Highest of Highs and Lowest of Lows

Well Hello Family and Friends!!!

This week has been busy! I want to tell you a little about the area I'm living in now. We live off of a highway- except it kind of feels like a main road in the city. It stretches a long way through Winnipeg- I wouldn't be surprised if it ran through the whole thing to be honest. Behind our apartment there is a train track and every morning and night the train goes though. I LOVE the noise it makes. I will miss this when it comes time for me to leave. There are also a billion Canadian Geese here!!! You think they would realize it is time to leave but yet they stick around. I also adore the noises they make. Those two things make me oddly happy. The squirrels here are also ginormous! They could pass for a small dog. I have seen a few normal sized ones running around but mostly the huge ones run around.   

It has been chilly and we have had to scrape the windshield once but no snow yet. I was able to borrow a winter coat from the mission office so I won't freeze while I'm in Winnipeg! So thankful for that! I hope to find boots today!

Sister Alder (my trainer) was able to learn sign language from her trainer when she came out. Both of her parents are deaf and therefore she is fluent in ASL. It has been fun learning it from Sister Alder- I have always wanted to learn! Our stake (multiple wards/ congregations) met together this weekends for a conference. In one of the wards there are two men that are deaf so we made sure to sit up by the front so that we could pay attention to the translator. It was a wonderful experience because I was able to learn so many new words. I can sign the missionary purpose and am leaning how to pray in ASL. This proves to me that the Heavenly Father knows his children because I have always had the desire to learn ASL but for some reason I felt it would be too hard to pick up/ I wasn't sure how to start. I am so thankful for the tender mercies he gifts us with so that we can grow.

It was during stake conference that I had a paradigm shift of sorts. My thought and feelings about Winnipeg are changing as I'm here longer. I am so thankful for my mission so far. WOW what an experience it has been so far! It was a struggle the first week because we basically re opened an area that was a combined two areas in the past. Also the stress to Sister Alder of training two new missionaries along with not even being sure of the area herself added to the frustration we all faced.

The area used to take on two wards (Dalhousie and Waverley) but the one set of sisters couldn't work fully in one or the other so it seemed that for a long while both got about half of the efforts. Now there is a set of missionaries for each of the wards and the work is moving along well. I love the people in the Waverley ward and their desire to do missionary work. We are meeting new people ach day and our teaching pool is getting bigger too. 

My challenges with my health or my companions have not fully gone away but through prayer and faith they have been relieved to a certain extent. Mosiah 24:15 from the Book Of Mormon says it well " And now it came to pass that the burdens that were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord."

 I really have had to rely on God through this week and even though things are not easy and I feel beat down , worn out and sad at times I know all will be okay. I just have to be patient. I have been seeing a nucca (sp?) chiropractor to see if that helps the dizziness but it hasn't been as effective as I hoped. I think it helps a bit but things still feel off. I have another appointment with a different specialist (who works with vestibular issues) for the vertigo on Friday this week so I'm feeling hopeful this issue can be resolved. I can feel that my burdens are being lifted so that I can still continue. 

Last week I realized I shared the wrong scripture references- I was rushed and trying to go from memory. It was in 1 Nephi that Nephi was commanded to build a ship and then in 2 Nephi 4:20 it says "My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep." I love how we can apply the scriptures to our life! 

We have been able to meet with some wonderful people this week. Karen is a sweet less active lady we saw on Wednesday. She has troubles getting out to church because of her heart problems. We love her kindness and her happy energy. She really reminds me of a patient from the smilezone I used to work with. It's neat the connections you make between people out here and back home.

