April 6, 2015

  I feel like I don't have a lot to talk about this week. So forgive my short email. This week we had exchanges. I stayed here in Manassas and Sister Christiansen went with the Sister Training Leader (STL) to her area. I realized in the 24 hours that I led out the area that I'm actually really competent and also that I have no idea what I'm doing. At the same time. It was a great experience, though. In another 6 weeks Sister Christiansen will likely leave, I will be done being trained, and I will probably be leading out the area. (AHHHH!!! HELP!!!) Sister Christiansen says that she has total faith in me and that I'll be fine in another 6 weeks. Hopefully she's right! :) While we were on exchanges, Sister Harris (the STL with me) and I went to a sorta sketch neighborhood to meet with a girl Sister Chirstiansen and I had met last week. She wasn't there, but we talked to her brother and his friend. They were fascinating people. They started out by asking us questions mostly to be dorks (they are both 17 year old boys, so...), but the friend eventually started to ask legitimate questions. We gave them both copies of the Book of Mormon, Chastity pamphlets, and we also gave the friend a Plan of Salvation Pamphlet and a For the Strength of Youth pamphlet. He was SO excited about getting all of them. It was really kinda fun. The girl we were going to see had forgotten about our meeting with her, but her brother told us that she had been reading the Book of Mormon we gave her NON-STOP with her grandma. So we're pretty excited. 

     The other notable thing that happened this week was Conference weekend!!! Which was the same as Easter weekend. How cool is that?! I LOVED Conference. As always. I'm really excited to go back and read the talks. Especially Saturday and Sunday morning sessions. Those two were my favorite sessions. Our investigators who are getting baptized this coming Saturday (I'M SO EXCITED!!!) watched all of Conference at home online. We got a text from them after the first session on Saturday that was so sweet! It said, "We are watching the conference and it is simply beautiful. My husband's back is better, I think the medicine is finally doing good. ((His back has been giving him a lot of grief lately-- he has arthritis in it.)) We know that your prayers are helping too. So I want to say thanks for you and Sister Taylor because you are angels in the face of the earth. Jesus bless you forever." I just love Patricia! I'm so excited for them!! 

Anyway, I love you all!! Have a great week. The Church is true!!! 

Sister Taylor

Happy Easter to you too, Mom! 

Sister Christiansen's mom sent doubles of everything, so I have plenty of Easter candy. DON'T SEND ME CANDY. Unless its chocolate. We have SO MUCH accumulated from all the sisters of apartment #522 past. As always, I enjoy reading your email. Papa sends me a short email every week and he always says something funny. You two have similar humor in some ways. This week he told me that because of the water shortages in the West, the Mormon church would no longer be doing baptisms by immersion, and would be switching to sprinkling by holy water. He cracks me up. 

It seems like Sam is having a lot of fun with her friends these days. And she's clearly a hot commodity. TWO proms?!?! Wow. I'm not surprised though. She is sweet and gorgeous and talented and funny and wonderful.

Your stories about Jaxon crack me up! Tell him happy birthday for me. I did send him a card with $5 that actually came from you.So feel free to tell him you're welcome. I can't believe he's already 10! 

On the topic of birthdays, mine is coming up, so I probably ought to send some requests. They are going to be very demanding and expensive and hard to find. Ready? 

1. a diamond necklace 

2. the claw of a saber tooth tiger

3. the left eye of a jabberwock 

4. a Bible at least 1,000 years old 

5. a million dollars. 

You could also just send headbands in neutral-ish colors (black, white, dark grey, navy blue), erasable pens, more music (I sent Sam an email a while back with possible artists to choose from. Also, tell her thank you for the CD she sent!!), scripture covers (not like a case, but like cloth-type covers, one for each book), and....I know I had one other thing that I wanted, but I left my list at the apartment. So. I'll just get back to you on that one? Okay. I love you!!!! Have fun in St. George.