Nauvoo Week 8

Helloooooo!!
Wow this week was great!!! I had so many great experiences and opportunities to share my testimony with people, I love being a missionary!
On Sunday, Sister Miskin and I had the opportunity to teach Sunday School. Let me give you my perspective: We had to teach a topic from the Old Testament in the Bible to over 250 people who are almost all missionaries. Ahhhhh!!! That was so so scary! Sister Miskin and I got 2 weeks in advance notice to do that and we worked so so hard to be in tune with the Spirit and teach what we needed to. Wow it went so much better than I expected! A lot of people after the lesson came up to us and thanked us for giving them a new perspective on things. The big question we asked all of them was "How can we be more about 'What God thinks of me' rather than 'What the world thinks of me'?" Are we too concerned with what people around us might be thinking of us? Do we let our actions be swayed based on how people will react? Do we ever think,"Would I do this if Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ were right here with me"? The sooner we can think about what God would rather us do rather than what the people around us would have us do, the sooner we become stronger and closer to God.
On Sunday we worked at the Lyon Drug again, its such a fun little place to be! Lots of families come to that site.
Monday and Tuesday we worked at the Seventies Hall. The Seventies Hall is basically the first MTC, that's where the men of Nauvoo would go to learn about public speaking, the different cultures of the world, and more about the teachings of Jesus Christ. It is so cool to teach people about the importance of missionary work. A huge youth group came in, about 45 of them were in there, and we did a little readers theater with them. They got to act like missionaries being called on missions. It touched so many of them, I saw it click in their eyes that they needed to be missionaries. Wow it was so great to work there!
On Tuesday the Pageant cast got here and started rehearsals. Oh they are so much fun to watch!! I can't wait for when the shows start! I was asked to put my knowledge of ASL to use. They need interpreters for the shows and they need my help. There's a huge book that has the script in it, I've got to learn it pretty fast... It won't just be me, there's 7 sisters here who know ASL, which is a relief! All the missionaries were also asked to sing at the end of the pageant show. We sing 3 songs, Called to Serve, Say What is Truth and Redeemer of Israel. Ahhhh I'm so excited I can't wait for it to start!!
Wednesday and Thursday we worked in the Riser Boot Shop. Its this adorable little building where a man named George Riser made shoes and boots. I got to teach people his story and then show them how they made shoes back then. Its so fun!! We were really busy both days, its a popular spot for people. However on Thursday I got sick for a little bit. It just knocked me down, I couldn't even stand up. Sister Miskin had to teach a bunch of people by herself. She's amazing I love her!! I got better pretty fast, but it was really weird for that to happen! So many youth groups keep coming to see us. They come by the bus-load, its fantastic!


This week was a really important and memorable day for the whole church. On the 27th was the day Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were murdered in Carthage Jail. We had a commemoration on Wednesday to honor their memory and all the good they did. The sister missionaries were asked to sing "Joseph Smith's First Prayer" and the message just hit the crowd like a wave. I love hymns, it is an incredible way to share testimony. I got to testify of Joseph Smith that day, I know he is a true prophet. I know he saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. I know he translated The Book of Mormon through the power of God. If you don't have a testimony of Joseph Smith, I plead with you to find out more. However, you must look at the right sources. Search through scripture instead of Google!
Something that stood out to me a lot this week was a devotional President Nelson gave this last Sunday. He taught that we really need to call the church by its correct name. It is not the Mormon Church, it is not the LDS Church. It is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We also need to join in with the youth in gathering Israel. Now is a critical day and age. Can't you feel it? Can't you feel this urgency to start getting to work? It drives my every action and fills my entire being! We need to stand out from the world, we need to be good examples. Gathering Israel means gathering all the people of the world. It has been prophesied since the beginning of time that every nation, kindred, tongue and people will hear the truth of Jesus Christ. Everyone will have the chance to hear about it, but sadly not everyone will accept it. President Nelson has asked us, which literally means that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have asked us, to let people know about the glorious truth and message of Jesus Christ. You don't have to have a missionary name tag to do this! Invite people to church, strike up a conversation about something great you read in The Book of Mormon, be a good example, share an uplifting thought on social media, talk to people and ask how their day is going, see if there's anything you can do to help. Wow there is so much we can do to be missionaries!!
I love this work. I love my Savior! I love that I can teach people about Him. Not only has He felt all the pains and sorrows we've felt, but He can take those away from us! We can ALWAYS turn to Him, even if we think we don't deserve it. If you aren't sure how to get this connection or how to ask for Christ's help, please just ask! I'd love to help any way I can. Your Bishop would love to help. Other missionaries would love to help. There is no reason not to ask, you're just a question away from getting an answer to a prayer or getting relief from a trial.
I truly love all of you so much! You mean the world to me! Keep being the wonderful people that I know you are!
Love,
Sister Taylor

