The Unexplained Silence

Dear Everyone, 

We needed to write and explain the silence that you've been experiencing. The reason that you haven't been receiving updates from New York and Connecticut is that Ariana is not there anymore. She has returned home. 

She was experiencing some mental health struggles in Harlem. So Ariana and President Smith tried Connecticut to see if things would get better. They got a little better, but it still wasn't working. After much prayer and fasting, it was decided that the best thing for Ariana would be to come home. 

So on May 25th, Ariana flew into the Salt Lake City Airport. The next day, she was honorably released by President Beeson, our Stake President. We've all started the healing process. 

Ariana has started working through her mental health challenges with good people. After a couple weeks of "vacation", she'll start working in the Production department at Wavetronix, where Peter works, this week. And if things happen right, you might even run into her at the Provo Temple, where she's volunteered to work. 

What the future holds, only our Heavenly Father knows.  The possibility is open for Ariana to return to New York. For now, we're just taking things one day at a time. 

What we really need from you is your love and support. This is a hard thing, for all of us. Ariana could use your hugs, love and understanding. She could also use some people to practice her Spanish with and if you get her in the right moment, she'll tell you cool stories about her mission, some funny, some strange, and some miraculous. And if you have any experience parenting adult children, Wendy and I could use some ideas. 

Love, 

Peter & Wendy

 At the airport. Myla made the poster. it says, on the other side, "Welcome Home, Hermana Taylor, OXOX We missed ya!"

Ariana & President Beeson (After she was released. He would only shake her hand until then.)

Part Two

Hey everyone! 

This past week was super fun. We had transferred and so now it's just me and Sister Christoffersen!! We had a really bad storm out here yesterday so we have been spending a lot of today trying to get power back on here in New Canaan. Long story short, sorry but this is gonna be a short one!

I hope you all had a wonderful mothers day. It was super great to talk to my sweet family and my wonderful grandparents! I feel like Alma 56 says it best:

47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.

I am so grateful for all of the wonderful women in my life who have shown me through their faithful examples how I can follow Jesus Christ. 

New Canaan is the best. I have met so many wonderful people already! My p days are changing to Monday's so this is my last Wednesday p day!

More to come next Monday!

Con Amor,

Hermana Taylor

 - Beautiful New Canaan 

- The 3 Nephites ;) 

Ciao Spanish Harlem 🏃‍♀️

Hey everyone! 

This past week was probably one of the most crazy weeks of my life. The biggest new is that I am now in a new area! Monday I got transferred to the New Canaan, Conneticut Area. I am now in a trio with Sister Christoffersen and Sister Neria speaking English!  

Hermana Leon and I saw so many miracles this past week. Last Friday we had interviews with President Smith so we had our phone on silent for most of the day. When we made it back to the apartment I finally pulled out the phone and we saw that we had a missed phone call and a voicemail from the mom of the 8 year old twins that we had been teaching. (Sidenote: investigators never call us!!) We thought it was kinda weird so we listened to the message that she sent us first. All that it said was"Hi Hermanas. So we talked as a family and we made the decision to be baptized. Have a nice day!". Hermana Leon and I were DED. We kinda just went insane for 30 seconds and jumped around our apartment screaming we were so excited!!! Then we calmed down and called the mom back. When we asked her how she had come to the conclusion that they wanted to be baptized she told us how she went onto mormon.org and just read and read and read. Um. WHAT?! Sunday we were super pumped and 100% believed that they would be at church. We waited, and waited, and waited some more but they never showed up. (One of our other investigators did come though!) We visited them that night and asked them where they had been...? Then the mom told us that the dad had been super excited to go to church but that they had gone to the "family church". Aka Catholic Mass. SO. We retaught the Restoration and Priesthood Authority. I have full faith that one day that family will truly figure it out and be baptized though!

The past few days in New Canaan has been really different. In the city you are always on a bus or a subway or a train. Out here we have a car and we live with a family from the ward in their mansion. Best part? I got the mission violin and the family has a grand piano. Sister Neria plays piano and so we have super fun jam sessions! The work is a lot slower out here. In Harlem we had like 40 uncontacted referrals and a ton of progressing investigators. Here, we have about 3 progressing investigators and no referrals. BUT. The members here are so amazing. We work a lot with part member families. Oh. And last fun fact, Harlem was like a mini Dominican Republic. New Canaan is a mini Europe. For example, last night we got yelled at in Georgian! 

