What Rhymes with Twenty? Plenty?

Thanks for all the Birthday wishes and such, all you wonder family and friends! Ya'll are the best people in the world! I love knowing all of you!

My last week of teenagerialism was a pretty good one, if I do say so myself. Last Monday we did the usual P-day things. Like shop, eat McDonald's, play Gatorball, just the same old. Not a lot to report on there.

On Tuesday we had our monthly zone meeting. It's a three hour meeting where our zone leaders talk the entire time with two 5-minute breaks during it. It isn't the best meeting ever, especially when we've got 10 missionaries in the room complaining for 15 minutes about rules that should be really simple to understand. Ugh. After Z-Meeting was pretty neat. One of the senior missionaries, Elder Perez, who is also a member of our ward, invited Elder Pyne and me over for lunch. This is also a weekly appointment with him, so yay!

For some reason Wednesdays are usually pretty good. This one was almost an exception. So, first, in the morning all of the cell phones for the mission weren't working, so no one could talk to anybody. Second, we were supposed to have two missionaries from the desert spend the day with us and do missionary work because they are trainers and their greenies were in a meeting. Elder Pyne and I walked all the way to the church building because we knew the other missionaries weren't going to have a car or bikes.

As I predicted, it was Elder Tyler and Elder Buttars who were down here from Apple Valley. But, what usually happens in Greenie Meetings, the Elders from the desert usually hang out with whomever they want down here in the valley, so Elder Pyne and I really wasted an entire morning to go "pick up" two missionaries who ended up just going to Five Guys with missionaries they were friends with, so whatever.

My companion and I, however, managed to get some missionary work done. We taught Cassie, who is returning to activity, at the Relief Socitey President's house. She actually came to church on Sunday, which is always super good. I love seeing people progress in the gospel!

Thursday was a pretty bomb day. I was on exchanges with one of my zone leaders, Elder Clark. We did a lot of good work that day. We knocked some doors, but no real luck. We found some members not far from where we were tracting and they fed us some lunch. That was cool and unexpected. Later that day we taught our new investigator! Her name is Margret, and she is super nice. It's about time that I've been able to find a new investigator. We taught her about the Book of Mormon, which she already owned a copy of, and we are teaching her again tomorrow. Oh heck yeah!

The rest of the day was pretty decent, but not too successful. We just had dinner with an awesome family, went on splits then exchanged back. It was a good day.

I don't have much memory of Friday. I don't know why, but I don't. Hmm. I know we weekly planned and had dinner with the Bingham family. Past that, I'm just not too sure.

Saturday was odd. I was on exchanges in the Hillside ward with a different missionary. He and I have very similiary interests (e.g. Pokemon, Kingdom Hearts, Zelda etc.) so it is fun to talk to him. But he sleeps in until 11 o'clock, which really isn't fun. And then after lunch we just went to the library so he could use the computer. Then he went to a baptism in San Bernardino, so I was put back with his companion and my companion for the rest of the day, and nothing else went on. We did, however, attend a baptism for the Spanish branch here in Rancho. Good stuff.

Man, now I'm tired of writing things, So here's yesterday, my 20th birthday. I woke up, open some good presents provided by my loving family. Then off to church we went. My companion and I taught Gospel Principles, and it was a good class and lesson. After church we had dinner with the Hadad family. They were pretty awesome. They made Hawaiian Haystacks and Pumpkin pie, per my request. It was super great.

That brings me to now. Kind of tired from writing all this wonderful goodness, but I did it because I have the time today. We have already finished our laundry and done our shopping, so all we have left is to go bowling in and hour and a half. Yay!

Thanks, once again, for being the best people in the world. If this was more of a specific email I would have better words to say, but it isn't, so I don't. I love all of you. Don't ever change, except your underwear.

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Now go, and be Golden,
Elder R. Sage Taylor

Opening my birthday presents!

A sweet heart-shaped cactus Elder Pyne and I found.

This is me, Elder Pyne, and my two zone leaders, Elder Clark and Elder Stocker, after playing a wonderful game of bowling on Monday

T-Minus 6 Days...

******Elder taylor’s birthday is this Sunday!

Drop him a line – he would love it******

I would like all of you to know that I am really loving this area and the ward in which I am serving. The people here are all just so stinking nice, it is awesome. Even though there isn't that much work going on right now, I'm still loving it.

Here's the sad news, Elder Pyne and I didn't teach a single lesson this week. That's not our fault, though! We tried and tried, but no one wanted us. I guess we'll just have to try harder this week, right? I think I told you about the ROC program last week, right? Well, that's kind of what we've focused on, just handing out those tickets. Our ward mission leader wants us focusing on that, so that's what we do.

My companion, Elder Pyne, is pretty much a boss, I just want to say. He and I get along great. We are always having a good time and we just like working, which is different from some of my other companions. The only thing we really want is to find a family of 4 and teach them. Hopefully that will happen soon.

My ride out of this place wants to go. I wish I could write more! Just know that we have met a ton of the ward members, who are all legit, and that we still get a little lost in our area. White washing is super fun!

