Fwd: Squirrel, Rabbit, & A Very Merry Christmas

From: Christa Taylor <christa.taylor@myldsmail.net>

Date: Mon, Dec 29, 2014 at 11:56 AM
Subject: Squirrel, Rabbit, & A Very Merry Christmas

Hey y'all!! 

Merry Post-Christmas! I hope it was as much a joy for y'all as it was for me. I'll share some of the highlights with you right here and now!

I've had some great foodie experiences! Squirrel and rabbit. (It's extra awesome because they butchered and cooked it themselves! Very homegrown family at the Standers. :) )

Lyssa is experiencing a huge roadblock right now. She's having relationship troubles that are making her seriously consider not investigating the church anymore. For the past two months, she has come to lessons twice a week and to church faithfully, but she didn't come to her lesson on Friday or to church on Sunday. We had the impression to text her daily one thing we love about her. We hope it helps!  We're praying hard for her. If you would include her in at least one prayer, that would help so much. 

Christmas was wonderful! We caroled in the morning in a duplex neighborhood, and everyone loved it. One lady filmed us on her phone, "Y'all can SAANG! Y'all might go vahral owhn YOUTUBE!" We had one hopeful new investigator come from that neighborhood. We skyped at a non-member's home, which was fun for us (LOVED talking to my precious family!!) and a good opportunity to fellowship. We ate with the Standers and later with Sister Rodriguez. She and her husband are converts of eight years, and though nearly destitute financially, they faithfully feed the missionaries every week to show their gratitude for them and the gospel. A whole wall/room in their home is dedicated to pictures of missionaries they know.They had us over for a meal and gave us several beautiful gifts, including Athens GA shirts, handsoap, and Christmas scarves. People here are full of love and so willing to give, even when they have so little. 

We also caroled to and visited some individuals and families who didn't have much company on Christmas, including bringing a meal and goodies by to our investigator, Frank. It was a beautiful day!

Sister Porter has had a harsh cold since Thursday, so we didn't go on exchange this week and we've only gone to a couple appointments per day.  It's been a good opportunity for me to get things done around the apartment and organize things.We received Priesthood blessings yesterday from the elders, and those are helping. We're hoping she feels better in the next day or two! 

We had a sweet moment in Relief Society yesterday. Sister Stander taught the lesson on the talk "Which Way Do You Face?" (Oct. 2014 General Conference, Lynn G Robbins). She talked about courage and shared this story about her experience with us the week before:

"Last week, I went out on a team up with the sisters. Appointment after appointment fell through-- most were home but wouldn't answer the door. We tried and tried with no success. After three or four stops, the sisters suggested we go back to the trailer park we'd just left to try one more person. We did, but they too didn't answer the door. Behind us was a trailer with Christmas lights everywhere, and loud music blasted alongside the loud voices yelling inside. The sisters said, 'Let's try THAT door!'" (Sister Stander is quite expressive, so big dramatic actions accompanied her storytelling.) "I was scared to death. We walked up in the dark to the door, and while the sisters knocked, I just prayed we wouldn't get shot!" Then she quieted as she continued the story. "A young lady answered the door, and the sisters delivered the most beautiful, spiritual message I have ever heard." She choked up and pointed to us at the back of the room. "I want to be like them. They know which way they face." 

That was so humbling and warm for us to hear. To us, we had just knocked one more door-- something we often do when appointments cancel. To her, we had been examples of courage and love because we knew who we served. That was a special experience to hear our work so appreciated by someone else.

Have a Happy New Year!

Sister Taylor

Fwd: FW: MISSIONARY MEGAN LETTER

Date: Mon, Dec 29, 2014 at 10:21 AM
Subject: Re: FW: MISSIONARY MEGAN LETTER

Thanks for sharing! It's always interesting to see how missionary work goes in other parts of the world. :)

Love you! And THANK YOU for the wonderful year update and card and cash I got in the mail this week! I loved reading it and the cash will come in handy for me in getting any clothes/Georgia stuff/any other items I might need. Thank you so much for thinking of me even though you'd already sent a generous birthday and Christmas gift. I treasure the letters and cards you send. Thanks again. :)

My family also told me over skype that you have prepared a file for each person full of programs, letters, pictures, etc that document our accomplishments throughout our lives. Wow!! Thank you. That must have been a huge investment of time and effort and love. I have a few months before I get to see mine when I come home, but I want you to know I'm looking forward to it very much and I'm already so grateful for it. You both have been a great example to me of how important family is. I remember and thank Heavenly Father for every time you come to a concert, a talk, performance, birthday, whatever it may be. I also treasure all the trips we make to your house where there is a lovely Sunday supper all prepared on a beautifully set table, with hot rolls and mashed potatoes and grapefruit juice; or when we had bowls of ice cream in front of the TV at night; and all our trips out to the barn, exploring in the woods by your house, riding on the tractors, having family reunions with singing around the piano, hearing you Grandma play the piano, watching the two of you swing dance while my mom played Feliz Navidad a couple years ago...so many wonderful memories I will always cherish! Thank you for those. And thank you for recording them and giving them to us. I love you both so very much and I'm so glad to have you both as part of my eternal family. :) When I get home I would really like to spend time with you hearing about your growing up years! As I've been out here on my mission, I've realized I really don't know very much about your personal lives. So I'd love to put that on my to-do list for when I come back. Does that sound okay to you? 

I love you lots! Thanks again. 

Sister Taylor

On Mon, Dec 29, 2014 at 8:11 AM, Marilyn Johnson <momdadjohnson@hotmail.com> wrote:

I'm sharing this from a friend of ours whose grand-daughter is serving a mission.  I thought you might find it of interest, though you don't know her.

Love,

Mom / Grandma / Marilyn

---

To: ;
Subject: MISSIONARY MEGAN LETTER
Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 00:12:28 -0700

HERMANA DAVIS LETTER:

 

DECEMBER 23,2014:   iFELIZ NAVIDAD!

Hola mis queridos amigos! Les amo muchísimo! (Hello my dear friends! I love you very much!)

This week we passed the same little miracle with crossing the street with the same investigator, we had minutes to get home and the lights didn't go out this time but there were spaces between cars enough to run to the other side! Woo! 

We had a great success in that in investigator came to the ward Christmas posada ha ha party. Posada is what they say here, quick cultural note, posada means to ask for a place to stay and so the people here when they do this they go in the streets reciting prayers with candles asking for inn and they end at one chosen house, there they sing and "recen" (I don't know what that word is in English) I think its recite, then they eat. I just think it's funny that even the members say the posada of the church I think they just use it like party. Anyway, Martha brought her friend to the party! They loved it too! But they didn't come to church. :C 

BUT, Alfredo came! With his kids! YEEEEESSSSS. His two sons Taylor and Calvin are going to get baptized this week! I love this family so much! They are passing through much difficulty, his wife is having what we think may be a psychological break down, thanks to an awful childhood and returning to her home town 4 or 5 months ago. That is making it hard for them to get married and baptized. But Alfredo doesn't give up! He told us on Sunday morning he got the kids up and dressed they read scriptures and then his wife wasn't wanting any of them to go, he then gave the kids a choice and said I am going, who is following? And all three, even the 6 year old came!!!!!! I WANT TO CRY! Alfredo even texted us last night and gave us thanks for everything that we do and that he feels the Lord is working alongside us to bring his family together.

We saw mini miracles all Saturday, we didn't plan for a member to come with us this day because we planned to go and contact all day in the area that we know hardly anything about. Well we were blessed with 3 spontaneous lessons with a member present. One was Dulce. We had a menos activo that works for a lady who lives close to us. On the way to the food appointment Rosa the menos activa said her boss was assaulted, as in people robbed her and broke her nose and her face is a little messed up. Well, Rosa said I want you to teach here right now, and then called the elders to give her a blessing today... so we did! I think her heart has been softened and she is ready for the gospel!

