I Love the Temple!

Good Morning!

    

         Congrats on the W both Dylan and Matt! Way ta be. I'm glad to hear that things are well at home. In those pictures you emailed of Benson he looks like he's growing up! Speaking of the pics mom when you send pictures in email could you possibly do it so I can download them all?? It makes it much easier to view them. Thanks!

          So we are emailing this morning because yesterday was missionary Monday! All the missionaries in our mission got to go to the Albuquerque temple! Guess what?? Since emailing you last week I have been to the temple not 1, not 2, but 3 times! The first time was with one of Elder Chalks recent converts from an old area. When our converts go through for the first time President Miller lets the missionaries that taught them go through with them, and being Elder Chalks companion I had the privilege of going too. The second time last week we didn't do a session but we got permission and then took Keith and his daughter Krysha with our ward mission leader and his wife and we did a tour of the grounds with them, and then took them into the waiting room. They loved it! Keith kept saying "I can just feel it!" It was a great evening. Being in the temple yesterday with all missionaries was just a powerful experience. There is no place like the temple.

      

    Keith is doing well and still progressing towards his baptism on the 29!

This last week we were teaching a less active sister Dorris Murdock who is now starting to come back to church when one of her friends Sherri Shuller came and sat in. By what she was saying we figured she was a member too, she would say things like "Yeah I was baptized too when I was younger" or "I am just lost right now and haven't been back in a while" So we kept on with our lesson of the plan of salvation, and it wasn't until after our lesson that we found out she was baptized into the catholic church and she wasn't a member! So we went back and taught them both yesterday. At the beginning of the lesson sherri expressed to us how happy she felt last time we were there and how excited she was to meet with us again! She said she couldn't get some of the things out of her head that we both said and there was something about the way we conducted ourselves that got her attention. So that got us really excited and we then taught the restoration. It was great, and she accepted the baptism invitation with a smile! We found out that she doesn't live in our area though... so we will probably continue to teach her because sister Murdock is such a good fellowshipper, but we will then eventually bring in the other missionaries in her area. We'll see how it goes!  

Well things are going well! We have a crazy busy and awesome week ahead of us with Zone Conference on Friday, and then Friday night we are driving down to El Paso!!! Saturday morning we get to meet with Elder Christopherson! Wow I cannot wait for that.

I wise poet once said  "I'm not afraid, to take a stand, everybody...come take my hand... we'll walk this road together..through the storm.. whatever weather... cold or warm!" Thank you all for the love and support each day and week. I love you all!

                     Elder Dallas Turnbow  -NMAM-

So much to do, so little time!!!

My Dearest Family!

    Wow it sounds like you all had quite the week! Holy smokes! It was exciting to read about anyway. Scary about Grandpa, I am glad he is ok. Collin as well... That car served it's purpose for me so I guess it's ok it's gone. Frank and Christine will just have to find a Jordan sticker for my next one :) I was pumped to hear about the pounding of Layton Christian! Mom, I hope you will got copies of all Dyl's games so that we can watch them together. Sounds like he played great! Brady killed Crab Claw this week too!? Flip ya!!! That is awesome.

Back in Santa Fe!

    So it was a good crazy week here. I'm not sure I caught my breath this week, but that's how I like it. Friday we went to Santa Fe for a training meeting and it went well. After that we did exchanges and I got to stay in Santa Fe! It was fun being back there. Saturday afternoon my companion came back up and then we went to the Rockwood's for lunch! Ken came too! It was awesome!! Then Sunday afternoon we headed back up to Santa Fe again, this time with President Miller for a meeting with the stake presidency and the high council man over missionary work. It was a little intimidating at first but then I pictured Dad, Frank, John, and President Waldron in there and laughed to myself. It was good! It was a neat experience to drive up with President Miller and get to chat with him there and back.  What a man I tell ya. It's incredible the spirit he carries with him and the love he has for all the missionaries.

    Well things are still going well with Keith! We moved him baptism date back to September 29 due to a relapse with smoking. He had one, and going from a pack a day to smoking once after 2 weeks of being clean we weren't down on him at all! He's amazing. He's meeting with President Miller tomorrow for an interview and we know president will love him.

   Sorry this is such a short letter but we are in a rush like always. So much to do so little time!!! I love you all mucho!

                  Elder Turnbow

Week one in Panorama Heights with a little Batman on the side!

Hello all you family and people!

      Well, week one in Panorama Heights is done and wooeee was it pretty intense! I'll talk about that here in a second. Happy late birthday ben! Hope it was great! Tough luck with Rich County.... That is not the news I want to be hearing! haha We serve right next to Rio Rancho highschool and they called their game Friday night at half time because they were killing them so bad. We really want to go to a game but don't think it would be the best idea... So I hope the boys keep their heads up. Sounds like Dylan played well though and matt too! 2 catches for 71 yards is legit.

      So I don't even know where to begin with this email...First our zone.. there are 4 districts in our zone which covers two stakes. There are 6 sisters in our zone which is new for me because I haven't really served around sisters. They are good missionaries! I make sure all the Elders respect them because my sister is a missionary! Our zone covers from Rio Rancho up to taos, it's huge.

      Here is a little more on my companion Elder Chalk, boy did I hit the jackpot with him! He was actually in a movie theater with his parents and they stepped out for a few minutes to catch some air when they got held up by a gangster. His parents both ended up getting shot and he survived the ordeal. He later in his youth fell into a cave and got pulled up by his butler. He decided from then on to become the man he is today... Why do we fall Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up!  (Sorry I just had to)  We have a ton in common. He played quarterback for his highschool in Texas, and you know how Texas takes their football. twice a week we get up at 530 instead of 630 just so we can get a better workout in! PDay basketball yesterday rocked!

      So about the area-- we actually had a baptism on Saturday! His name is Dylan and he is 18. Cool kid, even though I didn't get to teach him that much it has been fun to get to know him. Elder Willden actually taught him when he was here I think... cool huh??  We are currently working with a man named Keith Turner. Elder Chalk and his last comp knocked into him a week and a half before I got here. He has made a complete 180 in his life! I can't say enough about the man or even begin to tell you about him. He went from screaming and yelling at elder chalk the first day (Also the day his wife left him) to now just so in love with the savior and the gospel it's amazing. He was smoking, drinking, and had huge gages in his ears. He is now clean, and has a picture of Jesus Christ in all the rooms in his house. He wants us to see him everyday so we see and teach him a lot. He has a daughter who is 9 named Krysha and she is going to get baptized a week after her dad so he can baptize her! We have only taught her a couple times so she wouldn't be ready with him. He also has two sons ages 18 and 20, but they are into drugs and all sorts of nasty stuff. Well Keith's date was for September 15, but yesterday morning he called us crying, mad, and all messed up. His family has been horrible to him. He ended up kicking his son out of his house and he smoked again... We went over and had a great lesson with him and his date is now for September 22. Again, I wish you could all just be here and experience the change in this man, because I cannot say anything that does this justice.

         Well, this week is going to be crazy! We have a ton of meeting and zone trainings we have to prepare for and present... Good stuff. There are a lot of "things" that we have to do and yes it does cut away from the working time, but we have a good balance. I'm lucky to have Elder Chalk. I didn't really know him before this I had just heard of him and how good of a missionary he was. He goes home in november.

             So... it's time to go, have a great week! Thank you for the love and support.

           Elder Turnbow