31st B-Day SMILE! Positivity goes a long ways!!

31st B-Day... I tell people here: 

"SMILE! Positivity goes a long ways!!". =) 

I figured out this week that I would never want to work in an ambulance here... especially not as the driver... the people of Chile do not get out of the way!! And there's A LOT of traffic here. So the ambulance just sits with it's sirens on, honking the horn, waiting for people to get out of the way. I would be the first person to get in trouble here in Chile because I run red lights and speed all of the time for the ambulances! =) hahaha. Oh ya and because of the traffic they also have paramedics on motorcycles. How amazing is that? Haha. Can you just see me on a motorcycle as a paramedic? Ya let's not think about that. =)

So Mom, we have had serious discussions this week... me, Hermana Diaz, members, investigators, etc.... Which is worse? Olga or Martha.... we're at a tie right now... we're asking people because I think Olga is hilarious, but it's Hermana Diaz's sister's name. Ooopps. I might have laughed out loud the first time before knowing it was her sister's name. 0_0 So Hermana Diaz is trying to get revenge because some people here thing "Marta" is an ugly name. Hahaha.

  

I guess right now there is a "war" going on between Chile and Peru over the ocean. I think it's kinda funny that they are fighting over ocean, but I guess we'll hear what happens soon. I wonder if they're all out in the ocean having a water fight? ;)

A beautiful sunset with the temple

At the Feria... a farmers market

Our zone of Las Condes. A lot of us... that's for sure

Okay something really interesting happend this week. The first time, I think. Or maybe the first time I noticed it. So I know that the power of the Holy Ghost is real. I know that God has been helping me 100%, all of the time while I have been here. In my Spanish, teaching skills, with companions, everything... I know that the Holy Ghost can enlighten our minds and give us the words we need to speak. So everyday I can tell this is happening with the lessons that we are teaching. Scriptures or words come into my mind that I never knew before. But especially the other day we were talking with a lady (a bit crazy and strong in her medical/spiritual/energy thoughts) and she got talking about how she believes in every religion and attends every one of them... except for one... "those Mormons"... I think my eyes were probably the size of a dinner plate... We told her who we were again, explained we are called Mormons, and got talking with her. She called us a cult and said we were terrible people and so forth. Then she brought up every subject that she knew we didn't believe. One being reincarnation. So as she was talking, I was thinking, "you know I have never studied reincarnation before, but I am just going to listen to her and try to respond the best I can"..... My response and explanation of what we believe about reincarnation was the most inspíred respónse I have ever given. I still cannot believe it. I explained to her what I believed about living with God before and how our spirits have one chance on earth life to prove ourselves worthy to go back to live with God. I talked to her about "old and new spirits" (as she called them) and explained to her that before we came to earth we had the chance to learn from God, to listen to Him, to ask Him questions, to counsel with Him. And maybe those old spirits received more knowledge and maturity from God before coming to earth.... I HAD NEVER EVER IN MY LIFE THOUGHT OF THIS BEFORE. And as it was leaving my mouth, it felt as natural as 2+2=4. I know this church is true without a doubt in my mind. I couldn't feel and say the things I am feeling and saying without it being of God. I know my happiness, joy, and hope is only because I know the plan that God has for us which provides me a goal for after this life and purpose for right now. It's so hard to explain what is in my heart over email, but this week, I am full of gratitude for the help that He has provided me during the hardest time of my life, here in Chile serving an 18 month mission. 

I love you all. Be strictly obedient to what God has commanded us. He can see a lot more than we can. We need to trust Him and do our part, then He will provide the blessings. 

A group of us today who played games and basketball in the chapel.

Look at that cereal. Pittiful.

LOVE LOVE LOVE. 

30th B-Day Sweatin' Buckets in Santiago, Chile

30th B-Day and Sweatin' Buckets in Santiago, Chile
Imagine... meanwhile in Mariaville, Maine it's 19 degrees

 

 Hey family!!!

My phrase for this week.... and hopefully for the rest of my life... "Be obedient. Not just when you want to be! Remember, it counts the most when it's difficult." =)

So it was an interesting week this week with the death of Hermana Diaz's dad last Monday, but you know what... we made it through... not without tears and emotional high and lows... but we made it through... Hermana Diaz told me that she will be forever grateful that I was her companion during this time...

Another good quote: "To realize the worth of an anchor, there needs to be a storm"... I tell you what I realize now the blessing of having prayer, the scriptures, a wonderful mission president and his wife, and this gospel. It really has been my anchor this week.

