The Game is STILL NOT OVER, it never is.
One year ago today I sent you all this email... (attached, well quoted, below) It was the hardest email I ever had to write. I cannot express to you how hard it was to align my will to God's will. Coming home was the last thing I ever wanted to do. I loved serving. I don't think I would have wanted to come home even if it wasn't early.
Serving my mission was something I always dreamed of. I loved it, EVERY SINGLE SECOND! Even when the rain was chucking it down. The past year has been full of surprises, blessings, and growth. I have gone through hard time which have made the good times even better. I KNOW that the Lord has a plan, he had a specific plan in sending me home and he has a specific plan for you, even when you dont quite understand it.
Some of the highlights of the past year have been...
1. I got to take Kaylee and Kalin (my half brother and sister) to the temple open house. Now this is a HUGE deal because, their mom, my step mom past away seven years ago and, for those of you that don't already know, the temple is THE CLOSEST thing to Heaven on Earth that you can get! It was a beautiful experience that I will never forget!
2. I got to be home for my sister, Jordan's graduation and her senior prom. This was the BIGGEST tender mercy I think I have ever experienced ever. I am EXTREMELY close with my sister. I always like to tell myself that we have that twin telepathy kind of bond. We were literally like two peas in a pod. Well when I was 17 I told my sister I wanted to go on a mission. One night I could hear her crying, like literally sobbing in her room, I went inside and asked her what was wrong, she explained to me how much she needed me and couldn't do her senior year and all it includes(prom, graduation, etc) without me. Somehow god remembered those nights spent wide awake crying by my baby sister, those tears shed and not by coincidence I was home to see her last cheer competition, to help her get ready for her senior prom, to see her graduate and everything in between. I am her biggest fan. I'm her number one cheerleader. God knew. Without one doubt!
3. I got to have dinner with the missionary who taught and brought me the gospel, after SIX YEARS!! I got to see the guy who taught me about my savior, he taught me about my Father in heaven WHO loves me! He changed my life. He helped me discover my divine potential as a daughter of God. He helped me know that I can exceed the dreams that I had for myself. He helped me open a path of joy and happiness that I could have no other way! I will forever be grateful for the small decision Samuel made to serve is father and I am forever grateful for the decision SO MANY people make to serve the Lord. Everything I am and everything I have I owe to my Father in heaven and to my service to him. THE LORD IS SO GOOD!
I could go on forever!
I also experienced a heartbreak, the guy I thought I was to marry changed his mind and I thought I would never recover, I did. Christ helped. AND I WENT ON 40 DATES, I KID YOU NOT before I found someone who genuinely made me SO happy, happy enough that I never felt the pain. Someone who was an instant comfort and friend to me. He is pretty great, and what is even cooler is that EXACTLY one year ago today. The same day I was tripping in London because I DID NOT want to come home. He was there.. walking around Central London with my companion and his companion and I! He didn't even have to try, but he helped me feel peace about the upcoming storm I was traveling into whilst starting my journey going home. I have been beyond blessed. And the biggest lesson I have learned is that we should always submit out will to God's will. Even in the HARD times.
"Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief."
A year ago today I didn't think I could play the cards he was dealing me, I thought for sure it was game over. And over this last year I have had similar feelings on specific days, but the truth is.. THE GAME IS NEVER OVER.
Keep playing friends, blessings will come.
I love you all and hope all is well.
Follow me on my journey and keep up with my writing and my life by following my instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/tayyychild/
Peace and Blessings, Peace and Blessings!
"21 February 2016 Life is a Big Card Game"
Once again... Moves Calls came!
It's seems to me that these six week transfers just keep getting faster and faster and faster! Time goes by too fast especially when you are having so much fun!
Well, I suppose you all want to know where and what is happening! .....
I will be transferred home to the great lands of Idaho to get surgery. My surgery is scheduled for Tuesday 28 February and I will be home for a total of six weeks as long as everything goes as planned. Then I will return to the blessed land of England on April 4 to further the work of the Lord!
If you have any questions you can email me at taysmiddy@gmail.com or message me on Facebook.
This is definitely going to be the weirdest transfer, and I know that I will continue to learn, grow, and progress. The work goes on!
