Happy Thanksgiving!!! Tide or Tigers?

I'm am grateful for all of you! And for this awesome opportunity to be a missionary! Happy Birthday to my awesome Grandpa Larry!  Life is good! I do not have much to complain about! 

I'm sad to hear that a good friend of mine, Ginger, (who I mentioned a few weeks ago) passed on. Oh how great is the knowledge of the plan of salvation and how much it blesses us knowing it! (and teaching it to others!) She has returned to her father in heaven and is now in a great place! I also just heard for my last companion that 2 of the people we were teaching will be baptized on Christmas day!  I'm also grateful for this great week and a pretty good top 10, if i do say so myself!

1. We had an awesome lesson with a single mother, Katrina! we just dove in and the first thing she asked was where hell was. So instead of teaching the restoration lesson we answered a lot of her questions about what the purpose of life is! So we talked for almost 2 hours! She had some pretty good questions and she seemed really receptive. she is our only really solid investigator! But it went well, we taught a lot but it was hard to avoid some deeper stuff that she was talking about! It went well we are excited to meet with her again soon!

2. Mary Thames is a lady that the sisters we replaced were teaching! We met with her last Monday and talked to her for a while. She found the missionaries because she just flagged them down one day and said "I need to talk with you guys!" So that is cool and we hope to see her progress soon!

3. Ralph chambers is a less active member that we have seen a few times. He loves the missionaries but has a little bit of a word of wisdom problem! and a little bit is an understatement! But that is alright, we can still work with that! He is a great guy, he always tells us that our missions are so great and we learn and grow so much from them. It's like he went on a mission but so far we have no idea if that is true!

4. Brother Siezmore is an old branch president that we see often! He has parkisons and is in a nursing home but he loves it when we come and visit him! It has been kind of amazing how much he has gotten better since he has been getting visitors! It is like a life change! He is a different man! But whenever we come in he plays and jokes with us and then has us read him scriptures because his eyes are bad! But he is so sweet and so nice and he just loves the gospel so much!

5. On Sunday we had branch Thanksgiving dinner! You would have thought there was a turkey for every person there! There was so much food! It was crazy, we ate for an hour and that food disappeared fast! But it was a good little social for being a small branch. A lot of people showed up and a lot of people but man i was stuffed! I also decided i need to marry a southern girl that can make me chicken and dumplings! Boy is that stuff good. I love my dumplings!

6. Elder Milne and I were reading in preach my gospel this week and stumbled across something that i loved! it says "heaven is the continuation of the ideal home"! I really liked that! To know we can still have heaven on this earth but it all starts in the home! It is amazing how everything goes back to families. That is what god wants for us, to be happy in our families! Families are awesome! I have a pretty darn good one!

7. Brother Marion Johnson, the branch patriarch was telling a story and said something that he has applied since he was little and it is a great example of diligence! He said,  "Its alright to try and fail. Try and fail but never fail to try again" It was great and goes so well with the gospel! Sadly God only has us imperfect mortals to work with so I'm glad he is forgiving! He doesn't care how much we fail or how often, all he cares is that we keep going instead of sitting in the dirt and waiting for something to change!

8. The other day we were looking for a less active's home and thought we found it . It was 530, so dark, and we knocked and saw a dog that was pretty big that sketched me out then an even bigger dog came out of a dog house! It was more of a horse than anything else! Elder Milne said "oh... big dog time to go!' So we jumped on our bikes and ran ! Luckily the dog was chained but we aren't huge fans of ginormous dogs!

9.There are two members I talked about last week, Joe and Kenny Roy, they are cousins but act like little kids together. Joe just broke his back so he sat out in the foyer during sacrament and as the talks went out, kenny roy stole candy out of his wife's purse and threw it to his wounded comrade out it the hall! It was pretty funny especially since they are both in their 60's and looked more like 6.

10. The most awkward moment of the week was when Elder Milne told a member that for his talk he should talk on the law of chastity. So we go t there on Sunday and he gave a 45 minute talk on chastity... oh boy it was tough! The branch president told him to wrap it up! So we all blamed Elder Milne for the awkward sacrament!

Saturday will be a long day for us. Alabama is playing the Auburn Tigers and boy the town will clear out for that! It's better than Christmas, especially this year! A few members have invited us to come watch it!  My vote is for Auburn cause who really likes Alabama?

