ANG PINAKAMAHUSAY NA BALITA! WEEK 99

Heyyy fam and amigos... soo this week I had my last zone confernce.. which was actually a cluster conference which means we had other zones in the mission with us and we had all of the zones except 2 so pretty much more than half the mission.. and I got to bear my LAST testimony in front of all those missionaries!! I just bore a nice 1 minute testimony about my favorite thing ever... THE BOOK OF MORMON!! It truly is the keystone of a testimony.. 

Well I heard the COOLEST NEWS EVER at that conferene!! So the Masbate zone was there which was my first area!! Well the elders from mobo stayed at our house the night before the conference cause we’re right by the office.. well we were talking and GUESS WHAT?!? That family that we baptized back in the day in mobo (the Cantoria fam) well they're SUPER ACTIVE STILL and the mom GOT ENDOWED!! ahhh I was close to tears when I heard that!! I was soo happy they are still super strong in the church! The elders said she is still pretty sad cause she wants her husband to get baptized so they can be sealed in the temple.. but her husband is never home cause he works far away... but that time will come!! And her 4 boys want to serve missions and maybe the one daughter!! AHHH soo awesome! #blessed 

Well other than that, we also were #blessed because we found this part member family that apparently has been coming to church for like A LONG TIME!! haha but we just met them this last week and now they might get baptized in July!! SOO hey that’s cool! no?? haha They will probably get baptized when her husband gets back from work in a different area! Sunday was interesting also because some guy from Masbate showed up at the church on Sunday morning, apparently he’s a principle for some religion school in Masbate and came to Daraga this weekend and was like I’m gonna go to church at the "mormons" so he showed up and had a ton of questions and he said he really likes our church and wants to always go to church here when he’s here in Daraga... and his son is gonna go to church here every week now. haha Kinda weird but okay!! It’s funny cause he’s also baptist like our investigator that’s been coming to church and they both really like the church! We are gonna try to teach him next week if he comes to church again! 

Well that’s just about all that happened this week! IT WAS ANOTHER GREAT WEEK! And I’m ready for another great 4 weeks!! hehe 

LOVE YOU ALL!

LOVE ELDER PANADERO

HAKUNA MATATA!!

pics from the conference 

Dillon and his comp after a good game of P-day basketball!!

GUINOBATAN! -WEEK 61

AYOOO it’s your boy Elder Baker hittin you up from Guinobatan! haha I didn't give a heads up last week, but this last week I got transferred to Guinobatan! I was sad to leave Malilipot after only being there for 1 transfer, but I got done what I needed to do there now I'm here trying to find what I need to do now!! 

Well my new compo is ELDER AYSON!  Well he’s a great guy!!  He and his comp last transfer got transferred here in week 3 of the transfer, so they didn't really have very many people to teach.. and up until now they still didn't have much. So this last week we've been going around, I kinda found out the area and now this week is gonna be just straight TRACTING!! hahaha we NEED to find some investigators!! hahaha We did find 3 last week that were referrals, and they look like they are gonna be pretty good... hopefully we will see the gospel affect their lives!! 

Something cool that happened last week is sister Mercy, one of our new investigators, after the first lesson we set a return appointment and then when Saturday came at the time for our appointment we walked up to her like apartment complex kinda thing and she was waiting outside her house on the bench for us to come hahaha!! I was like what are you doing out here and she's like I was waiting for you!! HAHAHA it was so cool like to see how excited she was for us to come back and teach her again!! She had some questions about the apostasy and our lesson was perfect! We taught about the Book of Mormon and how it helped to end the apostasy!! She was really interested and ready to read the Book of Mormon! BUT she doesn't have glasses. She said she was gonna buy some! Hopefully she finds some haha!! So that was really cool but we also had some problems this week with my comp and the ward mission leader, they kinda had a lil argument... but it got fixed and we got everything figured out!! 

Something that I shared while we were trying to fix the problem is something I read once it says "be thou humble and the Lord shall lead thee by thy hand”.  I shared how the ward has been struggling with missionary work here the last year, and my comp was being hard hearted and didn't want to take some suggestions from the members, BUT if we will humble ourselves, the Lord will guide us in this work and THIS WARD AND THIS WORK WILL PROGRESS!!

