Weekly Letter - 31 Dec, 2012

Dear Family, it was so wonderful talking to you this week! thank you for your uplifting spirits and for the smile you put on my face! It was so nice talking to you!

Well after I talked to you my companion got a phone call about half an hour later so i decided to Iron my clothing. Yes you could only imagine how ... nice? .. they looked after =) 

We then went to a lunch at the chapel that one of the recent converts in the English ward ,in Vancouver, prepared for all the missionaries in the building ( about 14) and there were investigators and less actives there as well! after we got mail went home and then went to visit one of the families in our ward, the Espinosas.  They ended up feeding us as well! then we went back to the church for our ward party and then we did some training and dropped of thank you card to some less active families in our ward.

We had a really good week this week reaching the standards of excellence! we worked really hard and for our hard work we were very blessed! We fell asleep so very quickly this week! and we slept so very well!

We are doing so very well! I spent my Birthday working my tail off( and for you smart alics no i did not grow a tail here on the mission) =) and we saw so many blessings from Heavenly father.

This church is so true! I know it with out doubt that as we follow the commandments of our heavenly Father i know we recieve blessings 

Doctrine and Covenants 130
20 There is a ^alaw, irrevocably decreed in ^bheaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all ^cblessings are predicated—

 21 And when we obtain any ^ablessing from God, it is by ^bobedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

I know that is true. I know because i have seen the blessings in peoples lives as they make changes and bring their lives more in harmony with the Lord, also know as Repentance, they receive the things they need.  

Moses 7 :18

18 And the Lord called his people ^aZion, because they were of ^bone heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.

We need to strive to Be like the people of zion and the only we we can do that is by following the teachings of our heavenly father! i know he calls prophets. I know Thomas S. Monson is a living day prophet! 

This is the True and only living church restored on this earth. I know it I testify of it and I do it in the Name of our Savior, even Jesus Christ, Amen.

I love you all! Have a good week! Study the scriptures. the truths have been restored! 

Love you!!

Elder Taylor

Weekly Letter - 17 Dec, 2012

Hello family.

I hope that you all had a good week!

This week was still a bit slow but we are going to turn it around this week! we are going to have an excellent work this week!

Last week i would like to apologize ( joke for Grandpa Chase and Dad hopefully you understand)  for last week and not getting a letter out to you. We had a few problems at the library and the internet went down,so I'm sorry.

We had the opportunity to go to the temple last week! it was really amazing ... you don't realize how much you have missed something until you don't have it all the time... 

The work is progressing. we hit our goal for baptisms this year. We have had an amazing year. and next year we have our sights set double for this year. i hope that you have been able to feel the spirit strong in your lives this Christmas season. 

Things seem to get busy and we don't every focus on what Christmas is all about.

I know that as we focus on Christ the gift he gave us to repent and have the Constant companionship of the Holy Ghost and also the gift of the Atonement. we have inmortality, it was freely given. We have to work for Eternal life. I know that it is truly a blessing to have been born in the covenants and be sealed as a family. 


I love you! have a fantastic week!  I'm assuming you get out of school early this week so i expect an email! from my siblings !

Love you!

Elder Taylor

Weekly Letter - 3 Dec, 2012

Dear Family. 

This week has been a good week! I am thoroughly exhausted. We did not have a whole lot of success but we worked really hard! 

This week we had a train by Elder Paul Christensen our area seventy here in British Columbia, he had just gotten back from a train to them from Elder Holland. We had such a good training. It was so very Powerful!

We have a lot of potential to make this week the best week we have had in a very long time! We have to work so very hard to find the People seeking the truth! 

I have been reflecting on the things that i have been studying this week. I have focused most of my studies on chapter 3 lesson 3 and chapter 6 of Preach My Gospel. I would highly recommend in this Christmas season taking a couple of Christlike Attributes and studying them during Family home evening. I know and promise that as you do you will draw closer to our Savior. you will understand more of who he really is and how he sees you! i promise that.

This week i have been studying a lot of the Plan of Salvation and also about the Gospel of Jesus Christ!  it has come to my attention how very important Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End are! They are the foundation of everything that we believe!

Yesterday at church there was an Hermana who is preparing to be baptized. As it was Fast and testimony meeting I'm sure you could understand, she had a lot of questions as to why the members were saying the things they were saying. She asked us how can the members really know that this church is really true. Well that question is such a perfect question that we all have to ask ourselves at some point and time in our life. Is this church really the only true and living church on the face of the Earth? 

It made me reflect on when I wanted to know in my life if these things really were true or not.

