{Week 75} Polanco - May 18, 2015

Hi family! I miss you guys. The other day we went to the Visitor's Center at the temple again, and the movie about the family made me cry. I'm excited to hug you all again.  And Tony Romas sounds great! And my favorite dessert is Black Forest in a Bowl! (just for your information...)

I'm not sure about what I want to talk about for my homecoming talk... I've learned so many amazing thing here that I could probably talk forever. I wouldn't mind talking about charity... or the Atonement... or the importance of having a testimony about Jose Smith and the Book of Mormon... or about seeking and following inspiration... or whatever other topic. It'd probably just be easier if they assigned me something.

(I asked her how Home and Visiting Teaching was going in her Ward, and this was her response:)

So about this ward... The visiting teaching and home teaching program in this ward is pretty much nonexistent. We are constantly trying to help everyone get excited about doing it, but this ward is a lot of talk and not a lot of action. We're working hard, but it's frustrating sometimes. I do love this ward, but I feel like taking the missionaries out will be a good thing. They're used to us doing all the work and visiting the less actives. It'll be good to get them working, even if it is al fuerzas. 

So this has been a great week with our investigators. Lots of good stuff happening!

 - Alejandro - when we first started visiting him, he just wanted to learn. He was NOT interested in getting baptized. But the other day when we saw him, he said ''I'm convinced. I can't make any excuses. I need to get baptized.'' He then said that he would definitely be getting baptized before we go home, but he felt like that week was too soon. But he also said that if we felt like he should be baptized that week, he would do it. Normally we would have said ''Yes! This week!'' but we both felt really strongly that we should wait a week to give us more time to teach him so that he would be more prepared. So now the plan is for this Saturday. He's been progressing a ton. He has changed so much since we started visiting him. Pray for him! 

I love seeing the changes in people's lives as they start to live and believe in the thing we teach them. It's amazing the power that the Atonement has to help us pick our lives up and change things around, and to help us become better people. 

 - Carlos - He is a huge example of how through faith we can change our lives. On Monday night, we went and knocked on his door, and he came out!... drunk. He was really sad, and said that he hadn't wanted us to see him like that, and that's why he was hiding from us. But he decided to come clean. We talked to him for about five minutes in front of his house, and we made an appointment for the next day. When we came back, we knocked on the door and his daughter came out, and told us that he was still drunk. Normally at that point, we would have just left and come back later, but Gustavo (remember Gustavo? he's fellowshipping Carlos and always comes with us to the appointments) asked if we could go talk to him anyway. So she let us in, and we went and chatted with Carlos for about thirty minutes. He's a really sturdy drunk, and if we didn't smell the alcohol, we wouldn't have even known he was drunk. We had a great chat with him - Gustavo helped him a ton. We talked a bit about the faith and how if he put in his part and had the desire, he could turn his life around. When we left, we could tell that he was sincere in  his desire to change. That night he went with Gustavo to the addictions class that Adolfo is giving in the church. We've been visiting him everyday to help him, and he is doing so great. He came to church on Sunday, and in the Gospel Principles class they were talking about faith, and the teacher asked him when he was going to start exercising his faith, and he said ''ya empezé'' (I already started). His original baptismal date was for yesterday, but we had to change it. When we invited him to prepare to get baptized on the 7th of June, he said ''You bet. This time I'm really going to do it!'' He is progressing a ton! 

 - Bertha - she is amazing. When we put her baptismal date, she said yes before we even finished the question. We taught her about keeping the Sabbath day holy, and the next day she told us about the plans that she and her husband have to not sell hamburgers on Sunday night anymore so that they can keep the Sabbath day holy. You have no idea how big of a miracle this is. NOBODY here keeps the Sabbath day holy - they all buy food, and a ton work. So it's amazing to see her faith and desire to keep the commandment. And her husband doesn't want anything to do with us, but he is really supporting his wife which is a huge blessing. On Sunday I sat beside her 5 year old daughter Alison in church, and helped keep her entertained. That was so much fun - I miss watching kids in church!

We also went to the temple on Saturday - we took Alejandro, Gustavo, and Rosa and her family to the Visitor's Center at the temple. They loved it. 

Us with Rosa and her family at the Visitor's Center.

