We're not in Kansas anymore

Hey Family

                  This week has been eventful. It has been full of fun facts, meetings, service, and tornados. To start off here is a fun fact "When the death star was being built there were lots of tubes going up and down for transportation. One day Darth Vader's 3rd daughter, Ella, was playing next to one of these tubes when she fell down one. After that they named all the tubes after Ella Vader." hahaha. 

Ok Wednesday we taught some lessons on the street and talked to a couple of our investigators. Most were sick so it was quick visits all day. On Thursday we had Christmas zone conference. It started out talking about chapter 6 in Preach My Gospel which is all about Christlike attributes. Then we played some games and had lunch. After lunch there was a talent show and there was a really good comedian act. That's where I got the fun fact. We then watched a movie. Yeah! It was Ephraim's Rescue. It was really good and funny. I would highly recommend watching it if you haven't seen it. Then on Friday we went back to Memphis to help out with Toys for Tots. We were supposed to be there from 2-6 but we were there from 2-like 8. It was lots of fun and cool to see all the people we helped have a good Christmas. On Saturday it was stormy outside and we thought nothing of it. It had rained on and off for the past few weeks. Well, we went about trying to see some of our investigators. We had just pulled into a less active's parking lot and the rain started coming down hard. Oh, I almost forgot about 10 minutes earlier the West Memphis Elders called and told us that President told them to be safe and make sure we were safe. Well the rain was coming down hard so we decided to see if it would slow down in a few minutes. After a little, President Petersen called us and told us there was a tornado headed our way and to get in. As we drove home, we could hear the tornado sirens going off. We were close to home so we drove home and waited for about 5 minutes when President Petersen called back and said the tornado had changed course. We stayed in for a couple more hours till the storm let up a little. We then went and saw a less active family named the Russells. Later we learned that the tornado had hit about 30 miles east of us.

               That's about it for my week. If you have any questions you can ask on Wednesday. I hope y'all have a great Christmas and remember Christ as you celebrate Christmas.

Love Elder Talbert 

We couldn't walk that fast even if we ran!

Hey Family,

                   This week has been a boring one. On Tuesday we had zone meeting and they changed our zones again so now we have a big zone. It was a good zone meeting though. It was all about how we need to talk to everyone and how we will be surprised who will listen to our message. After zone meeting we went on exchanges. I went with Elder Mourino in our area and Elder Oveson went with Elder Bell in Lakeland. We went finding and had a good time talking to everyone. Elder Mourino is a very awesome outgoing person. We had lots of fun and went to the Orey's that evening and had dinner with them. On Wednesday we went and exchanged back. It was Elder Oveson and I's bike week so we walked around a lot and talked to lots of people and gave out lots of cards. On Friday we went to see this guy named Michael. He lives in Southaven and works in West Memphis. We went in to his work to see if we could get his number to give to the Southaven Elders. We ended up talking to him about random gospel related stuff for like 3 hours. It was good but left us with like no time to see anyone else. After we finished taking to him it started raining so we got the other Elders to come and pick us up. That evening we went to go see a play that lots of the members were in and Sister Walls directed the play. It was about how Santa became Santa. It was really good considering that the actors where 3rd graders, 5th graders and a few 7th graders. Saturday we tried to see some people but no one was home. We ended up going to see Michael again because he wanted to tell us something. When we were getting ready to leave we said a prayer then he wanted to pray for us. He gave like this 10-15 min prayer. He is Pentecostal so his prayer was kinda strange. At church on Sunday the Teeters gave their first talks. It was very good and Sister Teeter talked about angels and how we can be angels to others. Then Brother Teeter talked about the Priesthood and how it can bless us and our families. After church we went and gave the sacrament to Sister Rushing. She is 91 years old and is still with it but she has a hard time hearing. She is cool and has lots of fun stories.

                   That's about it for my week. It was good but fairly boring. I'm glad to here y'all had a great week and I hope y'all have another great week! Know I love and pray for y'all.

Elder Talbert

Ice

Joseph's letter from December 9th

Hey family,

                  This week has been good but fairly boring. We have had some fun storms this week and so everything has been iced over. Tuesday we had district meeting and President came and did interviews. Our district meeting was at 2 so he could do as many interviews as possible in one day. It was a good meeting on finding people and getting them to keep commitments. After district meeting we had dinner. We then went to try and see some people but no one answered. On Wednesday we walked around most of the day to save miles. They have just started doing the miles weekly so now it feels like we have less miles plus we have to use two days worth to go to meetings and back. We contacted this referral for a guy named Michael. He was really cool and wanted to know about our church and what we believe. He lives in Southaven, Mississippi but works in West Memphis. We spent lots of time talking to him because he didn't want us to send the missionaries to his house and he kept having customers come in. Thursday we went and talked to a lady named Janett. She lives up in Sunset and seemed interested in our message. We are going to see her again this week. Friday we got a big ice storm and were told that we couldn't go out. so we stayed in all day and then went out just for dinner in the evening. We went to the Orey's for dinner. After dinner Elder Morgan and I helped Sister Orey untangle yarn while the other two talked to the kids. The Orey's are really cool members. Saturday we stayed in for half the day then we went and saw some less actives. We were told not to do too much because of all the ice. Sunday we woke up and the branch president called and told us that church was canceled. Then the district leader called and told us not to go out again. So we stayed in and played games with the West Memphis Elders till dinner.  It sucked not being allowed to go outside. We had dinner with the Greens and watched the Christmas devotional. It was good but shorter then I remember.

That's about all that happened this week. It has been fairly boring because of all the ice and the storms we have been getting. I hope y'all have a great week and fun with all your snow.

Elder Talbert

     I grew a mustache over night. Just kidding it's made out of wax.

             Us at the ugly tie contest. Who do you think wins?

