Elder Hone's letter home

Hey Family and friends!!!
 I hope you enjoyed that little Christmas Teaser we recently sent home!! we have been having a great week!!! For your week it sounded like you had a lot of fun!! Brindlee had a funny dream that is a bummer about me not being able to speak English  That'd be really weird! I have had dreams that I am home with the family but I am speaking Spanish to people too in the dream! I had a dream last night that I was home and Mom and I were in Walmart and they had a juice there called "Ades" which is a kind of juice they sell here and I was way excited to find it back home in the States and I started talking Spanish to a lady in the store and Mom didn't understand anything and I said to mom, "oh I forgot you don't speak Spanish  so I have had some funny dreams too! That movie silent night sounds awesome! Is it a movie from the church or just another movie? I will have to see it! I really want to watch a movie!! Anyway this week here is what we did!

Monday was Elder M's birthday!!! We made tacos in the church like I told you, then that night we went to a members house who has family who are taking the missionary charlas and we had a little party for Elder M and we ate pizza, empanadas, and cake and it was really fun! Elder M got his face smashed into the cake and it broke the cake completely in half!!! We were there until like 8 then we went to another investigators/members house and we had MORE cake! We ate a lot that day! But it was a fun day and I think Elder M had a good birthday!! Tuesday we had a good day too! We visited a lot of people and we found a really cool Investigator who's name is Marcella  She is a really nice lady and she wanted to go to church on Sunday but she got sick and when we talked to her she felt really bad that she couldn't go! But she is a great lady! Wednesday we did intercambios and I was in my area with one of our zone leaders and I was afraid I was going to get lost but I did just fine! We saw a miracle that day too! We had a couple plans fall through and we weren't too sure where to go, so I pulled out my ward directory and we saw a family who lived kind of close to where we were, The Manzilla family. So we went to their house and the mom was home with all of her kids! They have been less active for like 3 years and when we showed up the Mom was really friendly and let us in. She said it was a huge coincidence that we went to their house because their daughter turns 8 on Sunday and they know she needs to get baptized. She told us she had been talking about the church a lot lately with her husband and had been thinking about going back to the church. The daughter who is like 17 also told us that the night before she was getting scared about the "end of the world" myths so she said a prayer and asked our Father in Heaven to calm her and let her know she would be okay. Then just the next day we showed up!!! We have had like 10000000 people ask us about the end of the world it has been a good way to find people too!! So we had a scripture already planned out for questions about the end of the world so we shared it and the girl was happy and comforted. We were definitely guided to the family it was awesome! Then that night we had a great lesson with one of our investigator families who is really great! They have 4 kids and the parents and they love us! It was the same family we did the Asado with and helped them build their roof! We invited them to our ward Christmas dinner and they came!!! We were super happy that they were there and they made a few friends and they already knew one of the member family's who is their neighbor! Anyway they are a great family! Thursday we had an okay day but that was the night we had the Christmas party and it turned out really good! we ate a lot of pizza, drank a lot of soda, spent some time with our investigator family to help them meet some members and they really enjoyed themselves! They invited us to go over to their house again tomorrow to make some kind of food called "Guiso" and we aren't sure what it is but we're going anyway!!! The food here is usually really good! Friday we had a okay day, we had to go to another area so Elder M could do a baptismal interview for the hermanas in our district.  Saturday we did service for a member of our ward to help him build his house! We got up at like 6 AM to go help him, he picked us up in a taxi and we went to where his house is and when we got there all of his plans fell through so we just went back home and then later he brought us lunch so that was cool. Then we went to a baptism that night of like 6 people who were getting baptized in our stake and we knew 2 of the people and they are great! One of the people that got baptized was a girl we taught for a little bit but then we found out it wasn't our area but she got baptized so that was awesome! Then Sunday we had a pretty normal Sunday  We had a couple good lessons in the night and the day at church was great! They Member of the 70 Elder Resek actually was in our ward! It was a really good Sunday  Today so fay we haven't done too much! We went to Walmart this morning and for lunch the hermanas of our zone made us all lunch and we just put in 10 pesos each and we ate a good lunch today! Now we are here in the cyber, and the family that we had a family home evening with just called us and cancelled... :( So now we have to re plan our evening... Anyway everything is good!!! Now to answer all the questions Mom has for me at the end of the letter!!!  

 So here is the whole thing about Skype: We are going to do it on the 25th!! And We are thinking about doing skype at 2 o'clock! (for you 2 o'clock) Will that work? I sure hope so!! and for who wants to be there can be there! It depends on who you want to invite. I am limited on time too so it is really up to you guys. I would love to be able to talk to every single person for an hour but I can't.. (I invited Libby already, so you might need to give her a call and ask if she can be there at that time) You can invite the whole family if you want, or just you guys if you want! It is up to you! OH! and yes I got my package (it is in the offices, I will get it on Wednesday  and this time I got my pesos squeezed out of me from the stinking Argentine mail!!!! I will see on Wednesday if they stole anything out of it. But I got charged a ton of money for import fees!! I got charged 255 pesos!!!! :( I just really hope they didn't take anything out of it! So yeah, I might need a little extra money to pay for it. I took 320 pesos out today. I was just going to try to wait to see if I got a little extra money for Christmas  ;) But I am super glad my package got here! So the 19th when we go to the Christmas party I will get my package! Should I wait until Christmas to open it??? So on the 24th we are going to have dinner with a member family, we have been invited to eat dinner by like 10 families of the ward and we just had to decide which one we wanted to eat with, so we decided and to the rest of the families we are giving them the DVD "Joy to The World" that the church made for Christmas  We bought like 10 copies of it to give out to families! Then on the 25th we are going to do Skype and have an Asado in our house and just relax and play games or something! We are doing great though! We have been eating really well lately! We have tons of fun together Elder M is awesome! (Oh and in that video where he said something about farting, in Argentine Spanish if some says that we are "eating a ful" it means we are eating a ton! So when Elder M said "farting a ful" a ful means a ton! haha just more Spanish mixed with English   Anyway friends and family I love all of you and I can't wait to see you in just a week!!! have a wonderful week and don't forget to eat plenty of fruit cake and drink plenty of egg nog!!! (the fruit cake here is called "pan dulce" and its actually really good. and I got a recipe for homemade egg nog and its really good too!) We wish you a merry Christmas and We will see you soon!!! 