Oh ya. Brothers. The green apples here are the best in the world. They are not sour like the ones there, but are sweeter and absolutely huge!!! Wish I could send you some. (how ya feelin'? Jealous? good).


Oh ya. Funny story. We ran into this older guy yesterday in the street and started talking to him. The first thing he told me was to speak louder because he left his hearing aids at home while he went on his little walk. So I gave him a little card with Christ on it and he gave me 2 mil pesos for it. That's about 4 dollars. I swear my eyes were as big as that watermelon I carried... He just wouldn't take NO for an answer when Hermana Diaz explained it was free!!! So I took it out of her hand and put it in his hand and said "it's free!" very loudy. Then he asked my name. Well I say Talbot with a Spanish accent here, because if I say it right people don't understand me... well they don't understand me anyway, but usually if they see my plaque and I say it the way it's spelt, then they understand faster... not like they can say it or anything, but anyway.... so he says... Hermana what?!?!! So I say Talbot... and he says to me: "salvo? a quien salvo?" .... save? who did you save?.... because apparently he heard salvo instead of Talbot.... crazy old men.... =)

DOMINGO!!! It was a miracle day... I didn't get one nursing call all day long. 24 hours without a call. It literally was a miracle. From the normal 20 to 30 calls a week, to nothing for one day. I thought I was going to have to have a party. I did. Ate some American chocolate. =)


So I have sent some pictures to you guys already. I hope you get them.

I might have pulled all of the hair out of our sinks and bathtubs this week. Hermana Diaz was coming to me saying they couldn't use their sink because it wasn't draining. Thanks mom for teaching me how to be a handyman. =)

I am now sleeping with a fan... the other day, I had a revelation... seriously... revelation... finally realized after how many months of not sleeping that if I put a fan in my face (like when I was a child) that I would sleep. WALLAAA I am sleeping like a rock now... =) Hermana Diaz thinks I am crazy. Oh well.

The fry sauce is still going. All of us gringas are eating it!!! =)

Hermana Diaz' new shoes

Hello to all those friends out there who are still reading my blog. =)



I think that is all this week. I love you guys so much. I tried to respond to as many emails as I can this week.

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!

29th B-Day Trials WILL make us stronger

29th B-Day Trials WILL make us stronger
IF we allow it to happen...

There won't be any pictures unless I can figure out how to do it on Brooklyn's computer... Mine is dying.

Hey guys.


So we are at President and Hermana Wright's house right now. Hermana Diaz is talking to her family right now on the phone and I am using President Wright's computer to write to you all. We have been here all day because we found out this morning that Hermana Diaz's father passed away last night. I can't even tell you how badly my heart hurt for her as she goes through the decisions she needs to make as to if she is going home or not. I know during times like this that He is always there for us. Waiting for us to reach up to take His hand. Wanting to comfort us. I am just hoping that I can maybe be his arms this week as I try to help her through this terrible time. I believe as of right now, she has decided to stay here in Chile to complete her mission as it was the wish of her father.


As for this week, ROSE I GOT YOUR LETTER!!! Sorry I forgot to tell you in your personal email. BUT I GOT IT!!! I might have laughed so hard. Your pictures are up on my wall. =)


Oh ya so we saw a lady this week sitting out in the street with her big pregnant belly hanging out. And I looked at Hermana Wright and said, "what in the world?".... and Hermana Diaz says... "the baby is hot." I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Sometimes, I have decided, we all have very weird ideas. Haha.


So this week. I might have carried a watermelon from a fruit stand to our apartment. Um, about a mile. This watermelon weighed... um.... 13.5kg.... not sure what that is in pounds, but um, it was heavy... BUT it is such a good watermelon! We are still eating it and it's been about a week of us 4 eating a bowl full everyday. My back kind of regrets it now, but hey it's delicious. I am going to try to send a photo of it.


Mom. I ate toast with peanut butter and bananas this week and thought of you. It was sooo good.

I had a week full of trials and personal doubts; however, I know my strength is in my Savior. I know to some it seems weird and impossible to say that I have strength in someone who I cannot see or hear or touch. But I know it without a doubt.


I found a great talk this week for you all to read. It brought me a lot of comfort this week.
(1) http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/look-ahead-and-believe?lang=eng&query=look+ahead+and+believe


I almost cried this week because we tried to pray with so many people this week in the street. I believe God wants to speak with us at any time in any place with anyone. If he really is our Heavenly Father, then I can guarantee that he wants to speak with us. He wants to bless us. He wants to hear from us. Pray people. Just pray.


