Livin' the Life

hey mom and family.

how are you doing. I'm doing ok here. really stressed. yesterday in church i helped give 12 blessings or 13 i cant remember 4 confirmations 6 baby blessing (they weren't all babies some were little kids.) we are working our way through the primary to give them records and what not and then a bunch of blessings to those who are sick. i got to give one of the baby blessing....in Spanish. wow i was super nervous. i had some time to practice before so i did ok. she was the cutest little girl I'm going to get a picture with her before i leave.

the next blessing that night that i helped with is to a girl named Brenda. she has been through a lot. was part of a gang. addicted to a marijuana. and she is only 15. she wants to be better. but her family doesn't support her in baptism it is really sad. so we are teaching just her. but anyway she has been hearing voices in her head and they scare her so we gave her a blessing and are going to call her every night to check up on how she is doing. nothing really exciting happened this week. we did set a couple baptismal dates with Lucas and Lupe an old man and the girl he looks out for guardian of. they are going to get baptized on the 14 of November. however on Sunday Lupe came to church but Lucas didn't. we asked them to come together and read together to give each other the support that they need but the first assignment didn't even go through right. i was a little upset.

Spanish is slowly getting better. it is hard to think that i still have to wait 5 more months till I'm as good as i want to be haha. but i think about it and realize 2 months i go i couldn't even understand Spanish. now i can teach lessons and understand some conversation about other stuff. my vocab is limited to the church so it is hard sometimes to just talk. but it is growing quickly. i should probably talk more in Spanish with my companion but he doesn't understand sometimes. especially when i ask questions on how to say something he cant explain it. he has been speaking in Spanish he whole life. he just does it. so with practice and listening ill get it.

we had a trainer trainee meeting. it was so good. it made me feel better about everything. I'm so scared that i am not good enough. but we watched a clip from facing the giants. and it is all about giving it your best. that is all he asks. that is all he asks in life. duh really easy huh. i know if i try my hardest and do my best he will be pleased with me. I'm going to work as hard as i can and i know good will come of it.

anyway how is everyone doing. good i hope. is it cold. snowing. it has rained here for like 2 days. and is starting to get cold and i am still packed like i am going to Mexico. it is really hard being transferred. i don't have anything i need here. and mom no don't send me anything. haha. like blankets, haha everyone brought the ones they have. i wasn't told to so i just have a sheet it isn't so bad. or a pillow haha. i use my sweatshirt. i don't have my jacket for the rain. that is dumb. ill get one in Mexico like i planned. anyway even with all that fun stuff. and including not having light in my bedroom. or in the main room. (no fixtures and no lamps yet.) I'm pretty sure i feel like a missionary should feel haha.

we have a lot planned for this week. we have a baptism on Sunday. my comp thinks I'm going to baptize. we will see. i kinda don't want to. I'm to scared still. but i have to do it sooner or later right. it will be a good experience.

the members here or most of them really support missionary work. they are pushing us so hard to do more and more. I'm exhausted at the end of each day. i love it. anyway. i love you all so much i have to go shopping now for food. I'll email you next week. be safe and be good. you are all wonderful. Tell client hi for me.

love your brother and son.

Elder Paskett

ps mom thank you so much for the letter it was the best thing this week

Rockin' Modesto

hey mom and family.

How are you all doing. I'm pretty much in Mexico.I don't understand anyone and cant read anything. I'm in a Spanish branch in Modesto California. woot woot. it is pretty fun. i got here met president Gonzalez and my companion elder Martinez. they got to know me a bit. and we were off from Fresno to Modesto. we got to our apartment, what i imagined it to be. two small rooms one bathroom and a small kitchen. there are four of us. we are kind of one big companionship but we go out separately my other "comp" is from Peru. Elder Valencia. the last is Elder Krebs he is going to Mexico too. anyway, we went to our appointment with Silvia. she is a recent convert. she speaks English and Spanish but more Spanish. kinda Spanglish. i could understand most of what she said. probably because it was part English. haha. she asked for a blessing and we gave her one then went home. our apartment didn't have electricity that night they hadn't turned it on for us yet. so we planned in the dark with flashlights. and got ready for bed. the next day we visited Nancy a recent convert. i couldn't understand her at all. ya it stressed me out.

