Christmas, best present ever, teaching, more to come in 2014...

Well...this is it.... the last time I will talk to you guys this year.... :O 2013 has come to an end.... time for 2014!! Crazy!!! I can't believe it! Where has the year gone?!?! Well it's been a really awesome year with lots of crazy adventures that's for sure!! And more to come in 2014!! So get ready for an amazing year!! It's been a great week! Christmas of course!! :D I just love Christmas and it was super weird to not be home with all of you but it was still super fun! It was definitely a different Christmas...but one that I will never forget! I am so grateful I was able to see and talk to all of you for a little bit! :) That was the best!!! It's such a great time of year to be a missionary! What better way to spend Christmas than representing my Savior Jesus Christ and being able to spread the gospel with those that don't have it! And people have been really nice with the holiday season so that has been really helpful too :) 

Monday we had a great pday! I chopped my hair :) well just five inches :) haha so that was exciting! We spent our pday getting haircuts and then a little shopping on Maine Street! We had dinner with some members in the ward...the Bankheads and then we did a fun family home evening with them! We talked about the Christmas story and how there was no room in the inn. We talked about how we need to make room for the Savior in our lives and how we can do that and always remember Him. and then we made gingerbread houses :) it was super fun! Then we went to the Gardners and did the same FHE with them :) so double fun! :) 

Tuesday was Christmas Eve!!! We didn't go to the soup kitchen but I heard it was closed because of all the ice and snow :/ instead we went and had a big Christmas brunch with the elders and a few families in the ward! Then we all went to an old folks home and we sang Christmas carols with them!! It was so fun! :) We didn't really do much after that.. we still did mormon.org time and had some adventures just walking around town! We ended up just having dinner at our house because our plans didn't really work out.. haha long story short but we had a nice french toast dinner together :) then we moved our beds downstairs so that we could sleep by the Christmas tree! We read Luke 2 together even though we've read it a million times already the past couple of weeks :) and then we tried to go to sleep!! but of course Christmas Eve... we couldn't sleep!!!

Wednesday was Christmas!!!! We woke up and opened presents!!!! Then the elders came and picked us up and we all went to the Jones' for breakfast! We had fun spending time with them and then we went to the Hubbards! We watched Mr. Krueger's Christmas and Joy to the World with their little 7 year old Victoria...well mostly we just watched her ride her new hello kitty bike round and round the living room :) haha we had lunch with them and then we went to the Rainey's and got to skype our families!!! That was the greatest!!!! :) :) :) of course that hour went way too fast but it was the greatest hour all day! I loved seeing all your cute smiling faces!! oh technology! isn't it wonderful?! i'm definitely very grateful for it!! :) After that we just visited with the Rainey's for a little while :) then they took us home and we just had a little bit of time to write in our journals...eat chocolate....take funny pictures...just the usual :) it was a great Christmas!

Thursday was a little slow... we had district meeting which was really good! Oh and yes! our district won the 12 days of Christmas challenge!! :) yup we're awesome! :) then it snowed almost all day! But we went tracting anyways! haha :) that was about it that day... just lots of walking...and shoveling :)

Friday we did weekly planning...then we went out to Bowdoin and we were able to see some investigators the Jacksons who we don't see too often because they always cancel on us! They have lots of health problems though...so I was glad we could see them finally :) We contacted some referrals out there and then we came back to Topsham and had a fun dinner with the Smiths and Brother Eldredge!! 

Saturday we had a good lesson with Brother Frost! He's trying to read the scriptures everyday and is finding that he really is coming to understand them better!! it's so awesome to see him improving and coming back to church! He called us a little later that day to tell us thank you for coming over and he was so grateful that we had come over and read the Book of Mormon with him and he just wanted to thank us for helping him to understand it :) Then we went and visited some other less actives :) We saw Sandy and Michael who is progressing very well!! We had a good lesson with him! He is keeping all of his commitments he is reading and praying! He really wanted to come to church but his ride slept in :/ so next week we will definitely get him there!!

Sunday we had church!!! All three hours!!! yay!!! :) The Flaggs made it! Corey was still planning on getting baptized this Saturday but since we haven't been able to get out to see them because of all the snow we had to tell him that we still have a few things to teach him! So it won't be this saturday but it will be soon!!! :) We had a good lesson with Greg yesterday... still trying to help him to have the desire to commit... he can do it... maybe 2014 is his year! i think it is... we'll see! :) 

Well I think that's about it!! I hope that you all have a great rest of 2013!!! I love you all!!! Happy New Year!!! :)

Love,

Sister Tait

Best Christmas present ever!!! :)

The holiday door block :)

here's me and Sister Rainey after skyping with the fam...

Christmas Eve and our french toast dinner

Christmas Day

All snuggled up in our new favorite blankets that my amazing mom made us!! and our cute hats that sister jones made us :)

rudolph the red nosed reindeer!! :) what we did with the rest of our Christmas... :)

Christmas is coming!, more snow & new investigators

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you believe it's really here!!! AHH!!! two more days!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D : D :D :D :D  I'm just a little excited :) Well before I get too carried away let me tell you about our week! Monday night we got to have a fun Christmas dinner with two of the families in our ward and with the elders. It was all fun and decorated and we sang Christmas carols and had hot chocolate and cheesecake :) then we shared a lesson with them from Luke 2... The part that has really stuck out to me this year is Luke 2:9-12 and especially verse 10. I love this part when the angel appears to the shepherds and tells them "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to ALL people." and just thinking about how it really is for all people. The gospel is for everyone. Our Heavenly Father has a plan for each and every one of us. We have a Savior who was born for you, for me, for everyone! He died for us and he lives and loves us all! I know that this is true! 

