Elder Justin Taylor: The 3 C's

Hey everyone!

First off, I want to give the biggest thanks and gratitude for all of the love and support that has come my way for my birthday and for Thanksgiving! Words can't express how loved I felt... I do not deserve any of it at all but thank you everyone so much! It was a really slow past week, but this week will be better. My trainee, Elder Ahloy, is awesome. We get along great. We are making Hawaiian food together now! ha

I've thought about what I wanted to write this week. Not much has happened except for the fact that I've seen people drawn away from the Gospel here, and seen the buffetings of Satan. So, I want to revisit what I wrote a while ago.... about the 3 D's of the Devil that my dad sent me, and then I added my C's of the Devil I am doing my C's again because I added and took stuff out and I feel inspired to share it.

So here it is ....

Elder Taylors 3 C's Of the Devil :

Satan will use ....

1. Confusion/ Corruption : D&C 123:7

2. Contention: 3 Nephi 11:29

3. Captive: 3 Nephi 18: 15.

I invite all of you to read each scripture, apply the meaning to your life and think about how often the Adversary uses it on us to pull us away from the light of Christ. As we follow Christ we want to be more like Christ. I wrote a quote using the C's to go along with it that says....

"As we develop Christ-like qualities we will never CONFORM and COLLAPSE from the CUNNINGNESS of the Adversary, but we will receive COMFORT and CONFIDENCE through our Master, Jesus CHRIST. "

We all know that Satan will use everything against us so we must put on that armor of God and live righteous lives so that, through Christ, we can get that comfort and confidence to keep enduring to the end!

I bore my testimony in Church on Sunday and didn't really know what to say, but my mouth was filled and the words came out exactly as to what I needed to bear testimony of. I call everyone in the branch "family" ... because they are. In Alma Chapter 17 it talks about how Alama and the sons of Mosiah reunited and how happy Alma was to see them. I said for me how happy I was to see everyone here at church or around the reservation because I love you. In Alma, right after it says that, it says that he had more joy knowing that they still were his brothers in Christ and that they have searched and pondered the scriptures and prayed and fasted ... these very things brought him more joy than just being reunited! So, for me, I love visitng everyone in the branch and in Alamo but what brings me the most full joy is knowing that they are growing closer to the Savior; that we both are living the Gospel and that they are reading and praying and fasting for help and direction. I bore testimony on how important that is and how happy our lives will be when we do it!

For everyone not on Alamo reading this, I want you to know that my joy is most-full knowing that you are turning to the Savior and following the commandments our Our Father, the most High God.

Please continue on this path. I feel as Alama at this time: my joy is full in love and appreciation for all of you!

God Lives.

Love always,

Elder Taylor

My aunts gift to me: new sweater (my companions idea to look off!)