next we went to Alejandra and Fransisco's. They are a couple living together they want to get baptized but have to get married first. they are waiting for legal papers to become citizens first. so as soon as that happens they are good to go. Later, we went back to Nancy 's to teach her daughter who was also baptized recently. we could speak English and Spanish with her. i tried mostly in Spanish but when i couldn't i talked a bit in English. we drove around a lot from house to house to our appointments and no one was home big shock. :( not really.

anyway, to continue about my week we taught a man in the hospital, named Molesio, he is a little brain damaged. i couldn't understand him but he wants us to teach his sister. he told his sister to call us and she did. we teach her wed. this week at the hospital with her brother. we are excited. Mari Cruz and Cesar are a family who i met last week who had a baptismal date for Sunday (yesterday) they got married Saturday. i help with that set up clean up what not. then the next day Sunday night they and their 2 daughters that could get baptized got baptized. it was wonderful. i was so happy for them. when they were changing after being baptized me and Elder Krebs, were in charge of giving a lesson. yeah i was freaking out. but we taught about Joseph smith and the book of Mormon and it was all good. oh i also had to get up and tell about myself on Sunday. bear my testimony and what not. that wasn't so bad either.

we found a lady who wanted a copy of finding faith in Christ. (a DVD) we took it to her and she knows quite a bit. (she has nephews that are missionaries) he contacted her and we need to go back to teach her more. I'm excited my companion is making me extend the baptismal date. I'm nervous. i hope i say it right.

every girl likes my blue eyes. it freaks me out a little there is a girl that flirts with me and my companion. he both hate it. i act super awkward when i talk to her. which feels weird because talking to girls isn't hard for me haha. my companion told her she needed to stop it. i was grateful for that. we are going to drop the family of that girl. I'm really sad to do it because well you know. they just aren't keeping commitments or coming to church. it makes me sad.

oh David and Elva have a date we are just waiting for them to get married too. they have an interview with president Jimenez of the branch. then we can finalize the date for them. I'm excited for that.

well i don't have much more to say other then I'm doing my best out here. trying my hardest to learn Spanish. slowly i am starting to understand more and more. but not the pace that i want. oh well i am on the lords time.

i love you all so so much. keep up the good work. keep praying and reading. how is the book of Mormon coming. don't give up please. i love you all.

mom I'm gaining weight again. i am eating so much here. it makes me sick haha.

I'm doing good. don't worry about me just pray.

i love you

love your son and brother,

Elder Taylor Paskett

Quick note in Fresno

Hey family,

i made it to Fresno in one piece. really tired tho. i love my mission president and the other elders that i have met so far. it is going to be really good here. i dont know what else to tell you. well sorry this is short. i dont know what else to say. i love you all so much. ill be able to tell you more next week on monday. (pday). um i am doing really good. i get to start knocking doors tonight. be safe and keep praying for me. i love you all so so much and i miss you.

love Elder Paskett

Off to Fresno

We were able to talk to Taylor again this morning. He his headed off to Fresno for about a month. Funny story, he saw Great Grandma and Wes at the airport! I thought it was super neat that he was able to say hi to them. I guess Great Grandma was really excited about it :) Taylor is extremely excited to get out of "jail" (That's what our family refers to as the MTC, ha ha) and into the field to teach. He is most likely going to be speaking Spanish there, which will be nice. He also said pictures are on their way so as soon as I get a hold of them I will be sure to post them on here! Hope everyone is loving life!

Much love,
The Pasketts

Phone call!

We talked to Taylor today! Unfortunately, it was only for 5 minutes. However, it was really, really nice to hear his voice. He sounds like he is doing really well. Anyway, big question on everyone's mind is where is Taylor being temporarily transferred? ........................Fresno, California! He flies out super early on Tuesday, October 12. We will also be able to hear from him that morning from the airport so that will be nice. I will be sure to update more after that! He sends his love to everyone, and wants you all to know that he thinks about you often. He appreciates all of your letters and he hopes to see more from ya. Thanks for all of your great support. Our family appreciates all of your prayers.

