Working hard and sharing the plan of HAPPINESS!

This week was pretty awesome.. we worked hard. Last week we had 4 investigators in the church and so we didn’t want to settle for less so we set up everything the best that we could and we were waiting on potentially 6 investigators in church.. Sunday came around and unfortunately we only had one. However we did all that we could to help them come, we just have a higher hope for next Sunday. Just gotta keep going right.. can’t back down or give up! Things with Elder Emrich are great, he is such a good companion and I am super grateful for him. There is just so much good here in Ceibal, we have been finding some good part member families and that has honestly made the difference. I now know what they were talking about in the worldwide conference when they said that the part member families are gold mines.. so true. 

We believe that we felt true sadness on Sunday as well.. we left early from the house to go and pick up Lauro, Natalia and their children. I had my camera in hand and I was so excited to get there and begin to take pictures of all the kids as they were ready to go to church.. we got there and they were asleep. We returned to church and after the first hour we headed back and we talked with a few kids.. we actually saw 2 of them in the street going on a little errand for their parents so we knew that they were up.. we went with lots of hope to still be able to help them go to church.. we talked to the kids outside and we told them to call their parents and tell them that we are here.. they went in and came back out after a couple of minutes and told us that they were still sleeping.. We just turned around and walked away with a saddened heart. It is so sad that they are stopping the progression of their kids, not to mention their own progression.  Sometimes I just don’t understand.  Last week we had a fullness of joy and this week.. it was destroyed.  Better hope for next time.

Really, this week I think that I was able to grow quite a bit in my knowledge of the scriptures. I was reading the counsel that Alma gives his boys and it just clicked with me when I was reading Alma 36 that the Book of Mormon is full of doctrines, principles. It was awesome and now it just makes sense and I have a stronger desire to study each day. The Book of Mormon is such a blessing, I am learning lots more as I find principles and doctrines. I love it! Keep reading!

We only had 68 in church this past week.. we had 90 the week before .. dropped lots and we aren’t sure why. We think that it was carnival. We definitely have to work on the attendance this week.. trying to get as many people we can to come to church. We are going to set up Saturday so that we can make a stop by all of our progressing members and our investigators. We are excited for our investigator Maikel to be baptized this Saturday and we can’t wait for Friday to be with Elder Bednar. Going to be a great week!

For those who are wondering who Maikel is.. he is a 12 year old that has a very active grandma in the church and she has been helping a whole lot with the process. His grandma is the lady who was contacting people when she left on some visits with us.. remember? Anyways.. Maikel is a stud and is very smart.. we are excited for him. More pictures to come next week (:

Well my cute family... I just want to let you know that I am so grateful for the things that each of us are doing... we are all progressing and I couldn’t be happier! It is a problem when we stop progressing and changing. I just hope you all know that I love you and think about you guys daily! Keep on being great! Until next week ♥

Love, Elder Taylor Abel

We go hard through the heat, the rain... just to have people receive the happiness that we have..... so that they can be together with their families forever!

Double banana....yes please!

#igotavalentine Ü