Fwd: Some recent tidbits!

In case you've been wondering how Christa is doing since she returned home . . . she is doing great for someone readjusting to civilian life! I hope you enjoy this catch up letter and know that we love you and appreciate your interest in her especially while she was serving as a missionary.

-Love,

Lindy

From: Christa Taylor <christaliana@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Aug 16, 2015 at 11:55 PM
Subject: Some recent tidbits!

Grandparents and family,

Sorry I've been MIA with weekly emails for a bit! I have some tidbits and experiences to share with you though. Enjoy. :)

- My car keys went missing for two weeks, so I used a family friend's van. While I was at the temple yesterday, my mom found the keys in a random folder in our mud room! Temple blessings!

- SCHOOL STARTS IN TWO WEEKS! I move out in like ten days. Doesn't feel real yet. I have a lot to do to prepare but I am excited. :) I'll be living on campus at BYU.

- I'm trying out for both the ballroom team and concert choir! 

- I'm quitting at both the Salon and Old Navy, so when school starts I'll just work one shift a week at American Eagle and do hair at my apartment on the side. The salon wanted me to work more hours than I could possibly do while going to school full-time, so I felt it was right to quit.

- Last week I worked two 13 hour days (an 8 hour shift and a 5 hour shift back to back). I literally clocked out at American Eagle, walked around the corner to the salon, and clocked in. Surprisingly I had plenty of energy left over. Again, blessings!!!

- This is my last week with three jobs. Bittersweet, relieving, awesome.

- There's a guy in my ward, Brandon, whom I've wanted to ask me out for the WHOLE summer and he hasn't, so most awk

​w​

ardly, during a church related phone call I suggested we go to lunch sometime. So we're doing lunch on Tuesday. (crossing my fingers) 

- Sister Davis and Sister Johnson and I are going to be living in the same apartment building on campus! None of us will be roommates but we might be in the same ward. :) 

- A less active friend from my home ward, Ashlyn-- who I've been reaching out to this summer since I got my ward missionary calling-- CAME TO CHURCH TODAY!!! She came with her best friend Kat, also from my home ward, who got home from her mission 2-3 weeks ago. Happy miracle day!! I hope she keeps coming!!

I've had a couple neat experiences with meeting people at the temple recently!

#1 I think it was Pioneer Day when I decided to go to the temple that morning. Who knew it would be closed for Pioneer Day? So as I was sitting in my car for a few minutes, a van full with a sunday dressed family drove up and stopped when they saw that it was closed. I had the feeling I should walk over and talk to them through the car window, so I did. They were a sweet, friendly family, and the mom said, "Well, since we can't go in the temple today, how about you share your testimony with us?" Right there, in the parking lot. So I did. A sweet spirit was there. They also asked me what I felt was my biggest takeaway from my mission. I hardly thought at all when I answered something like this: 

"The gospel of Jesus Christ. Before my mission I had no doubts that it was real and true, or that it worked. But on my mission, I learned how to live it. It became a pattern of life for me. I learned that Christ was the only way, the only one who could heal me, forgive me, teach me, and love me perfectly. I couldn't redeem or correct myself just through punishing or disciplining myself; I learned that the grace and mercy of Christ is the only thing that can do that. Now I am so much happier and at peace with myself, and my relationship is so much stronger with God."

The car was silent, and the mother had tears coming to her eyes. "Wow..that was..very profound. I really needed that." She looked at me. "Thank you." We talked a moment more and we parted ways. But I felt that I was really meant to meet them that morning; they lifted me, and I lifted them. That's the purpose of the temple anyway-- to be spiritually lifted. So I suppose my efforts to go were not in vain. :)

#2 During aforementioned loss of car keys, I had gotten a ride to the temple from my sister but I had no ride home, so I'd started walking. Barely three minutes into my walk, a sweet couple in their 40's who'd just finished their shift at the temple rolled down their window and called out, "Hey! You need a ride?" I accepted and ran and got into their truck. We discovered that they had a son who'd recently returned from a Georgia mission, too! Not mine, but Georgia nonetheless. By the time we got to my driveway five minutes later, he had offered me a book he'd written on the temple (he tried to give me a copy on the spot but he'd ran out), and they'd invited me come to dinner at their home with them and their son sometime! They were such kind people! I'm so grateful that there are so many loving people like them in the world, and that I had the pleasure of meeting them. :)

I have been learning so much. I've done a lot of recommitting myself over the last couple months, and I feel like it's been a solid, hard working, good learning summer. I'm excited to see what college life will be like!!

I sure love yall!

Love,

Christa

Thank you for supporting Christa!

Dear Friends, family, and all those who expressed interest in our daughter during her mission - 

We felt supported by your prayers, your letters, your faith, your interest, and in some cases, your presence. Thank you!  We've enjoyed having her home, and all is well with us.  Feel free to drop a line at any time.  I'd still love hearing from you.

Love,

Lindy

Fwd: Beautiful Baptism, To Everything there is a Season, So Great a Cause

This is her last letter- thanks for your wonderful support, everyone!  I hope you have enjoyed this journey with her.  Blessings to all of you- and feel free to write to me anytime anyway- I'd love to hear from you.

-Lindy T.

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

Date: Mon, Apr 13, 2015 at 11:27 AM
Subject: Beautiful Baptism, To Everything there is a Season, So Great a Cause

Yall,

Angela was baptized this weekend! We had several obstacles the morning OF the baptism, which was an adventure to say the least! The jumpsuit we thought would fit her didn't, but we didn't have a key to the jumpsuit closet, and an hour later when we got one, there were none her size! But with extra angelic assistance, we found someone to watch the filling font while we made a miraculously quick 20 minute there-and-back trip to Walmart, where we immediately found a white scrubs top and white capris she could wear. We invited the cashier to the baptism while we were at it, then dashed back to the church. We arrived at the same time as Angela, and all went well. 

On Angela's end, she had been feeling discouraged and even a little doubtful the night before and morning of her baptism. But she talked to her recent convert friend, Ana, who reassured her that she too had experienced opposition before her baptism, and that her choice to proceed with faith was right. That gave her the courage to move forward. The baptism service was beautiful. She bore her testimony at the end of her baptism service, and her sweet, sincere testimony and expression of gratitude was heartfelt and touching. She was glowing all day. For my last Saturday in the mission field, it was the perfect way to end. 

We had so many miracles this week, I would exhaust your eyeballs trying to share all of them. Here are a few: 

After plans fell through, we knocked one door with our team up and taught a lesson to Kaitlyn, a college student, who accepted a baptismal invitation. 

We tracted and found a family of three who, after we taught the mother the first lesson, had a strong desire to read the Book of Mormon and come to the baptism saturday. 

We felt inspired to follow up with a Book of Mormon referral first instead of after some other plans-- and he had to leave less than ten minutes after we got there! We caught him in the nick of time.

We found three new investigators on one street, including a referral from someone on the street we contacted!

...In fact, the man sitting next to me in the library right now just showed me a video on his screen, so I showed him one, too! I whipped up a video on mormon.org, and it happened to be someone from Georgia! He pulled it up on his screen, and after he watched it, we had a great conversation about finding truth and our individual journeys towards God. His name is Tim. He said he's going to go home and read more about it, then refer himself on mormon.org. Miracles! On the way in to the library, I realized I didn't have any mormon.org cards, so I said a silent prayer that I wouldn't need them to share the gospel while we were emailing. Prayer answered. :)

Like the good book says, there is a season and time for everything. It's unreal that my mission chapter of life is drawing to a close...but I have a peaceful reassurance that I have served the mission Heavenly Father sent me to serve, and that He will guide me in the upcoming chapter of my life. I am simply filled with gratitude for the experiences and growth I've experienced on my mission. I know God lives and loves me and all the people I've met. I know this Church is true. 

I heard recently from Elder Zwick, a general authority that visited our mission, that a release from full-time missionary service is simply a change of assignment. 

I'll continue to serve the Lord the best I can. After all,

"Shall we not go on in so great a cause?"

-- Joseph Smith

See you all soon! 

