Half Way Through Training

Three more weeks at the CCM and then off to the real world. My week has been good but there have been some bumps in the road.  The day after Christmas I got really sick, I have a really bad cold.  On Friday I went to bed with a little bit of a fever, but my fever is gone now and I am just fighting a stuffy nose, but nothing major.

I have been trying to have exact obedience, but today is P-day so we all slept in a for a little bit.  But I am trying really hard to work on it because exact obedience brings miracles.  On Christmas we had a few devotionals. We talked a lot about how we had to be converted unto the Lord, just having a testimony is not enough.  We must convert ourselves first.  I am learning a lot here which is good.  
This was our service project on Christmas day. Hermana Tebbs is the one in the green sweater looking at Hermana Sanders is the one in the white shirt.  It is hard being in a trio at times, but we balance each other out.  My companions and I are getting closer, which is good because they make it easier. 

I really miss home, sometimes I ask myself why am I doing this but I know that I am here for a reason.  I hope you are doing well.  I miss you and love you!  Happy New Year!  Taylor

 

Feliz Navidad

I have been feeling your prayers. Thank you so much for all the love and support.  I am truly blessed.  I have been gaining a stronger testimony and it has been awesome. Heavenly Father has been looking out for me lately and for that I am thankful as well. We have been having some good devotionals here lately.  This last week we had to teach an investigator in Spanish...boy that was hard.  I have been struggling with the language...especially with the pronouncing of everything, but I am trying.

 

Spencer Williams, from the Buckley 1st Ward arrived on Wednesday to the CCM. It was good to see a familiar face from home even though we don’t really know each other.

Hermana Tebbs, Hermana Sanders and I are the Sister Training Leaders for our zone but we are the only sisters in our zone so we are training ourselves haha. We had to go to a leadership meeting on the 18th.  After the meeting was over I turned around to see this kid upchuck everywhere. It was totally a "Pitch Perfect" moment.  But I felt so bad for him so I helped clean it up when everyone else walked away...people these days haha.  Hermana Sanders has been kind of having a hard time, but we are all trying to lean on each other.  Hermana Tebbs folded my clothes today when I was taking a nap.  She is too sweet and she helps me a lot with Spanish. Hermana Sanders picks on me a lot but it makes me happy because I feel like I have my siblings here with me.  She poked me with a pen the other day in a devotional haha.

 

 

We have been learning a lot about exact obedience lately.  I have been trying my best to be like Christ every day.  We had a devotional last night broadcasted from the Provo MTC, I tried to find Caitlyn in the crowd of missionaries, but I couldn’t.  Anyways one of the speakers said, “do what is right, even when no one understands!”  I loved that, that’s what a mission is about, doing your best!  As long as you’re trying your best, Heavenly Father will provide the rest!
 

Moroni 7:33

Alma 26:3

Ether 12:27

 

We are doing a service project as a CCM for some homeless men and it makes my heart happy.  We are tying blankets and making them lunches then a ward will take them to the shelter.  That’s what we will be doing later tonight and tomorrow on Christmas.  I am excited to have a Christmas in Mexico, I can already tell it will be way different. 

 

Buen provecha means have a good meal and enjoy in Spanish!  Lunch in Mexico is the biggest meal here, so I’m pretty hungry when it comes to dinner time.  I have been eating a lot of sweets to be honest.

 

Oh ya, I have been losing my socks...and you thought I was the crazy sock lady who brought too many hahaha!  There is a guy in my district and he draws really bien, that’s good in Spanish haha, I thought Adam would like it. 

This is the headset we have to talk on when we are doing language study and when I call you tomorrow lol.  I can’t tell which pics I am sending so I will just send a few haha.  I’m trying to send good pics but it is being weird and won’t let me preview them before I send them so feel free to delete the ones you don’t really like.  Oops I sent two of the same ones, I will try to send more pics next week.  Taylor

 

My First Week at the MMC

This week has been super crazy!  First, I was the only sister in a group of 20 elders when we first got to Mexico.  Elder Quinton is in my district so it’s nice having a person kind of from home in the same group as me. Our district is really funny, but I can never focus in class because we are always laughing.  

I am in a trio with two companions, Hermana Tebbs and Hermana Sanders.  Hermana  Sanders is a funny, sassy country girl from Florida and Hermana Tebbs is a smart, funny person from Utah.  We hung up my lights you got me on Hermana Sanders' tree her sister cut out for her to bring.  My companions and I are pretty much the rebels of the CCM. We are always late. The only thing we are ever on time for is meals.  We get up at 6:30 am, well, I sleep in a little. Then we have to go to class for language study, then gospel study, we are in class most of the day.

We went to the temple's visitor center today.  It was awesome getting out of the CCM for a little bit.  We didn’t get to go inside the temple because the foundation is sinking into the ground, but the Visitors Center was awesome.

Mexico is pretty, unique and beautiful, but so crazy.  The first two nights everyone was shooting off fireworks and it sounded like a war zone, but they finally stopped celebrating.  It was chilly here for the first few days but it has been super nice and pretty lately.

Food is pretty good here, but I have been eating a lot so that probably isn't that good.  I love me some Mexican food, but sometimes they have some foods that just taste weird!  


Overall, besides being homesick, I am thankful for being able to be at the CCM.  It’s a really cool experience with really interesting and cool people.  You can definitely feel the Spirit here.  The teachers are good and are super nice.  Spanish is super hard for me.  We have to pray in Spanish and it is so hard.  I still can’t roll my R's.  We have been teaching an investigator in Spanish and I don’t even know what he says, but I try to be in tune with the Spirit.  That’s one thing that I have learned, no matter the language barrier, the Spirit is still strong.


We have had a lot of good talks, the other day in class we were discussing the Book of Mormon and our teacher talked about how we could have personal revelation.  First my mind was somewhere else, but then she said something that I will never forget.  She said, "God loves you and wants the best for you."  As she said it, she was looking right at me and I could feel the Spirit so strongly that tears started to fill my eyes.  I know I need to learn to trust Heavenly Father more and I know I need to be like Adam and give it all I have, no regrets, but this is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

Being out here has made me realize what is important in life and that is family.  I've had some exciting experiences and I’ve been learning so much here.  One important thing I learned is that we must convert ourselves first.  I know that I don’t want to do this just because it will be cool, I want to do this for a purpose, because I have a purpose.   I've been very homesick, but we had a devotional the other day that talked about how Moroni walked the earth alone for many days and I realized that if he can do that, I can be away from my family a little while.   I know that I am supposed to be here, I know Heavenly Father wants me to be here.  I love and miss you all!  Taylor

Leaving for Mexico!

Today I was set apart as a Full-Time Missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and got on a plane at 11:00 pm to fly to Mexico City for the missionary training center there.  This picture is of me with my family right after I was set apart.

Look at all my luggage!  I will be dragging all of this luggage around with me from place to place during the next 18 months.

At the airport I met Elder Quinton who was flying to the missionary training center in Mexico City as well and who is going to the Reno Nevada Spanish Speaking Mission just like me (check out our super cheesy grins).  It was so nice and comforting to have a traveling companion!

I will be in Mexico City for six weeks and then I will fly to Reno, Nevada where I will spend the rest of my 18 month mission!  I'm so excited and I hope you will follow my journey along with me!