Yes...the fakers oops... I mean lakers (I can't believe I actually typed that out) have a billboard right at the street light that I drive by every...single...day to get to the VC. REALLY?! Oh and I heard that Steve Nash is on the Lakers now? You're joking. Welp, good thing I don't have to watch basketball for the next almost 14 months...
Thank you everyone for the letters this week!: Elder Vance, Elder Petersen, Elder Reid, and Chrissy soon to be York! :) I loved them. I can't believe that four of the missionaries in my district got to have the WHOLE P-day off for 4th of July along with a bbq and watching 17 Miracles! Kind of jealous...but oh well, the work continues! Mom, I got the shirts I wanted too so thanks!! I already stained one of them...hahahaha ohhh the joy of missionary work and clothes getting ruined! But really, it's not a big deal because I have already planned how I'm going to use it. You know, just trying to be frugal and all ;) Oh and I saw the one and only SISTER MITCHELL this past week!! Oh man, I just finished teaching a spur of the moment Restoration lesson and then I turn around and see her hiding behind some of the sisters! It was sooooo good to see her! She seriously was just what I needed that day to help bring my spirits up. She also filmed me while I was giving her a pre-set in God's Plan For His Family....so if anyone wants to awkwardly watch me be a missionary, by all means ask her and she can show it to you.
Well, transfer happened and Sister Cole and I are staying together! Yay!! And we made another baptismal date last week! Double yay!!! We have a baptismal date with Zach on July 28th and then Leo on July 29th. I don't think I've talked about Leo but, he's 16 and has been taught before by missionaries and our first lesson with him was awkward because since he has been taught everything we've been trying to find a balance of teaching him but not annoying him and making him think we don't think he knows enough or whatever. Well, during that first lesson we kind of stopped teaching him the Restoration and just straight up asked him why he's waiting to get baptized. This family who fellow-ships him, the mother shared her conversion story to him for the first time and it was so powerful! Granted I didn't understand more then half of it but I felt the spirit and I knew he was feeling it too. Then, we asked him to be baptized and he said yes! He has youth conference this week which is totally in our favor because well...who DOESN'T love youth conference!?! But we are so excited for him! He has a struggle with believing that we have a modern day prophet today but he does believe in Joseph Smith. I want to write up in Spanish how I gained my testimony of a modern day prophet so I can share it to him and that the family that is fellow-shipping him (Ortiz family) can understand what I am saying. Because here is the thing, he knows Spanish but he also speaks English so he talks to us in both haha so yeah, it's great! However, we aren't so sure about Zach's baptismal date :( He has a serious law of chastity issue to resolve and to overcome and tomorrow we are calling him to see whether he wants to continue lessons with us or just drop us. We fasted for him yesterday and invited him to fast as well but I just know that he NEEDS the gospel in his life! I feel like if he does drop us....that I won't be surprised if he calls us by the end of this transfer wanting to learn more again because he will KNOW that he IS missing something in his life and that it's the gospel! So, still have hope! :)
The other day I took this lady on a tour and it has to be one of my favorite tours thus far. One because I did it by myself lol and I felt like we just really connected. We were both in the bathroom (I know...I promise it's important information) and I walked up to the sink and started to wash my hands. I look up and I see this totally gorgeous lady and she had a really pretty top on. So, I complimented her and told her how I loved that color on her. She then thanked me and asked me where I was from and I told her. Turns out she served her mission in the Oakland mission many years ago! Small world, right? Well, I then asked her, "hey...would you like a tour!?" She smiled and proceeded telling me yes! So we walk out of the bathroom together just laughing and talking and before I knew it....I was walking over to the service section. Now, I love the service section but I don't take people over there as much as I do with the other exhibits in the VC but, I was already there so I figured might as well continue and just trust that it'll all work out! I then did a pre-set for the video I was going to show her and she was already getting teary-eyed. After the video we just stayed on the bench and talked and it was so casual! I felt like I was talking to my best friend. She was telling me how her day that day had been so random and kind of funny because of the things that were occurring and that this service video just added on to the things going on in her life. She is trying to figure out what's next in her life because she has been working for 8 years straight and she really wants to go and do service in other countries but feels like it's too random but that this video really gave her a clearer mind on what she needed to do. It was so awesome! I encouraged her to read her patriarchal blessing because I KNOW it's a wonderful way to receive direction in our lives but it was just a really cool tour. It's moment like those in the VC that just make it all so worth it! OH YEAH! Real quick. There is this boy, 17 years old named Johnny who I met over chat a few weeks ago. He is an atheist but grew up catholic because his parents made him go to church. Well, during the chat I got his number and called him one day and answered some of his questions about the gospel. I offered him a free Book of Mormon and he accepted and turns out he has been meeting with the missionaries in Los Angeles mission 4 times! I called him the other day and he is still holdin strong on his atheist belief but...I sense some curiosity from him. I committed him to read the first chapter of The Book of Mormon and he said he would if I read a chapter of his santanic bible...it was then when I had my first really bold moment. I told him that I couldn't read a chapter from his santanic bible because well...I didn't want to haha! He told me how it's not fair for him to do something that's uncomfortable and hard to believe in and that I can't do the same thing...which was a legitimate reason. But, I told him my purpose as a missionary. I told him that my purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ and to help them know that there is a God and that he does love us. My purpose is to invite people to have faith in Jesus Christ and to know of His atonement. My purpose is to read and study The Book of Mormon (along with the bible, just started the New Testament!) and help others to gain a testimony of it. I then promised him blessings and understanding as he reads the Book of Mormon and he finally accepted the commitment :) We have a good relationship...Johnny and I can talk to each other without insulting each other or anything so haha it makes being bold easy ;)
I love my mission! I love being here! I love knowing that I can help make a difference in someones life. It is so important that we pray to our Heavenly Father every single day and truly pray to Him with our full heart and real intent. He is there and is WAITING for us to let him in! This is something that I still struggle with and that is making me realize how much God really does love us. God didn't send us to earth so we could fail, he sent us because he loved us so much that he knew that it was the only way for us to return home to him one day. I love this gospel. I love the message I get to share every day. I hope you all have a wonderful week! Love you all! The church is true!
Love,
Hermana Baeza
1. us and some cute girls wearing our badges! :)
2. sister mitchell!!
3. picture that sister mitchell took of a few of us!
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