Fwd: Hello, Canton!

Howdy y'all!

 

I'm graduating to more country greetings because I am indeed in the country. Weeow. We drive by fields (I can breathe!) and horses all the time; uneven, knobby wooden fences strung with barbed wire; more accents and in some areas, pretty po-dunk. But there are several areas just as nice as John's Creek, as well. I'm still fresh here but I think I'm going to love it.

It's been quite the first five days in Canton. It's like starting over and serving a new mission, except I don't feel quite as lost as when I started the first time. ;)

One of the biggest differences is the ward. I absolutely loved church yesterday; there are many strong members who are excited about missionary work and love the missionaries. But I've seen more inner turmoil and outward strugglings in the members in five days then I feel I ever did in my four and a half months in John's Creek. Some of the people here are going through remarkable trials, and have trusted us with their deepest feelings and concerns. There is a great need for healing and love between and for the members.

I've also learnt the importance of keeping a neat and detailed area book. I flipped through several teaching records that were incomplete, not informative, and sometimes hard to read. We were able to update and reorganize most of it, but some of the records won't ever be very helpful and the missionaries who wrote them are long gone. I'm not really one to talk since I haven't been perfect about updating the area book myself, but I'm not going to let that happen to future missionaries because of me.

 

Also, our apartment is actually a small townhouse in a complex-- so we have an upstairs (our room, laundry, study room, and our OWN bathrooms) and a downstairs (kitchen, garage, living room). It wasn't awful, but it really needed some TLC to get clean and liveable. Sister Mac was sick one morning so I cleaned for an hour or two. Especially after we cleaned this morning, there are no more piles of random paper, the floors are vacuumed, floors swept, bathrooms sparkly clean, and furniture neatly placed. No random piles!! I think (I hope) I'm turning into a neat freak. I don't want to be freakishly obsessed with being clean, but it would certainly be a helpful habit compared to where I was before!

 

I'm trying hard to find my purpose here. I feel like there are so many needs among members, less actives, and the responsibility of finding people to teach, that I can't meet all of them. I guess I really can't. But that's where the Spirit comes in. I just want to feel like I have a specific vision of what Heavenly Father wants Sister Macedone and I to accomplish here.

I've had promptings from the Spirit that help me know that there are people here to find and teach. I have a renewed focus and desire to find them. I'm still working on having the faith, humility, and obedience that will help me be worthy to teach those families and individuals. I want to specifically work on that through more specific, sincere personal prayers and exact obedience, especially with getting to bed on time. I'm often a few minutes late and it's unnecessary.

Sister Macedone and I are getting along pretty well. For whatever reason I've been a little closed off and not as warm and loving as I usually am, but I apologized to her for that and I'm working on being my loving self. She has a big heart and truly loves the people she serves, and they know that. Her approach with members and less actives is much more casual than I'm used to, but I'm adjusting. I can see how that part of her personality is what these members have needed. I'm slowly opening up to new ways of connecting with people.

I love the countryside here and the beautiful winding roads! It's a beautiful area. I'm excited to be here.

Have a lovely February!
Sister Taylor

 

--

“You don't blast a heart open," she said. "You coax and nurture it open, like the sun does to a rose.” ― Melody Beattie

Fwd: ps

ps sidenote, my new area Canton is in Marietta-- so wanda and john's family will probably know people there! i'll find out what ward i'm in this week. love ya!

Fwd: Happy Valentine's Day!

From: Christa Taylor <christa.taylor@myldsmail.net>
Date: Mon, Feb 10, 2014 at 10:58 AM
Subject: Happy Valentine's Day!
To: Lindy Taylor <lindyjtaylor@gmail.com>

Ya'll!

Sister Mellott and I worked hard and had a good week. We still have several investigators we have difficulty contacting, some we haven't seen in several weeks. During weekly planning we dropped a few, at least temporarily, that we felt don't need our focus right now. It felt right. We were able to spend more time planning in depth for people we knew we would be meeting with. We hope to meet with more of our MIA investigators this week and help them progress! 

I've focused on faith this week in my prayers and studies, and it is so revitalizing! I feel more motivated to work and press forward as I try to exercise faith through specific prayers and working diligently.

Our progressing investigator Victor is doing quite well. He's keeping commitments and believing what he reads and hears, but we're working on helping him build a solid testimony. He's on date for the 22nd, but depending on how much material we teach and how he progresses, we may move it back a week. He hasn't told his wife or children that he's investigating the church-- and we're anticipating some opposition there (for example, his daughter is in ministry and has already warned him against Mormons). But we're praying hard for him and we know he'll make it. Funny moment with him-- we were rescheduling an appt with him due to Brother and Sister Hawkins' (fellow shippers) kid's soccer game-- Victor said "Man, we can save Victor later! Forget about Victor, we gotta get to that soccer game!" He's a funny guy. 

I've gotten to use my (very) limited spanish skills at a few doors-- no new investigators among them yet, but it's fun to see how much I can muster and understand!

We were talking to one man at his door, Trume, and had an interesting experience with not being "confounded before men". He's agnostic (basically means he hopes there is a God), and after we introduced ourselves it became clear that he had a lot of unresolved questions and hard feelings towards religion and us, in particular. He said he'd read the Bible, it hadn't made any sense to him, and since Christianity banks on the fact that it does make sense, he left christianity. 

We introduced the Book of Mormon and the Restoration, and he started arguing with us, saying we thought everyone else was wrong, and we're right, how could we possibly know that, etc. We just said that we were sharing something that had brought us peace and understanding, and simply wished to invite others to have the same joy we've found. That brought the Spirit, and he softened a little. After we left, Sister Mellott mentioned that about not being confounded before men, and I realized she was right, that's what had happened! I'm grateful she helped me recognize the Spirit that helped us in that situation.

