Fwd: Hello Southern Sister

From here down can be the main email to everyone. Also, I'm mailing home those letters I promised today. I didn't get a chance to during the week. Love you!

And thank you for the scriptures. I need them. A mission is SO HARD. My companion and I have talked a lot about this. Everything I grew up with that I thought defined who I was (or who I thought I was), all those exterior influences-- for good or bad-- are ripped away from me and I'm planted in a completely different place, and expected to be an influence for good on everyone else. In big ways, it feels like. I have to figure out who I am, as a person, all over again. I'm asking myself questions I had never really had to ask before. Do I really believe what I'm saying over and over again? Do I know this is true? Am I happy right now, or overconfident? Am I feeling depressed because I'm just weak, or is it a lack of faith, or selfish, or what? And I have to find God again, so to speak. I've felt the Spirit so strongly at church, around my friends and family, and at home-- so having none of those factors around anymore leaves me without sure footing. It's easier for doubt to sneak in when there are so many cracks and insecurities for it to leak through. It's just a lot of ups and downs, and trying to figure out what my motives are is frustrating. 

I want to feel the right way for the right reasons. I'm working through a lot of pride. I either feel overwhelmed and underqualified, too imperfect or underdeveloped to do the work (which is a lack of faith, and fear), or I feel like I'm on top of it and like everything is fine, but the "I've got this, I don't need to work on myself anymore" attitude comes, and that is prideful, too. I just have no idea what I'm doing. And there is no escape from myself or my problems, either. I can't take an hour and just write it out, talk it out, think about it, pray-- I can't just take a nap or be alone-- and I can't just call home and talk about it! It's just go, go, go, go. Nonstop. And that's when I feel the most frustrated. When I don't have the desire to do the work, to be there, to share anything-- I just want to recoil and be done. But I can't. I have to work anyway. And I've never been pushed emotionally like that before. It hurts and it's hard.

But, amidst all this emotional/inner turmoil and conflict, God has blessed me so, so much. I don't deserve it at all. Externally, everything has been basically ideal. Sure, we'll have to work hard to gain the trust of the members and reach the full potential of the ward for missionary work-- but they are good, strong members, they love each other, they love us, and they love the Lord. We get fed every single night in member's homes. The other missionaries work hard and are immensely supportive. My companion is a good listener and we're a lot alike, so we talk through our struggles and work them through together. She is such a strength to me. Tracting is scary sometimes (what do I say?!?!), but we've found people to teach and  good things happen. We have a car. We have everything we need. God knew I was going to have all this inner stuff to work through, and He's made sure I don't have to worry about almost anything else. That is such a huge tender mercy. 

We have had some amazing miracles happen! Let me share a few cool stories.

Tractingwise: for miracles, it's ALWAYS the last house. Almost always. :) On saturday we knocked the last door, and a lady talked to us through the door in a muffled voice, said something like "Inconvenient time," and we almost left. But then she opened the door and let us in. We sat down and she basically told us her life story. Her name is Vivian, and she is an amazing person. She lives by herself with her dog. She's in terrible physical condition-- she has a fractured ankle, broken discs in her back, and she stutters a lot as a result of the most recent of four strokes, among other things. She's had a really, really hard life. Her husband left her last year because of an affair and he didn't want to live with her disabilities-- and both of her two teenage sons have several felonies on record, and both have hurt her physically. She needs surgery she can't afford because of it. It's just terrible. But even after all this, she just talked about how much God loved her and had watched out for her. He pays her bills, she says. She doesn't know where the money comes from to pay the bills, but she always has them paid. She talked about how beautiful it is outside, and how every morning she drinks her coffee and just talks to God. Has a conversation with Him, she says. Several times I opened my mouth to say something encouraging about how God works with and cares for us, but she would say it first! She has a strong, beautiful relationship with God. We shared a few scriptures from the Book of Mormon with her along the way. 

