What I've learned this transfer

Hello Everyone,

It is that time again....transfers! This transfer flew by and I don't know how I really feel about that. Actually, I do. I don't like it at all. This has been one of my favorite transfers. (one of the most difficult, but I learned SO much) Sister Hinckley and I have gotten along really well and I wish I could say we were staying together. But that is not the case. On Wednesday she will be transferred to Allatoona with one of my previous companions, Sister Teisina. I will be staying here and will be getting a fairly new missionary (she's been out about 6 months). I know how to say her name but I don't know how to spell it yet, so this is a guess...Sister Balognewasa. (pronounced balogne (the lunch meat) wasa) As you can probably guess she is not from America. She came all the way from Fiji :) I've heard nothing but good things about her. She was Sister Hinckley's last companion. I am excited to see what this next transfer will bring.

Miracles for the week...the first one is rather humorous, it shows that girls are sometimes scaredy cats sometimes. We had gone through all of our plans one night, and still had a little time before heading back to the apartment so we decided to go feed our favorite ducks and geese and talk to people that we see. We fed them for a few minutes and all of a sudden two of the geese started fighting over the bread and they were bringing the fight towards us. We of course got scared and started bolting out of there. It was dark and we were surrounded by trees, so the littlest noises make you even more scared. Anyway, as we were running away we nearly ran into this guy. He yelled "oh you scared me" and jumped back. I kept running and then looked back and noticed my companion had stopped to talk to this guy. His name was JC and she asked him what he was doing out by himself in the dark, which started up a good conversation. He was interested in the church and was excited to check out the website. He is definitely ready to hear the gospel.

The next miracle came after a fallen through appointment. We were at GGC and were leaving when we saw these two girls sitting on a wall. We started talking to them and they started asking us tons of questions. Really good questions too. They were very interested in hearing about what we believe as Latter-day Saints. They had never heard of the church before. We set up an appointment to share more with them this Thursday. This is an appointment I am especially excited for.

We got 2 new investigators this week, which was fantastic. We have not had any new investigators since we arrived, so this was very exciting. It was an interesting lesson to say the least. We originally set it up with just Jeremy, but he wanted to bring a preacher friend. I knew when he said preacher friend that it was going to basically be a bash session, and I was right. Thankfully we were able to find a good team up who knew how to answer hard questions. They had a lot of really difficult, really irrelevant questions. But it definitely made things interesting. Hopefully we will be able to teach an actual lesson next time.

Now for some REALLY good, REALLY exciting news. Scott and Anny (investigators from Loganville) have set a date to be baptized. This is huge! The sisters have been trying to set a date with them since August or September. They knew that they wanted to be baptized and it was ultimately a matter of when, not if they got baptized. The only thing holding them back was Scott's addiction to smoking. But the sisters went over the other night and were able to finally set a date that he is going to work towards. It is going to be on June 2, and I am so excited :) Scott and Anny are amazing!

Tuesday's companionship study was pretty much monumental for Sister Hinckley and myself. This transfer has been a roller coaster of ups and downs for us. We have been trying our best to do the work with full purpose of heart and mind and we have been talking to a lot of people. But we unfortunately were not seeing results, and it was becoming extremely frustrating and discouraging. But we had one of those aha, light bulb, moments. While talking about the work we realized that we have seen success. We were reminded once again that success does not lie within the numbers. We have been making a difference, even though we have not had our eyes open enough to see. Our purpose this transfer was not to baptize. (like I originally thought it was) But rather, it was to build up the branch members-active and less-active. It has been quite the ride, but I can say with confidence that we gave it our all and have been successful. The Lord only expects our best efforts, and after we've given it our all, then he will throw down the rope and help us the rest of the way. How grateful I am for his hand in this work and in my life. This mission has made me stronger and better. I continue to grow each and every day, and I wouldn't be able to do it without my Savior. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

I hope y'all have a marvelous week and remember to serve someone in need. It doesn't have to be a big thing. It can be a simple smile or hug or even just a note of appreciation to someone. I love y'all and hope all is well!

with much love, Sister Taylor