We had the chance to go to the temple this last Tuesday because my companion still needed to be endowed! It was a great session and I understand everything in SPANISH I was even able to say all the lines without too much help! :) While there, the coolest thing happened! We found some one that had given us references about 5 months ago in the celestial room! I talked with her about what she wants for these girls, one is very sick of the kidneys and we had been teaching the whole family but they don't progress so we had to drop them for a while, but we picked them back up a week or two ago and she told me she just wants them to have friends in the church, not missionary lessons. She said their time isn't now but I know it will come! It was sooooo coool! I love the TEMPLE!

This week I invite you to lose yourself in the service of others. Christmas is so much more exciting when you are completely occupied with blessing others. I have experienced so much happiness serving these great people, and we are always surrounded by those we love, serve them. Figure something out and do something for someone else this week!​

with love, Hermana Davis

 

 

Fwd: Hearts are Bright, Temple Light, the Field is White!

Date: Mon, Dec 22, 2014 at 12:03 PM

Subject: Hearts are Bright, Temple Light, the Field is White!

Merry Christmas, Y'all!! 

Friday and Saturday I went on exchange (aka we switch companions for a day) with Sister Rowley, who's serving in a neighboring ward. As a Sister Training Leader, I get to do exchanges about once a week with sisters in our zone. It's been great in helping me get to know more sisters, and I'm still just learning how to do a good job of it. Sister Porter is a seasoned Sister Training Leader (she was one for 4.5 months in another area before she joined me in Athens), and has a thoughtful, loving heart, so I'm learning a lot from her. Sister Rowley is a powerful teacher, good listener, has a fantastic sense of humor, and a knack for knocking trailer parks! We had a lot of success in one. Seven of the twelve people we talked to set up return appointments with us! On Wednesday, six of the thirteen people we talked to were interested, and four of them set up appointments with us.The field is truly white and ready to harvest. 

Lyssa is still coming to church, and she feels more and more comfortable there. We had a very effective lesson on Tuesday that helped her overcome some personal problems. She started dating a member and investigating the church at the same time, which is a lead-in for problems if the relationship goes sour because the church and the beau are so closely intertwined. Sure enough, her relationship started struggling, and she didn't know what to do about her newfound interest in the church if her relationship ended. I had the idea to compare her situation to a rope. I said that there is a rope-- an indestructible, always-going-to-be-there connection, between her and God. Her investigating the church is climbing upwards on and strengthening that rope. Her dating relationship, on the other hand, is an entirely separate rope, even though he was means for introducing her to the church. If her boyfriend rope ends, the God rope doesn't have to. They are not the same rope. That comparison gave her a lot of peace and perspective. I'm so grateful the Spirit helps us in teaching! It's the connection between us and God's perfect teaching. The more in tune we are to the Spirit, the more perfect our teaching is, in every situation.

Frank, our miracle referral, came back into the picture! That was a miracle. We invited him to be baptized again, and he is on date for January 24th! He came to church, liked it, and is planning to come to a convert baptism on Tuesday. He may also join us for Christmas dinner at a member's home. We're grateful that he's back!  

Thursday was our Mission Christmas Celebration and Temple Trip!! It was, no exaggeration, probably one of my favorite days of my entire earthly existence so far. It was perfect.

Well, mostly. We didn't leave early enough to avoid traffic, and our session time came and went while we were backed up on Atlanta highways. We were very stressed, and sad that we may not get to do a session. When we got to the temple, we literally ran from the parking lot to the front doors for joy of being there! They were able to slide us into the next available session without a problem and everything worked out. My experience in the temple that day was priceless. It was probably the most powerful temple experience I've had. The only way I could sum it up is just an overwhelming feeling of profound love. I felt like a vase was in my chest, and God was just pouring and pouring and pouring love into it, overflowing in every part of me. It was so profound, yet simply gentle feeling, and real, and happy. The beauty of the celestial room paled in comparison to how I felt. I've reminded myself several since in difficult moments, "Remember how you felt in the temple." It helps me to be humble and loving, to remember the real purpose for why I am here. It helps me remember that it is truly a privilege to serve as a missionary at this time in the world and of my life. 

That night we had the Christmas Choirside, which Sister Bennion (Mission President's wife) directed. I sang O Holy Night in a trio with Sister Buhler (my beloved trainer!) and another beautiful singer, Sister Andrus. It went beautifully. Just before the performance started, Sister Buhler and I got to re-perform our Missionary Christmas parody from last year. That was just a treat! I've heard missionaries mention it time and time again throughout the year, and when we got on stage, I saw many a camera lit up and ready to record. We also found someone who had recorded it from last year, which is a great Christmas gift! (My camera had stopped working and no one else to our knowledge had recorded it. We found it!!) The audience had some good laughs, which bolstered our performance. I also got to see a few members from Lawrenceville, previous companions, and other sisters I love. On the hour-drive home, I just looked out the window at the stars and savored the sweet memories from the day. It was simply a happy, loving day I'll always treasure.

This transfer, Sister Porter and I set goals of having one baptized, three progressing, and finding one family to teach. If you could include us and our goal in your prayers at least once, that would surely be a great help on our end.

I wish y'all a white, white Christmas. :)

Sister Taylor

Fwd: I'm Old, Christmasy, and Whooowie!

Date: Mon, Dec 15, 2014 at 5:20 PM

I'm Old, Christmasy, and Whooowie!

Merryyy Christmas!!!!!

It's official, I am black. Monday night, Sister Bedke and I visited a former investigator recovering from a stroke in the nearby hospital. In the waiting room we met his family, as black and "put yo hands togethah en shou perAISes!!" as it gets. That was probably the funnest thirty minutes of my life. I sang I am a Child of God (with ample Amens and Mmmhmms and Oh, yees!'s as accompaniment), we clapped in praise, and danced (literally!) to the elevator when we left. Sister Bedke and I melted in the elevator with sighs of happiness and laughter as soon as the doors closed. The next night, our investigator Lyssa said to us and her (black) grandmother, "All y'all black women need to pull it together!" 

"But--" we started to say.

"Nuh uh. All y'all are black." she retorted. 

My life is complete. I left on my mission claiming I was sent to the south to release my inner black woman. She's been unleashed. Whooowie!

Sister Porter, my new companion, is a bundle of joy! She's from Richland, Washington, the youngest of three, and probably the bubbliest. She has a huge smile, peppy attitude, a great listening ear and a talent for making people feel special. We're getting to be good friends. I am so lucky to be companions with her!

We've made tracting a higher priority between appointments, and we found two new investigators, Toni and Renee, as a result! They both live in the same apartment building. Toni is a black, smiley, older woman, and she loved hearing about the Book of Mormon. Renee is in her fifties, works at Walmart, and believes in Christ but barely knows anything about Christ. We taught her and her college-age son Rovae the first lesson, and they soaked it up like sponges! Rovae moved back up to school in Ohio, but I am thrilled with Renee's progress. She may have a baptismal date later this week!

Speaking of a baptismal date, our investigator Kaylee has one-- for January 17th! She lives in a small duplex with the three youngest of her five children, all under the age of six. We invited her to come to church, and she accepted our offer to meet at her house so she could follow us there. When we arrived Sunday morning, we were pleasantly shocked! Kaylee, who usually wears pajamas and is rather undone, was beautifully dressed in a pink blazer, matching skirt, with her hair done, all ready for church. It turned out she already knew about five members in the ward! I am so excited for Kaylee. 

I had a couple other notable experiences:

#1 I apparently had a huge cockroach on my shoulder during an appointment (which Sister Porter didn't tell me till after we left, probably for the best). Yuck! At least I didn't know. Ignorance is bliss. 

