Tema finally taking off!!!

Dear Family,

Yes I broke my promise....

Remember how I always said, "I'll never let myself be sick on Christmas...NEVER!"  Yeah, I was way sick this year ha ha.  I guess better this year than next year right?:)  It was killer though!

I woke up not feeling all that well, but couldn't really tell if that was just from excitement to talk to you, or what.  I made an awesome breakfast, took a few bites and then it just hit me!  I went and laid down still trying to convince myself that it was just because I ate too fast or something...but it persisted...I died that day!  Ha ha, I felt terrible!  I thought that I started to feel a bit better, then I woke up and threw up more than I think I ever have in my entire mission!  Mom like you said, throwing up is a bit more common in Ghana than at home, but I promise you never get used to it! ha ha.  I always have the same thoughts..."I'm going to die".  Ha ha...and I think every missionary truly does believe that they are going to die when they are sick here.

I started to feel a bit better before the phone call and I was so happy that I would be able to talk.  And then about an hour before the call...the worst of the worst came and I knew I could not talk.   I remember convulsing, and just being covered in sweat and saying a prayer just begging to be able to have the strength to talk to you.  6:00 came and I was still feeling like I was going to die so I asked one of the other Elders to put my phone chip in the phone so that I could send you a text that we would have to do it another time...and right when he handed me the phone I started to feel 1000 times better.  I stopped needing to run to the bathroom...I did the call...and it was great!

I think this was God's little way of helping me to be obedient to the 40 minute rule.  I knew that was going to be a really hard one for me to follow, since we got to talk so long last year...so I had been praying all week for help in being obedient.  And...literally...as soon as Dad said, "okay time check, its been about 40 minutes", my stomach pains came back.  Not with as much vengeance.  We ended the phone call on time...I ran to the bathroom...and then I felt fine!  Yeah still sick but it was something that kept me distracted so that I ended on a happy note and didn't really allow myself to get to the sad/homesick part...so I was pretty good after the phone call this year:). 

I loved talking to you all though!  It was such a highlight, and a blessing that no one but a missionary really fully comprehends.

Okay so this week my email will be a little short, we have a mission tour this coming week so I had a few things that I needed to do for that on the computer today so that took most of my time but I love you all so much, next week I should have more time!

Tema is finally taking off though!  We are finally getting out of this rut and up on to the tops of the mountains again!  We have been so blessed with the people that we have been able to work with lately.  It is such a blessing and a privilege to be where I am right now.  We have my two favorites right now, Fat Albert and Godwin, I talked about Fat Albert but maybe Mom you can put in a little more of the practical info on Godwin (Taylor told us that Godwin is a great investigator that has graduated from college (unusual) and his two sons are at university right now...close to graduating...extremely unusual)

Anyway story of the week.....

We met Godwin about two weeks ago as we were walking home one evening, we set our first appointment, and things have just been incredible since then. We went to visit him this week and when we arrived he had his laptop opened up to LDS.org in front of him and was reading from his copy of The Book of Mormon. We started talking with him, and I can safely say it was the best lesson that I have ever had on my mission! I have had lessons where I was overflowing with the spirit but I have never taught someone who is so prepared and ready to receive this Gospel. He truly STUDIED The Book of Mormon, I find it difficult to explain just how prepared this man is...but it was a lesson and an experience I will never forget. We had a quick lesson and then gave him a quick little tour around lds.org, as we showed him a few places we thought he would enjoy.  We felt prompted to show him Elder Holland's General Conference address about the Book of Mormon from a few years ago. We found the talk and began to play it, he listened intently and the spirit soon filled the room. All three of us were edified and two of us were in tears by the end of that amazing testimony.... (Elder Nondala is a little tougher than Godwin and I were) ha ha.

We had the opportunity to follow up on Elder Hollands testimony and add our own simple testimonies of The Book of Mormon as well.  As I bore my simple, but sure, testimony of The Book that I have grown to love over these last few months, I was filled with an even greater measure of the Spirit.  Obviously, it wasn't as eloquent and magnificent as Elder Holland's but it really vitalized the quote from I forget who that, "a testimony is to be found in the bearing of it". My testimony isn't grand but I can say with more surety than I ever have before...that God lives. He hears my prayers each and every time, and He answers them in the best way possible. I know that Christ came to die for me specifically, and although repentance isn't easy, it is worth it (kinda like a mission), the Book of Mormon is true and NO one, and nothing can turn me from that knowledge that I have. It has been amazing to see since I started my mission how much my faith and testimony has grown, not just my testimony of the Atonement, or the Book of Mormon...or any one principle...but my testimony of nearly every aspect of this great Gospel.

