I BECAME A HAIRDRESSER, MARRIAGE WITNESS, AND DISHWASHER ALL IN THE SAME DAY

the one on the left is maria, the one
whose son died. i miss them

Well, it's been a week.  Apparently, this is the summer of weddings.  Friends, family, and a couple of our investigators:)  I'm a pro at the whole Filipino wedding thing.  Last Sunday, Ronalyn (my favorite investigator that's so hard headed) got Marrrrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiied!!!!  

I was so excited, I really like this wedding planning business... so fun (even if I didn't have anything to wear as a bridesmaid...we'ere just always in a skirt) and her wedding was addddorable.  We went over to her early in the afternoon and got her all ready.  We did her make-up, her hair, and

maria's baptism on saturday)))

made her pose for all sorts of pre-wedding pictures.   (The whole time I was trying to channel what the lady off the "Wedding Planner" would do)... and then we made our way to the church, I posed as the wedding photographer, marriage witness (where my signature will forever be on her marriage contract), and then ran home to get allllllll the food ready.  We're talking crazy, doesn't fit on the table, people eating off giant banana leaves, kind of food for this wedding!  And as people ate and sang off-key karaoke, we became the designated dishwashers.  It was a good way to end the day, the week, and my last times in Mandama.

Because I'm not there anymore.  The Sister Taylor that was re-called to Bataan Mission (that's just my joke), has moved a WHOLE 30 MINUTES again from her old area.  I literally think I am meant to just stay in the southern, hot part of the mission where everyone's head is just a little harder that most.  I moved to Guagua.  The weather got hotter, my area got maybe a little bigger, and I realized while I was moving just how heavier my suitcases got.  Oh ya, and the language is different here is Guagua.  Thankfully, everyone knows how to speak Tagalog, but they will only speak it to the missionaries and then change right back into (almost like baby language) Kapampangan to talk to the people around them.  Talk about feeling like a greeenie all over again...

our wedding yesterday 

As a missionary, moving and changing has become second nature (it still doesn't make me like it any more than I used to), the only question is how long it will take to unpack.  I made a new record here of unpacking just yesterday.  It was partly the fault of our zone leaders when they called us the night I got here and kindly let us know we were in charge of teaching the zone meeting workshop the next morning...  As I'm writing my email, my clothes still have a couple of those good ole suitcase wrinkles:)  

ronalyn, her wedding right before
her baptism in my last area

My area is the place everyone talked about where they crucified and whipped people on Easter (they said it was for Jesus?...).  That's how crazy these people are.  And they are sooo Catholic.  But it's not even a smart Catholic. We were walking down to the city yesterday (oh ya, I've also been assigned to the smack middle of the city) and someone had posted the 10 commandments on the wall.  The only thing a little off about it was they had gotten rid of the 2nd commandment (don't have false gods) and made the last commandment into 2 separate commandments...  I am in for a great ride here in Guagua, that's all the other missionaries keep telling me:)

that's me) old area

My first day we rode a row boat to get to the other side of our area (looked kind of like the boats we rode in Bolivia).  Talk about a change of scenery from my last area!

And also, my companion is way too cool for me.  The Sister Samau!  She's been here a transfer longer than me, is a Samoan/New Zealander who doesn't deal with fake people, and has a great sense of sarcasm that I've been missing with all my filipino companions.  She likes walking fast too.

this face changes everyday haha our apartment is obessesed with it

Funny Story:  I don't know if this is gross or funny... A couple weeks ago I got a reaaaaally bad cold sore.  Or least that's what I think they're called.  Anyway, it hurt like nobody's business and by the end of the week I was having a hard time eating rice (which is when you know it's serious). My mouth hurt. so.bad.  So, I'm complaining to Sister Echon how bad my mouth actually hurt (wahhh...) and how hungry I still was when she suggested putting tawas on it.  That's the filipino version of deodorant, but it works really well at soaking up water, because of course, that's its job.  I'm like, okay, why not?  So, I tried it.  We put it on at night (because she told me it would hurt so bad I wouldn't be able to move, which wasn't true), and I woke up in the morning and it was gone!  So, thanks to filipino deodorant, I'm able to eat rice again!

 And with that wonderful story, I will leave you until next week! 

