Habra un Temple en la Costa!

10/3/11



!Hola Familia!

What a conference that was! (Which of course I understood this time.) Let me jump right in describing my innermost and tender feelings I experienced. As I sit in Pic de la Popa - my church building is the stake center - thinking of the 18 people in here to watch the Saturday morning session - 10 are missionaries - I sat there and watched Elder Scott and others and an hour into it President Monson stands up to announce temples - “You’ll remember that the Provo Tabernacle burned down last year.” !No WAY! ?Another temple in P-Town? ?Como? ?Como asi? I was freaking out - my jaw dropped y totally in awe -- and then almost immediately afterward it was like someone added dross to my engine - Barranquilla Colombia.


?WHAT?! ?My Mission?!


These people that I’m learning to love are going to have a temple. This plan that means and will continue to grow to mean the entire world to me - A TEMPLE - a better hope for la costa there count not be. If something will bless and lift the coast it will be this temple. God sees the value in their land - He sees the potential of each one of us - no matter how hopeless we may seem.


Because believe me - I am trying to love the coast but for a while there it looked HOPELESS to me. These people have challenges - like you wouldn’t believe - but a temple will have an effect here. These members deserve it and now they’ll have a fortress to keep going and fighting on the coast. Thusly, I totally wept for joy - cuz my hope for the people in the coast was dim - and now I see I had no right at all to doubt or to work without this hope - the Coast of Colombia can change and it will. With that said, I definitely feel a new sense of purpose. What an intense experience! 2 temples that’ll always be a part of my life. Whoa -- I’m stoked for this temple -- yes I know I will leave before its completed, but look at the dream - exaltation just got that much closer to these people. That’s probably the most exciting news of the week.


I still feel underdeveloped as a missionary - I met a guy from Florida yesterday in between sessions, old guy, who basically told me that we are already saved, we just don’t know it and when we know it that's what’ll change our behavior. We don’t need a church or anything - just faith in Christ and he told me Mormons are like the Pharisees -- I just listened, it was me and 3 other Elders, but only I spoke English well, and he just kept talking - quoting the bible and stuff and I thanked him and he left... before I thought to invite him to do anything - Dang it - but I was translating it out of Spanish and into to English in my head so he had an unfair advantage - Missed Opportunity - But I’m glad I’m preaching in Spanish - way easier.

My district is cool - I’m one of two gringos en the Zona - but we Only have 10 missionaries so it is not that surprising - the other one knew Ben (Sonntag) cuz he was from Holladay - cool- Anyway, my district is tranquilo - me and three latinos and I’m trying to help them the best I can - best I know how and they are really patient with the whole language thing - Elder Ellis hardly opens his mouth when he talks so it is hard to understand him sometimes. A member - named Richard who goes with us very often, told me that when I work in his ward he was breaking his butt helping me -- he said this in English and didn’t say butt -- it was so funny.

The Zone Leaders held a training last Friday and it was cool - I feel capacitado and realized how I can be a lot better - as a leader of District. Right now lightning struck a house next to ours which was loud and cool but knocked out the power - so I’m leaving in a wrinkly shirt --


Habra un Temple en la Costa!
Love you all!
Elder Taylor