My Family Means the World to Me!

           I love you so much! My family means the world to me! Mom, you mean the world to me. This is strange, and I am not joking, but I AM NOT IN NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND. Yes. This is what happened. It was Wednesday night and transfer meetings were on Thursday - the next day. I was packed all ready to go, around 10:30 pm. As I was going to bed around 11:00, we got a phone call from someone. Elder Campbell and I both ignored it, and didn’t bother to check who it was. No more than 20 seconds later the phone went off again. Frustrated, I got up to see who in the world was calling us at 11:00 at night. I picked up the phone -and of course it was President Packard!  President Packard told me I was getting transferred, not to Newport, Rhode Island, but to Revere, Massachusetts. I was confused. President Packard explained that a couple of elders in the Revere area couldn’t drive for various reasons, so they needed another elder there who could drive, and they had to do an emergency transfer because of the situation. President Packard told me I was the one who needed to be there and I would be finishing the training of my new companion, Elder Wright. Time wise, we are the youngest companionship in the mission. I have been out only 6 weeks more than Elder Wright. The senior missionaries told me later that they were there when President Packard found out about the situation and he knew instantly who needed to go to Revere. No questions asked. So, I KNOW I am supposed to be in Revere, and I LOVE IT. Revere is most excellent.

My new companion, Elder Wright, is the man with the plan! Elder Wright is LITERALLY the Da Vinci of calculus. He is from Gilbert, Arizona. He is part of the new 18 year-old wave. He is 6 feet 3 inches tall, a dynamic state champion volleyball player, and very talented in all realms of life – and he is an absolutely phenomenal missionary. We are excited to work together. The work here in Revere is THRIVING. We are teaching many people who have a desire to join the church. The Revere Ward is phenomenal. About 40% of the ward is made up of young couples who are attending dental school at Tufts College. They are always coming and going, but the families are most excellent. We have 10 missionaries in our district. And we live with another companionship. They are Spanish speaking elders -- Elder Pitcher and Elder Compos. Elder Compos is from Peru and is high- lar- i- ous. He sounds like Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite.

The time always flies when I’m writing these e-mails.  One story, real quick -- because I have other e-mails to write. This week we were teaching a referral. Half way through the lesson he got a call that his elderly mother had fallen down and hurt herself and was bleeding. They live 15 minutes away from each other, so he asked if we would come over and help him out. So we arrived at his mother Holly’s house, and she was up and no longer bleeding – and she was really happy we had come. We talked for 5 minutes in her living room and she asked us if we could say a pray of thanks for her being safe. I then offered to give her a priesthood blessing instead. After our brief explanation about what that was, she was enthused to have one. We laid our hands on her head and the words of God came to me, telling Holly that she would recover faster than she thought. After we closed in the name of Jesus Christ, she slowly turned back to me with a surprised face. She looked me directly in the eyes and said, “As soon as you closed that special prayer, my neck and head instantly stopped hurting. I loved that prayer, thank you.” Then we invited Holly to church. She came yesterday and had read the first 20 pages of the Book of Mormon. We are teaching her later this week. God truly does prepare people to hear his Son’s message. I love this Gospel. It is true. I know it is true. This is the church of Jesus Christ. Until next time --

Elder Tait

2 years. Make it count.

My new address:

12 Lowell Street

Revere, MA  02151

It Was Either a Small Bear or Large Dog Chasing Us.....

Well now….it has been an interesting week. To start with, the elders and I are safe and doing fine. We had one day during the week that we were not permitted to proselyte, because of the second suspect, “armed and dangerous,” who was still on the loose. But, because of the bombings, people have been more suspicious of what’s going on outside their homes and around their areas. And if anything appears to be “dangerous” they get defensive. For example, Elder Campbell and I are trying to find less-actives on our ward list, which has not been properly updated for about 20 years now. 

