10th B-Day August 26, 2013

10th B-Day August 26, 2013 

Two B-Day's in a row...

Yippee

Today's e-mail started at 5:44 p.m. with the words, "I'm here--gonna start reading"

That is my cue to pony up to a computer to start our conversation via e-mailing...

Brooklyn starts with, "I actually just heard about the mail strike this past week. I guess I'll just have to wait for my mail. I'm gonna cry when I get it."
(there is a mail strike in Chile, thus Brooklyn has not received one letter or package I have sent)


Tomorrow is my birthday. This is true!! Yay!!! Big ole 22. =)

HOLAAA!!!

Oh how I love you all so much. Home is sounding better and better every week. Especially because tomorrow is a little bit of a special day. I celebrated with a few of the ladies in the ward (picture) because it was her birthday. It was wonderful. I love the people here. And tomorrow we are going to make mint brownies and eat them with ice cream. YAY =) 

I am doing well. Very well. No complaints there at all.

Everyday has it's wonderful moments and everyday has it's very frustrating moments. I have learned to be patient with my Spanish, not I just need to learn to be patient with others. 

I am forever grateful for the teachings of my childhood as I was always taught to think of others first before myself. 

I hope you all are doing well. Staying busy. Being good. I miss you all tons. 

My camera card is almost full. When the mail strike is officially over, I will definitely send it. I made a video today for you all. I doubt it will send email due to the size.

I love you, 

LOVE LOVE LOVE

I also received this e-mail from another sister missionary:


So i just wanted to send a picture to you of how cute your daughter is. and she is so great i love living with her she is always making us smile and we are all just goofs together! love her and she is such a little nurse and has already helped me feel better! you have a wonderful daughter that is a great missionary!
Hermana Jennings

9th B-Day Monday August 19, 2013

9th B-Day August 19, 2013

Changes Changes Changes

Mommy's Monday E-mail

Brooklyn's B-Day has been changed to Monday. So I had a pleasant surprise about 2:30 p.m. today!

In the field we have an hour and a half for writing our family and friends. 
(Therefore, Brooklyn had a wonderful idea to write her Maudre' first and see if she could catch me and we could "kinda chat via e-mail" IT WORKED!! It was great fun... for the next 30 or so  minutes she and I went back and forth) I told her next week how about I CALL?? 

Brooklyn reminded me about the church's letter writing program called DearElder.com. You write the letter send it via e-mail and they print it off for her at the mission office. Any one wanting to try it out feel free! http://www.dearelder.com One of the benefits of using it is the "snail mail" as Brooklyn calls it is s-l-o-w.... I mailed her a card over 4 weeks ago She still doesn't have it.


NOW Brooklyn's words:

Hola familia!

Primera Semana en el campo translated is: First week in the field (thanks babbel)

I am doing well. Trying to remember to live everyday to it's fullest. Reminding myself before I know it I will be home with all of the comforts of "normal" life, but for now, I am here. All in. Heart, mind, might, soul.Okay, so funny stuff. Um, you have to pay to use the bathroom in public places. We use the internet in the middle of a mall. Ghetto, but honestly is one of the richest areas and nicest in Chile. There are stray dogs everywhere. And some of them even have coats on. No idea how they don't starve or how they got the coats on. One of our investigators flashed us this week. Once people know I am a nurse, they are just open to talk and share about anything. So she just showed me everything.

Our apartment is very nice. There are 4 of us girls in it. 3 Gringas. 1 Latina. My companion is Latina, Hermana Rivera. My Spanish is coming. In fact, everyone is shocked when I tell them I have been in the field for 6 days. So I need to just stop thinking it's so terrible. Hna Rivera has told me that my Spanish is better than some of the others who have been here for months.

The field is a lot of walking. To get to any of our lessons we walk at least 40 minutes one way. You should see the blisters I have on my feet. (ok my feet are gross here). I am learning patience, charity, diligence, and so much more. By the end of this mission I am going to realize that with God nothing is impossible. I have my days of frustration with anyone and everything, but I work through them as they come. I have my days when I am extremely happy and excited to start working. I am hoping that every day will become like the later, because those days are so much better.

