Mike's Baptism

Christmas Morning

Forks High School

Oh My!!!

Typical Elder

Happy Mismis

happy mismis
im glad that you enjoyed the tape and the pics. hopefully you were able to figure out where elder pendleton lives. i'll be sure to tell sister cook that you liked the pics. i really liked the stocking, especailly the candy bar that said "redeeem for 100 dollars."
im glad church will be at 11, it will help with all those late nights i'll be having....do i have to go to the singles ward when i get home? elder pendleton has been out 6 months or so..
the thing i liked the most on christmas was talking to you and my baby
this week we will hopefully begin to teach that man and his family that i told you about a few weeks ago who were looking in to the church and have a copy of the book of mormon.
i love you
elder taylor call

since i will be talking to you on saturday i will only answer your questions.
mike moody was baptized 2 weeks ago
zone conference...i don't really remember
on christmas we're going to the cooks, the Le Neaves, and the romagnolos
elder mckee and i like to work together and ride bikes during the sunset
at the baptism elder pendleton and i had to go to the bathroom and one of the stalls were locked from the inside (he's 6 foot 7) so he reached inside and unlocked it from the top then while pulling his head back out he hit it in the top of the door frame, it was quite hilarious, i almost died.
you can pray that- you find me a wife, garrett, sherry, sister ferguson, and delmar

i love you
elder taylor call

Congratulations!!!!!!
that was the shortest email you ever sent me
my week was good, we had a baptism on saturday and we have another kid who came to church and is working in that direction.
Salem is great, i think its a sign that you should put sandy as our address and not cottonwood heights.
in the email next week tell me what time to call and we'll go from there. i'll call that number.
marc said the watsons did a good job
what are you talking about everything falling apart? you have to tell me whats been going on.
what do you want for christmas?
i hope you called brother rhodus, i'll ask when i call and if you didn't i'll be upset and won't want to talk. i want a white focus or fusion just not a grandma color, which ever one is cheaper.
well, i won't be home to give you a clean house or happy kids so what else do you want?
i love you
elder taylor call

December

i can't believe thats its december, its going by really fast (thats what happens when you're focused and working hard.) what are your plans for sending me christmas stuff? i want presents but not when im going to be bringing them home a few weeks later.
our week was really productive, we taught a good amount and found new people to teach. hopefully we will be able to help our investigators progress towards baptism very soon. we were not able to teach the gardners, he was at work and she wasn't as excited to see us as was her husband. we have zone conference in 2 weeks.
for the rest of december we have dinner every night of the week. elder mckee loves advent calendars so he was pretty excited to get the one from you.
will you also look into aviation school at uvu?


i love you
stay warm
elder taylor call

It's Great

the mission is great, the past 2 weeks were able to meet our goal for finding new people to teach (3 each week). we have some really good potential people. on like saturday...we were tracting and we knocked on a guys door and he was reallly friendly to us, i thought he was a member. he told us that "his wife, well me too, have been intrested in learning more abou the mormon church." his wife's brother is a member of the church in north carolina and they're real intrested. mike moody will hopefully be baptized soon. on friday we started teaching garrett dillon. his mom is a member and is working her way back to activity. so we taught him friday and then saturday he came to a baptism then sunday he came to church. (i've never had that happen before.) things are getting better everyday, i really love salem.
today its raining, i would hate to be riding my bike in the snow.

so if you recall, there is a member in the hebron ward that worked for Ford. he told me while i was there that he gets a really good discount on the cars and that he would get me a discount (i wrote him while i was in olive hill to make sure that was still the case, it is.) also as you know car dealerships have to pay taxes on the cars on their lots if they don't sell before the new year. i was wondering if you could contact him and see what he can do so i will be able to have a car when i come home.

i love you
elder taylor call

Thanksgiving Day

i got the packy, the cranberries were delish. i really liike the little picture books that you make. thank you.
we won't go tracting today. we just got back from playing football and now we're emailing and then at 2 we're going to eat.
i'll try out and see what happens. if i make it i'll stay then if i don't i may transfer to byu-sl and play lacrosse at byu. i will be coming home on january 16. i know it will be pretty crazy but we'll make it happen. tell mer to go up to pc tonight and buy me a jacket from the skate boarding store. they're really nice jackets like 2 for $20.
i love you
elder taylor call
xoxoxox

i did get the package, i also got the first package that the popcorn came in this week.
we played football with a group of missionaries and some members. we are struggling being able to teach our investigators consistently. we weren't able to see justice or sherry. mike is doing really well, he comes to church every week. he's really coming along and will hopefully be baptized in the coming weeks.
does owen still sing the batman song? what has he done new in the past little while?
i give you permission to sign me up, if i don't like it i will make the best out of it then transfer at the end of the semester. everything will be worked out. were you able to talk to the lady at admissions again?
i got a check for the other bike, i sent it home a while ago.
i love you
thanks for all you do for us.
elder taylor call

Don't Worry

don't worry, i am staying focused. when i come home its not the end, its only the beginning. salem is doing really well, so far since i've been here i've lost 8 pounds, i weigh 204. we were able to find some good investigators this past week. one of which, Justice, he's 13, his grandmother, mother, and sister are all members but he is not. he was taught in the past and has a really great understanding of the gospel. he taught us about the entire life of Jesus Christ and has a lot of potential. mike will hopefully be baptized soon, we're not sure when yet. we had a lesson with sherry on thursday that went alright, she had a hard time believing that Christ created the earth and not God. we're still working with her and her husband is pretty certain that she'll be baptized.
i'll look for the package. i'll probably go to snow in january, it feels alot better than going to the Y. do you have any other thoughts about it? (for christmas i would like a laptop with a camera so we can skype while i am away, an external hard dirve, and what ever else shelly can provide. maybe something metal with 4 wheels?)
we'll be having thanksgiving dinner with the cooks, they live 20 feet away from us. this coming week i'm looking forward to finding more people to teach and losing more weight.
did you go to the baby's birthday party?
i love you
elder taylor call

Baptisms

i fasted that we would be able to have baptisms this month and the next. i'm pretty confident that we will have "names for the numbers" and have a "white christmas" in the mission. mike was the only one able to make it to church today and he should be baptized before the end of this month. sherri works late on saturdays and we weren't able to meet with her this past week. we have some really good potential and hope to see many baptisms.
how many temples do they still do live sessions? i really want to go to the old temples and experience them.
what are they doing for his birthday?
where did you get the cabinet from? cottonwood? did brent dial come and hang out at the house? i can't believe i remember his name...
this past week has been freezing and riding our bikes doesn't make it any better. we almost went back to the house to put thermals on. doesn't dad have full length thermals?
how is the search going in finding me a wife?
i love you
elder taylor call