After dinner we went to our apartment and we had a little exchange meeting and then I went with Sister Lundahl to Damariscotta and Sister Huefner stayed here with Sister Hoffman! I was a little worried when the member that was driving told me I should probably pack extra just in case because there was MORE snow on the way.... lovely. So I packed extra and we headed to Damariscotta! We had a really good day on Tuesday! The 12 days of Christmas challenge was to contact 5 former investigators! So first we went and saw two of their investigators and had a good lesson with them! It went really well and I was able to have a cool experience listening to the spirit! We were talking and answering some of their questions and a scripture just popped into my head! So I opened up to it and it went perfect! I am so grateful for the spirit! You can definitely tell a difference when the spirit is there or not. I am so grateful for the promptings that I receive and for the good that comes when we act on our promptings! I know that the spirit really does bring all things to our remembrance and as I study each day I am able to come to know the scriptures more and that's how I was able to think of that perfect scripture at the right time! so wonderful :) We were able to contact lots more than 5 of their former investigators and even gained some potential investigators by doing that! Our district still has a perfect score for the 12 days of Christmas and just two days left! umm yeah... we're gonna win :) 

So we went to bed that night watching all the snow fall and thinking that I would probably be staying another night!  When we got up there was a little over a foot of snow! :O I think we're all set now. we don't need anymore!!! But... now it's really true.."the field is WHITE already to harvest..." ;) haha :) So we got ready and did our regular studies and then went out to shovel ourselves out! They postponed district meeting for a little later in the day so that we could make it safely... By 11:30 we got it cleared out and were able to drive to Topsham for district meeting! I was a little disappointed that we had exchanges on Tuesday because we had plans to see Meredith!!! and it was the last time before she goes home for Christmas!! But it's okay... Sister Hoffman and Huefner got to see her and said the lesson went really well! They answered more of her questions and she wants to keep reading! :) They also taught Jessica...who is a new investigator!! We met her street contacting the other night when we were giving out the two bibles! We talked to her and she said she had the missionaries when she was growing up! They were able to stop by and teach her about the restoration and she wants to learn more!! :D Then they also taught John who we met at the soup kitchen a couple of weeks ago! So I came home to two new investigators!! that was pretty great!! :) 

Thursday we had kinda a slow day...we just tried to see some potential investigators... did some tracting...and that was about it! Friday was another slowish day because the challenge was a car fast... So of course the car fast happens on the day that we're supposed to have the car.. haha oh well... so we were walking all day...did some tracting! made rice krispy treats and went caroling to some member's houses :) It was fun! :)

Saturday was a really good day! We got 2 more new investigators!!! We stopped by a potential investigator Shawn that we had tracted into about a month ago. A few weeks ago we stopped by again and he wasn't home but his sister was. So Saturday we stopped by and they were both home!! Shawn is in college and Megan is in high school. He doesn't have a faith in God at all but Megan has a really strong faith in God and has her own beliefs but has been to our church before with some of her friends in the ward! So she actually helped us to answer some of Shawn's questions! It was awesome!! We had a really good lesson with them and we are going back after the holidays!

Sunday we had an ice storm and were worried that church would be canceled but they still had sacrament meeting!!! I'm so glad!! It was so good :) the other meetings were canceled and after church we weren't allowed to drive because it was so icy out! But we had lunch with some members and then around 4 we had to stay in our apartment! We had some time to study I found so many good things!!! ahhh!! i'm running out of time!!!! i have so much more to tell you all!! ahhh!!! well!! i'll have to tell you later!! But John 3:16 is one scripture I've been thinking about! Especially at this Christmas season! God the Father gave His son, and Jesus Christ gave us the Atonement, the greatest of all gifts and all giving. Remember the reason for the season!!! I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!! I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Sister Tait

uhh yeah... that's our car under all that! i thought i was gonna be stuck in Damariscotta! This happened on exchanges so we almost missed district meeting! but they postponed it and we made it! So it all worked out! just took some time to shovel ourselves out! 

here's sister lundahl and I! shovelin! :D

oh and here's a random pic of sister hoffman and I today! :)

Snow, shoveling, it's beginning to look A LOT like Christmas!!

It's beginning to look A LOT like Christmas!! :D All week everyone was preparing us and telling us to get ready...we're gonna have a wicked snow storm this weekend! So we waited and waited...went to bed Saturday night and woke up to a foot of snow!! and there's more on the way they say... ahhh! haha so we've had some fun in the snow! and have been doing lots of shoveling! 

Yesterday church was cancelled because of the snow so we weren't really even sure what we were supposed to do! haha... there was a baptism still happening so we thought we should probably still go to that and support this family in the ward! So we did our regular morning studies and then we grabbed our shovels and headed out the door! We shoveled one driveway and then after that we decided we should probably start our trek to the church! It's only about two miles from our apartment and we figured we'd just shovel our way there! :) haha... so we got like a fourth of the way there and then Sister Jones called us and asked if we were coming to the baptism and if we needed a ride! So we said we were on our way! :) haha we had heard that if we weren't allowed to drive then we weren't allowed to get rides from members either... (don't worry we've cleared it up now so we will no longer walk to church in a blizzard... :) so she came and picked us up and we went to the baptism! Good thing we made it because none of the four pianists were there so they needed someone to play! So I was glad I could help with that! :) 

Our investigator's baptismal dates are coming up...but we need our investigators to come to church though so they can still happen!!!! kinda hard though when church gets canceled... we'll get them there next week though!! After that the Rainey's took us to their house and we had lunch and coordination meeting! Then we went home and did some shoveling around our neighborhood and that was about it! It was a really weird sunday!! We weren't able to even see most of our investigators this week because we usually see them on Sunday when we have the car...but we couldn't to get out to Lisbon where they all live :/ 

We did see Michael though! On Saturday we went and saw Sandy and Brother Rainey came with us! We weren't sure if we would be able to meet with Michael because earlier in the week Sandy called us and said he had some concerns with some of the things we believe and he didn't want to meet with us again... But we went and talked to Sandy and then we saw him getting his mail and invited him to come in so he did! And we addressed his concerns and hopefully it cleared things up a little bit! He has some things he said he would pray about and he told us he would still come to church! :) So that was really good! We weren't able to see Meredith because she had so much going on with finals and lots of homework.. but we are going to meet with her tomorrow morning before she heads home for the break! She has lots of questions again so it will be really good! 