#2 I got to do hair and makeup for a bride! A neighboring set of sisters' investigator, Brandi, got married and baptized the same week, so I was called upon to do her hair. I thoroughly enjoyed getting my creativity working again. :)

#3 Sister Porter and I sang "O Holy Night" acapella, as a duet, for the Ward Christmas Party! It went beautifully. Sister Porter was a champ for jumping in to do a solo two days after she got transferred here. 

I also went to MLC (Mission Leadership Council), which is like a Zone Conference for zone and sister training leaders. It was inspiring! One of my take-aways was this quote: "All the blessings come in the second mile." As I've adjusted to Athens and my calling as a Sister Training Leader for the last transfer, I feel like I've done my best to maintain the good already happening in the area. But I feel that now I have some roots growing, I can put more me into it and start walking the second mile. When I walked into the church yesterday, I took a mental snapshot as we walked in with Kaylee past the picture of Christ where we'd taken pictures with Dimple at her baptism. I get to be a part of so many miracles here. What a gift to be serving a mission!

My birthday was great, too. Thank you for the cards, gifts, and love! 

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Sister Taylor

Fwd: Wonders at Walmart, Cats, and Transfer Week Has Come to Town

Date: Mon, Dec 8, 2014 at 11:38 AM

Subject: Wonders at Walmart, Cats, and Transfer Week Has Come to Town

Merry Christmas, Y'all!!

Sadly and happily, transfer week has come to town yet again. Sister Bedke is leaving me, and Sister Porter, currently a Sister Training Leader in another zone, will be joining me in Athens! I've only met her a few times, but she's a happy, smiley sister so we should get along well. :) I am sad to see Sister Bedke go, but grateful to have had a transfer with her. She has one of the purest, most genuine hearts I've ever met. I've learned from her so much about looking for the good in people. I'm surrounded by dedicated, humble servants and simply loving souls. It's humbling that the Lord has allowed me to be one of the lucky sisters serving here.

The Lord, as our Mission President likes to say, has a flair for the dramatic, and we got a taste of that this week in a pretty miraculous way. In the hazy grey fog of Saturday afternoon, we had an appointment with a potential investigator in a trailer park, and it fell through. 

"There is a member here we haven't met yet. Maybe we could try them," Sister Bedke suggested. 

However, we had left our roster at home, so with neither a name nor address to contact them with, we left the trailer park.

We had planned to see a struggling family the next day who'd had a birthday, so we decided to use some of our dinner hour to swing by the closest Walmart and get cupcake ingredients. We were aiming to make it a five minute trip, so after we left the register we walked briskly towards the doors to leave. We passed a woman sitting on a bench with a quick hello, but as soon as we kept walking, both Sister Bedke and I had the distinct impression that we needed to talk to her. Neither of us knew the other had the same impression, but a few seconds after we passed her, I grabbed Sister Bedke's arm and said, "I need a drink." That gave us an excuse to double back towards the drinking fountain, which gave us another opportunity to talk to her when we passed by again.

"Hi! Are you waiting for someone?" we asked. The black woman in her sixties replied that she was waiting for her grandchildren to finish their Christmas shopping. As we offered her a card with a link to a Christmas video, she said, "Are you Mormons?" When we replied that yes, we were, she said, "I used to go to that church." 

We responded with the same question, "Are you Mormon?"

She replied that yes, she was! She told us that every month she receives a letter in the mail from her visiting teachers, and though she's never met those sisters, she deeply appreciated each kind note those sisters sent. She couldn't remember their names, but we wrote down hers, Gloria, and got her phone number. She accepted our offer to come visit her sometime, and we left the store thrilled that we'd found a member.

It doesn't end there. We came home to look her up in the roster to make sure she was in our ward, and what we found left us stunned. Not only was she in our boundaries, but she was the member who lived in the trailer park! She was the one we would have stopped by her home, twenty minutes earlier, if we had had her address with us! 

We sat there, dumb-founded, and all we could say was, "...Whoa."

A million dollars dropped on the doorstep would not have been as thrilling as that moment was. (Though there were cookies from a member hanging on our doorstep when we got home from Walmart. That was a plus.)

So:

Because our appointment fell through,

and we didn't have our roster,

and the family we planned to visit had a birthday,

and we went to the Walmart by our house,

and we both felt prompted to talk to Gloria,

and the Lord put the drinking fountain right where we needed it, 

and Gloria was there with her grandkids (and wouldn't have been at home had we stopped by earlier),

at the front,

on a bench,

where we were;

because of all those things, we found a member who is clearly being watched out for by our Heavenly Father. We called the Relief Society President (Relief Society is the women's organization for all women 18+ in the church), and she was excited to hear about such a miracle. She passed on the story to the visiting teachers who'd been writing those letters, and on Sunday they thanked us and exclaimed how wonderful it felt to know that their simple acts of faithful service were helping a sister they'd never met. The Lord knows how to orchestrate His work! How humbling and wonderful it is to be a part of it. 

We also taught Frank, the miracle referral from last week, on Tuesday. He accepted the invitation to baptism and is on date for December 27th! When we asked him how much of the Book of Mormon he had read, he said, "Oh, just about fifty pages or so." Well, okay. That's acceptable!  He's shy, about 34, and very smart (working on his second master's degree). We are happy to be teaching him.

We had a multi-zone choir practice for the Mission Christmas Choirside next week-- and I got to see Sister Hawkins, the sister I trained in Lawrenceville! I also got to see Sister Buhler, my trainer, and Sister Alvey. I love seeing familiar faces. :) Sister Buhler and I re-performed our "Missionary Christmas" parody from last year for Sister Bennion (the mission president's wife), as it was a hit and no one has forgotten it. :) Sister Bennion asked me and Sister Buhler, and another sister to sing O Holy Night together for the Choirside. Sister Bedke and I were asked to perform that for the ward Christmas party this saturday, but since she is getting transferred, I may also be performing that as a solo this weekend. O Holy Night it is! 

Funny moment before I wrap up. We stopped a older lady, Rosa, on the street and talked to her about Jesus Christ. She was actually a former investigator of the elders in our area. As we walked away, we said, "We know that Christ loves you and this message can really help you in your life!" 

She promptly responded, "I love cats." 

Then she told us all about her cats, and how she keeps them in line with a flyswatter. 

Oh dear. At least no cats will go unloved this Christmas season. :D

The He is the Gift initiative has given us so many opportunities to contact and teach this week! We got a new investigator, Paul, through it by sharing the initiative with him while tracting. Hearts truly are softened and searching at this time of year, and the He is the Gift initiative speaks directly to the needs they're trying to fill. I love bearing a simple testimony of Jesus Christ. It has helped me feel the Christmas spirit in a way I never have before. It stems from gratitude for the Savior and the gift of his life. He truly is the gift.

Merry Christmas!

Sister Taylor

Fwd: Turkey, Timing, and The Gift!

Date: Mon, Dec 1, 2014 at 11:50 AM

Subject: Turkey, Timing, and The Gift!

All Y'all,

Happy Thanksgiving!! And MERRY CHRISTMAS!!What a great time of year to be happy and service-minded, and lucky me, to be a missionary. :)

I have an invitation for all of you. Do these three things:

1) Visit christmas.mormon.org

2) Watch the three minute video on the homepage.

3) Share the link, the cards that came in December's Ensign, and your testimony of the Savior with at least one person (friend or family, member or nonmember) this week.

The Church has launched a huge "He is The Gift" initiative to spread the love and reality of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World. He is the reason for the season. We have been focusing on sharing the gift of Christ specifically in our teaching and in meeting strangers, and it has yielded positive results. People's hearts are so softened as we testify specifically of Jesus as the Christ, and we've had some powerful lessons with investigators that needed that simple reminder. I know you will have positive spiritual experiences as you share your love of Christ with those you love! 

