Taylor's Testimony (in Spanish)

Tambien, Yo quiero compartir mi testimonio. Yo se que La Iglesia se Jesucristo de los Santos de Los Ultimos Dias es verdadera y que este Iglesia es solomente iglesia en la tierra ques es correcta. Yo se que Jose Smith es un propheta de Dios y que Thomas S. Monson es El propheta hoy. Jesucristo es nuestro hermano mejor y el ame nosotros. Dios es nuestro Padre en Cielo. Yo testifique estas cosas en el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen 

Sad News from Chandler

(Christy Here:  Our amazing Seminary Teacher, Brother Goss, has been promoted and will be relocating to Virginia.  Some other seminary students are putting together a memory book for him to take with him and this is the letter that Taylor sent me to include in the book.)

Dear Brother Goss, 

Thank you so much for the last 3 years of seminary, these last 3 years have been filled with great moments and ones that I will always remember!  Through you I was able to learn so much about the gospel, you made it interesting and entertaining.  I will always remeber the class when you shaved your head for Abigail and I am very thankful for the opportunity to have done the same.  I want you to know that I have a testimony of this church and of The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Living Son of God. I know you and your family will be blessed as you move to Virginia and I pray for your family. Once again thank you for everything!!! 

- Elder Taylor Wanlass of the Texas, San Antonio Mission

Hola Texas!

Alright!!  1st P- Day in the field!!  So much to talk about!! Well first we left early in the morning on the 16th to get to the airport and it took forever with all the dang traffic haha but the flight was good, not to long.  We got to the airport and President Slaugter and his assistants were there waiting for us so it was really cool!!  There were 20 new comers, 10 are waiting for visas to Brazil, so they may be here for a while.  We had lunch and dinner at their home and inbetween we had a visit to the Alamo!!  It is not what you expect so it was interesting haha.  This other elder, Elder Hilario who is from san Antonio (idk how that worked out haha) we placed two Books of Mormon and hand some nice conversations and we actually met some mormons walking around lol.  So we stayed the night over at an apartment then the next day was transfer meeting!  So we got to hear who our companions were and where we were going, I am Round Rock up north past Austin, serving in the Palm Valley spanish branch!! my companions are Elder Guthrie and Elder Morrin, Elder Guthrie goes home the day before Thanksgiving and elder Morrin had 8 months left. But I also got my bike and the package!! That was such a nice surprise!! :)  But we plan and go teach and everything!! The other day we went to a Walmart to get some medication and this mormon couple drove up and gave us $25 which was super cool!!  My first Sunday was nice, but I was a little home sick.  I miss you all!!!

Elder Wanlass with the Slaughter's.  (Mission President and Mission Mom)

P-day selfie taken during email time for my mom  :)

My new comps...

Final Week in the CCM

Okay so I leave tomorrow at 6:30 in the morning, my flight doesnt leave till 11 I think haha.  My plane is AeroMexico 632 so it should be great!! 

So this week we pretty great!!!  We had in field orientation which was a very long day on Friday, but it was better than being in the class room so it was good!!  Elder Christensen had his 21st bday so we celebrated that on Saturday and we bought him food and just had fun!! We call him Sarge because he went to West Point for two years before his mission.  :)  Also sadly we had made some really good friends with some latinos and we had our last game with them on Friday :(  But one said to us " I love you my friends, convert the world."  The people down here are so freaking amazing it is hard to understand without being down here :) Down here we have this news update gadget so we have heard about the government shutdown. I hope it isnt affecting anybody to bad!! On sunday night we had our last testimony meeting together as a district and it was amazing, I shed a few tears haha but it was great knowing that they consider us family and it was so amazing!!  Lets see I finally got my scripture cases!! They are so legit!!!

Yes I am excited to get to Texas!! I want to teach!!  My teacher said I am so ready and that I have a gift to expound on scriptures and apply them to people.  This morning we taught and the "lady" we taught doesn't have a job and has five kids that have problems, so I thought of the 2000 stripling warriors and how because of the love of the parents and and the teachings, especially from the mothers, the sons where then able to have faith and help their parents in return and none of them were lost. So it was really cool!! 

