Letter from Sister Taylor 3/18/2014

03/05/2014

Today's email from Sister Taylor:

Hi! SO, I want to tell you about my week starting with Friday! After I emailed, we went into the city and did some shopping for this week! I went to Mr. Cheney’s and they had the PIZZA PARTY that you sent me mom! I loved it! There are only 5 people in my district so we had a feast!! Thank you so much mom! I know you didn’t have to do that! So thank you! And my whole district says thank you also! lol So My new companion is so great! We have the exact same personality and we both have sass so sometimes they clash but it totally works out. She is from Oklahoma and she is brand new! She studies Portuguese though so we are about at the same level language wise. She is super independent and DOES NOT like being told what to do or how to do something. HMMM who does that sound like...lol But nonetheless she is great! We get along just fine! Okay so Saturday was normal and super busy. But, Sunday was soo great! We had fast Sunday obviously and it was great I fasted for Adam mostly that he would have health and remember how much I love him, but I also fasted for an elders friend names Marcus who was serving a mission when he found out he has a tumor in his back and needs to go through surgery. Please keep him in your prayers. I also bore my testimony Sunday! I did most of it in Portuguese but I wanted to tell my conversion story so I did that in English! It was hard to switch back and forth! But it was good! Our sacrament meeting only had about 20 people in it so everyone got to bare their testimonies. It was super amazing to just watch the gift of tongues work. Crazy! And then at lunch on Sunday I was told to come to the leadership meeting and guess what! I got called to be the Sister District Training Leader for my district and for the entire CTM...so I am an assistant to the Mission Presidents wife! Thanks for jinxing me mom! lol it’s not assistant to the president but it’s the next best thing! And yes they are Mission President Swensen and Sen Comp The Fergusons. They are so sweet and so helpful! I love them! Then during the Sunday night devotional I was listening to sister Swensen talk about us being missionary examples in everything we do. I keep seeing modesty issues everywhere. Like Slits in the skirts and floor length skirts and tight stuff and blah blah blah so I thought about us doing something fun that will get the sisters involved. I thought of doing a modesty fashion show! I know right! Such a great idea! So, I talked to her about it and she wants me to plan the whole thing by THIS SUNDAY! I have to make an entire fashion show and translate it in Portuguese and Spanish! AHHH! Ha-ha so, I did! I finished everything yesterday and met with all of the sisters last night! Hopefully they come up with their part by 2morrow night! I was kind of slacking recently but you guys know that I work my best under pressure and that is exactly what this calling is doing. Now I never have free time because I’m filling it with stuff I know needs to get done! I love it! Then, on top of everything I am singing a duet this Sunday with an elder! I know that they can’t record this one so I’m sorry! But we are singing come thou fount! It’s going to be great! I am just adding to the list aren’t I! lol then Monday was super normal! On Tuesday we had a devotional and the President of the Temple came and spoke to us! It was ALL in Portuguese and I didn’t use a head set! I understood most of what he said! I took a whole page of notes! When it was over, I was like oh my goodness that was in Portuguese! That’s crazy! Ha-ha it was really cool. Then at the end of the devotional a group of Brazilians sang. Let me first explain that piano is not a common instrument in Brazil. So, wards don’t ever have a pianist. A lot of the times they sing off key because they don’t know what the key is. They just go by what they heard their parents sing. So, the singing itself was not...let’s just say it wasn’t MoTown... However, when they sang Joseph Smiths first prayer I almost cried. Yup I just said that! I almost cried. I didn’t pay attention to the music but I felt their spirit. I felt their testimony of the gospel. I felt that expression through their faces and through their words. They recited the First vision it was sooo moving. My companion later told me that she felt the same way. And she said “you know what, it doesn’t matter if we speak the language perfectly because when you have the spirit, they will feel our testimony”. I loved that she said that! It was just what everyone needed. It was so humbling. I probably felt the spirit more in that performance than I have any other time. Then last night a new sister arrived! She wasn’t supposed to be here until this morning but she came! I was told to not leave her but also that 2day is not her pday so she cannot come with us. So, this morning we missed the temple because I did not want to leave her. But, it’s the Olsen’s last Pday and we are all going to a Brazilian steakhouse! Yum! I will tell you more next week! I love everyone so much! Please send my love! I miss you Adam and Aizy! I miss you Grant and Congrats with you and Britt! I miss you Crissy and tell Jodee I miss her too. I miss you Daddy, everyday! I miss you Mommy so much! I love you all and I hope I have a good experience in the streets today! Love always, Sister Taylor!!!

                                      Kari's Pizza Party from Mr Cheney's across from the CTM!

February 28, 2014

Hi Everyone,

I can’t believe our ward is splitting! That is soo crazy! I am happy and sad.

But this week has been kind of weird and crazy! So I got a new companion. Sister Neal! She is soo sweet and soo smiley! She’s a chicken in a barrel ha-ha I’m just kidding with the country saying. LOL Everyone says I have a country accent and I don’t. They are just weird. Anyway, Sister Neal was in Provo for 5 days. So she was like how I was with the other sisters. It is now my 4th week and she is on her first. LOL So I get to help her out because I know exactly how she feels. Our lessons are a little well umm iffy. Lol because I do all the talking in chopped up Portuguese. But it’s something to work on and definitely something I needed. We are now moved to another district. My old district leaves this Tuesday. I leave to Porto Alegre on March 18th! I can’t believe this went by so fast. Well my new district has PDAY ON WEDNESDAYS. Which means I am going to the temple this Wednesday and I get to email again on Wednesday? I am now used to the climate! Finally! But I still get hot super easily. They said if you want to send a package to my mission home then that is fine but I won’t be at my mission home until March 18th... Letters only take 8 days to get here so you can send those! But packages just take forever and I don’t know why. For anyone who wants to send me letters please do! Mail is the one thing that EVERYONE looks forward too. It takes about 8 days and I am here for another 3 weeks... So SEND, SEND, SEND! Lol I definitely picked up the gist of Portuguese. The hard part is the conjugation! But I will get it! Today we are all going out for cookie milkshakes at Mr. Cheney’s! It’s going to be soo good! Lol I can’t wait!

I miss you guys bunches and Please send my love to everyone!

Sister Taylor