December 17, 2012

Dear Family. . . This last week was good.  I officially completed 20 Months in the Mission, and it has been 2 years since I opened my Mission Call.  Time is going by FAST!!!  That’s crazy that Kwenton gets home on Wed...He gets home with Elder Heiner’s cousin I think.  And Tyler gets home in January!   Last week we had changes.  I thought that I might have had a change but I’m still here in 3 bocas with my comp, Elder Chavez.  I only have 2 transfers left after this one...I am praying that it will be in a new area for the last 3 months of my mission.  I don’t want to be stuck here 5 transfers or for you guys 7 months.  Elder Chavez and I had a better week.  We had more lessons and more new investigators but nothing real solid yet.  I’m pretty sure that the zone leaders are gonna want to do divisions with us this week.

The office or Pres. haven’t said anything about calling home for Christmas, but Elder Chavez and I have it all figured out.  We have been looking for a place to skype on Christmas but everyone is going to be closed and they are closing at noon Christmas eve, so like they close at 8 in the morning for you all.  Yesterday after lunch we went to the chapel and downloaded Skype to the computer in the Bishops office, and I have a webcam.  I logged on yesterday to see if it worked and I sent Grant a message.  It’s the last call home from Paraguay, it will be a good one.  I will be at the chaple at 4:00 my time to skype all of you...and Spencer too!!!  Can’t wait....I even have my paper of stuff we can talk about on Christmas!  Only one week...YES...CAN’T WAIT!

For the Missonary Plaque,  Moroni 10:32.  That’s what i want on my plaque, if they can do it in Spanish do it in Spanish but if not that’s fine.

You all in America, nice and toasty warm in the house...no problem...it’s so hot down here.  Yesterday, walking to church at 8 in the morning, 100 degrees!  Not cool.  We cooked an egg on the road Thursday...took like 2 minutes...yeah that fast!  And the worst thing about all of it...I don’t have AC.  The Ac didn’t work very good anyways, so we had some dude come look at it and he took it out to see the problem...some big thing they have to replace....he hasn’t brought it back yet.  And the office said that they would get us a new AC in 2 weeks.  Yeah right, they won’t ever get it to us, and the guy who took our AC won’t answer our phone calls...I’m pretty sure he sold it or something...fetching Paragayos!  And I think that i am getting skin cancer, that’s how hot and strong the sun is!!!   We can’t even sleep at night, at home it cools down at night time...not here....it gets hotter...You wake up in the morning all greasy and in a puddle of sweat on your bed...grossssss!!!! 

My Christmas plans. . . pretty much nothing.  Eat my Hickory Farms while I skype you guys.  Nobody here invites us over for lunch or dinner, less chances that they invite us over for Christmas.  Our plan was to make some Mexican food, tacos and quesadillas.  But my comp has no money left for the rest of December and I have 300,000 left, so Ihave to share with him again!  Don’t know if my Christmas dinner is going to happen....too bad I’m not in Puerto Pabla with Jorge and Betty, eat some Crocodile and some Armadillo and Cow Tounge, and Manta Ray and Beaver for Christmas.  Oh well, this just means that next Christmas when i am home will be even better....

So mission wise, like the investigators are not really progressing.  They read and pray every once in a while or they pray to the virgin of Caacupe, but they never come to church.  That’s the problem with praguayos....their pretty lazy... They just won’t come.  We had 3 people that were certain that they were going to come to church, yeah you already know who came...nobody.  We did find a cool family this week though, The Azucas Family...it’s just hard for the Dad, he doesn’t really believe in anything.

DAD. . .tienes que mejorar tu español.  Tadavia puedes hablar mas o menos pero hay muchos errores.  Era un poco chistoso leer su carta haha.  Sepas que te amo y que te quiero mucho.  Gracias por todo.  En quatro meses vamos a hablar bien, y vamos a cambiar tu español...toda la familia se van a burlar de tu español. Si esto pasara, no seria muy bueno. Te hace falta venir a paraguay bueno no a paraguay, su español es muy feo, te hace falta visitar a Mexico u algo haha.  Te quiero papa.  Hablaremos Martes en la Navidad, en Español.  Y dudo que Grant me gane en una lucha....yo soy el mejor de la familia.  No pierdo a mis hermanos...no importa si tenga 200 libras...yo soy un capo y siempre salgo campeon.  Y cada dia manana y noche hago mis ejercicios....y son muchas.  Flecciones del pecho y abdominales....yeah buddy...Mis brazos y pecho ya han crecidos mucho...esta semana me pese y peso 157 libras....y no soy gordo....entonces que venga Grant a perder....lo voy a destruir!!!

Oh and mom, Christmas pretty much doesn’t exist down here so ill just leave it up to you to find me an ornament.  Thanks :)

Love you all . . . see you on Christmas!

Taylor

December 10, 2012

Dear Family. . .

So another week gone in the mission.  Another Transfer completed.  THis is Transfer number 14 of 16.  The end is comming.   But this last transfer went by way fast.  We didnt have any baptisms....and its just a tuff area.  ME and elder chavez have been trying a lot to be better missionaries.  Just to not think about time or stuff at home...

This week we had our zone meeting.  It was a tuffy.  Pres Agazzani and his wife came and dropped the cane on us a bit.  We have 2 baptisms as a zone for december, and they want 18.  We dont have anyone in plan 1 or plan 2.  IT really seems like they just want numbers.  If we can all baptize 16 people in each zone, we will reach 1000 baptism this year.  Then pres agazzani told us how next year he expects 2112 baptism.  That is a crap ton of baptisms.  They told us that we were going to have a Christmas zone conference and to bring a white elephant gift.  Should be fun.  ITs going to be on the 21st of December, AKA, End of the World Day.  Im so tired of hearing that....everyone asks us if the world is going to end on the 21st of Dec.  We just tell them thats its really possible that it ends, so they should listen to our message so they can be prepared....it doesnt work tho.