My favorite part of the week was Saturday. This super cute familiy with 3 little girls from the Harlem ward got sealed together. It was a super special moment for Hermana leon and I to be there in the temple with them and see this beautiful family be sealed for time and all eternity. I couldn't help but feel like I was watching my own sealing to my parents and beautiful little sister. The father was crying, the mom was trying to get the 3 year old to calm down and the two other little girls just looked so happy. I am so grateful that I have an eternal family. I know that because we have been sealed for time and all eternity that death isn't the end. 

I love you all. Have a wonderful week. To all of the mothers, HAPPY MOTHERS DAY! :)

Con Amor,

Hermana Taylor

 - Hermana and I got on the Subway the other day and it was empty besides us?

- Sister Neria, Sister Christensen, Sister Petris (a member), and I

Hermana Taylor VS The Headless Horseman

Hey everyone!

Sorry about last week! I had the oppertuity to go to the Manhattan Temple! It was super amazing and I would defiantly recommend that you all go to the temple soon. It's one of those things that is super easy to take for granted, but if you have the chance, go! :)

This past week was super hectic but also full of lots of miracles! 

Monday there was a big leadership meeting at the mission home in Scarsdale. Because my companion is a STL, we had to go into Scarsdale. We ended up staying the night at the mission home Sunday night. Sunday evening, I went on a split up in Sleepy Hollow, NY with Sister Sutton!! (fun fact: Sleepy Hollow is the town that the headless horseman story is based in. It's actually super pretty and not at all sketchy like the hood here in Harlem) I think that I may be a little too used to the city because the second that we got to our first visit, I was completly supprised to find out that the investigator lived in a house with no other families.... haha. After we finished the quick lesson with the investigator Sister Sutton turned to me and straight up sang "it's tracting timeeee" then proceeded to practically jog down the street to this little apartment building. When I finally caught up to her she looked at me and then basically pulled an "elf" and pressed all of the door bells for the apartment. Someone buzzed us in and then we started knocking on doors. We decided to go upstairs and see if anyone would open the door. Sister Sutton knocked on a door and these two teenage girls opened the door. Sister Sutton introuduced us and then she paused and asked if they had lost someone in their family recently. I was kind of confused and like "ummm why did you just ask that instead of asking their names.....". The girls looked us and then said that they had actually just lost their grandma. We were able to bear testimony on the Plan of Happiness and now the Sisters of Sleepy Hollow have two new investigators. Sister Sutton taught me a lot that night about listening to the holy ghost. Sometimes the promptings that we get seem strange and we second guess them, but when we follow through and act on those promptings... that's when miracles happen. 

Something fun that happened this past week was that I got the mission violin! The first night that we had it, Hermana Leon asked me if I would teach her something. Soooo either I'm a pro teacher or she's a pro student because in the past two nights she has learned how to play a scale, I'm a Little Flower, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. #getonourlevel 

I love you all. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. I have felt it so much this past week. Please know that you are all in my prayers as well. Have a great week and enjoy the spring weather!

Con Amor,

Hermana Taylor

- One of the cutest 6 year olds I have ever met! 

- My most talented student, Hermana Leon

- While our companions were in MLC, we all went to a restraunt and celebrated our non STLness. And yep, I GOT TO SEE HERMANA SEARS FRO MY CCM DISTRICT.

Basically I'm the worst but #Mishlyfehappes

Editor's Note: Ariana and her companion, Sister Leon, got permission today to go to the New York City Temple today. So rather than a full p-day to do everything they usually do, they had 1/2 day to do it. As a result this is all we got today:

Basically since I have no time this week, for my weekly email will you just kind of explain that I'm doing okay but that I just didn't really have time to email and that I will make sure to get a big group one out next week? 

Thanks. I love you guys!!

Ariana did answer some questions, so we'll use that as her letter this week. I'll put her answers in BOLD so you know which words are hers.

1. Tell me a funny story.

A random guy came up to us on the bus last week, called Sister Leon royalty, and then kissed my hand. 

2. What's the weirdest thing you've eaten this week? So far in your mission? 

We don't really eat weird things.... but maybe the fried bananas? But they are really good.

3. How many cat calls did you get this week? 

Not as many but less because the weather has been colder 

4. What shoes are you wearing now? Still boots? 

Yeah boots every day all day [Evidenced by what she is wearing in the picture below]

5. How's the Spanish coming? 

Poco a Poco [That's little by little for you non Spanish speakers.]

6. Is your apartment clean? 

YES hahahaha because I live there 

7. Have you run out of anything? 

No, luckily. Well besides hot water but its not like you guys control that. 

How often to do you run out of hot water?  

Every day. We just usually don't have it. Basically since I have been on my mission I have gotten used to showers without hot water. 

Well, you've got what we got. I'm sure we'll get a good letter next week, but the Temple was more important today. Shouldn't it always be? 

Ariana's Ghost Writer. 

