Hey! A couple of pictures from the baptisms, one of the reception, and the chapel/house! Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Cambios...
Taylor Family and Friends,
Well here we are on another change day. This change seemed to go by really fast. I think it has something to do with all the traveling that we do here, but who knows? It seems that it always has to rain on change days; it rained when I left Paysandú, and it´s raining today. ¿Pero que se va a hacer? :o)
Great week last week. Super busy week. Monday-p-day, Tuesday-District Meeting, Wednesday-Baptismal Interview, Thursday-Wedding, Friday-Baptism, Saturday-Birthday Party for recent convert, Sunday-Meetings! Yup, Marcos and Paola got married last Thursday and then Paola, Heber and Maria (their two kids) were baptized on Friday by Marcos, their husband and father. It was a great service. After the wedding on Thursday, we threw a surprise reception for them in the chapel. Karen Furtado, the wife of the 1st counselor, set most of it up and got everything rolling. It was great. We had a pretty good turnout for the baptism, as well. President Díaz, the branch president who travels every week from Rivera to be at the meetings, came out especially for the baptism with his wife in order to support the family. The whole branch was excited for them.
On Sunday, the three of them were confirmed by President Díaz, Elder Davidson and I. Marcos had never confirmed anyone before and said his hands and legs shook bad enough in the baptism, so he asked the three of us to do it. Haha. We gladly accepted. After the confirmations, as Elder Davidson and I were sitting at the sacrament table and we had started to sing the hymn, we had a very pleasant surprise. Jose, Nury, and their three kids stuck their heads in the back door! We had been with them on Saturday night, had a GREAT lesson, and they said they´d be there at 2 o´clock for the meetings. Two o´clock came and went, three o´clock came and went, so we figured something had come up. When we saw them stick their heads in, we were stoked! We were already singing the hymn, so we couldn´t get up, but the members did a FANTASTIC job at going back and helping them feel comfortable, introducing themselves, and sitting at their sides. It was awesome. We went and had another great lesson with them last night where we explained a little more in depth about the Book of Mormon. We had told them to read the introduction before the lesson, and when we got there, Jose said, "I read what you told me to read, but I liked it so much, I kept reading. I read the testimonies of the three and eight witnesses, as well as the testimony of Joseph Smith. I hope that´s ok." Haha. Elder Davidson and I were speechless. This is the man who BARELY let us in to his home that first Thursday morning, and was a little hesitant about us saying a prayer. He then proceeded to tell us EXACTLY what happened with the Prophet the night that Moroni appeared to him and told him about the plates. He told us, "I may not remember everything, but I´m just starting to find out about these things now. You will keep coming over to teach us, we´ll keep going to church, and we´ll keep learning things. With time, I´ll be able to remember." Haha, no problem, Jose! We talked more about the Book of Mormon last night, and then about the importance of prophets, with the invitation to go to Conference this weekend. They´re super excited about going to listen to the prophet. The branch is renting a bus for the two sessions on Sunday, and we´ll all go together. I love General Conference! So yeah, a sweet, tender mercy on Sunday and Monday.
Well, now to changes. Elder Davidson is leaving...who woulda thunk? :o) He´s pretty stoked. I´m excited to meet his mom in a couple of weeks, that´ll be fun. I´m staying here in Tranqueras, obviously, and I´m going to be with an elder named Elder Hughes. I don´t know him. He´s only been here in Uruguay for 1 change, in other words, six weeks. He´s coming from Salto, and he gets to Rivera tomorrow at about noon. I´m really excited. He could very well be my last companion. Crazy! We´ll see what happens, though, because President always manages to surprise me somehow. Haha.
Mom, I´m doing pretty good about writing in my journal. Not GREAT, like I was at the beginning of the mission, but I do pretty well. I just hope that you´re all keeping these letters, too, because that will be a nice back-up journal.
Yeah, I pulled out some money last week, and I´ll be pulling out some more here in a little bit. It´s for a good cause, no worries. Haha. But hey, don´t try and ruin the surprise. :o) The exchange rate is about 20 pesos per dollar right now. Hey, so what happened with the bank in NY? Our landlady said that some bank went bankrupt, but that´s all we have heard. I know I don´t need to worry about it or anything, but I´d like to have a little more info....
About this Conference weekend, I don´t know exactly what we´ll be doing yet. I have to talk to the ZL´s today, because we´ll probably be staying with them in order to go to the sessions on Saturday. We´ll see.
I have now trained two missionaries and sent two home. Last night I called Elder Holmes and found out that he is going to be training this change! I´m going to be a grandpa. Haha. We were both pretty excited. Elder Huber is heading back to Cerro, but a different area. He´s doing really well.