It was at Timberline when i was 16 years old. I was going through a bit of a rough time at that point in my life and everything ( at least in my head) was out to get me. I remember praying and just such a peaceful and warm feeling coming over me. I Know that that was the spirit. I know that as we seek we will find. as we ask we shall receive and as we knock it will be opened unto us! I Know that is true! I challenge all of you to once again renew your testimony and work on being converted to the Gospel by kneeling down, humble ( look at christlike attributes chapter 6 Preach My Gospel, Humility) and asking our Heavenly Father if this is the true church established here on the Earth. What better of a Christmas Gift to Receive! I also would Challenge you to Share that Gift that you will receive with someone who is in need! 

I promise you that is how your Christmas can be one that you will NEVER forget!

I love you all! I want to hear how it went for all you in sharing your testimony! 

SMILE always!

I bear you my testimony that this is the TRUE and LIVING church on this earth. I know it. I live it and I LOVE it! In the Name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Elder Taylor

Weekly Letter - 26 Nov, 2012

Dear Family,

Well needless to say I missed you all very much thins thanks giving season but we had a very amazing and miraculous week this week here in Canada and in the Lords service. This morning  I was reading a talk Giving in the 2011 October Conference in Priesthood session. It is Entitled "We are all Enlisted" I would encourage all who read this email to read that talk. 

First off i would like to say how grateful I am for the opportunity i have to be here serving a mission. I have been realizing as of late how grateful i am for My Parents, for my Siblings, for my Aunts and Uncles, for My Grandparents, Friends who set a good example, for the True and Living church. Thank you for all that you have done for me and for my family. I know that it means a lot to me so i know it means a lot to my family.

This week we had the best week i have had in the last 4 transfers. We worked so very hard doing all we could to reach and partake of the fruit, the standard of excellence that our Mission President set for us! I am pleased to say that we accomplished and surpassed what his expectations were for us! 

Monday we had our Preparation day and it ended at 6 and our appointment fell through so we decided we would bundle up and get out and contact people. we ended up meeting a plethora of people that spoke spanish. We were able to get a few peoples phone numbers. we set up a few return appointments. we got 4 new investigators this week and had 4 lessons with the new investigators. we were very blessed! 

We are doing so very good here. We go to bed Worn out every night. what a blessing it is to be able to work and work hard. I know that it is a blessing from the Lord.

I want to share now a funny experience i had. This last saturday we were invited to eat tacos with one of the members who is very proud of his super hot salsa. Needless to say i hurt really bad after eating it and it did not sit super well with me. I was sweating and getting mad fun of the whole time because it was way to hot for me=) it tasted so good though. 

It is crazy to see how much you like things once you try them. =)

Well I love you all very much and hope that you all remember my love for each of you. Thank you for all you Do!

Gratefully, 

Elder Taylor.

Weekly Letter - 19 Nov, 2012

Dear Family of mine! I hope things are going well at home!

Congratulations Meghan on making sterling scholar! that is really cool! i'm Proud of you! i know it is a lot of work and sometimes it is a pain in the butt but just keep pressing on till the work is done!

This week we studied together a lot because of Elder Arteagas trianing each day. We have been having a really good time serving together!

We have seen many Miracles this week! We have had a much better week then we have had in the Past months! We met 2 really solid families this week that i just feel will get baptized. One of them we will will be teaching and the other the English elders will be teaching!

We have been working with the Bishop and Ward council much more closely and we have been getting a Lot better! i now have a testimony of Collaboration with others! It truly is a such a great blessing to be a missionary! i know and can tell just from your letters that you are receiving blessings as well as me! 

Thank you Mom Dad, Meghan Justin Christopher, Aunts and Uncles,Grandparents Cousins Friends and Church leaders for the Great Example that you have set for me and for Others i know how much a good example is worth and i am grateful for all of you and the example you were to me. Thank you!

With Love, Elder Taylor

Weekly Letter - 13 Nov, 2012

Good morning From Canada this nice fine day where for a few minutes it is not raining!

I was very happy to hear from all of you! i am glad things are going so well at home! Be thankful for the snow! it is no fun when it will not ever come.

This week was a bit of a harder one. Last Monday we got transfer calls. Elder Flexhaug got transfered to the other side of British Columbia as a Zone Leader in English work. I was asked to Train a brand new missionary. they forgot to tell me his name.  (His name is Elder Arteaga from Saratoga Springs, Utah)

Tuesday we went up to North Vancouver and Blitz the area.

Wednesday we went and visited a lot of members and tried to receive referrals but to no avail.

