Elder Matthew Page is finally home!

Words can not express the joy of having a missionary return home, so I won't even try. The pictures speak for themselves. It has been a whirlwind week, we have been sooo very busy. Steve has been out of town and all I want to do is sit down and talk to Matthew about his experiences, but Steve is not here and I don't want him to have to repeat everything. But he has Grown sooo very much, you see it immediately. He is slowly adjusting to life outside the mission. And it truly is an adjustment. But I look forward to the days ahead just being with him. I find myself just staring and him and smiling...I could not be happier.

Elder Page is missing all the excitement at home...

Hello Everyone!!!
Wow, it is beyond crazy to me to picture you all with Matthew. To be totally honest it makes me feel a little left out of the family, but, it is ok because I am proud to be able to say that my homecoming will be the biggest!! First time the whole family will be together in a long long time when I get back. :o) I am fine though so don't worry. Glad things have been exciting and busy as usual.
Thanks for throwing in the Liverpool update Mama. :oD Pray for Ben, if he looked terrified at his farewell, the first part of the MTC is going to be pretty dang hard. He and Ryan will do just great though. It is crazy to even think that we are all going to be missionaries after just growing up together.
Crazy Abby will be in College when I get back! Our family Christmas gift exchange is growing!! We now have Jacs and McKenna to throw into the name pile (might as well throw Marissa in there too!). I got Elder Smethurst letter but I just have been trying to get letters out to people with not a lot of time. It is still sitting on my desk to reply to.
I got to do a split with Elder Lay this week and it was so nice! I miss him but luckily as the Zone Leader I have communication with him all the time. Elder Ellis wrote Kirby because I made him. hahaha you never know!! Other than that, this week was a little stressful to be honest. My face has even broken out with Acne after way clearing up the last few months. The work has hit a stall here in the past three weeks. As a leader it puts pressure on you when your numbers tank. I am learning about communication and talking through things that is for sure. I am trying to do what you said though and just love the guy to death!! It is tiring but as I am loving him to death, it keeps things together alright. More than anything, like usual I am just tired, and this week we have two splits again and so it won't slow down, but I have obtained a firm testimony that the Lord will sustain us if we rely on him. I have a little less time than usual today so I have to go, but know that I love you all so much. Don't worry about me, enjoy your time with Matthew, just do me a favor and remember me in your prayers.
Because of my Savior, there is never any reason to worry. Doubt and fear are eternally opposed to faith!! I have faith in My Savior and this work and in all of you. The hope of the gospel can bring you through anything. That is something that I can promise. A favor mom, you may have already done it, but, the music from conference would be really nice. I love you all, have a wonderful week!!! I would love to hear from Matt a little more personally about how he is doing!!! hint hint!
Love Always,
Elder Zachary Taylor Page

Elder Page gets conference a week late...

Last night while emailing Elder Page, we happen to be on at the same time (me later than usual and him earlier than usual) PERFECT :) Any way it was sooooo fun to chat with him a while. It made him seem so much closer than he is. While emailing he was experiencing a pretty big earth quake. He says that they happen all the time, but this one made him a little anxious because it was so big, but all is well, and he is fine. I love that boy, he is always so very sweet to his mother :) He is growing so much and so fast. I can not believe he has been gone almost 9 months, its crazy how time really messes with me.

Hello Everybody!!!
Well where to start with this past week. One, I read Matt's last email and...wow...that is just crazy. Mom, you are probably going crazy with excitment! I dont even really know what to say about it. I thought a lot this week about my service as a missionary this week. It was a great time to do so figuring that conference was coming up on us this past weekend. I thought a lot about my service I have given as I am coming up quickly to a year on my mission. I can understand Matthew so well at this point. You do wonder about what you have been able to give and if the Lord accepts what you have to give.
Like Matt, this weekend at conference I recieved assurances through the spirit that this was God's work and that I truly am his servant. I have come to love this black nametag!!
You guys are probably going to have a crazy busy week with Matt coming home! Anyways, I will get on to more detail about my week. First of all, I am pretty sick. Not sure what it is or how I caught it but it seems like it just has to do with the combination of the changing weather and that I am tired and honestly, a little stressed. This week there was just a lot going on and I got less sleep that normal. We had a tsunami cleanup thing that I had to get up at 4 in the morning for, and then the next morning I had to get up and go straight to a Zone Leader Council, then we had to give a training the next morning, and then a huge Area/Zone Planning meeting that took 6 hours! Now, it may sound like I am whining (well, I am a little bit :)) but all of that led up to general conference. I absolutely loved so much! I could go on about how much I loved and learned, but based on the week I had I wanted to talk just a little about President Henry B Eyring's talk in Priesthood Session of conference and Elder Robert D Hales talk on Sunday morning. The combination of these two talks was enough to fill up my gasoline tank for another 6 months. President Eyring talked about how we have been prepared by our Heavenly Father to fullfill our priesthood assignments. He spoke of how the Lord will offer us opportunities to work and if we take them in stride then we grow. I have really felt that message in my heart recently. He said that The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood truly means to form a habit of working past the point when others would have taken a rest. Then comes the connection to Elder Hales talk. He spoke of principles like trusting in the Lord and patience and waiting. Through developing those traits we are fullfilling our Life's purpose. There have been times on my mission when I have wondered why I have been put in certain circumstances or why things happend to me this way, but Elder Hales said that we will find it hard sometimes to understand the will of the Lord; it is often given to us line of upon line. We must learn to wait on the Lord and maintain hope in his promises. The combination of these two talks taught me so much about how to live, how to serve a mission, and just more about my individual purpose in this life. Sometimes we may wonder about what the Lord is doing, but I have learned from experiences in my life that he ALWAYS knows. He is always giving us opportunities to take opposition and make it for our good. Life just requires hope. A hope in all things. Hope truly has become my favorite gopsel principle. It provideds an axis, and ancor for our lives. If we have hope in all things, truly everything, then our lives are on a foundation that cannot falter. As we all try to fullfill the many responisibilites that the Lord has placed before us, let us ALWAYS have hope in him. Trust in him. Have faith in his purposes for us. In so doing, we find the fullest measure of peace and joy that this mortal life has to offer. I know that The Book of Mormon is the true word of God. Like I have said before, it is either true or it isnt. If you care enough to really want to know, read it, you will find out that it is true. It teaches us about Jesus Christ. It gives us guidance, peace, and hope in our day. It is true. I know it is and I know that every single person can know for themselves. But, you have to try. I love you all so so much. I feel your prayers on weeks like last week, I will feel them this week as I have another week of 4 days of splits. Everybody have a wonderful week.
Have a wonderful dream week mom where Matty Patty comes home. :oD I love you Mom, tell Marissa that I love her like usual. :oD
Love always,
Elder Zachary Taylor Page