Us with Gustavo at the Visitor's Center.

They show us a video about a family there, and then after, ask what we thought about it. It's an amazing video, and always touches everyone. Victor, Rosa's 7 year old son, was crying really hard afterwards. The two Sisters giving the tour asked him why he was crying, and he said it was because he wanted a little brother or sister. He told them that his little sister died, and he missed her. It was so sad - not a dry eye in the group. Rosa was crying really hard too. It was amazing to testify with the Sister's there that their family could be together. The spirit was so strong. I love going to the Visitor's Center! And I am SUPER excited to go to the temple when I come home! I haven't been to the temple in a long time! 

Alejandro, Rosa, Israel, Gustavo, me, Victor, and Hna Ingram at the temple! 

And on Wednesday we went back to the President's house and finished designing the year long training program for the mission with him, his wife, and the assistants. It was a lot of fun! 

And funny story! Remember how I told you that Bertha's little boy is deaf? Well... he's not. When she first introduced us to him, she said ''this is my son Jonothan. He's 2. He's left handed.'' That's where we got confused, because the word for left handed is ''zurdo'', but we thought she said ''sordo'' which means deaf. So we went for like a week thinking he was deaf. And he's a really quiet kid - never talks, so we believed it. And honestly, how many people introduce their kid saying ''This is my son. He's left handed.''? So anyway, the other day she mentioned again that her son was ''zurdo''. So Hna Ingram asked how they came to realize that he was ''sordo'', and Bertha told us that they noticed that he had started to use his left hand for everything. And we were thinking ''What does using his left hand have to do with being deaf?'' So we were like ''Wait wait wait... what is he?'' And that's when she explained to us what zurdo meant, and we explained that we thought she had been saying sordo. We had a really good laugh over that one!

I'm really enjoying being with Hna Ingram. We laugh a ton, and we get along well and we work well together. It's a blast! 

Last night I couldn't sleep for some reason, so around 12 I went up and just sat on the roof for a bit. I could see the city lights go on forever. There was mariachi music and fireworks in the distance. There was a lot of noise, but at the same time it was really peaceful. It was beautiful. I love this place. 

I love you all tons. I hope you all have a great week. Be good, say your prayers, and enjoy Waterton!

love, 

Hna Taylor

{Week 74} Polanco - May 11, 2015

Hi family! It was really strange talking to you all yesterday. I was waiting for the tears, but they didn't come until we had already hung up. I love it here, but I am getting really excited to see you all soon. And this morning Hna Ingram and I went to centro, to the marketplace Ciudadela again, and I bought you all your trinkets... they may not be exactly what you all asked for, but I think you'll like them! I do! I love the traditional Mexican stuff so much! My future house is going to be decorated en una manera muy méxicana!

The APs are Perea and Kelshaw. Our ZLs are Esplin, Garret, and Hixen. They're in a trio because Esplin and Garret go home at the same time I do, and they're training Hixen to be a ZL. My DL is Elder Lee.

So President Stutznegger and his wife are in search of 30 General Conference talks about the Savior to give to the missionaries -  if you have any suggestions you want to send me or him, it'd be really helpful! Thanks.

So you already know that on Wednesday we were in the President's house for most of the day - we made a year long training program for the mission. But we didn't finish it, so next Wednesday we're going back to finish it off. I love being in the president's house - it's super peaceful. We had arrived Tuesday at his house, and then Wednesday morning he went to go pick up the assistants, so while we waited we were just doing personal study. I spent about 2 hours just studying one scripture - John 14:6. I learned a ton of stuff - it was an answer to prayer. One of the messages I got really strong was about the importance of having charity - the way. I could feel so strongly the love that my Heavenly Father and Jesus have for me and for everybody, and I feel like I could understand even better the  need to love everybody. I also learned quite a bit about personal revelation - the truth. It's been so amazing to me to see when I diligently search for revelation, the Lord really does reveal things line upon line, and precept upon precept. And it's through this personal revelation that I find the strength to do as He asks, and I feel His love even stronger. I also learned a lot about the Atonement - the life. I know that through Christ's atonement, we can receive eternal life. Heavenly Father wants us to return to live with Him. We just have to love Him with all our heart, might, mind, and strength. And if we truly love Him, we will do as He asks without being compelled to do it. I have really come to love the scriptures over these last 17 months - there are so many treasures found in them, and if we study them everyday, and apply the things we learn to our lives, we can truly change and become the people He wants us to be. 

