The Theme of the Week is Trust

Hey hey!
We have had another fantastic week. On Thursday we had a celebration
for Sister R because she completed the 7 day - 15 step smoking
cessation program - -she made it!!! I can't even comprehend how
powerfully addictions (of any kind) grip a person. So many people we
talk to have a desire to make changes to help better their health and
allow them to come closer to Christ but they fall back into the same
routine. I am so so proud of Sister R for relying on the Lord to help
her through. Our ward has also been a fantastic support as she works
towards her goal of a temple recommend.

We had service this week at the thrift shop! This has got to be one of
my favourite places to serve because you always end up with funny
stories. Some of the things we sort are ridiculous. Mostly we go
through clothing and organize the pieces based on size and color. This
week we found some really fancy wedding dresses from the 80's and a
few ugly sweaters in the donations. It's the simple joys in life...

I love being a missionary and talking with EVERYONE- it's my favourite
part of the mission. You get the chance to talk with people of all
walks. Let me tell you one fun story from Roseville mission life...
we visited a less active single dad and his 11 year old son. Let's
call the dad C and the boy T for the purposes of this story
So we go in to teach about the law of tithing. As members of the
church we willingly pay 10% of our income to the church. By acting on
faith and paying tithing we receive lots of blessings. We are given
everything from God so giving back 10% of the 90% we enjoy is a small
way to show our gratitude. The tithing money goes to lots of things -
building temples and meeting houses, paying the electricity bills and
property taxes, providing relief supplies in disasters all over the
world and tons of other things.

Anyways T has a hard time staying focused and C was not in the room
for most of the lesson because he was making food for a single adults
dinner.
We started talking about the blessings that come from paying tithing
and this is how our conversation went...

Missionaries- what blessings have you seen in your life this past
week? (trying to keep him engaged and thinking about the topic)
T- nothing....no blessings...
Missionaries- did you get a chance to play with your new pet bird? ( T
LOVES birds, he is passionate about this topic- usually it becomes a
distracting topic but today we figured it would bring back his
interest)
T- silence
Missionaries- Did you make it up a level with your video game?
(another passion of T)
T- silence...
Sister H (our member present for the lesson)- Did you wake up this
morning!?! Cuz that's a blessing!!!
Still no response - we wondered if he is even listening at this point....

C walks back into the room so we try and engage him. T takes the lead
on this one.

T- Dad what blessings have you seen in your week?
C- Well I don't know
T- Well did you wake up this morning!?! That's a blessing!!! He said
it with so much sass and to his credit HE WAS listening!

At the start of the lesson I asked T if he plans on paying his tithing
when he grows up and gets a job and he told me 'NO! Because I'm
probably going to have financial problems.' By the end of the lesson
he came around and said he could pay tithing when the day comes.
SUCCESS!

Such a funny kid.

I also love dinner time conversations with the members. They have
shared some great insight with us. I love asking how they met and
decided to get married. Some of the stories we hear belong in a book
so I decided I'm making my own book full of stories and life advice
from the people.

Ben and Dennae (I used their name already in a previous email) are
progressing really well. This week was a bit rough for them but they
find ways to overcome the difficulties they face. We shared 'the for
strength of youth' booklet with them and the spirit taught them so
much! We didn't say a single thing but they made a pact together-
Dennae gets rid of her gauges and Ben will cut his hair. I love when
the spirit does all the work!

We had zone conference this week and after all the missionaries
crossed the road to get something to eat at the strip mall. I decided
to run but my ankles decided to stop working and I went flying! I
surfed the pavement pretty good - blood soaked my tights and palms.
Walking and shaking hands hurt pretty bad for a few days- two things
that are vital to being a missionary! I'm all good now. It's more
funny than anything else. I was embarrassed mostly because our whole
zone saw it happen. Oh well!

This week I realized that some people really struggle to trust and
believe in anything. We had a lesson with a less active member whose
life is a faith crisis. This has been hard for me to wrap my mind
around mostly because I can't comprehend not having faith in ANYTHING.
Her lack of faith extends further than just gospel related things. It
was hard because as a missionary you help people but I realized there
was nothing profound I could say or do to change her stance. The only
thing I can do is continue to show love and visit with her.

Lots of people have been asking about my health so here is an update-
this week was a pretty dizzy one :( Thanks to everyone praying for me!
I had some really good days but the challenge still continues. I so
appreciate the times I am well - on those days I feel I can conquer
the world!! I hope this week things improve.

I want to share an amazing story a former investigator shared with us.
We visited her home originally to share a message with her son B but
instead we ended up having a great visit with B's mom C ( sorry if all
these letters get confusing- I want to respect the privacy of the
individuals so letters is how we will try and keep things clear)

C was at the lowest of low points in her life. Her son B is the only
thing that kept her going. She was getting out of an awful marriage
and didn't like her job. The life circumstances pushed her into
depression and life felt pretty hopeless. She was working as a police
officer on graveyard shift. One night she was assigned to ride a
motorcycle and found herself crying uncontrollably under her helmet.
She had contemplated ending her life many times but her son was the
only thing that kept her going. She exited on an off ramp onto an
empty road. She prayed asking God what he wanted her to do with her
life- she desired any form of direction. As she drove down the empty
road something caught her eye. It was a book sitting on its spine
opened up and the pages fluttered in the wind. Never before had she
stopped for anything that wasn't work related but she felt compelled
to stop and pick up that book. She pulled over and picked it up- it
was a Book of Mormon! She had seen a copy before but had never read it
before. Seeing it as a sign she took the book with her and read a bit
over the next few days. A short time later the door bell rang and two
'little boys in suits' started talking to her. Thinking they were
Jehovah Witnesses she tried to end the conversation so she could close
the door. As they were talking the missionaries said the word Mormon
and that caught her attention. She invited them in and readily
accepted the gospel.
She told us she knows the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
is the one true church. She has such a strong testimony and faith! She
said she isn't in a place to commit to baptism right now. She knows
there are changes she would have to make in her life and she isn't
confident that she can live the commandments 100% right now. Being a
perfectionist I can understand her thinking but if you wait until you
can do something 100% you will NEVER start anything! This life isn't
about being perfect- if it were we would all fail. The atonement is
the saving grace when all our efforts don't equal 100%.

One last highlight of the week....I saw Elder Duce on Saturday!!!! It
was so nice to run into a familiar face. I didn't know we would see
each other but a baptism from our stake was connected to his stake
(the person being baptized moved just days before the baptism). It was
surreal- over a year and a half has passed since we saw each other. It
was wonderful to catch up on mission stories and experiences.

My Ponderizing scripture of the week is found in Psalms 37: 4-5

4 -Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the
desires of thine heart.

5 -Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring
it to pass.

I'm learning more and more as you open up and trust Heavenly Father
with all the desires of your heart he will bless you. A lot of the
time we are in our own head and we forget to let others in. At times
we even neglect to keep Heavenly Father in the loop. He wants to bless
you! Those blessings come in so many different ways. I am working
harder at remembering to share my ideas and thoughts with others. My
prayers are becoming more involved and I can feel my relationship with
God improving.

The theme this week is trust. Our investigators are learning to trust
in their Heavenly Father, trust that things will work out and trust
that His timing is perfect. Faith requires action and these people are
movin' :)

Talk to you again in 7!!!

All the best!
-SIster Taylor