Elder Taylor Week 2 June 9th, 2014

First full week at the the MTC was splendid. We are all finally getting used to the class and sleep schedules and everything. A new district of Mandarin speakers is coming in so I am super pumped that I wont be the bottom of the food chain anymore. The guys in the district above us are leaving on Tuesday for Taiwan! So we get all their old stuff. Like that rock in the picture. I can explain later.  So choir is cool. The director is awesome. I don't know his name but he finds these cool stories about all the hymns we sing. We have been teaching this fake investigator for the past week and then we found out we wouldn't be teaching him anymore so we were super ticked. Then we came to class the next hour and he is our new teacher! All the missionaries were flippin biscuits. I thought I had a ton of cool stories, but I can't think of any. Who knew 4 square was such a big deal here? They have like secret alliances and team up on the other districts. What in the world happened to basketball? I saw Elder Jake Curtis right after he got dropped off! It's so nice to see some people you know. Last night we had a chastity devotional which was weird cause we are all at the MTC. Then we watched "The Testament" movie and it was soo good.  I can't believe I had never seen it. I felt the spirit so strong at the end the part. For the Tuesday devotional we had Elder Schweitzer or something like that come, he did really well. So for sacrament meetings here they assign a topic and they don't announce the speakers until they have to go up, so everybody freaks out until sacrament is over. And it has to be in straight Chinese. The MTC is still my favorite place ever! Thanks for all the letters and packages! 

Mom, I had an awesome week again. Im eating like 2 hot meals for every meal, so im not really taking your advice.But i only drink water. so thats good. i dont think im getting fat. we watched the movie "the testament" yesterday and it was awesome. Temple today. I saw jake curtis right when he got here. So that was cool. we have the same gym time so we can plan basketball and stuff. Basketball isnt as good as i thought. but its alright. every plays 4 square. like what the heck

Yeah i took a picture with visser and salazar so i will try and find that. ITs good stuff. I miss efy! tell brig to worry about the spirit more than the girls

FIRST PDAY LETTERS! MONDAY JUNE 2ND

The guy who picked me up from the curb was Elder Salazar's comp so that was cool cause he is speaking mandarin too. I found Salazar and Visser. Love them. I bore my testimony in Chinese yesterday. I felt so cool. And we already taught two mock lessons to an investigator and we are on our 3rd today. The temple was cool, we did the endowment. I hope all you guys are having fun on vacation! Love you

Elder Taylor

Love ya mam

WASSSUP. I LOVE the MTC. The spirit is always here. It's really so much fun. There are just a ton of guys my same age trying to learn a new language so we can all relate. To prepare more I wish I would have learned how to study the scriptures more effectively and stay focused for longer periods of time. Because we will have personal study for an hour and then I will start thinking about horses or something. My companion is awesome. He just eats devotionals for dinner. He gets so much out of them. I need to learn from him a little bit. Dont drink the orange juice. 

Elder Baby Chase Taylor
Hey everybody!

I got 15 minutes left so this might not be the best email I ever write. I just added all of the contacts that my Mom sent me, so if you don't want these emails then just let me know. 

The I love the MTC! I would go to the MTC over Disneyland. The spirit is almost always here and I learn everything so much faster. I can get so much out of every day. We taught an investigator in straight Chinese on like Friday so that was crazy because we barley know like any Chinese. My companion is Elder Reading from Florida! He's just the best companion anyone could ask for from a spiritual standpoint. He is super obedient. We listened to this talk by Elder Bednar yesterday and he was 100% focused for like an hour and a half. He can take so much out of every little thing we learn. I bore my testimony in Chinese yesterday so that was cool. We have 4 guys and 6 girls in our district. Sister missionaries are nuts. They study so hard for so long. Like yesterday all the guys were looking up fart in the dictionary (it's fengpi) all the sisters were super focused on their books for like 3 hours. I dont know how they do it. I still love the food, I love my district, my roommates are nice and tidy. I just love it here. Someone keeps coming in our room and throws candy all over the place. 

If any of you know an Elder Hamula (I think that's how you spell it) from Barbara Bush in Mesa then let me know! He's the coolest kid. We found like 20 connections it's kind of weird. 

Thanks so much for the packages and letters and all the good stuff you guys gave me this week! Yes I shared. 

I'm having the best time ever! I wouldn't want to be doing anything else!

Enjoy my sweet pictures.

Elder Young and Elder Andelin

May 28th 2014

Packed up suitcases, ate breakfast, took family photos in Shannon and Cory's front yard and loaded up the car. We headed to JDAWGs in Orem for the last lunch.  A quick stop at the temple for hugs and a few photos. Next into the dreaded mtc waiting line.  We pulled up and around a circle where an elder greeted us. He happened to have a Mandarin speaking tag. Chase asked him where he was going. He said Scotland.  "Do you know Elder Salazar?".  The Elder said, "He's my companion!" So a tender mercy right off the bat. Out of all the Elders greeting that day, this one, a mandarin speaker, and then Elder Salazar's companion on top of that.

I posted a photo of Chase's walk into the mtc. one of the comments said..."Well right after that I was able to greet him and put his name tag on.  He was darling and smiling and on his way!"

We walked around the BYU bookstore with Kelly.  Sophie was still sick. I watched as my new normal smaller family walked down the sidewalk and my heart ached.  Then I was quickly reminded of the Plan of Salvation. Oh how I'm clinging to my faith in that principle.

It sort of feels like you drop them off at a car wash and then the dryer is a feeling of peace as you drive out the other side.  Like you want to take a nap peaceful.