What’s up everyone HAPPY HALLOWEEN 😈🎊!

The people here in Portland are already weird so when Halloween comes around things get pretty interesting haha. Anyway this week was great as always!

We even got a full day of sun on Tuesday so that was nice! Well this week we didn't have a lot of time to just go knock doors because we had a lot of lesson set up which is good. But on Tuesday we met a small family of 4 because one of our appointments canceled so we just started tracking next to the house we had our previous lesson set up with. And that's how we met the Teske family. We knocked on their door and talked to them about the Book of Mormon and testified of its truth. They then invited us in which never happens like ever!  Then they wanted to talk to us more about our beliefs and they had so many questions about modern prophets and the restoration. We than committed them to take the discussions and they accepted! So we hope to help bring the Teske family closer to Christ!

Oh and an update on Ryan and Maggie, they are coming to church every week and the ward members are doing an awesome job at fellowshipping them. We got them both a job at the DI and found them a car and a place to live. They also accepted the discussions and we hope to invite them to the pool party, and commit them to baptism soon:)

Ok funny story time, so we were going around our complex knocking on doors for a little just trying to meet some of the new neighbors. So we knocked on this random door about 3 buildings away from ours and met this named Roger. He's like 70 years old and he used to work in communications during WW2. He talked to us about all the government secrets he heard over years and how we have been visited by Aliens about 7 different times over the past 100 years. Then me and Elder Packer looked behind him and he had one of those tinfoil hats on the shelf behind him haha right next to 3 drones he bought on line like 4 months ago to get Sasquatch on film. Oh and he also has a bunch of infrared camera pictures of Sasquatch he took last week haha! We then gave him a Book of Mormon and said if you study up on the Book of Mormon, we will study up on Sasquatch and then when we come over next time we can talk about both and he accepted so I guess I better get to studying!

Well that's all I’ve got for you this week, I'm so grateful for the constant companionship of the spirit! I know that without the guidance and direction of the spirit we could not be saved. Joseph Smith said "Salvation cannot come without revelation; it is in vain for anyone to minister without it"   I know that only through the spirit can there be true conversion.

 Love Elder - Taysom

Hey everyone!

Hope everything is good back home. This week was crazy and fun! We stopped by a ton of less actives in the ward and there are a lot.. something like 600 less actives haha so we have our hands full! We have a lot of follow up lessons for next week so next week should be pretty full too.

One of the less actives we taught this week had his 4th heart attach and just got back from the hospital two days before we came over and his wife (that's the member) fell down the stairs and broke some ribs so they were having a rough week. We talked to them (the Reddings) about how God has a plan for us and he loves all of his children and knows them by name. Well Brother Redding seemed to connect with that lesson felt the spirit. He then went on and said "I know what you two have said it true. I know god has a specific plan for me or I wouldn't have survived all 4 of these heart attacks." Now we have  3 lessons lined up with them next week and they seem really interested in joining the church.

Oh and Maggie and Ryan from last week have been sick so not much new going on with them, but me and Elder Packer are working hard with them. Something crazy happened this week! I met our neighbor Brother Southany. We went over to his house and talked to him about the church and he said he knows our church is true because he is Jesus Christ! Haha and he said he figured out he was Jesus Christ when he shot laser beams out of his eyes. Now I knew when you went on a mission that you got close to your Savior but who knew he was only 4 houses away! Crazy Right?!!!

Well that's all I've got for this week. I love being a missionary and love the Lord! I know he is the only way we can get back to our Heavenly Father and he atoned for our sins out of pure love for us. Heavenly Father is a loving God that wants all of his children to return to live with him and wants all to know of his great plan. I'm just here being errand boy :)

Hey everyone!

This week was awesome! We got a lot of new investigators and less actives to teach. We met this small family of 3 at the beginning of the week. We walked up on them in their car. We met Maggie first, she said they had been evicted from their house about 3 months ago and they were living in their car. They both got let go from their jobs and have no family nearby that could help them. Their car broke down right before we met them and they didn't know what to do. They were especially worried about how they were going to take care of their 2 year old son Roman. We gave them a Book of Mormon and talked to them about prayer and how God can help us through tough times. Then we invited them to church and to meet with the Bishop to talk about getting a food order from the storehouse. They have accepted all of our challenges and have started reading the Book of Mormon and came to church for all three hours! After church we introduce Ryan and Maggie to Bishop Zabaldo to get them a food order. We got them some food and got both of them job interviews at the DI later this week! We also have 3 lessons set up with them because they said they were really interested in joining the church! The Gospel truly blesses families and works miracles! It’s only been a little over a week since we first met them  and elder packer and I have seen the many blessing flooding in their lives,  but so have Ryan and Maggie. I’ll try and to get a Pic with them for next week!

Oh and a lot of you emailed me about the weather alert that they sent out for my area..... we got a text that morning from the mission president that we needed to stay indoors all day but then about an hour later he texted us again and said the storm had changed directions and we could get back to work, so no we didn't get to see any cool natural disasters or anything.  We did get  2 extra hours in our apartment that day so we got to explore the apartment a little more, so we got in the attic so see if there was a treasure map like the goonies, but we didn't find anything  so that's a bummer!