The 801

we'll see you in the 801, we can go on trip. not in the summer. i hate humidity.
i want my bike, im pretty sure they send us on delta.
One night in Lexington we ate with the stake presidents daughter's family. he told her when she was younger, "don't start with plan B." as you know growing up i always wanted to play college football. i kind of desire doing that, trying to walk on to byu and be the long snapper, (the one that gets the ball to the punter when they punt and when they kick the field goals.) if that doesn't work out, play lacrosse, however i want to play division I but i'm not going to play on sundays so we'll see where that goes. #3 go in to the coast guard and or search and rescue.
that are my plans.

not much time but we're doing really good
we had 2 investigators at church, mike and sherri. catherine kinda dropped us...
we have zone conference wed and we're finding a lot of new people to teach
the Lord is truely blessing us right now
i love you all
elder taylor call

Salem is Good

dear mommy
salem is good
im on a bike
its pouring rain right now
still no package that i know of...
my cut is fine, all healed up
well seeing that i'll be home a month after christmas i wouldn't like anything big. just something similar to what i was sent for my birthday. maybe include some from my girlfriends.
elder mckee is from vernal.
i think i have seen 1 or 2 primary programs, not too many.
mer told me about my costume, hopefully he doesn't destroy it. just tell him to open his mouth and close his eyes. if you don't know what your eating, it can't hurt you.
is owen going to sleep over wednesday night...if you know what i mean?
right now we are working with mike moody, he has down syndrome and his mom really wants him to be baptized so if he is able to understand and retain the information he'll be baptized next month. it'll be a test for all of us. also catherine stickley is a part member who is praying for a baptismal date of the 11th of december. hopefully they will both be baptized before the end of the year.
i wrove you
elder taylor call

dearest marci
thanks for the pics, i was starting to forget what you look like
jk
salem is pretty good, im on a bike (the Lord knew i wanted to be skinny before i went home, he loves me.) my companion is elder mckee, he's from vernal. he hit a year in september. im not trunky...just so your room mates know.
coach bechtold is sweet, i was pretty upset when i had to be in ms wagners class.
i didn't really mind to much that i was being transfered right before his baptism. Hopefully we will be able to have baptisms the next two months coming up. we have some pretty solid people that we're working with and getting close to setting dates with them.
elder kearon gave a really good talk, i liked his accent and his story. really all of GC was wayy good, can't wait to watch it while im cuddling with my baby next time.
mommy told me about the trip, looks like you had a lot to look at while you were there....lots of trees.
what temple do you do baptisms at? how many dates did you go on this week?
you know how me and meryl had farewells the same day? you and her should get married on the same day, that would be intense.
i love you
stay pretty
elder taylor call

Transferred

everything in lexington is going well, ron's baptism is still set for saturday. Sunday he will be confirmed and then in 3rd hour he'll recieve the priesthood. marci told me about your trip, thats pretty cool about the guy just pulling up and then showing you where the homes were. how is grandpa doing?

how is the snyders doing? meryl said she had a pretty busy day sunday, what did she speak about? why is j borrowing brownie mix?

this past week the Lord really blessed our zone. upto this point the most member present lessons we had was 23 in a week. this week the Lord blessed us with 39. we usually try to get about 25 as a zone so i was really glad to see all the member involvement. as a result we have 10 people with baptismal dates, up 7 from the previous week.

i am being transferred to salem, va
i hope all is going well

i love you
elder taylor call

Looking Better

Cleaned Up

Ouch!

Hit by a Frisbee

so i would lie to you and tell you a story i made up but i got hit by a frisbee
im ok, jan don't worry
good thing i know that head athletic trainer
love you all
elder taylor call

i hope owen was a good wittle baby. is he potty trained yet? tell him when i get home he can't sleep in the same bed as me if he's going to wet the bed.
how was playing duck duck goose?
ron hopefully hasn't smoked since friday, his date is still set for the 23rd. he was able to come to stake conference and watch most of general conference.
the lesson with larry's sister went well, her husband is pretty baptist and she doesn't have a great understanding of the gospel so it was a little hard.

when did you get an ipod?
on tuesday we spent 8 hours in the car, going to charleston for zone leader council. then this weekend i saw some members from huntington here for homecoming and visiting their daughter.
we eat at members homes about 2 to 3 times a week. the dentist- i thought i had a cavity but all turned out well.
i'll tell you story next week.
give baby a kissy kissy from me
i love you
elder taylor call

Our Week

our week was pretty good, brother allan has a baptismal date for the 23rd of october. i feel in any mission the investigator should come to church 4+ times so they and the ward become framilier with each other. we taught him 3 times this past week and we're helping him overcome smoking.
pam and brother clark are the only members in their families. we are going to teach brother clarks sister tonight so hopefully we'll be able to teach her pretty consistently and bring her into the fullness of the gospel.
elder taylor didn't like those blueberry pancakes, i think it might have stained the shirt he was wearing. it really depends on the area and how much time i have in the morning if i am going to cook anything. in olive hill i made a lot of french toast and breakfast burritos. now i have ceral with peaches and bananas in it.
is meryl and ryan getting pretty serious? did they kiss at the conference center?
i really enjoyed all of the talks that were given, they all had personal meaning and were applicable to my life at this time.
hope all is going well
keep my baby safe and meryl away from the jewlery stores
love you
elder taylor call

Good News

dear everyone-

#1 Brother Clark recieved the aaronic priesthood and was ordained to the office of a priest yesterday.

#2 So in our mission, we set a goal to baptize in every area, every month. so sister parks was baptized in august and brother clark for september. on saturday night as i was pryaing i prayed that we might find someone to baptize in the month of october. Yesterday after gospel principles, President Ralls (the stake president) came in and gave us a referral of a man who was in gospel doctrine and wanted to be baptized. he gave us his info and showed us who he was. we walked up to them and his friend asked if we were the elders that teach people, we said we were. she told us that she had been working with him for over 10 years and he recently moved here and told her that he wants to be baptized. we set up an appointment to meet with him on wednesday. he said that in the visits he wants to cover as much as possible bcause he doesn't want to wait to be baptized. it was pretty sweet, it definetly strengthened my testimony of prayer combined with fasting.
love you all
elder taylor call

Other News:
how was SG? i really liked going to the tuachanh it was a lot of fun. how was tarzan compared to beauty and the beast? was the sg tabernacle pretty cool? is that where they use to hold general conference back in the day? i heard a story about how one of the prophets or apostles were giving a talk there (i think) and in the middle of the talk they saw an angel or something and they talked to them right during the meeting.
were the barrus's our home teachers with brother sanders? i think i remember we would put the fireballs in the sink and watch and wait till all the hot would go away then we would put them in our mouth.
on Saturday night we went and asked some of the senior elders about some less actives and they invited us in to watch college football, don't worry it was really awkward and we left pretty soon. their wives were at the relief society broadcast.
we go to charelston maybe once a transfer? for zone leader council
i love you and hope you are doing well
elder taylor call


Have you ever been biten by a dog? How often do you get chased by them?
one time in georgetown i think this dog was going to bite me but it just ran in to my leg...
that's probably the closest

Larry's Baptism

Ye Elders of Isreal

Happy Birthday!