They called this a Christmas Teaser!

Merry Christmas!

Elder Hone, Brenda and Elder Alberro

Elder Hone and Elder Alberro with a super sweet lady named Brenda.

Her and her family have been a great influence in Talon's life!

Welding a bench 

Doing some service!

Another Letter :)

Hey family! how are you doing?

   Sounds like you all had a really busy week! We have had a good week here too! It has been hotter than crap here and I am jealous of the snow you have at home!! Well this week really was good! Monday we had a great P day to relax and write the family, we also had a really good lesson in the night with Brenda who was going to get baptized on Saturday but we had to change her baptism for this Saturday the 17th. Tuesday we had an okay day but almost all of the plans we had fell through and that was a pooper. We still found some people and got to teach some lessons so it was all okay! Wednesday was about the same, but Thursday we had no fixed appointments so we decided to go to a certain neighborhood and try to find some people and talk to a couple less active families, we were in the siesta so almost everyone was asleep or in the house and didn't want to talk. but we keep going to houses of people we kind of knew and it turned out that we found a lot of new people to teach! We talked to one person, taught them, and after they gave us a reference to go to another neighbor and we taught them, then after that they gave us a reference to talk to another family and we taught them! In the end we taught and found 8 new investigators and it ended up being a great day lead by the Spirit! Friday we did exchanges with Elder A and Brenda had her baptism interview! The best part is.. Brenda quit smoking!!! We had to work with her a ton and we have been going to their house everyday to help her and teach them a little bit more. But she quit smoking!! We gave her a blessing like 2 weeks ago to help her quit smoking and she went from smoking 30 cigarrets to 3 in like 2 days!! It was amazing! She has been progressing so fast and she really has a testimony of what we teach! Then the rest of the week was pretty normal but Saturday we went to Sebastian's house (a recent convert and Brenda is his wife) and we helped him clean up his yard and cut down weeds and fix a bench and Elder O and I welded the bench... haha it was really fun! Then when we were finished we talked to him for a little bit and drank some coke and then we left. It was a fun morning! We have been having a lot of success lately and our "Fast" to find families really worked! The Lord is blessing us a ton! Sunday we had 3 investigators come to church and we were so excited!! Oh I have 2 crazy stories of the week!! One day this week we were walking down the sidewalk and there was a guy asleep on the sidewalk snoring!!!  We tried to wake him up to see if he was okay but he couldn't wake up! We yelled at him and I shook his chest but he was just out of it!!! We then realized he was super drunk so we knocked on the closest door and asked the guy who lived there if he could call the cops, so he did and the cops came and yelled at the guy a bunch and one cop put his boot on the guys chest and shook the crap out of him and he finally woke up and they took him away in the cop car and we laughed about it later that night. Then last night we were walking home and on the same street in almost the same spot there was a guy sitting down with 2 people around him. We asked if he was okay but he said his stomach was hurting really bad and told us to call an ambulance. So the other 2 people, a young couple, called the ambulance and then the guy passed out on the side walk!! We tried to help him out to not fall in the ditch and I put my backpack under his head to help him, but after like 5 minutes he started having a seizure!! Luckily He had my backpack under his head because his seizure was way bad! Finally the ambulance came and took the guy away in the ambulance but before it came we took out his wallet to try to find out if he had a name so we could give him a blessing but he had nothing in his wallet. It was a crazy experience!!!

Any way,  Argentina is crazy! I love it here though and I am pretty sure that in a week from Wednesday I am going to be transferred to another area! We will see though!! Well family I love you! Your prayers help a ton! Remember to pray personally too! Hope you have a great week!!!

        Love, Talon

Some New Photo's of Elder Hone

Here are some fotos of the week!!! The hot dog is called a pancho, the astronaut is in front of walmart and the glass, I bought from a guy who makes them custom in the plaza. He sales them for 20 pesos and he puts your name and a photo on it. I had him put Homer and my name for a souvenir! The cup is made out of bamboo, copper wire and a recycled beer bottle! 

Cool huh? I thought Dad would like it but maybe not Mom... :)

 Elder Hone and an astronaut!

 Elder Hone and a pancho.

Souvenir????
(Ya! He is right, Mom is not so thrilled!)

Talon's First Baptism!

New Photo's

 Elder Hone's 1st transfer.

Elder Hone will now be the only English speaking Elder in his apartment.

Great way to learn the language well!

Update on Elder Hone

Hey Family!

