February 18, 2013

Hola Familia y Amigos! Estän listos por un milagro!

This week was an amazing week. We went out and did work visits which were really fun. You know, I really like making calls. They make me work harder. I'm excited. Doing work visits is really fun. I love getting to know all the Hermanas and all the areas. I learn from what they are doing and it also pushes me to work harder and do all that I know how to do because people are looking up to me. So this week we worked with the Hermanas in El Olivar. Worked hard and ended the day with Ice Cream and Ex Boyfriend stories ha-ha (it was valentines day after all.)

But the real story from this week is about Alfunzo! We have been working with him and every lesson has been SO SPIRITUAL! He has been progressing but the only thing he lacked was prayer. He just wouldn't pray to ask the Lord if this really is the true church.

Well Saturday we found out that Hermana Andersons Dad is sick and needs a Heart Operation ASAP. He wants her to come home as soon as possible so that she can be there. So she is going home a week early. Which means she wouldn't get to see Alfunzos baptism on Saturday.
So last night we went to teach Alfunzo. We watched the Joseph Smith movie. The long one. I remember that for my Dad, it really helped him know that Joseph was a true prophet of God, when he seen the suffering and persecution he had to endure. Afterwards we read parts of Alma 22 and invited him to get on his knees and ask the Lord if it was all true. He did. He prayed and the spirit was SO STRONG! After he finished praying we all just stayed there on our knees. I looked at him and he just smiled with tears in his eyes and nodded his head yes. I asked him Alfunzo, Is it true. And he said "Yes. I can feel it." Then I invited him to change his baptism for this Tuesday (Hermana Andersons last morning in Chancay.) He was a bit surprised at the change, but he accepted. He wants us both there.

It was SO BEAUTIFUL!
The Lord answers prayers. I have begged and prayed that the Lord would help us find at least one person so that Hermana Anderson could go out baptizing and he did.
Alfunzo's family have been praying for 16 years that his heart would be softened and it has.
I'm so excited for tomorrow. This isn't just a baptism, this is an eternal family.
So Alfunzo is getting baptized tomorrow in the Morning. Then we are heading back to Lima so that Hermana Anderson can say goodbye to her converts, buy stuff for her family ect. and then Friday I will be coming back to Chancay with someone new. Who knows who. I feel a little guilty that I won't be able to work all week. But it's also going to be a blast to do all the fun end of your mission stuff with Hermana Anderson! PARTY!

That's about it for my life. We have some great people that we are teaching and March is looking like it's going to be a great month! I'm going to follow Hermana Andersons good example and go out working hard. I want to see more miracles before May comes along!

Love Always!
Hermana Sadie Jean Taggart

February 11, 2013

Hola Familia y Amigos!

What a crazy week. Good news is that we have two people preparing for baptism on the 23rd! Whoot, bad news is its still really up in the air. I pray that all will go well. Obviously the most important reason is because baptism is necessary for their salvation, but also because the 23rd is Hermana Andersons last Saturday in the field and I REALLY want her to finish her mission baptizing and happy as can be.
She doesn't want to go home. Which makes me feel bad. It's not my fault my friends and family are amazing and I miss them like crazy.

Alfunzo and his wife had a huge fight which just about stopped him from getting baptized. We went over and had a big long scripture filled chat and were able to get things under control. But afterwards we were really worried. We were talking about how he really doesn't have a testimony that he more just wants to get baptized for his family. So then we were talking about why he doesn't have a testimony if he has months and months of lessons. So then Hermana Anderson in a moment of genius says "Are we sure that the Elders taught him lesson one (the restoration of the church)" at first I thought, obviously he has months of lessons how could they have not . . . then I thought on no. We called the elders and well . . . they never taught him about Joseph Smith, about the Plan of Salvation about ANY of the commandments. They just taught him about the Book of Mormon and Baptism and then every lesson after that was just the same thing, oh elders.
It's alright, we are starting over again. I think it's helping a lot. He is starting to gain a testimony. Yesterday he realized that his salvation was personal. It was a big leap.

Things are going well. Just working hard.
Ok the zone leader is breathing down my neck, so I better go!

