Week one - excerpts from Taylor's email

Helloooooooooooo!
Today is Wednedsay for me. I think it's Tuesday night for you guys. The mission home was cool. It’s a big nice house in Phnom Penh. It was the 4 of us and 6 natives staying over night and there was also a MASSIVE transfer the next day - almost the entire mission. 9 people finished their missions that day too. Pres Winegar is awesome, and is a great and inspired man. He understands Khmer completely and speaks it alright. The next day everyone came to the mission home for transfers and at 1:00 that day I met my trainer Elder Moore from St. Louis, Missouri. He has been out 6 months and is an awesome trainer. I was surprised I didnt get a native trainer but even more surprised that out of the 10 new trainers, only 2 were native - Pretty incredible. This trainer is great though. President was inspired to put me with him.
As for the area I’m serving in .......TA KHMAU, just southeast of Phnom Penh. I love it so much; this is an amazing area. There are only 4 missionaries here for the whole area and we live in the same apartment. It’s very different from any apartment you’d see in the U.S. It’s nice and everything, just a different style building. The other two elder's with us are Elder Allred and Elder Jensen (Elder J. has been here over a year and a half), but the rest of us are young. The Lord must have a lot of trust in us. It is a lot of responsibility! We are the front lines in God's army in this part of Cambodia. Every day we ask people we teach if they have seen us before and almost every single time, they say no. There is a lot of work to be done. The work is great but the laborers are few? I think that’s how it goes.
Ta Khmau branch is amazing, absolutely amazing. People have their problems like anywhere else, but these people do the best they can with what they have and strive every day to be the best people they can be. We have a brand new branch president and these people have an incredible amount of faith.
The youth of the branch are amazing! They are truly the backbone of the branch and there is a decent group of them who fellowship new youth or investigators, etc... the best part is that people go on splits with us all the time. It is so incredible and the youth's ability to teach is amazing. We have 2 or 3 lessons taught with members per day and a lot of times they are just like eh i don’t have any plans can I come teach more with you? It is so cool.
As for bikes, there is no such thing as a new bike. The bike I bought from the store was used and pretty old but its tough and has carried me through some rough places already. Only one thing has broken on it so far which is amazing. It’s a tough old bike!
We're moving into the hot dry season so obviously its really hot during the day. It hasn't rained in Ta Khmau since I've come but it will soon enough! It’s very hot, but it’s going to keep being hot no matter how mad I get at the sun! I'm loving every minute. The sun got me good though, my arms were burnt and gave people something to laugh about for a few days. They say something as I ride by and I respond and they're always just like oh man the barang understands, oops. By the way, all white people here are barangs (French). I’m also much bigger than your run of the mill Cambodian and that allows for some fun.

So, about the work! We normally have 5 or so appointments per day which also means about 5 hours per day of finding (tracting). We go out and just talk to people, teaching and trying to find people who want to learn. its hot exhausting work, but salvation was never easy as Elder Holland says.
A lot of people have said the first week is really hard and your first Sunday kills you because you understand nothing and you're exhausted. I was very, very blessed to have great companions and amazing teachers in the mtc. I did not have a bad experience my first week. This has been one of the greatest weeks of my life. Don't get me wrong, it has also been the hardest of my life, but so, so rewarding. I don't understand most of what is being said and I feel useless sometimes when we teach because I can't really say much but when the Lord has something He needs me to say, it has been brought into my mind and I have been able to speak and fully understand full portions of the conversations. The language sounds completely different from in the mtc but its still recognizable as Khmer. The members on the other hand are much easier to understand since they slow down a little bit around us so we can listen and learn. To sum that up, they are so, so great.
So on the first Sunday I was sitting in sacrament meeting with a family, by the youngest daughter who I think is like 12, and she was telling me to go bear my testimony! I wanted to but I figured I could make it a good opportunity and got her to promise me she would bear hers after if I went. She promised, so I went and bore my testimony and then she did not! lol. She played me like a flute but it was a great opportunity. We also taught the new investigator class that day and it went really well!

FYI- Pday for me is Wednesday (which is your Tuesday).
I know now more than ever that this work is the most important on the earth. We're at war, fighting against Satan for the salvation of souls. Here in Ta Khmau we're greatly outnumbered, or so it would seem but I can tell you with confidence and faith, that I know we're not. D&C 84:88 assures me of that. We're never alone. After five hours of finding in 90 degree heat with 90000% humidity, after frustrations and rejections and we're ready to quit that is when the angels lift us up. We are the most prayed for and well protected group of people in the World. Here in Ta Khmau with the Lord we will never falter. The worth of every soul is great in the eyes of God, and I love each and every one of these people (even the monks who glare at us). For the next two years I have the chance to dwell among this people and share with them a gift of immeasurable worth. Keep us in your prayers and know that we will not fail. We are representatives of Jesus Christ. This is my job. How cool is that? This is it! It does not get any more real.
To Corey and Dylan back home, Congrats on your calls guys! It’s a shame we couldn’t be in the MTC together. Work hard and pray harder.
Love, (the sweaty and soon to be skinny)Elder Donnelson