August 4, 2014    Elder Talbot’s last letter home from mission

Here's what happened with the baptism this past Saturday as I had told you about. It was wonderful. I quote from my letter to President Choi:

"We had a baptism this week! It took a long time to move a part-member family towards baptizing their son, but Heavenly Father softened their hearts and moved forward with it this past week. We're so happy! The young man was confirmed on Sunday.

July 28, 2014

We're going to have a baptism on Sunday! A little guy named Gerardo is going to be baptized. His mom is a member, but the dad isn't, so I'm going to see what the Lord can do to get the dad baptized too. We're going to work hard for it! We're been praying SUPER hard and fasting for him, and for the Munoz family so that they can get baptized.

July 13, 2014

I'm so happy to hear about Ryan being set apart and all the blessings he is going to receive as he shares the Gospel :) It's a great work that we are called to do! I think one of my favorite parts about sharing the Gospel is helping other people to receive the Holy Ghost. That's an endeavor that starts at baptism, and has to continue for the rest of our lives. It's particularly striking when it happens to people who haven't been exposed to the Spirit's influence before. They can change dramatically under its power. And so can we!

July 7, 2014

Dear family,

Elder DeTavis and I are working hard here, and doing our best to bring others unto Christ. I'm am focusing on growing my faith and pushing fear out of my life. This week I studied the principle of faith a lot, and I learned more about its true power. I want my faith to grow and be a building block for all of my life. It is the way to have a peaceful and joyous reality. It's a wonderful principle that the world doesn't teach.

July 1, 2014

I've been transferred again! I'm now serving in the BOTHELL area, which is back...... in the Lake Washington Ward, again! Apparently I haven't figured out what I'm supposed to do in this ward. Something isn't completed that needs to be. This equates to over half of my mission in the same ward, spread across the three stakes it covers.

I'm serving with Elder DeTavis. He is an excellent missionary, and he's just who I need. He's an answer to prayers. Heavenly Father knows how to answer prayers so much better than we know how to ask blessings. That's definitely the truth! Exciting, isn't it?

And the opposition is great, but ultimately insignificant. Positive thinking, renewed faith, deeper prayer and purposeful fasting. Those are the lifelines for us.!

Brother Freddy is doing very well (the one that was baptized in Shoreline). He has been coming with us to teach some new brothers and sisters. We have our eyes on the temple, like you were saying, mom. He has integrated very well, and HE IS A MISSIONARY. It's unbelievable what he does to serve others! He is unable to work, himself. Instead he helps other people with all sorts of random stuff. He happens to know some less-active members, and he's working on reactivating them; bringing them to church, helping them move. He does wonderful things! He is also introducing his brother to the Church. I love Brother Freddy :)

This transfer is going to be fantastic. I know what needs to be done. I know how to do it. I know that I can do it with the Lord. He is my strength.

One other thing I've learned is how important love is. Few things are more powerful than true charity. It relieves and inspires, and is passed on with ease. I hope that I can develop greater charity.

I know that the Gospel is true, and that it will save us as we turn to Christ. I know that reverence and humble discipleship beneath His guidance and protection is a yolk of ease, and a light burden. How great is a Gospel where we understand that even our sufferings are for our good, and for our blessing :) I humbly and gratefully give my testimony that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, and the ultimate Source of good; one that will never fail, and will never cease to be our strength. I love Him. He is great and Endless. I share my testimony, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love,

Elder Talbot

June 17, 2014

Hey there! Hope you've been having an excellent week. We've had a blessed week and we have been seeing many miracles throughout the mission. We are working to baptize 100 people in the month of June, and we are well on our way. On Saturday morning, we had reached only 12 baptisms throughout the mission. Throughout the day, however, announcements came by text about more and more who were baptized on Saturday! The same happened Sunday, and now we've reached 22.

June 9, 2014

Guess what! We had a BAPTISM this week! Freddy H. was baptized this last Saturday and then confirmed yesterday :D He is super excellent and was so ready that we moved his baptismal service to be two weeks earlier than anticipated. He is a super sweet guy from the Dominican Republic, and he is loving everything about the Church. He was familiar with it before, but was found by the missionaries again and he's now baptized a member!

February 10, 2014

Dear Family,

This week was great, and constructive. We had lots of experiences that were hard, and miraculous at the same time. This week I have seen poverty, anguish, depression, despair, and trials of a thousand kinds.

Here is Elder Talbot’s letter from Feb 3, 2014.

 Crazy awesome week in the mission field!

We have had a great number of things transpire recently :) First of all, we had a fantastic Zone Conference on Friday at the Bellevue Stake Center. That's where the missionaries from two or three of the local zones gather together to hear from the Mission Presidency, and be instructed and strengthened; I was DEFINITELY helped a lot by this Zone Conference :D

Here is Travis’s letter from Jan 26, 2014

January 26, 2014

Thank you so much for fantastic emails and letters this week; AWESOME!!! I really, really appreciate it. I was SO HAPPY to get the CD set of Jesus the Christ you sent! I listen to it in the car, and it's GREAT. Elder Talmage is very, very inspired and surely was guided by the Lord to create that work. What marvelous scripture it is. As I listen to it and deepen my knowledge of Jesus Christ, I am prepared to get out and chase people down to tell them about Him! It's awesome :) THANK you. As well, thank you for the fantastic letter you sent; I really, really liked it a lot.

Here is a letter from Elder Talbot from Jan 20, 2014.  Sorry I have not posted for a while.  Love the optimism here!  Joyce (Travis's Mom)

January 20, 2014

This week was a tough one. But it's all about how you look at it. The Lord pays special attention to His missionaries and carries us through the trials. I suppose the best way of resolving our own trials is setting them aside to alleviate the pain that someone else is experiencing. President Choi commands, "When you get sick, DON'T get sick!" I've discovered that the best way to not be sick is to go knock doors until I feel better, or let the rain wash it out of me. When you're blatantly rejected by a bunch of people in one day, you might get frustrated and kick a bush (as I did), but then the best thing to do is just go to the next house on your planner.