Not Knowing Beforehand

Well the weather has been pretty good. It felt super nice last week. We were able to get out and do some service which is always sweet being able to get out and help people and get out of the shirt and tie for a bit. 

Time went by super fast again. I feel like I have been saying that every week or something like that. Elder Huffaker is super sweet. He is from a ranch in Southern Colorado. He has been out for about a year. He served in Smiths Falls and served with a couple of the same companions as me. It was a good week, we are really trying to focus on doing the best things for the area and for the people. We work really well together and everything is pretty balanced. 

We went to Bancroft again this week, it is such an interesting place haha. I feel like such in the middle of nowhere up there. Even more than when I was in Timmins. It is super pretty and the Branch is super cool. We had lunch with a family after doing some service for them, super sweet family. They have a high desire to bring others to Christ. 

Spiritual thought comes from 1 Nephi 4 (sharing verse 6) And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.

I was thinking about how the Spirit speaks to me personally and how it speaks to Nephi in this chapter.  The Spirit only gave him a little bit at a time, line upon line, it is very cool to see Nephi act in faith and follow the first prompting he got even though he didn't have too much of a direction but he followed and everything ended up working out the best. 

Well that's about all I got this week. I actually have some pictures.

Elder Talbot, Elder Huffaker, and the rest of the gang

Elder Talbot

Elder Huffaker

Another Transfer in Peterborough

Well someone today in the grocery store asked someone if they wanted their milk in a bag. I'm glad Ontario already has their milk in bags so they can put them in more bags when you buy them. 

It was super hot this week. Pretty muggy. Super humid as well, I still don't do well with humidity. Someone told us this week that Ontario isn't actually that humid it is just pollution and chemicals that get blown into the province because it's close to some of the most pollution producing cities like Toronto, Detroit and Chicago. Super fun, whatever is making it hot. 

We had a good week, I was in Oshawa for like 6 days in a row between the last two weeks. I didn't get transferred so hopefully I get to stay in Peterborough more. I went on Exchanges with Elder Nakamoto this week, I love that guy. This coming transfer will be my 8th Transfer being in the same zone as him. It was a good exchange, it was nice to go out and do some contacting with him. 

I was able to conduct/give whatever the word is, a baptismal interview for a lady in Oshawa! She is super awesome and is definitely ready to baptized. It was a very spiritual experience for me, and I could see her desire to follow the Savior. 

I don't have a ton of time this week, cause of transfers and what not. Elder Moulin got transferred to Orillia after only being here for 1 transfer. My new companion is Elder Huffaker. He is a stud, I have been around him before and he is sweet. He was trained by Elder Aspery who is one of my former companions, which makes it the 3rd companion in a row that was trained by one of my former companions, pretty interesting. It will be a great transfer, things are finally starting to happen which is sweet. 

Spiritual thought comes from Church on Sunday.  I was able to give a 3 minute talk on Grandfathers and their influence, and I am so grateful for all the Priesthood holders that have influenced my life. I love my grandpas and they have both changed my life. I also am so grateful for my dad, he is the best dad I could ever have. Fathers (and mothers) have a great responsibility and can make a huge difference in people's lives. 

Elder Talbot 

Apparently I only took photos of clouds this week, sorry about that lol, I'll be better next week 

Expect Miracles and Work Like You'll See Them

Well. It was super good weather this week. It was just nice and pretty chill weather. I don't think it rained very much even if it did at all. 

We had some pretty cool things happen this week. Looking back it seems like this large blur but I'll try to pull some thoughts out of it. We had interviews this week with President and Sister Shields. President talked about expecting miracles and working like you are going to see them. We went out and had the attitude of expecting them. I was talking to another missionary about attitude and how much of a difference it makes. It sometimes seems for me this thing that wouldn't make any difference but it honestly does. It just makes everything happier and more enjoyable and it is very noticeable for the people that we talk to. We went by a member referral again this week and he let us in to talk, it was a really good talk with him. He has great faith in the Savior. His friend that referred him has been a great example to him which is awesome.

One other miracle was when we were trying to contact a former investigator, who turned out to be a daughter of a member who hasn't been to church in a while. We kind of stumbled into them on accident but it was still really cool. She has three children and has gone through some rough patches in her life and wants to come back to church and have that healing in her life. 

We had stake conference this weekend again. Elder Nielson was here from the 70. He is awesome. He was up and walking around during the Saturday session and the spirit was very strong. I was able to learn a lot. He talked about ministering and a bit of how we should do it but mostly about why. We shouldn't be sitting on the fence. One thing that he talked about was choosing who's side we are on and giving everything we can for it. I am so grateful for this chance I have to be a missionary and lift those I am around and help everyone. I was able to examine my life and see where and what kind of person I want to be and get to. This gospel is my absolute favorite thing in the world and I am so grateful for it. 

Elder Talbot 

Imagining Myself in the Sandals of the Nephites

It was super hot this week, and super humid. It was only in the high 20s and I was starting to die, I will probably just melt when it gets warmer. Thankfully the end of the week it got nice, Its about 16 right now (60F) which feels super good. Yesterday it rained for most of the day, and walking in it was pretty fun. Yesterday we walked to the church for a youth devotional thing and we knew that it ended right before our curfew, but we just hoped that someone would give us a ride. Thankfully a member came in clutch and drove us home. It was raining pretty hard so we would have gotten soaked haha.

For district meeting, we talked about why we do what we do and why we need to work hard, that there is an urgency to the work. Some answers were about having no regrets, not wanting to look back and see all the work you could've done, all the people that you didn't share the gospel with. Other answers were about the Savior, Since He atoned for us and was resurrected, we should want to give back to him as much as we can and follow him to the best of our abilities. The last answer was because our personal conversion is so much more than when we left on our missions. If we are truly converted to this Gospel, then we should want to follow our leaders and the Savior to the best of our abilities.

We had a pretty good week, nothing too crazy or out of the ordinary happened. We ran to the Zoo and back last P-day and Elder Moulin trashed me. He was a fireman/runner back home so needless to say I am not in nearly as good of shape and he is. It was still nice. Super warm but the Zoo is cool, we have heard that it is the biggest free Zoo in North America.

We got to help out with a big city wide food drive Saturday, it was super cool to see the community come together like that. Idk how much food but I think it was somewhere around 15,000 pounds. It was a lot haha. A lot of people got to see our tags and we talked so some cool people, so all in all a cool experience.

Spiritual thought comes from 3 Nephi 11. (Verses 14-15, for example)
14 Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.

15 And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come.

I read that chapter imagining myself in the sandals of the Nephites. It was a powerful experience being able to imagine feeling the prints in the Savior's hands and being able to see Him so close and worship Him there. I am so grateful for the Savior and all that He has done for me.

Elder Talbot

The family visiting the elder Elder Talbot and Sister Talbot in Nauvoo this week!