obedience does not restrict. it frees

Heyyy,

I am exhausted.  It was 65 degrees today!!! Our zone played outside at Fort Steilacoom park for a few hours.  Ultimate Frisbee, soccer, and football. Felt way good to run around and feel hot and sweaty.  Not too often that I get to do that.  Our zone always complains about being bored with nothing to do on PDAYS. Well...when no one takes initiative and steps up to make the plans then that tends to happen.  I usually am a pday coordinator but the last zone I was in one of the other sisters didn't like that I always "controlled" pdays.  Lame. So I have kind of backed off of taking charge of Pdays.  So anyways.

I spent the greater part of the morning with a lady in our ward at the fabric store in Tacoma because she is teaching me how to sew!  It has been the biggest dream of mine lately to take sewing lessons but never thought that I was able to achieve that goal on my mission.  This sister made tons of cute pillows and slip covers and table runners and curtains and stuff in her house and even has made a lot of the skirts that she wears to church.  So, Bro Stowers bought me some sewing lessons from her at the YW auction this past week!  Haha the YW put together a dinner/auction to raise money to go to girls camp.  We were invited to attend but I had no money so couldn't bid on anything.  I sat with the Stowers family and Bro Stowers asked what I would want to bid on if I had money and I said the sewing lessons.  So he bought me three 2hr private sewing lessons for $40.  Sweeeetness.  She offers free classes during the week on tuesdays but I can never go because we have to work.  But with the private classes I could choose my day so I picked today (pday).  She is teaching me how to make an A-line skirt and this really, really nice messenger bag.  Her stuff doesn't look home-sewn at all.  Really quality stuff.  I told her that she should start a business on etsy or something.  She has really good taste in textiles.  I'm so excited!!!

I got to help one of the Agor girls make a dessert for the auction for people to bid on.  Her mom took her to buy a ton of stuff to make cake pops.  Have you guys ever seen those before. Sooooo cute.  They bought this book with all different kinds you can make.  Owls, ice cream cones, pandas, all kinds of cute little things.  We made easter egg ones and arranged them in an easter egg basket.  It sold for $30!! So by the end of the night the ward raised enough money to send each YW to camp. So cool.

This email is going to contain lots of things about food that happened this week.  This week I had one of the best meals on my mission and I also added something really nasty to my "foods I've tried on my mission" resume.  So for about a month I have been craving just a delicious crisp yet soft Belgian waffle with fresh berries and cool whip.  I have had several members attempt to make it for me and all fail miserably.  They never learned the phrase "Never Eat Soggy Waffles" when they were growing up and learning how to tell where was north, east, south, and west.  So this lady in the ward that signed up to feed us took the challenge to make a non-soggy waffle. Oh mannnn, it was sooo good.  Like hotel quality.  She had it all set up in these nice dishes. Fresh strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. 

Nasty food eaten this week: kuikui (coo-ey coo-ey).  Samoan version of raw sea urchin in this like orange sauce atop a chunk of tarot root.  Ohhhhkkaaayyy.  I gulped it down like a champ.  It was almot worse than the eyeball. Sooooo salty.  I bet Grandpa Ted would have liked it.  I also ate this Samoan raw fish in this like white sauce.  Turkey tails.  Aka the butt of a turkey.  Cornbeef chunks. yikes.  And this curry soup that had all the bits of a chicken that you are supposed to throw away.  Um the like pimply skin that you see when its raw.  Or the vertebrae.  Yeah....I mean it's cool to say that I've eaten all that stuff but it was painful to choke down.  I made Bro Stowers finish mine.

Conference was AMAZING.  I forgot to bring my notebook with me to the library, I was going to email you guys a bunch of the notes that I had taken.  But I forgot it.  So inspiring.  The major lesson or feeling that I took away from conference is that I am so fortunate and blessed to have the knowledge and testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ that I do. That I have everything before me to be happy and have joy in this life.  To have the tools and the resources to receive answers from on high.  To know that I have a divine heritage and a purpose and plan for my life.  To have a vision and a means to an end in which I am striving everyday to be just a little more qualified for.  To become more like the Savior that I am lucky enough to know lives and that He loves me.

When the prophet walked out into the conference center for the first session on Saturday morning it was an immediate feeling of the Spirit that washed over me in the form of peace and assurance that Thomas S. Monson really is a prophet of God.  That he really does communicate with Him for us.  And that how brilliant it is that I can trust and be led by God through whatever the prophet will advise, counsel, warn, or challenge me to do in my life.  The warmth and comfort from just seeing him enter the conference center in Salt Lake City on the projector screen in the church touched my heart a 1,000 miles away in Washington.  We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet.  I saw President Waddell sitting with the Seventy before one of the sessions had started.  I also got to see Natalie, Shauna Sargent's younger sister sing in the MTC choir!  So neat!  She is going to south america on her mission. Cool cool.

We watched the Sunday morning session at the Agors.  We had the most delicious Sunday breakfast.  Island style.  The most buttery french toast you'd ever eaten.  Prabably because they slather them with butter.  Eggs. Portugeuse sausage.  Rice. Crumb donuts. Bacon. Sausage.  POG. Fruit.  We all watched conference together and just had the best time ever.  After the morning session on Saturday Elder Quigley, one of the car czars for the mission took the entire Lakewood and Tacoma zones out for lunch at Tacobell. So like almost 50 missionaries!  He bought almost 100 tacos for us.  So fun.

I have a testimony that the laws and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ bless our lives and make us free on the condition that we are faithful and obedient in adhering to the laws of God.  We tracted into this 20 something yr old guy named Andy.  Andy said that he lived next door to some Mormons and started making fun of how many rules that they had to live by and how sheltered of a life that they lived.  He went on to say that he didn't need a church to know God and that he finds error in people.  We taught him that the commandments are not to restrict us and keep us bound making our area of living smaller. But rather quite the opposite.  It keeps the evil and harm and tragedy out of our lives that is within our control actually granting us a large area of living or freedom.  We told him that our purpose as missionaries is not to merely add numbers to the church or to convert people to the church.  The church is merely the scaffolding in which we build our lives in the gospel.  We are inviting people to receive the saving ordinances of the gospel and not just to attend a church.  The church helps us to gain knowledge and strengthen our faith in the gospel.  We invited him to come to church and watch a session of general conference. He laughed a smug laugh and pulled up the bottom of his jeans pant leg to reveal an ankle bracelet.  He had been caught driving drunk a few years back and hit someone while under the influence.  Point proven.  Obedience does not restrict.  It frees.  Now Andy literally is going to be imprisoned for his bad choices.  He is on house arrest until June until he goes to state prison.  Make the choice now to be free by adhering to God's laws.

