July 26, 2010

Hello everybody! I hope everyone is doing well!

I am doing very good! This last week not much exciting stuff happened. We did service everyday for the same people. It is the retired Methodist minister and her husband. They are really amazing people and have developed into being really close. They are really cool and very loving.

So service this week kept us busy with them. I primed a room that is like a mud room but it has no A/C.... so it was hotter than Africa in there! I couldn't believe it! I bet it was 20 degrees hotter in there than it was outside and it was just as humid. I guess it was fine though because it made me sweat so that is always good. Don't worry though because I stayed hydrated and took breaks to cool off. We have built up a good relationship with them and they took a book of mormon so that is really cool.

We also found out that we get to go to the temple with Patti, our apartment manager! I am so excited because she is like a adopted grandmother. She is sweet! I am so excited for her and she is very excited for herself! I couldn't believe how prepared she is! She just wants to be as prepared as possible so that is really cool!

I am sorry but I can't think of too much else to write besides while I was walking to the library I stepped on a piece of glass that went through my shoe.... but I am ok. I washed it out the best I could and so I'll be good! I love you all and remember you can make the situation you are in better by your attitude. I have found that the saying "there are two choices in life you can either get mad or laugh." I have chosen to laugh and I am much happier. I challenge you all to do the same!

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Sincerely,
Elder Zachary Taylor

July 19, 2010

Ok, I had the craziest experience of my life this last week. So hopefully this isn't disrespectful to anyone in any way. On Monday I was on exchanges with my Zone Leader. We had some appointments fall through so Patti, our apartment manager, had called us and seemed really distraught. We went over to see what was wrong and she told us that she had found one of the tenants dead in their apartment. She also said that the city came and took the body but left the responsibility to clean up the apartment with her. We both offered to help her because of how shaken up she was. She said that she couldn't ask us to do it but we insisted. So we went over there and as soon as we walked in the door my nose experienced something it never has. I guess the tenant was in there for 4 or 5 days before Patti found him. It was the most horrible smell I have ever experienced! It was a mixture of rotting body, feces, and of molding dishes. So it suffices me to say that it stunk! I will never forget the smell or the experience.

So that was a good way to start off the week. Nothing really amazing happened until the end of the week. We had dinner with the old bishop here. His wife told us about a couple that was moving into our area from Concordia. The branch from Concordia helped them move but they are not members or investigators. So we asked if we could come over and help them move in. She is a retired Methodist minister and he is a Baptist. We went over on Thursday morning and it was really cool. They had us sand a room and they also fed us lunch. We had a really good time helping them. While we were helping them they would ask us questions. They told us that the heart for service that the LDS people have is something special and they want to know what makes us the way we are. It was so cool. We taught them about temples, the priesthood, and of Joseph Smith. We invited them to church but they couldn't come because they were going to be in Concordia for Sunday finishing some packing stuff. We got to help them the next day too and it was great! I feel like I had known them for years. I am excited to go back and to teach them.

This Sunday was good too! 3 investigators came to church so that was good. A lady we haven't been able to seen recently came to church with Patti. She is possibly the best member missionary I have ever seen. We also are going to start teaching this young man who just got adopted by one of our members. He is a really special kid and has a great heart. We also got to meet a guy in singles ward who isn't a member but he came up to us and said "Can you help me get baptized?"! I cannot believe how many miracles we saw at the end of the week! We were complaining the whole week because it was a pretty slow week. It was the first week in a long time that we had been under 20 lessons for the week but in the end we were rewarded. I sometimes feel like I don't deserve it but then I realize its not about rewarding me it is about using me to reward the people. I love my mission and I can't get enough of it!

I love you all and can't say thank you enough for the influence each of you had on me. I am going to be 9 months out next Wednesday so that is pretty crazy! Keep the Lord in mind!

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Sincerely,

Elder Zachary Taylor

July 12, 2010

Hello everybody! Another week has flown by! I cannot believe how fast everything is going! I have almost been out for 9 months. I will be hitting my halfway point soon. See I told you all that time would go by fast. I love it and I am sure that is why time is going by so fast.

Well this week was kinda slow feeling. By the end of the week I was surprised at our lesson total.

It was a lot more than what I thought it would be. We got in contact with a less active member who has a son that wants to be baptized. He is 10 years old so we will be teaching him soon. We plan to go up there tomorrow.

We went to a baptism of record this Saturday because we taught him the lessons and because his father isn't a member. I asked him when he was going to be baptized. His answer was when he quits his evil ways. So I asked when he would quit them and his answer was when I hit him in the head with a hammer. So the next time we go up there I am bringing a hammer and writing righteousness on it. Hopefully he thinks it is funny but see that I am willing to do anything to get him baptized. I offered to take his bad habits and throw them away but he didn't respond. I did that earlier this week. I got to pour a full bottle of Peach Schnapps down the drain. It was pretty cool!

This Sunday was really good! In the singles ward there were a lot of investigators/ nonmembers. We talked to the people who they came with and they were all seriously looking. They all made great comments in class so it was really cool. One of them we are going to teach this week and the others I still need to set something up with.

