PPINES UPDATE -WEEK 38

Well this week was the first week with my new comp!!  And well it was AMAZING!!  So it was really hard last transfer because I was trying to go and work and teach people, but my comp was really just wanting to sit around at the members house, so it was like making me pretty mad.  I wanted to go work but since he was like 24 he was just like ya don't tell me what to do.. so it was annoying!!  But then this new guy came in and everyone was saying he was gonna be lazy too but NOO he is not lazy, he's like let's get out and work!! hahaha the first day with him we went out and got 12 lessons!! hahaha  It was soooo sweet!  That's the most we've gotten in a while!!  And like all the other days are like 10 or 8 lessons!!  So it's great to be back in the grind of things!! 

Well update on some of our investigators!!  Well we found this girl last week, she was a referral from our new convert family!  She is 11 yrs old and her name is Shella Cervantes!  But everyone calls her aunty cute!! (aunty means like sister) hahha but so we call her aunty cute too hahahha!!  Well we first taught her last Saturday and then she attended church the following Sunday!!  And she attended yesterday din!!  So that's working out great!! We also found a friend of Justing her name is Betsey, and she's pretty cool too, she reads the Book of Mormon but her mom wont let her attend church at the "mormons" but hey, we'll get hat figured out! (i'll have elder nonu take her out) And then last week we had one of our old investigators who I thought still wasn't interested but then she told us last week she wants us to start teaching her again!!  So that's awesome!!  And then a couple days ago we were over there and I saw a ctr ring on her finger hahaha!!! 

Something that is pretty funny but kinda annoying!! Is Sundays!!  On Sundays I'm pretty much like the first counselor!!  The president calls me all the time to do something for him or like I had to teach Sunday school and Priesthood class two weeks ago!! and I almost always have to teach at least one class if I'm not teaching Sunday school I have to teach Priesthood!!  But it's been great cause I learn sooo much more and it helps me like feel more comfortable getting up and teaching or talking in front of people!!  But then again when I come home and have to speak in front of 300 plus people I'm still gonna be pretty freaked out!!  But it will be a lot better talk than my last one cause I have learned soooo much on this mish!!  I love it and I'm soo gratefull for this mission!! 

LAST I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO MY MOMMA!!! AND TO ALL OTHER MOMS AROUND THE GLOBE THAT ARE READING THIS!!!  HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!  I JUST WANT TO TELL YOU THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU GUYS DO FOR YOUR KIDS!!!  I'VE SEEN SOME OF THE BEST GUYS OUT HERE AND THEY ALL SAY I'TS BECAUSE OF THEIR MOTHERS!!  YOU FIND OUT THERE'S A LOT OF SECRET MOMMAS BOYS WHILE YOU'RE ON THE MISH!!  BUT I ALSO JUST WANT TO GIVE A LIL EXTRA SHOUTOUT TO MY MOM, BECAUSE IT'S HER BDAY THIS WEEK!!  AND IF IT WASN'T FOR MY MOM I WOULDN'T BE HERE!!  ACTUALLY I DON'T THINK I WOULD HAVE GRADUATED HIGHSCHOOL, BECAUSE SHE WAS THE ONE WAKING ME UP AND MAKING ME BREAKFAST EVERYDAY!!  (MAN I MISS THAT BREAKFAST!!)  MAHAL NA MAHAL KITA MAMA!! 

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!

And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed

and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God.

For behold, they are blesed in all things, both temporal and spiritual;

and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven,

that thereby thay may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. 

O remember, remember that these things are true;

for the Lord God hath spoken it.

                                                      --Mosiah 2:41

BAPTISMS/TRANSFERS/PPINES!!!! -WEEK 37

WELL THIS WEEK WAS PRETTY DANG SWEET!!

Soo last Saturday we had 7 baptisms in one day!!! It was soo cool we had 4 from mobo and then 3 in masbate!!! But it was wayyy cool, cause because 3 of the investigators of the missionaries chose me to baptize them!!  And then I was supposed to baptize our investigator, but the investiagtor that Elder Jardeleza was supposed to baptize bailed.  So then I gave him our investigator.   It was so cool tho cause every missionary in mobo got to baptize someone in one day!!  It was super funny tho cause I was just like chillin in the water waiting for the next person lol!!! But something really cool I realized the other day is I have not in my whole entire life baptized someone in English!! Actually as I was writing that I remembered I did baptize for the dead once with Liv!! So that's not true, I have baptised for the dead in English but... I have yet to baptize an alive person in English!!! 

