The Coolest Summer on Record

By far, this is the coolest summer I've ever done, like it's been so fun!  But, Australia has been telling me that it's also the coolest (temperature wise) it's seen in YEARS.  :)  Lucky me, I don't mind!  haha :) 

Random thought by Sister Talbot:  When I was growing up, I was sometimes jealous of kids with summer birthdays because they could do outside things on their birthday.  While I was sitting at a bus stop, I realized that this was the first time I have ever had that wish come true! haha :)  A few months late to realize that, but hey, it's funny.  

I got to ride my bike again!  Whoo! :)  I love being able to ride it, it makes me so happy!  It was either bike up hills for 15 or so minutes, or take buses that would make us leave like 2 hours early to get there on time. Biking was the better choice. 

One cool thing that happened this week was that we were able to go and visit our referral Donna! The sisters got the referral before I came, but Donna was super busy, so we just waited until she was able to meet with us. :) She has the most amazing questions, and is genuinely interested in what we are sharing. We invited her to be baptized, and she said that she did want to be baptized!.. but into her current church. She still wants to meet with us, which is great! Plus, she still has the desire to be baptized, we just need to help her see which church to be baptized in. 

Aussie Birds:  All colors are options; bright green, red, gray, yellow, brown.  The green still throws me off, that's not a normal bird color! haha :)  Plus!  Their sounds genuinely make me think they're dying... Especially the crows... The bird Magpie doesn't look even close to back home, but they are more dangerous here, because they'll attack people. haha :)  Watch out for swooping season! (Which I know is September to November, but still. Watch out.) 

And the thought comes from a talk that was referenced yesterday by Gary E Stevenson: 

Now, you may be thinking to yourself, "I already blew it.  My four minutes are already a disaster.  I may as well give up."  If so, stop thinking that, and never think it again.  The miracle of the Atonement can make up for imperfections in our performance.

 

As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has taught:

"To those of you...who may still be hanging back, ...I testify of the renewing power of God's love and the miracle of His grace.  "It is never too late so long as the Master...says there is time...Don't delay." (Your Four Minutes, April 2014)

I can promise, along with that quote, that it's never too late.  If you want to change, you can.  Nothing is too late.  It may take more work because it's later, but Heavenly Father will not just say "You missed your chance." He will not do that.  HE LOVES EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US. Don't give up!  I noticed this week that my Negative Self Talk has come back, which was a major shock for me.  But, that doesn't mean that I'm doomed to that for the rest of my life.   I can have another chance to break it.  I can change again, and you can too.  

Love you all so much! 

Photos that I took when I first came to Alexander Heights.  :)  

(Between Friday and today I only took 1 photo, so I'm using these again.)  

Sister Hollee Talbot

Sister Tuifua and Sister Talbot

Sister Tuifua and Sister Talbot

Master the Tempest is Raging

Let's start off with really good news! :) I'm officially an Auntie!  Her name is Maylee, and she was born on Friday!  Yay! 

Oh! and another thing.  I was swamped with photos last week of everyone celebrating my halfway mark with ice cream.  Thank you all so much!  I didn't have time to respond to all of them, but they made my day! 

Man, what a week.  :)  The sister training leaders thought that it would be a good idea with the sicknesses to go on splits with us.  I was with Sister Monson, and man, it was fun!  I felt kind of like I was the Sister Training Leader for a bit because I lead her around my area.  :)  We only caught like 2 wrong buses the two mornings that we did it.  :)  Good thing we had a bit of extra time. 

Oh! Another awesome thing!  We had Elder Haleck of the 70 come and visit our mission this week! :)  It was super cool to have him adding to our Zone conference, which was my favourite yet! (All of them are my favourite, so it just adds to my favourites!)  He talked a lot about the missionary examples that we have in The Book of Mormon, and how we can learn from the way they reacted to discouragement, and add it to the way that we react as well.  He also had us study the "Becoming a Disciple of Our Lord Jesus Christ" by Elder Hales, and then asked for our thoughts on it.  It was really cool to hear everyone's different experiences and ideas on the talk.  

