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Week 28

6/29/2015

Excerpts from Elder Hull's letter to his Mom:

I haven't been very plugged into world news at all. The biggest updates I get are from the news that only sometimes plays while I do my laundry, and that's my biggest time to email, so I don't pay too much attention to it. What exactly happened? I lost faith in the Supreme Court when they ruled that corporations 'are people too.' I highly disagree with many of their decisions. As far as same-sex marriage goes, and your political fears, I am comforted by the fact that the Lord will never give us anything that we can't handle. Will it be hard? Of course. Without a doubt. These are the Latter Days we're talking about. But the Lord loves his children, and blesses the righteous. If we stay loyal, faithful, and true to our covenants, and stand for what the family truly is, then we will be protected as the Lord sees fit. I've been studying Captain Moroni lately, and the times that he went through were truly terrible. I know that the Book of Mormon leaves many of the details out of the account, but the war chapters were a time of unsure future, danger on every side, and a dark force seeking to destroy the happiness and agency of the chosen people of God. The righteous Nephites were protected by God when they were righteous, and when there were no contentions among them. When the Kingmen rebelled against their brothers, Mormon records that the Lamanites took many cities and many prisoners. The Lord also allowed some of the righteous to be slain, so that the sins and atrocities of their murderers could be held against them at judgement day. What we need is to be like Captain Moroni. Mormon muses that if all men were like unto Moroni, and would ever be like him, then the very powers and gates of Hell would be shaken forever, and the Devil would no longer have power over the hearts of men. Moroni was a man of a 'perfect knowledge,' who 'did not delight in the shedding of blood,' and who 'rejoiced in the liberty of all men.' Following in this great example, we need to seek to promote and defend the liberty and agency of others, while at the same time defending our own freedom just as vigorously. We need to strive to cease contentions among the members of the church. I know this is super hard, but it is possible. Those are my thoughts. What a guy, though.

Elder Pavon and I weren't able to get as much done last week as we wanted to, due in part to an illness on my companion's part, poor guy. We've been slowly developing attendance in the area of a Saturday morning soccer tournament. We do it every Saturday at 10:00. Last week we left at around 1:00, I think it was just a little too much for Elder Pavon, so we both went home and crashed for an hour. We both needed it! A lot of our appointments cancelled, too, so we were left without a whole lot to do. One of the things we did get to do was bless a month-old baby, though! She had been having some respiratory troubles, so the mom asked us to give her a blessing of health. Such a beautiful baby. I did the anointing, and Elder Pavon held her. She got a little bit fussy when she was handed over to us, but when I stated my authority she hushed, and got very very calm. Guess she's still getting used to her name :) I love children, because they are still so close to God. Sometimes when I sit down and type while my laundry is going, a preschool will pass with twenty-odd kids all holding on to one of those ring-rope things. Cute kids. That's kind of the role that I take with families that have small kids. I'll play with them a bit, keep them happy and quiet, so that the mom and dad can be uplifted by my companion. It's a good role to play, and it's amazing to see the kids grow, and how well and quickly and easily they grasp gospel concepts.

So, the day after I emailed last week that we'd be getting Facebook back pronto, we received a notification directly from the Brethren in Salt Lake that all online proselyting will come to a complete halt until the church can release new training and guide books in August or September (so, probably more like October or November). So, false alarm! That was a good Facebook cleanup, I guess.

This week we did splits, and I took the Branch Mission Leader (who speaks very very minimal English) to the Sutter stop to visit the Van der Horst family. I was able to lead and direct and understand pretty much perfectly. The gift of tongues is real! Anyway, that was our week. Nothing too exciting.

I love you guys a ton- make sure you read your scriptures every day, and pray as often as you can!

Love,

Elder Richard Brandt Hull 헐

PS - I love the Institute Manuals also. I read them side-by-side with the scriptures every day!

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Week 27

6/22/2015

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This last week was typical in that it had some ups and some downs. One memorable event was that I passed my 6 month and 1/4 mark on Wednesday, and so I got to go to the temple on Thursday. It was a wonderful experience, and I received some very potent, clear, and life-shaping revelation from the Lord.