As a missionary you end up going to lots of meetings and appointments but my favourites this week were the chance encounters. We went to go visit a lady who was investigating the church a while ago. She was so welcoming and excited to hear more about the message we share. We were about 15 minutes into the visit when a man came in. He said he had just gotten off of work before he joined us. As we continues on I could see his heart soften and he became engaged and excited as we discussed the Book of Mormon. We gave him a copy and he handled it with such care. The questions Abuel asked were well thought out and from his heart. When we paused I could tell his wheels were turning and by the end of the lesson he told us that this makes sense. He said we were able to answer questions he didn't even ask but had always wondered. A huge smile crossed his face and he accepted the invitation to follow Jesus Christ and prepare for baptism. Before leaving for my mission I thought it would be crazy to invite someone to be baptized before more material was covered but in the MTC I learned that  content covered has never been a qualification for baptism. His desires are pure and he wants to know God. It was the boost we all needed this week to keep going! I am so very excited to see Abuel and Elizabeth progress.

Not everyone wants to or is ready to hear the message of the gospel because it involves change. At times people are unwilling to make the changes that will benefit their life. We had one appointment this week that was an example of this. Each time we tried to share a thought she would change the topic - so in fitting with what she wanted to discuss (auto detailing) I told her that Jesus is like a car detailer- he works to clean our interiors and though it takes a lot of time and effort we can be made as new..... haha!!! Long shot I know! But it caught her interest for about 5 seconds.

Lots of people are ready to come closer to Christ and I have seen how God prepares his children long before we as missionaries show up.

We also hosted our ward Halloween party this Friday - the turnout was great and we had about 8 investigators show up for it. The kids all had fun and the costumes were creative and original. It was a wonderful event.

The mission is really the highest highs and the lowest lows! I love it!

Have a great Week!!!

Sister Taylor

Welcome to the CAN WIN mission Sister Taylor!!

Well I made it to Winnipeg!!! 

But I have some neat things to share before I tell you how things are going in this chilly city. We left the MTC on Wednesday morning at 2:30 am and boarded a bus that took us to the airport. I paired up with Sister Smith (I met her by chance on the first day and we bonded over our potential Winnipeg connection) and caught our first flight to the Denver airport. I know kind of an odd way to get from point A to B but it was interesting. It was still pretty early in the morning but Sister Smith and I were starving so we got a Jamba juice (like booster juice but a trillion times better!!) We got the opportunity to talk to lots of people in the airport while we waited for our next flight. There was a kiosk set up selling collagen cream and the guy pulled us over. We agreed to talk to him about wrinkles on the condition we could share a message about Jesus Christ. He willingly accepted and showed some interest for direction and guidance in his life but was solely focused on getting us to buy this lotion product. I can't recall his name but oh my what a character! he is 22 and wants to be married by 25 and start a family. He said all the American girls are after one thing - money and he has no interest in being the provider of fun Friday's out. I think if he was more open minded and less focused on his goal of making a sale, the message we shared would have helped him. 

My favorites Denver airport experience was with a man named Alexander. Sister Smith and I went over to use the airport phones to call home quickly but they were all taken so we walked down a bit to a free set just a few gates down. There was a man sitting by the phones and he started talking to us!! (Missionary DREAM come true!) He was holding a sketch book and I asked if he is an artist. He told us that he really likes drawing architectural designs and right now he is building his mom a house. He moved both of them clear across the country to Alaska to build her this house and start a new life. He shared a bit from his past and his struggles with PTSD and how he is working to improve his life. Alexander shared that he doesn't' t really know how to build a house but he is learning as he goes. They also don't have a lot of money so they use a 'freegan' center near his city to get a lot of the materials. I have heard of freeganism before coming out and I just think it is the neatest thing ever. Basically people drop off used items to a center that allows people to just come and take what they need/ want. He said he has been able to get a lot of needed items from those kinds of places. 