Next funny thing!! I DIDN'T GET TRANSFERED!!  I've been in this area for 7 months and after this transfer I'll be here for 9 months!!! I think I'm the only one of all my friends still in their first area!!  Yessica will probably go to her second area before me lol!! BUT MY SON GOT TRANSFERED!! My son is my trainee!!! It was sad sending him off on the boat, but it's okay he's gonna be a great missionary!! WELL, MY NEW COMP IS ELDER NONU!!  He's from Australia!!  He's like 5 foot 6 and 225 pounds!! He's a sick guy, he's a rugby player!! But he's a pretty new missionary!! He just came out of training so he has a very limited amount of Tagalog, so it's gonna be fun trying to teach now!! I'm super excited tho I've always wanted like an Australian or Newzealeander comp!! 

Well this last week we were super busy going to different places for interviews and it really screwed up our work we only had a limited amount of time to work!! But we have this really cool inveestigator named Betsey!! She is 16 and she is really interested in reading the Book of Mormon!! We haven't been to her house since we dropped off the BOM but we're going there tomorrow to see how it goes!! We also had a new investigator come to church!! Her real name is Shella, but she just goes by aunty cute!! hahaha she attended church for the first time last week!!

Well I still haven't seen General Conference so if you want to tell me some of your fav talks so I can look out for them that would be nice!! But I was reading in the old conference talks last week and I was reading one of my favs, which is "A Saint Is A Sinner That Just Keeps Trying! by Elder Dale G Renlund.  I would advise you all to go read it, it's super cool!! and inspires you to be better!!

GIHIGUGMA KO KAYO!!!! 

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/latter-day-saints-keep-on-trying?lang=eng

God cares a lot more about who we are
and about who we are becoming
than about who we once were.
                         --Elder Dale G. Renlund

PPINES -WEEK 36

Alrighty, so to start out my momma has some questions she wants me to answer that will probably be fun for everyone to hear about!!   So ...

no.1  When I go out tracting what is it like??   Well when we go tracting, we don't do what other missionaries do and knock doors... WE JUST YELL OUT "TAO PO" OR "AYO" hahaha  tao po is just saying "PEOPLE" hahahahah and the people are actually usually really nice and either invite you in or will let you give them a lil pamphlet!  But just because they let you does not mean in any way they want to listen... the people here are just too nice to say no!! 

no.2  What made me laugh this week?   Well I'm glad you asked!!  So the other day I was listening to my ipod in the apartment and one of my fav disney songs came on!! "circle of life" from lion king! And you know the beginning where it like screams african words?? YA WELL I TURNED UP THE VOLUME FULL BLAST AND WAS SCREAMING IT AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS!! hahahaha the guys that live with me came down stairs and started listening and were DYING LAUGHING AND MY COMP WHEN HE LAUGHS SOUNDS LIKE A HIENA!! (you know like the animal on lion king that has a weird laugh) hahaha  Then we were all laughing!  Then after, we were sitting there and I was like lol this is like the language of Nate Garry's mission!!! HAHAHAHA!!! T hat was a really funny time!!  All the neighbors like ask me what was going on in the house hahahaha!!  

no.3  Who was favorite person i taught this week?   Umm this week was probably teaching the Golimlim family!!  We taught them last night!  They are a recent convert family of all girls. The dad lives in Manila!  Well,  Elder Jardeleza shared a scripture about charity!!  And then as we were teaching I just felt the spirit so strong teaching about the importance of charity and I shared how when I first got here I couldn't speak or understand Tagalog... and it was the hardest couple months of my life!!  And how charity is what I tried to develop when I was new here because I knew if I had charity, I wouldn't be worried about myself... I would only care about the people!  And I think now that I've got the language fine, I kinda started slacking in LOVING EVERY SINGLE PERSON!!  And I realized I need to start looking for people in need everywhere I go at all times!! 

