PICTURES!

The Bates of Las Vegas with Elder Taylor

The Meservy Family of Las Vegas with Elder Crump and Elder Taylor

Elder Crump

And thanks to Isaac for the proof that he made it to Carson City yesterday!
Elder Taylor and Isaac
Elder Taylor...being very Elder Taylor

Back to Where I Just Came From???

Hello,

Well this week has been a pretty good one, I must say. We had some good appointments this week and I got to say some good-byes…..that's right good-byes….which means I will be leaving this area….and actually Las Vegas all together. I am being transferred to Carson City. I served close to there earlier this year actually. While I was in Gardnerville, we were in the Carson City zone. So I am heading back up to the much cooler northern Nevada. Boy, I must tell you that I am really happy about that! It is about 10 degrees cooler up there I think, maybe more. I will be serving in the Hot Springs and Carson River Wards….at least I think that is their names. I will be in a car and my companion will be Elder Wright. I served around him before while in this area, I think he is from Alaska, if I remember right, he has only been out for about 6 months or so. This will be a fun new challenge for sure. Carson City is known for being a hard area to do missionary work in. So I hope that I will be able to do some good and help as many people as I possible can.

This week was kind of like: "Well, I know I am getting transferred so talk to as many people and say good-bye to as many as you can." We had some good lessons and some fun too. I actually got to go on splits with Elder Fechser this week, too. We had a Zone splits day where we all split up in the zone with someone else. Well the zone leaders picked me and him to go together. Mostly because he has been struggling with things lately and they were hoping that I could provide a boost and a little instruction as to what he needs to do to change. Well, I think it was a great time….we had some fun and tried to get as much done in the area as possible. His area was kind of stinky poo…..mostly because everyone in it lives in a house that cost over 1 million dollars, or more. We did have a great time that day and it was good to try and be of some help to other people to.

That seems to be a key theme for me lately. Charity and service. How can we have more or how can we do more? It just seems that I have heard so much about it lately. The best way I heard it was yesterday. We can't expect to love others anymore than we love ourselves, meaning not that we think we're the best or better then others. We have a respect and understanding of ourselves and that our Heavenly Father loves us too. We must forgive ourselves of things done in the past…..we must repent and they will be remembered no more….then we can keep going on and love ourselves and most important…others.

Well sorry this is short but time is running out and I have a lot to do before I leave for Carson City tomorrow. I love you all so much and have a great day…and week.

Love,
Elder Geoff Taylor

Oh man....are my legs still here???

Hello,

I must start this out by saying how tired I am right now. We just got back from hiking in the Red Rock national thing…..I don’t remember what it is called just that is has a bunch of really tall rocks….that are red. To be honest it was only a good time. I got really tired and realized how out of shape I really am. I got winded like half way up the thing….but I was grateful for having all my amazing rock climbing skills….it really helped. I did end up throwing up like half way up and that sucked because it was all my water intake so far today….so I got really dehydrated….something not so good here in Las Vegas. No need to worry - I am alive and doing well….really, Mom, stop worrying…I’m ok.

I really must say that not to much has really happened over the last few days….this whole P-day on Wednesday thing really messed up the story telling and goodness of things to put in my email….but I will do my best to keep you all glued to your seats for the next few sentences….that is until you get bored and click to an old email or something more interesting. Well now that I’m back….like I said I really am tired. This week has really been a good one. We had some good lessons the last few days. We taught Chemise Jones the other night. It went really well, we talked all about the first 4 principles and ordinances of the gospel. It really helped her, I think. I got to teach about baptism, so I had the member that came with us bring salt and pepper and some dish soap. Some of you may be thinking….what does that have to do with baptism? Well, if use it to teach about baptism, it makes sense. What you do is: get a bowl of water….better for it to be like a soup bowl….less water….doesn’t matter though…it can be big, too….just means you will use more salt and pepper….it is also really good to use a clear bowl. Anyway, you talk about good and bad things people do….salt being good and pepper being bad. As people name things you put one or the other in the bowl….serious things get lots more in the bowl. Well when you're doing this you see that the salt goes to the bottom and sort of unnoticed and the pepper stays at the top covering the water. Then you have everyone try and touch the water to make it clean…..just like we need to be….oh by the way the water is us….people…..anyway….everyone goes around and can't clean it up. Then you secretly put some soap on your finger…..if you're doing the visual…and touch the water…it makes the pepper disperse and you can see the water again…it is made clean. Then you talk about how you need to have the right authority to be baptized and made clean….you can also show everyone that you are putting soap on your finger….but it works way better in secret. They think you're magic. But really what it does is teach that we need to have the right authority and that baptism makes us clean from our sins…or the bad things we do each day. So anyway…she loved it and her friend that was there with her really liked it too. The whole lesson went over really well…we talked about a baptism date of August 2nd….that’s only two weeks away. Holy cow, time goes by so fast! Anyway I hope that she is able to go through with it. Then later in the week we helped one of our investigators move. The great thing is they actually just moved in the ward and so we don’t have to change anything….nice how that works out.

Well transfers are coming up next week. I have no idea where I’m going but I think I will be leaving this area…I mean I will have been almost 6 months in this area, so I will really be sad to leave…I feel like this is home….but if I don’t leave then it really won't be too heart breaking. I really do love this area a lot. I mean I have spent a quarter of my mission in this area. But we will just have to wait and see. Know that I love all of you so much and that I really hope that all is going well for each of you. I think about you and pray for you often. May things keep going your way. Well until next time….stay out of the heat….I know I will.

Love,
Elder Geoff Taylor


P.S. We got our car last week.....it is a gold 2006 Toyota corolla...what a shock I know....it is getting old though....I think it might go back to the farm soon.

