Elder Kopischke

Joseph's letter from May 19, 2014

Hey family,

                  This week has been great. Monday we saw Mark and Kim in the evening and they were doing good. On Tuesday we went to see Sam; he is doing great. We then went to see this lady named Brooke. That evening we went and saw Miss Kitty. We were able to answer her questions about the Book of Mormon. Wednesday we went to see Sam again and answered some of his questions he had about the church. We also talked with this guy named Jimmy. He is moving soon and going to Texas. After dinner we went down to Pinnacle Mountain to stay with the Pinnacle Mountain Elders because I had a Dr apt on Thursday. Because of the influx of missionaries they have like 10 mattresses in their house so we got to sleep on a mattress. The next morning we got up and went off to my Dr apt. It was a usual apt and the Dr said that everything was good and they would see me in 3 months time. We then went to lunch and drove home. Not much else happened that day. On Friday we went to the Greenbrier Elders' house and waited for President Oliver (he is the counselor to President Petersen). We then went with President Oliver and the Greenbrier Elders to the Stake Center to see Elder Kopischke. It was very good. We talked a lot about following the spirit and recognizing the promptings of the spirit. He talked about being "diligent about the daily duties of discipleship". We need to do the big spiritual things first and the rest will come. It was really good and cool to see him again. After, we went to Jacksonville for a baptism interview that President Oliver had to do. We then went home. It was a great and long day. On Saturday we went to see Sam and check up on him. We then went to see Dan and had a good visit with him. He is reading and knows the church is true but he can't get work off to come to church. On Sunday we went to Mountain View again to go to church. We are in the process of finding a place in Leslie to move into. Church was very good and we talked about how important it is to pay your tithing. In gospel principles we talked about how important it is to live the word of wisdom. After church we had a potluck lunch at the church. It was really good. After that we went to try and see a bunch of people but no one was home.

        Well that's about it for my week. We will be working more in Mountain View this next week. Thanks for all you do for me. I hope y'all have a great week.

Elder Talbert

Happy Mother's Day

Joseph's letter from May 12, 2014

Hey Family,

                Ok I know I just talked to y'all yesterday so lots of this might be repeats. But this week has been good. On Monday I got notified that I would be leaving West Memphis. Well we played some games that day and went to the Jones that night for dinner. After dinner we took pics and went to the Anderson's to say goodbye. We took some more pics and visited with them for a little. Then on Tuesday we went to the Lott's for breakfast and more pics. After the Lott's we went home and I packed my bags. I called Noland and talked with him then we went to Sonic and visited with McKenzie. We went to the Orey's for dinner and and visited with them and Nana and Papa Jim. We then went to Gene Jones house and visited with him. On Wednesday we went to see Sister Teeter and say goodbye to her. We then went off to transfers. At transfers I got moved to the Arkansas side of the mission which I was expecting. We then loaded all our stuff on some trailers and drove to Little Rock. From there I was told I was going to Choctaw 3 (Clinton). My new companion is Elder Eatchel. He is new and has been out for 3 months so I am follow up training him. We were asked by President Petersen to work more in the Mountain View area. We then went to Clinton and by the time we got there it was around nine so I unpacked. On Thursday we walked around most of the day. We aren't on bike week but one of the other missionaries crashed our car so it is still in the shop. We saw a few people. One is a recent convert named Sam. He is really cool. We also saw Mark and Kim and Miss Kitty. Mark works a lot and it's hard to catch him at home but is really cool. Miss Kitty reminds me of Pat. She is always doing something and knows everything about the town. We also went and saw Dan. He is a 19 year old that likes playing video games. On Friday we went and got the car out of the shop because it was done. We then went to the Conroy's. They are less active members that we have FHE with on Fridays. On Saturday we went to town square in the morning and did service. We then went to Mountain View to see some people. When we came home, we went to see Sam and teach him a new member discussion with the Carson's. On Sunday we went to Shirley where Bro Dunlap lives. We went with him to church up in Mountain View. When we came home we talked to our families. We then went to see Dan later that night. 

 

                 That's it for my week. It has been a great week and I think I will enjoy serving here in Clinton. It was nice talking to y'all yesterday. Thanks for all y'all do. I love and pray for y'all.

