Well Hey There...!

Taylor Fam and Friends,
 So how ya´ll doin? Things are going really well here in Bella Union.
Elder Marroquín got up this morning, studied, and went back to bed. Haha.
It was great! For the next couple of weeks we´ll probably be writing in
the afternoon, because his family writes him on Monday mornings, so we have
to give them time to be able to write. Just a heads up. So this morning we
slept and cleaned. Afterwards we went down to the park by the river, took
some pictures, and played frisbee. I think I´m going to be buying a
basketball after we write. It´s been WAY too long since I played. Haha.
 So Elder Marroquín is from Lima, Peru. He´s been a member his whole
life. His mom´s a convert of about 20 years and his dad was baptized about
7 years ago. He is the oldest of 5 kids; 4 boys and a girl. His family was
sealed in the Lima Temple in April, so that´s pretty cool! As I think I
said last week, Elder Marroquín has been in ´Deo for the last 4 1/2
months. Elder McFarland (one of my first Zone Leaders) trained him, and the
last two changes he has been with Elder Bankhead, one of the first Elders I
met here in the ´Guay. He´s been here one change longer than me and is
from Logan. But that´s just for your info. Haha.
 Elder Marroquín and I are doing really well together! He has come with
the desires to work, and work is what we are doing! We finished up the week
wonderfully, and we are really looking forward to see what this new week
brings.
 Elder Huaman left at 8:30 on Tuesday night and until about 10:45 I was in
the house of one of the members here. At 10:45, Daniel (a
recently-returned-missionary) got out of his class and came to get me. We
went to my house, planning on going to bed and sleeping. At about 11:50, I
received a telephone call from Elder Huffaker, the zone leader in
Paysandu. He says, "Elder Taylor, sorry to wake you up. We have an Elder
that´s going to be in Bella Unión in about half an hour on his way to
Artigas. We need you to go get him and get him on the next bus to Artigas."
Sweet, thanks Elder Huffaker. Haha. So we forgot about sleeping, went and
got Elder Allen, and he and I went to my house to crash. Daniel went home
to get some sleep before work on Wednesday morning. So yeah, Elder Allen
was with me until Elder Marroquín got here, and then we put him on a bus
for Artigas. He was headed for Barrio 4 in Artigas. I told him to send a
shout out for the Rama.
 Last weekend had a great experience. Friday night, a lot of the young
adults from Salto came to have an activity with the young adults from Bella
Union. Elder Echegaraí (spelling-NO idea) who is an Area Authority came
and spoke at a fireside. He gave an AWESOME talk on prayer. It was SO good.
I´m glad that the young adults invited us to go. Haha. I´m not sure why,
but that talk was prepared with Elder Taylor in mind. Prayer is such a
powerful tool and blessing that our Father in Heaven has given us. Are we
putting it to use, or is it an un-opened gift on the mantel?
 We also went and participated in the service project with the youth on
Saturday morning. It was a lot of fun. We went and painted, cleaned,
organized and all that fun kind of stuff at a school here in Bella Unión.
 Mom-you´re going to sing for President Hinckley?! That´s so cool!
Don´t mess up. Haha. Just kidding. I can´t believe that General
Conference is almost here again. Crazy. I remember heading to General
Conference with Elder Stoddard in Artigas. Man, that was fun. Speaking of
Tyson (Elder Stoddard) have you guys heard from him yet? He´s been home
almost 2 months now. He´s probably using the excuse that he´s busy with
school, but that´s no excuse. Haha. I hope he gets in touch soon. I´ll
send you his info next week, if I can remember.
 Dad-how was the Titan? Everything you hoped and dreamed? Haha. I hope you
took a picture when it was sitting there in the garage! I have to know how
well my Tacoma is going to fit. :o) Looks like they did a pretty good job
on fixing up the van. Did it cost an arm and a leg, or just the leg? Did
the insurance help at all? Have you found the blessing or lesson that
we´re supposed to learn in this experience yet? If not, keep looking,
it´ll show up...it always does!
 Here´s a weird idea-our bishop here left yesterday after church and if
things go well, he won´t be back for 3 months. That´s kind of an
interesting thought, huh? Our bishop has been without work for some time,
just doing odd-jobs here and there for a couple of weeks at a time. He got
the opportunity to sign-up to take the fireman course like two weeks ago,
so he did it. He´s in ´Deo this week to see if he passes the tests. If
things go as we hope, we won´t have a bishop until about Christmas; if
things don´t go well, he´ll be here to preside in Sacrament next week.
