Whistle while you work...it makes it better!

Well Hello Family,

I hope that this letter finds all of you healthy and wealthy and wise. This week has been a good one for me and Elder Degering. We were able to find a few new people and hope that all goes well with them, and also we are trying to work with some less active and part-member families. These two wards really haven’t had much missionary success in the past little while, with one ward not having a convert baptism in over 14 months or so. That’s a really long time. So our goal is to find people to teach in that ward and do our best to get people to church and get those members fired up to do missionary work. We are really starting to get to know the area better and we have had a few ward parties so that helps with getting to know the members of the wards as well. The Stringers continue to be amazing and helpful in any way, although this week they had all sorts of family in town. The house sure was full up, and we had a dinner with 16 people on Thursday night. It was crazy! Lots of people, lots of food. Much like the party that you all had this week.

Well, this week really has been full of missionary work. We have a lot of free time as we don’t have very many people we are teaching and so we have spent that free time tracting. I don’t know if I have ever said this, but tracting is my least favorite thing to do as a missionary. I would much rather do a lot of other things with my time, but it is one of those things that I have come to love more. A lot of missionaries out here are really struggling with the normal "finding activities" and so they have really been pushing it a lot lately and I have had time to think about why we do it. First: it is something we are asked to do...so we have to do it. Then: it helps build character. I equate it to building a house…we as missionaries want to baptize people, "The Roof," but without things like tracting, "The Foundation," we can’t hold up the roof, or our teaching pool, so we must do it to keep the balance of the world. We must tract….and lately, as ineffective as it normally is, we have tried to have fun and get to know the people we talk to at the door. Now that I’m done ranting, we did a lot of that kind of stuff this week, "finding activities" as we like to call them. Like I said, we have tried to make them as fun as possible. One of the things we've been asked to do while we are tracting is to hold the Book of Mormon in our hands. Well, I started playing scripture baseball with Elder DeGering, from door to door, it is a fun way to pass the time and a great way to learn more about the Book of Mormon.
As for other things that we did this week: We had our beginning of the transfer zone meeting on Tuesday and we learned that Elder Kikuchi from the Seventy is is going to be coming to do a mission tour next week. I think it will be on Tuesday - so that should be very cool. On Thursday we did service with some other missionaries in the zone, for one of their investigators. We helped them move them to a new house. I was glad to be of help for had we not been there…they may have taken a few days to get it all done! As it was…it took most of the day anyway. Friday brought Halloween and down here we had to be in by 6:00 p.m., which really wasn’t too much fun as the house was empty. The Stringers were at a family Halloween party, so we hung around and had a good time in the house with the dogs and things like that. On Saturday we went to the youth baptisms for the stake. They do this big general meeting and then they split off into wards after the meeting for the baptisms…then they do like a "Music and the Spoken Word" thing where they just read a scripture and then we sang a song. Well when I was showering that day, (and as I have said before, that really is where do my best thinking)...I was thinking if I might see one Bishop Ken Craig. Well, lo and behold! When I walked into the chapel, sitting on the stand looking all bishop-like was Mister Craig himself! Well the meeting started quickly afterwards and I sat there for a few moments, then we both realized who was who. When his ward went to leave he gave me a hug and said to look around for him after it was all over….well we talked, as you heard, and it was good to see him again. Yes, he did say he wanted me to come over for dinner…we will have to work it all out. Still it was great to see him again…finally. Then came Sunday and the wonderful thing that always is…it was good though…as fast Sunday always is.
Chanel had a few questions this week so I will answer those and wrap this baby up.
What did you have for lunch yesterday?
Me: Nothing…it was fast Sunday.
DeGering: Same.

Where do you go for advice?
Me: My mother.
D: The Lord.

Which do you use more often, the dictionary or the thesaurus?
Me: um...Don’t use either?
D: Dictionary.

Have you ever been snorkeling? Scuba diving?
Me: No, you know I hate water.
D: Yes snorkeling, no scuba.

Have you ever been stung by a bee?
Me: Yeah under my chin area.
D: Yes.

What's the sickest you've ever been?
Me: That one time I got really sick on my mission and didn’t tell Mom.
D: Had the flu and a temperature of 104

What's your favorite form of exercise?
Me: Sports…golf…riding in the cart…just kidding.
D: Running.

What did you do for your 13th birthday?
Me: I don’t remember…some party or something.
D: Went and saw Star Wars 1.

Are you afraid of heights?
Me: Sort of.
D: No.

Have you ever taken dance lessons?
Me: No, I wish I did though.
D: Yes, ballroom dancing.

What's the most memorable class you've ever taken?
Me: Marketing 1 with Mr. Resch, best class ever.
D: Building Traits…a construction class.

What's your favorite knock-knock joke?
Me: Joan Toothpaste!
D: He doesn’t have one….sadly.

Well there you have it. This week has been great and I hope that you have a great one this week. Stay busy and open your mouths, and spread the gospel…I love you all.
Love,
Elder Geoff Taylor

P.S. Chanel please don’t ever tell me how many weeks I have left…that would be great. Thanks. Love ya!