years I think and he is our investigator right now. He is a champ. Super respectful and super absorbent to our lessons and I think he will be a future mish!! But ya, no baptisms yet or anything. This last week we went a cast a spirit out of a house. I could kind of feel its presence but the Holy Ghost was so strong during the prayer I wasn’t concerned. We also gave a blessing to a lady. We have given two blessings of health while I’ve been here. I have anointed the oil both times in English!! haha but Spanish will come with time. It is hard. This is definitely the hardest thing I have ever done but nothing worth having was ever easy it seems like! I just need the strength of the Lord! There is a scripture in Moroni 9:6 I think that I like, and this is my work for the Lord and I won’t come home until I have finished it the way the Lord wants it, even if it seems unbearably hard. Well that is it for how it seems to me. Mom, dad, Olivia, grandpa, grandma, phips, I wish I could give all of you a hug right now honestly. I miss you all so much but this is what I am meant to be doing. I appreciate all your prayers and love for me and you all are really too kind =) I have my camera cord so I will attach some pics =) love you all and talk to you next week =) 

Love, 

Elder Hall

P.S. Never mind. This computer is crap and I can't attach a photo... =( I will try next week but I love the photos you send me please keep it up! and I would like to hear about the Falcons, BSU, and when bball starts the Clipps =) thank you so much! Please post on the blog that I am sorry I can't respond to all the emails =( I wish I could but time doesn't permit. 

Love your son and missionary,

Elder Tegan Hall =) <3

A Big Adjustment

September 9,2013

9/9/13  P-day Lunch (copied from another missionaries blog)

Hi hi hi!! So good to be emailing you =)Last week when I only had 15 minutes to email you. I was really irritated and feeling ready to give up but then I thought of the people who went on missions a hundred years ago or however long and couldn't talk to their families for two years or so and I thought also of my Savior and He knows the pains that I am going through... so that really helped and I know that the Savior is there to help me through my struggles... but it has been hard. I feel bad saying this but I have played with the idea of coming home a few times but I would never do that... I will finish this mission because there are souls who need to receive the gospel.
Ok time to answer questions (sorry for the poor typemanship)

1. I am serving in a place called Baquedano... it is like really just outside of Rancagua. so it is cool. the people here are super nice. pretty much all of the people we contact will stop and talk to us even if you can tell they don't want to really talk... I appreciate their sincerity because if I just got doors slammed in my face all day I would be feeling pretty down..

2. haha My living conditions. When I first arrived into our house two weeks ago I was like wow... I had life so good in the MTC. It is just a small little house with run down everything. there are two bunk beds. I sleep on top bunk. I have two little cubbies to keep my clothes in.. haha so I kind of have to live out of my suitcase. I live with all Latinos, two are the zone leaders, both from Argentina and then me and my comp from Panama. He is super proud of his country and talks about it all the time haha. Our bathroom is moldy and kind of gross, especially because there are four different guys who use it. =P

3. In the morning I usually have some yogurt and a fruit of some sor. and if I have cereal then I will eat it as well. We are usually always fed by the members here for lunch and that is super nice. I love the food that they prepare but Brady was right. They feed you until you think your going to explode. For dinner, I usually just make a little sandwich or something, not a whole lot. I have yet to find Mt Dew down here.... there's Pepsi but not the same as the good old green juice. =)

4. hahah The running...... it is healthy... but I hate running. Yeah I have shoes for running. I bet that we go about a mile and a half in the morning or so.... kind of hard but I am getting more endurance. 

5. There are a few experiences I can recall right now. First there has been a couple times where the spirit has said you need to go back to that house and when we have the people let us in. We are in the process of teaching this family but we have only visited them once the rest of the time they have been busy... but that was one... We have fasted both the Sundays that I have been here and that has been good, about a 24 hour stretch of fasting. It is kind of hard. We had zone conference this past week and that went well. Elder Viñas from the Seventy came.
There are dogs everywhere... hahah I bet I see close to 50 dogs in a day. Everyone has a dog and then there are about 1000 on the street.  My Spanish is improving but still at times I get so darn frustrated with my abilities because I can't understand and I can't talk. There is this one member who thinks it is super fun to talk to me in English and he says, "What's up ni****" when he sees me... haha it is kind of funny and then there is this other member who talks to me about the NFL. Lots of people/investigators all ask if I play basketball. It is fun to talk to them, well to try to at least. 