Buena Vista Countryside

Baptism

larry's baptism went really well, his non-member sister and his neice were able to make it. no one expected them to come so it was really cool. it has been a long time since i have been in a font, and the first time i have ever been on the baptizing end of it. it was a really great experience, hopefully you won't want to miss work so you can stay home all day and read my journal when i get home. i was thinking about my baptism during the talks, i was trying to think back to mine, ( my memory isn' t that great.) i only really remember walking down to the tabernacle, sitting with dad, then talking to a sister missionary after and holding my new scriptures which felt like 50 pounds then going to chuck a rama.
elder alexander is in my zone, he's a district leader, he was an assistant for a while in both missions.
yesterday in student ward we sang a song that i had never even heard before and the tune was making no sense at all, it wasn't my favorite.
birthday was good, i had 4 cakes by thursday night, those members are really great, i really enjoyed it. i really loved the letters and the tape. the pizza was very good, i like nick's a lot. the guy that delivered it was like, "this is from your mom.....in utah." thank you
i really feel the prayers, especailly in general conference prayers.
i love you
elder taylor call

A Birthday Dinner of Roasted Chicken and Chocolate Cake (with leftovers!)

This Week

thanks for the birthday wish. i will look for the package. Tuesday we will be in covington, VA on exchanges but first thing Wednesday I'll look for it.
Jeff is doing good, he works pretty much 7 days a week so it is hard to meet with him. Larry is going to be baptized on saturday at 1pm. he asked me to baptize him so hopefully all goes well with that. they both goto the family ward. we don't have any investigators in the student ward yet but we are working on it.
thanks for all your love and support.
love you
elder taylor call

Pam's Baptism

Virginia

Virginia is doing really well, how is utah? if the members feed us healthy we eat healthy but otherwise whatever goes in the tank works its way through.
i am staying in BV, elder pinner is going assistant and my new companion, elder wright is from dallas, texas.
there are 5 different student wards and i think just one that is a mix of the different wards.
i am the only one in my group from the ocm that came to this mission. is that what you were asking?
thats cool that elder oaks came to church, did he have body guards or was it just him? what did he say?
we stopped teaching mary, she fell through a bunch of times so we are no longer teaching him. pray for jeff though.
i love you
elder taylor call

A Really Good Sunday

we had a really good sunday. we were able to get some new investigators and we and pam's confirmation.
thats cool that tonys farewell went well. how are the jones's doing?
im glad that you had a good time at elder smiths farewell.
pam's baptism went really well, i'll send some pics soon.
1. we have some really good appointments tonight with some W&L students. yesterday in the student ward a sister that got home a few weeks ago asked if we ever need help teaching so she is coming with us tonight.
2. we do spend time tracting but yesterday we got some referrals from members so we were able to teach them.
3. on sundays we are at church from 8-4 2 wards.
4. we did a lot of work at both floods. enough to make us exhausted.

sorry it was short.
i love you
elder taylor call

Travels

Of course owen is a good traveler, his carseat looks like a cow! mine looked like a burnt buffalo skin. Atleast owen wasn't eating a bunch of fruit then go poop down the slide in the carseat. Where did you go to see Lion King? I kinda remember going to see it at the drive in, i remember more when we bought it at Sams Club on VHS.
Wasn't Jordan going to be a pilot? What has Megan been up to?
Pretty sure that school starts on monday. Yea so Sasha is in my ward so it's a little interesting... On saturday we woke up at 430 and drove 200 miles to Charleston. Elder jenson shook all our hands (district leaders and zone leaders). he first talked to us about music, he read the prelude in the hymn book which i had never read, it was really cool to see how much music invites the spirit. i don't remember what he talked about after that, good thing i took notes, the dullest pencil is better than the sharpest mind. he told us that on thursday he shook the first presidency's hands in the temple then we shook the hand that shook theirs on saturday. it was really good. Long story short, i drove 400 miles and was exhausted by the time we got back.
Pam is still planning on getting baptized on saturday at 6:30, she is doing really good, we are really excited. Larry is going to get baptized General Conference weekend so he's doing really good as well. they both come every week and are progressing really well. Mary's baptism will either be pushed back again or she'll be dropped. We don't think she is very committed or willing. She hasn't been keeping appointments.
Elder Smith's first name is Travis. Where is everyone in the Ward going on their mission.
wove you
elder taylor call

Memories

i am doing great, how art thou?
thats stinky about wendys dad. what is jordan and megan doing these days? did megan get the letter i sent to her? wait did you drive all the way to the dub? and owen was in the car seat the whole time? i would have died? i miss the brown car seat, i would stick animal cookies inside of it. i wasn't much for the blue one. all the car rides i went on i always remember eating sixlets then throwing up in the back seat of the van. and i miss going poop and standing on dads shoes on the side of the road.
school starts pretty soon, student ward was...different. feels like utah.
on saturday we get to go to charleston and meet with elder jay e jenson of the presidency of the seventy. im pretty excited.
i love you
elder taylor call

BV is Buena Vista

bv is really good, i really like being in provo jr. currently we proslyte in lexington but we live in bv, when school starts we'll cover a student ward but currently just a family ward.
thanks for the package, i was looking forward to the package (the florida shirt) for the past month. gracias por la ropa.

meryl told me about the date she went on, how did she get to magna? tell her to set a goal for how many boys to talk to each week and then each transfer. is grandpa verns truck still waiting for me?
did you get to talk to chris's mom? i wrote them a while back so hopefully they'll write soon.

church today was really good, we had a mission president that was recently released speak to us and his wife then the current stake president. we had two investigators come (pam p & larry c) they both have baptismal dates and are doing really good in their progression toward baptism.
let me know how wa is? is meryl going? is the baby? send me pictures of everyone. is reese going?
i love you
elder taylor call

Buena Vista

bv is great. svu (southern virginia university) is across the street from our apartment. VMI (division 1 lacrosse) and washington and lee (division 2) are both in our area. i really like it here so far, its like byu jr. all the people in our complex are members.