We approached one member’s house who supposedly goes by the name of “Billie.” Well, I can tell you this right now, “Billie” was not too keen on our being at his door. We approached the door, and gave an ever so friendly knock, as we always do. We both watched as our good friend “Billie” opened the door, then instantly became alarmed, said something about the FBI, and then ran into the other room leaving the door open. Elder Campbell and I both looked at each other confused. Two seconds later “Billie” released his quite large watch dog on us to properly tell us he didn't want us there. Elder Campbell and I both made a wild sprint to our car, with what was either a small bear or large dog chasing us. Well, we are both safe and the good news is we got some exercise. I believe we really touched “Billie”, and I do believe he is going to start coming back to church. But on the other hand, it might be better if some people don’t open their doors to us.

Again, we are trying to narrow down our ward member list, so we attempted to  visit a “Gail G.”. We approach this beautiful house and knock on the door. After almost being lunch for Billie’s grizzly bear we were ready to sprint out of there. Then a man who goes by the name of “Smokey” answers the door. He comes outside and we sit on the benches outside the house. Sister G. still lives there but was not there at the time, but Smokey was at the house and was an acquaintance of Sister G.'s. Now we have been talking to Smokey for about 45 seconds when Smokey does something that helps me figure out where he got his nickname. As we are talking to him, he pulls out a full bag of marijuana, rolls it up, and then begins to “enjoy” his drug by smoking it. He was polite and asked us if we wanted “a hit.” Unfortunately, we had to politely decline his generous offer (Doctrine and Covenants Section 89 anyone?). We were able to talk to him for 30 minutes. Smokey is a brilliant man, and he knows that Sister G. is a member, but she never goes into too much detail about it with him. However, he was able to tell us about the time he ambushed and stabbed a moose. Elder Campbell will go back and visit Smokey again and try to find Sister G., but unfortunately I will not, because of other news I have.

I am already getting transferred to a new area. Tomorrow I leave Amherst, Massachusetts for Newport, Rhode Island! When we received the information that I was being transferred my district as a whole was shocked. Elder Campbell has been in Amherst for 7 ½ months. We all thought he was easily going to be transferred, but obviously the Lord has different plans for all of us. I have been here in Amherst for only 3 months and I do wish I could have had more time here. I felt like I was becoming more integrated with the area and the ward, but like I said before, it is all for a reason and a purpose. I will miss Amherst terribly – things like “Billie” releasing his grizzly bear on us, or when we tried to find Bruce Wayne, or even when a Jevohah’s Witness at the soup kitchen threatened to cut off my knees. You can’t replace those memories. I have heard from everyone I have talked to that Newport, Rhode Island is a most excellent place. I guess there are mansions there that people owned way back in the 18th or 19th century, and now they are all tour houses. It is LITERALLY on the eastern coast, and I guess our apartment is really close to the beach, something like ½ mile away, which in retrospect doesn’t mean squat-diddly to a missionary. I was also told the Great Gatsby was filmed there. My information is not that valid. This is just what I have heard from ward members, but I am still excited for Newport.

Elder Hanberg and I went on exchanges this week, and it was one wild rodeo! YIPPEE KAY AYE. I can’t express how much I respect Elder Hanberg.  The day exchange was phenomenal. He was able to help me with his 16 months of experience. Elder Hanberg is truly a humble servant of the Lord who is the perfect balance of fun and spiritual. He is the Springfield Ward hero, because of the story about when he kicked a possum. We visited a mentally ill man in the psychiatric hospital whose name is David. David remembers when he was younger going to the LDS church with his buddy, and he always loved going. David is having some struggles in his life, but he can get help for his mental illness. He decided he needed to start trying to find God and called the church, and we have been going over there and teaching him. David said after the first lesson that he wants to be baptized. It will probably be at least 2 years until that happens due to the complexities of his illness but it is still remarkable to see the hope the gospel of Jesus Christ can provide. David still made some incongruous, or out of place remarks. He told us he knows where all the sharp items are. It was comforting to know that.

