February 24, 2014

Dear family,

howdy yall!!! Haha, no one says that here in Chile, but sometimes i like to say it to my companion, Hermana Escobar. Sounds like things are good there, a little cold. Things are fantastic here in Chile. Autumn is starting to creep in, but right now it is perfect, not too hot nor too cold. Ben, good luck with Alterra! Great preparation for the mission!

This week was fantastic! Tuesday, we had district class and we talked about emergency preparedness (we have two weeks to get a serious 72 hour kit together with sleeping bag and everything) and also about helping people. We talked about how the Savior never turned someone away when they needed help even if he was kind of in a hurry to get to another place to help someone else. Then we applied to our lives as missionaries, that many times we are running a little late to an appointment and we need to get there, and someone stops us and asks for help (or the spirit tells us that they need help), and we get a little annoyed to stop and help them because we are late to an appointment. In D&C 61 verse 3 it says that it is not necessary to go with hurry withthe people around you suffering in unbelief or something like that. Most of the time the appointment falls through or they get there late just like we do, so we should always help. We committed to apply this, but we did not think that it would need to be applied so soon. Tuesday, we ran into person after person that needed help. We passed by a member´s house to see if they could visit someone with us really fast, and they asked us to help them. Members never ask for our help, or almost never haha. So we did, and we were late to the next appointment but it was fine. We went to another appointment and on the way, we found someone sad sitting in the park. We talked with her, prayed with her, and were late. BUT the family was had a visitor and even though we were almost 30 minutes late, they were just ending with this visitor and it worked out great. To be honest, I do not remember what else happened, just that we got home that night so tired and also astonished at how the district class applied exactly for the entire day!!!

Wednesday, my companion forgot her inhaler so we came back to the apartment, and in the three minutes we were there, someone else knocked on our door asking for help. A girl had moved here to find work, but since she is only 17 no one can hire her, so she wants to go home with her family but has no money. We are trying to help her in her efforts to move back home and teaching her a little bit too. Wednesday we also had two new people come to english class and it was a great class! We are seeing little miracles everyday.

This week, we were not meeting our goals. We were working really really hard, but we could not do it. Saturday, miraculously, we had a fantastic day withlots of lessons, and we actually exceded a couple of our goals for the week. I am learning that the lord is in charge, and that after we do all we can, HE makes up the difference. Really, we do not do much, just work with our heart and He gives us success.

This Sunday Marcelo (last week who knocked on our door) came to church. We had prepared the members so that they friendshipped him and it was great!!! It will not be easy for him to be baptized, but he can do it.

Saturday we had interviews with President Wright and he committed us to obey with exactness. So, we are trying to obey in all aspects which means repenting. We were glad for the sacrament the next day haha. Sunday night, we got home and planned and got into our pajamas when a part member family called us. Their auto had caught on fire while they were driving (they all could have been blown up if the spirit had not told the Grandpa to stop). When they stopped they saw their engine in back on fire and they all jumped out of the car. They asked us to come say a prayer at 11 or 11 15 at night. They live in our building, so we went ahead, talked with them a little and we said a prayer together. They are great and need prayers. We do not know what else to do, but we trust that the Lord is protecting them and helping them.

I know that the Lord will send people in our path that we can help if we but ask Him for it. We also have to act. I know that the Lord loves all of His children, and He wants ALL of them to have the gospel, we just have to open our mouths. I know that He lives and loves each one of us. Thanks for all your prayers!!!

love

hermana taylor

February 17, 2014

hey family!

I hope yall are doing great! Congratulations Penny on your first talk in Sacrament meeting; first one of many!!! I cannot believe Texas weather. That is really crazy to go from 30 to 80 in one week. Wow.

Wow, after this week I know that the Lord hears and answers prayers and makes up for weakness. We have been struggling finding new people to teach since a few investigators dropped us and others left on vacation. We never gave up hope though. Tuesday we had district class and did not linger to talk with the other missionaries. We got back to our apartment and two minutes later someone named Marcelo knocked on our door. He just said that someone told him that we could help him. He wanted to know more about God and make certain changes in his life, and wanted to know when he could meet with us. So of course we went right away, had a lesson in the park area of our apartment. It turns out that we had about 5 minutes one day last week and so we were contacting outside of the entrance of our apartment buildings. We ended up contacting Marcelo´s brother, but he was not too interested. But, Tuesday he told his brother (they live on our floor too) to go and talk to us. Crazy how the Lord works right!! If our efforts in finding were not working out, the Lord can help someone contact us haha. He has a baptismal date for the very end of next month, and hopefully everything works out. He has lots of things to change, but with the Gospel anyone can change.