This week was really hard too.  We dont have any investigators.  None.  We found 2 new ones this last week and they are not like gold trophies or anything.  We had 6 lessons this week and 2 more with less active members.  You thought you were embarrassed mom.  My numbers were crap.  We cant figure out what happens to us.  Ever since we lost our two investigators Alex and Nelson, we just havnt been that same.  Im just in that down point of the wrestling season.  Im just trying to climb out.  Ever since mothers day i have had one thing on my mind.  The week after we did skype, you said that you had seeen a huge change in me...and that you couldnt wait until christmas to talk to me to see an even bigger change.  Everyday is just how can i make mom proud, but i dont feel like i have been changing that much these last weeks.  Last week i didnt even want to do skype, just because i didnt want to let you down.  But a lot of that changed yesterday when i gave another last minute talk in church.

So saturday night i slept on the roof.  I got eaten alive by mosquitos.  I woke up at 6:30 to the cell phone...it was branch pres....elders, its 2nd sunday, that means that its missionary work...can you give talks.  Sure, why not....so i make a talk about the gifts that we can give to Christ in this christmas season.  I talked about the first christmas when God gave us His only Begotton Son.  I talked about how christmas is about giving and not reciving.  Then i told everyone how each year, one of our families is in charge of giving christmas to another family.  I told them about my last christmas at home, when we as a family wrapped up all the presents and the spirit of Christ(mas) was at the barn with the family.  Then of  when i bought you, dad, and grandma presents...since you guys never buy anything and always buy stuff for us.  Then how it made you and dad feel...you didnt care how much the gift cost, only the thought that i had of making christmas good for you.  The main theme of the talk what things we can do for Christ, and how we need to find the Spirit of Christ durring the Christmas Season.  Then i explained how Christ, had that spirit, he didnt care how much the Atonement was going to cost, how much pain, nothing...he had the Spirit of Christ, or the spirit of giving.  Then i quoted Pres Monson, when he said we all need to find that christmas spirit, then drop the last syllabyl and it becomes the spirit of Christ.  I then invited all the members to find that spirit durring these next weeks, so that they can enjoy christmas more fully.  Of the 30 in attendance, there were some cryers.  Then we sang Silent Night....and the Spirit was strong.  In the Liahona for December, Elder Holland speaks of his first Christmas away from home...he said that then, was when he got it...when he understood the spirit of christmas.  I felt the spirit of christmas last time i was home...but as we sang Silent Night, I got it too.  I am eternally greatful for the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ and for His sacrifice for me.  Even tho i am far from being like him, he will help me.  I hope all of you can find the true spirit of Christ(mas) this year.

So its just been little by little, but durring the last 2 years, i have learned a ton.  It great to be a missionary.  Little by little came my testimony.  I had always been waiting for the one experience that was a life changer, write to the liahona church magazine.  But, its still commmin little by little.  The next for months are gonna fly by.  They are the 4 fastest in the whole year.  I hope that my testimony will keep growing like it has been.

Dad, cuantas veces tengo que preguntarte?  ¿De donde es abuelo?  ¿Que parte de MExico?

We went to the Cemitary again this week, and we taught lesson 2 or the Plan of Salvation to some people.  They looked happy, like we had given them a little hope for the future. They arent investigators or anything, but in the future they will remember what we shared with them and about the pamplet we left them.  One day.  Also, we found some bones this time....that was more creepy than the coffin sitting in the open.

Saturday was not a good day.  There was nobody here in 3 Bocas.  Everyone was celebrating the day of the Maldita Virgen de Caacupe.  Everyone went for the stupid walk to fufil their promiss.  I will buy my statue of her to bring home with my rosary!!!  If the Catholic Church was true, every country would worship the same freakin Virgin.  But here we got Caacupe, in Mexico Guadalupe, in Brazil, the Señora del aparecida....whatever...read Salms 115:3-8......that will teach them!!!

We have changes this week...i would really like to leave this area.  Go to a new area and then for my last 2 transfers, train a newby...from america of course.  Ill see what happens tomarow at the district meeting.

Oh, and the last thing of the weeek.  We have a Porron, Joto, Maricon, Marica, calling us and sending us gay text messages.  He is always sending  us messages, oh how sexy of a voice you have....call me....sooo anoying.  But whatever, cant live with them and i dont know what to do about them!

Oh and i talked to elder heiner...he said he got accepted to byu idaho, and that he was maybe going to tell his mom to sign him up to byu too.  I say we will both get in to byu because there are no people there.  Pero por si las moscas, if we dont get into byu, we will be at byu idahoand i will wrestle and you can come watch me....be on the intermural team haha!!!!!!!

One thing that made me trunky this week...only 127 days left and I saw a Honda CBR 1000 and a Yamaha F1....yeah im gettin a sweet crotch rocket when i get home!!!!!

love you all

oh and mom, tell me where i am going.  Yeah i get home ar noon an the 19 of April...but do i go to Brazil, Argentina Texas or what?????

ELDER CHARLES TAYLOR SALINAS
PARAGUAY ASUNCION MISSION
ROHAIHY

 Elder Chavez, Nelson, Elder Salinas

 Overloaded Garbage Truck!

Dog - - Just about to die - - common to see in Paraguay

December 3, 2012

Dear family. . .