i don't have a lot of time today
here is my new address
270 w. 30th st. apt. F3Buena Vista, Va 24416
BV is provo jr
i love you
elder taylor call

todo esta bien

Another Flood

the flood this past week is much worse than the other flood.
there were atleast 2 deaths. one lady was washed 6 miles from where her trailor settled.
im being transfered to buena vista, va.
elder smiths homecoming is august 29th at 11 a.m.
he goes home in 3 weeks.
glad the homecoming went well, just no crying in 6 months from now.
its scary i only have 4 transfers left.
i love you
elder taylor call

"Team" I Am

well i've been thinking about it quite a bit the past day or two and noticed how "team" i am, not really liking to do things alone. One thing that has helped me the most on my mission is knowing that meryl is doing the exact same thing. i'm sure i'll talk about that more when i get home.
last night we had a really good lesson with bonny, we talked about studying the scriptures everyday. most people think reading from the scriputes has to be a really big process and they feel overwhelmed and aren't able to do it. we committed her to read one or two verses everyday and to build from there. you can only feast on the scriptures one bite at a time.
we're in the same district with ashland and portsmouth.
i think i come home like the 21st ish of feb.
the past week or so i've kinda not really struggling but adjusting faster. with the change i felt like it changed then everything was fine, i think maybe the change is more of a gradual process than anything.
i love you
elder taylor call

Elder Call & Elder Smith

Baptism Day

Elders Call & Smith with Matthew

Florida Gators

someone call my parents or mer bear and tell them to buy me a florida gators t shirt size XL while they are there
thank you
go gators
go tim tebow
go broncos
elder taylor call
i love you owen

22 Lessons and a New Investigator

we had a very good week, we taught 22 lessons and found a really promising new investigator. last night president and sister thornock came teaching with us and we had a really good visit with bonny (the new investigator). he let us borrow this book about tracting and how much we can really bennefit from it.
the transfers are different now too, i come home 2 weeks later. i think its week 4 right now. Our district was dissolved so im no longer district leader but i think i might be training next transfer...we'll see what happens...
Last saturday there was a child baptism in the branch and we were invited to be in the confirmation. it was really such an amzing experience. from my shoulder down to my hand where it was on matthew's head i could feel the spirit so strong. i felt it really strong from the hand that was on my shoulder as well, just on that side of my body, it was awesome.
hope trip is fun, buy me a florida gator shirt XL
love you
elder taylor call

Love the Mission

how are you? did you have gluten free pancakes on saturday with the baby? where did he sleep? my shoe lace on the other shoe is about to break pretty soon, i hope the sole makes it through a few more months.
i love mission. i'm district leader again. elder taylor is in my district.
sherri probably won't be getting baptized. her health hasn't allowed us to teach her so it will be pushed back until we can teach her.
how is rhett doing?
most of the weight im trying to get rid of is from the food we ate during the flood, i got up to 215+ and now i'm around 206, im trying to get to 195. Elder smith goes home next transfer.
Our most recent new investigator is jacklynn, she's like 24ish. she was on the branch directory so we thought she was a member but she's not so that's how we found her.
wrove you
elder taylor call

Time

i don't have a lot of time today...we have an appointment with Sherri to help her with the baptism.
feel free to ask the same questions next week. things are going well and we are still alive and sweating in the humidity. it is pretty crazy to think that meryl will be home and i will still be here, i just won't have to worry about remembering her address when i write her. i love you and hope you are doing well.
love,
elder tayylor call

Working Hard

Sweating a Little

Having Fun

Olive Hill is Doing Well

i am good, how are you doing? Olive hill is doing very well right now, this past week we taught 20 lessons and had 3 new investigators. I think it might be the first time (ever or in a lonnnnggggg time) in which 20 lessons have been taught in a week. we are very fortunate for the success that we are able to see at this time. especially since the area was going to be closed 3 weeks ago.How is grandpa norr? what is his email? how is kerry and wendy? do you know if megan got the letter i sent her?
For fathers day we went to Sister Hedge's house and had lunch with them and her family then went out and worked and sweated. We normally don't really have dinner appointments, we have members give us food or things like that. Whenever i make chicken salad i cook the chicken myself then put those "grape" tomatoes on there and cheese and all sorts of stuff.
if you send me a package wait until after the 3rd, i really don't need anything. no candy in large amounts. elder smith and i are seeing who can lose the most weight.
alright well have a good day
wove you
elder taylor call

Lots to Say

To Mom:
i enjoy being with elder smith. we both work pretty hard. we did meet the thornocks, they are both from the dub (washington, yakama). what kind of story do you want? the focus was transitioning missions so we talked about Zions Camp and Moses and the children of Egypt.
No sisters in the zone, most of my friends are on this side or they have gone home....
we still email in grayson
we have a pool table in our garage that we excerise on mondays.
i make a lot of salad with chicken in it.
i wrote kerry and wendy but i addressed the letter to megan.
All the questions i would ask you aren't really relavant and don't have much importance. are you gonna cry when you see meryl?
don't let dad wear my clothes.
for my birthday i get a lot more out of notes and cards from people than i do gifts...
wrove you
elder taylor call

To Marci:
i am doing pretty good, it is super hot and humid. we put some fence posts in this morning for a member and like usual i was drenched. Quite litterally in fact, my sweat was coming through my pants and shirt and just everywhere. i don't think i'll live on the east coast.
what does ally's husband do with the military? if you haven't been informed yet, when i get home im going to go to aviation school and become a pilot then go into the coast guard. you should send me some pictures...
isn't eating ice cream after working out defeat the purpose???
I have read 1 sam. 17 many a time and given trainings on that story a few times as well. it's a very good one.
stay out of troub, kiss lots of boys

To Merideth:
herrroooooo
my week was good, we thought it was going to flood again but not yet. they were predicting an inch of rain per hour. the li li is still closed, probably will be for a while. if they had olive trees here it would probably be called gathsemane instead of olive hill, maybe a little bit of irony? the church is like 6 or 7 miles away. its like 95 today and we have to ride our bikes and i forgot a towell, im gonna be soaked.
wrove your wittle heart
elder taylor call

July 28th

things are going well in the O.H. July 28th? well this transfer is 8 weeks so i guess that is when it ends...thats a long time. We haven't heard a whole lot about the new mission, im sure tomorrow at zone conference we will find out more about the changes and what to expect. I bet you could get one lds.org and find out the boundaries. if you look at the current mission map down at the bottom of it is the website they printed it from so maybe you could find it out that way.
Currently we aren't riding our bikes, we may change that soon to conserve miles, i'm not sure how big the branch is, you might be able to figure that out on the website as well.
Shari is the only one that is progressing at this time. she's the one that had a baptismal date. she came to church last week for the last two hours and this week she is starting back up with radiation. hopefully she will be feeling well enough throughout the week to meet with us and come to church.
How was the lake? how did you get the boat up there? did anything scary happen? was dad stressed?
hmm so you want a story....
a guy has moon shine. the real stuff, we took pictures earlier today. it smells pretty bad. he told us how to make it. i'll make it for you sometime.
love
elder taylor call