Sister Smith was able to find a scripture in 2 Nephi chapter 8 (in the Book of Mormon) I think that was relatable to Alexander's situation. I wish I could remember the verse right now but I have it written down at home. We shared a little about the Book of Mormon and what was going on in this section of the book. Sister Smith and I explained that Nephi was a prophet called of God and he was commanded to build a ship and leave his home. Where he was living the people were very wicked and the city would be destroyed. Nephi didn't know a thing about building a ship and he didn't even have any tools to do the job. He really had to trust that God would show him the way. Through Prayer and faith he was able to construct tools that allowed him to build the ship. His brothers and other people laughed at him - telling him he had no business building a boat but Nephi knew that he was commanded by God to leave his homeland and sail to a new place. We told Alexander that he was like Nephi! He said he could relate - he left his home to move to Alaska to start a new life for he and his mom. He said he didn't know how to really go about building a whole house from scratch but it was moving along. He asked some great questions and was very open and kind as we talked with him. I asked him if he had ever read from the Book of Mormon and he said he hadn't but he does own a copy!! Picked it up from the Freegan store!!!! Gah! It was wonderful! He said he wanted to learn more about it and that he would read a bit from it. We left him with our emails and our thoughts how reading from the Book of Mormon would improve his life. I am loving this book more and more each day as I can see how relatable it is to any situation any person may be facing in life!!

Okay so Winnipeg time! On Wednesday when we flew in we went to the mission office and cleared up some paperwork. That night we had dinner at the Craig's house (President and sister Craig are the Mission president and his wife- they take care of all the missionaries and oversee all the work that is done in the Canada Winnipeg Mission).  All the new missionaries spend their first night in the mission home before being assigned to their areas. The Winnipeg mission is huge- it covers Saskatchewan, Manitoba and part of Ontario - to the USA boarder. I spend the night with a set of sisters in their apartment because there were too many missionaries and not enough beds to sleep everyone at the mission home. The next day we were assigned to our areas - I got assigned to the Waverley ward in Winnipeg. I'm in a tri - pan ( meaning I have two companions to work with in this area). Sister Alder is training both Sister Geddes and I. She has been out for a little over 6 months and is from Utah. Sister Geddes is from Idaho and is brand new like me! 

I'll be honest I really miss the MTC. Being out in the field has been really hard for a number of reason but one of the big ones is my health. On the general conference weekend sister Sorensen and I watched from the bleachers - we got there early and sat at the top. With all the people filing in and moving around the seating shook quite a bit. I didn't think anything of it at the time but after we got off things were still moving and things have not been the same since. I have been feeling a constant state of nausea and that has really effected my focus. I went to a doctor in Utah while at the MTC and he said he didn't think it was what was diagnosed before ( I had this first start in 2013 with a boat ride while on vacation) but rather that it might be a different vestibular condition. He did say that from what he was seeing that it didn't fit either diagnosis perfectly and for that reason he wasn't sure how to help me. every day has been rough but I just keep praying it will go away. I have another appointment with a specialist today so we will see!!!

We opened up a new area in this ward and Sister Alder was  serving in Regina before here so we know nothing and no one. The first few days felt very unproductive but it's starting to pick up now. I've also been struggling with my companions. We have very different personalities and I often feel cut down by how my trainer speaks to me. I'm just really trying to keep positive and serve both my comps. Love conquers all right? For the past few days I've wondered why I'm even in Winnipeg and if for nothing else it was to meet and talk to Alexander. 

Some neat things about the CAN WIN mission....

The focus with the work is 

1- be diligent

2- be obedient 

3- be faith- filled 

And we are always supposed to use dignified language which basically means that we can't say things like cool, awesome, dang, shoot.... and well the rest of the list is escaping me which is okay because I never used those words before but awesome and cool are my hang ups!!!! It has been so hard. As a representative of the Lord we need to speak like one too so the goal is to get our appearance to match our speech. 

Alright this has been a long one and I have to run

take luck!

Sister Taylor

Also my mailing address is 

505 Academy Road 

Winnipeg , Manitoba Canada

R3N 0C9

Winnipeg here I come!

Well Hello There!!!