LOVE,

SISTER TAYLOR

Transfer

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Philippines, Olongapo Mission

Km. 140 National Highway, Mangan-Vaca

2209, Subic, Zambales

Philippines

23 May 2014

Mr. and Mrs. Tim Jack Taylor

5101 Lucky Clover Ln

Murray, UT 84123

United States

Dear Brother and Sister Taylor,

We are pleased to let you know the great job your daughter, Sister Sarah Rebecca Taylor, has done here in the Philippines Olongapo Mission.  She has been working hard and we have recently called her to serve as a Sister Training Leader in the Gua-Gua Zone. 

Because of this new assignment she has been transferred to the Gua-Gua, Gua-Gua District, Gua-Gua Zone.  Her new companion is Sister Eufirate Samau. She will do a great job in her new area and serving in her new calling.

Sister Taylor has shown great leadership ability and we know that with the service she will give, she will grow even more.  The service she will give to the sisters she is working with will be greatly appreciated.  We know she will do a great job.

We wish to thank you for raising such a fine young woman.  She has a great testimony of the gospel and she is doing a great job here in the mission field.  She has helped many come unto Christ and we know that she will continue to grow as she serves those she is in contact with.

May the Lord bless you and your family for the service you are giving to the Lord.

Sincerely,

Roberto Bayobo Querido

Philippines Olongapo Mission

Mission President

RBO/mfg

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Philippines, Olongapo Mission

Km. 140 National Highway, Mangan-Vaca

2209, Subic, Zambales

Philippines

23 May 2014

Mr. and Mrs. Tim Jack Taylor

5101 Lucky Clover Ln

Murray, UT 84123

United States

Dear Brother and Sister Taylor,

We are pleased to let you know the great job your daughter, Sister Sarah Rebecca Taylor, has done here in the Philippines Olongapo Mission.  She has been working hard and we have recently called her to serve as a Sister Training Leader in the Gua-Gua Zone. 

Because of this new assignment she has been transferred to the Gua-Gua, Gua-Gua District, Gua-Gua Zone.  Her new companion is Sister Eufirate Samau. She will do a great job in her new area and serving in her new calling.

Sister Taylor has shown great leadership ability and we know that with the service she will give, she will grow even more.  The service she will give to the sisters she is working with will be greatly appreciated.  We know she will do a great job.

We wish to thank you for raising such a fine young woman.  She has a great testimony of the gospel and she is doing a great job here in the mission field.  She has helped many come unto Christ and we know that she will continue to grow as she serves those she is in contact with.

May the Lord bless you and your family for the service you are giving to the Lord.

Sincerely,

Roberto Bayobo Querido

Philippines Olongapo Mission

Mission President

RBO/mfg

Picture Post

I ate oysters. It's gross,

We met real live korean kids!!!!! 

We had pig's blood for our meal on fiesta day!

THE BEST TWO YEARS

Sister Taylor at Zone Conference May 13, 2014

Do you remember the movie, The Best Two Years?  About that poor new elder?  So I realized those stories in that movie, that you think are exaggerated, they really happen.  I don't think you realize how funny that movie really is until you have stories just like the movie.  Whoever thought of the movie is so. funny.  So. Genius.

Sister Taylor at Zone Conference May 13, 2014

At our district meeting, the elders in Hermosa area where way late for our meeting.  Which is really not okay haha.  Everyone looks at you (especially the zone leaders) as you walk in the door, past all the chairs, and all the missionaries (that are on time:)) and take the very furthest away, very last chairs.  One of the elders told me afterwards, the were late because one of the new elders under training washed all their dishes with laundry bleach.  He figured it was just the same as using soap...

Sister Taylor at Zone Conference May 13, 2014

I overheard one of the sisters earlier talking about Nacho Libre.  And I quote, "You know that one movie where that guy says he's had diarrhea since Easters?  Well, one of the sisters in our house has totally had diarrhea since Christmas."

orani zone at zone conference
(after we drank bitter melon shake)

The elders are making our zone drink bitter melon shake tomorrow at our zone conference (mind you, our mission president, AP's, and all the senior couples are there) because we tied in this week's competition.  The whoooole zone gets to try it.

Not to mention names, but someone in our apartment is collecting worn-out shoes so that she can show how hard she worked when she goes home.  Our room right now smells like dirty feet:)  yum.

Anyway, just figured I'd send off a couple good stories before calling you:)  I've still got to set up all this skype stuff at the computer shop, so until next week!!  (or in about an hour:))

LOVE,

SISTER TAYLOR

I JUST LOOOOVE MY FAMILY!

