November 18, 2013

Hey fam!!!

WHOA, CAM GOT ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is pretty cool. Way to go bro! And Welcome to The Family Rachel!  That is exciting!!!

So, this week was awesome to say the least.  Elder Holland came and talked to us Tuesday, and it was amazing!!!! Four missions all came to the same building (all the Santiago missions), so it was a little crowded to say the least. We woke up at 4 30 in the morning and left at 5 so that we could get there at 5 30 in the morning. We were on the 3rd row. It was sweet!!!!!

He got super excited and slammed the pulpit a few times. If anyone has heard his talk "missions are forever" he used a lot of the same stuff. I think every missionary got different messages out of his talk. The thing that stayed with me is that WE ARE THE LORD´S INVESTIGATORS. It is so easy to say, "man, why won´t this invetigator just read (or whatever committment it is)." It is easy to say that because we love them and we want them to change their lives and experience this joy that we have felt and that all are promised. The Lord is the same way with us. He never stops giving us committments and ways to improve ourselves so that we can have even more happiness. A lot of times we say, "oh man, I just did not have time this month to go to the temple like you told me too. Or, I was just too tired to read, or do my visiting teaching thismonth, there just wasnt time." Most of the time we do not keep our committments, and yet the Lord is so patient, or at least I know He has been super patient with me. My new goal has been to keep these committments He gives me, but starting with one at a time. This week is prayers. No more praying in my bed (i sleep ont he top bunk). It just is not quite as effective.

He also declared loudly, "dont you ever give this up!!!" A missionary should never give up what he gave here. They should never turn their back on what they taught. They stop keeping their committments from the Lord, stop keeping committments that they were keeping until the light that they were given is taken away. He said that he has met many of his missionaries from when he was a mission president, and they are all active. If there are any that arent, they are smart enouight to avoid him. He threat to put pepper in our empanadas, let the air out of our tires, and more if he ever hears we are giving this up.

He also said that the mission does not end after we are released. That the mission is FOREVER. It is true. We can never stop doing what we are doing here (studying the scriptures everyday, serving people, sharing the gospel, etc) even after we do not have a plaque.

He said that he does not remember one day that he did not think about his mission. That no one has ever been effected so much by a mission as he was. I want at least a part of the change that he experienced.

So, mission life is really great right now. MARISOL IS GETTING BAPTIZED SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Her two daughters are waiting a little so that we have more time to teach them thoroughly, but she is getting baptized SATURDAY!!!! We are pretty excited. Pictures will be sent next week. We are pumped!!

I love you all!!!! Keep studying the scriptures, conversing with the Lord morning and night, and smiling even in the midst of adversity!!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Taylor

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LIL BRUDDER BEN!!!!!!!

Hermanas Urzagaste, chavez, skabelund, me, escobar, and jackson. This was us waiting to for Elder Holland to get there!!!

November 11, 2013

Hola familia!!

Les quiero un montón!!! How are things going there? Happy late birthday dad, and

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AARON AND DANIELLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is really Handy that your birthdays are two days apart! Dad´s birthday sounds pretty great!!! I cant believe Sister poyfair made him a cheesecake! Dad, you must have been in heaven!!! Cheesecake is super expensive here and it is hard to find. We have never bought it. My old companion, Hermana Samantha Skabelund, is going home in December and she is going to bring a couple things home for yáll. So if you are not going to Utah for Christmas, let me know.

This week was really amazing!!! We worked hard, and the Lord gave us miracles! We had quite a few people who said they were going to come to church this week. We were really excited! When we got to church, no one was there. We had gone with a member to try to pick up one investigator, and he was sick, others wouldnt answer their phones. We were a Little disheartened. The sacrament meeting started and I was really discouraged thinking, ¨not again! We worked so hard and a lot of people said they were going to come an no one is here.¨and just was a Little negative. Right before we were going to start the sacrament, Hermano Victor and his family came in!! He is less active (for about 10 years) and came with his wife and two Little kids. After that I felt really bad for losing faith and hope so soon. Sometimes I think I am a super faithful person, or that I have a lot of hope and am optimistic, but the Lord tells me otherwise and humbles me A LOT!!! Really, we do not do anything, it is all the Lord. He blesses us so much that it is unbelievable. We are so blessed to work in His vineyard and be a part of this marvelous work!

Hermano Victor, his wife is not a member and his oldest kid will turn 8 next year. His wife liked church and offered to feed us this month! They are a beautiful family and we are excited to see them progress in the Gospel!

I was reflecting this past week in how I have changed, and the biggest thing is that I have learne to love people. It was devastating when no one showed up because we love them SOOOO MUCH!!!!! We want them to progress and enjoy all of the blessings the Lord is just waiting to give them!! It hurts when they do not come because we know they are not enjoying and receiving these escential blessings. I am the same way sometimes. The Lord is teaching me the same lesson over and over again in the misión and I learn really slow. He is so patient and loving though and keeps helping me even though I do not always listen. I cannot get mad at others because the Lord is patient with me too. You just have to love them and keep working with them.

Marisol is getting baptized with her two daughters the first of December now. We just have to help her see why she has to assist her own Ward now. She really loves our Ward and does not want to leave it. She is really amazing and keeps progressing everyday. The family in our Ward supports her all the time and is the reason why she has progressed so far and will be baptized. We did not do much, just teach some lessons. We are so excited for her!!!!

