Y'all want somethin' to eat?!

   What a  crazy week. ;) 
Man I gave a talk yesterday on the primitive church and how it works today.that was fun. Lets see what else have I forgotten to tell y'all.
  Oh yeah, Memphis.  I am sorry I forgot my camera because we got to see the temple. It was right next to the stake center where we had our meeting. It was awesome! It was about how we can be more bold yet loving towards the people. The guys who thaught are well known for baptizing hundreds of people on their missions to Utah of all places. It has done wonders as I have seen how the stuff they thaught us can apply to people and how we can help them to follow Christ.

     Investigators... these are some of the most interesting people I have met so far, and I love every single one of them. First is a man named Neil. He is a ex navy seal/EX UFC fighter/EX gangster. who is wanting to be baptized but he is on parole so he has to come to church for a while first. But he is doing great, and has a great faith in christ.

    The next is Melbia who we ran into because of her killer dog (which reminds me of that fur ball monster from the Dark Crystal). She has met with missionaries when they still had the discussions. So we thaught her the restoration, during the lesson we asked her if she had prayed about the Book of Mormon and she said that she has received an answer. So we invited her to baptism and tried to set a date for the 3rd of November and she  said " I need more time to study how about the 1st... of next year." o_0  but we are still working with her.

    Time is up I am sending y'all a letter tonight.  

    Yours from the front, Elder Duron

Onward, Ever Onward

Dear Mi Familia and Everyone Else,

The work here in Piggott is moving forward. Not as fast as I would like it to, but it is going well.
Thank y'all for the prayers and the love.

    Where to begin...well I forgot to tell who was baptized, Silly me. Her name is Sheela Woolard and she was a miracle to say the least. But as she read and prayed she knew this was the path she should follow.

    So we were on bike week... well sort of. Elder Pederson hates riding bikes after having to do so for a whole transfer ( 6 weeks),  so we walk pretty much all of Piggot. Man let me you tell there are people who have been here since  the Flintstones, and they are the most humble and Christian people I have ever met. We taught a man named Skippy and he ate up lesson one and was hungry for more. We also tend to find a lot of people who were taking the lessons but moved here. So it is not by chance that we have been sent to open this area.

    We talked to an old Mexican man who had talked to missionaries before and has read the Book of Mormon twice!!!  and as we were talking to him he answered a call from his wife and said " I am talking to two Mormon missionaries. They are my buddies we speak the same language." I know that as we talked we saw how much God loved each of us and wants us all to live with him again. I hope we meet that man again.

  The meeting in Memphis was one of most inspiring meetings I have ever been to.

Dang it I have to go. Time is up. Love Y'all.  Keep me in your prayers, and Elder Pederson also. 

Elder Duron

 YUP I was transferred to a huge area with a small branch named Paragould. Elder Pederson and I are also opening a new area here in a small town called Piggot  [Pig-get].    It's a lot like Cabot in some ways in other ways it's a whole lot different. Piggot is a town where everyone knows everyone. But the big thing about it is that it has been untouched by missionaries. So no one really knows who we are. So we have the element of surprise. We also are living in a small duplex  aka house which is a little better than an apartment.   There are a lot of old people up here and they love talking to missionaires. We have been called a lot of interesting things here. Like some thought we were from a private school and an Elderly man thought we were ASU [Arkansas StateUniversity ] football players, which was new.  Along with me getting transferred here the Branch also got sisters and a senior couple from Idaho so the missionary force is building. Which also means that we get northern part of the branch and the sisters get the southern part and the Senior couple focuses on the less active members.    Elder Pederson is from Utah and he loves the people. He also does not know how to say no to members when they offer things.     The branch is full of awesome members. Like the Charles' who live in a crazy cool compound which brother Charles made with the help of missionaries over the course of 30 + years. Another one is Chip, a very solid member who lives in Piggot and it seems that everyone here knows him. You can't go anywhere without people here saying "aren't you from the church that Chip goes to?" or "tell Chip to come see us."   But any who  times up love y'all and I will work hard. 

Bittersweet 'twas the week

What an awesome week and what a greater weekend!
     We had a baptism on Saturday. We did it in between Conference sessions. Man, let me tell you guys I was excited. Before Conference we were getting the program ready, and I was nervous to do my first baptism, but when it came time to do it I felt of God's love as I performed the baptism.
   Man, oh, man what a Conference! The speakers just blew me away with the talk of missionary work. It was the same stuff they use at the MTC, and they quoted Preach My Gospel a
lot. I love the talks form Utchdorf, Dube, and president Monson and Funk on missionary work. Their words ring true. We should be equally yoked in this work of bringing others to partake of the fruit of life.
   Now a lot of people wonder how can they do this.  Well in the words of Elder Nelson "Ask the missionaries they can help you." believe it or not, we are trained to help members do missionary at the MTC. Ask the missionaries for pass long cards that you can give people, which you can use when the time is right, or when you feel the spirit move you to do so. Also be open to giving the missionaries referrals and help them by inviting them over.
    Conference and a baptism was awesome. I learned a lot from that weekend to how I can better the work and help others follow Christ.

    The bitter part of the week is that transfers are this week and guess who's moving??? Well if you guessed elder Chapman you would be..... wrong. Yup, I got the call today-no idea where I am going. It turns out you don't find out until you go to the meeting. I am sad to leave, but I know that wherever I go  whether it be over the river, to the sticks, in the swamp or the middle of the city, that The Lord has put me there to bless not just me, but those who are ready for the gospel.
From Elder Duron
Saying goodbye to Elder Staib

    The baptism



From, Elder R Duron