Elder Zachary Page learns a new lesson...

As a parent it is sometimes enjoyable to watch your children learn a few new lessons in life, lessons that really are not new at all, they are just suddenly appreciated.



Hello Everyone!!!!
Another week into the mission that has just gone so fast!! It killed me to hear all about conference from all of you guys!!! I am so excited for it but we don't get to hear it until this coming weekened. Can I just say perfect timing! It always just feels like right when you start to run out of gas and you really really need a boost that General Conference comes around! I can tell you that the timing couldn't be more perfect. Way to go with cooking the meat in soap Mom!! I cant wait to start singing songs about you and $teve!! hahaha Well, we went through transfers this week and it has been pretty interesting. Ellis Choro and Lay Choro are gone and the feel is way different around here. My new Japanese companion, Elder Watanabe, is good. We are still in the feeling it out stage and getting to know eachother still and figuring out how to do things the best and work together. It is going to be a good time working with him.
With the start of the new transfer and the new month, we are busy as every getting planned for upcoming trainings, splits, and meetings. This week alone is pretty crazy! This week we have Zone Leader Council again(it comes and goes so fast!). Then the next day we have to give a training on the Book of Mormon. The mission has obviously helped me grow in tons of ways, but something I have come to learn in my heart recently is about one of the aspects of the love of a parent. I don't think I will ever fully appreciate the parents that you and Dad were to me mom. You both loved me and raised me better than anyone could ever have and I am growing to appreciate that more. As a Zone Leader, we are always working for our zone, for our missionaries. We do all that we can to help them see success and to show them our love and support and just to make their missions a joy. Parenting is kind of the same, you bust bottom for your kids so that they can see success and joy. Sometimes you just feel flat out tired and even sometimes you complain, but I have come to taste of the joy that comes through that kind of service. You develope and love of the people you serve. You want to serve them more and you want to see smiles on their faces and excitement in their voices. I have come to be able to see that joy in my mission recently. I am grateful for you and Dad bustn' bottom for all of us kids, and I have come to see how much you truly love all of us even more. You can't even describe it can you mom? :o) As I keep going through life, I hope to better understand why my you and Dad did so much for Me, Dallin, Matt, Abbs, and Tory. I think about it sometimes. The soccer games, the dinners, the campouts, the homework, the trips, the staying up late watching movies when I just know you want to get some sleep. I think I am coming to better understand that love and I can't thank you and Dad enough for it Mom. I love you so much Mama, and Dad, you guys truly are, along with every other butt bustn' parent, the biggest blessing in the world to your families. This coming time is going to be a big growing time for me I feel. I don't know if she told you or not Mom, but Marissa is not going to write me for 3 months. I am going to learn from my exprience with my companion. I am going to grow in patience and humilty from the experiences on the horizon for me and I worried about it a lot this week. I had a wonderful experience before Elder Ellis left. I asked him to give me a blessing and in the blessing he said, "Be Still." I have thought a lot about those words a lot. "Be Still my soul, the lord is on thy side. With Patience bear, thy cross of grief or pain." I know with all of my heart that my Savior Jesus Christ is with me. He is on my side. Whatever our cross may be, no matter when, with patience bear it and all will be well. I am truly grateful to Elder Ellis and him being inspired to tell me to Be Still. This gospel is true. God Lives. Jesus is the Christ. I am going to just have another busy week ahead and it will be P-Day again and time will just keep flying by me. Justein Wilson, Marissa's sister wrote me this week and she said, "You can't wear the black name tag forever." I am so grateful for her words to me in reminding me how truly special this opportunity to serve is. I love you all so much. Mom, I love you so much. I miss you. Have a wonderful week and everybody please put a smile on your face. Live is so much more sweet with a smile!!
I love you!!
Elder Zachary Taylor Page

Elder Matthew Pages Last letter....hope you have a tissue!

