Welcome Cerro 8....Eleven months out!

This week has honestly felt like a dream with Elder Huntsman. We kept just asking ourselves when the divisions were going to end.  In fact, we woke up on Thursday and the first thing he said to me, "What are you still doing here?"  It has been so much fun so far and the area is super awesome.  I am really confused still in the area, I just follow Elder Huntsman around.... it´s been pretty great!  I have met a lot of people which has been a lot of fun, the people here are so different from Salto, but so nice. They are constantly doing stuff for us as missionaries. 

Mommy.. no worries about the area.  Huntsman and I don't want to get killed or robbed either, and Huntsman is smart about where we go.  We only carry our Books of Mormon, Hymn books and some pamphlets....nothing more.  However, the Lord is truly always watching over us!  My second night here we woke up and we forgot to flippin lock the door.... we both just looked at each other and said, "That was really intelligent."  We now make sure the door is locked every night!  No stove in our house so we are safe from that!  The ZL's live below us. They have the fridge and the stove.  There is also a gate that is around the house too so we are pretty safe.  President takes good care of us.

Besides just always laughing and having a good time, the work this past week went pretty well too.  As crazy as it is that we are comps, and as much as we are having  a great time together,  I admire the way that Elder Huntsman loves to work.  He may deny it but he really did learn how to work from Elder Caires Franca, and it will help him for his whole mission.  He is a great companion and we are super excited to be together.  Love him like a brother.  He is actually cousins with the Miller family.... Zach, Sam, Max, Austin.  So yeah, Hunstman's mom is a Miller.

There is an absolutely beautiful view from the house like a block up.  If you guys type in Cerro Fortaleza Montevideo, a fort will pop up.  We live like 2 blocks down from it.  We are on a hill that looks over all of old and new Montevideo.  It's super awesome!

Things here have been really good.  I don't have too much to say about the area just yet.... but in the near future there will be pictures of us and a lot more details about the people here!

Being a District Leader is different and I wasn't quite sure what to do for my first meeting.  Luckily I got a paper from the ZL's the day before my meeting which helped me with my first meeting.  My district is Elder Choi and Elder Hodges from Cerro 1.  Elder Brown and Elder Espinoza from Las Torres (Cerro 1).  Elder Degn and Elder Gonzalez from Casabo (Cerro 8).  I love them already.  It has been fun talking to them on the phone and being able to have a district meeting with them!  It is awkward because Elder Brown was the old DL here.  He was DL for 5 changes, and this change he got bumped down to just Senior comp.  I just feel like I am so young compared to my district.  Elder Gonzalez and Elder Choi die this change with Elder Devashrayee.  Elder Degn has 2 more changes left and Elder Brown has 3 changes left.  Then comes me....Mr. 11 months.  Super weird being young trying to teach them, but it is good.  I will just continue to put my trust in the Lord as he has put His trust in me.  It will be an awesome change.

Well, that is all folks.  I sure love you all sooo much and I am grateful for your love and support in all that I do.  You all make me the happiest missionary there is!  I am healthy now too.  Healthy and happy.... couldn't ask for much more! Blessed Elders here!  Have a wonderful week!  I LOVE YOU!

One hard goodbye.... Familia Camargo.  Macarena, Emili and Raquel.

CYA L8r Elder Huamali

The view this morning from the fort after a 3:42 run up the hill. So pretty.

The End of Seven Months in Salto

I hope you know how much I truly love you. I love every email I receive, and I am so grateful for you in my life! 

I will be leaving Salto. It has been a good run here for just about 7 months. Three more days would be 7 months. I am sad to be leaving all the wonderful people here. I have truly made many friends and it has been hard to say goodbye...but the way I look at it, it is only more of a "See you later." I am super grateful for the time I have had here. I know I was supposed to be here for all of this time.  I know that the Lord is very aware of my needs and I am very grateful for each change that I have had here.  I am also grateful for each of my companions. There has been some ups and downs.... more ups than downs obviously.... but I am grateful for my companions because I know without each of them I wouldn't be the missionary that I am today.  I am grateful for the love that I have found in the work here. 

When I was with Elder Vargas I saw some real changes in Marcia and Irene.  I thought that was the reason I was here for so long, was to really build a testimony that the gospel of Jesus Christ changes lives. I can now say with a surety in my heart, that the Church really does cause a change in the hearts of people. However, I don´t think that was the only reason that I served here for so long. I really believe that is was to find Emili and Macarena, and to be a part of their lives. They have changed my life and the way I look at the work. I have learned so much here. I have learned how to be humble, how to speak the language, how to teach with the Spirit and how to be a missionary. 

