November 14, 2011

Hello my wonderful family.

How is everyone doing? All the kids? Everyone getting ready for the new Ellsworth baby? I am excited!!! Thanksgiving is coming up. Pretty soon Rachel will be headed off to school again. Christmas and the New Year! I wish I could be there with all of you, but having to be in another part of the world I am glad I am here in Brazil serving and learnig more about the love of the Savior. It is a very special time in my life. I am far from living it perfectly but I keep trying.

Sister Dunford and I have been working A LOT. We have found a lot of new people to teach, it's amazing. Right when you think there is no one left in the city to find, the streets I have walked for 4 months, we find new people everyday. I love that we teach differently every time we teach, we say different things and apply it to the people. I am begining to feel like I am becoming the kind of missionary I have wanted to be.

Cool story for you all. We were walking down a street I have walked almost evvery single day but I hadn't knocked on this house so we knocked and asked if we could say a prayer. But she marked another day for us to come back, so we went back that day, said a prayer and taught the restoration, (I had actually taught members of her family down the street two weeks before and most of her kids were at that house
the other day and they were all at the house this day, pretty cool). We invited her to be baptized at the end of the lesson and she said yes and we marked to come back. We went back the day we marked and saw her leaving her house and totally ignoring us. Like she looked right at us and then kept walking. We stood there kind of confused and such. So another day we were walking there and decided to knock again
just to see if she would let us in or not and then she pops up in front of the window with a HUGE smile and says that we can come in. I am kind of shocked so I don't move, and so she says it again, and it clicks in my head so we go in and then she explains that she has a twin that lives just up the road from her and that it was her twin that was leaving the house the other day. Wow!!!!! So ya she still
wants to be baptized and we will see!! We left a Book of Mormon and are going back tonight.

I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love teaching and learning about the gospel. I love the time I have to study every day. Portuguese is good, my companion speaks perfectly so she corrects me and tells me what I need to improve on, which helps so much, and is hard to hear sometimes. But she is just helping me. I am so eternally grateful for my decision to serve a mission. I am in the hardest mission in Brazil.
The people are amazing but they are so closed off to changing. But I am so grateful for the things I have learned, how my testomony has and is developing and strengthening, for the´people I have met and taught the restored gospel to. I am grateful for the privilege I have to know my mission president, Presidente Ribeiro. I am grateful Heavenly Father knows the details in my life and is helping me become
the person I need to be.

I love you all and I am grateful we have the chance to work towards being an eternal family. But it depends on us. Each one of us. I love the way Heavenly Father has it worked out. everything is organized perfectly and because we are human and imperfect we have Christ and the atonement.

I love you all, kiss the kids and tell them Auntie Kat loves them.

Love,
Sister Taylor

November 7, 2011

Family, can I tell you all how much I love you! I miss you all. I pray for you all.

HOT HOT HOT here, I sweat like crazy and it's not even full on Summer yet. It's not going to get better until the end of March.

I am gaining such a stronger testimony of the Savior and the healing power that he has in our lives. I am so grateful for the personal way the Lord works with us and how he wants to help us be all that we can be in this life. We are fasting and working like crazy and we haven't seen the changes yet, but I know they will come. The Lord is teaching me little by little. I am excited to see what he has in store for me. I know that at least it includes being really sweaty for the next 5 months, but all of the spiritual lessons he is preparing for me too. I love you all. I know that Christ lives. The atonement is REAL! No matter what we have done we can be free and happy and he will show us all the love he has for us as we change with our faith in him.

I love you all.

These pictures are me and my companion, Sister Dunford trying to do a funny face but I kept changing back to normal before the picture actually took. The last one is just us being silly (and yes I straightened my hair today, took a long time, but its pretty).

Love you all,
Kat

October 31, 2011

First of all HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! I am so excited for you all there. That has got to be so fun today! Its not really a big deal here. I have seen a few stores that have witch hats and little toys but its just not the same. So everyone enjoy the pumpkins and goodies for me. Take lots of pictures so I can see the kids outfits.