This was a tough week here in Paraguay.  We were getting things done, and then it was taken away.  Nelson was doing so well.  He was reading the Book of Mormon everyday, he was praying and he was so ready to be baptized...but Friday he tells us that he got a job offer in another city.  So he told us that he wasn’t going to be able to listen anymore. . . he was sad to tell us.  Then we had a great lesson with him.  We talked about 3 Nephi 13 where it talks about looking for the kingdom of God first...and how man can only serve one master and then about the Lilies of the Field and how they never worried about stuff, that Heavenly Father always provides for them.  When the spirit was strong in the lesson and Nelson could feel it, I promised him that he would find a job here in 3 bocas if he would come to church on Sunday, then I shared with him Ether 12:6 and told him that he would only find this work after the trial of his faith or after coming to church.  We went by Saturday and he wasn’t there. . . we went by last night and he wasn’t there.  His girlfriend said she had no clue where he went.  He told us that he was going to call us and tell us when he would be leaving but still nothing from him.
Yesterday Alex the Brazilian came to church.  OMG. . .it was so embarrassing to be  a member yesterday.  God has to be directing the church, if it weren’t so, it would not exist here in Paraguay.  During Priesthood, the branch president just talked about things to do to be auto sufficient...like make cardboard bikes and sell them....not a good idea.  So Alex was bored during that time....Sunday School was good, he was participating a little, but sacrament.....OH My Gosh.  There were no testimonies yesterday, just thanking people for junk and telling stories....then the last 15 minutes just awkward silence....Alex was almost sleeping.  If it’s like that, end the meeting, don’t just sit there and stare at people to make them feel bad about not sharing their testimonies.  Then we leave, and Alex says he was going to wait for a bus, going the other direction, he went to the terminal and bought a bus ticket.  He is going to Brazil until January.  So now we have no good investigators to teach!!!!!
This is the last week of the change and it’s been a tough one.  Ever since i got drug down with Elder Salas it’s been hard to climb out.  It’s hard to get going and be excited to be a missionary.  Elder Chavez and I were walking and we felt that we didn’t love our missions this week.  I don’t know why, but it’s just tuff.  Little things happen that make you feel bad, but you keep on doing them.  That’s why I have been trying to study about testimonies.  So I can get a stronger one, and change my mentality, and my heart, so that the Atonement will have more effect on me and I will be more faithful or a better missionary, well not a better missionary but to not die in these last 4 months and work hard till the last day!

The first 6 and the last 6 are the hardest mom!!!

Dad, de que parte viene abuelo? ¿Que parte?  Todos me preguntan y no se que decirles.

It’s getting really hot too...wake up in the middle of the night swimming in your bed of sweat!

I think we will find out stuff for Skype next week, like on Tuesday.

Love you tons. . . .

Taylor

November 26, 2012

Well. . . I’ll be home for Thanksgiving next year.  I can’t wait for that....hang out with the family in the barn and eat real food, and not this stuff we have here in Paraguay.  Our Thanksgiving was good...we made Tacos.  Better than last year with Empanadas.  But it was an alright day, just way too hot!!!  Sad that you didn’t get to go up to Washington for Thanksgiving.  I hope everyone comes to Thanksgiving at the barn next year.  

I don’t really remember a whole lot from this week.  We had some great lessons with Nelson, Cantalicio, Cezar, and Alex.  We have really been able to help them feel the spirit, and start to receive a testimony of the Restored Gospel.  Alex is a new kid we have.  He is 20, is married, and served a mission for some church for 2 years and so did his wife, one of those years was in America.  So that means that both of them are agents who act...we haven’t met the wife yet but she wants to meet us.  Alex really wants to find out if it’s true.  We actually taught him this morning at like 9:00.  We taught him the Gospel of Jesus Christ or in other words, Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Endure till the End.  He is from Brazil and is still learning Spanish.  So most of what he says is in Portuguese.  My comp doesn’t understand that much of what he says...but I was surprised when I could understand that much.  He always says the prayer in Portuguese and I can understand all of it....it’s pretty cool...I just can’t really speak it.  But he is teaching us how to speak.

Sunday was sad because we didn’t have anyone come to church.  So they now do not have baptism dates....only Alex for the 8th of December.  We walked way out like 2 and a half miles to Nelsons house to bring him to church but he was sick and couldn’t come....so we were really tired Sunday, because we had to walk so fast to get out there.

This week I finally finished Alma and I am in Helaman.  And in Portuguese I am in Words of Mormon....still a long way to go.  Also I have been studying about our free agency and about being an agent.  We are all agents already, but how many of us really act for ourselves every minute of the day.  That’s what I am really trying to do in these last 4 months of the mission.  Be a better agent and do stuff of my free will and not because I have to clap houses or because I have to talk to that guy on the street.  This is really helping me to grow up more....and make man decisions.  Sometimes we feel that we are not really effective missionaries, so that’s why I am trying to get better with this.  We just felt a little down this week, so dad the quotes that you sent to me were inspired...I needed them...thanks.  I too found a great quote by Elder Holland this week, it’s not that directed the gospel but it’s funny:

He said,  Elders, if you we looking for your wife right now, which would you choose, the one with the pretty face or the one with the strong testimony???  He then replied saying, choose the one with the pretty face, you can gain a testimony!!!  HAHA

Mom, I now know how it feels to have an Iphone in your hands and use it.  Yesterday Alex sent us a message asking when we could meet again...and we don’t have any minutes left and it’s against the rules to send texts from our phones, we used some ladies phone to send Alex a message and it was with an Iphone.  It was awesome....I’m so getting one now.

That’s so cool about all the new missionaries getting their mission calls. I’ll bet Dalton gets his before I get home right?  And tell Aaron Hansen to have fun in Uraguay, he is going to freeze!