P.S.- Would you like a more descriptive email about the places I work? I've thought about making another emailing list of the sites and the information that I teach in them. If you'd like to hear about them, let me know and I'll email it to you!

Nauvoo Week 7

Hello again!!
This week was just full of crazy things!! Fasten your seat belts!
Sunday Sister Miskin and I got to work in the Family Living Center. It was really slow, so we got to work on the loom a lot!
 One family came in that was really great, they have a little girl who's birthday was the next day and she'd be turning 8. She's getting baptized today! It was really fun to talk to her about how awesome it is that she's made this decision to be baptized, it was really special. Sister Miskin gave her a small copy of the Book of Mormon, one that'd she'd marked up a lot and had her testimony in. This little girl was so excited she was jumping up and down it was so cute!

Monday through Wednesday we got to work in the Lyon Drug and Variety Store. Its a really cool place, it is just full of fun things! A variety store is kind of like our Walmart today, it had everything you needed! We got to talk to a lot of families and youth, it was so fun to show them the store. One time, this little boy walks in and looks up at us behind the counter and says,"Both of you are beautiful!" Oh that just made our day he was darling!

On Wednesday it rained so much all day long and the wind was blowing really hard. Well that night, the tornado alarms went off and everyone had to run to the shelters! Me and Sister Miskin have one in our basement at home so we went there. It was full of spiders... kind of creepy!!

Thursday we got to work on the wagons again. I love the wagon tours, I can share my testimony the entire time, and I have about a half hour at this tour with people rather than just 10 minutes. It was raining really hard that day and Sister Miskin and I forgot our raincoats, so we ran back to our house in the pouring rain and got them. When we got back outside, it stopped raining (of course!) and we walked back to the wagon tour. It was pretty funny! On one tour, there was another little boy that sat right in front of me on the wagon. I sit at the very front with my back to the horses so I can look at the visitors as I'm talking to them. Sister Miskin sits at the back. We have headsets so that we don't lose our voices haha! Well as the tour was going along, this little boy just had this really confused look on his face. At the end of the tour, I asked him if he had any questions. He said,"I just don't understand! I keep watching you and your mouth isn't moving, but there's still a voice coming from the speakers! Who's talking?!" He was so confused about where Sister Miskin's voice was coming from because he couldn't see her over the crowd haha!!
Something cool about yesterday was that Elder Kim B. Clark came to Nauvoo to have a meeting with us! He's in the Seventy and used to be President of BYU-Idaho. I got to talk to him for a bit and shake his hand, wow he is an amazing man and teacher! He taught us how we can really become better missionaries and receive our own personal revelation. He taught us a lot about how to increase our faith and how to rely on the Holy Ghost. It was so so great to hear him teach, he taught us again this morning.
Something really cool I learned from this meeting that I wanted to share with you all is on how we can love people more. There are some people who are just really easy to love. You can't help it! Yet there are others who make it really hard to love. They just do things that bug you and annoy you, sometimes they are just downright mean to you. I learned that in order to love these people, you need to make some changes and have a different perspective. You need to change yourself instead of trying to change them! Our inability to love someone is not their fault. We need to change. Once we can see them in a different way, when we can realize they are beloved children of God, then we can love them in a whole new way. Its really hard for someone to not like you when you are nice to them.