President Judd once said to me, "Elder I will die for this church! And I think you would be right along side me, wouldn't you?" I think I nervously shook my head...but I can now say with confidence that I would. I have always known this Church to be true but now I know it with a surety.  I'm ready to let it lead and be the top priority in my life. Its an amazing feeling! I love it!

I love where I am.  Yes I am jealous of ski trips but I've got my whole life to do that!  I love where I am, I am now healthy and I am happy.  It's hard but I am happy.

Love you all, be safe, no getting lost in the Back country....oh wait that was me ;)

Taylor

Afehyia Pa or...Merry Christmas!

Afehyia Pa, or Merry Christmas,

I cannot believe that is time for Christmas again!  The time is flying by...like I can't even explain!  Its exciting but at the same time make me sad.  The things that I am learning, the experiences I am having, the spirit I am feeling, the people that I am interacting with, they are just unparalleled by anything else!  I know I will still have all of this back home but I just can't imagine it being at the same level.  The way we live as missionaries is amazing!  At first for me it was hard, but now as I look at the blessing and the spirit that come from living exactly how I have been asked, seems like the smallest sacrifice.  It's a tiny price to pay for the reward we receive. 

Anyway, this week I received my Christmas packages!  Thank you all so so much!  I got one from Grandma and Grandpa Bradshaw, one from the Dew family, and I got the ones that Mom and Dad sent.  I got a dear elder letter from Grandma and Grandpa Bradshaw, and a mystery letter.....?  My guess is Grandma Palmer, but it was sent from Maine and signed "Mom", it was a bit wet, well really wet so that threw me off as well... so no idea on that one....?  But thank you EVERYONE so so much for all the letters and cards, I have read a few but am saving them mostly for Christmas:).  That was the best part!!  And Mom and Dad, thank you so much for sending some things for my companion....  That truly was the best part of my package this year.  Not going to lie as I sat there holding it I had some thoughts of just keeping it for myself, I don't know what is in there but I know it will be good, I looked at my pile of packages in the corner and looked at him there, happy, but with nothing.  I gave it to him...and at first he thought I was just letting him look at it but when I told him it was his, he didn't really know how to react...  He took it, thanked me and as he walked out of the room, I head him say, "now it's Christmas!", there was a little tear shed from both of us that night.  Giving truly is the greatest gift of Christmas.

The Ansah family.  Bro. Ansah's baptism day, being baptized by his oldest son.  Sis. Ansah will be baptized on Christmas.

 

Speaking of the greatest gift I could receive this year.... I had this picture in my inbox this week:) :).  I don't think you will recognize this family...they are the family that I just loved back in Koforidua...but that is Blessed Ansah being baptized by his oldest son this past week:).  He was then given the Priesthood and will be baptizing his wife on Christmas!  This work is amazing!  

 

Explain some of the photos you sent...

 

You with your two trainees...how fun is that???  Was that at your Christmas conference?  How did that go.  How is Elder Mc Donald?

 

Elder McDonald...Taylor (Elder Bradshaw)...and Elder Nondala

-yeah that was at Christmas Conference.  Spending Christmas with the mission family:).  Elder McDonald is doing great!  His shoes are destroyed but he is doing well ha ha.  The greatest thing to take on a mission is Eccos, just in case anyone asks!

You with a thumbs-up with a guy with his shirt off...you both look super happy!

 

Taylor with his new favorite investigator...'Fat Albert'

 

-That's Fat Albert, my favorite investigator.  He likes reading all sorts of books and they keep getting in the way of him reading the Book of Mormon.  So we challenged him to read nothing but the Book of Mormon for a week and he said, "no...its just too boring!"  

