December 17, 2012

New Pictures

An awesome Pday we did as a zone where we played lots of fun games

 We made gingerbread houses in Peru with Maria Delgado and her family. They don't make Gingerbread houses in Peru so they thought it was really fun and are thinking of making it a family tradition.


Guiliana baptism

Just getting in the Christmas spirit


December 16, 2012


HOLA FAMILIA Y AMIGOS!

How are you all doing? This week was crazy! Full of Christmas fun with the mission, ward Christmas activates and a baptism! Guiliana got baptized! Her parents came and they loved it! I have a good feeling they are going to get baptized! They don't live in our area. Which might be an odd situation because I think they are going to want to go where their daughter goes. I'm not sure, the Elders are going to teach them and then we will have to see.

This week I thought about writing you all a sermon. But sometimes I feel like you will all get bored if I do and stop reading my blog. . . and I like to believe you all love me and read my blog because you miss my presence in your lives.

Lately I have been obsessed with the thought of what is a true convert. I remember when I was younger I use to be really jealous of converts. I always wished that I hadn't been born in the church. I felt like my testimony wasn't real or  as valid as someone who found the church later in life. But not as a missionary I have realized something. Being a convert or having a true conversion doesn't come down to when we first learn about the church. We don't have to go inactive and suffer through all sorts of sins to have a testimony of the atonement. It's true that these circumstances CAN bring about a true conversion, but the pain isn't actually necessary. A true conversion comes from living the gospel, but not living the gospel out of habit but TRUELY living and loving the commandments. That's when someone truly becomes a convert.
The other day I was thinking about teenagers who were like me when I was a teen ager. People who feel the way I felt. Like their testimony doesn't mean as much because they were raised in the church, or maybe they feel like people won't take them seriously in life because they have never "lived" they don't have "experiences".  My advice for teenager who feels this way is the SERVE A MISSION! I'm serious. IF you want to find out if drinking and doing drugs really is as bad as they all say. You could drink and suffer down the road, or you could serve a mission, help others that are suffering and I can promise you if you do it with all your heart. You will never want to drink. All of the "experiences" I didn't get to have because I was raised in the church. Or all the "life" That I didn't live because I tried to live the commandments I have gotten to experience and live here in the mission. Helping people find the truth, overcome sins and addictions and changing their lives for the better has first of all made me very thankful for being raised in the church, and it also helped me gain a testimony of all the things I never did without having to suffer personally. On a mission you suffer vicariously for all the pains of your investigators. Personally just the vicarious suffering is enough for me.

So that's my advice. If you have a testimony but it isn't the strongest or if you want to "experience" life! GO ON A MISSION!
And if you are past that part of your life I was invite you all to find a way to love the commandments and live them out of love for the Lord and not out of habit. It will change your life.

Well that's my little idea for the day. I hope it all makes sense written out like it does running around in my head.

I love you all! Next week I'll give you all the Peruvian Christmas information that you need.
Love you all!

December 10, 2012


Hola Familia y Amigos.

So I don't have a whole lot of time to write today, so I'm going to write super fast. But I have some good news. My companion is better! Honestly it's a miracle! She has been in a lot of pain and unable to walk for the past month.   I prayed Monday and told Heavenly Father that I didn't need a miracle for a sign or anything I just really wanted my companion to get better so she could work, and you know what happened! She got better! The Lord really does love us. I'm happy it was in his will to heal her because I was going crazy. We worked all week, found new people and it was great. It seems unreal to me that the Lord answered my prayers. I have always believed that the Lord answers prays, but as far as healing someone, I guess I always seemed to think that the Lord preferred to let us learn from the situation instead of changing it, but I am thankful that this time he had other plans!

Saturday we made ginger bread houses with some families in the ward. Gingerbread houses aren't a tradition in Peru. They had never heard of them, but it was SUPER FUN! They loved it and are thinking of making it a family tradition.

I wish I had more time to write but we are getting all the things ready for Christmas in the mission and I have to run.
I love your letters. I'm glad that so many of my friends are reading my blog!
Now you just need to write me so I know what is happening in your lives as well!

I love you all!
Till Next week.
Hermana Sadie Jean Taggart

December 9, 2012

New Pictures

Our new awesome zone shirts!

The Hermanas in my zone


Hermana Venegas

December 3, 2012

¿Que Tal Familia y Amigos?
 
I have some stories I wanted to tell you this week. Some of the funny happenings in Peru, some of the thoughts I have had in my head. First of all a funny story.
 