Thanks for everything you do! Happy Valentine's Day!

Sister Taylor

Fwd: Pictures 5

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Christa Taylor <christa.taylor@myldsmail.net>
Date: Mon, Feb 3, 2014 at 12:11 PM
Subject: Pictures 5
To: Lindy Taylor <lindyjtaylor@gmail.com>

The abominable snowman....is a sister missionary!! THAT'S how sightings happen all over the world! :)

--

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.
Gilbert K. Chesterton 

Fwd:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Christa Taylor <christa.taylor@myldsmail.net>
Date: Mon, Feb 3, 2014 at 12:07 PM
Subject:
To: Lindy Taylor <lindyjtaylor@gmail.com>

--

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.
Gilbert K. Chesterton 

Fwd: Pictures 3

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Christa Taylor <christa.taylor@myldsmail.net>
Date: Mon, Feb 3, 2014 at 12:05 PM
Subject: Pictures 3
To: Lindy Taylor <lindyjtaylor@gmail.com>

Ammon was a little sloppy putting all those Lamanite arms in the trunk. I take comfort in this nice, innocent, happy little crime-less pocket of town!

--

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.
Gilbert K. Chesterton 

Fwd: Pictures!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Christa Taylor <christa.taylor@myldsmail.net>
Date: Mon, Feb 3, 2014 at 12:02 PM
Subject: Pictures!
To: Lindy Taylor <lindyjtaylor@gmail.com>

1) So our heater broke a couple weeks ago for about a day. We were a little cold during studies.

--

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.
Gilbert K. Chesterton 

Fwd: Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

From: Christa Taylor <christa.taylor@myldsmail.net>
Date: Mon, Feb 3, 2014 at 12:45 PM
Subject: Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
To: Lindy Taylor <lindyjtaylor@gmail.com>

It snowed in Georgia! Schools were closed Tuesday through Friday, though there was only snow and ice on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was only a few inches, but it came down fast. President Wolfert had us all stay in for the day before it hit, and we're sure grateful we did. In some areas, people were stuck in their cars for 24 hours on the freeways because they were so packed. In some places, kids had to stay at school overnight, 20 minute drives took several hours...it was pretty bad in some places, but it wasn't like that everywhere. We just stayed in on Tuesday, and worked by foot on Wednesday. That sure got us tuckered out. I'm so grateful for a car! :)

The day we stayed in, we played General Conference Bingo with M&M's, had soup and hot cocoa, did some planning and organizing, and got to bed a little early. The next day we weren't allowed to drive because of the icy roads, so we were on foot for the day. We tracked a nearby condominium subdivision, and Sister Mellott and I had a great deep conversation about doctrine while we walked. 

We talked a lot about baptism, sealings, and the plan of salvation. The plan is so neat. Sometimes it seems awfully complicated and mysterious, but while there are still some unanswered specifics, when we pondered each topic, answers came to mind and it all came down to the simplicities of the plan of salvation. God loves us, we have the potential to become like Him, and He has prepared a perfect plan for all of us to become perfect and perfectly happy. It's as simple as that. All the details we don't understand yet will be made known in God's due time, and until then He has provided us with ALL the tools and resources we need to progress and start tasting that eternal happiness now, through conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ. What an incredible plan!

I've been working on overcoming personal weaknesses, like pride and being self-critical, and this morning during personal study I learned something helpful. I remembered a quote in PMG that essentially says, "A study of doctrine will change behavior faster than a study of behavior will change behavior." It clicked for me; I realized I've been focusing on understanding my behavior to change behavior, rather than understanding the doctrine to change my behavior. This week I want to focus more on increasing my conversion to Christ through studying doctrine. I think this will help me be a more effective teacher and missionary, as well as help shift my behavior to be more humble and selfless. That will help me more than anything else I've been doing.

We have one investigator who is coming along quite well, Victor. We had a lesson with him on saturday, and he now has a baptismal date for February 22nd, with every appointment between now and then scheduled. He's come to church twice now and seems to be enjoying it. During our lesson he said he had trouble understanding the first chapter in the Book of Mormon, so we all opened to 1 Nephi 1. Turns out he'd read at least the first eighteen chapters! It is so exciting! 

On saturday before our lesson, Sister Mellott and I were both very nervous. We prayed and I know God helped us, because we helped him understand what he's read, he accepted the invitation to baptism, and we have the next lesson arranged to happen in a member's home. I didn't feel like a master teacher, but I felt confident enough to teach the material and guide the lesson. I felt led, or at least supported, by the Spirit. I don't think God would help out this much if it wasn't His work! 

Saturday to Sunday, we had exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders. Sister Grimnes from Logan, UT was my companion for the day. We went tracting in a lovely, woodsy area, which was dandy and pleasant...except for a big dog who tried to bite me and made Sister Grimnes slip and get her hand all muddy, and that dog was a jerk. I was not happy about that. But I guess God loves mean dogs too. And I wouldn't be a true missionary unless I had some mean dog story. Sister Grimnes and I had a good time getting to know one another, and she's quite conversational so I enjoyed the constant conversation while we walked. She has great love for the people and I hope I can develop that same love while I'm here.

I love John's Creek, Sister Mellott, and we're having great experiences. Favorite scripture this week-- Helaman 3:35. The righteous people, though persecuted, were comforted and filled with joy because they yielded their hearts to God and were humble. I know God will do the same for each of you as you pray and exercise faith. I'm learning that here in Georgia. If He'll help a little redhead knock doors in Georgia, I know He'll help you too. 

Love!

Sister Taylor

--

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.
Gilbert K. Chesterton