The Taylors - Las Cruces

Hi There!

By way of introduction, we are a family here in Las Cruces where your son has been serving. Just want you to know that he is a good missionary.

As you probably know, this week, Elder Harris' companion, Elder Vermillion is going home and your son will be getting a new companion.

On Monday we took them out for dinner at a local restaurant that is said to have been originally the outpost for old Mesilla. Supposedly Billy the kid and many others had been there. I took some pictures that I have attached. The group pictures include our son, Trey, his wife, Yvonne, and their son, Tallin, as they also joined us. I know you will enjoy the pictures.

Love,
Larry and Karen Taylor

Answers

Sorry my letters haven't been super up to date at all but I'm just no good at writing letters. I greatly appreciate all the stuff you guys sent me. Especially the bread. I was going to buy bread that week but I didn't after reading your e-mail. All the candy and cookies spoiled my appetite for a while. Thankfully Elder Lybbert ate a large amount when he went on exchanges in my area so it didn't spoil it as long as it potentially could have.

Thank you so much for sending all the spanish stuff I look forward to getting it. I've been working with a spanish Book of Mormon and Liahona magazine. My reading is back to where it was when I was in Mr. Smith's class, but my understand when someone talks to me is still pretty poor, not to mention my speaking. I'll get better though!

As for the Temple. I miss that place alot. They finished the outside of the Gila Valley Temple not too long ago and should be done with the interior next spring. That will give us a temple in the mission that we can now go to. Mom, Dad when you come to get me, we're hitting as many of the temples along the way as we can. Gila Valley, the three in Pheonix, Snowflake, Saint George, Manti.... as many as we can.

This week has just flown by. Elder Vermillion is going home in a couple of days and I'll find out who my new companion is tonight. Chances of me leaving? Slim to none. I'm excited to get a new companion. I've spent half of my mission so far with Elder Vermillion. I love him to death but I'm getting to the point where death sounds like a good expression of my love. Just kidding, I'm going to miss Elder Vermillion.

Nothing super exciting has happened this week We found a couple of shakey investigators and are working with those ones that we still have. Real quick, Israel is still awesome but is held down by the man. Johnny is doing better at remembering but still slow. Adrianna said she would TRY to keep the Law of Chastity and then we' havn't heard from her since. We hope she wasn't offended but we'll see.

Love you all tons

Elder Harris

Patience

What a week.

We just got done with an appointment with Israel's probation officer and it looks like we're waiting for a while longer, maybe not until December. It's kind of frustrating since we've been working with him since July and he's been ready since August, but oh well, all in the Lord's time.

It's really cool to see that Lord's hand in a lot of little things. For a while we've been teaching a man named Johnny Garcia. His ex-wife and all his kids are members of the church but he never joined because his mother-in-law got mad at him for not dressing up for church. Johnny has had three strokes in the past few years so teaching him hasn't really been effective. We were able to sit down with his kids, who have been less-active since their teenage years, and come to find out that they want their kids to be taught and baptized! We're excited to help them come back to church and help their kids to experience the joy of the gospel.

Adrianna, Tyrel Andreason's (the less-active son of President Andreason) girlfriend is also doing well. Tyrel even came to church this week which is a huge improvment. He moved in with his older brother, Monty who is a big influence on him and I think Adrianna learning is a big help too :)

Not much else to report other than I Love you tons
Elder Harris

PS. transfer calls are next week and I'm 99.9% sure I'll be staying. The only way I'd leave is if President wants me to be a Zone Leader somewhere.

PPS. Here in the southwest we run into alot of spanish people and I hate not being able to communicate with them. I've been trying to remember some of my spanish and I've been reading the Book of Mormon in spanish, and I'm to the point where I can explain who I am, bear my testimony of "El Libro de Mormon" and give them a pass along card but I want to improve. I was wondering if you could send my/a 501 spanish verbs book, and/or anything they gave Sam in the MTC. President told me that I should try and pursue this and I feel it's something the Lord wants me to do also.

New Investigator

This last week was alot of fun. I went on a couple of exchanges and got to go up to Cloudcroft. It was way nice up there and for the first time on my mission I was cold outside.

We found a new investigator this last week. Her name is Adrianna. She is the girlfriend of the Andreason's "Alma-the-younger" son. She is way cool and really wants to know and to learn. She agreed to baptism on the 7th of November but we might be moving that up with how well she is progressing.

Israel is still doing well and we're looking forward to this Saturday, when, if all goes well, he'll be baptized!

Also something cool. Elder Yoshihiko Kikuchi of the Seventy is coming to the mission next transfer to do a mission tour.

Well, I love you all.

Elder Harris

Conference?

Hey everybody!

I loved how your e-mail was entitled conference but there really wasn't much from conference in it :D

Well Conference was amazing. Not only was it spiritually uplifting, we also had a baptism on Sunday in between sessions.

Marcy Gullett, Israel's Grandma had a converting experience and so we scheduled her baptism... not a moment too soon either, she is going in to have knee replacement surgery tomorrow.

Israel unfortunatly has to wait a little while longer, but he should be baptized within the coming weeks!

Other than that, all is well here in Las Cruces I especially loved Elder Anderson's talk on repentance and it being a representation of God's love. That, I feel was the overwhelming lesson of this last conference is that God loves us!

And I love you guys too!

Elder Harris