   So we have had a pretty crazy week here! But we are loving it! It seems like you are all doing well and like you had a fun week and weekend! Brindlee, just so you know you are not bad at math. I know you are good but you're just being a turd about it! I can't believe it is October already! Time is passing by super fast! Before you know it I am going to be talking to you all on skype! You guys are changing a lot of stuff in the house to get ready for the baby! Where did you move the cedar chest? What color did you paint the room upstairs? It's weird that we are going to have a "baby room" in the house again! How did Dad hurt his back? Was he trying to move stuff all alone? What was he doing that for? Tell him he is almost a grandpa he can't do that stuff anymore. >:) Dang, I would really love to go deer hunting right now. In a meeting with president Avila he related teaching the gospel to hunting it was really funny and really great! President Avila is awesome he knows a TON about the gospel. But he was a member of the 70 and stuff but he is so great! Anyway I would love to go hunting. I hope dad get's a deer this year! That'd be really fun for him and Grandpa! That is good Mom that you saw Cheryl Call, How is she doing with Clint gone? I haven't heard from him for a few weeks, I bet he is just loving Japan! I am so excited for him! I can't believe that Austin leaves in a week! That is crazy! I am really excited about the age change for missionaries! It will get a lot more missionaries out and kids won't be so procrastinate to go, and then end up not going. I tried to send Robert an email but i don't know if he got it or not. I tried sending one to Kyle too, but I don't know if he got it either. I will have to see. That really stinks about Robert having to get a plantar wart removed! That is the worst! That is nice to know it is getting cooler at home, because here is is just getting hotter and hotter everyday! In the summer here in like January it can get up to 45°C but the average is like 40°C which is way high! Way hot! I am going to die of the heat! I hate the heat I wish it was cold here instead! That is really weird you are planning a baby shower for Shelbie! It is weird that she is going to have a baby! Weird.. There was a baby blessing is our ward yesterday for a young family for their first baby and the Dad is a stud I love that guy. He is great! I loved the photo of Marcie and her baby you sent me! I was so happy and excited when I saw it! Anyway I will let you know how we are doing, Wednesday we had transfers and Elder O came to the area and I picked him up at the terminal and He is awesome! We are having a ton of fun together! I will put a picture on of us and us with some other missionaries!  Elder O has a different accent because he is from Brasil but he is way funny and we have a lot of fun and we work well together! The language is going good, now that I am with Elder O I speak in Spanish all day every day it is kind of weird, but it is cool because sometimes I just realize that I am speaking another language! But I can communicate well and talk to anyone it is great! I still have to ask people what a word means sometimes but in the back of my agenda every time someone says a word I don't know I write it down and memorize it and try to use it. Our investigators are doing well! We have been finding a lot of new people to teach and there is a really cool guy named Juan who is like a grandpa but he is awesome! When we leave a homework for him he reads it like 2 or 3 times and studies everything! He looked up the word "apostasía" in a dictionary to understand what it meant and then he read about people who tried to reform the original church but the lacked the priesthood and he told us that the priesthood or authority is missing from other churches! We have a baptism date set for him this Saturday and he has already been to church with us twice. He is great! This Saturday we have the possibility of having 2 people get baptized! It might happen it might not. But we have a family home evening tonight with Juan and a member family who is his neighbor tonight so I think he is pretty much set for baptism!! We are really praying for him and we are really excited! we visit him every day to make sure he is still on track for baptism. We found a great little family who is young and has 4 little kids and they are great too! We are really pushing to get some baptisms! So we are good! Our apartment is great! We cleaned up a lot this morning and we are just tired of the neighbor guy who is always singing and listening to crappy Spanish music and doing cual quier cosa but what can ya do? No in my package the Tabasco sauce wasn't broken, but thanks for sending it! in the next package I have a couple special requests: a package of bic mechanical pencils, a jello no bake cheesecake in a box, rootbeer concentrate, a bottle of MTN dew and Dr pepper, and a tiny speaker like the one I will show you in a picture that charges by USB. they are really loud and awesome! My speakers broke..Okay I wanna tell you the funny story of the week. Elder A got a new companion named elder B, and he is so crazy and he doesn't think of anything before he does it! We went to the apartment yesterday and Elder A was like all sad and upset and they got locked in the apartment because Elder B put the key in the door upside down and they couldn't unlock the door! So just before we got to the apartment, Elder B climbed out the window onto the roof and started yelling at some random guy on the street to help him get down because he couldn't get out of the apartment and they had to go to church! Elder B woke up all the neighbors and they were way mad at him for climbing on the roof and for clapping and yelling at some random guy on the street! This is kinda mean but he is kinda dumb! Elder A is struggling with him and I think he is asking President for a special transfer. Its super funny but I feel bad for him! Anyway family I love you all and I want you to know that your prayers really do help and as missionaries we can feel the support of the whole world of members every day! We see so many tiny miracles every single day! I love it here and we have tons of fun and feel the spirit like crazy! I have having a ton of fun here and I love it! Thank you all for all you do and I hope you have a good week!

   Love ya! 

         Elder Talon Hone

 Flying over some of the area he will serve in.

A beautiful Sunset!

 These are the keys to his apartment.

His favorite juice. He said its better then home 

 Doing service work!

 Overlooking the main city of Mendoza

 Elder Christensen's Birthday 

Elder Hone and his gangster companion!

Hi Family!! 

      How is everyone doing? It sounds like you are having a lot of fun at home and a lot of crazy things going on! It sounds like you had a good weekend too! That's great! How is Brindlee's Track Team? I wish I could've had some deep fried shrimp, chinese food, and chicken that sounds tastey!! I will miss chinese food! That would be really fun for you all to go top flaming gorge! I am going to miss camping and fishing a lot! Elder Christensen and I were talking about fishing and camping the other day because he loves camping also! 

