Carla's baptism!

E. Lima, Carla, E. Taylor

I am so glad to hear that you are all doing well and enjoying the summer!

Scott I cant believe you crashed the honda! You owe me $26 in gas! Hahaha just kidding. Thats what syd said when I crashed the other car. I am glad to hear that you are ok though. You gotta stop hurting yourself.

Well, this week was pretty crazy. We had transfers and I will stay here with Elder Lima for another transfer! He is done with his training so I am just a normal senior companion now....or so I thought until Thursday when our zone leaders called and said that I have been called to be District Leader here!! I am way excited but a little nervous because now I will be the one doing the baptismal interviews. But it will be great and I am very excited for the chance to be a leader again. Oh and I am the only american in my district haha just me and 5 brazillians.

We had another baptism this week!! We have been working with Luana who is a less-active member and she has 3 kids. Well, the oldest is 8 and we worked with the whole family to become active so that she could be baptized and have the support of the family. Well, it happened! She was baptized and it was really good. Wild but good. Wild because none of the members wanted to help get anything ready for the baptism. Our Ward mission leader just left and didnt come back. It was a joke but we got everything done. The only sad thing was that in all the rush we didnt take pictures before the baptism with her in white. But it was still good. It doesnt count as a baptism for the mission because she is only 8 but I am still going to count it for me haha :)

We also had a little accident with Carla earlier this week. We were at their house for a family home evening and I was standing by the couch and she climbed up on the couch and then onto my shoulders and then fell and smacked her head on the ground. It was really bad and she hit really hard and was out like a light. Her mom started freaking out and it took a while for her to wake up and then she wasnt seeing anything. I gave her a blessing with Elder Lima and then they took her to the hospital and everything was ok. It really was a miracle. I know that God was watching over her.

This week I was reading in Helaman and in Helaman 6: 1-2, 4-5 it talks about how the Lamanites began to be better and more righteous than the Nephites. The Nephites werent listening to the words of the Lord and they payed for it. I learned that we all need to have the attitude of a recent convert. They are so excited to share what they know with everyone and they have the strongest testimonies and are so willing to listen to the Lord. We all need to have that attitude.

Well, I just hope you all know how much I love you and that I know that this is the work of the Lord. I know that this church is sooooooo true and that this gospel is perfect.
I love you!!

Love
Elder Taylor

Ps. Scott- I am on Helaman 12

                                                                  Carla and E. Taylor

                                                   Carla's family on baptism day!

                                    
                                This is what happens when you've been on the mission 7 1/2 months!


 

Bom Dia July 23, 2012

Hello my loved ones! I am glad to hear that everything is going well in good old Kaysville. It has been so hot here for the past few days. I think winter only lasted a few weeks. Which is great!!

Well.........BATISMO!!!!! Vitoria was baptized yesterday and she asked me to baptize her. It was so good until i entered into the water. I guess the water heater in the church broke so the water was like ice. It took a while for Vitoria to finally come into the water and then i baptized her and she almost screamed when she came out of the water haha. It was so cold. But the baptism was great. There werent many people at the baptismal service but Vitoria said that she really felt the Spirit. She said that she wanted to be baptized so that one day she can be a sister missionary. That was pretty cool.

This week was the best week of my mission so far. We found a ton of new people to teach, had some really fun family nights and had a baptism. It was so good. But I cant believe the transfer is already over. We will get the phone call tonight that says who is staying and who is being transferred. Im not too nervous because I think that Elder Lima and I will both stay. But you never know with President Cordon.

We played soccer today as a zone and lets just say that I am not the best soccer player in the world. Its hard to play on a team that has LeBron James and Kobe Bryant on the same team.(Elder Lima and the other Brazillian on my team) I think I touched the ball like 4 times the whole game. But I dominated when we played volleyball. I think Im going to give up baseball and play volleyball profesionally haha just kidding.

Can you send me a picture of the Hawaii and Manila Temples? I need pictures for the covers of my new planner....

Dad, I love your story about the donuts haha time really does fly. I cant believe how fast my mission is going by. Sometimes I lay in bed at night and just feel like crying because its going by so fast. I cant put into words how much I love being a missionary. Its the hardest thing that I have ever done mas vale a pena. (its worth it.) I have felt the Spirit more than ever in my life and I feel like I have grown so much closer to my Heavenly Father. I know that he loves me and he is watching over all of his missionaries.

Scott, I am on Alma 60. Almost done with Alma. You better get reading bud. But not just to win a jersey. Read because you want to. In 2 Nephi 32 it says to feast apon the words of Christ because they will tell you all things that you should do. Its so true. I LOVE the Book of Mormon. I love reading it every morning and knowing that it really is the word of God.

The pictures that I sent you are:
1-The Baptism!!!
2&3-we did an animal sacrifice to have a baptism and it worked!! Haha not really. We found a dead rat on the side of the train tracks and Elder Lima put the body on the tracks. Well, the train passed and when we looked, half of the body was on one half and the other half of the body was on the other. Ew....
4-Me and Vitoria at a family night at a members house.

