FAMILY!!!!! :) and friends!
So I'm a little scattered brain right now because Sister Jones just got the most hilarious email from her brother and I was over in the corner with her reading it. So now I have less time to write...sorry! I'll try and type fast! Okay so this little boy came to the VC with his family yesterday and he sees the red fire hydrant and runs over to it saying, "Look! That's the thing that dogs pee on!" Haha it was so cute! Thank you for the letters I received this week!: Abby (i love you), Richie (thanks for sending me the wrong package you noob), johansen family, malmrose family, Elder Reid, Ranieri family, Hermana Marroquin, Hilton family, and the Relief Society presidency from the home ward! I loved everything I got and it was so much fun to read and see how everyone has been doing. I miss you all so much!
I hope no one thinks I tease or make fun of my companion...she's just too darn cute and literally says the funniest things. EVERYONE wants her to be her their companion one day! She really is loved by everyone, it's cute. This week she learned what crack (the drug) was by one of the part member families in the ward. We spent the first 5 minutes of the lesson explaining that term to her because she had no idea what it meant (obviously). It was pretty irreverent but...classic. We all had a good laugh from it! Yesterday in the car we were talking about her country (which happens quite frequently) and she says...
Set: Michael Jackson was suppose to come to Cambodia!
Me: Why didn't he?
Set: It's hot and I don't know...he has a weird face with surgery so his skin so melt???
...second thing she said in the car yesterday..
Set: Oh and Angelina came to Cambodia!
Me: probs to adopt a kid
Set: Yeah! His name is Maroc?
Me: wait...do you know him???
Set: no...I just know he's from Cambodia from watching star world
ahhh i love Sister Set...but sadly I think this is our last transfer together so I have to soak up every second I have with her!
My birthday was so wonderful! A member took us out to lunch, we had a lesson with Ernie, the Grovers brought me Krispy Kreme donuts (which is how the conversation of crack came up the next day with that part member family...), my district leader and his companion snuck to the back of the VC and had a sister get me to go to the back and when I opened the door they were at the other side of the room with cupcakes and candles! Haha it was such a great day! I loved it! So thank you everyone who helped made it special! I loved reading the emails you all sent to me too! Thank you!!
We were able to set a baptismal date with Claudia this week! However, we may of set it too soon because we are pretty positive there are like, two commandments she is not living which may be hard for her to completely stop. Ernie is doing great :) still slowly progressing but he's doing awesome with his coffee! Actually, that's kind of a lie because we purposely haven't followed up with him about it for a few days. Sister Set doesn't like texting him every day to remind him to not drink coffee/encourage him so, we went with her idea of just not evening mentioning it to him for a week. Well, he texted us yesterday and said how he couldn't come to church because he felt like he had a hang over. Actually, when I described that to my Mission President in my weekly email I said, "He woke up feeling like he had a hang over and his body was just trippin out"...now looking back on that...probably wasn't my best haha but, it's true! He hasn't had alcohol in over a year but his body literally was trippin out! So he said he was going to stay home and read in the scriptures for about an hour so he wouldn't have the urge to drink coffee. He was reading in Alma38 and was actually able to liken the scriptures unto himself. He said that Alma38 was a "reassuring chapter" which is a HUGE sign! Ahh I just want him to be baptized on March 17th sooo bad. More then anything! I just want to see him dressed in white...oh I would give anything to see that.
I have been able to have a really cool experience with a member through the teaching center (TC). I met this guy named Paul almost 2 weeks ago and he was telling me how he knew "soooo many people" so I told him that if he knew so many people...he should let me call them haha! So he gave me two referrals and after he did...I felt prompted to ask for more. So I asked him if there was anyone else I could call and then he gave me two more! I wanted to ask for more but he had to go do a session at the temple. Well, out of the four people he's given me, I've been able to send missionaries to two of them! I called him twice last week and told him of the success I was able to have with his friends. I called another one of his friends on a Friday night but he wasn't interested in the missionaries or a free dvd. However, he was willing to let me call him once a week and to share a verse to him from the Book of Mormon. I called Paul after that phone call and followed up with him on how it went. He was asking me on what he could do to help his friend and I told him to bring him to the VC! He felt like it was a great idea and is planning on bringing him, and a few other people I've called, to the VC this Sunday! I'm calling him on Wednesday so we can plan out what he wants us to do in the tour but it was so awesome to really work with the member and in helping them help their friends received the gospel! He was grateful for me in helping him and I just felt this instant trust with him and it felt so good! Members are sooooo powerful! I need to do a better job in using members more...especially since my family and I are here today because of a family simply inviting us over for dinner and staying for family home evening. Hmm....I need to be doing a lot better with that.
This week I hit 11 months...weird!! I'm reading through my old journal entries from August 15th til...hmm, the end of last transfer? It's been a neat experience reading what I did every single day and the feelings that I felt for the area, my investigators, my companions, and of myself as a missionary. I've grown a lot and I've been able to realize that I have a lot more growing to do :) I read an entry about the first day I met Stephen. Now he's a member of the church! During sacrament meeting yesterday as we were singing a hymn, I thought of Stephen one day going up to the pulpit to share his testimony on a fast Sunday. I saw him standing up there, actually wearing a tie (he doesn't like to wear one haha), and although being nervous...still managed to open his mouth. The thought quickly left my mind but as I pondered about it, it brought tears to my eyes. I really do hope that my converts/investigators remember me! I know that I don't remember every single missionary that has ever taught me but I know that if I saw them that I'd remember them! I just hope that I've been able to leave a lasting impact on them. I hope that when they remember me, that the first thing they remember of me is how much I loved them. I love the people I serve. They have each made a lasting impact on me. I'm having mix feelings lately because although transfer aren't for another few weeks... I don't want to leave! But...I feel like I have to leave haha it's already been 5 transfers! If the Lord wants me to die in Westwood...I would gladly accept! I just need to do my best in giving it my all everyday.
So....did anyone write their testimony out on a Book of Mormon and pray/ponder about someone that they want to give it to? Haha don't think I didn't forget to follow-up! So now the challenge is to actually deliver it to that individual! I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I've always known it was true, even before I could really understand it. I remember saving up money to by my own Quad (Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price) and I bought it August of 2007 during my first time at EFY. I was told that I had to buy it with my own money so when I got to Provo for EFY, the very first thing I did was go to the bookstore and bought myself some scriptures. That night, I wrote myself a little note in the things that I hoped to learn and gain from the Book of Mormon. I remember looking over at Janelle Larson's (Jenkin's?) scriptures and seeing how she marked her scriptures and what color meant what and just copying her little color key over onto my scriptures. It took me exactly one year to finish reading the Book of Mormon. I remember being so excited to get to Moroni10 and actually praying to ask God if the Book of Mormon was true. When I got on my knees and prayed, I felt nothing. Absolutely nothing! I remember being so frustrated with myself because I was really expecting this big answer! That's when the thought came to my mind that, "you've already known it's true this whole time." I remember feeling peace and knowing that yes, I already knew it was true from the day I started to commit myself to read it! I can't imagine a day passing by without reading from the Book of Mormon. Ever since that summer, there's maybe been 4 or 5 days where I didn't open up my scriptures to read whether it be a single verse or of spent 20 mintues reading from it. I love the scriptures. So much. I wouldn't be the person I am today without them. Please think of someone to hand out a Book of Mormon to. I want to promise you that as you do so you WILL be guided on what to say through the power of the Holy Ghost. Trust in the Lord that He will help you :) OKay I only have a few minutes left! I love you all so much! Have a wonderful week!!
Love,
Hermana Baeza
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