THE GRIND! -WEEK 70

Sooo it’s been another week! I feel like I always say this, but the weeks are FLYING BY! Time flys when your having fun right??

Well this week probably went by fast because it was soo GREAT! We found a ton of new investigators this week a lot we haven’t really started teaching yet and seen any progression but we found this one family this week named the DY family (pronunced D) they are soo cool.  I think all the missionaries will know what I’m saying when you can just feel like someone is gonna progress when you first meet them. Well that’s how this family was.  We met the father and we taught him a quick little overview of our lessons and mainly felt like teaching a little about the BOOK OF MORMON so that became our focus and we invited him to read and pray about it and he was determined to do it!  We haven’t gone back yet but we are going back tomorrow so I’ll let you know how it goes! hahaha pray for him!!

So I don’t have very much time but I just want to share some quick lil stories from this week that were fun! So I’m sure you guys know about the whole #LightTheWorld well we have lil pass along cards and we have been challenged to give alot of those out all the time by just opening our mouths and its BEEN SOO FUNN! I love this mission because I’m becoming more open to talk to strangers haha I’m still scared but it makes it a little bit easier when I know I have something soo important to share! haha Well this week I’ve had some experiences giving cards out to people while riding jeepneys or tricys or while buying from one of my favorite food stands! haha I try giving them out to everyone! And alot of the responses are “we're catholic" I love saying to them that whatever religion we are, this isn’t just about religion... this is about us serving them! And about sharing the good news of Christ's birth and how it can change our lives! 

Well rain’s coming down out of nowhere and the powers probably about to go out so I just wanna send this out before I go!!  

I LOVE YOU ALL!! 

CONGRATS TO COURT FOR GETTING MARRIED THIS WEEK!! I LOVE YOU COURT!! 

#LIGHTTHEWORLD!! 

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!! 

GOD IS OMNISCIENT!! -WEEK 69

Sooo what a GREAT WEEK!! Once again!! I feel like I’m writing these letters everyday the weeks are going wayy too fast!! Time needs to slow down!! 

Well this week was awesome because we got to have a conference with Elder Bowen the area president of the Philippines right now and it was soo cool!! Most of his talk was about becoming exactly obedient missionaries and how we can start to see miracles in this mission!! But how he taught it first he taught about what the rules were and how we can better follow them.. then he taught like a doctrine part.. which was about the oath and covenant of the priesthood the abrahamic covenant and about our baptismal covenant! I’m so sorry I can’t explain everything he talked about in this little email, but basically what he taught about is where we truly come from and how when we know who we really are, we change how we act! Then he taught about the plan of salvation and how GOD is omniscient! And he knows everything that we can become in this life and the next, and he wants us to do all we can to get all of those blessings but if we don’t do everything we are supposed to in this life... we won’t get those promised blessings!! It was a huge eye opener for me and a lot of the guys out here in our mission!! Excited to see what kind of things will start happening out here!! 

OTHER THAN THAT!! We had a good week teaching some investigators and less actives!! I LOVE THIS ONE GUY OUT HERE! He’s a inactive! But the weird part is he has a son on a mission hahaha well he promised he would come to church when his son gets home, but we FINALLY GOT HIM TO COME TO CHURCH!! Now he’s come 3 times! He is still struggling with the word of wisdom but he’s working on sacrificing that to be able to keep the commandments!! Soo add brother Bernardo to your prayers to help him! 

THEN we have sister Rosel Bolanos she is a investigator who is soo cool she comes to church every week and she wants to be baptized soo bad but her husband wont let her! Well last Saturday we taught her and she asked us if we could fast for her husband so we did last Sunday and we’ll see what happens with her husband, but I would love to have you guys join in prayers for sister Rosel’s husband to soften his heart!! THANK YOU!! 

Also just a lil update on ROMAR JAY! The kid thats gonna get baptized next week! He’s doing great as always!! I think sister Monellia is more excited for the baptism then her son is hahaha but they’re both excited! Sister Monellia is super excited for February to be baptized! 

EVERYONE IS A MISSIONARY ALERT!! 

So cool story!! Last week a couple out here meet a family by talking to them just while walking around and they set a time that missionaries could teach them and after 2 lessons they came to church and are really searching for the truth!! So never be afraid to talk to people about the gospel! BE A LIGHT UNTO THE WORLD!  We have such a great opportunity this December to show our faith thru our works and be a light to other people!! I KNOW THAT WE CAN ALL BE A LIGHT UNTO THE WORLD!! And people will want to come unto that light!! 

SOO GO OUT AND SERVE!! 

"preach the gospel at all times...if necessary use words”  

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!