One Year

Hey Family,

                     This week has been good and full of fun events. On Tuesday we went to district meeting in Bartlett. It was good and about talking to everyone. We then came back to West Memphis and dropped off the other Elders because they are on bike week. We went up to this town called Sunset. It is a fairly sketchy town and and it is very small (pop 300ish). We have some investigators up there we went to go see. We got in with one and taught her the gospel of Jesus Christ. She had lots of questions about why she needed to be baptized again so we answered those. We then went to go see some others but they were busy and told us to come by tomorrow (Wednesday). We then went to one of our investigators named Nilean. I think I have mentioned her before. Well we went to her house and she was glad to see us. She told us the appointment we had on Saturday with her wouldn't work. We then shared some scriptures with her and invited her out to church. On Wednesday we drove to Midtown in the morning because the other Elders were on exchanges and needed to exchange back. We then went back to Sunset and taught a lady named Janette. We are hoping to go back this week and talk to her more. That night we went to YM/YW and played volleyball. We stayed over at the other Elders that night. The next day we got up and I opened my B-day gifts from you guys. They were all very cool and I was excited to get them, thanks. Then we went up to Marion because Elder Oveson and I had an appointment. We went to Dankeiya's house and taught her about the Book of Mormon and a little about the Restoration. Then that night we went to the Orey's parents' house for Thanksgiving. It was very good and they knew it was my B-day so they made me a cake. It was very fun and we had a ugly tie contest and I won  I will send a pic and you can vote). We stayed there for the rest of the night. It was a fun day and a great B-day. Friday was boring because everyone was tired from Black Friday shopping or they were Black Friday shopping. Then on Saturday we went up to Crawfordsville to see a less active member named Mae and had a good talk with her and shared some scriptures with her. Then we went to another less active member named McKenzie and invited her out to church. We tried to see a few others but no one was home. Sunday was fast and testimony Sunday. It was very good and McKenzie came to church towards the end of sacrament and stayed for the rest of church. In Priesthood we talked all about how we need to keep moving forward and never give up if we fall or make a mistake. After church we had a break the fast potluck thing. We then went to go see Nilean but she wasn't home. For dinner we were invited to a members named the Houstens. They were having a big family get together. It was fun and it was like a Thanksgiving dinner so that was awesome.

 

                   That's about it for my week. It has been good and fun. It sounds like y'all had a great week and lots of fun playing Minecraft and partying. Thanks for all the B-day wishes and I hope y'all have a great week.

                                                                                   Love Elder Talbert

Letter from November 25

Hey Family,

                  This week has been good. We went to Bartlett on Monday and dropped Elder Anderson off at the temple. From there we took some pics and Elder Oveson, Elder North and I went to the library to email. When we had finished emailing we went back to the temple and took more pics and said goodbye to Elder Anderson. We then went shopping and to Lakeland to play some games at the Longshore's. We stayed at their house till around 5 then we headed back to West Memphis's.

This is us at the Longshore's home. (he is the bishop in Lakeland and the Lakeland Elders live there.)

 We had dinner and went to the Orey's to give some gifts that Elder Anderson wanted to give them. Then on Tuesday, because Elder North was still with us, we really covered both areas. We contacted this referral named Sharon. She was really cool and wanted some Bibles. We taught her the restoration and gave her  Book Of Mormon. We are going back this week to give her a Bible and teach her more. It was strange to be in a tripanionship but it worked well. Wednesday we went to Bartlett again for transfers. Neither of us were getting transferred, we just needed to go get Elder North's new companion. Elder North's new companion is named Elder Morgan. He has been out for 23 months and goes home on the 31st of December. We got back from transfers in time for dinner so we went ther,e then we went to the church to help set up for the branch Thanksgiving dinner. On Thursday we saw this investigator of ours named Nilean and her nephew Jay Shawn. We taught them the Plan of Salvation and they really like learning the Gospel and want to come to church. Friday we did lots of walking, lots of talking and no results. We have been on bike week so we walked a lot but its good exercise. On Saturday we contacted this referral and it was a less active member that wanted to know where the church was. We told her and invited her to church but she didn't come so we are going to invite her again this week. That evening was the branch Thanksgiving dinner it was good and fun. On Sunday we went to church and it was the Primary program. It was very good and fun like they always are. In priesthood we learned about doing home teaching. 

 That has been it for my week. It has been a good week and it sound like you guys have had a good week too. Have a happy Thanksgiving and thanks for all the birthday wishes. It should be a good one. 

Elder Talbert 

Letter from November 18th

Hey Family,

                  This week has been great. It has gone by so fast I can barley remember what I did this week. For P-day we did our usual, playing board games. It was lots of fun. On Wednesday we went to an investigator's named Leona. She is really cool and wants to learn about the gospel. It was our first real visit so we taught how to begin teaching. She had a lot of questions for us already. It was a really good lesson. Then that evening we went to the church for YM because we were hosting a scripture chase. But the YM leader was out of town and none of the YM showed up. On Thursday we had specialized training. It was long but good. We talked a lot about getting focused in the work and putting our faith in Christ. We also talked about how to get our investigators to exercise their faith. At specialized we go some more Books of Mormon to give out. After specialized we came back and went and saw this guy named Detarrius. We had talked to him a couple of days before and he had wanted a Book of Mormon but we had none. So we went and game him one. Now we have an appointment with him and his family tomorrow. On Friday we went up to Crawfordsville to see a referral we got for the Jones. She wasn't home but we had a good talk with her grandma who is a less active member. Then we went and saw Joanna. She is doing well. She didn't know if she wanted to get baptized but we are still trying to work with her. I know that if she comes to church she will feel the spirit and have the desire to get baptized. On Saturday we went to the Teeters with the other Elders. Elder Anderson goes home tomorrow so everyone in the branch is making a big to do, which is understandable since he has been here for a while. Then we went home and tried to contact some referrals with no luck. On Sunday we had really good talks about how we can do any thing the Lord has called us to do. It reminds me of a quote I saw that says " two people can do anything as long as one of them is the Lord". After church we had a baptism for a kid name Cy Orey. He is part of a family of members but his parents are divorced and his mom wouldn't give him consent for the longest time. Then when he got consent he wasn't sure if he could keep the commandments. We asked him which ones he didn't think he could keep and he said I don't think I can go without soda and playing violent video games. Haha. It was funny and we quickly explained that those were his moms rules. After that he was excited to be baptized. After his baptism we went to the Orey's and had lunch. We went to the Anderson's for dinner and Elder Anderson going away party. It was lots of fun. That night we stayed at the Elders apartment and played games and helped Elder Anderson pack. It was lots of fun.

