Elder T. Janis: I Have Young Men Who Will Pray For Me!

May 13, 2013

I'm so glad yesterday was such a good mothers day!!! I totally forgot to ask on skype: Did you get breakfast in bed?!?!!

Mom, your support, faith, confidence, and trust in me is so helpful i cant even tell you how much it means to me. I force myself to smile A LOT and it really helps :D This is what I told Emily about it: Being positive and happy has NEVER been harder in my life. Something one of the MTC presidents wives said that has stuck with me was this, "Smile. Always smile. EVEN when you don't want to." I took that to heart and it helps soooooooooooo much. When I'm stressed out, overwhelmed, homesick, tired, angry, upset... basically when I'm at my lowest I somehow remember that quote and so I smile and it makes me feel loads better :) SO SMILE! :D

I know this gospel is TRUE. It's been confirmed to me over and over and over. I can't tell you how many times my heart has burned within me testifying to the truth I bear testimony to every day. What an amazing experience to be able to fly in to a place you've never been before and bear your testimony to everyone you meet. It's such a blessing! And it blesses them too.

Here's the work me and my companion have going on right now: We have quite a bit of work going on right now and hopefully before the time I get transferred in 5 weeks we will have baptized Madison who's 12 (her mom supports her getting baptized but her Dad doesn't. Please pray for her that her dad will soften his heart!!), Joe who's an 84 yr black man (his wife Margret is listening to the discussions too but she has Alzheimer so I don't know if we can baptize her... Joe is tough too cause he's been baptized 3 times in his life and he doesn't understand that only our church has the priesthood authority directly from God to authorize any holding that authority to administer that ordinance.. He came to church for the first time ever yesterday though and had a really good experience so pray for him too! :) ), Josh and Heather (young couple trying to change their lives. They came to us because they want to change their lives and get custody of their kids back. They're awesome!), Paul (super cool black guy who's got a lot to overcome but is doing awesome and goes to church every week), and Gloria (Older white woman who's been agnostic forever but since she had an accident and is in the hospital is praying now :D). Gloria is funny cause in the hospital a pastor came by and asked if he could pray for her and she told him, "No! I have young men who will pray for me!" The pastor left and immediately she called us and told us what had just happened and asked us to pray for her and that she would pray (for the first time ever!!!) too.

Love Elder Taylor Janis

My district at the MTC! (Left to right: Sister Lowe, Sister Roth, Sister Ball, Sister Pooley, Elder Tambo, Elder Christensen, Elder Janis)