Straight Outta Harlem

Hey everyone!

So I officially survived my first week working in the projects of New York City. It has actually been pretty good as first weeks go! 

Last Thursday we went to the chapel in the New York City temple for a meeting and wowza. If I had not been looking for it, I may have missed it. The temple blends into the other buildings so well. We didn't get to do a session or anything but hopefully we will get to go soon! Speaking of downtown New York, guess how we got there. Yep, on the subways. It was definitely not what I was expecting. You know how in the movies they always make the subways seem cool and exotic? Yeah, nope. They are actually so disgusting it hurts. But it's okay! 

Monday was probably my favorite day this past week. To celebrate my return to the land of the free, my trainer took me to Shake Shack (one of the best places to get a burger here in NY)! It was super fun and a great way to take a little break after such a crazy first week. After our yummy dinner we had a lesson with a girl named Indira. She is absolutely amazing. Her mom, dad, and brothers all live in the Dominican Republic and she lives here in New York with her Grandma to attend school. And she is only 12 years old. So anyway we went over to her apartment to teach her and it was so cool because when we invited her to be baptized, she didn't even hesitate. She looked me in the eyes and said, "Yes!" in the most firm voice I have ever heard from a 12 year old. 

My companion and I share our apartment with another companionship of Hermanas. Hermana Leon and another one of the Hermanas in our apartment are STL's and they had to go to a meeting yesterday in Scarsdale so Hermana Castillo (she is a Greenie too) and I were on our own all day. Fun fact, Hermana Castillo speaks almost zero English and I speak very choppy Spanish so communication between the two of us isn't the easiest. Well our trainers wanted us to go visit a former eternitigator (someone who has been investigating the church for a really long time but won't commit) while they were gone. Something happened to my tablet and I lost all of the directions for the building that this lady lived in. Soooo being the super smart Hermanas that we are, Hermana Castillo and I looked at all of the millions of bus routes that they have here in Harlem, hoped on a bus, and somehow made it to Carmen's building after of 3 hours of trying to get there. Woooot go team! So just a little info about Carmen: she has been investigating the church since 2002 and has wanted to get baptized but legally she is married to a man that she hasn't seen in 18 years and is living with a different man currently. Aka we need to get her divorced and remarried. She has refused to get divorced and remarried so we dropped her as a invest and just were visiting her as a service). When we finally found Carmen, she said that she had some super good news for us. Turns out that she has started the divorce process and wants to get married. Then she turns to me and goes "so how soon can I be baptized?" She asked ME. Hahaha! We were super stoked and we hope that she can get all of this legal stuff out of the way so that she can get baptized! After the lesson Hermana Castillo and I spent the next 2 hours making our way back to the apartment. Long story short, split miracles are real and I should definitely  not navigate here in NYC quite yet.

Something that I have had on my mind a lot this week is the power of the Book of Mormon. I always knew that it had power and that it was a good book but it wasn't until I came out here that I truly realized how much power it has. I have seen people in the hardest situations who have turned their lives completely around just because of a little blue book that I carry in my bag. Do any of us really understand how much power is in our hands or on our phones and tablets? I really want to encourage you guys to read it. But hey, don't take my word for it. Go read it yourself and find out :)

I love you all and I hope you are all enjoying the snow for me (since NY has no snow and it's in the 60s every day...)

Con Amor,

Hermana Taylor 

Shake Shack is the bomb.com haha

We found these really creepy statues that all seem to be looking at something that isnt there? H. Leon was all "go stand there" and yep....

Dearest Hermana Taylor, Welcome to the Ghetto

Hey everyone!

I don't know about you guys but I had the most patriotic Presidents day of my entire life this past Monday haha. My flight from Mexico to New York on Monday went very smoothly. Well aside from the fact there there was a earthquake around 1 am that morning which I apparently slept through? Oops. About an hour later, all of the missionaries leaving that day loaded onto a CCM bus and we had our last ride through Mexico City to the airport. It was completely different than the first time riding throgh though the city to the CCM that very first day. Surprise, not many people are awake at 2am so the streets of Mexico City were essentially empty. So instead of watching all of the crazy traffic and hoping that we would somehow survive the chaos, we just sang hymns in Spanish with each other for the last time. Even though I was just in the CCM, I am really going to miss Mexico, all of the super awesome missionaries that were in My district, and my wonderful teachers and CCM mission presidency. (Side note: we all really needed to get out of there, though. My CCM companion, Hermana Lykins, may or may not have totally chucked her white bible/ missionary handbook at our morning teacher on the last day hahaha)

