Dear Elder and Sister Scott,
Greetings!
First thing on my list of things I want to say today is to express gratitude to you for your desire to serve the Lord in spreading the "good news." Think of what deep happiness you have brought into the lives of some prepared spirits. I recall some of those whom I have, during my lifetime, seen receive the message of the Gospel for the first time. Right now I recall in my memory a sweet lady who shed many tears of almost overwhelming joy as her baptism date approached---as well as afterward. I recall that when I attended the first public meeting that was arranged in Plymouth, Massachusetts. I was not called on by our district leader to speak, but I did accompany a non-member as she sang Malotte's "The Lord's Prayer." Anyway, dear "Grandma Bartlett" told us later that as each elder got up to the podium to speak, she saw a light surrounding them. It almost gives me goose bumps to ponder the message of that experience. I also reflect upon how many people the Spirit has prepared in these latter days to receive the precious message that you have to bring them. So thanks again for your desire to serve--a desire that has brought you right where the Lord needs you.
Before I go any further, I must mention reading the letter sent from Guatemala to let your parents know that you had arrived safely and thanking them for sending a fine missionary to help in the great work. His letter showed that he was not used to writing in the English language, and that made it even more touching to me. I reflect upon the fact of how many mission presidents and their wives have had to learn enough English to accomplish their duties in another part of the globe. I wonder just how many of the Lord's missions are foreign-speaking--even right here within the United States. This line of thinking makes me recall how my nephew-in-law and his wife were sent to preside over a mission in Peru, where the Gospel is now spreading like wildfire. There are already 10 missions in Peru and they will soon have three temples.
I must change the course of this letter right now. My son-in-law Dennis Hadley just came with his wife to visit. Dennis is branch president at the Millcreek youth correctional facility here in Ogden. He conducts church services each Sunday for those who wish to attend. The group is not too large, so they sit in a circle. Today during their time together each one was invited to tell where they were from and say anything they wished about their background. One girl who responded readily indicated that she was not LDS, but she had some contact with LDS young people. When my son-in-law mentioned that he had served a mission for the Church in Peru, this girl spoke up and said that her family was from Peru. When Dennis said a few words to her in Spanish, she had to admit that she really could not speak that language. But then when the group sang one of our well-known hymns (I think it was "I Am a Child of God") , the young girl sang it all from memory. When Dennis asked for a volunteer for the closing prayer, the same girl held up her hand. He called on her, and again was surprised to have her give a prayer that was "LDS style." The only unusual thing about it was that afterward she gave the sign of the cross as Catholics do.
But another very interesting bit of news surfaced today. I learned that the same institution has a new supervisor who is LDS The previous supervisor set up rules that almost made it impossible for many "inmates" to attend LDS services. The new supervisor is active LDS, so a number of rules have changed immediately. There is a different feeling there, as you would expect.
I, with you, rejoice over the great things that are happening in the Church throughout the world. Isn't it interesting that each of us can contribute in some way to this wonderful growth of the Church.
Keep giving your best. I KNOW that it is worth the effort.
Love, Brian
Letter from Farr West
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| David Taylor <tdvdbtylr@gmail.com> | Sun, Jul 28, 2013 at 8:34 PM |
| To: Willie and Judy Scott <Scott.Wilford@gmail.com> |
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Dear Elder and Sister Scott,
Our son, Danny just arrived in his mission field in Guatemala last Tuesday morning. We got an email from his mission president, President Ruiz, last Thursday. He told us that our son arrived safely and is doing well. President Ruiz and his wife are from Panama. They are the first couple from Panama called to preside over a mission. Danny got to meet them while he was still at the MTC in Provo in June. Jeremy just got asked to be a new missionary trainer after having only been in the Philippines since last January. The Naga Philippines Mission is supposed to get at least 22 new missionaries every month the rest of the year. The missionaries are supposed to help find apartments to accommodate all the new missionaries which will be arriving there in the future months. We have hardly had any rain this summer. Yesterday morning was the first time we had any rain in a long while. It didn't rain much though.
How has business been there in your mission? I'll bet you get lots of visitors every week, especially in the summer. I hope you have many more great experiences while serving on your mission in Nauvoo.
Love,
David Taylor
Jeremy's Weekly Letter - July 29, 2013
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to Cam, Casey, Del, Dennis, Elder, Elder, Gene, Hal, Jen, Jen, Molly, Nicholas, Nick, Steven, Vic, me
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jeremy David Taylor <jeremy.d.taylor@myldsmail.net>
Date: Mon, Jul 29, 2013 at 4:15 AM
Subject: Jeremy's Weekly Letter - July 29, 2013
To: Dad <tdvdbtylr@gmail.com>
Kumusta kayo! Hindi ninyo naiintindihan ang Tagalog ko para kay Papa o para sa lahat? Haha! (My companion is correcting me as I speak to you). I still haven't fully mastered the sentence structure of the language. Gggrrr! If I could relate to something that people say here, then I would have to say that I am having a nosebleed right now. Haha! Alright. Enough of that. I couldn't be happier to have a Filipino trainee. He doesn't know too much English yet. Actually, it is more that he can't speak it that well. Elder Tulipaz does understand it well, though. Language study now consists of fifty percent English study and fifty percent Tagalog study. It is a wonderful opportunity for me to not only continue to polish up my Tagalog, but also to help someone with English. It is pretty hard to teach someone your native language, but it isn't bad once you get past the initial feelings and the attempts of explaining some of the rule exceptions.
You won't believe the crazy week that I had! Elder Tulipaz and I were on fire this week. We got seven new investigators. I won't be able to tell you the full story behind some of the numbers. I think it would be sufficient to say that me and the other three Elders in our apartment had a good laugh at first about the idea that Elder Tulipaz and I got into a great situation that most other missionaries do not even get the chance to experience. My companion got the chance to extend a baptismal invitation to a investigator family. I was feeling a little hesitant inside at first about taking that step. The visual appearance didn't seem to suggest that it was the right time. However, I kept getting the thought that it had to be at the visit that we invited them to be baptized regardless of their reaction or if some of the familly wasn't there. To my surprise, they accepted, even though did seem a little unsure about saying yes. The rest of the family is not a concern to me, because I feel confident that they too are ready and we will have a date set for all of the family members in our next visit with them. I also went over the "How to Begin Teaching" fundamental of preach my gospel in the training guide. Danny will get to do that this week. We use the portable dvd player that exists in each apartment in the mission and watched The District 2 example. We had some great practice teachings to get ourselves more familiar with the principles and the bullet points. With the first visit, we really set the basis for what our families will expect from us in the future visits with them and it helps them to understand what our purpose is and what they must do in return. Elder Tulipaz is progressing strongly in this aspect of teaching and we are really being accepted well by our wonderful Bato families.
I don't really have to much time left. This has been another crazy P-Day. I hope that you can at least get an idea of the wonderful experiences that I have each week in my mission. I will talk to you next week.
Love,
Elder Taylor
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