And I LOVE writing letters to you every week.

third of the matching
skirt companionship

That was the first thing that came out of my mouth after I read you emails hahaha, I just love you guys!  Your emails are soooo good, and this week sooo funny.  My favorite is that I am now Ben's favorite sibling and then the really awkward picture that president Querido managed to get of me and my companion.  I obviously was not paying attention. 

I just hope that's not what I usually look like when I'm talking to people I haven't seen in awhile...

SO, lets just review all the qualifications I got this week making me a certified, genuine FIlipina:) (Again.)

this is the most annoying,
disobedient, and loud kid
I have every met in my life

This week was filled with eating and eating, and talking and eating.  I have become even more talkative (thanks to my ever so talkative companion) and we realized this week that talkativeness=dinner appointments:).  We managed to score dinner appointments almost every night this week!!!!  Yesssss.  One of those dinner appointments I learned to make leche flan (get the egg yolks ready for when I come home!) and then one of my favorite members here, Chat Nobleza made REAL, live, eatable sandwiches, WITH LETTUCE!!!!!  I didn't fully appreciate the leafy, tasteless stuff until I ate it for the first time since I left America. 

I want a salad for my first dinner home.  With ranch.

We also experienced the actual missionary life when we ran out of stove gas.  Saturday night.  We still haven't been able to buy any because there are a whole bunch of fiestas here, so for the moment, this missionary's diet is crackers, instant oatmeal, and the candy bars that were in my last package.

we had a picnic and picked mangos
at our investigator for lunch

Thanks as well to my companion, I am the proud owner of 5 new pairs of shoes.  All of which I am saving to bring home.  They are sooooo cute.  I'll send pictures next week.  One of those pairs has cats and dogs on it, but you won't be ablet o even imagine it until I send the pictures:)  Whoever told me that there was nothing to buy here obviously did not know how much junk filipinos are good at saving.  And how good I am at finding useless things to buy.  

Last P-day I might have bought a machete....  Are those allowed on the plane?

one of the members made real,
 almost american sandwiches!!!!!

This week one of my personal goals was patience.  I figured patience is a great thing to learn on a mission, lots of opportunities to grow and really learn.  But I realized this week, when you pray for patience, Heavenly Father will reeeaally find good ways to test your patience.  I have never tried so hard to be patient and then had more things happen to try that patience.  Heavenly Father is a funny guy.  

But, nonetheless, I managed to learn a lot about patience.  One day, it was thanks to a puddle.  We left from an appointment and we were so frustrated at our investigator just because of some of the things she had told us and then things that she doesn't understand.  We said goodbye (this is about 8pm now and dark) and start walking across the road to go home.  My steps were a little hard and forced as we're walking (haha trying to get rid of my impatience) and as my mind was thinking about all the things that our lesson lacked, I managed to stomp my foot into a giant, fresh, really muddy puddle.  Right into the middle of it.  My companion just stopped, we stared at each other for about 10 seconds, and then just burst out laughing.  I managed to fish my now dirt covered shoe out of the water, and hobbled home.  Hobbling half because we were laughing so hard and half because I was only walking with one shoe on.   

But this week was full of great lessons like that about my now very improved patience.

these are the shoes I've been talking about)
But the good news, I didn't buy any today)

Right after I type this, we're walking to the post office to send of the bajillion letters that I spend the last two weeks writing.  I am so impressed with these letters:)  Let the Beene's know I sent them a letter too:).

Funny Story: Our zone is at war right now:)  In a missionary appropriate, joking kind of way...  As always, our work is focused on goal setting, goal achieving, and numbers of work.  We won again for the highest stats last week and so we got to watch last week as the other district tried the cinnamon challenge:)  ha.hahaa There were 4 big elders and some cute, small filipina sisters that spent about 5 minutes coughing out their guts and trying to hide spitting out the giant spoon of cinnamon they ate:).  

KAPAYAPAAN!!
SISTER TAYLOR

THE MISSIONARY LIST...

Nate had been asking Sarah some specifics on what to take on his mission.  Though this list isn't comprehensive, Sarah has shared some details on what has worked for her:

small english BofM (the mini one)

recent, fun family pictures (to show inv. and companions)

weird, american snacks you know you'll miss

1 big camera memory card (32 GB)

flashdrives (to back up pictures)

clothes that actually show personality (don't just take the boring and practical)

nicer clothes just for mission conferences

extra garments to pull out after the halfway mark

small hymn book

small PMG (laminate the cover)

jump rope (easiest way to exercise)

twistables for scripture marking

chocolate!!!!

a binder of favorite/good missionary conference talks

sturdy, water proof watch (doesn't need to be expensive)

towel (just don't get one really thick, the ones I bought were fine) 

