Elder Taylor

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Guatemala MTC Week 3

Hola everyone!

Halfway done with the MTC and I finally have some pictures that I can send you! They emailed these to me so that we could send them to our families. One is of Rama B (Branch B) and they told us to take off glasses so I look a little different, and the other is of my district, Malaquias (Malachi). I can honestly say that I'm starting to get a little sick of being at the CCM. I am getting very anxious to get out into the mission field. Spanish is better than ever and I cannot believe the growth that everyone is experiencing here. We do lots of practices where we pretend to be investigators and missionaries and switch off. I did one with a missionary from Honduras yesterday and right now I can't recall his name. He is a really nice kid. When I taught him, the lesson went so smoothly and now I can't even remember what I taught. I know that it was the Spirit guiding me. We had a member of the first quorum of the seventy speak to us yesterday (Elder Falabella). It was an open discussion between the missionaries and him and it was so spiritual. I am amazed at how many missionaries out here are recent converts to the church!!! A lot of them have been members for a little as 1.5 years and they are already out here to save people's lives. 

We have seen a few car accidents from the windows of the CCM. People drive so crazily out here that its no wonder why everyone's car has a dent in it. The one we heard on Monday night was really loud too. We were doing personal study in our Aula (Classroom) and all the sudden we heard loud honking, tires screeching, and a huge crash! We all ran to the window and saw like three cars that had just nailed each other. It's probably the most action we ever will get to see here at the CCM.

Yesterday we had a district meeting where we took time to sing everyone's favorite hymns. It's been a little hard for me to have to adjust to not having music but my district is really good at singing hymns. This might sound weird but all the Elders here whistle hymns together in the showers. It is so awesome! Everything here is so focused on the Spirit.

Every Saturday, we do something called CRE where we teach real less-active members. We spoke with a kid named Marcos who was baptized 9 years ago who loves the gospel but has been a little discouraged since his family doesn't support it at all. From what he said, it sounds like they enjoy pieces of the doctrine, but they have never taken the time to try reading the Book of Mormon, pondering it, and praying to know if it is true. This has really discouraged him and he went inactive for a long time. Another missionary here said that he has met with him before and that he was actually working on his mission papers. I really hope that it works out for him. 

The ultimate teacher is the Holy Ghost, and I will always remember that from seminary. As missionaries, we are just the vessels. Sure, we can go to an investigators home and teach them all the lessons, and they can like what we say. However, if the investigator is unwilling to have faith in Jesus Christ and pray to Heavenly Father to know for himself/herself, they will never truly know it in their heart. That is something that has become very apparent to me as I've been here at the CCM. Faith is the most important thing. We are practicing ways to try to get investigators to be comfortable with missionaries and be open to softening their hearts and having Faith.

It's a little weird talking about the gospel in English, believe it or not! Every once in a while the teachers will ask us to practice teaching our companions in English and I will have no idea what to say!! It was the weirdest thing! I have become so used to teaching in Spanish that I forget how to say the stuff in English. It's the craziest thing ever. 

Anyways, hope everyone has a great week and remembers to pray every day. It is one of the simplest, yet most important ways to keep your faith strengthened. Love you all!


Elder Taylor


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