Well I really don't know what else to write except. It is still nasty and humid here. Its a bit of a slow time as far as teaching goes but we are starting to see some miracles. Its cool because I haven't gotten depressed about the missionary work being hard. I love that it is hard and wouldn't have it any other way. If it was easy it wouldn't be worth it. I love you all and hope and pray for the best for all of you!

--
Sincerely,
Elder Zachary Taylor

PS - Oh I forgot to tell you all but now the mission office can forward mail and packages again so send everything to: 517 W. Walnut St. Independence, MO 64050. They will be able to forward it to me wherever I am. Thank You all and I love you!

July 6, 2010

Hello again everybody!

I hope that everyone is doing good. I sure am! This whole mission is the greatest thing I have ever done. Even the low points, and there is a lot, are amazing. I feel as if I am becoming a new person, I am still the same in a lot of respects but I fell as though I will now rely on the Lord more heavily for the rest of my life. I have been blessed to be able to see my weaknesses and now I can work on those so I can become stronger all the way around.

So this week was a pretty slow week. It was a holiday week so a lot of people were busy or out of town. I would've thought that because so many people would be outside for the 4th of July that we could have been fairly successful but not really. Its ok though we are still seeing miracles popping up. Just last Sunday we had one of the most spiritual fast and testimony meetings I've ever been to, in singles ward. Also one of the members of singles ward came up to us and talked to us about a friend that she took to the Liberty Jail. Her friend is very interested and has noticed something very different about her so he asked. Now he is looking into what it is that makes her different, the gospel of Jesus Christ!!! It is exciting because she wants us to come and teach him!

This week I also got to see my sister Brittany. She came out here on a Church History Tour so I got permission from our President to go see her. A family from the war took us down there and it was so cool! My last companion got to meet Britt too because he is serving in Independence and we met her at the Independence Visitor's Center. It was so cool for me to be able to see her! I have missed my family very much and talking to them on the phone just isn't the same as seeing them in person. She is such a great young woman and she has an amazingly strong testimony.

Those were the highlights of the week. Other than that it is the same things. I love it but it is still the same thing. You know what is crazy is that when Raul leaves on his mission I will be halfway through mine and my 20th birthday is next month... weird. Well I am loving it out here and would never change my decision to come out. I love the Lord and I love serving Him more than anything else.

I love you all and hope that you all remember Proverbs 3:5 and not to "lean to thine own understanding"

--
Sincerely,
Elder Zachary Taylor

June 28, 2010

Hey there everybody!

Well another week is gone! I can't believe how fast each week flies by. I have been thinking about time a lot lately and it really hit me that life is really quite short. It doesn't seem like it at times but it really is short. I have realized that I need to cherish every moment in my life. I need to be thankful for everything I have and every trial I go through. I am very grateful for this opportunity I have at life so I can be more like my Heavenly Father. I appreciate all of you and the role you played in making me who I am today.

So this week was HOT again! I couldn't believe how hot it felt. It wasn't just hot but it was humid too so when we walk outside its like a slap in the face because of the temperature and they decided to backhand us with the humidity. Ya I have thought of all the words I could use to describe the humidity and none of them were pleasant so I'll just say "not cool humidity not cool". Nevertheless the work must go on and it has.

We just had a baptism this Saturday. Austin got baptized and he asked me to do it! I was so honored to be chosen to baptize him. It went very good. His mom and step dad came which is cool because they are not members of our church. His two best friends came too and they are not members either. And we were able to make contact with an investigator who we have lost touch with. So the baptism was awesome and really helped us and him.

This picture includes, from left to right, Elder Lesuma (Zach’s last companion), Austin (being baptized), Elder Taylor, Elder Gustafson (Zach’s current companion). The baptism was on Saturday, June 26, 2010.

The rest of the week was hot and sweaty. I really never stop sweating so we set our apartment to 65 degrees. It is nice! We have had a lot of fun. Our ward is awesome and all of the success here should and will be attributed to the ward. They help us out so much and the last two people that were baptized are referals from them. I love them and hope I get to stay here for a long time.

This last Saturday after the baptism I did the blazing challenge again with Elder Lesuma (he came down for Austin's baptism). This time they made the wings really hot. They brought them out and the twelve wings were in a soup of the hot sauce. I finished them in 2:05, my fastest time and the fastest time on the Buffalo Wild Wings board. They were so hot that when I started I didn't know I would finish but I did it with tears pouring down my face and I looked like I had a bad sunburn, but I did it. All the waiters and waitresses came to watch because of how bad the wings were. Now my picture is up on that board twice. I am reppin Vegas and the LDS church out here at B-Dubs. After that we were invited to the Elder's Quorum social. That was really fun! They grilled burgers and hot dogs and then the adults played softball. I have never played softball

before so it was a little different but fun.

So ya I am basically having the time of my life out here and never want it to end! I love the Lord and I love you all!

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Sincerely,
Elder Zachary Taylor