 

                  That is about it for my week. Not much exciting. It sounds like y'all had a good week. Thanks for all you do for me and I hope y'all have another great week!

Elder Talbert

What's Up Doc?

Hey Family,

                  This week has been great! On Monday we played lots of games and the Lakeland Elders came down and hung out with us. After we went to the Crickmores for dinner and the Teeter's after that. then on Tuesday we all went to zone meeting in Frayser. It was all focused on how to overcome people's problem and concerns. We did a lot of role plays and had lots of fun. After zone meeting we came back to WM (West Memphis) and went to go see some people in this shady neighborhood. We have lots of investigators all in this neighborhood. None of them were home but we met this guy named Arsenio. He seems really cool and we are going to start teaching him. Then we went to dinner and then drove to Little Rock. We stayed with the Pinnacle Mountain Elders. The next morning we got up and went to my doctors appointment. It was very boring. We sat around, I got some blood work and an echo then the doctor looked at me and said I was still doing good. We then drove back to West Memphis. By the time we got back it was about dinner time so we went to the Teeter's for dinner. We watched the movie Joseph the Prophet of the Restoration with them. It is still a good movie. On Thursday we had the apartment specialist come and check our apartment. We passed with flying colors.....Probably because there is nothing in our apartment. We then went to the other Elders' house for lunch. After lunch we went on exchanges. I stayed down in WM with Elder North. It was lots of fun and we found some new people for them to teach and set a date with one of their investigators. Meanwhile up in Marion, Elder Oveson and Elder Anderson found some new people, contacted some referrals and set a date with a lady named Joanne. She is really cool and loves leaning the gospel. Friday we exchanged back and Elder Oveson and I went to that neighborhood I was telling you about and talked to lots of our investigators there and had some good lessons outside with lots of people. On Saturday President Peterson came down and did interviews for the four of us. He told me I am probably staying here this next transfer but I love it here so I was OK with that. That night we had an appointment with Joanne. She wasn't home but we went to go see a different investigator that lives right around the corner and she seems solid and wants us to teach her next week when her husband comes back from a work trip. On Sunday we had stake conference. We went with the Teeters to save us some miles. It was very good and most of the speakers talked about how members need to be more involved in missionary work and how the members and the missionaries need to work together. It was a great stake conference and the new temple president and his wife spoke. They are Bro and Sis Griffin from Hot Springs. It was cool to see them again. 

                 That is about it for my week. It has been good and productive. It sounds like y'all had a fairly good week and I hope y'all have a great week this week.

Love Elder Talbert

A Great Missionary Picture

Halloween costume (Secret Service)

Monster Mash (November 4)

Hey Family,

                    This week has been good. On Tuesday we had district meeting in Bartlett. We talked a lot about how to find new investigators and what works best as finding methods. It was a really good meeting. I learned that I need to be better at getting people's names. I seem to forget to ask for people's names when I talk to them on the street. After district meeting we went to Lakeland and helped the sisters find in their area for an hour. We found a couple of new people they could go back and see. When we were done finding in Lakeland we went back to West Memphis and went finding in our own area. We found this guy named Jeff Wilson. He had a lot of questions for us and we answered them the best we could. At the end of the discussion he said he wanted us to come over and talk to him some more. So we are going over there hopefully this week to talk to him. We also got a car on Tuesday and the WM Elders went on bike week. On Wednesday night we went to the branch's Halloween party. We all dressed up. I was a secret service agent, Elder Oveson was a thug, Elder Anderson tried being a ninja but then changed to the President, and Elder North wrote the word book on his face and went as facebook. It was a fun party. Thursday was Halloween. We were down in West Memphis all day helping out the other Elders and doing a lot of finding. That evening we went to a Halloween Party one of the members was throwing. It was fun but we left when they went out trick or treating. Here in Arkansas trick or treating is a little different then in Utah. Instead of the parents going with their children from door to door, the parents sit in their car and watch their children go from door to door. The parents stay in their car the whole time and slowly inch forward as their child moves along the street. It was kinda funny to see just a line of cars on both sides of the street slowly inch forward as kids are running everywhere. After we got home, we played Betrayal at a house on a hill. It is a fun game but every time we play I am always the traitor. On Friday we did more finding and we met these two guys named Roman and Ladarius. They are both cool and seem interested in the gospel. We taught them the first lesson when we met them. We also had to drive the WM Elders to Midtown so they could go on exchanges.On Sunday was fast and testimony. It was very good. Then in Sunday School class we learned about a talk by Bruce R McConkie about the atonement. It was very good talk and all about how we would be hopeless without the atonement. Then in Elder's quorum we talked about home teaching. We read part of Thomas S Monson's talk about home teaching from this past general conference. It was about how we need to be the home teachers that go and care about the family and really get to know them. Often we go home teaching because we are asked and we want to tell the Elder's quorum president we did it. I think the same thing applies to visiting teaching. We need to go because we care for the person. After church we had a great lesson with a lady named Joanne. She seemed interested and we are going to teach her again on Thursday this week. 