Much love,
Sister Taylor

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Fwd: Jumper Cables, Doubts are Gone, & Ancestors Make Great Team-ups

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

Date: Mon, Apr 6, 2015 at 3:41 PM
Subject: Jumper Cables, Doubts are Gone, & Ancestors Make Great Team-ups

Y'all!

What a marvelous week it has been! General Conference was uplifting and an answer to so many prayers. Easter Sunday was a beautiful opportunity to reflect on my personal relationship and gratitude for the Savior Jesus Christ. And while we still have much room for improvement, we were able to see much progress and many miracles this last week.

Angela is getting baptized this Saturday, and all is well. She moved on Thursday into a member's home where she's renting a room, and the arrangement thus far has been a very positive one. She has officially stopped smoking for ten days now! She attended all four sessions of General Conference-- two at home with the member, and two at the church with other member friends. She loved it. Brightness and peace have replaced the incomplete search that seemed to wear on her face when we met her. She has a strong testimony and we are privileged to have been guides during her conversion process.

We taught Julia while I was on exchange with Sister Tau'aho. She's the one who came to church last week and loved it. She had read from the Book of Mormon like we'd asked her to, and when we introduced the plan of salvation, she asked earnestly, "Where DO we go when we die?? I have always wanted to know that!" We taught her about where we came from, why we're here, and the Atonement. She had a son pass away at a young age, and the message brought her comfort. The Spirit was strong as Sister Tau'aho and I testified of the Atonement and of Christ. Julia accepted a baptismal date for May 2. The Spirit led that lesson.

Later on that day, we talked to a girl named Diane standing outside near a potential's home. She had little religious education and a very confused perception of what we believe. Sister Tau'aho beautifully followed the Spirit. She extended her hand, introduced herself, and then bore pure testimony of Jesus Christ and how He had impacted her life. When she finished, Diane said, "You just said the exact words my grandmama said before she died. I know that's true." Her whole countenance changed from confusion to an open desire to understand. We gave her a return appointment and set up a return appointment. I learned much from Sister Tau'aho. She has much love to give and she humbly seeks to improve. It was a fantastic exchange. 

We had a miracle with unlikely circumstances when our teamup's vehicle unexpectedly died this week! Our appointment and the next backup or two had fallen through, and we had just tried a less-active family's door with no success. Sister Thomas went to start the van, but it would not start. At all. Eventually there was not even a whir in the engine when she turned the keys in the ignition. We all sat there in silence. It was really hot and muggy. The neighbors we'd just talked to weren't very interested in the gospel. We decided to say a prayer. The car still wouldn't start, so we decided to knock doors, again-- this time looking for someone with jumper cables! 

The second door we knocked, a very tired woman said, "Oh, come in, come in." When we stepped in, I realized it was one of our former investigators, Ashley! I didn't know she lived there because she was the medical aid for one of our less actives, and we always saw her at that home. She didn't have jumper cables, but we taught her a great lesson and she expressed a desire to be baptized and take the lessons. She's been really flaky in the past, but God led us there for a reason, so we'll give her our best shot. Ashley is incredibly busy, so it was truly miraculous we were led to her when she was home. 

Still with no cables, we left Ashley's to see another car parked next to our dead van. The less active family-- the Curry's-- were home! I'd tried them several times before with no success because they were never home, and now, here they were-- with jumper cables. The car took just enough time to charge for us to talk to the mother, invite her to general conference, and set up a return appointment. Then the van started and we were on our way. Had the van not died, we wouldn't have been able to talk to the Curry's or Ashley. The Curry's didn't come to Conference, but their daughter, who we hadn't met, did! I don't know if our interaction had anything to do with it, but we know we were led by the Lord that day, even in peculiar ways. 

While cleaning out last year's referrals last week, I spotted "The Glenn Family", who had never been contacted because they were difficult to contact. I jotted it down in case we had time to contact them that week. Fast forward to Friday, when five appointments fell through and in the hot afternoon, we were without people to teach. We decided to drop by the Glenn's. The gate was padlocked and no one was home. We decided to try the neighbor. Raymond, a black man in his fifties, was outside on his steps. He let us call Mr. Glenn on his phone, who said he was 45 minutes away, and could we come back a different day. So we started up a conversation with Raymond. 

It turns out he used to do family history at the church! We asked if he knew why family history was so important to us, and he said no, he just loved it because he really felt connected to his ancestors that way. We explained baptisms for the dead (mentioned in 1 Cor 15:29), and how family history work helps us help our kindred dead accept the gospel. He seemed rather stunned; it really hit him. "Would you like to prepare to do baptisms for your ancestors?" we asked. He said if it meant changing his church,  he wasn't ready for that. We assured him that our whole purpose is to help people find out if our message is true for themselves, even if they don't immediately want to convert, and that he could find out if it's true by reading the Book of Mormon. As we gave Raymond a copy and finished bearing our testimonies, who tromps through the yard toward us but Mr. Glenn! We gave him a Book of Mormon and set up an appointment for next week. Apparently the missionaries left a sticky note in his mailbox last year and he's had it on his fridge ever since. He wanted to make sure his wife and two kids would be home so it could be a "family thing". No complaints! :) During our whole conversation with Mr. Glenn, Raymond was thoughtfully turning the pages of the Book of Mormon. Our visit there was so inspired. What a great miracle! 

At General Conference, yet another miracle occurred. Pam, a referral investigator from a recent convert, hasn't met with us for about a month because she's had several doubts she felt she needed to resolve on her own. She came to the Sunday morning session of conference, and tears streamed down her face almost the whole session. We asked her afterwards how she liked it, and she said, "Oh, all of my doubts are gone!" She would have said more, but tears came first. She'd only planned on coming to one session, but after that one, she dashed to work, did her housekeeping job quick, and dashed back in time for most of the second session. She'll be back on track towards baptism before the week is up. We truly are led by an inspired Prophet and Apostles who teach us with the Spirit of the Lord.

Have a great week!

Sister Taylor

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Fwd: Rapunzel, Hastening the Work, & Spider in my Shirt. AH

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

Date: Mon, Mar 30, 2015 at 3:53 PM
Subject: Rapunzel, Hastening the Work, & Spider in my Shirt. AH

Hey yall!

I need to start out with something completely non-spiritual and completely GROSS and unsettling. I hope it never happens to anybody in the whole world ever. Because it was gross.

Mild mannered me was innocently planning with my companion when I felt a slight tingly thing that was definitely not me under my shirt. I looked down and beheld, to my immediate hysteria, A SPIDER IN MY SHIRT!!!! Just hanging out, crawling on me! I screamed and killed it and changed my clothes. Ew. I have bragged about how this is the only area where I have literally not seen one bug in the apartment the whole time I've been here. Well, of course that trend needed to end with a spider in my shirt. EW. 

Okay. Anyway. As a solo sister training leader, I get to do exchanges with each sister in my zone. I thought I'd tell you a little about one of the exchanges I went on this week!

Sister Russell is a brand new missionary, and if Rapunzel from the movie Tangled had small, fair features and long, straight brown hair, that would be Sister Russell in a nutshell. She's rather quiet, at first, and was nervous about being awkward with starting conversations or carrying one on. But every time she was given a clear opportunity to bear her testimony, she did so stunningly. Her testimony, and her whole countenance, is beautifully pure, simple, and completely heartfelt. No one could doubt the sincerity of her testimony and why she's here.she'll become one of the most powerful missionaries you could find anywhere. She is so pure and humble. She asked me for suggestions on how she could improve. I told her to just keep doing what she's doing-- working hard and trying her best-- and she'll be just fine! We got to teach a lot and she loved that. She'll blossom beautifully.

Angela is still on date for April 11th! She's progressing beautifully-- she's just got to give up her 1/2 cigarette a day and coffee before her baptism. She's working hard at both. She's already started planning her baptism program on her own-- she picked one of the elders to sing a musical number and she's picked out her favorite hymns already. :) She's actually moving into a member's home this Tuesday, which will greatly improve her living situation and also be great for fellowshipping! We're excited for her. 

