PPINES UPDATE! -WEEK 27

Well sorry, no super cool stories this week or anything fun happening this week hahaha!  But it was a great week none the less!! 

So update on the family baptism!!  YES THEY ARE STILL GONNA GET BAPTIZED!!  But I don't know if this rule is the same in all missions but to be baptized here, they have to attend church 4 weeks in a row!!  So sometimes it takes a long time for people to be baptized and sometimes you have an investigator that is sooo smart and knows about all the lessons and actually reads the Book of Mormon, but they don't have money to attend church, so they don't attend!!  Which means they can't be baptized!!  But then you have other families that give up the money they would use for lunch and use it to come to church!!! 

I'm definitely learning lessons of sacrifice out here in the ppines!!  Pretty much all the young men in the branch have sacrifice written in their Book of Mormons!!  BUT ALL THE MEMBERS HAVE IT WRITTEN ON THEIR HEARTS!!  If I come home with one thing learned (besides the gospel, cause I definitely learned more of that haha) it would be how to sacrifice!!  I'm so thankful that the Lord sent me here to be able to learn these important life lessons!!  And I'm so thankful for the examples in my life of sacrfice!!  And I'm so thankful for so many of my friends going out and sacrficing 2 years or 18 months!! to help the people of the world that are kept from the peace and happiness of this life, because they know not where to find it!! 

WE HAVE THAT PEACE AND HAPPINESS THEY NEED AND WANT!!  SO GO OUT AND SHARE IT!! 

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!

And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying:

Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? 

And Adam said unto him:  I know not,

save the Lord commanded me.

And then the angel spake, saying: 

   This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the

               Only Begotten of the Father, which if full of grace and truth.

--Moses 5:6-7

6 MONTHS WHA WHA WHA!!! -WEEK 26

SOO CRAZY BUT THIS THURSDAY IS MY 6 MONTH MARK IN THE FIELD!!!  And like my friend, Elder Pothier was saying the language really starts to set like in, in about 6 months... ya well he had a 4.0 gpa in high school I'm just a little bit slower than he is hahaha!!  It's kinda been freakin me out cause all the teachers at the mtc said ya, you'll be fluent in 6 months for sure!!!  I wouldn't say I'm fluent.. but I would say that I'm comfortable.. hahaha  I can teach a lesson and kinda hold a conversation with people, but I can never understand what they're fully saying hahaha!!  Especially when they tell like a 5 minute story.  I'm like uhhh ya, you lost me after the first 30 seconds haha!!  But it's totally fine, cause the reason I'm here is to teach people about the gospel, and I can say pretty much anything I want about the gospel!!  I've got the gospel language down.  Now it's time to become a true pure bred filipino!! 

So quick update on investigators.  Our work out here in mobo a mabate area hehe!! So the family of investigators is AMAZING HAHAHA I love them!! So yesterday at church we had a fifth sunday lesson and watched the Philippines area broadcast and then talked about it!!  But then after we were like done with the lesson, the branch president was like so does anyone have any questions for us or for the branch!?  And the mom stands up and says I have a question... when is our baptism?? hahahahaha!!  Then the whole branch looks at me hahaha I'm like February 20th!  So yeah!!  She's definitely excited to get baptised!!  And with her family... her niece is gonna get baptised to!!  And that same day we have 2 other baptisms!!  So in total, 8 baptisms on one day!!!  What better way to celebrate my 6 month mark, than by having a family of 6 be baptized!!! 

So this whole last week it seems like everything has been about missionary work... but not "MISSIONARY" work MEMBER missionary work!!  And I just remembered one of my favorite songs now.  It's "I Will Not Be Still" by Kenneth Cope!  I encourage all members to go listen to that song and then think about the blessings of the gospel in your life or your family's life... then here's the "hard" part.  Go out and SHARE the gospel!!!  If you're too scared to share by yourself, go out with missionaries!!  Then all you have to do is bear your testimony!!  And just a reminder, it doesn't matter how old you are, anyone can work with the missionaries!!  

mahal na mahal po kayo!! 

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!

Sister Delgado got transferred to Masbate!!

They met and found out they know some of the 

same people....Dillon's cousin, Caitlin was her roomate at BYU!

 Mom woke up one morning, to friend requests

on FACEBOOK!  And lot's and lot's of

PICTURES of our cute Elder!  We love the 

sweet members in Masbate who love the missionaries❤

How can I keep this gift to myself

When I can lift somebody else.

I'll be a witness of his miracles and his mercy.

I put my future in his hands,

Knowing he's made me all I am.

When I put my faith in him the truth begins to speak,

His power is real it moves me until I will not be STILL.

                                           --Kenneth Cope

LIVIN THE PINOY LIFE!! -WEEK 25

So we had transfers this last week and it was really sad because the two other elders in our apartment got transferred!! The sad part is that they both spoke English!!  And now the 3 other people in my house are pure filipino!  And don't speak English... LIKE AT ALL!!! HAHAHAHHAHA it's wayy cool tho I was thinking about it and I'm like... holy crap I'm in the ppines, living in a house with 3 other filipinos!! And speaking a different language 24/7!! hahahhaha 

I LOVE IT!!!!

So these last 2 weeks have been great with this new family we got!!  They've attended church the last  2 weeks!  And they love the gospel!!  Everything we teach them, like the word of wisdom, and tithing, and law of chastity, they think is great!!  And they're like, why doesn't our religion have that?!! haahhaha they're the best!!!  And not only do they love to listen... THEY LOVE TO SHARE THE GOSPEL!!  They give us referrals and introduce us to their friends around their houses!!  So now we have a ton of investigators by her house!!  And a lot attend church!!  This last week we had 12 investigators attend church!!!  WHAT!?!?  That just doesn't happen out here in the Legazpi mission hahahha!!  But I'm lovin it!!  This branch/ area is PROGRESSING FOR SURE!!!  Maybe when I come back after my mission it will be a ward!!!  (p.s. mom and dad better start saving for me to come back!) 