We've Been Busy

Water Line from the Flood of 2010

Elder Call in Olive Hill

My Week

my week has been good, how has yours? what is kerry and wendys address? i think i asked you that in the last letter....i got the package yesterday, thanks for the ties...those are the kind of ties i have been wanting you to send me this whole time, their not ugly...their gorgeous.
I am going to be in the charelston mission, before you go getting a wv flag the new mission might go into maryland and if so i want one of those...Elder Argyle got transfered, My new companion is elder smith, i was companions with him for 2 weeks when i got emergency transfered into martin.
We cover all of carter county (olive hill, grayson) south to sandy hook and north to south shore. this past week we only spent about 2 days working probably 12 hours total. the lady with the baptismal date has cancer pretty bad so her health is pretty up and down so its hard to catch her when she is feeling well enough for us to teach her. we are seeing her tonight. I've spoken twice (in Sacrament Meeting) so just whenever they want us to speak. The days go by too fast to remember this past week, its hard enough to remember yesterday. hope all is well in zion.

love
elder taylor call

Teaching Again

everything is going well. The olive hill library is still closed and we are unsure when it will be back open. We started teaching again and doing a little bit of work. i think only a hair cutting place has reopened. My interview with President Robbins was really good, he talked about how he sent me to olive hill because at the end of this transfer a bunch of missionaries are going home so some areas will need to be closed. he said that he wanted to send someone there that would work hard and would be able to see if the area would be able to progress. He said that after reading my weekly reports that the area would stay open and i will be here another transfer.
Did Kerry and Wendy move? I was going to write them then i looked at their address on my gps and the golf course wasn't on it, so let me know. Sounds like all the cousins are doing well, make sure to get rose on mm so she can make lots of new friends.
wrove you
elder taylor call

From an Olive Hill Citizen

I still wonder at the dedication and commitment of the people of Olive Hill to rebuild this community. It will take many voices and above all many Hearts to make this a reality. Where are the Churches??? The Mormons are doing so much that it personally puts me to shame. Never. ever will I misjudge a brother or sister who is Mormon!! Thank You So Much!!!!!!!!!

Helping Hands

Sayings I've Heard

Tougher than a pine knot

I already done did that

Running Pretty Slow

things are going well, how is home? Olive hill is still running pretty slow so the days that i will email you will be pretty sporatic. After we complete a home or business i always give the owner a article of faith card and a card to contact us if they want to learn more.
I do know elder teichert, we're pretty good friends. He knows brett and preston taylor from Ellis's ward, their families know each other.
the clean up is coming along...alot to be accomplished, if you ever build a home, put in sheet rock and not lath and plaster, it will save you alot in the long run....i'm hoping people decide to put their businesses back in so it doesn't turn into a ghost town like martin.
i hope everything is going well
wove you wong time
elder taylor call

we had over 50 members from the stake come on saturday and clean. its really amazing what can be accomplished when people work for the benefit of others.

From an Old Companion

Part 1: So the work here is going good. On saturday we got to do some service in Olive hill kentucky. Mom do you remember the flood that happened there. so yeah the stake president wanted alot of members from the stake to go there on sat and help out with the clean up and stuff. so we got a member to go with us and drive us so we could go help out. The flood was pretty bad. the whole town got hit pretty hard. so we had the privilege of going in and destroying the buildings and houses with water damage. So we just destroyed everything. it was fun. we also got to wear the yellow shirts for the church. the helping hands and everybody in the town knew who we were and were grateful for us. I will tell you more of it in the next email.

Part 2: Hey sorry guys, but i got kicked off the library computers again, but as i was saying. We got to go to Olive Hill and be a part of the Helping Hands. It was pretty fun. we had a pretty big group of about 10 missionaries from the surrounding areas and then about 20 or so members from the stake. I saw Elder Call and got to talk to him. That is all that he has been doing is just physical labor everyday until about 6. it is crazy. So it was nice to serve the people of olive hill and they were very thankful. Other than that, that was about the highlight of the week.
Elder Taylor

From Sister Hedge

Elder Call wanted me to let you know that he won't be able to email you this week due to the flood damage. He has been working so hard 7 days , they are doing an excellent job and meeting so many people in the community. a good missionary experience. I am very proud of him and Elder Argyle and also we have had lots of missionaries and members from surrounding areas coming to help. Gods love and mercy i have witnessed. will keep you updated, he was here this evening and was fine just very tired.

Very Well

dear mom,
Olive Hill is doing very well, it was probably one of the areas that didn't accomplish much in the past. This week we taught the most lessons out of everyone in our district (18) and we have an investigator with a baptismal date for may 22. it really has been amazing to see what "a little hard work and a positive attitude can do." Elder Argyle is pretty good, we get along pretty well, still getting use to the different teaching styles. that is fine if you talk to his mom i don't care. The lady on facebook is Penny Hedge, she is the relief society president and a really nice lady. Was the focus on Pike County? (American Idol)
On sunday after church president gee came with us to find this lady that paintsville had been teaching. Her uncle had been calling us and telling us that he wanted to get her baptized on saturday. when he found her she is very solid and has a baptismal date for may 22, she will be the first convert baptism in olive hill in over 2 years. Also on sunday there was a flash flood, there was water up to our knees in our front yard, a lot of olive hill was destroyed (thats why we didn't email yesterday) and 8,000 people are without phones.
what was your fun experience?
love you
talk to you sunday
elder taylor call

Olive Hill Flood

http://www.topix.com/city/olive-hill-ky/2010/05/wake-of-disaster

Prayers

Pray that we will find
People ready and prepared for the gospel
Who are ready for baptism
Who are ready to make temple covenants

Thanks
Elder Taylor call

From President Robbins

this is what President Robbins sen me this past week:

Dear Elder Call,
Thank you for your weekly letter and report. You are in Olive Hill for a very important reason. When we have the chance to talk, I explain the why. For now, do your best.
Love,
President Robbins

I know that the Struggles in this area won't be a quick fix, it will be a permanent one. The Zone Leaders are still in Huntington and my district leader elder flanagan is in ashland. Elder Argyle has been here i think going on 4.5 months. Olive Hill is pretty country, alot of drugs and not a whole lot of youth. the building consists of the chapel in the middle and small rooms in the chapel, very small building. Right now it is a branch.
My favorite experience was probably yesterday, we were able to teach 4 lessons and get a new investigator then a lady we had tried wsan't home she called us(that never happens) that night and we set up an appointement for saturday. We live in a house, its pretty good size and not too bad. we have a truck but we rode our bikes on friday and got caught in a thunderstorm....we were drenched and rode like 8 miles.
Did kerry and wendy goto moab with you?