--

Now go, and be Golden,

Elder R. Sage Taylor

This is of me on a park bench.  It was in a totally random place so Elder Pyne and I just had to get some pictures of ourselves on it.

My last day with Elders Roos, Paget and Allen. Good times were had there.

Elder Pyne and me walking ourselves over to where the emailing place is. It was awesome.

Side note from the parents....

This past weekend Stephen and Isaac flew to Anaheim to see the Angels play (Angel's won 5-4!).  On Sunday morning they decided that they would drive up to see Sage's Mission Home, and take a picture and then send to Sage with a "Hey! Look where we were!" We thought it would be really funny. :)

But the joke ended up being on them. After sending the pictures to Sage, he responded letting us know that the "random missionaries" were actually Sage's mission companion and Zone Leader! Sage was just inside the church and was going to come out with his companion, but the other Zone Leader wanted him to go look at something else, so he didn't. He was just on the other side of the door! Stephen informed me that even if Sage had been outside he wouldn't have called out - that would have been against the rules! I don't know if I'd have been able to hold myself back, hence why I am not going to California any time before May 27th 2014!

Isaac at the Mission Home

The Mission Home is located on Woodruff Place

Pictures of some random missionaries

Isn't Cucamonga A Funny Word?

I'm sure you are all thinking to yourself, "Didn't Elder Taylor get transferred? Why does his subject line say Cucamonga? Isn't that the ward he was just in? Does he still have the same companion? Why am I asking myself a ton of questions without actually contemplating the answers in between?"

I am here to answer those questions!

Q: Didn't Elder Taylor get transferred?

A: Yes

Q: Why does his subject line say Cucamonga?

A: Because I stayed in Rancho Cucamonga! I'm in a ward called the Highland Ward. Right before I got transferred in there were some Sister Missionaries serving in this ward, so that means that I got white washed in to the area.

Q:  Isn't that the ward he was just in?

A: I feel like I have answered this question with my previous answer, but, yes, I was previously in the Cucamonga Ward.

Q: Does he still have the same companion?

A: No. I now have a new companion, hence the new area. His name is Elder Pyne. He's from the distant land of West Jordan, Utah. He's been out for 6 months longer than I have. Something that is crazy is that I knew him pretty well before he and I were companions. He was in the Oak Hills area while I was in Phelan, which are neighboring areas. 

It gets cooler. At transfer meeting Elder Pyne and I were actually sitting right next to each other. So when President Godwin said "In the Highland ward, serving as District Leader, Elder Pyne," Elder Pyne stood up, "and his new companion, Elder Taylor." I stood up right next to him and hugged him. because I already knew they guy. That was pretty cool.

Q:Why am I asking myself a ton of questions without actually contemplating the answers in between?

A: I don't know. You should probably go see somebody about that.

What else should I let ya'll know about? How about the cool area I'm in? First off, it's an English ward, which I am stoked about. We've got the most legit ward mission leader I have ever met. He's got so much fire and wants to baptize Rancho. He's got this plan for us to find new people. There's this pretty cool program by this group called ROC that he's got coming. It will be pretty cool.

I'm in one of the smaller areas in the mission. I am on a bike. The Mission Office is inside my area, so we go over there a bit. Also, we have a cool community center in my area, too, which is where I am emailing all of you from!

General Conference was pretty much awesome! I love conference. It was great to hear our awesome Prophet and Apostles to give us council. Wouldn't you have to agree with me?

Elder Pyne and I walked in to have 1 investigator in our area. His name is Danny. He is a pretty alright guy. I don't know him that well yet. We've only met with him the one time. I'll keep you updated with that.

So far, the only work my companion and I have done is just trying to hand out tickets to ward members for that ROC program. We are trying to get the members to invite as many non-members to it. Every member I've met has been fairly nice to us. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to like it here in this ward.

--

Now go, and be Golden,

Elder R. Sage Taylor

Hola Amigos

Not really much to report on this week. Elder Allen and I had a lot of nothing going on this past week. I can't think of any really outstanding events that happened. Maybe the coolest thing that happened was that there was Relief Society party. We didn't stay for the whole thing because it was going to last for quite a while. We just ate and left. 

Here's some news. I'm getting transferred. No idea where to or who with, yet. You'll know next week, though.

Nothing else to report. I didn't even see either of our investigators this past week. What's funny is that in the entire 6 weeks I've been in this ward I only saw one of them 1 time. How strange.

Well, on to bigger and better things!

--

Now go, and be Golden,

Elder R. Sage Taylor

PS - After a few more emails back and forth, we found out that Elder Taylor indeed did a few more things in his last week in Rancho Cucamonga.

We went service project for an hour before we had to leave to a baptism in the Fontana Tongan ward, where Elder Allen served. It was for an older woman that he taught. 

I ate some more Tongan food, like boiled bananas. Those were pretty gnarly tasting. I really have found out I don't like Tongan food.

I tried to read the Book of Mormon in the month of March, but I didn't quite make it. I got to chapter 10 of Helaman.