August 27, 2012

So you all want to know how the week was..... I saw Elder Heiner.....Enough said!!!!!!!!!!

So this was a great week, Elder LaFaye & I didn’t have as many lessons as last week but we did have some better lessons meaning that the people are progressing.  Right now we are teaching Blanca who is 15, all of her family are members except her and her brother.  We have been teaching her for a few weeks now.  Last week we watched the 20 minute video of the restoration with her.  It was a boss lesson...she was crying, and her eyes were full of tears and her lips were shaking.  The movie ended and I started to talk to her...I asked her why she had tears in her eyes and she didn’t respond, then I said I know why, its because the things we are teaching you are true....and she nodded her head.  Then we set a baptism date with her.  This Sunday she was ready to go to church, dressed and everything, but her sister in law didn’t show up so she couldn’t come, she had to watch her brothers and sisters.  So that was disappointing, and we didn’t have anyone in church.

Then we have Mariela.  She is a cousin of a member family and she would always complain that she wanted to have the same joy and happiness as the member family.  So we have taught her a few times and she has come to church once.  We were going to watch the Joseph Smith movie but the speakers on her computer didn’t work.  and she couldn’t come to church yesterday

We had zone conference this week...that where I saw Elder Heiner.  Elder Zaballos and his wife came.  He is a member of the 70, and he was way cool.  He is from Chile.  Its always cool to get a general authority to come to the mission, because you get to shake their hands and give them hugs.  He told us some cool stories too.  

The last few weeks it has been blazing hot.  Like the summer is already here, but like 2 days ago it changed all of the sudden...We were freezing!

Also, never try to make pancakes with chocolate milk...they are terrible.  That was a mistake yesterday.

So I didn’t shower Saturday night, and I didn’t shower last night because there wasn’t water.  So today I felt like Laura Ingalls when I had to heat up some water on the stove and shower out of a bucket!!!  Man the things that happen in Paraguay.

Mom, you need to send me Spencer’s mail box so I can send him a letter....I want to send it before he gets to the MTC so he can get it while he is in the MTC.  So if you could send that this next Monday.  Great!!!

So now about the best time of the week was during zone conference when I saw Elder Heiner.  When I walked in and he saw me...he got the biggest smile...like he had just kissed the hottest girl for the first time.  You should send this to his mom so she can send it to Elder Heiner.....  We gave each other the biggest hug a missionary has given.  And I knew he was gonna be there and he knew I was gonna be there asi que we both brought the bucket lists and compared.  IT was so fun.  ANd sign us up mom, we are living togather at BYU Idaho.  Make sure I get accepted there because we are gonna have a ball.  And of course I have some great pics from the week!!!  He asked if I wanted to do summer sales with him...I said I don’t know.  I would just rather work at the farm....or find a dental lab to work at.  I want a secure job.

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

Taylor

August 20, 2012

Ok so we had another good week.  We had 35 lessons.  We had 3 other lessons with members present and 1 less active person.  We had 18 new investigators and 25 baptism invitations.  We found this one kid named Atilio on Saturday and he has baptism date for the 8th of September.  He came to church yesterday and he is really cool.  Yesterday morning we left early to go look for all of our investigators and we went by like 10 houses and only Atilio came.  That was kind of disappointing.  But it was a good week.  

Elder LaFaye and I are doing good, I’ve never worked harder on my mission.  We both just have the same mind set and we are doing everything to help our investigators progress.  And yes we are still tearing it up!!!

I think the most spiritual experience this week was last night when we were teaching a dude named Wilys.  He is like 50, and goes to a church but loves to hear what we teach.  Last night my comp was sort of out of it and I was just talking with Wilys and he could feel the spirit,  it was really strong in his house.  He told us I wish I had 10 boys that were just like you...with desires to help people understand God and just serve people all the time....he just made us feel so good, like we are doing a good job.  

So like I said we have Atilio and Wilys.  Then we have a few others who are progressing but we have this family of Gold.  Its Fernando and Andrea.  I don’t know what to do with them....they are freaking perfect. They (well andrea) goes to a different church.  I told her that she could feel that spirit stronger in the church.  Fernando has more desire to learn if it’s true what we teach.  The two of them agree with the apostasy, that the power of God was lost for many years....and then I ask them, who brought it back???  And the subject gets a little changed.  So we are going to watch the Joseph Smith movie with them and see if they can feel that he got the power of God from Peter James and John.  

