Many Are Called But Few Are Frozen 2/24/2015

Just so you know TEXAS DOES GET COLD and icy.

Yesterday we were not allowed to leave our home because of the ice on the roads. Let me tell you the difference between the cold in Texas and the Cold in Utah. Utah has salt and Texas doesn't. The roads are so terrible, or it snows so little, that everything was shutdown yesterday. So Sister Hixson and I had to really use our imaginations to figure out what we were going to do on Monday. So that was kind of mind numbing being stuck inside all day when you are so use to being outside all day.

The Nashville Tribute Band!!!!!

They came to Frisco and we got to see them!!!!! They are the most amazing musically talented artists and their new album 'Redeemer' is amazing!1! They are known by nearly every missionary today because we are actually allowed to listen to their music.  We got to pray with them (all the missionaries present) before they started and it was beautiful. THEN THEY CALLED ALL THE MISSIONARIES UP ON STAGE AND HE HANDED ME A MIKE AND WE ALL SANG WITH THEM!  AHHHHHHHHHH! It was so incredible, the Spirit was there and It was the spiritual boost I needed for that week.

Stress, so much stress when it came to the 2 wonderful baptisms that we had Friday and Saturday. One was for a 9 year old boy who is an amazing child and a blessing to be around. He is the son of a recent convert that was baptized 6 months ago, who is also incredible. Then there was a 15 year old boy who is in a part member family who we love so much. They truly are choice spirits because there was some opposition in preparing for their baptisms, though mainly with the 15 year old. We were teaching a lesson, then he starts to get nervous and shake and we all feel something wrong, like the house was being watched. So we asked the father for a priesthood blessing and we were able to continue with the lesson. It was powerful to me to see that Satan really is working hard in trying make us never return to live in the presence of our loving Heavenly Father again and wants us to be miserable like him.

I think I will end my newsletter with my testimony:

I'm just so grateful for the knowledge of The Plan of Happiness that Heavenly Father has for us and to know that we have divine potential and that we truly are choice spirits in getting to live in this time and age. I love all that the Book of Mormon has taught me now that I'm actually trying to read it with real intent. I love my family and I love my friends. I'm thankful I get to serve a mission and I get to serve my fellow Children of God and to see the happiness they gain when they come to know of the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This really is God's Kingdom and I'm glad I get to help build it.

I love y'all and wish the best for you and I'm not going to say stay warm because that seriously does nothing to improve the warmth of a person out in the cold -_-

believe me I know.

The cold isn't bothering me anyway, 

Sister Baker

Halfway There 2/17/2015

This past week I hit my halfway mark. I've been a missionary for 9 months and I know I've already changed so much. I'm grateful for all the experiences I've gained and all the memories I have to cherish, laugh, cringe, and share about. So now I'll try to sum up what I learned most so far and my thoughts.  Or to put it frankly- my Ah-Ha moments and what went through my head when I finally realized it:

1-The Gospel is true: Wait a second, the gospel everyone always talks about is really just Faith in Jesus Christ Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the end? Where have I been the past 20 years? That makes so much sense now. The Gospel tells us what we need to do to be happy in this life and eternal life? WHAT? THAT'S SO FLIPPIN EXCITING! I CAN DO THAT, I CAN ACTUALLY DO THAT!

2-The Holy Ghost is real: me praying "So, we are planning on going to this persons house right now, should we go?" (feels not right=no) "Alright, we will go with our back up."  In conclusion: we were right where God needed us to be because we met someone we didn't normally get the chance to meet. YES!

3-I can do anything- wait if I pray about my goals and just TRY I can reach them??? WhAaAAAAt?

4-Being social actually is nice!  "Hey you like video games? I love video games too! Oh you believe in Jesus Christ? SO DO WE! We have so much in common! want to hear more about what we believe in as well?"   :D

5- God called you to be you...

This is a lesson I'm still learning. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm called here for as a missionary and as a Child of God. I first discovered the importance of knowing this when I was going through a rough time of trying to stay motivated when things were getting grey. I was trying to work hard but felt I was falling short of what my expectations of missionary work were. Every time I didn't do what I thought I had to do in order to be a good example of Christ it would just destroy my confidence in myself. 