On Friday we had zone meeting and interviews all day! It was really good! Our zone has three districts in it and we are having a little competition for the 12 days of Christmas! We have different things we are supposed to do everyday and if we do it we get a point for our district... like Friday we had to make one baked good and give it to a member! So we made cookies and gave them to members! the next day we gave out 2 bibles! We were pretty busy all day Saturday and we didn't know if we were gonna get it done... so at 8:00 we went out to Maine street and we found two people and talked to them and gave them the bibles and a Book of Mormon and we got a return appointment! 

Yesterday was give out 3 Christmas dvds so we gave one to the Rainey's neighbor and then took cookies and the dvd to two of our neighbors! It was super great! Today is kinda tricky we have to share 4 messages from Luke 2! We're gonna have to make our way to Maine street so we can spread the Christmas joy to everyone! :) haha so that's been fun! our district is pretty competitive so we're planning to win this...! :)

After interviews we had our ward Christmas party! So that was a lot of fun! We had a nice turkey dinner and there were lots of non members that came! So we talked to lots of people! oh and one of the little boys that we were sitting by told us a good joke so I'll tell you.. What do you call an alligator wearing a vest?? ........... an investigator!!! :D haha! good one huh? haha :) We invited Pat and Ken to the party but they weren't able to come...but they did let us come in and talk to them for a little while the other night and we answered some of their questions about the sacrament and other things about church! It was great! So we've had some really good things happening even though it was kind of a slow week! More good things and miracles to come!!! Hope you all have a great week! Stay warm!!! :) Love you!!! 

Sister Tait

p.s. Here's some pictures of the snow :)

I love being a missionary!!! The church is true!! Expect miracles!!

Ask me how much I love being a missionary... never mind...don't ask..I'm gonna tell you anyways!!!! haha :) Oh my goodness! I LOVE being a missionary!!! :D So it's been another amazing week! Miracles miracles miracles!!! Things are really starting to get going here in Topsham!! :) It's so awesome!!! :) Alrighty so let me tell you all about this wonderful week we had... Monday was p-day! We're trying to do better at doing fun and exciting things..so i'm trying to come up with some good stuff.. haha but it was pretty much a regular pday! But we did go out into the cold and decided to walk Maine street! (We do this like every night - street contacting... but we decided it might be fun to actually go inside the stores! haha) so since I've walked Maine street for six months now we actually went inside the stores for my second time! haha it was quite exciting :) 

Tuesday we went to the soup kitchen... haha oh man that was so great! We walked in there and the volunteers were so cute they were so surprised to see us both there! The old ladies there are so cute and they were so excited when we said we were both staying another six weeks! They said they wanted to write our "head leader" and tell him "thank you thank you thank you" for keeping us! :) haha so we had fun serving at the soup kitchen! then we did some tracting and we had some good success!! We talked to lots of nice people and there were only one or two where they shut the door on us and all the rest they talked to us for a while! we had some good conversations and found a potential investigator! There was one man just standing outside his house smoking but we went and talked to him and he said he would like to hear more and said we could come back! 

Wednesday Sister Smith drives us around and takes us to see people so we went to his house but he said that he had forgotten that we were coming... and he said he was working everyday but he said he wanted to come to church on sunday! So sister smith said that her husband could pick him up! So yesterday Brother Smith went to pick him up but he had to go to work so he wasn't able to come... but then last night we went to the church to go watch the Christmas devotional and guess who was there?! Brother Smith and he was giving Ryan a tour of the church!!! :D So we talked to him for a second and he said he would be at church next week! Hopefully we can teach him sometime this week and he will be a new investigator!! So good things do come from tracting and talking with everyone!!! 

Wednesday was Brother Hersom's funeral... There were so many people there!!! He has a huge family and tons of people that love him! Brother Hersom is such an amazing example he was just always so positive and happy and doing things for others! and always cracking jokes! Once when we went over there he wasn't feeling very well but he still had us come over and visit of course! and you knew he wasn't feeling very good if he didn't comb his hair...haha so once we said to him "Brother Hersom you must not be feeling good you didn't do your hair!" and he said "well it looks just like yours" :) haha it was a really nice funeral though and he loved music so there were three musical numbers! Sister Hoffman and I got really lucky and got to sing "I am a Child of God" in front of hundreds of people... oh man that was rough...I didn't know if I would be able to make it through since apparently my mission is turning me into a cry baby... but we made it through without tears! :) The spirit was so strong there and I am just so grateful for the plan of salvation! I know that families can be together forever and that Brother Hersom is not in pain anymore and that we will see him again! Ahhh!! I love this gospel!!! The church is true!!!! 

