Weekly Report!

Dear family and friends,

Ever since the day I left I've kept a mission journal. Just the other evening, after writing in my journal I decided to take a minute and read a few previous entries. I can clearly see how much I've grown in just a couple months! I'm really glad I made the decision to keep a daily journal because this mission is surely what will prepare me for the rest of my life. Recording each and everyday of it doesn't sound like a bad idea. I suppose that's my weekly advice to any future missionaries following me. Keep a journal:) 

Our area is on fire!!!  My companion and I have been super busy!  Don't believe me? Wait till you see our shoes!  The progression of our area is outstanding and Elder Booher and I couldn't be happier with the way things are going! We have many baptisms planned for the 9th of February but the number is questionable because we feel that a few may need to be rescheduled. Nothing to worry about! It's still great news!

On Tuesday, Sisters Pinky and Cherish invited us over to celebrate their baptism with great food! They are so excited to be a part of the Church and they absolutely love the Gospel! They are just fantastic and I'm so excited for them! 

Obviously, the recent converts in our area aren't the only reason I love my area! Our investigators are literally the best! All of them are progressing very well and it wont be long until we dunk them in the waters of baptism. Elder Booher and I are taking advantage of such a great area and companionship and working harder than ever before! 

A lot of emails from my family and friends this week seemed to be about the Book of Mormon and how it effected them these last few days. My favorite thing to do here is teach about the Restoration and the Book of Mormon! The lesson is literally proof to anyone who believes it that Heavenly Father loves us so much that he provided another record that testifies of the Glory of Christ and contains the fullness of the everlasting Gospel! I know that the book is true and I'll never grow tired saying that:

I love you all! The mission is great and I'm absolutely loving it!

Sincerely, Elder Hallenberger

Elder Chicko Flav Fla

Dear family and friends,

This week went by so fast! It was also super fun and successful! Probably the reason it flew:) Speaking of days flying... The 18th of January marked my 6 months as a missionary! I only have a sister's mission left! 

It was also Elder Aspuria's 25th birthday so we had a nice dinner that evening. Not trying to brag or anything but... Elder Hamburger has become quite the Liberian chef! My investigators call me the Chicko Flav Fla! (Not sure what it means exactly but it has to do with the way I can cook)

To celebrate the milestone and follow tradition, we torched one of my ties with matches and bug spray! Turns out I'm not good at torching... I sprayed my thumb holding the match and lit it on fire instead of the tie! (The video is priceless)

The next day we held a baptismal service for Pinky, Cherish, and 13 other candidates for other Elders. It was beautiful! I baptized and Elder Booher confirmed on Sunday morning. We were able to hear both of their testimonies and it was amazing! I'm so happy for both of them and I'm excited to continue helping them as they continue progressing in the Gospel!
They're not the only ones progressing in our area! Our area is on fire!!! 7 planned baptisms for the 9th of February and more later in the month!! My companion and I are very excited about our area! I'm so glad he's staying another transfer because our area is huge and I dont have it memorized quite yet. That and he's a dope guy:)

I'm loving the missionaries I get to work with! Elder Aspuria is awesome and can cook anything anytime! The Liberians call him the silent nigga! I was able to go on exchange with Elder Packer in my area on Friday. It was so much fun! We taught many lessons and found some Chick-fil-A cows on the street! We bought one and It sits on my nightstand to remind me of what I miss most about home;) (Kidding)

We also saw a monkey tied to a tree. When Elder Packer went in to pet him... It didnt mind. But when I tried to pet it... It started jumping, screaming, and throwing fists! Stupid monkey. I hope they eat him. (Kidding again)

We were walking down a road when a group of little kids behind us started chanting racist Chinese blabber like, "NE-HOW!" or, "CHING-CHONG! BING-BONG!" I looked at Elder Packer with a smile and said, "Watch this." I then quickly turned around and sprinted towards them roaring! Haha it was so satisfying and hilarious watching these racist little kids helplessly cry and run frantically away from the "monster" chasing them! I'm gonna be the best father someday:)

I'm 6 months in and I'm still loving the mission!! It's just awesome and I'm so happy to be here! Love you all! 

Sincerely, Elder Hallenberger

Another Great Week!

Dear family and friends, 

This week has been very spiritual and successful! The constant positive progression of my area makes me so happy! Let me share just 2 of the many experiences we were blessed to have this past week.

On my very first Sunday in this area, we met Pinky and Cherish, 2 sisters who decided to join our service on this particular Sunday. Since then, we've been teaching them every other day. Pinky and Cherish not only make us the best soup every time we come, but they also listen and accept our message wonderfully! They are just the best and we are always excited to see them (Not just for the food.)