no.4  Favorite meal this week?   One of my favs is an egg plant that you like smash flat and then dip it in eggs and then fry it!!  And it's seriously soo good!!  But my other favorite snack this week was BALUT!! lol!!  Which is a 18 day old bird egg that you like boil!! hahahaha it's actually really good!! 

no.5  What am I currently studying?   Right now I am reading the Book of Mormon and the New Testament!  In the BOM,  I am in Mosiah chap. 24 lol same chapter my mom quoted in her email to me!!  Well, I had always read chap. 13 cause it's the commandments but never found all the other great stuff there!!  I invite you to read this chapter it's really cool!! 

LOVE YOU ALLLL SOOOOOO MUCHHHHH!!

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!

yea,  the Lord did strengthen them that they could

bear up their burdens with ease,

and they did submit cheerfully and with patience

 to all the will of the Lord.

                            ~Mosiah 24:15

PPINES UPDATE FROM YOURS TRULY -WEEK 35

Well I wish I had some cool story like I had last week!! But you know that stuff like just doesn't happen everyday lol!! Well ya actually this week we didn't have anything crazy happen... we just kinda went and taught people all week lol like what else are we supposed to as missionaries! HAHAHA TOTALLY KIDDING!  Well this last week we really taught lessons, but it was alot better than just teaching, because one of the families we were teaching this last week was a part member family and the non-member is the dad.  And so of couse we really want to get him to be a member also so that we can get that family sealed in the temple!!  So they can recieve all the blessings of the gospel!!  It's also really sad to see the mom practically crying because she wants her husband to become a member!!  The problem is that he is only at the house for like 1 week and now he went back to work far away!! 

Well another person we were focusing on was ROBINHO!!  Our investigator getting baptized!!  So we went over there alot this week!!  AND WE HAD THE BAPTISM ON SATURDAY!! AHHH IT WAS THE BEST THING EVER!! HE'S LITERALLY LIKE MY FAVORITE LIL KID EVER!  HE'S LIKE A LIL BROTHER I NEVER HAD OR LIKE A SON I HAVEN'T HAD YET... well it was hilarious when he got baptized and came out of the water he looked me in the eyes and just screamed out WOOOHOOO!!  I don't know if it was cause it was cold or he just felt like the people in the people in the Book of Mormon that felt the spirit so strong that they shouted for joy!!!  lol Well, that was an amazing experience baptizing him!!  And I'm soo excited for him to eventually be serving a mission!!  And I'll be able to see the fruits of my labors for years to come!!

Well I haven't seen general conference yet ... soo everyone send me some of your favs from conference and I'll send some of my favs when I watch it!!  Well I'll share you something I found this last week!!  This little powerful verse I found is found in Mark 11:22 it says "and Jesus answering saith unto them, have faith in God." YUP THATS IT!! SHORT SIMPLE POWERFUL AND YOU CAN APPLY IT ANYWAY YOU WANT ANY SITUATION YOU WANT AND AT ANYTIME!!  JUST ALWAYS REMEMBER THE FUTURE IS AS BRIGHT AS YOUR FAITH SOO MAKE YOUR FUTURE BRIGHT BY GAINING MORE FAITH!!  I LOVE YOU ALL AND KEEP PRESSING FORWARD!!  AND PAGTITIS HANGANG WAKAS!!

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!

More holiness give me,

More strivings within,

More patience in suffering,

More sorrow for sin,

More faith in my Savior,

More sense of his care,

More joy in his service,

More purpose in prayer.

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!

BROWNS AT THE SUPERBOWL!! -WEEK 33

So first things first, this week was rough!!  I had a slight fever this last week of 102.2 lol just a lil... but it's okay no one worry now!! (MOM)  I'm doing fine now!!  But this last week we had 2 days of rest which was kinda disappointing!!  I always say to myself aww I just want to stay in, I'm tired, but I go out and work and then I'm not tired!!  But those 2 days of forced staying at home were terrible!!  All I wanted to do was go out and try to work.  But if I stood up the first place I had to go was to the C.R. or bathroom...  But other than that whole problem, we still were able to work.   And we visited one of our investigators si Robin or I call him ROBINHO!!  Well he's the one that was supposed to be baptised this Saturday, but we have to move it to next Saturday!!  

