August 28,"I Don't Know , Just Get Me In Church"/16 Months

This past week I said goodbye to a lot of life-long friends and it broke my heart, in a good way. I am so grateful for my mission to allow me the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people. What helped was that I was able to drive to Tallahassee to pick up our new trainees with former comp, Sister Whatcott. It felt just like old times and it was so good to go back; Tally feels like my home and it takes a huge place in my heart.

GOOD NEWS! I got the best companion ever to end my mission with. She is so willing to work hard and wants to be a good missionary, which is something I appreciate so much! Sister Boyce is from Utah and is such a natural missionary. I am looking forward to being able to learn a lot from her. And Pace has been amazing at welcoming her in! 

Remember Kristina, the lady that we found by talking with a LA's neighbor, asking for referrals, and then while contacting that referral, seeing a lady that we decide to go talk to, the one that cried the first time we met her. Well, we haven't been able to see her in awhile so we decided to go try her again, and it turns out that she has really fallen into hard times (again) and is going to lose her place and her and her three young kids are about to be homeless. We felt so much love for her and such a determination to help her any way that we could. The ward, amazing as always, jumped into action and brought her groceries which almost brought her to tears and fellowshipped her and are trying to see what they can do to help her out. I am so grateful for the church and not only what it does for its own but for others. Walking away from that lesson/meal drop off, I felt such immense happiness. I have really come to know in a personal way that the quickest way to find real happiness is to stop thinking about yourself and to help someone in greater need. My mission has taught me so much, I don't think I can adequately express all that it means to me!

Well I love yall!

Sister Baker

Pictures:

Brother and sister- we get told we look like siblings a lot

the relief society

goodbye to Sister Saunders

two recent converts, Julia and Courtney

August 21,"Mom,The Sister Elders Are Here!!"

Transfer News: I am training, again. And I am so excited. Sad news: Sister Delgado is leaving me, but she is from California and is going to school in Utah so we will see each other again!

Other sad news: Annie is in jail. Things were going really good, we could tell the gospel was really impacting her and there was a noticeable light in her home. She was going to get her kids back soon, she was loving church and excited for her baptism, and then we found out when we were going to our appointment with her, the she was in prison for aggravated assault. $5000 bail. So... that happened! We fasted this past Sunday for her and the ward members are already planning on trying to visit her in jail so hopefully she remembers the good feelings she felt and holds onto that!

On a more positive note, we were able to teach a sweet 11 year old this past week. His family are all members and he hasn't been baptized and the family wanted him to start taking the lessons. It is really cool to see the innocence that he has and how spiritually mature he is; it is really a blessing for me as a missionary to be apart of his conversion, especially at such a young age. 

We had Youth Standards night this past Wednesday, where we had a panel of people from the ward (an older couple, a younger couple, YSA, and us the missionaries), and it was funny because it reminded me of the time I got to do that as part of Stake Youth Council. Let's just say, I have definitely improved since then haha

Cool experience this past week. We had one of those days were nothing was panning out, people weren't home or answering their door, and we were running out of options. We were knocking on this door of our investigator, no answer, and then we both hear this voice across the street. We didn't see anyone but we decided to walk across the street to see if there was someone outside. We walked across, not sure exactly why or where or to who, but then we see this man throwing out some trash. Here we met Christopher, a super friendly man who has been through A LOT! He was a missionary for his church and loved it, but then got into selling drugs, went to prison, been shot at, the whole deal, and now he is looking to get his life right and get back with God. I know this work is not my own, and I am so grateful for that. 

Love yall!

Sister Baker

Pictures:

ghetto way of getting Annie a bed with a jump rope, good thing she only lives down the road

The south is a real place

when it rains EVERY DAY and your comp wants to run in it

the south strikes again

CRAWFISH SEASON IS BACK!

August14," Sister Diago?,Sister Baker"-Annie

Last Monday, we asked this lady if she needed help at Walmart, and then she invited us to teach her and her daughter with slight autism (who is actually just an amazing and insanely smart 14 year old that loves video games and dragons). At first the mother said that we were there mainly just to focus on Haven, her daughter, and that she was set in her beliefs, but after we finished teaching the Restoration, she said "That actually makes a lot of sense. I always heard Mormons use God to get people to worship Joseph Smith but now that all makes sense. And why wouldn't we have a prophet today, all these churches just take what they want and make it their own." They were super committed to come to church but then some things came up but they are definitely planning on learning more. Haven came to mutual and LOVED it! The girls were so inclusive and she enjoyed the activity. We painted rocks and talked about chastity and our standards. At first I was a little nervous, but Haven had a blast. We studied the "For Strength Of Youth" and after she said "Crap!...Oh... I need to look up in there and see what it says about my language." Plus, we told her she needed to draw us dragons so I am pretty stoked for those! 