She told us that she was supposed to rest and keep her foot elevated, but she wanted to keep her house clean and she couldn't afford a housekeeper. Us to the rescue! "We'll clean your house!" we said. Her eyes got big. "Really?" she said in disbelief. When we said yes, her eyes brimmed with tears and she was overwhelmed. "You would do that? That would be such a blessing! Such a blessing!" she said. We kept talking for a bit about God, and THEN. She said, "I know God has a purpose for me. I'm just waiting for Him to show me what it is." Sister Buhler held up the Book of Mormon and bore powerful testimony of it. "I know you will find your purpose in this book," she said. I shared the Joseph Smith story and the message of the Restoration with her. She just looked at me and listened, smiling, and nodding her head. "That's beautiful, such an inspiring story," she said. Before we left, she asked if we could pray together. I said the prayer, and she said it was beautiful. She was so amazed that two young women like us would come do the Lord's work, since most girls don't in the world we're in. We're going to clean her house tomorrow afternoon. I hope she will be receptive to our message. She's basically golden. :)

Lessonwise! We taught two investigator lessons this week. One to Fernando, one to James. Fernando's was the first one, and that was pretty rocky. To sum up, he talks a lot, and is easily distracted, not to mention hard to understand since he is from Colombia so his accent is strong and his English is broken. We had a member, Sister Baker, with us, and thank heavens, because she helped a LOT. She guided the conversation back to the lesson several times. There was one really cool moment when we explained that God and Jesus Christ are two separate beings, and he just paused, nodded, and said, "That's true." Whoaa. The Spirit was strong. But, he declined the invitation to pray at the end, and I tried to pursue that but it just didn't happen so I prayed instead. Gah. And we didn't extend any commitments. At ALL. Geez! It was all so disorganized. But he is reading the Book of Mormon and feels like he needs to. So that is good.

And, um, definite sign to his family-- his son, who is 19, was walking down the street and the other elders from our ward were tracting there and talked to them. They have an appointment with him next week. Both found by the missionaries within a week of each other?! They need to get baptized! :) I think we're handing Fernando over to the Spanish elders though. They could communicate much more easily with him than we can, and I think he would feel more comfortable in a Spanish branch. 

To make up for our lesson with Fernando, our lesson with James was WONDERFUL. He's nineteen, quiet and polite, and very open. We brought a member with us (Sister Mandi Roman-- she reminds me a lot of Renate) who is very loud and talkative, and a convert of two years-- but despite some tangents and her talking/laughing a lot, she helped bring the Spirit and I felt it the whole time. He was very receptive. We cleared up some misunderstandings about the nature of the Godhead and what/who the Holy Ghost is and how it works, and he was great with that. Everything made pretty good sense to him. Sister Buhler invited him to be baptized when he knew what we were teaching was true, and he said YES! We don't have him on date though because Sister Roman popped in, "Don't feel rushed! This is all on your own time"...yada yada. Dangit. So we'll get him on date next week. I felt really good about that lesson. :)

Interesting experiences...we got bible bashed! Awesome. Not really. We were tracting, and I totally asked for it...I asked what church they belonged to, what they knew about us...and was that a can of worms or what. The man's wife grabbed her Bible and started yelling at us, you believe this, you believe that, that's crazy, your souls are in danger, etc. They invited us to do "real" bible study with them, gave us websites to visit, etc. I said that we understood their concern, gave them a mormon.org card, and we left. Sister Buhler and I were just stunned and amused, really. It was not a pleasant experience but I'd forgotten that I'd been expecting that in the South. Most people are really nice even if they aren't at all interested or don't want to talk to us. I'm glad for that. 

And OH MY GOODNESS! Guess what?! Elder Dallin H. Oaks came and talked to the GA Atlanta/Atlanta North missions on Saturday!!

I got to shake his hand and each mission got a picture with him. Maybe President Wolfert will put it on facebook, you'll have to check. But it was such a sweet, powerful, wonderful experience to see what he's like. He seems so stern in general conference, but he was very warm and friendly. He spoke just by what the Spirit directed. 

