MTC Letter # 3

3 more days!!

I can't believe how fast my stay here at the MTC has gone. Its been great but I can't wait to head to the mission field and teach the people of New Mexico. This week has been great, my companion and I have been doing a lot better at teaching the Gospel and being more effective.  Our teacher was telling us that we have great potential as being very effective missionaries ... so it was great to hear that. The Spirit has been with me more and more each day which helps me understand the gospel better as I study but more importantly to be able to use the Spirit to direct me while I'm teaching and help me know what to say. There are a few great quotes and things I've heard this week that I wanna share:

" There is no such thing as an unsolveable problem with the Gospel".

 "Church is for imperfect people coming to worship perfect things".

"God doesnt count baptisms, He counts Converts!" 

"YOU ARE AN INSTRUMENT IN GOD'S HANDS!". 

"We don't convert, the Spirit does, we just need to make it present so it can do its part". 

I love all of the quotes and things I've learned. Each and every one is powerful and we can each take something from it. Something else is that sucess requires obedience, hard work and sacrifice. It requires us to WANT to bring others to Christ. Also, that every problem can be solved with work ... work harder when it gets tough.  

I am at the very end of the Book Of Mormon. I've got like 50 more pages and will finish before the MTC like I promised and it has been a blessing. The Lord has helped me so much with it. People don't understand how I've had only like 6 hours of sleep at night and then be able to have an 18 hour day!! It's the Lord... He's giving me the strength to wake up early to read the BOM and be able to continue with my day because He knows it's important that I finish it. It is so powerful ...  this book changes lives... I've seen it and it has happend to me!  Share it with everyone you know ... share the joy.

Here is a scripture that I really love that is exactly what I want to be able to say with power and conviction: "Behold, God is my salvation; I will Trust and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; He also has become my salvation."  2 Nephi 22:2

 

Tomorrow, the 9th, is the 5-month-mark since my loving mother passed away.  I wanna do something special so I deciced I'll write a little email to her as if I was sending it to her and tell her how I feel.

 

Dear Mom,

The mission has been amazing so far.  I love all of the people I'm with and the sister missionaries are so strong.. there are a few that remind me of you if you were 19. You have prepared me my whole life for this huge opportunity I have.  You have always guided me on the right path, made sure I attended church and made sure I would be a strong man that can handle anything that life throws at you. I know I could have been better at scriprture study and payed more attention at times but i KNOW that besides that you have prepared me to be a missionary and to always continue on when it gets hard. I wish you were there to drop me off.  I just pictured you balling like a baby as I hugged you goodbye and as I walked away (ha) but what's so amazing is that we didn't have to do that ...  that I didn't have to walk away cuz now you can always be with me wherever I am. 

Last night my companion and I taught about the Plan Of Salvation.  Yes, they are actors playing a role but we are teaching them as if it's real and the Spirit was so strong. This person we were teaching hasn't been very receptive to the Spirit as we have met but this time as I spoke about the Plan of Salvation and how it is a plan of happiness his heart softened.  As I shared why it's important and how its blessed my life I could see in his eyes that he knew this Gospel was true.  He said, "Why wouldn't anyone want this?!"  I said exactly... we all need this. We commited him to baptism and after 2 minutes of silence and the Spirit working on him he looked up and said OK!  We were sooooo happy,  my companion and I just wanted to jump up and scream.  He realizes that God and Christ love him and want him to return with them and the first step is baptism. Mom, I want you to know that there's not a day that goes by that I don't think of you!  I wear my necklace EVERYDAY under my white shirt and tie.

 

Love your oldest son/ momas boy/ best friend/ Missionary,

 

Elder Taylor  

MTC letter #2

Hey everyone!

So I've been here for a week and 2 days, and its like the longest days of my life but the fastest weeks! haha  I'm learning so much here, its almost too much but that.s the point ... they throw a lot at you and you pick up everything you can. My companion and I have 3 people we're teaching here for practice and its been great. Every time we teach them we're able to touch them more and more and I am becoming a lot better at being an effective teacher. 

This week we really talked about prayer a lot and how it's important for everyone to build that relationship with Heavenly Father ... it is so true! HE wants to hear from us and hear our troubles, concerns and answers and all we have to do is talk to Him through prayer. My advice for everyone this week is to pray and not only pray but pray often and see the amazing difference that you'll see in your life.  I've been doing that lately and I've been receiving my answers and being blessed.

 I love you all and hope everything is well. I've had less time to email this week so that's why it's a little bit shorter. The best way to communicate to me while in the MTC is using DEAR ELDER... it's a website.

Much love,

Elder Taylor

If anyone wants to send a letter to Elder Taylor in the MTC NOW is the time ... he is scheduled to leave the MTC for New Mexico on Monday, FEBRUARY 11th.

Elder Justin Williams Taylor
MTC Mailbox # 359
NM-ALB 0211
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

or you can use www.DearElder.com

MTC Letter #1

LONGEST 4 DAYS OF MY LIFE!  Ha!  I've been having such an amazing expierience in the MTC. I've been learning so much more about the gospel, they like to tell us here that its like "trying to drink out of a fire hose, you can't get it all but you get some of it." They are throwing a lot our way but its good for us. My companion is from Idaho, Elder Barrus, I totally called I was gonna get someone from Utah or Idaho haha but he's not weird!  He's a super cool guy and even better he plays basketball ... so me and him kill off when we play ball on the same team. It's crazy how much of a love and care I already have for him and I've only been his companion for 4 days. 

I sleep on the top bed and it's right by the heater vent and super high off the ground so hopefully i don't roll off my bed cuz I'd for sure break something. The food is BOMB!  Way better than the cafe food from hawaii. 

There are 6 of us elders in my district and we're all going to New Mexico and leave the same day. I love every single one of them, we just completely have bonded together and are helping each other become the best servant of the Lord we can be. One of the elders is from utah and knows a lot of cool fun facts about the church and is supposedly a "flirt" with all the ladies ... haha cant see it. His companion is SOOOO funny, he looks and acts like Jack Black, best way to describe him haha and he's from Nevada. Another elder is from Idaho also and is such a spiritual giant, he's always got a scriputre to back up what he says and has a medical condition and has to wake up 30 minutes earlier and hook up to this breathing thing every morning but never complains, he's got such a sweet spirit. His compaion is our district leader and he is what you can describe a "Gentle Giant" , he's a great leader and such a cool guy and knows alot of Old School Rap  like me so that's awesome. 

I'm challenging myself to finish the Book Of Mormon by the time I leave the MTC. I'm waking up a 30 min or an hour before 6:30am to get in extra time to read it and finish it. I know I'll be losing a lot more sleep but the Lord wants me to do it and He will give me the strength to do it. I'm trying to be PERFECTLY obedient because that's how you are blessed as a misionary. Though its hard at times I know its worth it. I hope all is well with everyone and I can't wait to update next week. I think my P days are on thursday till I'm out in the mission field.

Much Love,

Elder Taylor 

Elder Taylor enters MTC on January 23rd

Here are some pictures of Elder Taylor being dropped off at the MTC 

on Wednesday, January 23rd.

As soon as we get an email/letter we'll post it on here!