This is from the APF  we did on a Saturday with members from the ward. 

What does APF stand for? 

No one knows. APF is just when we do street contacting with a theme 

My Trainer is either Brooke Shields or Mary Poppins ☔⛈

Hey everybody!

So pretty sure that Spring is actually bipolar because the weather here in New York City has been a mess. 

I thought I knew what Harlem was like and then Friday and Saturday happened. I literally felt like we were living in a sauna. Plus what I didn't realize is that people usually stay indoors when it's cold but the second that it's warm, all of the Harlem Crazies come out. Just out of currousity I counted how many times my companion and I were cat called at on Saturday morning... yep. About 17 times. Yay!! That afternoon we did a APF (basically where our district gets together, we pick a place out on the street and we hand out Book of Mormons). Usually they are super fun. This one was a little different. My companion and I were standing in the shade, trying (unsuccessfully) to not get sunburnt and this random guy came up to us, pointed at my companion and said he used to cast famous people in movies and that she looks like Brooke Shields. Shout out to the Elders who had our backs and heard what was going on, got the guys contact info (because refferals are life), and successfully got the man to leave my poor companion alone. Good times.

Sunday and Monday Mother Nature thought it would be funny if she soaked 2 sister missionaries in their big snow coats. Turns out that snow coats are not the greatest rain coats. Sunday night we had some good ole tracting scheduled in. Before we left the apartment, we looked outside and it just looked really windy and cold so we put on our winter coats. Um. Mistake-ish. The second we stepped outside we realized that it was actually pouring rain on top of the wind and cold. By the time we made it to the first potentioals door, we were both so so soaked. The lady that answered the door took one look at us and then asked us if it was raining. We were all "well yeah... it's raining hahah" and then she was like "where is your umbrella?!?" Basically long story short she gave us this chinese looking umbrella and told us we are more than welcome to come back (yay for new investigators!). The second that we went back into the pouring rain... miserable. Leon put the umbrella up because it physically hurt to have each rain drop hit our face and the second that she did that.... SHE TURNED INTO MARY POPPINS. Legit the wind blew and she got blown back so far it was literally like watching the movie.

We also had zone conference this past week. It was SO cool. Sister Bingham, Sister Franco, and Sister Cordon (they are all General leaders in the church) stopped by on their way to a meeting at the U.N. to talk to my Zone. One thing that I really loved that sister Bingham said was "Don't give up a minute of your mission or maybe even better, don't give up a minute of your life." Sometimes life is hard and we have to go through things that seem almost unfair. Sometimes we find ourselves wondering why bad things have to happen to good people. Heavenly Father has got this. So don't give up a minute of your life. Go and be happy! Go dance in that rainstorm (or snowstorm bc spring), climb that mountain, and finish that one thing on your to-do list that has been sitting there for ages. 

I love you all. To those of you who are taking finals in the next few weeks: Bueno Suerte!

Con Amor,

Hermana Taylor 

- We took wayyyy too many flights of stairs the other day. When we finally found a building that had a elevator in it we were so happy that we had to take a selfie 

- Pretty sure this courtyard of this building straight up belongs in Les Miserables

- Sometimes you're downtown and you see the Empire State building and sometimes there are random houses made out of green stones... 

Some People's Children

Hey eveyone!

I hope that things are going okay for you all. This past week was one of the coolest weeks of my life. (which I know that I say that pretty much every week but every week just gets cooler and cooler so sorry, not sorry) 

Oh my-lanta one of our investigators who is 8 years old got so excited when we taught her about the celestial kingdom and how we can live with our families for eternity. So the Dominican People have a tendency to give us orange juice every time we have a lesson with them. So here we are, teaching 8 and 9 year old about the celestial kingdom when the grandmother brings us some OJ and the little girl jumps up, grabs the OJ

from her grandma, hands each of us a glass and then proceeds to toast Jesus Christ.... ahahaha!!! Then one of the other little kids asked us if we could bring him a picture of Jesus Christ so he could hang it up in his room. Of couse my comp and I brought him one the next lesson and then he goes "YESSSS. Now I can go and pray to my Jesus Picture every night." Clearly the next lesson with them will be the commandments ahaha. 

Even though we may not pray to pictues of Jesus or toast him with our glasses of orange juice, we can still be grateful for him and His atonement. If you are going through something hard right now, follow President Nelson's advice in his talk about Personal Revelation. Heavenly Father wants to help you if you will let him.

I love you all! Have a super wonderful week. 

Con Amor

Hermana Taylor

- Some of the cutest investigators ever to have lived

- Madison Square Gardens. Just happened to pass it as we were on our way to an appointment.

- The 9/11 memorial was so cool!