Speaking of earthquakes and hymns, there was a huge Earthquake this past week in southern Mexico. If what I have been told is correct, at the epicenter it was 7.8. Because we are about 6 hours away we didn't feel it as strongly but there was still some scary side effects in the surrounding city. Some houses caught on fire from some burst gas lines and there were some fires up on the hill around the city. Other than that, there was no damage to the Mexico CCM and all of the missionaries were accounted for and were 100% okay physically. Mentally was a different story. There were quite a few missionaries who had families that lived where the epicenter was. Instead of criying or freaking out, some asked for priesthood blessings, others started singing hymns, and some knelt down to pray. I don't know whoes idea it was, but, we all ended up kneeling down in one of the largest prayer circles I have ever seen on that hard asfault road that goes around the entire CCM. Because there was just so much noise and chaos, I couldn't really hear what the person praying said exactly. For me, it didn't really matter that I couldn't hear. I just had this small thought run through my head that it was all going to be okay. Somehow, someway, HF would watch out for his missionaries and keep His promise to us that he will protect our families while we are away. 

Okay and now for the New York News. Currently I am in the Harlem area. Harlem. It's crazy but also so exciting at the same time. I already love it in its own way here. My trainer/ companion is Hermana Leon. We live in a cute little appartment with another set of Hermanas- Hermana Egbert and Hermana Castillo. They are all so sweet and I love them so much already! So Monday I flew to New York, Tuesday morning I was assigned my new companion/ area, had district meeting, and then that night I got to teach my first lesson with Hermana Leon. It. Was. Amazing. Any doubt I had about coming out here to help spread the gospel... I am most defiently supposed to be here. 

Yikes this is getting really long. Um sorry not sorry;) One more quick story! So. I don't remember who told me about this but someone I talked to had a super tramatic experience out in the field. While they were trying to get off a bus once their companion had already gotten off but they were not able to get off in time before the bus doors closed and they just sat in the bus and watched as their companion disapeared down the street. Terrible, right? So whoever told me that story told me that as long as I avoided that, everything would be prime. Um. Literally 2 hours after being in the field that's pretty much what happened to me. I got stuck on the bus and all 3 of the other hermanas had already gotten off... um. I was so freaked out. Luckily my city instincts (which I didn't even know that i had) took over and I was able to reopen the bus doors and I got off the bus before it drove away. Other than being scared out of my mind, I was just fine and we all laughed about it after! 

I know that I have definitely had some heavenly help this past week. Thank you all for your prayers. I can feel them and I am so appreciative of them. I hope you guys know that I am praying for you, too. Have a amazing week, stay safe, and watch those Olympics for me!!!

Con Amor,

Hermana Taylor

Ps

My P-Days are Wednesdays now. :)  

- Me and my cute roomies. They went to McAllen, Texas

- The district Hermanas and our favorite teacher- Hermana Solis

- Hermana Solis always told us that if we misbehaved she would hit us with her chancla (flipflop) hahaha. As a parting gift she made us chancla bookmarks

- My new Mission President, David Smith, and his wife, Rebecca, and I at the Mission Home. 

[Editor's Note] Check out my mission's blog for pictures and videos of Ariana's arrival in New York. 

If You Give A Missionary A Orange Sticker

Hey Everyone!

I hope you all had a great Valentines day and that you are all enjoying the Olympics 😊 

It's insane how time works when you are on your mission. The days really do feel like years and the weeks feel like days. Fun fact, Mexico is wack. And by wack I mean I love it here and I am sad to leave but l I am also SO excited to leave the CCM on Monday and get into the field, get wrecked by spanish, and start teaching someone that isn't my teacher. (Plus what better way to celebrate Presidents day than by returning to the USA?) Okay so here in the Mexico CCM there is no such thing as a "dork dot". Instead they have the coveted "orange sticker" that you get to wear on your name tag when it is your last week in the CCM. I guess they decided that it wasn't necessary to point out who the newbies were since they usually have this look of panic and exhaustion on their faces anway. For some reason they ran out of Orange stickers this week soooo I got a Red Sticker instead. But hey, it's a sticker. 

So I have always been a big believer in the concept of karma. Not in the sense that I think it replaces God or worship it or anything like that. More along the lines of what my lovely physics teacher's (Ms. Layosa. S/o to all the OHS kids) favorite quote "what you send out into the universe will come back to you". One day during gym time this past week there were a lot more people on the court than usual. Which to be completely honest isn't my favorite. Usually when that happens we play "elimination" which is basically where if you are at fault for messing up and losing the rally you are out. One of the Elders that was on my team got a little too into the game and wouldn't take the blame and just go out. Aaaanways long story short we all were getting a little frustrated. When it was one of the Elders in my districts turn to serve the ball he asked me if he could just "accidentally miss and serve the ball into the back of that Elders head". So literally the day before we had been talking about Christlike attributes and we picked out a attribute to work on. I chose to work on patience. Mistake. Anyway so I told Elder Fisher to remember his Christlike attribute and neither of us served the ball unto the back of this Elders head. I kid you not, 2 rallies later that Elder took a spike to the face that laid him out flat. One of the Elders in my district yelled "pop that ego" and we were all laughing (after making sure the Elder was okay of course) and he admitted that maybe it was time for him to cool off and take a break.   I felt bad but it just deepened my belief in karma.  

