Hello everyone!!!!
Thank you so
much for your letters and emails - I look forward to reading them every
Monday!! Except, since yesterday was Presidents Day, the library was closed so
that's why I'm writing today! In church on sunday I learned something that was
a good reminder to me! The speaker was talking about gossip and how even though
something might be true or is true about someone and it's negative, it's still
gossip and you shouldn't do it. I thought it was a good reminder.
Last Monday we had zone p-day and we just played get to know you games and then
while we wrote letters and stuff the elders played basketball and
volleyball. And then we were at Trader Joes and this guy was like
"Hello Sister... that's what it says on your nam tag right?" I told
him that I was a missionary and he started talking about how he has always
admired our church because we are squeaky clean in a really good way and
All-American. We talked to him a little more and got his name and number
and he got our number and he said he was really interested in learning
more. His name is Tom. So, a
couple days later we called him to set up a time and we decided we would meet
on Sunday. On Sunday after church, we met with him and talked to him
about the Book of Mormon and a little bit of the restoration. He has been going
to other churches and told us he doesn't like how other churches change their
doctrine based on what the world is doing.
Obviously our church is so perfect for him!! He talked about some other opinions he had
and they are all seriously in line with what we believe. It was so awesome!!!
And unlike a lot of other people he told us he can't say anything isn't true
yet because he doesn't know! Usually people are like I don't need to find out I
already know the Book of Mormon isn't true. So we gave him a Book of
Mormon and told him to pray about it and stuff and then we said a prayer and
everything and when we were putting our stuff away we were asking him when he
would like to meet again and he was like, well would you like me to come to
your church next Sunday or something? We LOVE TOM!!!! Who asks that?? Anyway,
so he is coming to church and we are so excited! It's so weird, how like
usually I feel like I would be super embarrassed to talk about this kind of
stuff in public but like I wasn't at all. We had three Book of Mormons on
the table in front of us and people coming in and out of Starbucks and we
probably looked ridiculous but it's weird how that has changed for me since
I've been here. Sister Jonson and I know
that he is definitely one of those people that have been prepared and it's such
a good feeling!
Last Tuesday
we had service and I always love going there. Today, one of the ladies,
Linda, told Sister Johnson and I to come with her. We followed her down a hall
and into a room where a ton of quilts were hanging that her church made and she
said, I've already bought one for each of you so pick one out that you
like. How nice is she?? It made our day, she was so sweet to do that for
us and the quilts are cute! On Monday night the exchange sister, Sister Grover,
and her companion Sister Ash came and then we went on exchanges Tuesday
and Wednesday. On Tuesday I was with Sister Grover, she goes home in
April. She is definitely a good missionary and all but she is your
typical sister missionary with the tone and all. She hardly ever let me
talk in lessons or tracting so it got kind of annoying, but I still learned
from her. And it was hard cause she wasn't conversational at all and
so I got to know her pretty well but she
never asked me questions, but oh well. We visited Jane and
Dorothy. They are less active members but have been coming regularly for
the past couple months. They are getting ready to go to the temple so we
talked to them about it and we read the talk "Temple Standard" with
Jane. It's a really good talk and you should read it.
On
Wednesday, we did something called a blitz where multiple companionships tract
a certain area. Me, Sister Johnson, Sister Grover, Elder Christensen, and
Elder Nelson all came to Frontenac and tracted for a couple hours. Since
we were still on exchanges, I was with Sister Ash and Sister Johnson was with
Sister Grover. Sister Ash was so sweet!! I loved her. We
both came to St. Louis at the same time. She is Samoan and Tongan
and we just talked the whole time and it was fun to get to know her and talk to
her. Sister Ash and I found 2 potential investigators! And we had 1
lesson too and no one else did.
On
Valentines Day we visited a less active because it was her birthday and talked
to her for about 45 mins. She has had such a hard life and it was so
sad. I'm glad we got to go over and
visit her. We tried to visit some other less actives in the area near her
but none of them were home.
We had a lesson with Grace and Ethan. They are doing so well!!
Grace is 11 and she followed up on her reading assignment and understands
everything and likes coming to church. Ethan has a hard time paying
attention but when he has something to say it is so sweet and he understands as
well.
After that, we had a dinner at an
older ladies’ home in the ward and she’s totally losing it and it is so sad!