Julia is the miracle referral we found last week by contacting her daughter. This week we dropped by and taught her the first lesson, and her member neighbor drove both her and us to church on Sunday. She loved church. We'll be teaching her again tonight. Apparently she's also been reading from the Book of Mormon. We plan to put her on date this evening. We're grateful when people like her just drop into our laps! 

On Saturday, an appointment fell through and our teamup was driving us to a potential's home we'd planned as a backup. At the last minute though, we had her take a different route to a different potential family's home-- that of Damion and Rochelle. They have a couple small kids-- the oldest is seven, I think. Damion was home, and we taught him the 1st lesson. He really enjoyed it! He said he'd read from the Book of Mormon, and that if he knew it was true, he would be baptized. We're seeing him again this week. That was a miracle on the fly-- the Spirit directed us to go there on the way to his house! 

I'm trying to apply the things I learned from Elder Zwick about working more powerfully and effectively with members to do missionary work. We've been asking more members for referrals when we're in their home for dinner, and while that hasn't directly resulted in new investigators yet, we have seen success in members reaching out! One member recontacted two of her acquaintances and invited them to learn more. Another couple thought of a part-member family we should contact. One member even said he would bring his non-member brother to church! Several other families have been very receptive to inviting friends and family to learn more, which is great! It really comes down to being willing to follow the promptings of the Spirit. He puts the opportunities in our paths if we're willing to see them.

I loved the General Womens Conference this weekend, and can't wait for General Conference this week. We're hoping to have several investigators there!

Have a BLESSED day!!

Sister Taylor

Fwd: Zeal with the Zwicks, Four new Families, & Celestial Connect-The-Dots

Fwd: Zeal with the Zwicks, Four new Families, & Celestial Connect-The-Dots

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

Date: Mon, Mar 23, 2015 at 3:21 PM
Subject: Zeal with the Zwicks, Four new Families, & Celestial Connect-The-Dots

Hey y'all! 

How is 72 degrees, sun, a slight breeze, and blue skies in March? Splendid. In case you were wondering. :) 

Angela is doing great in preparing for baptism! She's been working hard to find alternatives to her coffee and tea. She shows us each box of herbal tea she buys to make sure it's okay. :) Since we fasted last week, she's been praying to find a good new home for her dog, Gusty, since he can't come when she moves. At church, a member who's been praying for a dog offered to take him! Despite poor health, she was also at church again. That was a great blessing.

We had the privilege of having Elder Zwick, from the First Quorum of the Seventy (that means he works closely with the prophet and apostles), and his wife Jan Zwick teach our mission this week. I attended a leadership council with them all day Wednesday, and Thursday we had about twelve hours of meetings with them, including a member fireside. We learned the importance of working effectively with ward councils to find-- via member referrals-- families to teach. He essentially said that it is imperative that we change the culture of this mission. Okay! Off to the next adventure! Our mission will also be receiving iPads-- one per missionary-- in May. I won't be here for that, but I'm excited for the great changes that will come with the new tools in technology. Elder and Sister Zwick brought the Spirit powerfully during their stay. I'll always remember some of the experiences I had with them. It's been a great learning week! 

Remember how last weekend, after setting goals to find and teach families, we found two families? Since then, we have found and started teaching FOUR more couples! Three of them have small children. All of them were miracle finds!

#1 David & Mandy -- Teach when you Find, Find when you Teach

David was a referral from other sisters. When we taught him, we invited his fiance, Mandy, to join us for the closing prayer and for the next lesson. She agreed. She's now participating just as much as David is in the lessons.

#2 Destry & fiance -- Find the Reason You're Here

We'd received a referral with no working phone number, just a name and address. Earlier in the week, we had tried that address with no success and just left. Elder Zwick talked about using every opportunity to find new investigators-- for example, knocking nearby doors when a referral or less active isn't home. Sister Rowley and I took it to heart and tried it. We went back to contact this same referral, but this time, we prayerfully looked around for other doors or people we could approach. We felt drawn to a bright blue door across the street. We knocked it, and had a front-porch lesson with Destry, a young father in his twenties. He stopped going to church after his church didn't reach out to his family during some severe family issues. We shared the Book of Mormon with him, and asked if he would be baptized if he knew it was true. "You know...I..I honestly think..I would," he said. We have a return appointment with him this weekend. 

#3 Nancy & Douglas --Talk to Everyone

A few weeks ago on P-day, Sister Rowley and I were walking through our complex when we saw Nancy and stopped to talk to her. She's a young mom, and wants to be more religiously involved for her young son. We'd set up a couple return appointments, but they had both fallen through. 

On Saturday morning, as we were getting into our car to leave the apartment, we saw a man about ten cars away walking towards his car. We decided to get out and talk to him. As we scurried over, we saw Nancy sitting in the passenger seat! She got out and said that she's been reading the Book of Mormon, and wants us to come over. We ended up having a fantastic lesson with her last night. She asked questions like, "Is God really there? Does He know me? What happens after we die?" We taught her to pray, and she said one out loud for the first time. Her fiance Douglas joined the end of the lesson. It was a beautiful experience. Had we not decided to talk to that man, we wouldn't have run into Nancy again and had a lesson. 

#4 Cathy & Ron -- No Effort is Wasted

During weekly planning Sunday afternoon, we received a phone call from an unknown number. A woman introduced herself as Cathy, the housekeeper at an extended-stay motel we visit sometimes. The Spirit had led us to talk to her a couple times, but we hadn't gotten her information or anything. What she said next surprised us. 

"Could we meet up in the next...hour?" Of course! 

"And I'm picking up my husband from work....is it alright if he comes, too?" Of course!

"We don't have anyplace we could meet you...do you have a place we could go?" Of course! 

"I really felt like I should call yall. I know yall came into my life for a reason."

We called up a member and arranged to meet in their home. An hour and a half later, we were all together in a member family's home. They confided that they are currently homeless, living in their car, and they need help. We gave them the bishop's number and taught the first lesson, and Cathy was very interested. She's planning to come to the Women's Conference Broadcast  and Relief Society dinner this weekend. Miracles happen!

Another blessing of talking to everyone resulted in some celestial connecting-the-dots this weekend! While trying to contact the same aforementioned referral, we met Brittany while she was carrying in groceries and set up a time to come back the next day. When we came back, Brittany was not home. But on our way up to the doorstep, the other door of her duplex opened and we talked to the girl heading to a car full of friends waiting in the driveway. She said her mom would be interested.  Sister Rowley asked what her mom's name was, and she said the name of our referral! We FOUND our referral by contacting two other people on her street! We'd been given the wrong address, but we found her because we talked to everyone in our path. The timing was flawless. God can connect the dots really well! :)

 

Have a blessed day! 

Sister Taylor

1) Easter candy... only in the South

2) I, the Zwicks, and some other sisters

3) My companion Sister Rowley, me, Sister Holden 

Fwd: Jayne's Jump, Families, & Fasting

Date: Mon, Mar 16, 2015 at 12:20 PM

Subject: Jayne's Jump, Families, & Fasting

Hey yall! 

I've gotten to experience some great miracles this week in the mission field. There has also been some opposition. I've had a cough and congestion for two weeks, and I ran a fever for a couple days. We've had some important appointments fall through. A recent convert I dearly love told us she doesn't want to come to church or see us anymore, so we're trying to help her with that. We've struggled to know we're using the Lord's time most effectively, sometimes. But, in the midst of growing and learning and hurting and blowing noses, I've had some truly miraculous experiences I want to share.

#1 Finding Families

We've had an emphasis recently in our mission on planning and setting goals by the Spirit, so this week in our weekly planning session, we set goals for this upcoming transfer (the next five weeks). We started by talking about our visions and dreams individually-- what we hope to accomplish on our missions. We found that both of us have a strong desire to teach families. So, in faith, we set the goal of finding, teaching, and putting one family on date, among other goals. We then broke down each goal into weekly goals, and incorporated those into our weekly plans. We felt strongly that these goals were inspired.

We saw a miracle, particularly regarding families, the day afterwards! We had blocked out two hours Saturday morning to go tracting, because that's an excellent time to find families at home.We went to the first of three streets we'd felt good about on our map the night before. We headed out to the first street, only to find about four houses on the whole long stretch, several blocked off anyway. No good. 