Highlights from today, preparation day :D
Today are going to Big Ben and the London Eye and we are walking around central London! Super fun! We are going to just party it up in London!
Highlights of the week:
1. Moves Calls!! Crazy how it's already been another transfer! I mean these moves calls weren't as exciting because we already knew what was happening to me. And we knew sister Lawler would stay and take over the area but as far as her new companion goes... she will be companions with Sister Wilson from California! Moves call Monday was miraculous! We saw so many miracles! The first miracle was that after a meeting/lunch with the Zone Leaders one of them bought us dessert! It was so good! We also taught Mary after a week of it being really hard to get ahold of her! Then we had to run to our flat to get an Albanian Book of Mormon and then we had to sprint to the station to meet a member for a DA. So we started to sprint and then we stopped running all of a sudden and stopped to talk to this man who was standing and staring at us and turns out!... he has met the sisters before and wants to meet again! That was a sweet miracle! His name is Joseph! Then we had our DA and it was super fun. Then we taught Donny! The spirit was so special, sometimes this really cool thing happens and the spirit is so strong and you just know that you knew this person and you were suppose to meet! Like you promised to meet them in the pre earth life. And that's what it was like with donny. The spirit was so strong and he didn't even speak proper English! He's Albanian! But it's so cool, he is preparing for baptism on the 19 of March which is the coolest thing because I WAS BAPTISED ON THE 19 OF MARCH! So special! 
it was just so cool! I am so excited for him.
2. At our district meeting we talked about how to help our friends understand the doctrine of Christ and how we can invite them to be baptised in the context of the doctrine of Christ! Something that I love is that EVERYTHING in life brings us back to the doctrine of Christ. It's that simple! Faith... Repentance... Baptism... Holy Ghost... Enduring. That's truly what I believe the key to success is!
3. We had an exchange with Sister Wallace from Hawaii and Sister Fuhriman from Wisconsin. I was with Sister Fuhriman which was so fun! It was like being with a best friend! I have been trying to keep the news of me going home for surgery on the down low, but the beans got spilt while on exchange due to our investigator blurting in out, but it was so sweet for us to just have this heart to heart and for me to have the opportunity to just bear my testimony about how aware God truly is of us! I really have so much love for Sister Furhiman!
5. We went on a blitz with Sister Zeng from China and Sister Koiv from Estonia. It was a party! It's always a party to go finding on exhibition road! It's one of the busiest roads in London. It's right outside our mission office/Visitors Centre/Hyde Park Chapel. It's fun! They are the cutest!
6. We also went on a blitz with Sister Guimaraes from Brazil and Sister Sulyava from Ukraine. It was really fun, the sun was shining and it was beautiful. I was with Sister Guimaraes and we had a very powerful conversation with this mom and her two children. It was her sons birthday. It was really cool because we were able to just talk to her about the gospel so naturally. And we shared a Book of Mormon scripture with her and the flow was just perfect. It was amazing, then later we talked to this other Christian guy who was handing out leaflets and while we were talking to him we watched this little kid throw up three times. It was really gross.
7. We had dinner with the Hagen's and man can I just take a minute to say how grateful I am for them! It's amazing because I had dinner at their house on my only mission Christmas, my only mission Birthday, and this week I ate my last dinner with the Hagen's. Oh how grateful I am for them! They always have such a sweet spirit in their home. I love their three daughters too! Lylia and June are twins and are 4. Then Rose is the little sister she's like 2 maybe? They are so precious and I love them! They are in Spain right now enjoying that!
8. We also ate dinner at the Gubbay's. Glen and Kayla. Kayla is from Idaho Falls so we are good friends! They went back to Idaho for Christmas and they delivered something to my family for me! And this was my first and last time eating with them! They are so cute! They met on their mission in France. He was the Assistant to the President and she was a Sister Training Leader. They are going to have a baby soon. They are so sweet and excited. We had such a powerful experience with them. During the dinner we talked about their story.. how the met... how they started dating.... how glen purposed and everything and it was just so fun to hear their story! And then we shared a Mormon message with them called Heavenly Father, Earthly Father.. and it got a little emotional because they are preparing for parenthood and then we invited them to take this Book of Mormon and write their testimonies in it to their baby and put the Book of Mormon in the babies nursery and always have it there... the babies first Book of Mormon. And they both got a little emotional and loved that idea. Then Glen opened up to us and gave us some life advice, then here is another miracle of the visit.. they gave us three referrals of pretty prepared people! And scheduled a dinner for us to come with one of the referrals!
