Elder Taylor's Homecoming

This is Zach's dad -- I want to thank each of you for your friendship with Zach.  He is returning home this Friday, Oct. 28, after serving a mission for 2 years.  For those of you who are in the Las Vegas area, after Zach speaks in Church in Sunday, Oct. 30, we will be having a little get-together at our house, beginning about 1 pm.  If you need directions or our address, please leave a comment and we'll get it to you!

Kurt

October 24, 2011

So this is my last email to you all because sadly my 2 year mission is coming to an end. I will say that I have loved being engaged in the service of the Lord these last 2 years and plan to make it part of my life for the rest of eternity. I cannot believe this is the end of my opportunity to serve a mission. I will cherish this experience I have had always and forever. I encourage each and every one of you that are considering serving a mission to just do it! I can promise you if you do you will be able to find yourself. If you serve with all your heart, might, mind and strength you will be able to see your potential as sons and daughters of God and you will find GREAT joy in helping others see that. I have said I love it over and over and its because it is a one of a kind experience to develop your relationship with God.

So last Monday we went down to Lawrence so we could take pictures of the KU basketball court and to play b-ball with those elders. We went to and got a picture. We walked in through some side doors and took our pictures then we went to the front and realized that it said "the court is not open to the public today" I was glad we had already got our pictures so we left. Then we went and played basketball at a free, open gym. It was really fun! Tuesday was goodish. We had to go help some other elders out because one of them was sick and they had appointments. I stayed at the house with the sick elder and I got to read in the book of 3rd Nephi! It was awesome I learned so much! Wednesday we have a tradition of having a fish fry at some members house at the end of the transfer. It was really good and fun! Some elders had made foam swords so we went outside and beat on each other a little bit. I was team Lamanite and E. Bryner was team Nephite. We got to pick teams and it was good. They won the first time and the second time was go until you quit and our team won because we just hit them as hard as we could. Thursday not much happened but we did copy everything down that I knew so E. Bryner could use it when I left. We also taught a young girl and set a baptismal date with her brother that came. That was really cool! We found out our 18 year old investigator on the football team doesn't want to meet with us anymore so that was sad. Friday we had district meeting and it was my last one so some of the elders tried to make me "trunky" with that but it didn't work. It has been really easy for me to stay focused because we just want people to get baptized and develop testimonies. I love it! Saturday was just a crazy day. We had an extra missionary with us because his companion had to go be trained on how to train a new missionary. Sunday was good. They had me say the opening prayer for sacrament meeting and then the bishop stood up, who I haven't talked to too much, and announced it was my last Sunday. He started tearing up as he expressed his gratitude for my service. He told the ward that if they wanted to say anything to me that this may be their last time. I felt really good about my mission at that point. I felt good about my service here in the Colly Creek ward. I love them with all my heart! We then had dinner at the Jones' house. They are super cool! We got one of their girls to rap... it was sick!

Well everyone that was my week. It was short... I wish this week would have lasted longer. I love my Lord and Savior. I have come to know Him more intimately these last 2 years and I am very appreciative of it. Please do all you can to improve your relationship with Him. I love you all!

Your Friend,
Elder Zachary Taylor

 KU basketball court

The Lawters came and took us out to dinner on Friday night!

October 17, 2011

So I am going to be able to see a lot of you soon and I am running out of time for emailing today. I am going to just tell you of an experience we have had this week and last week. Last week for a district meeting we decided to do a training on attitude because this particular district was full of bad attitudes. It wasn't a normal training though. We came into district meeting with really bad attitudes and wouldn't really talk to anyone. We gave one word answers. We also had a "argument" in front of them. It went really well. When we did our annoucements we just breezed through them and asked if anyone had any questions. When they said no we told them good and sat down. Then I made sure they didn't have any questions and said I had a question for them. I asked them "how do you all feel right now?" The answer was "like there is tension in the room" We then told them there was. Pointed out that it was created by just us two. We also let them know that we had a great week but out bad attitudes overrode that emotion in us and affected everybody else. It was sweet! We have been able to see a change in them since we did it. 

We also had what we called "A Crusade of Obedience" this week. we got word that some of the elders in the zone were listening to unapproved music. So we drove an hour to go talk to them. We left Topeka at like 9 PM so we were out late. He was pretty honest with us and then he told us he had given some more unapproved stuff to some other elders, one of which was in our zone. We crashed on some other elders couches. Then the next morning we had to go retreive the unapproved stuff the next morning. Our mission president told us to do this. So we called it our "Crusade of Obedience" It was tiring but fun at the same time. I was glad I was with Elder Bryner for that, he helped me keep my cool and not freak out at how dumb they were being.

I love you all!

Your Friend,
Elder Zachary Taylor

October 10, 2011

Hello everybody! Another great week I hope! I sure had one. So last Monday we got to go to Independence and play basketball down there with a bunch of other Zone Leaders because we had Zone Leader Council. It was really really fun because we made sure that the ones who were good at basketball came to play and our assistants were there and they are good so that was fun. I was really sore afterwards. Tuesday we had a good meeting. I was asked to give a 5 minute talk. We are all asked to prepare them then the mission president's wife, Sis. Keyes, picks who gives the talks. E. Shepherd, who I came out with, and myself were picked. We then came home and we were able to see a lady we have been trying to contact for a while. She came to the door and said "I am not interested any longer." I asked why and she said "I have done some research on the internet and I have talked to some friends and I don't think it is for me." I love her and her family and I knew that this will bless her family beyond her understanding so I wasn't leaving until we got to sit down with her. We repeatedly attempted to get inside and we didn't get in until our 3rd or 4th attempt but we got in. We were able to resolve her concerns and now we have a church tour set up with her this coming Tuesday. As we left her house we were walking back to our car and we got yelled at by this guy. We went and talked to him and now we are teaching him! He was kind of drunk when we first taught him but after he wasn't.