 

                       That is about all for my week. I hope you are all doing good and having a fun time with school and work. I love and pray for y'all.

                      

                       Love

                               Elder Talbert   

It was the Monster Mash

Joseph's letter from October 28th

Hey Family,

                  This week has been slow and tiring. To answer your question, I keep up just fine on bike week. Our area is flat for the most part. Although we didn't bike at all this week. We walked everywhere because we live next to a major highway and in order to go anywhere in the town from our place you have to go down the highway. We thought it would be a lot more safer to walk and neither of us died so I think we were fairly safe.

 

                  Well on Tuesday we had district meeting. We went and all learned about how to get our investigators to pray with faith and realize that they can increase their faith by reading and going to church and by praying. It was a very good meeting. After the meeting we gave our car to the Lakeland Elders and we went back with the West Memphis (WM) Elders. We walked to Chris's and talked with him for a little. We learned that he is going to Jonesboro for the month so we won't be seeing him around but we are still going to try and teach the rest of the family. For the most part we walked around and talked to everyone we saw and handed out a lot of cards. On Wednesday morning we went with the WM Elders to a teaching appointment then we walked around WM and contacted a referral. Then WM Elders took us back to Marion and we went around to see some people with them. That evening we went to the church and they were having a Halloween Party for YM and YW. It was fun and we dressed up as missionaries. I was Elder Anderson. On Thursday we walked around a sketchy trailer park for most of the day trying to contact people but no one was home. On Saturday the WM Elders called us and told us they were going to come pick us up. We went with them to a birthday party for a kid named Joe. He is really cool and he is a member. The birthday party was at his grandmas house and she is a non-member. We celebrated his birthday ( he turned 9) then we went to Proctor. We went to another Halloween Party one of the members was throwing. There were a lot of nonmembers there too. It was a good day. Sunday we went to church and Elder Oveson and Elder North gave talks. It was very good and all about missionary work and we all need to not procrastinate and do missionary work. It was very good and the rest of church was also great.

 

                  That is about it for my week. Not to bad but fairly boring. We got a lot of help from the WM Elders so that was nice. I think it is awesome that Mike is the new bishop. I know he will do great. I hope y'all have a great week and a Happy Halloween.

                                                                                                  Love Elder Talbert  

Letter from October 21

Hey Family

                    This week has been fairly good. First to answer some of your questions. I received the Hold to the Rod award by memorizing 42 scriptures. It is really cool and now I can recite scriptures so that makes it super cool.

Earning the Hold to the Rod Award

Marion is a smaller town. It is kinda split in two by the freeway so we go under the freeway all the time. It is as close to west Memphis as Orem is to Provo. West Memphis is right on the other side of the bridge over the Mississippi River. We go to the West Memphis Branch. There are about 60 people in sacrament each week. There are lots of awesome members and they seem to all really like the missionaries. We live in a nice 2 bed 2 bath apartment on the golf course. The only down side is you have to go on the highway to leave and we are on bike week this next week, so I will try not to get hit by anything.

      OK now on to my week. On Monday we emailed and played some Risk. The version we were playing is called 2210 Risk and you can nuke others so that was awesome. Then we went to the Crickmores for dinner and tried to see some people. Tuesday we helped this girl named Alex move almost all day. It was super fun but some tiring work. On Wednesday we had specialized training. We went with the WM (West Memphis) Elders to Bartlett for that. It was lots of fun and they talked about how we need to use the Book of Mormon more in everything we do. We have also started a thing where we carry a Book of Mormon in our hand at all times. It has really helped us give out more Books of Mormon. After specialized training we went to the church and had a missionary correlation meeting. We should be getting more members to go out with us. Then on Thursday we went finding all day. We went to this sketchy part of town and walked around talking to people outside. We met this guy named Chris and set up a return appointment for the next day. We found some others and have appointments to go see them this next week. Friday we went over to the WM Elders' apartment for lunch and games. Afterward, Elder Anderson (the District Leader) decided that he wanted to do exchanges. So Elder Anderson and I went to Marion while Elder Oveson and Elder North stayed in WM. We had a couple of appointments but they all fell though except for Chris. We went and we taught him and his wife and her brother. Then we said a prayer at the end with his whole family. There are 9 people in the family. The dad, Chris, mom, Lovie, mom's brother, Demond, son, Chauncey, 4 Daughters, Janerica, Jerinautica, Jerranisha, and Shequisha, and grandson, Mario. It was super awesome and we are going back this week to teach them more and see if they will come to church. On Sunday, I gave a talk on the sacrament and how important it is to be reverent before and during the sacrament. It was a good talk and I liked what I read out of Gospel Principles that it is a time to repent and you need to go into Sacrament meeting with a reverent heart wanting to repent. We then taught Gospel Principles and that was on the spirit world. It was a good lesson.

           Whew....that's all for my week. It has been fun, busy and tiring. I hope you all have a great week and a fun time at school and work.

Elder Talbert

West Memphis is in Arkansas?

