Jesus Healing the 10 Lepers

I apologize for not writing the past few weeks. I have been blessed to be able to serve in this area with a humble servant of the Lord. We have seen many miracles through the tender mercies of Heavenly Father. We’ve also had some unexpected events happen that have taught us a lot. We were privileged to have the opportunity to learn from a member a new insight into the story of Jesus healing the 10 lepers.

When Jesus was fulfilling his earthly ministry, he entered a small town and met 10 lepers. Their leprosy resulted in them having horribly painful sores all over their bodies. At that time people treated lepers poorly, for fear of contracting the disease. As soon as the 10 lepers saw Jesus, all 10 knew Jesus could heal their ailment and they asked him to do so. Jesus told them to go to the priest and they would be made clean. On their way to the priest all 10 lepers were healed.  They were all so joyful at being healed, but only 1 of the 10 turned around and thanked Jesus for healing him. I believe we all understand the moral of this story. One leper was grateful enough to turn back and thank Jesus for what he had done. But on a deeper level, what did that 1 leper receive that the other 9 didn't?  What was the blessing he received for being thankful?

In Luke 17:18, after the leper thanked Jesus, Jesus replied,

"...Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole."

What this 1 leper received that the other 9 didn't was a whole understanding of faith. He was able to understand that miracles happen through faith in Jesus Christ. To the other 9 lepers, being healed was just a miracle that had somehow happened. Jesus told the thankful leper "thy faith hath made thee whole."  The former leper was whole in his understanding that miracles happen, not out of happenstance, but from our faith in Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Redeemer.

Most of us have been like the 9 lepers, but this story can help us learn that our faith is strengthened as we exercise that faith and show gratitude to Jesus Christ, the one who makes miracles possible. I know that the same priesthood that healed those 10 lepers long ago is again on the Earth today and that miracles continue to happen daily. We have two options: 1. To just witness, or be part of a miracle. Or 2. To witness or be part of a miracle, AND seek an understanding of who made the miracle happen, and why the miracle happened. If we do the latter, I know we will be able to receive a confirmation through the Holy Ghost, as if Jesus Christ himself was here, "...Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole."

Elder Tait
2 Years. Make it Count.

RED SOX NATION!

RED SOX NATION! So cool to be in the city that won the World Series! There was so much excitement in town. From what I have heard about some of the recent Celtics trades it will be tough to also get an NBA championship, but we can still do it! Your pumpkin was awesome Mom! Nice touch on the toothpicks. It was flawless. An 11 out of 10. Dynamite pumpkin carving. Did you and the family watch the game?
Quiet Halloween's are the best Halloweens. We had to be inside before 6:00PM on Halloween. I wish I had been there to taste your donuts! By the way, you guys are the best! Thank you so much for sending us that pumpkin candy set! It was most excellent. We only had one trick or treater. They knocked on the door, and Elder Anofils and I realized we had no candy. Then we grabbed some of the candy from the pumpkin you sent us, to make sure we didn’t ruin this little kid’s Halloween. You saved us!
I’m praying for Babushka to feel better! We need her feeling dynamite if she is going on a mission! I gave her some homework to do today while she is sick in bed. Ask her if she got my e-mail!
You always have great quotes my mother! I need to make sure I record these when I get home. I am currently working step by step to make my prayers the most important part of my day.
Mom I love you more than Elder Anofils loves "Chicken Nuggets." That is a quote directly from him. I pray for you all the time! You are my best friend and will always be my mom.

The inclusively exclusive,
Elder Tait.

Homage to  2013  WS champs!

Thank you, Mom!

Elder Anofils' bike accident was a great learning experience for both of us. I just can't wait for you to meet Elder Anofils! I hope he and I will hang out after the mission. The ice cream was fine! Thank you for doing that Mom! You're the best. He looked at me when we got the ice cream and said, "Your culture is so weird! Who send ice cream in the mail! That's just unheard of! Have you heard of this?" Thank you for doing that mom, and getting those two other things. Very simple and I know they will mean a lot to him. He's the best, I consider him my brother. He also told me he has adopted me into the "brotherhood". I hope we will be together for another transfer so you guys will be able to meet him via Skype.

