Happenings in Commerce

Hello Everyone,

I am back in the country portion of Georgia. Commerce is very similar to my first area, Loganville. There are trees, trees, and more trees. There aren't as many neighborhoods here. All of the houses are pretty spread apart, so we don't go tracting. There are also no major gathering places such as parks to do contacting. We spend a lot of time driving from one place to the next, and this area is HUGE! I am now the designated driver, so I have to be very careful and conscientious about the miles. I do love the time we get in the car though. It's so relaxing to drive through the country. I am back in my original Zone and Stake, so when Stake Conference rolls around I will get to see some familiar faces from my first ward. One actually came to speak in the Commerce ward on Sunday, so that was pretty cool getting to see someone I know.

The apartment complex I am in now is a lot smaller, but the actual apartment is a lot bigger. It is a townhouse, so there is an upstairs and downstairs. Both my companion and I get our own bathrooms and closets as well, so that works out quite well. The church is less than a mile down the street, so if the weather is nice and not too hot we can just walk to church.

People here are extremely nice and welcoming, as they are in every area. There is more of the southern accent in Commerce than there is in Suwanee. One thing I am going to love about being here in this area is that we get to go serve in a nursing home every week. We get to work with the activities director and do crafts with the residents. That will be a lot of fun. We also get to help out at the library each week. There are lots of opportunities to serve here, something we had a hard time finding in Suwanee. The food here is fantastic! It's just like what you would find anywhere else around the US. We had a huge, delicious meal cooked for us last night by a really nice family in the ward.

I know I will grow to love Commerce, but I must admit I am really missing Suwanee. Unfortunately I was unable to see the confirmations of the G family. That makes me very sad, but I know that the ward will take good care of them. Good thing we have something fantastic known as MAIL. I will just have to survive off of writing to them until I can go visit them after the mission :)

My new companion is great. I met Sister Smith when we were serving at the temple during the open house. She is from Boise and is super sweet. I think we will get along just fine! I feel really short when standing by her though. She is 6' tall. We are already finding people that we both know from back home, it's crazy!

We are starting to teach a couple, Raymond and Sandra. They were introduced to the church by a friend where they used to live. We had a great lesson with them on Thursday, and they came to church for the second time on Sunday. They are the only investigators I have been able to meet so far, so I can't wait to be able to meet some more that the Sisters before me were teaching.

I just read Hermana Taylor's letter and the end cracked me up. Why? Because I came to the library with the intention of writing about desire. I guess our brains must be connected or something. haha. Anyway, my companion and I were discussing Elder Oaks' talk titled "Desire" during our companion study today and I wanted to share a quote from that talk that I really like. Elder Oaks said "Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions." Think about those things that you desire in life. Are they things that will move you to prioritize, shape your choices, and eventually lead you to act? If not, can they really be considered a desire? I have come to realize that desire is what shapes and molds people. It is what makes people become the person they want to be. I am where I am today because of desire. Are you where you desire to be?

I love you all and am grateful for the support you give me. I hope that you have a wonderful week, filled with happiness!

Love Sister Taylor