Celestial Trailer Park!

Hey Y'all,

So lots happened this week and not sure I have a lot of time to share all of it! So I want to share all the big highlights from this week! First of all it was Easter yesterday and it was amazing! I even took the time during the sacrament to read about the resurrection in John 20 and I have never felt such a spirit during the sacrament like I did yesterday it was amazing! Lots of great lessons and with both wards it was extra special. Sister Bingham even got called Saturday night and gave a talk on the resurrection. She did great with even last minute being ask to do it! We had a lesson on Ponderizing in Relief Society and it was great to remember how important it is to have a scripture continually in our hearts. It made me very excited for conference this weekend! We had dinner with a great family who is from Colorado and their son in law used to know my cousins. I have seen the Mormon world to be very small! We shared a lesson on the life of Christ using different scriptures and objects to tell the story (Great job mom and family). It was a big hit and the spirit was so strong!

If I had to share a favorite day of the week it would be Friday we found 5 new investigators 4 of them were teenage kids. We went to a trailer park that was very nice. Had a gate, pool, hot tube, playground, and it had a very safe feeling. We plan to go tract it the next time we come teach them. But we had a Bible referral of someone in there and as we left after teaching them a little we saw 4 teenagers together down the street who were talking loud enough for us to know they were talking about us. We had an extra sister with us today while her companion was in Raleigh for a leadership meeting. Sister Bingham looked at them and kind of jokingly called them out on the fact we knew they were talking about us.  They called us over and just starting asking us tons and tons of questions starting with are you Jehovah Witnesses? and one asked is there life after death? Why to you have a Mormon Bible? do you read the Bible? they asked a lot and we tried to answer everything. They asked about missionary life too and we just told them what we could gave them all Book of Mormon's and a restoration pamphlet and will be seeing them Wednesday. Now I wish we had just talked to them before they called us over. They we prepared. They even told us they knew something was different about us which was why they didn't know which church we were from. It was a great experience and was great to see people so young asking such big questions about life. I was grateful to know we had all the answers and didn't have to say. Sorry I'm not sure or sorry I don't have an answer to that one!

Really I have noticed that between Sister Bingham and I it is never a boring moment and we always have something to laugh about.

We have lots to do this week and we are starting to see a lot of great things going for us! I feel like we never have enough time and I am so tired by the time we go to bed but I love the work we are doing! It will be a great week this week and we are going to the temple Friday and then we have General Conference! Sister Bingham brought up the fact that it will be the last one on our missions and I am kind of sad about that but I am grateful for the fact that we get to spend time with the members and get to know them more. We get to have shrimp Broil on Saturday! You can only get that a certain way in the South! So excited! I hope you all are able to prepare to receive the message you need to personal for all of you! love you all!

Love Sister Tayler Farr

P.S.   Remember to always keep your chin upo and "believe in good things to come" (Elder Holland!)

--

Sister Tayler Farr

The Adventures of Sister Bingham & Sister Farr in Hope Mills!

Hey Y'all,

So a lot happened but we had so much fun this week! We got to go off-roading which led to someone's farm then through someone's front yard as we tried following my GPS. North Carolina has crazy address systems. We finally have gotten some of an idea of the area but still don't know how to tell our new investigators which ward they are in. We really need to make a map soon!

Monday we had a great P-Day. We got together with our Zone and played lots of outdoor games in the first really hot day of the year! We played Ultimate Frisbee with a football. I thought I was going to go crazy when Elders wouldn't throw me the ball but I showed them when we played kickball and I was able to catch a ball as it basically flew into my face! Never again will I stand close to the pitcher spot, all of the balls kicked by Elders go in that direction! :) We played missionary version of Football too where only sisters can touch sisters and Elders only Elders. I am proud to say I got our team some great touch downs as some of the sisters would forget about me and so I was not covered. I have never ran so hard in my life. I was sore all week! I would make my brothers proud!

Tuesday we had a very interesting day and nothing we planned went well. Every appointment canceled and somehow we met our neighbors son and started talking to him. He was going to be outside till his mom came home so we offered him some water and we found ourselves sharing the Book of Mormon with him. We taught him outside on the grass. It was so great and he is so funny! He is a very interesting kid. He doesn't like his moms church cause there's no yelling and crazy loud music. We told him about our sacrament meeting and he just said "Oh!" This little black kid has won my heart and he is just so funny! He always comes over to say hi and ask for us to help him with his door to get it to lock. We gave our car to the Elders so they could go met with President James while their car was being fixed not realizing that we had a dentist appointment for Sister Bingham and that we had a lesson to go to. We got a rides but when we were going to come home we found out our ride cancelled and we didn't want her to feel bad and said that the Elders we already back so we started walking home and got the Elders to pick us up. We got maybe half a mile and found a forest and found a stray dog. As crazy as we are we decided to try to get him. We got cut and scraps and I was thinking we might find snakes! We finally gave up but a lady was not happy with us when she saw us. But oh well! it was a memory. We laughed about it later. Yeah we were being pretty dumb.