Also, we went to the cemetery this week.  Big mistake!  Never going back.  It’s not like in America where they get buried under ground.  Each family has its own little house in the cemetery and they put the coffins in there for the whole family.   I thought it was going to be like on rocky when they put the body in the wall then seal it off with cement or something.  They don’t!!!  They just have the coffins all lined up on the ground or on shelves.  I’ll send a pic.  IT was nasty, and creepy.  

And this week we got caught in the rain...I have videos and pics for ya...

love ya all
-- 

Taylor

Cemetary in Paraguay

 This is one family's "house" to store all of the coffins

Taylor is pretty grossed out by it!

Standing on a bridge, caught in a downpour . . .

This is what was below the bridge . . . yuck!

Look what only took 3 weeks to get to Paraguay and in his hands!  AMAZING!

November 19, 2012

Dear family. . . we had another good week here in Paraguay.  Elder Chavez and I are working hard.  And finally are seeing the results from our hard work.  And sounds like all of your hard work paid off too.  Too bad you will have to do it again when they build the temple in Meridian.  I bet while the Prophet was here, they went looking for a place to build it.  We´ll get to go to that dedication.  

This week we didn’t have a ton of lessons.  But we did have really good ones with Nelson and Cantalisio.  Nelson came to church yesterday.  Like 3 days ago we taught him Lesson 1 again and it was awesome. It had been sort of a slow day with no lessons and I just wanted to be done for the day.  Elder Chavez started the lesson and got like half through it and then I started to talk.  I got out my book of church pictures and taught it perfectly.  The Spirit helped us so much in that lesson we felt it and so did Nelson. Then he started to talk about his testimony that he is gaining right now.  Then he said the prayer and asked God if it was true, if Joseph Smith was a Prophet and if the Book of Mormon was true....and he just got real quiet and felt the spirit testify to him.  He knows it’s true.  He has baptism date for the 1st of December.  

Now Cantalisio ( Caun-ta-lee-see-oh ).  He is our neighbor.  He is a stud.  We or I taught lesson 2 to him Saturday night.  My comp said he doesn’t know how to teach it or know really what to do for lesson 2.  How can you not know how to teach the best of all the lessons...the plan of salvation?  So he really likes the Book of Mormon and reads from it a lot....so I used like 1000 scriptures to share lesson 2 with him.  He just sat there in amazement.  He just asked, could it be?  Will I be resurrected?  Will I see my wife again?  We told him how he could do all of this.  Then we sang God be with you till we meet again.  As we were singing, I was thinking about the time that I have spent here in Paraguay.. . . and that in 5 months I will be at President Agazzani´s house with his wife and the other missionaries singing this song.  I don’t want to leave Paraguay.  I want to stay...  Then we finished the song, and Cantalisio said the prayer.  In his prayer he asked that God would guide him to the truth and that he would bless us the missionaries to be able to help him find the truth.  He also asked if the Book Of Mormon and if Joseph Smith were true.  After he was done, he looked us in the eyes and thanked us, with tears coming down his cheeks.  This man is amazing.  He will be baptized the 1st of December. 

Also, right now we are looking for new people.  Its so boring clapping houses.  Spencer, we don’t get any of those so called ´´Media References´´ so don’t ever complain haha.... ;)  Oh and you letter was cool Spencer. . . 90 some letters left to write mom...I got 20!!! But I will congratulate you. . .2 months down.  Was fast wasn’t it.  It just goes faster.  And about going out with you to teach everyone, I don’t know about that, I can only do it in Spanish.  We have tried to teach people in English that speak English and it just doesn’t come out good.  The gospel is better in Spanish.  And you need to get on your comps butt for being a lazy turd.  It’s better to offend him then to offend the Lord.

Yesterday we had 5 investigators at chuch.  We were expecting Nelson, Cantalisio, Cezar, his wife Paola, and another Paola.  Of those 5 Nelson was the only one to come, and 4 others.  So that was good.  Yesterday was the Primary Program.  Oh my gosh!!!  Yes they worked kind of hard but it was bad.  It was like one of Spencer’s 4th Grade Pioneer projects, finished last minute at 6 in the morning!  There were like 10 kids in the program.  No body plays the piano here so it was just the CD´s of the music...and the kids didn’t know like any of the songs, so it was pretty much listen to the Cd´s for 30 minutes.  But it was good anyways!

So mom, I too have been listening to Christmas music.  Can’t wait.  They have lights up and trees here in my area.  They aren’t even close to what we have in America, and there is no Christmas spirit.  But we will have a little when I get my package.  Oh yeah and did you guys get my letter yet???

I have also been doing more exercises.  A ton of abs and chest workouts.  Morning and Night.  I did some squats too, oh my, my legs are so out of shape right now....I did 2 sets of 100 with no weight, the next day they hurt so bad.  Gonna need to do than when I get home...get in shape.

And MOM. . . not fair that you got an Iphone 5.  If you have one, I am for sure getting one when I get home....You can’t say no Dad.  Who knows, maybe there will be an iphone 6.  But really mom it is sweet...do you have that thing called siri..where it’s like the hands free text and look stuff up on your phone and the web????  Making me trunky mom!!!!!  

Love you all

Taylor

 Taylor washing his shirts in the sink!

 White Shirts and Slacks hanging out to dry!

"Clapping" houses

November 12, 2012

Dear mom. . . and family.

Sounds like all of you had a good week.  It will be nice to be able to see the prophet and be at the dedication.  Maybe I’ll be there for the next one when they build the Meridian Temple.  Just like you all...the week was pretty much the same.  But we did have some good experiences.  

