Hard News

Hello my dear family and friends!

Honestly, if you are on this email list and reading these, you are pretty much family! This week has been both crazy good, and crazy crazy! But before I get into the nitty gritty of the week, I should explain what the title of this email is all about! (I know! I always seem to explain that part last, so this is a first!)

You see, I have had some really major mental health stuff arise and unfortunately that means that I will be taking a short break from my mission and going home to Tucson. Believe me, it is the LAST thing that I want to do, but I need some fixing before I can preach the gospel to the wonderful people in Syracuse New York! Don't worry, I am doing okay, and I will do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING I can to return to the place that I have come to love so very much! But alas, I have to go fix some stuff in the good old Noggin. SO! This may be the last weekly you get from me for a few months. I hope that you enjoy it, and I hope you are going to be SUPER DUPER excited to see an email from me in a few months and go, "oh yeah! Elder Taylor is back!"

Okay so now it's time for the great weekly rundown! First, Monday was awesome of course, because it was a P-day, and it also was the first time that we have been able to use Facebook Messenger to reach out to our friends and text them through the day! Thank you to everyone who reached out, because it meant the WORLD to me! (hehehe, I will be able to text you all EVERY day for the next two months or so!) We also had some really cool miracles happen that day! You see, on P-day it is a day of rest, but we still go out in the evening to teach people and find new people to teach. And so we were going around trying to find some old friends from years past and we pull into this one driveway. We then suddenly realize, oh no! We pulled into the wrong houses driveway, and the house we were trying to visit didn't HAVE a driveway! So, we went down the street a little bit to park, and walked back to the house we were going to visit. On the way over (literally the house RIGHT NEXT to the one we were trying to visit) there were some young people all sitting out on their porch, we said hi, and they all came over to talk to us! They were SUPER nice and really interested in what we had to share! They had just moved to Oneida, and so they didn't have a lot of friends. They offered to make us some food and invited us over for a dinner! It was AWESOME! We never even made it to the house we wanted to go to, because these new friends were so great!

Tuesday was just incredible of course, because we spent most of the day preparing our dear friend Brother Esch for his baptism! He still one lesson to go before he could be baptized, and we were able to teach him about the importance of Temples! I really love the Temple, and it is always such a Spirit-filled experience when we get to go there! We talked a lot about how when we are married in the Temple, we can be together as a family for FOREVER! He was so excited! We LOVE Brother Esch!

Wednesday was the baptism day! And oh MY! It was awesome!! Our branch (the people that gather ever Sunday for church) is a very small group of people, only about 12 of us are actually there each Sunday. (stay tuned for another miracle!) And guess what! Basically EVERYONE was there for the baptism! It was AWESOME! We even had one of our friends who wants to be baptized come and see what baptism is all about and he thought it was great! It was also a day where we met with our District (the other missionaries in the surrounding small "villages") and so that was one CRAZY day! We spent a total of like, eight hours at the church building but it was pretty great nonetheless! The font (which is the small pool we put the water in for a baptism) takes around THREE HOURS to fill up! Because we had it filling as fast as we could, there was basically no water pressure anywhere else in the building which was actually really funny!

Thursday was another totally amazing day because we met with one of our old friends Brother Turbee. Now, Brother Turbee is an interesting case. He is a member of the church, but he hasn't come to church in a very long long time. We called him a few weeks ago and he had BLOCKED OUR NUMBER! So a few weeks ago we were like, "eh, let's *67 him!" which means that we would type in "*67" and then his number because that undoes the blocking! (for example, if jenny blocks you, type *673158675309) Genius right? Anyway, when we called him a few weeks back he ANSWERED and was like, "oh who is this?" (He totally knew) and we were like, "oh yeah we are missionaries! Have you ever met with people like us beofre?" (but we knew who he was) and this went on for a bit. We were both playing dumb, and trying to not acknowledge the fact that he had blocked us, and yet we still called him! Anyway, it was a good conversation, and that was all like three weeks ago. SO! Now we are driving around visiting people, and we notice that Brother Turbee is in the neighborhood. And we are like, "well hey, we might crash and burn, but let's go say hi!" and he answered his door! Let me tell you, that conversation was SCARY! He is a very smart man, and knows his stuff, but somehow likes to twist things to make himself seem even smarter. We sat there for almost and entire HOUR! But in the end, we wished him well and went on our merry way! Keep reading for the rest of that story!