Wednesday we had a great district meeting about baptisms and trying to always bring baptism into our teaching and even in a door contact. We tried it that night as we went to try some potentials. There was this one house that we tried and they listened mostly but we left empty handed. We went to the next one and as we got closer to the door a car pulled behind us. We noticed that as he got out he was wearing a probation bullet proof vest and said sorry I will only be a moment. He was a probation cop and so we took that as don't go to this door and moved to the next one. It was scary but funny and glad to see that God was protecting us. We did talk to one guy who we talked about our purpose in life and we got to apply what we learned in district meeting and we told him that the Holy Ghost is that guide to help you know what to do. At first he was trying to get us to leave but we talked about the spirit world and he listened but still we left without a possible return appointment. I have seen a big improvement with how I tract but it is hard when people still reject when you see they love what they hear or feel the spirit and still say no.

On Thursday we were able to get a new investigator who was a Bible referral. We talked with her on her porch and when we started talking about her job she let us in. She works with the foster system. She is great and loves serving. She told us her son had died and wants to know he is happy and safe. She knows he watches over her. We started teaching about the Plan of Salvation and we felt the spirit so strongly and she had tears coming down her face. We got a return appointment and we are so excited. After though is what struck me. We said goodbye and left and once we got on the road trying to get home on time. Sister Bingham pulls over and says we should pray. she offered it and gave a wonderful gratitude prayer. I haven't done that in a while and it was a great reminder that we need to be grateful and show God we notice he is mindful and is guiding us to those who need us.

Friday we also found a new investigator. We were driving to find potential and referrals and as we came around a corner we saw a woman in her electric wheelchair with her dog. We decided to stop and talk with her. We told her we just wanted to come to say hi and meet her. She was so sweet and started to cry. she was so grateful that we would just stop to say hi. She then asked who are girls? We told her we were representatives and we are missionaries for our church and started to teach her the restoration. She loved it and she told us she knew we must be followers of Christ. We are also seeing her again this week.

Sunday was crazy as always. We gave talks in 2nd ward and taught gospel principles in 1st and also co-taught in young women. We had an investigator come who we didn't know who was and we had dropped. She kind of ignored us but we were glad to see her. She is a hard one but she will join because of her member friends someday!

I am sure I could share a lot more of this week to show the many adventures we have here in Hope Mills and in doing the work of the Lord but really its so nice to see that we can have fun in doing what we love and what is so hard sometimes! I hope you all have a great week! I wanted to socially congratulate Jonathon and my new Sister Jessica! I can barely wait for July and I am so glad that I will be able to be there! Its great to  know this plan of happiness and know that they can be together forever! I will finally get a sister! Love you all!

--

Sister Tayler Farr

Welcome to Hope Mills Sister Farr! Hold on for the bumpy Ride!!!!

Hey Y'all,

Hello everyone! So by my title you are probably wondering what happened or oh no! There is no cause for alarm just trying to show the best way of how stressful this first week in Hope Mills has been! So like I said last week I am in Hope Mills with one of the MTC companions and we are both new to the area, we are covering two wards and we have no idea what is going on!!!! Yes! It was a very stressful week lots of hours looking at papers with lots of name from the wards and not a lot of connecting with faces. I have never been more grateful for members when we come for dinner and they write down people in the ward who would be good to take out with us, people to contact and not to contact, and other information about the ward!

Tuesday was a hard day for me as we had to say good bye to Dunn and say goodbye to Emily! We had breakfast with her that morning. We had our car that was going to help us get all our stuff to transfers cancel and so we got all our stuff into our car and Emily's. It was hard but we did it! We had ice cream at Sunny Skies which is a very famous place here in North Carolina. It like Farr's Ice Cream but not opened all year round! We got a ride to Hope Mill from two great sisters from Hope Mills 1 and 2 ward. We had a coordination meeting with 1st ward WML and it went great and we had a lot of questions. It will be great and love Brother Pinegar already!

Wednesday we had Zone Training which I thought was weird it has been a long time since we had Zone Training after Transfers. It was nice to stay in the Zone but hard to see so many of my missionary friends gone. Its time to make new ones now! We had a lot of instruction on being Bold and committing those to baptism. Sister Bingham had a great experience when we got to teach together for the first time and we did very well. We were unified enough to get to the purpose of the role play and the other Elders noticed! We saw one of our investigators who is great and has been meeting with the sisters for awhile.