It is a funny thing as a parent of a missionary. They leave home for two years and you are sad and happy at the same time. You miss them but know that what lies ahead for them is so worth the small sacrifice of time that you are apart. And then when it is time for them to come home, you feel the same thing all over again, happy and sad at the same time. You want them home but at the same time you miss all the blessings that have been coming over the last two years that they have been gone. What a wonderful experience it continues to be for me as a missionary mom, to have had two come home from serving the Lord, one still serving and more to go, and the blessing of loving so many more who have come to us from all over to serve us here in NC. I LOVE MISSIONARIES! The blessings are endless!!!! I am so greatful for a loving Heavenly Father who knows what we need so much more than we do and gives us opportunities to serve and sacrifice for others that they too maybe able to receive all that He hath. This gospel is true and for it I am so thankful.

Dear Family,

I never thought that I would be sitting down to write my last letter to you all. It still doesn't seem like I'm going home yet. The fact that I will be seeing you all next week still hasn't hit me :)

This last week was good. Conference was really good. It was so powerful & I really enjoyed priesthood session. I don't know who the speaker was because we only had audio in Willcox because the satelite wasn't working. He spoke about returned missionaries I felt that that talk was just for me & it was exactly what I needed to hear.

Also earlier that week I had the opportunity to go to the temple for the last time. It was a really sweet experience for me. I felt so much peace inside & as I sat in the Celestial Room I had a lot of time to reflect. I just thought back on the past two years. I prayed to feel that confirmation that my service was acceptable before the Lord. I felt peace, but not really the feeling I was looking for. I felt a little worried, but then realized I probably wouldn't feel it because I'm not done. :) I will work hard this last week. The temple is such a blessing I pray I will always strive to stay worthy to go.

I was sick on Sunday so I stayed @ the Bushman's & Elder Stringer went out with a member to visit people and attend conference with our investigators. It was just a 24 hour bug, but it wasn't fun. I'm fine now.

Well, other than not much for now. Anything I forgot to tell you all I will just cover it in our extremely long talks that I'm sure we will have :) It will be weird not to be looking forward to checking the mail like I have for the past 2 years.:)

I have loved the Bushmans alot. :) They are so nice and they are a family I would love to keep in touch with. :)

Elder Stringer is great as well. He's a solid missionary & I have no doubts about him taking the area. He will do great things.

In my last words to you all as a missionary in the field, I want to share my testimony. I know that God is so mindful and loving as our Father. He has a plan that is perfect and for our eternal happiness-through Jesus Christ this is possible. He is our Savior. I have felt despair and doubt from sin and mistakes. I've felt I couldn't go another day with the pain and burden. As I go to the Savior I receive peace and hope that all is not lost. We can be clean. We can be like Him and through applying His Doctrine we can know Him. When I stumble and fall and desperately reach out to Him and find that He was already there waiting, patient, reaching desperately for me too. :)

I have so many weaknesses and faults, but through Christ He makes my small efforts miraculous. I know that I have been called by Him to serve. I know I have been a small part in his Plan and that I was sent to Arizona to reach and touch lives. I have been simply the tool. I love the people here. They will always have a place in my heart. :)

I know that Joesph Smith was a prophet that restored the fulness of Christ Gospel. I have shared Joseph's account hundreds of times and I feel the spirit testify every time. It is true. He saw God and Jesus Christ. Through Priesthood Authority saving ordinances like baptism, can now be performed for our salvation. Our family can be eternal as we live the doctrines of the Gospel.:)

The Book of Mormon is scripture. I know it is true! I have read it many times and I find peace and strength from its words. I have prayed about the book and know it is from God. It contains power of testimonies of prophets of the Savior Jesus Christ. Through that book anyone may gain a testimony of this work. I've seen it!

The spirit testifies of these things and I pray I can live worthy of these blessings of knowledge. Not only can I have a testimony of them, but that I may be converted and act according to them.

I am a missionary of Jesus Christ! I am called of God! My authority is above that of the kings of the earth! By revelation I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ! He is my Master and He has chosen me to represent Him! To stand in His place, to say and do what He himself would say and do if He personally were ministering to the very people to whom He has sent me! My voice is His voice, and my acts are His acts, My words are His words and my doctrine is His doctrine. My commission is to do what He wants done. To say what He wants said. To be a living modern witness in word and deed of the divinity of His great and marvelous latter-day work! HOW GREAT IS MY CALLING!!!!!

I love my Savior and pray I may always be worthy to be called His servant. His representative. His missionary. His Friend! :)

I love you all so much! Thank you for your countless letters, packages, messages, and prayers. They helped me more than you know! I can't wait to see you all soon and give you all big hugs! :) Have a great week!!!

See you next week!

Love,

Your Son & Missionary,

Elder Matthew Page

Me & Abigail having some fun!