Elder Talbert 

May the Fourth be with You

Joseph's letter form May 5,2014

Hey Family,

                  This week has been good. On Tuesday we went to see Delores. She is doing great and has been really busy. We are going back this week to teach her the Word of Wisdom. We also got to see Dynasty and Destiny. We talked with them about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. That evening we went to the Orey's and talked with them. On Wednesday we had zone meeting. It was lots of fun we played this game about working together. We then talked about how we need to work together as a companionship and as a district. That night we went to mutual and played some football with the young men. On Thursday we went to Chevy Dealer because they have had a recall on 2014 Chevy cruises because their has been some cracks in the axle's. We happen to drive a 2014 Chevy cruise. We got our car checked out and there were no problems. That evening we went to see Arsenio. He is really cool and seems interested in the gospel. We set up a return appointment with him for Sunday. On Friday we went to see Delores but she wasn't home so we went home for lunch and Sister Justice called and asked us to come up and give her son Karl a blessing. We hurried up to Wynne and went to see Sister Justice. We gave Karl a blessing, then we went to see Sister Bynum and give her a blessing. She has been sick this last week. We had planned to go up to Wynne on Saturday so we were fine going in the first place. We then went to see the Hansens and they were excited to see us and talk with us. They said they would come to church. On Saturday we to see Dynasty and Destiny. We had a good talk with them and they had some friends over. One of the friends asked the strangest questions that were worded in such a way we had no idea what he was talking about. We answered his questions the best we could and we taught the first lesson like 3 times before he understood what we were talking about. It was a crazy lesson. Sunday was good we had fast and testimony and I got up and bore my testimony. in gospel principles we had an investigator that wanted to learn about the church more. He already knows quite a bit because his daughter is a member. We had an open discussion about his questions. After church we went and saw Arsenio and taught him the first lesson. Today was transfer call Monday and I am leaving West Memphis. ): 

            That's about it for my week. It has been a great last week here in West Memphis. I don't know about Mother's Day call home so I will call you on Mother's Day and I will make it in the afternoon. Hope y'all have a great week and I will talk to you next week.

Elder Talbert

No Tornados Yet

Hey Family,

                  This week has been great! On Tuesday we had district meeting. We focused on helping people keep commitments and on teaching the commandments inside the first 3 lessons. After district meeting we went and tried to see a couple of people but they were not home. That evening we went to go see a lady named Ruby. On the way there we passed this family and I was like "I should give them a card". Well we went to see Ruby and she wasn't home so we decided we would see if we could find that family that was walking around. We saw them and tried to make it as non-awkward as possible to give them a card since we had driven by them at least 3 times. We gave them a card and they were hesitant at first but then we got their names and set up a time to go see them. The mom's name is Tamara and the daughter is Brekerriya. On Wednesday we were going to go on exchanges but the Lakeland elders couldn't get a ride so we didn't do that. Instead we went around and saw quite a few people. We were walking in the only shady neighborhood in Marion and this car was stopped at a stop sign. They leaned out the window and asked if we were Mormons. We said yes and walked over to tell them about our church. They said they had a friend in the church. We asked them who and they said Shyanne Butcher. We talked for a little and set up another time to come back. Her name was Dynasty. That night we went to mutual and played volleyball. It was lots of fun. On Thursday not much happened but that night we went and saw Tamara. She was busy with family problems but we briefly taught her the first lesson and gave her a Book of Mormon. Friday was Elder Fredette's b-day. Well during the day we went and saw Dynasty and her twin sister Destiny. We also taught their cousin, TK. It was a good lesson and Dynasty had been taught before so it was a good refresher for her. They said they would come to church sometime. That night we wen to the Soto's for dinner. We then went to the Anderson's and they fed us Taco Bell. After the Anderson's we went to the Orey's and they had cake for Fredette's b-day. It was a fun day. On Saturday we saw Noland. He is really busy. Then that evening we went to the adult session of stake conference. It was really good and they talked a lot about hastening the work. On Sunday we went to stake conference and it was really good. President and Sister Petersen spoke and they talked about how much they have learned and how they are going home soon. It was good. That evening we went to the Teeters and had a good visit with them. 

                  That's about it for my week. Hope y'all have a great week. Thanks for all y'all do. I love and pray for y'all.

Elder Talbert

Easter!

Elder Talbert's letter from April 21

Hey Family,

                  This week has been great. Monday we hung out and played games, then we went to the Rain's for dinner and went to the Orey's after. It was lots of fun. On Wednesday we had specialized training. It was about being diligent. I really enjoyed learning that when we are diligent we will complete the task no matter what. Some good advice from Yoda: "do or do not there is no try". If we are diligent we will do or do not. After we got back to West Memphis we went to see Delores and talked with her for a little. We set up a return appointment then went to the Barnum's for dinner. The Barnum's are super cool family that is from Idaho. They moved down here for a job. He flies helicopters. They are moving today to Vegas for a new job and will be missed in the branch. On Thursday we went to see Noland. We met him at the church and talked about how he has been. We haven't seen him in a while because he went to Chicago to visit family. We talked and explained that he can get baptized whenever he wants to. He really has his mind set on getting baptized in June when his family is in town. We went ahead and set his baptism date for June 7. I am excited and hope to be here for it but I have been in West Memphis for a while. On Friday we went to go and see Delores and taught her the gospel of Jesus Christ. She seemed excited and said she would try to make it to church again. On Saturday we went to the church in the morning for an Easter social. We had breakfast and then there was a Easter egg hunt for the kids. We talked with a lot of less actives and non members that came. We also helped hide some of the eggs. It was fun. After the Easter thing, the Anderson's invited us over to help do yard work and for lunch. We went and helped them clean up their yard and plant some flowers and weed. Then we played some soccer and had brownies. We then went and got cleaned up and had dinner. After dinner we went to see a less active named Greg. He is really cool and funny. On Sunday we had some good talks about the atonement. Then in gospel principles we watched the "Lamb of God" it is a really cool Easter movie. After church we went to the Barnum's to say bye and take pics. 

