ELDER JOE COMING AT YOU LIVE -WEEK 9

Well I'm out here in the ppines! I'm not in Legazpi like everyone thinks I am.  I am actually in Masbate! lol  Right when I got to Legazpi, I found my companion and it turns out that he is the BRANCH PRESIDENT of a ward on Masbate! lol So, I'm over here in the mobo ward! Ohh ya, guess what, I'm the branch clerk lol! Ya it was a very suprising and crazy first day lol! Um well, I got here Wednesday and then on Thursday morning we took a 3 hour boat ride to Masbate! And then we got here, got a couple things un-packed and then had a quick comp study and went to work lol!! I met brother Mark Jade who looked like a 12 year old kid and then he came out teaching with us, then Elder Irabon (my companion). Well then we went and taught Sister Bellagoza and I invited her to be baptised at the end and she accepted!! Then we went to brother Rocky and I taught him and then I extended the baptismal invitation again ... and... HE ACCEPTED ALSO!! We gave him the date for December 6th and he said he doesn't like the number 6 lol, so it's the 5th! But the rest of my first day we taught 8 lessons and then we also tracted for 2 hours!! It was a crazy long day! I'm running out of time, so I'll tell some other stuff real quick! Well, on Saturday the church got robbed and they stole the computer and dvd, so we had to go to the police station and do a bunch of stuff! And then on Sunday night we taught a jehovas witness! wowo that was crazy! Umm and then today we went to a wedding of one of our investigators and then to their reception and I was dancing with all the kids, it was wayyy fun!! 

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!

at the Legazpi airport

Elder Baker's first companion...Elder Iriabon

Doing the laundry...old school

Taking care of "official business"

Making friends just like Dillon does!

Letting loose and having fun at the wedding reception!


The Lord needs valiant servants,
To do his work in the latter day,
Who follow the teachings of Jesus
And serve his people in a loving way.

  

HEYYYYY I'M HERE IN THE PPINES! -WEEK 7

We have a couple minutes to just say we made it safely, and tell you I

love you!  mahal kita! or padaba taka!! That's another way to say I love

you!  We're taking off to go proselyting with the Manila missionaries!

We love our missionary and we're so proud of him!

We can't wait to start hearing about who he's teaching,

what he's eating and where he's living and who his companions are!

Sending lot's of prayers his way.

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.

PANANAMPALATAYA -WEEK 5

First off I'm sorry about no letter last week!! But, sometimes the mtc can be boring.

BUTTT this week was sweet!!! So, last Sunday was sweet I got to see some friends at the temple love you guys!  And then on Tuesday we had a devotional and guess who was speaking!?  ELDER OAKS!! It was sweet, we got to hear from him!!  And it was broadcasted to all the other mtcs and my face was on it, hehe, hope all my boys out around the world got to see my cute face!! and Lukers!

Well then on Wednesday Abby Giles and Stockton Huish came in to my zone and its soo funn to see some familiar faces!!  But that's pretty much the extent of cool stuff that happened this week in the mtc!! 

lol kidding, but this week was awesome cause I had felt like I was feeling like I was horrible at the language and teaching, but my teacher pulled me out and told me that I was one of the better teachers!! So that was wayyy nice to hear!!

GUESS WHAT!? I GOT MY FLIGHT PLANS!  I'm soo excited to get out and actually teach some Filipinos!!!

We will fly out on September 17th.  We go from SLC to San Fran then to Hong Kong and to Manilla.  We will stay at the Manilla MTC for a little bit and figure out how everything goes down in the PPINES!

Well I love you all, your all the best and I can feel everyone's prayers for me everyday.  When I start feeling down I always feel like I'm being lifted up and made happy by something and its all of your prayers, so thank you!! 

ps. I'm gonna do this thing my friend does and say a tagalog word for the week!!  So this weeks word is pananampalataya! lolol try saying that hahahha!!

pss. that's faith!

psss. sentence for the week hehe pananampalataya ni jesu christo

Elder Baker

Elder Stockton Huish's first day in the MTC

also going to the Philippines, but different mission.

The Mountain View boys at the MTC

Gio, Stockton, Dillon and Luke

 Some of Dillons buddies in his zone at the MTC

the "ITINERARY"

Heav'nly Father, now I pray,

Guide and guard me ev'ry day.

Help me feel thy love for me.

This I humbly ask of thee.

WEEK 4

Dillon and his good buddy Luke Shill!

Out in the "colorful" real world

when he and his companion were looking for a cvs pharmacy!

 "Downy Bear" taking a risk ironing his pants while wearing them!

 Dillon and his buddy, Cody Porter

 This is Matt Garry, he is Nate Garry's cousin.

He found Dillon at the temple on a Sunday walk.

 "The classroom"

Waffles and Toast with Egg for ETERNITY!

I just got this cutest handwritten letter from Dillon in the mail. 

Made this momma's day for sure!

Dear Momma!

You are the absolute Best!  Holy cow that album was the best thing to ever happen to me!  Those pics were sooo sick!  All of my District was drooling over Court and the other girls in there!  I seriously love you soo much, that was the nicest thing ever and the Ipod is great....but you forgot to send the cord to charge it....but I still love it.  The pics on it are sweet!  I'm thinking I might be able to hook it up to the computer and put more pics that you guys send me on it.

I love you so much and I'm so grateful for everything you do, and have done!  All my district was so jealous when I told them how much you did for me like making me waffles or toast with egg every single day! And cleaning the house and doing laundry and taking care of the little nephews and raising 4 outstanding kids!  You're seriously a super mom!

I don't think I would be right here writing you a letter from my mission if it wasn't for you!  I'm just out here trying to pay it forward for everything you did for me!  And I'm trying to bring people the same happiness that I have because I can live with my family FOREVER!!!  I think that is the greatest promise ever!  Like for real that means I'm gonna have waffles and toast with egg for Eternity!

I love you, I miss you!  2 years will not be that Long!  And It's gonna be great to be back with you!

mahal na mahal kita
ps the (na mahal) just adds emphasis SO extra love!!!


mahal na mahal kita,
sincerely,

Elder Baker
(your Baby Boi)

Families Can be Together Forever

Through Heavenly Father's plan.

I always want to be with my own family

And the Lord has shown me how I can.

The Lord has shown me how I can.

Work Hard All Day Every Day! -WEEK 3

Hi everyone!

This week was a pretty descent week, wasn't hard like the last ones but it was just a normal week in the MTC!  6 hours of class a day and eating the same non flavorful foods everyday!  But yesterday was sweeet!!  So my comp took a soccer ball right in the face!!  lol but he messed up his eye and had to go to the doctor and they sent us to an eye center and we just got to visit the outside world!! (he's ok, by the way) It's so weird everything was so colorful!  We had to go to cvs to get a prescription and I couldn't help but just smile as I walked around cvs lol!!  But that was pretty much it this week!

The language is coming really well! Right now we are doing conjegations and it's really difficult, but we're working on it.

Oh ya we watched a video on missionary work that was great!  I advise all future missionarys to watch it.  It's called Missionary Work and the Atonement!!  It taught me that missionary work is supposed to be hard and it's never gonna stop being hard!  AND I'M SOO EXCITED TO JUST WORK HARD ALL DAY EVERYDAY!!

And I love getting all your dear elders throughout the week.  Everyone says they get homesick when the read them but it just makes me so happy to read about everything!!

HEY REMEMBER TO GIVE COURT AN EXTRA BIG HUG FROM ME ON HER B-DAY!! HEHEHE

Mahal Kita

Elder Baker

When there is a task to do, do it with a smile.

Do more than you are asked to do and go the second mile.