This week has flown by!!! I cannot believe it's already Monday!!! It really was fast! We have a baptism this week! His name is Roberto. It's amazing to see because he is so ready but we haven't done anything super spectacular to teach him. The Spirit and Heavenly Father are definately the ones doing the work. We do our part with preparing and teaching and the Lord does the rest. !!! I'll send photos next week!
I made pretzels last week!! They were good, my companion liked them but I think she thought they were still kind of strange so I have eaten a lot of them this week!!! Without Rachel here to help me eat them they last a lot longer :)
My companion was teaching a spiritual thought about Jonah and the whale and I kept thinking about how the kids sing the song about prophets and change the whale for whatever they think is cool. I shared this thought with the family and talked about dinosaurs then testified about the importance of follow the Savior in our lives, that we respond to the feelings and thoughts the spirit puts in our minds and hearts. We get to choose our actions but definately not our conseuquences.
The hardest thing for me right now in teaching is being able to cut people off when they are talking about everything except the lesson, and it's very culturally acceptable here to interupt people. It's just really hard for me to do because I feel like I am being so rude, but they all do it all the time. I am getting a little bit better, but when I come home and interupt you all, kindly remind me I am not in Brazil :)
I have read a scripture that was suddenly more important. Alma 12:14-15. Talking about we will be judged of our works and thoughts. The part about thoughts was important. Our thoughts are powerful and lead to our actions. It includes thinking happy and good things and not letting ourselves have self pity or dwell on the bad. Interesting.
I have been styudying so much lately, it's good, but I don't always have a ton of time to just read the scriptures! And I want to!!! I want to read the stories of Christ and the stories of missionaries!! The scriptures are full of them!!! It's amazing. The scriptures have POWER to lift us and help us. They are truly the words of God! I want to writ more but I am out of time! I lvoe you all!!
Love,
Sister Taylor
May 23, 2011
Hello dear family! How is everyone doing? this week has been really good. First time teaching the commandments and I was a little nervous but it was good! The pictures are of a family night that we had the other day! We have two investigators and then three members there. It was way good!!! We had a lesson about Moses and when he raised his hands for a battle, but he got tired and so people held his hands for him, then we talked (my companion) about the importance of helping each other and lifting each other. It was good. Then we had an activity where you put socks on your hands and have to unwrap a candy bar type thing with a knife and fork, it was really fun!!!! The man behind me an then the really tall one in the back are our investigators. The little girl by me is the same one that I had trouble with my patience a few weeks ago! But she is a sweet heart. Her dad is the tall one in the back. I think she is absolutely beautiful!! Especially with her short hair!
This week with teaching the commandments and the plan of salvation, I have learned more and more about the importance of our bodies and how very special they really are! It's amazing to understand a little bit more. In the pre-earth life our desire was to have a body so that we could progress and become better, gain experience and do hard things. We knew it was going to be hard, we knew it was important and we had agency. because we are here we choose the plan of our Heavenly Father. he gives us commandments to help our bodies and respect our bodies. At death we seperate with our bodies and wait for the resurrection so that we can get our resurrected bodies. But when we seperate from our bodies we do not stop working and progressing but we are the same perosn with the same desires and struggles, because of this our life right now is so important!!!!! To everyday try a little more, to be a little better. To apply ourselves a little more. Our life and existance is a beautiful process of progress and once again we have the agency to choose! But we are helped as we choose to obey the commandments because they really are here to help and not to restrict. We have more opportunities and abilities as we live the commandments!! And we will have our bodies forever. What a great blessing. I read this morning in Matthew (somewhere in the first 9 chapters) about the miracle where Christ cast out the demons and they went to inhabit the body of the pigs. Bodies are that special and important that those who do not have one, desire so much to experience a body that they ask to have the body of pigs. Interesting to think about and realize how important our bodies are right now and that we take care of them. I am not very good at this but I have more desire and understanding.
The gospel is beautiful. The more I study and teach the more I understand about how it all works together! It all makes sense in the plan of salvation. I know this is our Heavenly Father's plan for us to return to him and that he sent Jesus Christ to be our Savior, to show and teach us exactly what we need to do to return to live with our Heavely Father agian!
I read a quote the other day by Hyrum Smith that talked about when we have the chance to testify about something we understand it more, it is so true! I feel it everyday. I am starting to like teaching more and more and I understand a little more Portuguese every day!!
Love you all, I pray for you all every day!
