"The first shall be last"

Hello dearest family and friends,

The greatest thing happened this week. My very first investigator (from Loganville) was baptized on Saturday. I have known since the very beginning that she would be baptized, and it is amazing to me that I was able to be there to witness it. The scripture "the first shall be last..." takes on a different meaning for me. Never would I have imagined that my first investigator would be the last one I would see enter into the covenant of baptism on my mission. Brittony has always held a very special place in my heart. Her family means a lot to me. And it truly is a great way to end the mission.

This week is going to be filled with a lot of mixed emotions. I am very happy to be going home to an amazing family and wonderful friends/ward family, but this has been my life for the past 18 1/2 months and I will be sad to say goodbye. Fortunately I will be able to say goodbye to some good friends from every area I've served in. I have learned so much more than I ever could have imagined. The mission has changed my life! I have come to truly know and understand my Savior, as well as my Father in Heaven. My testimony has grown, and I can now say I can handle anything! :)

We have had a really great week. It's been full of many miracles, big and small. One miracle I want to share started out on a not so good note. We were teaching a young guy that we had met the week before, and the lesson was going really well. He was asking a lot of really good questions and seemed genuinely interested. About half way through the lesson his mom comes home (she was actually supposed to be at the lesson as well) and along with her is her mom. As soon has the Grandma walks in we say hi and she throws her head up in the air and grunts, then walks off. A couple minutes later the mom walks in and said we had to go. She quickly got us out of there. That was the first time I've ever been kicked out of someones house. It was pretty intense. But the miracle came when we went outside and ran into a guy that we were trying to get in with. We were able to set up an appointment with him and his wife. Had we been able to stay in our appointment, we would not have run into this sweet couple. So the lesson from this...good things can come from bad situations. I've learned this a lot on the mission.

And of course what is a letter from Sister Taylor good for if she doesn't mention someone from Africa?! We taught an amazing lady this week who's husband is from Nigeria or Ghana (I can't remember which). They are actually going to be going to Ghana in a couple of weeks. So cool, they should take me with them :) Anyway, Nicole is absolutely amazing! She is one of the sweetest people I've met, and she has definitely been prepared to hear the gospel. She had some really good questions and really wanted to understand what we were teaching. We committed her to baptism in August. She also wants her husband to join in on the lessons so we are going there tonight to teach both of them :)

Everyone else that we've been working with seem to be doing well. We're still working hard on Mercy to help her understand the importance of letting her daughter be baptized now rather than waiting. But she is progressing, and I love our visits with these two beautiful ladies.

We've had a crazy week trying to get a couple of whitewash guides prepared. With transfers coming up we didn't know what was going to happen, so we had to prepare everything so that if two new missionaries came in they would know what to do and it wouldn't be as stressful. Working two areas is exhausting...but rewarding and adventurous as well. We now know that Sister Bulouniwasa is training a new missionary as well as semi-whitewashing. She is getting moved to Lilburn (no longer covering both the ward and the branch) and the branch is now getting whitewashed with Elders. That was a total surprise to me, but it will be good I'm sure.

Great things are happening in these two areas and it has been wonderful being able to serve here. Great things are going to happen this week as well. We have a lot of awesome appointments set up these next few days and I greatly look forward to them. I have learned so much from each and every area I have served. I am grateful for the opportunity to come to Georgia and meet some amazing people that have truly blessed and changed my life. I will forever be grateful for the experiences I have had. I will also be forever grateful for all of the support y'all have given me. Thank you so so much! I love y'all!

This gospel and this church are true! I know because of the power of prayer. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is indeed the Lord's kingdom on the earth, preparing us for the second coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I know Jesus Christ lives. I know He came to this earth, not only to atone for the sins of the world but to also establish His church. I testify that Joseph Smith really did see God, the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. He was led to the sacred record and he, by the gift and power from God, translated that record into what we know as the Book of Mormon. That book truly is of God. The church was restored in its fullness, and it will never be lost again. I know that Thomas S. Monson is an inspired man, called of God, to be the Prophet at this time. I know all of these things to be true because I have studied it out, and I have asked God. He does answer prayers. The gospel blesses families. I know God has a plan for me and He has a plan for you! Learn it, live it, love it!

with all my love and appreciation, Sister Taylor