AND OGI, the boy I told you about last week, is doing good.  The other day he was back up in the trees climbing to get what's called a star apple!!  And he was like standing on one branch with one foot that was like the size of a finger!!  And then the other foot on a different branch in the slpits reaching out to get a perfectly ripe star apple!! hahahaha  He's absolutely crazy!!  And I love him!! 

Also, one of our investigators nanay Bellagoza said this last week she thinks she'll get baptised while I'm here!! She's been getting taught for about 2 years!!  Soo she's getting close!!  She really knows it's true but she's scared that she might fall away from the church after like 3 years, cause that's whats happened in her past with other churches.

In the spirit of Easter, read the teachings of Howard W Hunter chapter 6 about the atonement and resurrection!   It will add a lot more knowledge about the resurrection!! 

WELL,  I just want to end by sharing with you guys a new favorite verse!!  Mosiah 3:19 the natural man is an enemy to  God!!  Once we truly recognize that we can learn to counter the natural man through the promptings of the holy ghost!

I love you all and want you all to have a safe week!!

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!

The sister's baptism

"OGI" recoving like a boss!

 

How could the Father tell the world of love and tenderness?

He sent his Son, a newborn babe, with peace and holiness.

How could the Father show the world the pathway we should go?

He sent his Son to walk with men on earth, that we may know.

How could the Father tell the world of sacrifice, of death?

He sent his Son to die for us and rise with living breath.

What does the Father ask of us? What do the scriptures say?

Have faith, have hope, live like his Son, help others on their way.

What does he ask?  Live like his Son.

AYOOO ITS YAH BOII! -WEEK 32

(That's not Tagalog : ) it's Dillon talk!!)  

Alrighty soo first off our investigators that are supposed to be baptized on the 26th are named ROBIN!! I PRONOUNCE IT ROBINHO!! LIKE THE SOCCER PLAYER ITS MORE FUN!! and then Lucas!!  Lucas is Robinhos older brother!!!  Their last name is Flores!!  They attend church with our new member family that lives by them!!  They are 10 and 12 yrs old!!  Then we have another kid, not that we are teaching or anything, just a friend!!  But his mom is dead and his dad lives on a different island!!  And he's only 9 yrs old!!!  Well this kids name is Ogi!!  I cal him O!!   Well, this kid is like a little brother I never had!! (besides Asher) I seriously feel like we are family!!  Every time I see him we both get soo happy!!  Well this kid this morning was climbing a tree to get some langka!! (which is delicious!!)  And he fell out of the tree!!  Wait it gets worse!!  When he fell, he fell onto barbed wire!!  And he cut his leg open on his calf!!  And then his right arm on his bicep!!  The cut was like three fingers width!!  Massive cut!!  Well he came into Mobo to the health clinic and so we went to meet up with him and see how he was doing!!  And we were with him when they were cleaning out the cut and ahhh I felt soo bad for him I just wanted to like do something to take the pain away!! But this kid is  A BEAST!!  He barely even shed a tear!! awww  I love that kid soo much!!  Well then he had to get stitches and then we came to Masbate with sister Cantoria to get the drugs then we came to email!! So that was just my morning hahahah!! 

SOOO.. THIS WEEK WAS MY FIRST WEEK BEING DISTRICT LEADER!!  And well, it's not actually too bad!!  It's pretty fun having to take care of my lil kids!! (my district) hahaha I haven't had to do like that much more stuff just following up every night on their work and then doing district meetings and then doing the call in report at the end of the week!! 

I'M SO SORRY I NEVER HAVE LIKE ANYTHING TO WRITE ABOUT!!  This week we taught lessons and walked and taught lessons and walked more hahaha!! Well, I actually did my first baptismal interview last week, and now the kid wants me to baptize him!!! SOOO I HAVE A BAPTISM THIS WEEK!!  Well, not me, but the sisters in my district doo!!  I'm wayy excited to do the baptism for them haha!! 

WELL I GOTTA GO SISTERS ARE WAITING TO USE THE COMPUTERS SOOOO BYE BYEE!!

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!