APOSTLES... THEY'RE IGHT -WEEK 28

HAHAHAHA KIDDING APOSTLES ARE AMAZING!!! 

We had the very lucky privilege to listen to an apostle of the Lord speak to us yesterday!!  Elder Nelson President of the Quorum of the Twelve!!

So it went like this!  He showed up at the chapel and then we all went outside and took a big group photo on one camera and I don't have the pic yet but later I will!  But after the pic he and his wife and Elder Ardern of the Seventy and his wife waited in a line to greet us at the meeting!  And we all got to shake his hand!!  LET ME JUST TELL YOU SOMETHING!!  I received a stronger witness that he's an Apostle just from shaking his hand!!  THERE WAS POWER IN HIS HANDS!!  Yet, they were still those old man hands!  But it felt like the worlds strongest man was gripping my hand!! 

Well, I only have a lil time to talk about his talk!  And I left my notes at home so next week I'll go more in depth on his talk!  But I just want to tell you a cool experience!!  So he was teaching directly from the spirit, first of all no teleprompters out here in the Ppines!!  But so he was just sharing with us his personal insights!  And he did this like 4 times, he would be sharing and then say.. wait my minds going somewhere... somewhere in D and C... section 136.. verse (sorry I forgot the verse but it's in my notes!) and then he would just read this verse and we got the opportunity to watch an Apostle read a verse!  Break it down!  Expound the verse!  And then LIKEN IT!!  It was the greatest experience to watch a master gospel teacher at work!!  Ten feet in front of my face!! 

Other updates on my area!!  WE HAVE 4 BAPTISMS THIS SATURDAY!!!  MAYBE 6!!  hahaha the family is finally being baptised!!!  All though the dad is not being baptised, because he doesn't have time to attend church because of work, he really has a strong desire to be baptised with his family and their big family goal is to be sealed in the temple!!  Funny story... So one of the kids was messing around during the lesson and the mom goes "listen to the lesson or you're not gonna be able to go to the temple with the family" HAHAHAHAHA how cool is that!!!  They're already starting to become worthy to enter the temple!! 

Well, that has been my last week!!  I hope everyone is having a great time wherever you may be and I encourage you to always pray and read everyday!!  And one thing that was taught in the conference was to really think about your prayers!!  And your relationship with God, and your prayers will become more meaningful!! 

YA HA BIBI!! (arabic for mahal kita or in english I love you)

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!

I HAVE A SON!! -WEEK 20

Hello family and friends!! whom I love soo very much!

Well this week we only worked three days because I just barely got back to Masbate with my new companion!!  His name is Elder Jardeleza and he is from Illoilo which means his native tounge isn't Tagalog!!  So not only do I not know Tagalog, but sometimes it's hard for him too!!!  And in Illoilo they speak wayyy fast soo he's wayy hard to understand sometimes!!  And we also got 2 new missionaries in our apartment!!  So that's coolio.  One is from New Zealand, so he knows English but the other is from the same place as my comp!! 

But ya, it's been a short week of work but it's been wayy fun.  The transition from trainee to trainer is kinda difficult!!  I'm used to my comp knowing what to do all the time and where to go!!!  But now it's all up to me!!  I decided that every time I make a decision I'm gonna pray about it and see if that's what  I should do.  I need all the help from the spirit I can get!!

Well it's Christmas this week and let's just say I don't think a Christmas miracle of snow is gonna go down!!  It's still blazing hot here!!  Not blazing hot, but super hot and really humid!!  I love it cause I can eat all the rice I want!! (and we definitely eat alot) and then I just sweat it all off!! hahahhaha 

Well, in the spirit of Christmas just give give give!!!  No matter what it is, just GIVE!!  Give all the service you can!!!!  And give prayers to those in need!!  And give help to the poor and needy!!  And for all you parents reading this, OF COURSE GIVE TO YOUR KIDS HEHEHHE!!! 

I hope everyone has a great Christmas week this week and have lots of fun for me!!

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!

Christmas Presents!

I ATE WHAT?! -WEEK 16

soooo.... I ate CHICKEN INTESTINES THIS WEEK!!!  I have a picture for proof!!  But computer is being dumb so probably no pics... but next week maybe!!!

I don't have alot of time because the dang pictures broke my computer!!  But I just wanted to share a quick story.  So on Sundays we do exchanges and while on exchanges I'm with a member in our ward and then I become the senior companion... man it's pretty scary being the one in charge while teaching, but I also love it, it's soo fun!!  I teach wayyy better too, because I actually have to be more focused and can't just rely on my comp to teach them!!  But yesterday, we were teaching a less active during our exchanges and we were teaching about repentance!!  And then at the end of the lesson we were talking about her coming back to church and she said she was just too lazy and stuff and then the weirdest thing happened... I started talking to her in almost perfect Tagalog ( k maybe not almost perfect, but really good) but while I was talking to her, I was feeling the spirit soo strong as a taught her and testified to her about attending church and the benefits and blessings of church, and I know she was feeling the spirit.  I could see it in her face!!  And after, she said ok ill do it!!  Because earlier she said I'll try and then we said "dont try just do!!"  And then she decided she would start coming back to church!!  We'll see if she attends this week.. hopefully!!

Also funny story!!  There's an American guy that lives like 30 minutes away from our apartment and I see him sometimes riding around on jeepneys and he always yells at me lol!!  But today I saw him at a restaurant for lunch and he came and talked to me and said " hey I was thinking about you the other day, I really was!  I was upstairs in my room praying and I started thinking about you!" (you know why he thought about me.. the spirit was reminding him of me so that we the missionaries could teach him the gospel!!)  But after that he said " I wonder if I'll ever see him again and if I do I'm gonna talk to him!"  Well, he did and we were just talking about where we were from and weirdly he has family in Scottsdale lol!!  But after, I asked him if he would be interested in listening to our message!  And well, he said no... but I know that we are supposed to teach him!!  That's not just a coincidence that he thought about me while praying!!  So next time I see him I'm gonna try to teach him!! 

Time to go.. but I love you all... ALL OF YOU!!  We might not talk but I see all the people that get this email and I literally love you all!!  And your support, whether it's helping me or my family!  I'm so grateful for it!!  And everyone that reads this, if you see my mom this week you better give her a hug this week and tell her that her son in the PPINES loves her sooo much!!  Because it's Thanksgiving week and I realized how much I didn't thank her for everything she did for me growing up so this will be my way of kinda making up for it!!

ps. "don't try just do!!" whatever your trying to do better in your life stop trying and just DO IT!! 

pss. don't forget to pray! there is power in prayer! - did you think to pray hymn!

psss. if your having a bad day listen to or read some hymns!!  They are amazing!!  They help me alot!!

pssss. I LOVE YOU ALL AND DON'T FORGET 👇

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!

"Chicken INTESTINES"

Oh, how praying rests the weary!

Prayer will change the night to day.

So, when life gets dark and dreary,

Don't forget to pray.

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.