I cant wait to get back to the states!!  Especially for mail!!  It sucks not getting mail for three weeks!!  Please send letters and packages, those honestly made my week and everything was easier because I knew you guys were thinking of me! :)

Another Week in the CCM....

Okay so this week has been REALLY good!!  We got to watch General Conference in english which was nice!!  And I was able to focus on all of it!!  Saturday morning me and my companion left 10 mins early to teach Jose....but he never showed, so we do not know what is going on!!  But both Juan and Juana are pregressing!!  So we are happy about that, I am so excited to get out in the field!!!  This week will not go by fast enough haha.  Something cool I learned about Elder Diaz is that he was taught by the lead singer of Imagine Dragons so we all though that was really cool!!

The other night the 8 of us in our casa (that is suppose to house 20) we had a discussion on the movie Tarzan and how that was our favorite movie and then it moved to Atlantis and someone mentioned that they learned that girls did not have cooties from it, we obviously have interesting conversations!!

Me and Elder Lynn.... both going on Spanish Speaking missions (in Texas!) from our ward here in Chandler.  Elder Lynn entered the CCM just two weeks after me.

I decided to copy some of the pictures on the wall.... (Christy here:  I figured it out... Teancum!)

Another Lamanite drawing....

One of our teachers and Hermana Dewey

Our District at the temple in Mexico City

A bracelet I bought

My haircut today

(Christy here:  Does this need an explanation?  Some things never change!)

We Are One - Henry B. Eyring - April 2013 General Conference

Here is the video Taylor referenced in his most recent letter if you'd like to watch it.  :)

Adventures in Missionary Training

Okay so this week I realized how lucky I am to be going to the states!!  Mail takes forever anywhere else!!  So I am pumped for that!!  Thank you so so so much for the package!!!!!! :) I about cried it made me so happy!!!

(Christy here:  Eric has a friend with family in Mexico City, and he has a friend who works at the CCM.  Even though all other sources say you can't deliver packages to the missionaries at the CCM, Brother Lopez assured us he could get something through.  He went to Mexico City last Friday on a business trip so we sent a small package with him.  We filled a ziploc with Clif Bars and Halloween Candy, then threw in as many hand written letters from good friends and family as we could.  I was just as excited to find out that he got the package, as he was to get it, I think!!!!)

So an update on our investigator, Juan has committed to baptism and went to church on fast sunday and paid fast offerings!!  He has such a strong testimony it is incredible!!  He has stopped all his addictions and he is to be baptized on the 23rd of October so we are excited! Juana is a whole different story. We have only tought her twice and she isnt exactly open. But we are trying!!  

Me and my companion are getting along really well and we found a non member on campus, His name is José and he has agreed to meet with us on Saturday!!! He is Catholic but has a Book of Mormon (big surprise, look at where he works) but he likes a lot of the aspects of the church!!  So it will be great! 

Sacrament meeting this week was great!!  So relaxing and I did not have to prepare a talk, usually everyone is the branch prepares one then the presidency will pick six people to talk, so far I have not haha.  Then we have general Conference this weekend and I hear we do not do a lot at all so it will be a nice break, hopefully I do not fall asleep, the chairs in the auditorium are pretty comfy haha.   Also I have scored 14 goals while I have been here, yes I have kept count!!  Last night we had a devotional and we had president Walker talk who is a member of the seventy and is from Argentina but is white haha.  He shared a video called "Somos Uno" or We are one. So I encourage everybody to watch that video and then go get involved with the missionary work!!  Love you guys!!

This is my breakfast this morning... they were serving some weird kind of nachos... I don't know.... ha ha

Elder Jamais eating the other breakfast item (the weird nachos)

 Made some chocolate milk, I do every morning when I can.  The church orders clean water from Ciel and they also gave us bottles with filters so we are all set!! :) 

We all know who this is.... (Christy here:  I think it's the Nephite who killed the wicked Lamanite King in his sleep... but I can't remember his name!)

A painting in one of the classrooms

The floor of the gym

Getting ready for some volleyball time

Selfie taken after breakfast this morning!  Oct 2,2013