Life Is A Blessing

Well hello there favorites!! How are my most favorite people in the whole entire world?! Dang I sure do miss you. I am not understanding the process of time right now.... It seems like it is barely moving. I will just blame it on the year mark that is coming up. Crazy stuff!!

This past week was long, but was pretty good. I have learned a lot of patience and a lot of humility through all of our fun mission adventures this week. Have I mentioned that missions aren't easy?

I really am praying for a change in the work..... I need like a little re-boost to make it through the next year haha. I was able to chat with President this week and it was pretty nice. He told me that he has trust in the strength that I have as a missionary and a child of God. He told me that the Lord has trust in me as well. President Acosta also made me aware of how grateful and happy he is with the work that I am doing here in Bosque.. with the house problems, district, and the area. It was nice to chat with him and see his plans. I don't know if I'm to stay or to go, but I don't doubt that President and Sister Acosta are called of God and that they lead this mission through revelation.

So not a whole to share with you guys this week, but I will share with you something that really helped me this past week as I am was reading the good ole' scriptures. Ü I had an answer to my prayer come as one of the Elders in my house told me to read Doctrine and Covenants 122.

I absolutely loved verses 7-9:

7  ...know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

8  The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?

9  Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.

I know that all of this that I am going through is for my own `experience` and in the end will be for my good. But another answer to my prayers was in verse 9 as I have been praying about time and how I feel like this first year has been a waste.. `thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less`... there is not anything that could be more clear than to understand that this past year counted in the eyes of God. Although I may not have a whole lot of success in the work... I know that Heavenly Father is proud of me and the rest of his missionaries and the time that they give him. He is grateful for the love and the service that we all render... whether it be as a full-time missionary or a Latter-Day Saint who teaches the gospel through example and the day to day life. I know that we truly do have a God who loves us and cares about us. He wants us to succeed and he wants us to be tested and tried to show how strong we are and how much faith we have in him. I know that this past year has been such a blessing in my life. I am grateful for the things that I have learned and the growth that I have seen in me, my testimony, and my faith in our Father and his son, Jesus Christ. I just hope and pray that I have been able to help others understand the love that Heavenly Father has for us. I have been blessed with his love, care, and keeping in my life. God is truly aware of us and the situations we are in and what we are in need of. But... it always comes down to one little thing... Faith! Through faith we are able to be strengthened, molded, and changed. So when life gets rough we may just need to ask ourselves... do we have faith sufficient? I am grateful for your testimonies and you're examples! Thank you so much for all that you do and I hope that you have a wonderful week and enjoy life and its blessings!! I love and miss you so much.... more than Winnie the Pooh would miss honey if he was on a two year honey-less mission!

Love, your favorite... Elder Abel!

Come Unto Christ

Well hello there my absolutely amazing people in my entire life!  How in the world are you all doing and what’s new with my favorite crew?  I am so grateful for you all and really do appreciate the things that you do for me! Ü

This past week was a little rough. We used to have 2 sets of missionaries in this area and so we had tons of people to teach... like 60. So we decided to visit all of them this week... in fact we went by each house 3 times this week and like 10 of them answered, and of those that answered, nobody wanted to hear our message. We now have 5 people of those 60 that we are teaching now. Rough area with some pretty closed hearts. But all is well here... God is touching those 5 that are willing to hear our message and we are seeing miracles. It is worth knocking doors day in and day out... to just find one person to teach and help come unto Christ.

I am learning quite a bit. I am becoming more and more humble in accepting the will of the Lord. I am becoming closer to our Heavenly Father through communication through prayer.. and realizing of His love, care, and keeping that He has for me and for all of His children. I am finding my purpose as a missionary, member of the church, man, and as a Child of God. I am finally understanding the phrase of "Come Unto Christ." This past week we were at a Family Home Evening and we watched a video of the "Come Unto Christ" which really hit me!!

He's the One who healed the leper

And who brought the dead to life.

He's the One who fed the hungry

And gave the blind their sight.

He's the One who walked on water

And He brought the saved to shore

And if ever you may need Him,

He's the One you're looking for.

So let Him in and He will take away your pain.

Once you feel His love you'll never be the same.

Come unto Christ, Come unto Him

And by His grace be made holy again.