As of that goal of 100, I like the sound of it, obviously, but we´ll see what can be done. Right now, we have an attendance of about 35. If we get up to a steady 60 with enough priesthood and faithful tithe payers, the Church will start seriously considering the building of our chapel. They already have the lot, so they´re just waiting for the people to fill it. We´re doing really well, and I´m excited to do my part!
Hey Pops, thanks for the letter and the counsel. It´s a topic I have thought a lot about throughout my mission. I think it´s something I have learned a lot more about, but that I will continue learning throughout my life.
Mary-Anne, it´s good to hear that you´ve finally got some kind of break! I hope everything worked out with that job. It may not be the dream job, but it´s definitely a learning/growing experience! Take advantage!
Mel and Goose, thanks for your letters this week. I hope you both know that I think about you all the time. Well, not ALL the time, but you know what I mean. :o) Keep up the good work in school, and tell everyone that I say hello.
No, Mom, I haven´t asked President about a specific release date yet, but I imagine that within a short period of time, you will all receive my itinerary and whatnot. You will know before I do, I believe. They usually send the stuff to the family before telling the Elder. I don´t know, I´ve never ended the mission before. :o)
In the last couple of weeks, I´ve eaten ostrich egg and pig leather. The interesting experiences never end. Haha. I was going to mention that last week, but I forgot. Anyway, I thinks that´s going to about do it for this week. Know that I love you all, and that you´re in my prayers! Take care, and I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Elder Taylor
Well here we are on another change day. This change seemed to go by really fast. I think it has something to do with all the traveling that we do here, but who knows? It seems that it always has to rain on change days; it rained when I left Paysandú, and it´s raining today. ¿Pero que se va a hacer? :o)
Great week last week. Super busy week. Monday-p-day, Tuesday-District Meeting, Wednesday-Baptismal Interview, Thursday-Wedding, Friday-Baptism, Saturday-Birthday Party for recent convert, Sunday-Meetings! Yup, Marcos and Paola got married last Thursday and then Paola, Heber and Maria (their two kids) were baptized on Friday by Marcos, their husband and father. It was a great service. After the wedding on Thursday, we threw a surprise reception for them in the chapel. Karen Furtado, the wife of the 1st counselor, set most of it up and got everything rolling. It was great. We had a pretty good turnout for the baptism, as well. President Díaz, the branch president who travels every week from Rivera to be at the meetings, came out especially for the baptism with his wife in order to support the family. The whole branch was excited for them.
On Sunday, the three of them were confirmed by President Díaz, Elder Davidson and I. Marcos had never confirmed anyone before and said his hands and legs shook bad enough in the baptism, so he asked the three of us to do it. Haha. We gladly accepted. After the confirmations, as Elder Davidson and I were sitting at the sacrament table and we had started to sing the hymn, we had a very pleasant surprise. Jose, Nury, and their three kids stuck their heads in the back door! We had been with them on Saturday night, had a GREAT lesson, and they said they´d be there at 2 o´clock for the meetings. Two o´clock came and went, three o´clock came and went, so we figured something had come up. When we saw them stick their heads in, we were stoked! We were already singing the hymn, so we couldn´t get up, but the members did a FANTASTIC job at going back and helping them feel comfortable, introducing themselves, and sitting at their sides. It was awesome. We went and had another great lesson with them last night where we explained a little more in depth about the Book of Mormon. We had told them to read the introduction before the lesson, and when we got there, Jose said, "I read what you told me to read, but I liked it so much, I kept reading. I read the testimonies of the three and eight witnesses, as well as the testimony of Joseph Smith. I hope that´s ok." Haha. Elder Davidson and I were speechless. This is the man who BARELY let us in to his home that first Thursday morning, and was a little hesitant about us saying a prayer. He then proceeded to tell us EXACTLY what happened with the Prophet the night that Moroni appeared to him and told him about the plates. He told us, "I may not remember everything, but I´m just starting to find out about these things now. You will keep coming over to teach us, we´ll keep going to church, and we´ll keep learning things. With time, I´ll be able to remember." Haha, no problem, Jose! We talked more about the Book of Mormon last night, and then about the importance of prophets, with the invitation to go to Conference this weekend. They´re super excited about going to listen to the prophet. The branch is renting a bus for the two sessions on Sunday, and we´ll all go together. I love General Conference! So yeah, a sweet, tender mercy on Sunday and Monday.
Well, now to changes. Elder Davidson is leaving...who woulda thunk? :o) He´s pretty stoked. I´m excited to meet his mom in a couple of weeks, that´ll be fun. I´m staying here in Tranqueras, obviously, and I´m going to be with an elder named Elder Hughes. I don´t know him. He´s only been here in Uruguay for 1 change, in other words, six weeks. He´s coming from Salto, and he gets to Rivera tomorrow at about noon. I´m really excited. He could very well be my last companion. Crazy! We´ll see what happens, though, because President always manages to surprise me somehow. Haha.