We decided to do a fun deed! We can't say to who and where or when, we don't want to incriminate ourselves :) But it was so much fun, sneaking around in the dark! Happy Halloween!

Last week in the mission...

Hey Everyone,
Well, this past week went by pretty fast. We are just trucking along. More like me just trucking along. I'm not going to lie, I'm getting just a little anxious about going home. I feel like I'm in limbo. I want to just focus, but with coming home right in my face it's hard, and nobody forgets to remind me! :) Also I've realized one thing I will not miss is as a district leader makin calls at night.
This week one thing that as fun was that we helped a member out at a rodeo he was putting on! :) It was fun to watch. We helped at the end with taking the lassos off the calfs and also at the end we were rounding up the cattle. Elder Fredrickson and Elder Evans were crazy. Tey tried to ride the cattle and ELder Fredrickson landed in a big pile of poop! :0 It was a cool experience. Also the Brushman's were having family over this week so they took us out to breakfast on saturday and after we did a corn maze. It was lots of fun.
Other than that it has been pretty mellow. Me and Elder Stringer get along really well. It's been fun working together.
Tomorrow we are going to the temple. This will be my last one. I was lucky to be able to go one more time before I leave.
I'm glad th hear that things are good at home. I'm glad that things have kind of calmed down for a little while. I'm glad to hear that McKenna is doing well and that you are checking up on her. I'm so excited for her to come down.
I'm excited to see you all!!!! I hope you have a great week and enjoy General Conference. I know I will. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. You are always there for me. I will be susre to send off one more letter next week. Can you believe that I only have onemore letter to write! :)
I love you all and I will see you soon! :)
Love
Elder Page

Wow the lessons our kids learn...

Hello Everyone!!!!
Another week into the mission that has just gone so fast!! It killed me to hear all about conference from all of you guys!!! I am so excited for it but we don't get to hear it until this coming weekened. Can I just say perfect timing! It always just feels like right when you start to run out of gas and you really really need a boost that General Conference comes around! I can tell you that the timing couldn't be more perfect. Way to go with cooking the meat in soap Mom!! I cant wait to start singing songs about you and $teve!! hahaha Well, we went through transfers this week and it has been pretty interesting. Ellis Choro and Lay Choro are gone and the feel is way different around here. My new Japanese companion, Elder Watanabe, is good. We are still in the feeling it out stage and getting to know eachother still and figuring out how to do things the best and work together. It is going to be a good time working with him. With the start of the new transfer and the new month, we are busy as every getting planned for upcoming trainings, splits, and meetings. This week alone is pretty crazy! This week we have Zone Leader Council again(it comes and goes so fast!). Then the next day we have to give a training on the Book of Mormon. The mission has obviously helped me grow in tons of ways, but something I have come to learn in my heart recently is about one of the aspects of the love of a parent. I don't think I will ever fully appreciate the parents that you and Dad were to me mom. You both loved me and raised me better than anyone could ever have and I am growing to appreciate that more. As a Zone Leader, we are always working for our zone, for our missionaries. We do all that we can to help them see success and to show them our love and support and just to make their missions a joy. Parenting is kind of the same, you bust bottom for your kids so that they can see success and joy. Sometimes you just feel flat out tired and even sometimes you complain, but I have come to taste of the joy that comes through that kind of service. You develope and love of the people you serve. You want to serve them more and you want to see smiles on their faces and excitement in their voices. I have come to be able to see that joy in my mission recently. I am grateful for you and Dad bustn' bottom for all of us kids, and I have come to see how much you truly love all of us even more. You can't even describe it can you mom? :o) As I keep going through life, I hope to better understand why my you and Dad did so much for Me, Dallin, Matt, Abbs, and Tory. I think about it sometimes. The soccer games, the dinners, the campouts, the homework, the trips, the staying up late watching movies when I just know you want to get some sleep. I think I am coming to better understand that love and I can't thank you and Dad enough for it Mom. I love you so much Mama, and Dad, you guys truly are, along with every other butt bustn' parent, the biggest blessing in the world to your families. This coming time is going to be a big growing time for me I feel. I don't know if she told you or not Mom, but Marissa is not going to write me for 3 months. I am going to learn from my exprience with my companion. I am going to grow in patience and humilty from the experiences on the horizon for me and I worried about it a lot this week. I had a wonderful experience before Elder Ellis left. I asked him to give me a blessing and in the blessing he said, "Be Still." I have thought a lot about those words a lot. "Be Still my soul, the lord is on thy side. With Patience bear, thy cross of grief or pain." I know with all of my heart that my Savior Jesus Christ is with me. He is on my side. Whatever our cross may be, no matter when, with patience bear it and all will be well. I am truly grateful to Elder Ellis and him being inspired to tell me to Be Still. This gospel is true. God Lives. Jesus is the Christ. I am going to just have another busy week ahead and it will be P-Day again and time will just keep flying by me. Justein Wilson, Marissa's sister wrote me this week and she said, "You can't wear the black name tag forever." I am so grateful for her words to me in reminding me how truly special this opportunity to serve is. I love you all so much. Mom, I love you so much. I miss you. Have a wonderful week and everybody please put a smile on your face.
Life is so much more sweet with a smile!!
I love you!!
Elder Zachary Taylor Page

Wow the lessons our kids learn...