Usually when we practice teaching a investigator our teacher will show us one of the 12 Steps to Recovery videos as a investigators background. (I wouldn't recommend watching them because they are really heavy but they do have good messages at the end) One of the hardest things about being on a mission for me has been the fact that I can't listen to my favorite songs. While I like MoTab and classical music and hymns, I believe there is such a good thing as a good, uplifting, pop song. In the video we watched, the investigator told how the words of Coldplay's song "Fix You" came to his head when he was at his lowest. Specifically the part in the song where it says:

Lights will guide you home

And ignite your bones

And I will try 

To fix you

This man felt like it was God that was saying those words to him. That God wanted him to come home to him when the time was right and that through God and Jesus Christ that his broken state could become "fixed". That there was hope for him. I know that we are not our mistakes. They do not define us. It's not about who we have been, it is about who we are becoming. The atonement is so real. 

I head out into the field on Monday so I have no idea when my next pday will be. Until then, take care and know that I love you all!

Con Amor,

Hermana Taylor 

Districts that take mirror selfies in elevators, stay together: 

​

We have been having a pranking war this past week. 

We tried to barricade the door with our rollie chairs and uhhh talk about a Les Misarables fail: 

​

Our Pachonga the night before our Latina Comps left: 

​

District 13C for the Last Time: 

​

The Laman to My Lemuel

Hey everyone!

I hope you are all doing well! 

This week in Mexico has been the epidiomy of an emotional roller coaster. 

Going to the temple here in Mexico last week was one of the best experiences of my life! After another chaotic drive in the city I was super excited to reach the temple. They gave us some time to take pictures and then we went and did a session. Wow. Sometimes it's mentally exhausting for me to be in such a forgein place so it was so nice to walk into the temple and feel like I was back home. 10 out of 10 would recommend going to the temple if you haven't been in a while. 

Okay so like I said, emotional roller coaster. Last Thursday when we got back from the temple I started feeling sick again. Long story short, I ended up being sick enough to have to take some antibiotics but I am doing a lot better now. The next night Hermana Lykins and I spent our evening meeting the new girls that had arrived in our Zone the previous Tuesday. I don't know what we expected these new Hermanas to do or say but we definitely didn't expect what happened. We took the first set of 3 companionships out into the hall to visit with them and we spent the next 30 minutes trying to convince one of the Hermanas that she could do it, the next 40 minutes talking to the next companionship learning about all of the medical difficulties she is going through. Literally 30 seconds before we talked to the last companionship, one of the Hermanas fell out of her chair and sprained her ankle. So we spent the rest of my night trying to wheel the poor Hermana to the opposite end of the CCM to the infermieria so that they could help her. Ahahaha good times. Speaking of STL responsibilities, we got 2 new districts yesterday which is basically unheard of. Hermana Lykins and I are now responsible for 26 Hermanas. It's super crazy but also super fun. Also get this. Nikki Snowden, as in Timpanogos High School Nikki Snowden, is one of the new Hermanas in my Zone! I also ran into Juliann Mecham this week! #thsthebestttt

So all of us missionaries here in the Mexico CCM are completely convinced that we are in the hunger games. Usually we hear firecrackers going off during the weekend but they usually don't start until 5pm and they only happened every 30 minutes or so. Last friday was a completely different story. Last Friday morning we all woke up to these cannons going off at 5am for no apparent reason. Then throughout the day they were going off ever 10 minutes and we were all so confused. We asked one of our teachers and he said that this last Monday was a Mexican holiday but they celebrate it all weekend long. Wow it was really funny because in the middle of teaching a real investigator a really loud firecracker went off and he straight up did the hunger games salute. We've decided that the arena is the grounds of the CCM, the MTC presidency are the Capitol, our teachers are our versions of Cennia. In fact, we are District 13. Hahaha! 