If you don't believe me, try it! As Jesus taught us in Matthew 5:38-46, we need to love our enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you. What good does it do to be angry or mean to someone? It only make us angry! Why not get rid of those feelings and be happy? Its sometimes hard to do, and it may be impossible for some people. Yet through Christ, we can do all things! We can do everything through Him! I can testify of His infinite love for us, He truly is our Savior.
I hope everything is going great for you all! Talk to you next week!
Love,
Sister Taylor

Nauvoo Week 6

 

Hello family/friends!!!! Time is just flying by!! On Monday it'll already be my two month mark (AHHHHH) being a missionary. Time kind of doesn't exist here... it's the craziest thing I can't explain it!

I still haven't had a boring day here yet! My life is just so exciting I love it! We just started summer hours so that means the crowds are coming! It is so fun here this time of year, it kind of feels like a Mormon Disneyland. All the missionaries are dressed in pioneer clothes, the performing missionaries go around Nauvoo and sing for people. The band rides around on a horse pulled wagon and they play fun upbeat songs. This place is just full of life!

As for last week, I told you all that I had a referral to go visit. Well we walked into the restaurant and found this lady named Sarah. She was literally just getting off her shift when we walked in and was standing right there. We got to talk to her for a little bit and told her we'd love to talk to her more. She said she'd love more information and got our emails. She hasn't emailed us back yet so Sister Miskin and I have been praying for her. We also met a lady at Subway. She was having a hard day when we went to eat there a few weeks ago, but we were under the impression that it was against the law to teach people at all so we didn't say anything to her. We both wanted to so so bad! I talked to President and he said that we need to go back and talk to her because that was a direct impression from the Holy Ghost. We are going to meet with her tonight and I'm so excited!! I hope she'll listen to us, Christ truly can help her and bless her life!

On Sunday we had a really awesome experience! In the evenings 3 times a week the young performing missionaries (YPM's) stand along the trail of hope and tell stories of some of the people who left Nauvoo for Salt Lake. Its really cool to just walk along the trail and listen. Well the Sisters went to watch it and it just so happened that a huge youth group was there too! This past week we've had tons of youth come for youth conference, it's been so awesome! Well we were walking and this young boy kind of stood at the back of the group. He was acting all annoyed that he had to be there and looked like he just wanted to go home. So I went and started talking to him. Sister Miskin joined in and helped! We felt that we should talk to him about the power of prayer. It's really hard to teach the youth... sometimes they just don't want to listen haha!! Well he opened right up! He was really receptive to what we were telling him. His youth leader came over and asked if he was bugging us and he said, "No these Sisters are giving me great advice! They're a lot cooler than the Elders!" Hahaha I don't know about that but it was so great that we got him to listen. The whole time we walked on the tour he was listening. He even got out a notebook and wrote down some things he liked!! I was just so so excited!

Monday we started working at the Print Shop. At this site, we talk about how important it is that the people of Nauvoo had a newspaper. Then we show them how they made the newspaper with the type, ink and press. If we just did that, a lot of people would just think the print shop isn't too cool or important to remember. It's so important that we help people feel the Spirit at every place they visit. You might think how in the world can I feel the Spirit at a print shop... here's how. We invited people to do what the people of Nauvoo did and share their testimonies! The information we have today about Nauvoo came from the journals of those people. We wouldn't have this without their journals. It's so important to remember how our words can affect people, even if we can't see it. We also talked about how in 2 Nephi 25: 23,26 it says we write the things of Christ so that our children may know. The Book of Mormon was written for us, its for our day. It is incredible guidance from our Heavenly Father. It truly can help us and protect us from the temptations of Satan. Please please please, if you aren't reading this amazing book will you start today? I promise it will change your life for the better. We taught this for the past few days and no joke, the Spirit was there at every single tour. A few people cried. Isn't that amazing that the Spirit helped so many people at a print shop?? It blows my mind I just love it! Its crazy, I talk to hundreds of people every day. I only get a few minutes with them and hopefully I say something that can help them in someway. Then these people leave and I don't see them again. There are a few times I've seen people change from what I've said, but usually I don't. I just have to rely on the Lord that he'll help them now!

