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. :) 

Fwd: Vietnamese POW, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Squirrel Droppings

Date: Tue, Sep 2, 2014 at 2:12 PM

Subject: Fwd: Vietnamese POW, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Squirrel Droppings

Y'all,

I have some fun stories for yall this week! Stay tuned for a vietnamese miracle, the magic of member missionary work, squirrel "droppings", and awkward "and so we meet again"s. 

Listen to this miracle we had last night! It was with a kind Vietnamese man, Trung, that I met about a month ago. Our evening appointment fell through, and we both felt right to go bring him the Vietnamese Book of Mormon we'd promised. The timing was perfect-- he came out to greet us before we got to the door. We gave him the book, and as he skimmed through the introduction, his face lit up and he said, "Hold this, one minute!" He dashed inside, then came out holding a lengthy LDS vietnamese tract about Joseph Smith he'd been given four years ago. He had underlined several portions of it, written in notes, and kept it neatly all this time. Apparently he had searched online after we met him the first time, because he then started to describe the Salt Lake Temple. "Byooteefoh, byooteefoh!" He said. When Sister Hawkins showed him a picture of it, he said, "Yes! Yes!" Then with a determined tone to his voice, he said, pointing at the picture, "I will go there before I die. I will go there."

He then told us that in the 1970's, he'd been a lieutenant in South Vietnam when communist North Vietnam invaded. He'd been in a concentration camp for six years in horrible conditions. He hadn't believed in God, but he saw God protecting him during those six years; so when he finally got out, he read the Bible, loved it, and became a Christian. We know his story doesn't end there- we feel so privileged to be yet another part of his miraculous spiritual journey. We will help him towards the temple!

I had one of my mission bucket list dreams come true this week. It was pretty epic.

We were tracting, and met a nice Jehovah's Witness lady who wasn't interested in our message, wouldn't take a card, but shared some of her beliefs with us. We left and went on our way.

NEXT MORNING,

there is a ring at the door. I looked through the peephole and, seeing two black women in skirts, motioned to Sister Hawkins to grab a pamphlet so we can exchange literature. I answered the door, and who was there? The SAME LADY we'd tracted out the day before! She started to introduce herself, then she looked at my nametag, my face, and said, "I...I know you! You knocked on my door!" She quickly handed me a pamphlet and went on her way. I've ALWAYS wanted a JW to tract into me, and it was awesome to have it be someone I'd already met. Good to know we're both acting on our testimonies of Christ!

We taught Edwin a great lesson on prayer and faith. There are two parts to any testimony-- a physical, or logical, knowledge (based on physical evidence and logical conclusions), and a spiritual knowledge (only obtained by prayerfully seeking answers and studying it out in your mind). He says he is physically convinced that the Book of Mormon is true (he read five extra chapters than what we asked!), but not yet spiritually convinced. He said he knows he isn't doing his part to know spiritually, so he committed to pray and ask God if it is true. Can't wait to hear his answer!

We had a few rough days tracting this week-- met a rather unkind baptist minister, we were mocked and laughed at a few times, we were ignored, and got a good, solid door slam (my first one in almost a year of being out! I don't count my real first one because that lady came out, apologized, and talked to us for an hour afterwards). But we had a few tender mercies along the way, one of which was when we felt little pebbles dropping on us from above while walking up a driveway. We looked up, and there was a squirrel, noisily chewing on an acorn...the "pebbles" being crumbs he carelessly dropped as he chewed. It made us laugh! 

We had dinner with Jeff & Georgina at a member's home! They became great friends with the members and stayed there another hour or two after we left. And, a fantastic member couple referred their neighbors to us, a young couple with a toddler son, and we taught them the first lesson this week. Their names are Kasey and Weston. I felt the Spirit strongly when we testified of eternal families and Joseph Smith, I hope they felt it too. They committed to start reading the Book of Mormon together. We set up a night to have dinner and a lesson at the members' home in two weeks. I feel so blessed and privileged to be working with several families!!

 Members are so important and wonderful! Our work with Jeff & Georgina could not have gone this far without members of similar background sharing their conversion experiences and friendship with them. Likewise, we might never have been able to teach Kasey and Weston had the Purdy's not sent us over. (Neat sidenote, we had knocked doors on their street a few weeks before, but decided to skip Kasey and Weston's house. Had we not skipped their house, they might not have been interested without knowing their neighbors sent us and we may have not been able to teach them! God set up the timing perfectly.) 

I challenge all of you members to renew your commitment as member missionaries, starting today. Be an example! Tell someone about Mormon.org, share a Mormon Message video with a friend! Invite someone to a family home evening, fireside, or temple openhouse! The possibilities are endless. My testimony has grown in knowing that when you invite, the Spirit will touch hearts and prepare them for the gospel. 

Enjoy your week!

Sister Taylor

P.S. We take preaching the gospel to ALL the world pretty seriously.