We drove to street two. Same thing. Two houses-- one blocked off, and the other didn't answer. 

Between a few coordination phone calls we'd had to make, and driving time, it had been nearly an hour and we'd knocked only one door and with no reply. 

I was getting frustrated. I wanted to make good use of the Lord's time, especially on a Saturday morning, and we hadn't talked to anyone. We headed to street three close by, which was just a dinky little culdesac with five or six duplexes in it. "This won't last us very long. Maybe we should just go somewhere else," I said to Sister Rowley. She, with more faith and patience than I, suggested we stay and tract it anyway since we'd felt good about it the night before. I'd forgotten that I had felt particularly good about this little street. So, we prayed, and started knocking. 

In that little culdesac, we found two engaged couples who were ready to hear the gospel. First we met Vince. He was thoughtful when we shared the Restoration with him, and he's been looking for a church to go to with his girlfriend. He's a sweet, homegrown, country bumpkin sort of fellow-- with good morals and a humble heart. He and his girlfriend read devotionals daily together. Before we left, he said, "Are you sure I haven't met yall before? I swear I've seen yall around...it just feels like I just ran into old friends." 

"That's quite possible," we smiled. Hopefully we'll teach them this week!

The second couple, Kiki and Alex, both came out on their front porch after we knocked. When we said who we were, they said, "We're lost." They continued, "Today is just one of those days for us when you wonder how God could really be there with all these terrible things going on. We need all the help we can get." When we testified of the reality of God and His love, Kiki started crying and they both listened attentively. The Spirit was so strong. I know we were led directly to their homes to share the gospel with them! I believe that the timing was precise, too-- we had set goals in faith the day before to find people like them. Then the Lord answered our prayers because of our faith and His goodness. 

Last night, we taught yet another family who was referred to us by another set of sisters. David and Mandy just moved to the subdivision behind our apartment complex. We taught David last night about the Book of Mormon, and how God will answer prayers and lead him in the right direction. At the end of the lesson, we invited him and Mandy to kneel down and pray with us. David offered a sweet, humble prayer. He asked Heavenly Father to give him a sign to help him understand if the Book of Mormon is true or not, and if this is the direction he needs to take his family in. There was a spirit of peace in that room. They're engaged to be married too, and David has two kids-- ages 7 and 14-- who live there, as well. Coincidence that a family moves in and we teach them, right after we set goals to? I think not! I love Heavenly Father! He's so good at answering prayers! 

#2 Jayne makes the Jump!

If that isn't enough, we had a HUGE miracle with our Jewish investigator, Jayne!!! She has severe anxiety, the last time we extended a date to work towards for baptism, it was too overwhelming. But this week, we felt impressed to invite her to be baptized on April 18th. I was nervous, but when we prayed, we felt reassured that it was the right thing to do. 

We had a good lesson, and at the end, we told her how much we loved her and had been praying for and about her, and we had felt like God was telling us that she was ready to accept a baptismal date. She simply said, "Sure." That took us by surprise! "I know this is the right path, and April 18th is as good a day as any," she said. She has a long way to go with understanding and believing all the doctrine, but she has made remarkable progress over the last several months. God is healing her illness slowly and giving her the strength and courage to move forward. She came to an activity last night, and is planning on church this week. I KNOW Heavenly Father knows perfectly the hearts of each of His children. I saw that in action with Jayne this week!

#3 Fasting Works

Last week was fast Sunday, and we had invited our investigator Angela to fast with us. She's trying to get a better living situation and has been struggling to quit smoking. She agreed to fast with us, even though it would be difficult with her health issues. 

The next day, she texted us and said her head was pounding from not eating, and she didn't get the insights she was looking for. Sister Rowley and I had planned to fast for her again on Wednesday, so we encouraged her to keep looking for answers to her fast that may come in unexpected ways. When we fasted on Wednesday, I tried to have the best attitude ever about it! I know fasting works, but complaining about how hungry I am can't be contributing to my faith. So I made sure my attitude was a good one. We found ourselves feeling just fine the whole day. We even had extra energy to teach and tract and whatever else we needed to do. 

Angela's blessings came a few days later. A wonderful member couple, the Rodriguez's, had a room available to rent in their home-- and Angela will be moving in by the end of the month! The real miracle is that at first, her son-- who's financially supporting her right now-- originally said no to the arrangements. He didn't want to pay the asking price. But later that night, he called Angela and said, "We can make it work. Go ahead and tell the Rodriguez's we can take their room." Her son's heart was softened, and I believe it was due to our faith in our fast. 

Because of her health, she hasn't been able to attend in several weeks, but she was able to make it to church yesterday! During sunday school, a member asked a question-- and Angela was able to answer it for him. That was something special to see! She also made some insightful comments in Relief Society. She fits in beautifully at church. :) I'm so glad to see miracles like this happen so often!

Those are just a few of the miracles I've seen this week in the misson field. I know this is the Lord's church. I know Heavenly Father has a plan for every single one of His children-- each of us-- and I know as a missionary, I get to share that with people every day! I love what I do! I know that miracles don't just happen in Georgia (even if we do get a little extra than everyone else ;) ). I know when we have gratitude for our circumstances, whatever they are, then God can open our eyes to the miracles around us and we can participate in them, too. 

Have a wonderful week!

Just peachy,

Sister Taylor

Fwd: Change in the Wind, Faith to Plant, and Miracle Gro-wth! :)

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

Date: Mon, Mar 9, 2015 at 3:49 PM
Subject: Change in the Wind, Faith to Plant, and Miracle Gro-wth! :)

Yall,

The theme of this last week is Faith. It has been tried a few times, with some difficult transitions and sad goodbyes and bouts of inadequacy--but I know the Lord knows me perfectly, because He's given me exactly the growth and faith I need every time. I'll share a few examples with you of how I saw that this week. :)

Wednesday came, and the winds changed as yet another transfer took place. Sending off dear Sister Porter was hard. We became best friends in our three months together.The first couple days after transfers were really hard. I felt unsure that I could carry on the good work we've been doing, and I really missed the close friendship I'd had with Sister Porter. But I'm glad to have Sister Rowley. Over the last couple days, Sister Rowley has opened up more and more, and we're becoming good friends. She's a great chef, likes to work hard, and she's got a great sense of humor. I sense a great transfer ahead of us! :)

This week we had a goal of finding three new investigators, which is becoming urgent since we haven't found any in a few weeks. Our urgent need turned into a miracle. On Friday night in my prayers, I promised Heavenly Father that I would invite five people the next day to be baptized. I asked Him to help us find three new investigators through that effort.

On Saturday, I extended three baptismal invitations, and we found some promising potentials-- but no new investigators yet. "Looks like you'll just have to ask two more tomorrow," Sister Rowley said. So, I did. While out contacting, I extended two more baptismal invitations-- and Sister Rowley did one, too! It was great! By the end of the day, we had several return appointments and two new investigators. Both of these are men with families who can hear the gospel, too. I know the Lord blessed us because of our faith! 

Lots of miracles on my end. It's the Lord's work :) I had a neat spiritual impression where I felt like I needed a shift in my attitude towards life. Instead of "I'll do the right thing because I know God wants me to and I know it's right and will make me happy", I want to shift my attitude to "What more can I do to serve God because I love Him?" I'm doing the right things right now, but the difference is a desire to give more of myself. I don't want to just wait for a calling and then do it dutifully-- I want to seek it out, magnify it, and figure out how I can pour the most love and thought into it that I can. I want to be proactive in my desires to serve God-- I want to serve to serve, not just to do the right thing. I don't know if that makes sense. But it was breakthrough in my mind. :) It came during a meeting with Stake leaders, of all places. The Lord can speak to us at any time, in any place, whenever we need it. I'm grateful that He does, because it means everything to me. 

The Lord is in His work! Hurrah for Israel! :)

Love,

Sister Taylor

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Fwd: You speaking at stake conf

Speaking at Stake Conference. :)

Fwd: Goodbyes, Blessings, & Speaking for the Stake

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Christa Taylor <christa.taylor@myldsmail.net>
Date: Mon, Mar 2, 2015 at 11:38 AM
Subject: Goodbyes, Blessings, & Speaking for the Stake
To: Lindy Taylor <lindyjtaylor@gmail.com>

Hey yall! 