Aunty Allison, do you know a half chinese lady on your street named Maelynn?  Her family is in the ward that I am serving!  There is a PMF in our ward.  The mom is a member and the Dad is Chinese but raised in Mongolia and not a member.  He is dying of cancer.  I'm not sure if she is active or not.  Her family here in WA is kind of less-active so when she said that she had a daughter that lived in Sandy, UT I got excited and asked what part and she said Gracey Lane.  Such a small world!  Another small world story is this senior missionary couple in the mission named the Foleys.  They are from Laie, HI and know so many people!  Do you know them?  They knew the Elkingtons.

Way cool story to close.  We went tracting yesterday and rang this doorbell.  Well I guess when I rang the doorbell it got stuck and it was ringing for like 2 minutes straight!  Awkward.  I didn't know what to do so I figured we should just bust out of there.  Sis Welch told me that happened to her when she was in Steilacoom and the guy that lived there got super mad at them so I figured it was the same house.  Nope different guy.  As we were walking down the driveway to leave this man opened the door and said that he was sleeping and the doorbell finally woke him up.  We got to talking and told him about who we were and what we do as missionaries.  He seemed really intrigued and said that he has really enjoyed the "I'm a Mormon" commercials on TV.  He wants to come check out the church!  MIRACLE.

Well, I love you guys. Hope everyone has a great week.  Just got the Rondo's package today. Thank youuuu!!! The kale was...interesting. I'm going to have to acquire a taste for it.  Mom, I just got your package today, too.  But I haven't opened it yet.  Thanks in advance.

Be happy,
Sis Baylon

Gratitude=Happiness

 

Hey Hey,

It was actually sunny this weekend!  Just in time for the long anticipated sisters conference.  Man, it seemed like that day would never come.  I needed it way bad. it was so fun!  We headed over to the mission home at 5:30 and had a dinner catered from Olive Garden.  Yum.  Then President and Sister Weaver wanted to take advantage of the nice weather and we went for a walk down at the Sound.  So gorgeous.  There were so many sister missionaries swarming around that place that it looked like temple square.  We took a bunch of pictures and just walked around and talked.  Then back to the mission home and we just hung out and some girls dyed easter eggs.  Munched on snacks and talked.  27 girls. 2 bathrooms. 1.5 hours in the morning to make it happen.  Yikes.  I set the alarm for 6am to beat the rush to the shower.  I slept in for 2 minutes.  At 6:02 there was someone already turning on the water.  Literally snooze you lose.  We had the most delicious breakfast!  We have seriously no food in our apt and we're broke.  My comp doesn't eat breakfast anyway, but I have to just scrounge around for something.  The other day I ate 3 prunes and some crystal light.  Breakfast of champions.  So when we headed to the kitchen at the mission home and were greeted with fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, hot cinnamon rolls, eggs, cereal, bagels, muffins, juice, chocolate milk it was such a treat.  We had some trainings in the morning by President and Sister Weaver.  Then the AP's came over and did a training on relying on the the holy ghost and how we can receive revelation when teaching.  Cool stuff. 

My comp and I are okay.  But I wouldn't be devastated if I got a new companion next transfer.  Speaking of which, we are starting week 5 of the transfer.  Holy Cow.  I cannot believe how fast it has been going.  As I am anticipating taking over the area, Dad, can you send me the Garmin GPS if you are not using it?  The streets here are kinda confusing and our area doesn't provide a GPS like my other areas did.  That would be great!

Broberg Family!  Thank you for the package!  My district leader suprised me with it at our district meeting this past week and it completely made my day.  A box full of Trader Joe food can do that for a hungry missionary!  You guys are the best!

Mom, thanks for the package that you sent me, too!  Ironically, I bought three journals the day that the one you sent me arrived.  I have been journaling like crazy.  It really has become a passion of mine.  I bought a cool journal that has this saying on the front cover, "We write to taste life twice."  Yep, that's why I write.  I love going back and reading about things that have happened at different stages on my mission and seen the growth I've experienced.  The losses and trials.  The wins and triumphs.  Pretty cool.  I'm building up quite the collection of journals I am filling!  I really have a testimony in keeping personal records.  The scriptures have highlighted this truth for me, there is much to be learned, remembered and appreciated in reading about the lives of those who have come before us.  I write for me but I also write for those that will read my journals when I am not around.  Plus, it's a really cathartic decompressing activity.  Let's you be expressive and creative.  I really reccommend it.

Man, I really got to watch what I eat out here!  Members love to feed us and I need to remember that each and every time I eat something they put in front of me there will be mortal consequences.  I don't want to be one of those sister missionaries that falls into the supposed "inevitable weight gain pitfall."  Some sisters in our ward work out together on MWF mornings at the church.  Yoga, cardio, pilates, weight training.  All that good stuff.  We usually can't go because it is at 9am which is during our comp study.  But I suggested last night that we study earlier this morning and go to the classs and take advantage of the time that we could do it because it's PDAY.  Sister Jensen hates working out.  So I had to drag her to go.  There were about 5 of us there.  We did a bunch of squats and lunges and different high rep sets of different moves.  Dang, I am out of shape.  These ladies that are twice my age were showing me up.  Felt good to exercise.  I'm really trying to make a point of it.

We had a baptism last night.  It was for a 12 yr old, Rudy, whose dad, Randy, just joined the church back in December.  I actually got to go to Randy's baptism with Sis Welch cause she got special permission cause she had taught him before she got transferred out of the area.  Looking at Rudy's teaching record and hearing little bits from different members of the ward, the teaching/conversion process for Rudy was arduous and was nearly a year long.   He met the missionaries before his Dad even did.  Sis Welch told me he was just the biggest punk kid.  Always getting in trouble, getting suspended from school, causing havoc at church.  Just squirrely and rascally and all that that entails.  But much to my suprise, when I got to the area and we really commited him to be either be serious about the lessons or not, he really started to change.  I got to watch the gospel of Jesus Christ in action as it refined and streamlined Rudy from the inside out.  At the baptism people made comments like "wow, he's come so far."  "night and day difference."  "I never thought we'd see him get baptized."  Seeing people change their lives for the better is my favorite aspect of missionary work.  It is my biggest reward.  He'll still be 12 years old and be around other kids that are of the world, but he won't be.  He now has been baptized into His church and given the companionship of the Holy Ghost to help him continue to change and make better choices.  He now has been granted access to the healing and saving power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. MIRACLE.

