June 27th, 2007

Taylor Fam and Friends,
Well, here it is, the end of another change! That´s so weird. This change has been really good for me. It wasn´t the easiest of my mission, but I have a feeling I will look back on this change with a great deal of gratitude.
Just so you know, the weeks of Changes, we have P-Day on Wednesday. I forgot to tell you last week. My bad. But I hope that you can find it in your hearts to forgive me. Haha.
Ok, I was going to try and delay telling you the changes until the end of this letter, but I´m so excited that I can´t even think about anything else until I tell you. So here it is...ELDER TAYLOR IS STAYING IN ARTIGAS! How cool is that? Haha. I´ll be here for at least 6 months. But, as all of you probly could have guessed, my Corto Plazo is headed for his house, so who is going to be Elder Taylor´s new companion? To tell you the truth, I still don´t even know. "Why?", you may ask. Well I don´t know because I AM GOING TO BE TRAINING! I am still in my first area, and this will only be my fourth change in the mission! I am going to be training a brand new missionary! I just barely got done with my training. Haha. I can´t even begin to tell you how excited I am!
So this is how it´s all going down...I head to Montevideo tonight at 12:30 with my Corto Plazo, two Elders who are finishing, and Hma. Aranda (she will be training as well). We get to ´Deo at like 7/8ish tomorrow morning, have a meeting with the Assistants or the President, and then we go up on the roof to meet our new companion. They don´t even tell us the name! I will be standing behind him tomorrow morning and not even know who it is. He´ll turn around and I´ll have to read his tag to know his name. I am so excited! So we meet tomorrow morning, and our bus that comes to Artigas leaves at about noon. Sweet, uh?
So there it is-the craziest change ever! I was with my trainer for 2 changes (normal), Sr. Comp w/ a Corto Plazo my third change (REALLY weird) and now I´m training in my fourth. If I wasn´t so excited, I would feel really overwhelmed. Haha. Now the only mystery from this change is if he will be a Latino or a Gringo. I can´t decide. Any guesses? If you do, you better get them in before Monday when I write again!
So that´s the REALLY exciting news for this week. Other exciting news-Eduardo´s getting baptized on Saturday! I´m stoked. This will be the first one I have had from start to finish. As you can tell from that, the work is slow here in La Rama 5, but it´s happening!
Mom, did you by chance get a surprise birthday email last week? I hope so. Hmo. Martinez said he sent you an email, so I hope he got the address right. Haha. They are an AWESOME member couple. I´ve told you about them in past emails, I think. So yeah, just checking.
Had a training on Sunday night from the Area Presidency about La Obra Misional. It was really cool. ALL of the leaders from the wards were invited as well as the missionaries. It was about the different roles that each organization plays in La Obra Misional. It was really good.
As house-cleaning items, I took out some money from my personal card last week because I had to pay the bills and I didn´t have enough left from my Giro; but it´s all reimbursable, so don´t worry, I didn´t just waste it. Haha. Just didn´t want to you think I just went crazy all of a sudden. :o)
It looks like Artigas is going to be headed to the temple again for this change, but I don´t know if I should go. The trips to the temple we have to pay for ourselves, and it is a bit expensive. (Because we are 8 hours away from the temple!) What do ya´ll want me to do? Meaning mom and dad. Haha. Opportunities to go to the temple don´t happen often, but I don´t want to be reckless with money. The last trip we went on, when Elder Stoddard was here, was the first time that he had gone to the temple since he arrived in Uruguay. Well, he went the day after he got here, like everyone, but he hadn´t been for a year and a half. Just to help put it in perspective. I´m not the one working like crazies right now, so I´ll just leave that decision up to you! :o)
Other than that, all is well here in beautiful Artigas! It has turned COLD, but it´s bearable. I´m excited for my new coat. Haha. During the morning and afternoon´s it will be perfect. And everyone says it´s not going to stay cold like crazy for much longer, so when it starts to heat up again, it will be nice to have for the ´jacket weather.´
Just trying to do my best here in this amazing part of Zion. I´m glad to hear that Melanie enjoyed herself on Trek. I can´t wait to get the report. And Mary-Anne and Nathanael were enlightened a little more on Uruguay, thanks to the Travel Channel. Haha. To answer your question, EVERYONE drinks Mate (pronouned Mah-Tay) We have a rule that as missionaries we can´t drink it (because we´d waste time), but I´ll buy some before heading home to try it. It doesn´t look very good at all, but I´ve got to at least try it once in my life, right? It´ll be a fun experience.
If you have any other questions, just ask! I´ll do my best to answer! :o) Tell Elder May that he had better eat some Domino´s Pizza for Elder Taylor! Oh man, that sounds SOOO good. Wow. Haha.
Know that I love you, and that you are in my prayers daily! I can´t wait to hear from you! It is nice to hear the updates from people, so keep them coming! Uncle Mike, thanks for your words of encouragement; they´re received with excitement every week! Take care of yourselves and just remember that the Lord is waiting for us to invite Him to take part in our lives!
Love Always,
Elder Taylor Alma 29:9-10