Here's a story you don't forget! :)

This weekend was Stake Conference (so several local congregations come together for the conference), and a member of the quorum of the seventy-- Elder Hymas-- came to speak. Prior to the adult session on Saturday night, the Martin family took Sister Porter and I out to get a quick dinner at a sub sandwich place. We'd had a funny conversation that included how much Sister Porter and I would really love to speak at Stake Conference! 

Well. When Elder Hymas got up to speak, he started talking about missionary work as members. Then he asked, "Is the young lady Alexa that just got baptized here tonight?" (She wasn't. She's in Florida going to the temple for the first time with her boyfriend!) Silence. He said, "Well, darn. Are the two sister missionaries that met her in Walmart here tonight?" Sister Porter and I stood up. "Then you get to come up and share her story," he smiled. 

Sister Porter and I giggled the whole way up to the stand. We'd called it! We shared our story, and everyone laughed when we re-enacted the faces we'd made when Alexa had asked us for a Book of Mormon. A member took a picture of the screen in the back...so I'll attach it. :) It was quite the experience! :)

The time has come yet again for transfers on Wednesday. I'm grateful for the opportunity to grow through change with transfers, but I do face this transfer change with a lot more sadness than I've ever felt before. Sister Porter and I have become best of friends; we have so much trust, openness, love, and gratitude for each other-- it will be difficult to let her go home. While tracting this week, we just enjoyed every moment. We asked silly get to know you questions, sang hymns in harmony together, shared funny quirks about ourselves and growing up stories, discussed spiritual thoughts...I am really going to miss that girl. But I am grateful we had our time together, and I know our friendship is one that will last. 

Usually, there is one Sister Training Leader companionship per zone-- but with so many sisters going home, we're having some interesting changes. In our zone they're taking sisters out of two of the five areas, and my new companion won't be a Sister Training Leader-- I'll be the only one for our zone. It'll be interesting flying solo! I think it will be a good experience because with my companion as one of my zone sisters, I'll have a constant reminder to reach out and to be a good example of exact obedience and wholehearted service. 

Because of several previously cancelled exchanges (24 hours where we switch companions with another set of sisters), we went on three this week! It was a crazy, fast paced, all over the place week!

One was when Sister Webster joined me in Athens 1st. She is an incredible example! Sister Webster prayed before we knocked doors that we would have opportunities to share the message of the Restoration and of the Book of Mormon with others. We were invited in two or three times, and each time were able to powerfully testify of those things. I loved that her heartfelt prayer was answered so clearly and immediately! She taught me a lot about exercising faith and truly loving the people we meet. 

We had a miracle while tracting in the icy rain on Wednesday. A hispanic woman, Rosa, answered the door and motioned for us to step inside. As we briefly shared the message of the Restoration with her, she nodded and then asked if we could pray with her. We did, and she asked us to pray for a special blessing on her son, who's going through a lot. There was a special light about her. As we were about to leave, she looked in our eyes and in her broken english, said, "Before you knock on my door, I was praying in my kitchen to the Lord. Then you came to my door. I think this is a sign from God." We agreed! 

My last exchange was honestly difficult for me. I visited another area, where the sisters have been struggling for several months to have people to teach. Basically, my experience there left me feeling a little angry and frustrated and depressed. 

I had a humbling experience in prayer, because I had chosen to let things offend me and make me frustrated. As I prayed and repented, I felt love and patience for these sisters and their situation enter my heart where my frustration and anger had been. I felt so much better. I let those things go and simple reached out in love to them. I was then able to do and say the right things to be an influence for good.

Sister Porter and I received priesthood blessings last night-- which is something I treasure about the Church. Worthy men holding the priesthood-- the power and authority to act in God's name-- can give blessings to those who need it, which is essentially the priesthood holder speaking the Lord's words, as he is inspired, to the receiver. I always feel a sense of peace and comfort, and knowledge that God knows me better than anyone else does when I receive a blessing. Last night was no different. Mine talked about how my new companion and I would be able to find commonalities and work well together, and that our work would not be hindered by our companionship. I found out today my new companion is Sister Rowley-- she's a good sister just coming from a struggling area. I'm grateful she gets to come to an area that has been flourishing, and I pray that through our faithfulness and diligence, we can help it continue to be that way. 

Angela is on date for April 11th-- and that date was prayerfully set by her and the sisters together. She came to Stake Conference on Sunday and loved it. 

Pam is still praying about a date. We're teaching her tomorrow, and we may take a similar approach to what we did with Angela in helping her pray for a baptismal date. She's facing a lot of opposition, but she is still faithfully seeking truth.

Jayne is doing her homework and progressing towards baptism. Due to her anxiety and depression, setting a date has thus far been much to overwhelming of a goal-- but we're going to pull out her baptismal calendar and at least set some goals for how we'll progress with the lessons over the next several weeks. She's excited to be baptized. I'm praying for it! 

Have a wonderful week!

Sister Taylor

Pic:

Sister Porter and I's fudge cookie/icing sandwiches. We're super healthy. 

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Fwd: Filling the Font, Finding Love, and Finding Self

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

Date: Mon, Feb 23, 2015 at 2:14 PM
Subject: Filling the Font, Finding Love, and Finding Self

ey y'all!

The weather has been a little crazy this week! We had some incredibly cold days that, thanks to the humidity, made our faces about fall off because mere exposure to the frigid air made them sting. We also had ice storms that broke trees to pieces during the night, but the roads never got icy during the day. Because of the storms, we had some power outages..so one night we taught a lesson by flashlight then one by candlelight. Today, it's warm enough that I've only had a jacket on half the day. Welcome to Georgia, I guess! 

We had a neat finding miracle! We had driven past a street name we liked, so I'd jotted it down and a couple days later, we went back to tract it. About ten houses and zero gospel conversations later, Sister Porter said, "We've been here before! We tracted it a few months ago from the other end." We decided to drop in on Brenda, a lady we'd found but not gotten back in with. She was home, and invited us right in. We had a short lesson with her, bore our testimonies, and invited her to be baptized if she came to know that what we were teaching was true. She said yes, and accepted a Book of Mormon. She only has two days off each week, and we caught her on one of them! We'll teach her this week. God works in the details! 

Saturday was the best day ever!! The highlight, of course, was that we had two baptisms to enjoy! :)

One of the baptisms was Kaylee's! It was beautiful. A member anonymously got her some sunday clothes so she'd have something nice to wear. Sister Porter and I didn't go back through the font entrance with her when she was baptized, but the member who was back there said that as the doors close and she turned to walk out of the font, she just stopped and sobbed. As the member draped the towel around Kaylee's shoulder, she told Kaylee, "This is who you really are, Kaylee." Clean, pure, beautiful. Kaylee just nodded and wiped away more tears. 

I sang Lead Kindly Light, which was probably the best solo I've done. Heavenly Father really helped me out because I was trying to serve, and had hardly any time to practice. Kaylee shed more tears and just glowed. That was the real Kaylee. How amazing it is to help my spiritual siblings uncover their true identity as children of God! When we have a clear relationship with Heavenly Father, we are our best selves. I saw Kaylee as her best self. 

We sang the musical number, so we also went to Alexa's baptism! Alexa is our miracle girl we met outside of Walmart just six weeks ago. Her boyfriend, a member preparing to serve a mission, baptized her. His family came up from Florida for the baptism, and Alexa's family came, too. Her family is Catholic and are supportive of her, but not overly enthusiastic about her decision to be baptized. It was beautiful to watch them wipe away tears as they felt the Spirit in the room. They could tell that the sisters and members really love her and want the best for her. Our investigator Jayne came too, who rarely leaves the house due to anxiety and depression. It was truly a day of miracles. 

After the baptisms, we were part of the stake youth missionary activity, where we had a Q&A session with several groups of youth answering questions about what it's like to serve a mission, why we decided to serve, and advice on preparing to serve. I was so impressed by the testimonies and strength of the youth. I know they're only a few years younger than me, but it's amazing to see young people growing up with strong desires to serve God! I hope I can work with the youth a LOT when I come home. I loved every minute of it. 