 

I realized that he likes looking deep and finding things that others don't.  I had this prompting to give him my BYU Book of Mormon study guide, so we stood up in the middle of the lesson and went and got it for him.  I got a call from him the next day during the Christmas Conference.  He said that he needs a Doctrine and Covenants, and and LDS edition of the Bible AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!  He said, "I have a Bible but without all these JST's how am going to know what really is true and what was added by man?"  

 

He is awesome!  Anyway, one day after we gave it to him, despite a funeral, he had read the first 25 pages of the Book of Mormon.  Then Sunday morning I called to remind him about church, and his reply is, "you're too late, I'm already here."  Yep he was to church a whole hour early ha ha.  I love that guy!  He calls me every night just to say..."Elder Bradshaw, this book is amazing!"

You and comp? with two other African's...one with glasses and yellow tie

Taylor with Patriarch Ahadjie, his grandson Prince and Elder Nondala

-Patriarch Ahadjie, and his grandson Prince that we baptized.  He is a black version of Grandpa Bradshaw.  The baptism was in November...I only interviewed him but it was so spiritual!

 

At the baptism of Prince...Can you find Taylor?

QUESTIONS FOR YOU:

Are you doing any Christmas-y things? 
-I think I am going to make us all a sweet breakfast:)

Okay about out of time, Love you all so much!  Talk to you soon:). 

 

Merry Christmas,

Elder Bradshaw

Refined through obedience

Dear Family,

Holy cow I am so happy to email today!:).  Thank you all so much for the emails, they lighten my day and make me so mappy!  

Yes, my time in the cafe has been cut down....  I think that, as our mission gets more obedient we are given the opportunity to be more and more refined in the things that aren't as obvious. When I first got to Ghana, President was asking the missionaries, to stop having girlfriends within the mission boundries, or to stop calling friends back home on your personal computer or cell phone that they had bought.  Now we are being asked to make sure our top button is done up or spend less time in the internet cafe and things like that.  It's been a cool thing to witness though.  I have seen the change and I have seen the blessings and miracles that occur when a mission, as a whole, is obedient.  Kinda stinks though, that we had to have shortened cafe time....so that is why my letters have been a bit shorter...sorry.

The tree festival thing sounded pretty cool!  I am sure you guys made a sweet one!  You should try and send me a picute of it.  And I was so so glad to hear that the Palmer side is doing some great stuff this year.  That is such a great thing!  I was so happy to hear that!  

It is just the most foreign idea to me right now, that somewhere in the world...it's actually cold! I really am going to die when I get home.  It rained the other night and I was so cold.  My companion was making fun of me because it really wasn't cold at all...but aparently I have just  been well adjusted to the weather ha ha.  I'll be super excited to experience the cold again though, that is going to be quite the sensation:).

I love the Friday devotionals. Yes, I love watching the movie but even more so...its just such an awesome thing to get people into the church.  This week we didnt have it due to a funeral held on the same day for a member of the stake...but this Friday we will be watching part two of 'The Work and the Glory.'

Yeah sorry...my camera is working fine.  Just with the short cafe time, I am having a hard time wanting to take the time to put them on.  We have wifi at the apartment though, so I'll see if Tony will give us the password and I'll send some home:).

Questions:

Most spiritual part of your week:
-This week, like I said there was a HUGE funeral!  It was for a church member that lived in Tema that had a massive influence in the revolution of Ghana.  Not like Mandela, but pretty big.  He was the founder of the reigning political party in Ghana so there was like 400 or 500 people there.  We were asked to be there to be available for contacting and help to greet people and all of that.  I happened to be standing by the door where the body was and where people would come out after they viewed the body.  Let's just say there was a lot of weaping and wailing....  There was these tribal drums and what not being played...and the spirit was not there and I just felt down.  I was thinking, what the heck is up with this death stuff, and things like that, and I just wasnt in a good mood.  But then, all of the sudden the drums stopped and the Stake Choir began singing, 'Master the Tempest is Raging'.  The whole mood changed. Just as they began to sing, the worst weaper and wailer of all...came out of the room.  As she left, my entire body was filled with a comforting tingle and warmth that filled me with joy.  I changed from being in a sad mood to having to try and calm myself down a bit because I was a bit too enerjetic and happy as I greeted all the crying people.   I know that death is not the end.  We do live after this life...and that life is going to be so much better than this one!  Like think about it, no more pain, no more sin, no more Satan, no more ski lift lines...it's going to be amazing!  I'm not excited to die, but I'm not afraid to either.  