So women here in Peru have NO SHAME when it comes to breast feeding in public. It's just something normal that they do. It use to catch me off guard but now it doesn't phase me, but the other day we were at our pensionistas house and her daughter who has a one year old was talking about how she wants to stop breast feeding her son but he doesn't want to. So she gets this smile on her face and walks over to the refrigerator. I look over and she has hot sauce in her hands and she is rubbing it all over her chest, and then she looks at me and says, let's see if he wants some now. Ha-ha. I was dying. The funniest thing was when she tried and her sons didn't even care. She looked at him and said. "What are you Mexican! You like you Leche spicy!" It was hilarious, but I don't know, maybe you have to be like me and be so use to things like this. I guess this story could be funny or disturbing depending on how you look at it.
 
So this week. . . well. . . my companion is still having health problems. We were only able to worked twice and then they other days I tried to get people to come with me and work.
But it's just not the same as really getting out and working. I have been really worried about our area. I have worked so hard for months trying to get things going in this ward and things have REALLY turned around. But I worry that we are losing ground and losing all the work that he have done. It's just hard. I really love working. Its why I'm here. But I know the Lord has a reason for everything. I know that I am learning things in this time that I need to learn. It's just hard sometimes to learn lessons that we don't want to learn. But I love Hermana Venegas. She is a hard worker and I want to help here any way I can. One blessing we got this week was the Lord putting someone prepared in our path. Juliana. Her friend is currently serving a mission. She has been coming to church. She loves it. She wants to get baptized. I'm thankful that even though we can't leave and work how I would like to the Lord understands and it putting people in our path.
 
The Elders have some pretty crazy stuff planned for this Pday. All I know is last time they had something "crazy" planned for pday it ended with half the zone throwing up ha-ha. I can only imagine what they have planned for us this week.
 
Got to go.
I love you all!
Hermana Sadie Jean Taggart

December 3, 2012

Pictures

These pictures are from last Monday in Central De Lima.



Thanksgiving lunch with our pensionista

Thanksgiving Dinner with our Zone (minus the turkey and the pie)

November 26, 2012


Hola familia y amigos!

So cambios have come and gone… I will be staying in Santa Isabel for 6 more weeks with Hermana Venegas!  I am excited, scared and surprised.  I am excited because I love my converts in Santa Isabel.  I love the progress that we have made in the ward.  I'm scared because Hermana Venegas still hasn't gotten any better.  We went to work one day this week and the next two days she could hardly wake, so we went to the doctor.  He thinks she has a stress fracture.  He wants to put her in a boot, but I don't know how that is going to work because the three investigators that we have live in El Cerro.  Sounds like I am going to have to put her on my back and hike up the mountain… I don't know.  We talked about how we were going to do the work and still let her rest.  We came up with some pretty creative ideas.  I feel bad for her because I  know that she wants to work.  We are going to make it happen even if I have to push her up the mountain in a wheel chair.

I am really shocked that I am staying.  Guess that means that me and Hermana Anderson can keep doing the Insanity Workout! We are going to die!  I was looking at the work outs that are coming up and they all have the work MAX in front of them!!!

This week we did a fun ward activity where everyone got a name tag and a mission call to another country.  The elders set up the rooms with stuff from all the different countries that they are from (Guatemala, Ecuador, Columbia ect.)  It was really fun, everyone went to their different missions and learned about the culture and then practiced how they could share the gospel.  Everyone really enjoyed it.

Well I love you all!! Remember Christmas is coming up.  You should all write me letters,  that would be the Best Christmas Present ever!!

Love Always,

Hermana Sadie Jean Taggart

November 19, 2012


Hola Familia y amigos.

Wow time is Short, the internet wasn't working, but there isn't too much to say about this week anyhow. My companion has been on bed rest ALL WEEK because of something that is wrong with her legs, we don't know what it is yet but she is in a lot of pain! I feel bad for her. She wants to work.
She is really sensitive and requires a lot of love and attention so leaving her with our Pensionista and going out and working with a member really upsets her. . . . so basically this week I got caught up on every Mormon Movie KNOW TO MAN!

I have come to a conclusion about Church movies. . . Well a few conclusions, we should never try to mix Mormon culture with classic novels, its just not a good idea. We also shouldn't do comedies unless we are just going to make fun of our own culture. I also decided that we have some amazing Church movies. Have you ever seen Forever Strong, or Brigham City. Well I hadn't, they were basically the highlight of my week.
Wow I am so sorry, I think this is that lamest letter of my WHOLE mission, but I really didn't do ANYTHING! I taught like five lessons, 40 contacts, I feel like a bum. I really hope that Hermana Venegas gets better soon. If she doesn't I doubt I will be leaving Santa Isabel this transfer. I can't see the president leaving someone with too bad legs in an area where half the area is a giant dirt hill ha-ha.

Well. That's about it folks! Pray that I have a more exciting week this week, if not you will be getting more movie reviews on the few Mormon Movies we haven't watch yet! Today is Charly! Get ready to cry your eyes out.

I love you all!
Hermana Sadie Jean Taggart