C. Se Bautiza!

 Hola todos!!

As you can see by the very creative title line, C. got baptized this week! It was really great because he really has changed a lot since the first time we met him. Apparently his family is coming soon from Mexico City too and he says he is already working with them so they can be baptized here with him. The baptism was going to be on Saturday night but when we got to the stake center there wasn't any water.... We had to just call it off and wait for after the services to baptize him on Sunday. The only bad thing was that he'll have to wait until next sacrament meeting to be confirmed. He is a really great guy though!

This week we had a really neat experience with a family we are teaching. The family situation is a bit complicated: single mom M. with her two sons A. and H., her sister N. and her newborn daughter, and M.'s 18 year old daughter with her 3 year old daughter.... The Family; a Proclamation is definitely applicable here, right? Anyways.... we found them because A. is a good friend of our ward mission leader's son and he always wants us to visit them. The other night we were verifying to see if they had read the Book of Mormon and when they told us they hadn't, we decided it would be best to read it with them. We decided to read 3 Nefi 11 and we slowly analyzed the whole story and what was happening. Suddenly, H.touched his chest and said, "What is this that I'm feeling?" He along with his little brother and aunt commented to us that they felt different and when they described to us the feelings, we told them that it was they Holy Ghost. The more we talked about it, the more the spirit was felt in the room. It was really neat! They weren't able to go to church yesterday but we're hoping that this next week they can be able to go. They definitely could benefit from the gospel. 

We also had a zone conference this week that was pretty good. I like seeing my buddies from other areas.  The picture I am sending is of all the elders from the three zones and Pres. and Sister Garcia. It was their grandson's 7th birthday so they decided to send him a picture of his "heroes." 

 

The area that we are in right now is really growing pretty quickly and because of the distance from the church (the division lines here are really weird) we are trying to talk to the stake president to see what we can do. Unfortunately there are a few families that would go to church but most have to take two buses, something that they can't afford, especially with families of 6 or 7. In other areas, they split the ward as far as Sunday meetings but just have one counselor that sees the divided area and the Bishop watches over the two areas. That is what they did in Hunucmá and so we're trying to see what can be done here in Villas Del Oriente. It would be very awesome to have a house of prayer. Something like that would really open things up here even more. I understand however that there are more technical things that have to be seen and for that we're just going to talk to the Stake Pres. about it to see what he thinks.

Well my dears, I hope you all have a superb week and that you're all singing Christmas songs loud for all to hear! 

Con amor, 

Elder Jaussi

Sea feliz, sea Mormon

November 18 Through December 9, 2013

Elder Jaussi has had some amazing experiences in the last few weeks.  He has seen several people be baptized and even had the opportunity to give a name and a blessing to little boy of a newly-baptized member.  He and Elder C. have also been blessed with investigators attending church and having the assistance of members in their area. 

On Nov. 18 he said, "I must say that I really am enjoying myself and even though the mission honestly is still something that is really hard for me, I feel like I have forces that I never had before.  I know where they come from too.  I have been, as Isaiah says, 'borne on eagles' wings'.....I know honestly that God only requires our best effort, not a perfect one.  Every day I try to do my best to thank Him for letting me enjoy the ride and realize that He blesses us always but only on HIS time."

He said that the members tend to call me "Elder Jacinto" because they get stuck between Elder Juicy, Jasi, Howsee and some even tend to give up when they see my name and just look at me like 'Is this some kind of joke, kid?'....We are working on the pronunciation though, because I'd rather be remembered as Howsee or Jasi..."

Members in their area that really help with the work

 An early Thanksgiving dinner with new member, A., her husband, F. and D., the baby that Elder Jaussi was able to bless

 Going to church

 The Elders removed the temptation for an investigator as she came to accept the Word of Wisdom.  Here Taylor holds the contraband along with a "Palabra de Sabiduria" pamphlet.

 Their "turkey bowl"

 One of their investigators, C., who joined them for football.