He's calling your name, He's waiting for you

With arms open wide-Come unto Christ.

He's the One who taught forgiveness

And who showed a better way.

He's the one who helped the hopeless

And those who've gone astray.

He's the Savior and Redeemer

Bread of Life, the Prince of Peace

If you're hungry, lost. or captive,

He's the one who'll set you free.

So let Him in and remember who you are

He will mold your life and change your willing heart.

Come unto Christ, Come unto Him

And by His grace be made holy again.

He's calling your name, He's waiting for you

With arms open wide-Come unto Christ.

And you will find eternal life.

I am here on this mission being `molded` into what He wants me to be. And there is no doubt in my mind that Christ and Heavenly Father are cheering me on through all of these ups and downs that life and the mission brings. Because they are truly "calling our names and they are waiting for us... with arms open wide" and all we need to do is come unto them.  Christ is our path. He is our life and light.. and he is our only way to perfection that awaits us. God is great and Christ showed how great he actually is by doing His will... the greatest action of love.

I love you all so much and I appreciate you all. Thank you for your emails and for the letters as well.. it is always nice hearing from you peeps.  I miss you like crazy... in fact... I miss you more than the Abel fam misses the good ole' Supreme at Lake Powell on a hot sunny day. Now that is a lot of miss!  Go swimming for me or doing something COOL because you guys deserve it.  I love you all so much!  I strongly believe that my mission is not only a call to the Brazil South Mission... but also the Abel, Harmon, Cottam, and Dowdell family. I am here to serve you peeps as well.. let me know if there is anything that I can do! I love you all so much!! Ü  Have a happy 24th of July!! So grateful for the pioneers and the blessings they are in our lives.  You are all modern day pioneers... so celebrate! I love you all so much and I miss you the MOST!!

Love.. your happy, healthy, and attempting to better come unto Christ Sky... Elder Abel Ü

Elders Cabral, Correa, Marques and Abel 

Hanging with his house buddies

Elder Torres

Food is LIFE!

Meeting up with Elder Ulisses Soares!

How in the whole wide universe are you all doing? I flippin' miss you people!! How is everything and what's new with my favorite crew! Thank you so much for all of the e-mails... I am one blessed little missionary and I love you guys so much!!!

So....Sunday was wild. I was running a little bit late to get ready for the day and when I looked in my drawer I noticed that I had ran out of socks. All I had was crazy socks. (Unfortunately... we are not allowed to wear crazy socks when we are proselyting..) That was all I had and I wasn't about to put on some old dirty socks, because ain't nobody got time for the stinky Elder in the ward. So I threw on my teal striped socks (matching the tie of course) and ran out the door. We started our journey to take people to church, but it all seemed to collapse before us. We spent an hour looking for people but didn't get anyone to come with us. We were running out of time and we started hiking to church. When we got there I was dying as I looked up on the stand..... you will not believe who was sitting there... Elder Ulisses Soares!!! My mind was completely blown!!! I didn't know what to do, what to say, or how to act. I just acted like it was no big deal and took a seat with my comp. As I took my seat I looked down where I had placed my bag and realized that I was wearing those dang crazy socks haha. I thought to myself... "Wow... if I was scared of running into Sister Acosta (Mission President's wife) with these bad boys on... I don't even know what will happen as I run into an Apostle." Stressing out and thinking of what I could do to hide them... I just decided YOLO and would make a joke out of it if he were to notice. He gave an amazing talk, and then we were off to our classes. He didn't attend my first class but we were in the same quorum the second class. As I had already greeted him he made a joke about our name. (Okay... it is only funny when an Apostle does it, because you just don't see it coming haha) I realized how chill of a guy he is. Then when we split as a quorum... I thought to myself... "I've really got to hide because of these socks that I am wearing." It is literally the first day in my whole mission wearing these bad boys and now I have a chance to get burned by an Apostle haha. So what ended up happening is.... I sat in the corner of the room and Elder Soares was sitting in the other corner. It was a relief until the teacher had a satanic idea of... "Let's all group up in a circle." As we moved the chairs and everyone shifted to make a circle... I took my seat and looked up... and there sat Elder Soares... directly across from me... in the perfect position to take the torch to my face about my socks. As I started to inspect him and look for comebacks to say to an Apostle who was ready to burn me, I realized a few things...... First things first....HIS SOCKS!!! He was wearing socks with polka dots! haha! He was also chewing gum (which is a big no no as a missionary) and he was struggling to stay awake in the class (like any other member who has heard the same thing over and over again haha!). It was classic! It made me realize just how normal these guys are. I will always remember a quote that an apostle said... "I am just an ordinary guy... with an extra ordinary calling."