On Sunday, I witnessed a very special experience. Erik, one of the elders' investigators, is moving to Statesboro (far away) this week, and asked if he could bear his testimony at the end of class. Erik has been meeting with the elders for about eight months, and he's been dropped and retaught several times because he struggles with some of the doctrine. But when he stood up, I heard one of the most precious testimonies I've ever heard. He poured out to the class, in tears, his gratitude for the love he's felt from the church, and his growing testimony of Jesus Christ. 

One of my favorite excerpts: "In the churches I grew up in, there was as much contempt as there was love. That and a lot of the doctrines were very confusing to me...it poisoned my well. When I let Christ in, I felt His influence cleanse me. He cleared out the poison in my well."

In closing, he said, "Thank you for helping me find the love I've been looking for." He moves this Thursday, and the ward has already made arrangements to help him with the move. There is much love to be found in this church.

And I just need to say, I love my dear companion Sister Porter. I am so glad I got to meet one of my best friends on my mission. She goes home next week, and I'm really going to miss her. We sang in Sacrament Meeting yesterday, "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go", and it was so fun to look out and see the faces of so many people I've come to love. I love my mission.

Also had some fun outings and purchases this last week, like oxford shoes (!), cute dresses, lunch at Olive Garden with Vanessa and Sister Porter, the free zoo with the sisters in the zone, and challah bread (what Jews customarily eat for the Sabbath meal each friday-- it's delicious!).

It's been a good week. :)

Stay warm, and I love yall!

Have a blessed day!

Sister Taylor

P.S. Please pray for Angela. She's preparing for baptism, but has a lot of obstacles right now, like unemployment, health issues, family issues, doubt and discouragement. Prayers are appreciated. :)

Pictures:

Us, Alexa's boyfriend, Alexa, Sister Holden, Sister Tau'aho (they taught her)

Fwd: Wintery, Wet, and Wonderful to Me

​F​

rom: Christa Taylor <christa.taylor@myldsmail.net>
Date: Tue, Feb 17, 2015 at 3:48 PM
Subject: Wintery, Wet, and Wonderful to Me

Yall!

Well, the nice wintery days have been a little more on the wintery end lately! The power went out last night, so we taught one investigator with flashlights and another lesson by candlelight. The South has this  phenomenon...ice rain...so it looks like a frozen winterland on the trees, even though there's no snow. The roads are fine, so I'm not complaining. I'm sure enjoying the fact that 30-something degree days are occasional! Georgia is beautiful all year round.

I ended up chopping off Sister Porter's hair this week! She decided to on a whim, so off we whipped 14 inches. It's sassy and adorable and totally her. I'll send a picture next week when I have one. :)

We had a miracle teaching Pam this week. She had read the Plan of Salvation pamphlet to prepare for our lesson. When we arrived at the member's home where they were waiting for us, the current topic of conversation was scriptural accounts of teleportation....not exactly a very productive conversation to start a lesson with. Pam was very stressed and overwhelmed. She felt like what she'd studied made no sense and was pulled from thin air. 

The Spirit guided us completely. We sat down, began with a prayer, and calmly and simply began teaching the first basic concepts of the lesson: 

that God is our loving, Heavenly Father;

that we lived with Him before we came to earth;

that He loved us, and we loved Him;

and that we chose to come here to earth so we could experience mortality in a physical body, be faced with opposition, and therefore learn to choose good when faced with good and evil.

The stressful environment made a complete turnaround. As we testified and taught simply the basic doctrines, the Spirit testified to Pam that the things we were teaching were good and true. We asked her how she felt at the end of the lesson compared to the beginning. She said she felt enlightened, calm, and peaceful. We helped her understand that that was the Spirit helping her know that what we'd taught was true. We invited her to pray to know for herself that it's true, and once she did know, to be baptized on March 14th. She said she'd pray about it. We walked out feeling whole and enlightened ourselves, and grateful for having what could have been a stressful, chaotic, unorganized lesson turn out so simple, pure, Spirit led, and clear. She was at church again this Sunday. After the Sunday School lesson on tithing, she asked if she could pay tithing. (Since the Church is run by a lay (unpaid) ministry, tithing funds in the Church are used to build and maintain church buildings, temples, support missionary work, and aid in humanitarian efforts worldwide. It's an incredible opportunity to give of yourself to God, and to see that giving do so much good in the world! I love tithing.) Pam's son is very opposed to her investigating the church, but we're praying that she'll have the strength to recognize and hold onto the truth she's learning. 

We had four investigators at church on Sunday, including Chris and his girlfriend Whitney! Whitney needed to leave after Sacrament meeting so they only stayed an hour, but Chris really liked it. So far he's keeping commitments to read the Book of Mormon, pray, and come to church. We had a Spirit-filled lesson with him on Wednesday when we read the Book of Mormon (1 Nephi 14) together.

Kaylee is coming along smashingly in preparing for her baptism this Saturday! We had a particularly good lesson about the Priesthood on Sunday. She's blossomed in the last three weeks or so. She'll be a wonderful member. 

We got home at 8:55 one night and faith walked around our complex for the remaining five minutes (we're asked to proselyte till 9pm every day). We ran into a girl walking to her car who'd met other missionaries before, and had a great conversation! I felt blessed for having used every last minute to share the gospel. 

We also had a miracle on Valentine's Day, when we had planned to heart attack (taping hearts on doors) two of our investigators who had no one to celebrate with. Both have loud dogs that bark when someone approaches the door. The first one went smoothly, not a sound from inside. When we turned into the neighborhood of the second one, we saw our investigator just turning the street corner with her dogs, leaving for a walk! We knew that her walk would be the only time that entire day she'd be away from the house. The timing was perfect and we were able to heart attack successfully with as much stealth as two sister missionaries could muster. :)

I actually had a few hard days this week. Negativity, anxiety, and unhappiness are feelings I don't have very often, but they were plaguing off and on for a couple days. I was not myself. I was reminded by Sister Porter that even great missionaries have hard days when they feel, and are, weaker than other days. I didn't like feeling down, but as I continued to work, pray, and turn to the needs of others more than my own, I felt better in the down moments. I had a good spiritual experience while taking the Sacrament on Sunday. I was feeling guilty and sad for having let Heavenly Father down by having a worse attitude than my usual cheerful one, but as I prayed, I felt guided to have gratitude for how the Savior had helped me overcome those sour moments throughout the week. As the water was passed and I took it, the Spirit came strongly to my mind and said: "You are clean." That was subtle, yet powerful, and so comforting and reassuring. I'm grateful that Christ doesn't judge us for our moments of weakness-- he knows our potential and deepest desires are better than that. He simply helps us up and on our way, forgivingly teaching us and strengthening us for future experiences. I'm so grateful for His and Heavenly Father's understanding and great love for me.

Have a marvelous week!

Sister Taylor

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In case you want to mail a valentine to Christa . . .

Sister Christa Taylor
Home 4315 Lexington Rd Apt 6C
Athens, GA
30605

I know she would appreciate anything you want to send.

Have a wonderful day!

Love,

Lindy

Fwd: Cups, Calendars, and Conversion

From: Christa Taylor <christa.taylor@myldsmail.net>
Date: Mon, Feb 9, 2015 at 1:46 PM
Subject: Cups, Calendars, and Conversion

YALL.

I don't know about yall, but 71 degrees and sunny in February is juuuust fine by me! I love Georgia! :D I just love Athens. If you can't hear the bass booming or see a cop, you're not in Athens. ;) There are so many incredibly prepared people here, just waiting to be found. I wish I had another year to find and teach them! 

Remember our crazy Walmart miracle, where that teenage girl stopped us and asked for a Book of Mormon? She's getting baptized!! A week from Saturday on the 21st, her boyfriend (preparing to serve a mission) will baptize her. She asked us to do a musical number with the UGA sisters for her baptism. What an incredible miracle to be a part of! :) (Picture of us with her at the bottom)

On Wednesday, we got special permission to watch the film Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration with investigators. If you haven't seen it, here's the link. Watch it. It's beautiful. 

