I Love the Gospel

I love the gospel! I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This week has been different but really good. It was slower than usual due to conferences a sick day, an exchange, and stake conference but it was great. After emails on P-day we went and played soccer...I haven't really played in quite some time..I played and continued to kick the ball and really stretched my thigh muscle..it hurt for a couple of days but we're back to normal now.

I wasn't feeling really well on Tuesday so we had a sick day. After district meeting I told Sister Cottrell I had to go home and I slept for most of the day. I love Wednesday's here in Scotch Plains. They're productive and we have a lot of set appointments. We had 8 set appts and only one of them got canceled but it worked out fine. We taught a lot of people, less actives, investigators, members and even did service. It was a great day! I love being able to work with Sister Cottrell, we're a lot alike but also very different. But we both know our calling and are trying so hard to do the Lord's work here. We've been talking about the people we've been working with and just about all of them are ready to be baptized. It's so exciting! Wednesday we saw Mark, usually we meet him outside but the weather has been getting colder so Elder and Sister Fullmer offered their car for our meeting. I'll say that was a first on my mission. A lesson in a car. But it was awesome. Mark's grandpa just recently passed away and so it was cool to be able to relate to him about my experience with Grandpa Stevens. Mark is so awesome. On Friday we met with him right before our exchange and I asked him if he desired to be baptized, and the way he said "yes" sealed it for me. He's going to be baptized on November 17th and he's ready! :) We also met with one of our other investigators, Travis, and he accepted to be baptized in December, we're extending a date to him this week. :) Things are happening!

We had zone conference on Thursday in Morristown, it was crazy to be back there. I was there in Morristown a YEAR ago. Seems like a very long, but short time. We were able to hear from President and Sister Jeppson. Goll, I love them so much; . They bring such a strong spirit into the room and are just fantastic. They said we'll probs be getting ipads in April or so next year...too bad fo' me! The work of Salvation is hastening and I hope all of you are doing your job as members to help hasten the work. Heavenly Father needs all of us doing His work "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal of man" (Moses 1:39) We did role plays and learned so much there.

Now this story is quite cool, this next one, I whole-heartedly believe I receive revelation through the foods I want to try out here haha. After zone conference we got back and I wanted to try a place called Urban Burger. So we bundled up and decided to drive there. If we would have walked this story wouldn't of happened. So we go in and order our burgers, BTW they were really delicious. I ordered the cow roaming in an onion patch burger. YUMMY. So, we got it to go, but had to wait for them to make it so we sat down at a table and were just talking amongst ourselves. This older lady that was sitting a table with her family kept looking and glancing at me over and over again. So in my mind I had already planned to give her a pass-along card but I was going to do it as I was walking out. In walks her son, probably about in his 20's....she leans over to me...really close and says "do you think my son is cute?" Uhhhhhhhhh...I had no clue what to say. So I replied "I'm not looking for that right now..." Really, that's what came out. It was pretty funny. I told her, I'm on a mission for my church and then she asked what church and the conversation developed from there. She began to tell us when her daughter (who's now in her 40's) was around 5, the missionaries used to come over and discuss with her. 40 years ago this lady had met with the missionaries and there we were again! We got into conversation with the whole family and talked about BYU and the church. It was really cool to do that. I gave her a card and she was so happy! I put our name and number on it for her. As we left I told her if she ever needed anything give us a call, and she said in a very sincere voice "I'm going to do that!". We went back home and ate our burgers with JOY! It was so cool to experience that. Sister Cottrell and I both have the faith she will call us. If not we'll start knocking all the doors in Cranford until we find her again :)

We had another revelation through food the next night. Man I'm on a role! This one was at a frozen yogurt place. People know I love my FroYo. It was interesting because on Monday we had written down a name of a lady to go check up on and then the next thing we were going to get some FroYo. Due to my leg we didn't get there. But it happened to be on Friday night when we got in to the FroYo place in walks the lady that we had put down on Monday and then FroYo...We met Deb Wright at FroYo on Friday night. Sister Maclay and I had contacted her at her house a few months ago and she said she wanted to learn more, but we hadn't been able to get back over there. It was so neat and I talked to her again and she said it's been crazy at the house but just stop by and see if we're there. Boom! It's going to happen we're going to teach her and her family. Hope that story made sense..

Stake conference was incredible. To the amazing adult session in the newly dedicated Newark Chapel, to the song How Great Thou Art played by three woman, a violin, cello and piano, to the amazing talks about hastening the work of Salvation and sharing the gospel, to the Sunday session where Sister Jeppson sang a couple of diddy's and then President Jeppson beat-boxed a line or two to the incredible spirit felt. I love this weekend. I also went on an exchange to East Brunswick and did some work in Edison. That was fun.

This work is real. God lives and loves us so much. I have been so blessed to be out here in New Jersey. God knows what he's doing. His plan is a happy plan. I'm excited for this week. We have to be in early on the 30th and 31st due to the "Night of Mischief". Gang initiations. Don't worry. I'm staying AWAY FROM THAT stuff! :) I love all of you and have a Happy Halloween. Talk to you next week.

 

Love,

Sister Taylor