The Best 2 Years

We all welcomed Elder Adams home on Wednesday, February 22nd at the bottom of the escalator at the SLC airport, all of us sporting our matching T-shirts. :)

"It says, welcome home, Talon!"

Yep, we sure were!

And, there he is! Can ya see him? (My camera was having lighting issues in many of the pictures I was trying to take...)

We love our Elder Adams! And, although he may still wish he was in the Philippines serving his mission we are all very happy to have him home.

My favorite thing I've heard him say since he was home, "My mission was not only the best 2 years of my life, but it was the best 2 years for my life."




Want to learn more about why Talon's mission has meant so much to him? Email me, Ashley Norman, at ashley_nicole_three@hotmail.com and/or visit here. I promise it will be well worth your time.

In just 1 week and 1 day ...

 Elder Adams is returning with honor!




These pictures Talon sent us back at the end of November and December 2011- his last Christmas in the Philippines...

He described this Christmas as his "White Christmas"- and he didn't mean it was white because of snow... :) What a wonderful way to celebrate Christ's birth upon the earth than to have helped a family start on their journey to be together forever.

So, here they are for the very last time possibly while a missionary, Talon's words- his feelings about his mission and the gospel. (Believe me, it will be way worth your time to read them.) 




"it is a dang bitter sweet feeling to be ending full time missionary service. i dont think it has really sunk in that it is coming to a close. i think i am going to call President Pagaduan and see if i can extend again. ha jk." 

"Its been the most incredible 2 years of my whole life. its been a dream and my life has changed alot for the good because of it. and also i am so grateful that i have been able to help other people to have the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their lives. The Gospel is everything it is the way to happiness in this life and the life to come. i just want to bear my testimony to all of you that this is Gods Work and this is his church. and Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and through him Gods church was restored here on the earth. i know that the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints is true and we are being led by a living prophet this day. This is Gods kingdom here on the earth. i am once again grateful for all the support from all of you at home for being there and writing and supporting me my whole mission it really means the world to me. i really have the best family. i love you all so so much."




Elder Adams we are all so very proud of you and all that you have done and learned while serving in the Iloilo Philippines mission. You have been and will continue to be a light and an example to our whole family, you have taught us about the power of the scriptures and the power of prayer, and maybe most of all you have taught us about the kind of miracles that can happen when we are patient, dedicated, positive, and put every ounce of our faith in the Lord. We love you Elder Adams and look forward to seeing you in just 1 week and 1 day! 

The gospel of Jesus Christ changes lives.

(You'll have to excuse Talon's spelling... He never was a very at it, but since learning a new language I think it may have even gotten worse, but these are Talon's words, not mine, so here ya go. Oh, and I know it seems like, but just take a couple of minutes and read it- I promise it is well worth the time.)

 

"So i guess i will just start from the top. as you see in the pictures that i have sent you wow arent they amazing. So the couple you see in the picture that is the Gabeles family that i am always writing about. they are one amazing family. and let me tell you they could not be more happy to be a member of this church. they seriously are on cloud 9 and just so grateful. After there baptism of coarse they bore there testimony about the church. and all 3 of them just broke into tears thats how happy they were. That man you see in the picture his name is Wilson Gabales. and he told us in his testimony that for the last 30 years of his life he hasnt ever prayed or gone to church or anything of that sort at all. he told us that he didnt even really know if there was a god. Then he broke into tears saying how happy he was to meet us and to hear our message. and for him to learn for himself that he does have a heavenly father that loves him and that he can pray to him. it was the most sincere testimony i have ever heard. like just looking at this man you would think that he looks pretty mean but he is the greatest every. and everytime you see him he just greets you with the biggest smile. This is also the same man who has smoked 40 sticks a day for the last 35 years and quit in 2 weeks. he is a testimony to anyone. i know that if this man could quit smoking then anyone who has an addiction to anything can quit. it all starts with just a little desire. just have to want it." 