Our investigators are doing well...

 - Alejandro - we had a great appointment with him on Saturday night. Before, he didn't even really believe that there was a need for him to get baptized - he just liked learning. But on Saturday it was like everything clicked, and he felt the spirit, and came to understand and feel like he needed to be baptized. We have an appointment with him tonight, and depending how things go, he should be getting baptized on Saturday! He has progressed so much since we started teaching him. He's a really great guy. 

 - Bertha - we found her on Tuesday, but she wasn't able to meet with us at all in the week. Sunday we passed by to bring her to church, and she said that she wasn't going to be able to go. We testified to her that it would really help her if she came, so she said she'd meet us there. They say that a lot, but then never show up. but she actually did! About 15 minutes late, but she came! That was a miracle for us, and tomorrow we have another appointment. 

 - Carlos - we've lost Carlos! We can't find him. We don't know if he's avoiding us, or if we just have really bad timing, but pray for him and that we'll find him, because he has so much potential. 

- Nora - she came to church again, but she's really not sure how she feels about the whole baptism thing... pray for her too!

- Edith - she's still not married,  but she came to church on Sunday... she also needs lots of prayers. 

And remember Rosa and Israel? They're the ones that have to get divorced and married before they can get baptized. They are so amazing. We meet with them once a week, and they always come to church on Sunday. Right now they technically don't count as investigators, because they can't get baptized, but we love them. They have such a desire to get baptized, and are working hard to be able to do it. We always feel so happy when we teach them. We love them! The picture is them at the church. 

This is Israel, Rosa, and Victor. I love this family!

 And I love Mother's Day! They gave everyone ice cream in church! And it was Cheese flavor, which is my favorite. It's seriously soooo gooood. You'll have to try it sometime. 

So we've been walking a lot lately... and May is pretty much the hottest month here, so we are always sweltering! Then it always rains at night, so our shoes get wet on the way home. And our area is a lot bigger, and lately people haven't been home, so we usually end up walking around for a couple hours in the hot sun just contacting... lots of fun. 

We also did divisions this week. Hna Ingram went to Oriental with Hna Ortiz, and I stayed in P--- with Hna Valdivia. She's from Tijuana, Baja California, and she goes home when I do. We had a good time together. Divisions are fun - a nice change of pace, and I always learn something new. This week we're trying to do them with Hna Gurley and Hna Llaguarima. Hopefully we're able to do it! 

So that's everything for now! It's so crazy to think I'll only be sending 4 more emails before I come home. I love you all tons and hope you all have a great week. And I'll talk to you soon! Be good, say your prayers, and study the scriptures! love you :)

- Hermana Taylor

Mothers Day Skype

{Week 73} Polanco - May 5, 2015

First of all...

MOM!!!!! Happy 46th birthday! I love you so much! 

Just for your information, today is also the Mexican celebration of the battle of Puebla... everyone has school off, but that's about the extent of their partying.

So this has been a fun week! 

On Monday, we got to go to the CCM (Mexico City MTC) to pick up the new missionaries - there is only one new sister, Hna Wong from Baja California. The CCM is really pretty and clean, so I was happy we got to go there. 

The CCM - Hna Wong, Hna Ingram, me, the Assistants Elder Schaap and Elder Perea, and two of the new Elders, Flores and Pacheco

We then went back to the office, and spent a little while training the greenies with the Assistants (and playing a little basketball with a volleyball and a bucket screwed on the wall). 

Then we came to the President's house with Hna Wong where we spent the night! We slept on really comfy mattresses, but it was so hot that night that we hardly slept.  The next morning, we went to the Changes Meeting, and enjoyed that a lot. A bunch of members from our ward came to the meeting to say goodbye to Hna Mercedes, Hna Luque, and Elder Evans. They brought Mariachis which was hilarious - a bunch of dressed up Mexican men singing to the missionaries! It was crazy. 