The ward will be fine. The counselors are very capable men, and the members
know how things run. The Elders will be doing their part. So yeah, we hope
things go well for Bishop Molina.
 Well, I think that´s about it for this week. The work of the Lord is
moving forward here in Bella Union. I am so grateful for the opportunity
that I have to be a part of this wonderful work! He really does have great
things in store for each one of us, of that I have no doubt. I love and
pray for you often; don´t ever forget that!
 Love Always,
Elder Taylor

Changes...!

Taylor Fam and Friends,
 Well hey there!  How ya´ll doin? Things are going really well here in
Bella Union. This "beautiful union" has been a soaked union for the last
week. It has rained like every single day, all day. I don´t mind walking
in the rain at all, but the people here don´t think too much of it. It
makes the work a little more difficult, but hey, that´s what we do!
 So I think that last week I forgot to tell you all that this week is
change week-that´s why I´m writing today. Usually we write on
Wednesday´s change week, but they´ve now changed it. Apparently on change
week´s we´ll be having our P-Day on Tuesday´s. Who knows? I just sleep
when I´m told. Haha. So sorry about forgetting last week...! My bad.
 So I´ve been here in Bella Union for about a month and a half. The
changes brought with them at least another month and a half of Bella Union
for me! Elder Taylor is staying, with an Elder from Peru; but that Elder is
not Elder Huaman. Elder Huaman is headed to Mercedes, and Elder Marroquín
is coming to join me. Apparently the Lord knows that I need to learn
something from the poeple of Peru! Elder Marroquín has the same amount of
time in the mission as Elder Huaman, so he´s not NEW, but he hasn´t been
here too long either. I don´t know where he´s been here in the ´Guay,
but he´s coming from Montevideo. That´ll be a little bit of a change for
him. Haha. Montevideo is A LOT different than Bella Union. But he´ll do
fine. Elder Huaman bounces out tonight at 8:30 and Elder Marroquín gets
here tomorrow morning at 7. So that´ll be cool. We weren´t taken by
surprise at all by the changes. It was basically just waiting to find out
where he was headed and who was coming. Elder Huaman has mixed feelings
about leaving, which is understandable. This is his first area change in
the mission; he´s been here for 4 1/2 months. Things have really improved
in the last few weeks with Elder Huaman and I. Once we really start rolling
the way we should, the Lord sees fit to bounce him. But hey, He knows what
He´s doing, and He´s good at it. Just got to put our faith and trust in
Him, right? Ok, no problem!
 This week was a great week. We had a lesson with Maria Correa, a lady to
whom we had taught 3 lessons, and in those lessons we talked about the Plan
of Salvation. It was something that she needed, so we began with that. So
this week, we taught her the message of the Restoration. As Elder Huaman
was talking about the life of Jesus Christ, the thought came into my head,
"Invite her to get baptized." It kind of took me by surprise. She hasn´t
gone to church yet, and we still hadn´t given her a Book of Mormon. My
companion finishes, and I start talking about Joseph Smith and the Book of
Mormon. After a couple of minutes, the thought comes again, "Invite her to
get baptized, now." So I stopped and said something along the lines of,
"Maria, if this really happened, and I testify to you that it did, it is
the greatest thing that has happened in nearly two thousand years. The
power of God is here on the earth, restored through a prophet, and we can
have the blessings of that power in our lives. Maria, we want you to be a
part of that. We´re planning a baptismal service the 20th of October. Will
you be baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints on that
day?" At first, she was hesitant it seemed. My companion and I both bore
our testimonies of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and of the Church. I then
extended the invitation again, and she accepted! We left that lesson
grinning from ear to ear. It was one of those lessons that you always want
to have! I´m so grateful for the promptings of the Spirit. It is SO
important that we listen and obey when we are blessed with those
promptings.
 Maria did not end up coming to church on Sunday, because her husband had
an operation in Artigas, but we are still confident with this opportunity!
The Lord will provide the way.