Hey family,

                  This week has been exciting. So like I said in the last email I got a call on Monday saying I was going to be transferred. Well that morning we went to the temple to say goodbye to Elder Staib. After we emailed, I packed and we played some games. On Tuesday I packed some more and went to go say goodbye to people. We went to the Seamen's and they gave me a cool blanket. Wednesday we went to a lady named Quantrice's.Sshe is one of the sisters' investigators. We did a baptism interview for her. After, we went to transfers. We hung out at the church till 3 when the people from Little Rock came and we could start transfer meeting. Transfers are supposed to start at 2 but the traffic was bad. Then transfers happened and I got transferred to Marion, AR. My companion is Elder Oveson. He is from Murray, UT and has been out about 9 months. Marion is a small town right above West Memphis. There are Elders in West Memphis so they came over and helped us set up and gave us some people we could go see. On Friday and Saturday we went around and visited a bunch of people. We went to see all the people Elder Anderson gave us as well as some members in Marion. The West Memphis Elders are Elder Anderson and Elder North. We see them about everyday usually at dinner appointments. On Sunday, we had fast and testimony meeting. It was good. There is a branch here and the members seem really cool. Then that evening we went and saw one of the other elders' recent converts named the Teeters. They are really cool family.

       

              That's about it for my week. It was exciting and fun. It sounds like y'all have had a great fall break. Have a great week this week.

          Love Elder Talbert

I didn't know you spoke chinese

Hey Family,

                  This week has been great. First off to answer all of your questions. I did finish the Book of Mormon challenge and loved every moment of it. I did watch all of conference and we watched it at the ward building just in case investigators showed up. We use Mormon messages sometimes in lessons.

        

                   On Monday we played some volleyball and cleaned our house. Then Tuesday, we packed up all of our stuff and more. We waited for the sisters to be done emailing because their pday had been moved. One of them had a meeting on Monday. Well, we finally got the car and then moved in with a member just up the street because on Wednesday they are putting more sisters in Bartlett and they are going in our old apartment. After we moved, we unpacked. It was really boring but kept us busy. Then on Wednesday we had zone meeting in Frayser. It was lots of fun and President had decided to do away with the conference call so we had more time to role play and learn from the Zone leaders. We also were supposed to decide a monthly zone baptism goal and we spent about 30 minutes trying to decide. After zone meeting we went to see Eugene. This was our first time actually meeting him. Well, we sat down and started to discuss what he already knew and what he needed to learn to be baptized. He told us that he knew the Book of Mormon was true and he wanted to be baptized. Well, he has a hurt foot so as soon as that is healed he will be baptized. He also owned his own quad and said that he had been reading the Book of Mormon but he wasn't as far as he wanted to be. We asked him how far he was and he said he just finished Mosiah. You should have seen the look on our faces, we were both amazed! Well, we are going back tomorrow to start teaching him the lessons. That night we were hanging out with the young men at the church and the member we just moved in with was there with his son who came home that day from his mission. It was super weird to see him get released and realize that is only 1 year away. On Thursday, we had a lesson with the Hills and we just planned Beckie's baptism. On Saturday we watched all of conference and I really loved Elder Uchtdorf's talk on Saturday morning about bringing people back to church and finding the lost sheep. We didn't have any investigators come to the church and watch conference but we had a couple watch it at home. Sunday, we also just watched conference all day. It was lots of fun. I loved Elder Nelson's talk on how are bodies are temples and should be treated as temples. I really love conference and listening to all the prophet and apostles. It was also funny when Elder Soares talked. It was like Dejavu. We were in the same building we saw him in in person. 

 

                              Thats about it for my week, not too exciting. Oh yea, and today I learned that I am getting transferred. So next week I will be somewhere else. Also, we went to the temple this morning to see some missionaries going though today and I learned I will probably be opening an area so that will be fun. Well thanks for all you do and all the prayers.

                                                                Elder Talbert 

Nobody move, I dropped me brain

Hey Family,

                  This week was good but tiring. We were on bike week. This week we have really been focusing on building up a teaching pool for us and for the new sisters coming in. We did a lot of street contacting this week and gave out a bunch of Book of Mormon's. On Tuesday we had district meeting and the zone leaders said that they were going to come so Elder Breckenridge was freaking out. Well in the end, the APs came instead and Elder Breckenridge did a great job teaching about the Book Of Mormon and the APs had great advice. On Friday we got a call from President Blaine. (He is President Petersen's councilor.) He gave us a referral but all he had was a phone number. Well we called the number and after a little bit of phone tag we got in touch with this guy named Eugene. He said that he had been reading the Book of Mormon and wanted us to come over talk to him about what he had been reading. He also mentioned that he wanted us to teach him so he could get baptized. We are super excited and have a meeting with him on Wednesday. 

                   Also this week there has been a beaver eating the trees at the apartment complex we live in. The management has had to cut down a couple of them. Then today we had a tree that fell over because of the beaver. It has been funny to see what the beaver has done each day.

                    It has been a great week and I am doing great in the 30 day Book of Mormon reading. I just finished the war chapters and I love how Captain Moroni uses strategies and asks the Lord how he should attack. He never just attacked a city. He always tried to kill the least amount of people as possible and always relied on the Lord for help.

 

                      Well that's about it for me. Sorry this letter is so short but my week was really boring. Hope you all have a great week and have fun at school and work. Thanks for all you guys do for me.

                                                         Elder Talbert

With great power comes great responsibility

Letter from September 23

Hey Family,

                This week has been good. We have really focused this week on going though the ward roster and meeting all the less actives and part member families. We are really trying to get to know the ward better. Here in about a week we will be moving in with a member and they will be putting sisters in the apartment where we live now. Because they will be putting more sisters in Bartlett we will be over both wards. On Tuesday and Wednesday we went around and visited lots of part member families. On Thursday we had specializedTtaining. It was a fun but a long meeting. They really focused on being bold and not beating around the bush. They also focused on using the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is super important. It is the convincing evidence that what we are telling them is true. We have been asked to carry a Book of Mormon in our hand as we are walking around. I have really come to love the Book of Mormon as I have been reading it these last couple of weeks. Like I mentioned last time, I am reading the Book of Mormon in 30 days. Right now, I have about 26 pages a day to finish in the 30 days. It is a lot to read each day but it seems like when I sit down and read I get sucked in and don't want to put it down. I would extend the challenge to read the Book of Mormon in 30 days to anyone who would like. After specialized training we went to the Hill's. Right before we left we were told that Beckie's mom was going to be there and she had lots of questions. We went over and had been planning on teaching the Plan of Salvation. We first opened it up to any questions. We answered all the questions and Chris helped us teach and answer questions. We taught the plan of salvation because it goes over a little of everything. It was a really great lesson and by the end Beckie understood the Plan of Salvation better and her mom had more respect for us and the church. Saturday we went to some more less actives and Prat members. There were some children baptisms in the ward so we filled up the font and helped out with those. We had dinner with the Stake President and that was lots of fun. Sunday, church was great. They talked a lot about repentance. 