 Anyway that's all I got for this week. I love it here and love seeing the Lord’s hand in everything we do!

Love elder Taysom

Hey everyone!

So I’m finely here!!! I’m in the mission!

We had to leave the MTC at 3am and get on one of the MCT busses to the train station. Then we took an hour and a half long train ride to another bus stop that then took us to the airport! So getting to the airport was kind of a pain but it was fun! Then I got to call some of my friends and family. It was really early so sorry for waking some of you up haha!

Oh and when I was calling some of my friends to ask them about their mission calls, I tried to call Blake because I knew he was leaving for the MTC soon, but he didn't answer. I was kind of bummed out about that, but when I was about to board the plane, I was walking to the gate and I hear behind me..... Tanner!? I slowly turned around because no one has called me by my first name in weeks and it was Blake! The Lord works in mysterious ways! I didn't get to talk to him long because I had to get on the plane but I got to hug him and say bye! SO IF THAT DOESNT TELL YOU THE CHURCH IS TRUE I DONT KNOW WHAT WILL! Haha!! So that was awesome!

Then when we landed in Portland I got to meet my mission president and his wife the McAteers! They are awesome and love missionary work. They had us sleep at the APs apartment for the night. Then the next morning we got to meet our Trainers!!! AND I GOT THE BEST TRAINER IN THE WORLD! His name is Elder Packer. He’s 19 from Kaysville, Utah and is a triple black belt in Chun Kuk Do so you don't have to worry about my safety anymore mom haha! We are in the Portland Organ, Sunny Side ward!

It’s a walking mission so that's not what I was really expecting. But I love it... It’s so pretty here and walking around lets you see all of it and is better for street contacting! Oh and the people are crazy here! Haha like I don't really know how to explain it so I’ll send a video of a person me and Elder Packer talked to the other day! Well that's all I got for this week! I love it here and love being a representative of the Lord even more!

Love elder Taysom

Dear Missionary Family,

We are delighted to inform you that your missionary has arrived safely to the Washington Vancouver Mission. We already love them and are excited to serve with them. We have enjoyed becoming acquainted with them and are confident that they will become an effective instrument in the hands of the Lord in sharing the gospel with the people of Washington and Oregon.

We have assigned them a companion who is an experienced, devoted, and motivated missionary. All of our missionaries understand that one of the greatest privileges available in the mission is to train a new missionary. This first companion will be a special person to your missionary’s life and will help give them a great start here. We feel that our greatest responsibility is the care and welfare of your child. We want to assure you that we will be in close contact with them. We will be observant of their physical health, happiness, and spiritual well-being. We will work closely with them throughout the mission to help them succeed and fulfill their calling as a representative of the church and as an ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Please be assured that we will be in contact with you if we ever encounter any concerns that would call for your attention. We see you as a great asset to the success of your child while serving in the mission field and will work closely with you if the need arises.

Thank you for the sacrifices you are making at home to have your missionary in the field. We have seen the Lord bless the families of missionaries who are serving in untold ways. We know that his blessing will be upon you as well.

With love,

President and Sister McAteer

Washington Vancouver Mission

Tanner made it safely to Vancouver, Washington this morning! We did get to talk to him early this morning on speaker phone with all four of us squished into my bed, before he boarded his plane at SLC international. He said that he has learned so much at the MTC! He said that he decided he would be positive and he really loved his experience there so much! He said that he was really tired because they had been up packing and then were too excited to sleep much, before leaving the MTC at 3am to take public transportation to the airport. Mostly, he just sounded so happy!

Later today I got a text from the mom of one of his besties, that Blake and Tanner had found each other at the SLC airport as Tanner was waiting for his flight and Blake was waiting for his connecting flight! Blake flew out this morning from St. George for his mission in Columbia! What a tender mercy indeed!

Greater still, we got an email this evening from Grandma Honey, that a friend in her branch in Pine Valley had forwarded an email from her friend in Vancouver who happened to be helping with the welcome dinner for the new missionaries. (This whole stateside mission thing is awesome!!!)

She writes: Tonight I met a young elder at our mission home that just arrived from the MTC. I am on the mission home committee and serve at each transfer dinner. Will you share this with his grandparents Susan and Scott and family? This is a large group of 16 new missionaries. This is their arrival dinner in the mission home in Felida, Vancouver WA. He was in excellent spirits and very happy and friendly. He is in excellent hands with the mission president and AP’s. So warm and kind and love these missionaries!

Best Wishes, Peggy Goodwin, Felida Ward

She attached this letter from Tanner and a couple of pics :)

Thanks for the letter you guys sent me in the MTC! I’ll make sure to knock on every door on every floor! Love you guys and thank you for establishing this gospel in our family! I have come to love it so much in the past few weeks and I want to thank you for passing down the love of Christ! I love to think that I can be with my family forever because of him! Love you guys and I’m having a ball and can’t wait to invite all to come unto Christ!

Love your little Tanny boy – Elder Taysom