One thing he said that I needed to hear, was that doing missionary things doesn't make you a missionary. To become a missionary, you must think what a missionary thinks, feel what a missionary feels, and desire what a missionary desires. In essence, serve with all your heart, might, mind and strength. I really need to work on that. I've let myself think distracted, self-centered thoughts and desires instead of being focused on missionary work all the time. It's hard but I'm working on it. Sister Suarez (her husband is one of the seventy i think?) said something I also loved. Not her exact words, but she said this: "If you think of a mission as a sacrifice, you will begin to feel sorry for yourself and be miserable. If you think of a mission as a privilege, then you will feel the true joy of Christ in your work." That was me in a nutshell. Feeling sorry for myself and making it me, me, me. I've been a lot happier the last couple days since really working on that. 

The mission is officially eternal, I've lost hope of ever coming home. It feels like forever! But I have to remember I've only been here a week and a half, I'm sure it'll fly by in no time. And I'll miss it a lot by the time I come home. :) Overall I just want to feel God more in my life. I know it's my fault, but I don't always feel Him. Sometimes I lack the conviction of the reality and importance of why I'm here. But I guess this is a chance to exercise faith. :) 

Sorry I'm so long-winded! I hope to hear from you soon. I think I would cry if I got snail mail. It would be like Christmas times a million. Thanks for the letter family, I've treasured it!

I love you so much. Have a wonderful week. :)

Love,

Sister Taylor

On Mon, Oct 28, 2013 at 1:12 AM, Lindy Taylor <lindyjtaylor@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Sweetheart!  

I'm hoping you have had a good week!  Did you get the pictures I sent? If not, they are coming! How are your two investigators?  I hope coming along.  Maybe you have more by now?

Last week was good in some ways, but in others, long and hard on me, but the Lord has been kind to re-fill my sails and help me to go forward.  

One of the cool things about this last weekend was Dad and I travelled to see Aria in concert at BYU Idaho.  Apparently their orchestra has a reputation for making a big deal out of the Halloween Concert.  We went to support Aria, but were pleasantly surprised by the whole experience.  When we walked into the concert hall, we were greeted with mysterious and intriguing colored lights that were designed in a web like way across the room.  The stage was decorated to look like a medieval castle.   Many of the concert go-ers were dressed up in costumes, and all of the people in the orchestra were in costume.  

(Dad was dressed like crocodile dun-dee and I was a normal person that put her scarf around her head to look like a hippie- but dad thought the effect was more gypsyish. Kind of pathetic for a costume, but I was worn out, as I said.)  

The director came in dressed up like King Arthur.  We were treated to surprise visits  from Merlin the Magician, who always arrived in a big poof of smoke!  He was so fun(ny)!  The faculty (disguised as Sir Laugh-a-Lot, Sir Get-a-Head, and Sir ? Can't remember) members came in frequently with a little sub-plot between musical selections.  They were sent on missions to find the sword Excaliber that Merlin had (in his aging moment) accidentally mis-placed while doing a spell.  They were led by Sir Get-a-Head, who wouldn't slow down for anything- he used coconut shells clicked together to simulate the clopping of horses hooves-  with a big nod to Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  Of Course, Sir Laugh-a-Lot laughed at everything.  And King Arthur led the orchestra.  The other night was concerned with keeping safe.  I wish I could remember his name.  He was wearing a bicycle helmet and a blue cross backpack. (Turns out Dad and I knew Randy Kempton- {choral director and former neighbor of ours- we used to trade temple baby-sitting} and also I knew Robert Tueller (orchestra conductor)- he used to sit in my music theory class behind me at USU.  We all thought he was very cute.  He had a lot of hair back then.  Now he basically shaves his head. He was surprised to learn Aria was my daughter.)

The orchestra was INCREDIBLE.  Truly professional.  I didn't know most of the music, but it was obviously very difficult and at the highest level of proficiency and polish. Aria was dressed as a gypsy.  She looked really nice and sparkly.  She rides her bike everywhere, so she is getting some exercise.  We took her out for a shake afterwards.  She's doing very well!  She "broke" her philosophy class by talking about how sealings go forward and backwards in time so we are all actually already sealed by that definition.  Her teacher didn't know what to say, and one of the kids in the class said "She Won!"  I laughed about that.  No dates yet- but she is quite shy, so we hope that the Lord will help someone to get to know her in spite of her shyness, and help her to not feel so awkward about talking to boys.  