My testimony of God's ability to make incredibly specific arrangements with who-meets-who-where-and-when was significantly strengthened this week. We had a pretty miraculous experience contacting a referral! His name is Frank. We actually haven't met him yet, but he's already been a tool in leading us to prepared individuals.

Several months ago, a member in a nearby branch (small congregation) contacted my current companion, Sister Bedke, and her companion at the time. She said a friend of hers, Jackie, who lives in our boundaries, had been in her dream and she felt strongly that the sisters should contact her about the gospel. This and that happened, and they were unable to get her information and never ended up contacting her. Fast forward to this week. 

We decided to drop by Frank's home one night to meet him-- he had just moved here from Tennessee the week before. We knocked on the door, and a woman in her forties invited us in. She introduced herself as Ruth. She said this was her mother's home, and Frank was renting a room there. He was sleeping in another room. 

Not two minutes later, an older woman walked in the front door carrying groceries and introduced herself as Jackie So-and-so. "Jackie So-and-so?" Sister Bedke asked. Then she put it together, that this was the same Jackie the member had asked us to visit, but we had no way to find! So God used a referral from Tennessee to lead us to a former referral we hadn't been able to contact! So many factors made it happen the way it needed to. Had we gone any other night, we may have met Frank, and not Jackie; Ruth was in from out of state this week, and had she not been there, no one would have answered the door; they left out of town the next day, so we wouldn't have met her if we'd gone another day; and if we'd come five minutes earlier, we wouldn't have stayed long enough to meet Jackie. God works in mysterious ways. We'll hopefully meet with them next week after their trip. What an exciting miracle that was for us that night.

Thanksgiving was a wonderful service opportunity! We helped the Bishop's family prepare the Thanksgiving dinner they served to 20+ members and less active members at the church. Later that day we took leftover meals to individuals and families who didn't have anyone to spend Thanksgiving with, or couldn't afford to give their family a Thanksgiving meal. It was a special way to spend Thanksgiving. I don't ever want to go another Thanksgiving without inviting friends or families that need a place to go! We also had dinner with the Stake President's family, and we got to hold their chickens and visit their horses in their barn. It was a homey, memorable thanksgiving. 

Sunday night we had another Thanksgiving dinner with the Standers family. They are as homegrown as they come--- they raised, butchered, and prepared their own turkey! It was fun to be around a simple, happy family in a farmy atmosphere. Definitely a meal I won't forget. :)

Saturday was an adventure. We got stuck in game day traffic (UGA lost to Georgia Tech in overtime, tragically)...for an hour and a half. We took the opportunity to sing songs, talk, and comment on passerby's. 

Our investigator Lyssa came to church again yesterday. It was a little stressful for her because her boyfriend, a convert from last year, had some anxiety and spent much of the block outside or in the foyer. But she listened to the lessons and felt more comfortable in such an interactive environment. That is something new and different for her in a church. Our lesson this week also went quite well! The Spirit prompted us to talk about baptism, and led us beautifully from subject to subject, scripture to scripture, till it wove into our lesson perfectly. That was essential, because Lyssa would back off quickly if she felt pressured or pushed into joining the church. If you want to be a good teacher, be worthy of the Spirit as you teach. The Spirit is a much better teacher than I could ever be on my own! She said she wants to be baptized, and has considered it before. The time wasn't right to give her a baptism date, but we're setting the stage for when the time comes that she'll be more than ready. 

It's been another wonderful week to be grateful for. :)

Twenty five days till Christmas!

Sister Taylor 

PS

Me with a chicken and Scottie (Stake President's grandson :) )

A hundred year old Baptist Church's sign

Fwd: UGA, He is the Gift, and Wearing Green

Date: Mon, Nov 24, 2014 at 1:15 PM
Subject: UGA, He is the Gift, and Wearing Green

All y'all,

     I went on exchanges with the sisters serving on UGA (University of Georgia) campus this week, so I joined another sister at UGA. Contacting on campus is a whole different animal than street contacting or tracting! You walk around campus and stop students and share the gospel with them. It's very bold, but totally worth it when we have a Spirit-led conversation with genuinely interested people. Stopping people was a little intimidating, but once we started talking it was easy for me. Lots of students ignore you or give you strange looks. I don't mind, but it was certainly strange to have that kind of reaction among people my age! It's part of being a missionary. Someday somebody will be happy to see me approach them! ;) 

     We had a fantastic miracle with an investigator, Lyssa, this week! Lyssa is the granddaughter of a recent convert, Sister Miller, and has a hard life behind her. Her mother and sister died in a fire when she was young, and it still pains her. Up until recently, she would say hello then quickly excuse herself during lessons. But on Tuesday, she and her boyfriend Manasseh, another recent convert, joined us for a scripture study at Sister Miller's home. The Spirit was powerfully present as we talked about baby steps, and about how Christ invites all of us to come unto Him, no matter how far away we are. We asked her what she thought the next baby step was for her in coming to Christ. Without hesitation, she said , "Coming to church." She's been inside a church once in the last fifteen years, and that was five years ago. Coming would be a huge step. Toward the end of the lesson, we extended the invitation. 

     "Lyssa, will you come to church with us this Sunday?"

      She paused, took a deep breath, bit her lip, and said, "Sure. Yes. I can try that." 

      It was one of the most powerful moments in a lesson I've ever felt before! At the end of the lesson, we each went around and said a prayer. When it came to be her turn, she said nervously, "Look, I'm really not good at this." We assured her that even a ten second prayer would be valued by Heavenly Father because it came from her. Then she prayed, and it was beautiful, sweet, and sincere. Afterwards, she smiled and said, "That was my first prayer." We didn't know that! The Spirit was so strong, and teaching was so easy because the Spirit led us along the whole way. That was a moment I wouldn't trade for anything. 

     Then Sunday came, and we got a call from Lyssa's grandmother. Lyssa's aunt, a less-active member, having heard that Lyssa had promised to come to church, came too to surprise Lyssa!  Lyssa loves the color green, so we promised we'd wear green to church for her.  So Lyssa, Manasseh, and her aunt Barbara were all at church together yesterday, most of us wearing green. What a sweet sight that was! 

On Saturday I gave haircuts to Sister Strickland and her two kids. They're living on basically nothing in a one room extended stay, so this was much needed and a great help to them. I'm so glad I have the ability to serve in that way!

Starting November 28th, the Church is releasing a month long initiative called "He Is The Gift". It's about remembering Christ, the true meaning of Christmas, and discovering, embracing, and sharing The Gift with everyone we can this Christmas season! The Church made a beautiful two minute video (view at christmas.mormon.org), is purchasing ad space in Times Square, New York City, for all the month of December-- as well as the header space on YouTube all day December 7th. Challenge for you, share christmas.mormon.org with friends and family members. Share the gift, because He is the Gift. :)

Happy Fall Y'all! And Happy Thanksgiving! 

Love,

Sister Taylor

PS

How I did Sister Bedke's hair yesterday

Rainy day

Somebody put a pair of tights on our windshield wipers....?? Mystery prank!

Fwd: Leaves are Red, the Boys in Blue, and Stories for You

Date: Mon, Nov 17, 2014 at 11:57 AM

Subject: Leaves are Red, the Boys in Blue, and Stories for You
To: Lindy Taylor <lindyjtaylor@gmail.com>

Yall!

Georgia is BEAUTIFUL. We drove through a tiny town, Maxeys, and I could not put my camera down. I'll share a few of my favorite pictures.

