Hoy es dia!

Hoy es dia!
Updates while serving in the Uruguay Montevideo West Mission taylor.abel@myldsmail.net
Current Mailing Address:
Elder Taylor Abel
Uruguay Montevideo West Mission
Enrique Martinez 1167
11800 Montevideo, Uruguay
Uruguay

Monday, November 30, 2015

Haircuts and such.....

Family!   How on earth are you? We are just winding down the days to the big 25th. Can you believe it? Can wait to see you all but first let's take a look at this week!

Last Monday we had a meeting with Obispo Conti and went over some of the Area Book and he picked some people that he would like us to visit. We also have been visiting all the elders that are inactive.. there are solo many! Only 10% of all of Uruguay is active. 100,000 members and only 10;00 are active. YIKES!  I guess you could say we have been pretty busy with charlas. We moved Matias´ fecha a week back because we still hadn`t taught him everything and we are going to make sure that he understands it all with the age that he has so he is a convert that stays. We kind of loss contact with Julio, he is working a lot and travels for work. Every time we want to have a charla with him he leaves town. We have been able to find more people though which has been key to the success that we are having.. plus we can´t forget that Dios nos da el crecimiento. (1 Corinthians 3:6) God is great! 

This Thursday we had our meeting with President Tate and it went really well. We talked about everything that has been going on in the zone and the things that we think could help us as a zone and as a stake. We talked about the list de 24 messes (all of the converts in the last 24 months) and about the sumo consejo. We are going to work with the high councilmen of our wards so that we have that little extra help to the elders quorum. Also, President Tate sent out a text to all the bishops asking them to give us as missionaries 10 minutes in the next consejo de barrio to talk about Mi Camino (a pamphlet that helps people progress to the Temple) and how it all works so that they can help us with it as well.. more than anything, so we are all on the same page! We shall see how it goes. That was a little about the week.. this week should be great, I mean with the temple how could it be anything different?

We have seen some big changes in Salto this past week. We had 33 more people taking the sacrament this past week in all of the zone and a better percentage of miembros progresando (Members with Mi Camino and are progressing) Things are really looking up here in Salto. Keep the Sunny Sunday´s coming! We are so blessed!
Today we have had a pretty chill Pday. It started out with a hair cut... let´s just say that I should have cut it by myself. Wow. Picture to show the wonderful masterpiece that Elder Correa did. Great guy. Lucky I was able to fix it. I just took the 1 and went over it so it didn´t look so bad. Good thing we are going to see President tomorrow or this would be embarrassing.. oh wait (; Can't beat experiences like this on the mission. I hope it looks good on the neck line.. I don't even want to look. Recently we just had a yummy lunch at a little restaurant. Pictures to come as well! Now we are in the cyber and the song "Tonight" by Chris Brown (I think it is him) is playing. I may want to get up and dance.. super tempting! Someone better be taking notes on the songs that I am missing (; 
Thank you for the birthday wishes! I can´t believe that I am turning 20 years old. I am getting old. It honestly doesn't feel like December yet.. oh yeah cause we are still in November (; pero.. seriously it doesn't feel like my birthday week. Time is cruising by. In other news, I came to the sick conclusion that I am a chubster. It is a good thing that 6 months to sexy starts on Wednesday.. gotta quit all the sweets.. plus it doesn't really help that I have a cavity and I broke a tooth this week. Will I go to a Uruguay dentist? No. I actually talked to President about going to the dentist and he told me that he broke a tooth in the beginning of his time as mission president and he is just holding out on it because he trusts his dentist more and then recommended that I do the same. The things missionaries do.. if only you knew the half of it (;
Well fam, I sure do love you soo much! I hope that you all have a wonderful week! Keep smiling and know that I am always here for ya! God loves you more than you know!
Elder Taylor Abel.. a tempted to dance to too many songs missionary (; 

Theeee haircut. Looks better I promise! Try to ignore my chubbiness too (;




Lunch for 6? Elder Correa and his huge lunch.




My lunch.. man was it yummy!

Monday, November 23, 2015

Hard Work and Pancakes

Family!!!

I have learned to really appreciate these pdays! Sometimes they are really needed! How are you all?!

This week in Ceibal things went really good. We have been finding a lot lately. We found at least 3 people weekly for this past week and last week was our high for the change with 5. It may not seem like a whole lot of people but we are doing good with our goals that we have sent. The first counselor is now our temporary ward mission leader which has been nice. We still haven`t been able to have a correlation meeting with him but we are going to have one this week and get him on our page. The good thing is that we have a stud bishop. Bishop Conti is awesome, he is a hard worker and we have a meeting with him and our area book today! We also have another meeting with President Tate (counselor in the stake presidency who lives like a block away from us) which should be really good as we talk about the things in the zone and the stake. Lots of good things happening this week.. all to prepare us for a great few days next week down in the temple! 