So after the funeral Sister Smith took us out to lunch and then that's when we went and saw Ryan! We tried to see a few less actives after that and then we went home for dinner... then we had BOM class and Brother Eldredge was there of course.. and also Sandy came!! She hasn't been in a while so it was so good to see her! I don't think I've talked about her much... she's a recent convert/less active and has been going through some really hard times but things are getting better for her! It was so good that she came and then she shared some exciting news with us! She told us that she met her neighbor that lives above her and was so excited that he has a chihuahua... haha and now their chihuahuas are boyfriend and girlfriend...haha oh goodness...but he noticed that we come over every Saturday and so she was telling him that we're missionaries and what we do and she told him that we could stop by his place if he wanted us to.. So! Saturday (guess i'm skipping to Saturday now...haha) well Saturday was a really good day! It was sister hoffman's 21st birthday so we had to make it good! and it was a quite a success! :) We started off with some tracting...then we went out for lunch, then we headed to Lisbon...and saw a few less actives...so we get to Sandy's house and she lets us in and we're sitting there visiting with her and she tells us how her neighbor Michael said we could stop by after seeing her! So we thought awesome a referral! And then there's a knock at the door... she gets up and opens it and guess who it is?? Michael!! So he comes right in and has a seat and as we pull out our Restoration pamphlets Sandy starts telling all about Joseph Smith and the restoration! haha it was awesome!! :) So we taught him the first lesson..gave him a book of mormon and he said he would read it!.. and.... then we invited him to be baptized and he said yes!!!! he said he wanted to come to church so yesterday he came with Sandy and he was asking lots of questions and it was so great! So we have another baptismal date!!! :D He's preparing for February 1! Soooo awesome!! He is definitely prepared and it's just so cool to see how everything just falls into place and happens how it needs to :) we told him that next week we could talk to him about the plan of salvation and he said "oh that sounds perfect! just what I need! i know there's a purpose and i've been trying to figure that out!" :D 

We also have another new investigator that we met a couple of weeks ago just while walking Maine street and his name is Jason! Last week we were supposed to meet with him but he never showed up... so we got a hold of him on Friday and ended up teaching him that afternoon! He said he would read the Book of Mormon and if he came to know for himself that it was true than he would be baptized! :) he wanted to come to church but didn't make it this week! We are teaching him again this tuesday so maybe next sunday he'll be there! We're gonna have a whole row full of investigators at church!! :) 

This week we weren't able to see Corey but this week for sure!! He's still preparing for January 4! :) And our other miracle...Meredith! We texted her just asking how her thanksgiving was and she said that she has made it through 1 Nephi!! She's busy now with finals but said she'll read more over the break! and then she asked if we could meet with her before the break so this Saturday we're meeting with her!!! :) oh man... what did I tell you.. I'm just gonna expect miracles and they're gonna happen... well they're happening!!! :D Get ready for another week full of miracles! Especially at this Christmas season! I love it!! :) nothing better than going around and spreading what this season's really about!! :) I hope you can all see the miracles that are happening everyday in your own lives and look for those missionary opportunities! Such a good time to spread this joyful message!! I love you all so much!!! 

Love,

Sister Tait

here's what you get in Maine! A Christmas tree made out of lobster traps!!! :)

here's my adorable companion on her birthday!! 21!!! breakfast for dinner is her favorite so i made her a pancake cake for dinner! :) haha

  

The groundhog didn't see his shadow haha...

Well...the groundhog didn't see his shadow...looks like six more weeks in Topsham!!! Crazy crazy!! We waited and waited to get the transfer call... and then nothing! haha I'm staying here another transfer!!! Can you believe it!?!? And can you believe it's December!?!?!?!! I can't! haha! Well let me tell you about this great week... monday was p-day! nothing too exciting... just the usual...shopping, emails, cleaning, writing letters.... then Tuesday we went to the soup kitchen... and we told them all that transfer calls were saturday so we thought we would probably be at transfer meeting so we told them we wouldn't be there this week... and since I have been here for six months we were sure that I was being transferred... so the cute little old ladies at the soup kitchen were all so sad that it was my last day and they made an announcement and told everyone that it was my last week... haha so we're gonna surprise them tomorrow when we're both there! :) yay!!! haha I love serving at the soup kitchen! 

Tuesday we did that, tried to see a few potentials, had mormon.org time, went to ward council, and then did some street contacting! Wednesday we had district meeting, then we met with a less active Brother Frost! He was baptized four years ago but hasn't been coming to church for a while now... we've been meeting with him for a couple of weeks now and just read the Book of Mormon with him, trying to help him to understand it better. He has kind of a crazy work schedule because he works all night and then sleeps during the day usually... he makes doughnuts!! :D His parents used to own Frosty's doughnuts which is the famous delicious doughnut shop here but they sold it and now he just has his own little doughnut place... so it's really great teaching him because we read the Book of Mormon and then eat doughnuts :) but he keeps telling us he doesn't have an excuse but doesn't come to church...but guess what yesterday he came!! So that was a miracle! :) He told us if we prayed hard enough maybe he would come...we told him he should pray hard too... looks like it worked! he came! :) but he only came to sacrament he wouldn't stay for the rest.. he said he didn't promise that so we'll try for next week :) that was super awesome though! 

Then we went and saw Brother Eldredge and decided that that was our for reals last time to go see him regularly. We talked about gratitude and told him how grateful we are for him and that he's come back and how his testimony has grown! It was sad to tell him we couldn't come every week but he said he'll still be at Book of Mormon class! :) Thursday was Thanksgiving!!! We didn't really do much in the morning... we walked outside and it was so quiet!! Nobody was out so there was no one to talk to... haha so we went on a nice walk to see Sister Wallace who was in the hospital! We also got news that Brother Hersom (who is sister wallace's brother and Brother Rainey's dad) passed away Tuesday night :( So sad but we know that he doesn't have to be in pain anymore and he is in a better place! We talked to Sister Wallace about the temple and she said it was so amazing and she is so happy she could go :) Now hopefully we can work with Sister Hersom and help her to get to the temple so she can be sealed to Brother Hersom! It is so sad but I think a lot of good things will also come from it...he has such a big family with lots of non-members and less actives so we will talk to more of them at the funeral this week. I'm grateful that I can be here another transfer and be here for this amazing family that I love so much!! The Hersoms and the Raineys are so amazing!! :) 

So we just visited with Sister Wallace for a while and then after that we walked home...did a few things around our apartment and then headed out to walk over to our Thanksgiving dinner appointment! Good thing we didn't have the car so we got lots of walking in so we could eat lots of delicious food :) We had lots of fun we got to go to the Gardners house and have dinner with their cute family and also the Bankheads! It was a party with 8 adorable little kids :) so that's pretty much all we did! Ate food, played some games with their family and then after that... we did some more walking :) 