Thursday we went to training. i met my new missionary companion. it was a lot of fun. we came back to the house and planned for this week. and went to dinner.

Friday we worked hard. but we ended up dropping our investigators.

Saturday i got really sick and was in bed. i got a parking ticket =)

Sunday we had stake conference. We had elder Zwick at our conference they re organized the stake presidency.

and yesterday was Preparation day.

Everything is going well here, busy as usually trying to find new people to teach.

I hope that all is well with you!  have a fantastic week! I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Love Elder Taylor

Brandon and his new companion Elder Arteaga

I am guessing this is most of the Spanish District in the Vancouver Mission :)

Weekly Letter - Oct 22, 2012

Good morning Dearest family of mine!

I am sorry for the short email last week i hope that this one makes it a little bit longer then the last!

I left in a bit of a hurry last time because my companion was going to the hospital because he fell and hurt his elbow and really didnt know what was wrong. Sister Tilleman sent us to the Emergency Room so we left in a bit of a hurry hoping to get rid of his pain a little bit faster.  We got there about 11:30 in the morning and we started our long wait in the emergency room ( canadian free health care good and bad) we waited for about an hour and then got in to see the doctor. they sent him to see the radiology department which was another 1 hour before he got the xrays and then we went back and waited for another 1 hour to see the results then they sent him to get a CT scan. that one was 2 hours. and another 2 hours waiting to hear back. He had 2 fractures all the way through the bone right after his elbow. So then we had to wait for the orthopedic surgeon to come done and talk to him. and he told him he would have to get surgery and have a Plate and 4 screws put in. So the surgeon booked him over night in one of the hospital rooms. and i just sat with him. Our zone leaders brought us some Food because we really hadnt eaten all day. Then the nurse came in about 10 o clock and told me i wasnt supposed to stay the night so we prayed and heavenly father softened their hearts and she came back and told us that i could stay just for one night. so i slept in a chair in the hospital. The next morning we "woke up" about 6 and the nurses rushed in and told us that Elder Flexhaug was going in for surgery in just a few minutes. So he got up and got changed and everything. I went with him down to prep then i had to leave and i went out and sat in the Cafeteria for 4 hours by my self, with the permission of President and Sister Tilleman. Then we found out that all went well with the surgery and then the Vancouver spanish Elders showed up and sat and waited for elder flexhaug. Then we went in and saw him all drugged up. i got to go back to my house and shower and change and then we headed back to the hospital and i studied and studied while elder flexhaug was asleep. So Then we found out that he was going to have to be booked another night in the hospital so we called president Tilleman not knowing what to do because i couldnt stay and he said every thing would be alright. so we waited for the night The Assitents showed up and brought me food. because i hadent eaten and they were worried. they brought elder Flexhaug a big ballon and a card. then we talked to the nurse again and she said it was fine that i stayed it had got approved so i stayed another night. then we got up and i studdied some more and we ended up leaving the hospital about 1130 wednesday morning. Wednesday afternoon we showed up home and our zone leaders had brought us Pizza and pop and wings and breadsticks and then President Tilleman showed up at our house and talked with us all for a little while then he had to leave and Go to pick up the General Authority, Elder Haleck and his wife at the air port. Elder Flexhaug and i ended up staying at the house most of the night until we went to Bishops house for dinner and for a meeting about our ward mission plan.

Thursday we got up and went to a training from Elder Haleck and it was really good. we focused alot on working with the Ward Council. later that night we picked up elders from the bus station. 

Friday we took those Elders to the Training. and then picked them up and we weekly planed. 

Saturday we woke up early and took them back then we Blitzed our area with the Zone Leaders and we found 2 new investigators and taught some lessons and recieved referals.

Sunday we went to church i was assinged to speak for 15 minutes i ended up talking more time then that.  I was really surprised that i could speak for 15 minutes non stop in a language that is not my own. The GIFT OF TOUNGES is very real.

and that leads us to today.

So that has really been my week had some interesting experiences to say the least but it has been a  good week!

Well I love you all very much and hope to hear from ALL of you !

Love you!! 

Weekly Letter - Oct 15, 2012

Good Morning, It is 10:44 here in Burnaby british Columbia.

It is NOT raining as of write now. But the winter has begun. It does not snow here. It just pours rain, all the time. Non stop. I am surprised that it is not raining as of right now. It is a very interesting rain. It is constant and mildly heavy, it does not bounce off your Jackets it just soaks in! Need less to say it has been a wet week!

Things have been good this week! We taught a couple of lessons and we got some progress with working with our ward leaders.

It has been really good. 