Of course these apostles are called of God and have keys and authority that blesses each and every one of our lives individually... but that does not take their normalness away. His testimony was incredible and it made me realize that I don't need to worry about the small things like some silly socks or being worried of the little things that life has. I just need to obey and do the things that are right. I learned a lot this past Sunday as I was able to chat with an Apostle of God. Elder Soares inspired me to do better and to be better, and was another witness to me that we truly do have TRUE Apostles and Prophets on the earth today. You can just feel of the Spirit that they carry and you can feel the love that they have for us.. as if it was the Savior himself among us. He taught a lot of things that really touched me during the time that I was able to spend with him... but something that really hit me hard was his testimony in Sacrament meeting. Before he spoke... the stake President stood up and told us... "Listen to Elder Soares as if it was the Savior speaking to you today. He is a true representative of Christ and the things he says are the things that the Savior would say to you today." That hit me and I listened really attentive to his message afterwards. Then as Elder Soares bore his testimony he legit looked me straight in the eyes and he said... "I don't have to believe that Christ lives... I KNOW that He lives. He loves us. He is our Savior and our Redeemer and this is His Church." It was so powerful and it seemed like he was directing it at me and it was just what I needed. I am so grateful for these experiences that I have here that give me assurance of the life of our Savior. I know that He lives. He lives and He directs His church on the Earth today through ordinary men with extraordinary callings. We live in an imperfect world full of flaws, trials, and challenges. But no matter how imperfect it may seem... we have a perfect being who watches over us, protects us, helps us, and blesses us. He cares about us and He wants us to be happy. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father and for a caring Savior in my life. I know that this is His church and that He guides and directs us through a living Prophet of God. I may not have seen Christ, nor do I know if Elder Soares, another apostle, or the prophet has seen Him (I would not doubt it)... but I KNOW that He exists. Everything is proof of His existence and His love for us. I am grateful to be a representative of Him here in Brazil... no matter how hard it is or no matter how crazy the mission gets... I know that this is His church and this is his mission... and that I am just an instrument being tuned daily to help these lost people find the path to an Eternal Happiness. How grateful I am for this calling and how grateful I am for these blessings... including my greatest blessing that life has to offer... YOU ALL!!! Thank you for your examples and the love that you all have for me and the support you offer. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do for you. I love you all so much and I miss you like crazy... in fact... I miss you more than I miss wearing my crazy socks, chewing my gum, or having the more relaxed life that I used to... and that is a lot of miss. But I guess I will just have to enjoy it now... because one day it will flip and I will miss the mission life! Life is just crazy like that. Have a wonderful week! I love you!! Ü

Love, Your happy, crazy and completely wild Sky... Elder Abel! Ü

Warm Hugs from Grammy Taylor

Well hello there! I am so very grateful for each and everyone of you.

The crazy of the week would have to come from what I tried last night.  So... like being sick here in Brazil is the worst thing in the whole world.  Everyone acts like it is the end of the world and that you are going to die.... haha!  It is kind of funny actually. You can't drink anything cold. You can't eat ice cream or anything that is somewhat cold. They tell you to eat honey or make a tea.  Everyday a member gave me an ingredient to the tea (I know... super nice people who actually do care about me. I feel so blessed!)  Yesterday I decided to give it a try.  It is a little bit of of water, a lot of lime, some cloves of garlic, and some honey. I know... doesn't it sound awful.  Well you are right... it was outrageously terrible!  I decided to just chug it!  I have a video of me drinking the tea and I literally almost cried! Ü  They told me that it would take away my cough... but let's just say that I didn't sleep last night because I was coughing THE ENTIRE NIGHT!  haha!  The cough was worse than it was throughout the week.  But hey, I decided to accept the Brazilian culture and try their ideas. Now it just makes for a good story and a solid video. Ü   Maybe I will be able to send it to you!

