LIGAO 1A -WEEK 44

WELL MY NEW AREA IS LIGAO branch 1a and this branch is a lil bit bigger than my last one!! Going from 50 to 150 hahaha!! And soon to be Ligao WARD!!! Hopefully we can make it there we just have to focus on getting active full tithe melchezidek priesthood holders!! 

BUT ABOUT THIS WEEK!!  So because we are opening an area we just went around to all our areas (our area is HUGE!) and we just met some members and found old investigators where we could.  But the problem was, that the last missionaries didn't have very many investigators. But we really just got to know our area and find members like half the week, because this area is pretty easy to get lost in!! ( FUNNY STORY ABOUT "LIGAO" well the word ligao in English is "LOST" hahaha so ya it's pretty easy to get "lost".  

Well after we figured out the area we started finding and teaching investigators on Thursday! And in our first 2 lessons, we invited 6 people to be baptized for the second week of July hahaha I really like giving people baptismal dates, it's the only way we can see how interested they really are, so I always try to give them right away!! 

What else well not much happened!! Well yesterday we went and worked with the 1st councilor in the district presidency so that was fun!! They have the best desire to work and get the membership bigger here!!

Well I don't really have any other stuff to talk about but just remember who we are "we are members of The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter Day Saints!! If you ever think it's gonna be an easy thing to be a latter day saint you were wrong... the center of our church is JESUS CHRIST, why should we think our life would be easy if it was never easy for him!!" (atonement and missionary work) yes of course everything will be a little bit easier because the center of our church is Jesus Christ and his atonement and we can all be made strong thru his atonement but!! we can only be made strong after we go thru our trials or afflictions!! then will our weak things be made strong!! 

SHOUTOUT TO THE STRONGEST GIRL I KNOW!! COURTNEY IS GOING THRU A HARD TIME RIGHT NOW WITH A SICKNESS!!! 

I would ask everyone to please pray for her!! Not necessarily for her to be healthy right away (cause I know that the priesthood blessings that my dear friends and family gave her will take care of that) but more for her to be made strong thru the atonement of Jesus Christ cause He truly did take upon Him all of our sicknesses!! and thru Him we will be made strong!! 

I LOVE YOU COURT GET BETTER!! FRIENDS AND FAMILY THANK YOU FOR THE HELP YOU HAVE GIVEN MY FAMILY!! 

LOVE ELDER BAKER

DONT FORGET COURTNEY!! HAKUNA MATATA! 

 At Ligao zone conference

God knew the challenges we would face, and He certainly knew how lonely and troubled we would sometimes feel.  He watches over His mortal family constantly, hears our prayers always, He sent prophets (and later apostles) to teach, counsel, and guide us.  But in times of special need, He sends angels, divine messengers, to bless His children, to reassure us that heaven is always very close and that His help is always very near.             --Elder Jeffrey R Holland

PRIESTHOOD POWER! -WEEK 13

Note from Mom:  I'm attaching a picture to this email.  It has two ladies in it.  Dillon "Elder Baker" says they are his new Filipino moms!!  They feed him literally EVERY SINGLE NIGHT!  My heart is full of gratitude for these ladies.  They don't need appointments...........they just show up every night and they get fed.  Makes me want to try to be more like these ladies.  When we see missionaries in our area, please BE NICE!  Give them a SMILE!!  And offer to FEED THEM!  ok, now enjoy Dillon's email:

SIGE, so this week was a pretty normal week in the mission field without any crazy accidents or anything!! 

BUTTT COOL SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE YAYYYY 

So on Wednesday this family in our ward that is recent converts came over to the Gambas house while we were eating dinner and one of the little girls was sick! (this is the single moms family with 3 girls, so no dad aka priesthood holder) soo she asked Elder Irabon to give her daughter a blessing and Elder Irabon looked at me and said will you give her a blessing... I was like HUH!? I don't even know the language!! And the mom said its ok just do taglish!! I was like ya ok I can do that!! ... ya that didn't happen lol I used tagalog to bless her to get healthy but then after that when I was listening to the spirit guiding me what to say I couldn't keep up with trying to translate!! lol it's okay lang because the spirit only has one language and we all understand it! Well I finished the blessing and didn't even remember what I said but I felt GREAT!!! And then the next day she was completely fine and even did a jump rope competition and was perfectly healthy!! It was such a cool experience for me to see me actually blessing someones life!! And I know I'm gonna bless the people of the Legazpi mission muuuuch more in 2 years!! 