Hello Everyone!!!!
Another week into the mission that has just gone so fast!! It killed me to hear all about conference from all of you guys!!! I am so excited for it but we don't get to hear it until this coming weekened. Can I just say perfect timing! It always just feels like right when you start to run out of gas and you really really need a boost that General Conference comes around! I can tell you that the timing couldn't be more perfect. Way to go with cooking the meat in soap Mom!! I cant wait to start singing songs about you and $teve!! hahaha Well, we went through transfers this week and it has been pretty interesting. Ellis Choro and Lay Choro are gone and the feel is way different around here. My new Japanese companion, Elder Watanabe, is good. We are still in the feeling it out stage and getting to know eachother still and figuring out how to do things the best and work together. It is going to be a good time working with him. With the start of the new transfer and the new month, we are busy as every getting planned for upcoming trainings, splits, and meetings. This week alone is pretty crazy! This week we have Zone Leader Council again(it comes and goes so fast!). Then the next day we have to give a training on the Book of Mormon. The mission has obviously helped me grow in tons of ways, but something I have come to learn in my heart recently is about one of the aspects of the love of a parent. I don't think I will ever fully appreciate the parents that you and Dad were to me mom. You both loved me and raised me better than anyone could ever have and I am growing to appreciate that more. As a Zone Leader, we are always working for our zone, for our missionaries. We do all that we can to help them see success and to show them our love and support and just to make their missions a joy. Parenting is kind of the same, you bust bottom for your kids so that they can see success and joy. Sometimes you just feel flat out tired and even sometimes you complain, but I have come to taste of the joy that comes through that kind of service. You develope and love of the people you serve. You want to serve them more and you want to see smiles on their faces and excitement in their voices. I have come to be able to see that joy in my mission recently. I am grateful for you and Dad bustn' bottom for all of us kids, and I have come to see how much you truly love all of us even more. You can't even describe it can you mom? :o) As I keep going through life, I hope to better understand why my you and Dad did so much for Me, Dallin, Matt, Abbs, and Tory. I think about it sometimes. The soccer games, the dinners, the campouts, the homework, the trips, the staying up late watching movies when I just know you want to get some sleep. I think I am coming to better understand that love and I can't thank you and Dad enough for it Mom. I love you so much Mama, and Dad, you guys truly are, along with every other butt bustn' parent, the biggest blessing in the world to your families. This coming time is going to be a big growing time for me I feel. I don't know if she told you or not Mom, but Marissa is not going to write me for 3 months. I am going to learn from my exprience with my companion. I am going to grow in patience and humilty from the experiences on the horizon for me and I worried about it a lot this week. I had a wonderful experience before Elder Ellis left. I asked him to give me a blessing and in the blessing he said, "Be Still." I have thought a lot about those words a lot. "Be Still my soul, the lord is on thy side. With Patience bear, thy cross of grief or pain." I know with all of my heart that my Savior Jesus Christ is with me. He is on my side. Whatever our cross may be, no matter when, with patience bear it and all will be well. I am truly grateful to Elder Ellis and him being inspired to tell me to Be Still. This gospel is true. God Lives. Jesus is the Christ. I am going to just have another busy week ahead and it will be P-Day again and time will just keep flying by me. Justein Wilson, Marissa's sister wrote me this week and she said, "You can't wear the black name tag forever." I am so grateful for her words to me in reminding me how truly special this opportunity to serve is. I love you all so much. Mom, I love you so much. I miss you. Have a wonderful week and everybody please put a smile on your face.
Life is so much more sweet with a smile!!
I love you!!
Elder Zachary Taylor Page

TrAnsFeRs...

