Missions Are Cake

This week we didn't have a lot of lessons, we only had about 26, but we were able to get 9 hours of service hours.  We showed up for one lesson and our investigator was drunk and he started kissing our hands..it was weird!  One of our newer investigators, we met him randomly while walking around, he was impressed with our Spanish and with our Spanish I mean Sister Underly's Spanish).  Anyway, we went to his house for a lesson and he was asking all the right questions. Why are there so many churches?  How do I know which one is true?  Where did we come from?  Where are we going?  How can I be with my family forever? (Side note: his family is stuck in Mexico while he is here so it is really hard for him.)  He told us last time we were there that it was super weird how we met him because he usually never walks the street that he did that night, but he felt like he should so he did and that's when we met him.  Isn't it wonderful how Heavenly Father works.  Heavenly Father truly has been preparing the people I meet on my mission.  Plus I can always feel the Spirit strongly when I bear my testimony to our investigators even though it is something so scary to me!  I also really felt the Spirit at our baptism this week, wow the Spirit was strong! 

My testimony has grown tremendously on my mission and it has only been two months! My mission is super hard, probably one of the hardest things I have ever done.  There is something different in every day and every day has different challenges but I can see the change that is taking place for the better in my life.  I feel like everyone should serve a mission of some kind because it shapes your future.  I have been having fun and laughing everyday, even laughing at the weird situations!

My first transfer only has one more week, but I will stay here for at least one more transfer because I am still being trained. Hopefully for a long time. I love it here!  I am loving Lake Tahoe and Sister Underly.  Every time I am having a hard day or we are just exhausted we just look out and see Lake Tahoe and feel Heavenly Father's love.

IT'S BEEN FREEZING!!!!!! We have had a few warms days but not for very long. The weather here is bi-polar sometimes haha!  I have been trying so hard not to get sick.  I have been feeling not bad lately. I hand sanitize on the daily and I have been drinking Airborne so I think that has been helping.  

This last Tuesday Sister Underly and I had to give a training at our district meeting...hahaha I love being a greenie sometimes haha.  There have been a lot of funny things that have happened.  On Monday night we went to the church to help with a primary activity and Elder Baker, Elder Escobar, Sister Underly and I were closing up the church and locking up everything.  I was in the gym turning off the lights in there, but the hallway light was still on so I could see, then as soon as I turned the gym light off, Elder Escobar turned the hallway light off.  Then as soon as I started walking towards the exit I ran right into the door! Haha:)  Some other things, Sister Underly accidentally elbowed me in the face haha.  Oh, and yesterday it was super cold and windy so I was wearing my leggings and as soon as we were walking in for the night, my leggings fell done in front of Brother and Sister Rogers (who we live with) all we could do was laugh. Hahaha!  Another day me, Elder Baker, Sister Underly and Elder Escobar had a cake fight...I think the cake won haha!  There are funny things that happen all the time I need to start writing them down!

I love and miss you so much. I hope you are all doing well!

 

Love always Hermana Amiga!:)   

[Pictures from the Reno Mission blog are also attached]

 

Presidents' Day

[Here are some arrival to the mission pictures we got from the Reno Mission Blog, click on the link to the left to see the blog.]  Presidents day threw off our p day haha. The library didn't open until noon so we had to wait to email.  Well, this week we had a emotional week. One of our investigators has a daughter that really wants to be baptized and on Tuesday we went to their house and the mom just broke down.  It was such an emotional night, we sat there with her for a couple hours.  At one point of the conversation I finally spoke up and told her how it was breaking our hearts to see her turn away from us, her kids, and Heavenly Father!  It was an emotional night for all of us. I gave the daughter one of my name tags and told her no matter whether her Mom let her get baptized or not to always keep her faith and Heavenly Father will always be there for her.  But guess what, her mom was touched by the Spirit and is allowing her to get baptized this Saturday!

[I told Taylor that a recent returned missionary from our ward spoke and he said that he doesn't like to call investigators of the church friends instead of investigators as he felt like that's really what they are.]  I like that investiagtors are our friends!  I feel like I generally have grown a love for these people, it's amazing how Heavenly Father works.

 

There have been a lot of fun moments here, Sister Underly and I laugh all the time which is good!  We are goofballs! 

