Fun times in Ojo de Agua!

Buenas Familia!

Okay well this week has been pretty awesome! First off we were blessed with the baptism of Nicole! I think I talked about how it was a miracle that she got baptized in my last letter? But it was awesome that she could finally get baptized, and she cried as she bore her testimony during the baptismal service. She will be an awesome missionary, I am so stoked for her. 

Well we are still having problems bringing people to church here in Ojo de Agua. This has seriously been my hardest area ever! Haha, but I am learning a ton, and I know that if we are patient and obedient the Lord will bless us accoriding to our faith and diligence.

Oh but a funny story. So Elder Ballard once siad in one of his talks that if the missionaries talk with 10 extra people (unplanned oppurtunities to share the gospel: in the bus, in the store, things like that...) everyday, we will always have lots of people to teach, and we will baptize more! So President WIlkinson has us do 10 of these contacts everyday, and yesterday we had a really fun experience. It was like 8:30 and Elder Velazquez and I were heading home and we passed by a bar. Sometimes in the mission you have to liven things up, and contact all the people that you normally wouldnt talk to in life, so I decided to start talking to two people that were outside the bar. It was this like 30 year old lady, and this 50 year old man. So we started talking to them and obviously they had been drinking but they were so stoked to hear about the gospel. And when we left we heard the lady talking and she said," I am so glad that God sent us this message right now... I am so glad!" Haha hopefully they remember that message in the morning, but I love contacting people! You get to know many different varieties of people and you really feel more charity for these people when you talk with them and get to know them! I love the mission!!!!

Okay well, I hope everything is going well at home. I am really trying to finish my mission off strong and giving all that I have to the Lord. I remember that when I started the mission, everything was new and I was so excited to preach the gospel, but with time you can lose that feeling, and it just feels like work. When I feel like that, I know that I need to kneel down, and give thanks to our Father in Heaven for the Atonement of Jesus Christ, because that is what this gospel and this life is all about. I know that He lives. I know that this is the truth. I love you all! I hope that everything goes well this week. Oh and also, Dad in your letter I got really sad when you said that the baptismal goal of the ward was 8 baptisms! (Don't show this part to the missionaries in the ward, but I have baptized more than that in one month!!! Missionary work is very different in Central America, and I know why the Lord sent me here. He knows that I would be too wimpy to serve in the United States haha). 

Do all that you can to help in missionary work. Something I have finally learned here in the mission. As members we don't give references because we are afraid they are going to reject the gospel. Who cares! As long as our friends have the opportunity to change their lives through the Atonement, we are helping others. Who cares if they reject us, as long as we are helping them to come closer to Christ! Referrals!

I love you guys! Take care!

Pura Vida,

Elder Taylor