J. T., a member in Merida

  Elder Jaussi had this to say when he sent the photo below:  

It really was a great week this week. We were able to baptize E. and her three kids and it was grrrrreat!! All of her kids were so excited and so was E.. [She] got baptized first with all of her kids and even her husband watching. Then, her kids went one by one.  The smallest son kept saying "Me next, me next!" but we waited to baptize him last. L.L., who lives two doors down from them baptized them all and it was really neat. He and his wife have been good friends with them for a long time and they were happy to finally see them get baptized. B., the wife of L., was a really good help for E. the whole time we were teaching her. Now, we are working with her husband but that could take a little while longer... Faith though, right?? 

The spirit was really strong when E. was baptized. This was something she has wanted to do for a long time but because of a strong [religion in her] family, she has always been scared to do it. Now whenever we see her you can really tell a difference. She smiles a whole lot more and she is always so happy to see us. She really is a good example of how the gospel can change people.  Elder C. and I also sang "I'm trying to be like Jesus" in Spanish and English.

"I can see a rainbow, see a rainbow...."

 A pretty sky over Merida

 Saying good-by to fellow missionary, Elder H. who was completing his mission

 

 

11 Noviembre 2013

Elder Jaussi reports that this past week was a bit rough due to the fact this his companion, Elder C. was really sick and had doctor's orders to stay at home.  They were in for two days but then tried to hit the ground running once he started to feel better. 

He said that he has tried to be as prayerful as he can lately and that he had a good fast on Sunday.  At times he feels like Nephi in Helaman because it makes him sad to see how hard-hearted some people can be.  There are a lot of days when it seems like there isn't anyone in their area that would be willing to listen to them.  Even with all that, they are "chugging along and doing all that they can."  The previous day they had found two people who accepted baptismal dates and they will continue to work with them.

A bright spot for them has been the purchase of an American football that they can take to a nearby soccer field to toss around in order to shake up their exercise routine.  They have high hopes of gaining permission and putting together a "turkey bowl" for their zone in honor of the American Thanksgiving holiday.

They held a recent zone meeting and this is a photo that was sent of a "zone flag" they had made.  He said a "coa" is a small cutting stick that they use there to chop weeds.  They had substituted it for "sickle" as it is used in the scriptures.

 

It's the Moooooost Wonderful Tiiiiime of the Year!

Hola todos! 

Yay, Halloween is over!! You know what that means?? Christmas music! Nah, just kiddin’ but it is kind of funny seeing all of the stores change their decorations as soon as they can. I can only imagine what you're thinking Mom, or Christa. I remember how you thought it was blasphemia if you even thought of Christmas before Thanksgiving. It's just that it's soooo great!!!

This week we were able to have the baptism of A. and it was really great. She talked a little bit after she was baptized and she talked about how it was indescribable how clean she felt. She is a really great lady and I'm excited to see what we can do for her husband now. Grandma Jaussi, you will be excited and happy to know that we talked to her about her Family History yesterday and we have already got her started on that. Now she is going to enter into the class so that she can find family names for when the ward goes to the temple at the beginning of December. Unfortunately we can't go to that but maybe President Garcia will change that rule seeing as his brother is the new temple president here. He and his wife just arrived on Monday night. 

 

Elder Johnson came this week and he said some really awesome things. We had a zone meeting with him on Friday and then on Saturday he had a meeting with all of the zone leaders and sister trainers which was really sweet!. Elder Johnson started out studying 1 Nefi 8 with us and told us that the dream that Lehi had was "transcendental, y fundamental." He says that it clearly describes for us what we all need to do to find ourselves clean at the last day. I thought that I had studied all you could from that chapter but he sure proved me wrong.  

Elder Johnson then went on for a very long time describing the importance of diligent and consistent study of the scriptures. He told of countless missionaries who go inactive because they stop doing the things that they said "they HAD to do in their mission." He mentioned that the biggest thing was their scripture study. He made sure that we understood that any ex-missionary that comes home and stops reading his scriptures EVERY DAY will have problems, and even included bishops, stake presidents, and mission presidents.

Well, el fin se acerca y hay poco tiempo mis amigos! (The end is drawing near and there is little time, my friends.) Sorry that I just gave you only things that Elder Johnson told us. Just know that I hope you're all reading your copies of the Book of Mormon and that you're really meditating and "deleitando" (delighting) on the things that are written there.  If you're not, please do!!  I speak to you as Lehi spoke to Laman and Lemuel at the end of chapter 8, "with all the feeling of a tender parent." READ PLEASE MY DEARS!!!