I am still in Cruz Alta but I am with Sister Dunford which I am so happy about. She is someone I respect so much. She is helping me feel the same fire I felt when I left the MTC and started teaching. She is helping me with my Portuguese and I feel like I am finally being trained...9 months into my mission :) She is beautiful with a beautiful voice.

Crazy story. The last month at the MTC I was praying that my trainer would be ready and patient with me, that she would be prepared to help me learn all that I needed to and she would really show me what missionary work really was. The last week or so I changed my prayers to be that I would have the experiences I needed to grow. So funny enough Sister Dunford was supposed to be my trainer in the Presidentes ward but then the bishop of that ward complained and didn't want Sisters. So then the President was still like ok we will send Sister Taylor to Uruguana so that she can be with Sister Dunford, in a 3-some because they need to be together. But then that didn't work out so I went to Camobi as my first area and I was totally oblivious to this but apparently there had been a lot of bratty girls living together so I went to be in a 3-some there. And now I am with Sister Dunford. We have been through so much these past 7 months and its just so much sweeter now. I still feel like she is training me on so many things I didn't know, but the best part of all is that we are happy and we feel the spirit when we teach. We feel it so strong and I see the people feel it too! We teach and testify and smile and they feel different. We were fasting this last week to find new people and we passed a man in the street and he called back to us and said, How do I get a hold of a book of mormon? I want to start reading it again and take better care of my soul. Our jaws just about dropped and we asked if he could meet right then and we could talk to him about it. He said that day wasn't good but we could go back Saturday. We went by Saturday and he told us that earlier the other day he was at work and told his colleuges that he wanted to get back in touch with the mormon church. Everyone at work thought he was crazy and gave him a hard time about it, but then he passed us in the street and talked to us. His name is Santinho. I am excited to see what will happen.

I feel like I am really doing missionary work. She had cramps really bad this week so we weren't working like crazy but it was so good when we did. We are going to rock it this week!!!

I love it when we get to testify of the Savior and we smile and feel sooo GOOD! I haven't felt like this since the first part of the mission. I feel so much better because I actually know what is going on and what people are saying. I love the Gospel. I love the perspective I get as I read the scriptures and study conference talks. I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVES. He warms my heart and gives me hope. In the hymn Where Can I Turn for Peace in Portuguese the 3rd verse talks about Christ being ´my Savior and my friend´. I love that line and it is SOOO beautiful in Portuguese. Sister Dunford sang that hymn in our sacrament meeting and it was crazy because everyone was really rowdy but the moment she opened her mouth to sing, the whole room was still. She looked at me on the 3rd verse and I started to cry. I know my Savior so much better because of the Gospel, because of this chance I have to serve a mission and change my life and the future of my family one day. I love the gospel and I am so grateful I have this chance to share it with others. I mess up daily but I can always turn to the Lord and recieve the help I need. I love you all. Humility is the key. I pray for you all.

Love always and forever and ever,

Sister Kathryn Adalee Taylor

p.s. This was a balloon and cake we enjoyed on the 9 month mark! Its going fast, that feels weird. Love you all.

October 24, 2011

What a week...lots has happened and I have felt lots this week.

Its getting hot and sticky. Definately into the phase of two showers a day.

Tranfers are tomorrow. I was feeling so ready to leave then we got the call and they said I am going to stay and my comp is getting transferred! Pretty sweet. Then they said I am going to be a comp with Sister Dunford! I am so excited. I have so much respect for her. She helped me a lot when I had that complicated companion. I am excited about that.

We cut Claudia and Robson the other day. I cried trying to explain there is no way we can justify teaching when they are choosing not to do it. We talked about transfers more though so I need to tell them clearly again that we can't go back if they won't change. Its hard because he wants it still but isn't willing to give up what he needs to. He wants it so much but she is so closed to anything. She shuts down. Its sad to see. I really do understand now what my blessing said that some people's desicions will break my heart...its so true.

I am in a great area, with lots of people and an amazing ward. I have made some really good friends here in this ward.

Its really funny to see, my companion is so excited to leave. I love her but I am done too. Time to learn something else.

Lots of love.