Mail:

- I got a package from the Hunter's, I think they called it a 'Halloween' package...which by the way thank you SO much!!! It was amazing!  And I got one from Grandma and Grandpa Palmer.  Don't worry. I didn't open it. I did have to put it in my suit case though because it was so tempting!

Love you all, about out of time...but you are the best family in the world,

Love you SO much,

Taylor

White Christmas

Hello Family

Sorry this is going to be so short.  We had a lot to do and I had to do some other things online today, surveys and what not...so I only have a few minutes...but I promise to get a good email out next week!  

Anyway, I love you all so so much!  It is always so so good to hear that everyone is doing well.  I, myself am doing great, I'm tired but I guess that means I am doing something right.  President once said, "if you have trouble falling asleep that means your not working hard enough!"  Lets just say I have no trouble falling asleep at night:).  

This week was fun.  We had our first missionary devotional, which will be happening each Friday from now on.  It's a plan we organized with the bishop to not only get new investigators into the church on a less conflicting time, but a plan to retain new converts and less actives.  I am thoroughly convinced that if you can get someone into the chapel, they will feel something different...if they allow themselves to...and that something will drive them back to the church on Sunday.  This week we watched 'The Work and The Glory', it was pretty awesome!  We had a great showing.  We had about 10 recent converts, a few members and one of our new investigators with his less-active brother, who were then at church on Sunday as well!  It was great.  The bishop was thrilled with it, and everyone loved it!  The investigator was so impressed with how the same problems the church is encountering today (rumors, etc.) was exactly what they were experiencing from the beginning.  His name is Meshack, by the way, and he is going to be baptized on the 25 of December!:) 

Our apartment is organizing a "White Christmas", well lots of white clothes at least:).  Hopefully.  I am really excited about it!  I had a realization with the whole Thanksgiving thing and realized the same to be true about Christmas.  I will have every year in forever to enjoy myself on Christmas by eating fancy food and sitting around with family and opening presents...but when else am I going to have the opportunity to stand in the baptismal font with my hand to the square and help to give one of my brothers and sisters the greatest gift of all time?!  I love this work and I know it to be true!  I love being here, and love my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Sorry its short, if you haven't sent my last package yet I need a black belt... mine fell apart.  And this time maybe a bit smaller, and not one that is shiny.  One likes dads.

Love you all

Taylor

Thanksgiving WAS great!

Dear Family,

So my computer is again in French...so, please,  bear with me....

This week was hard.  And it was good.  At the same time.  Missionary work will never get easy, Satan hates it way too much to let it get easy, haha.  It's like...once you figure out his tactics, he has already planned the next one...and he is going to try and bring you down.  One of these days though he is going to run out of ideas...and I'll have all of them figured out!:).  That's going to be a sweet day. 

It is absolutely crazy to me that I have been here 16 months!  The time seriously is flying by!  Elder Larsen (Taylor's awesome 2nd companion) goes home in two weeks!  It feels like just yesterday I was picking him up at the mission home, crazy!  Anyway funny thing is, when you have been here 16 months...some weeks you just really don't have anything to say....?  I am sitting here just trying to think of what to write about and I am drawing a big blank...  It was a fine week, but there just wasn't anything that crazy or awesome. 

We had a baptism for P, that was great.  He is the grandson of the Stake Patriarch.  We didn't really have to work all that much to get it.  I don't know...some of your investigators you just have an awesome connection to, you delight in seeing them grow and are overjoyed when they reach the waters of baptism.  Others...you teach them, they progress and they are baptized but for some reason...you don't have that special connection that you sometimes have.  I think with P., he just didn't really appreciate or understand what was happening all that much?  He comes to church each week, but I don't know if it's him or his grandparents making that decision.  He is great and I love him, it just wasn't as spiritual as some of my other baptisms have been.  Elder Nondala did the baptism and he did an awesome job! 

Ha ha! I was sad to hear that the psychedelic Christmas tree has flashed its last flash...haha that thing was sweet!  I'll be excited to see the new one though...it sounds awesome:).

