Getting Caught in the Rain!

Winter is coming, and so is the rain!  It's been raining almost all day every day since last week, which has made it rather cold, but we're still working!  Someone told us that we should stay in, and we just laughed and told her "Rain or shine, we're working!"  It's been a great week to prove that we mean it.  Dream team right here in Alexander Heights.  We've had heaps of teaching appointments which has been awesome!  This also clues us in that we're going to come across a lot of opposition because we're doing so good.  

So most of you know that we are a biking area, which I love.  :)  It keeps me out of my shell and makes me talk to people.  The downfall to it: We get caught in the rain and have no where to go but through!  I've been soaked through many times this week, which has been pretty funny.  We actually have been laughing more than complaining about that.  Last week, we biked to the farthest suburb that we have in our area, which takes about 40 ish minutes from our flat.  On our way there, Sis's chain slipped off, but we were close enough that we just locked them up and went to the lesson.  Afterwards we came and fixed the chain, and then noticed that the tire had completely flattened.  So we called the elders to come take the bikes and we bussed it the rest of the night.  Turns out the tire was beyond repair, so it took us a while to find the time to get a new one.  But we got them back.  :)  But our troubles didn't end there.  I guess I had a really nice looking front wheel, because someone decided to steal it this week.  Once again the elders came to bail us out, and we had to bus home.  There's gotta be something really good in store for this area, because we've got quite the bike troubles.  :)  

We also had interviews with President Fife this week.  It's one of my favourite things that we do each transfer with him.  I'm so grateful for his guidance and respect towards me.  He has such great advice that relates exactly to me and my situations.

Another funny story, some members have gone on holiday for 6 weeks, and when I'm still greeting them they say "You're still here??" Yep! Almost been here 8 months now.  In fact, even some members who see me each week greet me with that phrase.  

Aussie phrase: Crook~means sick.  We've been really crook this week.  I've been as crook as a dog...  Yeah, flu and cold season are upon us my friends.  Stay safe, stay healthy! 

The thought this week comes from President.  In interviews I asked him about how to know if I was doing everything right that I need to.  He told me that he wasn't the one that I should be asking, but Heavenly Father.  But then he told me a simple question to ask myself that will give me the answer: Am I feeling the spirit?  The Spirit is Heavenly Father's "Stamp of Approval" showing that we are doing it right.  Did I mess up? sure... Did I still feel the spirit? yeah, meaning that it was okay, and that He knows I'm trying.  What about you?  Are you still feeling the spirit? Yes? Great!  Keep it up, you're doing what Heavenly Father wants you to.  No? Then it's time to figure out how to invite it more fully into your life.  

Photos: The temple!  A companion falling asleep at 8, me getting caught taking a selfie with said sleeping companion, and a soggy photo of us! :)  

Have a great week!  Love you all! 

Sister Hollee Talbot

Sister Talbot, Sister Tyler, and the Temple!

Selfie with a sleeping companion

Busted taking a selfie with a sleeping companion

Soaked to the bone and laughing about it!

I Do Put My Trust in Him

Hi everyone!  I'm a little slow sending this out this week, mainly just because I've been emailing my family and forgot I hadn't sent it yet.  

This week has been good!  It's been really busy with appointments and such, but I feel like we were able to find a happy balance that added a lot of time to go finding this week, which led to heaps of return appointments!  :)  Once upon a time, we had started to tract a street nearly a transfer and a half ago, but never finished it.  It wasn't that friendly of a street, so I wasn't in a rush to get back.  But! It was on our way this week, so we stopped and tracted it during the hour that we had between appointments.  Everyone that we knocked into had such a great attitude, and a few told us to come back!  It was great to tract it that time.  Plus! I've officially learned how to be quiet.... kind of.  :)  Sis waits for a certain amount of time before responding, so if I wait just long enough, she'll testify instead of me.  :)  She's getting so good at it now.  

Also!  We had exchanges this week, where Sister Jury was my companion.  She's so sweet, and a joy to be around, I loved spending the day with her.  We found some really cool people too.  Photos to come. 

Aussie word: Bub.  Bub is little child/baby.  Aw yeah, bub's asleep now, gotta be quiet.  What's your bub's name? 

Scripture is Alma 36:27. :)  And I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind, yea, and in all manner of afflictions; yea, God has delivered me from prison, and from bonds, and from death; yea, and I do put my trust in him, and he will still deliver me.

This one is so cool.  Look back at your life, and see just how much Heavenly Father has done for you.  Then, using that as your testimony, move forward knowing that He will do the same for you in the future.  He is an unchanging God, so if He helped you before, He will do it again.  Plus, He loves us, so why wouldn't He support us in what we're going through? 

Love you all!  Have a great week!

Sister Hollee Talbot

Dianella Zone

Zone Conference

Zone Conference

Happy Mother's Day!

Hey all!   