I love you all so much. I hope you have a great week this week and are enjoying the summer heat!!

Love,
Elder Trevor Taylor

Vitoria's baptism

E. Taylor and Vitoria at Family Home Evening

I am not forwarding the rat pictures - just plain nasty!!

Bom Freezing Dia!!

July 16, 2012

It is so cold here. I cant even feel my hands!!

Well, I am so glad to hear that you all had a great week! Youth conference sounded like it was awesome. I really cant believe that all of those missionaries are home already. The time really does fly. Me and syd have already been out for over 7 months. Where did the time go?

This week was dissapointing. Just like last week. We only had one investigator in Sacrament meeting and we were expecting 10. Its so hard when members wont help with car rides. Thats one problem that we have here. The members think that they dont need to help the investigators to get to church. Only to sit with them during the meetings. But we are still doing good and we should have at least two baptisms on sunday!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited. And so are our investigators. One of them is Vitoria. Shes 14 and she is so excited to be baptized. Her mom is kind of against it so we are going to have to work extra hard with her mom to help her to see that this is a good thing. We could use some extra prayers from Kaysville.....

We had a leadership training this week for all of the District and Zone Leaders and trainers. It was so good. President Cordon talked a lot about the Book of Mormon and how it really is the proof that the gospel was restored. I love the Book of Mormon. I really do know that it is true and that we can come closer to God by living its priciples than by any other book. I love putting my name in there and being able to apply the stories to my life and my mission.

Thank you for the pictures!! It looks like no one has changed a bit....except Annie!! Holy cow! Annies hair is so long! You all look so good and I am so glad to see that you are all happy and just enjoying life. Life is good. I love life.

This week I was reading in Alma again and I read a comparison that he makes that I thought was really good. In Alma 37: 38, 40-41, 43-45 he talks about the Liahona and how we can compare it to the words of Christ. The words of Christ will always lead us in the right way. But we need to be faithful and follow the teachings that we read.

Scotty, I am on Alma 42. You better get reading bud. I hope you had an awesome time at youth conference and I hope you are excited about serving a mission. I can truly testify that the mission is a blessing. I love being a missionary and I know that you will be an incredible missionary. I love you man.

Well, I love you all so much and I want you to know that I know that this gospel is true. Sou muito grato por nosso Salvador Jesus Cristo. Sei que Ele nos ama e que Ele quer que nos façamos sua vontade. Sei que o Livro de Mórmon é verdadeiro e que ele tem a plenituded do evangelho eterno. Amo vocês!!

Love,
Elder  Trevor Taylor

Hello Fam.

Botanical gardens

I am so glad to hear that you are all doing well and that you had a good 4th of July! It was just another day here in Brazil and it made me want to cry. I did sing the national anthem as loud as I could for Elder Lima so that made it all worth it haha

This week was really hard. Im not going to lie, this saturday was the saddest that I have been on the mission. We have been working so hard to help this girl named Lorinete to be baptized. Well, wednesday we had her interview and we marked the baptism for saturday at 5:00. Everything was going perfect until 3:00 on Saturday while we were filling up the baptismal font and she called and said that she didnt want to be baptized anymore. We ran to her house to see what happened and she said that her boyfriend would leave her if she got baptized.it was so sad. Then we went to visit some other investigators that are getting ready to be baptized and they said that they dont want to be baptized either. I went home and just wanted to cry. Its harder like this than when you dont have any investigators at all. It was just a rough week. But we will keep doing our best and working and praying our hardest.

On sunday we went to eat lunch with one of the members and he was wearing a U of U hat! I guess his brother lives in utah.  I may have changed since being here but my love for BYU will never leave. Go Cougars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was reading in Alma this week and there is the story of Corior. (thats his name in Portuguese. I forgot how to spell it in English...) Well, at the very end of chapter 30, he dies and it says that in the end the devil will never win. The devil cant have power over us if we are on the Lords side. I know that we all have hard times in our lives and we just feel like giving up. But if we pray and stay strong, the Lord will bless us. He loves us and he wants us to be happy. This week was very hard for me and I know that the devil was trying to get me to stay down and stay sad but I know where my true happiness lies and that is in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Dont let the devil keep you down. He stinks.

These pictures are of the Botanical Gardens. Its so beautiful there! There really isnt much there to see or do but it is a great place to just go relax and take pictures!

Scotty, youre fallin behind bud. I am on Alma 31. Keep reading Scotty. Even if its just a couple of verses a day. The Book of Mormon will give you the spiritual strength to get through the day and to withstand temptations. I love you man.

Well, I hope you all have a great week and enjoy the sun! I wont be seeing that for a while. I love you all so much and I know that this is the Lords work. Amo vocês e sempre oro para vocês. Sei que Deus nos ama e que ele està nos ajudando.

Love
Elder Trevor Taylor

Elders Taylor & Lima @ Botanical Gardens

Bom dia!