I feel like my perspective of my mission has changed.  I am more commited than I was when I started.  Even more than just a month ago.  I feel more intune with my purpose and my calling.  I find more joy in my service.  The difference has been that now my "eye is more fully single to the glory of God."  Being motivated but not enslaved to the numbers.  The quotas.  The pride in being successful.  There is a quote by President Howard W. Hunter: "Continue to seek opportunities for service.  Don't be overly concerned with status...It is important to be appreciated.  But our focus should be on righteousness, not recognition; on service, not status.  Visibility does not equate to value."  This work is not about me.

As I above mentioned my love for journaling, one of the journals that I started this week is actually a gratitude journal.  It is designed and meant to be a record of all things grateful.  All things blessings.  All things positive.  All things good.  It has little prompts on the bottoms of the pages about different things or ways to write about being grateful.  It has quotes all throughout about the virtue of gratitude.  It's really cool.  I feel like grateful people are happy people.  Happy people are happy people because they're humble.  Their humble because they recognize the hand of God in their lives more often than unhappy people do. You tend to find more hope, more confidence, more charity when you appreciate what you do have versus dwelling on what you don't.  But by the same token, I think grateful people are also ambitious.  Being satisfied but also balancing the notion that they can be the authors of their own life stories and to go out and make themselves happy by achieving or working or growing towards whatever thing, attribute, or goal they want to reach. Gratitude = happiness. 

Grateful for you guys.

Love ya.

Sis Baylon

Shout outs:

Brianne Flint Semons.  Would you write me already? Sheesh. It's been 10 years.

Congrats to Jordan and Jess on your engagements!  Jess you look so good in your announcement. 

Shay- thanks for sending me your blog updates in the mail.  How fun!  Your life is so cool.

Katy Rea- are you alive?  send me your email/mailing address!

Sam Anderson- IDK if you even read these posts, but if you do, I wanna hear from you!

 

Hey Hey,

 

It was actually sunny this weekend!  Just in time for the long anticipated sisters conference.  Man, it seemed like that day would never come.  I needed it way bad. it was so fun!  We headed over to the mission home at 5:30 and had a dinner catered from Olive Garden.  Yum.  Then President and Sister Weaver wanted to take advantage of the nice weather and we went for a walk down at the Sound.  So gorgeous.  There were so many sister missionaries swarming around that place that it looked like temple square.  We took a bunch of pictures and just walked around and talked.  Then back to the mission home and we just hung out and some girls dyed easter eggs.  Munched on snacks and talked.  27 girls. 2 bathrooms. 1.5 hours in the morning to make it happen.  Yikes.  I set the alarm for 6am to beat the rush to the shower.  I slept in for 2 minutes.  At 6:02 there was someone already turning on the water.  Literally snooze you lose.  We had the most delicious breakfast!  We have seriously no food in our apt and we're broke.  My comp doesn't eat breakfast anyway, but I have to just scrounge around for something.  The other day I ate 3 prunes and some crystal light.  Breakfast of champions.  So when we headed to the kitchen at the mission home and were greeted with fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, hot cinnamon rolls, eggs, cereal, bagels, muffins, juice, chocolate milk it was such a treat.  We had some trainings in the morning by President and Sister Weaver.  Then the AP's came over and did a training on relying on the the holy ghost and how we can receive revelation when teaching.  Cool stuff. 

 

My comp and I are okay.  But I wouldn't be devastated if I got a new companion next transfer.  Speaking of which, we are starting week 5 of the transfer.  Holy Cow.  I cannot believe how fast it has been going.  As I am anticipating taking over the area, Dad, can you send me the Garmin GPS if you are not using it?  The streets here are kinda confusing and our area doesn't provide a GPS like my other areas did.  That would be great!

 

Broberg Family!  Thank you for the package!  My district leader suprised me with it at our district meeting this past week and it completely made my day.  A box full of Trader Joe food can do that for a hungry missionary!  You guys are the best!

 

Mom, thanks for the package that you sent me, too!  Ironically, I bought three journals the day that the one you sent me arrived.  I have been journaling like crazy.  It really has become a passion of mine.  I bought a cool journal that has this saying on the front cover, "We write to taste life twice."  Yep, that's why I write.  I love going back and reading about things that have happened at different stages on my mission and seen the growth I've experienced.  The losses and trials.  The wins and triumphs.  Pretty cool.  I'm building up quite the collection of journals I am filling!  I really have a testimony in keeping personal records.  The scriptures have highlighted this truth for me, there is much to be learned, remembered and appreciated in reading about the lives of those who have come before us.  I write for me but I also write for those that will read my journals when I am not around.  Plus, it's a really cathartic decompressing activity.  Let's you be expressive and creative.  I really reccommend it.

 

Man, I really got to watch what I eat out here!  Members love to feed us and I need to remember that each and every time I eat something they put in front of me there will be mortal consequences.  I don't want to be one of those sister missionaries that falls into the supposed "inevitable weight gain pitfall."  Some sisters in our ward work out together on MWF mornings at the church.  Yoga, cardio, pilates, weight training.  All that good stuff.  We usually can't go because it is at 9am which is during our comp study.  But I suggested last night that we study earlier this morning and go to the classs and take advantage of the time that we could do it because it's PDAY.  Sister Jensen hates working out.  So I had to drag her to go.  There were about 5 of us there.  We did a bunch of squats and lunges and different high rep sets of different moves.  Dang, I am out of shape.  These ladies that are twice my age were showing me up.  Felt good to exercise.  I'm really trying to make a point of it.

