A note from the desk of....Elder...no...Nurse Taylor

Hello one and all,
This week has really been a little different for me. As I mentioned a few weeks ago I was going to Reno to help Elder Riddle with his surgery and stuff like that. Well first of all his surgery went well and he is healing up nicely. We are up in Reno again today getting the final packing taken out of his face so that he can breath and almost feel normal again. Well the best place to start with the story is at the beginning. So we got there and: we arrived in Reno on Monday night and stayed with a member from one of my old wards. Then the surgery was the next morning at 8:30 and we had to be there early. We arrived in plenty of time and we were able to get him all checked in and medicated. The doctor that was performing the surgery was Dr. Elder Dyches. He is in the Area Presidency and some quorum of the seventy, he is also a really nice doctor and is really one of the best in the West. The surgery lasted for about an hour, and they just pounded it back into place and made it all pretty and straight for Elder Riddle. Well, one thing I forgot to mention was that a sister missionary was having the same thing done on the same day. Funny side note: when Elder Riddle broke his nose, the sisters took him and another Elder to the ER to get it checked out….while he was being stitched up she fainted and broke her nose on a cabinet. So they both broke their noses and had surgery to fix them on the same day….what a great story to tell!

So, after the surgery we just took it easy….Elder Dyches offered to let us stay at their home for a few days while he recovered. He has a really nice house and I’m sure that his wife loved having me there….all the big heavy moving that she didn’t or hadn’t wanted to do - she had me do whit Elder Riddle slept or ate or did whatever. Well the nice thing was we had total run on the kitchen anytime we were hungry. We could get what we wanted or cook or whatever. It was so nice to have a place to stay and relax that had food in it….most missionary apartments only ever really have junk food in it….so it was nice to eat real food all time.

We stayed at their home until Thursday evening and then we went back to Gardnerville. We stayed together because I knew what needed to be done and also because I could drive - so if we got to stir crazy we could just leave and drive around or something. We split back on Saturday evening for Church…but it snowed like 6 inches that night and church was cancelled! Then the sun came out and melted the snow a little bit and we (Elder Riddle and I) headed up here to Reno while we had the chance….so glad we did! It snowed again here in town and I’m sure down in G-Ville as well. Like I said Elder Riddle is having his packing taken out this afternoon and then we will be going back to G-Ville. So then we will be all done.

Well as for other big news: Of course the entire LDS community is aware of the passing of our beloved prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley…we were with some other missionaries when we got the news that he passed…we were all shocked for a few moments and then as we all talked about the plan of salvation it made us all realize he was in a better place and he was doing what the Lord would have him do at this time. It was most assuredly a sad moment but he is now reunited with his sweet wife and they are doing their job now, together again. Another quick health note…yes, Mom I’m doing fine. Actually our mission president will be going to Salt Lake this week for some tests by the church doctors there as he has had bone cancer in the past and they don’t know if it is acting up again…I would just ask that you keep him in your prayers…and all of us missionaries will be fasting for him this fast Sunday.

Well know that I love a appreciate all that you guys do and have done and will continue to do. I love you all so much and hope that all continues to go well. Again I love you and have a great week.

Love,
Elder Taylor

Well, heres the deal......

Hey there family!
This week has been a little better weather wise and I have gotten to know Elder Tubb a little bit more and things have gotten better around here….plus not being stuck in the apartment all day really helps out a lot. We have had a bunch people to visit and things to do this week to keep us busy. It has been a very productive week and a lot has gotten done. We visited most of our investigators and now this week is full of appointments. We have a lot of potential in this area...the last elders didn’t seem to want to use it very much - so they left us plenty to do. For which I am grateful.