Gah!!! I can't believe my MTC experience is almost over! This past 12 days have gone by far too quickly! It's all starting to become real as I got my flight plans for Winnipeg! There are 4 missionaries in my position (from Canada and waiting for the R1 visa to be missionaries in the states) Two of them got their visas and one other missionary and I are starting in Winnipeg. As much as I said I never wanted to serve in Winnipeg (before getting my call to Roseville) I am now so enthused at the idea of going to the Winnipeg Canada Mission! I actually prayed that what ever was right would happen but if Heavenly Father would let me serve in Winnipeg I would be so honored and excited to do that. I started to get really disappointed at the thought my visa would come before I was scheduled to leave but thankfully it didn't. I had a dream on Sunday night that I was back home and the missionaries were at the house in the computer room with my mom. They told me my call had been changed and they mentioned the name of a city. I wish I had written it down but I feel like now with my flight plans confirmed it was a dream reaffirm to me that Winnipeg is where I need to start out. How cool is that?! I am so lucky!!!

So Canadian thanksgiving was this past weekend and I really missed it!!! The MTC cafeteria made a solid attempt to appease the Canadian kids. We had this weird turkey slab and sweet potatoes - which are a total favourite of mine! I missed my family making fun of me for compiling all my thanksgiving goodness into a bun- wich. They always give me a hard time for making a sandwich out of anything I can. I made my district ( the group of missionaries I have classes with) go around and say what they were thankful for. I loved it but I also longed for the tradition my family has made to celebrate all the good we are blessed with. the food at the MTC is pretty good. I get my meals out of the allergy room so the food is fresher than most of the other cafeteria food. I'm thankful they have been so accommodating to my dietary restrictions. I hope being out in the field won't be a hassle when it comes to the food. I feel so much better when I avoid the eggs,cashews, milk and wheat! 

The elders in my district left for their mission this morning and the sisters will leave tomorrow morning at 3 am. I'll join a new group for the day tomorrow and then I'm off to WINNIPEG!!! YAY! The missionaries in the district were great! All the Elders were off to Bakersfield California and all of us sister are going to Roseville California. I'll meet the other sisters there  once my visa comes in! We had 8 in our group - 4 elders and 4 sisters. It was the perfect size. We also got really lucky with the teacher we had. Her name is Brooke Evans and she is a spiritual powerhouse! She usually doesn't take on teaching districts how to be missionaries. Most times her job is to teach the teachers how to be teachers. She goes around to different missions as well and helps the missionaries improve their ability to teach people. Only once a semester does she take on a district and lucky for us we were it! We really got the best of the best! She works to help us teach people- not lessons, to transform lives rather than inform. It's an interesting dynamic because she said that most times 'mission culture' has it all wrong. She asked us to keep the skills we have learned and not let the mission culture take over and cause us to lose the focus of how the gospel can apply to anyone to improve their life and bring greater joy. I really have learned so much I wish I had time to write more- it's fantastic. I feel like I am growing so much!

So Alyssa was right! I was made sister training leader with Sister Sorrensen. Basically what that means is that we take on leadership role with all the new missionaries coming in. Some people let the title or status go to their heads but I know that it's all the same work and everyone plays a part that is so important to having things flow smoothly. Sister Evans said that Sister Sorensen and I are emotional leaders which was a really nice compliment. She always worked to boost us up when it is so natural for us to see our flaws and degrade any accomplishment we may have made.

The Sunday night devotional this week was so great! The MTC presidency spoke and it was all about being bold! We also get to watch a talk on sunday nights- they are always so super powerful! The one I watched this week was Elder Holland's ' Open your mouth'. It was a complete fulfillment of my mission motto - BE BOLD. With both talks centered around my personal motto I feel so blessed, boosted and ready to get to work!!!! 

I seriously wish I could write more! I am so appreciative to everyone who has emailed me (I do read them - just never have enough time to reply) I am also thankful for the dear elder letters I've gotten - they have been an added joy in my life as a missionary. Before leaving I was a bit scatter brained and didn't get everyone's emails and writing addresses. Know that I am thinking of you and hoping you reach out so I have your contact info.