My light is but a little one,

My light of faith and prayer;

But lo! it glows like God's great sun,

For it was lighted there.

Shine on, shine on, shine on bright and clear;

Shine on, shine on now the day is here.

I may not hide my little light;

The lord has told me so.

'Tis given me to keep in sight,

That all may see it glow.

Shine on, shine on, shine on bright and clear;

Shine on, shine on now the day is here.

INTESTINES WITH RICE?? -WEEK 68

HEYYYYOOO WHAT’S UPPP EVERYONE!! 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! 

So first off with the subject line.. Well I think the most asked question to me is what weird foods did you eat this week? hahaha so lemme just tell you how my Thanksgiving day was... hahaha so on our way home on Thanksgiving, we stopped by at a lil barbque stand and I bought some chicken intestines and then got some rice... and yup that was my Thanksgiving meal.. haha and actually my meal one other time this week hahaha! But like you guys have noo idea how delicious intestines are HAHAHA!! Well I did kinda get to have a Thanksgiving meal!! One of the members cooked up their turkey for us on Sunday... but it was definitely not the same kind of cooking of turkey! But it made me feel good eating turkey! I’M THANKFUL FOR TURKEY HAHAHA!! 

Well a little update on the week... it was a good week! This area has been one of my hardest areas.. yet it’s been such a GREAT AREA!! It has been an area of growing for myself! haha! But this week we got out and we found a couple of new investigators! I don’t know how interested they will be in the next upcoming weeks but we’ll see! One of them is brother Norbine! He’s 17 and it was funny, when we met him he knew one of my friends back in Ligao, a member, so that was fun hahaha but he seems interested right now! He prayed and is reading the Book of Mormon, so that’s good!! we've only taught him twice tho so we’ll see what happens this week!

And of course we have our baptism coming up! YEET! we’re really excited for him and I think his mom is more excited! His mom has waited many years to be baptised but she will be baptised in February but she’s wayy excited for her sons baptism!! She works with him all the time to undserstand our lessons! She teaches him over and over!! The boy is 11 yrs old so just a lil kid but the whole ward out here is excited for his baptism! Most of the members didn’t know he was an investigator cause he’s been coming to church for like 4 yrs now! 

Well that’s about everything for the week!! I heard a lil quote from a friend that said "if I lost everything I have tomorrow, where would my faith be?”  Be thankful for all the blessings we have in this life but just make sure our faith is always in the right place!! And bulit upon things that are eternal!! 

I’M SOO THANKFUL FOR MY ETERNAL FAMILY!  I’m thankful for this perfect plan! I’m thankful I’m here sharing His plan! I’m thankful for EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU! For all of your prayers and support to all the missionaries!! 

DAGOS LANG PO KAYO! MAHAL KITA! 

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!

THANKSGIVING DINNER? ewwww!

Elder Baker says:  it's delicious!

Self-timer pic..... everyone else was late to the pic but

Elder Baker and all the ladies!!!

Elder Baker and Elder Ayson

A lot of people after the HALF-DAY MISSION!

She lost the FHE game!  Baby powder is 

the "loser" punishment!!

My BOY Elder Mahipos!!  haha (I love this guy he says!) 

Elder Baker and Sister Sarte and other members

the pic Dillon took for his sister's wedding!!!

GUINO IS GETTING A BAPTISM!! -WEEK 67

WOOAH WHAT A WEEK! It’s been quite a crazy week with transfers happening last week! On Tuesday we had to get the elders in our house sent out and then I was lucky to be in a trisome with my boy elder Nonu! (my companion back in Mobo) he got to work in our area on Tuesday and it was so fun to be working with him again! 

On Tuesday we found a new less active family, the Milliamina family. The mom is a member but the dad is not a member but all her kids are members…  they all have families now, but we taught them and hopefully we can get working on the dad to start coming to church!  he’s just the kinda guy who just relaxes believes in God but it doesn’t drive him to do anything haha but we’ll see what happens with him! His wife didn't come to church this Sunday but we’ll see what we can do to get them to come! 

We also found the Mota family... a less active family also (lots of new LA's hahah)  The problem with the Mota’s is they live out in the MOUNTAINS hahaha over a hill down a hill thru a river and then up another hill haha! But they’re awesome!! 

Other than less actives, we found a part member family, well actually we didn't find them but... we found this kid that isn't a member hahaha so this family is funny.. the dad is a member.. inactive... the mom is NOT a member... but has gone to church every week since 2013 haha she can’t get baptized until they get married in February! BUT she said she wants to have her son get baptized now…... WHICH MEANS GUINO IS GETTING A BAPTISM!! First one in over a YEAR!  You could say I'm a little excited hahaha!!  And guess what.. the moms little sisters live with her so we’re gonna try and involve them in the lessons also!  The family is the Monillia family! 