Love,
Paskett Family

No Visa October 6, 2010

Hey everyone!!!!!!
How are you doing? Can you believe that I have been here for 8 weeks? I can't it has felt like nothing really. I"m so excited to leave here. I'm so excited to go and help people. Connor wrote me and said he is speaking Spanish in Texas, Forth Worth mission. He loves it. He is teaching 4 progressive invets. I'm so jealous that he is gone, but guess what! I didn't get my visa, so I got reassigned guess where! Come on guess. I'm going to... I don't know yet ha ha. I find out tonight or tomorrow. So I will be calling home Friday, (don't forget). Sometime around 6 ish, if this is a problem write me and tell me a good time. I am pretty flexible and my comps understand. We are all going to find a good time for each of us even if we have to do it separate times. Anyway, we had our last meeting with Josue. We taught him the plan of salvation and it went pretty good but not perfect. We couldn't find a way to apply it to him other then the atonement will help you in your trials and he said that he really doesn't have any trials and didn't express and concerns. Oh well. We got him to pray often and keep reading the Book of Mormon. So some success. We teach a guy named Daniel. He is tough. He is an investigator that you probably wouldn't go back to teach. When you show up at his "house" class room really, he says he is too busy but you just stay stubborn and he lets you in. Then, he gets talking we start to teach and then he says "what do you know? How old are you?" and what not. Next time we teach we are going to talk about tithing and fast offerings and what not because he doesn't believe you are a disciple of Christ unless you show love for your fellow men. So I have thought of some examples of charity our family has done and charity we have received and things we have seen. Then talk about why I am on my mission, the ultimate service and sacrifice I can do in my life. Hopefully, it goes well. Please pray for me to be patient with him. My temper flares when he bashes me. Big surprise right? Que mas? Conference was amazing. I love it so so so much. We left at one thirty for salt lake. We got there and went into the little theater they have and practiced and watched a little bit of the afternoon session. We had a snack practiced some more. Then, went into the big room. We practiced once and sat down. All the members of the seventy were all turned around at the start smiling at us and just looking so proud of us. Then, when we started to sing one by one, all of the seventy and some of the apostles, I think started to turn around and watch us instead of the T.V. screen. It felt so incredible, when all the missionaries were asked to stand. I started to cry cause I knew that all around the world an army of believers were standing shoulder to shoulder along with the general authorities to bring to pass god's work and his glory. To bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. It was so wonderful. I loved President Uchtdorf's talk on focusing on the important things in times of strife. I think that has been a problem for me while I have been here. I thought the harder I worked the faster I got through it. It was so nice to hear that I can slow down here but still work hard. Makenna I'm so glad to hear you scored a goal in soccer. guess what, I scored one too. Pretty much everyday ha ha. But I play goalie a lot too. My body is bruised from soccer and volley ball and diving on the ground, but it is fun. Jon I haven't heard from you in a while, but I love you lots, keep up the good work. You are wonderful and have a lot of potential. tanner I was so glad to hear about band. You are amazing and your determination will help you in the mission field and I still think it is weird you are driving so..... stop. Alli keep up the good work at school. Be patient in everything. You are the best older sister I could have hoped for, thank you. Mom and dad I love you so much. I am doing well and working hard. I love you so much. I love your love for me and the gospel. You are the reason I love this. I know that I would not have done will if it weren't for your unending support for me. I am out of time. Let the WHOLE family know I am doing better, and thank them for the letters the sent. I'm going to write them too, so just eif you see them tank them for me.
I love you so so so much, all of you.

Love
Elder Taylor Paskett

Where's Taylor?

Taylor sang in the priesthood session of Conference. See if you can find him in the crowd!

Hark all ye nations
http://new.lds.org/general-conference/music/2010/10?lang=eng&session=3&song=1&media=video

Called to serve
http://new.lds.org/general-conference/music/2010/10?lang=eng&session=3&song=10&media=video