9. Ward Conference/ Munch and mingle/ Baptism! All around Sunday was great and so beautiful! It was like everyone was happy! The sun was shining and it was overall a nice day! Here are some quotes that stood out to me from ward Conference, "- When was the last time you poured your heat out to God? Sometimes we feel that he is far away but I testify he is not. He is so close to us. When was the last time you listened to what God was saying to you?" -President Riccardi and "Enos , the sons are forgiven thee and thou art blessed." And "He is eager to be apart of our lives as long as we let Him." It was just a really uplifting day, we had four of our investigators at church and they all loved it. I also love sustaining all the church leaders. There is a strong spirit in the room when we do that! And Ayon's baptism after church was so amazing. I always feel such a lovely spirit when I am at a baptism! When he was just about to go into the baptismal font her stopped and asked Brother Sertan if they could say a prayer. The faith of that guy is so strong and it's absolutely beautiful to see him apply the doctrine of Christ.
10. Magical lunch with the Stevens on Tuesday! It was magical because we didn't have food but we also didn't have much money for food so when they all of a sudden called and invited sister Lawler and I over for lunch we were very excited! I think if I could see the Stevens everyday I would be a better everything. I would just be all around happier.
11. I got to see Su and eat dinner with her! She's been in the hospital for three weeks and has another surgery on her lungs today. Please keep her in your prayers. It was really sad because six weeks ago at this same exact time she was of life support in a coma and they said they could only leave her on life support for twelve hours and then they would take her off and if she breathed they would support her... well she did breath... then she got a lung transport three weeks later and went into another coma and they took her off and she started breathing again. This girl is so strong. She is a fighter! It's crazy because we have seen so many miracles in her life and since she has been in the hospital the elders from the London south mission come and visit her at least three times a week and they bring her the sacrament. Well her main doctor is Mormon and he has given her a blessing before every surgery and one of the other doctors has started meeting with missionaries because of Su's miracles. And there is a nurse who is also meeting with the elders now too. The doctor is working for baptism on March 12 or 19 I think. It's a crazy miracle. I'm grateful I had the privilege to teach Su the gospel and it's amazing to see her share her light with so many others. she is a walking miracle. But she is currently not awake still and she got the surgery. Pray she wakes up from her coma! She needs your prayers!
Favourite Quotes of the week:
• "Jesus never danced." - Hamad
• "Hold your heads up girls." -Vivien
• "It makes me cry watching you two greet people. I love watching you love people." -Sister Stevens
• "I called you sisters first because you're my favourite!" - President Stevens
Upcoming this week:
1. I have an 12 hour flight back to Idaho Falls!
2. I will watch Jordan's Cheer Competition!
3. Go to church as usual (:
4. I go to Salt Lake to get surgery!
5. Visiting family and friends, I am sure of it!
6. I will also have dinner and an interview with the Stevens!
Favourite Scripture of the Week:
This week my scripture comes from an article in February 2017 Ensign. It's called Making the Most of What We Have by Mindy Anne Selu.
Basically she relates our life to a card game. In which sometimes we get dealt a really good hand and sometimes we get he worst cards.
Sometimes we want different cards so badly that we overlook the greatness of the cards we already have. But the thing with cards is they are always changing. We are always learning and the card dealer knows what he's doing.
"The power to change our cards is not always up to us... wait on the Lord's timing."
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, reminded us that “what [we] see and experience now is not what forever will be. [We] will not feel loneliness, sorrow, pain, or discouragement forever. We have the faithful promise of God that He will neither forget nor forsake those who incline their hearts to Him [see Hebrews 13:5].”
In short, he reminds us that even if we feel that our hand is putting us in the negative right now, it won’t always be that way.
With that being said, whatever cards you have now just remember... the game isn't over yet.
Invitation:
Go to the February 2017 Ensign and read the full article and thing about the cards you have been dealt... set goals and make plans on how you will play the best game!"
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