Mom, I am doing great! This week has been another amazing opportunity to grow and learn. The challenging times aren't my most favorite or easy to understand, but this work is so rewarding. I still have a lot to learn and grow and to gain. Thank you Mom! I can't thank you enough for all that you do! Thank you for being my best friend. I can't wait to give you a hug and a huge immature slobbery kiss. 
  
Stetson's fellow elder. (Killed in an accident in Mexico, Tampico Mission). I did not hear about this. Wow. How tragic is that. Incredible. That must be extremely difficult. I will be careful Mom! I always wear a helmet and make sure we are on the right side of the road. I am so blessed to have the family’s prayers of comfort and protection. 

The girls didn't need Disneyland! Our family is too spoiled.
Lily did write me a letter but half of it was filled with smiley faces :) so I didn't hear much about her talk! How did she do? I am sure she executed it perfectly.

I love you Mom! There is never a day I don't think about you!
The ever elusive,
The incomprehensible,
Elder J. L. Tait

Leaving the hospital with Elder Anofils!

Elder Anofils!

Halloween!

District

Elders

Eating Together

Borderland State Park

P-Day 

Ames Manson, Easton MA

Elder Tait!

Bikes, 911 Calls, and Blessings

Elder Anofils and I have a limited amount of miles that we can drive - 1350 each month. To save miles we bike. We both enjoy it and it helps us work hard. We have seen countless miracles that come from being obedient. On Saturday Elder Anofils and I got out of a dinner appointment at 6:45 PM. It was 95% dark, so we needed to bike home to get the car to drive to our next appointment at 7:30 (actually with a Haitian family that we picked up from biking a month ago). It was a 10-minute bike ride from the dinner appointment to our house. On our way home we had to bike on a road that is undergoing construction. The road was lit fairly well. Elder Anofils went to get onto the sidewalk, but he didn’t see that there was a gap/trench between the road and the sidewalk. The gap caught his thin front tire, and Elder Anofils went flying off to his right and into the sidewalk. He went headfirst. His helmet took 90% of the impact, but his nose, mouth, face and teeth took the other 10%. His helmet completely saved his life. He hit face first into the cement then did a somersault, looking like a rag-doll, while his bike front flipped over him. I was behind him and saw the whole thing go down. I yelled his name and threw down my bike. Elder Anofils got to his knees. He had blood all over his face and his front right tooth was dangling by a thread. He said, sounding like he had a mouthful of marshmallows, "Call...". I grabbed the phone from his pocket and called 911. Elder Anofils was walking around in circles. He was in a daze. A woman, named Donna, pulled to the side of the road and asked how she could help. I threw her the phone and told her to stay on the line with 911. Then I threw my bag down, grabbed the consecrated oil, and gave Elder Anofils a priesthood blessing. Mom, I know the priesthood power is real. I had goose bumps knowing that I was God’s instrument as I gave that blessing. Another woman stopped by from the Dunkin' Donuts. Everyone was quiet as the blessing took place. He didn't panic at all. I didn't either, surprisingly enough. As I finished the blessing the ambulance came and the EMTs got to work. Cop cars and a fire truck followed. Elder Anofils’ tie was drenched with blood. It looked like it had been dipped in red kool aid. His side bag was covered with blood. They cut his shirt and put a neck brace on him, then put him on a stretcher and into the ambulance. They kept on asking me what his first and last names were. Anofils is easy to spell and to say, but his first name is Esperandieu. Try pronouncing that! I butchered it. The EMTs and police looked at me as if I was the one who needed medical attention. I had to grab his white handbook that had his name printed on it. They asked Elder Anofils on a scale of 1 to 10 how much he hurt. He said, "10. I hit my head on cement. It hurt." It made me think of Brian Regan. I rode shotgun in the ambulance. We went to the Providence, Rhode Island Hospital where he was checked into the ER. Everyone was tongue tied in attempting to say his name. They asked him the “scale of 1-10” question again. He said 10. After they left, I asked him if he was really a 10. He said, with his mouthful of blood, "I don't know. If I say anything less, they not gonna help me. Does this make sense?" There was no damage to his cranium, (that we know of) his nose had some road rash, and he lost a chunk of his upper lip. His right front tooth was destroyed. They called the Dentist on call. (Who knew they have dentists on call?). She came in and put a temporary brace on it. He’d fractured the root/bone to his tooth. They are going to give him what's called a "flapper". It's like a retainer with a fake tooth. It was insane. I learned so much being there to help Elder Anofils. He is such a great example to me of pure humility and one who is willing to sacrifice anything in the service of the Lord. We had to miss church yesterday, and we got probably 25+ phone calls from worried members. Everyone loves Elder Anofils! He is the Foxboro Ward hero! I am so grateful to have him as my companion! Remember how I told you he loves Brigham Young? He didn't want to take any "modern medicine" because Brigham Young didn't. But, we eventually talked him into it!  We’ll be taking tomorrow off and then we’ll get back to work. 