Love Auntie Kat
Sister Taylor
Kathryn
May 16, 2011
Hello Everyone! So this week has been really good! It's just me and my one companion, Sister Pires Santos. She is great. Sometimes it's hard with my pride when I congigate things wrong and she corrects me, especially in a lesson, but people here are pretty easy going and she is a great help to me! she is patient and kind. It really is great. I feel more desire to improve and work on explaining the lessons more clearly with her. Our other companion would do this impatient breathing thing that really got annoying, so now it's a lot easier to feel comfortable and comfortable in my abilities. We still have a lot to learn together and do but it's good.
This week has been hard with investigators! I feel like no one is progressing because they don't read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. It really makes the biggest difference. We are teaching a couple , Rita e Raniel, and they are really neat but I feel like they aren't reading. At first Rita was into the discussions more but she is having a hard time seeing that because of the Restoration of the gospel we have a living prophet today. She keeps saying the things that we teach are just like the other religions, which is partly true, but the parts that really matter, the authority to baptise is a problem. So we keep trying new things to explain it. I want to help them but I can't make them read.
Maira is amazing though, she lives in a little town called Sao Jose. We work there every Tuesday and Friday. We have always taught and she never really has any questions (her one question was about child baptism and we read Moroni with her) but when ever we leave I always thought `Really you dont have any questions? You sure?` but then she told us she started reading on her own and she read 1 and part of 2 Nephi then went back and started again because she didn't understand everything! We marked more about the prophet Samuel who prophesied of Christ's birth in 5 years and she has been reading. When we came last time she said that she cleaned her house quickly and was waiting for us so that she wouldn't have any distractions while we were teaching. She said she feels more peace in her life now!! She really is great. Her husband's schedule changes a lot so sometimes we will go a week or more with out seeing him but she's always teaching him what we teach her. It's really cool. We taught them the plan of salvation and it felt so good. She said the closing prayer with us the other day and prayed that she would be able to continue teaching her family about the gospel and that she could learn more about the commandments. :) She came to church on Sunday! with her son, she really liked it! She had kind of a negative experience with one of the members being impatient, so i am a little worried about her, we have been praying for her a lot and are going to call her here in a little bit and teach her again tomorrow. She is so amazing. We told her that we loved her the other day and she said `I love you too, you Sisters are my best friends. I have friends but it's different with you. I can talk about my doubts and its ok.´ It was a special experience.
The language is coming along, now that there is just two of us I have to talk more, it's good though, I am learning a lot. Slowly for sure, but learning a lot. I still think Sundays are the hardest, the members talk to me like I should be able to understand everything and know everyone, so that is hard. Especially because of my pride, when I am talked down to, it's really hard for me to want to be nice. But I am working on it and I know that I have a lot to learn. I am used to my companions accent but it's hard with other accents. It's slowly and surely coming along. :)
Time goes fast here, it's a blessing that we get to stay busy. The hardest time is in the morning when I just want to sleep a little longer (but of course I don't:)) and then also after lunch, when our stomachs are full and we are tired. President is pretty sure that I will need to be training, so he has added another hour to my study time every day!!! So now I get up, exercise, shower, eat, get ready, 8-9 personal study, 9-11 is companionship study, 11-11:30 is language study, go to lunch, come BACK to the house and study Preach My Gospel for another hour. :) I feel like it's the MTC all over again. I just hope that I have a Brazilian companion that will be able to understand everything that is said. But life in brazil is good!
I love you all!! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a blessing and helps us have a closer relationship with God. The gospel is all about love, unfortunately the people who live it are not perfect, but that is what life is all about. A process of being a little better today then we were yesterday and understanding a little more today then we did yesterday!
I love you all.
Love, Sister Taylor!
These two pictures are what the land looks like when there are not buildings and poeple.
This one is of me two weeks ago in the mission office. I was wearing a lot of black, sometimes it's just more comfortable but then I realize people probably think I am in mourning over someone. So i try not to wear too much, but my clothes that are black are more comfortable. :)
The video is of a lightning storm we had the other day. but there was no thunder! It was pretty cool. It made the sky turn purple, blue and sometimes a yellow green. It was pretty cool to see. The video isn't really that impressive but it was cool to see. It was almost like a constant stream of lightning. SOOO COOOL
This week has been hard with investigators! I feel like no one is progressing because they don't read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. It really makes the biggest difference. We are teaching a couple , Rita e Raniel, and they are really neat but I feel like they aren't reading. At first Rita was into the discussions more but she is having a hard time seeing that because of the Restoration of the gospel we have a living prophet today. She keeps saying the things that we teach are just like the other religions, which is partly true, but the parts that really matter, the authority to baptise is a problem. So we keep trying new things to explain it. I want to help them but I can't make them read.