Love you all,

Elder Taylor

A Week of Surprises!

I would  just like to say sorry to everyone to the lame letter last week! I hope this one will be a lot better!!!

1. First off this transfer is going to be hard! Not because we are whitewashing! or in a super huge area! BUT CAUSE my comp is a diabetic! So with that he always has candy! And because he always has candy I have candy! So my work outs have gone down and the amount of junk has gone way up!  It is pretty funny actually I have eaten more lollipops and suckers in the last 3 weeks than my whole life! So that is something I'm trying to work on ! Eat healthy!!! Let;s hope it works, but I doubt it....

2 The other day we were off biking around in a smaller satellite city in our area. As we started to bike, a lady pulled out of a parking lot and pulled right next to us. Usually when this happens it is a bad thing.. so I was a little worried that Elder Milne was about to get into a nice Bible bash! The lady rolled down the window and told us to go into smokQuess that we were in front of! She ended up owning the restaurant and had a cousin that was a member of the church and had gone on a mission! She missed her cousin so much so she decided to help us out and buy us lunch! That day we were driving with the other missionaries in the area and they had biked the other way! So they were surprised when we showed up an hour later with full stomachs and a box of leftovers! 

3. So last week I complained it was cold but I lied! It turned out a real cold front came through and man was it cold! One day we biked to a city, Excel, nearby, which was about 7 miles. We left in long sleeve shirts cause it was in the 60's by the time we had made the ride it was in the 50's with about 15 degree windchill! Oh man that was no fun, it was a cold few days! It is crazy how cold it can get with the moisture in the air! It will bite right to the bone! But today its 75 and sunny! Just the funny weather in the south!

4. That night we had biked out to that city, Excel, it was about 5:30 the sun was down and it was freezing! We found a family that lived in the area and was that a relief! We went into the warm house and talked for a while! The mom called us silly for not bring jackets! So we haven't forgotten them since that! That was when we heard about the Typhoon in the Philippines! That was scary hearing about how the missionaries were still scattered all over the place! So my thoughts and prayers go out to them because i know if i was out there my mom would have swam out there and fought off some sharks if i was a missing missionary! So i hope they have all been found by now! Scary stuff! instead of those members making us bike back in the now 30's with 20 degree wind chill they gave us a ride home! Oh how great it is to have friends!

5. Kenny Roy Johnson is our ward mission leader and he is as country as a man can get! He has a 7th grade education but you could never really tell that if you didn't ask. He is just a poor old country boy that loves hunting. He goes down to farms and hunts wild boar for a living! Coolest kind of pest control i have ever heard about! But the only thing he loves more than hunting is the gospel! He is awesome. After church he took us to go see a bunch of the ward. He drove his beat up hunting truck that had at the very least 3 guns we could see! Much less than those that we could not! He was just a fun guy that showed us where he grew up and how much it had meant to him to grow up out in the sticks! They don't come much nicer than Kenny Roy. His joke is this, "in the bible you know john in the wilderness. well I'm a john-son in the wilderness" 

6. Jason and Dale Johnson ( the main family in the branch is Johnson if you haven't caught on yet!) They are an awesome family that we had lunch with the other night. Jason was less active from 16 to 40 which was just 2 years ago. He said he was just doing bad stuff with bad people and one day Kenny Roy gave him a talk and told him he needed to do his work and preside over his family, and like that he changed! The Jason today is impossible to look at and see what he said he was! It is amazing, he has to be the strongest member in the ward and most likely the next Branch president! He is just awesome and in the last 2 years he has baptized about 10 of his grandchildren and a bunch of them live with them! It is amazing, he treats those kids like they are his own and most of them are his step-grand youngins. He is just a great guy and his wife made us a turkey for lunch just cause we came over! 

7. Joe Gregson is a member of the branch that had a really bad accident. They were doing some country engineering and he fell 20 feet right on his back off a fork lift. The whole ward says the only reason he is alive is because the second it happened he got a blessing! He is in pretty bad shape, he broke his back in 2 places and all his ribs, but he is still alive. He is a great guy right now though, he is just sad because he thinks he will never be able to do what he used to! It is really sad seeing a man so outdoorsmen being confined to a recliner is really tough on him. But it is amazing that in 3 weeks he as come so far so that is a blessing for Joe.