Friday was really good! We did our weekly planning and then at 2 we went to Damariscotta for an exchange! Sister Huefner came back with me and we had an exchange full of miracles!! :) I'm really learning that if you expect miracles then they will happen....! We just decided that we were going to have miracles and then hey guess what?! We did! :) so first off we picked up the car from the elders and i got to drive for the second time in forever..haha that was fun and we went and contacted a referral and it was this cute old man and we gave him a book of mormon and he asked how much it was and we told him it was free and he was so happy! We tried to go and see him yesterday and he said he doesn't have time to learn right now and he's not really interested but we told him to just keep the book and read it and we'd stop by again another time... so then we went to dinner at the Johnstons and it was super fun! We read the Book of Mormon with their family they're trying to finish by the end of the year and they're in 3 Nephi! So that was super fun and then we sang all of the Christmas songs in the hymn book and that was so great :) Then after that we stopped by the church to drop off our trash and we were wondering what all the cars were doing there so we went in and it was the stake dance! So we got to talk to some of the youth there and Sister Huefner got to see some young women from her last area that she probably wouldn't have been able to see ever again on her mission so that was a miracle! And we got some delicious cookies.. haha then we went and saw a potential investigator and it was a miracle that she was home and answered her door! We've been trying to contact her forever and she finally was there :) We talked to her for a little bit and then we just did some street contacting but nobody was really out.. it was pretty cold! So then we went to 7 eleven and got some hot chocolate and the cashier saw us and said "Sisters!" like she knew us or something.. haha but we didn't know her and then she said "are you nuns??" and we said nope! we're missionaries!.... she got a piece of paper, wrote her name and then said hot chocolate's on me! and gave us her name and her daughter's name and asked us to remember her in our prayers! so then we gave her our number and a mormon.org card and she said she would definitely check it out! :) So free hot chocolate and a potential!! :) 

Saturday we did some tracting and didn't have much luck but we did talk to some nice people! :) Then we exchanged back then Sister Hoffman and I went and saw some less actives.. then came home for dinner and we went to Orange Leaf to celebrate our 6 month mark since we were so sure I wouldn't be here on the actual day to do it! haha but maybe we'll just have to go again anyways :) Then we did some street contacting and then came home and waited and waited for the phone to ring! and it didn't! no call!! haha 

Sunday we went to church and everyone was so suprised to hear that I'm staying another transfer! :) And both the elders are staying too! Crazy! So it's going to be a transfer full of lots of miracles! That's what i'm gonna expect...so that's what's gonna happen! :) I'm so excited that i'll hopefully be able to be here for Corey's baptism! We went and saw them yesterday and got to help them decorate their Christmas tree and then had a little lesson! We talked about the word of wisdom and he said he would try his hardest to live it! He said the closing prayer and it was so good! He is continuing to progress and you can see his desire! It was so fun to hear them talk about how they told their family at Thanksgiving how he had set a date! So I know that he will continue to prepare! So exciting!! :) 

So there's our week! pretty exciting stuff happening here so i'm so lucky I get to stay!! :) it's gonna be a good transfer! Love you all and hope you have a great week! :)

Love,

Sister Tait

p.s. here's our district! :) and we're all staying together for another transfer!!

A week of miracles, Happy Thanksgiving!