We have an investigator named Cezar.  And his wife and his dad....they are our neighbors.  This week we had 2 great lessons with Cezar.  Elder Chavez and I have really been focusing in on the needs of the people and not teaching every point of the lesson.  The first one we had was on Monday...or Tuesday.  We were teaching Cezar with a member...and then it was my turn to talk and  I don’t remember all of what happened, but Cezar just sat there in awe.  So did my comp and the member with us.  The spirit just took over and gave Cezar what he needed.  After the lesson, my comp and the member kept asking each other what happened to me.  The only thing that it was, was the spirit.  3 days later, we went to say hi to Cezar but he invited us to come in...I shared with him Alma 11 and Alma 40.   He just lost his mom like 2 or 3 months ago.  My comp said that the things I said were amazing.  The Lord has really prepared Cezar for the Gospel.  Then yesterday after a long, hard day without success, we were walking by and said hi to his dad...he said look kids I’m Catholic and I’m gonna stay catholic.  He asked if we read the bible, and I said yeah.  He let us come in and we had a great lesson...we answered a ton of his questions and he has a baptism date for the 24th of November.  After he said the prayer, he asked what we thought of death...I said you can see your wife again and be with her forever.  He just sat there surprised wanting to learn more...the spirit was testifying to him that it was true so we left him.  He is a great man.

This week we were trying teach another older guy at a members house.  They are way inactive.  My comp asks her, and sister Troche, how did you feel when you knew that the gospel was true.  You know what she said...I NEVER KNEW IF IT WAS TRUE...WE GOT BAPTIZED BECAUSE WE WERE GOOD FRIENDS WITH THE MISSIONARIES.  What? Don’t say that when they are trying to baptize your dad.  This week there were more of those, the church isn’t true in Paraguay feelings.  The branch is struggling a lot...we got called up 

10:00 Saturday night...saying um elders can you give talks tomorrow??? 

My comp has some knarley PFCs.  I have a pic to send you with them on.  He is doing good, he just worries way too much.  Last night we were talking about all of the food that we buy from Campos Market...we talked about Jaritos and all the crappy candy they sell there haha.  And he is a little bigger than me, and he is always asking everyone for water.  So then they give me some water and its nasty.  I am so tired of well water...its not the sweet clean water you get at grandpas house...this comes from a dirty dirt well...full of floaties and grass junk.    BARF!!!!!!!!!!

This week was tough too....I have 5 months left.  My trunky papers are here asking me where I want to land and what leadership I have had in the mission.  I can’t wait to be home.  I’m just trying not to think about it and not DIE before I come home.  Mostly because we are having trouble finding new people to teach.  My comp tries too hard at doors and on the road and it kind of scares people away...so then he gets mad or sad.  When I have a good investigator I can go all day.  But we have just been frustrated with not finding many really good elected chosen people to teach.  Ands the week was bad because fetchin Obama won again.  LAME!!!!!

I did get my shoes fixed...some guy stitched them up and put leather patches on the inside so they won’t rip anymore....I give it a month or 2 before I do it again.  

God is way too merciful to the people here in Paraguay.  There is a barrio in our area it’s so bad.  Babylon itself...the ladies are all naked and dressed like crud.,  And I have never seen so many drug deals in my life.  We try not to go there because it’s like rougher than Compton.  No Joke!!!  When the Lord comes again, he is going to stop that barrio down hard.

I need 2 things mom.....

1. Waffle Recipie....i have a waffle iron in my house...and waffles are cheap to make.
2.  I need you to put 55 bucks in my savings account so I can take money out for something I bought.

love you all

Taylor

 Sweet PFC's

Elder Chavez & Elder Salinas

Elder Salinas with Dog

November 5, 2012

Dear Family. . .

This letter is late again because I was at immigrations all morning, but this time it was for me.  It was great because we had a huge reunion of the missionaries from my group. . . So me, Heiner, Stephenson, Mower, Neves, White, Bartelome, Cleverly and some others spent the whole morning talking about whatever.  Pretty much just movie quotes and singing worldly songs but it was really fun.  But I don’t know how I’m going to live with Elder Heiner now...he has a satchel or man bag like Jordan and Austins dads.  Looks a little girl haha.  Then we all sat down to a great lunch at McDonalds....first time I have eaten fast food in a year and a half.  It was good, but kind of hard to eat.  

No mom, transfers are not this week,,,they were last week.  And I had to stay here in 3 bocas but I did get a new comp... He is from Mexico...he is about to reach 5 months in the mission.  He is awesome.  He has really helped me to get back into things.  Elder Pinche Salas pretty much killed my spirit and I was just done, but in a very humble way, Elder Chavez, helped me to be back on top of the world.  We work really well together, and he is really excited to be a missionary.  This week we made some awesome food.  Real food, not that Paraguayan stuff that we get fed...we made some Tacos...They were delish.  And he is going to teach me to make Mexican rice and Mexican beans and a bunch of stuff.

So Elder Salas got sent to an area really close to this one...he is with one of the most screw off missionaries in the mission. . . and this is his last change so he is really trunky...then Elder Salas is going to start his last change and he will just be even worse.  I doubt the area that they are in right now will see progress for the next 3 or 4 months.

I got all of the letters and pics last week.  Thanks.  I can’t wait to use the sweet pics for my agendas...

This week we had some really good lessons.  One day it was going not as good...and then we had a lesson that made the whole day worth it.  We were feeling bad about how the work wasn’t great and after the lesson with Fransisco, we could feel the spirit and we were happy for the rest of the day.  Elder Chavez and I have been teaching really good.  He has really helped me to regain the passion for teaching.  One thing he is always saying is ´´hey, elder, you only have 3 transfers left...you have to take advantage of them, and I’m gonna help you.´´´ Its weird to think that I have that much time left...it’s kind of sad.  I’ve gotten to be a good teacher, and really been able to help people understand the message we share.  It’s going to be a great transfer with Elder Chavez.