love you
elder taylor call

Olive Hill

i got transferred to olive hill, ky. When the assistants called they told me that they had a special mission for me. I would be transfered to an area that is struggling and i need to get the area going.
my address is 891 Henderson Branch
Olive Hill, Ky 41164
Elder Robinson stayed in Fairfield and Elder Doxey and I were transfered. Zach was not baptized saturday, some things came up and we have to push it back a few weeks, hopefully it won't take too long. Mike did get baptized, it went really well. Sydney had her baby yesterday as well, 4 weeks early i think.
The weather here is pretty nice right now, probably in the mid 60's to low 70's. which has been pretty nice.
Not too many dogs have chased me, i would kind of want to fight a dog if it started to attack me...
On Sunday we had 3 investigators at sacrament meeting, (Eric, mary and zach) it was really cool to have that many investigators there. Sorry its so short, not a whole lot of time today.
love you
elder taylor call

Elder Call in Cincinnati

For Owen

Cincinnati in April

Very Supportive

dear mommy
Fairfield is pretty good size, they are very supportive, Gladys Knight is coming may 6th and yesterday we had 3 members take each of us out from 3-7 to go and contact people for the fireside. they are both good.The minivan #1 doesn't have a tacometer and #2 it doesn't accelerate very fast. Every morning after we work out we make smoothies and i'm taking this stuff which is pretty much dry steroids called creotine. it puts water in your muslces so you look bigger.
I was thinking about going to the dentist soon, i went in the fall when i was in martin.
Our investigators are doing well, Zach should be getting baptized on saturday.
In fairfield there are a lot of people from Ghana and last night one of the members gave us fish and in Ghana you eat with your hands so we pretty much just pull the meat off of the bones and eat it, he also gave us gizzard.
Miracles lately? i am not sure, probably when i give trainings i am able to think of alot of ideas in a short amount of time which helps me with other ideas to give a good training.
For service we work at a food bank.
take care
wove
elder taylor call

In Huntington

Taylor with Mike & Sydney

Overlooking Huntington

A Very Nice Day

easter sunday was a verrryyy nice day here, sunny and in the 70's. we had dinner with the haurch's (haroosh), it was really good, we had ham, green bean caserole, and some really good 4 layer chocolate cake. easter bunny found me, even a few days early if you know what i mean...
Conference was good, i enjoyed saturday alot more than sunday. i really liked the one about the daughters and mothers, the cowboy story, and elder oaks's talk in priesthood. Chris Armstrong and Mary both came to saturday morning and we had a less active Tim Jackson that came to all 5 sessions which was realllyyy good. For General Confernce we stay out till 10 and just get home as soon as we can afterword.
All my clothing is doing good and not on a bike, we have a brand new dodge minivan that is really nice and very comfortable.
Elder Soto is doing well as far as i know, in the fall he had to return to california to renew his greencard and has been a missionary in the LA mission since then, he is supposed to be coming back soon.
Owen is nuts.I know all of those missionaries except for elder clark, not sure who he is. Zach's baptism is on the 17th, so i will send pitcutes then. April fools package? im not sure about that one, which one had the banana bread in it?

Doing Good

mammy,
i am doing good, how are you doing? how are you doing with keeping your iron up? mike was supposed to be baptized friday but he will be getting baptized the 17th instead. i called one of the missionaries friday just to ask about him and they said he was doing good.tell sister curry you want both pictures she took of us at church, especially the one with the man from africa.
Zach is 11, his grandparents are members and he lives with them, he has a bap date for april 8th i think, chris's dad is a member, chris is kinda nuts, he has a date for may 8th. eric's mom and sister are members they live in texas, he's 22ish. mary is doing well, she has a crazy 14 year old granddaughter that she can't leave home alone so its hard for her to come to church.thanks for package, no cookies, yes nana bread. marc wrote me 2 emials...
give baby kiss
love
elder taylor call

marci deary
i am doing well, how are you doing? how are things coming with the trek prep? i found this pretty sweet ensign from 97 in our appartment that talked about the missionaries, it was pretty sweet. this morning i didn't feel that great so i started reading it and read an article about the wille and martin hand cart companies and all the things that Brigham Young said when he heard about the conditions of the saints. That is probably one of my most favorite things reading about in church history.
we weren't able to get any of the investigators to sacrament. Zach got to church for 2nd hour and chris wasn't awake...however church starts at noon on saturday thats pretty creepy if you have elders that knock on your door multiple times a day...i would be pretty annoyed. the weather here has been pretty good, rainy the last few days. its supposed to be sunny in the 70s the rest of the week though, right in time to take off our suit jackets. i am always excited for GC i wove it, dont let baby get to crazy don't want no diebeties.
talk to you wayyter
love
elder taylor call

To Mommy and Marci

mommy,
marc told me that you went to washington for the funeral, who is dee lake? or i guess who was he. how was the park? did you hang out with kerry and wendy? who's car was it? i woulda shot the thing if it started to eat my car.
Things in cinci are going pretty good, yes i did receive a visit from sister curry yesterday. elder doxey is the short one and elder robinson is the taller. we had one investigator come to sacrament and the other one came just after that had ended. so it was good to have them come. I did get the package thank you, i loved the tape and about peed my pants when i heard gary rogers talking on it. i really enjoyed it. hope all is going well.
give the baby a kiss from me
love elder taylor call

dearest marci
i am doing pretty good today, how are you doing? we use a library that i think is in fairfield...yea pretty sure. i really like fairfield, there is a lot of really good things going on right now and we have some good investigators so its going pretty good. Our main investigators currently is Zach, he is 11, Chris, he's like 14ish..and eric who is 23. we had a pretty good week this past week so everything is going pretty well. dad being the scout master must have rubbed off on you, way to Be Prepared. The brownies were really good, it tasted like there was chocolate chips in them so that made them especially tasty. sorry this is so short, i hope everything with work and dating is going greaaatttttt ;)
love
elder taylor call

