The Laughing Shoes

THE LAUGHING SHOES

By Sister Taylor, August 2011

Philippines MTC

The other day one of the missionaries came into my office with his shoes in his hand and said, “Sister Taylor, my shoes are laughing!”

I looked at him in surprise. I thought I had heard just about everything.

I questioned, “What did you say?”

He repeated, “My shoes are laughing!”

“What do you mean, your shoes are laughing?”

He handed me his shoes and showed me where the upper toes of the shoes were disconnected from the soles.

I have seen lost heels, worn treads, undone stitching, missing tongues, but never laughing shoes.

I presented Elder Riddle, my office mate and onsite cobbler the laughing shoes and asked him if he thought he could mend them. His eyebrows raised high above his glasses as he responded, “I’ll try!”

We smiled and chuckled after the missionary left.

Elder Riddle immediately opened the white drawer and removed the “3rd Generation TURBO GLUE”. I told him that he had better go outside to glue or I would find the cobbler woozily laughing after sniffing glue!

"Transgressions and Sins"

We held our Missionary Temple Orientation on Tuesday night to help the missionaries prepare to enter the Temple and receive their temple blessings.  I speak on the great importance of being worthy to enter into the House of the Lord and to become clean and pure as a member of His family.  I speak on the grand significance and eternal nature of the supernal sacred gift and powers of creation and procreation.  The blessings of keeping the laws of virtue and chastity are sublime.

After the meeting, a missionary timidly came to my office (as they occasionally do) to make a belated confession of his feelings of unworthiness and guilt.  He was laden with remorse for his “transgressions and sins!”   

“President.  I have sinned!”

“What did you do to sin?” I said kindly.   

“I broke the law of chastity.”

“Tell me all about it, Elder,”

“My girl friend and I sinned”

“What did you do to sin,” I said again with deep gravity and genuine sincerity.

He said,  “I gave my girl friend a kiss and she kissed me back, the night before I came to the MTC.” 

I followed up, “Was it just one kiss?” Did you do anything else?”

“No, that’s what we did.  I kissed her on the cheek and she kissed me back.  We sinned!”

The generic goodness and innocence of these sweet and mighty young men and women overcomes me!  What a privilege to be with them! 

Our love,

George & Debbie

p.s. Please see attached, Sister Taylor’s recent cobbler experience.

George T. Taylor, President

Philippines Missionary Training Center

Philippine Six Month Mission Report

Philippine six month mission report

Manila, Philippines

Debra Taylor

July 2011

I arrived with my husband in January of this year at the Philippines Missionary Training Center (MTC) and have now been here for six months. In that time we have seen remarkable missionaries, teachers, members, leaders, youth groups, children, nonmembers, beautiful scenery, rain, and Manila traffic. We have had missionaries come to the MTC every 19 days; totaling 371 from Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Of course the best part of this experience is being able to work with the dedicated humble missionaries who teach us daily, and bring me to tears as they sacrifice in the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are fulfilling their purpose as they have personally invited and helped me come unto Christ. I have felt the Holy Ghost and have seen the hand of the Lord as he directs His work.

I was here for the magnificent Jubilee where I felt our Father in Heaven weep for joy as the Filipino youth and children celebrated 50 years of the gospel of the “Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints” in this Christian land.

 I have seen the children measure themselves on the door casing as we measure the missionaries when they come into the MTC; just to see if they are tall enough to serve. Of course, the children still need to grow a foot or two, but their eyes sparkle with desire as they daily prepare to follow the footsteps of the Savior, prophets, fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, and friends. I am amazed at the support of the members as they also help one another receive the blessings of the restored gospel when they come on Jeepneys or travel days on busses to do baptisms for the dead.

I don’t know all the reasons why I have been so blessed to be here at this time and place, but there are no words that can express my deep gratitude.  

1/4 Mission Mark

Dear Friends and Neighbors: 

·         We passed our ¼ mission mark!  Our greatest contributions so far to the training of missionaries in the MTC are:

1.       We purchased a new portable basketball standard for more missionaries to play basketball.  We bought some new basketballs and a new volley ball. 

2.       We arranged for the missionaries to eat bread, peanut butter and jam on every meal.  Also cold cereal (but only choco-puffs and frosted flakes) with milk. 

3.       We got rid of a whole bunch of cock roaches in the drain in the kitchen. 

·         We have survived or avoided--

1.       6 months of sinagang, balut, and no bathtub—occasionally cold water or no water. 

2.       Having limited ranch dressing.

3.       Many other items which we won’t mention or go into.

·         What we miss—

1.       Digging and planting in the dirt

2.       The view of the mountains and the snow (from a distance, or course), and blue skies and sunshine.

3.       Walks on the Provo River Parkway trail with my little dog. 

4.       All of you—our family and friends

But we are relatively healthy, happy, and humorous.  Please see Sister Taylor’s six-month mission report attached. 

President GT