I also received a package from Grandma and Grandpa Hicken, and they got me a couple of really, really nice ties (I have to say that they have amazing taste in ties- every single one they send instantly becomes my favorite), two bags of cookies (I have to mention- they have Reeses on them, and I didn't eat them for a couple of days, but then I remembered that Madi is over one and a half thousand miles away, so now I can say that they're super, super good), a little frisbee ring, a couple of new shirts, and some socks. Oh, and a bunch of candy. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

We've got three investigators with a baptismal date! Two of those were because of a spiritual witness after a prayer that I said. These people are Elder Pavon's sister and her husband, and they truly are those people who 'are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it.' We had a great lesson about the Plan of Salvation, and the next lesson we did a little cleanup with answering some questions, when we decided to invite them to baptism. They said yes, if they received a witness of the veracity of the gospel. That lead to a question about how to recognize an answer. For Hermano Lopez, dreams are a common method of communication with the Lord. He asked me how I feel the Holy Ghost. For me it feels like cold hands on my shoulders, and a shiver goes down my spine. After that, I said the prayer. It didn't feel any different than any of my other prayers, but it was earnest and sincere. After that, Hermano Lopez thanked me a ton, and said "Gracias por tochando mi corazon, Elder." He said that he felt a similar sensation of someone with cold hands brushing against his arms. It was a really cool, powerful moment. We've got the baptism set for the 12th. It's moments like that that make me go 'I'm doing my job. Maybe I'm not such a bum missionary after all.' With our other baptismal date, he's 10, and so our worry is that after baptism he won't go to church, because his family (or, more specifically, his mom) is inactive. We're pushing his baptismal date out to the 19th, to give more time to make sure he's prepared, and to talk to the mom about how important it is for her to go to church, because Chris and his older brother really want to come to church. They enjoy themselves at church, but their mom doesn't go, because things in the branch aren't perfect, so it's a struggle to get her kids (excepting the three that are old enough to make decisions- two are active) to church.

One exciting part of my week was getting my Facebook cleaned up and ready for the mission to go live with online proselyting. That will happen within the next month, if not a couple weeks. That means that I will be able to keep in touch with the investigators and members I meet and teach in my mission, as well as giving me an opportunity to share the gospel with friends from back home. I won't be able to contact member friends back home unless I'm using them in a lesson, or if we will be allowed to have Facebook chat discussions. If that ends up being the case, I'll be able to utilize my entire friends list of 211 to spread the good word.

Ben Steadman messaged me, asking for ways to prepare for a mission, and I couldn't respond, so this next part is for Ben:

1. Learn now to ligten up. Some missionaries (and members back home, too) are so worried about being obedient that they take the word of the law too far, and loose sight of the spirit of the law. It's super unhealthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and from what I have seen, hinders the work. This isn't to say 'be disobedient,' but more of a suggestion to lighten up, realize that you're never going to be perfect in this life, and keep going doing the best you can. If you can learn this, you will be able to handle the ups and downs of the mission like they're molehills, instead of mountains.

2. Learn how to feel the spirit, and develop your relationship with your Heavenly Father as much as you can. You know the scriptures. You know the Gospel. What you're teaching, you already know. What you need to learn, rather, is how to teach with the Spirit, because without the spirit, you literally loose the ratifying seal of the Lord to teach. You cannot teach if you do not have the spirit, and something you learn very quickly on your mission is that He is the real teacher, not you. As such, get used to silence. Silence is not bad. One of my favorite quotes from the MTC is "Never interrupt a member of the Godhead when He's speaking." Go to the temple often, and go with a purpose. Go with a question, and ponder it in your mind beforehand. Strengthen your testimony, because I don't care how strong you think it is right now, it is absolutely certain that it will be tested to the limits on your mission. Shore it up. Learn how to ask questions and live without some answers.

