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

President and Sister Choi are some of the best people I've ever known. President and Sister Miller are fantastic, and you can't possibly feel unloved while they teach, even though President Miller can rebuke us quite sternly. That's good, though; it's how you learn and get purified by the Spirit. President and Sister Wood are fantastic, and President Wood uses the best metaphorical and object teaching.

For this Zone Conference, the Mission Presidency brought together an ad hoc Ward Council from various stakes with which we were to discuss the important points of missionary-member interaction, with the goal of increasing our efficacy through Ward Council's. We discussed the times when missionaries should be present at meetings, what they should have with them, what they should and shouldn't do and say, what things are best to ask of the members, and what place we hold in the council. It was fantastic, and my favorite thing that one of the sisters said was this, "Whenever you missionaries pitch something to a ward council, and the response is lukewarm or not as you had hoped, or when you don't feel like the members understand, you need to 'have amnesia' about it, and do your best and do it again, repeatedly."

We understand that members have SO many other things to worry about, and the best thing we can do it make missionary work easier for everybody. I commit to do everything possible to involve members in the most effective ways possible! Other awesome things that I learned from Zone Conference were ... well, they were all by the voice of the Spirit, and they're not really communicable for that reason. BUT I can assure you that the living reality of salvation is embodied in a Christ who does live and communicates with man, even the anointed upon the earth in these last days. As I give heed to their words, which are delivered unto me by the power of the Comforter, I can't be led astray, and I then grasp true happiness. And let's not forget that there have been NONE which God has refused to participate in this joy. Therefore, I invite ALL men to come unto Christ, and be saved!

Well, some other awesome things that happened this week, we had a really good Church tour with one of our part-member families. The father (who is not a member) is now determined to change his work so that he can come to Church on Sundays! He is fantastic, and they will be so blessed through the Gospel. They're at a critical time where their children can still be brought into the faith very strong, at such critical years. I know that they're going to do it!

We received some good referrals this week. One of them was pretty funny actually. We found a new neighborhood, and decided to knock some doors. The first one we went to, there was a guy with an accent, and he said he was from South Africa. He said he didn't believe in God, but took a copy of The Book of Mormon. We asked him if there were any people around that spoke Spanish, and he said he did. I asked him how he learned, and he sarcastically said, "from a book, uh course." It was pretty random, but a seed was planted. He pointed us to another house that had Spanish speakers, and although they didn't answer, we'll go by again. We then found a Russian guy who was agnostic, and he didn't want anything to do with us, but we found another house next to him! We'll keep going back and try them out. It's good stuff.

Also this week, we had a really good Sunday with fast and testimony meeting. I fasted for a great many things this week, and the Lord answered VERY quickly with some of them! We fasted that we would find five new families, and then a new part-member family shows up at sacrament, and the husband will probably be baptized! Every prayer is answered.

We also fasted for peace in the lives of our investigators, for health for some others, and we fasted that our mission can reach the goal of 1663 baptisms this year. I am sure we can!

My favorite experience of the week:  I was playing prelude music during sacrament meeting so I was on the stand for the opening hymns. There were some announcements and a baby blessing to be done, and I moved my piano bench out of the way. As I was doing that, Bishop whispered to me that the family had asked ... that I give the blessing! :') What an amazing privilege! I was super surprised, but so honored to be able to both give a name and pronounce a blessing upon a newly arrived child of Heavenly Father. The parents thanked me dearly for what the Spirit had, through me, pronounced upon their infant daughter, and I thanked Father in Heaven. That was the first time I have done that, and I SO look forward to doing so again with my own children. What a special experience. (All in Spanish by the way).

Hey dad, I am super happy to hear that you are learning Spanish! That's super awesome! It's a fantastic language, and I would love to speak it with you, and that is SO helpful in Arizona as we already know. It's been a marvelous privilege to learn it, and I know that I will use it continually throughout my life. Remember prayer and the study of the scriptures in a foreign language are associated with the promise made by our prophet that we can learn another tongue. Maybe my Mothers Day Skype call can include some Spanish conversation! That would be fun :D

Anyhow, email comes to a close until next week. KNOW THIS; that I know this Gospel is true and the ONLY way that peace will be cultivated across the plains of nations, and the singular access to a seed of peace within the heart of man. Come unto Christ, and be healed. This Church certainly has EVERYTHING to do with it for anybody who believes in Christ. Believe in Christ, and miracles, which surely this Church is one of them. I bear my testimony of it, in the name of Jesucristo, amen.

Thank you for your love and support, and I pray for you every day :)

Love,

Elder Talbot