Hello Everybody!!!
Ok, so I know that I said I would be emailing on Wednesday, but things this week have been way crazy. So I don't really know where to start...I guess I will just answer your question, no I am not transfering this transfer. However, it is super sad and terrible to tell, but Elder Lay is transfering. I don't know if I have expressed it enough in my emails, but I dang love Elder Lay. We were like the greatest team ever and him getting transfered was a big surprise. President called us yesterday and he told us that one of us would be affected by the transfer and that it would be Elder Lay. President has picked Elder Lay to be his next Assistant. I totally saw that coming sometime because Elder Lay is super awesome and I knew he would be an AP sometime but it was pretty unexpected for now. So, Lay Choro transfers tonight up to the mission home and I don't get my new companion until Thursday. More sad news, Elder Ellis is transfering too. He is heading all the way north to be Zone Leader up there. So, my two brothers are getting taken from me in one week!!! It is way sad and I hate to see them go but we are definitely going to be friends after the mission so it is ok.
So, I am now the Senior Zone Leader of the Sendai Zone. My companion is Elder Watanabe. He is a Japanese missionary and we will be the zone leaders together. I am excited for a lot of reasons but it will just be great even though I hate to see Elder Lay go. Plus, now that I have a Japanese companion my Japanese will get even better which I am excited about. When President called me he told me he was trusting me to take control and to lead this zone and it is slightly scary. Lay Choro and I had a lot of plans and we worked so good together, things will shift a little bit as a new missionary with new ideas comes in. Please pray for me that I will be able to fullfill my responsibility in the Lords service because I am going to be honest, I am a little anxious/worried.
I will remember Gordan and Eula for sure. Tell them I love them and I still think of Gordan's laugh and Eula's sweet potato pie and just smile. :)
The weather is definitely cooling down around here. We have switched back to long sleeves now. It is really beautiful here when the sun sets down over the city. It is a view that I hope you guys get to come experience with me again some day!
All of our investigators are doing good. We are working really hard to keep them focused on reading the Book of Mormon and praying every day. We have seen blessings from people reading that book. I can testify that The Book of Mormon is true. It has truly become an ancor and an axis to my life and I know that peace and happiness comes through reading it. By the way, we had a baptism last week of that girl I found, Mei. She had a wonderful baptism and is very happy right now. It was wonderful to see my second baptism with Lay Choro.
Dallin sent me the sports update, thank you so much Dallin!!! That was way refreshing to see! :) hahaha
I decided that I am just going to tell everybody a funny story that hopefully will make you all smile. So, in Japan, we do member lessons all the time. The members need a lot of support so every sunday after church we teach this one member named Brother Abe. We always give him commitments to do every week and he always tries to hide from us after church. He really needs the support and help through the lessons and commitments, so Elder Lay and I always find him and trap him and teach him. However, this past week, he ran into the church library and locked us out. We told him we would wait for him outside the door. We stood there laughing for about 2 minutes when all the sudden we see Brother Abe running outside. He had climbed out of this tiny little window in the back corner of the room and escaped!! However, he left his wallet in the library. So, we took his wallet (which had about 3000 dollars of money in it) and we just waited. When he realized that we had his wallet, he just gave in and walked into a room and we taught him about better understanding the Book of Mormon. Now...I know that is probably a terrible image of missionaries and church in Japan, but I promise that it was a very spiritual experience when he sat down and just did a lesson with us. :o) hahaha
Anyways, I don't really know what else to say. I have a good bit of time today but I kind of ran out. Tell Brian that I love him. He has nothing to feel down about. We all love him and the Lord will find other ways for him to bless lives if he will seek out those paths. The will of God will never take us where the grace of God will not protect us. I know that to be true. I love you all so much. Things will be pretty busy as usual from here on out but remember that I love you all and pray for you often!!!
Love always,
Elder Zachary Taylor Page

Less than 3 weeks...

Hey Everyone,
Just wanted to update you for this past week. IT was a good week :) The first part of the week was good. We had P-day. Then on Tuesday I was on exchanges with the zone leaders. I was with Elder Adams in his area down in Sunsites & El Frita (good luck finding that on a map) It was fun though. There are so many nice people in these small towns. Faithful members who just want to do good.
Towards the end of the week was the best part. On Friday I headed to Tucson for a district leader meeting with another missionary. We got done around 1:30, so...I decided to swing be the Institute on the way back :) When I walked in I got a huge hug from Elder Densley! :) I think he misses me. It was so good to see old members. Sister Nyemeyer in the front desk, Sarah W. :) also a girl I was teaching named Emma who is doing awesome! It felt so good! I love these people so much and they made me a better missionary. The work there has taken off which I'm happy about. It's sad I'm not there to see it, but I'm glad that Elder Densley is seeing it. I couldn't stay long so we headed home. Luckly, me and Elder Stringer came back the next day!!! :) I was so blessed to be able to go back and baptize Sarah Declay! RIght when I walked in she ran and gave me a huge hug! She looked so happy! She was just glowing! It was so great to see the members too! :) When the baptismal service started and then we went into the font I felt the Spirit so strong. A peace came over me and joy to see her take this step.
I also got to see old missionaries in my last district. Elders Hansen & Pierce. Theya re both good. Just being in Tucson is weird after being in tiny little Willcox :)
The work is still slow right now. The rest of the district is doing well. It's good to see miracles happening in the work. Just trying to keep that drive all the way til the end!!! :) The mission is definately hard!!!!!!! There are times that you want to go and that you can't keep going, BUT as you push through the Lord shows His tender mercies. I have been watched over and blessed as a missionary. He is mindful of me as He is with all His children :)
I love you all!!!!! Can't wait to see you. I hope you have a great week!
Love,
Elder Page

Elder Zachary Page on his 5th transfer...

