First Letter from Uruguay

Hey how is everyone doing? Everything is going great down here it is amazing. I love it. Ok so i am going to tell you about what happened this week. We arrived here and it was a really nice day. We got our bags and went out and met some missionaries and President Peterson and his wife they are really nice and yes they are both tall. We went back to the house and had lunch it was really good. We went to the temple and i did it in spanish it was really cool. Then we had dinner and went to bed. The next day we had to do this physical type thing we had to do it in order to get our visas. Then we met our companions. My companion is Elder Hansen from alpine Utah. He is awesome. This is his last change here. That night we took a bus to Tacuarembó that is where i am serving. The people are really nice. We have a lady named Miriam Sosa that does our laundry and is really a nice lady. So I had my first baptism yesterday. Noelia Mariana Olivera Abdo she is 13 years old it was amazing. She chose me to baptize her it was amazing. My first baptism was before my first week it was such an amazing experience. My Spanish is OK i can understand a little but i can say a lot. The people are amazed with my Spanish. The food down here is really good we eat with the members almost everyday they are really nice to the Elders. I had to give like a 3 minute talk in church yesterday. I just said who i was were i was from and bore my testimony. I went really good. I love it down here it is really a lot of fun. I don´t know if i answered all the questions but i´ll make sure i get them next week. I really enjoyed talking with all of you it was really fun. No it didn´t make me home sick. Oh Happy Birthday Dad i can´t believe that you are 50 years old. I love you all and have a good day. Chao

First Picture of Elder Tate in Uruguay!!!


Taylor arrived in Uruguay on Tuesday and this is the first picture we have gotten. Because of the hurricane that was happening near Florida two of his flights were delayed about an hour so instead of getting to Uruguay at 9:20 in the morning he didn't get there until a little after 11:00. Taylor was able to call during his layovers. It was so great to hear his voice! He told Carolee that on the way up to the MTC the bus they were on about got in a wreck. A lady didn't see the bus and she came within inches of hitting them. The power of prayer!! The first time I talked to him he recited the first vision to me in Spanish. It was so cool, he didn't hesitate at all and to me it sounded amazing. I just loved to hear his voice! He was very excited to go experience life out of the United States and to begin the work that he has prepared to do. We won't get another letter until Monday (his P-Day). I know that he is doing awesome and that he is enjoying life. I am so proud at his accomplishments already. I love ya Tay!!

Last P-day in the MTC

We got our flight plans last saturday and we leave the MTC at 8:00 am on monday I'm so excited but nervous at the same time. It really is unreal that the time has gone by this fast. I can't believe that the first part of my mission is over it is so crazy. We fly American Airlines all the way to Uruguay. We leave SLC at 11:50 and we fly to Dallas Ft Worth flight number 1784. Then we leave Dallas at 5:30 and fly to Miami flight number 1046. Then we leave Miami at 11:15 and fly all night to Uruguay flight number 989 we arrive in Uruguay at 9:05. We are all really excited to go. I think i'm ok with contact solution they last me over two months and i have 5 of them so i'll be ok for a while. I can buy a calling card here at the MTC they are really cheap. we get a 40% of anything in the store so i'm alright. I'll look for Ryan's friend there are like 250-350 new missionaries each week so i probably wont see him but i'll look for him. Some things that you could send me before i go are Q-tips and some more of those placker things the dental floss i'm almost out and i love those things. So i'll probably call at like 10:00 or a little later. I don't know how everything will work out but it will be around that time. I don't know if Elyse wants me to call her on her cell phone or what so maybe write me a letter today so i know the plans. If you send me anything send it no later than Thursday unless you do the sameday MTC thing at the UPS store. You could do that in Friday. everything is going great here at the MTC. I hope you all have a great week and i can't wait to talk to you all on Monday talk to ya then. Adios Elder Taylor Tate.

Only one more p-day after this

Hola mi familia. It sounds like you had a fun time in Las Vegas. Thanks for the Italian Crock-Pot Chicken it was so good. I took it into the cafeteria and heated it up for dinner the night I got it, it was so good. The weeks go by so fast here at the MTC if they go by this fast in Uruguay my whole mission will fly by. I think the scripture you could put on my plaque would be D&C 90:10 I think it is the one about everyone will hear the fulness of the gospel in there own language. If you could fill my prescriptions that would be nice. We don't have our travel plans yet but we should get them tomorrow or Friday. We are all excited. I think I'm fine with all my supplies so I don't need anything. The journal writing is fine. I write a least 4 times a week. I don't write every night because they would all sound the same. As Taylor Poore would say "same crap different day" but its not crap. I would write I got up and got ready, ate food went to class, ate more food, went to class again, ant even more food, and more class. It is going good though. It is crazy to think that in two weeks from right now I will probably be in Uruguay and i wont be speaking English. That is weird. The language is coming along fine. I can understand almost everything that our teachers say and I can speak it pretty good also. But not nearly good enough. I forgot to tell you Elder Fullmer is in my zone. His name is Zac Fullmer. I don't know exactly how he is related to Larry but he is. I love learning Spanish it really is a lot of fun. sometimes the days are really long and you do the same things everyday so they can get boring sometimes. But I really do love it here. I love you all and I'll talk to you in less than two weeks. Keep on working hard it will all pay off in the end. Adios.

What an amazing individual

I want to express my appreciation to Taylor and the wonderful individual he is. He has such a strong testimony of the gospel and it is so neat to watch that testimony continue to grow while he is serving the Lord. I have no doubt that he will put his all into his mission and that he will be very successful in whatever comes his way. I love that attribute of Taylor, no matter what he will find a way to get something done with 100% effort. He is such a hard worker. It is no surprise at how wonderful he has already done in the MTC. He is working so hard to learn the language the best he can and he is studying hard. I know that those elders that he serves with look to him as an example because of the kind of person he is. The people in Uruguay better watch out, they are going to have one heck of a missionary coming. They are so lucky! He is the greatest blessing in my life! I love ya Tay.

Pictures from Elder Tate at the MTC




July 30th Letter

How is eveyone doing? Things are going great here at the MTC. I have seen Elder Klc multiple times we have the same lunch. It is fun to talk to him i haven't seen him for along time he seems to be doing really good. The lesson last week went really good it is really amazing that we can teach a lesson in spanish in only 5 weeks we are really blessed with the gift of tonges. I got another hair cut today this was my second one. They don't let us cut our own hair here at the MTC but we can in the mission field. They leave it to long on the top though. I guess it is okay. There were 10 Elders in our district and two of them went to the DR and the rest of us are going to Uruguay. It will be really fun I'm really excited. The language is coming along really well. I can understand almost everything that our teachers say and can usually respond in spanish but they don't talk as fast as they will down in Uruguay. I think I'll be able to speak a little when i get down there. Yes it is true that i run 3 miles probably 4 times a week it feels good after I'm done. So Dad I only weigh 203 on the scale here at the MTC so i have actually lost 5-6 pounds. I also do 160 push-ups evey other day and 300 sit-ups on the days that I don't do push-ups. All the packages I have got have been really good. I share with all the Elders in my district so they are thankful also. That is cool that everyone is a granola now. Make sure you call Alison a granola everytime she wears her keens. They are really comfortable. I hope you have a lot of fun down in Las Vegas and it isn't to hot. Make sure Zoe can still say Tay Tay. I love you all so much and keep up the good work. I miss you but i love being here on the mission it has really strenghtened my testimony of the church. I know that I am doing the right thing. Talk to ya next week I love you all. Yo les amo. Elder Tate