Fairfield-Cinci

we live pretty close to fairfield but we are a good ways from cinci, well i guess it depends what part of cinci. Downtown cinci is in our zone and we drove past it last tuesday. Having 2 companions is pretty good so far, we seem to be having a lot of fun and we're able to get a lot of work accomplished. What do you mean how does it work with 3? Yea if we were to get 3 other members we would be able to teach a very good amount of lessons in one night.
Fairfield is pretty good, since its more city it seems like there is a lot more to memorize or get use to rather than being in Huntington where its a grid and fairly easy to get places. Elder Robinson was here previously and Elder Doxey came the same time as i did. We have a few pretty solid investigators, working on getting the other ones at the same place, we should be having a few baptisms this transfer hopefully.
Sister Bledsoe is in Fairfield spanish so we see her a few times a week and Sister Ferrin is in my district. Elder Robinson is my companion.
Tell nin that i got the letter and i should write her back today. My favorite experience this past week is probably yesterday we were at an investigators house named mary and she has been reading from the book of mormon and has a strong testimony that it is true but she didn't feel the need to be rebaptized. we had a lesson about how since one of them is true the rest of the things in the Restoration has to be true as well. we asked her how her praying was going and she said that felt a peace when she prayed about being rebaptized and she more or less just has to quit smoking now and she'll be baptized.
My most favorite area was probably huntington just because there is so much going on there with the work and alot of crazy stuff. Probably the most recent or biggest thing that has increased my testimony is when i have questions or struggling with things i can read in the Book of Mormon and find answers to what i am experiencing.
Im grateful your not picking me up...it would probably just turn into an awkward crying sesh for like half an hour...
love you
elder taylor call

Fairfield

I got transfered to Fairfield, Oh i am still a zone leader. this past transfer did go by extremly fast. Church this week was pretty good, Mike, Jim, and Zach all came. It sounds like your fast sunday was pretty good, i really don't remember much of what happened alot has happened the past two days.Today the weather here was 70 degrees, its was pretty warm to be wearing a suit coat and moving luggage all around. Thats good that you have been able to exercise and things like that. how is the gluten free life?
I did get the valentine this week, thank you. Mike and Sydney are doing well, Mike has a date for march 26th
If you want ask the same questions next week i have a bunch of emails to reply to already.

love
elder taylor call

It is March

i can't not believe that it is march, this past month went by verrryyy fast. i never got the valentine, what address did you send it to? Huntington is doing alright, mike is doing very well, he wasn't able to come yesterday but he might be losing his job due to a heart condition that he has. he's only really able to come when he takes work off or when sydney isn't feeling well so he doesn't go in on those days. i told them that you were going to be sending a gift but whenever you want to.
Being a zone leader is going pretty well. Last week we started teaching this 8 year old girl and we were talking about prayer and things you can pray for and i was going through asking her if certain things were good to pray about and i was like do you think you can ask if the book of mormon is true? and she said yes, because it is. that surprised me a little bit when she said that but it was pretty cool. Yes i am still writing in my journal, i don't write everyday but when i do write i catch up on the days that i missed. i should be good on journal pages but thank you.
Of course i ate all those steaks, slow cooked to perfection. i haven't made taco soup yet, i never remember to buy the meat when we shop but maybe i will today. it depends on what food it is, usually when a missionary gets transfered they eat the good food they had so they don't leave it behind.
The other person the was baptized in Georgetown was a lady name syvonne taylor. she was baptized a few weeks after i had been transfered to hebron. we are probably getting new missionaries i would assume, i think i heard that we would be.
i hope all is going well, tell baby i say hi. when are you and marc going on that cruise?
love elder taylor call

Doing Pretty Good

i am doing pretty good, the weather here has been pretty mild the past couple days, on saturday i thought i was going to get sun burnt with the warmth that was coming from the sun. Not having to tract is very good, depending on the area, in Georgetown we had 4 people get baptized because we had to tract but we have been getting a good amount of member referrals this past few weeks. we haven't had too many media referrals lately but we are trying to follow up with people that had requested items in the past specifically ones that requested copies of the Book of Mormon to see if they had an opportunity to read it and if they want to learn more.
Elder Earl the senior couple in the office called me and asked about the bike this past week he said he would try to sell it to the new missionaries that will be coming in. I find out what mission i will be probably june 31st, President Robbins said it would be just a normal transfer and that he would be the one making the decision.
Tonight we will be talking about faith i think...we'll be reading the stories about the Liahona, Ammon, and The Brother of Jared. We'll read the stories then have the class members draw what they think it would have looked like then show the pictures from the gospel art book.
Mike is doing well, he was able to come to church yesterday so he just has to come 3 more times then he can get baptized. thats fine if you send a present i don't really care. They are having a boy and naming him Zane Tyler.
Where is preston going?
We have dinner appointments maybe once or twice a week. Mainly members have us over, we don't have any new investigators but we should get 2 new ones on tuesday. We don't have any snow right now, its pretty warm and nice. we didn't really get a whole lot in Georgetown, just cold and windy.
I hope all is well
Love
Elder Taylor Call

A Good Valentine's Day

i did have a good valentines day, i did get the package. i like that heating pad, it has an automatic shut off so i won't have to worry about it burning me or my feet getting hot. thanks for getting me katy's address.
Our Book of Mormon class is going well, last week we read 3 nephi 11 then we watched the testiments. it was alright, the storyline in the movie doesn't really catch up with the Book of Mormon until the very end so it could have been better. Tonight we are going to talk about how The Book of Mormon answers the questions of the soul. We're going to give everyone a pass along card with a question and a pass along card that correspond. (Does God answer prayers? Enos 1 with the Book of Mormon pass along card.) Mike is able to come every week, we mostly made the class for him so it goes pretty well. His wife's name is sydney, she just barely turned 19 or is about to and is expecting in about 3 months.
It sounds like Stake Conference is going to be good, during my interview with President Robbins on friday he told me that a member of the Seventy called him this past week and asked him if he would be attending Stake Conference. Stake Conference isn't until April...
Will you get on my old myldsmail account and there is a folder named sharings or something like that, its the email we get from President Robbins each week, i was wondering if you would print those out, they didn't get transfered to my new account. the screen name is skylax17.
Things are going well, but it continues to snow and our trucks continue to stay grounded. Hope the weather is nice in utah.
love
Elder Taylor Call

Not Much Snow

we didn't get that much snow much 4 inches at the most, my shoes never really got wet and i for sure do not need any boots. we can wear boots but that have to get approved by President Robbins. Our trucks didn't get grounded thankfully, they put salt on the roads but i think that, that is about it.Can you see if you can get a girls address for me, her name is katie, she graduated in 07' try to find her in the skyliner and facebook.
will you get the church news on saturday the 13th? thats when they are going to announce all the changes.when they close missions it saves alot of money i think that is one of the main reasons why.
i did get the package, thank you for the cake, tie, calendar, and pillow case.you'll probabley get some pictures next monday for sure.that's pretty cool about the baptism, where did the family move to?Mike is doing really well, he has to work on sundays but he was able to fast while he was at work and it still doing amazing and jim is still kinda just there, he's a little stubborn...hope all is going well
love
elder taylor call