Dad and I used some of his points to stay the night at the Marriott Hotel.  We listened to stories and Dad worked most of the time while I drove.

Last night, we went to an Agatha Christie play called "The Unexpected Guest".  It was really well done!  I enjoyed it to the nth degree.  I think I was ultimately surprised, so that was fun!

Joshua had a great orchestra concert this week also!  He looked SO HANDSOME in his tuxedo shirt and bowtie and a new dark suit. Truman had a poop-a-thon today.  I won't describe it but let's just say we did a lot of scrubbing carpets and washing bedding and clothing and threw him in the tub.  We ran out of duct tape.  Our friend Tammi Harding loaned us some more tonight until we can get to the store.  Truman's favorite song is "choose the right".  He asks for us to sing it frequently and gets very impatient if we aren't complying immediately!  I have to put him in time-out sometimes because he gets pretty demanding. Today we were running a few errands delivering things after church, so we were late getting him home for a nap.  He started singing  "Good Night Truman" in the car- he knew it was bed time, and he wanted to go! 

The ward choir is coming along.  I'm trying to get my act together and call section leaders. 

That's all the newsy news I can think of.  Teddy is still kinda chubby.  We're working on that.  The weather has been nice, but we're expecting it to turn colder next week.  Josh wants to be a dementor for Halloween.  He's planning to go to Brother Pinkston's to make a wand. We'll see how he does.  I'd like to let him go if he can be on top of everything.

Here are some good scriptures to help you when you need a little courage:  Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."

Isaiah 41:10-13 "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee."

1 Corinthians 15:58 "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

That's it for now.  We love you and appreciate the good example you are to the family.

Much love,

Mom

 

--

"We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do."

Mother Theresa

Hello Missionary no. 1

October 21, 2013

Dearest Sister Christa Taylor,

How have you been surviving so far?  How have your first few days been?  Any teaching opportunities so far? We loved hearing from you and I shared your letter with grandparents.  (I took a picture of it and then I sent that.)  Do you want me to send the pictures of your snail mail letter to your blog?

This is the address for Aria you asked for:  The Colonial House #303 151 Viking Dr  Rexburg, ID 83440.  I told her to write to you.  I'll remind her today.

Truman has been taking his diapers off again.  Back to the duct tape.  He has also been turning on his lights and playing with his toys and destroying whatever he can reach in his room when he's supposed to be sleeping.  Last night I duct taped the light switches to off.  On the bright side, he has been saying very sweet prayers and remembering you and Aria in his prayers.  

I gave Teddy a great big lots of hug for you and some hot dogs yesterday.  Dad says John's Creek is a rich place, so I'm glad you have nice clothes to wear. I'd like to see you wear some of those new skirts.  I feel like I missed out on seeing you in them.  Your appearance can make a big difference to people- your first impression can't be undone!  Pray to look and be whatever the Lord needs you to be.  It will help open doors. Hope the weather isn't too cold.  Are you riding your bike yet?

I gave a lesson yesterday on being grateful for Latter-day Prophets.  It really is a gift to the world to have communication with God available for all to enjoy.  Many believe revelation stopped after the apostles.  Hugh B. Brown had a friend that believed this.  He asked his friend:  "Do you think it stopped because God isn't able to speak anymore?  (No. He is the same today, tomorrow and forever.) Is it because God doesn't love us anymore? (No.That is blasphemous.)  Is it because God thinks we don't need his help- we have progressed so much we are beyond Him? (No.) Why then, do you think He has stopped speaking? (I couldn't say.  Tell me why!) He hasn't stopped speaking, but we need faith to hear him!"

I thought that was good.  Our new neighbors behind our house where the Carters lived- They are called the Morrison's, and they are the NICEST AND SWEETEST FAMILY EVER.  She and her husband are always full of the spirit.