On Tuesday this adorable family came into the print shop with their 4 kids. Two of them were cute little girls. They just loved to talk to me it was the cutest thing! When I told them I was related to John Taylor, one of them asked if they could just call me John Taylor's girl. Later that night, there was a performance with all the missionaries called "Sunset by the Mississippi" and that family was sitting on the front row. When those little girls saw me, they jumped up and started waving and saying hi Sister Taylor! They talked to me after the show and one of them gave me this adorable paper hat. She said she colored it just for me and she wanted me to wear it. I'll put a picture on here of me in the hat I just love it! This little girl was only 4 and she was so tiny. When she had to leave she ran over and started pulling on my dress so I knelt down next to her and she gave me a big hug! I adore kids they make me unbelievably happy!

Wednesday we worked in the Visitors Center and man oh man was that place busy! We helped over 400 people!! They come in and get tickets for the carriage/wagon rides and for some of the shows. We also give tours to people if they want one. I got to give a couple. One of them was for two women, a mom and daughter. So I showed them around. As I was giving my tour, a man comes over and starts talking to me and my guests. He was wearing a shirt that said Remarriage is Adultery. One of the ladies in my group started talking to him about his shirt and it led to a huge argument! I was honestly nervous. I had to try and pull them away from him. It turns out he came just to try and preach to people about he is a prophet and needs to tell people Mormons are a fallen religion. There are some people who do that here, we just have to ask them not to.

It's funny, we give lots of tours here. I've been giving so many that that's all I dream about! Sister Miskin actually does it in her sleep. The other night she sat up and was talking in her sleep and gave me a tour! It was the funniest thing I've ever seen!

I just love it here! Being a missionary is the best, but being a missionary in Nauvoo is even better haha! I love and miss you all!!

-Sister Taylor

Nauvoo Week 5

Hello family/friends!!!! Time is just flying by!! On Monday it'll already be my two month mark (AHHHHH) being a missionary. Time kind of doesn't exist here... it's the craziest thing I can't explain it!

I still haven't had a boring day here yet! My life is just so exciting I love it! We just started summer hours so that means the crowds are coming! It is so fun here this time of year, it kind of feels like a Mormon Disneyland. All the missionaries are dressed in pioneer clothes, the performing missionaries go around Nauvoo and sing for people. The band rides around on a horse pulled wagon and they play fun upbeat songs. This place is just full of life!

As for last week, I told you all that I had a referral to go visit. Well we walked into the restaurant and found this lady named Sarah. She was literally just getting off her shift when we walked in and was standing right there. We got to talk to her for a little bit and told her we'd love to talk to her more. She said she'd love more information and got our emails. She hasn't emailed us back yet so Sister Miskin and I have been praying for her. We also met a lady at Subway. She was having a hard day when we went to eat there a few weeks ago, but we were under the impression that it was against the law to teach people at all so we didn't say anything to her. We both wanted to so so bad! I talked to President and he said that we need to go back and talk to her because that was a direct impression from the Holy Ghost. We are going to meet with her tonight and I'm so excited!! I hope she'll listen to us, Christ truly can help her and bless her life!