Mom, I´m doing pretty good about writing in my journal. Not GREAT, like I was at the beginning of the mission, but I do pretty well. I just hope that you´re all keeping these letters, too, because that will be a nice back-up journal.
Yeah, I pulled out some money last week, and I´ll be pulling out some more here in a little bit. It´s for a good cause, no worries. Haha. But hey, don´t try and ruin the surprise. :o) The exchange rate is about 20 pesos per dollar right now. Hey, so what happened with the bank in NY? Our landlady said that some bank went bankrupt, but that´s all we have heard. I know I don´t need to worry about it or anything, but I´d like to have a little more info....
About this Conference weekend, I don´t know exactly what we´ll be doing yet. I have to talk to the ZL´s today, because we´ll probably be staying with them in order to go to the sessions on Saturday. We´ll see.
I have now trained two missionaries and sent two home. Last night I called Elder Holmes and found out that he is going to be training this change! I´m going to be a grandpa. Haha. We were both pretty excited. Elder Huber is heading back to Cerro, but a different area. He´s doing really well.
As of that goal of 100, I like the sound of it, obviously, but we´ll see what can be done. Right now, we have an attendance of about 35. If we get up to a steady 60 with enough priesthood and faithful tithe payers, the Church will start seriously considering the building of our chapel. They already have the lot, so they´re just waiting for the people to fill it. We´re doing really well, and I´m excited to do my part!
Hey Pops, thanks for the letter and the counsel. It´s a topic I have thought a lot about throughout my mission. I think it´s something I have learned a lot more about, but that I will continue learning throughout my life.
Mary-Anne, it´s good to hear that you´ve finally got some kind of break! I hope everything worked out with that job. It may not be the dream job, but it´s definitely a learning/growing experience! Take advantage!
Mel and Goose, thanks for your letters this week. I hope you both know that I think about you all the time. Well, not ALL the time, but you know what I mean. :o) Keep up the good work in school, and tell everyone that I say hello.
No, Mom, I haven´t asked President about a specific release date yet, but I imagine that within a short period of time, you will all receive my itinerary and whatnot. You will know before I do, I believe. They usually send the stuff to the family before telling the Elder. I don´t know, I´ve never ended the mission before. :o)
In the last couple of weeks, I´ve eaten ostrich egg and pig leather. The interesting experiences never end. Haha. I was going to mention that last week, but I forgot. Anyway, I thinks that´s going to about do it for this week. Know that I love you all, and that you´re in my prayers! Take care, and I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Elder Taylor
Monday, September 22, 2008
Buenos Dias!
Taylor Family and Friends,
Well, here we are, at the beginning of yet another week. Nothing too crazy happened this week. We had interviews on Tuesday afternoon with President Peterson, so that´s always fun. He asked me, "So, Elder Taylor, what do you think of Tranqueras?" with a big smile on his face, because he knew that I would love it. We just talked about some of the people we´re teaching, Daiana´s baptism and how it happened, and he just told me to keep working hard and having fun. I love President, it´s always such a great opportunity to get to talk to him and listen to his counsel.
Other than that, the week just went by really quickly, with a lot of work. I can´t remember if I told you, but we had a change in the mission schedule. Remember how before we had that two hour block in the afternoon to study? That´s been changed. Now we follow the schedule exactly as it´s found in Preach My Gospel. It makes for an interesting couple of hours during the siesta, (the nap time) but it´s not too bad. I imagine that in the cities it´s a lot more difficult, but here in Tranqueras the people are pretty laid back. So that´s been fun.
We have a really busy week this week. Tomorrow we´re going to Rivera, like every week, for District Meeting. Oh yeah, I´ll be sending my picture DVD tomorrow, just so you know. Then Wednesday we have a baptismal interview, Thursday is a wedding and reception, Friday we have 3 baptisms, and Saturday we are having a party as a ward for two recent converts who turn 15 this week. Before we know it, it will Sunday again! Sheesh, I´m already tired. Haha. Next week will be change week, I can´t believe it. Elder Davidson is still doing really well, but we´ve talked a little bit more about his family and school and whatnot this week. I´ll be meeting his mom on the 12th and 13th, because that´s when they´re heading back this way. We´re thinking about doing a barbeque or something...
I´m so excited for Conference! We will be traveling in to Rivera for the sessions on Sunday with the branch, I imagine, unless we just stay with the Zone Leaders of Saturday night. The branch will rent a bus for the members here, but only on Sunday, so if we want to go on Saturday, we´ve got to go on a normal bus and stay the night or something. I´ll have to find out what they want us to do.