I'll forward you Aria's last letter.  It was very fun.

Love you, Christa.  Be brave.  Pray for love and pray to be made strong up to the task.  It will require some growing pains, but the Lord will help you as you continue to be humble and teachable.  I'm praying that you'll find the families waiting for you.  Remember to pray also that they will find you and that you and your companion will be filled with the power of God to the touching of their souls.

I hope your companion and you are working well together.  

 2 Nephi 31:20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

All my love,

Mom

(And Teddy and Truman)

October 21, 2013

Hey mom! 

I saw Aria's letters, looks like she's doing well! Hope the interrupted doorstep scene mortification wears off soon. Haha I laughed so hard when I read that. But seriously, that would be super embarrassing. I would die. She has all my sympathies.

Truman! Oh dear. Haha sounds like age three all right. I don't miss duct taping diapers, but I sure miss his sweet voice and killer smile. And I'm sure God hears those precious prayers. :) I'm keeping the family in my prayers too. 

Yes, John's Creek is a RICH place! It's either apartment complexes or INSANELY rich homes. You would die. It's just gorgeous. Last night I met my dream house. It was a member's home we ate at-- but get this. The driveway is about a quarter mile long, and it weaves through it's own little forest, behind which you can barely see the house through the trees. There's a cute little pond with a boat on the left with ducks, and the forest ground is covered in autumn leaves. Sister Buhler and I both gasped in audible disbelief of how beautiful it was! We turned on Clair de Lune (a cello & piano recording of Steven Sharp Nelson playing it), rolled down the windows, and slowly drove through the driveway for a minute or two till we reached the house. It was like being in heaven. And the movies. And I just fell in love with it. The most scenic driveway I've ever ever seen! I thought of you mom, while we were driving through it. I thought, "Ah! My mom would LOVE this!" It's totally for you. And their house was TO DIE FOR. Dream house. So beautiful. 

Yes the skirts are great! I've been so busy I've hardly taken any pictures of me wearing them, but I'll send you all my pictures so far. Mostly of the MTC. I'm not sure if I've even had time to take any pictures in the field so far. I'll try to send you some next week. :) I'm trying to look nice and professional every day. We have an hour to shower, get ready, and eat breakfast so that hasn't been too hard. You're right, I think it does help open doors to look like how representatives of Christ should look-- clean and polished. Sis. Wolfert, our mission president's wife, always looks like a million bucks. She is the epitome of grace and elegance. I'm trying to be more like her. :)

We haven't been riding our bikes yet, because we have a brand new car (YES) and we can drive most places. I really want to try it though. Our bikes are in our apartment so we could use them anytime.

It's been actually pretty warm here! In the 70's most days. There have been a few chilly days here and there, some pretty rainy days, but it's really nice. They actually have a winter growing season! They can plant winter gardens. Imagine that. Ha. Welcome to not Utah, I guess. Speaking of, a lot of people here (at least the members) are either from Utah, lived there for a while, or are familiar with it. So a lot of people know our exact area when I tell them where I'm from. That's nice. :) 

My first week in the field has been pretty eventful! I'm learning to love my mission. Sister Buhler is a wonderful companion. I can see why it was inspired that we were put together. She and I are so alike in some ways, and so different in others, that I've found myself being prideful and judgemental quite a bit-- but I'm learning a lot about how to be humble and loving, and we are becoming really good friends. We are both very musical, and we sound great when we sing together! We've been practicing hymn duets, and we've sung on people's doorsteps while tracting and at member's homes while visiting or at dinner appointments. It is such a powerful way to bring the Spirit. We plan to use our mutual talents a lot more in our work. 

Tracting has been a huge learning experience for me. After day one of tracting in a rich neighborhood on a rainy day, with no success, we evaluated our tracting experience. She hadn't liked or had good experiences tracting before, and I simply didn't know it well or how to make it more effective, and I didn't know if the way she was doing it was the right way or best way. I'm new, she's the trainer, so I tried to just listen. We talked through it and re-found our purpose in tracting, to simply be ourselves, not robots with a cookie-cutter message, and just bear our testimonies and invite others to Christ. We still have a lot of work to do, but that evaluation and stake conference have helped immensely. Stake Conference was this weekend and HUGELY beneficial. We felt renewed in our focus and revitalized in our work. 