Something funny from this week idk...I forgot my agenda today and I always have stuff written in that to write to you.  We broke a bunch of beer bottles to show our stand against drinking in Paraguay.  But that’s an everyday thing.  Ha I remember....Pres Agazzani started this new thing that every month we have zone meeting its just like district meeting but with the zone.  Elder LaFaye & I were the only ones without suits on haha...nobody told us to bring suits...who wants to wear a suit to work in its blazzing hot again...winter is already gone.  SO that was funny, we were the ´´Zone Rebels´´ that day.  

This week we have zone conference with Elder Zaballos and his wife.  He is a new member of the Area Presidency.  That should be fun..maybe I’ll see Elder Heiner

So its all going good here in Paraguay.  Now the house is empty..kids back to school, dad at work, and now you have work.  And its getting really close for Spencer to leave.  And I’m gonna be 21 in 6 months---I’m gonna be an old fart!!!

I don’t know if I’ll extend my mission...we´ll see.  I’ll let you know in a month and a half when they send me papers to come home....trunky papers.  I’ll fill them out so they can buy me a plane ticket and so they can call a new missionary to come fill my spot.  I can’t believe how fast this is going....it’s almost too fast.  If I were to come home today I wouldn’t be ready, I still have a lot to do.

I love ya tons mom....

August 13, 2012

Dear mom,

So I finally got a new comp...It’s Elder LaFaye from Tuscan Arizona.  He has about 10 months in the mission and he knows what he is doing.  That’s all I asked for.  A person who would work hard and who understood his purpose as a missionary.  We worked our butts off this week.  It’s been a long time since I have worked like this.  Elder Keller & I worked hard but never this hard.  This week we had 4 lessons with members present, 29 other lessons, we have 2 investigators progressing, 23 new investigators, and 28 baptismal invitations.  

And all week I was just able to teach everyone, not to take all the credit but I was tearing it up.  All the lessons went by almost perfectly.

My new comp was in Elder Heiners last district so he knows him pretty well.  Elder LaFaye told me that Elder Heiner started a lint collection.  SO every night he gets out his zip lock bag and puts his belly button lint in it.  I don’t know if I want to see that.  

The branch had a temple trip this weekend; Andres went, so that’s good for him.  I haven’t talked to him about it yet but he was super excited about going to the temple.  I think his wife was even more excited.

So we found this one family this week.  The guy is like 25 and so is his wife.  We just were talking to him in the road, and he invited us to come to his house like half a block away and we taught him and his wife.  It was a great lesson.  We invited them to be baptized and they both accepted.  But Saturday night we had another lesson and they wanted to wait to come to church until this coming Sunday.  They are so cool; they gave us their dinner that night.  It was homemade pizza.  It was so good, and she had homemade garlic salsa.  Its like mayo that tastes like garlic, you put it on your Lomito Arabe....a lomito arabe is like an arabic burrito....so I put some on my pizza and it was spicier than normal....then I told my comp what it was, and he put this huge spoonful on his pizza....his mouth was on fire for like 2 hours.  He ate like 3 more pieces of pizza but without the salsa.  That was a funny of the week, and another was me.  Saturday we are outside and I had had the cheeves all morning chivivi...thats guarani for the craps or the you know whats.  SO I stopped on the side of the road to take a pee and I took a wrong step and crapped in my pants.  We were like a mile from the house and without the key to the church.  Not good!  hahahaha

Thanks mom you’re the best!!!

Tell Spencer to have a great time boating, wish I was there to enjoy that.  and tell Spencer that on his mission he needs to make up some name and use it to contact people.  So here we are always are looking for  ´´Juan Benitez´´ it just gives us an excuse to talk to the people, But yesterday we found him, it was so funny, we started laughing!

Love you mom

Taylor

August 6, 2012

Dear mom,

Sounds like you all had a great week up at McCall.  Wish I could have been there, next year :)  And I just can’t wait!!!!!!!!!!  This week was, well I feel the worst of my mission.  Just of how crappy the week went and with my companion.  He is Gone Johnson tomorrow night.  So I’m stoked for that.  I am staying here in my area another change until Spencer gets to the mtc.  They can’t just leave a local missionary in an area after one change...he has no clue what he is doing.  This week we were out of the house a total of 7 or 8 hours I would say, that includes district meeting and church.  I’m so upset.  He is going to another area though, for another 6 weeks.  We don’t know where or with who but, he is staying.  The zone leaders haven’t called me yet with the changes, they will do that tomorrow.  I have never felt worse about a week in the mission then the week that just passed.  we´ll just leave it at that.

