Letter # 30 (Feb 29th, 2012.)

Hey all,
This week was fine apart from getting food poisoning and ALMOST DYING.... and being confined for two days without being able to do work in the area. We have continued to find and meet with less-actives this week in an effort to bring them back. We have almost covered every family on the branch list as to whether they are still in the area, have moved or have passed away, and determined who is active, less-active and in-active. I'm sure the branch list is about half of what it used to be now. We even managed to find some less-actives that have no records that we are requesting through the branch clerk.
We have had some great visits with less-actives this week and are working with them all to come back to church. After being stuck in bed for two days and suffering miserably, I was ecstatic when we had a 116 attendance for sacrament meeting! (Yes that's probably the same as the ward, hey?) Not only that but 6 of those were individuals coming back for the 1st time in a long time! Even better is there are now quite a few individuals who have been back now for 3, 4, and 5 weeks in a row. The branch is progressing after a period of being stagnant, or so some of the members keep telling us. We have seen some great progress with certain families in the branch with the whole family now back at church.
This week we had a visit with a less active brother in our branch brother D...., who has a drinking problem that has been affecting his family. We tried to visit with the family on Sunday only to find brother quite tipsy and his wife had left and was staying at relatives house. Brother D's brother and sister-in-law are staying with him this week and trying to help out. We talked with them on Sunday about how we would like to help by using the addiction recovery program. They said they will try to help us as we help them and help Bro. D.
That scripture is a great scripture and was the favorite of my district in the MTC. But thanks again for reminding me of that wonderful story. And you should be glad we left the cats there and didnt do what the housekeeping list tells us to do. It says, and I quote... "If the is something in your apartment that moves and isn't human or your companion, kill it and report it to the zone leaders."... Yes! that is what it says! really! (you can put that one on the blog... Elder Cox has a sundang because its says in the housekeeping list for missionaries... jejejeje!)
And finally a little more about my experiences spiritually this week. These past two weeks have been a refiners fire... and the most intense of my life spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically (food poisoning). I have never though so much about the Atonement of my Savior in my life and never felt the Atonement so powerfully as I have this week. to have my pains swallowed up in the joy of Christ. I know that my Savior, my Elder Brother, loves me personally, the same as my Heavenly Father. I have felt their love and there are changes that have taken place in my heart which I will hopefully never revert. Great changes for the better. The good things after the trials.
I had a thought in sacrament meeting on Sunday and I wrote it down:
"Satan makes things beautiful, exciting, fun, enjoyable, pleasing, for right now. Heavenly Father made things to last for eternity." -Elder Cox-
Let us all remember that... that our Heavenly Father gave us this life to prepare for eternity. Our choices here will affect our entire eternity. So if we are not aimed towards the Celestial kingdom, we need to change. If not now, when? Because our time is quickly running out...
I love you all SO much.
Elder Taylor Addison Cox

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Terri here: You may notice that Taylor puts "jejejeje" at the end of things that are funny, that is because in the Philippines 'J' is pronounced like a 'H'. Just thought I'd point that out for you!!