Then we came back to the President's house with the Assistants and all the missionaries that were going home. We had a nice meal, and a testimony meeting. Then we sent the Elders to the mission offices, and we stayed with the Sisters that were going home! - Hnas Luque, Mercedes, Williams, Nance, and Monarez. We enjoyed our evening together, playing games and chatting. Then, Hna Ingram and I slept on the blow up air mattresses in front of the open porch door - and it was raining outside. We had such an amazing sleep! It was the best sleep I've had in awhile. Then we woke up at 3:30 to take Hna Luque and Hna Mercedes to the airport! That was fun - but super sad. I hugged them both so hard. I love them tons, and it's really sad to think that I might not ever see them again. I cried for a little while after we said goodbye to them. 

Farewells to Hnas Luque and Mercedes at the airport.

Then we raced over to the mission office (this is the President, Sis Stutz, Hna Ingram, and I) to get the next batch of Elder's to board the plane. They were going to be up and ready waiting for us so that when we pulled into the office at 6 they could jump in and we could leave... but when we got there only Elder Schaap (the old assistant that's going home) was ready - the rest were still sleeping. But they all got up fast and were ready to go. That was a hilarious airport trip because Elder Evans had one suitcase, and a laundry bag filled with stuff that he was planning to send through the baggage thing. When we got to the airport, he had to juggle all his stuff because his suitcase was too heavy. So he and Elder Norr were there in the line opening his suitcases and throwing his stuff around. Then they wouldn't accept his laundry bag unless he plastic wrapped it. So he had this giant blue plastic wrapped laundry bag ball that he checked into the baggage. It was so funny. After they took off, we did one more airport run with a few others, then finally headed back to our area and got to work. 

Hna Taylor and Elder Evans - two missionaries from the same hometown.

And yesterday, the President and Sis Stutznegger took us to Ciudadela - a market place where they sell Mexican clothes and trinkets. We had a blast there and I bought two dresses! We spent the whole day with them, and that night we had appointments, so that's why we didn't have time to write. And today, we worked in the morning, then we had to come to the president's house again - we're having a meeting with him and the assistants tomorrow to plan our training program for the year. So right now we're in his house doing nothing, and that's why we decide to write today! So I'm sitting in his nice office on his huge fancy computer in a really comfy chair writing ya'll! 

Hna Taylor with the Stutzneggers and what looks like a little Mexican man trinket!

And when Elder Evans went home, they took his companion Choc out of the area. So we now have the biggest area in our whole zone! We are now the only missionaries in our ward, and our ward is one of the biggest. My area practically just more than doubled in size. When Hna Ingram and I finish our mission, they're planning to shut down our ward completely for missionaries. We're kind of sad about that, but we feel like it will be really good for the ward in the long run. We told the Bishop and the ward mission leader the other day that that was the plan, and they were sad, but now they're making a whole bunch of plans about how they're going to work - this ward is suddenly more excited about missionary work than ever, which is ironic because they're taking the missionaries out!

But we're seeing some really good stuff happen! We've got a bunch of investigators...

- Alejandro - the elders were teaching him. He's already come to church like 6 times. but he has a ton of doubts and is really not sure what he wants to do. But yesterday we had a great lesson with him - we challenged him to pray right there with us and ask God if it was all true and if he should get baptized. So he did! We all kneeled down and he prayed - Hna Ingram and I were both praying at the same time so hard in our hearts that he would feel the spirit. When he ended his prayer, he just kind of sat there with his eyes closed for a good five minutes. Then we all sat down again, and he told us that he felt really peaceful. So right now we're working with him for May 16th for his baptism. He's a hard case, but I know that he can do it. We're also getting to know his family a lot better - his wife and Ana and his 2 kids. We're trying to arrange teaching them too.

- Nora - So we contacted her son Alberto by knocking on their door, and he gave us a return appointment. But when we came back, he was sleeping, but Nora let us in to teach her. She loved our message. The next morning we dropped by to take her to church with us, and she and her husband Jose came! They only stayed for Sacrament meeting, but they liked it, and Jose wanted to know when we'll come teach him too. So they're both doing pretty great!

