MTC Slam Dunk!

Talon's MTC Photo's

 Elder Hone and Elder Cottle

 District 12

Elders Shepherd, Hone, Morley, Chatterley, 

Rainock, Marsh, Hernandez, and Hurley

 The 8 guys in Pink Ties!

 Elder Morley and Elder Hone~MTC Companions

and they can do laundry!

 P-Day for Elder Cottle and Elder Hone

 Gage and Talon

 Elders Shepherd, Hone, & Chatterley

Yes! A letter...

Hi Family!! Yes my P-day got changed to Tuesdays!! Sorry I haven't wrote a letter this week! We're busy all day until the last hour of the day and it goes by so fast I never do any writing except for in my journal!! Today has been so nice though! We just barely got our shirts and ties on so we could go to the computer lab. I got up at 6 and we did our laundry early! Then we got haircuts and we had a SWEET Slam-Dunk Contest in the M.H. Arena!!! (Mine and Elder Morley's room) We got a Nerf Basketball hoop from a friend in our district that left last night, but he gave us the hoop on saturday! We we're having so much fun!!

      Anyway, as Zone Leaders, yes we have to talk to the Elders in our District if they are having any kind of problem that needs taken care of. This week Elder Morley and I had to confront a missionary who has been inviting his Girlfriend to meet him at the Temple walk on sundays, and she has been dropping him packages over the fence and he goes and picks them up in secret, but we got things taken care of. We have to Interview every District Leader every Saturday Morning to see how their district is doing and to see how all the Elders are doing with everything. The New missionaries in our Zone are awesome!! As zone leaders we get to take them on a tour their second night here and it's so fun to be able to get to know every Elder and Hermana Personally. I wouldn't get that chance if we weren't the ZL's. So I love being involved in Leadership. It's so fun and I'm growing to love and care about every Misionero in our Zone.

    Alright. anyway, The Dork dot is to show everyone you are a new missionary on the day you get it, so everyone can rfealize you're new and probably need some help. You can tell who's new by the look on their face anyway.. Poor new missionaries look so lost and confused. I Got to take a picture with Gage before he left, so that was nice. I'll Mail my SD card home today! (most likely) I haven't used my debit card yet. but I might later if I need to. I also am going to go to the Temple today, as soon as I am done with Email. Today we are going to do Initiatories! I probably won't get my Travel info until just a couple weeks before I go into the field. but June 5th is most likely when we leave here. I got a letter from G-ma Birch and I wrote her back this morning! I did get the cookies from Dearelder that were originally for Elder C.! Thanks!! Thanks so much for the package too!! It definitely made our day!!

  Elder M. says thank you so much for the care you have for him and the offer for anything. He's so thankful to our family. With his family living in Florida, his mom can't really send tons of stuff that will get here fast.. He is so dang impatient too!! I was making him so mad about emails today because he wanted to go like 4 hours ago. He's just a lot more up-tight than I am. I'm so thankful for him though and how much he is willing to help me out!!

   Our Investigator (role-playing, not a real investigator, but someone who speaks fluent spanish, and acts exactly like a investigator would) Therisita, committed to baptism this past week!! It's so exciting to teach people and to be lead by the Spirit when you prepare well! The Spirit has already helped me know what to say in lessons and words come to me that I know I wouldn't of known without the Spirit! Our other Investigator Miguel is stubborn, he's hard to teach. We are trying to teach him about baptism, but he was baptized as a baby and he is Catholic. He is concerned with why he needs to be baptized again. How can you tell someone that their baptism was not valid and that their Pastor did not have the authority of God, without having them be angry at you?? IT's not easy. We have to rely on the Spirit so much. The only way a person can know the truth is if The Spirit tells them. We can't really teach them anything without the guidance and help from our Father in Heaven. I love the constant feeling of the Spirit that is here at the MTC also. It is helping me learn Spanish so well!!! It's hard for sure. but knowing we have help makes it just a little easier. I never pray in english anymore. If someone from our Zone says a prayer in english it is almost weird. Like for example when our family was in sacrament and someone prays in another language and everyone is confused. That happens here but with english because no one prays in English now.