Bye! love you all!
Hermana Sadie Jean Taggart

New Picture

Picture is of us with our snickers bars. Remember my story of saying sa-ti-si-fi-es.

February 4, 2013

Hola Familia y Amigos!

This week was interesting. I would say that it was tough but then Sunday came around and we had an AMAZING lesson, it basically turned around my mood about the whole week in general
This week we have been searching for those 400 inactive members in our ward. That has been fun. Lots of them have moved, died or joined other churches. Anyone who doesn't think Home Teaching, or Visiting Teaching is important should have to serve a mission in south America so you can see how easily people fall away when no one is there to help them. Most people when they first go inactive just need a friend to invite them back again and they come the next Sunday, but after years and years of not hearing from anyone people get bitter. Moral of the story! DO YOUR HOME AND VISITING TEACHING!! ITS IMPORTANT!!!

Sunday we had a lesson with Alfunzo. Alfunzo reminds me of my Grandpa Pete. Not really how he is, but more his story. Everyone is Alfunzos family are members. EVERYONE! His wife, his kids, his grandkids. Not just members but active, temple going members. They have been members for the past 16 years, and Alfunzo has been ditching and rejecting missionaries for pretty much that whole time. A few months ago the Elders were able to make progress with him and they started teaching. They have been teaching him for a while and he has made a lot of progress, but not to baptism. When we got the Chancay the Elders handed him over to us, they felt like we could help him and his wife work out some problems because that seemed to be what was holding him back. Since then we have been kind of tag teaming Alfunzo. We teaching him with his wife, they teach him alone, Something like that.

Well this week the Elders had some crazy Health problems and were in Lima all week so we took over visiting Alfunzo. Saturday he taught us how to cook Pollo Broster! Que RICO! Sunday we had a lesson with him and practically the whole family. We were worried at first. Lots of little kids were running around and it was hard to maintain a spiritual environment. We talked about how we can become more like Christ. There were lots of long silences as me and Hermana Anderson searched in our souls for inspired words and questions. But at the end of the lesson we found it. The fear. He knows the church is true and he knows that he needs to get baptized. He is afraid of letting his family down. He cried. He told us he wants to get baptized. He just wants to do it right. We invited him to get baptized at the end of this month. He accepted. Maybe some of you might be thinking that it's too far away or something, but I know it was right. I know Alfunzo is going to be serious this time and I KNOW he will get baptized this 23rd of February.
That night we talked with our Branch President who is also his Son in Law. He said something that I haven't been able to stop thinking about. He told us "This isn't a baptism, This is an eternal family." I have thought a lot about that.

You know I wonder who were the missionaries that taught my Dad, or my Grandpa. I have no idea who they were. I know that both my Dad and my Grandpa got baptized after seeing the good example of the ones they loved. Just like Alfunzo. I know that his daughters loving testimony that she bore yesterday penetrated his heart in a way like never before. But I wonder who these Elders were. I wonder if they realize that their "baptism" wasn't just a baptism and their "convert" wasn't just one convert. They helped our family become an eternal family. I don't know who they are, but I am very thankful for the part they had in my family's life.

I know I'm such a sucker when it comes to Dads, but Alfunzo is really special. Yesterday he realized something. I think he has always known that HE should get baptized, but yesterday when we talked about how we can become more like Christ and what our lives would be like if we were more like Christ I know it hit him that his choices effect his family. He cried and told us that he knew he was letting his family down, that he needed to spend more time at home and less time in the streets, that he needed to learn to be more Christ like and loving with his grandchildren. I think yesterday he finally understood that becoming Christ like (first through baptism then after through the commandments) would bring him and his family more happiness. That's why I know he will get baptized.

I remember when I was little my Dad let me down once. It was something small but as a child I was really heartbroken. That day my Dad took me out to lunch and asked for my forgiveness. I remember hugging him. He looked so sad. A Dad never wants to let his children down.
That's the same look I saw in Alfunzo yesterday. He gets it now. He won't let his family down. Because Alfunzo getting baptized isn't just about Alfunzo getting baptized. It's about completing a family an eternal family.