On Sunday we had a really awesome experience! In the evenings 3 times a week the young performing missionaries (YPM's) stand along the trail of hope and tell stories of some of the people who left Nauvoo for Salt Lake. Its really cool to just walk along the trail and listen. Well the Sisters went to watch it and it just so happened that a huge youth group was there too! This past week we've had tons of youth come for youth conference, its been so awesome! Well we were walking and this young boy kind of stood at the back of the group. He was acting all annoyed that he had to be there and looked like he just wanted to go home. So I went and started talking to him. Sister Miskin joined in and helped! We felt that we should talk to him about the power of prayer. Its really hard to teach the youth... sometimes they just don't want to listen haha!! Well he opened right up! He was really receptive to what we were telling him. His youth leader came over and asked if he was bugging us and he said, "No these Sisters are giving me great advice! They're a lot cooler than the Elders!" Hahaha I don't know about that but it was so great that we got him to listen. The whole time we walked on the tour he was listening. He even got out a notebook and wrote down some things he liked!! I was just so so excited!

Monday we started working at the Print Shop. At this site, we talk about how important it is that the people of Nauvoo had a newspaper. Then we show them how they made the newspaper with the type, ink and press. If we just did that, a lot of people would just think the print shop isn't too cool or important to remember. Its so important that we help people feel the Spirit at every place they visit. You might think how in the world can I feel the Spirit at a print shop... here's how. We invited people to do what the people of Nauvoo did and share their testimonies! The information we have today about Nauvoo came from the journals of those people. We wouldn't have this without their journals. Its so important to remember how our words can affect people, even if we can't see it. We also talked about how in 2 Nephi 25: 23,26 it says we write the things of Christ so that our children may know. The Book of Mormon was written for us, its for our day. It is incredible guidance from our Heavenly Father. It truly can help us and protect us from the temptations of Satan. Please please please, if you aren't reading this amazing book will you start today? I promise it will change your life for the better. We taught this for the past few days and no joke, the Spirit was there at every single tour. A few people cried. Isn't that amazing that the Spirit helped so many people at a print shop?? It blows my mind I just love it! Its crazy, I talk to hundreds of people every day. I only get a few minutes with them and hopefully I say something that can help them in someway. Then these people leave and I don't see them again. There are a few times I've seen people change from what I've said, but usually I don't. I just have to rely on the Lord that he'll help them now!

On Tuesday this adorable family came into the print shop with their 4 kids. Two of them were cute little girls. They just loved to talk to me it was the cutest thing! When I told them I was related to John Taylor, one of them asked if they could just call me John Taylor's girl. Later that night, there was a performance with all the missionaries called "Sunset by the Mississippi" and that family was sitting on the front row. When those little girls saw me, they jumped up and started waving and saying hi Sister Taylor! 

They talked to me after the show and one of them gave me this adorable paper hat. She said she colored it just for me and she wanted me to wear it. I'll put a picture on here of me in the hat I just love it! This little girl was only 4 and she was so tiny. When she had to leave she ran over and started pulling on my dress so I knelt down next to her and she gave me a big hug! I adore kids they make me unbelievably happy!

Wednesday we worked in the Visitors Center and man oh man was that place busy! We helped over 400 people!! They come in and get tickets for the carriage/wagon rides and for some of the shows. We also give tours to people if they want one. I got to give a couple. One of them was for two women, a mom and daughter. So I showed them around. As I was giving my tour, a man comes over and starts talking to me and my guests. He was wearing a shirt that said Remarriage is Adultery. One of the ladies in my group started talking to him about his shirt and it led to a huge argument! I was honestly nervous. I had to try and pull them away from him. It turns out he came just to try and preach to people about he is a prophet and needs to tell people Mormons are a fallen religion. There are some people who do that here, we just have to ask them not to. 

It's funny, we give lots of tours here. I've been giving so many that that's all I dream about! Sister Miskin actually does it in her sleep. The other night she sat up and was talking in her sleep and gave me a tour! It was the funniest thing I've ever seen!

I just love it here! Being a missionary is the best, but being a missionary in Nauvoo is even better haha! I love and miss you all!!

-Sister Taylor