I had an interesting question this week... When did I receive my testimony? maybe the better question is: when did I first feel the promptings of the spirit? Think about it for yourself...



Alright. I am going to try to send off some pictures. We'll see if I can do it on President's computer.

There are two of an accident that happened outside of our appartment this week.









The watermelon.



The American Red Cross of Chile.

I love you all!!! MWAH!!!!

28th P-Day the one and only Hermana Broccoli

28th P-Day 

the one and only Hermana Broccoli

Hey family and whoever else at this point is reading my blog!!

So I don't even honestly know what happend this week, but for some reason my planner is full of things to write to you all. So I am going to start writing and we'll see how long it takes me or what I come up with... Hopefully some funny things!!

We get called Elders on the streets. It's so funny. We just smile and wave back.

The air was NASTY this week because there was a fire. The sky was so tan. EWWW. I am surprised I didn't get more calls about missionaries not being able to work because they "couldn't breath"... maybe they knew better than to call me for that. HAHAHA.

Hermana Diaz loves my Spanish. Needless to say it is really funny sometimes because I have an American/Chilean accent. She told me this morning that I was special. Hahaha. =) Goal is when I get home to be fluent and to not have as much of an American accent. I CAN DO IT!

Oh ya Hermana Diaz laughed at me this week too because she says when I laugh really hard that my nostrils flare. How dumb is that? My nostrils flare! Hahaha. She was laughing so hard and trying to do it herself... Nope couldn't do it. I'm special! =)

We might have had a difficult week because no one was out in the streets due to it being vacation time and everyone leaves to go to the South of Chile... so we sat in a park for a few minutes as I was calling people back who were having medical issues... and Hermana Diaz, what was she doing? Bowling rocks at the pidgeons in the park. I had to tell her to stop because I starting into a giggling fit and couldn't talk on the phone. LOL.

I think it's times for me to cut my hair off again... I wasn't going to cut it here, but I am not sure if it's the heat, stress, or the weight of my hair, but I've had headaches the past 2 days. Not sure what to do yet..: maybe just a trim. From what I've seen here for haircuts they really like to give mohawks and mullets. Hahaha. Just wait for the photo.

I started to cry the other day in a lesson with a less active family as they were talking about going through a divorce and how painful it is... needless to say, that's not my point... my point is she gave me cold water with sugar in it and told me to drink it... and it will cure anything... I was like HUH? Hahaha.

Oh ya... so the other day we were walking into our apartment and there was this young guy that was walking with us and he started talking to me in this really awful American accent (in Spanish). I think I might have been cranky cause I totally looked at him and said "um, thanks, but I don't talk like that." Hermana Diaz just looked at me and started chuckling. I just walked away. Hahaha. Sometimes when people are making fun of our Spanish I just loook straight at them and say really fast in English "would you rather us talk in English?". They shut up then...

First for our New Year's goals... mine are written on my wall... I suggest you all do the same and put it somewhere in your house that you will see them everyday... if you do something 21 days in a row, it becomes a habit and is obviously much easier to achieve... YOU CAN ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS!

"Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving, and our becoming." - DESIRE. DALLIN H. OAKS -


SEEK LEARNING BY FAITH. DAVID A BEDNAR.


The Apostle Paul defined faith as “the substance of things hoped for [and] the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Alma declared that faith is not a perfect knowledge; rather, if we have faith, we “hope for things which are not seen [but] are true” (Alma 32:21). Additionally, we learn in the Lectures on Faith that faith is “the first principle in revealed religion, and the foundation of all righteousness” and that it is also “the principle of action in all intelligent beings.” 1


The other day we were talking to a receptionist (age 40 or so) about the love that God has for her and how there is ALWAYS hope! She is suffering from severe depression and as we were talking she just cried and cried and cried. Well she felt much better after we finished talking and we were about to leave and I said to her. You know what. I want a hug. =) So I gave her a hug and the poor thing just held on to me like she hadn't been hugged in 10 years. Well anyway, so we went back yesterday to go see her and ask how she was doing and she said this "you know what I don't know why but when you hugged me the other day I just felt something special... I can't explain what it was, but something that I haven't felt in years." My response was the first thing that came to my mind, which I have never said in my entire live "you know Susy, we are representatives of Jesus Christ... that hug was to show you how much He loves you... only He couldn't physically do it himself, so we did it for Him". It was a very special moment that I will always remember! The 10 minutes, maybe, just maybe, I was the arms of Christ.