I JOIN WITH SOME OF MY FRIENDS IN TESTIFYING THAT THIS CHURCH IS TRUE!! THE BOOK OF MORMON IS THE ANSWER TO ALL OUR QUESTIONS AND I AM SOO BLESSED TO BE IN THIS WORK.  I LOVE THE LORD AND I KNOW HE LOVES ME MORE!! 

I love you all soo much!! 

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.   --Ether 12:27

MALILIPOT!! -WEEK 56

WELL IT WAS ANOTHER GREAT WEEK OUT HERE IN MALILIPOT!! 

So just a couple things I wanted to talk about with you guys and also get some feedback from those who read these!! So this last week we have 2 part member families who are progressing towards baptism, but one thing me and my companion were talking about, is one guy said how he was expecting to get an answer about if the church was true. And what he was looking for was way wrong, so of course we talked to him about how we get answers, but I want to hear from you guys about how you asked Heavenly Father if the Book of Mormon or the church was true and what was your experience... what did you have to do to be ready to receive an answer and what did you do?? And how can you be sure that’s an answer from   the holy ghost not just your conscience??  Also what are some challenges that you converts went thru during your conversion?? How did you overcome them?? How did you overcome challenges with the word of wisdom or other commandments??

I’M ASKING ALL THESE QUESTIONS because these are some things our investigators are struggling with right now!!  We have a great area here right now and I want to help them gain a REAL STRONG TESTIMONY!! BEFORE BAPTISM!! 

This last week we had 9 investigators come to church, the problem is that only a couple of them have somewhat of a testimony right now, so I want to help them be READY FOR BAPTISM!!

I LOVE THIS NEW AREA and can’t wait to see what more work we can do here!! Please if you have any experiences about those things, please share!! 

I LOVE YOU ALL SOO MUCH AND HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD WEEK!! 

Elder Baker

HAKUNA MATATA!!

 He says this is the story of the traveling teeth...
they were there on the desk, when he got there!!  ewww

 His new of Mount Mayon!

 Elder Baker says this guy is the best member in the ward he's in now!

I love to read the holy scriptures,

And every time I do,

I feel the Spirit start to grow within my heart -

a testimony that they're true.

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.

BI...BI...BINYAG!!! -WEEK 34

THERE'S NOTHING I LOVE BETTER THAN TYPING THAT SUBJECT OUT LOL!!!  Well this week we have the baptism of Roben Flores!!  Or ROBINHO!!! LOL!! I'M SUUUPER EXCITED AND I THINK I WILL BE BAPTISING HIM!!  Cool story about him.  In the interview the zl asked him why he was excited to be baptized and his reply was because he wants to become an elder like us!!! MAN, WHEN I HEARD THAT I WAS OVERWHELMED WITH JOY!!  And to think about if some of the people I baptize serve missions, then I'm not just saving that one soul, I'm helping save all the people he will save on his mission, and then all the people that those people will help!!  It just goes on FOREVER OR WALANG HANGANN!! 

Well this week was semana santa! Or holy week! So we had a curfew at 7 oclock because it's a lil dangerous to be outside at night!! Well obviously whoever made that rule hasn't read Psalms 56:11!! lol It says a lil something like I have God on my side I will not fear what man can do to me! 

Well funny story so I found that verse just like last week and then this week I realized why I found it last week.  Because one night when we were walkin home from a far area at night, I saw a guy a ways down the road and kinda walking scarily like swaying his arms alot kinda like a gorilla!  Well, as he got closer I was still watching him then he turned off the road to go down an alley.  BUT he stopped and looked at me straight in the eyes for about 5 seconds, so I said magandang gabi po (good evening) and as soon as the words left my mouth he dropped 2 big rocks from his hands and ran to right in front of me and dropped to his knees and told me to pray for him!  Well at first I was like wait what is happening... and then I reached out my hand to pick him up and asked what was wrong and he said he didn't want to be abandoned... well I told him to walk with us back to his house, but he wanted to continue down the alley.  So we continued, but I looked back and saw him pick up the 2 rocks so I ran back to him and asked what he was doing... well he told me he was going to take care of some people... well I wasn't gonna have that hahaha so I brought him with of us and took the rocks from him and walked him back to his house!  And now we want to go back and visit him, but we've heard he is kind of crazy, but I just want to make sure he is like still okay!! 

