August 29, 2011

Dear friends-

Yay for news from the mission. Here we go:

Sickness

I got sick this week with something gross, but luckily it only lasted one day. It was one of the few times when I have had to stay in because of my own sickness. 

The work rolls on

There isn´t too much new things from the sector. We have had lots of learning about how to set goals and using faith to set and complete them. We also finally have one progressing investigator. He is a 17 year old (we are teaching the entire family) named Felix. He is really nice and seems to have a sincere desire to know the truth.

Changes

So, guess what? Big surprise, Elder Barrett is leaving. He is following in my footsteps and will be having a 5th comp in his 5th change. Want to know the real surprise? I am going to be training! Yep, the only details I have is that my comp will be a gringo fresh from the U.S. of A. I am not sure if he will get here tomorrow or on Wednesday. I am really excited to train.

Well, that is all for know folks. Have a great week and I will have fotos next week!

Love-

Elder Taylor Thomas

August 15th, 2011

Hey Friends-

This email should be a bit more interesting.

Progress?

I guess it depends on how you define it. In terms of investigators progressing to baptism, nil. However, the ward is progressing. The Bishop is still doing well and we had an awesome PEC (for those of you who are deficient in the realm of Church acronyms, Priesthood Executive Commitee) yesterday. We actually talked about people, plans to help them, and that next week`s meeting is to follow up on the assignments. So cool, I was really impressed with these new leaders we have in the ward: new second counselor in the Bishopric, new EQP (Elders Quorum President), and a new Dry (intentional mistake) Priests Group leader. I will inform all of you next week of the moment in which we have a progressing investigator.

Pizza Night

So, now that I am back in the city, I have started eating Pizza again (because it basically didn`t exist in the Coast or in the campo). It has been great tasting and makes me miss American food.

Weird divisions (what we call splits)

So, Elder Call (one of the elders in the pension) is leaving today for the USA 2 weeks early so that he can go to school. Because of this, we had a strange day of divisions. I won`t lie that it is absolute terror leaving your companion with another member of the ward. Yes, the members are trustworthy, but it is companion seperation anxiety. I actually had to have Elder Barrett stay with the Bishop while Elder Tialavea and I went to pick up his comp from President King. But, no one died or got lost. Anyway, sorry for the random thought. Maybe it will shed some light on missionary life.

Up next week...

I now have in my possesion a voice recorder; therefore, I got the idea that I would record "A day in the life of a missionary" (a very unimaginative title). So, if I have time this week, I will record roughly every hour a little note about what is going on with the goal to satisfy the curiosity of what actually happens during a normal day here. This proposition depends on whether or not I have time and if I do not get lazy/forget. I hope you all enjoyed this final, very noncomittal, paragraph. I also hope that all of you are doing well.

Love-

Elder Taylor Thomas

P.S. We got our portable DVD player, it rocks. 

Miracles

NOTE:  The first paragraph is answering Vallen's question about a program in Chile that is helpful in the reactivation efforts.


Dear amigos-

So, quick updates

The reactivation thing he was talking about is called Permaneced (literally the command form of the verb "to remain, stay") and comes from the vine and the husbandman in John 15. I really like it, but the members still don´t completely understand the purpose of it in my opinion. They just think it is a program to get people back to church and only really think of it as the paper that has the message. Really, Permaneced is about the meaning of Endure to the End and how we need to do anything in our power to keep the Spirit with us. Elder Amado of the seventy (the old Area President) emphasized it with a message he gave in the area Chile add in of the Liahona. He talked about the it isn´t some glorious attempt to increase the attendance or home teaching numbers. He said that it was a review of the plan of Salvation and something that we need to do everyday. 

Miracles

We have seen quite a few miracles with our Bishop here. When I got here, all I heard about was problems with the Bishop. Since then, Elder Barrett and I have worked with him a lot and he has become so cool. We had a FHE with him last week, and yesterday he accompanied us on visits for 3 hours. He wants our ideas and help and is working really well with us. Now we are helping him get the ward fired up to do missionary work! We have seen the hand of the Lord in our work as we have done this.

Our Zone activity and pictures

So today we went to Santa Lucia (again) as a Zone. I found some cool things and took some cool pictures. Today was really clear because the rain yesterday cleared out the smog. One picture is a zoomed up view from the hill on my sector, one is me with Elder Barrett, and the others are some hopefully artistic fotos that you all should like. I have to say that I really like downtown Santiago.

Love-

Elder Taylor Thomas

July 25, 2011

Taylor has a big task ahead of him in his new area.  One of his priorities is to rally the ward members to help with the missionary efforts and another is to make new contacts.  Luckily, Taylor always likes a challenge.  Thanks for all of your prayers on his behalf.

Hey everybody-

Changes!

So, I am sure all of you people who actually still read and/or follow my letters are wondering where I am. I am in the city again in Zone San Miguel in barrio Departamental. This sector is directly north of my first sector, Lo Ovalle. Yep, my new sector borders my first one, and I can see down into it when we walk on the south side of our Sector. As for my companion, his name is Elder Barrett. I do not have pictures yet, but I am sure that we will have some next week. Elder Barrett is from Hyrum, Utah which is close to Brigham City. He is the same height as Elder Lewis at 6 feet, 5 inches. My second giant in a row! Here is a link in Google Maps for you curious people of the general area in which I work: http://maps.google.com/?ll=-33.507407,-70.650115&spn=0.020218,0.027595&z=15.  I also live with 2 other missionaries (the Zone Leaders to be exact) in our pension who´s names are Elder Call and Elder Tialavea (who played Nose Guard on the BYU football team before the mission).