I have been trying to teach Hermana Diaz what it means and what it's like to "walk in someone else's shoes"... She blames me now for everything when she's thinking about someone else before herself. Hahaha. I hope to make somewhat of a difference in her life as we have tried to walk in someone else's shoes... to see their viewpoint... to worry about them before ourselves.

Hermana Diaz and Talbot

Photos I'll send in another one. They're probably too big. (1) Brandon, I ate cereal on New Years Day for you. 

(2) Mom, my shoes are already falling apart and I switch out pairs everyday... I will go buy some inserts to put in the Danskos. =) 

(3) We ate alphabet soup the other day in a members house... totally had to spell my name!! 

(4) Here they have the best ideas at times... on this bike is a little seat for a child... how cool is that?

Okay. This is nearly a book. I am going to try to respond to as many emails as I can now. Keep sending them! I promise I read them during the week when I need a pick me up. Sorry I don't always have time to respond.



I love you all!!!!

27th P-Day and Christmas Skype

P-Day 27

Two for the price of one!

I was in Canada and couldn't update B's post so here is P-Day 27 and our Christmas Skype photos.


Hi Family.

Long time no see!!! Actually not long ago. It was so wonderful to see you all face to face... well sort of... but I was so happy to see you. We will do it again in May!!! =) Maybe I can hear more about what you all are doing instead of me telling you about Chile the whole time. Have a list ready. I'm gonna be writing down questions for you all.

Brandon trying to work out 3 way skyping

Brett trying to figure out 3 way skyping

Silly Hermana Talbot Christmas Skype

Silly Hermana Talbot Christmas Skype

Christmas was good. Didn't feel like Christmas at all, actually. We all felt the same. Holidays aren't really holidays here... it's different when you're family is not around. But we did eat at a members house Christmas Eve and Christmas day. YUM. =)

So I sent an email out this week to the mission... well I send the email to the assistants to the Mission President and then they sent it out to everyone in the mission... Anyway the title to the email is: "Anuncios de la Enfermera Talbot" .... Anouncements of the Nurse Talbot... BAHAHAHA. Those Elders are so funny. Gotta love 'em. =)

So the photos: one is of a girl out in the street handing out free Quakers crackers outside our apartment... Promotion, I am guessing. So we wanted to know what she was handing out and we wanted food... so obviously we went down to get some.... so there's a picture of us with our crackers. They were really good. I crushed mine up and ate them this morning like cereal. YUM. (Yes, Brandon we both have an addiction to cereal.) 

And the other photo is of us smooshed into the back of a Vitara (like you had when you first came to Utah, Joy) on the way home from church... we were soooo happy for the ride! Hermana Leishman is sitting on my lap hahaha. She has some pretty funny pictures because Hermana Diaz opened the window a few seconds later and she had her head stuck out the window. =)

I swear the trees here are shorter than at home. I walk into them all of the time!!!!! I think I am just a giant here in Chile.

We talked in church this week about the Sacrament and how important it is to partake of the Sacrament every week in Church to renew our covenants with God that we have made. I have never realized in my entire life how important it is to be in Church every week, especially in Sacrament Meeting. If you're not going to church, my family and friends, please go back. There is a reason that the Sacrament is every week and if you do not have a testimony of why you need to partake of it... please search you're heart and the scriptures.

Also we went to the members today to ask them for references of their friends and family who need to hear the good news that we have of hope, faith, and happiness. I will ask the same of you all for the missionaries in your area. We are out here. Waiting to find people to teach. Help us out! Your friends need what we have. Talk with the missionaries in your area and give them names of people who need to hear the gospel. For those of you who aren't members, if you see the missionaries walking down the street, stop and talk to them. At least make them laugh and listen to what they have to tell you. =) Simple task. Just do it.

I am trying to work on my patience!!! Imagine that... I have a problem with patience. I got an email this morning from one of my teachers in the CCM (MTC) and it had this quote in it. Coincidence? I think not.

“Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best—better than does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than His. We can grow in faith only if we are willing to wait patiently for God's purposes and patterns to unfold in our lives, on His timetable.” ― Neal A. Maxwell



This is my quote of the week. Gonna work on my patience a little more. =)



Love you all!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE.



Happy New Year to all!!! Make 2014 something special and a year full of change!!



P.S. I sent out a bunch of letters today. Keep a loook out. :)