Missionaries are not celebrities

Good morning everyone,

I hope y'all were able to enjoy the spiritual feast we were able to take part in Saturday and Sunday. I absolutely loved General Conference. I always do, but this one seemed to stand out to me more. Possibly because it is my last one on the mission. Sad day! My testimony of this gospel has been strengthened so much and I know that the heavens are not closed. We still receive revelation today, just as the people back in Moses and Abraham's day. I am so so so grateful for a living Prophet and 12 living Apostles who lead and guide this church.

Usually I try to pick a favorite talk from Conference, but this time I just can't. There were so many that I really enjoyed and felt were just for me. To name a few; Elder Koelliker's talk on the patterns the Lord gives us in life really stood out to me. Some highlights I got from it is that I can make my missionary experience serve as a template for the remainder of my life. The things I am learning now will prepare me for my future experiences. He also talked about how when we yield to the the Lord's will and pattern the Spirit enters in. We have the gospel as a tool and guide for our lives. Elder Scott talked about inspiration/revelation. This is something I had been pondering a lot about before Conference, so it especially spoke to me. I love how he said that we need to learn to ask-this is how revelation is received. I have come to know that that statement is true. We will not receive revelation we are seeking for if we don't show our desire to know by asking. He also said something to the effect of "we are more inspired as we look out for others. Blessings come piggyback through helping others." If we are focused not on what we are seeking to know, but in helping others and following Christ our answers will come. One last talk that I will highlight is one given by Elder Haleck. He talked about vision. This is something that has been a major focus in my mission for about a month now. "Where there is no vision, people perish." He talked about how we can do hard things if we have a vision of the Gospel. Then he talked bout how we need to catch the vision that the Savior has and then we need to act on it. The Savior has set many examples for us to follow and as we gain that vision we will be able to see what we can become-what the Lord wants us to become. I only hope that you and I can catch this vision and truly act on it. Other talks worth going back to read or listen to are ones given by Elder Pieper, Elder Andersen, and Elder Cook. I really enjoyed those talks as well. Wow, looking back I'm realizing that all of the talks given in this Conference were phenomenal. I can't wait to read them all again when the Ensign comes out.

Sister Hinckley and I had another wonderful miracle this week. But first to preface with a story of how it came about. We had an appointment set up with two girls at a local college. We called the night before and confirmed the appointment. Both girls seemed excited. We spent our companion study that morning planning out our lesson, and I was so excited for it. The time came and we were walking through campus approaching the dorms where we had planned to meet them. As we were walking up we see one girl come out of the dorm building and run back in yelling "it's the Mormon's!" About 10 seconds later another girl walks out, looks at us, and runs back in to a group of girls who were all laughing. We stood at our designated meeting spot for a little while, listening to those girls in there laugh, waiting for the two to come out. No one appears. It was a very awkward moment for us. After a few minutes we decided to leave campus. We felt like this wasn't where we were supposed to be, and that our time could be put to better use somewhere else. So we went back to our apartment and decided to go contact around the area. My companion wanted to walk up a certain street (which I didn't think would be productive, yet I followed along). We got to the end of the street and it was confirmed to me (so I thought) that this was an unproductive use of time. I kept it to myself though. We turned around and were headed back when we came upon a young girl, Natalie. We quickly started talking to her, and she started telling us about how her dad and other members of her family are members of the church. Her mom is Catholic, so she just goes to church with her. We shared a little bit of the Restoration with her and gave her a copy of the Book of Mormon and then we invited her to be baptized "when she comes to know that these things are true." She said yes! She said she has been wanting to be baptized, but just hasn't found a church to do it in yet. She agreed to meet with us. I am so excited to start teaching her. So there you go, listen to your companion and stop thinking you know what is productive and what is not. I was definitely chastised for that one. I am grateful to have an inspired companion. She apparently knows best! :)

Keep smiling and live life to the fullest! Have a marvelous week, and wonderful Easter! Remember the reason for the season. Christ came, He died, He was resurrected, and HE LIVES!!!

with much love-- Sister Becca Taylor

Don't forget to read your Book of Mormon