This week, we've been cleansing our teaching pool. We've been working with a lot of people, for a long time, who were doing really well. Then they all stopped doing really well at the same time. It seems the Lord has cleared our plate and has others for us to find! So this week, as much as we are able, we are dedicating time to tracting and prayerful finding so we can find those prepared by the Lord. We did have some wonderful people come to church and great people are everywhere in this rich, gospel-ready area. :)

I had a neat experience with the gifts of the Spirit this week. There is a promise in a scripture found in D&C 84:85 (https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/84.85?lang=eng#84), (a compiling of scriptural revelations given to modern day prophets), that basically says that if you prepare with the Spirit, God will give you the words you need to teach. We were visiting a man, Brother Boerstler, who joined the church twenty-something years ago but has been inactive for a few years, except for a brief spurt in which his wife joined the church. She also slipped into inactivity. We were sitting on his screened in porch, just saying small talk, when he asked, "Well, what you got to teach me?" 

Immediately, I opened my scriptures and shared a verse with him I had studied that morning. It spoke of the Savior and His Atoning sacrifice, and the need to repent. When I looked up from reading the scripture, his countenance had changed. I could tell he'd felt the Spirit. He sincerely thanked me for sharing the scripture. A few minutes later, he walked us across the street to meet his neighbor, Miss Shirley. "These are the sisters from my church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. You should invite them over sometime!" He said. "They teach about the Book of Mormon. It's another testament of Jesus Christ. Have you read it?" He was a great member missionary! I know the Spirit helped me know what to say, so that the Spirit could testify to him. 

We had a slightly embarrassing, but pretty comedic moment with the boys in blue this week. I was on exchange with a new sister, and we were going into a Walgreens to make a quick stop. A young man next to a sales table stopped us outside, and we talked for about 25 minutes. He and his friend were recovering meth and drug addicts, among other crimes, there asking for donations for recovery programs. We had a good talk about favorite verses, and the Atonement...great, right? Then a police officer approached and, finding these men without a soliciting permit, told them he was calling other officers right then and they had better leave, etc. Wookay! We excused ourselves. That got awkward REAL quick. It gave us a good laugh later on! 

Please pray for Takisha. Takisha eagerly accepted a baptismal date of December 13th (my birthday!), but something came up and we've been out of contact for a few days. She has a bright light in her eyes and with her mother's recent death, she needs the gospel now more than ever in her life. 

Have a great week!

Sister Taylor

PS I don't know if I gave this out yet, but in case yall need it, send mail and delightful packages to:

Sister Taylor

4315 Lexington Rd Apt 6C

Athens, GA

30605

Fwd: Newbie STL, Dimple, Athens on Fire!

Date: Mon, Nov 3, 2014 at 11:08 AM

Subject: Newbie STL, Dimple, Athens on Fire!

Yall!!

I am absolutely LOVING the Athens 1st Ward!!!! We are teaching a LOT. Our week totaled twenty-eight lessons, eighteen of which were with investigators, and we found six new investigators in five days. And we have a baptism this Saturday. I feel incredibly fortunate to be in an area on fire!!

Leaving Lawrenceville pulled some heartstrings, but I know it was my time to leave. We visited the Allens before transfers (two moms who were baptized as kids and want to bring their families back into the church), and the Spirit  was strong. I don't know why I clicked and felt so connected to them, we are completely opposite-- but there is something very special about their family. I felt prompted to invite them to be active in the church. I was nervous, but they accepted. One said "Of course!" almost before I could finish saying it. I can't wait to hear what happens with their family. :)

Sister Bedke is wonderful, and our companionship is off to a great start. She's 22, from Pleasant View, UT. We're the pleasant companionship because we're from the two Pleasants in Utah. :) We came to the mission at the same time so we've both been out thirteen months. She's soft-spoken yet bold, serves with so much Christlike love, and so pure in heart. To welcome all the new sisters to the zone, we wrote a get-to-know-you parody to the tune of hymns describing each sister, then sent it out as a voicemail. It was hilarious and way too much fun to write. :) I couldn't be happier with her and with this area!

I don't have much experience yet in the Sister Training Leader department, but I am enjoying it. It's an adjustment from training, where I always had the lead, to here, where I'm the newbie in my calling. But I'm doing my best to love these sisters and serve them the way Christ wants me to. One thing that has changed, is that there is no down time ever!! None. Zip. Nada. Zero. Usually you have from 9:30-10:30pm to get ready for bed, write in your journal, etc...but I've had three to four minutes to get ready for bed each night, and we still have things on our to-do list. One day I literally had to make PB&J sandwiches on my lap in the car while we sped down the highway to our next appointment. It's a blessing to be so busy!

Athens is awesome!! It's geographically huge, compared to my last area. Athens is very poor. Lots of duplexes, looootts of duplexes...trailer parks, and small neighborhoods, and lots of highways. It'll probably take a minute to learn my way around. I literally have felt like I'm in a movie, walking through a gravelly duplex lot in the 1990's, with folks sitting in plastic chairs on porches,all wearing withered denim and old t-shirts. We stand out a lot in such a poor area. The other day we were in a trailer park checking on an investigator, and two police cars were parked next to the trailer we were going to. The two cops greeted us and watched us as we walked. No one was home, but as we were leaving the two cops called me over. "What are you doing here?" they asked. "We're missionaries!" I said. "Well, you stick out like sore thumbs around here," they said. I told them a little about what we did, then we went on our way. We do stick out! I like it though. There are more opportunities to share the gospel when people want to know who you are. :)

We're also close to UGA campus, which is interesting (you know the frat and sorority houses with greek symbols on them that look like mansions?? They exist outside of movies!!). The people here are incredible. They are so real, and love talking about the gospel with you. 

Another tender mercy! A family that I loved in Canton, the Stricklands, moved to Athens while I was still in Canton...and now I'm in their ward again! Sister Strickland was baptized 1.5 years ago, and she, her husband, and two kids live in a one-room extended stay motel. We visited them Saturday, and Sister Strickland said that Autumn (her 5 year old) talks about me and Sister Alvey all the time. "We've had a lot of sister missionaries, but you were the sister missionaries for us," Sister Strickland told us. I love their family, so it was nice to hear them say they loved me too. :)

Dimple, age 20 from India, is getting baptized on Saturday. Her story is amazing! Her LDS professor was lecturing on evolution, and when she approached him after class insisting that there must be more to our purpose than animal origin, he smiled and said, "You're right." He referred her to us, and that was just a month ago. Now she's getting baptized! She is so pure and loving. She accepts the doctrine so easily and loves to learn! I feel privileged to be here during her conversion.

A miracle this week is that while we've had little to no time to tract, almost half the people we did talk to became new investigators! Yesterday a lesson fell through, but a young mom across the street was outside and expressed interest in the Book of Mormon. Another day we checked on a referral and met his mother instead, who had some questions about the afterlife since her father's recent death. People here are so receptive. It's wonderful. I want to focus on finding families to teach.

Challenge this week: Read the Book of Mormon every day. A verse, chapter, page, whatever you can make time for. I felt impressed to read the Book of Mormon cover to cover in the next transfer (six weeks), so I'll be doing this right along with you! It brings a sense of direction and peace to your life. That's what it's done in mine.

Have a lovely week!

Sister Taylor

Happy Hogwarts Everyone!

Dear Friends,

I hope you enjoy this little ditty I put together.  It's all in good fun, and I had a marvelous time with Mergatroyd.  

Enjoy!  

Lindy Taylor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJV4z4r_EaM  (to view the interview with  Mergatroyd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cATqfGqjJhk)

P.S.  Sorry if I accidentally sent this twice your email address.  Just know you are loved.  

London, Fashion Shows, & Fried Green Tomatoes

Date: Mon, Oct 20, 2014 at 12:47 PM

Subject: London, Fashion Shows, & Fried Green Tomatoes

(From Christa) 

Hey Yall!