 

                  That's about it for my week it was good but fairly boring. I hope y'all have a great week and fun at school and work. Thanks for all you do. I love and pray for y'all. 

                  Elder Talbert 

Letter from September 16

Hey family,

        Now this week has been good. We are no longer on bike week. Monday we played some volleyball and hung out with the other elders. On Tuesday we went and saw almost everyone that the sisters before us had been meeting. We didn't really teach anything, we just introduced ourselves and set up return appointments. On Thursday we went around and saw some part member families. Then that evening we went over to the Hill's. The Hill's are a part member family. Chris is a member and his wife Beckie is not. She has been taught everything and acts just like a member. If you came to church and didn't know she wasn't a member you wouldn't know. Well, we had dinner over there and then had a get to know each other session. She is really cool and is waiting on Chris to baptize her. On Friday we went over to the Bacon family. They are investigators. The wife, Lori, seems excited to learn but the husband, Jeff, doesn't seem too excited. When we first got there they went off about how they are going though a hard time and they wanted to know if we could help. We talked about how the Gospel blesses families and how it would bring them closer together. On Sunday we went to church and we only went to the first ward. We have been trying to focus on the first ward since there are sisters in the second ward. We were told that come October there are going to be more sisters in Bartlett. So come October, there will be a set of elders and two sets of sisters in Bartlett. We will be over both wards, helping with splits and Home Teaching. Both of the wards are really nice. I don't know the 2nd ward too well but they seem just as cool as the 1st ward. We have been getting fed dinner every night here. There is someone in the ward whose calling is to fill out the missionary calender and make sure we get meals. Although I am in the super rich part of town so the members have the means to feed us. 
              Today we went to the temple!! It was so awesome! There was a special temple session for all missionaries in the surrounding area. After the session we helped with the laundry of the temple. We got to have a tour of the temple by the temple president. It was awesome and lots of fun. The Memphis Temple is one of "the small temples". It was super small and impossible to get lost in because if you walked too far it was either a wall or the waiting room. It was cool but really small.

       

             That is about it for my week. I am writing so late because I just went to the temple. My district has made a challenge to read the BOM in 30 days. The challenge ends the day before general conference. As you know I am a slow reader but I am determined to complete the challenge. As I have read so far it has been a great thing. I found this scripture the other day in 2nd Nephi 3:14-15. It prophecies Joseph Smith and how he will restore the Gospel. I am not going to put it in my email so you will have to look it up and read it. It is super cool. Well I have run out of things to say. I hope y'all have a great week and a fun time at school and work. I want y'all to know I love you and pray for y'all.

                                                                                                        Elder Talbert

Letter from September 9th

Hey family,

                We had made it, we were in the crypts. We were finally among friends from the GD. As we were walking around we saw some people. They smelt like weed and you know they had been smoking just minutes before. We talked to a couple of them then went with our friend to "the jungle". We ran though the jungle to see one more person. After we had talked to them we started to leave. On our way, we saw a stray dog just standing there. As we looked at him and he looked at us we decided we only had one option, we walked slowly as we tried not to be noticed. We then realized the dog was chained up and we were fine. We made our way back though the jungle and into the main part of the crypts. We said bye to our friends and started off to the grove. When we got to the grove we parked our car and started to walk to the store. As we were walking we saw members of all sorts of mobs. We avoided being shot even though you could see the guns these guys were carrying. We made it to the store and purchased some drinks. We then left and went home. We made it home safely. As we went to bed our house smelt strongly of weed and we knew that the person below us had been smoking.

 

  My week has been boring. On Monday we played volleyball with lots of the missionaries in the surrounding areas. Then on Tuesday I went to Frayser and was companions with Elder Armstrong. The story above is what we did. It was lots of fun. On Wednesday we went to breakfast with Elder Jackson and Elder Anderson. Then we exchanged back and  biked around the rest of the day. The rest of the week was very slow and we biked around and only a few people let us in and we had fun biking but now we are really tired.

 

          That is about it for my week. I am glad you are all doing good and having fun at work and school. Keep up the good work and know I love y'all

                Elder Talbert

Clarification from Joseph's letter the following week:

          The GD (Gangster Disciples) is one of the big gangs in Memphis. We were at an apartment complex called the Crypts. Part of the complex is referred to as "the Jungle". It is the more dangerous part of the Crypts. "The Grove" is another part of town that has one of the highest murder rates per capita in all the US. It was fun and I was perfectly safe.