Well I also heard it was Easter this week and I had totally forgot!! but thinking about Easter reminds me about last conference and just about every conference and the prophets and apostles always testify that they know He lives! As in Jesus Christ.  Well when I started my mission I was kinda confused about why it was soo important that he lives now... well I found out a couple months ago that because He lives NOW we will all be able to live again also!!  And last week I built my testimony even more on that principle!!  I was studying about the resurrection and I read that if there was no resurrection, there would be absolutely no point in this life!  Because we could sin all we wanted and after this life it was just be over... BUT BECAUSE OF THE GLORIOUS RESURRECTION OF OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST WE WILL ALL LIVE AGAIN!!  

I WANT TO BEAR MY TESTIMONY TO ALL OF YOU I KNOW HE LIVES WITHOUT A SHADOW OF DOUBT!!  IF I DIDN'T HAVE THAT TESTIMONY I WOULDN'T BE HERE RIGHT NOW!!  BUT I'M SO GRATEFUL I AM!! 

I LOVE YOU ALL SOO MUCH!!  

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!

Did Jesus really live again?

Yes, when the third day came,

He wakened and he left the tomb;

He called Mary's name.

Did Jesus come to those he loved?

Yes, people touched his feet,

And of the fish and honeycomb

He did truly eat.

And there were nail-prints in his hands

And a spear wound in his side.

Did Jesus really live again

After he had died?  Oh yes!  

And so shall I!

BI...BI...BINYAG!!! -WEEK 29

WELL THIS WEEK WAS PROBABLY MY FAVORITE WEEK EVER!! IT'S UP THERE WITH THE BAPTISM IN THE OCEAN!! 

Well, binyag I baptism in Tagalog!!  And we had a baptism this week of  MY FAMILY!!  I call them my family cause they literally are my family hahaha!   I love them soo much!  This family is the referral we received back in December!!  Or something!  But we've been working with them for a long time getting them ready for baptism and sadly the dad didn't get baptized because he has work 3 hours away and he's only home 2 days of the whole month!!  But he wants to get baptized!  He heard our lesson about the restoration the first 2 times we taught them and he knew it was true!!  But he can't attend church so he can't be baptised!!  But he wants too!!  The family is already planning a temple trip!!  

So the baptism was great.  There was 4 of them.  3 the Cantoria family and then their niece that lives with them!!  So what we did is I baptized 2 and my companion baptized 2.  I got to baptize the mom and the niece!!  It was sooo great!  But the best part was the testimonies!!  SO, the niece bore her testimony and it was really funny!  She said the missionaries are soo great,  one time even though elder Jardeleza had lbm (loose bowel movements) they still continued to teach us!! hahahha   

But the moms testimony was great.  She talked about the first time she met the elders in the hospital, she could feel something was different about them!!  And her kids would always see us walking by their house when we would have to walk home and the kids would say I want to be like them someday! hahaha   But then she just talked about how in the first lesson we taught her, she knew our message was true!!  When we taught her the true nature of God the father and his Son, she said that it was true and the catholic church teachings were wrong!!   I was soo happy the entire time she spoke I was just smiling the entire time and AHHH IT WAS SOOO AMAZING!! 

LOVE, ELDER BAKER

I LOVE THIS WORK!!  I LOVE THIS PLAN!!  I LOVE THE PPINES!!  I LOVE THE GOSPEL!! 

HAKUNA MATATA!!

Now we know that we must also

Witness faith in Jesus' work,

Be baptized to show obedience,

As was Jesus Christ, our Lord.

ALAM KO TAGALOG!! -WEEK 15

Translation: I know Tagalog!! lol Slowly but surely I'm starting to know more and more!! But this week I felt like my Tagalog had gotten wayyy better it's the craziest thing that I'm literally teaching people in a different language!! The other day I was sitting in a lesson and I wasn't understanding anything!!  And I was thinking like how really weird it was that I was speaking a different language I was like focusing on her mouth and the noises coming out and it was the weirdest thing, thinking about how some random noises were coming out of her mouth and although I couldn't understand... it blew my mind that I make those same noises and words when I'm speaking!! And pretty soon  (k maybe not soon) I'll be speaking that language fluently!!  Well at least I hope I can!!  I have faith and pray for the help to learn Tagalog better everyday!!  I study hard and I'm just trying to focus on being able to teach lessons in depth and good!  Then I'll work on the whole fluent thing lol!!