 

We had a baptism last night.  It was for a 12 yr old, Rudy, whose dad, Randy, just joined the church back in December.  I actually got to go to Randy's baptism with Sis Welch cause she got special permission cause she had taught him before she got transferred out of the area.  Looking at Rudy's teaching record and hearing little bits from different members of the ward, the teaching/conversion process for Rudy was arduous and was nearly a year long.   He met the missionaries before his Dad even did.  Sis Welch told me he was just the biggest punk kid.  Always getting in trouble, getting suspended from school, causing havoc at church.  Just squirrely and rascally and all that that entails.  But much to my suprise, when I got to the area and we really commited him to be either be serious about the lessons or not, he really started to change.  I got to watch the gospel of Jesus Christ in action as it refined and streamlined Rudy from the inside out.  At the baptism people made comments like "wow, he's come so far."  "night and day difference."  "I never thought we'd see him get baptized."  Seeing people change their lives for the better is my favorite aspect of missionary work.  It is my biggest reward.  He'll still be 12 years old and be around other kids that are of the world, but he won't be.  He now has been baptized into His church and given the companionship of the Holy Ghost to help him continue to change and make better choices.  He now has been granted access to the healing and saving power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. MIRACLE.

 

I feel like my perspective of my mission has changed.  I am more commited than I was when I started.  Even more than just a month ago.  I feel more intune with my purpose and my calling.  I find more joy in my service.  The difference has been that now my "eye is more fully single to the glory of God."  Being motivated but not enslaved to the numbers.  The quotas.  The pride in being successful.  There is a quote by President Howard W. Hunter: "Continue to seek opportunities for service.  Don't be overly concerned with status...It is important to be appreciated.  But our focus should be on righteousness, not recognition; on service, not status.  Visibility does not equate to value."  This work is not about me.

 

As I above mentioned my love for journaling, one of the journals that I started this week is actually a gratitude journal.  It is designed and meant to be a record of all things grateful.  All things blessings.  All things positive.  All things good.  It has little prompts on the bottoms of the pages about different things or ways to write about being grateful.  It has quotes all throughout about the virtue of gratitude.  It's really cool.  I feel like grateful people are happy people.  Happy people are happy people because they're humble.  Their humble because they recognize the hand of God in their lives more often than unhappy people do. You tend to find more hope, more confidence, more charity when you appreciate what you do have versus dwelling on what you don't.  But by the same token, I think grateful people are also ambitious.  Being satisfied but also balancing the notion that they can be the authors of their own life stories and to go out and make themselves happy by achieving or working or growing towards whatever thing, attribute, or goal they want to reach. Gratitude = happiness. 

 

Grateful for you guys.

Love ya.

 

Sis Baylon

 

Shout outs:

Brianne Flint Semons.  Would you write me already? Sheesh. It's been 10 years.

Congrats to Jordan and Jess on your engagements!  Jess you look so good in your announcement. 

Shay- thanks for sending me your blog updates in the mail.  How fun!  Your life is so cool.

Katy Rea- are you alive?  send me your email/mailing address!

Sam Anderson- IDK if you even read these posts, but if you do, I wanna hear from you!

Hello!

 

The sun has kind of peaked out this morning but it is still freezing.  Figures.  WA never seems to let us down in the lame weather department.  But life goes on.  This week was pretty awesome in terms of the work.  Working hard and really putting your shoulder to the wheel brings a lot of reward.  It's hard and exhausting but I feel a lot better than when I am tempted to drag my feet and not be as dilligent or obedient. "The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what we want most for what we want at the moment." Laziness never was happiness in the WA-TAC. 

 

Mom, that is so great that you are going to start up being fellowship for that lady the elders are teaching again!  Such a miracle.  A lot of baptisms in our mission come from former investigators.  A lot of time they are dropped by the missionaries or drop the missionaries themselves for reasons like:  missionaries getting transferred, going on vacation, illness, hectic work schedules, missionaries stopping visits when investigators are still expecting visits, etc.  So while there may be people that no longer want  contact with the missionaries or to continue taking the lessons, there are still a lot out there that could pick right back up again.  I went through a fat pile of teaching records from formers in our area book.  So many people!  I went through a picked  a bunch out that seemed promising and made some phone calls or dropped by some of their houses to follow up.  I was hoping that one would be like the lady that the elders recontacted and that they were waiting for the missionaries to find them again.  Nope.  No such luck.  Bummer.  Side note story:  There is a lady in the ward named Tina.  She is from HI and is a member and at one point had her granddaughter's fiance coming to church and taking the lessons.  I wanted to follow up with him and his whereabouts so I called her to get some info.  When she answered the phone and said hello it made my heart jump and start at the same time.  She sounded EXACTLY like Grandma Margaret. Just the sweetest, kindest voice.  Her intonation and everything sounded just like her.  I still can't get over how strongly I feel her here in this area.

 

We had our quarterly interviews with President and Sister Weaver this past week in our zones.  Each companionship had an allotted time slot to have one on one interviews with them.  He told me that my countenance seemed brighter and more happy than the last time we had spoken.  I told him that I was really trying to turn over a new leaf with this transfer and my new area and companion.  As I walked out of the interview I had a strong impression that I will be taking over the area and that at the end of the transfer I'll get a new companion.  Meaning I need to learn my stuff about this place.  The ward here is excellent.  It was just split the week before I got here because it and the surrounding wards were very large.  I seem to be assigned to serve in predominantly military areas here in the mission.  With Silverdale and Bremerton both navy bases and now Steilacoom is just outside an airforce/army base.  So lots of military families.  Unlike Manette, they feed us almost every night.  I think I have eaten more ice cream in Steilacoom than I have in my entire mission.  And I have only been here 3 weeks.  I had to use most of my money to buy personal items or things like stamps and such so please feel free to send me snacks in the mail.  Crazy that it changed so much.  Our fridge and cupboards are pretty bare.  We have either really nasty or nonexistent cookware so I never really feel motivated to cook, let alone am lacking the funds to buy groceries.  Our zone goes out to eat too often, a big reason why my funds were drained so quickly this month.

 

Our bathtub got recalked this morning.  Thank goodness.  So much mold and mildew all around the tub.  When I got to the area, I was like "DUDE.  Did you guys ever clean??"  Sis Welch and I would really clean our apts every week on Pdays.  That seemed to have been skipped over here with the sisters that were here before me.  There was mold all around our window wells too.  So much moisture outside and the heat inside makes for a fungusy combination. 