       Anyway everything here is going great!! The Spanish is coming along good, the people are still hard to understand sometimes but I am learning more and more everyday! It is hard but a lot of fun! (haha the cyber that we email in is playing Led Zeplin on the radio, it's funny they listen to english music a lot and they cant understand anything!) The old guy Asencio is doing great! He came to church again and he just loves it!! He is getting baptized this saturday on the 11th! He is really excited for it! Yesterday he told us he had been thinking about us and how excited he was to come to church and listen to the songs! He loves the hymns! When we start singing he doesn't sing because he can't read the small letters but he listens and he always starts leading the music from his seat and he waves his hands around and just smiles and at the end he says "oh how beautiful!"! He is so great!! Elder Christensen is doing good!! He should be my companion for another 9 weeks when I finish training, but it has a possibility of changing in 3. But I should be in this area for another 15 weeks! It is really unlikely that I will leave before then. We actually dont do a lot of tracting here. we work a lot with families of the ward and try to get refferals and then we have the members introduce us to the referral (or their friend) and we teach them and we find a lot of peiople that way. So the track team is doing good!! 

    I have not figured out the total difference between Pesos and American dollars, but the other day I took out 300 pesos so whatever it says I took out on my bank account is the same value as 319 pesos (it costs 19 pesos to take money out of any atm here). As of right now I don't need anymore money I am fine, i haven't used any of my own money yet I just have the pesos I took out for an emergency or if i want to buy a shirt or something. The mission debit card works great! It has my name on it just like any other card but we get 900 pesos a month on it and we use it for food and all of our other needs here so it works great! 

   We do laundry in our pension, we have a washer that we just have to dump 2 buckets of water in with our clothes and soap and turn it on then it has a hose hooked onto it and we put the hose in out sink and it drains the water into the sink. Then we put our clothes into "dryer" which just spins really fast and forces most of the water out of the clothes and dumps the water out of the side so we have the "dryer" sitting on a bucket so it can catch the water that it puches out. then we just hand our clothes to dry. On P-day we do laundry, come here to the cyber, (its like a internet cafe where you just pay 4 pesos an hour to use the computer) then we go to this store called cafe america and do our shopping (its kind of like a costco or sams club but you dont need a membership and everything is super cheap its awesome!!) Then after that we are free to do whatever until 6! Next week we are going to go to Centro San Juan and do some shopping for some shirts and stuff so I might buy a pair of other shoes or a shirt or something there next week. It is so awesome here!! Elder Christensen and I were talking yesterday about if we couldn't speak any spanish how lost we would be!! Imagine being in a random city  with signs and people every where but everything is in spanish and not being able to understand anything! It is so cool being here learning so much! Being on a mission is awesome!!! 

   Oh with my package I also have to pay some money to pick it up but I don't think it is very much so just try to keep it average size, like the flat rate medium size box that is like 4 inches thick and like 18 inches long or something like that. nothing too big, and remember not to write exactly what is inside just write missionary supplies and a value of like 10$. But there are a few special things I would like in it: Warhead candies, Hi Chews, Natural Vines Licorice, those listerine mint strip-melt-on-your-tongue things, and some tabasco sauce.  Hopefully Soon I can find out how to mail you all a package and I will mail you some Alfajores and some other cool goodies!! 

    I can't believe school starts so soon for the girls again it is crazy!! Can you believe on your Anniversary I turned 4 months old on the Mission??  I can't believe Brindlee is a freshman and Kynsie starts 7th grade in junior high! It's weird!

       Well family I gotta go!!! I Love you all and I am so thankful that you pray for me and to help me find the people that the Lord is truly preparing!! It is a huge help in the missionary work that poeple all over the world pray for us all every day!! I am sorry I dont have any pictures to mail home today! I haven't been taking many because we aren't really supposed to take our camera around with us because it can get stolen! I love you guys! I hope you have a fantastic week!! I am now going to buy an alfajor and walk to the store to buy some food! Love ya!!

           -Élder Talon Hone 

       PS Tell Brindlee this is what I am going to mail her - 

He made it safe and sound!

 Elder Hone and his mission President and wife

All the missionaries that traveled with him and his Pres. & wife

Hey Family!!!!

        Everyone seems to be doing great back home!!! I have been loving it here!! I am still in colorado springs! Still in the 11th and Ridgeview ward but only until monday because... I GOT MY VISA!!!!!!!! I am leaving to Argentina on Monday the 16th!!! WOOO HOOO!!! Awesome huh??? It's not too weird having Elder K gone, I have been working with Elder M as a temporary kind-of-zone-leader haha it has been way fun!! Elder K has actually texted me from home and has called me a few times since he has been home! It's weird.... I probably didn't tell you I have a cell phone huh? haha it's cool and weird at the same time!  I get 2 new companiions on wednesday and I will be showing them as much as I can in our area before I leave. I haven't met them yet, just talked to them on the phone! There names are Elder S and Elder N. I am excited to meet them and help them as much as I can in our are before I leave. I will be an in-training-missionary for the next 3 months because they have a 3 month training thing with you and your training companion and here in the CCSM (Colorado, Colorado Springs Mission) I haven't been trained I'm just a normal missionary so I have kind of skipped the training here. But I have learned a ton and I have had some awesome opportunities here. Today I actually get the chance to go pick up a brand-new missionary and take him out tracting on his very first day in the mission!! Exciting huh?? It's so much fun!! Oh the Waldo canyon fire is now 98% contained, (or at least we have been told that) there have bees some crazy big rain storms this week which have helped a lot!!  We do get to drive a lot and for a few days Elder M and I had 2 cars so we were trading off between my car and his truck every other day to save miles because we have a limit on how many miles we can drive each month. So we walk and drive both but we drive a lot more than we walk. The only reason it is P-Day today is because of transfers. The last week of the transfer we have P-Day on tuesday because of how it all works out. But it's only every 6th week that we have P-Day on Tuesday. But, next P-Day I will be in an Airport flying to Argentina and I will call you on the phone!! :) Exciting huh?? I am getting really nervous to go to Argentina now but it's okay! It's going to be so much fun!!   Sadly I will not be here for any of the baptisms.. One of our investigators is getting baptized on the 22nd so I will miss that one. :( But it's okay because I was able to teach them and to help them progress and commit to baptism!! This past week we recorded a waay sweet song that we call the CCSM Anthem! I will email you a copy of it! Some of the Elders here wrote it, sang it, and played the music for it, and I got to be in it as the Spanish Missionary representing the Spanish Elders here in Colorado Springs! It was so cool!!! So when you listen to it I am the Spanish guy asking the questions. Everything has been going so good though!! I am so excited to go to Argentina! It's so crazy how fast time goes by!! It feels like I just barely got to Colorado! I'll be leaving here with the same 3 Elders I came here with!! It's exciting!

