Ah-Ha Moments

My Dear Friends and Family:

 I would love to share with you what I wrote to my Mission President as I feel it really sums up what I learned this week.

 

"I'm reporting back to you about God's Identity, Purpose and Destiny, and how setting my own goals for this year with His goals in mind has been enlightening. I felt like this was a topic that came up in discussions and a lot this week. Conversations often went towards receiving personal revelation and how to understand the promptings of the Holy Ghost. My companion and I went to a members home in which we went to teach a lesson, and in turn we left having learned one as well. I learned, and now comprehend, how I can better receive answers to my prayers through simply having the sincere desire to know and act upon the promptings that come into my mind. 

I thought before that people receive answers only sometimes or on occasion when they ask for something in their prayers, but I know now that you will receive revelation ONLY if you are going to do something with the answer you want/need. I also connected that the promptings of the Holy Ghost can be intelligence, not just that peacefully feeling you get, that just happens to be the heart recognizing and agreeing with the Holy Ghost's promptings he's placed in the mind. So this past week I really felt inspired and blessed to receive that tender mercy of knowledge. In knowing that I see how revelation is truly apart of God's Identity, Purpose and Destiny is "to bring about the immortality and eternal life of man" -Moses 1:39"

 

Thanks for bearing with me while I'm starting to experience my Ah-ha moments of The Gospel of Jesus Christ."

 

Also, have Y'all seen 'The Story of the Book of Mormon' I love it so much!  It really is a great testimony of the Book of Mormon and all the happiness it brings and it also has really beautiful scenes of England :)

 

Also Transfers are next week and I feel like I might be going. I've been in Allen for 3 transfers(18 weeks) and I feel like I'm open to stay or to go. Where ever the Lord would have me go.

 

Loving the Gift of the Holy Ghost,

Sister Baker

 

P.S. Here Sister Ricks is posing so we could nonchalantly take a picture of the million dollar houses that are in our area.

She needs to sort out her priorities...1/19/2015

-Well put Ron

Friday was our interviews with the Mission President, President Taylor, so he can see how we're doing and know if there is anything he can help us with in our goals we are setting individually. My favorite part was during the meeting with all the missionaries and the training we received. It helped me to understand the importance of setting goals. Before my mission I had no desire to set goals or see what use they were. I never thought you needed goals because I thought if you want to do something then you just do it. Oh my teenage brain!  It was unaware that if you actually set goals, follow through and do, you can accomplish awesome things!  Now I know why they matter and how they actually help in doing things you never imagined you could do.

During our meeting with the missionaries in our area we counseled together on the things we wanted to accomplish. Or to put in terms that helped me: to start with the end in mind. We set out how much we could do as companionships in our different areas and compiled how much we could contribute to one specific goal. I now understand that when a group of people, or a church, have one goal in mind there is unity and peace that comes very easily especially when we each do our part. Just like any game, like baseball or football or kickball, when the players do their part the team with the most unity takes the lead.

Something else I’ve seen that has blown my mind is probably the simplest thing we can do to be successful in anything and that is the amazing magical-ness of organizing my Priorities. Priorities are to focus on what matters most. Just like what President Thomas S. Monson said!

Higher priorities were amazingly what I was lacking for the past few weeks when I put organizing my desk higher then writing in my journal or was getting a snack higher then finishing up my reading in the Book of Mormon. It would really make me feel like even though I did get something done I didn’t feel like I accomplished that much and it was draining.

So for now my priorities are as follows:

1. God

2. My Mission

3. Family/friends

I hope that this order doesn’t change in the future and It’s like a weight that has been lifted of my shoulders now that I know to ‘whom I serve’, because the way I see it with God as my first priority I always know the others will be okay.

Loving and prioritizing, Sister Baker

No this is not a dead body, it is a Christmas tree wrapped and stored in their office

Oh, and try not to pass out, this is J.R.R.Tolkiens bible yeah seriously it is! The guy that owns it is in my ward, Brother Moon.

Sister Baker at a Service Project

Yes I AM and Yes I CAN! 1/12/15

We were knocking doors on a street and this young woman opened the door and let us in it. I was amazed at the Christ-Like example this girl carried about her in letting us share our message about the Book of Mormon and not being offended, turned off, or uncomfortable. It was her Aunt's house and she was babysitting her niece, who was really cute and nice too. I actually had to ask if she was a member of our church and she said she wasn't and that she goes to Church of Christ. It was an amazing blessing to have met and I know it wasn't by chance that she was visiting her relatives on the exact same day we would knock on that door. We knew we wouldn't be able to teach her in our area as she was just there for the day so we gave her a Pass-Along card and she full heartedly agreed. She gave us cookies then we left. I love getting to see the hand of God in my day to day life. 

Also I have exciting news...Elder Nelson is coming to our mission!!! He should be coming sometime at the end of this month and I am really looking forward to it. I just hope that I can be striving to the best Disciple of Christ as I can be by the time he gets here. Otherwise I feel like if I get the opportunity to shake his hand he might call me out and say "Are you doing your best in hastening the Lords work?" 

So I hope that if the situation magically arises by chance I can say 'Yes I am'. I love all of you and I hope you are Enjoying to the end in stead of Enduring to the end.

Loving the chances, Sister Bake

Speedy McMormon 1/5/15

This week passed by quickly, surprisingly, with the new year and the cold days, it has given me a sigh of relief to have made it through 2014 and now onward into 2015.

 

Last week on New Years Eve my companion and I had a good experience in giving service that I would have never thought of as service. Sister Christiansen invited us over when she said she had some service we could do for her. When we got there another family from the ward was there. This family is strong in the gospel and we see them every Sunday. After we chatted with everyone Sister Christiansen pulled us aside and asked that as "service" we could spend time with the girls and do a spa-night that evening. The reason for this was because they had lost there mother to cancer not too long ago and so she thought they might like some mom-figure/sister bonding time. We absolutely agreed and we really love those girls now. We did their nails and gave massages with Sister Christiansen and it was just a really uplifting time that we had. I also felt that I got to have some mom bonding time with Sister Christiansen as she did my nails too, made me appreciate the importance of motherhood. Then the youngest girl of the family who had lost their Mom decorated my nails and it really touched my heart especially when she talked about her Mom but not with sadness, she talked as if she was only a plane ride away.

 

The Plan of Salvation keeps filling me with hope and peace to know where it is we will be going after this life and that death is not an ending. Imagine if you didn't think there was a heaven or if there was even anything after this life. It would be pretty pointless to be on earth then. I just hope that Sister Ricks and I can use this time we are given to find those that need this knowledge and this assurance of a family and friend filled future, in which we will never be alone of forgotten.

 

Loving my family and friends,

Sister Baker