- Edith - this is the mom (her daughter Edith got baptized a couple weeks ago) she's great, but she just needs to get married so she can get baptized - and her husband works in the army so he's never home and it's been hard to find a time for it to happen. She's great, we just don't want her to get cold, and decide not to do it.

- Carlos - he's progressing really well, but on Sunday he had to leave town and didn't come to church, so his baptismal date fell through. :( But we'll be seeing him on Thursday and we'll work with him to put a new goal.

- Bertha - She was a reference from a new convert named Lourdes. We actually just barely taught her for the first time this morning, and it was really good. The Spirit was strong. And she told us that she felt really peaceful, and that that was what she had been missing in her life. So we have some high hopes for her. She's married, but her husband doesn't want anything, and her kids are really cute - her daughter is 5 and her son is 3 and is deaf. 

These are the investigators that we have right now, and they could all use a ton of prayers! 

We also have high hopes for a family that we met on Sunday. We were walking down the street, and we passed a lady and her daughter. They kind of did the double take and looked at us, (but that's normal here), then kept walking. I actually felt like I should contact them, but for some reason I didn't. Then the mom stopped and shouted after us, asking if we spoke English. Her daughter had some English homework with her, but didn't know how to do it. So they took us to their house which was in the other street, and let us in and gave us juice, and we helped the little girl with her homework for about 30 min. While doing that, the whole family gathered around to see who the strange white girls in their house were, so we started chatting and introducing ourselves and explaining that we were missionaries. We told them that we'd like to come back to keep helping with her English homework, but also to teach them all about God - and they said yes! So on Friday we have an appointment to go teach them. It's a family of 5 - and they seem really great. We have some high hopes for them - they could also use your prayers! 

So it's been a great week! i love it here. Hna Ingram and I are having a lot of fun together. We speak some crazy Spanglish and it's hilarious. We get along great, so that makes it easy to work hard and help people. I'm loving life and can't believe that the time is rapidly coming to an end. The members here looove reminding us that we're going home soon. But we're having a great time.  I love Mexico. 

Hope you all have a great week. You're all amazing. Katia, I'm glad you're okay. Jenna, you rock that Bball. Jordy and Carlee, keep up the the good work in softball! Mackenzie, I love you. Chelle, I love you too. Dad, thanks for your letters. I love hearing from you. Logan, you're pretty awesome too. Addison, I don't know you yet, but I'm looking forward to hugging you! And Mom, thank you so much for faithfully writing me every week. I love reading your letters. You're pretty much the best mom that exists. Thanks for being mine. I hope you have a great birthday and I'll talk to you on Sunday. I love you all! Be good, say your prayers, and give mom a huge hug for me! And be thinking about any souvenirs that you want me to bring you - I'll be asking you all about it on Sunday. Love you!

-Hermana Taylor

Hna Luque and I.

Hna Mercedes and I.

{Week 72} Polanco - April 27, 2015

So I don't know how much time I'm going to get to write you all... I'm in the mission office. We get to do new missionary training today - that should be fun. In a bit, someone is going to come get us to take us to the CCM (MTC in Mexico City) - the old benemerito and we're going to pick up the new missionaries then come back and train them all day. Tonight we'll be sleeping in the President's house, tomorrow are changes in the morning, and all afternoon we'll be with the missionaries that are leaving. We'll sleep in the President's house again, then take some missionaries to the airport, and then finally get back to the area to work Wednesday in the afternoon!

Jordy! Congrats on your college graduation! And congrats on cutting out carbs! I'm so proud of you!

And Dad, I loved your letter, even if it was slightly trunky.

As for the airport, I don't really care. I'm just excited to give you all a hug. I'd love to have my grandparents there.

So this week was filled with a bit more bad news...

We dropped Jorge. We realized that he's pretty much a pathological liar - He lies about everything and invents fantasies - he told us he had a kid and 6 girlfriends, but that he wanted to change his life... we prayed about it then dropped him, and it's sad, but we feel good about that decision. When he's ready he'll progress.