1 pillow/1 fitted sheet (that's all you'll need)

cheap, LOUD alarm clock that uses battery

bball shorts (p-day clothes double as pj's)

*you don't need a ton of bug spray like it says in you call letter

shoes-1 nice pair

flashdrive of good/not boring church music (depends of mission president what music is allowed)

debt card/wallet

pair of normal/pday shoes

good pens (you write allll the time)

study journalS

*leave your suitcases a little empty, you WILL get lots on your mission

*don't worry too much, you can probably just buy it there

*the MTC will give you a dictionary, scriptures in your language, language study books, and a big PMG, a filtered water bottle

AND THIS IS SISTER TAYLOR, COMING LIVE FROM THE PHILIPPINES, WITH THE WEATHER

The Universe wanted pictures of their
newspaper in the Philippines.

This week, we are expecting rain, heat, and more cockroaches hiding in the corners of the apartment.  And then the day you don't bring your umbrella, it will unexpectedly rain alllll day.  

That was the best.  We went out at 2pm to start work with blazing hot weather (but I still haven't sunburst ha ha) and then as we were walking to our 6pm appointment, in about five minutes the sky turned dark

grey, the silent lighting storms came, and so did the pouring rain.  And it happened to be the one day I didn't bring an umbrella (of course, it's 90 degrees out, how in the world will I need an umbrella??!).  But Heavenly Father got a good laugh at me and Sister Echon running with our bags over our heads from house to house:)  

Sometimes apparently, when it gets so hot and humid, the clouds just can't hold anymore water and it will just rain until there's nothing left.  It's pretty crazy, and the rain is hot.  Sometimes this week too while we've been teaching we just really big thunder storms and that becomes the biggest hindrance in teaching (who would have thought?).  Every night too, we have giant silent lightning storms where all night the sky just lights up, but there's no rain and no thunder.  SO COOOL.  I videoed it for Dad for when I come home:)

But anyway, because it's been so hot lately, one of my grey skirts (the one we bought from Old Navy mom) has faded reeeeal bad.  As in, in some places it's become a greyish orangey color...  But of course, a favorite skirt deserves to be worn at least twice a week (welcome to the missionary wardrobe) so I cut off the tags and have just started wearing it inside out because the stitching on the sides look the exact same.  My companion didn't even notice until I showed her my pure ingeniousness at the end of the day hahaha.  I don't know if it will be something I laugh at when I come home, or cringe that I actually did something like that in a couple years...  But all the sisters in our house thought I was pretty genius.

But my wardrobe is still fine and cute.  So is our work.  We have a couple of baptisms again this month and are expecting a bunch of great things to happen (there goes the reporter in me again).  

Ronalyn is being baptized in two weeks, this is one of my favorite stories ever.  Maybe I was meant to find her to be given a challenge who's more stubborn than I am.  But she came to church 15 times before she let us teach her.  Every time we went to her house, she would hide or pretend to be sleeping.  Okkaaaaaay, we know you don't sleep sitting in a chair... But then Sundaymorning, she was always one of the first at church.  This lady has quite the attitude.  But two weeks ago, we caught her and for the first time, she actually let us teach her.  And even smiled!  And of course, it only takes once for us to teach someone:)  She's one of the most ready I've ever seen to be baptized.  

And Maria (whose last name is Filipino hahaha) is an old lady who never fails to make us die of laughter during our lessons.  All I can usually think of in these lessons, is that when I'm old, I better be as funny as her.  She's also stubborn (okay, I feel like there's a lesson I'm supposed to learn:)) and is the only one in her family not baptized.  But she's finally set the day and is regular at church.  Scooore!  I love these people, our investigators are seriously what make the work here in Mandama sooo worth it.

Funny story: Disclamer, this has been certified by our STL as missionary approved...  Our mission president's wife is always reminding us, drink water, drink water, drink water...  We are supposed to drink more than 3 liters a day.  And we're pros now.  Thanks to one night, and one game.  We came home one night and we wanted to do something extraordinary.  So we planned really fast, cooked, and devised the drinking game:):)  Someone reads a couple well known scripture verses, everyone else guesses, and if you're wrong you have to drink a glass of water.  Missionary-fied so bad haha.  To make a long story and long night short, we drank sooo much water.  The first one to give up was Sister Jayweera (from Sri Lanka) because our stomachs hurt so bad and she had to pee sooo bad:).  

Love lots, 

SISTER TAYLOR