Howdy

Taylor Fam and Friends,
 So...I never know what to say to start these things. That´s probly the
hardest part about writing them. Haha. I remember it was always like that
with my essays in school, too. Well...when I wrote them! :o)
 I guess I´ll start by wishing my beautiful mother a Happy Birthday this
Wednesday! YAY! I´ll make sure to remember to sing to you! And just to let
you know, this last Saturday (the 16th) was my ´Guyean Mother´s birthday:
Hma. Cristina Martinez. She invited Diego and I over for cake, so we went
and had a piece in between lessons on Saturday. It was fun. And she said
we´re gonna put something together for your birthday...so be waiting
anxiously! Haha. And, just to prove I haven´t forgotten EVERYTHING,
Saturday was Shayla Troff´s birthday too. I don´t know if you are sending
these e-mails to her (I hope so) but if you are-Happy Birthday, Shay! We
sang happy birthday to you, too. Haha.
 And, Happy Father´s Day, Dad! I don´t even know if Father´s Day exists
down here, because no one said a word, but yesterday in Priesthood I had a
good opportunity to brag about my Dad. :o) So it´s all good. At least I
remembered, right? But I hope that you had a good day yesterday and that
you know that your favorite son is always thinking about you!
 What is this I read about trying to get rid of the brown chair?! Are you
crazy?! I have had dreams about the Sunday when I will be able to come home
from Church and talk a nap in that chair! I think I´m going to cry...!
Skyler has been slacking in his responsibility, I can see...but what else
is new? Haha.
 Melanie gets to go on Trek this week! How cool is that?! Mel, I am SO
excited for you! I wasn´t the most excited to go on Trek, but I am SO glad
that I did. It was such an awesome experience for me! Part of me wishes I
was home so I could go with you, but you will be in my thoughts and prayers
every minute! Just go without any worries or fears and be willing to have a
good time. You will make a GREAT memory!  I want to hear all about it in a
letter from YOU! :o)
 So Friday was ATK´s Lagoon Day. That´s cool. I remember stuff like
that. Haha. Melanie FINALLY went on the White Roller Coaster, Megan was
scared out of her mind (but laughing-what else is new?! haha), and Mom
almost didn´t make it to her birthday-sounds like one for the books! :o)
Mary-Anne said something about a Wicked roller coaster-what is that? I had
a dream about Wicked the other night...must be a sign that we need to go
again! Hmmm....okay!
 Mom, I asked Elder Talbot last week and Henry Talbot is his
great-great-great grandpa! YES! We´re related! We knew that we had to be,
because we´re so much alike! We were so excited. Haha. And then, last
Friday, he was the victim of a "special change" so he isn´t here with me
in Artigas anymore. Cruel irony, uh? Find a relative and then because of
someone else, you can´t expound on it. Oh well, maybe I´ll get bumped to
Tacuarembo with him next week....doubt it. Haha. But that was cool
nonetheless!
 Great news for the week...Eduardo has a baptismal date! FINALLY! Haha.
There has been a couple of bumps in the way, but we´re finally there!
He´s going to get baptized next Thursday, June 28th. That´s the day of
changes, so I´m actually praying that I don´t get moved, but only the
Lord knows, right? We invited him last night and he accepted without a
flinch! He´s so anxious. We talked a little more and then told him to
start thinking about who he wants to baptize him; he started to get tears
in his eyes and said, "Well if it´s ok, I´d like you to do it, Taylor.
After all, if it wasn´t for you, I wouldn´t know anything about the
Church." I had to hurry and ask him if we could end with a prayer so I
wouldn´t start crying. :o) But I´m really excited! This will be the first
baptism that I´ve been a part of from start to finish, so I´m stoked!
Make sure to keep him in your prayers, as he prays for all of you in every
single one of his prayers.
 What an amazing blessing it is to see the Gospel change people´s lives.
He has stopped smoking; he has stopped drinking; he has changed the way he
talks to and treats other people. A little over two weeks ago, he wasn´t
really reading in the Book of Mormon; we talked about how important it was
in a visit, and from that day forward, the second we sit down he has his
Book of Mormon out to show us what he has read and marked in that day.
There really is a power in the Book of Mormon! If I have learned nothing
else so far in my mission (which isn´t the case), I can testify that the
Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that if we not only read it, but
seek to apply the principals in our lives, we will be blessed in ways that
we can´t even comprehend! I love being a missionary and this opportunity
that I have to see the Lord work in the lives of His children! Let Him work
in yours!
 We´re getting close to the end of this change. It has been really
different, and hard-I´m not gonna lie. But I have grown and learned SO
much in this change, especially about myself and my relationship with my
Father in Heaven. The Lord knows each of our needs and is here to help us
if we just invite Him into our lives by doing the things He asks of us.
What a blessing it is to know that! Know that I love you all and that
you´re constantly in my prayers!
 Love Always,
Elder Taylor

