I'm a real boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Family

               This week has been great. Tuesday we had a meeting in Little Rock. We talked about becoming the fourth missionary. There is a talk or essay or a group of papers or something like that named The Fourth Missionary. It is a really good talk and it talks about four kinds of missionaries and how the fourth missionary is the one we all want to be. At this meeting we talked about how to become the fourth missionary and how it will help you during and after your mission. We also had someone from SUV (Saints Unified Voices) come and talk to us about the upcoming SUV fireside in our mission. For those of you who don't know anything about SUV, it is a Grammy award winning choir directed by Gladys Knight. Gladys Knight (from Gladys Knight and the Pips) is LDS and she has this choir that she goes around with and puts on firesides for nonmembers. Members can only get a ticket to go if they bring a nonmember friend with them. It will be an awesome experience and I will tell you all about it in May when it happens. We have started to run low on miles and so we have been biking these last couple of days. It is both fun and tiring to bike. On Sunday both of the talks, the lesson in Gospel Principles, and the lesson in Elders Quorum were all on the priesthood. It was all very good and in Gospel Principles, the priesthood was compared with the force. It was cool and the comparison made sense so that was good.

 

               This week is transfers and I am getting transferred. You should send things (like my meds) to the mission office this week until I know where I am going. I think that it is really cool that Mike is in the Bishopric. Tell him hi and that he's awesome for me. Tell Greg and Tanya hi for me as well. I hope you all have a great week.

                           Love Elder Talbert 

With great power comes great responsibility

Hey Family,

                  This week was awesome. On Tuesday we had zone meeting in Little Rock. After zone meeting we went on exchanges with the zone leaders. I stayed in Little Rock while Elder Jacobson and Elder Stewart went back to Hot Springs. While I was in Little Rock we visited lots of their investigators and I learned better how to know when an investigator is making progress and when they need to be put on the pause button. Wednesday morning we received a call from president and he was asking how to get into the gate the apartment complex was in. We let him in and he taught us how to plan better and how to make sure we can achieve the goals we set and still have them stretch us. It was a good exchange were I learned a lot and it was lots of fun. On Thursday we went to go and see this family named the McFadden's. The 10 year old girl got interviewed for baptism on the exchanges. That evening we had volleyball and our investigator named Edger came. I think that playing volleyball has really helped him be excited about church and have the desire to be baptized. He wants to be baptized in May around his birthday. Friday we set up for a wedding. It reminded me so much of setting up for Kent's wedding because they had the reception at the church. The wedding took place on Saturday evening and the reception was right after. The girl is a member but the guy is not and at the wedding, the guy asked us to teach him the discussions. The wedding was nice and the reception was also good. After we helped clean up. Sunday was fast and testimony. I did not get up because their was at least 2-3 people up there the whole time. At one point there was about 8 people on the stage in line. It was still very good. We also had lots of investigators and less actives to church. One of the less actives that came is Josh. Josh was baptized when he was 8 and went till he was 10. Now he is 25 and came to church for the first time in 15 years. Right after church we had a baptism for Lauren McFadden. She is the 10 year old that got interviewed this Tuesday. It was a great baptism. It has been a great week.

 

                  A couple of side notes. First I have not heard anything from the doctor. Second where are the Keeles moving too? Third who did Tyler marry? Last Heather keep practicing your southern accent and we will have a competition to see who's better.

 

                  Thanks for everything you do. I love and pray for all of you guys. Have a great week.

                                                                                                                                        -Elder Talbert

I'm right behind ya, yea right behind ya

Hey Family,

                   This week was great. This week on Tuesday after our district meeting we went with the other Elders in our district and visited a less active member of ours named Tommy. It was lots of fun. Then that evening we went to the Hot Springs Village to have dinner with one of the members. It was my second time at the Village and I realized why it is the biggest gated community in the U.S. After we got into the gate we had to drive another 10ish miles to get to the member's house. Without a GPS, a person would easily get lost there. Then on Thursday we went out teaching with a member in the evening. It was lots of fun and we took him to visit some of our investigators who live in a shady apartment complex in town. Then we went to the church and played volleyball. On Friday we went to a funeral in the morning. The funeral was for Sister Wray's dad. The Wray's are the members that we live with. If you look up my address on google maps it will show you their house. We live up the hill some more in the "Mountain House". On Saturday and Sunday I watched conference as you might have guessed. I watched all but the Saturday afternoon session at the church. The Saturday afternoon session we watched at Tommy's house. There were a lot of good talks and all the apostles spoke at least once some spoke more than once. I took notes but not too many because Elder Bednar told us to only take a few notes. I liked that there were a lot of talks on missionary work. Most of the talks on missionary work, they were talking to the members but it is also the missionary who can get the member involved. I liked the one Sunday morning about holding on to the knowledge that we have and always trying to get more. I liked listening to Elder Bednar and Elder Kopichke because I felt like I knew them since I have met them. It was a little weird watching all the sessions at the church and not at home. There were about 10 people at the church for the sessions. Overall it was a great conference.

 

                 It is great to hear that you had a good spring break. I like the pictures that you all sent. I will have to take lots so I can send some to you guys. The furniture looks nice mom. What did you do with the furniture that was in the living room before? Well I'm out of things to say so have a great week and know that I love and appreciate all that you guys do for me.

                                                             Love

                                                                    Elder Talbert

I like that boulder, that is a nice boulder

Hey Family,

                   Happy Easter!! On Tuesday we had district meeting. It was on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We talked about the 5 principles of the gospel and how they are: to have faith, to repent, to be baptized, to get the Holy Ghost, and to endure to the end. Lots of people in the church only name the first four principles as stated in the Fourth Article of Faith. I think that the fifth is important because you have to keep trying no matter what. Later that evening Elder Jacobson got sick and started throwing up. It was not fun and for the next couple of days we still did missionary work but we took it easier and we drove the car when we were planing to ride bikes. I somehow did not get sick and am still amazed that I haven't gotten sick yet out here because it seems like every other week most of our investigators are sick. This week was the end of the month which means that we were out of miles because somehow we use up all our miles by the 3rdish week every month. We had planed to ride bikes but because Elder Jacobson was sick we walked everywhere. yesterday (Sunday) we were expecting to have lots of investigators at church. I don't know if its just a south thing, but everyone tries to go to church on Christmas and Easter. Well, we had no miles so we got a ride to church and we had some investigators there but not as many as we were expecting. We had two great talks on the Savior and the resurrection. Then for the last hour of church we had a meeting with all the adults. The bishop talked about how the Saints Unified Voices are coming and will be directed by Gladys Knight. It will be an awesome experience and I will tell you all about it in May when it happens. Then after church we were invited over to the ward mission leader's home to eat an Easter lunch/dinner thing. It was lots of fun but the eggs were not colored.

   

                     As for the movie quote, I was thinking of Lord of the Rings, but the Incredibles works just as good. I hope you all have a fun spring break. Thanks for all that you do for me.

                                Love Elder Talbert