Did you miss me????

Hello!
So first off, sorry that it took so long to get this to you. We had P-day today, Wednesday, because we got to go to the temple this morning. So as you know, they moved P-day so we could go to the temple - since it's closed on Mondays. Don’t worry though, next week we are back to normal Mondays, so don’t forget to write!

Well, holy cow, so much seems to have happened in the last 10 days or so, where do I start?! Last Wednesday, which doesn’t feel like a week ago, was zone conference. It was a really good one. We have been talking a lot about the Book of Mormon lately and it has really been a lot of fun. The zone leader trainings were really funny. They were all about how we as missionaries need to use the Book of Mormon more in our teaching and how it is another witness of Jesus Christ. Zone conferences are always good, but I must say that this has been one of the best that I have ever been to. I've only been to like 10 or 12 but still - this was really good. Later that night we went to mutual activity and taught a lesson to the Young Women in the ward. It was a lot of fun. We taught the recent convert lessons and it went really well. Then we let them ask us questions about our missions and stuff….it was a lot of fun. Plus the lesson went really well. Then last Friday we did some service for Sister Wyatt. We cut her grass and did some other odds and ends for her. It is always fun to do service in the heat….mostly because we can wear shorts and a t-shirt and it makes it less hot….I mean not much less….but better then "a shirt and tie" hot.

The best part of last week was the weekend. The Nunez kids were baptized last Saturday and confirmed in church on Sunday!! The baptism service went really well. There were a lot of people there. The whole time though all I could really think about was how many people were at Dad’s baptism. There were about 50 to 60 at this one. Still it was a great service. Elder Crump and I were asked to be the witnesses so that was really nice. Now we get to start teaching them all over again for the new member lessons. So that should be really fun. But like I said the service was a lot of fun and really good and Spirit was there the whole time.

As for things going on this week, We found out Sunday night that we would be getting a new car….problem is…it is up North right now….and we are in Vegas…..and they had to take our car to the switch it out. So right now we don’t have a car….so that really makes things a lot more fun….but we should get one either today or tomorrow morning I think….not to sure. I hope that it is really soon though because it is going to start getting really hot again around here. The weather this week has actually been really good, only about 100 degrees this week, so that really nice.

Well I guess in closing I would like to go back to something I talked about at the beginning, the Book of Mormon. I have made it a personal goal to finish the whole thing by the end of this month. Then I will be trying to read it in a month….the whole month of August to be exact. Right now am about half way through Helaman...so wish me luck with that. What I wanted to talk about was the change I have felt as I have been reading more. The Spirit really has been stronger in my life this last week. It has really been refreshing to read from such an inspired book. We really are a lucky people to have such a wonderful book at our fingertips, and it is really sad to me that not enough people use it in their lives. But that’s something that will always go on. I would love it if those who read this would start to read the Book of Mormon more in their families or in their personal studies. If you are already doing it, great, if not….get on it ok??? Know that I love you all so much and that I think about all of you all the time. Have a great week…type to you Monday!

Love,
Elder Geoff Taylor

Images via here and here

Fourth of July.....under the lights????

Hello Again,
I hope that everyone had a great week and an even better holiday weekend! I know that I had a great time this 4th of July. We had a great day. We went to a ward breakfast. There they honored the veterans in the ward and let them tell some of their background. It was really cool to see all the people in the ward that had served their country. Then following the breakfast they had two flags that needed to be retired. That was a really cool thing to watch, too. The breakfast was a huge success with lots of people there and overall it was a really good time. Then after that we went to visit a few investigators. That was alright….but the best part of the day was we went to a BBQ held by a senior couple serving in our mission, the Hicks. They are serving in our stake and actually live in our ward. They are "live at home" missionaries, which means they live in their house, but now they do missionary work full time instead of going to work or something else. They still are pretty normal and stuff, but they are just like us….set apart to serve the Lord. Anyway, they hosted an amazing little missionary pot-luck-dinner-party-thing. Well, we went and had a great time! There were a lot of people there: some investigators and less-active members as well as missionaries. We had such a great time. We played volleyball. Oh man, I don’t think I have had that much fun playing volleyball before in my life! Eventually it got to the point where it was just us missionaries there so we decided to play a game of volleyball with the teams being Senior comps VS Junior comps. The Juniors ended up winning the series but we won one of the 3 games. The best part of the whole thing was that the Hicks have big flood lights on top of the house so that we could play in the dark! So volleyball under the lights is a lot of fun. Even if you do lose.

Man, what else happened this week? We had a great appointment with one of our investigators this past week. We taught Chemise the stop smoking workshop. For those who have no idea what that is….it is a 15 step program proven to help people to stop smoking in a week. So we taught her on Thursday and so by this Thursday she should be smoke free….assuming she follows all 15 steps……that is the key to the whole thing. You have to keep all 15 steps for a week and then your good to go. So we hope that when we go by there she will be doing well. We met with her the other day but she didn’t come to church yesterday. So we hope she is doing well. We also had interviews with President McCracken this week and that was good as always. Grandma and Grandpa: he says "Hello!" and every time I see him he asks me how both of you are doing….and tells me to say hello to you….so….Hello! We also had a great conversation on coming up with ideas that are more "out of the box" to find new people to teach. So it was a really good interview. I also thought about the Dyches this week, too….taking over back home. I hope that when I get home that I will be able to maybe go and see them. They really are a nice couple.

Well, I can’t really think of anything else to write this week…cool stuff did happen but sometimes my mind goes blank. Thanks for the great letters this week. I hope that you all have a great week this week. I love you all and pray for you all the time.

Love,
Elder Geoff Taylor