When we got there, she hadn't even started dinner. But so she put the
roles in and she forgot she put them in and they burned and then corn was sour
and the salad dressing was expired and she kept gassing like a lot but it was
so sad. She was so sweet though and gave us valentine cookies and all the
leftovers. But after a little, her daughter came and she used to work in
admissions for the accounting program at BYU! cool huh?? She doesn't anymore
though.
Bad news
:(. Remember Soucha?? Well we totally thought we were going to be able to
set a baptism date for her and that everything was going well. Then,
earlier this week her mom texted us and was like "Soucha wants to stop
having you come over and teach. She doesn't want to get baptized and
doesn't want to be asked why not. So it's best that you guys hold off."
It was so terrible. We were so bummed. We talked with the leaders in Ward
Council on Sunday about her and they think a lot of it is her mom because her
mom doesn't discourage baptism but she doesn't encourage it either and always
tells Soucha how she's going to get in lots of trouble when she's older.
So... we can't meet with her anymore.
We had a
lesson with Julie on Friday and it was kinda our lesson to decide weather to
drop her or not because she's been taking the lessons for about a year
now. We read the talk "Doing the right thing at the right time
without delay" (another super great talk you should read) and she really
liked it and it meant a lot to her. We challenged her to watch a Mormon
Message everyday, starting with "Your Potential, Your Privileges" (definitely
watch it). The online elders that are teaching her called us yesterday
and said something has definitely changed in her and she is making an effort to
move forward. So that's exciting!!! On Friday we also went to the
temple!!! We are allowed to go once a transfer. It was so beautiful and I
really looked forward to going there all week. When we got there, the
office sisters (they are all like grandmas) were there too!! After, they told
us to come to pizza with them at the pasta house and they bought us
pizza. The office sisters are our favorite.
A lady in
our ward told us about this non-member knitting group that meets at our church
so we were like, um perfect! So we went there and they are just a ton of old
ladies that literally spend their day knitting. They make some super
incredible things. But it didn't really fulfill our purpose in going
there. We thought we were going to be able to talk to a lot of them and
stuff but it was mostly listening so we probably wont go again. But I learned
how to knit haha... not my thing.
Yesterday
was our Pday! Me, Sister Johnson, Elder
Nelson, Elder Christensen, Elder Anderson, and Elder Sims all went to the
Science museum at Forest Park. It was kinda lame to be honest... but
anyway, so I figured I was going to be inside all day and warm, but we got
bored at the science museum so we decided to go to the zoo "across the
street" (in the Elders terms). So anyway, since I thought I was
going to be inside and everything, I left my coat and bag in
the car, and I decided to wear flats and not my boots. So the
Elders were like, lets just go to the zoo, it's right across the
street. Not only is it cold and windy outside, but a mile and a half
later, we arrived at the zoo, just in time for it to start pouring. By
then, Elder Nelson had given me his coat and Elder Sims gave us his
umbrella. !
The zoo was closing early that day so
we left and had to walk all the way back to the science museum where our car
was. Except, the Elders don't have a car so they take the
bus. So they only had to walk like 5 minutes and they were at their
bus stop, which meant we had to give the umbrella and jacket
back, but Sister Johnson and I still had like over a mile to go.
Elder Sims let us keep the umbrella though. Anyway, there I am with
no coat, no umbrella, flats, while it is POURING rain (when it rains here it
doesn't stop), running across the freeway (the "shortcut" the Elders
gave us). We went a little further but decided it just wasn't a good idea
so we called a taxi. We still had so far to go!!! But it was fun. But the
zoo there is apparently one of the best zoos in America and Forest Park is
larger than Central Park. It's actually really cool. There's apparently a
super super awesome art museum in it and Sister Johnson and I are going to go
to it next week. Since it's Sister Johnsons birthday next week, we got
permission to switch our P day from Monday to Thursday (her birthday) next
week, because the Art Museum isn't open on Mondays. So I'm excited!
Well... I
think that's all! I will send some pictures from the last couple weeks! New
missionaries are coming next Wednesday so we have the potential of being put in
a three some. We hope not but the chances are pretty high. Anyway,
I hope you all have a really great week!!! I love hearing from all of you and
everything that is going on in your life! I love you and miss you so much and
you are all always in my prayers. I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Taylor
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