Thursday morning we had intercambios (transfers? changes for one day) and I went with Hermana Sharp to Macul. We were talking to whoever would listen and we found a guy sitting outside of the metro. We started talking to him and he said that he knew ALOT about the church, assisted MANY times and only never got baptized. Situations changed,but was open to listen and loves the church still. We gave him a book of mormon (he lost his). The Lord again placed someone amazing in our path. That basically is the story of this week. The Lord placed people in our path, or the Lord just worked lots of miracles!!!

We had stake conference this week, and we attended the saturday night session for adults. The stake presidency talked about how the five or so of them met together to visit a list of five or six, but when they prayed they felt that they needed to visit an inactive family. The parents are both return missionarys, but their youngest son never got baptized. They said the family lives in Trinidad and I sat there thinking, " No, did they go and visit the Del Castillo family?" The next morning, we saw the Del Castillo family in church for the general session of stake conference and words cannot describe the joy that we felt to see them there!!! We had visited them various times, but they never went to church. The Lord sent the stake presidency, AND THEY CAME!!!! The Lord works miracles!!! we also went to visit Sunday a family that is inactive. The parents have come to church twice now, but the grown kids have not. We had a lesson powerful and direct about keeping the sabbath day holy, and they committed to come to church!!! It is amazing to see the Lord work in the lives of these precious people we visit and talk with everyday. We have also been blessed to feel a little bit of the overwhelming joy that happens when someone returns!!! It is a feeling so amazing, and the best part is that it has nothing to do with me, only the joy to see someone change!!! Oh man I love the mission!!!

I truly love serving the Lord!! There is nothing that brings greater satisfaction than serving the Lord (at least from my experience). I am learning that the biggest challenge to sharing the gospel, is opening our mouths. Also, that the last days are NOW and that there is no time to waste in sharing the Gospel. THEY NEED IT NOW!!!! Also, that there is always someone there ready to listen, or ready to have the seed planted or ready to listen so that they can tell someone else that the missionaries can help them so they should go knock on their door. Thank yall so much for writing me and for your prayers! They help a lot!!!

con mucho amor,

Hermana Taylor

February 10, 2014

Hola familia mía!!!

¿Cómo les va? How are yáll doing? I hope that yall are doing great!!

This week I learned A LOT!!!!!!!!!!!! More than anything that the Lord answers prayers. This week I prayed that more of yall could write me this week (not as a complaint, just that it would be nice) and I kind of knew that yall would. I think I received twice as many emails from yall!!!! It is something small, but the Lord answers our little prayers.

We had a few roadblocks this past week. February in Chile is when almost EVERYONE goes on vacation. RESULT: our investigators left, but it is ok. Our investigators that were progressing kind of disappeared and it seemed a little daunting this week, but we continued to work. We did not teach as many lessons this week as normal, but we worked hard. We went with a member to visit someone, who wasn´t home so we stopped by a few contacts we made. A month ago we followed up on a contact and came as an answer to his prayer. His name is Ivan. He went on vacation before, and happened to be there when we went. The last time, he did not trust us (we only talked outside of his house) to tell us all his problems so the member we brought with us was able to befriend him in a way that we couldn´t. We had a short lesson, in the street but he said that he would come to church. Many investigators, let alone contacts, have said that and never come. But as we were sitting in church, we saw him sitting there too!!!!!!!!!!!! He truly wants to make changes in his life, and the member was there for all of it, so we did not have to do anything this sunday to help him. The members make a huge difference, even if we are only contacting or tracting. Also this sunday came a inactive couple for the first time. He gave up his work on sunday and are making big changes in their lives. It is amazing how the Lord works individually with every person (every one of His children) and is there waiting when they are ready. The Spirit testified to me, that I can work SOOO hard, but in the end the Lord does it all. We are just instruments. He is in control of all the situations, so we do not have to worry too much, just work hard and He makes up the difference.

