Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Hermana Baeza #2 March 27th,2012

Family!!
 
Okay...I'll admit it...yesterday I got homesick. I was teaching a teacher who was pretending to be an investigator and when I started to talk about eternal families and bearing my testimony about it, I just lost it. The rest of the day I wanted to be left alone haha and it doesn't help that I'm close with all the elders and other missionaries from other zones so they kept trying to figure out what was wrong with me. But, today I am better and focused on the work again. So, if you were ever wondering if I actually miss you all or not...now you know :) THANK YOU FOR THE CARE PACKAGE! I loved the snacks and the mints and stamps and everything! It came at the most perfect time - yes, I got it on Saturday too! It's funny, my entire district pretty much guesses every day "how many letters do you think Hermana Baeza will get today"...it's an unspoken competition for sure haha and I am SO winning! So, thank you family, Abby, Spencer, Sarah, Ryan, Madz, and Paul for the letters/dearelders!!! They really do make a difference and make my days so much better!...and it's fun to hear the Elders groan and complain how so many people love me ;) Haha! Oh and the cocoa bean cupcakes...gonna guess it was abby or suz that sent them to me?? There wasn't a name for who sent them but my goodness they were SO GOOD! Better then whatever...my favorite :)
 
Okay, time for the good stuff!! This week seriously FLEW BY!! I can't believe it's already Tuesday, another P-day! The Spanish is starting to come along...it's still hard haha don't get me wrong but I am feeling a lot better about it day by day. Yesterday when we taught Irazema (our investigator), five minutes before teaching her Hermana Marroquin and I decided that we needed to work better as a companionship and teach the same lesson to our investigators rather then us doing two different lessons and trying to catch up to the other companionships in our class. So, I decided to drop my lesson because Hermana Marroquin felt confident in teaching her lesson and since she's really struggling with the language, I decided to let her have all the confidence in this lesson and I solely rely on the spirit. THE GIFT OF TONGUES IS REAL!! I was able to understand Irazema and even talk back to her. Sure, what I said wasn't perfect but I TRIED and it WORKED. Words were coming to my mind and it was such an amazing experience. We are progressing with her. She even prayed for us in a lesson which is a BIG deal! I'm pretty sure we were the first companionship in our district to have that accomplished. She even hugged us goodbye after that lesson :) I love Irazema! I was struggling with loving her because I couldn't understand her and I was letting Spanish get in the way of loving her but now...after having these experiences where I know Heavenly Father is helping me every step of the way, I have been able to put trust in the Lord and to love her. Hermana Marroquin and I even sang to her in one of our lessons and boy, the spirit was so strong! It was amazing. I love this work!!!! Our teacher Hermano Stoddard said, "It's a very telling thing fi you can feel the spirit when you're pretending" and how true that is! Irazema isn't a real investigator, she's some girl from BYU volunteering at the MTC. But to us, she is Irazema, she is an investigator, she is trying to find out what she is missing in her life. To us, it is sooo real.
 
I did a duet with Elder Sales in Sacrament meeting on Sunday! Last minute we decided to sing it in Spanish :) So fun!! I messed up a few times but it still sounded great. It was so cool to sing it in Spanish...I love Spanish it's so pretty! Sunday's, next to P-days, are my favorite here in the MTC. I love the Fireside we have every Sunday night and the chance we have to watch a movie our of choice in one of the buildings. On Sunday we watched the Restoration movie of Joseph Smith. Granted it was like, my 5th time watching it lol but it still makes me cry every time I watch it. One of my favorite lines in that movie was "I can't believe God would want to save but just a few of us." Alvin Smith said this and it's such a powerful sentence. How true it is! God loves us SO MUCH that he wants us to return back to him again. That because of the restored Gospel on the earth today, those who haven't had the chance to hear his message here in mortality will have another chance AFTER this life to except his Gospel. Heavenly Father doesn't just love but a few, he loves us all and wants us all to come back to Him again.
 
We have the wonderful opportunity of having General Conference this weekend. We get to hear from a PROPHET of GOD and from by 12 APOSTLES! What an experience it will be. I want to encourage everyone (including myself) to write down...five things that you want to receive an answer to this weekend. It can be a personal trial you are going through, a question you are having trouble gaining a testimony in, or anything! Write it down and watch ALL four sessions (5 if you include Priesthood) and I can promise you that at least ONE of your questions will be answered. But...that means you got to watch all four sessions and not fall asleep ;)
 
I love this work. I am so happy with where I am in life. There is no other thing that I am suppose to be doing in my life right now then being a missionary. I have the opportunity to wear a badge with the name JESUS CHRIST on it. I am a representative of Jesus Christ and HIS church! HOW COOL IS THAT!? I get to share HIS message to HIS children in Los Angeles. I get to find my brothers and sisters and REMIND THEM of the things they were once taught before this life. I get to share the promises Heavenly Father has for all of His children. I get to help families understand the importance eternity, that because of the restored gospel they are able to SEE and BE with their families again after this life. No other church can promise you that. None. I love this gospel and the blessings it has given me and my family. Mommy, thank you for the sweet dearelders. Daddy, I'm sorry your email got deleted but I want to hear from you too!! Richie, email me! You're allowed to cause you family :) And um...keep my updated on your life fool! And last but not least....Dinky ;) Haha just kidding. My baby brother Christopher. I love you so much! Please watch General Conference this weekend. I promise you that if you take the time to come up with questions you want to be answered, and if you sincerely pray to Heavenly Father that they can be answered...they will. Write me too you bum, your letters crack me up. And I'm glad you are enjoying my bed :) I love and miss you all so much! This church is true! THE ONLY TRUE ONE ON THE EARTH! Hurrah for Israel!!
 
 
Quotes
 
"Heavenly Father sees us in terms of forever"
"The need to serve often comes at a time when you don't have time. It stretches us and we are blessed"
"God says, 'If you love me, keep my commandments' but he doesn't ever say, 'I'll only love you if you keep my commandments.' He loves us unconditionally."
"Practice doesn't make perfect...it makes permanent"
"If all you're trying to do is copy the exact words the speaker says, you're only creating a hisotry of the talk; you are creating 'large plates'. Make 'small plates' of your own personal revelations" << apply this for general conference!!
"The greatest convert on your mission is yourself"
"What are we willing to sacrifice for the things we want from the Lord?"
"The work of salvation is ongoing and ever lasting and won't end at the end of this missionary service"
"You show your love most for your investigators by what you do when you are not with them"
 
 
Love,
Hermana Baeza


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