This last week I read my patriarchal blessing again.  There are some important things that make so much more sense to me now.   (note from mom . . . I edit his letters each week before posting - - I will keep some of these things private for Taylor!)

This next change I don’t really care who my comp is as long as he will work and be obedient.  I only have 8 months left, i just want to finish the right way.  I’ll be happier.  And my goal is 9 baptisms by the time I finish, that will bring my total to 20 baptism...I would feel good with that number.  And in this next change some goals that I have are to be in the road at 10:30, no later, also write in the area book every night, have comp study, and comp inventory.  Haven’t really done any of these this last change.    That’s really all that the mission is, setting goals, and learning to change.  

Right now, I have been finding some people to teach, but I don’t have anyone who is progressing.  But Andres is going to the temple this week so that’s cool.  Not really any prospects for baptism right now.  I’ll get that next week with a new comp, I was talking to pres about my comps and he was like oh you trained already great....like he just had the light bulb go off of somebody who can train.  Well I’ll find out tomorrow.  

I love being the DL.  It has its nags like calling everyone on Sunday and asking for the numbers and then calling the zone leaders and telling them the numbers.  But I do enjoy making a lesson for the district meeting. Tomorrow my lesson is based off of Matthew 13:18-23 the parabol about the sembrador, I don’t know how to say it in English.  The sewer it think.  And I get to do the baptism interviews.  And I get to decide when to go on splits and with who.  Its always bomb to go on splits with Elder Stephenson :)

Well that’s about all for this week, I’ll have a pic for you next week I hope.

Love you tons,

Elder Salinas

July 30, 2012

Dear mom how are ya?

This week was better.  On Tuesday, I went on divisions with Elder Call.  He is from Idaho Falls, has about 10 months in the mission.  We tore it up that day.  Just before at the District Meeting, I talked about the baptism invitation and inviting people with a baptism date.  Then right at the end, I told all of them to invite people before even saying the opening prayer.  Everyone just kind of smiled like what the freak is he saying.  The zone leaders were there and they were like excited about the idea.  So that day Elder Call and I invited 6 people to be baptized before saying the prayer.  It was good; it really helped them to understand why we are here.  They all accepted baptism dates too but none of them came to church, and the rain did not help us at all.  We did have 2 people at church.  But the numbers of the District are really improving so I´m happy about that!

This is the last week of the change; next Tuesday we (well most of us) will have new comps.  So we will see what happens with me next week.  Well that’s what Pres. Agazzani said in our interviews.   Pres Agazzani asked us 2 questions and they were how much time do you have in the missions - - 15 months I said and he said oh so little time left for you.  Then he asked how long I have been in this area and I said 3 changes or almost 4 months. And I said so I will be here one more change because my comp is going back to his house.  Pres said idk, we´ll see what we do with you.  I guess we´ll see next Tuesday.  

I did another interview this week for a lady.  Her 2 kids got baptized 2 weeks ago and she got married on Friday and baptized on Saturday.  They are a really cool family.  And I have another interview for this Thursday.  

I saw a preview for the Olympics last week at the super market.  I was so mad.  Why do I have to miss the summer Olympics, why can’t I have missed the world cup or the winter Olympics?  Now I won’t get to see Shawn Johnson....how lame ;)  And I was surprised to read that athletes from Paraguay marched in.  What are they going to compete in, sleeping???

It’s cool that we have a bunch of missionaries now.  Me, Michael, Spencer and Morgan, And that Casey Short is going on a mission....Cool.

Dad, que tengas mucha felicidad hoy en tu cumpleaños.  Estare para la proxima.  

And sounds like you all have a fun week planned, especially going up to McCall.  Can’t wait for next year.  It will be so fun.  

Today we have a district activity.  We are going to the dam again, but today we are going inside to see all of the machines and cool stuff.

Love you

Taylor

July 23, 2012

Dear mom. .. .. .. 