   Well family I love you!! I don't have my travel info yet So i don't know when I will get time to call home, and I don't know where my flights start or end! So hopefully I will be able to get a hold of you all! I will try calling all the cell phones and the house phone! If I have time I'd really like to call Clint, Trevor, and Libby too. so If you could give me their phone numbers when I call home next week? Any way I love you all!!! I hope everything this week goes great with the girls being at camp!! Talk to you soon!!

    Love, Elder Talon Hone

So a non member lady, whose daughter is getting baptized on Wednesday was talking to us at her house, she is out of our area and our Zone Leaders, Elder M and Elder C taught her. Elder K is the District Leader so he had to interview the daughter for baptism, so that's why we were at their house.
 
  Anyway we were talking to her (the mom) about random things, one of them just happened to be Sushi and she loves it! So just as we were about to leave she gave us 100$ and told us to go get Sushi for lunch!!!! So we did!!! It was awesome and we spend like 90$ in total for lunch for us 4 that day!! We didn't want to take the money but she made us!!! Anyway lunch was awesome! It was probably the best sushi i have had! but it was at a expensive place, so here are a few pictures from the great experience! 

 

Eagle Peak Hike

 

 

 A random couch that Talon's companion stopped to rest on

 One of Talon's companions with his stuffed animal

This is the size of hail that cracked their car wind shield

 Hail Storm Damage

 The room where the 3 Elders sleep!

 Settlers of Catan

The cool type writer that they got for helping clean a garage.

Hi Everyone!!

   The first week was so much fun!! It's still Elder M, Elder K and I in our companionship! It's way fun! Elder K and I cover 2 wards and Elder M covers one, so right now we cover three together! There was some way crazy storms!! First it hailed on Wednesday and we thought it was bad! Then Thursday night it was hailing and the hail was the size of golf balls!!! I took some pictures and a video I will attach! It was so crazy!! It dented up our car way bad and it cracked our windshield!! Luckily, we were inside one of our ward mission leaders' homes when the storm hit! It was so crazy!! Then the next day we did a couple service things for a couple older ladies in our wards. Yesterday we helped this old guy in Elder M's ward clean out his garage! It took us like 3 hours of moving stuff and throwing stuff away!! The guy's name was Don, he's not a member and he won't come to church but we talked to him about the church while we were helping him! He was a way funny guy! He gave us a old type-writer which is pretty cool! I was playing around with it at our desk the past couple days!
   The wards here are awesome! We go to our 2 wards and we don't go to Elder M's ward because it starts at 8:30 and ours start at 9 and at 1. We also had a few investigators coming to our ward so we don't go to his ward. We focus mostly on our Area because Elder M's area is far away so we only go there like one or two days a week. It's so fun though I love the wards and the people here!
   Teaching is going great! I don't get to use my Spanish very often but when I have a chance to I use it as much as possible! We went out to eat with a couple Elders in our District on Friday after district meeting and we went to a place that is just like Beto's but just a different name, and I ordered in Spanish and talked to the worker for a minute. I haven't heard anything about my visa other than what I sent you last week. I am just waiting still but it's okay! Every day we have studies from 8 to ten and sometimes I do language study until 11 or 10:30. after that we go out Tracting or teaching if we have appointments or we do service until lunch. Which is usually around 1. then we go out teaching again until dinner, we have dinner every night at a members house which is awesome! Then we go teach some more until like 9:15. Then we go home plan for the next day, set some goals, play Settlers of Catan and go to bed! A member gave Elder M settlers of catan and now we're addicted! We live with a member. We live in the basement and She is an older lady but we have our own fridge and we just use her washer and dryer or our laundry. On P-Day we do our grocery shopping, Elder K got a haircut this morning, We're going to the mall after we leave this library, we play sports with some other Elders in our Zone, just have fun. It's way more fun in the field than the MTC!! I love it!  Um.. We have a car so when we go tracting we drive to a certain street that we plan on tracting then we get out and walk a lot! We meet so many cool people!! Some people are pretty mean, but when we walk away we always laugh about the things that they say!! I don't really miss a package other than the letters and the stuff is free for me haha. Elder K is helping me budget though! He's really helpful!! Did I tell you he's going home after this transfer!? This is his last transfer and my first!! It's crazy!
   Oh I was eating with a family the other day, and I met an older guy named Brother H, and he plays Call of Duty on xbox live so i gave him Dad's xbox live name and told him to send Dad a message and tell Dad I said Hi!! Funny huh??
   Well, the cabin sounds awesome!! I wish I could go!! But, when I get the chance to go everything will be finished!! How are all of my friends doing? I haven't heard from any of them for awhile! How is all the family??
   So our investigators are some awesome people, there is this family where the wife is Jewish, and the husband is catholic, and they want to find a church where they can raise their son well. We have been helping them out and they fit into the ward so well! They love coming but it's hard for the wife to accept Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. But they are definitely progressing. I love them they're awesome!! The other day we were tracting and we met a family who moved here 2 years ago and never went to church because they didn't know what time church was! But we invited them and they didn't seem very interested, but they came to church yesterday!! They are less active and they have a little girl named Jasmine who is 10 who isn't baptized so I asked her if she would want to be baptized but she doesn't know! We're hoping we can teach them and get her baptized soon!! Elder K and I are trying so hard to get a baptism before we leave here! We Love it here and there is a lot of potential we just need the investigators to keep pushing forward!
   There is a less active lady that we are helping also and the Jehovah's Witness missionaries go to her house every Saturday and give her these magazines from their church and Elder K and I take them from her haha they have weird and funny pictures in their magazines. They believe some weird things..