I´m glad to hear that you had an enjoyable weekend, Mom. I hope the fam´s all doing well. Hey Melanie, you never told me about your musical tryouts...what happened? I´ve been in suspense for like 2 weeks now! Sheesh kid. Are you hanging out so much with your boyfriend that you don´t have time to write your brother? Haha. And Megan, there´s no excuse for you, Goose. You can´t have a boyfriend still. :o)
Mary-Anne, that was a pretty good experience! Welcome to missionary work. Haha. It sounds like he was a pretty intense one, too. I good one for your first time out! Just don´t let it stop you from going with them again...they´re not all like that! Tell the missionaries that you´re willing to go again! At least until you get a job...!
Well, I think that´s going to about do it for this week. Like I said, not a lot happened out of the ordinary. Haha. We´re excited for the marriage and baptism this weekend and excited to keep finding new people to get to church next week. Take care, know that you´re in my prayers, and have a great week!
Elder Taylor
Well, here we are, at the beginning of yet another week. Nothing too crazy happened this week. We had interviews on Tuesday afternoon with President Peterson, so that´s always fun. He asked me, "So, Elder Taylor, what do you think of Tranqueras?" with a big smile on his face, because he knew that I would love it. We just talked about some of the people we´re teaching, Daiana´s baptism and how it happened, and he just told me to keep working hard and having fun. I love President, it´s always such a great opportunity to get to talk to him and listen to his counsel.
Other than that, the week just went by really quickly, with a lot of work. I can´t remember if I told you, but we had a change in the mission schedule. Remember how before we had that two hour block in the afternoon to study? That´s been changed. Now we follow the schedule exactly as it´s found in Preach My Gospel. It makes for an interesting couple of hours during the siesta, (the nap time) but it´s not too bad. I imagine that in the cities it´s a lot more difficult, but here in Tranqueras the people are pretty laid back. So that´s been fun.
We have a really busy week this week. Tomorrow we´re going to Rivera, like every week, for District Meeting. Oh yeah, I´ll be sending my picture DVD tomorrow, just so you know. Then Wednesday we have a baptismal interview, Thursday is a wedding and reception, Friday we have 3 baptisms, and Saturday we are having a party as a ward for two recent converts who turn 15 this week. Before we know it, it will Sunday again! Sheesh, I´m already tired. Haha. Next week will be change week, I can´t believe it. Elder Davidson is still doing really well, but we´ve talked a little bit more about his family and school and whatnot this week. I´ll be meeting his mom on the 12th and 13th, because that´s when they´re heading back this way. We´re thinking about doing a barbeque or something...
I´m so excited for Conference! We will be traveling in to Rivera for the sessions on Sunday with the branch, I imagine, unless we just stay with the Zone Leaders of Saturday night. The branch will rent a bus for the members here, but only on Sunday, so if we want to go on Saturday, we´ve got to go on a normal bus and stay the night or something. I´ll have to find out what they want us to do.
I´m glad to hear that you had an enjoyable weekend, Mom. I hope the fam´s all doing well. Hey Melanie, you never told me about your musical tryouts...what happened? I´ve been in suspense for like 2 weeks now! Sheesh kid. Are you hanging out so much with your boyfriend that you don´t have time to write your brother? Haha. And Megan, there´s no excuse for you, Goose. You can´t have a boyfriend still. :o)
Mary-Anne, that was a pretty good experience! Welcome to missionary work. Haha. It sounds like he was a pretty intense one, too. I good one for your first time out! Just don´t let it stop you from going with them again...they´re not all like that! Tell the missionaries that you´re willing to go again! At least until you get a job...!
Well, I think that´s going to about do it for this week. Like I said, not a lot happened out of the ordinary. Haha. We´re excited for the marriage and baptism this weekend and excited to keep finding new people to get to church next week. Take care, know that you´re in my prayers, and have a great week!
Elder Taylor
Monday, September 15, 2008
Well Hey There...
Taylor Family and Friends,
Well, this was a pretty busy week. We only did a little bit of traveling, but it was WELL worth it. On Tuesday afternoon, we went to Rivera for district meeting (like any other week) but instead of coming home Tuesday afternoon, we stayed with the Zone LEaders and did divisions. We slept on their floor Tuesday night because we, as a zone, left for Tacuarembó on Wednesday morning at 5:30.
We had a special visitor for zone conference, Elder Aidukaitis, the new 2nd counselor in the Area Presidency. It was a GREAT learning opportunity. President Peterson asked us to go fasting as a mission in order to know what it is that we need to do as a mission in order to duplicate the baptisms, in order to fulfill President Hinckley´s prophecy. In 1999, Pres. Hinckley said that the number of convert baptisms could be doubled if 1) we had a more focused, combined effort between the missionaries and the members, 2) if each member recognized the importance and gravity of their responsibilities, and 3) with sincere prayers to our Father in Heaven. Since Pres. Hinckley offered that challenge, convert baptisms have actually DECREASED, which surprised me. The entire focus of the conference was how we can duplicate the baptisms. President Peterson actually talked very little, in order to give more time to Elder Aidukaitis. He was a very motivating speaker, with a good mix of dropping the cane and inspiring to do better. Haha.