We have tried hard to follow the Spirit in our work and in being unified. Since we're whitewashing the area, and started with zero investigators, contacts, referrals, nothing-- setting goals for investigators and knowing how to spend our time has been a lot of blind work, with faith and the Spirit guiding our actions. We've been blessed to find two new investigators through tracting, and we're so excited to teach at those appointments! We know that as we are exactly obedient, and humble and faithful, we will be led to those who need our help most.

I don't have time to tell you about our two new investigators we found while tracting-- James and Fernando-- but they are huge miracles, and I will write about them in snail mail to you today if I have time.

There sure are challenges that you never think you'll face that come up on a mission. In the MTC it took a few days for me to adjust even though i enjoyed the whole time. Being "set apart" from the world was quite literal for me. As soon as I entered the MTC, it was like all my friends, my problems, everything I'd been working on spiritually, everything I thought I was, my family, my past life basically-- everything just got tossed behind me and I was a blank slate. That freaked me out a little. It was like I was being born, a new person, like I had to learn everything all over again. But it's been a blessing. I filled up my "blank slate" with my new mission life-- learning how to be converted, how to teach, bonding with my district, learning how to be a good companion. I absolutely loved my MTC experience.

There were times in the MTC where I felt awful, like I just didn't want to be there anymore-- like I didn't want to teach, didn't want to learn-- there were so many classes and lessons and information, i just started to not care any more. It didn't matter to me. But every time I felt that way, I knew I was wrong because I was miserable and didn't have the Spirit. I prayed each time I felt that way to feel at peace and have a desire to work and learn again, to feel like I could be a good missionary-- and God answered me every time. He gave me comfort and motivation again, strength, or my companion would say something encouraging right at that moment to help me feel better. I'm slowly learning to rely on the Lord.

Compared to the MTC though, those discouraging feelings and being miserable--- it got amplified by a thousand when I got here. It's one thing to struggle among hundreds of other missionaries, surrounded by encouraging teachers. It's another thing to struggle when you're surrounded by people who don't share your beliefs and many don't want to. The only person you're with is your companion, who you're still learning to love, and the only person to turn to is God. Man. It makes so much sense but it can be so hard. Haha, I sound like I'm having an awful time, I'm really not I promise. :) But you know what? A mission is such a blessing. You have to learn to face your challenges head on, 24/7 because you have no other choice. And when you're humble and have the Spirit, blessings just come. I feel happy again. The last few days it has been SO great to just feel like myself again!

I've learned the truth behind "Be yourself". When you're tracting, don't use a cookie-cutter door approach each time. Don't be a robot with a mask, even if it's a happy mask with a true message. I try to be myself. Be genuine. Most importantly, remember why I'm there. I've felt bad sometimes while I'm tracting because I don't feel like I'm sharing the gospel, I feel like I'm selling something, and I'm not even sure what it is.  I've found that all that matters is that you desire to serve the Lord, and you're willing to do whatever He asks you to do. When you're willing to be led by the Spirit, He leads you. You may not even recognize that you are being led by the Spirit, you can feel completely normal-- but then looking back, you just go, "holy cow....the Spirit TOTALLY told me what to say right there!" or, "We were so inspired to tract that street!" God is with us. 

I wish I could write more and more write now. There is so much to tell. But I'll just say, I've never learned so much about myself and had to work on so much in such short time! And it's barely been a week in the field! It's going to be a long time. But it'll be worth it.

I love you all sooo much. Can't wait to hear from you soon!

Love,

Christa

PS Mom if you get a few minutes, HUGE favor for me?? My makeup brushes in my room-- in the black leather fold up case by my mirror on the floor, I think-- could you wash them for me? All you do is get them wet, use kids shampoo to get the product out, let them soak in water and then just let them dry. I just don't want them to get ruined sitting there for a year and a half all dirty. That would be basically an early birthday present. Thanks.