Anyway, I have a message today about the calamities and times in which we are living. In the past few months, the Massachusetts Boston Mission region has been through a number of unfortunate events. Just look at what has happened. Hurricane Sandy. The Newtown Shootings. Superstorm Nemo. The Boston Bombings. All these events have taken over 300 innocent lives. 300! These attacks and calamities are causing America, the country of freedom, to cringe, and be fearful. Now, how does that make sense? We, as a country, are having our freedoms challenged due to the radical and sick minds of those who strive to destroy us. With the Newtown shootings, the man behind that atrocious plot had an objective to be recognized, and, through his sick thought processes, the way to do that was by taking the lives of innocent children. I bear testimony to everyone that these are the last days. Our mission boundaries are about a 150 mile radius. What about the rest of the world? Imagine the malicious acts occurring in the world that we don’t see or know about. I know I have only seen a minuscule amount of the world’s turmoil, but I stand as a witness that we will never fail if we are faithful to God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For those who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the time is now to protect our freedoms and prepare ourselves spiritually for the battle against the adversary. The calamities of this world will not cease. They will only continue to get worse. We, as a whole, need to strengthen each other. Bear your testimony often. The strongest thing we have to defeat Satan is our testimony, if it is born with real intent and true faith. I know God lives. I know he lives. 2 years. Make it count.

(PS. Madeline Foutz! You go get them tiger! Argentina has no idea what’s about to hit it. The spiritual thunder of Madeline Foutz is about to cause a real storm! Crazy - the girl and I were in the same first grade class!)

 

The Boston Temple

 

People  of Amherst:

I Know God Lives. He Lives. (response to being in Boston the day of the Bombing)

To all my family and friends,

Yesterday was an extremely tragic day, but in another aspect, it was an experience that strengthened my faith and testimony that my Father in Heaven is watching and protecting me, as I walk by faith and not by sight. For those who do not know, I am currently serving in Amherst, Massachusetts. This is an hour and forty-five minutes away from Boston. We never go to Boston on our P-day unless we go to the Boston Temple, then after we can enjoy the city of Boston.

It turns out that yesterday we went to the temple. Elders Campbell, Hanberg, Croft, and I all carpooled together from Springfield to the Boston Temple. The Boston Temple experience was absolutely phenomenal, but for the consistency of this story I will write about that spiritually uplifting time in a different letter. After our temple session, we visited converts of some elders in my group who had served in Revere – which is about 20 minutes away from Boston. After that we got on the T and went into the city of Boston. When we got on the T I had a feeling that something was off. I thought at first it was because there was a dog trying to lick me, but when we got off the T the feeling wouldn’t go away. At the time I didn’t know why but looking back it is quite obvious. We walked the streets of Boston together, and were able to see the famous Boston Marathon that was going on that day. We wandered around Copley Square, the Boston Commons and Quincy Market. It was great, but again something was off. It was a mutual feeling in the group, so we all thought we needed to head back early. We didn’t know why, but now we do. We took one last look at the Marathon, and made our way back to the T and then to Revere, where we got our car and left the Revere/Boston area.  We stopped by this absolutely delicious Roast Beef place for some food. At this time, it had been 40 minutes since we had decided to leave Boston early.

We were on the freeway headed home when we got a phone call from our Zone Leaders. They asked us frantically where we were. We told them we were 30 minutes outside of Boston. They told us to hurry home and we asked why. When we got the horrific response that there had been a terrorist attack in Boston we were all stunned. We asked what they knew about it, and our Zone Leaders told us we could turn on the radio to find out more. After 5 minutes of listening we realized that we had been protected by the Lord. We had walked around Copley Square, we had walked right next to the Boston Marathon, saw the finish line, saw the crowd, walked everywhere on the streets. It is terrifying to say, but we missed the bombs by 20 minutes. We got off the T in Revere at about the same time the bombs in Boston went off. We were able to leave before the city was closed. We were blessed. God lives. I know God lives. He lives. We were standing and walking where the bombs went off. Heavenly Father lives. We were blessed to recognize and heed the promptings of the Holy Ghost, when we didn’t even know why.  We were walking by faith, not by sight. To everyone who reads this, both those of the LDS faith and those who are not, I want to bear my testimony that God lives. I know that Heavenly Father has a hand in our lives EVERYDAY. I know that God lives. He lives. I know this Church has been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. I am grateful to have the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the gift of the Holy Ghost in my life to direct and protect me. Those who want to know the truth whether you are LDS or not, please read Moroni 10:3-5. I promise if you follow the challenge in this scripture you will be given knowledge about how to receive peace in your life and an amazing feeling of comfort.  I have limited time today. I look forward to telling you next week about how amazing the Boston Temple was. Until next time.