 

I told Auntie Allison in an email that I met another missionary that served in SLC south.  Her name is Sister Maiava (My-aw-vah).  She is Samoan and knew my friend Sister Stone and Elder Ayoso (The Stowers out here now the Ayosos from Gardena).  Last transfer when I was in Btown I got a random text from this girl that used to be in the Del Mar stake and had moved to Puyallup which is an area in our mission.  She just got back from serving in SLC south and Kelsy Welch told her that I was serving in her home mission.  She told me that if I needed anything to call her up. Small world.

 

Sister Jensen and I had our first little "tiff."  I think this might have been the first tiff I ever had with any companion in the mission so far.  I have had really awesome comps. Sister Jensen and I are just really different.  I think what makes the difference is COMPLETELY different sense of humor.  Makes for difficulty.  But I could tell by the way that I handled the situation and reacted that I have really changed.  I stepped up or I guess down to be the bigger person.  We are good now but it was not fun.  Being a communications major has helped immensely with companions but at the same time has widened the chasm sometimes when the person you are trying to communicate with effectively does not have many communication skills.  But things are good.  Besides, we are already halfway through the transfer.  We are having another Sisters conference coming up this weekend and I am soooo excited!!

 

So LakeHOOD loves basketball.  LOVES it.  Saturdays are so fun at the stake center.  So all throughout the day from morning until the afternoon and scheduled basketball games.  The YM/YW have games and so do the men.  Everyone comes in their families and sits up on the stage to watch.  People bring food and just hang out there all day.  Well, at least the Agors and the Stowers do. A lot of our investigators come to play in the basketball league so we watch basketball, teach a lesson, wait for the next game to end, teach another lesson, eat some snacks, teach more lessons. So fun.  This past Saturday was the last day for games so I am sad about that so now we'll have to think of new things to do on Saturday.

 

(Everyone is staring at this Filipino guy singing terribly at his computer with his headphones on right now.  I think he thinks that just because he can't hear us, we can't hear him.  False.)

 

For those of you that might be looking to be unhappy or frustrated or depressed here are some ways to ensure that will happen or continue.

 

1. Wait for others to make you happy

2. Blame everyone else for your unhappiness

3. Use "if only" whenever you can regarding time, money, or friends

4. Compare what you have with what others have

5. Always be serious

6. Take responsibility for everything all the time

7. Try to please everybody all the time (never say "no")

8. Help others but don't let anyone help you

9. Consider your own wants unimportant.  Or the only thing that's important.

10.If anyone compliments you, discount it

11. If anyone says anything, exaggerate it

12.Always stay calm and cool

13.Resist change to the death

14. Strive for absolute perfection

15. Always live in the past or in the future.

 

We had 9 people at church on Sunday.  MIRACLE.  I love seeing people at church for the first time.  We had the brother of a recent convert come to church and he showed up an entire hour early to get a good seat.  We ended up sitting with him in the back.  The theme of sac mtg and the lessons in sunday school and RS/priesthood were on Prophets and the Priesthood.  Both are topics that definitely set the church apart from any other church.  Amazing how things work out for our good sometimes at church.

 

Well, I love you guys.  Hope everyone had a great week and that this coming week will be a good one, too."In every situation the answer which leads to happiness is to press forward.  When we have done all we can do, the Lord will find a way to open doors."

 

Love,

Sister Baylon

Heyyy,

 

So sisters are staying in Steilacoom after all!  So my address is

 

135 View Rd. Apt A

Steilacoom, WA 98388

 

Auntie Val, so I lived on Magnuson CT. in Bremerton which is right off of Magnuson Way.  Haha that is so crazy that I would end up living right where you did just like 30 yrs later.

 

Another hard, hard week.  In any and every way that a week in the life of a missionary could be hard.  I got sick again.  Yep, no fun.  At about 2:30am this past Wednesday morning I woke up and just felt really naseaus.  I laid in bed feeling so so sick.  Finally about 40 min later I ran to the bathroom and threw up.  Ugh. It is the worst feeling ever.  I woke up when the alarm went off at 6:30 and drank some water.  Threw up again.  Went back to bed.  Woke up at 10:30am to throw some clothes on and drag myself to district meeting, thinking I could make it.  The entire meeting I wanted to just lay down and die.  The chills, I was sweating, my head was spinning, just nasty feeling.  I went home at 1pm and slept until 6pm. Woke up, drank ginger ale and ate a popsicle that our WML was nice enough to drop off for me and then went back to sleep until 9:30pm.  Woke up took a shower and then passed out till 10am the next day.  So that was what my week looked like.  A nasty, sick mess.  Friday morning, my comp woke up to the same thing.  Won't go into details with hers or I'll get sick just thinking about it.  We went over to the Agor family's house so that I could get a blessing.  It was such a neat experience.  One of the newest converts in the family, Uncle Joe, was just recently ordained to the office of an Elder so he got to give me the first blessing he has ever given in his life.  So special!  They are just the greatest family.  I think just spending time and seeing their cute smiling faces healed my aching body and heavy heart.

 

I don't want to dive too deep in the details, but I have a tough companion.  I had a heard about her from Sister Holman, my favorite companion, that my companion was her least favorite companion.  I didn't want to prejudge or make unfair assumptions that she was one way or not this way but to find out for myself.  Well, it didn't take long for me to realize that the Lord had presented me with a 6 week opportunity to learn the art of patience, seek to develop more humility, speak kinder words, and pray and fast for more charity.  The pure love of Christ.  To really see my companion and others the way that Christ sees them.  I really believe that the way we treat others, the level of love we can show to them, is a direction reflection of our conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The scriptures teach us that without charity we are nothing.  I am working on it.

 

So needless to say, everything seemed to be be magnified to be 10,000 times harder than it probably was or at least that much harder than I ever wanted it to be.  But missions are not for the comfortable.  The gospel is not for the comfortable.  Life is not for the comfortable.  It is through the uncomfortable, stretching, trying times that we can become more like the Savior.  To look for the lessons to be learned, the blessings to be earned, and the faith to be built when presented with trials or adverse times.  Try to make stumbling blocks into stepping stones.  There is a great quote by Elder Marvin J. Ashton that says:

 

"Adaptibility cushions the impact of change or disappointment.  Love can be a great shock absorber as we adjust in trials and tragedy."