We talked a lot about how the same God that worked the miracles in the scriptural canon is the same God that will work the miracles today. We must have the faith sufficient (which includes a variety of things) in order to expect those miracles. Needless to say, we all left the conference anxious to become better in a variety of ways!
Last week, we didn´t have a lot of time in our own area for proselyting, but we had a successful week. On Sunday night, we were with Daiana, an awesome investigator who didn´t have a baptismal date just because she is a timid person. We challenged her to pray, choose a date, and let us know. On Tuesday afternoon, while we were in district meeting, Daiana sent us a message telling us that she was going to be baptized on Saturday...no problem! We set up the interview and Loriana Daiana Gonzalez da Silva was baptized on Saturday, September 13 at 5 PM by Elder Taylor. It was a really neat experience. She will make an immediate impact in the branch. Now we´ve got to keep woking and get all the rest of the investigators ready to take that step. Paola, Heber, and Maria will be baptized on Sept. 26th, and Nestor has just got to decide. Things are going really well, and we´re excited to help things get even better. Jose and Nury are doing well. We didn´t see them at all last week because we were traveling and whatnot, but we stopped by last night after church to see how they were doing. Great family, and we´re going to really start focusing on them. We have a lesson with them on Wednesday night.
Tomorrow we have interviews with Pres. Peterson, so that´ll be cool. I love talking to and learning from him. I have been very blessed throughout my mission with great leaders, teachers, and companions.
Tell everyone I say hello and send my best, especially to Bishop Stoker. I didn´t get to know him REALLY well, but I am so grateful for his service and I am glad to hear he is doing better. Well, that´ll do it for me this week. Love ya!
Elder Taylor
Well, this was a pretty busy week. We only did a little bit of traveling, but it was WELL worth it. On Tuesday afternoon, we went to Rivera for district meeting (like any other week) but instead of coming home Tuesday afternoon, we stayed with the Zone LEaders and did divisions. We slept on their floor Tuesday night because we, as a zone, left for Tacuarembó on Wednesday morning at 5:30.
We had a special visitor for zone conference, Elder Aidukaitis, the new 2nd counselor in the Area Presidency. It was a GREAT learning opportunity. President Peterson asked us to go fasting as a mission in order to know what it is that we need to do as a mission in order to duplicate the baptisms, in order to fulfill President Hinckley´s prophecy. In 1999, Pres. Hinckley said that the number of convert baptisms could be doubled if 1) we had a more focused, combined effort between the missionaries and the members, 2) if each member recognized the importance and gravity of their responsibilities, and 3) with sincere prayers to our Father in Heaven. Since Pres. Hinckley offered that challenge, convert baptisms have actually DECREASED, which surprised me. The entire focus of the conference was how we can duplicate the baptisms. President Peterson actually talked very little, in order to give more time to Elder Aidukaitis. He was a very motivating speaker, with a good mix of dropping the cane and inspiring to do better. Haha.
We talked a lot about how the same God that worked the miracles in the scriptural canon is the same God that will work the miracles today. We must have the faith sufficient (which includes a variety of things) in order to expect those miracles. Needless to say, we all left the conference anxious to become better in a variety of ways!
Last week, we didn´t have a lot of time in our own area for proselyting, but we had a successful week. On Sunday night, we were with Daiana, an awesome investigator who didn´t have a baptismal date just because she is a timid person. We challenged her to pray, choose a date, and let us know. On Tuesday afternoon, while we were in district meeting, Daiana sent us a message telling us that she was going to be baptized on Saturday...no problem! We set up the interview and Loriana Daiana Gonzalez da Silva was baptized on Saturday, September 13 at 5 PM by Elder Taylor. It was a really neat experience. She will make an immediate impact in the branch. Now we´ve got to keep woking and get all the rest of the investigators ready to take that step. Paola, Heber, and Maria will be baptized on Sept. 26th, and Nestor has just got to decide. Things are going really well, and we´re excited to help things get even better. Jose and Nury are doing well. We didn´t see them at all last week because we were traveling and whatnot, but we stopped by last night after church to see how they were doing. Great family, and we´re going to really start focusing on them. We have a lesson with them on Wednesday night.
Tomorrow we have interviews with Pres. Peterson, so that´ll be cool. I love talking to and learning from him. I have been very blessed throughout my mission with great leaders, teachers, and companions.
Tell everyone I say hello and send my best, especially to Bishop Stoker. I didn´t get to know him REALLY well, but I am so grateful for his service and I am glad to hear he is doing better. Well, that´ll do it for me this week. Love ya!