To answer Mom's question...my 'standing up for what I believe' wasn't ever a huge challenge for me.  I made mistakes and I know I still do. I think honestly the reason it wasn't ever that difficult for me to stand for what was right because I had made that decision when I was so young.  I decided when I was fairly young that there was certain things I just wouldn't do...no matter what.  That way...when those hard times came...the decision was already made.  Yes, I grew up in Alpine Utah...the safest place in the world...but no matter where you are, even in Alpine...you still need to stand up for what you believe.  When I went to college, I stayed true instead of wavering like some did because they hadn't made that decision. Then, when decision time came...it was too late...and they were gone.  It's almost like being inoculated...given a small experience of bad so that when the real bad comes you know how to fight back.  I would just challenge each of them to set their own rules: places that they will never go and things they will never do.  Draw a line and never cross it.  No one needs to just sit in a house and never go into the real world because that's not what our life is meant to be...eventually they will need to venture out...and if they have never had opportunities to make decisions...they won't know how to handle a lot of freedom.  At least, those are my thoughts!

 

So...for the weekly questions!!

Most Spiritual part of the week?
-This week I again realized what makes me happy in life.... Last year for Thanksgiving we did an amazing dinner! It was just like home!  But, not going to lie, we didn't do what we were supposed to.  Instead of being out teaching all that day, we were in the house cooking. The dinner came and it went. I was happy, but there was something missing.  I didn't realize what that was until almost exactly a year later, which was this Thursday, Thanksgiving. We did make an amazing dinner this year...but we started cooking when we came in after a full days work at 9pm.  And then, we were done and in bed before we knew it.  I was happier than I was the year before...it was a joy that is hard to explain. I sat there eating and realized what was missing the year before.  Last year...we had not done anything close to what we should have been doing.  We had wasted an entire day of the Lords time to celebrate a stupid holiday of a country that was miles away.  We thought we were happy but we were missing the spirit in our apartment...and that is why we couldnt truly be happy. This year I felt that true joy and I know that its not the food or the money, the cars or the snowboarding, that make me happy but the Spirit of the Lord.

Thanksgiving?
-So confession time...I just realized something really funny.  I thought Thanksgiving was last week...so we already had our Thanksgiving...ha ha.  It was good though, we all really enjoyed it.  I am the only American in the apartment, so I was the only one who knew what Thanksgiving was, but the others thoroughly enjoyed it:). 

K sorry, about out of time.  Love you all so so much.  Can't tell you that enough!  You are all amazing:).  Thanks for all the help on your end.   I'll tell you the same thing you tell me...be safe, work hard.

Love you,

Taylor

P.S.- If you could send some insoles to my Eccos that would be great, not dead yet but close;). size 44

Taylor trying to prove that he really does need some new in-soles for his shoes.

At that moment of great alarm...

18 November 2013

Dear Family,

This week was pretty darn awesome! 

It was hard at first and is getting hard right now but, to put it in the terms of moms analogy, I definitely hit that wake during the middle of the week and had some great experiences. 

If there is something that I have learned on my mission...it is that God usually waits until that last minute of hope before he saves you.  Maybe it's that whole, "saved by grace, after all that we can do" concept.  Or maybe it's just like working out...those first few reps get you tired but don't make you stronger...it's the last two after you don't think you can even do one more that breaks that muscle down so it can build back stronger.  Whatever the analogy...I have noticed that God will hold off on his "noticeable" divine help until you can't go any further, until you are just about done, until you just about can't take it any more...then there is always "subtle" divine help along the way, as we have been promised his constant companionship.  It always makes me think about the experience of Joseph Smith and the story of the first vision.  We all know what leads up to this story but this is something that I really feel is a principle of how God operates...   "at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me." 

I have always been fascinated with this part of the story.  I think its amazing that one of the greatest events that has ever taken place on this earth, was preceded by an experience that had Joseph Smith inches from despair.  "At the very moment", "just at this moment", right when all else seemed lost is when that pillar of light (Heavenly Father) entered into young Josephs life and changed him forever. 