I am pretty much done in the offices but every once and awhile I go in to help Elder H. Don't worry, I am going to try and get a picture with all of my friends in Immigration.  We're working with two really cool families right now. 

 

Con amor, 

Elder Taylor Christian Jaussi

Sea feliz, sea Mormón!

Elder Jaussi saw his former companion, Elder C.  They served together in Escarsega.

 Elder Jaussi sports  Minnie Mouse ears, the Halloween costume of little J.

 Elder Jaussi put on his angry eyes when his companion handed him a "Raider's" mug and snapped a picture.  The Raiders are the arch rivals of his Denver Broncos.  :)

Just Another Week in the Selva (Jungle)

Hola todos!!

This week was another really good one and we had a lot of success as far as lessons go. Elder C. is a workaholic and I really like that about him. We were still struggling this week to find a teaching groove together but I think we have found it. We had a lot of really powerful lessons this week, ones that strengthened my testimony for sure. 

In one of the lessons we were talking about the Restoration and at the end, Elder C. invited E. (our investigator) to kneel down and ask if Joseph Smith was a prophet. She did so and while she was praying the spirit was really strong. At the end she said, "I feel something right here..." as she pointed to her chest and then she couldn't finish what she wanted to say because she was choking up. She said she felt something she had never felt before and knew that Joseph Smith was a prophet. It was tough teaching her at first because she couldn't differentiate between praying to God and to the Divino Niño (Divine Son) but we explained prayer earlier this week and now she prays like a champ. She and her two kids came to church yesterday and now we are working with her husband. Unfortunately the trend still is showing in that her husband is pretty hard to talk to.  He works a lot first of all but second, he isn't that used to talking about religion. He is a really great guy though and I even got him to laugh a couple times this week! Believe me, with this guy it is tough to do. Haha            

            Another investigator, L. is recovering from a leg surgery and that makes it good because she can't run away from us!! Yeah! Last night she seemed different so we asked her what she was thinking lately and she told us that she was really excited about everything we were teaching for the first week but that she didn't feel as excited and wasn't sure why that was the case. We explained the role of the Spirit and also talked about what Satan likes to do at times. Elder C. showed Moroni 7, the way to judge, and after talking it all over she was back on board and she even said she was excited again. It showed because at the end of the lesson both she and her mom asked quickly, "Hermanos, cuando regresan??" (Brothers, when are you coming back?) Elder C. invited her to pray as well and when she was done her smile was priceless.  I really have learned the power of prayer this week once again.  

Honestly the mission is still tough and I really miss all you guys but when I focus on why I'm here and what the Lord expects of me, it gets better. Along with that, when I receive answers like I did [this week] I feel like I can't let God down because He never does that with me.  Oh how great the goodness of our God, right? I hope you all know I love you so much and that you're always in my prayers. Keep on keepin’ on but most of all, keep the commandments for in this there is safety and most of all PEACE.  Really, there is!

 

Con Amor, 

Elder Jaussi

 

Elder Jaussi had this picture of Presidente and Hermana Garcia taken to wish his brother, McKay a happy birthday.  :)

 

3 Nephi 13:19-20

Hola todos!

          I'm still in Mérida and Elder C. and I are still the Zone leaders in Zona Brisas. I tell you what, Elder C. is such an awesome missionary.  I really hope I can be like him. He has one month less than me but he is a machine. He teaches really well and he is really funny too. We get along pretty well too which always makes it good.

I told all the immigration ladies last week that I was leaving but that before I left for good I wanted to take a picture with everyone. They were sad but at the same time they were excited for the picture. I'm going to give them copies of the Book of Mormon too and I hope we can stay in touch after the mission to see if anything ever happens. I honestly think a couple would accept it.

3 Nephi 13:19-20  “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal;  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.”

 

 

I'll let the pictures do the talking... The worst part is, they didn't take any copies of the Book of Mormon!!! The Pearl of Great Price was left in our house too!

