Commitment

This past week I have been thinking about what I am committed to. I have a hard time staying committed to things. I think I have a problem staying committed to things because I usually find that they are stupid or flawed. It is the same reason why I have a problem with obeying stupid little rules that don't have a purpose or rules that are just plain stupid. I thought to myself, "Dang Taylor, you're going on a mission. That's a big commitment. You haven't been very good at commitment. Are you REALLY committed?" This really shook me. Am I committed? Do I even commit to things? I had to do a lot of soul searching. I realized that I really am committed to my mission. I always have been. I know the cause I am committed to and the God I am committed to and neither of those are stupid or useless. I had the wonderful opportunity to go talk to Mr. Bryson this week. It seems that every time I go, I am spiritually uplifted and this time did not disappoint. I got through all the pleasantries and told him about my mission. He stopped and asked if I was being serious. He then grabbed my phone and wrote down a name, who I later found was one of his mission companions. He then told me all of these amazing mission experiences. All of them seemed to apply just for me. He said that if I go in with a willing heart and an open mind, I cannot fail. He told me that in doing this I had to keep every mission rule no matter how stupid and useless it is. I was surprised at how ok I felt with the idea of it. I am still amazed with how I feel about it. Its amazing. I also realized that I am committed to the most important things. I am committed to my family and friends and the ones I love. I am committed to my future. I am committed to trying to treat others excellently. I realized that maybe I'm not that bad after all.

Ok enough mission talk. :) I had a choir concert thingy this weekend. It ran from 2-10 on Friday and 9-9 on Saturday. It was loooooong. It was directed by this man named Antwon Armstrong. He is black and from New York. Because of his heritage, we sang this song called the Gospel Mass. It is an African American Gospel Rock song that was made for a commemoration of Black Rights. I dreaded practicing it the 2 months leading up to this. I thought that it musically was boring. But when he got a hold of it, it was awesome. I couldn't really sing much because I was sick but there were a few parts where I couldn't restrain myself it was so fun. I know, I totally sound like a choir nerd but it was cool. I have really disliked choir this year so this was really cool for me to experience. It got me thinking about how much I love making music and how cool it would be to do that for a living. I guess you could call that my big dream. Its unrealistic, but its a cool dream to dream about.

One of my brothers friends got a Go Pro camera and I am really excited to do some things with it. I have always wanted one and this is going to be really cool. Hopefully I can get some good footage while I longboard when it gets warm enough.

I'm ready to be done with school and for warm weather that I can enjoy. I'm dreaming of this white snow to be replaced with green grass and a warm, bright sun. It is a fantastic dream. And it cannot come quick enough.

Norway

I am so incredibly excited :) This has seriously been one of the coolest experiences ever for me. I really know that this call is from God. I know that I am supposed to go to Norway for a reason. I know that Dallin is supposed to go to Norway. I know that he is an amazing person and he will touch the lives of the people he meets. I look up to that guy. I feel privileged to serve with him in Norway. I know that if we are put together, we will go HAM on the people there :)

Mission prep has been one of the greatest things ever for me. I have been attending since I was about 15 and I hated it when I started but I am so glad that my dad made me stick with it. It has done more than help me prepare for my mission but it has also helped me be a better person. Logan Cameron and I are companion and we have the opportunity to teach Jason Jermans family for about 4-5 weeks. Today was our 1st lesson and we almost weren't even able to teach them but as we got back in the car when the didn't answer the door, Logan asked me a few questions and we sat there for a couple minutes and they pulled it right when we were about to leave. I am so grateful for this because the experience we had was amazing. The spirit was so strong. Logan shared the 1st vision with them and I almost lost it. I am so grateful for the spirit and the role it plays in my life. I pray that it will be with me while I preach the gospel to the people of Norway.

I have started to try to learn Norwegian! It is such a cool language! I really hope that I can get it mostly down before I head out on the mish.

I am so happy right now. Life is just treating me great. :)

Here is a pretty neat video :)

  

And some cool pictures :)