So every Sunday me and my comp do a split with Mark Jade and Justin Gamba and I go out to Uson which is like an hour away and do a special sacrament and then teach a couple people out there and it's wayy funn hahhaa yesterday it was me and MJ and I was showing him pics from back home and halloween last year and if you saw the pics from last halloween you would know how confused he must have been lol!! But it was a weird halloween here because here it is araw ng mga patay or day of the dead and there was no-one dressed up or anything. kinda boring!! 

I JUST REMEMBERED!! I ATE CAT THIS WEEK!! LOL it was suprisingly really good!!!  haha as long as you cook it good! Also anyone that knows me really well knows I don't really eat fruits or vegetables but now I eat pretty much anything lol!! 

Soo cool little thing I noticed this week.  So I was thinking about learning Tagalog and some words just have a familiar ring to them and I was wondering why and I was thinking we already knew the language that we are learning in heaven!! That's why we can learn them soo fast and it sounds familiar!! I don't know about other missionaries but it does sound familiar to me lol! 

well thats my report lol! 

ps.; always remember to HAKUNA MATATA!!

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!

 Cute Baby goat friend!

Looks like they did some serious clearing work here!  Good job Elders!  

 So, I'm (mom) just guessing.....but I think this is Mark Jade (MJ)

who Elder Baker refers to in his letters.  He is awaiting his mission call

and goes out teaching with the Elders all the time!  He's getting very prepared!

The Priesthood is restored,

The truth made known to man,

That God has spoken to the earth,

His pow'r is here again!

MASTER BAKER -WEEK 9

Well first off, the subject!  Instead of PANADERO,  they call me MASTER BAKER sorry dad I think mine is better!! 

Ok so this last week.  So on Monday last week we gave a blessing to an old man and then we came and emailed, and then on Tuesday we found out he had leukemia and then on Wednesday he died.  And I was really depressed thinking the blessing didn't work but my companion pointed out to me that it is better that he die now instead of having to live longer with leukemia and he was also like paralyzed and blind so ya, it was bad!  So my companion pointed out that that was the power of the priesthood blessing, that he would either be healed, or put out of his misery and his families misery of having to watch him struggle everyday.  k then Wednesday we took a trip to THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!  lol this whole island is the middle of nowhere, but really it was a 4 hour trike and bus ride out there, and then a 30 minute motorcycle ride into the deep parts of the jungle!!  Oh ya, and on our way out there I pooped for the first time here in Masbate!  lol ya I know like a whole week!  And we had to stop at a school and I was like 1 second away from pooping my pants!

Lol but it was all worth it, cause the investigator out there is GOLDEN!  She is READY to be baptised!!  Thursday I don't really remember too much but we taught an investigator who came to church this week!  ummm Friday we did a baptismal interview with the girl who got married last week, and she's getting baptised this coming Saturday!  SATURDAY WE HAD MY FIRST BAPTISM!!!  I didn't do it but still it was soo cool! Now Sunday! Well yesterday we did not watch conference yet we had a district conference, so all the members on Masbate Island were there!  It was a WHOPPING 200 people! LOL ya not that many members but still ALL great people!!  Then after 7 and a half hours of conference,  we went straight to a blessing..... at the top of a mountain!  lol it was a 30 minute hike up in the rain!  And then on he way down stopped at the Villiamors family area!  They all live together up in this mountain place it's sweet!  And while we were there we gave another blessing!  It's also fast Sunday we haven't eaten forever!!!  Well now today I'm here just chillin!  I love you all!

ps. if you're ever having a bad day read a couple hymns they're the best!

LOVE ELDER BAKER
HAKUNA MATATA!!

the motorcycle ride

 the school with the "bathroom" lol

 baptism

Just hum your favorite hymn,

Sing out with vigor and vim.

And you will find it clears your mind,

Hum your favorite hymn.