Elder Tait

General Conference Was Most Divine

General Conference was most divine. It is true. You just feel the truth of the Church knowing that millions of people are watching our Apostles and Prophet address us. The work here is going great. Mom, I love being a missionary. I love sharing the gospel. I love overcoming the fear of sharing the Gospel and being bold in sharing the truth. There will never be a day when I will not think of my mission. I need to give 100% and continue to use the atonement to make me a better man, and do the will of the Lord. Elder Anofils is great! I am actually getting the Haitian language down. It's pretty easy. He is hilarious! He loves Brigham Young. He loves his confidence and boldness. When I, or someone else, does something good he says, "Brigham Young would be proud of you." Or the other way round, "Brigham Young would expect more from you, my son". We get along great. We bike all the time. Together we have busted 3 bikes. I will send you pictures. 

General conference was a phenomenal experience, and I was able to learn more about something I had been thinking about. It is a fundamental principle of life that when we have a plan, we understand and expect what is to come. Contrary to that, when we don't have a plan, we are not able to have a vision of what is to come.  

Our Heavenly Father's plan for his children is complex if we attempt to comprehend it with our secular knowledge. Instead, if we are able to identify the promptings of the Holy Ghost, we will have the capacity to develop the faith to know that Heavenly Father has an individual plan for each of us to accomplish. This mortal experience is significantly miniscule. It is crucial for us to realize the sorrows that are occurring or will occur are only to be felt for a limited time, and only if we understand the atonement of Jesus Christ.

Sorrow is what allows us to understand the sacrifice our Savior made for us. Trials are impossible to avoid, but we can all choose what we will do with our trials. If we decide they will dictate how we live, and what we think, we will inevitably enter the dark trenches of despair and self-pity. Never, will any good come from allowing our trials to control us, but good can come if we allow them to build us and those around us.

When we successfully get through trials by using the Atonement, and helping those around us, we will understand more the beautiful simplicity of where we came from, and what we are here to do, and what we can expect after our mortal lives here on earth.

Remember what was said in Alma 7:11-12

" 11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
 12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities."
I know Jesus Christ suffered pain so he could feel mercy and understand our pain. Please, let’s never forget this. If we understand the love and mercy our Savior has for us, we will be able to have a better perspective of his plan.

With Love, 

Elder Tait.

Repentance and the Atonement

I have been astonished to see the change and growth in those I have had the privilege to know on a weekly basis. I see the progress and love these people are rapidly gaining. On further examination I have come to the simple conclusion that it’s because of repentance and the use of the gift of the Atonement that has been offered to everyone.

Repentance is an everlasting source that allows each and everyone of us to become better and it supplies us with the strength to be able to fulfill the will of our Heavenly Father – even when we don't always comprehend our Father in Heaven’s will. 

In The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, King Benjamin a faithful Prophet of God, states in Mosiah 4:2, 9-10:

 " 2 .....O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men.
9. Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.
 10. And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them."

I promise as we begin to understand repentance and continue to learn how to repent, with a heart full of sincerity and gratitude, we can be forgiven of our sins. We can become better than we are now. This is not to say who we are is not good enough, but when we view life as a never-ending pursuit of unlimited potential, we can then understand the infinite gift of the Atonement that we’ve all been given.
Renmen,

Elder Tait.

"I can't wait to see my Savior again and tell him thank you.”

