OMG! I THINK THAT'S MY BROTHER!"

H-E-L-L-O!! :) Okay...trying to be creative here...give me a break.

This weeks has been....!....I don't know to be honest haha it's been interesting. Thank you mommy for the package, I LOVED it!!!! especially the picture of the recommends and the one for Chris saying "pending" hahahaha the BEST! It's on my wall in front of my desk so I can see it everyday. Oh, and Richie, LOVED reading your farewell talk hahahahaha I was crying and laughing at the same time. It was great. Oh man, I miss your humor so much. Plus, you look so HANDSOME in your suit! Bah!! You are going to do so great I can't wait to email you!!! Oh yeah, I think you can get on your email now? So...today...write me an email so I have it. I'm assuming it'll be similar to mine but....never know. Thanks for that panda picture Chris hahaha that was hilarious. Is it weird that I miss it when you both would call me ugly and fat on a regular basis? Weird...

So...the story of the week: I SAW RICHIE! Crazy right?! This is how it went down. I was sitting on the couch with Sister Davis and Sister Grover (one of the senior couples) and I had my PMG, my scriptures, my pen box and other stuff on my lap because I was finishing with my studies. I randomly looked up and saw this familiar figure walk by. I quickly stood up, THREW my stuff to the ground (yes...my PMG...scriptures...pens...) and ran towards the back door saying "OMG! I THINK THAT'S MY BROTHER!!!!" I then was freaking out because I was hoping it was only him and not the whole family (i love you all but...you know the rules). I had Sister Davis go see if he was alone. So, I'm on the opposite side of the Book of Mormon pods when I then hear Sister Davis ask, "...um....are you alone?" (<---haha so awkward) and I then hear Richie's voice saying he was. I then ran around from the corner and gave him a hug. I was shocked! It didn't feel weird to see him. It felt totally normal! It was sooo good to see Richie because, well, to be completely honest I've been worried about him for the past month freaking out about him entering the MTC. When I got daddy's email about how he is at peace with Richie serving now, all my nerves and worries went away. But actually seeing Richie and hearing how he went through the temple that morning just got rid of EVERY worry! We made a pinky promise on something so that made it 100% better :) Richie! It was so fun to see you! I can't believe I won't see you for 2 years but...I love you soooooooo much and I know you are going to love your mission! It'll be hard but you'll love it! And don't worry about not being so nervous about it yet...it didn't hit me that I was on a mission until my first morning at the MTC when I woke up and realized I was not in my bed haha. WORK HARD! LOVE IT! WOOOO MISSIONS ARE THE BEST!!

Well, not a lot happened this week. We taught Emilio (our new investigator) twice this week and my goodness, he is a living testimony that the Lord is already preparing his children to hear the Gospel! He just understands everything we are saying and just eats it up! He is so awesome. I think next week we'll talk about changing his baptismal date to sooner haha because...we don't want to wait til October! Especially since we are already in the commandments and will easily finish teaching him everything by the end of this month. But he keeps progressing and working hard so that's all that matters :) Edvin is still doing great! He feels like he hasn't received a definite answer from our Heavenly Father that the Book of Mormon is true (I think I just somewhat quoted that phrase from District 2) or that the Church is REALLY true. He loves everything he learns but...it's all about receiving that answer. He still isn't living the Law of Chastity and ahhh that is something we're still trying to work through. One day...one day :) Other then that we don't have any other progressing investigators. But, we'll find more! OH YEAH! So Emilio? Yeah, totally sharing the gospel to his friends haha HE IS SO COOL! He asked for a Plan of Salvation Pamphlet to give to his friend. Hopefully we'll be teaching him next :)