I would like to share a little something with you guys that really helped me this past week. I was thinking about the birthdays that are coming up and I realized that sweet Grandma Taylor's birthday is just around the corner.  It made me think of how much I miss that sweet lady and the sweet example that she is in my life.  As I was thinking about her and on the urge of crying... I just felt a warm hug around me. I really don't doubt that it was a warm hug from that sweet grandma of ours.  Not only did it make me extremely happy.. but it also strengthened my testimony that there truly is a life after this one.  I know that the veil is very thin.  I know that there are sometimes when we can see, hear, or feel the people we love from the other side. Some may say that it is just thoughts in our heads or emotions in our hearts.. but it always leads me to remember that the thoughts in our heads and feelings in our hearts are signs sent from God and our loved ones. I know that we are a part of the only true and living church on the earth today. I know that God lives and that He loves us. 

Grammy Taylor

I saw a scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 132:45-46 that really touched me as I know that we have a the sealing power here on the earth. 

"For I have conferred upon you the keys and power of the priesthood, wherein I restore all things, and make known unto you all things in due time."

"And verily, verily, I say unto you, that whatsoever you seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever you bind on earth, in my name and by my word, saith the Lord, it shall be eternally bound in the heavens; and whosesoever sins you remit on earth shall be remitted eternally in the heavens; and whosesoever sins you retain on earth shall be retained in heaven."

I know that we are sealed together not only for our journey on this earth, but our paradise that awaits us. The Plan of Salvation is true... and truly does bring happiness, hope, and joy. Without a doubt we will live with God and Christ again as long as we do what we are supposed to do here on this earth. It is such a small time compared to the paradise where we will live after. I am grateful that we have examples in our lives and people to love. I am grateful for a loving God who does what He does. If the Plan of Salvation didn't exist God would cease to be God. But it does exist, and so does God... therefore we WILL live as families forever... with a never ending happiness. What joy that brings me to say that I am sealed to you wonderful people forever and all ETERNITY!  No blessing is greater and nothing more important to me. 

I love you so much and am so grateful each of you!  Have an awesome week!! 

Love, your favorite Elder... Elder Sky Abel Ü

Felip's Baptism

Original Brazil MTC Friends

FAITH in all things

Well hello there my absolutely favorites! How in the world is everyone doing?

So... how about them TRANSFERS!!!! I will be staying here in Bosque in another Trio. I will be with Elder Correia and Elder Marks. I don't know either of them, but I hear that they are pretty good. One is waiting for a visa to go somewhere and the other will stay with me the whole transfer! Pretty excited to see what we can do. Change is good! My District all stayed besides Elder Mendes who will be heading to another area. Please keep him in your prayers. This transfer should be good! Ü

President showed up at my District meeting and explained how he wants us to baptize five people this week and reach a transfer goal of twelve. On Monday our District only had two baptisms for sure this week... but miracle after miracle... we ended up baptizing FIVE people in total this week. It was seriously so neat!! We all exercised our faith and left it to the will of the Lord. It really strengthened my testimony as we were able to help five more people come unto Christ through baptism. We also broke the curse that was here in Bosque as we baptized Fatima. This has seriously been such a neat week and it blows my mind what we can do as we put our faith in the Lord and do the things that He wants us to do.

There are so many people that are lost and so many that tell me... "If Jesus Christ came here and talked to me personally.. I would have faith in Him."... and it always gets me. That literally defeats the purpose of faith. Unfortunately... there are people here who, even if they saw God and Jesus Christ... they would still not have faith in them. Life is rough... we are tested... we lose our faith... we doubt... we struggle... we do dumb things... we aren't perfect..... but even through all of these struggles, we can be picked back up. We are here on the earth with a purpose. I am so grateful to be able to have faith in a supreme being. I am grateful for the knowledge of the Gospel and the joy it brings to my life. The Gospel gives us hope, strengthens our faith, and helps us to walk on the right path to eternal life. What a blessing that is and what a blessing it is to be here to share that wonderful message.

I am so grateful for each and everyone of you and the examples that you are. I hope you know how much I love you and how much I miss you. Have a wonderful and SAFE 4th of July.

Love... Elder Abel (Who is totes missing you all and the 4th of July fun! Party hard for me!!)

World Cup Street Art