Elder Tait

2 Years. Make it count.

Everything in Amherst is Grand!

Sister Tait!

I cannot tell you how much love I am filled with! I just read a letter from everyone in the family and I feel as if I am home talking to you guys. I was on the verge of tears, but had a broad smile while reading Babushka’s email! I just cannot believe how she is growing up. I did tear up when she talked about saying a prayer to Heavenly Father in her heart. I would not have done that when I was 11. Babushka is such an example to me! I will write her back and tell her personally! Annie got her license? I cannot even fathom the thought that my little sister, who chased me around with a baseball bat at the age of four, is now behind a mechanical machine cruising the streets of Las Vegas. And that is wild she got the same driving inspector as Hillary did! Speaking of Hillary - Hillary Jane is the poster child of what the kids call these days a “groovy cat”. I am going to come home and she is going to have her own art museum, and then it will be so big it will become a city.

Everything in Amherst is grand! Weather is great and so are the people! They are sometimes confused as to what Elder Campbell and I do. We walked past a high school and the softball girls shouted “Are you guys Jehovah’s Witness’s?”  I replied back “No, we are Mormons!” Yes, and when we go to the soup kitchen, many people are confused as to what we do. Some of the comments they make are better not shared, but they are still wonderful people! Our bathroom is completely clean of mold! (I think) And now we have a fan in our bathroom. At least we have a roof over our heads!

Anyways, Elder Campbell and I watched General Conference at the church building. It was absolutely brilliant. It’s remarkable the modern revelation we can receive from our prophet and apostles. This past week has been challenging. General Conference was the aid I needed for my spiritual well being. I needed all of General Conference. If this means anything to you I took 10½ pages of notes on all five sessions. I needed everything. I am going to re-listen to the talks over and over. If I had time I would specifically tell you the ones I especially loved, but one message of truth that stood out to me, and that will never be outdated, is that the adversary wants us to define ourselves by our sins, but we need to define ourselves by our divine potential. I was blown away. I have slowly started losing my enthusiasm and outgoing attitude as I’ve allowed the words of people to affect me. There are some really brutal people out here. I know the main reason for this is my lack of faith. I need to rely on my Father in Heaven. I need to walk side by side with Christ. I have truly realized that the adversary is real. He is real, and I’ve felt scared. I know He has been working on me because he knows I have a work to do here.  I know he acknowledges this and will always be working on me. When I came to this realization, I was scared. I was scared that I would lose. I was scared that I was not strong enough. I asked myself, why? Why am I thinking this? It is because I have a lack of faith. I recognized this and realized it is time to suit up. I need to believe before I know. You know how Elder Hanberg sent you that side note about me in his letter? "Quick side note here - in your e-mails to him remind him that our Savior taught by using parables and a few analogies here and there, so don't be afraid to teach by the spirit." That is what I needed to hear, Mother. I am very disappointed in myself. I have been scared to share the gospel. The moment I came to this realization I was flabbergasted with myself, because I know that is not who I am. In a sacred moment of prayer I saw what I could become as a missionary and that is not who I am right now. I have been scared because I have allowed the adversary and the thoughts and philosophies of man to seep into my head and attack my testimony. However, I have a testimony that is much stronger than any word of man I know. I have a testimony that defines me for who I am. I know that this is the true church. I know I have a great work that needs to be done here. I know that the future is bright. I know that we have a Father in Heaven. I know that if I bear my testimony with a fully sincere heart, miracles can be brought forth. I know that bearing this testimony will bring greater faith and obedience. Mother, Father, Sisters, Family, and Friends - I know. Please don’t waste time – if you don’t know, get to know yourselves. If you truly know then you will share that knowledge. I will be bolder. I will share the gospel with no fear. I will share it with faith.