Elder Taylor
Monday, September 8, 2008
Howdy!
Taylor Family and Friends,
Well hey there! How are you all doing? Things are going well here. Yesterday after church the sun decided to come out again and chase away the rain clouds that we had been playing with for almost the whole week. It´s been wet, muddy, and pretty chilly. But we´ve had a good time.
Lots of work this last week. A couple of trips to Rivera; once for district meeting, and one because we did divisions with our district leader. Good times. I was here with Elder McClellan, from California. It was fun, but I just like working with my "normal" comp. Just makes things easier. Haha.
Marcos and Paola finally got all the papers they needed and they got a date for their wedding! They will be getting married on Sept. 25th and then Paola, Heber, and Maria will be getting baptized on the 26th! We´ve all been pretty excited about that the last couple of days. Elder Davidson and I sold some ties and old gadgets to other missionaries in order to help them have enough money to get the papers and everything they needed for the wedding; they were very surprised and grateful when we gave it to them. 1 Nephi 3:7.
Nestor is going through a pretty tough time; he´s been without work for the last couple of weeks and is struggling to keep going day by day. However, he is a trooper. He will be getting baptized next weekend. Also, Daiana might be getting baptized this weekend; if not, it will be next weekend, most likely. She´s an amazing investigator (she memorizes entire CHAPTERS of the Book of Mormon) and she loves church, but she´s very bashful; or at least that´s what she calls it. She´s 24 and has 2 kids, the cousin of a recent convert. We had a lesson with her last night and went over the requirements for baptism, which she has met. I then gave her the little calendar I carry around and told her to choose one of the next 3 or 4 Fridays for her baptism. She said she would and she´s going to let us know today.
Tonight we´re going to be going out with Walter, Daiana´s cousin who is the recent convert. He turns 15 the 26th of Sept., and he is just a stud. He went to the temple 2 weeks after his baptism and loved it. He asked us last night if he could go out and do visits with us, so we told him to come with us tonight! The Lord is preparing a great future leader.
Tomorrow we head to Rivera for district meeting, and we won´t be back until Wednesday night or Thursday morning. We´ll be staying with the Zone Leaders on Tuesday night and Wed morning we all head to Tacuarembó for zone conference. I´m excited. I haven´t seen Tacuarembó since I went for zone conference when I was in Artigas. How the time flies.
Sounds like everything is going well back at home. What audition did Melanie have this week? Good luck, kid! Mom, how´s your leg doing? Dad, have you bought your truck yet?
Don´t worry, Mom, I haven´t forgotten about your Nativity, but this is not the time of year to find one. I´ll keep my eyes open. Bombachas are the type of pants that the gauchos wear here. I bought a couple more soccer jerseys last week in Rivera. I´ve also got some bigger expenses coming up here in a little bit...no details allowed. But just so ya know!
Well, I think that´s about going to do it for this week. This morning we tried to wash our clothes...we got halfway done and they cut the water. That was after the power had gone out. Haha. We´re going to head back now and finish washing. Fun stuff. Know that I love ya, and that you´re in my prayers!
Elder Taylor
Well hey there! How are you all doing? Things are going well here. Yesterday after church the sun decided to come out again and chase away the rain clouds that we had been playing with for almost the whole week. It´s been wet, muddy, and pretty chilly. But we´ve had a good time.
Lots of work this last week. A couple of trips to Rivera; once for district meeting, and one because we did divisions with our district leader. Good times. I was here with Elder McClellan, from California. It was fun, but I just like working with my "normal" comp. Just makes things easier. Haha.
Marcos and Paola finally got all the papers they needed and they got a date for their wedding! They will be getting married on Sept. 25th and then Paola, Heber, and Maria will be getting baptized on the 26th! We´ve all been pretty excited about that the last couple of days. Elder Davidson and I sold some ties and old gadgets to other missionaries in order to help them have enough money to get the papers and everything they needed for the wedding; they were very surprised and grateful when we gave it to them. 1 Nephi 3:7.
Nestor is going through a pretty tough time; he´s been without work for the last couple of weeks and is struggling to keep going day by day. However, he is a trooper. He will be getting baptized next weekend. Also, Daiana might be getting baptized this weekend; if not, it will be next weekend, most likely. She´s an amazing investigator (she memorizes entire CHAPTERS of the Book of Mormon) and she loves church, but she´s very bashful; or at least that´s what she calls it. She´s 24 and has 2 kids, the cousin of a recent convert. We had a lesson with her last night and went over the requirements for baptism, which she has met. I then gave her the little calendar I carry around and told her to choose one of the next 3 or 4 Fridays for her baptism. She said she would and she´s going to let us know today.
