Fwd: Hot, Humid, Busy

Date: Tue, May 27, 2014 at 3:31 PM
Subject: Hot, Humid, Busy
To: Lindy Taylor <lindyjtaylor@gmail.com>

Heyall!

We were exceptionally busy this last week, but it was particularly uneventful, which makes it fairly difficult to provide an interesting account of the last eight days. But I shall try to share whatever excitement my memory can muster. 

We've been blessed to find our investigators mostly by referrals! We've received three referrals in the last two weeks. That has been a great blessing for us. Hopefully they'll be three new investigators by next week. :)

We taught our investigator Lucy today in the beautiful outside under a tree. While she has a lot of questions and doubts, she is searching and open. She's been involved in many religions but associates herself the most with Judaism. She's open to believing in Christ again if she finds that it's right. So here we are, teaching a Jew! She prayed at the end of the lesson and it was a beautiful, sincere prayer. I am looking forward to seeing her progress.

Miracle!! Dawn's nonmember husband that we taught last week CAME TO CHURCH of his own accord on Sunday! No one invited him, he just came. He lost his job the day before and it's humbled him enough to be willing to learn more. We should be teaching him and Jason soon, hopefully this week. 

I just want to share my testimony with that I do know God knows us. He is real, and He is our Father. He knows and loves each of us, perfectly, individually. His number one priority is to help us attain the happiness that He has, and that is because He loves us. He provided a way for us to have salvation-- "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in Him should have everlasting life" (John 3:16). 

He lets us stumble so we can learn from our mistakes and choose for ourselves to follow Him. Like a parent, He is proud of our righteous choices, and blesses us for our positive efforts. He teaches us line upon line, with small and simple things, and we progress the same way; line upon line, through small and simple things. I know God loves me when I see the small, subtle miracles and tender mercies He gives me each day. This morning I prayed to find my camera charger, and when I felt to look in my bag, I found it there. I prayed to be more selfless and giving, then Mosiah 2-- a sermon on service-- was in my scripture reading. It's in the small and simple things! Ask and ye shall receive; knock and it shall be opened unto you. I know God answers every prayer asked in faith. I know God loves you.

I love yall too. Have a wonderful week! 

Love,

A Sweaty Faithful Missionary

Sister Taylor

Lizards, Exchanges, & Rehab May 5, 2014

Hey yall,

This week had a MONTH'S worth of events happen in seven days. It was exhausting; but I'd rather be overwhelmed with lessons than underwhelmed with an empty planner. We are very blessed!

Before all the good stuff. Animal life around here is exciting. I saw a few possums this week (dead ones, roadkill is frequent), a live beaver this morning, and a lizard was in our apartment the other day! We were slightly disturbed when he disappeared into a hole in the cupboards...but he later emerged and we helped relocate him to the great outdoors. We see the little lizards everywhere, usually on doorsteps in plants, but I haven't had one get inside before. He was cute and blue.

We went on exchanges with the STL's (Sister Training Leaders) Tuesday/Wednesday, and despite some unfortunate events (finding out an investigator moved, getting the car stuck in the mud, accidentally running into the elders at a member's house,etc), it was a REALLY good exchange. I stayed in Canton with Sister Breinholt. She is an amazing sister. She loves easily and is sweet, genuine, obedient, and so humble.

We had one really good contact with a couple people in their garage. They weren't interested, but they were Baptist and had some skewed information about our beliefs. We were able to explain that while our works still matter, a lot-- our beliefs wholly center on Christ and the absolute necessity of a Savior. Without our works, we could not learn how to use our agency to become more Christlike and obedient to his teachings-- therefore we would not learn or grow. Yet without the Savior, there would be no means to save us-- therefore, we could not learn or grow. It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do (2 Nephi 25:23). They seemed more comfortable and at peace understanding that we see the essential role of the Savior in our salvation. We walked away knowing the Spirit had guided us to say the right thing. I love those moments when clarity comes so easily-- aka when the Spirit teaches instead of me! 

Our investigator Rachel is excited and ready for baptism, as long as her interview goes well on Wednesday. We're trying several different ways of wrapping her infected foot so it won't get wet underwater. We test run our our feet in the bathtub at home. The final method will include bandages, syran wrap, elastics, tape, and lots of bags. We are NOT going to reinfect her foot with a saving ordinance! That would be dreadfully ironic. We're just praying that the baptism will happen and go smoothly. I am so blessed to have taught someone as prepared as she is. She is truly a gift at this time on my mission. 

Poma, our other investigator (who was) on date, moved out, declined a ride to church, and we haven't talked to her since last week. We're calling her within the next day or two to see if we'll continue teaching her. She moved closer to us, actually, but the new place is not a very good environment. We'll do what we can for her but she may not be ready.

Sister Alvey and I's companionship has been wonderful. We're very different but we get along and work together very well. Part of me wants to stay companions with her for the rest of my mission because she is so driven and we get so much work done! 