Annie and Joe came to church and Annie loved it! She texted us after and said that she feels like a "new woman" and that "yesterday was an amazing day"! We were able to set a BCD with her for September 9th and she is really looking forward to learning more. She even defended the church when someone told her that "Joseph Smith was a false prophet and that it is all a lie" but she told them that wasn't true. Annie is so amazing! 

Well this week was a good week, loving my time here in Pace! 

Love y'all!

Sister Baker

Infamous quotes of the week:

"We can watch General Conference with you." -missionaries

"I would like that, Joe we need to buy popcorn..but first, we need to buy a microwave." -Annie

"Y'all want some grapes? Sister Diago? Baker?" - Annie on the way to church

*us missionaries teaching the lesson and in the middle of a thought Annie says," Y'all I just have to tell you something...I saw a dwarf baby today." -Annie

"Mom, why does this rice smell like farts?"- Joseph

August7,"Gotta Be Like Boiled Peanuts"

First things first: I love my companion! Sister Delgado and I get along great and she keeps missionary work fun, which I appreciate! We are sad that she only has 3 weeks here before she heads home to California, but we are using it up! 

We had a crazy experience this past week, and honestly calling it crazy doesn't even begin to describe what happened! We can laugh about it now although in the moment I was a little unsure of what was happening. But it's a good laugh so I will share! So to begin, one day last transfer, when Sister Lewis and I were together we both felt prompted to walk down this street after trying to contact a potential. We had no idea why but we both followed the prompting after pausing and praying off to the side of the road that God would lead us to whoever He needed us to talk to. We knock on a trailer door, no success so we start walking again, and this car pulls over that is filled with people and this lady asks us "What is Jesus real name?" and we are kinda like what the heck is she talking about (southern people love to do this thing where they pinpoint one thing out of the Bible and try to make you guess it and when you can't guess it, they say you don't know what you are talking about) but luckily my companion said "Messiah." and I guess that was the right answer and she told us to come back. Well we tried but she was never home until we got her as a headquarter referral and we were able to get in contact with her again. She invited her friend to come with her to the lesson and we sat down to teach and I was SO excited! They are both in such need of the gospel and I was thinking THIS IS A MIRACLE.... and then it happened. Annifa was talking about how this couple told her that mixing races is a sin and that her having kids with a Mexican was a great sin and that her kids are "border-jumpers" (never mind that they are born in America). Diana her friend lost it and was yelling at her that God loves all His children while Annifa stuck to her position that mixing races is a great sin. Then she starts telling us how Mexicans have ruined her life and that they are all bad people...and all the while, I am thinking I HAVE A HISPANIC COMPANION sitting right there! Then it turns into a cussing fight (I haven't heard that many swear words since high school lunch hour) so we set up a return appointment and got out of there. When we went back things were a lot more calm and she was pretty accepting of the Restoration so we will see where that goes.

We have had some true miracles this past week as we have tried to talk with people that are placed in our path. One happened this week while we were trying to see a LA that wasn't home. We see her neighbor that was working on her yard so we go talk to her and here we meet Michelle and her daughter Cayden. Later that week we were able to sit down and talk with them and this family is so amazing! She started telling us that she researched us after we left and was so impressed that we leave behind our families for 18 months, and that our beliefs are pretty similar to every ones (that's a big thing for someone around here to say) and that she is open to learning more. She said that she has actually been looking for a church to get involved with since they haven't been to their church since they moved away from it. Michelle wants a place for Cayden to go and develop good friends with moral standards. As we were talking about families, I could just see Cayden in Young Women's and loving it and I could see this family being so amazing in the gospel. I am so grateful we found them! They really are so prepared, especially because Michelle had a good friend that was Mormon and told her some things about the beliefs. And before we could even invite her to church she mentioned how she was planning on coming next week. 

