Week 23

Yes. It is coooooold here. This morning we were studying and our door buzzer went off. This never happens because we are missionaries. So that scared the heck out of us. Plus it was 9 am so we were so confused. But we listened to see who it was and we could hear the Elders talking to each other. So we went out in the hall to talk and they were like "hey is everything ok? Is your phone working?" Apparently they had been trying to get a hold of us for the last hour to inform us about the weather, but had to drive out to check on us since we didn't answer. Oops. So they told us to end studies early and to go ahead and do our shopping since President Vellinga wanted us to be in by noon today. It's supposed to get down to -17 with the wind chill tonight. I got out of the car to get gas earlier today and I was out for about a minute. By the time I got back in the car my hands, nose and cheeks were freezing and red. And tomorrow is supposed to be worse. So we will probably stay in tomorrow too. Winter is the worst. I'm just hoping seasonal depression will soften people's hearts and we will be able to find people to teach.

 

Aside from the cold, we've had a pretty good week. We've visited a lot of less active ward members, which is good. We did a little bit of tracting, and it was soooo cold! So we were so relieved when a lady let us in and made us hot chocolate. I swear she was Mormon. She kept saying things that sounded Mormon-y. Well, first of all she offered us hot chocolate, not tea or coffee. And then she talked about the 12 tribes of Israel and taking the Sacrament. I guess that stuff is in the Bible too. But still. We'll have to go visit her again some time. She's pretty into her own church, but she has a Book of Mormon and has had missionaries over before. But she said to come back next time we're freezing and need hot chocolate! I'm not even kidding, miracles like this happen every day. It's so amazing.

 

We also went to the doctor this week for one of my companions and found out she has to go gluten free. I would totally do it with her if I could afford it. I'm not good enough at budgeting my smidgen of money I get each month as it is. But because of that we got to make a fun trip to Trader Joe's in Mayfield (I think?) which was awesome and unexpected.

 

We also took a couple of tours in Kirtland this week! That was awesome because we've only taken one tour as a trio and we need the practice. One of them was pretty special. We had a Spanish-speaking group of members come in for a tour. But of course none of us speak Spanish. They spoke some English but not a whole lot. So at first we were a little worried. But then some Elders brought their investigators there who joined our tour. And also spoke Spanish. I can count on one hand the number of Spanish-speaking tours I have seen come to Kirtland. So the fact that they came together tells me there must have been some divine intervention there. Especially because as we gave the tour one of the people in the other group was able to translate for us, and the ones who were members were great for the investigators. They were instant friends, and I could tell that that played a huge role in the experience these investigators had in Kirtland, as well as for the members who had a great missionary opportunity. The school of the prophets was incredible with them. I love Kirtland so much.

 

So this morning during my mini study I was going to try to find something to share with y'all but instead I found myself making a list of things I've learned on my mission, mostly just as a reminder to myself that what I'm doing is important. I tend to lose sight of that sometimes. I wasn't expecting to have more than about 10 things on there. But I ended up making a pretty lengthy list that I'm still adding to, but I felt like I should share it with you guys.

 

Things I Have Learned on My Mission:

1. Miracles happen daily - we just have to recognize them

2. Deeper understanding of the Plan of Salvation

3. Greater appreciation, testimony, and love for the Prophet Joseph Smith

4. Better study habits

5. Love for others

6. Greater understanding of faith

7. Better social skills

8. Greater love for Doctrine and Covenants

9. Deeper love and understanding of Book of Mormon and its purpose

10. More confidence in what I believe

11. Courage to be bold

12. Appreciation for the organization of the Church

13. Stronger testimony of the Restoration

14. Physical, mental, and emotional endurance

15. Self-discipline

16. Testimony of obedience

17. Enabling power of the Atonement

18. Sensitivity to the promptings of the Holy Ghost

19. How to compromise

20. Importance of keeping records

21. Indifference to worldly things

22. Organizational skills

23. Trust in the Lord and His work

24. Humility

25. Patience

26. Appreciation and love for eternal families

27. Gratitude toward my Heavenly Parents (and earthly parents) for allowing me to be raised in a Gospel-centered home

28. Understanding of temple covenants

29. Understanding of the Atonement

30. Understanding of the Doctrine of Christ

31. Importance of the baptismal covenant

32. Greater love for my family

33. Power of prayer

34. Understanding of my divine nature

35. Importance of church attendance

36. Hard work

37. Recognition of my blessings

38. Reality of a Living Savior

39. Reality of Satan, and our power to overcome him

40. Importance of repentance

41. Joy in service

42. Importance of regular scripture study

43. Value of working outside my comfort zone

44. This is His work, not mine

45. Joy in helping others repent and come unto Christ

46. The Gospel is for everyone

47. Reality of God's love for His children

48. How to have an eternal perspective

49. Testimony of a living prophet

50. Importance of personal revelation

 

Ok I was at about 41 and couldn't stop at that weird number so I just now added the last few. But missionary work is so misunderstood sometimes. Yeah it's hard. But it is SOOOO worth it. And I've only been out for 5 months. So I have a lot still to learn. But it's already made me a better person than I was when I left.

 

Love you guys! Have a great week!!

 

Love

Tayler

 

ALSO SHOUT OUT TO MY BIG SISTA! Happy birthday Lauren!! Love ya!!!

Week 22

Ok.

So this week! I feel like we did nothing. We had Pday on Monday, so we only proselyte from 6-9. Then Tuesday we had district meeting and then did service at the nursing home. Then we weren't supposed to proselyte in the evening. Then Christmas was Wednesday, so of course we didn't proselyte all day. Then Thursday and Friday we weren't even in our area because we were serving in Kirtland. Then Saturday I got sick and we stayed in for most of the day. Then yesterday we had church all day and then when you add studies and lunch/dinner to it that leaves us with about 3 hours of proselyting time. So the total time we spent out finding and teaching this last 7 days was about 11 hours. That is SO sad. I feel like such a lazy missionary!

It's especially hard because in Kirtland the nativities are still up and we have to go and sit in each room and monitor the nativities. So we literally spent ALL DAY staring at a wall. The only time we get up is to rotate every hour or two, or to go eat or use the bathroom. The longest days of my mission so far have been the days spent in Kirtland during the nativities. I feel useless. We did get to take two tours on Friday so that was good, but they were short tours because they were both in a hurry and only wanted to see the store. So things are pretty slow in Kirtland and it's tough now that I'm used to running all the time. I don't feel like a missionary when all I do is sit all day. But next week should be better!

We did get to see Michael again on Saturday night. We officially dropped him because he keeps asking us to come back so that we can explain things to him and answer his questions, but then we answer them and he wants to argue with us. So we told him we would give him some time to study on his own because our visits are not beneficial for him or for us at this point. I'm just trying to have faith that he will find his way back. It's hard, but I know he can.

Other than that we've had a pretty uneventful week. I honestly am just scraping for things to say in this email.

So I guess I'll jump to the message I want to share this week. It's from President Monson's talk in the General Relief Society broadcast last conference. I wanted to share this because I know there are some of you who read my emails who may feel you've been abandoned by God for one reason or another. I've felt that way before, and I'm sure we all have at some point. But he shared a story about a woman who was struggling with depression due to some tragic and stressful events in her life. The depression took a toll on her health, as she had lost her appetite for food and in turn began losing weight. She tried turning to the scriptures and prayer but could not find the solace she desired. One day a concerned friend asked her if there was anything at all that she craved. She replied that the only thing she could think of was homemade bread, but unfortunately there was none around. By a small miracle, however, she was reminded that Heavenly Father was aware of her. The next day a woman who she barely knew stopped by to drop off some homemade bread. The story is much longer and detailed than that, but for the sake of time I paraphrased. He then says, "My dear sisters, your Heavenly Father loves you—each of you. That love never changes. It is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account. It is not changed by your talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there." I also thought of Elder Bednar's talk about the tender mercies of the Lord. He says "I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are available to all of us and that the Redeemer of Israel is eager to bestow such gifts upon us." He knows you and He loves you! I promise! I hope that we can all recognize those tender mercies because they are right in front of us.

Love you all so much and hope you have a happy new year! Be good!