Us and the Barnums

Then we went to the Anderson's for dinner. It was really good. They are super cool and their family reminds me of home and how crazy of a family we are.

                  That's it for my week. It sounds like y'all had a great week. Thanks for all you do for me. Y'all are always in my prayers. 

Elder Talbert 

Elder Brown, Elder Jacobson and Elder Talbert

Space the Final Frontier

Elder Talbert's letter from April 14

Hey Family,

                 This week has been great. On Tuesday we went to district meeting and talked about helping our investigators to come to church. We also have been learning about inviting and how we need to ask "will you" questions. That way they have a yes or no answer. I have found this to be a lot better than "you should" or "do you think" invites. After  district meeting we went home and me and Elder Sakurada were on bike week so we went walking to see Delores. When we got to her house she was on the way out but we were able to go and talk to her fiance, Willie. He is really cool and has watched the restoration DVD and said he liked it. We also met one of our neighbors. She is moving soon but said we can teach her till she moves and that she would look up the church in her new town. On Wednesday we went and taught our neighbor. Her name is Barbra. She is really cool and wants to learn. We taught her about the Book of Mormon and she was confused at first how it was different then the Bible but after some explanation and scripture reading she understood why we use both the Book of Mormon and the Bible. On Thursday we went with Gene Jones to help move some stuff at his aunt's house. I don't know if I told you but Gene is an investigator that has been around for about 3 years and has come to church for a long time but just doesn't know if he needs to get baptized. Well we went with him out to Colt, AR. It's a small town about 30 miles away. We helped his aunt move and got rid of some couches, then we went to his place for dinner. On Friday the youth were having a temple trip in the evening. Cy Orey ( a recent convert ) was going and they needed more priesthood so we were able to get permission to go to help out with baptisms. It was lots of fun. We went and I confirmed for the first time. It was a blast. After we went out for pizza. Saturday we went up to Wynne to go and see some people. We were able to see a few less active members that no one knows about and some investigators. It was a good trip, but we can't make them too often because Wynne is next to Colt - about 30 miles away. On Sunday we had Fast Sunday. It was good and we learned about Joseph and Hyrum Smith.

                 That's about it for me. It sounds like y'all had a good spring break but don't want to go to school. Hope y'all have fun at school anyways this week. Thanks for all y'all do for me.

Elder Talbert

General Conference

Elder Talbert's letter from April 7

Hey Family,

                  This week has been great! On Tuesday we went and got haircuts. One of the ladies in the branch cuts our hair and her husband is not home very often because he fly's life-flight helicopters. We then went and tried to see a few people. Elder Sakurada started getting sick so we didn't do too much. On Wednesday we went to Bartlett to Zone meeting. We were supposed to go on exchanges but because Elder Sakurada was sick we decided not to. I only got a runny nose that lasted about 2 days but was really annoying for those 2 days. After zone meeting we went to lunch, then went and saw Delores. She was busy but we set up a time on Thursday to meet with her. Thursday we went to see Delores and had a good lesson with her we talked about general conference and how prophets and apostle are important in Heavenly Father's church. She also has a hard time reading so I have been burning the Book of Mormon on CD's for her. We then went to have lunch with the other Elders and with Sister Teeter. After lunch we went and saw Sister Orey's mom (we call her Nanna). She was busy so we only talked for a couple of minutes. On Saturday we went to the church to watch the first session of General Conference. Then we went to the Orey's to watch the second session. They were both awesome and talked a lot about the sins of the world and how we need to not get caught up in them. We then went to the church for dinner and the priesthood session. On Sunday we went to the Teeter's in the morning for breakfast and the morning session, then we went to the Anderson's for the afternoon session. I really liked the talks about family history work and the talk I think by President Uchtdorf about using the full name of the church. As missionaries we use the nicknames like the Mormons so people know who we are but I feel it is important for people to know we are The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I heard this talk not to long ago about how when Christ organized his church He called it The Church of Jesus Christ because it was His church. If we made a church we would call it after ourself to signify who's church it was. We need to remember we are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and that everything we do in the church is because Jesus Christ has asked us too. 

                  It sounds like y'all had a good week and enjoyed conference. I hope y'all have a fun spring break and don't play too hard. Know that I love and pray for y'all. 

Elder Talbert