I have realized I have not been exactly obedient. If none of us were obedient to the commandments of Heavenly Father, who would be able to bear a heartfelt testimony and change the hearts of men and women in this world? I understand the work of the Lord cannot be done in its full capacity if we as missionaries - representatives of Jesus Christ – are not being obedient.

I was able to come to another conclusion that truly humbled me - I am worrying too much about my own concerns. I need to be worried about the feeling I leave with people -outside and inside the church. I was able to come to this amazing conclusion and I will need to try my hardest to work on this. It does not matter whatsoever if people remember me as a missionary or the name on my tag. All that matters is that the people of this area who I come in contact with remember the feeling of love – a love that Heavenly Father has for them individually as his children.

I have 2 years to serve here and the rest of my life to think about it. The work that will be done today will not be able to be changed tomorrow, but like John Longden, my great grandfather, I know “Truth or principle does not change; today, if we desire the blessing of God, we must be obedient – obedient to conscience, to conviction of right, to divine authority, and to God, in whom we trust.” The words of our living prophet will never change. We need to choose right now if we will live the gospel with exact obedience, which will bless our lives and the lives of multiple others. Our testimonies will always be changing. The question is, will we keep our testimonies to ourselves or manifest to others that this is the true church. The time to make that decision is now.

Elder Tait

Everyone Loves a Tie Message!

All right, first off I need to begin with saying Anna Hoer is an absolutely phenomenal female! Elder Campbell and I got home, and there was a package from Sister H. I opened it up and there lay a majestic tie. I mean, who doesn’t love a majestic tie? I saved it for Easter Sunday. Right before church I got the sudden idea of starting a daily “tie message.”  When I wear my ties, I usually wear a tie clip, so I thought why not clip a message to it? I also have my typewriter and I thought, even better - I can type a daily tie clip message! So on Sunday I was walking around the Amherst Ward with a message on my tie that said “I really like this tie. Thanks Anna H.” The members of the Amherst Ward all mispronounced Anna’s last name when they read it, but they enjoyed the message! So then I thought, “Wait, why stop at recognizing amazing females on my ties when I can do daily scriptures!” Today I am walking around with Alma 32:21! It’s not that noticeable, but when I go to the grocery store I am bound to have a conversation! Anna Hoer you are causing a tie message phenomenon!

Every one loves a tie message!

Also it’s Allie D’s birthday! Wherever that female is, some one carry this message to her - “Happy Birthday! I am sending you a basketball, so you can play with your friends, shoot some hoops, make some baskets, play some defense, you know - block people or reject them! Whatever you want!”

This week was absolutely brilliant. You may not believe it, but Elder Campbell and I found out that Batman is possibly a member of the Chinese Baptist Church! So Elder Campbell and I were planning the week out when we got 2 media referrals sent to our phone. Media referrals are when people go on to Mormon.org and request a visit from the missionaries. The referral is then sent to Provo and then sent to the phone of the missionaries who live closest to the referral. Elder Campbell and I got excited to see what wonderful people were requesting us! Elder Campbell picked up the phone and read the name of the first referral. As soon as he read it, he looked up at me and started laughing. I asked what was up and he threw me the phone. The name of the referral was “Bruce Wayne”. Hey, guess what Mom! I’m teaching Batman! Maybe we'll baptize the whole city of Gotham when we are done with Sir Wayne! So we give our friend “Bruce Wayne” a call. No answer. So we jump into the missionary mobile and speed (while driving the speed limit) to the address that was listed. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! We were going to teach Batman! We arrived at the house.

