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.

I think I might be pregnant!

New Fiat soccer jersey!

Yum!  Granola from a kind member!

Bom dia!            August 27, 2012

Wow you guys had another crazy week! Mom, I hope you are feeling better and able to get out of bed this week. I will pray for that. Thank you so much for all of your letters and the packages that you sent me this week! I really do know that I am loved and I am so lucky to have a family like you guys! I love you!

This week was good and bad. Just like every week haha. I had to go to the doctor because my stomache was still killing me and i found out that I am pregnant! JUST KIDDING!!!! But i do have a little creature inside of me. I have a worm. Its crawling all around in there and eating everything that I put into my stomache. It hurts so bad to eat but I am always hungry because of this little guy so this week I was lacking a little bit on energy. But we worked our buns off none the less. We had zone conference this week and Elder Sandoval was there! I got to talk to him for a long time. He is having a really hard time there in Ahu .  I thought to myself that the area would close until President Cordon announced that we will be receiving 70 more missionaries here in this mission! Its already the biggest mission in Brazil and now its going to be even bigger. We will receive enough missionaries to fill every area. So now none of the areas will close. And a ton of missionaries here are going to train these new missionaries. I have a feeling that I will be training in the next transfer. Im excited for that. Elder Sandoval also said that Oswaldo, Marina, and Eliane are still going strong! That made me so happy.

I still have yet to do an interview. I went to Tarumã 4 times to do interviews for the sisters in my district and every time the person wasnt there or didnt want to talk to me. I was so mad. I know Satan is working his hardest to stop this work but we just have to keep being consistant and doing our best. Its hard. But its the Lords work.

I started the Book of Mormon over this week and this time I am going to read it very slowly. i was reading in 1 Nephi 2 this week and I remembered something that Zack Call said.( I think) He said that in verse 16 of chapter 2 Nephi says that he is young but large in stature. Then in 1 Nephi 4:31 he says that he is a MAN large in stature. Then Zack asked, What did he do in these two chapters to become a man? He compared it to the mission and that we have two years to become men. What do we need to do? I have been thinking a lot about that this week and I feel like I am becoming a man. I still have a long time out here but I feel like I have changed a lot. I am so grateful to be a missionary.

Parker Jensen wrote me this week and just told me thanks for being such a great example and friend to me in high school. He told me about the challenges he is having and how he thinks of me when he is having a hard time. I love Parker. I am so grateful that I was able to help him without even thinking that it would help him. He is doing great in Sweden and he loves being a missionary. This was the second letter that i have gotten from him.

I hope you all have a great week this week and enjoy this last week of freedom! Transfers were changed to monday so a week from now I will let you know who my new companion is! Crazy stuff.

I just want you all to know how grateful I am for my friends. I am so blessed to have friends that are willing and worthy to be out here serving the lord. Its amazing to think that almost all of my friends are all over the world preaching the gospel right now. I always get goosebumps just thinking about it. I know this church is true and that Jesus Christ is our Savior. 

I love you!

Love

Elder Taylor

Never eat meat from street vendors!

Bom dia!!

wow you guys had a really crazy week! Its weird to think that life just goes on even when Im not there. But i am so glad to hear that you are all doing well and having fun!

This week was not so good. I really learned that we only recieve the blessings of the Lord if we do our part. When president threadgold set me apart as a missionary, he said that I would be able to do the work of the Lord everyday. Well, i have learned that I have to do my part to receive that blessing. When we left the CTM, they told us not to eat any of the food that people would be selling in the street because it would make us sick. They were right. I ate some meat that this guy was grilling in the street and it just about killed me. I ate it Tuesday night and I didnt leave my bed until friday. It was terrible. Throwing up, the runs, yeah it was bad. It was the hardest thing in the world to have to stay at home and not go out and work. But now I know not to eat anything from the street. i have learned my lesson.

One good thing that happened this week was that Vitorias whole family went to church today. Even her mom. That was a miracle. It was so cool to see her whole family there and we are going to have a family night with them tonight and invite all of them to be baptized. I am really excited for it. Her mom is having some financial issues and she got some help from the relief society president yesterday and it was really good to see that everyone enjoyed going to church. I know for sure that it is the house of the Lord.

Well Scotty, I havent heard an update from you in a long time about the Book of Mormon reading so Im just gonna take it that I won! I finished the Book of Mormon this morning! I have now read it more times is Portuguese than in English haha but scott if you havent finished keep reading. Read every day. I know that it will give you the spiritual boost that we all need to get through the day. keep going bud. And go buy that David Freese shirt :)

Im not sure what all you have already sent to me but the ZLs said that I have a lot of stuff at their chappel to pick up! I will get all of your letters and things tomorrow at district meeting. Thank you for all that you have all done for me.