 We also extended another baptismal invitation Sunday afternoon to a
16-year-old named Diego Dacol. He is a teenager who has had some really
tough times in his life, and it´s hard for him to open up to people, but
he also accepted the invitation to be baptized. He still hasn´t been to
church, so this week is the key. I know the Lord will help us get him to
church, because He wants Diego to be able to enjoy His blessings as much as
we do! I´m so excited for this week!
 Had a great sacrament meeting on Sunday. The 2nd Counselor spoke about
sacrifice. It was an AWESOME talk. I don´t know why, but it just hit me
right in my soft spot on Sunday. It seemed like Hermano Molina had prepared
that talk for Elder Taylor. One of those little tender mercies of our
Heavenly Father!
 My little sister went to Homecoming?! Wow. I´m getting old. Haha. That
is SO cool! Mel, those pictures better be in my inbox next Monday when I
come to write! I want this kid´s full name, address, and any other
information you can get! Haha. No, I´m just kidding. It sounds like a
really fun date. I hope you had a GREAT time! Thanks for telling me about
it. And congrats on making the ensemble for the musical! That is SO cool!
Make sure somebody records it! I want updates. :o)
 Mary-Anne just couldn´t take it anymore, uh? Haha. I was trying to
figure out how long she was going to last. I knew she wouldn´t make it to
Christmas for sure! No Mary-Anne, I´m not making fun of you in any way.
That´s just the way you´ve always been! And I´m definitely okay with
that, because I got to see you like every week! I know what you mean about
missing the mountains. I´d much rather live by mountains than by the
beach! As for your question about my dates...my release date, as you saw in
the picture, is December 26, 2008. Which means that I´d leave Montevideo
on the morning of the 26th. But who knows?! That´s still PLENTY of time
away-we don´t need to worry about that at all! You just take care of what
you need to do, and I´ll do what I´ve been called to do; the Lord will
take care of the rest! Haha.
 Mom, what kind of souvenirs do you want me to pick up? I have no problem
spending money, if you give me permission. Haha. I´m still looking for
thimbles, by the way. The problem is that I´ve been in two pretty small
cities, and finding a souvenir like that is a little difficult. But don´t
you worry about it, I´ve still got plenty of time! :o)
 Dad, I´m glad to hear that your reviews went well. I knew they would.
What the Captain said about your review being an example does not surprise
me! You have always been an amazing example to everyone who knows you!
Thank you so much for all the love and support you have given me.
 Well, I think that´s about it for this week. I´ve now been out for over
9 months, in case you didn´t look at the calendar this last week. Haha.
That´s so weird. On Thursday it will be a YEAR since I received my call.
Wow. I remember it like it was yesterday. Ok, maybe two days ago. Haha. I
know the Lord has brought me here for a reason, and I will work as hard as
I can to make sure that that reason is fulfilled! I love you all!
¡Cuídense y pórtense bien!
Elder Taylor

Finally...!

Taylor Family and Friends,
 You wouldn´t think that skipping one P-Day would be a big deal, but you
could´ve fooled me. The second we got done planning last night, we were
changed and in bed. Out like a couple of lights. And we have big plans for
this afternoon...3 hour nap, here I come. Haha. It has been a long, good
week. Not to mention, the heat has started to show up again. I can´t
decide which I like more, the heat or the cold. They both have their
advantages and their disadvantages. But hey, we work anyways, to the
surprise of many. Haha.
 So this week was a week full of work, but there´s not a ton to report.
We are teaching a lot, but our investigators are having a rough time
grasping the concept of the importance of going to church. But hey, that´s
why we are here as missionaries, right?! What an opportunity we have to
help them learn. Haha.
 Couple of cool little events...I have now eaten some "weird" stuff in the
´Guay. A recent convert named Jimmy Pio has made us two unusual dishes.
Cow udder and stuffed intestines. Sounds good, uh? Haha. The cow udder was
kinda different, but the intestines were actually REALLY good. I had like 1
1/2 servings of the cow udder stuff, but I had 3 1/2 of the intestines. I
was almost disappointed that that was all I could fit in. It was really
good.
 Mary-Anne, it seems like you change jobs faster than I change ties!
Sheesh kid. So now you´re working at a Day Care. Whatever happened to that
insurance company place or whatever? Did you ever check more in to that?