Tomorrow, Elder Holland comes to our misión. He will talk to 4 missions, so we are leaving at 5 in the morning más o menos, to get there super early in hopes to get a decent seat. I will update you next week on how it goes.

In preach my góspel it says¨that goals reflect the desires of your heart¨. I am learningthat that is true. What goals do you have? Have you taken Elder Ballard´s challenge to invite someone to listen to the missionries by Christmas time. I know that you can do it, that there is someone in your life that you can introduce to the góspel by the end of the year. I will be praying for your success!!!

I LOVE YALL LOTS!!! KEEP SHARING THE GOSPEL IN THOSE LITTLE WAYS!!!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Taylor

November 4, 2013

Dear family,

Howdy!!! How are things? I hear it is finally cooling down there. That is really great. It is starting to get pretty hot here. Luckily, People offer us wáter (actually soda or juice) a lot, so it is not too bad.

Well, if you want to hear how people are doing, here they are. First off is Marisol. SHE IS DOING GREAT!!! She is getting baptized the 24th of this month (we moved it back a week because of elections) with her two daughters. She is progressing greatly and really is excited for her baptism (her daughters too). She lives in another Ward, and we got permission to go to her baptism in this other Ward, so we are very content!!! She came to stake conference (both saturday and sunday) and is amazing!!! It is amazing how the Lord puts people in our path. She decided to listen to us because we were visiting a family and she happened to walk in and we said a prayer with her and a spiritual thought and invited her to listen to more (this was all about 3 months ago). This family had invited her many times and this time she accepted and now her and two of her daughters will be baptized!!! Sometimes we have to continue to invite people (and maybe invite the missionaries to share a scripture and prayer wink wink).

Next is a Young man named Aldo. He had a bad week the week before, and this week he told us that he prayed and that the Lord answered him. He told us now that he has a testimony of prayer and knows the Lord answers. Before, he believed more in a great power and not really in God and definitely not in religión. He is starting to come around. He is praying about baptism now. And he is going to come to church this next week.

We found an old man named Manuel this week. He is confined to a wheelchair because he only has one leg. We have taught him outside of his house a couple of times. It is a Little hard because we have to shout for him to hear us, but he likes what he has Heard. We just have to get him to church this week!!!

One of the coolest things that happened this week was with a less active named Victor. He has a ciber that we use every week, but I guess no one before offered to visit him or I am not sure. We went to share a quick scripture with him, and he had his two kids on his lap. We talked about Christ, and shared our testimonies. His daughter who is seven really soaked it up. At the end we asked if they had any questions and He asked us if his daughter could take the discussions. She turns 8 in January and he wants her to be baptized. Of course we said YES. and five minutes later his wife got home and he told her that their daughter would be taking the discussions and said,¨" and you too right?" (she is not a member) and she asked him "well you too?" I think we will be teaching the whole family so we are pretty excited!!! Hopefully the mom and daughter will be baptized together!!!

We really are talking to everyone we come in contact with basically. We visit a LOT of less actives (there are a ton here in Chile). A lot of times people in the streets, and sometimes inactives, reject us and do not want to talk with us but a lot do want to tlak to us. A lot more just need a Little whack telling them "hey, what you are looking for is right here" haha. We truly can just invite people to come to church, listen to a Little message from the missionaries. or read a Little talk or pamphlet. I am learning that this truly is salvation and peace that we are preaching.

A cool experience that we had was this past thursday I think. We were studying as a companionship and we were Reading "The Living Christ". I had not read this in years, and did not understand it before. It hit me harder than ever that Christ truly LIVES!!! He loves us sooooooooooooooooooo much, and suffered so much so that we could be happy. Also, He truly wants ALL OF HIS CHILDREN, ALL to return to him and receive this message. Now we have a Little clearer perspective on things and even more motivation to talk to everyone!!!!

I am definitely learning humility in the misión, that as missionaries we are just the Lord´s servants and nothing more. I am beginning to learn how grand the lord´s love is for me, and for all of his children and how much he desires for us to come home. I want to share this with everyone, but sometimes it is so frustrating because  people do not understand and brush it off. They just wont accept our message sometimes or refuse to progress. I am learning how to love people inspite of this, and to truly desire their salvation. Some days, no one will listen to us and all appointments fall through, and other days we see miracle after miracle.

Something cool that happened today was I talked to a missionary who is going home tonight. She lived in the same Ward as me at BYU, just a year before me and lives about an hour outside of Cumberland. My first companion, Hermana Steganini, became her companion next. One time, I wrote her a note and sent it to her through the office of the misión. This was almost 6 months ago. She was with Hermana Stegagnini for 3 months. Today I saw her and she said that the note came at the perfect time and that she needed it. I had forgotten about the Little note I wrote, and it was humbling to know that the Little prompting I received helped someone else. It really wasnt much. It was really cool.

This week was amazing!!!! I LOVE THE MISSION!!!!! I really do!! Sharing the Gospel brings me more joy than anything else, and I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve! I know that Christ lives and love us, every single one of us! I know that God has a plan for us, and if we follow HIS will we will be happier than we can imagine, even in the midst of tough trials.

I love you all!!!! Les amo un monton!!!!

Con amor,

Hermana Taylor