6-Month Email....Wow‏

Taylor Clan and Comrades,
 So that´s a crazy thought-as of Wednesday, it will be 6 months as a
missionary. As I´ve said before, some days it feels like it and some days
it doesn´t. We´re already in our 4th week of this change. We go to
Tacuarembo for interviews this Thursday, we have a ward activity next
Thursday and the Thursday after is Changes. Wow. Weeks really are a lot
shorter in the mission field. Days? Now that´s usually another story...!
Haha.
 Mom, to answer a couple of your questions at the beginning of the
email....I think I´d like you to send me my Detroit Lions baseball hat, if
you can find it. If not, my Cleveland Indians one. (If you can´t remember
which is which-the Lions hat has a Lion on the front and the Indians has an
Indian: pretty convenient, uh?) I miss wearing a baseball hat. Weird, huh?
I never thought of that as something I´d miss, but there ya go. I´ll only
be able to wear it in the house and on p-days during activities, but at
least it´s more than never! Other than that, ya´ll can send whatsoever
your little hearts desire with the Damairu family. Mary-Anne said she sent
some pictures last week, so if she sent enough, I think that´ll be good.
You´ve always had a good knack for this kinda thing-I´ll trust ya. :o)
 As for the yard-sale, you can go ahead and sell my punching bag. I´ll
find other ways to take out my frustration...Skyler´s home, remember?
Haha. Just playing, Skyler, take it easy. It´s not my fault you gained
weight and I´m losing it...! Or is it...?!
 So Mom gets to speak in Church on Sunday-that´s cool! We are having our
Ward Conference this Sunday, so that´ll be fun to see. I had a first-time
experience in Church yesterday. Hma. Rosconi asked me if I wouldn´t mind
playing the hymns in sacrament meeting so should could take care of her
baby, and I said I´d be glad to. So as I´m sitting there playing prelude,
President Lorenzo (of the Branch) came up and asked if I could give a 10
minute talk because one of his speakers didn´t show up. Of course
President, I´d love too. So I play the hymns, go and sit down and listen
to the first 2 speakers; both really good talks. Just really short. So the
time comes for the last speaker-me-and there´s still 20-25 minutes of the
meeting. I walk up to the pulpit and whisper to the President "Vamos a ver"
or "We´ll see" and he just smiles and shrugs his shoulders. The next thing
you know, we had 2 minutes left and I was still talking about how service
is a great way to open the hearts of the people to the gospel. Behind me I
hear Hmo. Machado say to Pte. Lorenzo, "El don de lenguas" or "The gift of
tongues." What an awesome feeling it is when you just open your mouth and
the Lord fills it with words. It´s like the magic trick when people pull
scarves out of their mouth-the words just keep coming. What an awesome
opportunity we have to recognize the hand of the Lord work in our lives,
even in the littlest ways.
 So we leave sacrament meeting and head to Gospel Essentials for Recent
Converts and Investigators when I am told that the teacher for our class
isn´t there...."Elder Taylor, could you give the class today? Hermana
Duarte must be sick." Yeah, no problem, I´d love to. So then we had a nice
little lesson about the Spirit World. The topic went from the opportunity
we have to prepare in this life, to the death of Eduardo´s daughter, to
the passing of one of my best friends, Grandpa Talbot. I explained to
Eduardo that just as I am sure that I have felt the presence of my
grandfather many times since his passing, he too can have the peace of
knowing that his daughter is in a better place. We all left that class
extremely grateful for the wonderful blessings of our loving Heavenly
Father.
 What a great chance we have to rest from our busy lives one day a week to
give appreciation and thanks to our Heavenly Father. This little sacrifice
makes such a difference in the life of every person who is willing to keep
this simple, power-packed commandment.
 No Mom, I haven´t asked Elder Talbot yet if his ancestors come from back
that way, I´ll make sure to ask him this week and I´ll let you know. I
wasn´t sure of anything besides Gobo Fango, so thanks for passing along
that bit of info. When we were on divisions last week we found out that we
have A LOT in common. We decided we´re going to have to ask is mom if she
ever placed a son up for adoption, because we think we might be
twins...he´s just a little older. Haha.
 So dad gave his first talk as a High Councilman (again) That´s sweet.
And Kevin was your speaking comp! Crazy! I can´t believe he´s home, I
love that kid. Man, we had some good times. Next time you see him, make
sure you send some saludos from Elder Taylor!
 So this Thursday we are headed to Tacuarembo to have our interviews with
Presidente Aguilar. It will be my last time seeing him, most likely,
because President Peterson gets here July 1 or something like that. Man,
I´ve only been on the mission 6 months and I´ve already got three Mission
Presidents. That´s a fun little stat.
 I haven´t taken hardly any pictures this change, but I still have a ton
from the MTC and from my first changes with Elder Stoddard, that were on my
2nd card. I´ll get them on a cd like next week and send them on home to
ya´ll. I´ve started jottin´down notes so you´ll be able to know who´s
in some of the pictures and what not. Hopefully that´ll help. How´s the
book comin´?
 Well, I think that´s about it from this end of the world for this week.
Know that I love ya and that all is well here! The Church is SO true! How
cool is that? We belong to the only true church! Sweet! Let´s share it so
everyone can enjoy the peace and happiness that we do! ¡Vamos arriba!
 Love Always,
 Elder Taylor

