Steven's letter Aug 17

Dear Family
This week has been pretty good here in Pocahontas.  We had a baptism for Duke pinn on Saturday.  It was a really neat baptism.  Duke even got up and bore his testimony after he got baptized.  He said he had never felt the spirit as strong as he was feeling it then.  He is a really neat guy.  He is going to make an awesome member.  We have two more baptisms next week for Tina and her son Travis.  Tina’s husband died about a month ago now.  She is really excited to get baptized and eventually go through the temple and be sealed to her husband.  There are a lot of really nice people here.  Elder Hansen and I keep meeting more every day. 
Transfers are coming up next week.  Elder Hansen doesn’t think either of us is going to get moved.  We will find out on Sunday if either of us is going to get moved though.  We will be together at least till next Tuesday though. 
I met sister May’s cousin on Sunday.  We got a new senior  couple.  They said they used to be serving in Nauvoo.  I asked them if they knew sister May and it was her cousin.  They are the Normans from Cash Valley.  Elder Norman was in the Tabernacle choir for 18 years.  They are living out by Ash Flat. 

We were in Memphis on Tuesday for zone meeting.  That’s about a two hour drive each way.  Elder Hansen and I have been spending a lot of time in the car lately.  We have to go to ash flat twice a week which is about an hour each way, Jonesboro once a week, another hour each way.  Then this week we had to go to Memphis.   Lol that was a pretty good story about the snake getting into the house.  You’ll have to let me know how that turns out.    Well that’s about all that’s going on here.  Have a good last week without school.
Love Elder Marshall

Steven's letter Aug 10

Dear family
The reunion sounded like it was a lot of fun.  Its been a really good week here.  We have had to drive out to ash flat twice a week for a while now.  There is a baptism there this Saturday and two next Saturday.  Elder Hansen and I are really excited for all three of them.  We have been staying really busy.  Transfers are a week from Sunday.    I was in Blytheville most of this week on splits with the missionaries there.  It was fun to see another part of Arkansas.  I like Pocahontas a lot better, but it was fun to go somewhere else.  I was supposed to be going to Memphis this week with the zone leaders, but they have to go to Blytheville instead.  Elder Hansen and I still have to go on Tuesday to Memphis for zone meeting though.  This week I learned all about how to go catfish hoggin’ .  They do it a lot here.   It sounds like a lot of fun, but I don’t think we can do it as missionaries.  You find a whole where the catfish sleep. Then you just stick your hand down into it real slow until they bite onto you hand, then you pull it out of the water.  I guess they have a big competition here.  lol  I learned the best way to skin a squirrel this week too.  And I got told all about bow fishing.  We spent a lot of time this week with one of the families that lives out away from town this weekend.  It was a lot of fun.  They live out on a farm out in the hills.  I’m glad I’ve been writing stuff in a journal because there has been a lot of funny stuff that has happened out away from Pocahontas. On Friday night Elder Hansen and I went out to see the family that has all the dogs. I think they have about 30 now. They needed help herding their pigs from one pen to another.  That was a lot of fun.   The pigs didn’t want to get moved.  Elder Hansen has chiggers all over now.  Its been a fun week.  well thats about it from here.  I hope everything is going good there.  Have a good week.  Let me know how grandpa is doing
Love Elder Marshall

Gregory and Corey decided it would be fun to try and ride the 4 wheelers from Logandale to Beaver Utah. Gregory has done it before but it has been a while. Corey has never tried it. It should take them about 10 hours. I am going to Beaver( in the van and on the freeway) to pick them up.

It sounds like there are a lot of changes going on there.  This week end went pretty good here.  Joie's parents were at the baptism, but not at the confirmation.  Elder Hansen and i want to ask them if they want to be taught.  Her dad just had a pretty bad stroke on saturday, but it sounded like he was doing better by sunday.  We are going out there tonight to see how they are all doing.  The baptism went really well.  We have another one this saturday for Carla.  We just met her 3 weeks ago. on the 4th of july.  She is going to be an awsome member.  She has already started introducing us to a lot of her friends.  She lives in an appartment right down the street from us.  a few weeks ago we were going to see a family in walnut Ridge.  They werent there so we decided to walk around and try to talk to their neigbors.  thats the day i got sprayed by the little kid.  Well we went back to see if we could teach the mom.  I guess she knows one of the sisters in the branch and already has a copy of the Book of Mormon.  We taught her last night and she told us she would like us to come back.  She said we could stop by the hotel she works at and talk with her while she is on breaks to.  Elder Hansen and i are pretty excited to start teaching her.  So you are going to Nauvoo on this Saturday?  thats going to be a lot of fun. Ya i remember Sister May.  She was my 5th grade teacher wasn't she?  she was in Nauvoo on a mission last summer to.  We saw her while we were there. So Amelia came over?  Is she still going to babysit while you are gone?  when you see her again, tell her i said hi.  well thats about it from here.  Have fun in Nauvoo.
Love Elder Marshall