Ebi is still on date for November 15th,  and she and her son did come to church yesterday! They came to both classes but left before sacrament meeting (we have all our meetings in reverse order-- and she was worried about her son acting up during the meeting). She said they would plan to come to all three hours next week though. She's progressing well! 

Comfort leaves this Saturday for London. I will miss her, especially since I may not be here with transfers when she gets back. She is still, as always, a diligent student and note-taker. She is much easier to communicate with now that we know her better. She firmly desires to be baptized, and has a simple but strong testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. I included a picture of her with one of her study notes of 1 Nephi 8. She amazes me!

This week we met a lady named Tiko, and her mother, Cookie. How's that for some interesting names! That's one of my favorite parts of being here in the suburbs of metro Atlanta...you meet ALL kinds of people. Last night we passed a house with probably fifteen cars parked in front of it...a passerby said they were having a Christian testimony meeting! Well, by golly, I'm Christian, and I LOVE to share my testimony! So we knocked, and got invited in. The service was in Korean...and a man was giving a really, really long prayer. So I didn't get to share my testimony with fifty plus people at once. :( But we did talk to the man who invited us in, and gave him a Book of Mormon. It was a fun little adventure!

We visited a less-active woman who dresses well and has a fashion fettish. We asked her how we could help, and she said, "Do you wear a size nine shoe?" We ended up leaving with four or five dresses and three pairs of shoes she was trying to get rid of-- she's doing some seasonal closet cleaning. All the shoes were flamboyant, pretty tall heels-- so of course a red carpet fashion show was in order. Let's just say sister missionaries and heels are not a good combination...but they are a comedic one! We had some good laughs modeling the shoes and dresses for each other.

I tried fried green tomatoes for the first time this week! They're pretty good! Just delicious fried batter with a slightly sour taste. I approve.

Please keep praying for Comfort, Ebi, and families here in the South that need to find the gospel. The Lord makes miracles happen according to our faith!

Love,

Sister Taylor

Fwd: Fufu, General Conference, and Meet the Mormons!!

Date: Mon, Oct 6, 2014 at 2:55 PM

Subject: Fufu, General Conference, and Meet the Mormons!!
To: Lindy Taylor <lindyjtaylor@gmail.com>

Yall!!

Super short on time this week, but join me for a few highlights!!

1) FUFU

It's an African eating EXPERIENCE. It consists of a sort of spaghetti-sauce with chicken and cornmeal-dough, and you eat it sitting on pillows on the floor around a low table. No utensils allowed! You form little balls of the dough with your hands and dip/roll it in the sauce, and eat it! You also shape the dough to pick up the chicken pieces to make your own utensils. You get super messy and it's AWESOME. I'm making it when I get home! Probably my favorite mission meal yet.

2) Meet the Mormons

I saw a pre-screening this week, and it is an incredible film! It's being released in theaters nationwide on October 10th. Make it a priority for members and non-members alike, especially the latter. It's a fun, touching, enlightening perspective into six unique individuals worldwide who make a difference through their faith, and whose faith has made the difference for them. It's incredible. See trailers at mormon.org. 

3) General Conference

All eight hours of listening to the prophet, apostles, and leaders speak were incredibly powerful and enlightening to me. I had many favorites but one was by D. Todd Christofferson, who talked about how whether or not you like something does not determine whether or not it is true. God is the author of truth and what he declares true is true, and that's that. We can also seek truth from our Heavenly Father, and he lovingly answers. We do so through prayer and scripture study.

I hit my year mark this week, and my it has flown! No time left, but miracles happen every day and keep praying for my area. God has people for us to find.

Love yall,

Helaman 5:12

Sister T

Fwd: Burritos,

Date: Mon, Sep 29, 2014 at 12:53 PM

Subject: Burritos,

​ Dogs and Perfect Timing​

To: Lindy Taylor <lindyjtaylor@gmail.com>

YALL!! 

We saw a pretty amazing miracle yesterday! We arrived at our first area to tract, but the neighbors seemed suspicious of our car so we decided to leave. The second and third areas we went to just didn't feel right. I felt a distinct impression to go to the subdivision our dinner appointment was at-- one not often tracted because it's a richer area. I didn't want to spend more time driving around, but it felt right to go, so we did. 

In my mind I saw the right side of the street more specifically, so we wound through the neighborhood for a few minutes then chose a street to the right. We spent an hour there and only knocked three doors! At the third door we met Terri, a "spiritual, not religious" woman who invited us in after greeting us apprehensively. She had only moved in a few weeks prior. She was fascinated by the Book of Mormon, and after several minutes of good conversation, we set up a return appointment and left. 

Next to the neighboring house, an older woman was calling to her dog who had wandered into some bushes. We helped her catch the dog and struck up a conversation. It turned out her mother and two other close relatives have died suddenly in recent months, so we bore our testimonies of the Plan of Salvation and eternal families. "Maybe it's not a coincidence I met you ladies today," she said. I know it wasn't! I'm glad we listened to the Spirit so we could be led to these two women who needed us at that moment. 

Comfort, our African investigator, is still going strong!! She came to church for the third time yesterday and also to the Women's Meeting on Saturday night. The only hold-ups are her language barrier and the fact that she can't drive, but hey! I'll take those any day for someone as dedicated to the gospel as she is. I love her. And, she said she'll sing some gospel for us this week, woot woot! :)

We had a few days this last week that were long and hard, but leave it to us creative folks to find a way to lighten the load. Sister Hawkins and I held an official fiesta-- complete with burritos, mustaches, soaking our feet in the bath, and as much spanish as either of us knew. (We were going to eat the burritos by candlelight, but a lack of candles and funds had us settle for fluorescent.) It was a blast! When the fun doesn't come on it's own, we bring the fun. (See below to judge for yourselves, but I think I look rather nice with a mustache.)

Please pray for Edwin (got kicked out, we don't know where he is), Ebi (trials with (singly) parenting her 5 year old), Jeff & Georgina (Georgina is often sick and they've been difficult to get ahold of), Jason (psychological issues), and Queen (too sick to come to church). Your faith and love for these strangers brings added strength and hope to both you and them. Thank you so much.

Everyone around us needs the gospel. Everyone does. So "all ye that kindle fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your fire" (2 Nephi 7:11). Share the light you have. God gives us opportunities catered to our capacities as we are willing to receive them.

Have a great week! 
Sister Taylor

Fwd: Role plays, Park People, Painting

Date: Mon, Sep 22, 2014 at 12:26 PM

Subject: Role plays, Park People, Painting
To: Lindy Taylor <lindyjtaylor@gmail.com>

Yall!

Georgia is simply gorgeous. We helped some members moving in paint their house last weekend, and on the drive there, we just couldn't believe how beautiful it was. Sunny, Cauliflower trees (thus dubbed by me, basically bushes of green everywhere except the road), and a mere 73 degrees or so. Perfect day. We had fun painting, too. Sister Hawkins and I had some good laughs and the members really appreciated the help.

Comfort, the African lady who came to church last week, is preparing to be baptized on October 18th! We taught her twice this week and she came to church again in beautiful African attire. When we go to teach, she's already outside waiting for us. She faithfully reads the chapters we leave and takes thorough notes of the key points. We left 2 Nephi 31 with her last time, and since she noted the theme of baptism, she went ahead and read the sunday school manual chapter on baptism, as well. Her accent and the language barrier make communication difficult, but she's smart and can teach it back to us better than we taught it in the first place! Last night she said with great emphasis, "I am ready to repent, and be baptized, and join Christ's church!" Oh, well then! We can work with that. :)

Part two of her miracle! We found out that her son is currently taking the lessons in Ghana, her home country! In her recent Ghana trip, she would sit in on the discussions there, and now she's learning herself here in the States. Her family is being united on all sides of the globe. 