 

So I have to keep going.  No sense in turning back or standing still.  If I quit now, I honestly believe I would quit anything else that became difficult or overwhelming for the rest of my life.  Yes, I would be denying so many people the opportunity to be served and taught the gospel, but ultimately I am robbing myself and God of the opportunity and time to become what He has always envisioned me to become.  Elder Rex D. Pinegar said that " To continue means more than to endure or to tolerate something.  It means to maintain a steady course of action with unshaken faith in Christ.  It means to be a true follower of Christ."

 

We did have a couple of great miracles this week though.  We had a baptism!  It truly was a MIRACLE.  So it was for a 15yr old girl named, Quinn. The sisters had tracted into her around Christmas time.  Quinn lives with her aunt and grandma and both are very opposed to the church.  Somehow before the door was shut on them they were able to give her grandma a mormon.org pass along card.  Quinn found the card and went to the website.  She ended up just pouring over every webpage, paragraph and video on the site, basically teaching herself about everything about the church that she could find.  Then she referred herself back to the missionaries!  Most kids her age just use the internet to watch stupid YouTube videos or order things online but she felt the spirit and called the number to get in touch with the missionaries.  Her grandma and Aunt are not supportive.  They refuse to even step foot into the church.  It's a miracle that her aunt will even drop her off sometimes for lessons at the church after school, otherwise she just walks. They wouldn't even come to her baptism yesterday.  Quinn is such an example of Zion's youth in the latter-days arising to the occassion.  Wow.  She is amazing!  We had a really great turn out to her baptism.  Turns out she has a family friend that is a member of the church and they drove up like 3 hrs from Vancouver, WA to baptize her.  And...we even got to confirm her fontside.  So cool. 

 

Another miracle/food story is that I ate a fish eye ball and lived to tell about it.  Yes, I ate the once working eye ball of a fish.  Disgusting.  So we went over to FHE jam with with Stowers family on Monday night and Bro. Stowers was cooking up all this Samoan food.  And you all know how I feel about Samoan food.  He said that I was going to be initiated that night into the Stowers family by eating something. I was like "Wait, I'm already in.  My Grandpa is Bishop Hino!"  Hahah he laughed but then said that all the sisters before me have done it and that I am no exception. Dang it.  Sister Mills (my trainer) ate an oyster and then barfed it up in the sink.  Sis Welch (my last comp) ate raw fish.  So of course, I would get the nastiest thing of them all.  When I got there I saw this giant fish head in plastic wrap sitting on the table.  Nastyyyy.  So it shouldn't have suprised me that they were going to cook that thing up and that I would be taking part in it.  He stabbed the eye with a fork and gauged it out. (Hahah I realized how nasty of an email this probably has been to read!) and handed it to me.  His girls videoed it so they are going to try to send it to you, Mom.  I figured, I refused to eat all the rest of that food that they offered me so I might as well eat an eye ball.  Plus, it's tradition.  And when else am I going to do that.  Never.  So what the heck.  Bottoms up.  I stuck a greyish/purplish/brownish eye the size of a gumball into my mouth and chewed it up as fast as i could.  Plugged my nose of course.  All the little stringy bits that attached it to the socket wouldn't go down so I spit them out on a paper towel.  Hahah SO NASTY.  But now I am their hero and they said no sister has ever done it that willingly and that fast and NOT thrown up.  So I am the champion of the nasty food. 

 

One last quick story.  So my investigator Mark from Btown had a small dish of coins that he had been collecting for the longest time to save up to buy a bus ticket to visit his elderly mom in Seattle.  We're talking months to scrounge up 8 bucks.  Well, he lives in a halfway home and one of his roommates was nice enough to break into his room and literally steal every last penny.  Right before I left Btown and was packing up, I was about to pack my little drawstring pouch of quarters that I have to print out my emails I get each week.  The spirit told me to give them to Mark.  ugh, but I wanted them!  And it was going to be inconvenient the next time I wanted to print something...blah,blah, blah.  The natural man.  But I gave them to Mark and he was so happy!  It would have taken him like 6 more months to save up what I gave him in 6 seconds. So, Mom...send me more quarters.  I'll be sure to share them when needed.

 

Hope this week has been a good one for everybody.  One more quote to top us off: "We will end up either choosing Christ's manner of living or His manner of suffering."  So true.  Love you guys.

 

Sis Baylon

we are His hands

Sister Baylon with her favorite Zone Leader, Elder Njord.

 Some of Sister Baylon's favorite sister missionaries in the WA-TAC mission.

 

Hey guys!

 

Greetings from LakeHOOD.  Haha, Steliacoom is hardly the hood but it is not as nice as I was expecting it to be.  It is a lot like my first area in Silverdale so I guess in comparison to Manette it is really nice.  I was picturing every home to be gated estates.  Nope, that is more of the Gig Harbor area.  Anyway, just trying to get adjusted.  As far as my new address just send things to the mission home.  I have my address here but I don't know how much longer we'll be here.  There might be a mid-transfer transfer to a new area that President is going to double us into.  That might be in a week it could be a month, we're not sure.  So to be on the safe side just send it to the address in University Place.

 

The baptism for Mark was amazing.  Just night and day difference in his countenace.  Look up Alma 5 and it talks about having a mighty change of heart and the face of the Lord being engraven in our countenances.  Mark truly is a changed man.  Such an honor and a privilige to have found, taught, and baptized him.  The field is so white and ready to harvest.  I'm in the business of happiness and eternal families.

 

The work here is very different then my other two areas.  Soooo many baptisms come from finding part-member families (PMF's) and unbaptized childen (UBC's) from the ward list.  We are teaching around 15 investigators and they are all mostly from either of those two categories.  Which is really different for me.  Usually all of my teaching pool and baptisms have come from full-time finding or tracting.  Goes to show that there is so much work to be done that the members can help with!

 

Where to even begin.  Alright, the area has so many families from HI its so great!  Remember me talking about the Stowers family?  Well, they are here!  I LOVE them.  Such a fun, spiritual, loving family.  They're Samoan so of course they are gonna love you up with food.  Last time we walked out of their house after just stopping by to say hi they gave us a bunch of Yoplait yogurt, strawberries, and bananas.  We're gonna jam with them tonight for Family Home Evening.  Brother Stowers plays the uke and all their kids sing.  So fun.