  We keep teasing Elder M about Tonga and we always ask him if they have random stuff in Tonga! We tease him the most but we just tease everyone! I love all the other elders here in our Zone that I have met and it's just so fun here!

  Anyway, I love it here! I am excited to leave too but I love it here already! It will be hard to leave but so exciting also! It's so great to be a missionary!! It's so fun! I just love it!

   Thanks family for all you do for me! It's so great to know that you pray for me and that everyone is always willing to help us! I love being here, I love serving the Lord. I'll write again next week!!

      Love you all!!! Have a great week!!

 Talon's Beautiful Flight

 Elder Hone and his new Training Companion

Talon's 1st email in the field!

Hey family!!

   Everything here is great! I love it already! I am in a trio companionship with Elders K and M. It's pretty sweet! Elder K is the District Leader and Elder M's companion was visa waiting here but he left this morning! P-day is today as you figured. Sunday was fun we're over 2 wards but kind of 3 now that we have Elder M with us. It's so fun though! We're at a library right now emailing. We studied at a park this morning. I love the field. We had an investigator at church with us yesterday and he's interested in learning more so we're visiting him tomorrow! I have my camera with me right now I was going to upload a few photos and send them BUT.. I forgot my USB cable. I might be able to use Elder M's. We met up with our district here at the library and they're awesome!! It really is SO much better than the MTC! I love it!

   My mission President is way cool, he is a great guy! Elder K is basically my trainer. In Mission language he's my Dad I'm his kid, it's funny. But this is Elder K's last transfer and then he is going home! It's kinda sad knowing I'm his last companion, but he is awesome! We're staying with a sweet old lady named Sister F, she is great! Our area is called the north east area we serve the 11th ward and the ridge-view ward. With Elder M, we are supposed to serve the 6th ward but we might have to drop them because one ward is at 8:30 and one is at 9:00 so we might have to either decide priorities or drop the 6th ward. The Allan Family is not in my area. I met our ward mission leaders yesterday and they are cool! One guy was kinda weird and could tell me all about my family just by thinking about it!! So weird. We were visiting him and he was asking me about my family and he knew how many siblings I had and how old they were!! He was weird. Don't know how he does that.

  The bummer part of it is I'm not in a Spanish speaking area. I speak to a few members in Spanish but we're not going to be speaking Spanish or teaching Spanish and Elder K doesn't speak Spanish. But it's okay I'm learning a lot! I love it here and I am meeting so many people! We have dinner with members every night! It's crazy! There are some great people here. Last night we had a RC meeting and it was great to hear all the testimonies and stories of the Recent Converts! It was great!

   Oh, my flight was good!! It was super bumpy!! It was funny! Sorry if this email is missing letters in words the keyboard is kinda ghetto.

   I sounds like everything is going great though!! I'm loving it here! I am learning a lot!!

 

   I don't really have much else to say!! I'm still very new here! I will forward you an email I got about my visa so you know a little about what's going on with it.

           Well I love you all! I hope everything is good! I think I answered all the questions? I don't know how long I'll be here but that's okay because I already love it here! I'll try to email some pictures if I can! Well, Love you a lot! Tell everyone Hi! and Give all my friends my new address. We're going to play basketball or soccer as a zone today, that will be fun!

 

   Okay I love you!! I'll email again in a week!! Pray for us!!

Talon's last P-day in the MTC!

Hi Family!!!!

 

         Everything here is great!! We asked the Travel office today about our visas but they have no way of knowing if our names have been submitted for re-assignment or not. Keep checking your emails daily and when I find out if I am getting re-assigned I will email you and let you know when I can call home! So just watch!!

 

       I am doing great!! I get a little homesick but mostly on P-day when I am writing home, and thinking about home a lot. but It's not bad! I still am in contact so that's okay! :) I am getting really nervous to go into the field. Elder M. and I were selected to give a demonstration to all of the new missionaries on Wednesday!! We're so nervous!! We have to demonstrate how to begin teaching and go into a room with an investigator, a real one, and basically do exactly what we would do in the field with someone new!! I am so nervous that I am going to mess up in front of all the noobies!! It's scary. I am also getting super nervous to speak in spanish to so many people! My Spanish is getting a lot better!! I can understand everything I read, and I really don't remember the last time I prayed in english!! Funny huh?? I gave my first priesthood blessing last night. (in english) I don't know if I could give a blessing in spanish yet, but if i tried i bet i could! It was such an amazing experience!!

 

      Okay if everything goes as planned, and my visa is here, I will be leaving this coming monday, the fourth, We'll be leaving the MTC around 11:30 or something like that.  I was assigned to be Travel Leader and I have to watch over everyone during travel.  I'll email you if anything changes, and I don't know when I will get a chance to call. If everything goes according to plan here. I'll email you and tell you when I have a chance to call home, If this happens. it will probably be on monday morning sometime between 12:30 and 1:30.