However, this isn't the end of the journey...only a new beginning!  I will be headed to Montevideo which is my first original zone!  I will be serving in a different part, but I will be able to talk to the missionaries that are in Delta and check up on Gladys.  I am super excited.  I will be working in Cerro 8.  To be honest, it isn't the safest area, but I know that without a doubt my comp and I will be protected.  President Smith actually works a lot in the ward because he served there 38 years ago. Words can't explain how excited I am for this change.  I am excited to head out on a new adventure and with a stud missionary companion, Elder Huntsman. There is one slight change that I just figured out this morning from the ZL's here.... I will be District Leader.  I am nervous and not sure what to think.

I sure do love you all.  I hope you all have a very happy week!  Keep smiling!

Love, A happy and excited Elder Taylor Abel

Me and my new companion....Elder Huntsman! 

Irene and her cute family

Marcia and her cute little one

Finding JOY and LOVE for missionary work!

This week up here in Obelisco was one to remember. I am so grateful for the people here and for all that they do for us. As we have been planning for awhile now, we had 2 baptisms. Macarena and Emili were baptized, and it was a wonderful experience. The weather didn't function too well, but all the people that needed to be there were able to be there and it ended up being really special. The girls are really smart and have made a big impact on their mom and all of their family. Right after the baptism, after all was said and done.. we sent out a message thanking them for the wonderful experience and for all that they did for us leading up to the baptism. We received back a message that touched my heart. She said that she feels we were really sent to the little girls for a reason and now she feels like she needs to really push to be married so that she can be baptized. She also told us that the example of her two girls will be a huge help to their dad. It was really neat to receive her message.  

As I was thinking about the baptism on the following morning, I was just filled with the spirit. In my morning prayer I had a feeling that I haven't ever felt before.  I truly believe that it was pure joy.  I love missionary work.  These girls here have really opened my eyes to the work and all the many blessings. They have sure made it easy to love the work as we sing hymns together, and they always have a smile on their face.  It has been so humbling to see how they have changed and how much their mom has learned too!  And to think that none of this would have happened if the grandmother didn't call us during a weekly planning session, asking us to come to the house to teach her daughter in-law.  God really does work miracles!  In all my time here in Obelisco, I think from all the things I have learned, this will be of most value, because I found joy and a love for the work. 

I am so blessed to be a missionary!  I love you all!  Have a great week!

Sofia, Emili and Macarena

Elder Huamali, Emili, Sofia and Macarena

Emili and Macarena after their confirmations! 

They are the cutest little girls and love their HLJ (CTR) rings (:

Emili, Macarena and family

Sofia and her family after her baptism

Great day for a baptism, with Elder Huamali

A Little Post-Baptism Celebration

An Instrument in the Lord's Hands

F is for a family that does stuff together,

A is for all the fun,

M is for a missionary very happy!

What does that spell.. FAM! How the heck are you guys doing? You all sound like you are living it up! Props to the little bro for his qualification to the big State Track meet.. Capo no? I am so grateful for all your emails.. for your words of love and support. You all truly make me the happiest little guy ever. To answer all of your questions.. no the fungus hasn't gotten better BUT.. we are going to get working on it tonight... if we have water in the house! #fingerscrossed 

This week was one for the books. We headed down to Montevideo late Monday night and got there around 6:30ish. We were able to chat with the missionaries from all the different zones until the Mission Conference started. It all started with a panoramic picture from President´s Iphone. Is it on FB?

The conference went super great! President highlighted that talking is not spiritual but communication is spiritual. We must do more than just talk.. we need to communicate. We are also working on more worthy baptisms here in the mission.. trying to help people become fully converted before having them enter in the waters of baptism. He then said something very profound.. He talked about our companionships.. he said there should be no contention in the companionship.. he told us to ask ourselves.. Lord is it I?.. the then said, the answer is always yes. He then dropped a little cane on us.. telling us that we are not here to waste time.. that we need to drop the people who are not progressing and move on. He was pretty firm at the point. haha.  The rest was about the mission and what we are really here to accomplish as a mission but he ended with something I loved.. ¨Journals are treasure¨.. so true right? Check out Moroni 8:25-26 as well, it is something we are focusing on a lot as a mission (:

The conference with Elder Oaks. We moved to a different stake center and met up with the other mission of Uruguay. It was super cool to see us all in one building. Their mission president, President Cook said something I loved, ¨We are the army of Uruguay!¨ We heard from him and his wife, President Smith and his wife, Elder Cabrera from the 70 and Elder Viñas from the 70. Then we had the opportunity to hear from Sister Oaks.. she posed the question, ¨What are you doing to make this mission the best mission?¨ Also she told us.. that President Monson had asked Elder Oaks to come to Uruguay to speak to us. I thought that was very neat.. He really was sent to us by our loving Prophet. We then had the great privilege to hear from Elder Oaks.. his voice is seriously like thunder but you can still feel the still small voice talk to you as he speaks. Before the meeting actually started.. all the people who were speaking to us and their wives stood in a line as every single missionary took their turn to go and shake hands. Elder Oaks started his talk with telling us that he would love to do so much more than just shake our hands.. he would love to sit down and talk with everyone of us individually.. it was a tender experience to stand in front of him and shake his hand. He continued with his talk as he mentioned a quote from President Hinckley, ¨Just do the best you can!¨ I love it. He then talked a lot about being an instrument in the Lord´s hands and how we are able to do it. He used a pen to describe it and I would love to show you on skype. After showing us this demonstration, he said.. BE A FULL-TIME MISSIONARY.. he told us that we need to be able to balance our lives.. ¨but that is later, now is now¨.. there is no real balance now.. just being a servant of the Lord. He then told us more about success of a missionary.. it comes from our agency to do what we are responsible for and to keep the covenants that we have made. There was a ton more but I will end as he ended.. ¨Keep your eyes fixed on being an instrument in the Lord´s hands.¨ Very amazing experience. I was super grateful to be a part of it.

That is all the that I have for now.. time is running late and I must be going but I sure do love you so much! You guys rock my world and I am very grateful for each and every one of you! Keep smiling and have an absolutely amazing week!

I LOVE YOU!

Love, Elder Taylor Abel.. an excited missionary to be an instrument in the Lord's hands!

Elder Devashrayee! He has one more change and then he dies...this may be the last time I see him in the mission.  Such a great example to me.

Elder White and I on divisions.... we went biking out to a very far away people in his area.  It was super fun!  He's a great missionary.  

He was a companion of Elder Tyson Boyer in the CCM.... fun fact for the day.

Couldn't help but take some pictures in a place that looks like the sacred grove. 

Elder White´s idea (;

Life in the Guay

Oh my cute little family! How in the world are all you guys doing? It seems to me like you all have had a wonderful week and that there is many things to smile about. You guys all got me smiling as I read your experiences of the week! 

Question.. Do you guys keep a journal? (You are probably all thinking.. oh my goodness.. Is this Tay or is this Elder Abel..) I know I always am talking about something more that you guys could do but if you listen to anything I say.. I would listen or read the following about a journal! Journal writing is the best! Yes it does take some time but honestly looking back on the first 10 months of my mission I am able to look back on everyday and remember it like I was living it again. I love my journal.. I know that I will be able to look back on it throughout my life. Something that you guys could start.. maybe not a journal for each and every day .. but a journal for the times where you see the hand of the Lord in your life. I promise you as you pay more attention to the little tender mercies of life you will find greater joy in the plan of happiness!

This past week has been great! Things with Elder Huamali have been good. He has 6 months in the mission. He came to the mission when I moved to Salto.. I have been in Salto his whole mission just to put it into perspective of how long I have been here (; He is from Lima, Peru and he is a very spiritual guy when he teaching and then when he is just in the street or in the house he is always making jokes and messing around. He does have a little growing up to do but for the most part he is a great missionary! He is 19 and has been a member his whole life. Looking at his pictures he was a total skater kid before the mission and you could usually find him with his sunglasses on at night with a hat backwards haha (; He has quite the sense of humor and no girlfriend, and we get along pretty well. He really does remind me of Krenny a lot with some of the things that he does and says. I am grateful to be his comp.

As for the area, the attendance for the ward went down quite a bit to 89 and we aren´t completely sure why. Something that went good this week was now we have 3 people with date to be baptized! We have 2 girls, Emili and Macarena. They are 10 and 9. They are very smart and have the support of their mom and their grandparents. Their grandparents are faithful members, grandpa is the young men’s president and the grandma is a ward missionary. Their mom isn't a member but is very interested in the church and enjoys learning more. She has gone to church the last two weeks with the grandparents and her daughters but she isn't married to her boyfriend. Emili and Macarena have been going pretty strong for about a month now. We have their date for the 9th of May. Do you have any questions? The little girls love us! 