 

"Second the little 10 year old girl that you see in the picture that is Mica Ella. you dont know how bad i wish i could have taped her testimony and then have all of you hear it. ha even though you wouldnt understand it. but it was amazing. here is what she told us. she started by telling us a little back ground about her life. she told us that her older sister died and that her mother left her and they dont know where she is and she also told us that they gave away there little brother. then it was just her and her dad living out on the street. no money no anything. and in all honesty the dad not caring that much with a really big drinking problem. so she went on to tell us that they would only get to eat once a day and she told us the only thing that they would have to eat is a little bit of rice and salt. yep thats it and that is what they would eat. So she went on to tell us how grateful she is for the Tanaman family for taking her in and pretty much adopting her and giving her food. shelter and clothes. now she is just so so happy and she has a family that cares about her and loves her. and no they are not rich by any means but she gets to eat and has a little house to sleep and is just so happy for that. this entire time she was sharing this with us she was in tears and speaking in a very quite voice that was hard to hear.  but this little girl really touched my heart really made me think about what is really important in our lives and how grateful we need to be for those things because not everybody has those things. not everyone has a mother and father and family, or house and food. So i have learned so so much from this little girl and i am just so so grateful for all of the blessings that i have in my life i know that i have way to many. i really am so happy for this little girl and so grateful for the tanaman family for taking her into there house and taking care of her. they are Awesome!! and she is now just so so happy to be a member of the church."   

FHE, a wedding, a baptism, and the BOM=

Elder Adams spreading the gospel- one busy day at a time. :)    

"LIVING THE DREAM"



In Talon's words...



"and we are crossing our fingers that micheal will be able to get his marriage license today so he can be baptized this Saturday.  so we are way excited for him we are also doing a family home evening with him tonight. and they are also inviting the Mayor and his family to attend the family home Evening. so elder gowey and i are going to prepare a really cool family home evening."

(These are the pictures that Talon sent us of the FHE he is talking about above.)  

 

"really i don't even know where to start there is so much that has happened and so little time to write but i will try and get as much as i can in because it has been an awesome week and very busy. So lets start with the pictures. yes that is my boy micheal and he got baptized this last saturday. it was the coolest baptism every. if you know this man you would love him he has changed his whole entire life to be baptized and to follow christ. and he has been waiting a long time to be baptized. before he used to drink all the time and smoke alot. and have earrings and all kinds of stuff like that. but now he is one of the newest members of this church and next week will be receiving the priesthood. i had the opportunity to baptize him it was amazing the spirit was so so strong. the first thing he said to me after he came out of the water was that in one year from now im taking my family to the temple. thats his goal he really wants to take his family to the temple and be sealed. he testimony was so so strong that he bore after he was baptized he shared with us his desire to go to the temple and he has a really strong testimony of joseph smith. he told us how his life has started over new and how now he is on the right path and he is going to do everything to stay on the right path. it was a great experience for me i really love this guy. i have been teaching him for over 4 months now but he has actually been taught by the missionaries for three years. so that day had been waiting a long time. i hope you all like the pictures. oh and what makes it even more interesting i dont know if any of you remember but a few months ago i sent you pictures of his wedding when he got married. well come to find out his wedding wasnt valid. i guess he didnt have all the right papers before he was baptized so he really wasnt supposed to get married yet. So he had to be married again before his baptism haha it was way funny. we just did it in the bishops office and he married them. i hope you like the background of the first presidency haha i thought it was pretty cool." 

"oh i almost forgot the picture with Elder Farnsworth and i at the hotel. that has a cool story behind it. its one of the biggest hotels on this island it has like 200 rooms and we placed books of mormons there one for every room so it was way sweet now anyone who stays there will have a book of mormon to read. we are flooding the earth with book of mormons."

"We're on the hunt of lifetime right now...

in Balasan, which has never been hunted before!"

"me and my comp have been working our tails off trying to find those that have been prepared by the lord. and we really are having some luck. we only had one investigator in church yesterday but  we really had a awesome week teaching this week just have to help the people have faith to come to church. but i want to tell you a little about my one investigator that was at church his name is ray custodio he is 77 years old and we just found him last week and he has already come to church 2 times and he even came to a baptism that we had here in estancia on saturday. he is way dedicated and told us he wanted to be baptized and said he would do what ever he needed to do to come to church each and every week. he said even if he has to borrow money from someone to get there. he is kinda a slow learner but he learns it and is willing to try he is a really awesome guy. i think he will be baptized in the next coulple weeks."

Talon was transferred a little bit ago to a brand new area, an area where there have never been missionaries, called Balasan, and he is working hard with his new companion. Also, big news since Talon got moved to this new area- Talon is now a trainer!