Zone Leader Responsibilities

February 2, 2015 Letter

Hola familia,

How is everyone back home? I can't believe Emma is getting home and Megan in less than 90 days. That's so weird to think. Everything is going well here.

You wanted to know about my zone leader responsibilities:

OK, well, this week we have Concilio de Líderes Misionales, or Mission Leaders Council. This is where they invite all of the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders together and we talk about the state of the mission with the Assistants and the Mission President. We talk about specific problems we are seeing in our zones and ask help from the other leaders, we figure out ways to carry out the plans of the mission president, area presidency and coordinate that work with the local District and Stake presidents.

Often times we are also responsible for solving problems that occur with the missionaries, like obedience. We also carry out intercambios with the elders in the zone who are having a hard time to set goals and help them to be more successful. We have been trusted with the spiritual, and physical well being of every missionary in the zone (22 missionaries) and we also are responsible to make sure that they are working in such a way that helps people to progress towards a lifetime conversion in the gospel of Christ.

I'm so happy to hear all of the changes you guys are making. Good luck with that math. I can't imagine what it would be like to go back after so many years of not doing it. I can't remember almost anything.

Love you all a lot,

¡Chao! ¡Quidensenlóm!

Élder Benjamin Taylor

P.s. thank so much for the Family History stuff.  It's like probably one of the best retention tools I know of, so thank you!

Busy Week-Lots of Investigators

Letter from Ben on January 26, 2015

Sorry I didn't write last week.

Not a lot has happened, but at the same time a lot has happened. We're still working with a lot of members right now, trying to get everyone excited about missionary work. We've gotten a few references already and plan on keeping up what we have been doing. We  also have been blessed with quite a few people that are progressing towards baptism. We had 6 investigators and four of which are planning on being baptized in the first 2 weeks of February. The ward is more and more excited to help every day.

We put a plan as a Zone called "Llamenmenlom" where we every night call as many members as it takes to get people to go out with us to lessons. It has worked very well and we have had at least 1 if not two members every single day this week that have left with us. It makes all the difference when the members leave with us. One day I was super sick (throw up, diarrhea, the whole shpeal) and we got 3 different members to be with us. One to stay with me all day, and two others who changed off to be with my companion Elder Gutiérrez.

One sad thing happened this week. The two women we were teaching that were going to be baptized this Saturday (Marcelina & Maria) actually live 1 block out of our limits and live in the other mission, so we had to pass the reference to the other mission. It was a little disappointing, especially because we had really developed a great relationship and they were learning so quickly. They had even started making friends here in the ward, and it was difficult to describe to them exactly why we couldn't teach them. We'll be praying that the other missionaries maintain contact with them and they don´t stop progressing like they were.

I'm doing super well here. It's supposed to be really hot here today so we'll try to stay nice and cool. I love you a whole lot!!

If you could send me some pictures of my great grandpas and grandmas along with the exact birth date of all of my aunts/uncles grandmas/grandpas and Great-Grandpas/great-grandmas along with marriage dates and dates of death.

I'm pretty sure grandpa has in one of his programs a way to get all that information without having to look up one at a time.

Thanks so much, I love you all so much!

Chao,

Élder Benjamin Taylor

Pictures Only-No Letter

January 19, 2015

No letter this week, but we did get a few pictures from the Mission Conference.

I know it is like playing "Where's Waldo" but Ben is really in this picture. He is in the very back row, just to the left of center. If you can zoom in, you will be able to find him. Good Luck!

Ben is in the back row, 4th one from the right

This may be one of my favorite pictures-Ben has lost his neck!

Missionary Work is the Best!

I have gotten a little behind on the blog with job changes and just being busy. Here is Ben's letter from January 12, 2015

Hola Familia,

How are all of you doing? I hope you all have a wonderful time at grandma and grandpa's house. Today is the birthday of my companion. We're going to have an asado (Barbeequ [i don´t remember how to spell that]). I usually fix his spelling errors, but I thought this was a good representation of how much he has immersed himself in the language. He is forgetting English.

This is an amazing ward! The members are all super willing to help. It's amazing! My companion and I have been passing by all of the strong families and sharing some spiritual thoughts, gaining a little of their trust. There have been some "bad" missionaries here in the past and at first haven't been that trusting. But now they really have great confidence in us and are starting to participate in the mission work more and more.

It's something that my companion and I have noticed throughout our missions. It is that almost no one (missionaries and members) knows how we should be working together. There simply was no culture built up in the past. But now we're starting to get everyone on the same page. It's given us some good results. 

We've been blessed with some WONDERFUL references (people that they have been preparing for years but didn't really trust enough in the missionaries to pass the reference). Two are some relatives of a member. They are probably some of the sincerest people I've met. 

One is a lot like Gram and is really loving and grandmotherly, and the other reminds me a lot of a non member version of Aunt Jen. Both wonderful people sincerely looking for the truth. Another reference was Nefi; he is part of a family of all members that inactivated a few years ago, so Nefi was never baptized. Now that the family is reactivating we'll also be working with Nefi [Nefi is spanish for Nephi].

Missionary work is the best!

so...be thinking of people to share the gospel with and follow what the Spirit tells you to.

I've been thinking of a family back home and every time that I pray for Heavenly Father to give me the name of someone with whom I can share the gospel while we are with the members, this family always comes to my mind. So I'll prepare something written personal for them that the missionaries or you guys can give them from me.

P.S. if you could send me a mug shot of each person in my Family Tree that would be awesome. I've put the goal of filling out the pamphlet "my family" completely full to use with the investigators, recent converts and less actives, with pictures where possible. So if you could send me the mug shots of: me, Parents, my siblings, Aunts Uncles and cousins (All together), Grandparents, Great Grandparents. If they can be separate or cropped to just one person it would be preferable. and maybe a baby picture of each (if possible).

Love you all so much,

Chao

Élder Benjamin Taylor

Transfers--Zone Leader in Maroñas

12/30/14-Enjoy Ben's letter from today!

Hola Familia,

How are all of you? It was so wonderful to be able to talk to you on Skype on Christmas. I hope everything is going well back home. Christmas here was wonderful in it's own special way. We had an "Asado" with  our friends, the Familia Torrez, then made our way over to the Rocha Elders house to watch the fireworks. It wasn't as big as in Montevideo as last year. 

Well... tomorrow are the transfers. I got the news yesterday that I am leaving La Paloma, and returning to Maroñas (the zone where I started the mission) in the area called Belloni (Bay-shone-ee). I will be there as Zone Leader, and my companion will be Élder Gutiérrez. He was the Zone Leader here in Rocha when I first arrived here. My companion is going to be staying here in La Paloma with Elder Galeano (Ex financier, his first change out of the offices) my ex companion in the offices. This is going to be an awesome change, I'm very excited to get to know my new companion, learn how to be Zone Leader, and get to know my new ward. I've heard it's one of the strongest functioning wards the whole mission.

I'm going to miss La Paloma a lot! 

I am really going to miss the weird fairy tale houses here

It was such a special experience to be a missionary here in this branch. The people are so special. 

Yanina and Gladys with their copies of the Book of Mormon in my last Lesson with them

When you are one of so few people going to church, it becomes a very intimate experience, as if everyone were your family. 

Me and Hermana Alidema an amazing sister from this branch who always  helped us out with references, food, and just plain loving us.

I can honestly say I've never felt so close  to another ward or branch in my life (other than Plainfield Ward, of course). 

Me with Yanina and Gladys

Well I've got a day full of packing ahead of me, so Goodbye!!

Love you guys so much!!

Chao!

Élder Benjamin Taylor