We recently taught them about the Plan of Salvation and they reacted with joy and even relief! Probably because they love the idea of families! Hearing the news that families can be together forever surely excited them. They always invite friends and other siblings to join our lessons and they have even accepted to be baptized this Saturday! I'm so excited for them! It's always awesome to be with an investigator from the day they discover the Church to the day they are baptized. I can't think of a better way to conclude my first 6 months on mission:)

This next one is a kind of a "You had to be there" experience but, i'll share it anyways.I only say that because I don't know if my story telling skills will ever be good enough to define the feelings I felt during a lesson on this last Friday evening. We planned to visit with a recent convert named Brother Stevens. He lives a long walk away so seeing him is hard to do considering his busy work schedule. He invited us into his house and we began teaching lesson 5, Families and Temples (My first time teaching inside a house haha.)

 

About halfway through the great lesson, a woman started to call for Brother Stevens from outside. He invited her in and she sat with us at the table. She said her name was Jessica and she insisted that we'd continue the lesson. As we taught, I noticed Jessica had a very interested look on her face. She asked serious questions and it didn't take long until our focus was directed towards her. Families and Temples isn't the first lesson we teach people. Infact, we typically teach it to recent converts after baptism. But it seemed to be exactly what Jessica needed to hear. After the Lesson, and after sharing our testimonies, Jessica said something I'll never forget. "I know that God sent me here today so I could hear this very important message."

I mean, It was pretty convenient. A miracle even! She happened to be late and if she came on time... She would've missed us!  She also had only met Brother Stevens the other day and was there to meet his brother for work opportunities. Not to mention... We usually visit with Brother Stevens at the church since he lives so far away. I know it was by the grace of God that everything lined up just right for Jessica to meet us that special day. Since then, we've only seen her once more but it is clear to me that she is one of the elect and i'm excited to continue teaching her. 

Obviously, these are only a few of the experiences that make missionary work so rewarding. I'm absolutely loving it! On top of all the life changing experiences, I'm also making a lot of new friends in the mission! Elder Packer, Elder Jensen, Elder Aspuria and many more have truly become like family. Especially my companion Elder Booher. Together, we are able to get stuff done and I hope he stays for another 6 weeks. He is teaching me a lot and we have so much fun together. He showed me how to fold my underwear military style haha and whenever I think I've done enough push-ups... My drill sergeant companion is always there to make sure I do an additional 50 haha!

All in all, the mission is awesome and i'm so grateful and happy to be here! I've heard many of my missionary buddies say similar things. If you're not sure whether to serve or not... I can only guarantee that it would only be good for you if you did. 

I love Liberia! I love the work! And I love you all!

Sincerely, Elder Hallenberger

The Wooden Spoon Was Nothing!!

Dear family and friends,

Here in Liberia, an essential household item is the Flogging stick. A long, thin piece of reed that's specifically designed to be used as a child flogger. (Flog meaning beat or wack) It's also good on chickens, dogs, and anything else that tests your patience! Available at ANY market! The demand is high! Growing up, I recall the famous wooden spoon that was hardly ever used for cooking;) But this menacing instrument of reproval is way worse and it isn't disguised as a harmless cooking utensil. The flogging stick only has one purpose. To flog and keep flogging.

I'm not saying this to up sell a product haha it sells itself here. No, This is is the introduction to one of my experiences this week. After concluding a great lesson with a great investigator, Elder Booher and I began our long walk to our next appointment. It was then when we came across 3 little boys, no older than 10, sitting perfectly aligned on the grass, bare naked, and crying helplessly. We were both confused until we noticed what was happening... A few yards in front of the boys was a man who was pacing back and forth with a flogging stick. The man's tactic of  discipline was honestly kind of genius haha! I'm not saying I approve haha but it was smart! He was just walking around with his stick while his kids watched and anticipated their flogging! He was letting it simmer! On top of that... They were naked! What is this?! "We can't just let this man beat these kids." I told my companion as we walked by. Elder Booher readily agreed and he instantly turned around and approached the man. The man informed us that the boys were fighting again and needed punishment. "Please my man... Spare them. I'll talk to them." Elder Booher said. The man agreed and Elder Booher and I knelt in front of the crying boys. "See your pa here? This man wants to flog you." Elder Booher boldly stated. "But I saved your life. Stop fighting. Your pa will flog you twice if you fight again... And we wont be here to stop him." The boys stopped crying and the pa put the stick down. We later found out that the man kept his promise and the boys walked away spared. I think it would be hilarious if one of the boys became an apostle or something and shared his first encounter with a Latter-Day Saint haha!

