December 9th, 2013

HEY!!!! GUESS WHERE I AM???? ST.JOHNS NEWFOUNDLAND!!!!!! It is so cool out here I still have to keep reminding myself that I’m still in Canada though ha-ha. Also they call Newfoundland the main land of Canada......um... I don't think so, but that ok. I’m sending home pictures from the mtc and Newfoundland. So Christmas here is crazy!!! They are so traditional and love their decorations. It’s so awesome!!! So we have a baptism coming up his name is Matthew and his wife is a less active it’s been cool to teach them. He’s getting baptized on the 21st I can't wait! Also can't believe Carley and Grady are getting married this Saturday that went by so fast I hope all goes well!! I’m very happy for them. so it’s cold out here when its 3 degrees it feels like -10 but my coat it great the only part that freezes is my face and legs (has Brenton finished my scarf and headband?) I need them! I NEED THERMAL TIGHTS!!!! Ha-ha I went to Wal-Mart to buy some they have NONE! All sold out. So my first night here was pretty sweet! we went to contact a referral but she wasn't home and I all the sudden got a feeling to go to this random house across the street had no lights on nothing but I told sister turner (my companion she’s from Calgary) that we need to go knock on that door, so we did and sure enough a lady probably in her late 20s answered the door I told her who we were why we were there and we made a return appointment and sure enough when we go back she wasn't there ha-ha, but we will keep trying and it was still a very cool experience! I had another experience like that last night and also made a return appointment. This is great! we also have 2 new investigators tom and Claudia they are and elderly couple and they don't get why god doesn't just have one church on the earth (trust me we tried to tell her that he does ha-ha) but we are going back Wednesday and can't wait to teach them again! It was so good to hear from you guys on Tuesday I loved it!!! so because we are 31/2 hours ahead of you out here in St. Johns we get to watch the devotionals at 9:30 at night so we didn't get to bed until 11:30 last night good thing its PDay it was very good though I love elder Russell m nelson so good to hear from him twice in 2 weeks!! Saturday morning we drove out to Bay Roberts it’s about an hour from St. Johns for a Christmas parade that we were in. guess who was Mary?

Elder Jensen, Elder Hawkes, Elder Campbell, Elder Edmund, Me and Sister Turner

Elder Jensen and Me

Me ha-ha I sent a picture! It’s pretty cute! You know how everyone says the people are so nice out here??? Well they were wrong THEY ARE SO RUDE!! We went knocking last night out of 30 houses we got 8 doors slammed in our faces. Every time I just couldn't help but laugh ha-ha. everyone else is just so stuck in their ways ha-ha so one house we go to and by this point I’m like ok this one’s going to be good I feel it the house is covered in Christmas decor and there's a huge nativity on the lawn so I’m thinking oh great this guy must love Jesus this will be great! (the lord definitely has a sense of humor) so I knock and this guy opens the door and I ask him how he’s doing and then tell him we are missionaries then asked him if he’s ever heard of them he said yes but I’m atheist, before I could even stop myself I asked him so if you don't believe in god why is he on your front lawn? SLAM! Yup. Ha-ha but seriously if you don't believe in god why are you celebrating his birth?? I don't get it. Sister Turner just busted out laughing! It was funny.  Also another funny story: we are at the parade and this guy comes up to talk to us and I noticed he had all his teeth and that they looked really nice. I lean over to Elder Jensen playing Joseph and I said "I think that’s the first person I’ve seen with all his teeth" elder Jensen said "those are dentures"... me, "oh" ok alright ha-ha he then says to me yeah they either have dentures or they are missing most of their teeth. It’s SO TRUE!! Not one person out here has all their teeth and turns out that’s why they talk so funny. So I now have realized that if I’m going to come home talking like them I need to pop out a few of my teeth... NOT! I have never appreciated my teeth so much in my life before! Ha-ha let me guess you're thinking "bout time" ha-ha it’s great out here, but I could never picture myself living here EVER AGAIN! Maybe just a visit for like a day. The people just crack me up. Oh so Newfoundland has a crazy tradition Mummering (look it up on YouTube or something) it’s crazy!! You see them walking around its actually quite creepy ha-ha. 

Well I think that’s about it. I wrote you another letter with pictures and captions on the back of them, I also wrote Lorne and Brittany a letter and I bought Karalynn a birthday card can you please get it to her?? Thanks! 

All my love, Sister Taylor!

The Christmas Parade

Nativity Display in Bay Roberts or a (Kresch

Conception Bay South

Bay Roberts Harbour

St. John's shoreline

When Mummering, people dress up in colourful garb so they're completely disguised, and go from house to house to party and celebrate the Christmas season.

Mummering was once widespread in the province. According to the Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage website, it's an old Christmas custom from England in the Middle Ages.

Although it is unclear precisely when this tradition was brought to Newfoundland by the English, the earliest record dates back to 1819. It died out in the 19^th century after a ban on the practice in St. John’s, but was modestly revived in the mid ’80s by the folk band Simani, with “The Mummers Song”.

Now it persists mostly as a parade that runs through St. John's at Christmastime.

My grandmother, Emily Carter, is 75 now, but she went Mummering a lot when she was 15 or 16.

“We’d dress up in old clothes, and have a mask on, sometimes we’d have a guitar, or an old accordion,” she said. “We’d knock on the door and say ‘any mummers allowed in?’”

The disguised partygoers would then eat, drink, and dance – all the while the homeowner would try to figure out who his guests really were.