Hi there, everybody!
I'm alive! Even with the 30+ hours of travel that I had to do. Sorry, no pictures this week, because I didn't bring the cord to connect my camera to the computer with me... So that'll have to wait until next week.
Traveling wasn't too awesome, but in case you ever feel lonely, just know that a name badge immediately makes friends for you. In the airport waiting for flight 1/3, I started talking to some people next to me about religion. They teach the bible in China, and were interested in what LDS believe. After they left, a person sitting across from me started up a conversation with me, telling me that he had eavesdropped on our conversation, and that I had done a good job explaining things. He asked me where I was going, and after telling him, the conversation ended. But an Australian couple sitting behind him was listening to that conversation, and got really excited when they heard that I was headed to Australia. So they came over and talked to me too! We had two flights together, which was a life saver, because the LAX airport is a mess to figure out, and they knew right where to go. Great couple, both are RMs, and it was cool to meet them.
After I got to the Great Australia Perth Mission, we went to the mission home, had some lunch, and a lot of training about the rules here. We are a mission of exact obedience, and as such, President thought that we needed some more training on it. I hope I retained what I needed to from that training, because jet lag was pretty strong, and I wasn't the sharpest that night. President Fife is awesome, very loud, blunt, and get to work kind of guy. He wife is more quiet and gentle, but they work together very well. Sister Perkins is amazing, and is very cheerful and upbeat most of the time. She's from Las Vegas, and she's been in the mission for... 13 weeks. She ended her training the Sunday before I came into the mission. But I think that she's got the system down pretty good, so I'm not really worried. We are in the Joondalup Ward, and they are super friendly! There was a ward party on Saturday, and there were tons of people there. At one point that evening, Bishop and two others fire-knife danced for us. The ward is a good mix of Australians, and Islanders. They're super into talking to the Missionaries, so we don't get very far walking before a ward member stops us to talk to us. They love feeding us, but the rule in our mission is that there needs to be a less active, investigator, or non-member there for us to eat dinner with them. So they just shower us with food at the ward parties, and snacks when we visit. Those who are from Australia have some of the thickest accents ever, and I think use it thicker when talking to me just to see my facial expressions. They say stuff funny too, like gobsmacked (shocked), rubbish (Garbage), far out (still not quite sure what this means), and Macca's (McDonalds... They make fun of me for calling it McDonalds.) I have had Vegemite, just not plain yet. It's pretty good with chicken.
I'm in a biking/car area, so we travel using both. The bike is like a beach cruiser body, so it's pretty easy to mount and dismount while in a skirt. It isn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. The area is pretty flat, but there are hills that we have to go over in order to get to the areas that we need to tract. We cover 4 neighborhoods in our area, and we share the ward with the elders. Our flat (apartment) is the best in the mission, making it pretty nice to start with. We currently have three investigators, and are working with a lot of less actives. Izzy is the only investigator that I've met so far, and she wants to be baptized! Her parents want her to wait a few more months, due to the stress of her schedule, but it's awesome to see her excited about being baptized.
I'm so happy to be here, and am grateful for all of the love and support that you give me. Love you all!
Sister Hollee Talbot
Alrighty.... So I was able to get 2 photos off my camera via wifi.... so here's them!
Also, I forgot to add a thought to my last email..... D&C 104:15. "And it is my purpose to provide for my saints, for all things are mine." This one was given at church yesterday, talking about how self reliance, both spiritually and temporally, can really increase our quality of life while on this earth. But I also thought of it in terms of that we will be taken care of if we trust in Heavenly Father, and move our feet. 1 Nephi 3:7 talks about how Heavenly Father will take care of us as we do what He has commanded us. "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." Think of all the commandments. Which one is the most important? Whichever one is the hardest for you to obey right now. As we move our feet and act on what He has commanded us, we will be provided for.
Love you all!
Sister Hollee Talbot
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| Sister Perkins and Sister Talbot |
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