Well, as I sit here and think of the things that we did this week I really am drawing a blank. We did a lot of just visiting people who may or may not be home and other stuff like that. I do have to tell this story though. We went to dinner the other night with a nice couple. They were so happy to be able to feed the missionaries and to have us in their home, and you know me I love to make people happy….here’s were the problem starts….Elder Tubb hadn’t been feeling to well that day and really wasn’t too hungry…..so he really didn’t eat all that much. Well, he ate a few bites and had to go to the bathroom….(he had bugatti’s and needed to go)….well he was in the bathroom for a little bit of time…ok, a long time. The wife thought that her food had made him sick, and I told her that he hadn’t been feeling good that day and wasn’t really very hungry. When he came out, the husband asked if he fell in...and then the wife began to pester him about how he felt….and the last question she asked was…."Are you bulimic???" At that point I lost it, and I was laughing out loud and just couldn’t stop thinking of Zoolander and “You can read minds?!”…it just really made me laugh.

Well, this week, like I said, wasn’t too eventful but if I remember more later I will write a snail mail letter and send that. Maybe if you send me a questionnaire with all the details you want on it I can write you back and tell you all you want and more…but this week has been good…church yesterday was fun….the Walker Branch I cover is just a bunch of old Crazies…so that makes it really fun to be there and help out. The Branch President is a guy who lives in Gardnerville and he is awesome…the other ward is awesome and they really all want to help us out. Mom, sorry to hear about the Colts…..but my Chargers are one step closer to where I said they would be….it’s in writing!

Oh! I forgot to tell you last week that I get to go back up to Reno for a few days. Elder Riddle, (we were in the MTC together) is here in Gardnerville and broke his nose playing basketball a month ago and he is having surgery next week…so I get to go with him and drive him back home…since his comp doesn’t have driving privileges. Well I love you guys a lot and hope you all have a good week.

Love,
Elder Taylor

When it Rains...it Snows

Hello,

A very wet and strange "Hello" to you all. As some have heard, there has been a little crazy weather these past couple of days. We have seen a little bit of everything, so that has made the transition a little different then normal. Well, as many know we have had a lot of snow in the last few days and it has made missionary work a little different than usual. Not too much actually - people just don’t seem to like to talk to us when they are just as cold and wet as we are….but that has been nice because our apartment was a total mess when we got there…we have had a few days to clean and re-arrange the place which is really nice….it needed it. Our apartment is an older apartment that missionaries have been in for a few years and it is a total change from my last few apartments. It is nice though…..it reminds me of something the Brady Bunch would live in. It almost looks like a house though….we have a driveway and a garage which is a pretty cool change….I wish I could tell you more about the members but we haven’t really met many of them yet…Church was canceled yesterday and so that made it really hard to try and get to know everyone. Those we have met are pretty cool…I’m not to sure about our Bishop since he is fairly new and I don’t know if he really knows how to work with missionaries. But guess we can help him out with that!

Gardnerville is a small little town….I miss Reno already….everything is so far away and there is only one other missionary companionship in Gardnerville. But it is a nice little town. Don’t get me wrong it's nice, it's just not Reno. But one cool thing is that Elder Sanderson is my zone leader now which is pretty cool, good to see him again. My new companion, Elder Tubb...He is from Georgia, the Atlanta area…and he has one older brother and he really is a nice guy. All in all - things will go well and continue on like normal…he has been out 20 months and he was Elder Filter's MTC companion and that’s pretty cool…

Other details: we drive a maroon 2008 Corolla and it is like brand new….so that’s nice! I cover the Carson Valley 2nd ward and the Walker Branch. Walker is in California and is a good 40 miles from my apartment. We don’t have too much work going on out there. We have our branch mission leader drive us out there for appointments and stuff…which helps on miles. There aren’t really too many investigators right now, which means we have to do a lot of tracting and street contacting and stuff like that. Which is just what missionaries do….so I don’t have too much of a problem doing that.

Well I hope that everyone has had a good week and has a good week this week. I know that I will…go Buckeyes tonight! I hope they win. LSU is good but I think The Ohio State is going to take it….Know that I love you all very much and I hope that you all have the Spirit with you and that you do your best. This has been the craziest week so far…

Love,
Elder Taylor