 

There is a legendary Hawaiian family here in the ward named the Agors.  A home of about 18-20 people which is about 4 different families living under the same roof.  The head of that household is Papa Agor who is the funniest guy ever.  Everyone in the family is a some combination or mix of japanese, hawaiian, filipino, chinese, all that good stuff.  He looks like a skinny buddha.  Nice shiny bald head that he invited me to rub for good luck the first time i met him.  He calls me haole filipino because I'm pretty white these days and I don't eat most filipino food.  Haha.  Until just recently, most of the family were non-members with Papa Agor and his kids being the only members.  So the kids' spouses and their kids were all unbaptized.  They were all pretty less active with no interest in the gospel or coming back until a tragedy struck their family.  Maude Agor, or Mama, died suddenly and this completely devastated the entire family.  I could tell by the way that they revere her name and speak of her now that she really was the backbone to that family.  Spiritually, emotionally, financially.  She was everyone's rock.  I guess when she was alive she would plead with Papa to help their kids and their grandkids to get back to the gospel.  Papa talks of his regret that it took her passing away for their family to get their business in order. 

 

I guess missionaries had tried for years to work with their family and had some success with a couple baptisms of the grandkids but most of the family was resistant.  This past November was when Mama passed away and then came the rest of the family entering the waters of baptism.  Celio, Ka'a'wi, Ka'e'o, Kalei, Wilma, Hoku, Devin, Daelyn, Keanu, and Joel all made the decision to follow the Savior.  Sister Welch was one of the lucky sister missionaries that got to teach them when they all made that decision to finally accept the gospel.  There are still a couple family members left that we are working with that have not yet been baptized.  Ashley, 20, believes that the church is true, she just is hesistant jumping on the family baptism bandwagon.  One of the grandkids and his gf and soon to be wife and investigating the church so we are teaching them as well. Marriage-tism!  But the most special of them all is an 11yr old girl named Pohai.  She is 95-98% deaf as a result of being born prematurely.  By a miracle, my companion Sister Jensen studied ASL in college so she is able to teach her.  But she is not fluent, especially with gospel terms so it has been quite the challenge to communicate with her.  When I first met the family, I felt like I had so much to catch up on.  One, learning all their names!  But more importantly, gaining their trust and respect.  The sisters that had worked with them through their baptisms had been with them for a long time and I felt like a newcomer trying to fill some pretty big shoes.  The first couple times I saw Pohai she didn't really want to even try to communicate with me or even really look at me.  I felt pretty frustrated not being able to talk to her because I can't sign.  I had the idea yesterday to bring the last two hair clips that Grandpa bought me from HI and give them to Pohai.  It worked like a charm.  She played with me the whole night and really had fun laughing at my inability to sign. 

 

I guess it is tradition that every Sunday night the missionaries go over to the Agor home and have scripture study and "talk story."  So at their big long family table we all gathered round and read from the Book of Mormon and made insights and comments.  Sister Jensen invited us each to take a turn and share a time when a prayer of mine was answered.  I felt very strongly to share my experience of praying for comfort and relief when Grandma Margaret passed away earlier in my mission.  I told them of the kind of woman that she was and the legacy that she left behind.  She sounded a lot like their Mama Agor.  The spirit was very present and I could feel Grandma around me as I know the Agors felt their Grandma, mom, and wife.  Not a dry eye in the place.  Afterwards we had siemen, spam musube, and a DQ ice cream cake.  One of the best nights of my life.  I guess it is a little ironic to hear in almost all my emails/letters from you guys this week all talked about Grandma Margaret and here I had such a powerful experience with her at the forefront of my mind.  The Lord is so mindful of all of us and what we're going through.

 

I want to close with this quote by my favorite Presidnet Spencer W. Kimball:

"One time or another we all face adversity's chilling wind.  One man flees from it, and like an unresisting kite falls to the ground.  Another yields no retreating inch, and the wind that would destroy him lifts him as readily to the heights.  We are not measured by the trials we meet, only by those we overcome."

 

I feel like I have been through a constant refiner's fire.  That is what a mission does.  It is what the gospel is.  Being perfected through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  I am trying to find the silver lining in every situation that is placed before me as an opportunity to grow and become more like the Savior.  I am trying to think more along the lines of that He trusts me enough to handle this trial and come out better from it.  We are His hands.

 

Sister Baylon

"i have never felt so much joy. wow."

Hey guys,

 

I guess I forgot to tell you that there is a change in the transfers procedure.  So new missionaries are now coming into the field on tuesdays instead of mondays.  President Weaver wants to spend more time with them before they go off with their companions/trainers in their new areas so he is keeping them a day.  SO...we won't have transfer meetings until Wednesday mornings at 9am.  So painful!!! I guess what was more painful was awaiting our transfer assignments.  I knew I would be leaving the area for 5 weeks now and we knew that Sister Welch and I would be getting doubled out for about 2 weeks.  So of course, when we didn't get our calls until 10:25pm we were dying!!!  Sister Welch got exactly what she wanted.  She is going to Port Angeles with the other polynesian sister that came in with sis Faoliu.  Elder Christensen was made a District Leader here in Manette and Elder Gowans became a Zone Leader and is going down to the furthest point in the mission, Chehalis.  I on the otherhand got exactly what I didn't want.  Steilacoom (Still-ah-come) with this girl named Sister Jensen.  Hearing about it for 3 months from Welch made it sound old news.  Plus it's a really "sister-y" area.  Sisters are treated like glorified visiting teachers. And not baptizing capable missionaries.  Partly from the ward treating them that way, but partly because of the incorrectness taught to them by their trainers not understanding their purpose. But!  It's a long story, things are getting shifted around with my transfer call because the Lakewood Stake president just changed all the ward boundaries in the Lakewood stake.  So my assignment is still up in the air.  I will still be going to Lakewood, just not sure where.  Hopefully, I can help start the "un-sisterizing" of the sister area.