And Rosa won't be getting baptized anytime soon. We went to visit her one day, and she was super excited. But then that night she and her ex-boyfriend of three years got back together. So they both came to talk to us the next day. She and he told us of their love for one another - it was honestly really sweet. And we had already mentioned to her about the temple and eternal marriage, and she had shared that stuff with him, so they both came to the appointment with a desire to get married and be together forever. And she was super excited about her baptism, And Israel (her boyfriend) wanted to learn more about the church too... but the problem is that they aren't married. But to get married, they first have to get divorced. They're both married to other people - they've been separated from their spouses for over ten years, but they just never bothered to get divorced. And their spouses don't want to give them a divorce - just to be difficult. So it's going to cost a ton of money and it's going to take a loooong time. When we told Rosa that she wouldn't be able to get baptized until they were both divorced and married, she cried so hard. I've never seen someone with such a desire to get baptized after such a short time. And Israel was also crying super hard, because he knew that if he and Rosa hadn't gotten back together, she could have gotten baptized. And he felt so sad that he was stopping her from getting what she wanted. But we talked a lot with them about faith and endurance, and on Sunday they both came to church with us as well as their 7 year old son Victor (Victor loves the church by the way!). They're such a great little family - they've started working on their divorce, and their plan is to just keep coming to church until they can get baptized - Israel told us after an appointment ''divorce us, marry us, and baptize us.'' We love them and we're going to keep visiting them once a week to help them keep up their plans, but it's really sad. We felt so bad for them.

But Carlos is doing great. And Edith (the mom of the other Edith that just got baptized) is working on getting married too, so that she can get baptized May 10th.

We did a stake activity the other day - it was a lot of fun. It was called ''A Day in the Mission''. At 8am, we went to the stake center, and there, they split us up with a bunch of youth. And we did divisions all day with the youth - that was fun. They studied with us, then worked with us the whole day. We all went back to the stake center that night, and then we had a testimony meeting. It was a really fun experience - it was super hot that day, so we were all exhausted (and I got sunburned). But it was awesome to hear all the experiences that the youth had. I was with a 15 year old girl named Atziry. She was really sweet but really shy... but we got along well and we enjoyed the day. We spent almost the whole day in the street contacting because for some reason no one was home... but it was a good time.

''A Day in the Mission'' Us with our comps. Hna Ingram was in a trio.

And on Sunday we got to go to see my investigator Raul from Oriental get baptized ! That was awesome. Super special and it was really nice to see.

Raul's baptism! Me, Hno Arturo, Raul, Hna Ramirez and Hna Luque

But I've got to go now! I love you all tons and hope you all have a great week! Be good, say your prayers, and enjoy your week!

Love you :)

-Hermana Taylor

I'm back! False alarm, I have more time to write.

So this week we did divisions - that was a lot of fun. I stayed in P--, and Hna Tirado - one of the new sisters, came with me. She's great and has a ton of potential. She'll be a great missionary.

And on Friday we got to go to the Mission Leadership Meeting. It was all the Zone Leaders, the Assistants, the President and his wife, and us! And we had to do a capacitation there. We were given the topic of The Book of Mormon, and we decided to focus more in how we can receive and apply personal revelation from the Book of Mormon in our lives. It went really well.

And I have to go!

Bye!

{Week 71} Polanco - April 20, 2015

So this has been a pretty interesting week! Lots of cool stuff happening :)

Carlee, I will be wanting my clothes back. lol

According to the Color Code, I'm half blue and half white.

We did get to listen in on Hna Ingram's sister's mission call. She's going to Peru. That was pretty cool.

This week our Sister Training Leader duties included a training meeting for all the new missionaries that are about to complete their first cycle in the mission - but nobody told us about the meeting until it had already started, so we arrived late. Oops! Our new phrase is ''vamos a wing-it'' (we're going to wing-it) because we've had lots of unexpected teaching/training experiences. And we got to teach Institute! We gave a ten minute thing at the beginning of a class and we talked about what the YSA (Young Single Adults) can do to share the gospel. It went really well.

I'm loving being with Hna Ingram. We're getting along well and we do work really well together - She always laughs at me when I try to speak English because it's more of a Spanglish lol. We're a good team.

We had a ward movie night and watched Charly. I cried. So did the whole ward.