I have experienced this SO many times over the course of my mission, its crazy!  I realized this a long time ago, and sometimes it's frustrating to realize that you are struggling but you still have some time to go, some more effort to give, to get to that absolute last minute before His help comes. I hit that point this week.  It wasn't all that bad of a hard time but one that I was just tired working through. I hit that point this week, and then had some of the most spiritual experiences of my mission.  That light came into my view and I enjoyed it so so much!  Anyway...just a cool little thing I have learned over the course of my time in Ghana:), and something that I definitely experienced again this week. 

Mom, I don't think that I overlooked my answer to prayer in Koforidua.  It was more like I didn't really want to admit it that it was an answer because I didn't want to leave that place at all!  That answer helped me know it was coming but just didnt want it to admit it.  I realize now, that that answer was just like you said...was there to comfort me at a different time, which was now.

Things with Elder Nondala are going well.  We got into our first little argument the other night over some small misunderstanding.  Nothing too big, but we were both a little fired up. We got in the house and he sat down to plan and the only thing I could think in my head was, "there is no way that I am going to plan with him right now!" As I put something away in my closet, I had a little vision.  Earlier that same day...we had an amazing lesson.  The spirit was there, we were able to keep that spirit present through the entire lesson and really help our new friend, Cecilia, to come closer to Christ.  We were so happy!  The spirit was so strong!  And, after the lesson we just walked down the street together overjoyed. In my little vision...I saw us leaving our lesson that we had scheduled with that same woman the next day.  The spirit wasn't there. We were not happy.  The concerns that she had were not resolved.  And as we walked away, one of us was ahead of the other...and we were not happy in the slightest. At that moment...I almost began to cry.  I was so sad that all this had happened.  We were just starting to get things figured out and now things just wouldn't be the same.  But then it came to me... "just say sorry."  I paused for a minute, because I really felt that I hadn't done anything wrong.  I felt that I was actually the one that deserved an apology. But, because of this 'little vision'...I went back and sat down to plan.  As we did, I was filled with a love for Elder Nondala that I hadn't felt before.  It was infectious and it filled my entire body.  I knew that...yes, I was wrong for how I had handled the situation and I apologized. It wasn't something big or grand but I felt a burden relieved as I knew that our relationship had been saved and that we were back on that great path that we had been earlier that day.

The next day, we were walking down the road around that same area that we had contacted Cecilia and we got a phone call. 

It was Cecilia and she told us, "I have something I need to ask you, can you come to my house right now?"

Just by the tone in her voice, I knew something was wrong. 

As we arrived at her house, she was waiting outside holding the Restoration pamphlet that we had given her the day before.

She gave us a chair and we sat down.  She said, "Are you the Mormons?"

We told her that we were and she just said, "why? Why do you have to use this other book, why?!"

She continued to tell us that she had heard we were this and that and that she loved us...but hated our church.

We talked with her about her concerns.  As we did...that familiar spirit came into the lesson that we had felt the day before.  We, as missionaries, were guided by it.  Cecilia as a concerned investigator, was taught and comforted by it.

We left that lesson as happy as we had been the day before.  With one less Book of Mormon...and baptismal date for my new favorite investigator, Cecilia.

I am so grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ, I have learned to use it more and more over the last few months than I have in my entire life! For not only the major wrong doings...but even for the small little arguments and mistakes of our day to day life. I know that the Atonement is there for us...and WILL take away the effects of sin.  We had contention in our companionship, and we were able to avoid the consequences of the next day by partaking of the great gift of the Atonement today. It filled each of us with a greater love for one another and healed that wound that we had caused.  I know the atonement works and that it is real. I love, appreciate, and understand it more and more each day. 

Ha ha yeah my companion does kind of have a fun name to say...Nondala. When he first got him, I had a hard time remembering it...but I realized it sounded kinda like Mandela, Nelson Mandela.  So that was my little story that I used to remember his name.  It kinda backfired on me during our second day.  It was one of our first lessons, and I introduced him as, "my new brother, Nelson Mandela..."  Man...I was so embarrassed, but it was hilarious!  His name is way fun to say when you add his first name...which is Bubele...Bubele Nondala...he's a great guy.