8. The other day we were out trying to find people that had been taught 3 years ago and stumbled across a nice lady. She was so excited when we told her about the Book of Mormon and all, she even told us to visit all her friends who were also very receptive! It was just so great seeing how be talking to one person you can meet a bunch of people that are really open! It was a blessin for us when we have no one to teach right now.

9. So yesterday we got to church and about 5 minutes before sacrament started I was told I was speaking. The person who was supposed to speak and his back up both were sick. So I had 5 minutes to prepare a talk! So I went by the spirit and gave a 20 minute talk on covenants! it is amazing, I could have never done that before my mission but now I did it easy! It is a blessing to see how confident I now am and how well I know the gospel. I was throwing out scriptures and stories like crazy, it shocked me. I'm grateful for that experience no matter how nervous i was!

10. I'll end with a quote I love by Ezra Taft Benson about Jesus Christ and how He makes us better. " The Lord works inside out. The world works outside in. The world would take the people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of the people and they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment, Christ changes men who then change their environment. The world would mold human behavior but Christ can change the human nature" Christ wants us to change! That is the great thing about him!

Love you all and praying for you,

Elder Taylor 

PHOTOS: 

1. One cold night looking out over a dark cotton filed! field is white already to harvest and the hour of darkness where no labor can be performed is close at hand! Jacob 5 :71 best describes this picture

2. The nelsons, an awesome less active family I love in Marianna! 

3. Me and Elder Milne!

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It's cold in the south!

We had a good long week but we didn't have too much success which is tough! But we are learning a lot, about the area and ourselves!

1. We met what seem to be some super solid investigators. They are really receptive and seem to enjoy our visits so that is good. We always like when people like us! So we are happy to have them. the wife's name is "peaches" I thought that was pretty funny but we will see what happens with them! 

2. I got to see President and Sister smith again! They came to interview everyone else! So that was cool i got to talk with them. It is amazing how much they love us and how comfortable we are with them! WHEN YOU MEET THEM YOU know that they love you which is so great! President Smith said that he trusts me 100 % and although I'm not in any leadership he knows I'm a leader. He really likes buttering us all up! But we enjoy it 

3. So p-day is way better when you have other elders. We get to do a lot more fun stuff! We actually  are able to go out and do fu stuff like sports that sisters never wanted to! So we have been doing soccer and basketball on Mondays! Oh I also learned how to cut hair so did Elder Garn! we cut each other's and it actually looks pretty good! Elders are more fun!

4. I CAN COOK! Yes y'all are reading that right, it is true!! The other night I made teriyaki chicken and rice! And it tasted good! Yes i used an oven and all! I'm actually learning how to cook since them members live so much [not sure what that sentence means but Elder Taylor told us that they don't usually eat with members in this area]! It is going to be a good learning experience! I  actually like it so if anyone has good cheap recipes send them my way!!!

5. Y'all might not believe this but it is darn cool! It has been so cold lately! YOU MIGHT SAY OH THERE IS NO SNOW but i promise it's true! It's been in the 40's most nights and it feels colder than Rexburg! It is because of the humidity! It doesn't matter how bundled you are it is still humid and way cold! You need to experience it to know what it feels like.

6. We did a big service project and a place way up in our area. It is owned by a museum and they did pioneer days. So we went up there on Saturday and helped them move things and do stuff, it was pretty interesting stuff! I'm just glad I'm not a pioneer that settled in the south that would be a rough life!!!

7. We did some awesome random service last week, it was great! We saw a wedding at a random church and out appointment canceled so we ran in and started to help in the clean up! It was great, they loved it! I helped the pastor vacuum and do a few other thing then they gave us all the left over food! We are proving that mormons aren't crazy one pastor at a time!

8. So i started a new thing. Everyday I write down a quote of the day, usually a funny quote! But darn it has been really cool. I stole the idea from a sister who served with me in Marianna! And it has been cool! I have enjoyed it and got some good funny quotes! My favorite so far is " God gave us the sunshine and we give them the moonshine!"

9. We are at a members emailing because they have a son on a mission! They knew that everything would be closed and they have a son on a mission so they decide to look out for us. They provided 3 computers and a lot of food, which we appreciate! great people and really funny!

10 So i have to cut this letter short being at a members and all but i love you all and am grateful for you and you love so keep praying for me and i will keep praying for all yall! 