Well this week one of our investigators that has been gone for a week in Manila returned and we got to start teaching him again!! And he's soo close to being ready for baptism!!  And guess what!? I MIGHT BAPTIZE HIM!! YEET!! I hope he chooses me it's either me or his friends brother!

Another investigator we have has been saying that she believes what we have taught her and believes Joseph Smith is a true prophet and she even attends church!  One little, kinda big, actually it's a huge problem... she won't pray to really KNOW for herself that all the things we have taught are true!!  And we want her to have a SURE KNOWLEDGE that the gospel is true and not just believe so that she wont fall away!!  And so we had taught her a whole lesson on how to gain a strong testimony and then we both bared our testimonies of how we came to know and we had a member with us so he told his conversion story and we invited her to pray that night!  The next day we went back to see how her prayer was... and she didn't pray!!  So we taught the same lesson again just a lil different and we told her straight up she needs to KNOW IT'S TRUE FOR HERSELF!!  And I've never felt the spirit more strong than in that lesson when I was testifying to her at the end of the lesson!! And I know that the Holy Ghost was helping me cause I bore a strong heart felt testimony in really good Tagalog!! Not perfect but it was pretty good!!  We haven't been back yet I think tonight we will go by so next week I'll let you guys know how it goes hehe!!  So that was some cool parts of my week!  Now some interesting/funny stuff!! 

Well first of all I have a challenge for everyone that reads this! To find a scripture that has a winky face on it!!  Second of all look up Jacob 6:12!! It's words to live by!!

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!

When Christ was on the earth,

He promised he would send

The Holy Ghost to comfort us,

Our true, eternal friend.

The Holy Spirit whispers

With a still small voice.

He testifies of God and Christ

And makes our hearts rejoice.

Challenge: Become Truly Converted to Christ -WEEK 2

So to start off this week, we watched the Character of Christ devotional and it absolutely changed my whole perspective on missionary life and just everyday life. In the devotional he challenges every one to become truly converted to Christ! So that was my whole goal this week! Later that Sunday we found out that our entire branch is in the choir lol but it is so fun cause we are singing like this pop up beat song like one you would hear in like a church in the south! It makes me want to stand up and start clapping my hands and dancing! lol its called johns song! and we get to perform with the band at one of our devos!

Monday I had to clean like 20 toilets lol it kinda sucked! The rest of Monday was just like studying and chilling so that was nice.  Tuesday was a great day because I became like best friends with everyone in my district and I love these guys!  Also on Tuesday we had a lesson with our "investigator" and it went so well our tagalog is coming along so good! And he said he commited to baptism! I know its fake but it still made me happy because if the "investigator" doesnt like the missionaries he can kick them out so we did pretty good!

Thursday nothing good happened really. EXCEPT i finally saw LUKER!  It was soo nice seing someone I knew!  I also see Earl Cody and Patrick all the time too so thats nice!
And then Friday! ughhh yesterday was terrible! I woke up terribly sick and the day just seemed to last forever!!! But it was cool because our investigator became our teacher and taught us ways to become a better missionary!

Well I love you all I miss you all so much! I'm gonna give a brief testimony in tagalog so you see what its like!

Alam ko po na totoo ng simbahan. Alam ko po na manunubos po si Jesuchristo. Alam ko po na totoo ng pagbabayad-sala. Mahal ko ng simbahan, mahal ko si Jesuchristo si pangalan ni Jesuchristo amen.

 Rough translation:  I know this church is true.  I know that Jesus Christ is my redeemer. I know that the atonement is true.  I love this church, I love Jesus Christ.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Elder Baker

 According to Dillon, this guy in red is the

funniest guy he's ever met!

 Missionaries all walking to the temple - great sight!

He knows I will follow him,

Give all my life to him.

I feel my Savior's love,

The love he freely gives me.