I had a really cool spiritual experience this week. I have been trying to pray out loud at least once a day in my personal prayers. It is hard because my companion is always there, but I have found little moments here and there. It is amazing how my prayers have changed. I know that Heavenly listens to me, I KNOW it! I know that I am His daughter and that He loves me. We truly can have a spiritual experience and feel His presence through prayer. I am still learning a lot, but I have gained a stronger testimony of prayer (that is why I knew more of yall would write me this week). I just know that prayer is powerful. It also helped me get rid of some of my pride. Some things that I had prayed for in my other prayers, when I prayed out loud I did not pray for them. It did not feel right and I just lost the desire to pray for it. I was more spiritually intune, and I can´t really explain it, BUT I HIGHLY RECOMMEND PRAYING OUT LOUD!!!!!!!!!!! I saw a miracle in myself.

I also learned that we have the power. We choose our fate. We choose what we put into our bodies, what we do everyday. No one has the power to take away that choice. I cannot place blame on anyone for my choices. THey may have influenced me, but in the end I CHOSE! Maybe this is just a revelation for me. That if I want to do something, then I just have to do it! It is that simple (ok sometimes no but a lot more than we realize it is simple). It was really freeing to realize that I had the power to choose. I am thankful for agency, the freedom to choose.

I love yall a lot and hope that everyone is really good!!! I am praying for yall (and the Lord is answering)!

con mucho mucho amor,

hermana taylor

February 3, 2014

Hola familia!

How are yall doing? I hope you are all staying warm up there! Here, it is basically perfect weather, no humidity, a little hot but we have gotten used to it. I love it! Chile is awesome!

This week was great! No one came to church, but we did see miracles in our contacting efforts and in our lessons. One cool story happened when a couple of appointments fell through and we had some time to spare before our last appointment, so we went tracting (I hardly tract in the mission, more street contacting, but every now and then we like to do it). We went to a street that we have never walked before and knocked some doors. THe people were abnormally rejective, but we kept going. Hermana Escobar turned to me and said, "even though everyone rejects us, I really like this street." I agreed with her and we both agreed that he next house would have someone to listen to us. Well, it was going to be the last house before we had to go to our next appointment, and we found someone really great named Lia. We did not talk to her too much, but we offered and prayer in which the spirit was really strong, abnormally strong for a prayer in the street with someone we just met. We walked away really amazed and went to offer a prayer of gratitude. Then, we were waiting for a member to meet us so that we could go to our appointment, but he was running late so we just started contacting in the street. It is a busier street, so there were a lot of people, but we gave a pass along card to someone and he said, "I am not too interested, but you can visit my mom, she always listens." So, we took down his address and it was the street that we just tracted. When we asked the name of his mom he said, "Lia." We had said before that we had to find her again, and it was like the Lord confirmed our thoughts and said, "yep, yall have got to visit her." It is amazing how many "coincidences" there are in the mission, because they are not really coincidences at all. The Lord is soooooooooooo smart and knows how to place us where people are ready, or place the people in our path. It is really cool! It is also noteworthy that it is almost always the last house, the last street contact, the last whatever that we find those miracles. Literally, almost always the last one.

Something else that I learned this week, is a little more about how to love. Sometimes I get so caught up in obeying all the rules, that I miss people around me that need a little bit of help and a little bit of love. Following rules is good and necessary, but people are more important than some of the little rules. Christ always went after the one, stopped what he was doing in a crowd of people in order to help the one struggling (like the woman that touched his clothes with a birth disorder, when they lowered a man from the ceiling, when he blessed the little children, etc.) Here in the mission, we do not teach lessons, we teach people. We serve people according to their needs like the Savior would do. No, we mess up a lot and forget and dont understand when the Spirit talks to us, but we try and we learn. The mission is an unforgettable experience!!

I love yall a lot and hope that you all are feeling the Savior´s love in your lives. He cares about you, notices you, and knows what is best for you.

Love

hermana taylor

oh, just so that people know. They told us to send this by us mail and not fedex or dhl because the other two ask for additional charges when it gets here and they do not want to pay for all those packages. I do not think anyone is sending packages, but for future reference.