Maira is amazing though, she lives in a little town called Sao Jose. We work there every Tuesday and Friday. We have always taught and she never really has any questions (her one question was about child baptism and we read Moroni with her) but when ever we leave I always thought `Really you dont have any questions? You sure?` but then she told us she started reading on her own and she read 1 and part of 2 Nephi then went back and started again because she didn't understand everything! We marked more about the prophet Samuel who prophesied of Christ's birth in 5 years and she has been reading. When we came last time she said that she cleaned her house quickly and was waiting for us so that she wouldn't have any distractions while we were teaching. She said she feels more peace in her life now!! She really is great. Her husband's schedule changes a lot so sometimes we will go a week or more with out seeing him but she's always teaching him what we teach her. It's really cool. We taught them the plan of salvation and it felt so good. She said the closing prayer with us the other day and prayed that she would be able to continue teaching her family about the gospel and that she could learn more about the commandments. :) She came to church on Sunday! with her son, she really liked it! She had kind of a negative experience with one of the members being impatient, so i am a little worried about her, we have been praying for her a lot and are going to call her here in a little bit and teach her again tomorrow. She is so amazing. We told her that we loved her the other day and she said `I love you too, you Sisters are my best friends. I have friends but it's different with you. I can talk about my doubts and its ok.´ It was a special experience.
The language is coming along, now that there is just two of us I have to talk more, it's good though, I am learning a lot. Slowly for sure, but learning a lot. I still think Sundays are the hardest, the members talk to me like I should be able to understand everything and know everyone, so that is hard. Especially because of my pride, when I am talked down to, it's really hard for me to want to be nice. But I am working on it and I know that I have a lot to learn. I am used to my companions accent but it's hard with other accents. It's slowly and surely coming along. :)
Time goes fast here, it's a blessing that we get to stay busy. The hardest time is in the morning when I just want to sleep a little longer (but of course I don't:)) and then also after lunch, when our stomachs are full and we are tired. President is pretty sure that I will need to be training, so he has added another hour to my study time every day!!! So now I get up, exercise, shower, eat, get ready, 8-9 personal study, 9-11 is companionship study, 11-11:30 is language study, go to lunch, come BACK to the house and study Preach My Gospel for another hour. :) I feel like it's the MTC all over again. I just hope that I have a Brazilian companion that will be able to understand everything that is said. But life in brazil is good!
I love you all!! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a blessing and helps us have a closer relationship with God. The gospel is all about love, unfortunately the people who live it are not perfect, but that is what life is all about. A process of being a little better today then we were yesterday and understanding a little more today then we did yesterday!
I love you all.
Love, Sister Taylor!
These two pictures are what the land looks like when there are not buildings and poeple.
This one is of me two weeks ago in the mission office. I was wearing a lot of black, sometimes it's just more comfortable but then I realize people probably think I am in mourning over someone. So i try not to wear too much, but my clothes that are black are more comfortable. :)
The video is of a lightning storm we had the other day. but there was no thunder! It was pretty cool. It made the sky turn purple, blue and sometimes a yellow green. It was pretty cool to see. The video isn't really that impressive but it was cool to see. It was almost like a constant stream of lightning. SOOO COOOL
May 9, 2011
I am sorry I didn't talk about Mothers Day during my Mothers Day phone call! But to all of you Mother, future Mothers and influential amazing women in my life, thank you for all that you do and for all that you are!! The power of mothers and women is very real,and I love that Heavenly Father knew to divide our talents so that we can help each other! I love you all! :)
Talking to part of the family yesterday was GREAT!! I am sorry that I couldn't talk to everyone! Hopefully it will be possible at Christmas!!! I love you all
My thougths today are small, I feel like I have shared a lot with everyone and don't have a ton to say!
First thought- words, it's interesting how words can limit our abilities sometimes. I feel so much more in my heart that words do not have the ability to express to you all. To simply say I love you, doesn't cover the full meaning or significance. I guess that is why poetry is so effective. We write a whole page of beatuifully placed words to express one feeling. We have words to represent things but we don't have words for everything. Maybe this is more significant to me because I am trying to attemt the same thing in Portuguese. Also I was reading the Ensign and I felt so impressed by the power of words. Simply reading words I felt the spirit testify to me, the gospel of Christ is such an emotional thing. We can know it in our heads but we begin to change when we know it in our hearts. This life is all about changing and progressing. Also another thing about words is what we choose to speak. I think it's so interesting that prayer really is a blessing for us. Heavenly Father knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts before we say anything, but we need to pray for our own benefit. It's a chance for us to express and share. It's so interesting and as soon as we say something it becomes more permanent. More real. In our minds it can be an idea, but when we speak it's more solid. I guess that's also why when we ask forgiveness it's so much more meaningful for us. Haha, even now I have more feelings to share but nothing really hits on it.!! :) For your sakes I guess I'll stop there.