3. Develop social skills. Learn how to put yourself out there, how to start and end a conversation with a complete, total, random stranger. For me, an introvert, this is a hard part of my mission. Both of my companions have been good at it, but I still have a hard time with it. I'm getting better, for sure, but for someone who gets tired after interacting with people, especially strangers (that's what introvert means), it will always be hard. The trick is to find where your talents are, and use them to further the work. That's another thing:

4. Know who you are, where your talents lie, and let the Lord use them. Don't be afraid to use your musical talents, for instance, to further the work. This is one point where many missionaries have issues. Yes, you can play the piano on your mission, and yes you can play songs that aren't hymns, so long as they are sufficiently in harmony with the sacred nature of your call. The Lord has been preparing you for your mission your entire life, so don't put your talents off limits.

Other than that, brace yourself, and have fun!

Here's a funny little anecdote to end on.

Sunday afternoon we went to give the sacrament to a sweet 85 year-old man. The whole day the sky had been clear, maybe with a cloud here and there. While we were in the elevator, it started raining with a vengeance. Even with my umbrella (Elder Pavon didn't think he'd need his) I would've gotten completely soaked. We waited a few minutes, and then, just as fast as it had started, the rain completely stopped. Within fifteen minutes there wasn't a cloud in the sky. As we were walking towards the train stop, this guy stops us. He's this big, muscled black dude from the 'hood' - tattoos all over and horrible dental hygiene. In a big voice he says "Thank you for bringing back the sunshine! God must love you. Thank Jesus! (You do believe in God, right?)" It was pretty funny. Just goes to show you how many people recognize from our attire and name tags that we are men of God. It really made my day.

Well, that's all for now, folks.

Love,

Elder Richard Brandt Hull 헐

PS: Glad to hear everyone had a good time at the Hull family reunion. I'm looking forward to going to the next one.

Here's a picture of the NY skyline from the Myrtle and Wykoff Station on the M and L trains.

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Week 26, One Hot, Muggy Week

6/15/2015

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Excerpts from Elder Hull's email to his Mom:

Glad to hear girls camp was such a huge success. It's so weird to see how much Madi's growing up in every picture. The color war sounds like it was pretty fun. I'm glad Madi was able to make more friends. She's such a great kid :)

I did get over my sick bit- like, the next day. I've still got the sniffles, though. We had a very hot week. I sweated through my hair gel! I'm also pretty sure that I got dehydrated. I'm not used to sweating out so much of my hydration, so I haven't been drinking as much water as I should. I fixed that pretty quickly, though, and drank a ton of water on Saturday. Other than that, not too much to report.

I get to see lots and lots of miracles here - too many to put in an email. I'm scrambling to write it all down! One of the interesting events of the past week was the Puerto Rican Independence Day celebrations yesterday and the day before. There were all these people wearing Puerto Rico flags as capes, and people kept driving around making literally the maximum noise they possibly could while waving flags out the windows of their car. It actually got super annoying. Anyway, last night they had their little parade, which we were too busy getting one of our investigators THIS close to baptism to see, and the festivities were continued late into the night. We were just going to bed, when we heard what sounded like a gunshot and some screams. Yeah, I'm thankful our curfew is 9:30. The same day (Sunday), one of our investigators rescheduled for 8, so we went around and couldn’t find anyone to teach. We went to a member's house, but they weren't home. Around that time, we were super hungry, and as we left, we saw that their downstairs neighbors were having a barbecue. We waved hi as we
started to leave, and they insisted that we sit down for a bit and eat. It was a little awkward at first, not knowing anyone, but a prayer on the food asking for blessings on the whole family put that to rest. We did what we call 'planting a seed,' which means that while we didn't get to talk too much about the gospel, we did get to present a great public face for the church, that hopefully other missionaries will harvest. We knew it was time to leave when the hookah came out. I hate smoking. Please, everyone in the world, don't do it. It's gross, disgusting, not smart, and annoys everyone around you. Don't smoke.

I'm happy to say that English class is really starting to light up. I'm doing a better and better job teaching every time. Sometimes it's a little wonky, because I'm still learning Spanish, but everyone
leaves the class having learned something. It's so great! We've had enough success to invite everyone of our students and some of our investigators, members, less actives, etc. to a pre-class class on making cheesecake! It's great!

