"Year of the Mission" In Progress

Ive been supper busy this week and last week....  Im beat, haha

Sorry no email last week, I was just too busy. Trust me as I'm getting more and more involved in the missionary  work, the faster the time goes by, I'm going good and feeling healthy.  My new companion is a blast. 

      I'm sorry I don't even know what to write all of you guys... my brain is going like a million mph, I don't even know how to answer your questions. but that's O.K.    One of my new years goals is to read the standard works of the church (Old Testament - Pearl Of Great Price and every thing in-between) I just finished the 5 books of moses.  I think all of the scripture study may be the reasoning I cant think straight haha :)

     Also I think its I'm just to that point were I'm Transforming from (I'm Saylor Taylor, I'm in the Army, I'm an EMT) to (I'm Elder Taylor a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)  All I think about is missionary work... haha  I truly hope that is a good thing :)

    You know I was really worried about being overwhelmed and struggling on mission, because well its a pretty big change from home and the army.  I didn't know how I was going to handle living church everyday.... I'm very happy to let you know, that is not at all how it is.  Every day I'm more motivated and every day I am learning more.  And the best part is that the knowledge I'm receiving is not knowledge that the world offers, but knowledge that will truly help me, as I work my way through this world.  I'm very happy with where I am right now.

      I miss you all and thank you for the Emails, they are a great way to start my week.  I promise next week Ill go back to answering questions and telling awesome stories about good old Africa.  

    I love you all and I hope all keeps going well back home.   I promise I'm working as hard I can and I pray for you all every night. 

  

Love Elder Taylor

Elder Taylor in Flip flops!! Cute  (Elder Lowe, Elder Kenner, Elder Moss)

Photos

Elder Taylor & Elder Moss!  Elder Moss is very tall :)

K'Naan - Wave your flag (coca cola celebration mix) (Lyrics)

2011 "YEAR OF THE MISSION"

2011 "YEAR OF THE MISSION"

Well  here is the first Email of 2011 "Year of the Mission" Thats what I'm calling It :)
   I'm starting it dateless, American less, and all mission haha 
well to start Elder Jenkins my Star Vally brother is moving to FreeTown and Im receiving a new Companion on Thursday, but get this my new companion is Elder Priddis, a missionary from good old Wyoming, so I'm pretty excited about that.
   New Years was CRAZY!!!!!!!!   we got a phone call around 5 P.M. telling us "Go Home NOW leave Lessons If you Have To!" The Police had Barricades set up in the road, People were going nuts!! I think every ounce of alcohol in Liberia was consumed that night. It was pretty awesome...(not the drinking part, but just how crazy it was).  I entered the New Year hearing the song "Wave Your Flag" And  hundreds of Africans chanting non-sense.... Yea,h we kept our doors locked that night. haha
The first day of the new year I was given the privilege to assist with baptism again, our blind investigator (James)chose me to baptize him.  We gave him the choice of kneeling in the water and just bending forward (make it a little easier for him to completely submerge) but he said, "No its o.k. I trust you and I know you wont let me fall." So we preformed the baptism standing up and laying him back into the water. it was the smoothest baptism Ive been given the opportunity to help with.   Something Ive been learning since we have started teaching James is what trusting truly is. He is in a situation were he only has trust, he has had to learn what faith really is. Ive thought a lot about when he said "No its o.k. I trust you and I know you wont let me fall."  Ive realized that we have all said that.    When we were baptized we said that, maybe not to the the person baptizing us but to our Heavenly Father and Savior, when we made the decision to baptize, when we made the decision to go through the temple, every time we take the sacrament, that is what we are saying. The words are not from our mouth but from our actions, and actions speak louder then words... And that is one of my goals for this new year. I don't want to just say "I trust in my Heavenly Father" I don't want to just say" I trust in Christ" I want my actions to show that,  "I Truly do Trust the Father and Son and that I know they will not let me Fail."
        This month or next James' wife will be coming to baptize, It will not be the missionary's baptizing her, It will be James.  I truly hope that God will Privilege me the opportunity to assist in that baptism as well.
        I miss every one and it sounds like the New Year is starting out ok :)
I love you and miss you all Love Elder Taylor
P.S. listen to the song "Wave Your Flag" its from the World Cup  its pretty awesome... but don't worry I try not to listen to it... I'm a missionary only enjoy hymns and stuff like that haha :)

Elder Taylor's Testimony Dated 12/22/2010

Elder Taylor was asked by his sister Norma, to share his testimony.   It was read the Sunday after Christmas the 26th of December in the Las Vegas, Desert View Ward.

It is as follows:

   The person who I am and the man whom I wish to become has changed
drastically since the first day I entered the mission field,(Trust me there
 is still a lot of changing that needs to be done) haha,
       When I began My testimony was one that was built off of stories and
 experiences of others.  Through much scripture study and personal
 reflection... Ive been able to shape my testimony in to a testimony that is
 no longer built upon the experiences of others, but is one built upon simple
 truths.
        My testimony is neither long nor Elaborate, how ever I can promise
 you, I mean it with every ounce of my being...
         I believe in visions, angles, and other heavenly things. I know God
has called a Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, I know the Priesthood that he holds
 is truly Gods power given to righteous and worthy men.
        I know the *Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints* is the
 Lords true church, I know that Jesus is the Christ.  I testify that his life
 did not begin in City of David, nor did it end on the Cross.  I can promise
 you our Savior is now standing on the right hand of God... and their arms
 are stretched out...
        The Love of God is real, It is more real then even the world around
 us, more real then the things we can see or touch with these physical
 body's.  As we age and the world around us fads away, Gods love will
 not... It has been and always will be there.
        I will close my testimony in the most straightforward way I know
 how.  In our hymn book there is one song that touches me more then any other
 song, "hymn 136 I know my Redeemer lives", I want to share one Phrase from
 that Amazing song,  "He Lives"  That is how I will close my testimony, "He
 Lives" I say these things in the name of our Loving Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Amen.