Edwin has concerns with coming to church because his family traditionally always goes to their church together. We're planning to organize a church tour with Edwin and his family so they can feel more comfortable with the church. He wants the gift of the Holy Ghost-- he feels "gladdened" and "enlightened" when he reads the Book of Mormon and prays, and wants to feel that way all the time. We're hoping he'll accept a baptismal date on our next visit. 

The "Shaq's" family and Keo & fam are both on the backburner for right now. We love them dearly, but neither are progressing. We'll check back with them in a month or so.

Queen, who hasn't been to church in more than twenty years, came to the ward picnic and church tour! She said it was a miracle because she walked more than she's been able to in years, and during the church tour she bore her testimony strongly of the Atonement. Her health has kept her from church, she was too sick to come yesterday. But we're praying she'll feel well enough to come next week. After the picnic, she sang us three songs that she wrote about Jesus. They were beautiful gospel songs..I wanted to start swaying and oohing and echoing with amens and halelujahs. :) We love her and I love seeing the Spirit start to park alive in her again. 

Ebi is doing well. When we went with a team up, her usually organized, tidy home was unorganized and she was overwhelmed and stressed with her son, family situations, work, and more. We read some comforting faith scriptures in Alma 32 with her, and that really helped. She feels the Spirit when she reads the Book of Mormon, and she says her number one priority right now is building a relationship with God. She has a bright light about her. This week we'll invite her to baptism.

We had a miracle with role-playing this week! It was with Jason, the history buff, because of a role-play (where we practice teaching each other, taking the role of our investigators) earlier that day in our studies. Jason has avoided all spiritual aspects of our visits, and has severe anxiety issues. When we bring up prayer or spiritual things, his gag reflex kicks in and he has to excuse himself momentarily. In our role play, I was Jason, and we practiced inviting him to pray with us. As we role-played, sentences and images of what Jason would do and say came to my mind, so I acted on those. I made it pretty difficult for Sister Hawkins; I said no several times, asked irrelevant questions, changed the subject, brushed it off, you name it. But Sister Hawkins was patient, taught beautifully even though we had some long pauses as she figured out a response-- and eventually I accepted the invite to pray. 

Well, Jason's lesson went almost exactly how we had role played it. He avoided and avoided, but we kept bringing it back to prayer. He eventually tried to close it by saying he would pray next time. We bore our testimonies, taught him how, but he continued to refuse. I felt prompted to say, "Jason, we want to invite you one more time before we leave. Will you pray with us?" He fumbled with his hands, "Well, what kind of things would I pray for?" We helped him make a small list, then he offered a simple prayer, mostly for us. It was awesome!! It was the first time he's prayed aloud with people, perhaps at all, in years. We knew the Spirit had guided our role-play and prepared us to listen to the Spirit during the lesson. 

We went contacting at a huge, popular park on Saturday night, and had great success! We had fifteen meaningful conversations in forty-five minutes. I had so much fun doing it, and people responded much more kindly than when we knock on doors. :) One girl in her twenties had actually met the other sisters in the area a few weeks ago, and said she'd come to church. Another had attended the LDS church regularly in high school, but eventually lost interest. He said he would look into the church again. Another is looking for a church nearby, and his name is Lorenzo. With a name like that, you pretty much have to be a Mormon. ;) 

I love yall. This week's scripture: 2 Nephi 3:8. God makes us greater when we try our best to do His work.

Love,

Sister Taylor

P.S. 

I and Sisters Davis, Johnson, and Hawkins.

Enjoy the Karate Kid tribute. 

And I am stalwart as always.

Fwd: Comfort, Cake, and Caterpillars

Date: Mon, Sep 15, 2014 at 1:52 PM

Subject: Comfort, Cake, and Caterpillars
To: Lindy Taylor <lindyjtaylor@gmail.com>

YALL.

God is a God of miracles. We had some big ones and some teeny ones this week, and how awesome is it that I get to see them EVERY DAY as a missionary?! Sometimes I forget to look so I don't see them, but the Lord is always giving. I invite you to do the same! Look for the tender mercies God puts in your path. 

We had dinner with Weston and Kasey, both scientists, at a member's home and talked about exercising faith to find spiritual evidence of truth. It's hard to believe in something when it can't be sustained entirely by physical evidence. How interesting that the most important knowledge available--that there is a God, who is our Heavenly Father and loves us--is solidified in our souls primarily by spiritual evidence! God does provide physical evidences of His work, but we must exercise faith to find spiritual evidence, which is just as real and more lasting than physical proof. 

Our mission president has started a new emphasis in our work with members, in which we role-play instead of sharing a brief scripture thought. The members take the role of a friend or relative who is not a member or less-active, and we teach them as though they were that person. It's been a great success! In the four times we did it this week, one member got ideas on how to reach out to her less active brother; another was reminded of a cousin in need of support; a couple arranged to introduce us to a part-member family; and a recently reactivated member cried as she recounted her experiences coming back into church activity. This is definitely an inspired change in our approach to member work!

Here are some of the big miracles from this week! Ashu was an African man referred to us online. When we arrived, he and two other African roommates were there ready to be taught. There was no furniture in the small apartment, so we stood for over an hour. It felt powerful to testify on my feet to three attentive investigators! All three had solid questions and listened carefully to the message of the Restoration. Our member team up cried and cried with joy when we left because missionary work is what she loves so much. No one else had been available that night so it was a miracle to have her come with us to such a successful lesson with not one, but three prepared people.

Janet, a Hispanic woman, was another miracle. A couple weeks ago, we had ten minutes to tract and the first door we knocked was hers. We set up a time to come back, but she was not at home when we returned. That was the night we felt prompted to visit the Vietnamese man who had a firm desire to go to the temple. So this week, another appointment fell through, and we decided to give Janet a try. She was home and let us in. We started teaching the Restoration, and she sincerely said, "I have gone to so many churches, and I never felt anything. Something is missing; I want to feel that peace in my heart!" We testified of the Restoration and gave her a Book of Mormon, and she said she would read it. We referred her to the Spanish elders, who are working with her successfully. I know the Lord orchestrated that experience, because none of the miracles surrounding her were arranged by appointment or planned ahead. He just made it work perfectly!

Comfort was the candle on the cake. We came to church yesterday and were informed that a black woman named Comfort was looking for us. After a few moments of conversation with her, it dawned on me who she was. My last companion had tracted into her six months ago, but they were unable to teach her because shortly thereafter she left on a 5 month trip to her homeland in Ghana. She got back last month and had eagerly awaited our return. We didn't come by, so she stopped waiting and had her daughter take her to church. In her broken English, she expressed that she had read the Plan of Salvation pamphlet, believed it was true, and that she wants to dedicate her life to Christ, join the Church, and be baptized. Okay! She stayed for all three meetings and enjoyed it thoroughly. We're teaching her tonight and giving her a baptismal date for early October. I hope and pray her enthusiasm continues as we teach her.

Speaking of cake, it's Sister Hawkins' birthday tomorrow, she'll be an oldie at 21! If you write me soon then be sure to include some birthday wishes for her. :) We're halfway through her training already. It's flying by! I love her and I love working with her.

Funny side story. As a missionary, the amount of effort it takes to entertain you diminishes to almost nil. We were waiting at a door and noticed a small caterpillar hustling across the concrete. Our conversation was as follows:

Sister H: Dude, look. This lil guy is hauling.

Sister T: Yeah, he's booking it...Where you think he's going?

Sister H: I dunno! Look, he's on the wall now.

Sister T: Whoa. I didn't know caterpillars could do that.

This was a real conversation. We didn't realize how ridiculous it sounded till we walked away! So. If you think you need a blockbuster or facebook or a comedian to be entertained, that's false. Just give up normal life and soon the insects at your feet will become adventures waiting to happen. 

