Talbot Testimony: Ward Talent Show and RS Dinner

DEAR FAMILIES, April 1, 2016 Fast Sunday in Antofagasta, Chile

(March 24 to April 1 in 2016)

We can hardly believe we are only 18 days from the date we started our mission on May 18, 2015. The days just fly by, but we do keep very busy, and truly believe when we go home it will be a vacation from what we do here day in and day out. But we came here to serve, and serve we must do so that we make the most of every day we have here to serve the Lord in this way. Since your father has done the weekly emails for the past two months (all of March and 3 weeks of April) I will; start here on STORY 96, my last number I had used when I did the family news sent on March 2.

STORY 96a FAMILY MISSIONARIES UPDATE A quick review of missionaries out or soon to go from the Fawson side of the family Emily Smith Jolley's daug has been called to Brazil on a mission, Kenneth Welling's son Truman has been called to Bangkok, Thailand and enters the MTC on Aug 3. Laura's daug Hannah soon will be going to Orlando, Florida (Spanish) enters MTC on June 22, therefore FIVE missionaries will soon be in the field counting your cousin Stephen Fawson's son Robert is in the Phillipines, and our own David Talbot's son Dallin in California, Fresno. My parents would be pleased to have this many of their great grandchildren accepting the call to serve.

STORY 96b OUR OWN FAMILY NEWS We were so happy for Laura's daug. Hannah to be accepted at BYU Spring Term as a Guest Student. She is taking a Spanish class and a World Religions class - excellent choices to learn more on before she leaves on her mission. Jon reports that Spencer and Kristin will both be at BYU for Summer Term. Their family will be going to Nauvoo for a family vacation, David tells us that his family is driving back to New York for the Thanksgiving Day Parade where Dayton will be playing the trombone with his school band. Stephanie and David expanded their back yard by taking out the existing fence and laid some sod last week. Bryan & Lisa have a fox den on their property with little young foxes. Merrill will be having company from David's family in November. Laura's Michaela is flying to Texas to go to Especially for Youth with Heidi. Julie's daug. Jennah will be going to BYU Idaho in August. Amy and Landon are still looking for a home. We pray for each member of our family daily as we wish we were home to help more anywhere we can.

STORY 97 EMAIL PAL for MADISON Enclosed this week is a photo of Amy's daug. Madison with her siblings that she sent to "Sol" (means sun) a little 10 year old girl here who turns 11 on May 17. She attended the Chilean International school where they only speak English, so she is fluent in English at her age. We met Sol at a goodbye dinner for our Chilean friends (former) area 70 Richardo and his wife Catherine. They left last Monday on a flight to the USA (Ely, Nevada) where he has accepted a job for 3 years working for a big Copper Mine as the head accountant. They invited us to the going away dinner at Richardo's father's home on ARGENTINA Ave. Sol is the daug. of Richardo's sister Carolina. Carolina was baptized as a child, but has since left the church. We made friends with them at the dinner and told Sol that we would give her name & email to our granddaughter Madison. Enclosed is a photo of that email. We plan to visit Sol and her family today. She has one younger sister Aluna who is a Downs Syndrome child age 5.

STORY 98 HAPPY BIRTHDAY to JULIA. Since today is her 12th birthday and such a big one as she starts Young Woman. For the Jewish community, this birthday is huge. It is huge for our young granddaughters and grandsons too. We are so excited for her and particularly as her birthday is actually on Sunday too, May 1. It is hard to believe that I flew out to be with this new baby in Texas and it has now been 12 years ago.

STORY 99 PHONE CALL to CLEYDE - We called her in Ovalle, Chile yesterday and she told us that although she was baptized on April 17, she would receive the Holy Ghost today at Sacrament Meeting. We are so very happy for her. This is such a BIG step for people to join the church and take onto themselves all of the covenants and commitments that go with baptism. Many of you may have read earlier that David our own son served in Ovalle, Chile for several months when he was on his mission. We hope he will email her (Cleyde) today or this week and help fellowship her into the new church she has just joined. These new members need all of the encouragment and support they can get from members when they are so new.

STORY 100 ANOTHER TRY to GET PEOPLE to READ BOOK of MORMON Last week we took the Child's Book of Mormon (with many photos and in Spanish) and scanned some pages from the Joseph Smith story (3 pages), Lehi story (2 pages), and whole book of Ether pages (about 10 pages) and put them into a little spiral bound booklet. We made two of these and plan to use the to introduce the Book of Mormon to see if we can get more of an interest. We will EMAIL a photo copy of this and of our TIMELINE we made (for you in English) also made in (Spanish). It has occupied a lot of our time making these and getting them translated into over the past two months, making new GRAPHICS to use. We will try to send a few scans of these each week.

STORY 101 FIRST TRY WITH LITTLE B of M PICTURE BOOK - We took this to the home of Ideide and Wilson. We also purchased 4 empanadas and took some salsa we had made for dinner for this family. Then after dinner we brought out the little booklet and went over the story of the Tower of Babel and had them read Genesis 11:2 and compare to Ether 1:33. They were very receptive and said they would read the book of Ether this week. After this lesson we played ROOK. They really like this game and we had a good time.