I LOVE YOU ALL!

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!

Search, Ponder and Pray
Are the things that I must do.
The spirit will guide, and deep inside,
I'll know the scriptures are true.

100 DAY'S SAY WHAT!?? -WEEK 14

Well I'm getting close to 100 days holy cow it's gone by soo fast!!  Time flys when your having fun right!? YES I'M DEFINITELY HAVING FUN!!  I love the mission!!  Although I'm a little jealous of Tanner jumping in the snow!!  That looked like fun!  But its ok I love my random humid rain storms lol!! 

So this week was funn!! IT STARTED OUT TEACHING A PASTOR...  lol so we were teaching this family and then out of nowhere their grandpa comes up and starts telling us everything we're teaching is a lie!!  Ya it was pretty sad but instead of arguing, we just wrapped up the lesson and left!  That pastor is lucky I don't speak Tagalog or I would spit straight fire at him!!  GOSPEL FIRE!! 

And then another cool story.  So Friday we went to go to one of our investigators who is an old man and when we got there he was like worried about something and we got talking and he said his sister had escaped out of her room and he didn't know where she was.  She is a 30 yr old lady but she has a little mental problem so he was scared about where she was!  So we started driving in a trike towards the city looking for her!  It was kinda fun.  As we were going we would ask people if they had seen her walking and the first guy said ya she walked by about an hour ago!  Then the next guy said she passed by 30 minutes ago!  Then 10 minutes and then we got into the city where it was gonna be really difficult to find her.  I was sitting in the trike and said a quick little prayer to find her and then like 1 minute later we saw her on the side of the road!!  So we picked her up and went back to his house!  Then we were teaching the investigator and she came out and started to listen.  Part way thru the lesson we asked our investigator if his sister knew how to read and he said no she never went to school.  Well we grabed the Book of Mormon and took it over to her and asked if she could read it and she read it perfectly! (in Tagalog of course) and the guy was soo confused he had no idea she could read!!  But she did so we gave her the Book of Mormon and asked her to read it!  Then on Sunday guess who showed up at church!!?? The INVESTIGATOR!!  Sadly not his sister because she was to shy to go but it was great that he came!! 

So to end this letter I want to quote my boy Nate Garry! "I know little... but the little I know is big!" I was thinking about that and for me it's very true for 2 reasons! 1. I'm not the smartest when it comes to teaching stuff about the gospel!!  But I know it's important and the little I know is VERY BIG!  2.  I know VERY LITTLE Tagalog, but the Tagalog that I do know... IS VERY BIG  and the most important thing any American could say to these Filipinos!!

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!

ps. Don't forget you have Heavenly Father that can help you through anything!!

 Elder Baker LOVES the little kids...and they love him right back!

 A sample of his meals.  Elder Baker totally happy to eat it!

 Karaoke.....It's HUGE in the Philippines!  Elder Baker had fun pretending : )

Monster butterflies?

I am a child of God.

His promises are sure;

Celestial glory shall be mine

If I can but endure.

GUYS, WE HAVE A PLAN OF HAPPINESS! -WEEK 6

Hey everyone hows it going back in the AZ... or wherever everyone is that is getting these loll!  That's funny to think about how many of you guys that are getting my emails are all over the place!!  But thats also a great thing!!  So yesterday we had infield orientation and we realized the importance of member missionary work!!  So this is where the greatness of everyone being all over the place comes in handy!  I INVITE EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU TO TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT THE GOSPEL!  Maybe not even about the gospel, just talk to them about their life.  Just talk to someone that looks like they need some help!  Look for impressions from the spirit to talk to people!!  I personally promise that Heavenly Father will bless you if you do go out and try to share the gospel!

GUYS WE HAVE A PLAN OF HAPPINESS right at our fingertips!!!  Why are we not out telling every single person we see about it!!! 

Next, going off feeling the spirit!  If you feel like you cannot feel the spirit I invite you to read Ether 12:27 and realize a weakness that you have and if that weakness is a sin that you have committed, I invite you to pray to your Heavenly Father and ask him for forgiveness!!  And if it needs be go talk to a bishop!! This last week I was thinking about stupid stuff I had done and I realized alot of dumb stuff I had done and I prayed to Heavenly Father for forgiveness and then decided to talk to my branch president about lil stuff that I might not have needed to but being able to talk with him made me feel so much better about the little dumb mistakes I have made!! 

So please go out this week, find someone that you love that needs the gospel or just find a random person and make a new friend!  And share with them that we have a PLAN OF HAPPINESS! 

mahal na mahal ko kayo! 

alam ko po na tutulong sa diyos sa pamamagitan pagsubok po kayo at alam ko po na ng diyos mahal po kayo! 

(i really love you all and i know that god will help you through your trials! i know that god loves you!

I lived in heaven a long time ago, it is true;

Lived there and loved there with people I know. So did you.

Then Heav'nly Father presented a beautiful plan,

All about earth and eternal salvation for man.

 Father said he needed someone who had enough love

To give his life so we all could return there above,

There was another who sought for the honor divine,

Jesus said, "Father, send me, and the glory be thine."

Jesus was chosen, and as the Messiah he came,

Conquering evil and death through his glorious name,

Giving us hope of a wonderful life yet to be

Home in that heaven where Father is waiting for me.