Thursday we pretty much were inside working on the area book and other book work and trying to set things up and meet people. We still are trying to figure out who is in which ward and which investigators go to which ward! Its been a roller coaster of confusion. I am starting to get a hang of it. We have a great big open apartment which helps to feel home and we are able to use the space we need! I even get to sleep on a bunk bed!

Friday we meet our Recent Convert and she is just amazing she is getting married at the end of the month and then once she goes through the temple she will be sealed. Her year mark is in June! She's getting ready for the temple and is loving everything she is learning about! She is so open to new things and is such a missionary herself! We had lunch with some sweet older ladies in the 1st ward and we went to Grandsons which is a Southern Buffet restaurant! I loved it! Lots of fried chicken, fish, fat back and any kind of southern food you could think of. I loved the banana pudding which I will make forever now for myself.....oh so good!

Saturday we spent a lot of time in the apartment setting things up and putting names in the GPS and getting things ready to start working with there was just so much needing to be done!

With being over two wards means to 2 church services. I was excited to be able to have two sacrament meetings and 2 Sunday schools, and 2 relief society but by the end I was so beat and ready for the day to be over! We didn't even go see people we were just sitting and listening! I  loved every minute of it though! We got to help teach the Laurels in the 1st ward and that was great! I miss The Young women program sometimes! We had dinner with the 1st wards Bishop's family and they gave us lots of info which really helped and took a lot of stress from us. I am glad I experienced this before started brand new in an area like in Cary! It is helping me know I can do this!

With everything that has happened this week I am amazed at how much I miss Dunn and the people there! It is so different here, but I am falling in love with Hope Mills too! I miss all my areas and the people but so glad that it is never goodbye for good! I am excited to see all the good we do here! One thing that has been great and rewarding is being with Sister Bingham my MTC companion and seeing how much we really have grown. I remember being so quiet she had to get me to talk on our trio at the MTC and now I feel like I talk to much! I can see how far I have come to this point and see the person I have become! Its amazing what service to the Lord can do to one person! I never thought this would become who I am and then help to be the person I want to be. It has truly put my priorities in perspective and what really matters to me. I can see how much I really want to help people and teach others what I thought I was losing before. I thought I was losing my testimony a year or so ago and now its never been more strong! I know I have been blessed not because I have deserved it but because my Heavenly Father has truly seen my efforts and my desire and has blessed and others I have taught and more importantly my family! Crazy to think how short this year has been but how much it has done for me which will go with me into eternity! I love this Gospel and I love this work and I especially love the chance to share what is true and what my Savior has done for me and others! I love my Heavenly Father!

Have a great week!

Sister Farr

--

Sister Tayler Farr

Heading to Hope Mills

Hey Y'all,

So what can I say about this week! It has been CRAZY! A lot has happened this week! First off though we got transfer news. Sister Beard and I are both leaving. I am going to Hope Mills 1&2 and Sister Beard is going to Garner. (I started my mission there- so excited for her). So I was sad to see another one of my areas having to get new sisters which means the area will never be the same. Only we found out that instead English Elders will be coming in instead. We are short Sisters in the mission now! I at first was not happy about it but I think it may be good for the ward and for the area! New eyes are always good and maybe someone needs these new Elders to find them.

Monday we went to the Car museum with Sister Knight. It was on Sister Beard's list to do before her Birthday and we got to ride in a classic mustang! It was a lot of amazing cars. I knew my brothers would love them. I will send pictures if I can. Great story though after dinner we went to go contact a referral that the Elders had given us and when we got to the house we new the neighborhood looked familiar. We had tracted it a while back and the referral was someone we had given a card too. It was nice to see the fruits of our labors. After we left we stopped by our Methodist Pastor friend and talked for a while. We talked about how she prepares for her preaching. It crazy how much study and work goes into each sermon she does, but the night ended with us talking about music. She told us about how someone had donated a baby grand piano for the church and she got it in her house. It was beautiful and it made me think of Kory! I wanted to play it so bad and all I could think of was the first few lines of Sweet Hour of prayer. She opened her hymn book and started to play. We found some common songs, some had different words and different tunes but a lot were similar. I could feel the spirit so well and the time flew by. I had my mini hymn book in my bag which was a tender mercy as we got her to play from it. We came back on Sunday to bring her one. She invited us to her church Holy week for Easter! She is great and I love how we both love what we do and love it the same way but its different. To me its means more to volunteer and do it because I want to than to be paid for it. It is amazing to be able to talk about God and Christ all day and to be able to do it freely with even other church too! She is great!