there is no water in the air

Letter from September 2, 2013

Hey Family,

                This week has been great! On Monday we went and hung out with Tamra for a bit then we went up to Piggott and said goodbye to Deidra and Jeremey. Then we went to Nicole's and went with her and her family to Rector to see Zephyer play football. It was a typical junior high game. After the game I said goodbye to them and Chance. On Tuesday I packed most of the day. We did go see the Charles. Then we went to the Edler's for dinner. They took some pictures so maybe you will get one. We then went to Bro Roses' and then to Tamra's. On Wednesday I finished packing and we went to Jonesboro to meet the Musicks and the Pocahontas Elders. We stopped by and saw the Kirkseys and then meet up with the Musicks. We loaded all my stuff in their car and we drove down to Bartlett for Transfers. Right before transfers I asked Elder Adams if he could hint as to where I was going. (he is an AP). He told me I wasn't going anywhere. It really confused me. Then transfers happened and I was assigned to be in Bartlett. My companion is Elder Breckenridge. He is from Tetonia, Idaho and we seem to have a lot in common. It will be fun serving with him. We whitewashed the area so we are still trying to figure out what is going on. In the evening we went to the church and meet some people and the sisters helped us figure out who our investigators are. Thursday we went and tried to see a couple people but for the most part we tried to get things organized. On Friday we went shopping and saw a few more people. Then that evening we went over to the Elders quorum presidents over the 1st ward and talked to him. Saturday was about the same just tried to see some people the sisters before us had been working with. On Sunday we went to church at 9 and had sacrament in the 2nd ward and met a bunch of people. Then we went to gospel principles. After gospel principles we went to sacrament meeting in the 1st ward. We are technically over the 1st ward. We met a bunch more people and they were excited to see us. Some people were not excited that we were Elders since it was a sister area we took over. Then we taught gospel principles class and went to Elders quorum. By the end of church I still felt like I had no idea who anyone was. I also still am figuring out if people are in 1st or 2nd ward.

              Well that's about it for my week. Hopefully by next week I will know what is going on in the area. I hope you all have a great week and a fun Labor day.

                                                                                          Elder Talbert 

Letter from August 26th

Hey Family

                 This week was great! On Monday we hung out with Tamra and the Blytheville Elders. It was lots of fun. Then on Tuesday we had district meeting and President came to do an interview for us. He also interviewed each one of us and said that Paragould is getting a senior couple in 2 weeks and that we are getting sisters in October and the Elders are moving up to Piggott in October. It was a good meeting. Also, Sister Peterson shined all the missionarie's shoes which was good because I had been meaning to for a while. After district meeting we went to lunch and then went with Bro Kirksey up to Piggott. We had a good time up there and taught Neil and then we taught Joella with the senior couple from Dexter, Missouri. In case you are wondering, Dexter, Missouri is not in our mission. On Friday we went and saw Tamra and the Lopez's. Then we went to the high school and watched some members play in the marching band. It was really cool. On Saturday we had two baptisms. It was awesome. Both Chance and Zephyer got baptized. I baptized Chance and Salisbury baptized Zephyer. It was very spiritual and really cool to have two be baptized on the same day. 

Chance and Elder Talbert

Zephyer, Elder Salisbury, Chance, and Elder Talbert

                On Sunday, both Chance and Zephyer got confirmed. Then both Salisbury and I gave talks in sacrament. Mine was like 5 min long. We talked on member missionary work. Later Chance and Zephyer got the priesthood. It was really cool. That night the Jonesboro Spanish missionaries came up and we taught some people with them. It was lots of fun. 

               That is about it for my week. Tell Kelsey I wish her luck and to have fun. About the meds, mom, I am getting transferred so the best option is to get them and send them to the mission office. I will for sure get them. Have fun in school and don't work too hard.

Our Shoes after getting shined by Sister Petersen

                                                                                                                     Love Elder Talbert 

I'm running out of movie quotes

Joseph's letter from August 19th

Hey Family,

                  This week has been alright. It has had its ups and downs. On Monday we we at Walmart shopping and one of our investigators texted us and said they were going to go to their moms baptist church instead of ours. We asked why and they said it was closer. Well we later found out that they just didn't have a testimony of the church and it's truthfulness and they lied to us about pretty much everything. It was really disappointing but we must keep trying. On Tuesday we helped a member move from Maraduke to Paragould it was long and hard. We only had a small truck and a few people. Then on Wednesday we went and did service in the morning for Bro Charles. After we finished with the service they fed us lunch. While we were eating Bro Charles was like "Oh I got to take my pills. See this is what happens when you get old and frail." I was like " you have to take pills?" He said "yes" and Elder Salisbury looked at me and was like "well I guess you are old and frail then". That evening we taught the young men the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was good and afterward, the young men leader taught us how he taught it on his mission. It is really good and it is visual and people like visuals. On Thursday we had zone conference. It was lots of fun and we talked about being a missionary and growing all the time. You learn things line upon line, precept upon precept. It was fun and it was good to be in Memphis again. That night we taught an awesome lesson to a part member family. Friday we helped a less active member move down in Brookland. It was fun and he took us to lunch after. Then we went up to Piggott and saw Garrett and Deidra. We had a good lesson with him then we went to Nicole's and taught Zephyer and Chance. It was a good day. On Saturday we went up to Piggott again and helped a member move some stuff to a storage shed then we saw Nicole and taught Zephyer and Chance again. Sunday was good. We had Zephyer and Chance come to church then that evening we went back up to Piggott and interviewed Zephyer for baptism. He and Chance should be getting baptized this weekend. 

                         That is about all I have to say. I did see a pic of G&G Talbert with Jimmy and Tiffany's kids on Sunday. It was cool to see them. I hope you all have a great week and a fun start to the school year. I love and pray for all of you. 