Tonight we´re going to be going out with Walter, Daiana´s cousin who is the recent convert. He turns 15 the 26th of Sept., and he is just a stud. He went to the temple 2 weeks after his baptism and loved it. He asked us last night if he could go out and do visits with us, so we told him to come with us tonight! The Lord is preparing a great future leader.
Tomorrow we head to Rivera for district meeting, and we won´t be back until Wednesday night or Thursday morning. We´ll be staying with the Zone Leaders on Tuesday night and Wed morning we all head to Tacuarembó for zone conference. I´m excited. I haven´t seen Tacuarembó since I went for zone conference when I was in Artigas. How the time flies.
Sounds like everything is going well back at home. What audition did Melanie have this week? Good luck, kid! Mom, how´s your leg doing? Dad, have you bought your truck yet?
Don´t worry, Mom, I haven´t forgotten about your Nativity, but this is not the time of year to find one. I´ll keep my eyes open. Bombachas are the type of pants that the gauchos wear here. I bought a couple more soccer jerseys last week in Rivera. I´ve also got some bigger expenses coming up here in a little bit...no details allowed. But just so ya know!
Well, I think that´s about going to do it for this week. This morning we tried to wash our clothes...we got halfway done and they cut the water. That was after the power had gone out. Haha. We´re going to head back now and finish washing. Fun stuff. Know that I love ya, and that you´re in my prayers!
Elder Taylor
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
¡Buenos días!
Taylor Family and Friends,
Well, I´m not as sore as I thought I would be, so that´s a good thing! Haha. But both Elder Davidson and I are a little more red today! On Sunday we had the idea of just borrowing a couple of bikes and going for a little ride to see the countryside. We went out on the Highway 30 and arrived (12 kilometers later) to Buen Unión, where the highway meets up with the freeway. We looked at the sign and it said RIVERA 41; we had just done 12 kilometers in 45 minutes, with a stop to scare some cows and take a couple of pictures, so we decided we could make it in a little over two hours. What we didn´t realize is that we took a sharp left turn to get on the highway....and to go straight into the wind. It´s a good thing we had bought a couple of apples and bananas before leaving. We were super tired afterwards, but it was a fun memory. Not many can say they biked from Tranqueras to Rivera!
One of the funniest parts is that when we got home, we found out that the water had been cut on our block! Unbelievable. We studied all sweaty and nasty, but then right before we had to leave for our first lesson, the water came on for about 20 minutes, so we could shower. While we were doing our hair, the water cut out again. A tender mercy that it came on at all! Haha.
I don´t know, Mom, if we are that close to the highest point in Uruguay. I can tell you that there are more hills here than any other part of the country that I have seen. There are quite a few gauchos here and in the roundabouts. I´m looking into some boots right now and some bombachas. :o) It´ll be interesting to see if this is my last area or not. I´ll for sure be here until November, but who knows if Pres. will move me for my last change. I kind of hope not; I´d like to finish here. I´m going to start looking for some more souvenirs because in Rivera you can find stuff pretty cheap.
I´d love to go and talk to your class this December about stuff here in the ´Guay. My last couple of days in P-dú I asked about some of the Chistmas traditions and whatnot, found out some stuff that I didn´t even know yet. Cool cool. But yeah, sign me up.
Jose and his family didn´t come to Church yesterday. Well, Jose came to tell us that they weren´t going to come because his wife was sick. But we had a great lesson with them on Saturday night, so we´ll see how things go. We have a baptism next week: Nestor. He is a really good guy who has had a big change. Just last night he told us that he hadn´t smoked since Saturday; that was going to be his biggest challenge before being able to get baptized. He´s going to get baptized the 12th and be confirmed the 14th-his birthday. Also, Marcos and Paola are going to pull out a date for their wedding this week. After they get married, Paola and her two oldest kids are going to get baptized. Marcos is already a member. Sandra and her three kids (Richard, Sandra, and Claudia) have also accepted the invitation to be baptized. It will probably happen the week of the 20th. So yeah, things are going well. Teaching a lot, and doing our best to find more people each day to teach. I´ve been really blessed with great companions throughout my mission who are willing and anxious to work. Even though Elder Davidson is in his last change, he is doing really well. We talk about school and stuff every once and a while, but we don´t let it pull us away from the work. His mom will be coming down to get him the first weekend in October and they´re going to swing by all his areas, so I will have the chance to meet her.
On Sunday, we were pleasantly surprised when the high councilman announced that a member of the branch had been called as branch counselor; Jesus Furtado, who moved here from Rivera about 4 weeks ago with his wife and two young children. We are grateful to have a priesthood leader here in Tranqueras, and we are anxious to support and help him.