Hello Everybody!!!
Sorry about the change up in P-Day this week! I had to do a YSA Missionary Activity yesterday so we got to switch our PDay. Just a heads up two, next week is transfers again so Pday will be on Wednesday. It doesn't look like I am transfering. Kaicho looks like he might be keeping Elder Lay and I together as the ZL's towards the end of the year. If that is the case, hopefully I will be alive by the end of the year. haha ;o) I am just kidding, I will be totally fine! Things have been going super good recently. But first, sounds like things are going well at home! I agree Mom, I do have something being great to look forward too in being able to spend eternity with a best friend. Something funny Ellis Choro said this week, he said, "Man, if on the mission we get assigned some random guy and we have to live with him all the time and learn to love hime, being married to some girl you love and get to choose yourself is going to be great!" hahaha I agree. Hahaha Mom, I don't even know what I will say to you guys in Japanese at Christmas! It is way hard if you don't have anyone to talk to! I can't wait either, conference is here again! Things go so fast don't they! The work is good right now. Elder Lay have been working really hard and seeing a lot of miracles. We have a baptism this week with a girl that I found about a month and a half ago. Her name is Mae and she is great! We have another Baptisimal Date with a 19 year old kid named Naoto. Me and Elder Lay have been working hard with him and he still has a ways to go but he is doing good. We also are teaching a Girl named Hidemi. She as been an English Class student for a year and a half but she has never had interest in the Missionary Lesson. I ran into her on the street last week and starting talking to her and really digging into why she hasn't and I pretty much talked her into hearing the lessons. We taught her yesterday and it was one of the most spiritual lessons of my mission. We will continue to teach her and hopefully she will allow the message to work in her heart. Other than our investigators and area, last week was way way busy. We were on splits for 5 days last week and I am pretty tired, but I love the opportunity to work with all of the other missionaries. Our zone got a little bigger recently and now we have a total of about 25 missionaries we are over now....its big. Everyone is excited for next week because we have 6 new missionaries coming in. One thing I was thinking about recently and it really isn't a big deal, but if someone could give me an English Premier League update from the end of last season till now, that would be nice. I heard BYU got spanked but you guys got to keep me up on my Packers. :o) Well, I don't have much more time, I got to get going, but things are good. I can't believe next week is already 5 transfers, it is going by and I am trying to take advantage of every moment I have. I have felt the Atonement in my life in a new way recently. The burden of various responsibilities, worries about other missionaries and investigators, and being super tired has brought me to my knees for long periods every night. I have come to the Lord and saught out his comfort to help me move forward when I was not sure how I could do it alone. I testify that the Savior will always take our burden from us. He will never make us walk on our own. I know that my Savior lives. He is by my side and even at times carrying me along. Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. I am sorry if you write me and and you don't get a letter back, I am doing my very best! I truly do appreciate it so very much. I know this church is God's true church on the earth. I love you Mom, have a great week!
Love Always,
Elder Zachary Taylor Page

Weddings always bring people together :)

Congratulations to Stephanie and Landon on their marriage. We enjoyed being with family this weekend. I had so many more pictures but it is not letting me download them...hum!!! I'll try to post them seperate.

RS CaMpOuT

In Willcox AZ, working hard and will be home next month!

Hey Everyone,
It was great to get your letter here in my new area :)SO about the flight plans, I'll call and ask if they have sent it again to you all. I hope you get them soon. That's crazy that you have the time that I get in :) If I get in @ 4:25 will I be realeased that night by President Baker?
SO I'll speak on the 30th? I guess that's alright. That is quiet a while later but oh well. Whatever works :0 So Leslie is getting married right when I get home? That's pretty cool. Sounds like everything just seems busy that weekend I get home. No worries! I'll just be happy to be home :)
I'm excited for Zach and Abby, I am sure they will both get into BYU. I'm glad Dallin & Jacs are good. They are coming up for my farewell right! I'm excited to see TOry play soccer when I get back. I'm sure he is so different. I can see physically, but I'm sure he's grown up all around. That's cool Abby is working in the office :) I would love to go back and visit her in the office and to see everyone.
I got the B-Day package!!!! :) Thank you so much!!!! I did get my running shoes. They are really great! Thanks!!! I saw that you got me junk food anyways ;) I'll try to take more pictures. I've be pretty bad:/
So updates with me. SO as you know I'm in WIllcox AZ. Its a tiny town. Not as small as Fabens! We live with a member which is something new to me. They are the Bushmans & they are super nice! They have a really nice house!!! Like really nice! Its kind of weird to live here after so much time in old, nasty apartments. They are really nice about us just feeling at home. They let us borrow food so I'm eating alot better. I'm getting off the cereal diet.:)
My companion is ELder Stringer from San Antonio TX. He's a nice guy & loves to exercise like me!!!!! I finally got a companion who works out with me!
Small world though, Elder Stringer's best friend @ BYU was Elder Jordan's brother. (my MTC comp.)Crazy huh! Also we visited a less active who has family in El Paso in my old ward. I knew them!
So there are two wards here and we cover 2nd ward. They don't have a spanish branch, but expect the spanish members to go to the english wards. I'm the only spanish missionary in Willcox so I'll be pretty much on my own with teaching them.
THe people here are really nice and just old country folks :) It kind of reminds me of Caswell. The is a little slow, but we have to start somewhere. It's been kind of a hard week because we don't know anyone or how to get around yet, but were getting there.
Thanks for the Chili's cards, but there is no Chilis around here, so I'll probably just save them for a date with me & Mckenna.
I miss my old area, but I will try to do my best here. We are a brand new Zone, so wer are all kind of getting the hang of it.
Well, I love you all! I hope you have a great week! I'll write next week , &&&&& I'll see you next month!!!!!
Love Elder Page

Happy Birthday Matthew

Everyone loves Matthew!!! Hope you have the best birthday! What a joy you have been to everyone that knows you. So glad that 21 years ago we were bless with your sweet smile. Love you!!!