The other person that has a date is a 19 year old guy named Sebastian. (Same Sebastian) He has been listening to us for some time and we have been pretty patient with him. We had given him date a while back but they just got caught up in working so we kind of backed off until he stopped working as much and now we see a true desire in him to be baptized. The other day in a charla he told us that he doesn't doubt that the church is true. He really is a stud. We have his date for the 23rd of May because he wanted to be baptized on his birthday which is the 24th and also to give him more time to really convert and realize the importance of going to church.

With sharing the ward, us as missionaries here have our own plans we are just united on the ward basis. We go to the same meetings and set up activities together but other than that and lunches together sometimes we do our own thing. 

With the money that we receive from the mission.. we get $75ish every 15 days. Which is around 1500 pesos and I always have enough for the whole month. They take care of us. Uruguay as a country is a pretty expensive place. The gas here is super expensive, one of the most expensive countries in the world. No one in the zone has cars either.. no one in the mission has cars except for those in the offices of the mission. We all walk (: The members also take care of us too, if we don´t have lunch we just call someone the day before and they hook us up. We are very blessed by the ward members. Great questions mommy (: 

As you see two of the pictures.. you may think what the flip is that? Be not worried.. it's only fungus. I first had thought that it was dry skin and so I would spray on some sunscreen and my hat and head out into the very sunny Uruguay but it than began to spread and had a different color so I was a little worried. I decided that I would call the doc of the mission. Doctor Bregante. She speaks fluent English and was super nice. She had me explain it and then told me that she thinks it is fungus from either a dog or stress. I sent her some pictures today and she is going to get back to me to know what I need to buy to treat it. She told me it is very treatable and not to worry because it happens to a lot of people. Thought I would keep you guys updated.. but yeah that explains the subject of the email (; I am very healthy and stronger than ever(: No worries about me.. just this little bump in the road with the good ole fungus. 

I hope that you are all healthy and strong and that you are able to realize all the little tender mercies in your life (: I love you soooo much! 

Love, Elder Taylor Abel.. an excited missionary to see Elder Oaks tomorrow!

Crazy Storm at Sunrise

God is GREAT!

How are we all doing? What is new with all of you. I love your emails every week and I look forward to them throughout the week. They are what keeps me going and motivated as some days are rougher than others. I am very grateful for your time that you take to write me. I know that you are all very busy but it makes my heart happy to see that I have your love and support and that you all make time for me here in the Guay (: 

Elder Huamalí. (Wa-ma-LEE) He is from Lima, Peru and he has 2 houses. One that is kind of close to the temple and one that is like in the neighborhood by the Lima, Temple. I am very grateful for him and for his willing to serve. 

I have found myself kind of going through the motions with my prayers. I have been really trying to better myself in my prayers... trying to make them more meaningful and as if I was really having a full conversation with our Heavenly Father. On the Sunday of Conference we didn't have lunch scheduled which normally isn't a problem, but with it being Sunday and spending our time making visits away from our home before Conference and the rest of the time at the church house for Conference, I knew that would be a problem.  As I said my prayer Sunday morning, I had just mentioned that we didn't have a lunch appointment, and asked if we could find food some way... a simple little comment in a prayer.  We then had time to go visit two families before conference started at 1:00. Both of the families that we went to... gave us food.  Something small like bread, but I have never been more grateful for the bread that they gave us.  God listens to us and is so aware of our needs.  The other experience happened rather crazy. We left Estefani's house and were headed to the stake center for Conference on Sunday.  It is like a 35 minute walk, so Vargas wanted to take the bus to get us there quicker.  With it being Sunday, I didn't take money with me when we left our house.  I remember looking at my money before leaving our house, and thinking.... "No, it is Sunday and I won't need it."  We began walking to the stop as Vargas checked to see if he had enough for the both of us.  A bus ticket is 6 pesos... I had said in the moment in my head..."I will take the bus but I am going to have to find some pesos on the ground."  (One time I found 100 pesos on the ground, so I knew it was possible.) We kept walking and all of the sudden this older lady stopped us and asked us if we knew where she lived.... a very old lady had lost her way.  As we walked with her for a second to ask her a few questions about her being lost, I saw a shiny gold circle on the ground.  To my surprise it was 5 pesos.  Vargas had an extra peso and we were able to take the bus.  It was really neat to see how much God loves us and is willing to bless us if we put our faith in him!  God is great!