Wednesday was good. We got in contact with another potential investigator who we have been trying since May. She has had LOTS of problems in her life that have gotten in her way. She said she is really interested and she could feel the Spirit everytime we came to see her. We were so excited and she said that she would be willing to be baptized. We had a good day and that was the highlight of the day. Thursday we went and helped a part-member family build a shed. That was pretty fun and he gave us pizza after. We also got to see one of our recent convets and her son. It was really good! We got to teach the drunk guy who yelled at us. He wasn't drunk this time and he was still interested. He is thinking about baptism as well. That night we went on team-ups and we commited someone else to be baptized. I feel so comfortable inviting people to be baptized right now I wish I would've realized how easy it was earlier on in my mission. It is our whole purpose out here. To invite people to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. BAPTISM BY THE CORRECT AUTHORITY is the key thing. It is one of the 4 saving ordinances we need. It is the first and gets us started on our path. I love helping people get baptized!!!!!!

Friday was good we taught a couple of people. We had a great dinner with the Fisher family. They wanted to feed me steak before I left, I wasn't opposed. It was very very good!!!! They are a great family. We saw a miracle that day as well. All of our appointments fell through that day. We were a little down but we were trying to find someone. As we were walking a lady yelled to us  and asked us for help. We taught her on the way and now we will be teaching her in the future. We also found a less-active guy who wants to share the gospel with a lot of people around him! Miracles!!! That is something else I have come to know is that there are miracles every single day. It depends on if we are looking for them or not. We will see what we look for, why not look for evidence of the Lord in our lives which will in turn make us happy? Saturday was BUSY we were going from 10 AM until 9 PM constantly. We got to do some service for a organization here and I got to drive the golf cart and give people rides from their car to the event. It was fun! Sunday was good. I bore my testimony for the last time. We also bought matching ties for our companionship and a 10 year old boy in the ward. His family made fun of E. Harmon and I when we matched so we got someone in that family to match with us. They didn't make fun of us anymore lol. We also got to teach Tracey, our 18 year old investigator, he is so cool. I hope he just sees how much the Holy Ghost can really help him. Today we will be playing basketball with the whole zone!!!!

I love you all and I love the Lord. I feel honored to be able to dedicate my whole life for 2 years to him!

Your Friend,
Elder Zachary Taylor

October 3, 2011

Hello everybody! How are you all doing? I hope you are doing well because we have a great opportunity to be here on the earth. I love the time we have to learn and to develop our faith.

So last monday was a whirlwind of action. We played some soccer and that was cool. After all the sports we had dinner then an appointment on the other side of town, then we had to drive across town again to go to our FHE family. It was busy but our first appointment after dinner cancelled because they had strep throat. Our FHE went really good! I love the Davis family. I don't know if I told you last week but we went to the Independence Visitor's Center with them a week ago Saturday. They loved it and it helped them learn how to appreciate their family even more.

Tuesday was good. We got to see our recent convert and her son. He has said he isn't interested but he sits in all of our lessons and listens to us. He is done for we decided. He is going to get dunked! We got to see his wife and she wants to be baptized she just works a lot so we are not able to see her consistantly. We did service at the zoo and that was great, specially since they took us out to eat afterwards to thank us for everything we have done. I felt very happy because we tore apart 2 exhibits and built them again. Not to mention all of the plants we have planted throughout the entire zoo. We also got to see Cliff later that night and that was really good. He got out of the hospital and is feeling better but a little upset because it didn't work.

Wednesday we had district meeting. This district leader took the time to make this practice session amazing. He called in a bunch of members and had them play as investigators. He then split the missionaries into their companionships and made it a competition to see who could commit the most to baptism. Myself and the district leader were the observers to make sure everything went smooth. Our companions were together and they won. I have a great companion. We worked really hard that day and tried to talk to as many people as possible. I wasn't that "great" of a day until we went to our recent convert's house and their cousin was there. She has seen the change in them and wants that for her and her family! God rocks! We then watched the Joseph Smith DVD with Tracey, our 18 year old investigator. He loved it. Thursday we had a ok day. That night we had a team up and he was amazing! We got to teach 2 families and one of them said they would be baptized. We didn't set a date yet but we are going to the next time we go by and see them. They will take a little more time though.

Friday we had district meeting in Lawrence and it was alright. We have got to figure out how to change people's attitudes. I have been converted to the school of thought that if you have a good attitude you will have good results. I believe it is one's mental attitude at the beginning of a task not one's mental capacity that will greatly influence the outcome in a task. Attitude is everything! We helped our RLDS investigator clean her house. Oh we took another big step with her and we gave her a blessing! She use to not let us pray but not we got to give her a blessing. She is progressing slowly.

Saturday was great because we got to see General Conference! I love hearing from the prophet and apostles. I feel very uplifted and rebuked at the same time. In some talks I felt like a turd after but others I felt good. I love the Lord's correction! We got to have lots of investigators watch it. It has opened them up and made them want to progress towards baptism. Remember our recent convert's son that listened in our lessons. Well he asked his wife if she would be willing to take the journey towards baptism with him! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Miracles wrought by the Lord through His disciples! I love it!

Today we are going to Independence because we have a meeting there tomorrow and we don't want to have to wake up early or arrive late tonight. We are going to play b-ball! I am excited since we can't get it here in Topeka. I love you all and want you all to remember the Lord is in control. Follow the Spirit and you will be able to find joy! 
Your Friend,
Elder Zachary Taylor