Love, Kat

October 17, 2011

Hello family!! how is everyone doing? it's getting warm here in the Rio Grande do Sol! People from the north of Brazil say that its even hotter here! I think its because its more humid here and in the Summer there is no breeze.... That will be fun. I am getting tan lines, especially on my neck and my feet!!!! Its pretty night and day, I can only imagine the end of the summer how crazy that will be. The equivalent of day light savings was Sunday. They only have that here in the south of Brazil. At 9 pm at night we will be going home and the sun won't have set yet, pretty cool.

Those red shoes I bought were pretty worn out so I took them to a shoe repair guy and he fixed them for way cheap and did a great job, I was pretty happy.

We had Brazilian barbeque 3 times in 2 days. Believe it or not, I am a little sick of meat. But we have been finding a lot of avocados in the street and we made quacamole. Its weird for them to eat it with spices and salt because they always eat avocados sweet with sugar or in a smoothy (which is super yummy by the way, you guys should try it! ust puta little sugar on it, or add milk sugar and cinnamon for a smoothie).

We had 3 baptisms Saturday. That was pretty cool. We had a white Saturday, I think we will be doing it like this every month now. Work all month for people to be baptized on the 3rd Saturday of every month. President was here in our zone. The day before we made a ton of cake! It was pretty cool but I learned how to do it. Its called Nega Maluca which means like crazy black woman. But its a really good chocolate cake.

I love you all. Next week will be 9 months..... wow.


Lots of love.

Love, kat

October 10, 2011

A lot has happened this last week!!! A couple that we have been teaching for months and are dying to be baptized but needed to be married first, got married! My companion is really smart and she figured out something with the laws here and how they can be married religiously first and then civily but don't have to wait the 30 days to be technically married and it's cheaper. This week we were running to get everything done and they got married. They are so poor but I love them so miuch. So they will be baptized on Saturday!! I lent her my brown dress and we bought her a pair of shoes and a ribbon to use with the dress. She was so pretty. She has a lot of personality but at one point she hugged me and gave me a big kiss and said thank you for all you are doing. The moment was so tender. It meant so much to her. She has never really been taken care of and I think the wedding was really special for her. I gave her the dress. I love her so much.

There were three weddings that night. It was so cool.

I love the gospel. I know God lives and He loves us. We are literally his children and he wants to talk to us and bless us.

Sorry it's short this week. I hope everyone is doing great, loving the fall weather and getting ready for all the holidays. Know that I love you all, I miss you and I can't wait for the time when we can sit and talk and share good family times together with all the kids running around. I love you all.

Love always and forever,
Daughter, Sister, Auntie and Friend - Kat

October 3, 2011

Hello all!

General Conference was great this weekend. IT WENT SO FAST!!! We had a baptism in the break between the sessions! Her name is Carol. She is great. One of those people who you know will stay strong in the church and help where ever she is. I really like her. She was living with a less active and we started teaching them and then they got married and she was crazy excited to be baptized. I think she kind of got married to be baptized. I know she loves him but she was always talking about when she could be baptized. In the mission we will have all the baptisms of the month on the third Saturday of every month and she didn't want to wait two weeks to be baptized so she was baptized yesterday. The font was cold because the gas has a leak in our font and the water slowly drains so it was cold and there was very little water. :) But it was great.

I got proposed to. That was exciting. Someone said "you can stay here in Brazil and we will get married and follow the mormon church...". Not what I was expecting to hear but funny at the same time.

Claudia and Robson. Robson is loving the Book of Mormon. They have a little foresty area in the front of their house and he has gone out there several days to read the Book of Mormon and sit and think. She still has the hardest heart I have ever seen. We can't teach more spiritually or clearly. He is getting impatient with her. I am afraid he doesn't have the courage to keep going to church alone...that scares me.

Love you all family. I loved General Conference yesterday! We only got to watch it in English on Sudnay and it meant so much more to me!! It entered my heart and I loved it. I know the gospel is true. It was restored by Christ. This is His church, with the authority he has given to worthy men to guide and bless the lives of others. I love the Book of Mormon. It is a light in my life and an anchor in my testimony. I love you all and look forward to 10 months when I will be back with you all.

Love, Kat