Nao Bom dia!

                                                                  Ward talent show!

                            Dad, these girls did a hula dance at the talent show and I thought of you in your lava-lava.  haha!  Sorry I use to make fun of your cute little dress!

Scott the picture of the jersey is for you.  Remember how I use to kick your butt with the Netherlands on FIFA?  Well, I found their jersey this week:)  it brought back some good memories!

Wow. I thought that I wouldnt be mad or anything about BYU losing to Utah but that just makes me sick. Why cant we ever beat them? But oh well. Its just a football game. Wow did I really just say that?

Well, Im glad to hear that other than the football game the week was good. Im sure the kids are loving school :)

This week was hot and we just walked a lot. Im pretty sure that i am going to kill Elder Poe from all the walking that we do. He has the biggest blister on his foot. Its so gross. But thats the life of a missionary haha. We are still working with Luana who is Carla´s mom and we are trying to get her to stop smoking. Well, I heard that if you put 4 cigarettes in a cup of water and leave it there for 3 days and then drink the water you will stop smoking. So we did that with her this week and it worked! She hasnt smoked this whole week. We also talked very seriously with her about her kids and Carla started crying and said that she wanted her mom to stop smoking. Everyone was crying and the spirit was so strong that night. I really saw how much of a difference kids can make in their parents lives. Mom and Dad, I hope I am making a good influence in your lives. Thank you for the way you raised me. I dont think i will ever be able to pay you back for that. I love you.

I did a couple of interviews in Bairro Alto this week. Neither of them were quite ready to be baptized so i will go back there and talk to them again this week. Its sad when they arent ready but its good to see how far these people have come and how close they are. It gives them hopé and I hope that they will be ready when I go back there next week.

We had an activity that I actually planned Saturday night. It was a talent show and it was the best activity that I have seen on my mission. We had so many people there and everyone was laughing and having a great time. I asked the bishop a couple months ago if I could plan it because whenever our ward mission leaders plans them its always so boring haha so this time I wanted a fun activity that people would enjoy. It was so cool. And we met so many new people that we are going to visit this week. Im very excited. I didnt plan for us missionaries to do a talent but right at the end this lady got up and asked us to come sing I am a child of God in English. A few ladies sang it in French, Spanish and some other crazy language and then we sang it in English and then the whole ward sang together in Portuguese. It was amazing and it was a great way to end the activity.

Well, I hope you all know that I love you so much. I know that this is the true church of Christ and that we are on the straight and narrow path. We are on the only path that leads to eternal life. I dont know about you guys but I want that. I want it so bad. Just think. Eternal life with our family and with our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ. Theres nothing better. Even BYU beating Utah doesnt come close. I love this gospel.

Love
Elder Taylor

Brazil Independence Day

Bom dia!       

What a crazy week!!! I dont even know where to start! Well, tuesday I got my new greenie! His name is Elder Poe and hes from Washington. He is a very good worker but he doesnt speak any Portuguese so we are going to have to work a lot on that. But I really like him. 

I did three interviews this week! It was so cool. The spirit was so strong and I could really tell that these people were repenting and that they wanted this. Only one of them was baptized but it was really cool.

Izilda was baptized yesterday! And she chose me to baptize her. I told the missionary that did the interview to tell her that she could choose a member to baptize her but she said that she wanted the first missionary that she talked to to do it. It was really good and she is so happy. There werent very many members at the baptism and i was so ticked about that. We had it scheduled for saturday cuz we knew no one would stay sunday but the members made us change it. I will definately be bringing that up in ward counsil this week. She is such a great person and she needs the support of the ward. Something has got to change is this ward. And Im not afraid to say it.

On friday it was independance day here in Brazil and all the missionaries in Curitiba got to walk in the parade! It was huge! We walked right through Ahu and i saw a ton of people that  I know. I got to be right at the front. Like the only people in front of me were the sisters. Thats how close I was to the front. And we were on tv! A lady in my ward told me that she saw me on tv and she yelled, ´thats the missionary from our ward!` haha it was so cool. Independance day isnt as big here as it is in the USA but it was still pretty cool.

This week was one of the hardest weeks of my mission. I feel like I am doing everything on my own because my companion doesnt speak the language. But thats why President Cordon picked me. He told me that he knows that I can do these things on my own. So I just have to keep it up. I am learning and growing so much and I love it here.

I hope you are all enjoying school! Enjoy this time. Itll be gone before you know it. Just like the past 9 months of my life. I cant believe Syd is halfway done with her mission. That really freaks me out. Where is the time going? I dont want this to end. I want to stay here for so much longer. 

Well, I hope you all have an awesome week and cheer for the Cougs extra loud for me. 

I know that this is the work of the Lord and that we can all make a change in peoples lives. I love being here and I love you all so much.

Love 

Elder Taylor

   Izilda's baptism

Independence Day Parade!

Elder Taylor and a tank!

Bom dia!

Well, I am here in a different area! But its only for today. Elder Lima was transferred so he is on his way to his new area right now.  I am here with the zone leaders because I wont pick up my new companion until tomorrow. Now, you may be asking, why tomorrow? I will tell you why. Its because I will be training again! We got the call last night and this time it will be a new new new missionary. Like at this moment he is still in the CTM. I dont know if he is american or brazillian. I will find out tomorrow. But i am very excited for the chance to train again. I like being able to be an example for others and to help them. And I am grateful that the Lord trusts me with this responsibility. I will go to President Cordons house this afternoon for a training. Oh and I will stay in Jardim Mercurio.

This week was a little slackish. Elder Lima new that he would leave and just wanted to say goodbye to everyone. So we didnt get a lot of work done. But that will change :) We did have a great lesson with this family and marked baptismal dates with all of them! It was so good. We also have one other investigator who has a baptismal date. Her name is Izilda and she will be baptized this week as long as everything goes right. She loves going to church and she has gone over a week without smoking and we havent even taught the Word of Wisdom yet! Shes amazing. She said that the Book of Mormon has given her the power to stop smoking. Its amazing. 

Since I am in a different area right now I forgot my pictures but I will send them to you next week! 

I am so glad to hear that the Cougars won! On thursaday night I sang the cougar fight song for Elder Lima haha he didnt like it too much and said that I am retarded but it felt so good to belt that song out again. Cheer extra loud for me and make sure that Jake Heaps doesnt return to BYU. He stinks. 

Thank you for your packages and pictures. I love them. But Jolly Ranchers dont do well here because its so humid. They just melt and become nasty. If you could switch those for reeses that would be awesome. They will melt but then I can put them in the fridge. Thanks :)

  

Please tell Scott and Hailey thank you for their testimonies and that the worm has left the building! I am feeling a lot better now :)

This week I read a scripture that I really liked. D&C 68:2-4. It says that our words are scripture if we follow the Spirit. Thats pretty amazing stuff. I love feeling the Spirit and being able to know that he is helping me. I also studied this week a lot about Nephi. I love him. He is a great example of being obedient. He knew what he needed to do and he trusted in the Lord. Lesson: Trust in the Lord and do what you are told to do and everything will work out. Things will be hard but the Lord will never let you down. Never.

I love you all so much and I am so thankful to have such a stinkin amazing family. 

Love,

Elder Big T.