¡Pero qué bueno che!‏

Family and friends,
 Well hey there! How ya´ll doin? All´s well and cold here in beautiful
Artigas. Yesterday was pretty darn nice, but the last week it has gotten a
LOT colder. But with all the walking we do, it´s not too bad! This week
has seemed to go by really fast. I love what one of my first Zone Leaders
said, "The days go by like weeks and the weeks go by like days." It´s
weird, but it´s so true. And next Wednesday I hit my 6-month mark-now
THAT´S weird. Some days it´s hard to believe I´ve been here that long.
 I went on divisions with Elder Talbot last Saturday and he said that once
I get out of my first area (which I´m still in) the time will go by even
faster. He finishes like the first of November. We get along REALLY
well-divisions was a lot of fun, and the work went really well too. Not
necessarily in order of importance....haha. I think it was just liberating
to be able to talk in English again. It´s funny, I´m already starting to
talk a few second pauses to remember words in English. And the speech
between the Gringos is a mix of Spanish and English-it´s so fun. Like some
words are just easier or cooler in Spanish, so there´s Spanish splattered
all over in our speech. I love it. Haha.
 The work is moving a long. Last Thursday, Diego and I found a really cool
lady and her 13-year old daughter. The mom USED to be Catholic, and the
daughter is VERY Catholic. I can´t believe it. This girl is probably one
of the smartest 13-year olds I´ve ever met-what´s she doin´in the
´Guay? Haha. Just kidding. But she knows A LOT about the Bible, about the
Catholic church, and she just likes to learn. We have a lesson with them
again tonight, so I´m stoked to see what happens.
 As for an update on Pablo, we´re still waiting anxiously right along
with you. He had a case that he had to take to court last week, so the
schedule was basically impossible to coordinate. But there´s no need to
worry, he´s in the Lord´s hands. Maybe he just needs a little more prep
time. Either way, we´re excited to see what´s going to happen!
 Eduardo had a really good week last week-he turned down the opportunity
to drink like 3 times! Sweet! We set up for Jose Luis to go and get him on
Sunday morning to go to church, but he wasn´t home when Jose Luis went
by. We passed by after church yesterday twice, but he wasn´t there either
time. We don´t know what happened, but we´re praying that he´s ok. Since
he didn´t come to the church, we have to postpone his baptismal date, but
the most important thing is that he makes it there.
 Diego and I are doing well. It´s very different, like I´ve said, but I
am growing A LOT. I am really grateful for this opportunity the Lord has
given me to get to know myself better, and to learn to rely on the Lord.
 Well, the silence from the States was broken this week-I heard from
Alison! Finally, somebody penetrated the postal firewall. Haha. I´ll be
waiting anxiously for the rest of them to filter in. :o) And I´ll do my
best to break down the wall that exists here, but I´ve learned that time
is quite the opponent! Haha.
 I apologize for this letter being short, but there´s not a lot of
groundbreaking news this week. The work of the Lord is moving forward, and
what a blessing we have to be a part of it! Stay prepared, worthy, and in
tune, and the Lord will use you to do His work. Christ lives, and He
presides at the head of His church! Let us do our part to prepare for His
coming. Know that I love you all and that you are in my prayers daily!
 Elder Taylor

Melanie-Congrats on the award! I agree 100%! Haha. And Family, don´t
forget-I´m waiting to hear from each one of you something you´ve learned
from the Book of Mormon! :o)