90th email from France (Albi)

Hey Everyone, Ok, so this week was pretty good, I guess. Christmas went well. It felt like another normal week but I guess that’s better and it helped us stay focused- something that is becoming a little harder every day. Church was only two hours again. There just weren’t enough people to do all the lessons. Thankfully we had a couple from the stake that came. When we started it was only us and them and the branch president’s family but then a few others came. I’m excited for next week because everyone should be off vacation and at church.
I really liked talking to y’all! The pictures you sent yesterday- everyone looks so much bigger and grown up. It’s going to be really weird to be there with everyone again but it’s coming fast!
I’m not sure what we will be doing this week. We have our district meeting tomorrow morning here in Albi then Elder Hill and I are going to do an exchange so that will be fun. If you remember he was the one I trained before I left the bureau. Normally we work for the last three hours of p-day but recently president told us that we could to it earlier in the day cause at night it gets dark so much earlier. So that’s what we did today. It’s a pretty good feeling to know we will be relaxing for the rest of the day.
So I don’t have a whole lot to say. We talked about so much stuff when I called.
Does Dustin work at the snowball place? In the picture he had one of those shirts on. If so, that’s cool. Daniel looks alot older also. My camera is out of batteries so I can’t send any pictures. I don’t think I took many this week anyways. Sorry this email isn’t very much but I just told you everything on the phone!
Love y’all, Taylor

89th email from France (Albi)

Hey everyone, I hope you had a good trip to Arkansas and you can make it back without any problems. We had a good week here even though it was pretty hard. We are having a really tough time seeing our amis. It seems like everyone kinda has the same idea of just come by after the holidays which I can understand but it just leaves us without very much to do. I think we went this whole week without really seeing any members or anyone else from church. We’re just kinda in our little world here but we’re doing pretty good trying to have some Christmas cheer and not think too much about home. It’s kinda hard though. It’s been cold. We actually had a few days of snow which was cool, I liked it. Anyways, church was kinda different. We got there and instead of the forty or fifty that normally come there were less than twenty. I don’t know where everyone was- even the people giving talks didn’t show up so we did a little sacrament meeting and testimony thing. Then after that we kinda realized that the teachers weren’t there either so we had one combined class then ended after two hours- kinda funny but it was fun because everyone stayed after and talked. Anyways, we don’t have many plans for Christmas the 24th. We will go to the church at six to eat with the branch president and his family but that about it. Also, Wednesday we have zone conference. It should be fun- it’s my last one so ill get to kinda bear testimony and talk for a while. It’s what we do every time for the ones going home, I just never thought it would be me. I’ll have to think about what I’m gonna say. Also we are going caroling somewhere in town. That should be pretty cool just cause there will be so many of us together also we are having a talent show after just to kinda celebrate Christmas. At first there wasn’t anyone who wanted so sign up so finally we all gave in and said we could do something even if we didn’t think our talents were very cool. I’m gonna juggle then Elder Newel is gonna sing a Christmas song even though he isn’t really a singer also I talked Elder Call- he’s in the district but in Montauban- I talked him into standing on his head, also Elder Scott is going to do sit-ups to the beat of a old classical music song that should be funny. So for our Christmas calls- I think we will just do them from the church since we don’t have anywhere else to go. I’ll probably call around 4, 5 or 6 which should be just Christmas morning in Louisiana and I guess if mom is already in Minnesota then I can just do two calls. Y’all seem to be doing alot of shopping- don’t forget about me! I’ll need alot of stuff when I get back! Love y’all, Taylor

88th letter from France (Albi)

Hello Everyone, So this week was pretty good. It went by really fast which is kinda scary cause I only have five more! It’s starting to get really cold, actually today it’s been snowing since we woke up this morning. It’s not been really sticking cause its not cold enough. Maybe it will snow alot for Christmas- I would like that. Someone last night told us it was going to start getting colder and colder every day for the next few weeks so we’ll see. Today we went and bought a Christmas tree for our apartment. We haven’t really decorated it yet but we probably will later. Hopefully we can find some lights for it. Already Albi has all the Christmas decorations around town so its a little more cheerful.
This week we were walking down the road and this huge islander guy was yelling and waving us down. We stopped and he’s from Tonga and served his mission in California. He’s really cool and has been here for like a year playing for the rugby team. We showed him where the church was and he came Sunday so that was cool. We’re gonna see him again Wednesday. He knows Timani. Most people from Tonga always seem to somehow know each other so I asked. His name is Mate but it’s not how you would say it more like ‘mah tay’. He’s really cool- too bad he’s been inactive for so long. He could have helped the branch a lot! France does that to people. Other than that, this week was pretty normal. I did another exchange with Elder Scott- that was fun even though we didn’t have much to do- just alot of walking and contacting.
It’s becoming pretty hard to not think about home! Time is going by pretty fast. Hearing you talking about seeing everyone at home really makes me really want to be there. Tonight we have our soirée familial at a member’s house. We talked to a guy last night that really should come. We talked to him for about an hour. He is Buddhist so it was kind of an interesting conversation but at the end we invited him to come and we fixed a rendez vous for 18h45 at the same place we were last night. Then we will walk to the member’s house together so that’s cool. I hope he is there. We have our district meeting tomorrow. We used to go to Montauban cause we had the Arnolds but now I told everyone just to come to Albi. After me and Elder Blosil are gonna do an exchange. We actually were able to fix a rendez vous with a guy me and him contacted like two weeks ago when we worked together. I’m excited about that. So the guy that was coming to the fhe, Jean Christophe, just called saying he couldn’t and I guess he didn’t really have a fixed adresse here in Albi so he’s gone for good- ahh- just another day.
Yeah well, we have to go. Thanks for your email. I’m so excited to talk to y’all on Christmas then to see you soon after that!! Love y’all, Taylor