 

     We're getting a new district tomorrow, but Elder M and I are now training the new Zone Leaders. We are still technically the Zone Leaders but the two Elders that were assigned to be the new Zone Leaders needed some guidance on what they have to do as the new Zone leaders so we are kind of just teaching them on what they have to do and stuff.

 

    I get to host new missionaries again tomorrow for my third time here!! I'll try to Host Garrett, that'd be pretty cool huh??

 

     Okay I'm going to send a package home to Post mart. How do you know when I send it?? I might be sending it tomorrow, but i don't know. I don't really know how to do this. but I'll talk to the mail people here. This friday in my package could you send... Some more of those lemonade energy things that you put in water? they are good! I don't know what else I need. There is like nothing I can think of that I need... Oh! how about some more of the face wash I like? and some of that Gillete cooling aftershave face lotion?

 

          Well family I love you!!! I just mailed some letters out, one has my SD card in it for you. I sent one to Grandma Hone, Misty, Dennis and the kids, and Amanda Larsen wrote me so I wrote her back. I can't believe how fast time has gone by at the MTC. I have learned so much here and I love the people I have met here they're awesome!! Today could be my last P day at the MTC. I am going to email again on monday morning probably, and maybe saturday if i get a chance. just watch your email everyday If i have sent you anything!

 

          Les amo mucho. Yo estoy muy agradecido por sus ejemplos en mi vida. Yo amo nuestro evangelio, el evangelio de Jesucristo. Yo estoy aprendiendo rapído. Mediante el Espíritu, y con la fe en Jesucristo, podemos hacer cualquier cosa en nuestras vidas. Es porque de este yo hablo español. Yo se que estoy aqui porque necesitio ayudar la gente de Argentina, y hay personas allí que necesitan el mensaje de Jesucristo. Se doy gracias por cada cosa ustedes hacen por mi en mi vida. Como yo dije, les amo muchisimo.

 

     I hope if you use google translator that makes sense. I love you Mom and Dad, Thank you for all that you do for me!! I´ll email soon!! and maybe call in just a couple days!!!

 

             Love you!!!

 

             -Talon

May 22, 2012

Hi Family!!! Your week sounded very eventful and fun!! It's sad that Kynsie is done with elementary school in a couple days!!! She still seems too small to be in Junior high next year!! Youth Conference sounded like it was fun!! I'm glad that Brindlee and Dad had a good time!! 

I want to go to the cabin!!! I was thinking about it the other day and I really want to go camping or to our cabin! But it's okay, I'll have so many crazy experiences!

 I haven't heard anything about my Visa, or my Travel plans this week! I'll find out soon though if I am going to get a temporary re-assignment. I hope that doesn't happen, but I know that if it does, I am suppose to serve in that area for a reason! I am getting so excited and ready to leave the MTC!! It's so crazy that time has been going by so fast already!! I am scared to get into the field but I just want to go and work and see how a mission really is! It's so exciting! If I get re assigned, I'll be able to call home and let you know everything that is going on but it will only be for like 5 or 6 minutes! That's still exciting right!?

 I don't think I need a pillow, I'll be fine, I'll be able to buy one there, but maybe send me a pillow case!

 

         Everything here has been going so good!! I'm still learning a lot and my Spanish is coming along really well!! It's so exciting to teach lessons especially when you have found an answer that will help someone out or that is something that they need in their life. The role plays feel so real! It's like I'm in a room with someone totally different than our teachers! I love it here and the constant spirit we feel! Last Tuesday we heard from L. Tom Perry of the quorum of the twelve and he had some great things to say!! We also heard from the Provo Temple president and he shared some AMAZING things about temple covenants and so many cool things I have never thought of before!

 

    Um, we are kind of getting sick of the MTC food, some days nothing here looks good. I'm getting pretty tired of junk food too. I miss home-cooked-food a ton!!! I'm excited to get into the field and eat some other food than what we eat here!

 

    I might send my SD card home soon this week. I don't really have a ton of photos that I've taken but I can still send it home so they are safe. I don't know if I need any flash drives or anything. I have no idea what things will be like in the field!

 

   I did see Frank this week!! He was working on something outside, and I actually recognized his big Chevy truck first before I saw him! So i walked over and I saw him so I had to say hi!! That's funny that Brother Mitchell saw me!! he should've yelled my name or something so I could've said Hello to him! I don't see Kayla as often now, I hardly ever need to go to the store, so I never get the chance to see her!

 

   P-day today is great!! We did our Laundry at like 6 this morning so we could get it done early, and all my clothes are doing fine! I don't have any problems! Then we ate breakfast and fell asleep for a little while! It was nice haha. We haven't gone to the Temple yet today but we're doing that at like 2:30 or something. I see Brother Jex there every week because he is a temple worker on Tuesdays.

 

   I don't really know of anything that I absolutely need. I'm doing pretty good! I loved getting your letters and package last Friday, and I got a dear elder from Brenda last week too, I got a letter from Brayden, Bryckelle, Grandma Hone, Libby, and Jenny Hatch too!! Getting mail is really probably the most exciting thing here. Mail, and Walking through a gate and across the street. Awesome huh??  Tell Trevor that I never got a package from his family? The only ones I've received were from you! Weird huh? I hope it didn't get lost or something. Shelbie emailed me and I'm going to email her back right now.

 

       Sorry I don't really Have much to say!!! I am just ready to leave the MTC and have some real experience. There are a lot of way funny things that happen here but I don't know how to write about them in my email. Let Dalton know I love him. I've been thinking about him daily. I'm going to write him a letter either today, or tomorrow. As soon as I get the chance to! My heart is hurting for him and I wish I could see him!