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-03-01-joseph-smith-the-prophet-of-the-restoration?lang=eng

 We had two investigators there, Angela and Jayne. After the film concluded, we asked everyone how they felt during the film. We had a good discussion, then brought up baptism to Angela. We'd already invited her to be baptized, but that day we wanted to give her a specific date to work towards. We had prayed and felt good about inviting her for March 7th. When we invited her, she was quiet for a moment, and asked, "Do I have to be baptized on that day?" 

"No," we responded.

"Because I've been praying on it, and I think I've come up with a date of my own."

Pause of anticipation.

She looked up at us. "February fourteenth?" 

We were blown away...that's next week! Sister Porter burst into tears, because that meant she'd still be on her mission when Angela got baptized. The Spirit was strong in the meeting, and we were so happy that Jayne was there to witness it. She has a lot of anxiety and depression, so it was good for her to be part of such a spiritual experience.

Friday, during weekly planning, Sister Porter and I melted our brains frantically trying to arrange teaching Angela all the lessons in eight days. It was a heaven-send when she told us on Saturday she'd prayed on it again, and felt better about working towards our original proposed date, March 7th. That will be much more doable, since she needs to quit smoking and we have a lot to teach her. She's incredibly elect. When we taught about the pre-earth life, we asked her first where she thought we were before we were born. She said slowly, "I think...that we were in spirit form...and then God sent us here, and...gave us...a physical form." Ha, well! Spot on! We filled in the gaps and helped her understand that we are literally the spirit children of Heavenly Father, and that He sent us here to 1) gain a physical body that could eventually be a perfect resurrected one, like His, and 2) learn to choose good from evil. She has the gift of humility. She asks questions out of a sincere desire to learn. It's like teaching a child. 

We had a wonderful rebuking on Saturday when we met with Jayne. When we all sat down, she said, "I have a question for you. I saw how excited you were when you invited Angela to be baptized, and, well, I was wondering...why haven't you invited me to be baptized?" 

AHH! SLAM. After three months of teaching her (she's been taught for over eight months now), a Mission Leadership Council AND a Zone Conference on baptismal invitations, it still hadn't occurred to me to invite her to be baptized. Granted, because of her anxiety and depression, we've been thinking of her as more of a service opportunity than a progressing investigator. But all people are best helped when invited to come unto Christ, and the first step for non-members is inviting them to be baptized. And I had not done that. I felt like a worm! 

We sat in stunned silence for a second. I stuttered for a moment, then sincerely and profusely apologized for not inviting her to do the one thing that would help her the most. Then I said, "Well, we'd like to invite you right now. Will you be baptized by someone holding the authority of God?"

She said confidently, "Yes." 

Her anxiety and depression made it excruciatingly overwhelming to set a baptismal date right then, so we'll start small and teach the lessons a piece at a time. She'll be ready when she's ready. But I certainly learned my lesson. Who am I to deny an invitation to come to the Savior to someone I don't think is ready? I will never, ever withhold an invitation to be baptized to someone I teach, ever again. You never know who or how the Lord is preparing His children.

Kaylee has been working towards baptism, and all she needed was a day to stamp. So we invited her to be baptized on February 21st, a week from Saturday (Same day as Alexa!). She said, "Yeah. I felt like the next few weeks was about the right time." That was easy! 

We had another miracle with her. Last week, she shrunk back in her chair and said, "Guys...I broke one of the commandments. I lied." She said she'd had a great job interview-- one that, if she got hired for, wouldn't make her work till 7am Sunday mornings, like her current job does, and it would pay much better. The only problem was, they were only hiring people already experienced in that field, which she's not. So she bluffed her way through the application and an interview. (It was actually pretty impressive, and comical. She made up answers for how to use machinery she'd never seen before-- and apparently was pretty convincing, since they asked her to come back!) We didn't dwell on the topic long and started teaching the lesson. Partway through the lesson, though, the Spirit nudged me. You really need to encourage her to tell the truth, said Heavenly Father. 

What?! That would be so awkward!! I thought back. 

You know you need to, He replied. 

*sigh* Okay. Just help me know what to say, I prayed. 

So, we encouraged her to tell the truth. She squirmed and rationalized, but she knew she needed to make it right. We left it in her hands as to whether or not she'd talk to them, but we were so proud of her for talking to us about it! We prayed she'd have the courage to make it right, even if it meant losing a job she really, really wanted.  

This last week, she texted us and canceled her lesson. She had a huge headache because she'd just finished a four hour exam, certifying her for the position she'd applied to, so she wouldn't have to lie. We were so happy for her!! That was a huge leap of faith. She is just awesome. It has been incredible to see the change in her. Her home isn't always a very peaceful environment. But the other night, she spoke in sweet, calm tones, and her countenance was peaceful, light, and happy. She's experiencing real changes through living the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Atonement is real!

Last miracle: Chris. We forgot how wonderful he is because it's been a few weeks since we taught him. He was disappointed in himself for not reading much (only FOUR chapters!), but he intently listened and asked meaningful questions. We explained the organization of Christ's Church, the Apostasy (period of time when Christ's Church in it's complete form is not on the earth), and how it was brought back through Joseph Smith using cups. We stack and unstack the labeled cups to represent each part of the lesson. It's a great analogy, and it really began to click for him! The Linzeys will bring him to church next week, and he can't wait to come. I love the wonderful, humble truth-seekers I'm privileged to know and teach! 

We've had almost no time to tract, but we try hard to find as we go between appointments. We only had thirty minutes of tracting this week, but we got 15 contacts because we tried to talk to everyone we saw. That has gotten incredibly easier for me as I commit to talk to everyone and not make excuses. It helps me remember that absolutely anyone we talk to could be our next top investigator.

I love yall and pray for you daily. Please pray for:

Angela (quit smoking)

Kaylee (get job that allows her to come to church, preparing for baptism)

Chris (be able to come to church, get some personal issues resolved)

Pam (health for church/lessons and to feel calmness of the Spirit)

Shirley (able to get ride for church)

Karsandra (family health)

& Jayne (strength and peace)

Have a great week! Happy Valentine's Day!

Love,

Sister Taylor

Pictures

Text from Alexa to the UGA sisters last week. :)

Counted fourteen pairs of shoes hanging from telephone wires! Needless to say, we're not tracting there. (Don't worry Mom :) )

Us and Alexa. :)

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Fwd: Not Wussies, Dreadlocks, & Would You Like a Baptism with that Gas?

Date: Mon, Feb 2, 2015 at 11:44 AM
Subject: Not Wussies, Dreadlocks, & Would You Like a Baptism with that Gas?

Yall!

Get ready for more miracles. God has a bucket full and ready! 

We had some good big miracles, but some sweet tender mercies and pat on the backs, too. 

Fun moment. I was telling Sister Porter in the car that no one lets the sisters help them move or work because they think we're wussies. "No, yall look too nice!" "No, this is too heavy!" "No, we're getting some men for this hard work!" Not five minutes later, we pull into a gas station and see a black family unloading belongings in the parking lot. They were setting up for a yard sale. "Can we help unload your truck?" we asked. "Sure! Please!" said the woman in charge. So, off we went unloading it! God has a great sense of humor. Thanks, God! 

Another day, Sister Porter and I had a great conversation about how we were both battling waves of feeling inadequate, and wondering if our efforts were really making a difference. "Sometimes, you just really feel like a pat on the back from God would let you know you're doing enough," we agreed. That night, we visited a member in the ward who's been through many a tragedy in passing years. We were teaching a lesson on faith, when he looked us squarely in the eyes and said, "Don't get discouraged. You've got a tough job. But God will help you do it." Sister Porter said, "Well, there's our pat on the back." It was a sweet answer to prayer and just the pick me up I needed.

Kaylee, one of our investigators nearly on date, came to church yesterday...and bore her testimony in Sacrament Meeting! She leaned over to me partway through and said, "I love this!" Then, a moment later, she determinedly stood up and strode to the podium herself. 