Sending all my missionary love!!!

Sister Taylor

Letter #1 In the MTC

Hello everyone!

I am so excited that today is P- Day!!!! My heart was so happy to have all the dear elder letters throughout this week (they bring me SO MUCH JOY) and the emails - I haven't had the chance to read them all yet but hopefully I can see them all and reply in this one hour.I wish we had longer to write- so sorry if I don't reply right away.

P- Day is so so busy in the MTC and I'm sure it won't be any different when I'm out in the mission.This morning we are doing laundry, studying and writing letters. In the afternoon we are going to the temple. I'm really looking forward to that - I've missed going and realize how lucky I was to have a temple in Edmonton.  

So it looks like I really am going to Winnipeg - all the other Elders and Sisters have gotten their travel plans for Cali and I have not received anything yet in regards to Roseville California or Winnipeg Canada but I am so excited- no matter where it is. If it is Canada I'll need to buy some boots because I'm sure it's freezing there now!

My experience at the MTC has been amazing! I am learning a lot and through the process have been very humbled. I'm starting to learn that I have to rely on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ much more than I ever have before. I'm thinking about things in a whole different way and I can feel the changes taking place in me already. I'm loving who I'm becoming. 

My time at the MTC has been great- I'm not sure I'm ready to leave - hard to believe its just a few days away. I still want to grow and understand more before I leave. They say you never feel like you know enough- and that's true! But i know i understand enough. We have a fantastic teacher! Brook Evans is so genuine and sincere- she has a desire to help us grow and guides the class in a way that pushes us to think differently about topics and relate the message to any individual no matter what their circumstances are.

They keep us very busy here- every minute is scheduled so you are always engaged and never bored. Although I honestly can't recall the last time I have been 'bored' in life. It's been a whirlwind and the number of emotions I've felt can't be relayed in an email. I can already tell that serving a mission will be the best foundation for my life! I love you all so much and am so thankful for your support and well wishes.  

I'm paired up with Sister Sorrensen - she is from Utah. I was so happy to see her name as my companion - we knew each other through facebook before leaving to serve. There is a facebook group we were both on- many are called but few are sisters.On this group people share where they got called to serve and provide support as they answer questions that other sisters have. When we made the connection that we were both serving in roseville (and starting the MTC on the same day) we joked about being companions and - BAM - it happened!!! It's been a blessing to have her as my companion. She is so patient with me (At the MTC I realized how slow I am at everything! Even simple things like getting dressed, eating and leaving the house)- she waits for me and never complains.She even asks what she can do for me to help us keep going. She always goes out of her way to serve everyone around her. Sister Sorrensen reminds me a lot of Alawna- especially when we traveled together in Vietnam. I feel like I have a piece of home with me here in Utah!

We have been able to practice teaching people - right now Sister Sorrensen and I are working with two people Sharon and Ronald. I never thought I'd love complete strangers as much as I do. It's unreal! They are so good to let us practice teaching them so that we can be good missionaries. The range of issues people face in life is interesting and always requires you to take a new approach when teaching. I have gained a greater understanding of empathy. My heart is so so full in all the best ways.

We watched General Conference Saturday and Sunday (a church meeting that is on TV and the internet every April and October)  - It was a nice break from all the classes. You can watch it on www.lds.org if you missed it. I love hearing the council that is given. The messages center around Jesus Christ and the gospel. They talked about simple things like how to be happy and the blessing that families are to us - one of my favourite talks was about mothers. As I listened to it I thought about how happy I am to have such a wonderful mom. The qualities and attributes discussed are spot on with the woman my mother is. My family is just awesome! How lucky am I?! 

Anyways I should get going - time is almost up - I love you all - Keep up those Dear Elder letters (they mean the world to me!) I'll write again next week - I'm unsure when my next preparation day will be because I'll be in the mission by then but I will write when I can.

Love you all!

   

Sister Taylor