You could have hooked a brother up if you had taken that job! Haha. And you
found the ghetto Oregon version of Desert Star. That´s awesome. So it´s
like a movie theater place, not a live play? That´s cool. The other day I
was actually thinking back on Desert Star-that was a fun job. Most of the
time. Haha. You said you thought it was weird to go to your stake center
that is half an hour away? Get this: we belong to the Salto stake; Salto is
where we go to plan every week-a two or two and a half hour bus ride to get
to the stake center! I don´t know if I will ever ride to church in a car
again! Yesterday as we were walking to church, I was thinking about how
nice it was outside and how nicely it sets the mood for the Sabbath to walk
to church. Just an interesting little thought.
 Mom and Dad, are you guys still going to the chapel up on 40th? It seems
like there has been so many changes, I can´t keep them straight anymore!
Haha. Speaking of the changes, how is the neighborhood behind the house
looking? Can we still see the mountains? If we can´t, I´m building a room
on top of the house. I miss the mountains. People say mountains here, and I
just laugh when I see the rolling hills. Good times. Ignorance is bliss. Or
so they say...right?
 Robby White got his mission call?! Holy cow! That is SOOO cool! That is
so weird to think that Robby is that old. I can still remember when he ran
straight in to our tramp when we were playing soccer in the backyard! Haha.
He did a lot of crazy things, and always got up laughing. You make sure to
tell him before he leaves that the Lord protects us from danger, but not
from stupidity. Haha. And then give him a huge hug for me!
 So I want to hear all about this Aida thing that Melanie and Megan did.
What theater was it? Was it like one of those community theaters, or what?
All I´ve heard was Aida and lead role. Come on, people, I´m 6,000 miles
away and hanging on one sentence. Haha. Melanie tried out for Bingham´s
musical, right? Isn´t it Oklahoma this year? How did she do? All you´ve
gotta do, Mel, is just put the nerves behind you and bust it out, kid! I
know you´ve got it in you! They all know it, and you know it too. Now just
let them see it!
 Megan, how´s your new school going? Keeping up with all the stuff
you´ve gotta do? Keeping away from all those South Jordan boys? Yeah, I
know how they are. Haha. Oh yeah, that reminds me...how did Melanie´s
first date go?! I didn´t even get an update on that! Sheesh. You think my
cute little sister or my best friend would keep me updated on something
like that...! Keep dreaming, uh? Haha
 Dad, I know how you feel about the whole talk thing. Sometimes we have
something great in mind to say, and then something completely different
comes out. It can be frustrating. But even in times like that, I´ve found
that the Lord´s hand is in it. Sometimes it´s hard to think that He would
want something like that...but why do you think that is? I expect a 500
word response by next Monday. Haha. As long as we have done our part in the
preparation, we can rest easy, no matter what comes out of our mouth; even
if we think that we butchered it. But the key is to make sure that we are
prepared.
 Last week it happened again. I was sitting at the piano playing prelude
for sacrament, and the first counselor comes up and ask me if I can give a
10 minute talk during the meeting. "Absolutely."  Great answer, Elder
Taylor. Haha. I went up to the pulpit with my Book of Mormon and Bible,
praying for the Lord to fulfill His promise of filling His servants´
mouths. He did. He always does. The counselor had said that the topic was
preparation...funny, uh? But it was a testimony to me. The Lord was able to
put into my mouth the scriptures and principles that I have learned
throughout the course of my life. Through personal scripture study, we are
showing the Lord that we want Him to use us in His work. He can´t put into
our mouth something we are not familiar with. He cannot tell us to share a
scripture that we have never read or studied. Kind of an intimidating
thought; but at the same time, what an amazing blessing. The Lord wants to
use us in His work, but He won´t deprive us of the opportunity of learning
and growing according to our desires. It was a nice reminder.
 So anyways, that was a fun experience. I know that the Lord is always
there to lead and guide us, even at times when things seem to go wrong.
Through small and simple means, the Lord will bring great things to pass. I
don´t remember how it goes in English. Alma 37:6-7 if you want the correct
wording! Haha.
 So I think that´s about it for this week. Sorry that it´s kind of a
bland letter, but there´s not a lot that you guys can do about it. Haha.