Thanks for the letters, emails, prayers, and love. I'm feeling it!

Love,
Sister Taylor

P.S. We also taught Edwin, Jason, Michelle, Ebi, and Weston and Kasey. Ebi and Michelle are both single moms with one son, looking for a church that will help their sons grow up in Christ. Jeff and Georgina canceled because of sickness, and will need to set a new baptismal date. Please pray for these wonderful people as they are seeking the path God has in mind for them.

Fwd: Smoothies, Loads, and Queen Esther

From: Christa Taylor <christa.taylor@myldsmail.net>

Date: Mon, Sep 8, 2014 at 2:47 PM
Subject: Smoothies, Loads, and Queen Esther
To: Lindy Taylor <lindyjtaylor@gmail.com>

All y'all,

We are blessed with a pretty awesome problem...we are overwhelmed because we have SO much work to do! Last week, we had fourteen appointments with investigators set up before the week even started. This upcoming week is the same-- we already have ten lessons with investigators scheduled, plus four service projects, dinners, daily team ups, tracting, exchanges, and member lessons. I've felt more overwhelmed than I have in a while, but incredibly grateful to be so busy with investigators!! This area is abundant with people prepared to listen to the restored gospel.  I'm learning a lot of patience, because not everyone we're teaching is progressing as quickly as I want them to. But I'm grateful to be playing some small role in God's timeline for helping these people accept the gospel and the Atonement of Christ in their lives. 

Trung, the kind Vietnamese man from last week, canceled his appointment at the door but offered us ten or twenty referrals by next time. How's THAT for a consolation prize?! We're hoping for a stellar lesson and a full bucket of referrals this Friday.

And. You will never in your life guess who I met this week. 

Elvis? No, much more pizzazz. 

Ironman? No, much more strength! 

The Queen of England? No....but close.

Ladies and gentlemen, I met Queen Esther! 

How, you may ask? Well...maybe not the exact same Queen Esther the Old Testament boasts of. This Queen Esther is in her sixties, black, and living in Lawrenceville, Georgia with a different last name. But her name really is Queen Esther! The Bishop suggested several less active members to visit, and she was one of them. When we walked in, she said, "I don't think I'll ever be coming back to church...like ever." She hasn't been to church in more than twenty years. Our team up really connected with her and helped resolve her concerns, like what to wear to church and getting a ride, among other things. The Spirit was subtly, but clearly there. By the end of our meeting, Queen's countenance changed. She got excited about coming to the ward picnic, and said, "I just felt good about it as soon as it came outta yo mouth!" We're going to read the Book of Mormon with her on Wednesday and hopefully she'll be back at church soon! 

Jeff & Georgina didn't come to church, but we did teach them once. It wasn't our best lesson but they still want to learn. There was an interesting point when Georgina (Catholic) said, "I know Catholics baptize babies, but I don't think that's right...it's not your decision when you're a baby, and babies are pure anyway." I was able to point out that her religion preaches differently than she believes, and that she was correct, infant baptism was wrong. I testified of the Restoration, that it was a blessing to have all the puzzle pieces of doctrine we need so we don't need to pick and choose what to believe. I think that brought the Spirit. They're still on date for the 27th but aren't reading regularly, so we may need to push back their date. We'll also be teaching another family, the Muellers, on Tuesday (we're having dinner with them in a member's home!). I'm so privileged to be working with families!

We have found great wisdom in taking small 5-10 minute breaks. One day we were both struggling, and smoothies were the answer. We had lunch break time left over, and our stress levels were too high, so I felt right about making a pit stop for smoothies. It was incredible how much it helped! We were able to get back to work refreshed and more calm. When your load gets too heavy, stop. Take a step back, breath, and remember Mosiah 4:27:

"And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength..."

I know from experience that God always provides a way for you to accomplish His will. In that way, we are blessed with unending strength! I challenge each of you to pray for opportunities to be a light to others. By word, by example, and in our service, we can show others the love Heavenly Father has for each of them.

Hope your week isn't as muggy as mine!

Sister Taylor

P.S. 

1)We take preaching the gospel to ALL the world pretty seriously.

2) I and my greenie at the mission office. :) 

Fwd: Sick of pictures?

1) Us at the mission sign!

Fwd: Smoothies, Loads, and Queen Esther

Date: Mon, Sep 8, 2014 at 2:47 PM
Subject: Smoothies, Loads, and Queen Esther
To: Lindy Taylor <lindyjtaylor@gmail.com>

All y'all,

We are blessed with a pretty awesome problem...we are overwhelmed because we have SO much work to do! Last week, we had fourteen appointments with investigators set up before the week even started. This upcoming week is the same-- we already have ten lessons with investigators scheduled, plus four service projects, dinners, daily team ups, tracting, exchanges, and member lessons. I've felt more overwhelmed than I have in a while, but incredibly grateful to be so busy with investigators!! This area is abundant with people prepared to listen to the restored gospel.  I'm learning a lot of patience, because not everyone we're teaching is progressing as quickly as I want them to. But I'm grateful to be playing some small role in God's timeline for helping these people accept the gospel and the Atonement of Christ in their lives. 

Trung, the kind Vietnamese man from last week, canceled his appointment at the door but offered us ten or twenty referrals by next time. How's THAT for a consolation prize?! We're hoping for a stellar lesson and a full bucket of referrals this Friday.

And. You will never in your life guess who I met this week. 

Elvis? No, much more pizzazz. 

Ironman? No, much more strength! 

The Queen of England? No....but close.

Ladies and gentlemen, I met Queen Esther! 

How, you may ask? Well...maybe not the exact same Queen Esther the Old Testament boasts of. This Queen Esther is in her sixties, black, and living in Lawrenceville, Georgia with a different last name. But her name really is Queen Esther! The Bishop suggested several less active members to visit, and she was one of them. When we walked in, she said, "I don't think I'll ever be coming back to church...like ever." She hasn't been to church in more than twenty years. Our team up really connected with her and helped resolve her concerns, like what to wear to church and getting a ride, among other things. The Spirit was subtly, but clearly there. By the end of our meeting, Queen's countenance changed. She got excited about coming to the ward picnic, and said, "I just felt good about it as soon as it came outta yo mouth!" We're going to read the Book of Mormon with her on Wednesday and hopefully she'll be back at church soon! 

Jeff & Georgina didn't come to church, but we did teach them once. It wasn't our best lesson but they still want to learn. There was an interesting point when Georgina (Catholic) said, "I know Catholics baptize babies, but I don't think that's right...it's not your decision when you're a baby, and babies are pure anyway." I was able to point out that her religion preaches differently than she believes, and that she was correct, infant baptism was wrong. I testified of the Restoration, that it was a blessing to have all the puzzle pieces of doctrine we need so we don't need to pick and choose what to believe. I think that brought the Spirit. They're still on date for the 27th but aren't reading regularly, so we may need to push back their date. We'll also be teaching another family, the Muellers, on Tuesday (we're having dinner with them in a member's home!). I'm so privileged to be working with families!

We have found great wisdom in taking small 5-10 minute breaks. One day we were both struggling, and smoothies were the answer. We had lunch break time left over, and our stress levels were too high, so I felt right about making a pit stop for smoothies. It was incredible how much it helped! We were able to get back to work refreshed and more calm. When your load gets too heavy, stop. Take a step back, breath, and remember Mosiah 4:27:

"And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength..."

I know from experience that God always provides a way for you to accomplish His will. In that way, we are blessed with unending strength! I challenge each of you to pray for opportunities to be a light to others. By word, by example, and in our service, we can show others the love Heavenly Father has for each of them.

Hope your week isn't as muggy as mine!

Sister Taylor

P.S. 

1)We take preaching the gospel to ALL the world pretty seriously.

2) I and my greenie at the mission office. :)