This week we did temple service! Since the temple is closed for 2 weeks for cleaning, us missionaries get to actively participate in it! The sisters usually get to clean the inside but...we showed up a little late. So all the other sisters got to clean the Celestial room and the Bride room and we....pulled weeds haha. But it was so fun! We worked with our Zone Leaders and our District Leader so we made it fun. It was soooo hot though! So we all got pretty sweet tans from it ;) Dad, I thought of you as I was pulling the weeds haha because you would always teach me to grab it from the root so it comes out completely. So, thanks for teaching me properly haha! We gave lots of tours in the Visitors Center this week, one being a sign-language tour!! Those are the best ones. We just talk and teach and the Elders sign to their investigators what they say and they also tell us what their investigator says. During some of the exhibits, the Elders would turn to us and start chatting and at first we were like "uh....we're in a tour why are you asking us about how our weeks been?" but then we forgot they can't hear us lol so it was a weird adjustment. I got to learn how to say 1. I know the church is true and 2. I know that God is our Heavenly Father so I signed those two things at the same and it made the investigator happy. I learned previously from them how to say 1. Hi, my name is Sister Baeza, so I used that when they all came in and it made them all smile. It amazes me how the gospel can truly be taught to any person, by any language. God wants all of his children to hear the restored message and has provided ways to do so. In that tour particularly, he has been investigating on and off for 11 YEARS! THAT'S FOREVER! He has only gone to church once and so at the end we invited him to go to church the next day and he said YES! The Elders were so stoked! Miracles do happen in the VC and it's so awesome to witness it. Another quick mini miracle was that two sisters here gave a tour to a member and her nonmember friend. The nonmember referred herself because she loved what she learned and in particularly, loved the two sisters that gave her the tour (Sister Cho and Sister Hall). Well, today Sister Cole got a letter from her friend serving in San Diego and said that she is teaching a girl who was a referral sent from L.A. and it was the girl Sister Cho and Sister Hall took on a tour and that girl has a BAPTISMAL DATE now!! Oh man, we were all so excited when she shared that to our apartment this morning. As missionaries, we really are in this together, it's a team effort! But the friend of the investigator randomly decided to bring her to the VC after they went to the beach and now her friend is getting baptized. BahhhH! Isn't this work just so great!?

Transfers are this week. I'M FREAKING OUT! Everyone says I'm going to train...I don't think I will...but, we'll find out tomorrow. The second our phone starts ringing and it says, "Call From, President Baker" my heart will drop haha. But, I can totally see Sister Cole training again because she already knows Spanish. But a lot of changes will be happening this transfer because I guess a lot leader type missionaries are going home and a lot of missionaries will be brought up to leadership positions so yeah, everything will be changing. But it's so exciting!! I'll give you the update on transfers next week :)

I want to share my testimony that I know this work to be true. I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father and that He knows us each personally. I know that He has a plan for EACH of us, because He loves us. He so badly wants us to come home to Him one day. I know that through a fourteen year old boy, the church of Jesus Christ was once again restored on the Earth. I know that in order for that to happen, Joseph Smith did indeed see God the Father and Jesus Christ. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that it is another testament of Jesus Christ, just like the Bible. I know that if one reads it, ponders about it, and asks God, our Eternal Father if it is true, they WILL receive an answer. Within that answer they WILL know that Jesus Chris is our Savior, that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints IS the true church on the Earth today. All He asks of us is to have faith. To have the desire to believe. But also...to trust in Him. I know all of these things to be true because I've seen it effect the lives that either come in the VC or those that we teach. But also, I have witnessed it for myself in my own life and in the life of those in my family. His work is true. His work truly brings blessings. And His work is yet to be finished. I love this gospel, I love being a member of His church, and I love with all of my heart serving a mission. I hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy the hot weather in California!! Til next week :)

Love,
Hermana Baeza

1. Sister Davis. My favorite sister here
2. Us cleaning the VC!
3. Oh what up. Totally got to hug my brother! (the only good picture that came out haha)
4. the carpets got cleaned and are still wet so we get to walk around in socks today!!! BEST P-DAY EVER! oh yeah, and we get a BBQ today because it's Sister and Elders Wedding Anniversary...we get so spoiled here haha