                                                                Elder Talbert  

There's always a bigger fish

Joseph's letter from August 12th

Hey family,

                 This week has been really good. On Monday we played ping pong with Tamra, Nicole, and Juane. It was lots of fun. On Tuesday we had zone meeting. It was good. They taught us how to teach more simply. The zone is really small now. I will send pics of the zone map. That night we had dinner with the Edlers. While we were at their house Bro Edler asked Sis Edler where he had heard the name Talbert before. Then they asked if I had family in Arizona. I was like yeah, I have lots of family in Arizona. They were then trying to think of the name and all they could come up with is Aunt TT. I told them I don't know anyone with that name. Then Bro Edler pulled up a pic on Facebook and showed it to me. I was like yeah, that's my cousin Jimmy and Tiffany. Apparently they know Tiffany from a while back when they used to live next to her. It was awesome. Wednesday we went up to Piggott and helped a member move some of his stuff to a storage shed. Then we went to Jonathan and Angel's. We met Elder Davis and Elder Mulvey there. They had come over to do Angel's interview. She should be getting baptized this next week if they can get a marriage license. From there we went to Nicole's and had dinner and taught Chance. We came home and it was late when we got in so the Blytheville Elders stayed the night. On Saturday we went up to Piggott again. This time we went up with Bro Watson. He is the Branch mission leader. That night we went to Nicole's for dinner again. This time though she had invited her friend Joella and a less active member. It was awesome and we had a full house of members, non-members, and less actives. On Sunday we had small numbers because everyone was on vacation. We also taught priesthood. It was a good lesson but their weren't many people there so there wasn't much participation.

                That is about it. I hope you all have a good week and have fun at the ward campout. I love and pray for y'all.

                               Elder Talbert   

Hammer! Hammer!

Hey Family,

                  This week has been really good and also really busy. Monday was fairly boring, we did P-day stuff then we had dinner with the Milnes and Taught Tamra the new member lessons. On Tuesday we had district meeting. It was very good and I got my meds there. Mom you had sent them to Pocahontas so they had brought them. After district meeting we went on exchanges. I stayed in Paragould with a new missionary named Elder Mulvey. He is cool and has a lot of enthusiasm. I thought it was fun to be the senior companion and it helped me realize what it will be like shortly when transfers comes. Wednesday we went and did service in the morning for Bro Charles. We carried about 10 wheelbarrows each of dirt from one side of his yard to the other. My arms hurt afterward. Then we drove home and exchanged back. Elder Salisbury and I went with the Kirkseys up to Piggott to see some people. Up in Piggott is where all of our baptism candidates are. We came back from Piggott around 6 and got dropped off at our apartment. From there we went straight to Jonesboro to meet with the zone leaders. Since the last transfer the mission went from 5 zones to 10 zones. It's crazy how fast the mission is growing. We went with the zone leaders down to Little Rock. We arrived there around 9ish. We stayed at the Pinnacle Mountain Elders apartment that night. Thursday we woke up and went to my doctors appointment. It went very well. They did a blood test and an echo, and an EKG, and a chest x-ray. It was a lot of tests. I asked them why they were doing all of the tests and they said they just do that every 6 months. We then drove around Little Rock for a little and went to lunch with the Pinnacle Mountain Elders and the Little Rock Spanish North Elders. We went to Gus's chicken. It was really good chicken. We then went to the mission office and hung out for an hour or so till the Zone leaders got done in their meeting there. We got a new phone, it is nice. It is a slide touch screen one. After the meeting got out we talked to the missionaries. I got to talk with Elder Jacobson and Elder Adams. It was lots of fun. We then drove back to Jonesboro and went to the Kirkseys for dinner. Friday we went up to Piggott and one of the members up there had given us a referral so we went to see him. He is really awesome and lives right next door to one of our part member familyies we are teaching named the Tinsley's. On Sunday, church was good. Fast and testimony is always good. That evening we had a good talk with Tamra's parents about the church.

                       That is about it for my week. As far as the baptisms go, one should happen on the 18th, another should happen on the 24th, and the third is up in the air because they don't know where he is. I will have to read that article on that ancestor of ours. Hope y'all get better from your braces and have a great week.

                                 -Elder Talbert     

Letter from July 29th

Hey Family

                 My week was fairly boring. Tuesday we went to specialized training in Searcy. We were going to go to the one in Memphis but the Musicks were going to Searcy because Elder Staib forgot some stuff and the Musicks are our ride. At specialized training I saw Savanna Skinner which was lots of fun. That evening we went and visited a family named the Lopez's. A Spanish family that went to Guatemala for 1 month and just got back. On Wednesday. Friday we went up to Piggott and saw some people. We have 3 baptisms coming up (Angel, Chance, and Zephyer) and all of them live in Piggott. This next week we will be having President Petersen come up and do some interviews for us. It should be a good week.On Sunday we had a good time at church. After church we went out teaching with Bro Lamb. He went Spanish speaking on his mission so he comes out teaching with us to the Lopez's.

                   That is about all for my week. Next week I have my doctor visit and hopefully it will go well. Sounds like y'all had a great week. I love and pray for y'all.

                                                                                           -Elder Talbert  

Letter from July 22

Hey Family,

                  This week was fairly boring. Last Monday we played some ping pong with Tamra and that was lots of fun. None of us are very good but we are on the same level so its fun. We went to the Shurwood's for dinner/FHE. After FHE we went and jumped on the tramp with the kids it was fun. On Wednesday we went out teaching with the Kirksey's. It was good and Bro Kirksey is like deaf so you have to yell to talk to him. Then we went to young men's. They were having a combined activity about feasting on the scriptures. It was fun and spiritual. On Thursday we went up to Piggot and visited a bunch of people up there. Almost all of our progressing investigators live up there which kinda sucks since its 32 miles away. It was a good day though. On Saturday we went and had a pioneer activity at the Kirksey's house in Jonesboro. It was lots of fun and we got most of the leftover's which is awesome. We also went and checked out Bro Kirksey's Corvette. It is really nice and clean. On Sunday we went to church and it was good then we went and had dinner at the LaVetter's. He is the branch president and this was the first time they had had missionaries over in like a year. It was lots of fun.

                     That is about it for my week. Like I said it was fairly boring. Hope you all have a good week and that its more exciting than mine was.

                                                                     -Elder Talbert