Making Friends:

Jason and Stephen Taylor of Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada

Written by Julie Wardell

New Brunswick is one of the four original provinces of Canada. It is on the eastern coast and is bordered by Quebec and Nova Scotia in Canada and by Maine in the United States. Over half of New Brunswick is surrounded by picturesque coastlines. Beautiful, dense forests, crisscrossed by rivers, cover the interior. Jason (9) and Stephen (4) Taylor live with their parents, Stephen and Christine, and their sister, Jenny (13), in Moncton, New Brunswick.

The Tidal Bore is one of Moncton’s unique attractions. Twice daily the Bay of Fundy tide gushes into the narrow entrance of the Petitcodiac River and flows upstream, forming a wall of water, or a bore. The bore keeps flowing inland, filling the low muddy river all the way to Moncton, thirty-two kilometers (20 miles) away. Because the constant rising and lowering of the river washes up against the muddy banks, the water is a deep reddish-brown, so the river is nicknamed the “Chocolate River.”

The Taylor family attends Moncton Ward, Saint John New Brunswick Stake. Jason and Stephen think that their ward is extra special for several reasons. When it was created in 1979, their Grandma and Grandpa Taylor were members of its first congregation. Today, their dad is the bishop of the ward, and their mom teaches Primary. Both boys say, “It’s great having Dad be our bishop!” One of Jason’s favorite times occurred when his father was invited to Primary and everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to him.

Jason and Stephen love the gospel and Primary. Jason enjoys his Valiant class. A CTR, Stephen likes to sing songs. When the Primary children sang his favorite song, “Nephi’s Courage,” in a sacrament meeting program, he stood up with them and sang it very boldly.

Both boys eagerly participate in the Scouting program. In New Brunswick, boys seven years old and younger are Beavers. As a Beaver, Stephen is learning to share, be a good sport, and work with others. In Cub Scouts, Jason has earned his sports badge by jumping over a rope. He was the only one who didn’t knock it down! He also earned his artist badge by drawing a picture, and his pet-care badge by caring for and feeding the family cat and one of the dogs.

Each morning, the family gathers for prayer before eating breakfast. Jason says, “It makes me feel safe to know that a prayer has been said asking that each family member will have a nice day.”

Family home evening is another important event in the Taylor home. Each of them checks the family home evening chart to see what his or her duty is for Monday night. After the lesson, the boys and Jenny take turns choosing his or her favorite treat. Quite often Jason picks playing a board game for their treat instead of food! And it’s OK with Stephen because he always likes to play board games.

Twice a month the family plans a movie night downstairs. They enjoy eating popcorn and watching a video. Stephen thinks the best part happens after the video is over. Everyone sleeps downstairs in a sleeping bag on the floor!

The Taylors enjoy animals. They have two dogs—a golden retriever named Simba and a springer spaniel named Danny. They also have a cat named Misty and a horse they lease called Nikio. The boys are learning firsthand how to care for and enjoy these animals.

Nikio is stabled in the small town of Memramcook several kilometers from their home. Stephen says, “I like to ride Nikio and go on hills with him.” And Jason declares, “It’s exciting to ride him because you are so high off the ground and you never know when he might try to buck you off! I like how he does all the work, too.”

Both boys enjoy playing basketball and football with Jenny. When Stephen was only two years old, he could dribble a basketball very well.

Besides playing sports, Jason likes to build spaceships and helicopters with plastic building blocks. His mother reports that he has the ability of making anything he does enjoyable, especially when he uses his imagination. He can even make doing his chores fun!

In kindergarten, Stephen likes to play with cars on a track, use the computer, build castles with wooden blocks, and play with his friends.

Jason is in grade four at school. He enjoys math, especially take-away problems, times tables, and pluses. Playing basketball, frozen tag, and soccer in gym is always fun. Many of the people in New Brunswick speak French, so the schools teach two languages, English and French. Jason thinks that learning two languages will help him be a better missionary someday.

Because there are no Latter-day Saint children in their school, Jason and Stephen know that they have a responsibility to set a good example for their classmates. “I don’t fight and I don’t call people names,” Jason explains. “I try to be honest in school. When the teacher asked me if our reading group had been quiet, I said no.” The teacher was impressed and gave him a point for being honest.

What do the Taylor boys want to be when they grow up? Stephen wants to be a professional basketball player, as long as his sister can be his coach. Jason hasn’t decided whether he wants to be an artist, a policeman, or a pilot. Both boys agree, however, that they want to be full-time missionaries first.

Stephen is preparing for a mission by obeying the commandments and listening to the missionaries who come to his home for dinner. He always enjoys the gospel message they give to the family before they leave.

Jason is also preparing for a mission by keeping the commandments, obeying the Word of Wisdom, and saving his money. What would he tell people about the Church? “I would bear my testimony, telling them that I know the Church is true, and that I know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live.”

Photographed by Julie Wardell

The Taylor family and their dogs (Jenny not pictured)

Stephen with his bike

[photo Jason with Nikio

With their cat, Misty

The sign in English and French displays the arrival time of the next tidal bore in military time (9:57 P.M.). The Petitcodiac River is in the background.

In their scout uniforms (top)

Playing basketball (lower left)

Both boys enjoy the playhouse in the backyard (lower right).