Friday was once again, just so scrumptious. But like, the bitter sweet scrumptious. That was the day I found out I had to come back for a bit, and let me tell you, I have never been more baffled and also determined. Baffled, because I didn't really feel all that sad. I feel really calm. And I knew that I could get through this. But also determined because I knew I was going to do whatever it took to come back out to New York. Luckily, I have just AMAZING companions who are so kind and encouraging, and we were able to make some quick plans and figure out the logistics behind it all! Also, my mission president is jsut the BEST ever! Thats for sure! But we also had some great lessons this day (with our newly baptized friend Brother Esch!) and we still got a lot done even after the crazy morning we had!

Saturday was a SUPER good day because we got in contact with like 4 or 5 less-active members of the church! We were able to reach to them, and show them how much we love them! There is a couple of Senior missionaries in our area right now, and we had a really nice picnic for them because they are going home too! (today actually hahaha!) And you will never believe who showed up! BROTHER TURBEE! Crazy right??? He hasn't been to church in SO LONG! It was awesome! It was really cool how many people were all there to say goodbye to Elder and Sister Purcell (who are the best, we LOVE them) and our new convert to the church was there too!

Sunday was a pretty great day I am not going to lie to y'all. It was the first Sunday of the month, which meant it was Fast and Testimony meeting! What this means is as a worldwide church we all fast (or go without food for 24 hours and donate the money we would have used on food during that time) and in our local areas we share our testimonies with one another! A testimony is like a short speech saying what you believe in, and how that has blessed your life. It is always such a great meeting to see everyone sharing their testimonies and to hear how powerful their beliefs are! And you will never believe who was there! BROTHER. TURBEE. No joke! And then! HE GOT UP TO THE PULPIT AND SHARED HIS TESTIMONY!!! Talk about a MIRACLE right?!?!? It was amazing! That same meeting, I also got up to share my testimony and to say goodbye to the people of Oneida New York that I love so much. The Spirit was so powerful there, and I can truly say that I love these people. We also were able to give Brother Esch the Gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday, and that was SO cool! He really loves this church, and I know that his Heavenly Father is so pleased with him!

Then of course, there is today! Today was P-day, and so while my companions were doing their laundry and folding it, I was folding mine but putting it in a suitcase. It was really hard, let me tell you. Elder Purcell then came and picked me up and took me to the Mission Office where President Gentry took me to the airport in Syracuse. Oh my. It was not easy to say goodbye. I know the Lord needs me in New York to do His work, and because I know this, I will be coming back as SOON as I can! These past two months have literally changed my life, and I would not have traded them for anything in the world. Anything. So I am really to get some work done, and then come back out!

I really appreciate and love every single one of you so very much. You mean a lot to me. Each of you do. And if you have read this far yet again, then you should know that I love you even more for it! You are all incredible children of our loving Heavenly Father. He cares so much about you, and I can feel that. I care for you too. Before I go today, I want to share my favorite scripture with you. This is one that has helped me in very hard times in my life, and means a lot to me because of the way that it applies in my life. This verse can be found in the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 22:2 and it says, "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation". I really love this scripture because it talks about how the Lord is our song! That relates to me pretty well I'd say! I also love it because it talks about not being afraid. And I need that a lot.

I want to share with you my testimony that I know that my Redeemer, even Jesus the Christ, lives. I know that President Russel M Nelson is a prophet of God, and I know that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ in the spring of 1820. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me, and loves each and every one of us because we are His children. No matter who we are. I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ allows us to heal from our wounds, and repent of our sins and shortcomings. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that the Book of Mormon is a true witness of Jesus Christ. I know that He died for us, and then rose on the third day for us. I know this through the power of the Holy Ghost. And I testify of these things as the Lords authorized servant in the name of the Only Begotten Son, even Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love,

Elder Taylor

Look forward to more emails coming soon!This time for a lot longer, I promise!