My testimony on fasting has been strengthened a little.  Nevada has been in a drought for while so last week Bishop asked us to fast as a ward, so we did and it has been snowing and raining on and off all week, but today it is sunny!:)


My Spanish is mas o menos!  Not bad, but I am still not comfortable reading or talking in front of people haha.  For church, the first sacrament is in English then the next 3 hours are in Spanish. We go to two sacrament meetings!

Oh, ya why did my comapion random tickle me...HANNAH?!!!!  

I love and miss you so much have a great week!  Your Taylor

Busy Week in Tahoe

Ok so this week things were very crazy!  Monday was P-Day and flew by as usual.  Then on Tuesday we had this Zone Training in Reno.  We live about an hour away from Reno so roadtrips are always interesting because we all know how fast I fall asleep in the car!

 

Wednesday was a very busy day, we had 10 lessons, which was nuts, but so awesome.  This week we managed to get 39 lessons plus 2 active member presentation lessons.  So 41 all together, it was unbelievable!  We had a baptism planned for the 14th, but we now have to reschedule.
 

On Thursday we got to do a few hours of service and it was really interesting.  The family we were helping had put tape on the windows and that had me use mayonnaise to get it off, that was weird haha!  Then we had dinner at a member's house and that was very delicious!
 

Many miracles happened on Friday!  We were suppose to teach this lady but she never answered her door, but then as we were walking back we ran into a guy we had already met but he hadn't been interested, but this time he let us talk to him and he said he wanted to come to church.  He told us that the church would be really could for him and his family because his son is into drugs and before we left he let us pray with him!
 

On Saturday our first lesson we go to, a lady and her children, we are all sitting in the living room reading the book of Mormon, then in the middle of the lesson the Mom falls asleep! I know I can fall asleep anywhere and everywhere but so far not in the middle of a lesson! Haha. Then there is this other family we have been teaching where the daughter wants to be baptized.  We dropped by their house, we could see them in the house, but they wouldn't answer the door.  Then the daughter, with a very sad look on her face, opened the window a little and told us that her mom wanted us to leave. It was the saddest symbolic thing, the daughter not being able to let us in was a symbol of her mom holding her back from baptism. It broke my heart. We have a feeling the mom may be doing drugs again too which may be why she didn't want to let us in.  It reminded me of my birth mom and all I could do was just feel sad for the daughter.  I know what it feels like to be trapped and to have your own Mother withhold you from trying to do good.  It was so heartbreaking and upsetting and I wanted to just hug the daughter, but all we could do was walk away.  So Sister Underly and I just went back to the car and sat there in silence for the longest time.  So Sunday we went and talked to the bishop (side note:  he is seriously the best, he is so funny and spiritual, he is a very good Bishop!), anyway, we talked to him and he felt impressed to tell us to make a new appointment with the family and he would go with us.  Hopefully we can find out what is going on.  I care so strongly about the daughter and I want her to be baptized to receive those blessings she deserves.
 

Many miracles happened on Sunday!  One of our investigators came to church, he never has come to church before and his baptism even got canceled because he hadn't been to church, but this Sunday he finally came, it was a miracle.  Tears filled my eyes and Sister Underly's eyes as we saw him walk through the door!  We have a jar that we call a miracle jar.  It has been getting so full lately and that is something I treasure.

I love you so much!  Love Hermana Amiga!

Two Weeks in Tahoe

This week was good, we went to In-N-Out Burger, you know how much I love that place!  Also, a few of us got to stay the night at the Mission President's house.  It was awesome and so much fun, we went to the temple.
 

I love Sister Underly already and its only been two weeks!  She has taught me simple lessons about life.  We are always busy and we have this 90 challenge in our Mission where we get points for being healthy and doing certain things.  I like to win, so I have been chugging water as part of the healthy things!  Sometimes if I forget during the day I chug some water before bed . . bad idea haha.  Also, it is  pretty cold here at night, but the stars are so bright because we pretty much live in a cabin in the woods!

This week I learned that bearing your testimony can do powerful things!   

I did have a moment at an investigators house where I didn't dare tell them that I was lactose intolerant and paid the consequences later with a really bad stomach ache.  It still hurts a little today but not as bad.  I miss and love you so much, Love Always your Taylor