Bom dia!                July 2, 2012

First I would just like to tell Grandma and Grandpa happy aniversary from last week! Sorry i forgot...and good luck with the back surgery. I will be praying for you.

I cant believe its july!! 4th of July will be just a normal day here in Brazil. Pretty sad. But I will have America in my heart. Land of the free, home of the brave!! Dont worry I still sing the national anthem in the shower. Just really quitely so that the brazillians dont hear me... Go America!!!!

Can you believe that last friday was the year mark from when we got our calls? The time really does fly by so fast. I cant believe that this year is halfway over already. I still remember that day like it was yesterday. I know that me and syd were called by a prophet of God. I know that this is the Lords work and that we are here to help our brothers and sisters return to our Heavenly Father.

Well, we didnt end up going to the Botanical Gardens today. We still havent received permission to leave the area. Not sure why. But we will probably go next week.

Mom, Dad, Nat, everyone back home: you are never going to believe this news. I have started to comb and part my hair. Calm down calm down. Im still me. But its true. I am now officially a missionary.

This week was really good. We had 8 investigators in Sacrament Meeting yesterday and they all seemed to really enjoy it and feel the Spirit. We are still working hard with Eliane to help her to get married so that she can be baptized. We are also working hard with Hamilton so that he can quit smoking and join the rest of his family as a member of the church. They were both at church yesterday. One of the best things that happened this week was last night. We went to visit Lucas who is a recent convert and he is living with a non member family. Well, they were all there and we taught them about the restoration and marked baptismal dates with all of them! Its a mom, two sisters and one brother. Cristina, Luane, Vitoria, and John. The spirit was so strong and I could tell that they were feeling it. They all seemed really excited about it and it will help a lot to have Lucas there to bear his testimony about his baptism and how it is to be a member of the church. The training is going well. Elder Lima is on week 10 and we are studying about the fifth lesson which is the one after baptism and confirmation. The area is great and we found a lot of new investigators this week. Joyce received the Gift of the Holy Ghost yesterday and that was really good.

This area is pretty crazy and there are a lot of times when I feel like we are going to get attacked and robbed. But I know that the Lord is protecting us and I am so thankful for the Holy Ghost. We were going to go down this street the other night and I just kept having this feeling that we shouldnt go. Elder Lima got a little mad but I held my ground. Well, we found out today that a lady got attacked and killed on that very street. I probably shouldnt tell you this but President Cordon said that we have to be honest in our letters home. So I am very thankful for the Gift of the Holy Ghost and I am so grateful to be worthy enough to hear his whispers and for the courage to follow those promptings. Lesson: Be worthy enough to hear the Holy Ghost and then follow those whisperings.

I also read Luke 2 today in my personal study and it made me a little trucky thinking about how we always read that for Christmas. There is nothing better than feeling trunky while youre reading the scriptures. That means I was raised right. Thank you mom and dad.

Well, I hope  you all have a great 4th of July and know that you are all in my prayers. I love you all so much and I am so grateful to have you as a family forever. The church is true, the book is blue, God loves you, and rice and beans is the greatest thing on earth.

Eu amo vocês!!

Love Elder Taylor

Curitiba temple

                                                                We found Nemo!

June 27, 2012

 Hello family.

I am so glad to hear about all of the missionaries coming home. It kind of freaks me out though. That will be me before you know it. We had interviews with President Cordon yesterday and he told me that I am doing a great job training. He also told me not to wish that time goes faster than it does because my mission will be over before I know it. He said that he still remembers the day that I got here and said that time is flying. Its so true. To tell you the truth I dont want to come home. I love being a missionary. I love speaking Portuguese and helping the people here to learn about the gospel. I just love serving the Lord. I wish I could do this for the rest of my life.

Well, I forgot my notes on what I was going to tell you about this week so I will just wing it. We went to the temple today and it was amazing as always. I sat right next to President Cordon during the session. Pretty intense. He is a big man. In spirit and stature. I was really able to feel the spirit and it was kind of like a recharge for the next little while.

The work is going really well and we have a lot of progressing investigators. We just need to get them into the stinking water. We have 7 with baptismal dates so we are praying that they will come through. We have a lot of amazing members in this ward and they are really helping us with teaching and fellowshipping the investigators.

I am just going to appologize now for this email. Its pretty lame because I forgot my notes and I still have to email President Cordon and then we have to run to get ready for the primary activity tonight. But I hope that you all know that I love you all. Vocês são caras. You are all dudes hahahahaha doesnt make sense in english but it means youre the man (você é um cara) I just had to throw that in there because Nat said that I talk really formal now. Dudes, you all rock my socks. See, its still me. Alright Im a little weird but you all love me.

We did teach a less-active member the Plan of Salvation this week and it was so good. We will have a Family Home Evening with them on Monday. I love teaching the Plan of Salvation. We know exactly why we are here and where we are going after this life. I am so greatful for my Savior Jesus Christ and for His atonement. Because of Him we can repent and become clean so that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father.

I love you all!

Love Elder Taylor