Fourth of July

"This week has been a super good one!  On the fourth of July I wore red, white, and blue and got an apple pie and ice cream from McDonalds.  It was super festive."

"Today we had a temple P-day.  I love the temple.  The spirit is really just the same everywhere.  So is the gospel.  It's pretty darn cool."

"Today has been so fun.  Best p-day so far.  We went bowling as a district of all foreigners.  Way fun and kinda like a normal kid for about an hour.  Then we went and ate at this place called Zurk's here in the "super mall".  Really good burgers.  It tasted like AMERICA."

More American food.  Enjoying some Mac-n-cheese I got in a package my momma sent!

Happy Father's Day

June 21, 2015

I hope that all the fathers who read this have had a great Father's Day!  Especially my dad, Grandpa Foote and Grandpa Freestone and all my uncles.  You guys are all pretty cool.  I've gained a huge appreciation for fathers in general on my mission (strong father figures are few and far between here).

Last night, for Father's Day, one of the families in our ward invited us over for dinner.  If this had happened 9 months ago I would have starved.  Why?  It was all seafood.  Prawns, crab, tilapia, mussels, seaweed.  Everything. But you guys I ate it and actually kinda liked it.  Well the tilapia and mussels and seaweed with mango salsa stuff.  I still don't like crab or prawn but that's ok.  If you know me, then you know that this is a straight up mission miracle. #PicturesOrItDidn'tHappen

"My tongue has changed and this is the evidence.  Dad, this was on Father's Day.  I thought of you.  If nothing else makes you proud, I hope this does :)  Hahaha"

I love the mission.  It's going fast.  But I still love it.  Transfer week is next week so we will see what happens.  I think I'm staying in Camarin though…I hope I am.

What's Your Miracle Today?

May & June 2015

My new companion is Sister Papaliitele.  She's a Samoan Australian.  She was my Sister Training Leader back in Malalos and my exchanges with her changed my mission.  So it's kinda surreal that we are companions.  We've spent the last 5 days talking about what we wanted to accomplish.  We wanted 40 lessons this week.  We were gonna end Sunday with 39 and she was like, "Sister Foote, I can't come this close and not get it done.  Let's finish this."  I said I couldn't either.  So we racked our brains, said some prayers and were able to teach a less active in our area that we haven't been able to teach in a long time. MIRACLE

Words can't even describe the miracles I've seen this week.  We were able to help a less active paint her house yellow.  I was happy as a clam. MIRACLE

Sister Papaliitele and I ask each other every night "What was your miracle?" and then we share what our miracle for the day was.  Some nights have more obvious answers then others, but every night has an answer.  I challenge you all to look for the miracles or tender mercies of the Lord in your daily lives.  I promise you that there is one.  Don't get me wrong, some days are really hard.  But there's always something to be happy about.  That's what's gotten me this far in my mission.

On a more fun note, people here love eating with their hands and think it's the greatest when foreigners do it.  It saves doing the dishes!  So we ate  at a members house last night and Sister Papaliitele and I ate with our hands.  It really is an art…there's a technique.  They were impressed that we both knew how.  I love it.  They love it.  We all win.

In the Sun we Melted, Melted, Melted

May 2015

I just checked the weather for my area this week--maybe a bad idea.  Highs of 103 almost everyday and lows of 80.  It just confirms that i am, indeed, serving in the hottest country in the world.  You just accept it and move on. It's a normal thing to have sweat in your eyes and dripping from your forehead to your scriptures in the middle of a lesson.  But I seriously love it.  Its sounds crazy…but its not.  Im just glad that I only have one summer in the mission.  It's the way to go!

Life is pretty good here.  Sister Foote called to serve as a Sister Trainer Leader.  

I have officially been thrown into the deep end of missionary leadership and I'll admit, I'm barely keeping my head above water right now.  But, this week was an amazing week nonetheless.  I love the gospel and I love the atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Mother's Day Skype Session

May 10, 2015

We were able to Skype with Sister Foote for Mothers Day.  It was wonderful except the audio and video quality weren't very good.  Still, we loved talking with her in real time.  She was so happy and smiling the entire time!  Her brother, Blake,  asked Taylor "On a scale from 1-10 how glad are you that you are serving a mission?  Her answer: 10.  Then he asked her "On a scale from 1-10 how much do you miss me?  Her answer:  11!  So grateful to be able to talk to her and to see her face to face!  

 April 2015 

 "EASTERS" 

and 

Transfers

Can you tell my family misses me? 

"Easter" doesn't exist here.  It's called Holy Week.  They celebrate each day of the last week that the Savior was on the Earth before he died. 

Easter is so much more than the death of Jesus Christ.  It was refreshing to share the message that He lives so that we can live again.  

Watch the video (Google) "Because He Lives - Easter 2015 lds"

or go to mormon.org 

#heisrisen

It's really good!

I moved to the Novaliches Zone, Camarin 1st Ward.  The house I live in is new and clean and… It has a working shower head!  Still cold water, but a shower head!  haha so that's good.

Still no air conditioning but at least we have fans!

Me and my new companion Sister Pondoyo.  She is awesome.  She's the happiest person I know and her smile is contagious.

Training and Mission Leadership Council was good.  I got to see some of the sisters I served with in other zones, including Sister Mamasig!  So that was way fun.  It's gotten really fun the "older" I am in the mission because I know missionaries and so when we gather together with other zones I have people that I get to see and talk with after a few months of not seeing them.

Temple P-Day.  Wow.  Much needed.  The Spirit is the same in the temple here as it is there, as it is in China, Africa, South and Central America, everywhere.  It's amazing!

March 2015: 

My Last Month in Malalos

Some cute little apartments in our area.

 This is a typical basketball goal for the area.

 Church Selfie.  The kids here are so cute it kills me!

I love this family.  I will miss them and Sister Rantayo when I transfer to my new area!

Being on a mission is the best choice I've ever made.  Sure, its hard.  Sure, I don't always know what's going on because I'm not fluent yet.  BUT I have learned so much….I have no idea how else I would have learned... As I've thought less about myself and more about others I've really figured out what's important.  Be humble.  Be grateful.  It's the best way to live.  It's the happiest way to live.  I've still got lots to learn, but the mission sure sped things up for me.