I couldn’t contain myself! I think it’s Batman’s summer retreat! We knock on the door, and I couldn’t handle the intensity of the moment! Well it was anti-climactic. No answer. I was pretty sad. Maybe we could have even taught Anne Hathaway! So we hopped into the missionary mobile to our next address after being let down by Bruce Wayne . We punched the address into the GPS and made our way to meet a “Greg Mozel,” but instead of Greg we arrived at a lovely Chinese Baptist Church! Who would have thought! So the referral system still has a few flaws, BUT you never know what seeds you may plant, even with the referrals who are pranksters. So, ultimately the joke is on them!

Status report on the Judy! The black mold guy is reconstructing the bathroom this week, I am starting to feel better, and so we are staying. I talked to President Packard and I told him I was feeling better, and since the mold problem was getting fixed, we decided the best thing for the mission and the church was not to fight the lease and stay put until August. President Packard will move the Amherst Elders when August comes, as soon as possible. I might still be here, I might not. Who knows! The mold is just usually in the bathroom, but in the summer time it starts growing on clothes and other places. That just means more mold for us! So it will be exciting to see what comes up! I am feeling a lot better. Still on antibiotics, but hey, I am getting color back into my skin! 

We had A great Easter yesterday. We spent it with Harry (Abindai) and Pete W and their families. The W’s are high-lar-ious! It was funny to be around them and hear their stories. Also Adam B. our investigator who is getting baptized soon was there with his brother. Adam is practically a son to Harry and his wife Patrice W. Also Patrice W is awesome! Can’t explain it, but in general the W's are amazing, and I WILL need to keep in touch with them.

After the W’s we got invited over to the C's. Brother C is a convert to the church. His daughter Crystal was over visiting from North Carolina with her husband and two young children. I am not sure if Crystal is a member, but it turns out she has been diagnosed with a fatal illness. I am not familiar with what it is in particular, but her future is unpredictable. I was sitting enjoying my second Easter dinner when Brother C grabbed me and pulled me into the other room to talk to me. Brother C told me as soon as he learned about Crystal’s medical condition, he offered to give her a priesthood blessing and she said she only wanted to receive one if the Elders were there. I am sure you can predict what came next. Brother C then asked me if I would seal the anointing and give the blessing. I immediately agreed, but I also immediately started to quiver and shake knowing that in no less than one minute I would be using the authority and power of God to bless a child of his who was ill - and I would be relaying to Crystal the words God wanted her to hear and know. Fear rushed through me that I would speak words that were only hopeful thoughts of what I wanted for Crystal. I wanted to speak the words of the Lord, not my thoughts. These were the thoughts rapidly accumulating in my head in the minute before giving Crystal her blessing. Then it was time to proceed with the ordinance. As Brother C, his step son, and Elder Campbell placed their hands on the head of Crystal, my worries and concerns were still ringing in my head. But, as soon as I placed my hands on Crystal’s head the noise in my head immediately ceased. As I took a breath I felt time and everything surrounding me slow down. This was my first priesthood blessing in which I was the mouthpiece of the Lord. As I breathed in, instantly the words of the Lord flowed out through my mouth and into the ears of Crystal. I will never be able to explain in words the connection I had with the Lord at that moment. There were many thoughts that were revealed to me as I saw what Crystal could become and the growth she would experience in the future. The thoughts and words that came to me were sacred and strengthened my testimony of the Priesthood. As soon as I closed the blessing, I couldn't even remember what I had said. I was only the voice of the Lord who was the one truly speaking. I could not have asked for a better Easter.

I hope everyone else had a wonderful Easter as well.

With Love, Elder Tait

Elder Hanberg - Milk the Cow

Elder Campbell 1

Elder Campbell 2

Elder Langford

Stradley and Langford

Stradley

Top of the Hill!

Still - TOP of the Hill!

District Meeting?

District Meeting!

The Juesckes!

Riverside!

Yes, Indeed!

Tie Clip Message!

Thanks for the tie!