Elder Taylor

Sweet Home Alabama!

WOW has it been an eventful week! My first transfer! New area new comp! New everything! Here is my week!

1. So the other day we found that we are now a pilot mission for Salt Lake! Our mission president has been hitting family history hard! And really wants us pushing that for teaching and re-activations and even finding! So we have caught the eye of Salt lake! So everything we do relating to family history is being reported back to Salt Lake to see if they want to do this WORLD wide!  So it is exciting times in the Florida Tallahassee mission!  

2. We have an district activity every 6 weeks were we get to go do something fun! So this week we got to go bowling again which I won again! Ya im really good, I know! I think I'll just give up on this whole college thing and be a professional bowler! I like that! after that we went and had my last lunch in Marianna we got some soul food! That was good, I got some deep fried ribs! Oh man oh man were those good! Never thought of that one before but that was great! Try it if y'all ever get a chance!

3. Transfer day was Wednesday and that was a crazy crazy day! I rode all the way out to Pensacola, Florida ready to go to Mobile, this big city! Instead the zone leader directs me to Monroeville Alabama! It was a totally change up of what I was expecting! Going from big city to a Podunk town!  Man that was a huge adjustment! It is similar to Marianna but it is way more spread out! Well, that was unexpected. So we get in with a member, Brother Fralic, and we drive for about 2 hours to his house, oh we replaced sister missionaries by the way. And we helped him out till he could take us back to the church to meet the branch president and all. During that time we helped him cut off dear antlers, I got a chunk of deer brain flung at my eye! Not very fun stuff! Then we helped him worm cattle he gave the medicine and stuff . Tt was quiet an odd day ending with the tiny trunk or treat meeting half of the ward in the parking lot of the church. Most interesting transfer that I have been on!  

4. So now a little about Monroeville! If you are from this town you don't say Monroeville it is Morovlll that is how everyone says it! It's like they start talking and they finish with a mouth full of something! It is so funny! But it is a huge area, twice the size of Marianna and we only have one car! So I will be biking a lot! The other day we biked about 20 miles and man was that a work out! But we do have a sweet mission truck cause there are so many dirt roads! Crazy little town of morovll!

5. History of the town this is one of the oldest towns in the great state of Alabama! It is also the home to two famous writers! Harper Lee and Truman Capote! It is way crazy how much they love those two writers! This town is where the book To Kill A Mockingbird was placed, just under a different name! They have a huge museum in the center of town and they have the court house will they filmed that movie! So To Kill A Mocking Bird is the pride and joy of this little town!

6. Elder Milne is my new comp! He has been out for about 6 weeks! so he is still a little green but that is alright! He is an awesome kid! Super goofy so we get along just great, we don't get too stressed, we just laugh a lot! He is from Logan Utah (im sorry for him) and just graduated! He has some sweet super man and batman sheet that he sleeps with every night and man I'm jealous they are cool! He is also a diabetic and has Asthma! so he has a lot of health stuff but he takes it fine! He has a scholarship to play corner at Dixie so he is a solid little athlete!

7.  We had a solid week for being so out of it! We taught a ton of new people so I am grateful that things are working out and that we are getting off to running start. We got 5 new investigators this week so that was a totally blessing! Let's hope it continues that way! The lord has work for US to do!!!

8. Whitewashing is hard! Sometimes I have no idea what I am doing! actually a lot of times, but that is alright, it is learning! It is also hard to be training under these circumstances but it is alright, I am learning and growing The Lord and President Smith must trust me a lot to let me do this! So lets pray that I come through with this!

9. We have two super solid elders helping us getting started and man is that a blessing but it is super weird! I am the oldest time wise,  I have been on my mission the longest of them all! It was weird to find that out! They are way cool, Elder Garn and Elder Parsons! So we have been rolling around town in a group of 4 as we learn the area! It is really nice of them! They are really good missionaries! And super helpful I am grateful for them!

10. In the little branch of Monroeville there are about 50 people that come every week. Of those 50 about 10 are redheads so I fit in perfectly! Man everyone loved me cause of my hair so it was a good start! The branch building is super small it is crazy there are about 8 rows of pews and that is it! And it was barely full! So we have a lot of work to be doing.. I'm excited!

Elder Taylor