Man! I Love Revere!

MAN! I love Revere! I know I am supposed to be serving here at this time in my life. My life has changed dramatically since I started viewing everyone as my spiritual brother and sister, and understanding that we all have divine potential in the eyes of the Lord.

I heard my boy, Elder Bybee, gave his talk before he departs for the MTC. Also, Elder Garner is already in the MTC! I don’t know if I was seeing things, but I am pretty darn sure I saw him yesterday on the leadership training broadcast. Go get em’ Elder Garner!  Make me proud boy! Elder Smith is going in this Wednesday I believe? Oh man, Club 29 (group of friends from school) is on 3 different continents, and speaking a mix of 4 different languages! We just need Sam and Jacob to go out and Club 29 will be officially international!

So here in Revere there are a lot of Cambodians! I love my Cambodian friends. There was a Cambodian program out here, but it no longer exists. Anyway, Elder Wright and I go over every Friday to our Cambodian family, the Sen’s, and have dinner. We have our Grandma Sen who spoils the Elders! We love our Grandma Sen and we know she loves us! She has been having the Elders to dinner for over 10 years now! How do we know she loves us? She wants to do our laundry every Monday morning, and if we don’t bring her our laundry, Grandma Sen gets upset with her Elders. I hope my wife is like that. Anyway, Grandma Sen and I are in the process of making a quilt together. We eat with Grandma Sen, Tita (a granddaughter), and Ryan and Ritchie (grandson’s), and it is hilarious! Grandpa Sen is out in the back yard man handling their garden! Ryan is 11 and Ritche is 8 and they are High-lar-e-ous! Ritchie makes faces that just crack you up.

Yesterday was the 1^st Presidency’s Leadership Training Broadcast. It was phenomenal. Whether or not you are in a leadership position, I would recommend you watch it. It will be a benefit to every member in the church.

In the Leadership Training we were privileged to have the Apostles and Prophet address us. The main focus was how members & missionaries can be cohesive in accomplishing the commandment of our Heavenly Father to preach his gospel.  L. Tom Perry said some  things that inspired and motivated me to be a better member and missionary. He said it is time for missionaries to rise to the occasion in this “new era” of missionary work. It’s time for young men and women to rise to the occasion.  But it was something else he said that got me really thinking. He said with the demanding call for missionaries to step up, there is no greater time than now for members to rise to the occasion as well. Missionaries will not be able to fulfill their/our purpose without the members.

What also stood out to me was President Boyd K. Packer’s address. President Packer is a man who I especially love, admire and respect.  He has been a spiritual resource and has brought comfort to me, and influenced my family. President Packer taught us how to teach. He said we need to abandon the script and rely on the spirit.  When we succeed in teaching we need to give little credit to ourselves, and recognize our Heavenly Father instead. The greatest and most important teaching done in the church is by the mothers. He said we need to take heed of the council of our parents and church leaders, especially the Apostles and the Prophet. It is time to go forward and to be obedient. There isn’t anything we can’t be forgiven of.  There was a remark of President Packer’s that instantly stood out to me. For those who don’t know President Packer, he is 88 years old and is slowing down due to his elderly age. President Packer has dedicated his life to the Gospel. He has engulfed himself in the teachings of Jesus Christ. He said in his address that he still needs to learn a lot more. WHAT!? It made me realize I really need to humble myself when it comes to thinking “I know everything.” There is a lot more to learn and I hope I will still be seeking knowledge when I’m 88.

I know and am so comforted that we have modern day Apostles and Prophets that are here to guide us. It comforts me to know that our Heavenly Father works through men that have been called of God. I sustain the Apostles and Prophets as seers and revelators, and I know and promise that if we will follow their words we will never go astray. I know there are people who have been prepared to hear the Gospel message and I know we need to do everything in our might to find them and bring them the peace of the Gospel.

I know that Heavenly Father lives. I know that he lives. Heavenly Father lives and he is there for us.

Elder Tait.

2 Years. Make it count.

Thoughts for the Week

                Grandpa Waters died (member of home ward)…..oh man. That just brings tears to my eyes. I loved that man. I will never forget taking the sacrament to him. I always looked forward to bringing it to him, and it was always one of the best feelings leaving his home. I am happy for him. I am sure it was a good time for him to go. Tell the Mosers and Grandma Waters that I love them. I do know Dallin Jay Waters very well! We ran on the same cross-country team. I was good friends’ with him in high school.

I love you so much, Hillary!  Happy Birthday! You are the best older sister ever!  Carry those drum sticks around with you everywhere!  I should do that – maybe it would increase our amount of investigators.  I love you!

Babushka! (Lily) Happy Birthday! I love you so much. I can’t believe you are 12!  Wow. Contacts too? Dang, Babushka, you are growing up! And no more Primary! How do you feel about that? Happy or sad? 

                 I was thinking about it the other day - when I get home and I am dating someone, if none of my sisters like her, then neither do I! I’m not dating her anymore! They were always right about girls when I was in High School.

I love you guys so much.