So, that is all for today. I have attached pictures of my despedidos in Villa La Foresta. There are fotos of some of the jovenes, ward members, Carlos and Sussy, and the Bishop and his family.

Love-

Elder Taylor Thomas

                                                    Goodbye Penaflor!

                                              The bishop in Penaflor and his family

                                               Elder Lewis -- Taylor will miss him!

                                                                 Elder Sanchez

July 18, 2011

Queridos amigos-

So I only have 2 topics today....:( However, they are a change.

Changes!

Yep, some of you may have heard that I would probably have changes and that President King basically told me that I did. So I found out last night that I do have changes. I will be leaving Peñaflor to parts unknown that I will find out about tomorrow. Other than that, I don`t have many details. All I know is that from what President King told us in interviews this week is that the Lord wants me somewhere specific. Also of note is that Elder Sanchez is going home today. He completed his two years and is going back to Honduras. I have fotos, but the computer has problems so I hopefully will send them next week.

Investigators

Once again, the only thing of news is about Carlos and Sussy. Sussy is softening, bit by tiny little bit. We had a family home evening with the Relief Society President and her husband (who are good friends of the missionaries). It went really well and Sussy started thinking more. Anyway, that is about it. All of you will have to wait until next week to find out where I am.

Love-

Elder Taylor Thomas

July 11, 2011

Hey friends-

This week´s email should be fun, and I will address one of the commonly asked misionary questions.

Investigators

Yay for progress. So, the only big thing of note this week is with Carlos and Sussy. Sussy is really closed off and has all of the classic problems with the doctrine ("you can´t add to the bible", "we don´t need to go to church because we are temples", etc.). We have been trying really hard to help her, but she still isn´t opening up. However, her husband Carlos came to church for the 3rd time straight this week and has said that he has felt different as he has read the Book of Mormon and gone to church. We told him that he is already getting his response from the Lord. After that, the Spirit took over and he taught his wife for 40 minutes about how she needs to open up and let God help her. IT. WAS. COOL. Yay for the Spirit!

Pig heads, rabbits, oh frabjous day!

Points for who can name where the last line of my heading came from. I have chosen today to address a very common question asked to missionaries..........what is the weirdest/grossest thing you have eaten on your mission? I will now very happily answer this question. First off is something somewhat normal, that I had never tried before. Rabbit! Yep, I ate rabbit for the first time in the mission. Fresh out of the oven cooked with onions. I actually liked it, and (although it sounds cliché) it tasted kind of like chicken. Ok, now on to the gross section. The second grossest thing I have eaten is pig head sandwich. What happens here in Chile is that when people buy a whole pig, they then grind up all of the meat of the head (supposedly with eyeballs, ears, and everything) and make something called queso cabeza (head cheese--nothing to do with what it actually is). I ate this with bread and hot sauce....mmmmmmm, yummy. Now, to the grossest thing I have EVER eaten, which almost made me throw up, is Cow stomach. Gross, gross, gross, repulsive, devilish, (insert gross adjective here). It is like eating steak fat, but with less flavor, more chewy, and incredibly disgusting. Yep.

So that is all for today. Hope you are all doing great!

Love-

Elder Taylor Thomas

June 27, 2011

Hey friends-

So I have at least a little bit to share today.

An Address change

So, our mission address has changed. It is still one email address for all of us. Basically there is only one change:

Elder Taylor Thomas

Misión Chile Santiago Oeste (you can also put in English: Santiago West Mission)

Correos Casilla 149

Avenida Pajaritos 1229 (this is the change)

Maipú, Chile

Letters that you have already sent will still get to me, but from now on, this is the new address.

The Book of Mormon

As usual, every few weeks I always say something about the Book of Mormon. This week has been interesting because we have had two Book of Mormon "shootouts" (this is NOT Bible bashing, but rather people who just love the Bible too much and don`t want to accept another book of scripture). Needless to say, it has been interesting to see the prophecies that are in the BOM come to pass right before my eyes. We were teaching a new investigator and when we got to the BOM she had a problem with it. She then said almost EXACTLY (and I am not even kidding) what is found at the end of 2 Nephi 28 (verse 29 to be exact) and in 2 Nephi 29. We also had a lesson with Carlos and Sussy and we found out that both of them (but especially Sussy) have a problem with the Book of Mormon. We answered their questions with both the Bible and the BOM and they still had problems. So now it is up to them to ask God if it is true. But it was really interesting how they are able to take one verse of the Bible and hold to it so much to not accept more scripture--yet another thing that was prophecied by ancient prophets.

So, that is about all this week, sorry for the lack of funny stories.

Love-

Elder Taylor Thomas

P.S. The foto is of our Bishop and his 16 year old son. They showed up one night and said "We are here to do service and shine your shoes." It was really awesome and really funny too.