Pickett, Taylor PT

I woke up to myself laughing the other morning, so that tells you about how I am doing. So happy. This week, the family of my dreams was baptized! Catherinne and Bastian followed the example of their daughter/sister to be baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ on Saturday. This past month, I have become so infatuated with the idea of baptizing individuals/families that are going to become the future leaders in the church. I have prayed so hard to be able to find and teach those who will make a difference in the kingdom of God on earth. God blessed us with Fernanda, who is one of our friends that got baptized in August, and through her, we found Eduardo, Catherinne, and Bastian. The story of their conversion is just too beautiful to even try and describe in an email, but basically they are the future leaders of this ward. Though so many things touched me through my experience with them, what marked me the most was the pure love I feel for them. Even just thinking of this family makes me...

We started off this week fasting for specific goals we set in our companionship, and wow, fasting never ceases to amaze me. So many miracles and blessings that I know wouldn't have happened if we weren't dependent on God. However, the biggest blessing I have seen this week was the time I got to spend with Hermana Fornazario, my Brazilian companion. My mission President sadly told us yesterday that she will be moving to a different sector, and I am going to miss this woman so much. The story of her conversion of becoming a member of the Church of Jesus Christ brings me to tears every time. It is so powerful and raw. Basically, she grew up extremely religious with strong beliefs in God. When she was about 20 years old, her dad passed away. She began to ask herself questions like, "Why am I here?", "Where am I going after this life?", "Will I see my Dad again?" She felt like she couldn't find the hope she needed in the religion she belonged to. Du...

Wow. Two big changes that have happened this week: I left the south of my mission and am now serving in more of the city part of Santiago (Nuñoa). I have two companions #triolife. I honestly love change, and so I am thriving but also for sure still settling in. My area right now is SO DIFFERENT compared to the more humble areas I have served in. The people are always racing to activities and can't talk, or those who stop and listen only work here and live two hours away. The first thing one of my comps told me when I got to my new area was that finding people to teach is extremely hard. Of course, we got right to work our first night to get some new friends progressing. After two and a half solid hours of talking to every single person we passed by, we received PURE 100% rejection. We tried to stop people in different ways, knock doors, pass by the houses of those who have been taught in the past, and connect with each person authentically, but nothing was working. After realizing ...

Our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, asked the question, "What would your life be without the Book of Mormon?" and it surprised me when last week I didn't know how to respond. Though I lacked a lot in my testimony when I first started the mission, I have never doubted the power and truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. However, answering President Nelson's question out loud really made me reflect. Every day since I was reminded of his question, I have written a short explanation of what the Book of Mormon has brought me during my study. I have written things like: clarity, protection, spiritual consistency, and humility. However, the biggest change I have seen as I reflected on the impact the Book of Mormon has made in these past weeks is the fact I am filled with the pure LOVE of God. I have learned on the mission that working with church leaders is not always a gratifying experience. In my ward where I am serving, we have some challenging situations, not going to...