Soo this week I had a great time just sitting back and relaxing... hahaha I gave elder Ayson the chance to lead to see if that would help him and...YESS IT WORKED! He started working a lot harder this week so I had a lot better week than I have been out here in Guinobatan! 

I LOVE YOU ALL!! I’M SOO UNBELIEVABLY HAPPY OUT HERE!! #PpinesBaby

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!

Whenever I am good and kind

And help someone I see,

I feel so very happy,

For then I'm helping me.

Tra la la la la la la la,

I'm happy as can be

When I am helping others,

For then I'm helping me.

BAGONG BALITA! -WEEK 66

WELL ACTUALLY I DON’T HAVE REALLY ANY NEW NEWS! I'm still here in GUINOBATAN! With my companion Elder Ayson and still struggling in this area. We were really sad this week because one of our GREAT investigators found a job last week and his schedule is either 7 pm to 7 am which we can teach him in the afternoon when thats his schedule, but every week it switches. This last week it was 7 am to 7pm and his house is too far away and when he gets home he goes right to sleep so we didn't get to teach him at all this week... and then our other progressing was in a different area with his girlfriend all week so we didn't go to him either! BUTTT WE DID get some delicious food this week!! Well more like lil snacks! Something I love about being in the Philippines and being in an area in the "bukid" or like mountains is that the members always give us coconuts!! hahaha Coconut juice has become my all time favorite drink ever!  Like there is nothing better than stopping and drinking a coconut while out walking in the heat of the ppines!! hahaha and I ate some weird lil yellow thing they said the name is "merienda" but that just means snack hahaha some people call it "passion fruit" hahaha I don't know what it’s called, but it was weird looking BUT SOOO GOOD!! I’ll send a pic of it haha! And then we ate some pomelo which is like a filipino version of grapefruits! I don't know maybe it’s the same I never ate grapefruits! haha 

Well, that’s about it haha!! see you all next week. Thanks for the love!! 

LOVE YOU FAM!! 

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!

 ALWAYS remember to wear shoes when playing b-ball!

 FHE!

 out working....

district activity! 

buds for life! Elder Downing : ) 

 With Elder Nicks

Legazpi ZONE Conference

tracting 

One of Elder Baker's new favorite fruits?  Wait...that's not a fruit snack?!!

WHAT A WEEK! -WEEK 64

Well it’s been quite a week FULL OF SURPRISES! HAHAHA ;) but it’s been a humbling and good week to learn from! I learned this week that "missionary work isn't easy. Because salvation isn't cheap” -Elder Holland.  This week we had some struggles with teaching people and keeping our heads on straight as missionaries! I’M GRATEFUL for the trials our Heavenly Father has given me especially in this new area! YES it’s been a struggle BUT YES it’s been LOTS OF FUN!! 

SYEMPRE we had success cause everyday is a success as long as you go to sleep happy.. hahaha we did find some more people to teach, actually one lady we found is sister Leonora Monellia.  She is an old lady with diabetes and she can barely walk!  But she is a spiritual lady. She kindly let us in to teach her! She expressed with us her trials and struggles of trying to help her kids get a good education and as we started to teach her the first principles of the gospel that God is our loving Heavenly Father and has a plan for each of us and how his gospel will bless us, she responded with tears in her eyes how thankful she was that we came to share with her and she CAN’T WAIT for us to come back and explain everything thats in the pamphlet we gave her! Soo happy for people like her that we find! 

We also continued to work with some of our potential progressing investigators, Christian Paul or CP3 and Christian Milliamina they both have their individual problems one with wow and one with attending church because of work BUT BOTH SHARE THE DESIRE TO BE BAPTIZED!! We tried to help one of them with his problem of drinking coffee by giving him a big packet of milo which is like a substitute of coffee haha so were excited to see how he’s been doing with no coffee and hopefully can stop the alcohol problem! hahaha 

Other than that we've been working on bringing back some less actives in our group area and help build that area!  Yesterday we had a sportsfest and we went and played bball with the ward members and me being dumb didn't play in any shoes and now the skin on the bottom of my big toes are like peeling off... just a lil blood.. SHOUTOUT TO THE POOL BASKETBALL BOYS!!  If 8 of your 10 toes aren't bleeding you're not going hard enough!! LOL! 

LOVE YOU ALL AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN AND DIO DE LOS MUERTOS AND ARAW NG MGA PATAY AT ARAW NG MGA KALULUWA! HAHAHA!  

ps. no halloween here normal day

LOVE ELDER BAKER

HAKUNA MATATA!!