This week has been a really solid week. I found out ill spending another 6 weeks here in lil ol' marianna and am actually excited. I'll be hitting my 6 month mark two days after those 6 weeks so man time is flying by faster and faster. It is a little scary at points!! But it is better than super slow unproductive time! Now for the top 10!!!!
1. We had an awesome testimony meeting this week.. it was just so great. The spirit was so strong and there was no down time, it was just one after another it was so great! There were a few great testimonies that stood out and i think one even won its own spot on the countdown! The Sims family stands up every month and they all bear their testimonies together, it is just the best family ever! We had dinner over there last night with "the defender" (if you remember him from past letters). But there was also a kid from Sun Land, a home for people who have disabilities, and he stood up and didn't say much but you could feel the spirit so strong it reminded me of when Matthew Heathcote of my home ward stood up and bore his testimony in priesthood. The words were tough to understand but the spirit was so strong and powerful in both instances.
2. Another testimony that was so great was of Brother Bradley Entress, he is from Brooklyn so has a THICK Brooklyn accent. He worked as the head of the New York Port of Authority for 30 years so he has some awesome stories. Anyways, he got the priesthood last week and just bore his testimony about how blessed he was! It was such an amazing example of gratitude! He talked to us after getting the priesthood and said fellas "I'm as high as the clouds, come fly with me" (not a drug reference but to the spirit!) He is such a great man, not a gospel scholar or anything, but a man who knows the power of conversion and gratitude!
3. We had dinner with the Mathis family, man they are so great! The husband played AAA ball for the Angles and his brother Jeff played for the Angles and now plays for the Marlins. Anyways they are just such great people we are working really hard with that family about trying to get them to the temple. The husband told us that he is really excited to go and wants it so bad, we are working with the wife about it not being so scary but they have two super cute girls. Sarah Grace and Clara Kate (in the south double names for girls is huge deal down here and I love it!) just a great family!
4. Sadly we had a less active member of the ward pass away, I had spent a lot of time with him. He was a great guy and had an awesome life. he did a lot and he was a professional body builder and a professional martial artist. He has fought with Chuck Norris which is pretty awesome! But he had a really good service and it was great to see how well he had taught his children about the gospel.
5. June Laramore is a super sweet lady who is in her 60's that is related to half the ward-- she is so great. We went to visit with her, it just so happened to be her sister was in town! It was so funny seeing two super sweet old ladies turn into sixteen year olds and just laugh and tease each other so much! I can see my two sisters being like that when they are older cause they are already like that ;)
6. We taught an awesome Pentecostal holiness preacher! those are those guys who talk in tongues and fall out! They are good Christians though. He had some big misunderstandings about our faith and about what we taught, and as we clarified them he loved what we taught. He was so glad we weren't as weird as we seem! He then prayed for our success and told us never be discouraged, that we are doing the Lord's work and that we are sowing seeds that will bring forth a crop! So he was a great guy!
7. Nelsons are another family in the ward. They have been through a crazy amount of stuff over the years. They love the missionaries so much! They make us dinner twice a week! They are just the sweetest family and love the gospel.
8. We have a new ward mission leader in our mission ward and he is great. Howard Wimberly. He is so excited for the calling and is convinced that he will make this ward grow so that it will eventually split! So he is super enthusiastic. I am super excited to see what will happen with him in the future.
9. Another great testimony was that of Mr.Mike, the adopted son of the Nelsons! He told about how he fell away from the church, but never from prayer. He also said that in the army in Afghanistan he always prayed and he knew that is why he made it home. He was hurt multiple times but he lived through it. He just has such a strong testimony of prayer. He also said if you don't feed the missionaries once a month you shouldn't have a temple recommend! so keep that it mind everyone with missionaries in their homeward! haha
10. This is the craziness one by far! Elder Bochenek and I are staying in Marianna for a transfer, but we have a new missionary coming. A brand new straight out of the MTC missionary coming! We are training! And if you add our time on a mission we barely make it past a year! so I'm not sure what president smith was doing but be sure to pray for this poor trainee that is coming in! But i am really excited to train him!
Love you all and am so grateful for you in my life.
Elder Taylor
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