So on a bad note... I was used to getting a couple catcalls a day, but now that I'm with another white girl, we get A TON of catcalls. And some of them are just plain rude and dirty. Hna Ingram always gets mad when it happens. And the other night, we were on our way home, when a car passed by slowly, and the driver called out ''Taxi... for free...'' we speed-walked away, and he flipped a u-turn and followed us, and called out again! But then he went off the other direction and stopped bothering us. But we've seen his car a couple times this last week in the street. We're avoiding that street at night.

But on a good note, we're seeing a ton of miracles!

So last week, Hna Ingram and I saw a lady in the street and we both felt like we should contact her, so we did, and she gave us her address and an appointment. We went to the appointment, and knocked on the door, and this guy came out. Turned out that she lied to us and gave us a false address. But, we started talking to the guy, and he let us come back and visit him. We've been teaching him the last week, and yesterday he came to church! His name is Carlos and he is 54 years old. He's doing really well and we've got some high hopes for him! We haven't gotten the chance to talk to his family yet, but hopefully this week! And Gustavo is fellow-shipping him.

And Jorge is finally progressing! I don't know why we keep trying with him - normally we drop investigators fast if they don't progress. But we've kept working with him these last five months, and this time something is definitely different. The other day he was completely honest with us and just completely opened up. He told us everything - how he felt, what things he needed help with, and a ton of other stuff. We had a really great lesson with him, and we're praying so hard that he'll keep going strong with his desire to change completely.

And we're also teaching another of Adolfo's friends. (He always has a ton of references!) Her name is Rosa, and she's 33. She's great - the first lesson we didn't really have much time, so we just talked a bit about how praying and reading the scriptures and going to church and keeping the commandments would help her come closer to God and would change her life. She completely opened up, and she and I were crying. Then we invited her to get baptized, and without knowing anything about the church, she said yes! She's progressing really well - she has a really big desire to change and be a better person. She's had a tough life - her dad abused her, and she moved in with her boyfriend when she was 13. She was a drug addict, and did some bad stuff to get her hands on drugs - she was even a prostitute for awhile. But these last few years she's been getting her life back in order. And she loves everything we teach her. She has a little boy named Victor who's 7, and he is the cutest little boy - super nice and polite. They both came to church on Sunday and loved it.

It's been amazing to see how people's lives change when they hear the gospel. A lot of the people here have some really rough pasts. They tell us their stories and we cry with them - it's so sad sometimes to hear about the stuff they've gone through. But to see the joy that they feel as they completely change their lives around is amazing. And to be one of the Lord's servants and help these people receive the restored gospel and the blessings that come with it is an experience so amazing - I love it here. I love the people here. One of my favorite scriptures is Alma 31:34-35. Everyone here on the earth has already decided to follow Jesus. They just don't remember. And if we put our trust in the Lord and open our mouths to share all that He has given us, we can help them remember and be brought unto Him again. I love everyone here. Even the cat-callers. Like Alma says ''their souls are precious and many of them are our brethren''.

I've been thinking that maybe when I come home I'll give you all a hug in the airport, then just get back on the plane and come back to Mexico. I love you all and can't wait to see you again, but I always knew that I would get to come back and be with you all again. But the people here have a big part of my heart, and when I go home, it's likely that there are some people here that I will never see again in this life. And that makes me sad because I love them.

So in three weeks it's Mother's Day - any particular time you want me to call? It's funny because last year, I was anxiously counting down the days till I got to skype with you. And at Christmas it was the same. But right now, I'm not as anxious! I think it's cuz I'll talk to ya'll, and a month later I'll be there with you!

I love you all tons. You're in my prayers always. Be good, say your prayers, and enjoy softball season!

Lots of love,

-Hermana Taylor

This picture is from Veronica - a sister in my first ward that helped me a ton. This is from when we went to visit Aculco awhile ago.

{Week 70} Polanco - April 13, 2015

Hello my dear family!

Dad, I forgot to mention it last week, but I did love your poem.

Thanks Jordy, Carlee and Jenna for the letters! I love hearing from you all.

So this week, my duties as a Sister Training Leader included one set of divisions and two training meetings. On Tuesday morning we went to the interviews with the president, and while one by one the people passed for interviews, the assistants and us did some training stuff. And then Tuesday night, we did divisions. Hna Martinez (she's new, about three weeks in the mission) went with Hna Ingram, and I went with Hna Santos in her area! Hna Santos goes home in June with us. So divisions was fun! I enjoyed that a ton. And then on Friday we went to a meeting for the district leaders and we got to teach a part there too. I'm enjoying it - but the part that I don't like is that we're away from our area a lot. It's less time in the street knocking on doors, but it's good!