I am SO thankful for the family I have been given.
I'm thankful for a Father who loves me, who played with me when I was little, who talked to me when I was older, I know my Dad always had my best interest at heart.
I am thankful for my Mother. My angel mother who has always been such a good example to me. I'm thankful that she stayed up late to talk to me and always helped me chose the right but without obligating me.
I'm thankful for my Brother Shay. I wish he had made better decisions in his life so we could still be together. But I trust that the Lord is just and merciful. I know he is alright.
I'm thankful for my Brother Seth. He always made me feel like I had to live my life right. Like there wasn't an option of making big mistakes. I think that always helped me.
I'm thankful for my Sister Haley. For always letting me come along. She has been the greatest example to me. I've seen how much she has changed and her family since they have come back to church. Her example for me is a testimony builder that this gospel blesses families.
I'm thankful for my Sister Alison. For her fun personality that fills the room, and for those talks we had about what I deserve. She never lets me settle for less.
I'm thankful for my nieces and nephews, my Aunts, Uncles and Cousins who have been there for me my whole life.
I'm thankful for the friends that I have who are so wonderful that I could consider them family.
My Family is the greatest gift God has given me. I am so thankful that families can be eternal. I am so excited for Alfunzo and his family. Because this isn't just a baptism. This is an eternal family.
Wow. . . . I'll be surprised if anyone reads this because it goes on forever. I just love this. I love the gospel and I love families. I sure do miss mine, but I'm thankful that in these 18 months away I've been able to be part of helping others.

The Gospel is true. God Loves you! You are all amazing.
Love Always.
Hermana Sadie Jean Taggart

January 28, 2013

Hola Amigos y Familia,

Another week here in Chancay. I'll be honest this week was one of those tough ones. We are teaching an AMAZING girl named Treysi. We meet her when we contacted her and her parents. They all agreed to listen to us but when we came the parents didn't want to but they wanted us to teach their daughter so we did. She didn't believe in God, or she just wasn't sure. She hadn't had positive experiences in her Church and just didn't feel like she had ever had a spiritual experience. We started teaching her and she did everything we asked her to do. She read,  prayed and it a few short weeks yeah she had her answer. Every time we have come to teach her we try and teach the whole family we always set up the next appointment with her mom to be SURE that they will listen as well but they never will. Well now Treysi wants to get baptized and her mom is freaking out and won't let her come to church because she thinks we worship Joseph Smith and all this insane crap that she would no isn't true if she would just LISTEN TO US!!! The last time we went to teach Treysi her mom lied and told us she wasn't there, but we had just spoken with Treysi and knew her mom was lying. Poor Treysi, she REALLY knows that his is true. I know I talked once about being nervous about baptizing teenagers without their parents because they go inactive and what not, but Treysi really has a testimony she keeps all of her appointments,  all of them! Her parents make me so mad, but its fine. We told them that we wanted to come and watch a movie about Jesus and that we were going to bring cookies from the united states (yes we have stooped so low as to bake them cookies just so they will listen to us) Hopefully they will, I know if they just listen and see that we are Christians and we don't do anything weird and we try to live a Christ like life style they will be fine.

Other down side of this week was the grossest service I have ever done. I have moved heavy rocks, sand, painted houses, built houses, but this week we offered to help someone clean up their house, they accepted which shocked me because no one ever accepts help with house work, so we show up and the women literally has 300 socks that she can't find the matches to and they are all DIRTY nasty futbol socks, so we rummaged around in dirty socks and underwear then after an hour we had found all we could and we got up and she says oh yeah I have one bucket more and comes down with the other 150 socks! YUCK!!!!! I think instead of washing her socks she has just been buying new ones, wears them like five time and then throws them into a basket. It was gross. I kept telling myself that if Christ were here he would do it. Washing dirty feet and sorting dirty socks is pretty similar right ha-ha.

So my Sister is sending me a countdown of how much time I have left. I'm not trying to get trunky or anything but oh my! I have 15 months in the mission. In just a few months I get to see you all again! You all better believe that Autumn and I have already started planning a Peruvian Party for the first week when I get home! It's going to be a blast! Clear your calendars now!

Well I love you all! Thanks for all your love and support!
Love Sadie