So, yup. We're just keeping on trucking here in Bushwick. Prayers, letters, and gifts of food are always appreciated :D

There's these three little girls in one of the families we're teaching, and she reminds me a little of Madi when she was 6. Kids are one of my niches here in the mission, I've found. I just connect well with them, teach them in simple ways that they understand, and remember, and play with them. I love being with kids. They're just so sincere, so eager to learn. I can't wait to be a dad.

Well, I’ve got to run, but I love you.

Love,

Elder Richard Brandt Hull

Assemble the Minions! Couldn't resist! The subway stations have some pretty cool posters (and some not-so-cool ones), but this one is by far my favorite!

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Week 25

6/8/2015

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Well, this is a little late today because I got super sick last night. A bad head cold- the whole nine yards: aches (it hurts to walk and stand up), chills, stuffy nose, sore throat, and I'm unnaturally
tired. I was able to go do laundry and buy food for the week, and then I took a small nap. Then we heard that some Elders and Sisters were getting together at the Brooklyn Bridge Park. Now that's not close at all to where we are, but Elder Pavon really wanted to go, and we stayed close to home the last two transfers, so I took one for the team and sat my aching self out in the shade and watched people play soccer. It was a nice day, actually, but there's too much noise here in NYNY. A little later the soccer stopped and people started talking and socializing. So, I got to meet a lot of nerdy Elders and play a card game with them called Munchkins. I actually enjoyed myself. The ride home (by way of Manhattan subway-which is acceptable) absolutely killed me. We were packed into a cramped subway car after waiting for fifteen minutes for it to come. Not fun!

So, I couldn't go to our appointments today. We called Jonathan and Fransisco Rojas (I've already sent you a picture of their family), two less-actives I'm super close friends with, to do some splits. Fransisco stayed with me and babysat me while I slept, and we watched a couple Disney movies until Jonathan and Elder Pavon came back. It was good- I really needed a down day.

It's hard to think about the past week and remember the most memorable parts. Well, for one we got stood up by people going to the temple - twice. One elderly member we've been working to get to the temple called us the night before saying he was planning on going to the temple the next day. We said 'oh, great! Sounds good, see you tomorrow.' Well, he's got a bad foot, and so we were planning on going separately- him with his son in his car, and us in the trains. We get to Marcy, the last stop before Manhattan, and we get a call from this gentleman that his son might not be able to take him, and that we should wait before continuing. So, we went to the church to do our studies (we were going to skip them to take him to the temple). Two hours later, we get the final no. That was pretty frustrating.

The next day, during weekly planning (in the middle of it) we get a call from our Branch President (who I've noticed has habit of interrupting us), telling us that there's a few brothers and sisters who need some help getting to the temple. Of course, we agree to help, and so we didn’t finish our weekly planning as they start arriving at the church. This is because we discuss the needs of members and
non-members in the area, sometimes some very private needs, and to discuss it in front of people who have no stewardship over these people would be a violation of the trust placed in us as representatives of the Lord. Anyway, after, again, two hours, we ended up deciding that the sisters would take the members into Manhattan, and not us. Just a little frustrating, but it happens sometimes. We keep chugging on.

As far as mission news, this is the last transfer meeting for President Calderwood. I'll be sad to see him go. We got to be pretty friendly, in the limited contact we've had (one time he pulled me into his office for an interview, thinking on accident that I was there to renew my recommend- I've rarely been that scared in my life- and we had a great chat), and we think very highly of each other. On the other hand, I'm excited to welcome in a new president. It'll be an era of change, for sure, especially as the Facebook and online proselyting will be coming back into operation within the next two transfers. We
got to be a part of a little panel of Missionary Department guys evaluating the iPad training that they had us test, and just thoughts in general on the use of the iPads and the internet. We had a great discussion about internet safety and avoiding inappropriate content. The concept of your own heart and desires and the Holy Ghost being the best filters was pretty well discussed.

I love being in the Bushwick Spanish district, because we get to test and pilot a lot of stuff, and lead the mission in temple attendance, as well as putting out some systems and policies that have and will continue to revolutionize the mission. For example, the rest of the mission is having a really hard time tracking sacrament meeting attendance. The White Handbook says to never find yourself sitting alone, but that's not really a measurable goal. That doesn't measure progress, because you can only sit next to two people. So, what we're piloting is called the 'New Face' system, where you only count every person who has not attended in one month or more (which happens to be the church's standard for activity). We've seen some huge success with it in our zone, but the rest of the mission seems not ready to handle it.