6. We email in internet cafes and I can't open audio files and I don't think that there is a way for me to send them either but I can send pictures and stuff. I wish I could hear your voices but I guess I will have to wait until Christmas. That feels like so far away but really the past two weeks here have flown by. 

I think about you guys a lot, probably more than I should. It is just when I can't understand stuff or when we are just walking to appointments, I day dream about home... I hope that gets better when I know Spanish even though it isn't bad to think about you guys. hahah My comp is a go-getter. We work so dang hard and it honestly takes me about thirty seconds to fall asleep because of how tired I am at night. We walk so much. I have worn a callus off on the bottom of my foot. The other night when I was sleeping, I had a dream that I was praying in Spanish and then I woke up and realized I had already said my prayers for the night and it was just a dream. Kind of strange. I find myself thinking in Spanish sometimes too. I just wish we could plug a chip into my brain and I could know Spanish right away, but then I wouldn't value how hard I have to work for it, huh?

I am so glad that you got to meet up with Elder Tidwell and his comp!!! That makes me soooo happy =) I kind of envy his area. (Tegan was in the Mexico MTC with Elder Tidwell and he was called to the Pocatello Idaho Mission, Spanish speaking. We took Elder Tidwell and his companion to lunch last P-day.) I hope you enjoyed him. He is a nice kid and he should be a great missionary. I am glad he felt the same about my comp in the MTC because it is true... it was hard to deal with him... but that is over now and seems like a whole lifetime ago!!! Crazy! Sounds like life at home is pretty relax. Thanks for the pictures. I really appreciate them! Olivia is all grown up... weird...I hope that she is enjoying middle school! I know that I loved middle school! Tell her to hang in there and be a good girl. Man, I miss you guys and not a day goes by when I don't think about or pray for you guys. Thank you so much for praying for me and keeping me in your thoughts. I really needed the uplifting last week and I know that the Lord has blessed me because of your prayers. I super duper appreciate it. Crap, I wish I could just keep talking and talking because that is what I want to do but I don't know what more to talk about. I don't have my camera cord right now so I cant send you any pictures.  Rancagua is a beautiful place.  I love it here. It is spring time right now and the days are starting to get warmer. 

How is everything at home?

bergy? 

chickens and turkeys?

pool (i saw it in the background on a pic)

house

ward

everything

anything new

phips

and most importantly you guys?

Well that is all for now but I have about 35 minutes left so if you get this we can try and email back and forth for a little while.

I love you and miss you all so much!

May God bless you and I will talk to you all later =)

With all my love,

Elder Hall

A Rough Start

September 2, 1013

Elder Arjona from Panama

Ok I really don't have time to reply to all the questions because Elder Arjona told me that we only have thirty minutes to email today because we're late and I already burned ten minutes waiting for the stupid computer to load. Need I say I am kind of frustrated right now.

Sometimes I just want to cry because this is a dang hard transition in my life. A lot harder than the MTC. Pray for me.
Yes that picture is Elder Arjona he is a good elder but we bust it every day. I bet we walk four or five miles. It is crazy and in the mornings he likes to go running which I said I would do because I wanted to be kind but I hate it.

Thanks for the run down on the week I really do love hearing from you guys and seeing how things are going. It is hard work down here and it is a nice relief to hear about you guys. ummm... I will answer your questions but that is about all I can do because then we need to go to an appointment. 

1. Last day in the MTC was fast. We left at about two pm. There were about 25 flying to Chile but 17 only to Santiago the rest to Osorno.

2. In the airport in Mexico me and Elder Gee and Ashby went to Chili's to have dinner. I had a nice juicy burger and I loved it! Then we got to the Santiago airport at about 7 in the morning. I was beat. I just wanted to sleep but that wasn't about to happen. We went tracting that night. 

3. First impression of Chile, I loved it. But sometimes I feel like a fish out of water. The Mission prez and his wife are cool but I don't really know anything about them.  By the way, we had to lock our facebook accounts so I don't think you can use that anymore but ya we got groceries and stuff.  

Okay, well my companion is cutting me short. I am really peaved right now and I don't have time to tell you about anything really. I love you guys so much and please pray for me. I know that is selfish but please. I love you guys and I guess I will talk to you next Monday.

Love,

Elder Hall

32 new missionaries that arrived to the Rancagua Mission on Tuesday, August 27, 2013