This Week Was Good

This week was good, elder beck has only been out 9 months and hasn't had any leadership assignments up to this point so there is a lot that he is trying to adjust to and learn. i'll look for the package, atleast this won't be one of those 9 month things...
i did email them from the library, i'll email you pictures from the wedding next week.
our investigators are doing good, the wedding was pretty good. the service was 12 minutes exactley, nice and short.
we're not supposed to email other missionaries but see if you can get his address where he is or see if he was able to get the letter i sent him. i heard that davey got called to germany but not to the same mission.
saturday at zone leader council president Robbins gave trainings indirectly about the change in the mission. i kinda hope im in columbus...
for service we deliever mail and flowers at the hospital here, it's alright, its not that affective as far as getting people to teach.
we are both zone leaders
things in common? we're still working on that, he's pretty much the total opposite of elder taylor...he served in adams county(where the kid you picked up from the airport is from)
i just wear my normal shoes in the snow.
hope all is going well, give the baby a kiss from me.
does this mean i have to get a new plaque with my picture on it?
love
elder taylor call

Transfers

i am good, how are you doing? Elder Taylor got transfered, he is training a new
missionary, my new companion is elder beck, he's from malad.
Mike is marrying an LDS girl, his fiancee is the bishop's necice and mike was
the bishops family's, family mission plan so we met him through them. we haven't
set a baptismal date with him yet because he's not really able to come to church
consistently yet but once he does, we will. The other investigator is Jim he's
62, he's getting close but still has some concerns that we are helping him to
overcome.
the class is going well, last night we talked about how the Book of Mormon is
the keystone of our religion. we didn't have too many people, just as long as
mike comes i'm happy.
Last week in the library we were the only white people there, its mostly just
white and black here.
i heard from chris at the start of last transfer, maybe if you talked to his mom
and see if he got the letter i wrote him.
just keep the article about max, i don't need it. Austin Collie i hear has been
doing well, he plays for the colts who are in the superbowl.
hope everything is going well, tell merideth to have me another baby when i get
home.
love
elder taylor call

A Really Nice Week

Happy Birthday, i hope it has been a good one.
as for the valentine letter, i could make prints here then mail them to you, i
took a bunch of pictures at the marshall campus yesterday so if you would like
to use some of those we could do that. i'm not sure what you had in mind for
what you were going to say about me but as long as the bailey's in washington
daughter reads it i'll be a happy camper.
mike is doing very well, they're getting married on the 31st and he came to
church on sunday so things with him are going very well. he told us he wants to
be baptized and he knows it's true so its just a matter of time now.
President Robbins wants all the areas in the mission to start a Book of Mormon
class, we teach whatever we want to, last night we talked about the translation
of the Book of Mormon and how it wasn't something that could have been
accomplished easily.
this week has been really nice, its probably been in the 50's or 60's so a
really nice change from the weather we had been having.
hope everything is going well, will you see if you can find an article about BYU
football and how max hall went off on the utah fans because he hates them so
much? have you talked to chris weixler's family lately?
hope you have a good birthday
love
elder taylor call

Elders Call & Taylor with Brother Cook

At Brother Cook's baptism

Not Sick Yet

i would always stick a sucker in his mouth and he'd be quite. thats pretty sweet about megan m. isn't she pretty cute? anways thats no fun that you and marcy are sick, its been a miracle i haven't gotten sick yet and i never got any shots..shhh.
whats goals do i have for the new year? umm probably try to stay warm at night, its pretty frustrating being woken up because your feet are freezing. right now we are just driving our truck, heaven forbid we have to ride our bikes in the snow. we had to walk all day on thursday because our cars were grounded because of the snow, we probably got3 or 4 inches.
mike is doing well, we'll be seeing him tonight for our book of mormon study class.
1. ask me about the unusual stuff that has happened here when i get back...
2. we tract alot of the houses where students live and things like that, huntington and provo are pretty similar as far as the housing goes.
3. we play with the barborsville missionaries and some members and investigators.
4. when you put God first in your life, everything else either falls into place or falls out of your life, one of the prophets said that
5.im not sure about this week, we have a lot going on so hopefully we;ll be able to find some new investigators.

thanks for the talk
love
elder taylor call

New Year

we went to bed at 10:30 and didn't even think about waking up before that. i thought owen liked movies? just stick a sucker in his mouth and he'll be fine. what did the bullocks have to say? i haven't really gotten sick, im pretty grateful because i never got any of the shots. i got a card from the alexanders, earls, voorhees, and williams.
last week in sacrament the topic was Christ and Christmas, it didn't go as well as i imagined, i was trying to get the point across about how Christ or Heavenly Father gave us the gift of agency so i was reading stuff out of the pearl of great price so thats probably where it went down hill. it is snowing right now and yesterday was probably the coldest i have been in a long time it was below 20 degrees so pretty chilly. i used the scarf for the first time on saturday probably, it did a pretty good job. i went to martin on friday for interviews and exchanges in paintsville, it was alright, i was ready to leave when i got transfered there. the areas in our district is huntington, barboursville, logan, and gallipoise.
1. What was your favorite experience of the past week?
this past week we did a very small amount of tracting and we got 4 new investigators, 2 of those which were from members and are being taught in member homes. the mission goal for new investigators each week is 3 so it was pretty good to get 4. the other 2 were from people who had ordered things from the internet or tv offers.
2. Tell us about one of your favorite investigators.
Mike Napier is one of our new investigators from last week, he is probably 24. he went to bible college, in one of the classes called christianity or cult his group had us in the middle because he knew we weren't a cult or something. he's pretty solid, we had a really good lesson with him on saturday night. i feel the spirit pretty often but when we were teaching him it was a constant really strong spirit that i felt.
3. Did anything unusual happen this week?
we live on a college campus, alot of unusual things happen to us.
4. What are you looking forward to this week?
teaching mike, we're helping him move tomorrow, he's a pretty solid investigator that wants to learn and he understands what he teach him.
5. What is something new that you have learned lately?
i learned that fasting works, we had an area in our zone that had been struggling so we fasted yesterday and they got 3 new investigators and taught probably 16 lessons so it was pretty cool.
6. What do you and Elder Taylor like to do for fun on pday?
we like to play basketball
7. Do you and your companion have anything in common(sports or ?).
we don't like the cold.
8. What do you like to cook for dinner or do you usually have dinner appointments? yesterday i made this amazing hamburger and ate it on a bagel, it was pretty good, i put cajun seasoning on it.
i remember preston pretty well, he was a pretty funny kid. he has an older brother named brett that i was friends with at wasatch but i think brett just got in to hanging out with the wrong kids and things like that, preston might be a little the same way but i don't think he got as bad as his brother.
hope you are happy
love
elder taylor call