Week One!

Family & Friends!!!

Ahhh my companion and I are so happy that it's P-day!! It's been such an insane, awesome nine days so far, but it's nice to have a chance to breathe a little bit. It's still super busy today though-- our day was packed before it even began. We're going to the temple right after I write this (YAY!), then to dinner and then to class. Welcome to life at the MTC!

Since this is my only email I'll be sending from the MTC, let me tell you a little of what it's like.

The church purchased the Raintree and Wyview apartment complexes just west of the Lavell Edwards stadium, and they are now the "West Campus" of the Provo MTC, where I am. It's basically an entirely different MTC because we don't go to the main campus at all, except for general conference this weekend. We live in the Wyview apartments (SUPER NICE, much better than what I've seen of the main campus apartments ;) ), and have classes over at the Raintree apartments. Yup, our classrooms are actually in what used to be college apartments! My district meets in a small used-to-be bedroom that has a whiteboard, computer desk, and eight desks in it. I wouldn't have thought of converting an apartment complex into MTC classrooms, but it works great.

Our cafeteria, bookstore, barbershop, and mail room are in two huge trailers adjacent to the apartments. They're actually quite nice. They feed us WELL. And by well, I mean they place donuts, cake, and cupcakes at the beginning and end of every food line (so you have to pass it up TWICE if you're trying to refrain from sugar), the meals are of a delicious variety, and there is cereal, juice, milk, soda, salad, ice cream, and toast available at every meal. Um. I think I may have gained like five pounds already. My companion and I ate like horses the first couple days, but we're doing better at trying to pass up sugar and five plates of food. (Emphasis on "trying".) 

We've quickly learned to love getting the mail twice a day. It's like Christmas EVERY day! P-Day is like an eternity of Christmases smushed into one day of the week. Cloud nine. Elder Anderson (an elder from my district) gets tons and tons of letters, so we've made a tally box on the whiteboard marking how many letters and packages he gets. It was something like nine letters in one day that got us tallying. I think he's up to about 20 letters and six packages. It makes mail time more entertaining, that's for sure! On Friday I got two care packages I wasn't expecting, from home ward members-- with homemade chocolate chip cookies and popcorn and chocolate and sweet notes. They totally made my day. I've gotten a couple letters too and the packages from home were MUCH appreciated! We are all so happy for each other when we get mail. Sometimes we basically open each other's packages because we're so excited. Hey. Mail is mail. 

I understand now what missionaries meant when they said you spend your whole day in the classroom...because you do. ALL DAY. I think yesterday we spent 11+ hours in our classroom. That's normal. But it's so fun and I learn so much. My district...I LOVE MY DISTRICT. They're like my new best friends. Hilarious things happen all the time. You get to know one another pretty well and pretty fast when you're in a tiny room together all day every day. The first couple days we were pretty quiet especially during study time, but we laugh and talk all the time now and it makes such a tight schedule much more enjoyable. :) Sometimes we talk too much and it digs into our study time, but we're working on being completely focused in the classroom and saving jokes etc for meal times and walking to classes. Allow me to briefly introduce you to my district:

Elder Black: First of all, he's actually dark-skinned, which makes it super cool that his last name is Black. He is SO FUNNY. I could probably say that about every person in my district. He makes classes fun, but he also has a very sincere, sweet testimony and he's a stellar missionary in the making. He feels the Spirit so strongly and brings it strongly to the lessons. He's a great example of the power of prayer. He makes sure to pray every time before he begins studying and before we do pretty much anything. Great elder.

Elder Jensen: He just graduated from high school and he's a really tall basketball player and car lover. He's from here in Provo. He's still young in a lot of ways, but when he and Elder Black taught me during a role play how to pray, he was very good at caring about me and my "family" as an investigator, and he was a good listener and brought the spirit. He'll be a good missionary.

