I Am Grateful to Be a Missionary

The weather was really nice all week. It wasn't super hot or too humid. Elder Kelly was cold at a couple points this week, aka fantastic temperature.

I went on exchanges to the Chinese area. I did not understand most of what happened. I was with Elder Smith and he is super cool. I learned two sentences in Chinese so you could say I am pretty fluent. One cool/interesting thing about Toronto is you can live here for 30-40 years and never learn English. 

So I don't remember if I said anything about this but a couple of weeks ago I sat down next to this guy on the bus, and he looked kind of familiar (like the first time I served in Scarborough familiar) but I wasn't sure. So I started talking to him and he said something about I probably didn't remember him or something like that. BUT it was this guy that East elders had taught while I was here the first time. They lost contact with him and I was thinking about it and I realized that I was the only missionary still in Canada that ever met him. It was a remarkable experience.  

We had Zone Conference this week, it was my last one. It was surreal giving my departing testimony. It did give me a lot of time to reflect on my mission. First is to love to study the Book of Mormon and liken it into your life and it can answer any question you have. Second is reading it every day can bring tremendous power into our lives to resist temptation and just to continue on. I learned how to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ on my mission. That has been one of the most valuable things I have learned on my mission. It has brought help from Christ and put me and my faith on him. I am grateful to be a missionary. 

Anyways

Elder Talbot 

When a Prophet Speaks

Well, it was good weather all week. It was relatively hot but not too bad. We only got caught in the rain once but other than that we were alright. One night Elder Coffey said a prayer that we wouldn't get rained on and ten seconds after getting home that night it started to pour. It was a sweet tender mercy. 

We lost a third of our trio this week. Elder Coffey finished his mission so now its just me and Elder Kelly. Having Elder Coffey for that little bit was sweet. He is a great missionary and I am grateful that we could be friends. This week was pretty good work wise. We are mostly figuring out the busses but they are still inconsistent, haha. 

Last night, I would say was the highlight of my week. We got to go to a fireside in Hamilton and see President Nelson and Elder Anderson speak! It was a super spiritual conference, seriously I wish I could bottle up that spirit into words to explain it but alas, I cannot. President Nelson talked about teaching our children how to live their lives centered on the Lord. I also saw a bunch of members from my past areas at the fireside and that was sweet seeing all of them and catching up a bit. 

Spiritual thought, I would say, is from last night. President Russell M. Nelson is the Lord's Prophet on the earth. It has been cool to see all the differences and adjustments between Prophets, but I can honestly say I sustain him and will do my best to follow him. I am grateful to have someone that can guide the church the way Jesus Christ wants it to be going.
Elder Talbot 

Elder Coffey, Elder Kelly, Elder Talbot, and Brother Herrera

Elder Talbot and Elder Coffey

Brother Bonfield and Elder Talbot

Nate and Bailey with Elder Talbot

Brother and Sister Hardt with Elder Talbot

Jones children with Elder Talbot

Andrew and Elder Talbot

Jones Family with Elder Talbot

Harding Family with Elder Talbot

Morton Family with Elder Talbot

Deja Vu

Hello. So for the record I typed one up last week and hit the send button. It didn't make it out and I have no idea what happened haha. I'll try to sum up the last couple of weeks in Scarborough, which has been great being back, a lot of memories have been flooding back the whole time. 

My first companion I got since my last email is Elder Kelly. He is from Las Vegas. He is such a stud. President was very inspired putting us together. It has been fantastic being his companion for the last two weeks. 

The second new companion I got was last Tuesday. We had to bus to pick up a car and then drive to Brampton, to pick up the wonderful Elder Coffey, who is going home Thursday and is spending the last 10 days of his mission with me and Elder Kelly, and then drive back and bus back. So I didn't really email at all but all is well. Me and Elder Coffey both started our missions in Scarborough, me in the west area and Coffey in the east area, and now we both are finishing up covering the whole ward. A bunch of Deja vu this last week walking around with him. 

Two weeks ago (Elder Kelly's first, and not this past week) was quite the first week. We didn't have bus passes and so we had to walk for 4 hours to find a place we could buy some. It took us forever but it was good for Elder Kelly to get right into missionary work. Also it was a tender mercy for me, cause I've spent the last 20 months in a car area and I don't think I would have appreciated the bus system had I not had to walk for that long.

 I think it was our second or third day In Scarborough and the classic 'only one guy gets off the train' happened. We came up to our stop and Elder Kelly wasn't prepared to get off. He started to make his way to the door right as I heard the doors start to close. I instinctively jumped off without thinking that Elder Kelly would also have to get off. I turned around to see him behind closed doors. It was super funny, thankfully the day before we had talked about what to do if that had happened. 

I have reflected a lot the last little bit about what has happened and what I've accomplished on my mission, and I am so grateful. It's been the biggest miracle/blessing in my life. I have been able to do a miracle journal the last few weeks and it has been eye opening to how involved God is in my life and all of our lives.

Love 

Elder Talbot 

Elder Talbot with President and Sister Sheilds

Elder Kimball and Elder Talbot

Elder Talbot, Elder Kelly, and a group of random strangers that wanted to take a selfie with them

On the bus

A different perspective

Sister Conley and Elder Talbot

Elder Coffey!

Elder Talbot, Elder Coffey, and Elder Kelly

Elder Talbot, Elder Coffey, Sister Rose, and Elder Kelly

My Dad is the Greatest!

Well, since Andrew didn't send a group email this week, I (his father) am taking over the post this week.  I really do think that this title is appropriate and that Andrew also thinks that I am the greatest.  But now that it is a title for his blog, it is truth.

Speaking of truth, we (his mother and I) received a few brief emails from him this past P-Day.  I will now attempt to construct what I think Andrew would have written had he written an email this week.  Here is my attempt.

Well, it was hot this week!  But that is nothing new.  I am used to it by now.  My new companion is Elder Kelly from Las Vegas.  He is super sweet.  I really like him as he is a super solid guy.  I also found out today that we are going to have another companion for 10 days.  Elder Coffey goes home on August 17th, so we will be in a threesome until Elder Coffey goes home.  Elder Coffey is also super cool and he came out the same time that I did.  In fact, Elder Coffey's dad worked with my dad at Sportsman's Warehouse.  I have served at various times around Elder Coffey and I am excited to be one of his last companions as we serve in both of our first area.

It has been different to be back in my first area. I have seen some of the members that were here two years ago.  Sorry this letter is so short.  We didn't have a lot of time today.  We had to borrow a car from some other missionaries to go pick up Elder Coffey. 

Well, it was either that reason or he drafted a letter and forgot to push send (I think we have all done that a time or two!).  Thanks for reading my attempt at an Andrew letter!  Until next week when we hope that Andrew actually decides to write a letter!

Elder Talbot ('s Dad)

Elder Kelly and Elder Talbot

Elder Coffey and some great looking food--maybe poutine?