I love you all so much. More than you know. I miss you everyday. Think of you everyday and then have to move on with my thought process before I start to get overwhelmed with thoughts of home.


LOVE LOVE LOVE
MWAHHHH

Eating pizza today (bday!) Me, Hna Rivera, Hna Leishman, Hna Jennings

Me and my new companion Hermana Rivera

With President and Hna Cook

Washing the dishes at Alcantara. What I did every morning that I was frustrated. 

Got to work. =)

8th "B-Day" Her Arrival August 13, 2013

8th "B-Day" August 13, 2013

Arrival at Mision Chile Santiago Este

she is ready to get to work!

Just moments ago, I received an email from the secretary of the Santiago Mision Este confirming Hna. Talbot has arrived safely.

Brooklyn tells me she is alive and well and she is ready to get to work. 
Her companion is Hermana Rivera from Honduras.

Santiago Mision Este 

Here is her address:
HNA Brooklyn Talbot
Mision Chile Santiago Este
Cristobal Colon 6824
Casilla 27.144 Las Condes
Region Metropolitana
Santiago, Chile

Let the packages commence!!! 

p.s. I can't figure out the Spanish accents above the letters 

7th "B-Day" August, 8th 2013 BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!

7th "B-Day" August, 8th 2013

in the life for Hermana Talbot

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!

So let me preface this post with..... Hermana Talbot was a very very bad (busy) girl this week... Her e-mail did not come through until today!! 2 days late!!!!

Maybe she was afraid to respond to me after this last e-mail I sent her:

I AM CANCELING YOUR DEBIT CARD... WHAT ARE YOU DOING OVER THERE??? DO YOU KNOW YOU SPENT $20.00 IN THE MONTH OF JULY???? AT THIS RATE YOU WILL BE BROKE BEFORE YOUR MISSION ENDS IN 2015. SERIOUSLY GIRL....and I AM CONCERNED YOU HAVE AN ADDICTION TO MCDONALDS AS WELL!!! HAVEN'T I TAUGHT YOU BETTER THAN THAT???
BRANDON AND I ARE PREPARED TO ADMIT YOU TO A 12 STEP PROGRAM IF WE SEE YOU HAVE INDULGED AGAIN IN ROTTEN RONNY'S!!!

But thank-goodness I got an e-mail from her today here is a tidbit for you all to read:

Oh as for the McDonalds addiction!??!? Um... I bought ice cream lol. No food.

Well first, my Spanish is hilarious. They laugh at me all the time. I can get somewhat around and am becoming more bold. I laugh at myself all the time when I say stuff wrong. For example, one of our teachers fake investigators name is Benito. I might have said to him on our first meeting "oh you're Bonito right?". That totally means handsome. I didn't do it on purpose, my tongue just got all twisted up! HAHAHA

So I am out of the CCM this coming week. Out into the real world, to start my new responsibilities.  The past two days, I spent with the nurse who I switched missions with. Hermana Martinez from Argentina. I love that girl like a sister. (hence the no email until today... as I tell everyone here in the CCM the rules are different for me and everyday my schedule is something different hahaha). Anyway, so I spent some time with her in her mission area. Learning what she does and what kind of things she's seeing on a daily basis. Visiting some Elders, phone calls, charting, etc. It was a dose of real life.

I have also become more grateful for the things I have than ever before. Santiago South mission (where I went with Hermana Martinez) is the poorest mission area in Chile. There are so many who have nothing. Even some of the Elders. Nothing! Nada. Oh what a selfish person I am. Most of the people here just can't even imagine what I have or what I left. I hope I learn to be more giving.

I am well. Trusting in my Heavenly Father. Learning patience, faith, hope, prayer, nursing, Spanish, and so much more. There is a smile on my face.

Please tell everyone back there I say hello. FaceBook friends, co-workers, people at Husson, people at school, etc. HEY GUYS! =) BEHAVE YOURSELVES.

P.S. Sorry to those I couldn't write back. I did read every email I received.

I love you all A TON! Miss you all A TON!!