Like I said earlier, I got sick this week. It got so bad that at one point I couldn't even talk. When you are a missionary trying to teach people you kind of need your voice, right? Haha good times. Basically I have the best companion in the whole world. She got us through 2 lessons and even got a person to commit to baptism all while I just sat there and listened. In all reality, that was really hard for me. It's hard when you fee like you are doing a good thing and yet you are still sick. But something that I learned this week was that sometimes Heavenly Father cuts us down so that he can build us up to become who he needs us to be. We watched a mormon message called "The Will of God." If you haven't seen it before it talks about a gardener pruning a current bush. The bush asks the gardner why the gardner cut it down when it was growing so beautifully. The gardner responded that he cut the bush down so that it could be what it was meant to become. In the end the bush says, "thank you, Mr. Gardner, for loving me enough to cut me down." This past week I felt exactly like the current bush. I tried my best to be the missionary I thought I needed to become but obviously heavenly father needed me to stop and take time to listen to the people around me. I know that sometimes we feel like the bush and wonder why bad things are happening to us but I promise that in the end, God's plan is always better than our plan.

I hope that you all have a great Valentine's Day and that you enjoy watching the Olympics! I love you all and I am so grateful for your support 

Con Amor,

Hermana Taylor

Ps

One of our teachers told Hermana Lykins and I that we were complaining too much about wanting to get to the mission field. He straight up called me the Laman to Hermana Lykin's Lemuel. It was super funny. But yeah, 10 more days until I'm back in the USA

Hermana Lykins, Me, Hermana Buchanan, and Hermana Sears. H Lykins, H Sears, and I are all headed to NYC

and H Buchanan is headed to Washington D.C.:

​

Shout out to my wonderful mom for sending me Oreos this past week and shout out to Grace Thomas for being an angel and

sending me some yummy snacks. You guys saved me this week!:

​

District 13C (Yeah, I know. We are tiny now.): 

The Piñata and My Mission Changed

Hey Everyone,

So there's this saying in the CCM that the days are long but the weeks are short. I completely agree! It's crazy for me to think that I have already been here for a month. I hope things are still going well in your lives!

So you know how in Singles Wards they somehow manage to relate everything to getting married? I thought that by coming on a mission that they would stop dropping the m word every 5 minutes since we are missionaries... yeah no. My comp and I started keeping track of how many times they mention marriage or ask about marriage this week. So far we are at 17 times this week. I'll keep you posted on that talley when we finally break out of these walls. 😂

This past Sunday my companion and I were called to be the Sister Training Leaders (STL) for Zone 13. So far it has been super fun to be able to get to know all of the girls in our Zone a little better and to be able to have the opportunity to be the "Zone Mom's" ahaha. Speaking of Hermanas, we are almost at a one to one ratio with the number of elders versus the number of Hermanas currently in the Mexico CCM. Talk about Hermana power! 💪

Like I mentioned last week, last p-day was super fun because it was Hermana Lykin's birthday! Hermana Lykins really wanted to have a good birthday and so she had been going around and asking our teachers, district leader, zone leaders, and even our sister training leaders where she could get a piñata for her birthday. About two weeks ago, Sister Lykins and I ran into the CCM Presidente on our way home from a fun sand volleyball game. In her very bestest spanish she asked Presidente her usual "where can I get a piñata?" Presidente looked at us for a second and just said "Don't worry about it, Presidente will take care of it. Just keep it on the DL." (No joke, he used "DL" instead of down low ahaha) The Tuesday before her birthday Sister Bennett (the president's wife) took us aside and said that "project secret" was underway. She took us back to her Casa and gave us this gigantic pinata and a ton of Mexican candy to put in it. Somehow we managed to hide this huge piñata from our roomies and the other girls in our district until Friday. Friday we took the piñata out to the soccer fields and had a District Fiesta!! Presidente Bennett and his wife are the absolute best. 

So I got some super exciting news this week. In July the New York New York North (my mission) and the New York New York South Mission will be combined into the same mission which means I will have the WHOLE city of New York!! I am super stoked about this change!! In my Zone there are actually 3 other missionaries headed to the South mission which means that now we will get to interact in the field too!! 

Fun fact, it has been just as cold here as it has been in Utah this past week. Weird, right?! Unfortunately I got a cold because of it. Then I got called as a STL, then we did the ProMix- Latina companion exchange (it was good but hard because they knew zero english), and basically I was just really frustrated with everything. Then during a devotional we watched a mormon message. The guy had been struggling with feeling up to meeting the challenges in his life. He said after trying pretty much everything else he finally resorted to getting down on his knees and said a prayer asking God for help. After he finished praying he heard a voice say, "Will you let me take this?" That line really stood out to me because I realized that I had been trying to handle everything on my own without His help. After humbling myself and asking for help, my cold went away, my STL responsibilities seemed easier, and spanish seemed more manageable. My advice this week would be to stop trying to do everything on your own without God's help. He is right there just asking you, "will you let me take this?"

I love you all and I hope you all have the best week.

Con Amor,

Hermana Taylor 

Ps

My Zone is headed to the temple today and I will tell you guys about it next week!

Basically the best looking district at the Mexico CCM haha:

​

​