I loved the analogy of water skiing!  I was going to relate mission to water skiing this week as well....  Every year at Lake Powell, Dad will come up to the top of the house boat on about on the third day...early the morning and ask if I am ready to go out for the morning ski run.  And I will always reply, "I hurt too much."   And without fail...his reply is, "the best way to not be sore is to do it again!"  And it's true!  It works!  When you are sore and you keep going, you push through it, it gets easier and it doesn't hurt as much.  This week I was hurting spiritually.  I was on a high, physically...I was just tired of working!  I wanted to sleep in, I wanted to take a rest, my mind was so tired of thinking and worrying about this and that I just wanted a break.... But I thought of the water skiing, "the best way to not be sore is to do it again."  That's what I am doing, and as I push forward...it really does get better:).  Thanks Dad for teaching me lessons that you never even knew you were teaching:).

K...and now for some questions...

Most spiritual part of the week?

-Had an awesome lesson with Cecilia!  I'm about out of time but so I won't get into too much detail, but it was just one that I felt very close to the spirit and very guided by it

New contacting tactics?  Ward member relationships?

-just talk to as many people as possible!  We only got to watch 45 minutes of General Conference but I heard someone say, "Elders and Sisters, if you want more people to teach, you must talk to more people" so we are just going to contact like crazy this week and talk to everyone!

Mail?

-I got one from Little Lexi, who is no longer so little, and holy cow...you let her drive!? 

Things with companion?  Roommates?

-things are good!

Funniest thing?

-there was a baptism for a man named Evans this week.  The bishop was giving a talk and he told him that he was reading about Nephi being asked to build a boat...and Evans, under his breath, goes, "actually that was Noah, but its okay!"  Totally serious.  It was hilarious! 

Also, we extended a baptismal date to a man named Eugene and his response was, "well I don't want to go to Hell, so yeah!  I'll be baptized!"  Well, may not too funny...but I got a kick out of it.

Pday fun?

- I went for a run this morning, that was kinda nice.

What are you grateful for this week?

-the companionship of the spirit and the Atonement

Dad you asked how many people we have in the district, We have four sisters and four elders.  It's going pretty well.  Our district is in a bit of a slump right now in terms of numbers...but we are climbing :).

Well, I love you all so much.  Take care of yourself, keep reading The Book of Mormon...it's awesome!  Zack enjoy the new companion...I am praying for ya like crazy!

Love you all.  Thinking about you like crazy.  Praying for you constantly,

Taylor 

PS...(from Kim)...Here is the analogy that we sent both our missionaries this week...it seemed to fit!

Here's a fun analogy for you...
This mission can be related to a water skier...actually more like Grandpa Bradshaw water skiing, you'll see what I mean here in a minute.  When you left...it was like when you jump into the cold water at Lake Powell...it takes a minute to be able to breathe (in my case) and you move around and warm-up and soon your are comfortable...that was you at the MTC.  Little bit of a shock...but you adapted and were comfortable. 

When you left for the 'real' mission...it was like when you say "hit it!" when you are holding on to the end of the rope behind the boat.  First thing that happens after that is that you get pulled under water and have to fight it for a while, water going up your nose...getting sprayed and pulling with all the strength that you have...and then finally coming up out of the water, still a little unstable and shaky...and then finally, you begin to plane...and you begin to look around and see the scenery and it becomes a little easier just staying behind the boat.  Now...I'm going to add here that there will be times when you make a deep cut and have to hold on tighter because there will be more pressure and more resistance, but then again...you will come out of that deep cut and fly again.  And that, my dear...is my analogy of your mission...so far.  You are up and behind the boat...you are just in a really deep cut right now...watch out...the wake is coming up!

I've left one foot in Koforidua

Dear Family,

I am not quite sure where to start this week...as usual.  It was an okay week, a bit of a hard one...but also one where I finally started to get some things figured out.  Lately the work in Tema has been suffering....like, really suffering.  I don't know what it is.  We try new tactics each week,but it just doesn't seem to pick up.  I can't say that Tema is a bad area, because its not...it's just one that I am having a hard time figuring out how to keep moving.  It is a tough area I will give myself that much, its different than any other area in Ghana in terms of the way that you will do contacting, the way you will teach, the way you work with members and honestly...I really am struggling with figuring it out.  I can't really say that I like the area all that much to be honest with you but I think even that is starting to change.  This week...even just this morning I had the realization that one of my feet was left in Koforidua.