Have a splendid week!

Sister Taylor

P.S. Pictures

#1 Me in a bamboo forest we found last week.

#2 A friendly reminder of your obligation to keep me informed. Just kidding, but I'd love to hear from you. :)lindy

YALL.

This week. Was. AMAZING.

**que Hallelujah Chorus**

Saturday was Rachel's baptism!! and for my first, it couldn't have been any better. We wrapped her foot with several bags to protect her open wound and prayed that everything would fall into place, and it did, flawlessly. The bags worked and she was able to get in and out of the font. When she came up out of the water, she just hugged the bishop who'd baptized her and cried. The Spirit was tangibly strong, and everyone in attendance felt it. While Rachel changed clothes, Sister Alvey read the Joseph Smith story while I played hymn arrangements in the background, and that also brought the Spirit. It was the best baptism, mission or not, that I've ever been to. 

Rachel was heavily medicated on Sunday, but was able to come for her confirmation. Her home teachers already have an appointment with her for this week and the ward is welcoming her in. Everything is coming together perfectly for her. 

Skyping our parents was great, of course. :) I felt uplifted and refreshed by that time with my family. Happy Mother's Day!!

Here are two other miracles that lit up our week. One is that Rachel's son, Jason-- who has been on the edge of anti-- felt the Spirit strongly at the baptism and, as of last night, now wants to take the lessons! We start teaching him Thursday. We've been incredibly blessed. 

The other big miracle happened Saturday night. We were at a less active couple's home that has been a favorite for past missionaries. Sister Debbie said to Sister Alvey, "I don't think you realize what you've done for this ward. I see it in you and I saw it in Sister Taylor....because of you two, I'm going to become active." We were so grateful to have heard that, especially from her. The work has been slow here for a while, so I'm grateful that we've been able to help make a difference in this ward.

I got to do two of the Laurel's hair for Mormon Prom on Saturday. It was fun to get my hair skills working again!

We also got TRANSFER calls today and....I'm staying with Sister Alvey another transfer!! That's at least six more weeks. YAY. That really needed to happen. I am so looking forward to this.

Have a wonderful warm week! It's 90 and humid here in Canton!

Love,

Sister Taylor

P.S. We found a book about Mormon missionaries on the display stand here at the library! Very cool. Also a picture of Sister Alvey and I with Rachel. :)

--

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

God Knows Hearts, Light In Our Eyes, & Running At The Woods

Happy May Day! 

We did have some stressful but good accomplishments for the week. We gained, then lost, then regained an investigator. Rachel's (our recent convert) son, Jason, felt the Spirit at Rachel's baptism and wanted to take the lessons. Then he dropped us before our lesson on Thursday, because he doesn't want to live the law of chastity. We visited the family anyway-- Jason lives with his member sister, Dawn's, family-- and had quite the experience. 

I'll precede the story by telling you that I prayed that morning to be able to teach by the Spirit, and to recognize when I was. God answered that prayer in a big way.

He and Dawn's husband, Joel, were both pretty argumentative and packed with anti material. But by the end, Jason went from defending beer and an immoral lifestyle to defending his sister and her faith. He has again agreed to take the lessons. Joel went from attacking our faith to realizing where his own faith is. While he was accusing us, I felt the Spirit guide me to know what questions to ask him. When it came down to it, he realized he wasn't sure that he had a belief in God. Joel isn't ready right now, but he committed to pray every day this week to know if there is a God. We left shaking hands and he asked us to pray for him. For as chaotic as the situation was at times, it ended in the best possible way. 

Yesterday we visited Miss Peggy-- Rachel's rehab roommate-- and two ladies from her Baptist church were there visiting! We had a lovely visit, and sang I Need Thee Every Hour for them. They knew it too and sang along at some parts. The two ladies said we should come sing for their church at a Wednesday service--- I sure hope that works out! What an opportunity. Peggy said she could see the love and the light in our eyes. It's a testimony builder to hear others say things like that. We really are about God's work.

The last few days we had several inconveniences and stressful experiences, so we were pretty wary by the end. The little things added up to big things. The last little thing was yesterday, on our way to go tract. Sister Alvey was drinking water and accidentally spilled it all over herself. I laughed and recorded it on my camera. For Sister Alvey, it was the last straw. We put the car in park, got out, and, yelling like maniacs, ran at the nearby woods. I'm sure the scene was comical from a distance. We returned home, she changed, and we waited faithfully for Monday to arrive. It did. Endure to the end is true doctrine, folks. Sometimes, you just keep going and you know eventually, things will get better. They did for us. :)

We felt the Spirit guide us and protect us this week. I'm grateful I have six more weeks to learn from Sister Alvey. She's a wonderful example of focus and diligence and I'm becoming better every day!

Have a great week!

Sister Taylor

P.S. I made a snowflake out of my tortilla. 

I also enjoyed the outdoors while tracting.

Fwd: pics

1) as close as I've come to riding bikes in Georgia