June 27 "Earl Is Baptized"

What a good week! For starters, Earl was baptized and confirmed and it was such a sweet, happy moment as a missionary to be apart of that. He came out saying that this baptism felt different from the other two he had. He looks so happy. Teaching Earl has been so amazing for me because I am reminded constantly of why I am a missionary, to find people like him that are so ready for the Gospel and want that change. 

Yvonne, our other investigator, told us when she found out Earl was getting baptized that "If Earl can change, it is time for all of us to change." She is pretty close to baptism and is very accepting of the gospel and told her friend about the missionaries that talked about "a little boy who prayed in the bushes" and the lady said "I need to talk to these girls, I just don't feel it in these other churches. That actually makes a lot of sense." We came out like did that actually just happen. The ball is moving and we see so much potential for growth, and it's exciting to be a missionary to start it off.

We had 11 less actives come to church, also, and like 45 people total and oh, it felt so good to see that! 

Love y'all!

Sister Baker

June 20 "That's The South For You"

The South is so awesome! There is so much here that I know I want to take back with me when I come home. Like how everyone here is family (and for some that is pretty true, like streets are sometimes just extended family all living right next door to each other, or trailers in the back) but even some of the nonmembers treat us like we are their family and tell us that when we come back, we always have a place to stay with them. Nonmembers thank us all the time for being out here serving. Even if they reject us, at least they thank us for being missionaries! It's so cool!

People here will also talk your ear off and you can barely know them but walk in and have an hour long conversation of the most random things, it is a skill the South has. We had a funny experience this week where we were meeting with this family and we were all talking and we had been there for awhile so we as missionaries were looking for a way to tie-in and transition to the Gospel but literally nothing was happening. Knowing that my companion was also struggling, I said, "Well, speaking of baths and body wash, we have a gospel message we would like to share will y'all today..." Hey if the South can transition from God to their next door neighbors dog, I can do it too! 

I have gotten a lot more comfortable and definitely feeling prayers being answered as I am becoming happier and happier being a missionary. Even when we got rejected HARD this past week, I got in the car and just died laughing because it was so funny. Blessings are for real! I am always worried that the following week wont be able to top this one and yet every week it does. I love being in Toxey! I would be happy being here for awhile!

The weather here is also pretty crazy, it can change by the hour. It rains sometimes just randomly (not like a sprinkle but a downpour) and then in 40 minutes it is sunny with no clouds in the sky. I love it, it keeps things interesting. A couple days ago there was a pretty big storm, we saw huge dark clouds forming and the trees started bending and the wind picked up, and pieces of our roof flew off and rain started coming down fast, so we had to stay inside. It was so cool to watch; having the power out and the lights not working made it even better! 

Earl signed his own "Declaration of Independence" with the church 15 step program and even though he is feeling pretty sick from quitting, he tells us he made a promise to God and he is not going to break it! We are all really excited for him and I feel very confident he will be able to finally enter the waters of baptism after two years of being taught by the missionaries. 

I love y'all, as always I am very thankful for the e-mails and prayers! They help me so much! Pray for Earl! 

Sister Baker

June 13 "Sweet Home Alabama"

Hello family and friends! It was good to hear from y'all! 

Earlier this week we had a zone conference in Mobile for the departing Mission President and his wife (she looks like and reminds me so much of mom). It is sad to see them go, they are awesome and love this area but I am excited to meet the new MP. It was funny because on the way back we were enjoying our drive and then all of a sudden we see "Welcome to Mississippi" sign, granted that we thought we were clear on our way to our home. Quick detour.

Funny things happen every day, like this one day the GPS (doesnt quite work in Alabama considering 95% of the roads are dirt indian trails) took us down this dirt road and it felt more like off-roading than driving, and eventually we got to this one part and there was this massive, uncross-able hole in the middle of the road and we had to turn around and off-road the entire way home! I literally thought we weren't going to make it and was praying so hard thinking that if we got stuck we are literally on our own in the middle of this jungle. I was laughing so hard! It was awesome!