I don't know if I ever told you this...but when I was in Koforidua I was praying once for some answers and comfort as to where I would be in the coming transfer.  I was a bit nervous and reluctant to leave what was then my new home. As I prayed, I opened my scriptures and it fell to a place in the D&C.  It said something along the lines of, "your work in the eastern regions is finished, nevertheless, you are called to continue your labor in the southern regions." I read that and knew immediately that I would be transferred back to Accra.  Not going to lie, I was a bit bummed.  It's pretty obvious how much I loved serving in Kofoidua. When I first had this experience I never really thought all that much about it.  It was something that I kinda just brushed off and took as a little warning as to where I was going.  But this morning, as I was washing my clothes, it was called again to my memory and a feeling of peace washed over me (no pun) that truly it was divinely inspired that I was supposed to be in Tema. I may not love it as much as my past place of service...YET...but I know its where I am supposed to be and where the Lord would have me. I also know that as I work as hard as I can and put as much of my heart, soul and energy into the work here that love for this area will come just as strongly as it did in Koforidua. Yes Koforidua was awesome and I love it so so much, but Tema can also be awesome.  I think that Koforidua was so awesome because of how I learned to work in that area.  The work wasn't easy, but I enjoyed it because of the spirit that I felt doing it.  I knew the importance of the work that I had been called to do there and was happy as I saw it grow.  Koforidua was the same when I started my time there, the work was hard, I was down on myself and not feeling the spirit like I wanted to.  Even when I first started with Elder McDonald, I wasnt happy and hit probably one of my lowest lows, but that lowest low was followed by my highest high. Each area comes with its own set of challenges, I just need to figure out how to overcome them here.  Right now...I'm about dying, but I know that just before I die is when God steps in and we get things done. 

 

Elder Nondala is doing well.  He got some blisters on his feet but who didn't when they first got here?  ha ha.  He and I get along very well. He is getting a bit discouraged with the slump in the area but he will get it.  Elder Halavaka is doing well and said to tell everyone hello.  He and I have become pretty good friends over the last few months, he is a great guy.  Yeah we all four work in the same ward, Tema ward 2.  Its a pretty sweet ward.  Probably my favorite ward out of all my areas, they are pretty eager to do the work when you push them a bit.  Ha ha I don't know what else to say about Elder Nondala, he really is a cool guy.  He liked body-building back home...whenever he tells people that they say, "you don't look like you are very good at it though!" (he really isn't big at all), so he stopped telling people that ha ha.  He is really humble though.  He has desire to work hard, a little more so when people actually want to talk to us ha ha.  Training him and Elder McDonald is so different!  I love them both and love different things about each of them.  And even though South Africa is so much different than the rest of Africa...it's still Africa, so he is a little more used to the living style, the washing the clothes in a bucket, the way the transportation is, things  like that.  But that is also kinda nice. Elder McDonald was a blank slate and anything I said he followed...wanting to learn, he is like a little copy of me. Elder Nondala has his own way of doing things, he had an idea of what missionary work was and yes, he does take my advice but mostly does what he wants.  He just came with more experience.  Elder McDonald was on a quest with me to be obedient, Elder Nondala is a little more on the side of obedience being a hindrance still.  He's an awesome guy and willing to obey when I ask him...but sometimes I just get tired of being the Nazi missionary.  I said something about home the other day and Elder Mabizela let out a sigh and said, "ah I'm glad that you are somewhat human and not just this super missionary all the time, telling us about this rule or that rule, or talking about investigators or the work all the time".  K...I'm not saying I'm a super missionary, but I just realized how much I truly have turned into a missionary since being here. Of course I think of home...but its almost just like sweet memories.  I almost feel like I'm not going to come home some days and that this is just my new life.  Today we went to the market, which is in the bad part of town and I felt more at home there than when I was in the nice part of town.  It was weird that speaking Twi, being around small shacks, in the busy, unorganized streets of Ghana felt better than the A/C, nice homes, hamburgers, and proper roads of my new area.  I just can't imagine the shock of coming home. 

Anyway I am about of time :/  I love you all so much.  I probably seem a bit down but honestly I am doing well today, we went and explored the market and I had a great day.  I really felt the spirit today, chills and all!  I have such a desire building inside me to just kill it this week and I am. So. Excited!

Love you all,

Taylor