The work of the Lord is moving forward in this part of the world. And from
what I hear from Elder Homer, in the Philippines as well. I got a letter
from him this last week. I would love to receive updates and notices from
every one of you; even if it´s a wedding announcement. By the way, Mom,
did you send congrats to JoHanna and Brandon for me? Shayla´s wedding is
in just a bit too...make sure that you get a hold of her for me! Well, know
that I love each and every one of you and I can´t wait to hear from you!
¡Chao!
 Elder Taylor

Hey, Hey!

Taylor Fam and all the rest,
 Wow, it´s been a crazy week. I am SO tired; well, physically. We had an
amazing time yesterday in Montevideo!
 Elder Huaman and I left Bella Union on Thursday night at 8:30 and got to
Salto about 10:30 to meet up with the rest of the zone. We then left Salto
at 12:30 (AM) for Montevideo. We got there at about 7 in the morning. From
the bus terminal, we took taxis straight over to the chapel in Flores,
where the conference was going to be. We were probly the second or third
zone there. It was SO fun because the ENTIRE mission was there. It was cool
to see a lot of familiar faces and catch up with everyone. This is probably
the only time in my mission that all of us will be together. So we spent
about an hour to an hour and a half just mingling and chatting and what
not. Then as the word came that Elder Perry had left the hotel, we started
a mission study on Ether 12. It really helped set the mood.
 About fifteen minutes later, Elder Perry along with Elder Robbins (Area
President) showed up, accompanied by their wives. It was a pleasant
surprise to see Elder Robbins-we didn´t know he was coming. I´ll lay out
the scene: if you´re looking at the pulpit, I was sitting on the left side
of the chapel, the second row, on the very end of the bench towards the
center. So I was like 10 feet from Elder Perry for like 4 hours! It was
awesome! He came in, we all stood, and they went and put their stuff on the
stand. Then, before doing anything else, he told us all that he wanted to
greet us individually. "Tell me your name and where your from." We went row
by row until all of us had met the four of them. Elder Perry was very laid
back and comical. Cracking jokes the whole time and commenting on weird
names or cities. It took around 15 or 20 minutes, I would imagine. Then we
began the conference.
 Hermana Peterson bore her testimony as did President Peterson to begin.
We then heard from Hermana Robbins for a few minutes and then heard from
Elder Robbins for about an hour, I think. It was an amazing talk. He talked
about having the faith to expect miracles, how God knows every one of our
individual circumstances, and how He and the Savior know each one of us
personally. He stressed the importance of helping those we teach and meet
develop faith in the Savior Jesus Christ, more than anything else. We will
be successful missionaries and can rest easy if we help others develop
faith in Him. It was a great learning opportunity.
 There was then a special musical number, "I Believe in Christ." There was
7 or 8 Elders that sang. Mostly in Spanish, but with the last verse in
English, with Hermana Peterson at the piano. It was very powerful.
 We then had the opportunity to hear from Hermana Perry and she talked
about 9 things that we must do in order to be successful missionaries. Good
talk.
 And then the moment arrived...dun dun dun...Elder Perry came to the
microphone. He is a lot taller than I remember. But same amazing character.
I don´t know if you remember Elder Arrieta, but he´s the Elder I flew
down here with. (he´s from Miami) Anyways, he was translating for Elder
Perry. He was SO nervous. It was pretty funny. Elder Perry just stood up
and said (basically) "Alright, what are your questions?" And then he spent
the next while just answering questions and telling the Latins to learn
their English. Haha. After a long while, he gave his "talk." It wasn´t
what I was expecting, but it was great. He just talked about the importance
of learning all you can from your companion and growing together. He talked
about some of the companionships he´s been in as well as other
companionships in the Quorum of the Twelve. One thing that I had no idea
about was that the Quorum studies together every week. That´s a part of
their temple meetings on Thursdays. How cool is that?! How amazing would it
be to just sit and listen to that study of the Gospel? Wow.
 I learned a lot from that advice. My companion is really quiet, I don´t
know if I´ve told ya´ll that yet, but when he talks it´s usually because
he has an opinion about something. It has been an adjustment for both of us
because he has only done the work in the way that his trainer did it, and
he´s now realizing that I´m not his trainer; and it´s an adjustment for
me, because I´m learning how to work with someone who knows the language
and knows the responsibilities of a missionary. I was with Diego, who knew
the language great, but his knowledge and desires weren´t all there; and
then I was with Elder Holmes, who has all the desires in the world, but was
still struggling with the language. Now I´m with someone who knows the
language and who knows why he´s here. It is fantastic! We could be such a
powerful companionship if we could just hurry and make the necessary
adjustments. We do well together, but I know our potential is so much more.