It's amazing how all parts of the gospel work together. When we study the atonement, the plan of salvation is more significant. When we study and learn about the importance of families the atonement and plan of salvation are more important to us. How special is that!!!!! I love the doctrine of Christ, this life is for us to progress and help each other. We were not brought into this life solo and we are not meant to be alone during this life or for eternity. We need each other. I need you all. We have specific people in our lives to help us.
With all of my heart and emotion I love you all, I care about you, I pray for you all. You are all very important to me. I love you individually!!
Love,
Sister Taylor
Talking to part of the family yesterday was GREAT!! I am sorry that I couldn't talk to everyone! Hopefully it will be possible at Christmas!!! I love you all
My thougths today are small, I feel like I have shared a lot with everyone and don't have a ton to say!
First thought- words, it's interesting how words can limit our abilities sometimes. I feel so much more in my heart that words do not have the ability to express to you all. To simply say I love you, doesn't cover the full meaning or significance. I guess that is why poetry is so effective. We write a whole page of beatuifully placed words to express one feeling. We have words to represent things but we don't have words for everything. Maybe this is more significant to me because I am trying to attemt the same thing in Portuguese. Also I was reading the Ensign and I felt so impressed by the power of words. Simply reading words I felt the spirit testify to me, the gospel of Christ is such an emotional thing. We can know it in our heads but we begin to change when we know it in our hearts. This life is all about changing and progressing. Also another thing about words is what we choose to speak. I think it's so interesting that prayer really is a blessing for us. Heavenly Father knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts before we say anything, but we need to pray for our own benefit. It's a chance for us to express and share. It's so interesting and as soon as we say something it becomes more permanent. More real. In our minds it can be an idea, but when we speak it's more solid. I guess that's also why when we ask forgiveness it's so much more meaningful for us. Haha, even now I have more feelings to share but nothing really hits on it.!! :) For your sakes I guess I'll stop there.
It's amazing how all parts of the gospel work together. When we study the atonement, the plan of salvation is more significant. When we study and learn about the importance of families the atonement and plan of salvation are more important to us. How special is that!!!!! I love the doctrine of Christ, this life is for us to progress and help each other. We were not brought into this life solo and we are not meant to be alone during this life or for eternity. We need each other. I need you all. We have specific people in our lives to help us.
With all of my heart and emotion I love you all, I care about you, I pray for you all. You are all very important to me. I love you individually!!
Love,
Sister Taylor
May 2, 2011
Our area has a new chapel, it is getting dedicated this week! It is a big production and we have flyers to hand out. It's actually going to be A LOT of work, we have to visit a ton of people and we got two Elders in our area too! There is a ton of work here.
It is getting COLD!!!!! and it isn't even winter yet!! I went to the secretary's office today and dug through a bunch of clothes! Got some warm ones! I hope! I hear the winter here is intense!!!! And of course humid makes it worse, it rains all the time and no one has heating, ya interesting. I am going to die!!! But oh well, it will all be for my good, right :) Interesting, I thought most of my mission would be warm! But no, I started in Provo, left to hit winter here (they say its like 6 months long..... ya I know) and then I'll have 4 months of HOT and a few months of transition. Then it wil be back to winter and I'll leave right in the intense part. Crazy. Maybe Heavenly Father is teaching me to love the cold! :)
We have an investigator, Andre, he is really cool. He is 33 and probably done everything in the book. One day we were waiting for the bus and he got off and I thought, oh we can talk to him. But then I thought no he won't want the gospel. Then he walks by us, turns around and he contacts us. That was pretty cool. Then we just started to teach last week and I had a special expérience. It was at the end of the lesson, and I had a chance to testify. I started and then suddenly I didn't have to look for the words, they were just there in my head and I felt an amazing amount of love for him. I dont remember everything I said, actually I don't remember most of what I said but later my companions told me that my Portuguese was perfect, and that I used words they don't even use. It was a cool experience for me. He is hungry for the gospel, I am learning a lot with teaching him, special for me. Then of course later that same day my Portuguese was a lot weaker. Special for me to experience. The gift of tongues is real, and the spirit touches peoples hearts, telling them that it's true. What a blessing.