Fortunately, we experienced more baptisms than child floggings. On Saturday morning, we held a beautiful service for the zone's baptisms. Out of the 5 companionship, I believe there was 6 candidates being baptized. 2 of which were ours! Love and Baby Love! Elder Booher baptized and I confirmed the following morning. It was a great experience and i'm excited to continue teaching them as they progress In the Gospel. 

It's safe to expect more baptisms very soon! 3 of our investigators have accepted to be baptized on the 19th of this month and many more will follow afterwards. Elder Booher and I are keeping busy but we are also having a lot of fun. Love my companion and roommates like they are my brothers. It seems every day ends with nerdy Thanos theory's, freestyle rap battles, and a whole lot of french fries! Which is all I've ever wanted:)

One more quick experience that literally happened not long ago at the mission office:

Remember my body guard Bishop Pride? We saw each other at the office for the first time since he left me at the airport! I told him about the drunk Russians on the plane! I said, "If Pride were here..." and he finished my sentence with, "I woulda killed them!" Love that man! His daughter just left on her mission for Madagascar! Excited for their family! 

The mission is on fire! I'm loving it more than ever! Love you all! 

Sincerely, Elder Hallenberger

PICTURES: Baptisms and Christmas morning

Merry Christmas!

Dear family and friends,

Literally everything is awesome right now! My area, companionship, and life in general! Elder Booher and I are completely different people but I cant think of a better companionship! Together, we are able to teach wonderful lessons and I always learn something new from the Spirit that is so strong every time we teach. The fun thing is.... We don't teach from the book! We wing it! It seems every lesson is completely directed by the Spirit. Whenever I hold a monkey or kill a bat I always think to myself, "Wow I wish my friends and family could've witnessed that!" Whenever we get done teaching I think the exact same thing only way stronger! This is why I'm so excited for my buddies who are about to experience the life changing moments only discovered when testifying side by side with the Spirit. In my last area I cared about my investigators a lot but I've reached the point where they are all I think about! It's awesome and it helps me lose myself and my thoughts in the work. I'll be honest, when my buddy Elder Hinson went home, I kinda got anxious for the day I too could return to the promised land where running clean water and stable electricity are expectations not luxuries. But now... I feel bad for the guy! I mean, if he had half the experiences I'm having now, it would be so hard to leave! Being a missionary is awesome and so rewarding! I hope this helps anyone who is on the fence about going on a mission;)

Christmas away from home on another continent was not bad at all! It was different but not bad. Elder Booher, Packer, Aspuria, and I each pitched in 10 USD to purchase a nice apartment Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas breakfast, and dinner! We had the realization that all 4 of us were experiencing our first Christmas away from our families. This made the day more meaningful because we were all in it together. At the mission Christmas party, I got a few random letters from random people wanting to wish me (a random missionary) a Merry Christmas! It was so nice and I'm going to keep them forever! I remember as a kid, my family would write to the ward missionaries during the holidays but I never knew until now how meaningful those letters must've been. 

Speaking of letters... The day after Christmas we went for interviews with President at the stake center. How it works is Sister Clark will conduct discussions with the missionaries while President interviews one of us at a time. This is usually when we get mail, church magazines, and medication. While waiting for my interview, Elder Jensen asked Sister Clark who the stack of letters were for on her bag. "Oh these?" She replied as she lifted them up. "These are for Elder Hallenberger!" Ah! You guys I was so excited to get mail! Dozens of letters from lots of loved ones! I love you guys so much! Thanks for being so incredibly thoughtful! It made my holiday and it meant the world to me! If anyone knows me, they know I love my ward family so being able to hear from you and see your Christmas cards was honestly a priceless gift. Thank you! I love you all!

I spent the day testifying that the greatest gift ever given was the gift of the Savior. "For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son." The greatest gift was given out of love which is the greatest gift we could give. I know this to be true and as I used this week to "Light my faith" I found that the best way to feel the Savior's love is to try and share the Savior's love with those around you. Elder Packer shared with me an amazing song about the Atonement that literally brings me to tears whenever I hear it. Its called, "Not my will" from the musical The Garden. I encourage you guys to listen to it. I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas!

While recovering in Accra, I had to pretend I was an Accra missionary. During this time, I had an irritation in my Spirit that gave me a massive confirmation as to where I needed to be. The Lord needs me in Liberia and every time I conclude an amazing day with my new companion... I'm reminded of that fact. I love Liberia, I love my companion, I love the work, and I love you all! 

Merry Christmas and happy New Year my friends! 

Sincerely, Elder Hallenberger

PS: My new area has the worst Email shack. I apologize if i'm not able to send pictures or emails.

Pictures below from the Mission Wide Christmas Gathering sent by Sis. Clark.