We had a good talk on Thursday, so hopefully things will snap into place
now! I´m pretty stoked!
 After the conference, we took a picture with the whole mission (Elder
Perry wasn´t there-they left to eat with Pres. Peterson) and then we just
chatted and caught up some more. GREAT NEWS-I found out yesterday that
Eduardo has recieved the Melquisedec Priesthood! I don´t remember how to
spell it in English, so that´s Spanish! :o) I was SOOOOO excited when I
found that out. I had no idea that he had. I sent a letter with Elder
Holmes yesterday, so hopefully I´ll be hearing from him soon! But yeah,
that was just fantastic news.
 Then we left and ate at a buffet called Coco´s. When I got there, there
was maybe 16 of us there. When I left, there was close to 100 missionaries
in this restaurant. Haha. It was awesome! I felt bad for the workers, but
they did well! The food was amazing. First time in 9 months I´ve had
Chinese food. Wow.
 Anyways, then we went and shopped a bit, just kind of hung out in ´Deo.
We then went to the bus terminal and found out there was a bus strike
yesterday morning (after we had arrived), so everything was backed up.
Wonderful. Haha. We were trying to figure out what we were gonna do, when
we decided to check one more time on our bus. The guy at the counter said,
you´re in luck-that bus is gonna leave like RIGHT now. All 22 of us ran
out to the platform and jumped on the bus. Good timing. So we took the 7-8
hour bus ride back to Salto; but by the time we got there, the last bus for
Bella Union had already left. Elder Huaman and I stayed with the zone
leaders and our district leaders (the 4 live together) last night. Elder
Huerta (ZL) and I slept on the floor, and Elder Huaman took Elder Huerta´s
bed. That´s the second time the two of us have "slept" on their floor. I
actually got a little sleep this time, though. Then we got up and took the
7 AM bus back to Bella Union, which is about a 3 1/2 route. But after all
is said and done, we are back here safe and sound in Beautiful Union!
 Had a once in a lifetime experience on Wednesday. I cut sugar cane! One
of our investigators has a field with some of his co-workers and we offered
our help. He accepted, so we went and helped them cut for a couple of
hours. It is a hard job, but I loved it! Maybe I´ll have the chance again
before I leave, but I doubt it. Bella Union is the only place in the ´Guay
with the climate for sugar cane, and I´m here in season, with an
investigator who has a field-a pretty good string of luck. Haha. Good
times.
 So I got Melanie´s letter yesterday...LEAD ROLE IN AIDA?! Holy cow! I am
SO excited for you! That is SO cool! You´ll have to let me know how it
goes, kid! I wish you all the best! And you tell Skyler to behave himself
on your date...! Haha. Thanks for writing me and letting me know about all
your fun experiences, Mel. It was good to hear from you!
 So a wreck with the newly fixed van, uh? Wow. I´m glad no one was hurt.
How bad is the damage? Does the guy that hit you have to pay for it, or
what is insurance saying? Hmm. Well...it´s going to be interesting to hear
what blessing comes from this experience!
 Mary-Anne, I´m stoked about your new job. Sounds like a great chance to
share the gospel at the same time. :o) Just ask your local missionaries for
a pamphlet or two, and stick them on the desk. Then be ready for questions!
Haha.
 Yeah, Mom, I have been traveling a lot. It seems like it to me, too. The
Elders here in Bella Union used to just plan alone in the house every week,
but for some reason they changed it. I don´t know when, I don´t know why,
but it´s no big deal. "Por sacrifico se dan bendiciones." :o)
 Sorry about my letter from Monday being somewhat confusing. My bad. I´ll
clear things up-I´m writing today, September 1! Monday is not going to be
P-Day. The next time I´ll write is the 10th. We used our P-Day yesterday
to go to ´Deo. Well worth it. So yeah. You all have a whole 9 days to get
your letters written and sent! I´ll be waiting anxiously.
 I love you all! Thanks so much for your support and your prayers. There
are days when you really can feel the prayers from home pushing you along.
Thank you! ¡Cuídense y pórtense bien!
 Love,
Elder Taylor