Funny story! We were at a park waiting for a Blitz to start, and who is hanging out at the park but a very Aussie family.  The dad was using phrases that no Americans use, and I understood all of them! ha! I've been in Australia just a little while. haha :) 

Aussie Phrase: Let's hit the frog and toad: Let's hit the road. :)  Yes, this is one that the dad used while at the park. 

And for the thought this week, I'm using the title of my email.  "Master, the tempest is raging" which is Hymn no. 105.  

The winds and the waves shall obey thy will:
Peace, be still.
Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea
Or demons or men or whatever it be,
No waters can swallow the ship where lies
The Master of ocean and earth and skies.
They all shall sweetly obey thy will:
Peace, be still; peace, be still.
They all shall sweetly obey thy will:
Peace, peace, be still.

These past few weeks it's felt like I'm in a tempest.  This song came to mind while I was thinking about the situations I'm in, and it is such an awesome peace message.  "The winds and the waves shall obey thy will."  Our Master, our Saviour has that power.  Trust in Him, and He shall direct thy paths, and he will calm the storms that you are going through.  He might not calm them in the way that you want, he might just give you the peace that you need to get through it.  

Photos: An attempted Zone selfie, a scarf that I got as a gift a while ago and was finally able to wear, and a selfie with a beanie that I got as a gift that I accidentally took zoomed in. haha :) 

Have a great week!

Sister Hollee Talbot

Zone Selfie

Beanie selfie, except you can't see the beanie, only our beautiful Sister Talbot :)

Scarf Selfie!

Hump Day is Best to Celebrate With Water

Hey Guys!  Guess what? I've just hit 9 months on my mission!  It's so exciting to think that I been able to be serving this long.  I absolutely love it! 

My family calls that hump day, so that's what that is for me! haha 

And guess how I celebrated it?  With Allan's baptism!  

Oh it was so good to see him enter into that covenant with Heavenly Father.  He looked so excited before it happened, and couldn't stop smiling afterwards!  He told us later that he just felt so happy and serene, and that all he wanted to do that night was read the books that he had been given.  He finds all of them the most interesting books he's ever read.  :)  You could also tell how happy he was during the closing song at his baptism, because he was the loudest singer in the room. :)  He's normally pretty quiet during the hymns, but not anymore! 

As for the rest of the week, we spent some time tracting, but have had to stay in the flat due to some little sicknesses that have hit both Sis and I.  If you wouldn't mind praying for us, that would be appreciated. :)

Oh! One more thing!  In Perth we use the Swan River as a landmark of directions.  If you ask where something is, or where someone is serving, it's either north of the river, or south of the river.  I have seen this river a few times, but had never crossed it due to serving in North Areas.  I was able to cross it yesterday to go to a fireside!  It was so cool! I've been south of the River! haha 

Aussie action: The Australian Salute: Flies are very annoying here, they land on you! And you can't run away!  So you simply swat at them while doing what you're doing.  Walking down the street, contacting people, knocking on doors, etc.  No where is safe.  So during this devotional I went to last night, the Stake president was speaking, and just casually doing the Australian salute. :) 

And for the scripture of the week.... There are so many good ones I found this week.... how to narrow it down.... Let's use Alma 32:28:  Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

I feel like it takes a lot of courage to let that seed grow, even when we've had it grow for us before.  But take courage!  It will grow.  I've been looking into faith a lot recently, and I love that we have so many scriptures that describe it for us.  Let us pick something this week, a little faith seed, and plant it this week.  Keep watering it, nourishing it, and watch it grow!  President Fife has told me that watching ourselves grow is like watching grass grow.  If you stand there watching it, it doesn't look like it's growing.  If you take care of it, but focus on other things and come back to it, you'll fee the growth!  :) 

Photos: Allan with the Berrymans, Allan with us (In case you couldn't tell who the strange girls were. ;) ) random selfie (I love suprising Sis with "Hey, smile!") , and  Camels! :) 

Sister Hollee Talbot

Sisters Talbot and Tuifua, Allan, and Kyron and Terangi Berryman

Sister Tuifua, Allan, and Sister Talbot

Sister Talbot and Sister Tuifua Random Selfie

Camel "Hump Day" Package from home