On the 1st of December, we head down to the temple to do all the ordinances again for a family member.. we are stoked! I know we still have one more pday but I was hoping to get you guys excited so that you can go to the temple today too! If you haven`t been to the temple for awhile, today is the day.. or this week is the week!

This week we had some divisions, a zone activity and lots of charlas. I am going to send another email to you guys and others about the zone activity so I will tell you a little bit about the area. The area is huge.. we have a lot of people to teach. We have a 13 year old named Matias with the date to be baptized on the 5th of Dec. A family with a 12 year old that lives in front of Matias has really taken him under their wing in the process, it has been cool to see. We also have a 61 year old with a date for the 19th of Dec.. we need to teach them a lot still and get them completely prepared to enter the waters of baptism but we are excited for them! Julio wasn`t able to make it to church.. but matias went! We had 14 more people take this sacrament this Sunday than last which is awesome.. 100 people total! Things have been going good in the area!

All in all, I am starting to enjoy myself. I really love being a ZL.. I still think I might like being DL better but they are both fun. Just the whole comp situation started me on the wrong foot but all is well now and vamos arriba! I hope that you guys have a wonderful week! Enjoy your Thanksgiving! Eat a whole lot for me because there is no such thing here! Tis the season.. we are close (; I love you!

Love, Elder Taylor Abel.. a learning missionary!


Zone activity! The zone .. well except 4 elders. We enjoyed ourselves!

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Jumping into a new assignment! Later Cerro....Hello Salto!

Things here were really good last week. There were a few times where we were stuck with nothing to do but we have been getting better and have found some more people to teach. We recently have found 2 people who could be baptized as long as we can get them some support from the members and from their families. One is an 11 year old that is a friend of a young man here and it turns out that he reads the bible and attends a catholic school, he actually has a pretty good knowledge of things. His names is Ezekial, we shall see if he continues to progress. The other person is the daughter in law of Ana Perez. Her name is Carolain. We went to a baptism of the Zone Leaders and she was there with Ana and so we began to talk to her and she wants to change her life around. She is the wife of Ana's son that is in jail. We are super excited for her because she really isn't doing the best things with her life and we can see that she really wants to be different. Our hope.. or at least my hope for Elder Naylor and his new companion is that they can help Ezekial and Carolain get to baptism! (We still haven´t been able to find Yohana again.. and Romina told us that she isn´t interested.)

Yes, you read that right.. Elder Naylor and his new companion. We are splitting up. He as you can imagine is staying here in 8 and his new comp is Elder Barela from Idaho. It is actually Elder Neilson's kid in the mission. Elder Barela has 8 months in the mission and this is his first time as senior comp. I have heard he is a great kid and I know that him and Elder Naylor will find lots of success. I am so proud of Elder Naylor and the missionary he is becoming. 

Now you might be wondering what is happening to me. I will go step by step. Ready? Here we go! So we got up to Ana's for a charla with Carolain and just then we received a call from President Smith. I answered.. "Hoy es el dia!" "Elder Abel?" ..... small talk.... "Well are you ready for your change, you are never going to believe it." uh.. first thought was that I was going to train again here in Cerro 8 and I was thinking.. yikes! "Elder Abel, you are going to Salto." "Salto?!" "Yeah, you are going to be zone leader up there with Elder Correa. I know that you were up in Obelisco and I think that you would be a help to the missionaries there and to the zone." I expressed how I was actually having desires to go back.. and he said, "Well I am super glad because I didn't know how you would take it." I love it. I am super excited. It definitely will be different to be up there again just because I wanted to venture off to another zone outside of Cerro and Salto but if that is what the Lord thinks is best for me then let´s do it. I am going to write Irene and tell her so if she wants to be there at the terminal when I get there then she can. I head out tomorrow at 1:00 PM and arrive at 7:00. Also, Elder Huamali is headed up there again too! I am super excited.. I don´t know if I am ready to be a zone leader but here we go. I definitely have learned a lot just living with them here, so we shall see how it goes!

Cerro 8 is awesome. It definitely isn't easy but oh so worth it. I am so grateful for the ward here. They are so great to us. I am grateful for the time that I have had and for the many things that I learned from Elder Huntsman, Elder Figallo and Elder Naylor. Elder Naylor truly is a blessing in my life and I know he is going to be a great missionary. I can see that he has the desire to do the will of the Lord and I know that it will help him tons! I am sad to leave him but so excited for all that lies ahead of us in our missions. I am also sad to leave all my friends here but with me going back up to Salto, I am guessing that we will be able to hit all my areas when the parents come so it is more of just a "see you later" which gives me comfort. 

Come what may and love it! Onto the next adventure.. let´s go!

I love you all and I am so grateful for your love and support, for the emails and letters that you send me. I am truly a blessed elder and I feel lots of gratitude in my heart for all of you. May you all have a wonderful week! I love you! Until next Monday! 

Elder Taylor Abel.. a ready to work harder missionary!




Gonna miss this guy





Sleeping out under the stars