Learning opportunities never cease if we allow ourselves to enter a realm of increasing our knowledge. This requires a lot of discipline as we have to commit ourselves to nurturing and developing our intelligence. Along with discipline we need to allow ourselves to learn. We can learn so much through the example of others.  An example of this came to me this week from another’s testimony:

            “The first time I saw the Book of Mormon was on a Sunday. A friend of mine did bring it to me after church. I was working in Marblehead, the year 2012; I do not remember the date or month. She is a friend of mine, and we met on the job in Marblehead taking care of an elderly sweetheart lady. I did read a few lines and I did not get it. I called her and said I don’t understand the book because of the ‘thy’ and the ‘it came to pass.’ I said to myself, ‘what came to pass?’ She said that I was reading it as if I were reading a novel, because I am an avid novel reader. I put the Book of Mormon on my nightstand table where it stayed until the next time I saw it.
            The sweet lady we were taking care of died the following year. I got sick, and they brought me to MGH [hospital]. To cut a long story short, my friend did bring the book to me again at MGH. I tried to read it but not that week. I went back home, she took me into her house to care for me. That’s when I really came to read The Book of Mormon with my eyes and mind open. I asked her whatever I did not understand. She did explain and she also did encourage me to pray.
            Little by little I did come to find out by myself what the true church is. I like three things about the church. One is that the church is not for profit: ie. priests, pastors, etc, should not be paid. Second, the church should not have anyone’s name on it. And also I had to repent of my sins in order to be baptized. Which means that a baby does not have any sins, there is no reason for them to repent and be baptized. Which means that we do have to be a certain age where we have sin and we know we’ve sinned, and confess them and be baptized like the way our Heavenly Father was baptized. By that it means being submerged into the body of water as he was and not just a few drops on our foreheads as they do when we are babies.
            To cut the long story short: the day I was baptized was the happiest day of my life. Before that I did some investigating by going to church a few times. Just to be sure and also compare what I had read in The Book of Mormon and what the Elders had taught me. My baptism did go off without a hitch. By that I mean they only had to do it just one time. My bishop, the Elders, and my friends were there. It was small because I wanted it that way. My best friend who introduced me was not there because of a prior engagement we did forget about. But she did give me her blessing and wished me well. I did have some naysayers but it was my decision and also what I believed and also what I knew was the truth.
            From the day I started going to church including the investigation period I just felt welcome, included, and people asking me if there was something, anything they could do for me, big or small, religious or not. Starting from my Bishop to the members of the church. That is something I never felt in the other churches. I just went to pray, they did collect money, and go home. But in my new church I had people calling me every day to find out how I was, what I needed, etc.
            I am really thankful to my best friend for bringing me The Book of Mormon. It did help me find out the truth about the different churches. I am thankful that she did not pressure or sway me in any way. I just found out the truth by myself.
            So please do pick up The Book of Mormon, read it, and if you need help ask for an Elder to help you with what you do not understand. I know that they are not going to pressure you but just answer your questions.”
-Edith K., 9/2/2013

In Helaman 15:13 it says that true knowledge is knowledge of the Redeemer. Edith, who had been sick for the past year, wrote her testimony 16 days before she passed away on September 18th, 2013. Heavenly Father blessed me with the opportunity to witness how Edith spent the last 3 months of her life standing as a witness of Jesus Christ. She fulfilled the will of Heavenly Father up to the last minutes of her mortal life. Her nurse read to her from the The Book of Mormon as she left this mortal life to begin her reunion with the Savior. 

During the last week of August I asked Edith what she looked forward to about going to the other side. Her simple answer touched my soul: "I can't wait to see my Savior again and tell him thank you.”
Edith was 55 years old when she was baptized in June. She taught me that we can always continue to learn, even when we feel like we know enough. I realized that because of the Gospel, Edith spent the last 3 months of her life happy, and that I have had this message of happiness available to me for almost 20 years. I send a humble plea to those who read this, who have had the gospel for more than 3 months in their lives, to not take it for granted. Please do not. In addition, please don’t take for granted how other’s lives can be changed by the Gospel -- even if it’s for just 3 months. I am the first one to say I am guilty of taking these things for granted, but I also want to say, “Thank you, Edith Kintu,” for teaching me to keep learning and to never give up, even in the last hours of life. I know we all have more to learn. I know our Heavenly Father is real and he loves us. I will continue to learn everyday how much he loves you and me, until we are actually reunited with him, like I know Edith is now.

With love,
Elder Tait