So, Elder C. and I stopped by the house at around 6 at night and when I opened the door we saw all our clothes thrown across the house. The first thing we thought was, "Man we sure are pigs. Did we really leave the house that nasty???" However... When we turned the lights on, we saw broken glass all over the kitchen, suitcases thrown open, and unfortunately things taken.  Elder C. had his iPod and speakers swiped, our DVD player that we have in the house was stolen and my shoes!!! Not my athletic shoes!!! It's all good though.  Elder C. and I both had the same train of thought really: Number 1- At least we are safe.  Number 2- I'm kinda ticked at that stinkin’ guy!  Number 3- This is such a sweet story to tell the fam!!!! Haha

Elder C. and I have had some good chuckles about it all but now we've got to figure out how to put the metal protectors on better so we can sleep a little better.        

            Well it has been quite the crazy week this week. There really is a lot of work in Chichen Itza and having to train in the offices as well makes it even busier.

Elder Jaussi with Hna. G, who just completed her mission.  Elder Jaussi said that she is a great missionary.

 Elders Jaussi, T., and C. riding in a "Nacho Libre" moto taxi

 Combined nametags create Elder Jaussi's full name

 A "lovely" spider outside the apartment

Semana 6......Cambios!

Elder Jaussi, along with Elder T., Elder F., and Elder H. put in some late hours re-working maps for the entire mission one night this past week. 

Transfers occurred and Elder Jaussi will begin training his former companion, Elder H. to take over his immigration duties.  He will spend time in the mornings with training and spend the balance of the day working with his new companion, Elder. C. from Bountiful.  He is looking forward to being back out in the field and working with Elder C., who he says is a great missionary.

1 John...Because That's a Tiny Book

Hola todos!!              

             I don't have much time to write (thus making this a tiny book) because I have to go run to priesthood session on the other side of Mérida.  Yep we got the first conference session in good ol’ ingles.  Tomorrow, maybe not but we'll see.  We watched it with the Assistants. This being our P-Day we can watch every session. Tomorrow we have to find an investigator for the second session but we all can watch the Sunday morning and priesthood sessions.
             I still am able to play piano every week in Sacrament meeting and sometimes in zone meetings, district meetings or things like that. That is one of the only things that wards remember me for: the piano.  Most ward members if they see me after I leave always say "Oh how we miss the piano!!!" Even though they've changed my name to Elder "Juicy" these last few weeks, it's good my piano legacy will be left behind. Haha (Elder H. always laughs because he says their pronunciation of my name has gotten worse the more we've been here in Esperanza.) 

This week we found an awesome family. When we found out our investigator was pretty drunk, we had to nicely leave, with Elder Hall telling me that he thought we should go back and contact a family he had seen.  I didn't really recognize them but I am sure glad that he did.  We went back and talked to them and the dad completely stopped what he was doing, put on his shirt and said, "Please, come inside!!" He didn't really know what we had or what we taught but he said that he had always seen missionaries walk by his house so he was interested.   

He and his wife have a cute little 2 year old son and the wife's sister listened to us too. They all listened so attentively and really looked like they were interested.  We have invited them to come see conference with us tomorrow and we're going to pass by their house to go with them. They already read assignments given and now we are just trying to help them accept a date. 

Along with them, we found a sister of a recent convert in our ward and we are going to try and start working with her. Things are going well and we're working with the few members that are willing to help us, teaching lessons with them present to back up our testimonies.  If you guys aren't able to help the missionaries much in teaching lessons, you should try to do that because it really helps a lot in the lessons.

How about "The Giff's" talk?!? I thought it was really cool that he is a Seventy now.  He sure talks fast!

 

Apparently, there had been some painting done in the offices so the Elders put on these masks to block the smell.

 Watching Elder Bednar's talk during a General Conference session.

 Eating in a member's home?  Not sure, but here Elder Jaussi holds up a "Happy Birthday" sign for his brother, Aaron.

 Elder Jaussi and his fellow missionaries wishing Aaron a happy birthday.

"How Do You Say 'Normal' en Ingles?"

Hola todos! 

As seen by the decrease in catchy title lines, things here in the Mish mash have been just about normal as we say here in Mexico. I just keep on keepin’ on here if you catch my drift.  I really hope this email doesn't disappoint you all too much so I'll be racking my brain for some good stories to tell you all. 

 

This week we had conference that lasted two days and each day lasting 10 hours. Most of the time was spent practicing which is always good because I don't have much time to teach unfortunately in the offices but after about 6 hours... I was pooped I must say.  It was good though and I learned some things that I hope to implement in my teaching. 