This week has been good!  It's been rather busy, but that's been okay.  The story of my bike tire gets even better.  :)  We got the repaired bike, and we were so excited that we rode it Monday night.  It was a great evening, and as we were getting ready to say goodbye, I noticed a brown spot on my tire.  Looking at it a little closer, it was a little spiky plant that had gotten into my tire.  I pulled it, and immediately heard the air start to go out.  What normally took us 30 minutes to bike took us 15 because we rode so fast. :)  I was so sad that my tire was flat again, and realised how little we're able to do when we ride the busses.  So we got the repair kit, and it took me, Sister Tyler, Sister Green and Sister Laban to get it repaired.  :)  

To all the mothers that read my emails, thank you so much for all that you do.  You are an inspiration to all that see you, and especially those that you mother.  :)  Friends, children, neighbours, we all are affected by you, and love you.  :)  If you ever feel like you're not accomplishing the things that you want to, just remember that you're getting done what Heavenly Fathers wants you to.  There's a mormon message titled You Never Know.  When you get 10 minutes (I know that can be hard. :) ) I would suggest that you watch it.  I love you all!  

Aussie word: Cull.  To clean out or reduce.  A less active just culled her closet because she didn't want so much stuff.   

And for the Scripture:  Mark 4:25--for he that receiveth,to him shall be given; but he that continueth not to receive, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

 I love this one because it's got an amazing promise attached to it.  (I use JST for this one as well, it makes a little more sense.)  If we have faith, and we act on it, we can receive our testimony of that thing.  If we then take that and act on it some more, we increase in our testimony once again.  If we don't act on it, we begin to weaken our testimony and can't quite do what we're desiring to do.  We won't recognise it, but we start to weaken our testimony until the point where we start to lose it.  Keep working on it, building it, and you'll keep it.  

Photos: Sister's P-day! (Sister Burridge and I), a cool quote I saw on Mothers, and my FAMILY!

Sister Hollee Talbot

Mother's Day Skype!

Mother's Day Skype

Sister Talbot and Sister Burridge

We Biked and Biked, and Now We Have No More Bikes!

 Hey all! How ya going?

This week has been grand and full of adventures. :) We've been on our bikes quite a bit, which is nice in the weather that we've been having. Our mission leaders have also been encouraging us to be on our bikes more, so we've been obedient to those suggestions as well. This Saturday we were biking up to follow up with some people that we had met before and wanted to see if they had read the things that we had given them. They weren't home, and so we were going to bike over to another suburb to visit some other people. I guess that wasn't Heavenly Father's plan for us that night, because as I stepped onto my bike, we heard this terrible squeaking noise. I looked down to find out that my tire was completely flat. Recognising that we didn't have anything to repair it, we walked over to a member's home to see if they had anything to fix it. They didn't either, but kindly offered to keep them in their garage and fix it Monday morning when the shops opened up again. We then headed off on foot, knowing that we no longer could go where we had planned to go. Many of the people we tried weren't home, and so we were about to leave when we remembered a former investigator to try. When we got there her daughter answered the door, and started talking to us. She was too young to remember what the missionaries had taught in the past, and was interested in hearing our message! :) Sometimes Heavenly Father has to pop our tires in order to get us to the people that He has prepared, but He will get us to them. :)

Other news is that I have officially been out on my mission for one year!! It's crazy to think that time has flown by so fast, but I am so grateful to be here. I wouldn't trade it for anything. This is the chance of a lifetime to change not only my own life, but other's as well. Thank you all for following this journey with me and sending me your love and support all the year long. It means so much to me.

We also got a new Ward Mission Leader yesterday. I'm sad to see the other one go, but I'm excited to work with the new one. We've started up HEAPS of good things in the ward, and I think that we're going to build on that. It's going to be great!

Aussie word: Bogan (Australian's Red Necks) sometimes you just run into one of them, and you think "So this is where America got it's view of what Australians are like...." haha :) Really cool people, but yeah.... just different. AND! Happy as Larry. I don't know who Larry is, but everyone tells me that he's a happy chap. How ya going? "Happy as Larry" I'm beginning to think that they don't even know Larry either, but hey! He's happy, they're happy.

Scripture: Joseph Smith-- Mathew 1:49-50--
49 Who, then, is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
50 Blessed is that servant whom his lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing; and verily I say unto you, he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

I like the thought that this servant is caught doing something good. Something that he was told to do. We're told to be ready, to be working hard in building the Kingdom of God. Like this servant, we don't know when our Master is going to come again. But if we are going to be caught in the act of doing something, I sure hope that I'm caught doing something in helping another. I've come to love serving others, and I know that it's through those services that we will be prepared for that servant to receive a great reward. :)

Photos: The camera wasn't touched too much.... haha :) Here's a silly selfie of me laying on the ground, and a block of wood a member made into a candle holder for me. :)