There is something weird here, they have a ton of Christmas decorations up in the supermarket here.  They have little trees and everything.  I can’t wait for Christmas.

Now, is the watermelon season.  So the roads are just lined with watermelon pyramids.  Yesterday we were walking and I said hey I’m going to go eat that guys watermelon.  We walked by and he said, come here, you like watermelon...and we ate a ton of it with him...while we were eating it we shared our message with him.  He is kind of mentally blind...everything he was saying was just backing up the restoration but he was having a hard time understanding it.

I ordered a tapa or a case for my PMG.  On the front it’s got Samuel the Lamanite preaching on the wall and on the back it has a pic of missionaries with swords and the stripling warriors.  I was going to get it today, but I had to go to the office...so we´ll see when I get it.

It’s really hot here too...it was 103 yesterday and its springtime...I don’t want to go thru another summer here.  Spencer you have no clue how hotttt it is..nothing close to what it is in Florida!!!

Love you all

 Pirated Movies

 Elder Salas on left - Elder Salinas on right

Homemade Tacos with Elder Chavez

October 29, 2012

Dear Family. . .sorry the letter is late, I was at immigrations, my comp had to sign the papers or they would have deported him.  It’s all jacked up now since they threw out the old president of Paraguay.

This last week was ok.  Not good as in the work we got done, or the progress that 3 Bocas is seeing.  But I had a good week.  Mostly because of the things I found out.  First, 2 more baptisms.  The family that I found in Hernandarias got baptized.  Elder LaFaye told me about it on Saturday.  Also he told me that Andres, my first baptism in Hernandarias is the 2nd counselor in the Branch, and his wife Gabi is pregnant.  That was exciting.  Also, Jorge and Betty from Puerto Pabla.They are doing really good!  After 7 years of struggle, Betty got her divorce.  So now she can get married to Jorge and then be baptized.  The only problem is that Jorge is being kind of tuff and saying that after 7 years, the church told me when to get baptized...now I’m gonna make the choice and be baptized when I want.  I’ll have to write them a letter of encouragement.  

But the most awesome thing that happened this week was when Elder David A. Bednar came to the Mission.  He came with Elder Arnold the area president who I met a year ago, and Sister Bednar came too.  Elder Bednar is always sort of strict in his talks at General Conference so I didn’t know what to expect.  He was the exact opposite with us.  He was so funny.  The best was when he said “el espiritu es el maestro.”  Then said ´´If you think that the people are going to believe you, 19 and 20 year olds from the USA and Canada are going to convince them about the truth of our message, give me a freaking break.  You don’t know anything...el espiritu es el maestro.´´  He didn’t even give a talk.  He asked us to read and study some talks he gave a while back, then he said elders, what did you learn.  Then we got to comment on what we had learned and stuff.  Then after a while it was changed up....he said ok, now is the chance of a life time that most of you will never get again.  Now all of you may ask questions, and I will answer but don’t ask stupid questions.  Don’t ask me where the sword of Laban is...I don’t know, and I really don’t care.  He said an example of a good question is ´´Elder Bednar, we sustain you and 14 other men as prophets, seers, and revelators, could you teach us about revelation?´´  It was a good experience.  One person asked, what do I do when I am being 100 % obedient and work really hard but I don’t have success, and in the other area there are two missionaries who are not obedient and have tons of baptisms?´´  As my companion was sleeping, he said, ´´those who are not obedient and are blessed with many baptisms, it’s just a way of marking condemnation on them.´´  My comp has  a ton of baptisms, but I don’t know if they do him any good with how he acts.

The best part of the whole conference was the end when Elder Bednar shared his testimony.  You could just feel that he is a chosen servant of the Lord.  His testimony was, I am a witness (or in other words have seen with my eyes) that God has a body of flesh and bones, I am a witness (or have heard) that Jesus speaks in our days, and that he takes care of all the church matters.  I am a witness that God the father and the son Jesus Christ came to the sacred grove and spoke to Joseph Smith.  After that, he left us with his Apostolic blessing.  I got one from Elder Scott in the MTC and then one from Elder Bednar.  Never had a better spiritual experience!

Tomorrow we are going to find out the changes.  My comp has been here for 4 and he has 2 left...so I am guessing that he is leaving...but I hope I get to leave. 

I saw all of my friends on Saturday, LaFaye, Bowers, Lamb, Bartlome, Stephenson, and Heiner.  It was just a great big treat. 

Love you all,

Taylor

October 22, 2012

Dear Mom. .. 

Sounds like the family is really growing up and we don’t have to sit around at little kid things anymore...well not for like 10 years.....or it could be less, but let’s not count on that.  Just as Dad said, looks like Grant is growing up haha.  Remember when I broke my thumb wrestling Tyler Moore and that weird doctor who did the x ray and gave me that huge cast....well if you sort of remember, that’s what my companion looks like.  And he is studying to be a doctor too...

But also the whole family is sick it seems like.  Yall can’t poop out on me before I get home.  All of you have to be there.  But I haven’t been feeling that good either.  I haven’t eaten hardly anything this week.  One we still don’t have a fridge or money...but when there was food I just had no desire to eat anything....I went 3 whole days without eating anything and then the other days I ate ramen noodles because that’s all I bought.  And I havn’t been able to sleep at all...I got like 3 hours of sleep last night and 3 hours of sleep Saturday night.  It was probably bad of me but I took a nap yesterday....After our overloaded sacrament meeting of 9 people including us we had lunch with the bishops family and I ate a ton...Probably because it was real food and not empanadas or junk food we buy on the streets.  