We met with Yvonne (the hilarious lady who accepted the Restoration and baptism if she knew it was true- side note: not spelled Evon) and she was funny as ever. She told us how she knew what we were teaching was true: "Because two white girls came to my door." and then her reply to when we started talking about service: "I might be Jesus, y'all don't know, I might be Jesus testing y'all" to which I replied "well..uh...we do believe, you know, when we are in the service of our fellowmen we are only in the service of our God." I love meeting with her. But she did tell us that she feels something when we are there and that when we leave, it lingers. Then she followed that with advice to never have kids and that they ruin your lives. 

Earl is pretty excited to get baptized the 25th and we are all pretty sure he is going to be able to make it that day. The John's are helping him quit smoking through this 15 step program the church does. We are all really excited for him! He is amazing, I feel like I come away from his lessons having learned something myself!

All the Southerners like to make me try something I've never tried, they all get a kick out of it when they find out I am from CA and never had crawfish or shrimp or any seafood. This week was shrimp, and like crawfish you have to peel off the body and legs but it was easier because you don't have to break the head from the body. I can only imagine my family reading this haha I am telling all the members that when I come back with my family they are making us some good ol' crawfish and shrimp! 

I love being on a mission! I love this time that I have to become "acquainted with God", I am growing so much! 

Love y'all!

Sister Baker

June 6 " Members Here Are Amazing"

My companion told me that everyone says (and the mission president also says this too) that this is the hardest area in the ENTIRE MISSION. and I am getting trained in it. Wow the faith and trust the Lord has in me that sometimes I wish He didn't haha I love it and feel very humbled to be here and am learning to think positively and enjoy the small things, I mean if this is the hardest, and this is my first area, then it only goes up from here. Or at least I come away from it stronger and better and more understanding!

Members here are amazing! I have learned so much from their examples and testimonies of staying faithful during really hard times, when they used to meet in peoples homes, when they got cancer, when all their kids fell away, when their spouses are not supportive, etc.

We were able to teach a referral from one of our members and we got to the trailer and we went inside and the entire family and a friend sits down for the lesson and at first I was like "holy we did not expect this" (we were under the impression it was just her and her preacher father) but we started teaching and it was actually a really cool lesson. I recited Joseph Smith's first vision, Taqanya bore her powerful testimony of finding this church and how she knows it is true, and Sister Jensen and I bore our testimonies and the Spirit was there. And then the retired preacher started talking about those "jack leg mormons" and it was very interesting from there on out. We will see where that one goes.

I am learning a lot about myself and the power of being a missionary. We were teaching a former investigator named Lee Hannah. We were talking to her about the Book of Mormon and how there is power in that book and I bore my testimony to her about all that it means to me and she was looking at me very intently and when I finished she paused and said "There's a different temperature about you, I don't know what it is but when you start going, you GO! I like that about you!" I know it wasn't me at all she was feeling. It was the Spirit testifying to her of things I know. I just thought it was such a neat, encouraging experience that it is truly the Lord's work and it will go forth in His way and in His time.

We also had exchanges with our sister training leaders and it was so awesome. Miracles! She talks to everyone like we saw a random couple cutting wood and she slams on the brakes, gets out and walks up to them and hands them a pass along card. I was so caught of guard but it taught me a lesson to keep my eyes open to finding people where ever we are. Our GPS took us down a random dirt road and soon we realized it was wrong so she parks the car and starts walking to this house and we knock the door and in there we find Evon, who we taught and was super receptive to the Restoration and then Sister Smoot asked her to be baptized and said yes! We walked out of there like did that actually just happen! Miracles I believe are right outside my comfort zone and that I need to start becoming comfortable not being comfortable all the time.

I had crawfish for the first time, not too shabby! I sent you a picture of all my victims. Next time they are making me shrimp. I have to stop telling people what I have never eaten because the next meal we have with them seems to be all the things I never tried before. 

Love all of you so much! Thanks for the prayers and letters! I look forward to hearing from y'all so much! 

Sister Baker