Last transfer to WIllcox AZ

Hey mom
Just as a heads up, I got transfered. I am really upset that I am leaving. To leave with 6 weeks left is draining. I just feel disappointed with the area picking up and with working all summer to just leave. I will miss so much the members here! I want so badly to keep in touch with some of them. With working in the singles wards, these members actually become friends. :) I will miss them, but Elder Densely will do great and get to see lots of success in the coming weeks. I will miss him too. :)
Well, Im going to Willcox, small town, still english (This is the last nail in my spanish speaking coffin). I am opening up a brand new area in a brand new zone. I am the district leader and my companion has only been out for 6 weeks. Needless to say I will have my hands full. I hope I have the spirits to keep on working, to learn, set up, and work an area to just leave it in 6 weeks. This is not the way I pictured finishing my mission. Oh, well there is no reason in complaining about it. Just put my head down and run to the end. Sorry if I sound whiney. I just thought I would let you know how I feel about it instead of sugar coating it and just say,"I am excited for this new adventure". :/ I hope you all are doing great and please pray for me, especially in the coming weeks.
Love you all and I will talk to you soon.
Elder Matt Page

3096 N. Circle 1 Rd.
Wilcox, AZ 85643

here is my new address so I'll keep a look out :) Love you all! :)

matt

A message if Hope :)

Hello Everybody!!
It was great to get to hear from you this week! Geez!! The weeks just go too fast sometimes! I will reply to your email first and then I will let you know how I am doing. I am so excited for Matt opening up that new area!!! Right now Elder Lay and I are working with President on opening up another area after the earthquake and it is an exciting thing. I guarantee that his President put Matt in there for his last transfer to start it off right. It is really hard to open an area so Matt is the perfect missionary for the job! It is all so exciting! I am also so excited for Michael leaving! He will do so great! I will do my best to get time to write a letter to the primary. I am not going to lie Mom, making time to write letters is way hard. I have been struggling to communicate well with Marissa lately. I will do my best but it is pretty hard with so many things to do. Today I just started my PDay and it is 6:00. We had things to do and phone calls to make up until six at night. I would love to get some jerky with something that granola! Just the fact that the recipe is Marissa's makes it so much better!! You have no idea Mom, just seeing her name typed in an email is refreshing. I am so tired that a spare second to think about Marissa is so nice. :o) There was a typhoon this week, but Elder Lay and I were all the way on the other side of the mission doing work then so we were totally fine. I love getting hand written mail so much! Speaking of, I got the package this week!!! Thank you so so so much! I absolutely loved it so much and it made my day. The candy doesn't help because I am still getting fat, but it was so delicious! :) The shirt was sweet and the tape was awesome. However, the tape didn't have much on it. I don't know if it messed up or something, but I only got to listen to Jordan and Kirby and Kyle (which was hilarious by the way) and Abby and You. Maybe that was all, but thank you so much!! I loved the package! I have a couple things that I would like in a package but in the moment I can't remember all of them. I have them written down but the only thing I can remember in the moment is two CDs by a guy named Alex Boye. They are called The Spirit and Be Still My Soul. They are awesome and I would love them. Also one called Nearer, which we might have on our computer. Those would be great! The other stuff I will let you know next week! So this week was probably the busiest week of my mission so far. We only spent about a day and a half in our own area! We had a service activity, another Zone Leader Council, and Splits on the other side of the mission! Needless to say I am quite tired, but I am great!! Things right now are pretty good, the weather is starting to cool down so it is a little less...in this moment I can only think in Japanese so I can't think of the english word for it, but it is getting nicer. Communicating in English is getting a little hard which sounds totally crazy, but my brain is slowly thinking all the time in Japanese. I guess it is a good thing now, but when I come home you guys are going to think I am pretty weird! :) That is exciting to hear that McKenna is coming down to NC a week after Matt comes home! I guarantee that he LOVES that. I also promise you that Marissa has already thought about that so many times so make sure she doesn't get too ahead of herself. ;o) hahaha The work right now in our area is a little slow but it is just because we have been so busy we haven't had a lot of time to do work in our area. Things will pick up though. :) Something short I wanted to share to end is something that an elder named Aiura Choro. He is a Japanese Elder that paid me an interesting compliment last week that got me thinking. He told me that my Funiki (it is a Japanese word that kind of means your aura or atmosphere or countenance, hard to translate) is hope. He told me that the way I communicate and carry myself just brings hope to people. It was a very nice and interesting compliment, but it got me thinking about the gospel and the word hope. I always try to show the gospel as a missionary and that elder helped me see that the gospel can be shown in a hope too. Right now in this country there are people without hope, and through this gospel, you can find hope. I am so grateful for the hope I find in Jesus Christ, the hope I find in the Plan of Salvation, the Hope I find in Family. All of this hope stems from this wonderful gospel. I testify that among so many other things that this gospel is, this gospel is a gospel of hope. Through the gospel, you can find hope in ALL things. I testify that to all of you in the Name of Jesus Christ. I hope you have a wonderful week! I love you all so so so much and I can't wait to hear from you next week! I love you mom. I think of you and your hugs so often.
Until next week!
I love you!
Elder Zachary Taylor Page