87th email from France (Albi)

Hey Everyone,
Ok wow- well what a day. I’m emailing from Toulouse. We had to wake up early to get our train around seven. Elder Butler got the call Friday that he would be going to Angouleme which is on the western side above Bordeaux. He was pretty excited. I know he was kind of tired of Albi after three transfers. I’m here with the zone leaders now but I’ll be picking up my new colleague, Elder Newell, around five then we head back to Albi. When we get there we’re not gonna have any time really because we will have to go from the train station straight to the church for our soirée familial. Then I guess we will have to walk back with his bags either later tonight or come get them tomorrow morning. I’m pretty excited about the new comp though, everyone has just said how cool he is. I’ve only met him for a few minutes a few months ago but I think it’s gonna be cool. He’s from California but I don’t know much more that that. This week was good. Saturday night we had a huge party at the church for the Arnolds. I guess they are gone now. They called us for something this morning but by now I think they are on their way home. They were pretty ready to go see their family by the end but they still worked hard. They helped us so much. I think it’s gonna be alot harder now with them not here but we will be ok at least I’m with someone cool. This week I did an exchange with Elder Scott. It went really well. It was kinda cool working together again but being alot older and better at what we do- kinda more experienced, I guess. It’s kinda weird to think about but after today our group will be the oldest in the mission. That’s super weird to think about. Today at the bureau was strange cause all the ones leaving today are the ones just one group older than us in the mtc. I'll tell Elder Page Whitney got his letter. I’m sure in a few days she can talk to him on face book.
oh la I can’t believe your gonna be home soon. It seems like you were just there. I guess I will be home pretty soon- crazy.
Yeah, for my ear- I finally called Soeur Carter about it cause it was still bugging me- not hurting at all but just kind of plugged up so today the doctor from Germany for Europe called me and he just emailed me a prescription that I will have to go to a pharmacy to get filled. So I’ll do that today and hopefully it will go away. He did kinda act like it was a big deal cause he said it could get worse. I’m hoping the medicine will take care of it.
Really I don’t need anything for Christmas, maybe if you want to send some cards or something but don’t pay for posting or anything. There isn’t anything at all that I really need and I’ll be home so soon after that. I would just have to bring back what you would send me and I already have way too much stuff!
Ok, have a good week and a safe trip home. Send some pics with Sulphur people. See ya soon! Love y'all, Taylor

86th email from France (Albi)

Hey Everyone,
Wow, all that seems pretty fun. I would have liked to be there in Thailand but I guess our week wasn’t too bad here. We stayed pretty busy. Thanksgiving was good. We started off with a little Turkey Bowl- it was only me and Elder Butler but we went and threw the football around a soccer field- it was fun. Then later on the Arnolds invited us over when they noticed we didn’t really have anything planned. They cooked a really good meal- it wasn’t turkey but still it was good. We all ate too much so I guess that all that really matters. This last weekend I was in Toulouse with Elder Hill. It was cool cause we got to go see a few people I knew there. For lunch, since I have saved alot of money, we went and ate at a really nice old American diner- style restaurant. We’ve been all over doing service this week, just helping people mostly members. I like helping them but it’s going to be hard when the Arnolds leave cause we just won’t have any way to get go see them. I don’t know if I told you but there is one person that comes to church and lives in Albi so teaching with members is really hard and the members invite us over but it’s really hard for them cause they know that they will either have to bring us back to Albi after or at least to the train station. It’s not like we can just come and leave. They like having us. They just know it takes a little extra effort. This next week is going to be filled -also tomorrow morning we have the district meeting in Montauban then I come back here on exchange with Elder Blosil then also Thursday Elder Scott is coming from Toulouse for an exchange. Pretty much all the other days are filled with going and seeing people. Also we have to do alot of thing for Elder Arnold because they have to be moved out of their apartment by Saturday night. President said we could help him for anything he needs so I’m sure that will take at least a little time every day. Tonight we have our soirée familial -everyone is going to meet at the Arnolds then were going to stack wood at a sisters house like thirty miles away way out in the country so that should be fun. I haven’t been feeling super good lately. I was sick then it got better but now all the same symptoms are coming back. The worst thing is my ear. I’m going to go buy some medicine today. It doesn’t hurt a lot but I just have a little earache so I have a hard time hearing out of it. I can tell it’s nothing big though so don’t worry. Well I’m glad you had a good trip! Thanks for the pictures! Love y’all, Taylor