June 10, 2013 ""Ice cream on Jesus!"

The fuuuuuun has arrivedddddddd! :) - name that movie.

 

Thank you for the letters/packages I received this week: Abby (love you. so much), Simon Taylor (congrats!!!), and maymer (thanks for the makeup!)!!! I went like 2 weeks without letters...*cough, cough*. I know I'm like, almost done and all but, I still would love mail over emails :) Just saying.

 

So much happened this week so sorry if my email is scattered. Also, I don't have too much time (the usual) because we did 3 exchanges and then a last minute day exchange because one of the sisters was really struggling so I had a ton to write President Baker about. Can I just say how much I love being a sister training leader? It's the best feeling in the world when the sisters you serve ACTUALLY trust you! Friday, Sister Mellor and I were finally reunited again and we were excited to have a day to work together. However, the night before when we were on exchanges, she COULD NOT think of something to do at 2. She said she spent 5 minutes just starring at our board trying to figure out who to visit. She ended up just putting something random but she thought it was so weird that nothing was coming to her. It was about 1:30, all of our appointments had already failed and I was DEAD tired but we decided to head over to the hospital early to visit one of our investigators uncle whose really sick. We're driving around trying to find parking and that's when we got a call from one of our sisters. She was just bawling her eyes out on the phone and we both felt like we should do a day exchange with them. We went and got the sisters and the second the one sister who was upset got in my car, I had ALL the energy in the world!! We then told her that night when all four of us got together to resolve problems how Sister Mellor couldn't think of something to plan at 2 and it was because Heavenly Father knew that we needed to be ready for this particular sister. Heavenly Father knows her perfectly and was able to use us to help her. It was really cool. I love my calling!

 

Another cool experience I had on exchanges was that I saw a Bishop that I gave a tour for back in my...3rd of 4th transfer! I was with Sister Merciales at the time and his tour is one of my top 5 favorites. He came in, in just his sweats and an unshaven face and was a hot mess! We took him in God's plan and when we returned, he was crying. Like, I've never seen a man really cry before in my life until him. We spent in hour in God's plan and I just remember us asking inspired questions after inspired questions. Anywho, I invited him to read his patriarchal blessing because I felt like it was something that would help him. I saw him maybe a month-ish later and the first thing I said to him after shaking his hand was, "did you read your patriarchal blessing?". He was so shocked that I remembered! He told me that he did and that it helped in so many ways. I've been able to see him here and there on my mission and I got to see him again at his church building when I was on exchanges. He actually came up to me and he is doing so great! He is a changed man and is a completely different person then he was when I first met him. It's amazing how powerful the visitors center is. It truly is a place of healing. We are so spoiled to have one in our mission!

 

This week has been a little hard for me, particularly Thursday and last night. Thursday we finally reunited and got to have our weekly planning. As we were planning, Sister Mellor suggested that we would invite this potential investigator to be baptized on July 21st. I kind of just laughed as I starred at my calendar and she then started to ask me questions on if we had already planned something on that day and stuff like that because I wasn't responding to her. I then turned to her with tears in my eyes telling her that on that day, I'll only have a month left. I then just lost it. It didn't help later that night at correlation meeting when our ward mission leader was discussing the 5th sunday agenda with us for church. He wants to two missionaries who are closest to coming home to talk. Elder Gonzalez goes home this transfer and then it's me. He kept asking me the date I'm going home over...and over...and over again. Sister Mellor knew I was just holding back tears. We then talked about a fireside we are having on the 25th of August and he then reminded me that I wouldn't be there. When he left to make a quick phone call, I thought I had my moment to breathe but then our new missionary then told me, "Wow! You're going home so quickly!" haha oh man, Sister Mellor was so sweet to me that night because I just on the verge of tears that whole day. It's actually really quite annoying how many people mention it to you but I'm trying to figure out how to deal with it. Maybe I'll just lie and say I go home later...we'll see. BUT! I have never given a talk on my mission haha so I'm nervous about it. It'll be good. I hope.

 

We had MLC again this week and I can't believe it's already been a month since we've last had it! It was so stressful haha because we talked about the Book of Mormon allotment we have and how much money we've already spent as a mission this year and blah blah blah. I had a huge headache afterward. I don't know how President Baker does it all! He really is super man. However, during our spiritual thought we concluded on "The Infinite Atonement" by Tad R. Callister. Since we can't read the book on our mission, President Baker picks certain parts from each chapter and shares it with us to then share to the other missionaries during zone training meeting. There was a quote by C.S. Lewis who, I just learned wasn't a member and this is what he said about the Atonement.

 

"Make no mistake, [Christ] says, 'if you let Me, I will make you perfect. The moment you put yourself in My hands, that is what you are in for. Nothing less, or other, than that. You have free will, and if you choose, you can push Me away. But if you do not push Me away, understand that I am going to see this job through. Whatever suffering it may cost you in your earthly life, whatever inconceivable purification it may cost you after death, whatever it costs Me, I will never rest, nor let you rest, until you are literally perfect - until my Father can say without reservation that He is will pleased with you, as He said he was well pleased with Me. This I can do and will do. But I will not do anything less.'"

 

Brothers and Sisters, the Atonement can literally make us perfect and become like our Heavenly Father. Jesus Christ loved us so much that He understood the plan perfectly and His role. He understood that it was only through Him that we can have the opportunity to return back to our Heavenly Father. Life would be absolutely pointless without the Atonement. It is so essential and sadly, so many people don't know about it or, choose not to apply it in their lives. I am grateful every single day for the Atonement. I am no where near perfect and never will be in this life but I know that I can repent and make changes in my life to bring my life in closer harmony to the teachings of Jesus Christ. I can make changes in my life to be a better disciple of Him. I can make changes in my life to put more trust in Him, to have a better relationship with Him. There was a talk in this months Ensign about personal prayers. One sentence that stood out to me was, " What would listening to your personal prayers reveal about you and your relationship with Heavenly Father?"...ouch! I read that and thought dang, I need to be improve my prayers! I would be absolutely embarrassed to be able to listen to my prayers this past transfer since I've been Sister Training Leader. I know my prayers have been slacking big time and it's because I'm so tired...but in all honesty, that is no excuse.

I LOVE MY MISSION! Sister Mellor and I are probably the cheesiest missionaries ever because we always talk about how much we love our missions and how grateful we are for them. It has changed my life IMMENSELY! I know that it will only help me become a better sister, daughter, mother, wife, member of the church and missionary. Oh man...life is good. It is oh, so good.

 

Have a wonderful week! Share the gospel to people that you know! Trust in Heavenly Father that He will guide you to those people...but remember that when He does, to go act on it! Love you all :)

 

Love,

Hermana Baeza

 

1. apostles can't lie...right? ;) a few hours after we sang for Elder Cook!

2. another pic from nicoles baptism!

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