No, Mom, I still haven´t sent the CD of pictures. My bad. It´s in my bags. Haha. There´s no post office here to send stuff internationally, so I´ll have to take it to Rivera with me one of these days. We go every week for district meeting (like today) but we don´t have a lot of time to run over there. We might be heading over there next Monday for P-Day, so I´ll see what I can do. I´ll think about what it is that I could need/want in a package, and I´ll let you know! I had some thoughts the last couple of weeks, but I forgot to write them down...!
Alright, I think that´s going to be about it for this week. I hope you all have a fantastic week and I hope you write me about it! :o) Take care and know that I love ya!
Elder Taylor
Well, I´m not as sore as I thought I would be, so that´s a good thing! Haha. But both Elder Davidson and I are a little more red today! On Sunday we had the idea of just borrowing a couple of bikes and going for a little ride to see the countryside. We went out on the Highway 30 and arrived (12 kilometers later) to Buen Unión, where the highway meets up with the freeway. We looked at the sign and it said RIVERA 41; we had just done 12 kilometers in 45 minutes, with a stop to scare some cows and take a couple of pictures, so we decided we could make it in a little over two hours. What we didn´t realize is that we took a sharp left turn to get on the highway....and to go straight into the wind. It´s a good thing we had bought a couple of apples and bananas before leaving. We were super tired afterwards, but it was a fun memory. Not many can say they biked from Tranqueras to Rivera!
One of the funniest parts is that when we got home, we found out that the water had been cut on our block! Unbelievable. We studied all sweaty and nasty, but then right before we had to leave for our first lesson, the water came on for about 20 minutes, so we could shower. While we were doing our hair, the water cut out again. A tender mercy that it came on at all! Haha.
I don´t know, Mom, if we are that close to the highest point in Uruguay. I can tell you that there are more hills here than any other part of the country that I have seen. There are quite a few gauchos here and in the roundabouts. I´m looking into some boots right now and some bombachas. :o) It´ll be interesting to see if this is my last area or not. I´ll for sure be here until November, but who knows if Pres. will move me for my last change. I kind of hope not; I´d like to finish here. I´m going to start looking for some more souvenirs because in Rivera you can find stuff pretty cheap.
I´d love to go and talk to your class this December about stuff here in the ´Guay. My last couple of days in P-dú I asked about some of the Chistmas traditions and whatnot, found out some stuff that I didn´t even know yet. Cool cool. But yeah, sign me up.
Jose and his family didn´t come to Church yesterday. Well, Jose came to tell us that they weren´t going to come because his wife was sick. But we had a great lesson with them on Saturday night, so we´ll see how things go. We have a baptism next week: Nestor. He is a really good guy who has had a big change. Just last night he told us that he hadn´t smoked since Saturday; that was going to be his biggest challenge before being able to get baptized. He´s going to get baptized the 12th and be confirmed the 14th-his birthday. Also, Marcos and Paola are going to pull out a date for their wedding this week. After they get married, Paola and her two oldest kids are going to get baptized. Marcos is already a member. Sandra and her three kids (Richard, Sandra, and Claudia) have also accepted the invitation to be baptized. It will probably happen the week of the 20th. So yeah, things are going well. Teaching a lot, and doing our best to find more people each day to teach. I´ve been really blessed with great companions throughout my mission who are willing and anxious to work. Even though Elder Davidson is in his last change, he is doing really well. We talk about school and stuff every once and a while, but we don´t let it pull us away from the work. His mom will be coming down to get him the first weekend in October and they´re going to swing by all his areas, so I will have the chance to meet her.
On Sunday, we were pleasantly surprised when the high councilman announced that a member of the branch had been called as branch counselor; Jesus Furtado, who moved here from Rivera about 4 weeks ago with his wife and two young children. We are grateful to have a priesthood leader here in Tranqueras, and we are anxious to support and help him.
No, Mom, I still haven´t sent the CD of pictures. My bad. It´s in my bags. Haha. There´s no post office here to send stuff internationally, so I´ll have to take it to Rivera with me one of these days. We go every week for district meeting (like today) but we don´t have a lot of time to run over there. We might be heading over there next Monday for P-Day, so I´ll see what I can do. I´ll think about what it is that I could need/want in a package, and I´ll let you know! I had some thoughts the last couple of weeks, but I forgot to write them down...!
Alright, I think that´s going to be about it for this week. I hope you all have a fantastic week and I hope you write me about it! :o) Take care and know that I love ya!
Elder Taylor
Monday, September 1, 2008
Notice...!
Hey there! Just wanted to drop you all a line so you don´t worry and let you know that we will be writing tomorrow afternoon! Elder Davidson and I took a "little" bike ride this morning to Rivera. Little meaning around 53 kilometers and 3.5 hours! Haha. We´re going to go catch a bus right now to head back and we will be writing tomorrow afternoon while waiting for our bus. So there ya go!
Elder Taylor
Elder Taylor
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