 

Also while we were there, I got to catch up with Elder H. (an elder that was in Champoton when I was in Escarcega) which was good.  He also went to BYU so that will be fun to be able to stay in touch with him there. He let me borrow an article he had by Elder Todd R. Callister entitled "Becoming a Consecrated Missionary" and it is WAY good.  I don't know if any of you have ever heard of it but it really is awesome. He talks about what consecrated missionaries do, how they are and what one needs to do to be one. I learned a lot and this week set some personal goals to become better and more focused.  I have found that my biggest weakness is either fear or just lack of diligence. I don't necessarily fear talking to people but I always fear that I won't know what to say.  Elder Callister says that in order to be a consecrated missionary you have to overcome that fear and talk with everyone because that is one of the most repeated commandments given to missionaries in D and C: "open your mouth and testify."  This week I have been doing my best to talk with everyone and their dog but also giving 110 percent every day.  I always try to be able to come home, take off my shoes and then tell God that I gave it my all for Him.  I figure the promise in DyC 4 is a very awesome one "para que aparezcais sin culpa ante Dios en el ùltimo dìa." (that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day)  I highly recommend that talk even though it really only applies to missionaries. 

 

Last night we had a ward activity where we showed part of the "Hastening the Work" and we talked along with the Bishop. Let me tell you, this Bishop is quite the guy. He gave a rousing talk and after he asked me to talk and at the end, all of the members who came were talking, basically like a ward council, about what we could do to invite more of their friends, neighbors and family members to come unto Christ. I left really happy and I feel really good about things here in Esperanza. The ward really is so great here. The bishop gets the job done really well and I like that.

 

N., the niece of P. came to church this last Sunday too!!! She said she really liked it and she even was ready about 30 minutes before because she was pretty excited to go. The ward ladies really have been so good to her too. They have been visiting her and answering all her questions. This week, we did divisions and Elder H. and Elder M. invited her to be baptized but she said she was going to talk to her mom to ask permission. Pray for her so that her mom is all right with it all. We invited her mom to listen to us but she told us that it still hurts her to talk about things related to her husband's death. We'll keep working with them both though.  

 

Also, we have been working with an former bishop here and he is named Bishop Y. He is such a great guy and he is always giving us references and one of his buddies he told us to visit accepted a baptismal date and is coming to church tomorrow with his son!! He started crying in the prayer (the first that he had ever done he said) and asked God to help him make the changes that were necessary. Bless the heart of Bishop Y. His wife is [not being faithful at the moment] but he is still as happy and faithful as ever. Keep him in your prayers too, porfis? He is one of my favorite guys here. 

 

Well... El fin se acerca y hay poco tiempo (the end is near and there is little time).  I love you guys!! 

 

Con amor, 

Elder Jaussi

Sea feliz, sea Mormòn

 

 A cookie given to them by an investigator.

 Posing in front of  graffiti-covered wall.

 Cheesin' it up with companion, Elder H.

 Elder Jaussi with zone leader, Elder C.

Fruit Flies, Black Flies, Angry Flies, But Mostly Time Flies

Hola todos!!

¿Què andan haciendo? I (What have you all been doing?) This week has been superb as usual and it definitely flew by for me.  Sometimes I don't realize that it's P-Day until I check my planner the night before when Elder H. and I start planning.  I can officially say it though.... I think going to the mission field again would be a good thing. With this much time in the offices I feel like there isn't much that can be thrown at me that I haven't already seen. (Knock on wood of course!) Either way, I'll just do my duty with a heart full of song. (Which I often do, cranking Priesthood session music, baby!!)

Speaking of Priesthood Session, I am super stoked for conference coming up.  This week while I was finishing up some immigration papers, I had on a talk by Elder... I don't remember his name, but he was talking about his love of General Conference. He gave the talk in a 2005 priesthood session and he told of how he and his brother would often go outside to play ball while they had the radio playing general conference. Sound familiar? He said he and his brother both knew that they would be given a test by their mom to see what they had learned so every few minutes they would stop playing to listen in.  I had to smile thinking about the brothers and me doing that too and then I realized, as did the Elder, that I shouldn't have done that.  He said that he has since repented and now Conference has come to be some of his favorite times of year.  I hope it stays this way for me my whole life and not just now when I'm a "goober missionary" as far as loving conference and looking forward to it. Elder H. and I are doing all we can to watch it in English again. It's still the language of the Heavens for me.... Haha