STORY 102 OUR STREET ON BELLAVISTA AND A NEW CONTACT It has been torn up now for the past three months. We have sent pictures earlier. Now they are coming almost in front of our building. The big equipment digs down at least 10 to 12 feet and they are relaying pipes, etc. Since Antofagasta is built on ROCK, they have to chip away at the rocks. It is a noisy and long process. Our water was turned off two times this past week for several hours. George always says hello to the workers as we pass by. Today he was at Lider's grocery story and a Chilean came up and acted like he knew George. George did not know him. He said he was one of the workers that George has smiled and waved to. Then he gave George his name to have the missionaries come. Amazing what a "Smile and a Wave" can do.

STORY 103 BAND ON OUR STREET - We were walking home on Saturday from going to visit Jordan and a loud loud band was playing. We entered the school front entrance gate and saw this band. The class members were all dressed up in blue and white ready for some kind of performance. George took a photo. People in Chile LOVE their bands. The drums are Big and make a very Loud sound. They will perform today on Sunday and perhaps we can go see them after Church. We were not able to, as we were visiting with investigators.

STORY 104 HELPING WITH ENGLISH and HELPING US with SPANISH - We have a trade with a family in the North (members). We will go there today and help the two children with Spanish, and the mother takes the bus to our home on Tuesday mornings at 8:30 to 9:30 am to help us with Spanish. We pay for her bus tickets to and from. It is working out. We purchased the two children (teen agers) some English from Spanish books and we are using them, but they are written in Spanish but they work out OK.

STORY 105 BLESSING NEW BABIES Each country must do this a little different. Here in Chile sometimes the mother carries the baby up and stands close to the circle but not in the circle for the blessing, then the father holds the baby up to show the audience. This would really shock a Provo Utah congregation.If the blessing is for an older child they just walk up. One time the child did not want the men's hands on his head and kept pushing them off. This went on for sometime, and then I think they just lightly touched his hair.

STORY 106 SERVING the SACRAMENT in a CHILEAN WARD Here, they do not let late comers have it. Someone stands outside the door and holds it. After the sacrament a whole lot of people enter the area, that were not served the sacrament. In Utah wards I have been in they take the sacrament out to the people in the foyer.

STORY 107 THE ANTOFAGASTA CHILE STAKE ALL WOMEN DINNER This was quite the occasion. According to Chilean time, things start 1 hour later than the assigned time. (Church times aren't this way - just activities). The stake cultural hall was set up with over 25 tables with white cloths and blue squares and real flowers centerpieces. They also had bows on the chairs, and some chairs with white coverings similar to a wedding reception etc.. Then there were 8 young men (teacher age) dressed in black slacks, white long shirts and black bow ties who served the meal. We were told to come at 7, able to sit down at 8, started serving food about 8:30 to 9:30. The women brought their own drinks (bottles of pop, juice, coke cola, sprite, etc. This is kind of the way it is. Sometimes you bring your own plate and silverware too. I told them we do not do this in USA wards or at least the Utah wards I have been in. Our table did not have anyone who brought drink, so one kind lady left and went and purchased some. I didn't know or I could have brought something. The food was wonderful a (first a crepe with corn & meat inside, and then bunched up like a basket and tied with a strand off from a long green onion stem cut longways to give many strands. Second = meat and curried rice were nice too. I did not stay for the desert. The other thing that was SO nice is that each barrio (ward) had a film presentation honoring every woman who had ever been president of that ward. Then they had photos of the women. current presidency, etc. of that ward doing their activities for the year. That went on throughout the meal and before, only three wards of the 7 had done this before I had to leave at 9:45 as we took two sister missionaries home to be in their apartments by 10. This affair must have lasted until 11 pm or later. The women in Chile LOVED it. They also had large photos on one wall of all of the presidents of the Relief Society since Emma Smith. It was a very very nice affair. Just long, and started 1 hour after the starting time. But that is Chilean time.

ENDING WORDS - Well, that is all I can say at this time. We have a busy time coming up again. 18 missionaries going home and 9 coming. We get a new president and wife, the end of June. The young missionaries in the office have been really good to work with. We have 7 Latins coming in and only 2 Gringos. That is what they call us (Gringos) and from any South Amerrican County (Latins). This mission will be down to under 190 soon as 18 go home in the next 6 weeks too, middle of June.

We are so glad we can serve this mission and help anywhere we can. We so appreciate all that each of you do to build up the Kingdom in your own wards and where ever you live. For each of us we are ALL on MISSIONS. It is ONE BIG mission to just do whatever you can, where ever you are, to and for anyone you can, to help build FAITH, and SHARE the GOSPEL.

Love Always Mom and Dad

Ward talent night. The little girl sang well.

Ben and Monica Cruz did a Columbian dance which was impressive

Another foto of the dance

Dinner at the Jimenez home. The father collects clocks an owls.

Owl collection

Father Jimenez with his owls.

Elder Jimenez and his wife Catherine. They are moving today to Ely, Nevada for three years. They want to meet us in Oak City, and go to Oak City Days.

Elder Jimenez's sister Carolina and her husband and daughter Sol.

Father Jimenez with his live in girl friend, Laurita.

This is Sol, their daughter. She would like to be a pen pal with Madison. She speaks good English. Her email address is solraylen@gmail.com She is not a member of the church even though her mother was baptized some years ago, although inactive. She is 11 years old.