EDWARDS BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! eddie one of the things i love about you, is that you love people. this will be very important when you serve your mission. you have an amazing ability to make friends and help people. learn the gospel now and you will be a great missioanry, i love you eddie, happy birthday!
Crazy story to share with you all, I am actually kind of nervous! Our mission has 11 or 12 sisters and 4 are going home this week (including one of my comps) because they have finished their mission. So we will have 8 'ish then I think 3 more are leaving next transfer, so we will have 5 'ish, then we are receiving a whole bunch of sisters, so President told me that I will be training in june..... ya, so I don't know if that is one more month or two more months, but I am going to be training a missionary after being in Brazil for about 3 months......wow that is humbling. At least I know it now. President Ribiero said that we need to have 2 hours of comp study every day and practice the lessons like crazy. When he first told me I would be training I laughed like oh your so funny, then I later realized he was serious, I should have known because he is kind of a serious man, and so ya, ta-da! I will be training. I'll probably be in the same area so that is good!!! Wow, so this next month is going to be a lot of work!!! Like a crazy amount of work, I thought this last month was me adjusting and progressing, but no, it was really me resting and getting ready to work like crazy!! Wow so prayers would be nice, specifically for me to be able to understand and speak Portuguese and to learn all of the lessons. :) Here we go :)
I keep telling my self, little by little, focus on the moment and apply myself the best I can.
My comp Sister Pires Santos says HI!!!
I love you all! The gospel is true and Heavenly Father loves and helps us. I love you all, do good things!
All of my love!
Sister Kathryn Taylor
It is getting COLD!!!!! and it isn't even winter yet!! I went to the secretary's office today and dug through a bunch of clothes! Got some warm ones! I hope! I hear the winter here is intense!!!! And of course humid makes it worse, it rains all the time and no one has heating, ya interesting. I am going to die!!! But oh well, it will all be for my good, right :) Interesting, I thought most of my mission would be warm! But no, I started in Provo, left to hit winter here (they say its like 6 months long..... ya I know) and then I'll have 4 months of HOT and a few months of transition. Then it wil be back to winter and I'll leave right in the intense part. Crazy. Maybe Heavenly Father is teaching me to love the cold! :)
We have an investigator, Andre, he is really cool. He is 33 and probably done everything in the book. One day we were waiting for the bus and he got off and I thought, oh we can talk to him. But then I thought no he won't want the gospel. Then he walks by us, turns around and he contacts us. That was pretty cool. Then we just started to teach last week and I had a special expérience. It was at the end of the lesson, and I had a chance to testify. I started and then suddenly I didn't have to look for the words, they were just there in my head and I felt an amazing amount of love for him. I dont remember everything I said, actually I don't remember most of what I said but later my companions told me that my Portuguese was perfect, and that I used words they don't even use. It was a cool experience for me. He is hungry for the gospel, I am learning a lot with teaching him, special for me. Then of course later that same day my Portuguese was a lot weaker. Special for me to experience. The gift of tongues is real, and the spirit touches peoples hearts, telling them that it's true. What a blessing.
EDWARDS BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! eddie one of the things i love about you, is that you love people. this will be very important when you serve your mission. you have an amazing ability to make friends and help people. learn the gospel now and you will be a great missioanry, i love you eddie, happy birthday!
Crazy story to share with you all, I am actually kind of nervous! Our mission has 11 or 12 sisters and 4 are going home this week (including one of my comps) because they have finished their mission. So we will have 8 'ish then I think 3 more are leaving next transfer, so we will have 5 'ish, then we are receiving a whole bunch of sisters, so President told me that I will be training in june..... ya, so I don't know if that is one more month or two more months, but I am going to be training a missionary after being in Brazil for about 3 months......wow that is humbling. At least I know it now. President Ribiero said that we need to have 2 hours of comp study every day and practice the lessons like crazy. When he first told me I would be training I laughed like oh your so funny, then I later realized he was serious, I should have known because he is kind of a serious man, and so ya, ta-da! I will be training. I'll probably be in the same area so that is good!!! Wow, so this next month is going to be a lot of work!!! Like a crazy amount of work, I thought this last month was me adjusting and progressing, but no, it was really me resting and getting ready to work like crazy!! Wow so prayers would be nice, specifically for me to be able to understand and speak Portuguese and to learn all of the lessons. :) Here we go :)
I keep telling my self, little by little, focus on the moment and apply myself the best I can.
My comp Sister Pires Santos says HI!!!
I love you all! The gospel is true and Heavenly Father loves and helps us. I love you all, do good things!
All of my love!
Sister Kathryn Taylor
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