    We Have guest Speakers every Sunday, and every Tuesday. I love hearing from the General Authorities that can teach us messages with such strong Spiritual confirmations of the Truth. It's great here. It's only as fun as we make it!! but once you see the pictures and the couple videos on my SD card you';l know we're having fun!! Tell Brindlee I never did get to know Elder Gucake. He left a week after I got there. I saw him a couple times and we said hi and talked a bit, but he left about when Gage did.

  Okay I have a few special requests of things we need (we will probably die without these things)!!!

We need some duct tape, a new nerf basketball hoop (like the plastic small hang-on-doors ones, ours is getting thrashed), I need a few more pairs of white socks for gym and for P-day, a stress ball (not the foam ones, but like the ballon ones filled with something squishy), another comb (I gave mine to Elder M.), a couple of my XL tee shirts, like B-MO or my T-Rex rainbow one. and some snacks. That would be awesome if We could get that stuff. I'll try to write a letter later in the week if I get a chance, and I will mail my SD card home today with a short letter.

 

   Well, we're going to the Temple now!!! Love you!! I'll write soon If I can!!

Email #2

Hi Mom and Dad!!! I am great!! Thanks so much for your package!! I actually left my shampoo stuff in the shower one day, and it went missing... so thats why i needed some more! every day is basically the same here! I'll mail you home my daily schedule when I can be done with it.. I just have to find it first. Elder M. will be my companion for the entire 9 weeks we have here, and we're going to be zone leaders our whole stay also! My spanish is coming along good! I say all of my prayers in spanish now, and we all have to write a 5 minute talk everysunday in spanish because the talks are chosen at random as soon as sacrament starts. Sacrament meeting right now is with our branch (our zone) and we only have 3 districts right now, but we're getting another district on wednesday and Elder M. and I get to give them the Zone Leader tour! we're going to make the new district smell the cream soda tree and we'll take pictures of them! it will be way funny!! gage left today for Chile! I got to see him for the last time last night and we took a picture and exchanged some hugs! i need his mail info for Chile also so I can write him when I get into the field!! The food here is okay.. It gives our whole district bad gas all the time, and I miss food from home way bad! I had a chance to go to the temple for the first time here today, and I did sealings! Missionaries aren't allowed to be a proxy for a dad or husband but we are witness' and sons a lot! It was a fun and very spiritual experience! I'm glad to know you all had a great spring break! It feels like I have only been gone for a couple days! time is already going by incredibly fast!!

    Yesterday I had the most spiritual sunday I have had for a long time!! Last week we were able to hear from Elder Packar, and then on tuesday we heard from Brother McMullen who was just realesed from the presiding bishopric. Yesterday We had the awesome experience to hear from Elder M. Russel Ballard and he gave a great talk on missionary work, we then had a special musical number by Elder A. and he sang El Espiritu de Dios (The spirit of God) in both english and spanish! The spirit was so strong last night! we watched the Testaments last night also and at the end our whole district of 8 elders was crying like babies. I love these elders and we are already growing so close! elder Shepherd and Elder C. are leaving us in like a week and a half to go to the D.R. MTC and I'm really going to miss them!!

      Howe was the visit with Clint and Trevor? I'm so excited to hear where Justin and Trevor are going to serve their missions! I got a letter from Bryckelle and I wrote her and Brayden and I'm going to send it today.. I'm going to write Shelbie a letter today too but I might not get it into the mail box until tomorrow. I'm waiting on my travel info and I might not get it for like a month. I'm going to sign up for a haircut for next monday! and My laundry is going very well! Luckily I have an amazing Mom who taught me how to take care of myself! I'll mail my SD card home sometime this week so you can see all of my pictures! I got to take a picture with Gage, and Dallin O. Yesterday at the Temple Walk and they both left today so I was glad to be able to get a picture with both of them! the funny thing is a random guy held up his baby girl right next to Gage and I in the picture so there is a baby girl in the picture too! It's cute!