I still havent gotten to do an interview yet but we have 2 marked for this coming week. i went to do one in another area friday but the lady ran away before we got there. i guess she got scared and didnt want to talk to me. But someday I will do an interview. I am praying that it will be this week.

Well, I hope you all have a great week and that you enjoy this last little bit of summer! And im not sure when BYU football will start but cheer extra loud for me at the games! Go COUGARS!!!!!!!!

I love you all so much!

Love Elder Taylor

Beware of dogs! and men with beer!

Bom dia!            August 13, 2012

What a crazy week! I did get to see a little of the olympics because our investigators were watching it. But it was only like 30 seconds haha. But go USA!!!!!

This week was really different. We had a `gold week`. President Cordon said that a lot of missionaries are just working for the numbers and once they meet their goal they stop working that week. Well, this week we didnt have goals. We just worked as hard as we could. And at the end of the week everyone counted up their numbers and they were so much better than the rest of the weeks this year. His main focus was to show us that we need to work hard because we love the Lord and the people that we are serving and not for the numbers. It was really good. We also saw miracles because of it. We marked 4 baptismal dates this week! Only one is really firm but we are going to work a lot to make sure that all four of these people get baptized.

Thursday was a crazy day. We were walking in the street and I got attacked by a dog! He bit my leg and then I kicked him in the face and he ran away. It didnt hurt very bad but he did break skin and I had to call Sister Cordon and had to go get a shot so that it didnt get infected. It was pretty intense. Then later that same day I did a contact with this hoodlum in the street and he got way mad and swore at me and walked away. I just brushed it off and we kept doing contacts. Well, he returned and dumped beer all over me. I was so ticked. It took everything I had not to  beat the living snot out of him. Then that night Elder Lima told me that there is a law against kicking other peoples animals and if someone would have seen me kick that dog then I could be going to jail. It was just a crazy day. But even after all of that I still love being a missionary. Every time that something like that happens I  just laugh and tell myself that its another story that I will be able to  tell my kids haha

This week I read 3 Nephi 11-3 Nephi 30 which is the part when Jesus Christ was here in the Americas. We had a lot of people tell us this week that the Book of Mormon is from the devil and that only the devil would write it. Well, I want you all to read this part of the Book of Mormon and then tell me what you think. Could the devil write something like that? No. He couldnt. Those are the pure words of Christ. I know it. I know it with all of my heart.

Way to go with the Garden!

Well, i hope you all have a great week. Please keep praying for me to be safe and to come home in one peice ;) I love you all so much and I know that this church is true. This really is the work of the Lord.

Love,
Elder Taylor

Ps. Scott- I am on 4 Nephi 1. Where are you?

Bom dia! August 6, 2012

I am so glad to hear that you all had a great time in St. George! I would probably die in that heat right now. Im glad I wasnt sent there haha. But it has been really hot here the last week. Almost 80 everyday. In the winter. Its really weird. But its been really good to get some sun on these white arms.

This week was pretty good and it was really good as a first week as DL. My disrict is really having a hard time though. The two elders arent getting along well and arent working and the sisters arent working well with the ward. Its been hard to help them but they are getting there. I still havent done a baptismal interview yet but I should do one this week. As for me and Elder Lima things are going well. We just need to mark more baptismal dates with investigators and get more of them to come to church. We did everything we could this week and none of them came. It was so frustrating. But we will just have to work even harder this week.

I had a training for the new DLs and Elder Ben Keaton was there!!!!!!!! It was so good to see him.  He is doing great and is now a new DL too! He was shocked to see me there because almost all of the DLs in the mission have been out for over a year. Its a litte hard for me because I am one of the newer missionaries and sometimes I dont feel like I can tell the others when they need to work harder or changes things. But one thing that I just have to keep telling myself is that I was called by God to be the DL here and I have the authority to do this. Its been hard but I have really learned a lot.

We got a new ZL this transfer and its Elder Martinez!!! I dont know if I told you about him but he was in my very first district and I did my first division with him. I love him haha. Well since I am DL and he is ZL we got to do a division this week. It was awesome and he keeps saying that one day we are going to be companions. He is from Uraguay and he really wants to learn English. Hes awesome. 

This week I was reading in 3 Nephi about Jesus Christ. In 3 Nephi 1:19 it talks about how there was a day, a night, and a day without darkness when he was born. Then it says in 3 Nephi 8: 20-23 that there were 3 days without light when he died. Do you think he is the light of the world? I am 100% sure that he is. And in 3 Nephi 9: 18 he says, I am the light and the life of the world. Its so true. Jesus Christ is the light of the world. I love being able to read about his life and about his teachings. 

Well, I love you all and I hope you all enjoy this great week. Becuase every week is great. Every day is great. Life is great. God has given us this life. What a blessing. I love you all so much.

Love

Elder Taylor.

Ps, Scott, i am on 3 Nephi 10. Good luck chuck.

oh and tell parker bennett that I am so proud of him and that he will be great. I cried when