Hey everyone! The past week or so have been good. I'm not going to lie to everyone and act like being a missionary is always "perfect." haha Because it's not. Please don't take this the wrong way, but I'll tell ya how it is and this last week was good. But, whenever it's like that it means the next week will be great!
A lot of this has to do with us having to drive out of town a lot. I've driven 2,738 miles in one month! I had to drive to Albuquerque 3 times and to Los Lunas and Socorro a lot; so it's been crazy.
There was a missionary fireside last Saturday with Elder Richards who used to be a member of the Quorum of the Seventy and was on the board of creating Preach my Gospel. Our AP is actually his grandson, so that was cool, and he gave great council and insight. But, what was even cooler to me was that I got to see all the missionaries from my MTC district! I haven't seen them since we got into the mission field. I got to see Elders Schneider, Jensen and Mongalia. It was great to see all my buddies. We got home at 1:30 in the morning and went to bed; then we woke up early the next day for church. There were 4 Navajos who bore their testimonies and it was so great, simple and powerful !
What I wanted to write about is something I've learned a lot about lately. When you are first teaching a child math are you going to teach them how to count 1-10 or Algebra?? Duh! You are going to teach them to count, and then go from there. There is a foundation or a simple truth to all concepts. For instance, when I teach people the Gosepl I teach it on a basic foundation level. Now that I'm here I have to teach even simpler. That is part of the answer that I've received about how to help the Navajos truly convert to the Gospel. TO TEACH SIMPLE. Teach simple but true principles. In my last area I could talk more eloquent and use a lot of scripture to back up what I was teaching. Here I have the privlidge to learn SO MUCH. I get to go back to the even simpler truths then I was using before. I get to go down into my foundation of a testimony on what I'm teaching and I get to really help strengthen that testimony. I believe that the more simple you teach things there is more power and strength to it, and that will help the other person understand. Fewer words will always go further. The Navajos here are not blessed with good education at all and it's sad, but luckily we can teach so that they can feel the Spirit of the Lord and that's all that matters. My mind has been opened up to so much ... going back to the basics of what my faith has been built upon! I challenge each and every one of you that are reading this to turn to the simple things in life both spiritually and temporally and I promise it will open your eyes to things.
We visited Donna Babit who lives about 15 miles north of us and she is super sweet. When we walked in she had a little bucket full of water and was bathing her child. They only can wash themselves a few times a week because it's expensive to get water let alone running water. She has a little stove with wood under it and a house that is falling apart. I'm EXTREMELY humbled here, to know I get to go back to a nice trailer with heated water, enough water to shower with , a fridge of food, and my own personal bed. This woman has faced horrific trials in her life as a mother and as a woman, yet she continues to tell us every time we go over there that she's praying all the time to God. She mentioned that she sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night and thanks the Lord for all she has.
Remember everyone that someone always has it worse then you do; remain humble and grateful in all you have :)
Thanks for the letters and emails everyone... they help me a ton!
Love,
Elder Taylor
Me wearing my companion's glasses.... haha! I felt so much smarter wearing them!
Sorry I didn't take too many pics last week... I'll take more for next week
On p-day we went climbing and looking for some cool stuff!
We found a ruin of a hogan which was cool and we climbed this little mountain.
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