So it's been a really awesome week!!!! A week full of miracles!!!! Ahh!!! I'm just so excited to tell you everything!!! :D haha so last Sunday Amy (Bowdoin college student and in our ward) was giving a talk in sacrament meeting... Her friend Madi was doing some assignment for a class where she had to go to different churches so she asked if she could come...then Madi's roommate Meredith asked if she could come along too! So they came and sat with us during sacrament meeting and then we didn't really get to talk to them after that because we were helping in nursery... anyways we didn't really think much of it but then Monday night we were doing our nightly planning and we got a call from Amy! She said she had just gotten a text from Meredith and she told her that she had lots of questions and wanted to know if she could possibly meet with the missionaries... hmmm...i don't know if we could do that.. pfft.... uhhh of course!!!! ahhh!!!! So Tuesday we were able to meet with Madi and Meredith and answer some of the questions they had! They told us how after church they got on lds.org and were just looking at so many different things and had so many questions and then Meredith told us she went to bed with all this on her mind... then in the middle of the night she woke up and looked at her phone and there was an email from her only mormon friend who is on a mission that she hasn't heard from in a while!!! coincidence?? umm i think not!!! :) It was so cool to hear her tell us about that and she said she didn't think it was a coincidence at all! That is a reminder to me of how important it is to follow promptings!!! I know that her friend in Armenia was prompted to email her and I'm so glad that she followed that prompting!! She had a list full of questions and we were able to answer almost all of them... there were a few that I had no clue of the answer but they were really good questions! Afterwards I was kinda thinkin to myself how little I know and feelin pretty inadequate for all the questions that she had! But then Sister Hoffman and I were talking and thinking about how really if you know that the church is true then some of these other questions don't really matter! It's good to have questions and to wonder and to try and find answers! But it was just another really good reminder to me of how much there is to learn and how we all learn line upon line, precept upon precept.. and it's okay that I don't know everything! I do know enough and I just have to testify of what I do know!! :) I know that the Book of Mormon is true and it can answer all of the questions that we have! We gave her a Book of Mormon and she said that she would read it! We didn't think we would be able to meet with her again because finals are coming up and also with the holidays it's pretty crazy! But we gave her our number and said to text us if she had any questions! Then Wednesday we got a text... and it was Meredith!! She said "I started reading the book! When can we meet again??" :D ahh!!! It was a miracle for sure!!! We were sooooo excited!!! We texted her back and decided to meet on Friday! So Friday we were able to talk to her and answer more questions and decided to just try and teach her the restoration and plan of salvation! So we did and it was so great! We invited her to be baptized and she said that she wanted to read the Book of Mormon first and find out for herself! She seems really interested! So that was super amazing!!! She is going home for thanksgiving but she said hopefully in between finals in the next couple of weeks we could possibly find some time to meet again!! :) Tuesday Sister Wallace went to the temple!!!! She received her endowment and was sealed to her husband!!!! We haven't been able to see her this week because she just had surgery but Brother Rainey told us that it went really well! I can't wait to talk to her this week and hear all about it :) Another miracle is one that I started to tell you about last week! Corey is a former investigator.. (well he was...) haha now he is a current investigator!! :D haha so last week I told you how he came to church and brought the kids even though his wife was sick! So we knew that it was just time and that we needed to get teaching him and invite him to be baptized! We tried and tried to get in to see them but they were super busy friday and saturday...and we can only make it out that far when we have the car.. so we were really hoping for sunday... so Sunday comes along and Corey and Betsey both came to church! We asked if we could stop by and see them later and they said we could! So we went over and visited with them for a while and we tried to teach a lesson but it was a little crazy with their adorable two little kids running around! We were planning to invite him to be baptized and I was the one who was supposed to do it... I wasn't sure if I should really do it or not cuz it was so crazy and everything... but then I decided well...here goes nothing! and I asked him! and guess what he said.... he said yes!!! He said he's been thinking about it and wants to be baptized! He is preparing for January 4th!! :D ahhhh!!! how exciting is that?!?!? My first time to invite someone to be baptized and they said yes! wooohoo!!! :) haha so that was pretty exciting! :) So we're going to be teaching them more regularly and helping him to prepare for January 4th! And then Betsey's cousin who is sort of living with them.....i don't know exactly but she comes to church with them... well she's been going to young women's and she said that she would like to take the lessons too and we may even have a double baptism!! :D So that was our super exciting miracle filled week!! Three new investigators!!! And a baptismal date! :) It's all about the Lord's timing! I know that the Lord puts prepared people in the path of his prepared servants! Our tracting is paying off! :) I know that faith precedes miracles and that as we act and do our part that we will see the Lord's hand in our lives and see the many miracles that happen everyday!!! :) Who knows what will happen this week with transfer calls...maybe i'll stay...maybe i'll go!! ahh!!! well! we'll see!!!! Crazy crazy!!! I'm so grateful to be able to be a missionary and for all that I am learning and the miracles that I have witnessed!! And I am so grateful for all of you!!! SO so much to be grateful for!!! Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!! gobble gobble!! :) LOVE YOU LOTS!!

Love,

Sister Tait

My new, long, warm coat!!

Teaching & learning from so many amazing people

Sooooooo....we kinda had a shorter week since tuesday was pday!! It's been a good one though!! Lots of success with less actives!! Tuesday we had pday so that was fun! haha basically all we did was emails, went to walmart bought some groceries, came home and wrote letters... then we went to the Carpenters for dinner! They are less active and we stopped by a couple of weeks ago to just check up on them, get to know them and they were super nice.. then they decided they wanted to have us over for dinner! So tuesday we went and had dinner with them and we invited them to come to church on sunday! and guess what?! Brother Carpenter came!! :) most people get super excited to have an investigator at church..but it's just as exciting to have a less active come!!! We do have a potential investigator that has been coming!! And that's pretty exciting! His wife is a member and is less active and her husband has been taught before...They've been coming to church for a couple of weeks now and we've been wanting to get in and teach them but haven't had much luck yet with their busy work schedules... but yesterday he came to church and brought the little kids even though his wife was sick... so were pretty impressed by that and this week we are going to teach him and hopefully even invite him to be baptized!! kind of awesome!!!! :D I think he's ready! So we'll see how that goes!! :) 

Wednesday we went and saw Brother Eldredge and we talked to him about missionary work! It is so cool to see how far he has come in the past couple of months! His testimony has grown so much and he really is just hoping that his kids will see his example and have a desire to learn more about that church! I know that they have definitely seen a change in him and he says he thinks their hearts are being softened! So that is pretty amazing! I know that they can just see how it's changed him and maybe they will soon have the desire to have that in their own lives! His decision has definitely had a huge impact on his family for good! I know that this is true also for all of the people that we are working with! It's crazy how one decision can impact so many people! But it does! Tomorrow Sister Wallace is going to the temple!!!! I am so excited for her! I hope that her kid's hearts will be softened too and I know that as they see her example that they will want to come back to church! She is just such an example to me! I love her! She is so optimistic about everything! She's had cancer for a long time and for the past seven years she's been having different treatments and she was telling us how she has never once asked "why me?" but she always says "why not me?" She is so amazing! She says it's a miracle that she's still alive but she knows there must be a plan for her if she's still here! I am so grateful for her amazing example and testimony and perseverance! I am learning so much from her so I know that one reason is definitely for me! because she has taught me so so much! I'm so grateful for her! 

Thursday we went to the hospital and served there..we saw some more less actives and then we went with Amy to Bowdoin college for thanksgiving dinner!! haha so that was fun!

 Friday we did some tracting and then saw some more less actives!  

Saturday we saw some more less actives!!! haha it was just a week full of less active lessons and it was super great!! :) 

Sunday we went to church and this time we got to go to nursery!! haha! that was so much fun!! those kids are the cutest!!! i always learn so much from them and they just remind me how we are all children of God! We need to just remember the simple things and just follow the example of little children! We had a cool experience tracting yesterday where we were talking to a lady and we decided to sing "I am a Child of God" It really touched her and we were able to talk to her for a little bit and she said she'd read the Book of Mormon and that we could come back next week!