 

         Well family, I love you!! I might be sending a package home of stuff I don't need! With my SD card and a letter maybe. (Its hard to find time to write letters, but i love getting them!) I am so thankful for you Mom, and Dad. Your letters are so encouraging and they help me press on! I think of you all daily! Let Kynsie know I am so thankful for her letters and that Brindlee is a bum because she told me she was going to draw me a picture every week, and I only got two. :( I even posted the last one up on my wall by my desk! Anyway, I love you all!! I miss you!! But look how fast the last seven weeks have gone by!! I'll be home before we know it. But I love it here.

 

  I want you to know that I have grown so much closer to our Savior Jesus Christ during my time here. I truly feel his love for each of us everyday. I know what I am doing is the right thing and that we have a Loving Father in Heaven who is watching over us at all times to comfort us and protect us. I know we have a Savior who is standing by our side with his arm stretched forth just waiting for us to call to Him for help. He loves each of us. nothing would happen in this life without reason. We have so many blessings in store for us, all we have to do is ask. I love this Gospel. I love having the chance to share it with other families who will be able to feel the same thing I have felt in our family. It's the one true thing in this life that can bring us true joy and happiness! The Book of Mormon is so true. It's the one and only way we can have a testimony of the Truth of Joseph Smith, the Restoration, and the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love you Family. I am so thankful to Mom, and Dad for bringing this into our family! It has made us such happier people and we really have our purpose here.

'

 

       I love you!! I'll hopefully hear from you soon and maybe I'll be calling home soon!! Love ya!!

 

                    -Talon!

email

  Hi Family!!! Things are going great!!! Thanks for the package!! We loved it!! No, we didn't make the leaning tower of cheeza but now we might!!! Our new district that we got last Wednesday is doing great!! They are a great group of missionaries!! I love them already! There is one Elder from Salem and He actually knows a lot of my friends and he played Lacrosse with them!! His name is Elder K., but I don't know his first name! It's so funny that now our first name is Elder!! when someone says "Elder check this out!!!" or "Hey Elder!" We're all like uhh... which Elder..? It's so funny!! Elder F. called me by my first name the other night just joking around and it took me a second to realize he was talking to me!! I never hear my name anymore I just read it. But that’s okay! It's like when Christ changed Simon's name to Peter. He was no longer Simon, He was Peter. Someone much better than before. Did you know Elder means "Defender of the Faith"? Way cool huh? Sorry I got off on a random subject. How was your Mother’s day? I was having a Zone Leader/Branch Presidency Meeting and the wives of the Branch Presidency were there and they were telling us how grateful we should be for our Mom's. Brother S. asked me to share a couple things that I was thankful for my Mom for,  and as I was explaining them I started to choke up a little and he told me I could sit down because I was on the Verge of Tears.. I really am so Thankful for you Mom!! I could never have a better mom or a better woman to look up to in my life!! You are the greatest woman I know and if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here! Anyway, P day is going great today!! I got a lot of mail just barely!!! I got a letter from Jenny, Libby, Brayden and Bryckelle! They sent me some silly String!! It’s gonna be awesome!! My departure date is 06/05 that's why it's in my mail the 0605 number. But I have some crazy news!!!!!

         One of the districts in our zone just left, and 3 of them had their call to Argentina, and Argentina is REALLY behind on issuing VISA's. It’s bad. So, the 3 of them have a temporary re-assignment! Two of them went to California, and one of them went to Oregon!! I might end up having a temporary re-assignment and be a visa-waiter missionary for a little while!!! It's kind of a bummer but really exciting!! I won't find out for another week or two if I am going to be re-assigned!!! But when I find out, I'll be able to call home and let you know where it is and what is going on. When I get my call-home permit, I'll email you to tell you when I'm going to call. (IF I get re-assigned)

   I'm excited for Brindler and Dad for youth conference!! That’s exciting!! I loved youth conference! I hope Kynsie will get feeling better soon! My allergies haven't been too bad lately. Sometimes I sneeze for 10 minutes but after that I'm fine for most of the day!

    That's way cool you got a kindle fire!! When I get home, maybe instead of you getting me a new Ipod, you could just buy me a new kindle fire too?? :) Just kidding, that's in a way long time!

    Every time I go to gym I can look out the windows and see the windmills at the mouth of the canyon! It's so weird that I'm so close, but it seems like I'm already 6000 miles away! I would love to go on a bike ride!!! I want to go camping too, but I think once I get to Argentina (If I ever do) than I won't miss camping!

  Isn't that awesome about Trevor's mission call?? I got an email from him!! That's so awesome!! I got an email from Gage too!! He loves it in Chile!! He loves it way more than he liked the MTC! So I'm way excited to get into the field!! Just a few weeks!!! I can't wait to get out of here even if it is a temporary re-assignment!

   Elder H. says thank you for the laxatives. (We’re trying to find out how to get them into an Elders food, but that'd be kinda mean)

Um, send my blanket and my sheets whenever, I hope I can get all of my stuff to fit back into my suitcases!!

   Last Tuesday Elder D. Todd Christopherson spoke to us!! It was awesome!! I can't wait to see who is coming to speak to us tonight!!

We started this new thing last Wednesday when we ourselves act as a progressive investigator in Spanish and a companionship from our district teaches us!! It's so fun!! It is cool to see the conversion from an investigators point of view! Even though they are fake investigators, or just role-plays, the spirit is so real!!! I love it!!

   Um I don't really know what I need in my package this Friday.. Just surprise me!!!

   Well I'm running out of things to say, I love you Family, and Friends!!! I think about you daily and I miss you!! I hope to hear from you again soon! Everything is great here! I am having the time of my life and I am learning so much every day!! Thanks for all you have done for me!!!

        I love you all!

               -Elder Talon Hone