This was an ok week.  I went on Divisions with Elder Garzon from Columbia.  He has the same time I do in the mission.  It was like every other Tuesday of this change.  I got stuff done!!! Every time I have been on divisions with another elder things got done in my area.  All last change I just wanted to do my best and help everyone, that’s why I’m the DL....because Heavenly Father knows what I want and what I wanted.  This change has really stunk.  I know we had the 2 baptisms but that was because Elder Keller and I taught them.  I really feel like the ´´work´´ that has been done with Elder Cardozo is not great.  I have never felt that this badly about my work ethic, but this last change is killing me.  This week we have interviews with Pres. Agazzani.  I’m sure I will be the last because I’m the district leader...and I will have to tell him how the district is doing, how I’m doing and my comp.  So I can’t wait for that.  My district is doing better this week; we had better numbers in total.  In the district meeting last week I prepared a lesson on obedience.  I told all of them that they needed to dust off where the others can’t see, and that their investigators will not progress if they are not obedient or progressing.  Then we did a practice where they all had on point of lesson one and they had to teach me.  They had to invite me to be baptized at every point, so Elder Call taught the apostasy and had to invite me and so on.  It was a good practice, and the district as a whole had more invitations.  Tomorrow I´m gonna talk about inviting with a baptism date, we aren’t doing so hot in that right now.  And we are so close to reaching the goal we have of 7 baptisms this month.  After this week we would need 2 more, hope we can do it and find some miracles.

This week I was mad at my comp and tired of him being lazy.  And the lessons were not happening and I told him to clap a house and to my surprise he did it.  Some little girl came out and yelled into the house ´´Mormons¨´ and then a dude came out all excited, he asked us if we were gonna come in, how the church was doing and that never happens mom.  Then I was like this guy has to be a member, but he isn’t.  We had a sweet lesson with him and invited him to be baptized....he said if God answers his prayer.  Also I have been working with the less active to find part member families...it’s been working out good.  

And it seems to me that the summer is just about to end.  Reunion next week, then football is gonna start, next Spencer will be gone, a month later I will get papers that ask me where I want to fly to, and what day I am leaving, then you will get my flight and travel plans.  Time just goes by too fast mom.  

We have transfers in 2 weeks....I wouldn’t mind staying here for 2 more transfers.  I will be here for at least one more transfer, or until Spencer goes to the MTC.  I really like the area that I am in.  And we are seeing a lot of progress in the Branch.....80 people yesterday.  Record!!!  They almost ran out of cups of water for the sacrament.

I have really been thinking about what dad said to me in his letter this last week.  I have always been a leader.  People always picked me.  I don’t know why, but they always did.  I’m just trying to be that example to everyone in my district.  I know I can work harder out here . . . I am just trying to serve and learn.  Wrestling and my job at the lab, everyone always saw how hard I worked, i don’t know if I have worked as hard here as I did at wrestling or at the lab.  I already have a list of stuff to ask Pres. Agazzani this Thursday.  If I could just be with Elder lamb, Elder Heiner, Elder Bartlome, or Elder Stephenson.  People who I see work hard, who understand what our purpose is, and just do everything possible to be the best.  I know what would get done!!!!

Love you all 

Taylor

July 16, 2012

Dear mom. . .  

This week was alright.  I had some numbers but nothing really productive got done.

SO this week I did my first two baptism interviews.  It was really easy because they were kids who were getting baptized.  My district is doing good right now...Each companionship has to set a monthly goals for  baptisms....and then I make a goal that I feel is good for the district.  Our goal is 3 families, 4 future elders and 7 baptisms....right now we are at 4 baptism for the month...only 3 more and we reach the goal.    We are having some trouble finding new investigators though. . . this week I had 2 and they were barley countable as new investigators.  It is kind of hard to do stuff with my companion.

On Wednesday we got to meet President Agazzani and his family.  He is 43 and his wife is 41.  They have 5 kids.  2 of them are in Argentina still finishing school.  He is pretty cool.  They talk all weird and stuff but he is cool.  They came around to give all of us hugs....he looked at me and laughed and asked how it is to be all alone, since I don’t have a real companion, and I said fine and we both laughed.  Then before they left they did it again and he thanked me for the work I’m doing in my area with a local and for the service of being the District Leader.  

I went on Divisions with Elder Stephenson this week...it was fun.

Yesterday Andres gave a talk on the importance of going to the temple...he is going on the 11th of August with the stake to do baptisms.....he is excited.

I saw 10 min of Madagascar this week....that made me laugh,,,,it was just as funny in Spanish!

So mom or dad can you send me some talks by the Holland...both from General Conference.  I want the one Safety for the Soul about the Book Of Mormon and from October None were with Him.  Thanks.

Looks like you all had a great time at the temple.  SO cool that you all could go together.  

love ya tons  

Taylor