Another one happened today as we were walking to Walmart and this lady was about to unload her groceries when we offered to help and she accepted. She started telling us how her husband just got in an accident and then she saw the tags and asks "Are y'all missionaries? I have been looking for a church for my daughter to get into, she needs to make some friends with good people. And I have tried to teach her all I know but she needs something more. Can y'all come teach us? And where is your church?" So we set up a return appointment with Robin and I am pumped to teach her! 

I truly believe God has blessed me on my mission as I have tried to give Him all I know how to give and be positive along the way. I have noticed that the missionaries that are able to see miracles and success in their areas are those that choose to be grateful and look for the good. I know it is all God that does this work, and that He is using me to help others, all the while helping myself. 

Love yall!

Sister Baker

June 31,"10 Companions And Counting"

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Where to begin about this week...

So Wednesday, Sister Chollet decided that she needed to go home to get the rest she needed to feel better and to take care of her constant headaches that haven't been getting any better. She is planning on coming back out after she starts to feel better, so I am hoping that is soon for her! So Friday we drove down with the Milton sisters to the Mission Home in Tally to drop her off. President Smith had originally told us that we (the Milton sisters and I) would be in a trio and covering Milton and Pace for the rest of the transfer. We started planning on that and rearranging our schedules until we finally arrived at the mission home at 10 o'clock at night, and there he tells us that he has already found me a new companion. Sister Delgado's companion also decided to leave early last minute so we picked her up on the way back and now Sister Delgado and I are serving together in Pace until she goes home in 3 weeks. By the time I leave my mission, I will probably have been companions with every sister out there. 

Good news is I LOVE Sister Delgado and I am grateful we get to be companions even if it is only for 3 short weeks before she heads home.

Love yall!

Sister Baker

June 26,"I Might Become A Mormon"

Amazing miracle happened this past week. A member was telling us about her neighbor that we should go see, who recently got in a car accident and through that found out her husband was dying of cancer, so in a really rough spot right now. We went over and met Sandy, the sweetest lady ever! She told us all about her trials of faith (as people in the South so naturally love to do) and we taught her the Restoration right on the doorstep. She loved it and seemed to agree with everything and at the end was saying how her "neighbor was a Mormon, [her] boss and [her] co-worker was a Mormon, and all [her] best friends growing up were Mormon." It is so amazing for me to see how God has been with her preparing her all her life. Right now her and her family are not currently attending any church. She was telling us how she told her husband about the sister missionaries stopping by and even said, "I don't know honey, I might become a Mormon." So we will be working on that, and hopefully help her find greater faith and peace through her struggles!

We had Zone Conference this past week and I loved being around all the missionaries! It is always so comforting knowing that there are other people doing exactly what you are doing all day, every day. We talked a lot about finding and I felt very inspired to keep working for miracles throughout the rest of my mission! 

Love yall!

Sister Baker

June 19,"I Love Pace"

Pace this past week has been a miracle! To start off, we went and saw this member and as we were walking in the door she is handing a Book of Mormon to her neighbor, introduces us, and invites him to take the discussions! Here we meet Robert and his "wife/fiancee/gf/roommate" (not quite sure what they are) and he is AMAZING! He recently had a near death experience that freaked him out because he doesn't want to go to hell so he felt like he should go talk to Sister Nowling, his neighbor. After teaching him the Restoration and reciting the First Vision, he said he felt something in his heart, like a cool, calm feeling and we invited him to be baptized and he was super excited! He came to church as well (along with 4 other investigators so I was pretty much the happiest missionary ever) Maddie Jones also got the final okay from her mother (who wouldn't let her be baptized for over a year now) and is good to go so she is so excited! Pretty much the most amazing person I have ever met!

Members have been amazing here and we have been finding lots of success as we are serving and loving them! I think I am about the point on my mission where I am loving it and finding so much happiness in the life of a missionary! 

My new companion is Sister Chollet (Show-lay) from St George Utah! We are able to relate very well and I am hoping she comes to love this area as much as I do!

Love yall!

Sister Baker

FUNNY RANDOM QUOTES:

"I have been thinking a lot about this, some nights I would just stay up and think about your spirit animal. Your spirit animal is...an eagle. Because you are strong and always know what to say."

-Sister May

"Are we allowed to place a Book of Mormon with someone in jail?"