                Love, Elder Tait

Happier Than a Fruit Fly in the Produce Aisle

I heard that Jordan Timothy (Jack’s cousin), the man with the plan, who has power every hour, who is open 25 hours 8 days a week, sealed the deal, and when I say sealed, I LITERALLY mean sealed!  It’s remarkable the monumental events that occur in everyone’s lives. I was rather offended I didn’t get a wedding invitation! Thanks for thinking of me! That is worse than getting pulled over for a $100 burrito. The wedding must of have been fun. I wish I could have been in the sealing room. That must have been such an amazing, beautiful moment.  Anyway, it’s astounding to look at how much life we have to live - marriage, family, children, college, occupation, home, enduring to the end, but at the same time how minuscule is our time here on Earth.

I also saw some pictures from the wedding, and I would like to personally inform Alex (Provo friend) that he has a rather most excellent mustache. Keep up the good work. Also, congratulations to Jared (friend/former roommate -- for catching the groom’s bouquet)! It is now destiny for you to find your eternal companion who will be able to accept the fact that you play DK. I am sure there is someone out there! And, Jonno Andrews (friend/ former roommate) – I heard he is engaged! There you go my Jonny boy! You make it happen!

As I look at the past weeks and then at the weeks to come, it is definitely fair to say that the Lord has prepared a numerous amount of souls, in the Revere, Massachusetts area, to receive the restored gospel. I can’t describe how much joy it brings me to see the light of Jesus Christ glow from them when they connect with the truthfulness of the gospel. Earlier, when I was thinking about the commitment Jordan and Katie just made, it made me again realize how much more enjoyable life is when we view the decisions we make based on the spiritual consequences, and not the physical consequences. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a church where we follow the commandments of Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ and not the desires of man. We are a church governed by our Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ. When we look at a commandment our Savior has given us, and believe it may not bring us true happiness, we need to understand these commandments are for our physical/mortal benefit, but more importantly our spiritual benefit. Again, there is much more to come after this life, but it won’t always seem that way in moments of struggle or doubt – but when we see our divine potential, our hope and faith will revive again and give us strength to endure to the end.

I know God’s spiritual and physical blessings give hope to many in this world, according to our obedience and our faith in Jesus Christ.

I love you MAMA! You make me happier than a fruit fly in the produce aisle. Hey, can’t wait to give you a hug! Tell grandma I love her and she is feisty.

I know that God lives. I know he lives. God Lives.

Elder Tait.

2 Years. Make it count.

Baptism of Sister Edith K

Elder Campos

With Elder Laurent! Fellow Coronado HS Graduate

Zone Conference

Elders Wright, Tait, Pitcher & Campos

This Is Faith

Faith is a difficult principle to instantly understand. It comes with time as we build our testimonies. Scriptures, such as this one, explain faith:“..faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.”

The Book of Mormon and the Holy Bible clearly illustrate what faith is, by definition, but we still seem to struggle on how to act on faith. How we apply it to our lives. As we follow the example of Jesus Christ, we will begin to understand how faith is important for our testimonies. So how do we act on faith?

After investigating the church for one year, a 55 year-old woman we are teaching now has an unquestionable desire for baptism. For years this woman has had some tough medical issues, including a sensitive sore on her back.  The sore cannot be exposed to unfiltered water, or it has a chance of becoming infected, which could make her fatally sick. As her baptism has approached a solution was found to patch an air compressed bandage on her sore so water won’t come in contact with the wound. We also will be sterilizing the water in the baptismal font. This woman has been seeking the truth for years and the days are coming closer to her baptism. She told her nurse, who visits her daily, about her baptism. She expected her nurse, who is one of her best friends, to be happy and supportive, but she was the complete opposite. Devastation flooded the nurse’s face as she begged and begged our investigator not to be baptized (by immersion). Her nurse was confused as to why she would want to do something like that, and why she couldn’t just join another church (that didn’t baptize by immersion). At that moment, the woman desiring baptism gathered every ounce of her faith, and with tears in her eyes, told the nurse antagonizing her:”You don’t understand. I need to be baptized fully in water. Completely under the water - nothing else. There is no substitute. Jesus Christ was baptized in water. That is how Jesus Christ did it, and that is how I will do it.”

This is faith. I have been blessed to see this miracle unfold in front of me. This woman will be following the example of Jesus Christ and entering the waters of baptism this week. I know that she will be blessed. I know that we need to exercise our faith daily if we desire the blessings of God for ourselves and for others. We need to have faith to be obedient to God’s commandments, and if we are obedient we will see miracles.

Before closing, I received a letter from Elder Sigler this week. At home I realized that we always lived the gospel as a group of friends, but we never bore strong testimonies to one another.  His letter could have included the wild things going on, but instead it had Elder Sigler’s most heartfelt testimony. I felt the Holy Ghost as I read the words from his letter. Elder Sigler is a worthy and truly loyal servant of the Lord. I cannot say how privileged I am to call him my friend. He has, will, and will always positively change and influence the lives of many, as he has for me. It gave me time to reflect on how happy I am with our group of friends. I look forward to the day when we will all see each other again and meet inside the temple.

With Love,

Elder Tait.

2 Years. Make it count.

“….Man how are we going to steal a Tank?”

“Does it have wheels?”

“….uhhhh Yeah?”

“If it got wheels I can jack it!”