I know that we are all children of God and that He loves each and everyone one of us so much! I'm out of time and wish I could say more! But I hope you all have a wonderful week and know how much I love you!!!! You're the best! :) LOVE YOU!!! :)

Sister Tait

here's us on the bus going to the hospital to do service! and we didn't do much tracting this week but here's one house that we saw this week! haha there's one way to block off your door! :) 

Zone Conference, Ward Conference, ridiculous front doors...

Hello!!!!!!!!!!!! It's been a pretty great week! Super amazing weekend!!! That's when all the exciting stuff happened... haha so I'll just tell you about that! Mostly we've just been tracting the rest of the week! oh! but our new fun thing to do is to take pictures of the ridiculous front doors... in new England you never know which door to go to... well unless they block off the front door like these ones... haha then you have to search for the side door.. or sometimes they don't block off the front door outside but inside it's blocked by a couch or something so we knock on the door and then people awkwardly come out the side or back of their house and then come talk to us... haha it's great! so we're on the quest to find the greatest door block offs... haha so i sent a few from this week....and a couple pictures from zone conference. This is a four generation picture!!!!!!!! Sister Griffin trained Sister Waite who trained Sister Sowards who trained me!!!!!!!!!!! :) haha :) pretty awesome! Not many people know their grandmas and great grandmas! Four generations all at the same zone conference :)

So Sunday was ward conference! It was super awesome! The best part was when they had a surprise testimony and they chose Brother Eldredge!! He went up there and bore his powerful testimony and talked about how because of home teachers and the sister missionaries and their tenacity and persistence he is now back after so many years!! Ah!! He is so amazing!! He's planning to go on the next youth temple trip to do baptisms and he's getting his patriarchal blessing soon! Last week we tried to tell him that we didn't need to come see him anymore because we've taught him everything and he's just so good and coming to church every week! He didn't really like that idea... he said "so what?! come anyways!" haha so for now we're still planning to see him every week! Also on sunday Sister Wallace got her temple recommend!!! Oh my goodness!!! I am so excited for her!!! So either this week or next week the Raineys are going to take her!!!! :D our less actives are on fire! :) ahh! so great! 

Sunday night we had a meeting with all of the stake leaders and Elder S. Gifford Nielsen of the seventy came and he spoke to all of us! It was so great! One of the things that really stuck out was how he talked about real growth and the mission of the church Moses 1:39 and how we are all in it together! We have to work together in unity as missionaries and members and just how we have to act and the little things each day make such a difference. Heavenly Father did not put you here to fail. We are all here to succeed! We're here to learn all that we can and return home to Him and to bring others with us! We have to be unified! It was a great meeting!! it was kind of an extension of his conference talk which was so good! so just read that and it will be almost like you were there! :) 

Yesterday we had zone conference!! I love zone conference!!! Singing "Called to Serve" with 130 other missionaries never gets old.. ahhh!! just so filled with the spirit and so much happiness!! It was amazing! We got to hear more from Elder Nielsen and his wife! They are both so full of enthusiasm and excitement! I wish I could tell you all about it! I'm like overwhelmed with all of the amazing things that we heard! haha it was so good! We talked a lot about choice. Every choice we make determines which side we're on. We all made the choice to come here and we need to always be on the Lord's side! The great thing is that we know who wins this war! We just don't know what the final score will be! But we have to fight to the end and help all our teammates - our brothers and sisters! He put us here to win! I know that every choice we make is much more than just here on earth and we need to work on an eternal journey and not just an earthly journey! I am so grateful for the spirit I could feel yesterday and for all the great things I could learn! We cannot waste a minute! We are on the Lord's team and need to always remember that and fight til the end! :) I wish I could share more with you! But let me just tell you it was amazing! I hope we can all realize the potential that we have and realize how God really has a plan for each of us!! And it's the plan of happiness!!! Isn't that so great?! His plan is for us to find joy!!! and to be happy!!! :) ahh!! it just makes me so happy:) 

I love you all so very much!! Hope you have a wonderful week!! oh and everyone say happy birthday to my amazing mom!!!!!!!!!!! It's her birthday tomorrow!! and she deserves to have the most amazing day ever!!! so make it happen! haha :) LOVE YOU!! :)

Sister Tait

Wow it's dark already!, teaching primary, great teaching opportunities, deep clean Halloween...

Well! It's been a good week to end the month of October! Weird...another month is here again! Crazy crazy.... I know I always say that but I really can't believe it's November!! haha time flies when you're having fun...! Hope you all had a happy halloween!! Ours was a rainy one! But it's alright because we didn't get to go out trick or treating...not even tracting...we were locked in at 5:00 for Deep Clean Halloween! haha it was great! I thought it would be a good day for tracting...knocking on doors...because we could just say trick or treat get some candy then share a message with them! haha but that didn't work... We went tracting a little in the morning...no real luck though...and then did service at the hospital...then had our cleaning party and made cupcakes! So it was a great Halloween! 

Wednesday we had a full night at Book of Mormon class! Brother Eldredge, Brother Rainey and Sister Wallace came! It was super great! We've actually done lots of tracting this week.. that's what our goal has been as a district! All of the goals that we have are pretty much dependent on one key factor...having people to teach...which seems to be a struggle for our district so we're always trying to make our goal for the week something that might help us with our goal to find new investigators.... we know they're out there! just got to find them somehow! maybe tracting is the way! Many people have said that tracting is counterproductive and so we usually try to do other things but we're trying this and we know miracles are on the way! We've talked to some great people...they're just so stubborn and set in there ways... but we'll find the ones that are prepared! :) So that has been most of our week! Tracting and trying to find people! 