This week has been pretty normal as far as the mission field goes. We really are struggling to find new investigators but we are trying to lay a good foundation by working with the members.  P.'s baptism was really great but his confirmation was even better.  After we finished the blessing and were going to help him stand up, he kept sitting in his chair and didn't look up for what seemed like a really long time.  He pulled out his little hand towel, lifted up his glasses and slowly wiped away his tears. He looked up at us and just gave us the greatest smile and little nod of the head. This guy is really so sensitive to the Spirit and recognizes that he has done the right thing.  The only worry is, his family and friends keep asking him why he did what he did and what not.  We keep visiting him, though, and our ward mission leader (who baptized him with the help of Elder H.) keeps bringing him to any activity that the ward has so that we can keep him on track.

All in all, things are going just superb and I'm still "lovin’ every minute of it"  I'm sorry there really isn't that much to tell you cuties this week but hopefully we'll have some great stories to tell you next week.  As Mormon says, no miracles happen because of lack of faith so you best be believin’ that Elder H. and I will be taking faith pills along with our beans and rice!!

I love you guys! Have a great week!!

Con amor,  
Elder Jaussi 
Sea feliz, sea Mormòn

 

Taylor didn't say who these people are.  Possibly ward members who attended P.'s baptism?

 Elder Jaussi sporting the Jaussi Reunion t-shirt that we sent to him.  He definitely needed the short-sleeved version for the climate of the Yucatan.

The Rains Came Down and the Floods Came Up

Hola todos!!
As we say here in Mexico, "Ya somos dos,"  (two of us, we are two--maybe a reference to Noah and the Ark?) because it has been raining like crazy here the past few days.  Don't fret though, there haven't been any problems with floods.  The streets always get flooded but then after an hour or two they're back to normal with the usual puddles here and there.   

This week Elder H. and I have been struggling to try and balance the office things with our area because our area is a little bit farther away. We'll figure it all out though, I'm not too worried about it. We just need to get a good foundation set up here with the ward members so we can start finding people to teach.  

We had a pretty neat experience the other day.  P., our investigator, has always been inviting his niece to listen to us and this Tuesday we finally got her to sit down for a bit. We started talking to her about Family History and about God's plan for families. She told us that 5 months ago her Dad passed away and that he was her best friend. She told us that it was really hard for her but that she is doing her best to cope with things. We promised her that she would be able to see her father again but that God needed her to do what He has asked us all to do. We invited her to pray that night about the truth of the message and she said she would.  

The next day we had put another visit with her and her uncle but she wasn't able to make it. As we were about to leave, N. (his niece) showed up and when I asked her if she was able to read the Book of Mormon and pray she said she had prayed but not been able to read.  She then went on to tell me that that same night that we had visited her she had a dream with her Dad and he was dressed in white. She said that he was said and he tried to tell her something but she couldn't hear what it was he wanted to say... Wow, right?? We told her we were going to come back and talk to her more about that and we're planning on giving a really good Plan of Salvation lesson.  I just hope that the Spirit will tell us exactly how to get to her heart.  I think it would be awesome for her to go to the temple with her uncle and see him be baptized for her dad.  I'll be sure to keep filling you in on that good stuff.   

Also, today is... P.'s baptism!! Even though we came in halfway as far as teaching him, I really love this guy. He has such a powerful testimony and it shows that he really has felt the spirit but more importantly, that he recognizes it.  This Tuesday however, he told us "Hermanos, (everyone calls us that) I don't think this Saturday is a good day. Let's wait until the end of September, first of October so that I know more." I was a bit shocked but he told us that with all his time sitting out front and time to think he had been thinking about all of the things he DIDN'T know and that it would be better to wait. We began talking to him about baptism and asking him how he has been feeling as he has studied about the church.  He told us that he knows Joseph Smith is a prophet, knows the Book of Mormon is true and he knows he needs to be baptized. We then shared him the story in Acts 8 of the man getting baptized after only saying he believed in Christ and then we invited P. to be baptized this Saturday. He did his funny little smile and said, "Okay, you guys fixed all of my doubts. This Saturday seems good to me." 