    Kynsie!! I'm glad to know you guys had fun at the City Creek center! It sounds awesome! Oh and maybe when I get home I'll finally read the Uglies books because you like them so much!! I hope spring break was fun! It sure sounded like it was! I Love you Kynsie and I love reading your letters! You always make me laugh! I miss you!!

    Brindler!! How come on my last letter you didn't draw me something..? I'm excited that you're the oldest!! It's fun huh!? I'm excited to know how mowing the lawn was is for you tomorrow, and how many spots Dad makes you go back and re-mow! Maybe by the time I come home you'll be as pro as me.. but probably not. I want to see what your hair looks like too! haha especially if you look like the Little Mermaid! Maybe you should dye it like Princess Bubblegum! I miss ya buddy! I hope everything is going good for you! Remember that you can only be as happy as you want to be! :P   <- did that work??

  Anyway! I can't wait to hear back from you soon!! I love all of you!! I pray for you like 12 times a day! (I've never prayed more in my life than since I've been here)

            Love you!!!

                 -Elder Talon Hone

We got our first letter and email!!!

  Hi Guys!!! I got your package on Saturday but I couldn't pick it up until today! Being a Zone Leader is scary! We're in charge of all of the Elders and Sisters in our zone and we workside by side with our Branch President. Our District, District 12, (no we don't have Peeta Mellark in our District) Is great! there is 8 of us and I would love to attach a picture.. but i don't think I can while I'm on the computers here! Kind of Lame. I don't know if I told you but I can already pray in spanish and I can bare my testimony in spanish also! I'm Learning a lot! On Easter yesterday we had a sweet Easter devotional and Elder Boyd K. Packer came and spoke to us along with his son elder Allan Packer (of the 70). It was a great Easter devotional about the resurection and Christ's life, and his atonement. sorry if my emails are sloppy, I only have a half hour every P day but I have an hour everynight of personal time, so I can write letters like twice a week while I'm here! I saw Libby's dad here on Thursday! it was weird, and I saw Kayla today at the bookstore! it's super weird seeing her.. did Libby come over to the house on saturday? How is CL doing from his sad story of a colonoscopy? That sounds like the worst. How is work dad? Have you gone out to shoot my gun yet? Tell the family hi for me! I miss you guys a lot! I really am doing well here and I'm loving it more everyday! I can't believe today is already monday and that today is our first P day! It's fun! I love being in a place where the Spirit is present all the time! In just a few minutes I'm going to have a Zone Leader training about welcoming a new district! This wednesday I wont get a new district, but maybe next week because one of our districts is leaving to go to the field tomorrow! Anyway. Have family Scripture study! It's Important! I'll write to you soon! and.. You sent me a ton of candy and The C. sent me some cookies and doughnuts so I don't need anymore candy stuff, but I'll just share with my Zone if you send some. Oh in our room its only Elder M. and I and we love it because there is 2 bunk beds and we both sleep on the different beds instead of one of us on the top bunk and one on the bottom! I might mail my SD card home in the mail soon so you can see some pictures. anyway I'll get back on Email later today around 3. I still have like ten minutes left today! I sent Clint an email too. and I'm going to write Libby a letter later this afternoon. anyway! Email me with any questions you have! I Love you! Tell the Bishop and the ward hi for me!

 

              With Love, elder Talon Hone

Dropping Elder Hone off at the MTC!

 Talon at the MTC with some Elders to assist him!

 Walking to his new home for the next 2 months!

One last wave good-bye! What a wonderful, emotional, and exciting day!

Here is his official MTC address:

Elder Talon David Hone

MTC Mailbox #288

ARG-MEN 0605

2005 N. 900 E.

Provo, UT 84604-1793