I haven't been able to see any of Elder Perry's funeral. When I first heard, we had just walked into the church from leading a funeral. A bit of a morbid turn of events, but I'm actually kind of looking forward to the change (not to say that I'm glad anyone's dead, or anything- haha). I noticed that Elder Scott is having memory problems, and President Monson is getting older. I feel that we are on the cusp of some big changes as the Lord seeks to hasten his work even further.

Well, that's all for this week. I gotta sleep.

Love you all,

Elder Richard Brandt Hull

헐

PS: I'm so grateful that I have an example like dad. I want him to know how much he's influenced what I imagine to be a good father and husband. I've always noticed his self-sacrifice, and admired him for his selflessness. I pray that I can be that strong when it's time for me to take up those sacred and joyous roles and callings. Thanks for being such great parents. I love you guys so much. Thanks for being patient with me throughout the many, many years (19 of 'em!) of challenges and growth. I know it wasn't easy, but I am so grateful for my parents.

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A Week of Miracles! Week 24

6/1/2015

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An update of the missionary work in Bushwick:

We have been teaching an eight-year-old kid from an inactive family for a long time, and he's got a baptismal date and everything. I actually sent you a picture of their family. The only thing that's been holding Chris back is church attendance. To get baptized here, you need to attend church three times consecutively. We're still not entirely sure why, but the mom finds it a little difficult to come to church, and if she doesn't go, Chris doesn't. On Saturday we sat them down in a park, taught our bit to Chris, and then talked to the mom while the kids played. We got direct, sincere, and specific with her, and told her how we don't just want Chris to go to church for a week, but for the rest of his life. She got a tiny bit defensive, and we left feeling like we had done all that we could, and that now it was in her hands,
as well as the Lord's. Guess who showed up to church on Sunday? The whole family, without needing us to come pick them up or remind them or anything. They just came, stayed for the whole time, and had a blast. There are few feelings as wonderful as striving and working hard and long to help someone come back to church, or go to the temple, and then seeing them complete that goal, and enjoy it. It makes me truly happy to see people making good choices.

Another miracle was with Hermano Ruiz, if you remember him. He has had a hard time with the church because of the administration. He feels that some of the local leaders do not run the church here how it should be. Now, he and his 'esposa' are not married. This happens more often than you would think in hispanic culture, where they have the ceremony and everything, and then they don't sign the papers, or sometimes they don't even have a ceremony, and they call their partner their spouse. Anyway, we had a conference talk from the last session all picked out, and we started to teach it to them, and then Hermano Ruiz talked about how he knows about the plan of salvation already, and that he knows it's true. That led to the conversation that uncovered the true issue I just talked about. One of my favorite parts about being a missionary is that we can speak for our Savior, and serve in a revelatory capacity with those we teach. This was one of those moments. We, as a companionship, promised him that this is why the Lord wants him to join the church- so that he can be the change in this area that will see that the church is run according to the Lord's will. I am positive that it was revelation from God, through us, to Hermano Ruiz. We left him with quite a lot to think and pray about.

Another example of revelation this week has to do with a funeral. Now, the man who passed away was quite old, and his wife is still alive. We went to visit her and her children and grandchildren, and see if there was anything we could do for them. The only problem was that they were quite a ways away from us, and we had already committed to be at a family history function. In preface to my revelation, I remember that in the most recent Face to Face event with the Bednars, Elder Bednar talks about how the work of the Lord is to find 'ones.'   He sends His servants places to find just one person. It is now my goal to find that one person the Lord wants me to touch.