So I got a letter this week from Audrey Aultz.  I’m going see Elder Hiener, Elder Lamb, Elder Bartlome, Elder LaFaye, and a bunch of other mission friends.  I don’t know what I’m more excited for, see Heiner and Stephenson or meet Elder Bednar.  It’s kind of a toss up. (j/k)

So I’m pretty much done with Elder Salas.  I can’t take him anymore.  This is one of those hard things I can do.  In my letter to president, I’m going to ask for a change....We have changes in a week, so I’m just going to ask that he move me and not Salas.  He only has 3 months left, he can stay here.  I don’t know what he and his last comp did, but this area is a disaster.  All of the members just think that we come over to talk or watch TV.  And the way they treat us or how they think they can act with us is inappropriate.  

So the first thing that happened this week was that a 13 year old girl put two sewing needles in the chair, they are the big 2 and a half inchers.  Elder Salas sat down on it hard.  Also he now has a heart problem and kidney problems.  And Sunday we gave talks....mine was on charity and missionary work.  It was good, I think I did a good job.  My comp took his backpack up to the pulpit and started pulling a bunch of junk out of it.  He pulled out a tennis racket, a soccer jersey, and other lame stuff.  He started talking about how they were his treasures from Paraguay and it had nothing to do with any spiritual message at all....and then mid talk he said oh yeah and this, pulled out a guitar pick from his wallet and said I’m grateful that I can carry this around with me always too.  I used it to play the guitar and play backstreet boys, then he started to sing part of a song from the backstreet boys and he was also dancing...Soooo embarrassing.

I have one investigator who is pretty cool.  His name is Dionisio.  He plays soccer, for the big teams here in Paraguay.  They play on the pro level.  We might get some free soccer jerseys.  His wife is a member.  He likes what we teach, but we can’t really convince him to get married to  her, or even think about it really.  Both of them say that nobody is meant to be together forever.  Big wall we have to break through.  They didn’t come to church yesterday either.  I was banking on him to come.  But there wasn’t like a single person in the whole zone who had investigators come to church.  And the other ok investigators didn’t come either.  

Oh yeah and here in Paraguay the Mangos are here...every where you go, MANGOS.  People just toss truck loads out because they have so many.  And there are limes, oranges and bananas.  How are the fruits down in Florida Spencer.  Any oranges yet or what???  Oh and Paraguay didn’t make the world cup so people down here are pretty ticked off!!!

Have a good week!  I love you

Love ya tons...

Taylor

October 15, 2012

Dearest mom....

This week was mas o menos.  Not the best one I´ve had in the mission.  The numbers weren’t that great.  Elder Salas is really TRUNKY.  It was just kind of hard.  We are on a diet by obligation....the fridge broke like 2 and half weeks ago and the office still hasn’t done anything about it.  I haven’t been able to buy food for the last 2 weeks.  The only stuff we buy is food on the street.  That is really bugging me.  And the food here in Paraguay is really starting to get to  me too... I´m tired of it...no flavor, just boring gross food....and its been making me sick.  That’s why for Christmas I would like you to send me some season salt or something like that.

Well a year ago I started my mission papers mom.  And I hit the 18 month mark!!!  That was really fast.  I only have 6 months left and there are a ton of things I want to do.  Like finish the Book of Mormon again.  I’m in Alma right now, in chapter 16.  I think i will be able to do it.  The day I get home, are we going to read Moroni 10 in Spanish, English, Portuguese or Guarani?  We can read a little in all 4 languages.  Oh and I got a letter from Grandma Nette this week.  When i was reading it i had an idea.  She will be at our house the night i get there...I’d like her to say the prayer after reading Moroni 10, and follow his counsel and ask Heavenly Father if it is true.  That is if there is not a huge mob of people at our house.  I would rather not have a huge party that night...

 
So how is the school sign up going haha.  You can start today right.  I was thinking about it this last week...see if you can sign me up for BYU Provo too.  Don’t know if i have good enough sat scores to get in but its worth a shot.  There won’t be that many freshman who will be signed up.  And I could work at the dental lab which I will really need...a good job.  But I’m going to see Elder Heiner on the 27th when Elder Bednar comes so I’ll alk to him about it if i have a minute.  Maybe I can convince him to go to Provo...where all of our mission friends are. 

So a weird thing that happened this week was what my comp said to a lady.  She is a less active member.  He was like wow you are like really skinny since the last time I saw you.  She said something about her baby who is like 2 or 3.  And my comp was like oh yeah duh, she is sucking you dry....I can tell.  Yeah that was awkward.  I know she is like the lady on Grown ups who let her kid breast feed for really really really long but that doesn’t give my comp the right to talk about her milk.  So lame.  He is just an interesting soul.  Oh yeah, another story he told to some members this week...apparently he was kidnapped when he was little.  But he was kidnapped by organ sellers.  He said that there were like 50 kids at this place and that they were going to harvest their organs and sell them on the black market ( you can get organs in Ciudad del Este).  But he broke free and escaped, but none of the other kids escaped only he did.  Yeah ok...(in a Spencer voice.)

This week we had interviews with Pres. Agazzani.  They were alright, but not as uplifting as the ones with Pres Callan.  He just asks you if you have questions for him.  So I said what do I do with my comp who is trunky, not wanting to do anything or obey the rules.  He told me about one of his comps.  One who snuck out and was a disaster.  Then said we all will have one of those types of companions in the mission.  Then he said just deal with it.  Then he just said be happy and work hard to be a good example for him....and that’s what I’m trying to do.  Just help him to be a good missionary.  A real returned missionary, not somebody who did some tour of Paraguay and counted it as service for the Lord.