And Hna Ingram! She's great - she's my first American comp, but we almost always speak Spanish. And when we do speak English she laughs at me because I stink at English lol. We're working hard - the first week was a bit rough (it always is, getting used to a new comp and all that) and then Saturday night we were cutting out movie tickets (we're going to have a ward movie night and watch The Other Side of Heaven) and we just started talking. We had a really great chat, and got to know each other better, and now we're feeling really united! Sunday we had a great lesson with a new investigator named Carlos. The spirit was strong and things were just flowing - it went really well.

Hna Ingram and I

And we're teaching Jorge again! This 17 year old kid has been the most challenging investigator - but it's like things have changed this time. He's stopped smoking, and he's a lot humbler now. Before it was kind of like a game to him - but we think that he actually wants it now. He's got a date for May 3rd - we're hoping and praying that this time everything will work out.

And we had a baptism on Sunday! Edith is 16, and she and her mom showed up by themselves at church one day - they have a friend that's an RM, and he was always talking about the church, so one day they went! Her mom, also named Edith, is also planning to get baptized one day - she just has to marry her common law spouse first, but he's in the army so is never around. They've both agreed to get married, so now we're just waiting till he gets back so they can do it and then she can get baptized. The baptism was really sweet - Hna Luque and Hna Ramirez came, because it was Hna Luque and Hna Ingram that taught this family. So that was really nice to see those two and give them a hug.

The baptism! Hna Ingram, Sergio's wife, Sergio (the RM friend), Edith, Edith the mom, Edith's little sister, Edith's aunt, me!

 The really blue baptism water. We dye it, because if we don't it's a greenish brown.

And the Bishop's brother died. Hyrum was young, about 26 years old, but had some special needs. But he was super smart and kept things organized at church. They always knew that he would die young. It was sad - the first time I saw everyone in the ward again was at his funeral. But I'm glad I could be there. I'm pretty close to several members of the family, and I was happy I could be there to hug them and comfort them. The Bishop has been really sad - I think it hit him pretty hard.  I really do love him and his family. They try hard. And I'm glad I can be here with them in this time.

And we had interviews with the President! That was great. I love talking to him - I can feel the spirit with everything he says, and I'm so glad he's my Mission President.

And remember Isabel? my best friend here in P--? She's my age, and tomorrow she leaves on her mission! She's going to Queretaro, Mexico. I'm super happy for her, but I'm going to miss her tons. She and I got along great. We are really good friends and she always came with us for our appointments (she's the YW's Pres).

And today some members in our ward took us to centro (downtown) to buy some stuff. I was looking for a Mexican Dress, but didn't find a cheap one that I liked. Hna Ingram and I bought some dishes though! And then we went and ate by the old Cathedral, Xocalo. We ate on the roof top of one of the buildings. I loved it!

Xocalo

Chilakiles - really yummy!

Food in a Molcajete - super delicious!

I was thinking about it a lot today, and I seriously love this place. I love the culture, the food, the people, the language... This country is amazing, and I would love to come back someday and bring you guys with me. It's amazing here. I feel so blessed that I have the the privilege to share the gospel here in this amazing country with these amazing people. It makes me so sad that I have to leave here soon. Mom, don't feel too bad about crying over an airplane - there are TONS of airplanes here, and every time I see them I get a knot in my throat. I can't believe that I've been here 16 months. It's gone by so fast. I'm excited to see you all again, but I'm thinking maybe I'll just give you all a hug in the airport and then get back on the plane and head back to Mexico lol. It is a privilege and a blessing to be serving the people of Mexico. They are amazing and I love them.

I hope you all have a great week. I love you all tons. Be good, say your prayers, and love everybody.

Con amor,

Hermana Taylor

My Mexican dishes!

Moving Day Pictures

 We got a few extra pictures from Hermana Stutznegger of our missionary moving to her new area.

Hermana's Ingram, Taylor and Luque.