We have three referrals - one that I was telling you about last week that goes to Bowdoin College that we haven't been able to contact yet...this week though! and two others that we just got! So that is promising! :) I know that we are being blessed for our efforts and hopefully these referrals are prepared and we can teach them! But you know..if not...more seeds to plant! :) Yesterday was a really good day! Church was good and we were so lucky we got to teach sharing time! Oh I love primary!! We were thinkin' of how we could make it a fun lesson...it was supposed to be on missionary work... so what genius idea came to mind?? glow sticks. yup!! another deLIGHTful lesson with glow sticks! haha it was so fun! I had one glow stick and gave it to one of the kids and told them how if only one had the light then it wasn't very bright in the room...then we gave them all glow sticks and lit up the whole primary room and talked about how they need to let their light shine and be examples! It was so fun! :) We can all be missionaries just by our example! 

I might have already shared this with you but I heard a quote that said "you may be the only scripture that anybody ever reads" I really like that because it's so true! People see our examples and it's as simple as that! Don't go out of your way to do missionary work! Do it on the way! :) After church we went and saw Brother Hersom! They moved in with the Rainey's so we just went over there for a while and sung hymns! :) Then we had a lesson with Greg (the eternigator) that went really well! We're still just not sure what to do with him... patience is the key...it's all about timing I think! Not sure when he'll be ready but it will come! And then after that we went and saw Chris who I told you about last week! She is a former and potential investigator and we taught her again yesterday so we're counting her as a new investigator! Woo!! So that's pretty exciting! We were able to teach her a little about the plan of salvation and she just has no real knowledge or religious background so it's all new to her... I love teaching the primary kids and it's cool to think that that's what we're doing with all these people! they are young in the gospel! But I know that we're not teaching anything new..we're teaching things she already knew! She knew this stuff before...now we just have to remind her and help her realize that! I'm excited to be able to teach her more! Hopefully she will continue to let us come! :) So again lots of good things are happening! Thanks for all of your prayers! I know that they really do make a difference! I love you all so much!!! Have a wonderful week!! LOVE YOU!! :)

p.s. here's some pictures!! :) the ones in the pitch black dark are from yesterday tracting...at 4:30!!! and it's pitch black dark outside!! we knocked on doors and people said we woke them up they had been in bed!!! what the?!?!? oh great... what do we do it gets dark at 4:30... thanks daylight savings!.... well! we'll figure it out! haha

Love,

Sister Tait

Listening to the spirit, planting seeds...

So I've decided maybe I should stop telling you all about all the good
things that happen and the people we meet with because I tell you and
then the next week we don't see them... haha I think I'm jinxing it or
something! We haven't been able to really see any of our investigators
this week...no Jason, Theresa, Pat, Ken, Greg... we just had a lot of
people cancel this week! haha it's okay though it was still a good
week! We just keep finding all these great potentials that we'll meet
street contacting and then they disappear! What is this?! haha like
John our miracle a few weeks ago! And Theresa we just haven't been
able to even get a hold of...we taught her twice and haven't seen her
in a while...hopefully this week! I just don't get it... haha maybe
they're just not prepared but we'll keep planting those seeds... :)
But this week has been good though even though we didn't really have
any lessons
On Monday we got a referral from a lady who lives in California...an
elder serving out here is in her ward so it's kind of a cool story...
So she met him at a scholarship awards night and talked to him there
and found out that he was going to Bowdoin college (which is right
here in our area!) in the fall and was thinking about studying
religion.. so she talked to him a little bit and sent us a book of
mormon and a letter that she wants us to give to him! So we are going
to try and contact him this week and see if he might be interested in
learning more! We also had a girl come to church last week who was
visiting her boyfriend that goes to Bowdoin college and said he was
taking the lessons in Kansas and he would be interested to learn
more... haha so we called him and we are hopefully going to set up a
time this week to meet with him! We did some street contacting and met
Katie who said she has been looking for religion...!! and we talked to
her later in the week and she said we could set up a time to teach her
more! So there's some good potentials...!! Oh another potential! So
this is probably the most exciting story of the week! Yesterday we had
lots of people cancel and we decided to go see this former/potential
investigator Chris. She was taught by the elders in 2005 and we've
stopped by and talked to her once and gave her a Book of Mormon and
she said she's just really busy and works everyday
except...sundays...so she said we could stop by on sundays and she may
or may not be home... so we've tried her a couple of times and she
hasn't let us in and then yesterday she let us in and said that she
had read the chapter that we left her to read! :D so we talked to her
for a while.. we didn't really have a lesson planned so I didn't even
know what we were going to talk about... but the spirit was definitely
there and guided that lesson! She told us she really isn't interested
in religion and she doesn't believe... we talked a lot about belief
and how she just has to have that desire to believe. We were talking
and sharing different scriptures about that and then this question
popped in my mind and I don't really even know what I said but it was
the spirit prompting me and I'm so glad I said it! I asked the
question.. it was something about how does she think she could believe
it...haha but it really made her think and I know that it was an
inspired question that the spirit prompted me to ask! I struggle with
asking good questions in lessons so that was really awesome! It made
her really think and the whole lesson was just really powerful and she
was almost crying and we were almost crying! After that we were
talking about how it went and sister hoffman just was saying how good
that question was that I asked! I know it was totally the spirit that
gave me that question! I wish I could explain it better but I'm just
so grateful for the spirit and I know that if we listen carefully we
can hear the promptings of the still small voice! I know that her
heart was touched in that lesson and she told us we can come back next
week! So hopefully we can teach her again and she can become an
investigator again!
Yesterday was just a day full of the spirit with that lesson and also
the primary program! Oh my goodness! My favorite!!! :) It was so so
great! I love the primary program and the spirit was so strong! I love
the theme this year "I Am A Child of God" and I am grateful for that
reminder that we are all children of God and that he loves us each so
much! I wish I had more time to write but I am out of time!! so many
thoughts i wish I could share with you...but now I'm out of time!
dang... haha well!! It's going to be a great week! we're gonna go
contact all these potentials, plant some more seeds and find those who
are ready to hear this gospel! I know they're out there! :) I love
you all so very much and hope you have a wonderful week! :)
Love,
Sister Tait

here's some pics...I'll send more soon!

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