Now I see that God doesn't want us to beat ourselves up for the mistakes we have made or make today. Doing that we inevitably fuel Satan's offence against us and we lower our own defenses. Like when we catch a cold, its not that it was our fault for not being healthy enough to resist catching the virus but that our immune system needed a level up so it could become stronger. Everything we go through is for our good. Even making mistakes. God knows us and He knows what we will decide. Its not that we were wrong in making a mistake and killed any chance of a good outcome, but that we are meant to go through those trials to become better ourselves.  Be strong and be who God knows we can become.

6-Just trust that the Atonement will cover your mistake and move on.  Took me a while to learn too.

7-Missionary work is so much more than knocking on doors. Missionary work can actually be fun.

Example:chalking an uplifting message in the cement at a park, "heart attack" peoples doors :)

8-No judging! Only loving

To end, I want to saw I love all the support I have been given and for the words of encouragement I've received.  Thank You!

Love, Sister Baker

P.s. To the one that invited me to serve a mission: if they had never served a mission I would have never served a mission. You did a lot more good then you realize. I have the pictures to prove it. 

Prosperous 2/9/2015

Why is life so good and everyone is so gorgeous?-oh wait its Prosper :D

Prosper, Texas is an amazing place- I love it. Sister Hixson, my new Companion, is fantastic and happens to love everything I do, so its been the funnest time I've had so far (consecutively) on my mission. Most of the members in the church here are amazing because of a few things. One- They don't judge, Two- they accept others as they are, and Last but not lease-  They help without having to be asked.

I've seen part member families come and sit together at church like its no big deal. Recent converts have friends and are apart of the activities. Then of course they happen to be beautiful- seriously!  Everyone has a beauty to them in one form or another, whether on the outside or inside, they are joyfully beautiful. I think its because they truly follow Christ's example of loving others.

 There is a young woman in one of the wards we attend and she has dark eyeliner, kinda short skirt, a mini mad hatter hat on her head and dark red lipstick. Although its not the most appropriate thing to wear to church she still feels welcome by the youth and other members. Even with in-active parents she and her siblings come to church every week because of the warmth and nonjudgmental spirit there. Don't get me wrong- people still have faults here, but they are too few to remember.

I hope your week was good. Please let me know if there is anything I can do for anyone who reads this and just know that Heavenly Father has a plan and if you don't see it, maybe you should be looking up more.

I love each of you and wish you the best of every kind of happy, awkward, funny, kind moments that get you through the day. I know they do for me.

Love,

Sister Baker

P.S. My companion is a Whovian :)

I'll go where you want me to go! 2/2/15

This week was fun because Sister Ricks and I got to move in with members on Thursday :D They are an amazing family, comprised of a husband, wife and 3 girls. They are hilarious and also amazing in their testimonies and spirit about them. I'm just grateful I was even able to come to live with them for a short few days before I got the news about transfers.

Yep,transfer calls came today and I'm getting transferred. I'm looking forward to being in a new area and meeting new people. I'm grateful for the chance I had to serve in Allen, It really was a learning experience for me. I feel like I am a little better than when I came. I'm thankful for the companions I've had here, Sister Aumua and Sister Ricks, they have helped me a lot to learn how to be myself and discover my identity, purpose and destiny in the Lord's plan. Today I was able to go contact people in sharing a brief message about our message and share a card that leads to Mormon.org (because it is amazing and answers tons of questions) at the outlet malls while we were shopping for Preparation Day and that was something I've had hard time with in the past.

I look forward to moving to a new area and growing in confidence in hastening the Lord's work. I just hope I can keep up :) Sure I'll miss Allen Texas but I'm ready to go where the Lord wants me to go.

I'm grateful for the continual support from my family and friends I know you are all in good hands and don't forget to look for those hands every day. 

Thanks for being you so I could become me.

Loving to move forward, 

Sister Baker

PS-We were blessed in the Texas Dallas Mission for Elder Nelson of the 12 Apostles and Elder Robbins of the 70 to come and share a message specifically to us and it was amazing.

Here is a picture of some of the missionaries with them. Alright now, find Waldo...