Anyway, my companion asked me what I felt that we should do. I felt that we should visit the Perez family first. I went to pray and consult with the Lord, and before I could even open the prayer my answer came. More or less, this is what the answer was: "Brandt, you know where you're supposed to go, so go." The address was obscure, but still we went, and we had a good lesson, although the fruits of it may take a long time to materialize. The funeral the next day was interesting. Most of this man's family are not members. Many of the women attending were crying and bawling uncontrollably, like, they completely lost control of themselves and broke down like a bunch of three year olds. It was extremely sad, and a little awkward, because all of the members present weren't crying at all (except the wife of the deceased, and understandably so). The one phrase I heard repeated most often was "Why, God, Why?" (Por que, Dios, por que?). I am so grateful that I know where we go after death, and the answers to other questions that baffle the greatest philosophers and thinkers.

We've been teaching Elder Pavon's sister and her husband, as well as their three girls, ranging from 8 to 5 or 6. The youngest is absolutely adorable. She's always the first to shake your hand or to raise her hand and answer a question. We've been reading the Children's Book of Mormon with them, and she is so excited to read. Even though she needs help reading most of the words, every word is repeated with a giant grin, and she understands a great deal of what's being said. I absolutely love teaching those little girls. The mom and dad have great faith, and are progressing rapidly. They truly are golden investigators.

Also, I gave a talk (discourso) on Sunday. My topic (which I was told to choose) was rescuing others. The two talks I based mine off of were Elder Eyring's "Man Down!" and Elder Holland's "The First and Greatest Commandment," one of my absolute favorites of all time. I also translated the second verse of 'We are All Enlisted' into Spanish, because the hymns in Spanish have very different lyrics so that it matches up more or less with the rhythm. I talked about how Christ's mission, as well as that of His disciples, is to go and search out those in need of God's love (everyone), but who are unable to reach it due to poor choices or lack of knowledge, and rescue them. I talked about how we are at war, how this is a battle for the salvation and souls of mankind, and how the Lord is calling for volunteers who will keep His faith, and feed His sheep. Life is not peaceful, because we are indeed at war! There is a very real power of evil that wishes to destroy every single thing that is good, and every last person and thing that we love. So, then, we must gird ourselves with the armor of God, and never let our guard down, because if we don't take action, the hosts of Satanas will surely march upon us and destroy us. After we have thus equipped ourselves for battle and learned how to use the weapons and tools at our disposal, we must then, together, seek out those who are not prepared, or who are struggling to survive amid the darkness that lies behind enemy lines. We must not cause them to think we are the enemy, we must strive not to offend them, we must take them and bandage their wounds, help them to limp back to camp, where the skilled and inspired medics we call Bishops and Branch Presidents will help to truly heal them through the power of the atonement. We cannot, I repeat, cannot taste of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, know the goodness and light therein, make sacred and holy covenants with God, and then return to our nets, as did Peter and many of the other apostles immediately after the crucifixion and subsequent resurrection of Christ. As Elder Holland taught so eloquently in the most life-changing talk I have ever heard, what Christ told Peter on the shores of Galilee for the second time
was "No, Peter, you cannot go home. When I called you to this work, it was because I needed servants who would see my work through to the end, because this work does not stop until every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess." We cannot return to our nets. When we hear the gospel, when we make covenants, it is supposed to change us, to change the person we are into a person of glory, who can speak with the tongue of angels and chase away the gloom of this dark and dreary world, a person of faith through whom the Lord can work mighty miracles among the children of men.

This was, in essence, my talk, and my invitation to all who read this is that you can make the goal of finding at least one person this week whose burdens you can lift, who you can rescue from the hoards of the devil. You need not be overbearing with the gospel, but as you show the same kindness and concern the savior did, they will wonder what it is that makes you so special, and you will be blessed with an opportunity to share the gospel.

Well, that's my missionary experience update :)

How is Uncle Matt Little doing? I still keep praying for him and his family.

Love you guys a ton,

Elder Richard Brandt Hull

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NY, NYC South Mission
Spanish Speaking

Week 28

Week 27

Week 26, One Hot, Muggy Week

Week 25

A Week of Miracles! Week 24

Elder Hull

Archives

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NYC Time

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NY, NYC South MissionSpanish Speaking

Week 28

Week 27

Week 26, One Hot, Muggy Week

Week 25

A Week of Miracles! Week 24

Elder Hull

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NY, NYC South Mission
Spanish Speaking

Archives

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