He really is so prepared and it showed last night at his baptismal interview. Our District Leader came out of the interview and said, "That guy seems more like a member than an investigator. He knows so much!" Next week I'll be sure to send you all pictures, ¿sale, vale?

Bueno... That seems to be all my friends. I hope all is well in your neck of the woods.  Have a superb week!!

Con amor, 

Elder Jaussi
Sea feliz, sea Mormón

I caught a little lizard this week and remembered that I promised Calvin I would tell him about the wildlife here... I haven't done so good a job with that so here is a start!! There are a bunch of these little guys everywhere here Calvin! 

Keep On "Hope-ing"

"Hola todos!!

"Lots has changed this week but not all has been for good. This last Sunday we had transfers and it turns out that Centro got closed down. After the baptism of N. there just wasn't anything as far as investigators so President decided to take us out and we are now in Barrio Esperanza ("Hope" Ward being the translation.)

I am worried about N. mostly though. I just really love that man and hope that he stays strong and doesn't feel sad about us not being able to see him. I haven't seen him since Sunday and I'm a little worried. You all will have to pray for him, ¿sale?  We just have to get some references from his ward and President will let us go visit him and the references seeing as we are in the ward right next door.  

President has a lot of faith in [the Esperanza] ward and he said he felt impressed to send us there so that made me excited.  I really do feel different with this area though. I'm excited to see what we can do with the members. 

On Tuesday night we met with the ward mission leader and he took us around to visit a couple less actives, members and old investigators. He seems like a really great guy.  It was good to have him with us because we are pretty lost in the new area. I never realized how hard it is opening up a new area.  [The missionaries before us] did tell us about one of their investigators before they left and it looks like he should get baptized this next Saturday. His name is P. and he had a brain tumor taken out about 5 years ago and as such has difficulty walking. He lives two doors down from us, his sister is the dueña (landlord) of our house and he is always out front sitting in his chair. He really is one of those golden investigators. He reads everything we give him and he really ponders about what he reads. He has always felt fed up with his religion and says he always wanted something more. He says that as he read the Book of Mormon he knew that he had found what he needed. He is a funny guy too and I already get along really well with him. He also told me, Momma, that I talk like a Spaniard! Qué loco, ¿no? (how crazy, right?)

President Johnson of Area Mexico just sent a letter out to all the country saying that the requirement for baptism is now 5 times in church so we have to find a lot of investigators soon so we can baptize before the change ends! This might be my last change here in the offices I'm thinking so we'll have to see if we can get a few in before I leave."

Taylor says that there have been some amusing things happening with immigration lately.  They have had some difficulty dealing with the employees in immigration who do not care much for Mormons.  He has tried to soften them a bit by talking with them and joking about sharing their treats with him.  He suggested that he could bring the treats the next time. (Apparently, they are only able to process a few missionaries on each visit and they have to return again and again.  Due to the change in mission address a few months ago, every missionary's information has to be updated.) .  Sister Garcia told Elder Jaussi that she would bake some brownies for him to take to them and apparently, they did the trick to soften their hearts.  He goes on to say:

Then, on Tuesday I brought the famous brownies of Sister Garcia and let me tell you, it melted everyone’s heart there!  Now when I leave immigration I say "Hasta luego mis amigas de migración!!" (see you later, my friends in immigration!)  Sister Garcia says that I'm going to be a diplomat someday because of all that I'm doing.  If anything, I feel like I can maybe leave a good name for the Church with a couple friends I have made there.  Before I leave the offices I think I'm going to give a Book of Mormon to every lady there with my testimony in it. 

Well... That's it my friends!! I'll keep you all posted on all the good stuff that is going on in my neck of the woods (or jungle as the case may be) and I'll ask that you all do the same for me!! Keep being superb and remember... I luff you all lots and lots!!

Con amor,

Elder Taylor Christian Jaussi

Sea feliz, sea Mormón!

 

Elders Jaussi, R. and H. with the M. M. Family, members who recently were sealed in the temple. 

 The C. Family.  Bro. J.-R. with sons Z. and K.  K. was the one who referred N. to the missionaries

 Two of the M. M. family, J. and J.

 J. M. M., Taylor's "little buddy"