It was every missionary's dream. She talked about how grateful she was for the sisters coming into her life, and how we'd helped her come to Christ and follow His commandments. She talked about how she wants to be baptized and she's working towards it. She came with us to teach Young Womens as well, and bore a beautiful testimony at the end. "I wasn't raised in the Church," she said as if she were a convert of five years already, "so when I first started learning about Gd's plan it blew my mind. But it has really opened my eyes since I learned that God gives everyone a chance to come to Him." I love Kaylee. She has a new spiritual maturity growing inside of her, and what a privilege to see it shine! We're planning to put her on date for February 21st.

MLC (Mission Leadership Council) was on Thursday, and two proselyting department representatives from Salt Lake came to train us on the needs of our mission. It was mind-blowing, and I left feeling pretty overwhelmed and inadequate. It was seven hours of a lot of spiritual experiences and a lot of good trainings. But it's focus on the doctrine of baptism has really helped Sister Porter and I renew our focus on helping our investigators get baptized. Basically, without baptism, no one can experience the fulness of Christ's Atonement-- that's why baptism is so important! 

We've had a couple great miracles come from it already! We were tracting, and saw a black man with dreadlocks and a baggy hoodie walking up the street in our direction. We approached him smiling and introduced ourselves. His name was Cody. In our conversation, we came to find out his best friend, Cutler, is a member. Cutler had suffered from terrible drug addictions when he met the missionaries two years ago, and since then he's been clean of drugs and is now finishing school. Cody had really seen a huge change come about in his friend's life because of his finding the Church. We asked Cody if he would like to take the lessons that helped make the difference in Cutler. He said, "Yes..actually, I would really like that." Then, applying what we learned in MLC, we asked, "If you come to know that this is Christ's church, and that Christ wants you to, will you be baptized by someone who has God's power to do it?" 

"Yes, of course!" he said. 

"Great! Can we meet with you later this week?" We set an appointment, at which we plan to put him on date then refer him to the UGA elders. There it is!

In pondering new ways I could invite others to be baptized in the first contact, an idea popped into my head to invite the person pumping gas next to us the next time we stopped at the gas station. So on Friday, I put my plan into action. An oriental young man parked opposite the pump we were using, and I said hello.

Me: "Hi, I'm Sister Taylor! What's your name?"

Him: "I'm Alex."

Me: "Hi Alex. I'm a missionary from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and I'm doing a little bit of research. Can I ask you a question?"

Alex: "Sure."

Me: "Well, first, are you a Christian?"

Alex: "Yes, I go to a church."

Me: "That's great! If you found a church that taught exactly the same things that Jesus Christ taught, and that Christ was leading Himself, would you be baptized in that Church by someone holding the authority of God?"

Alex: "Yeah, I would." 

Me: "That's wonderful! That's the unique message that we share as missionaries-- that Jesus Christ has restored His Church through a modern day prophet, and because of that, all the truths of Jesus Christ are in one church today."

We continued our conversation and he wasn't really interested in taking the lessons, but I gave him a card with our information and mormon.org on it, and he said he'd check it out. It was a pretty good contact! And it felt so good to have our purpose right up front. It was really a quite easy, straightforward way to see if he'd be interested in our message or not. It may need a little tweaking, but it opened my eyes to see that there are many ways to invite our fellow brothers and sisters to be baptized and live the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We're hoping to have six investigators with a baptismal date by the end of this week. Pray for us and them!

Have a great week! 

Sister Taylor

P.S. 

These are Kaylee's kids. They always block the door after our appointment so we can't leave. :)

I and several missionaries from my MTC district at our leadership meeting. Fun to be reunited! 

Fwd: Where is the Church Bus, Chess, Mind Blown

Date: Mon, Jan 26, 2015 at 1:25 PM
Subject: Where is the Church Bus, Chess, Mind Blown

Yall!! 

Fun fact. Sister Porter was gifted a Chess set this week..so we've spent the first hour of P-day and before bed time playing chess for the last three days. Tally? We're pretty equally matched (not sure if we're both really good, or really bad :D), so I almost creamed her once (till the board fell apart), she creamed me, then we had a stalemate. My brain hurts. But it's fun! :D

We've seen some amazing miracles this week! I'm including headlines to make it a little more interesting, and to ease your skimming. ;) I'm also bolding some fantastic one liners from investigators this week. Read them and tell me God isn't preparing and changing hearts! 

#1 Recent Convert's Friends Turn Into Top Investigators! Ana, a recent convert from December, has brought two friends to church in the last two weeks-- and both of them are now top investigators! Pam and Angela are sweet ladies in their sixties and supremely elect individuals. When we asked Angela how she'd feel about a prophet leading Christ's church today, she said, "Well, that would be amazing! To have that kind of leadership and example on earth....wow!" She's incredibly humble and teachable.

We taught Pam in Ana's home. When we talked about the apostasy, Pam said, "Oh, that is how I feel! Empty! I go to church every week, I love the music, and the people are nice...but I don't grow. I leave feeling just as empty as when I came. I want to spiritually mature now. I'm seeking; I need to know for myself. I want to find the truth!" How wonderful it was to be able to testify that she could indeed receive an answer from God, for herself, to help her know that this is Christ's restored church! She accepted the invitation to be baptized if she does receive the answer that it's true. 

#2 Just one...Wait...Ten A fantastic newlywed couple, both recently returned missionaries, came with us to teach Chris yesterday. Chris is going through a lot, but he is incredibly elect! We haven't seen him in three weeks, so we asked him if he'd read in the Book of Mormon since we last came. He said with a little disappointment, "Yes, but only a little...I'm still in the first chapter." Then he turned to 1 Nephi 10. He was still in 1 Nephi, but he'd actually read ten chapters! He'd also read another chapter we'd recommended. We were so happy! The last time that happened to me, the investigator got baptized. The odds are in his favor. :) He said, "When yall left last time, when we all prayed, I felt so good! There was a good feeling in our home." He recognizes the Spirit so easily. He prayed again that he'd be able to find the whole truth, and thanked Heavenly Father for bringing us into his life. "You don't know how much of a difference yall are making in my life," he told us. He got excited when we said we'd invite him to be baptized next week. He's so prepared.

#3 Eternal Families On their Way! We also visited a part-member family, the Harts. While there, we felt impressed to testify of eternal families. As I bore my testimony, I saw the idea of his having an eternal family sink into his heart. 

We asked him if he wanted to work towards having an eternal family. 

He said yes. 

We asked what he felt the next step was. 

He then confided that up until the last month, he would leave when the missionaries came over. But after meeting us, he thought, "Well, they aren't so bad," and decided to sit in. He said, "The older I get, the closer I get to the church. It's about time I start learning." So essentially, he's agreed to take the lessons! That's his next step. We are so excited for him. Unfortunately they live in the neighboring ward-- their records are just still in ours. So we'll be referring them to the other ward soon.

Another family miracle! My setting apart blessing talks about finding and teaching families, and on Thursday, we prayed as a companionship to find a family. That night, we had an appointment with a woman, Karsandra, who had texted us a few days prior asking us to teach her and her children about Jesus. When we got there, we met her, her sister, and their total of nine kids. I see no coincidence there! 

#4 What?! We had a mind-blowing miracle this week!  All having said they could come when we called on Saturday, all having transportation or member rides arranged, and all with fellowshippers prepared, we had TEN INVESTIGATORS lined up to come to church this Sunday!! TEN! We couldn't believe it! We usually have one or two at church, but by golly, I'd never even heard of ten in one day.

Unfortunately, Sunday morning, we received text after text of cancellations. By the time Sacrament Meeting started at 9am, none of the ten investigators could come. We were sad, but what potential we have to look forward to! We will be working hard to make it happen next Sunday. It's not about the numbers, but we're incredibly blessed to be seeing so many people working to come to Christ at one time in one place.

Well, folks, I'm living and loving the Lord's work here. We're working hard and the Lord is blessing us. I feel like Ammon when he goes to Ishmael and hundreds are ready to hear the word! God is real. He loves us.

I love yall! Stay warm!

Sister Taylor

PS My cute Georgia journal my dear companion made me!

Sisters Pi, Webster, Porter & I