Tuesday was another great day! We deep cleaned our apartment and had dinner with President and Sister James! It was crazy to be able to spend one on one time with the mission president and I realize just how lucky I was! He is great and I could imagine how stressed he must be with transfers coming up but he is such a powerful and amazing man. I looked up to him so much and love the spirit I feel when I am around him. Sister James is so sweet and caring and I love getting her hugs. We got to eat at Cracker Barrel with them and show them what we do every Saturday with Douglas! I love the James' and all they do for us!

Thursday was exchanges! I stayed again in Dunn and Sister Beard went to Lumberton! It was great and a very successful day! I survived on my own! It was actually really relieving knowing if I was to take over the area I could actually do it, but I realized unlike last time I wasn't as nervous and it still was great and it actually went better. Hahaha! I may worry just a little too much!

Saturday we had our usual Cracker Barrel breakfast with Douglas and had a great time! We talked about the Priesthood. The Elders had a baptism that we got to go to. It made me think about Emily and how exciting it will be for her and for me to see her be baptized! It was hard to find out that I wouldn't get to be here to see the rest of the journey but I should be able to come back for her baptism! So excited and I have loved getting to see her change and work toward the temple and how much she is glowing as she excepts the gospel we are teaching her.

Sunday was hard as we were saying goodbye to the members. I took the fact that it was fast and testimony to share my testimony with the ward and I talked just a little too long but I just kept going! I felt like when I finally stopped I could still go. Its amazing to really see my testimony grow and all that I am learning! I now understand that I needed to be here serving in Dunn because I needed Dunn and I needed to meet Emily and the Knights, and the Ginns, and everyone I was able to teach! Emily came and I got to have her hear my testimony. Sister Beard came up too. I love just how much my testimony as grown about church! I look forward for Sunday more now and not just for the sacrament which I love but also for the lessons and the people. I love feeling loved and wanted and I see that as I am kind and loving back. I know my home ward has that!

So next week when  you hear from me I will be in Hope Mills. I am going to be in two wards which I have never experienced before so this will be interesting but I know it will be great! The Lord sent me there for a reason and I will be fine! I love this work and love all the friends and long time friends who I can call family! I am so grateful to know that it is truly See you Later and not Good bye! Love you all and hope you all have a great week!

Sister Farr

P.S. This is my scripture of the week that I have kept close to my heart....Look it up!
3 Nephi 18:25

--

Sister Tayler Farr

It Was Great!

Hey Y'all,

Hello everyone another week gone and that includes February. I can't believe that tomorrow we will be in March! Crazy! A lot happened this week including going to the temple with Emily for a temple walk.

Monday we got to spend our the rest of our preparation Day with a family in the ward and played Apples to Apples. It was fun and I love the family so much!

Tuesday we had a Relief society enrichment activity and it was great we were all to bring two items we would give away that are two of your favorite things or as a gift but they are two of your favorite things. So naturally I brought a bracelet and a picture frame with one of my favorite quotes. It was great and so fun! Lots of different things. In the end I got Vaseline lip balm and chocolate but I gave my lip stuff to Sister Beard. Emily came and brought two recipes. I wanted to get it so bad but I didn't pick her number from the bowl so she promised she would rewrite it for me!!!!! We are actually going to cook and bake with her and the Knights on Friday and include a lesson on The Word of Wisdom. We thought it was pretty appropriate lesson to do while we cook and have fun! hahaha!

Wednesday was interesting as we got to experience tornado weather. We would always leave an area when the tornado would come through the town. I was kind of bummed but I appreciate that we were safe! Funny story. We brought our leftovers for lunch after District meeting so our distinct went to Subway and we stayed at the church and waited. While we waited we got pouring rain and we had to wait longer at the church to travel home because the tornado came through.

On Saturday was when we went to the Temple with Emily and it was great! We talked about some of the ordinances that happen in it. We got to go into the waiting room and talk and even one of temple presidency counselor came and talked with us. We had a great discussion and the spirit there was so strong! We went over the interview questions for Baptism and then walked around and took pictures. We had great discussion too in the car and it was a great experience.

Sunday was great too! We had Stake Conference and heard great talks from lots of different people. One sister had a talk that I liked the most which was on Scripture Study. The way she gave it was like a sister in the General presidency would give it! It was a great chance to hear different topics that the Stake wanted us all to work on.

Well! This was my week and so glad that I got to go with Emily to the temple. The time to her baptism is getting shorter and shorter and she is so excited. I am so glad I get to be her missionary! Love you all! Have a great week! Next week brings the transfer news!

--

Sister Tayler Farr