Hey ya'll! :)
Thank you Elder Reid for the letter I got this week! I love being able to stay in contact with the missionaries I served with in the MTC! Hearing their success stories and seeing the growth in them has been so much fun. Okay, funny story. We went to visit a part member family and as we were walking up to the house, this dog (who usually is locked behind the gate apparently) comes running behind us barking like crazy and salivating (sp?) like there's no tomorrow. I asked Sister Mellor, "um...does he normally come out?" and she told me that he never does haha. We didn't know whether to keep walking or to just stand still but then one of the youngest daughters of the family came out and she pointed her finger at the dog and with a very, cute but firm voice yelled, "SHUT UP" in Spanish at the dog. Haha! We were dying because she's like, probably a third of my height but she was way more brave then me.
I am so excited to be able to serve in a new area with a new
companion! I do miss Sister Morgan as my companion but I know that she
is most likely doing great with her new companion. She honestly taught
me so much and I feel like she really prepared me for this new
leadership calling and for this new area. We had a great week! Together
we were able to teach a lot of lessons and it made me so exhausted haha I
loved it! I don't think I've ever been so tired in my entire mission!
The second we got in the car to begin this new transfer together I asked
Sister Mellor, "How many appointments do we have?" and she responded,
"One at 4, 6, 7, 8 with a dinner appointment at 5!...WHAT!? I was
shocked. It's been so much fun being able to teach a lot of people these
past 5 days. However, it has been a struggle having to do it all in
spanish. It's funny, I secretly always wanted to serve in Spanish again
(obviously because God called me to teach the gospel in that language)
but I forgot how hard it was until I got back into a Spanish area. I
felt like memories from my first two transfers were coming back and
haunting me haha. However, I feel like I'm trying to be more patient
with myself. Granted, I've already cried 4 out of the 5 days of this
transfer haha but it's going to be a humbly experience and I not only
need but WANT that! I want to work my hardest my last few months and
just get completely lost in the work. Sister Mellor and I are trying to
speak Spanish 24/7 and...it's going good. I use a lot of spanglish but I
have been praying so hard to be able to learn the language through the
spirit. Tomorrow we are going to start doing exchanges for the first
time! I found out last week that Sister Mellor also has never been a
sister trainer so this is completely new to the both of us. However,
it's going to be so good! It's going to be a ton of work and we won't be
able to work with each other as much but I know that we will receive
blessings as we serve the sisters that are assigned to us. I'm excited
for this week. We set really high numbers but we KNOW we can do it!
Plus, we need to accomplish them in order to accomplish our transfer
goal. We have a baptism this Sunday for a lady named Alicia. She is
soooo awesome and so ready for the gospel! I've never been a part of a
baptism where I wasn't the one who started teaching the investigator the
lessons but in the short amount of time that I've been able to get to
know her, she has been a great example to me and I'm so excited to see
her enter into the water of baptisms!
We had a great training in district meeting about "defining words."
How many times do we use the word 'Atonement' or 'gospel' or 'prophet'
and just assume that people know what we are talking about? I do all the
time haha. It really motivated me to actually know the words that I use
so when someone asks me, "what does it mean when it says a broken heart
and a contrite spirit?"...I know what to say.
We had a tender mercy over the weekend where we were walking to our
car to leave for an appointment and a man stops us and asks if we were
Mormon. We told him we were and he shows us a picture of missionaries in
front of the Christus at the VC. We first thought that maybe one of the
elders dropped it by accident but then realized that was HIM in the
picture with Elder Casper and Elder Gunnels, two elders from my old
area! We were then so stunned and asked him if he was still meeting with
missionaries. He told us he was which was so awesome. It was a picture
of him, his family and the elders that I'm assumming that started to
teach him. When we said our goodbyes, he went back to his car and placed
the picture on his dashboard. So cute! I took a picture with him so
that I could show it to Elder Casper at Zone conference in a few weeks.
It's been a hard few days but I really am excited to be here. I
need to have more confidence in myself with Spanish. I found a letter
that Spencer (Elder Vance) wrote me at the very beginning of my mission.
There's one line that he wrote that has just never left my mind and he
said, "I don't ever want to hear you say that you lost your testimony in
something ever again." I remember how during that time I felt like I
couldn't share my testimony clearly to the people because I couldn't
speak Spanish. However, in preach my gospel under the Gifts of Tounge
section I was reminded that it really doesn't matter how good my Spanish
is. What matters is that speak and teach with the spirit because he's
going to be the one teaching them. I only help him by just simply
opening my mouth with faith that what I'll say is something that they
need to hear. My Spanish is a lot better then I think it is but...lets
be honest, we are our worst critics! I just need to keep praying and to
keep practicing and keep making mistakes because that's the only way
I'll learn. Our first day running together for morning exercises I about
died haha. Sister Mellor is a fast runner and it's impossible to keep
up with her. Mind you we were also running up some stikin high hills
which I haven't done since...ever. I was thinking about the little toy
train that said, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can" the whole
time as I was running. I was praying to Heavenly Father that He would
give me the strength that I need in order to get to the top of the hill.
I then started to repeat again, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I
can." It was then that I realized what I was saying and immediately
corrected myself saying, "I know I can, I know I can, I KNOW I can!"
With God we can litterally do anything. He's willing to help if we are
willing to believe in ourselves. I need to believe in myself more. See,
this transfer has already been a humbling experience and it's only day
5ish! Yeah!
I love this work. There is nothing better then doing missionary
work. Today we went to Ross and I tried on a dress (for fun because it's
P-day...haha) and I felt SO AWKWARD! I felt like a tom-boy because
forced to wear a dress and just laughed at myself the entire time. I
like to think I'm not an awkward missionary but...I feel like this is
all I really know how to do confidently. I love my life as a missionary!
It's the greatest thing ever! I hope you all have a wonderful week.
Please try to give the missioanries in your ward referrals!! They need
people to teach and the converts who will stay strong in the church are
those who were referred by members. Look at my family, there is no way
we could of done everything we've been able to do without the Barkdull
family and the other families that were a part of our conversion. Member
missionary work is sooooooooo vital! Catch the wave ;) I love you all!
Love,
Hermana Baeza
1. Alicia! She's going to be baptized on Sunday!
2. the guy that stopped us at our car!
3. kind of investigators...they came to a ward activity! he's soooo funny haha best voicemails ever!
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