So there is this one family that I found last week.  Dionisio and his wife Mari.  He plays soccer for a semi pro team.  If he won his game yesterday then they will move up to the pros.  Mari is a member but not Dionisio.  He is on vacation now so hopefully we can find him.  We have a planned visit with them tonight at 6.  He had a baptismal date for the 27th but he has to come to church 2 times first.  He is really cool. Hope we find him tonight.  And then there is the Ocampos Family.  They are all members except for Fatima and Monze.  We are going to visit them tonight too. We want to have them baptized Saturday or the next week.  All Elder Salas and I want is one baptism together.  That was his goal on his mission, baptize with every comp....that’s what I’m trying to help him achieve.

So some stuff that i would like for Christmas would be Peanut butter, A Dr. Pepper, Pictures, A new tie, Jalapeño cheetos, no gum i have some from last Christmas and my bday still, Season salt, some TJMaxx special puma socks, mine are all holy and my ´´church socks´´ all the elastic is gone so they just fall down, i would like my iPod cord and wall plug so i can charge my iPod because the speakers are broken, and candy almond joy, twix, kit kat, reeces, Swedish fish, butterfinger, twizzlers, and some face wash...

 
That’s about it for the week....love you all

Taylor

October 8, 2012

Dear Mom. . . 

So conference was really good.  The theme that I got out of conference was to do the little things like take ocare of your family, like telling your wife you love her, and spending time with the kids, repentance...all of these things bring a mighty change of heart so that we can all become disciples of Christ.  SO yeah i enjoyed it.  We had two investigators go. Elder Hales sure made a comeback too...even stood up for his whole talk. Only one more General Conference and I’ll be home....that’s fast and crazy...2 months is Christmas, then 2 months later my b day and then I will be coming home ;)

This week was starting off as usual...but then we had divisions with the zone leaders.  We did them for 2 days instead of 1.  Elder Marple came over to my area and we got a lot of stuff done.  Elder Salas hates divisions and called the zone leaders to say not to do them because I didn’t know the area.  Whatever!  So I talked to Elder Marple on the phone and told him that he was coming over.  He was excited...and all we wanted to do was find new investigators and make some plans and goals for my area...since it’s kind of in a wreck.  We found some great news and a ton of miracles.  One is a great family that we found.  It was a lady who had been baptized like 12 years ago.  She said that her husband would never let us in...we asked him and he let us right in.  We had a sweet lesson and he has a baptism date for the 27th.  Also the 2 parents of the lady have baptism date for the 27th.  That’s just one of the people we found.

I set some goals for my area.  I want the Branch to turn into a Ward.  SO we need more Priesthood holders. What I am going to do to achieve the goal is 3 baptisms each change (every 6 weeks). 2 of them are to be men that will get the priesthood.  And 2 of them are going to be references from members.  To get those 3 baptism I will need to have 9 people with baptism date every week.  And every baptism invitation will be with a specific date.  The little note I put on the wall in front of my study desk...Act.  Don’t be acted upon.

So some things have changed.  The second coming just got closer with the change of the missionary age.  Looks like Dalton is gone next year.  And Grant and Spencer do overlap.  Also, now it will be hard for all of us to get married since all of the young ladies will want to go on missions now. 

There is a sister  in my district from Mexico.  She was in Encarnacion and knows Fernando.  She said he was mad about the sisters getting taken out of Encarnacion and that they were putting elders back there....so he said he was going to go on a mission.  I sent him a letter last week so he should get it soon.  We´ll see what he says about that.


Sure love you mom...

October 1, 2012

Dear Family.....

This was an ok week.  We got this one kid Marcos confirmed on Sunday.  The numbers were ok....we still don’t have any stud investigators....but we have been making friends with a ton of the less actives to bring them back to church and to baptize their family members who are not members yet.  We will see how many of them start to progress, or come to church.  I don’t really know what to write to you...nothing amazing has happened this week.

I went on divisions with an elder from Australia.  His parents are from  El Salvador but he is from Australia.  And we got stuff done...and we could feel the spirit because of what we did.  You enjoy those little moments here with Elder Salas.  This week we are doing divisions for 2 days with the Zone Leaders.  I am going over to the Zone Leaders area with Elder Hauser.  Elder Marple is going to drop the cane a little bit with Elder Salas.  That’s why Iwent on divisions with the DL last week...so he could see what we could do to help Elder Salas.  That will be fun to be with Elder Hauser again.

This week is General Conference.  I wish we had some good investigators to take but whatever....That means that there is only one more general conference till I get home.  I still remember sleeping that whole day....now it’s different....we enjoy listening to the prophet and apostles....Speaking of Apostles, Elder Bednar is coming to the Mission in 3 weeks, at the end of October...we are having a Conference with him and the North mission.

Sounds like Spencer is just loving the Mission.  He does need to enjoy it while it lasts.

Hey dad, that kid you are thinking of from eagle is Elder Shaw....he is pretty cool.

Really sad about Grandma Mann.  I hope she can get over this one like she did the other 2 or 3 times.

So you all have been doing a bunch of work on the temple tour and stuff.  We are going to the temple in November I think.  That’s what the assistants said.  Can’t wait to see how many temples they announce this weekend since there were none last time.  Have they done anything with the Meridian temple yet...or will they start that when they finish up with the Boise temple.

Mom, did you ever send me pictures or say that the ward sent me pictures or letters???   I want to say you said that to me.

Well I love you all...I guess I’ll  just keep on trying... ;)