Yesterday Our newest member of the ward was confirmed as such. I was privileged to stand in the circle with them and put my hand upon her head and be part of that great journey she just started. 

We had some interesting experiences yesterday. We went out and were knocking doors and it was raining pretty hard and we were just wet and tired and and we were just about to walk back to our care but there were only a few more houses on the street so we kept knocking and the very last house right on the corner was a lady who had just moved here from the phillipeans and has been here for less then a week. she is a member but didnt know how to get to church. It was a really cool experience.

Then we went to chuch and confirmed This young girl as a member of the church. 

Then we went back out and were knocking doors and Elder Flexhaug slipped and fell down the stairs and smacked his elbow really hard. He hurt it pretty bad. we have to go see the doctor today he really cant move it. I understand a little how you felt now after i had knee surgery. we dropped by a members house and then got in touch with the mission president. then went out and kept working ( not my idea his). he is a really dilligent missionary.

That is pretty much all that has been going on with my week!

Love you much and hope that all is going well at home!

-Elder Taylor

Weekly Letter - Oct 08, 2012

Good morning Family I hope that you all had a fantastic General conference weekend!

It was amazing here. There is such a different spirit to general Conference while you are on your mission! it is just amazing i have never taken so many notes in my entire life!

I would like to know from ALL of you what your favorite talks were?

How was your canadian thanksgiving yesterday? =)

We had a very good one! Sadly enough, but i am very greatful for it ,we did not have any dinner appointments. We started knocking doors and we were not having any success. and we came to the last door we were knocking in this area and we knocked the door. And right after we knocked the door this guy on a bike runs in to the hedge in front of his house. and then just keeps going until he takes his bike to the back yard. We were just thinking to ourselves, " oh great this is going to be a good one"
so we end up talking to him and he invites us to come sit down on his porch with him. so we do and we end up teaching him. After the first prayer, our big rough tough drinking smoking heavy machinery truck driving man cussing up a storm was crying because the spirit was so strong. He made it very clear to us before we started teaching him that he would not ever step foot into a church. by the end he had a baptismal date, is coming to church on sunday and poured his beer down the drain. 

The spirit is such an amazing thing im so glad that i get to see and recognize miracles like that happen every day!

I love you all very much!

I hope you all have a good week 

With my love, Elder taylor

Weekly Letter - Oct 1, 2012

Good morning Family of mine!,

I hope that you all had a good weekend this week! spending time with Grandma and Grandpa and hearing  amazing stories! those are times that you will never forget!

I hope that you are all preparing for General Conference this Coming weekend! Elder Flexhaug and I are very Excited to get to go to conference! THis month is going to Be amazing!

Before i forget to tell you i will not be emailing on monday but Probably tuesday next week! that give you an extra day! I expect to hear from all of you!! ;) 

Next Monday is Thanksgiving here in Canada.. so im not sure what we will be doing but we shall find out! we probably have dinner appointments with members.

So to be honest this week was a hard week!  

All of our appointments fell through!

We have no Investigators ( we dropped the one we had)

Our recent Convert didnt get confirmed  we had a crazy lady show up to church =) 

IT was HARD but that is okay i came to the Realization this week that THe Lord is just shaping me into who he wants me to become. As we truly gain an eternal perspective or what the lord is doing , that Trials are not going to last for forever that weeks that are hard only make harder weeks easier, we can really become who the Lord wants us to become!

I really hope that you all pay attention and WRITE DOWN question that you have before you listen to conference and i know you will receive the answers to your questions!

I love you all so very much!

Enjoy this conference weekend!

Weekly Letter - Sept 24, 2012

Good Morning my dearest Family 

I hope that all is going well for you at home and at work and at school!

This week we had a baptism! It was so amazing! the spirit was so strong and we are so happy to have seen her make that first covenant with our heavenly Father.

Things have been really looking up as we strive to be obedient and to do the will of Our heavenly father things this week were just amazing as we prepared for the Baptism! 

Almendra ( the young girl being baptized ) just started. We reactivated the family and we are really excited to see them make a large effort to come to church. 

Church yesterday was very stressful as we got everything ready for the baptism. 

We got to meet with old investigators this week and we got to see them set goal to be baptized. We are really excited to help them along their way!

We decided that we are going to start working really hard with our leaders or our ward so that we can continue to grow our ward. Each sunday we have had an increasing number of people in attendance and it is so amazing to see!!

Well i really dont have much else to say about the week!

I hope to hear from you soon! 

Here are a couple of picture... People say Pictures are worth a thousand words so i hope that that makes this email a little bit longer!

With all my love Elder Taylor