Elder Anderson: Of the four elders in our district, he is the most quiet and pensive. He really takes the mission seriously and has great insights into the scriptures and principles we study. He's very humble and he's just a very real person. He's a sincere, mature missionary and really cares about his investigators.

Elder Durtschi: He's almost a bit of an oddball, but he fits right in. He has good insights and his goal for his mission is to just work as hard as he can.

Sister Anderson: Sweet sister, one of my roommates. She has a beautiful voice and she's very easy going. She's perfect for her companion.

Sister Perrins: She's from Vancouver Washington. She teaches well. Love her!

Sister Hulme: My COMPANION. LOVE HER. I am so grateful she is my companion, that was definitely inspired. We have similar temperaments in that we are both calm people, but we love to laugh and we get along well. She's from Bear Lake, Idaho and she loves to hunt and loves the cold and being outdoors. She worked for the Forest Fire Service over the summer, how cool is that?! And we both love to dance in the kitchen. Bam. Meant to be.

Being a Sister Training Leader has been wonderful-- mostly it means Sis. Hulme and I go to leadership and administrative meetings, take care of the sisters in our zone, and welcome the new sisters (who came last night!). We did the new missionary orientation for our zone last night with the Zone Leaders. It went well and they are such sweet missionaries. It's been a great opportunity for me to learn to lead with love and motivation to serve. 

I know I didn't get to share a lot of my spiritual experiences and teaching experiences, I'm so sorry I'm out of time! I will say though that there is an incredible spirit here at the MTC. The moment I started walking away from my family van with my luggage I didn't look back. The outside world literally disappeared from my mind. It took a few days for me to process and adjust because once I got here, all the issues, thoughts, circumstances, everything from before I left just left me. I felt like a blank slate. It was weird and confusing. I was trying to remember who I was before, but at the same time I didn't want to remember because I felt like I was being forged into a new, better person. I'm still the same person with the same weaknesses, but I'm learning how to overcome them from an entirely different perspective. It's been such a blessing to me. Once I understood better that I was focusing on others, not me, it got better. I'm definitely not perfect at it yet and I know I probably will never be, but I'm moving in that direction.

The first thing I noticed within the first few days was that my capacities in almost every aspect were increased exponentially--- it's incredible. We've been waking up at 5:30am, and that first morning I woke up entirely awake and with no need for sleep. It was so crazy! It's been like that every morning since. I get a little groggy but not tired. It's wonderful. And I can focus for hours at a time with studying and classes. Before I left, I was wondering how in the world I would fill an hour of studying every morning in the field...now I'm wondering how that could possibly be enough! I know this is God's work. I know I have a lot to learn, but when I've struggled this week with desiring to even be here or do the work, as soon as I pray for support I feel peace, a desire to work, and I'm put back on my feet again. He loves His children, and especially after that missionary-themed general conference I know that now is the time for His work to be done!

"A marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men..." Here goes to being a part of it!

Love you so much. I'll respond to individual emails next week. Please write me in Georgia, I fly out Tuesday! I'll send pics on my next P-Day whenever that is.

Love,

Sister Taylor

MOM

I fly out Tuesday morning and I can call you at the airport before I leave. Expect a call anytime between 4:30-6:30 am.

I don't know when my next p-day will be but it will probably be a week from Monday.

Love you lots! Thanks for the video of Truman, tell him happy birthday for me!

Made It Through Day One! :)

October 7, 2013

Hey family!

I only have a second to email but I just wanted to let you know that everything is going well so far! My companion is Sister Hulme (pronounced Hugh with an "m" on the end) and she is so sweet. I know it was inspired for us to be companions. We have similar temperaments and I know I'll be able to learn a lot with/from her.

Everyone is excited to welcome us and they certainly keep us busy! We don't have to be up till 6:30 but the sisters in my room and I are getting up at 5:30 instead. We are definitely blessed, I woke up with more zim and energy than I have in a long time!

It hasn't really sunk in yet but I'm excited to be here and my p-days are Thursdays, so I'll email you then.

Love,

Sister Taylor