May we all remember to put our faith and confidence in God, I know that he will bless us and help us with the things that we stand in need of.  I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father and for his plan for all of us as his children.  I love you all soo much and hope that you have an awesome week! Keep a smile on your face at all times! 

Love, Elder Taylor Abel.. a truly blessed missionary of the Most High God

Right before Elder Vargas hopped on his bus.... gonna miss his fun and happy attitude. He was a great companion, I learned a lot from him.

My boy.... Huntsman before he headed out. Miss this kid.

The District! Love these guys

All My Many Blessings

Yo.. how we all doing? I won´t lie, I was super anxious to write you all. It has been a longer week but nonetheless it has been a super great week. I have just missed my wonderful family as it has been 8 long days since we last updated each other on our lives and all the many things that are happening as we each progress in our Plan of Happiness. I am so grateful for each of you and for your emails, love and support. You guys help me more than you know. You help me strengthen my testimony and help me to realize what is important in life. 

I was able to watch all 5 sessions of conference and all the messages were very inspiring as they touched my heart. 

For the 1st session, Sister Linda K. Burton grabbed my attention. As she talked about fathers, I couldn't help but think about my daddy. I thought about all the things that dad has done for us and I was filled with gratitude. I sure love dad so much. He is such a strength for me as a worthy priesthood holder and a true example of hard work. I look up to you everyday dad. It also made me think about my Father in Heaven and the love that he has for us. I am so grateful for the body that he has given me, this life that I have and for my part in the Plan of Happiness. I am so grateful for all of you and for your part in this amazing plan!

2nd session, this is a hard pick because there were so many wonderful talks. The two that I loved were from Michael T. Ringwood as he talked about Shiblon the son of Alma. As well as from Wilford W. Andersen as he connected the Gospel of Jesus Christ to music and dance moves. I wanted to thank the Shiblon's in my life.. Dad, Jord, Sky, Colter and Bryce. They are such good examples to me of humility and giving service out of love. The reason that Elder Andersen's talk caught my attention was because of the topic. You all know that I am a sucker for a good tune and a fun dance and this talk just made so much sense to me. "I can teach you to dance but you have to hear the music." We as missionaries can teach the people to dance, we can teach them to read/pray/go to church but if they don´t hear the music or find out for themselves if it is all true.. we have no progression. "To those who struggle to hear the music of the gospel in their homes, keep practicing. With God´s help, the day will come when the music of the gospel will fill your home with unspeakable joy."

Priesthood session, our personal interview with M. Russell Ballard was my highlight.. I won´t say anymore.. Mom, Sisters.. go watch it(:

4th session, the talk from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland touched my heart as he speaks with such power and love. As he told the story of John and Jimmy, I couldn't help but think in my brothers and know that they would be the Jimmy for me in my life to catch me right when I was about to fall. I am so grateful for Jord and Sky. I love them so much. I loved also what he said about the atonement and how it has victory over death. What a great reminder that this life has no end!

5th session, the Sabbath Day by Elder Russell M. Nelson is the one that really spoke to me. For the longest time I have always wondered what we can and what we can´t do on Sunday and a question that he posed to all of us.. shattered any doubt in my heart about what to do and not to do on Sunday.. "What sign do I want to give God?" May we all put that question to the test the next time we are faced with a decision on Sunday. As well as, may we all be able to make our Sabbath Day a "Delight".

I have so much more to tell you about this week and the many blessings that we received but it will have to wait until next PDAY because I am running out of time. However, I saw the hand of the Lord in my life this weekend and I know without a doubt that God does listen to us, that he answers our prayers and is well aware of our needs. 

The change.... So the bad news is that Elder Del Castillo is not coming and that Elder Huntsman is leaving. I will miss my boy Huntsman. He has become a close friend and a great Elder. He is going to the more dangerous part of the mission down in Cerro to open up an area with a dying Chileno. My dying Chileno is just about dead.  We go to the terminal tonight at 12:30 and he heads out to Montevideo.  My new companion will then show up tomorrow at 11:40 at night.. YAY for a whole day without a companion!  His name is Elder Huamali. (Pronounced Wall-a-mali.) He is from Peru and I have heard nothing but good things from him. I am super excited to work with him. I will give you more details as I get to know him more! I am so grateful for this work and for my part in it. To have the opportunity to share the Plan of Happiness with the people of Obelisco for one more change. I sure do love you all with every ounce of my heart and soul. There isn't a day that I don't think about you guys and pray for you guys!  May you see the hand of the Lord in your lives this week as you put your trust in him.

Elder Taylor Bradley Abel, a grateful, ready to work missionary.