 

LakeHOOD.  The zone has some pretty rough areas.  More southcentral LA then even Bremerton.  The sisters area of course, is the only nice area in the zone, with nice big houses.  But that might all be changing.  So who knows what'll happen.  I got too used to the ghetto.  Even the violence.  Alright so the murderer is still on the loose. But he has got some competition.  Within the last week a 3rd grade boy brought a gun to school and shot a girl in his class and the very next morning a WA state trooper was shot in the head and killed.  We were visiting a recent convert family in the ward and before we even stepped foot in the door, their 8yr old son burst out and shouted "A kid in my class shot the girl I sit next to today at my school!!!"  His mom woke up that morning with the feeling like she should keep her kids home from school that day.  Good thing she did!  Last we heard she is still in critical condition after being life-flighted to a hospital in Seattle.  Don't know much about the trooper other than he knocked on some druggie on parole's door and he was greeted with a bullet.

 

The sisters that are coming in to replace us are pretty awesome.  Sister Grenfell has been out 7.5 months and has spent her entire mission in Tacoma and Sister Villatoro has been out a couple transfers.  She speaks spanish which is a huge blessing because they probably won't be bringing Spanish elders back to Btown for a while.

 

Alright are you all ready for the MIRACLE of the century!???  We are baptizing Mark.  Wait, are we baptizing Mark?  YESSSSSS!!!!! Ok, I know you probably don't even know in the slightest how big of a deal this is...but this is HUGE.  Remember I had a hunch he was the reason we needed to stick around Bremerton for one more week?  Well I was right!!  We dropped him in January after he stopped returning our calls and never answered his door.  He told us the last time we saw him that he was hating his life so much that he was going to take his stuff and go live under the Manette bridge.  So this past week we scowered the city.  Literally looking for him under the bridges, on any street we have ever known him to frequent, and every little homeless gathering spot we knew of.  His phone was disconnected and we had no way of getting a hold of him or knowing where he might be.  We even started to assume the worse, that he was dead somewhere.  We asked our whole zone to pray for us that we would find him.  The very next morning he calls us!!!  I have never felt so much joy.  WOW.  He invited us to come over that night and we brought our DL Elder Gowans and reinvited him to be baptized.  He accepted the invitation and Elder Gowans interviewed him right then.  He looked so good!  He used to have kinda long hair.  When he greeted us out on the sidewalk as we were walking up to his house, I noticed right away that he got a haircut.  He said when he's ready to be baptized he would cut his hair.  He seemed happy.  He seemed healthier.  He seemed more alive.  He seemed HOPEFUL. He was none of those things when I first met him.  So he was my unicorn.  My never catchable, mythical, just within my grasp investigator.  Except now he is getting baptized.  I met him my last night of my first transfer in the area and he is getting baptized tomorrow, my last night of my last transfer in the area.  MIRACLE!!!!  Everyone pray for him that it all goes down.

 

A lesson that I relearned this week was :don't worry about things you can't control.  So much time and energy is spent wasted on worrying.  Fretting.  Getting anxious. Doesn't do a whole lot of anything.

 

Updates on other former investigators, recent converts:

 

Tim: I wrote him a letter last week, hope he is doing well.

Taylor:  Sadly, he hasn't been going to church.  The sisters are having a hard time getting in to teach his parents

Brandon: Hasn't really been going either

Dani: after we passed her off to the ZL's she hasn't been progressing

Franz: (who I found out later from Sister Holman that his name is actually  like Phonz or something) has fallen off the face of the earth.

 

Well, I hope that all is well in Zion (Encinitas).  Sounds like everyone is doing well. The mission still continues to have its ups and downs, hopefully this next transfer will continue to swing upward.  I will hit my 9month mark this week on March 1st!!! I think if it went any slower I would die and if it went any faster I would have regrets.  So it is just at the right pace.  If any of you have any favorite talks by President Kimball would you print them and send them to me?  I love him.  Next time you hear from me, I'll be in an entirely new place.  This will be the first time I've left Kitsap County in my entire mission! Wish me luck!

 

Sister Baylon

choose to be happy by choosing Him

Hello!

Hey guys.  How was everyone's week.  Mine was sick.  Literally sick.  I came down with something Wednesday night leaving me with the chills, bodyaches, headaches, sore throat, stuffy nose, and cough.  When I woke up Thursday morning I felt really hot but Welch took my temperature and it said 97.4 so she figured I was good.  Is that normal to be below 98.6?  Anyway, all I felt like having was light blue gatorade and popsicles and saltines.  So that whole day I slept in 1.5 increments.  I would sleep.  Wake up.  Sip some gatorade, eat a popsicle, and then konk out again on the couch.  I felt sick from Wednesday night to Saturday night.  On Saturday I got a call from Sister Balmforth who is serving in my old Silverdale area.  She had called to ask me something and sounded terrible.  I asked her if she was sick and told her that I was sick, too.  We had been sick with the same symptoms and for the same days.  So we got the brilliant idea to go on a "sick shifty."  Welch and I got permission from President to drive to Silverdale where Balmforth and I would stay home sick together and Sister Welch and Balmforth's companion could go out and do some work.  We went over to Sister Grave's house and hung out there for a few hours.  I swear, just crossing into Silverdale city limits lifted my spirits and I even felt physically better.  So fun to see them.

We had to head back to Manette in time for our baptism!! It was a good thing I conserved all my strength that day so that I could attend the baptism of our golden investigator, Peggy.  Wow.  Talk about a lifetime convert.  We really tried to make her baptism a special and sacred experience and a little less "McDonaldized" that some of the other baptisms that usually happen in Bremerton.  I mean we talk and teach and promise about baptism with these investigators for so long and then we end up having these rushed and impersonal baptisms that aren't really that memorable.  So I wanted to get back to how I used to do them in Silverdale and really make them an event to remember for those getting baptized.  Peggy is such a special lady.  She signed my testimony journal and wrote that Sister Welch and I literally saved her life and that she is eternally grateful for the service we rendered to her.  Everything about Peggy from the time we found her to the lessons we had with her to her fellowship to her baptism to her conversion and testimony was just perfectly timed and orchestrated by the Lord.  We watched it all come together so seamlessly.  MIRACLE.

Yes, the murderer is still loose somewhere on the west side of Bremerton.  At least everything that has happened has been on that side of town and on the other side of the bridge.  President Weaver though has finally now come to the point where he asked us if we feel like we should be taken out even sooner than transfers this next Wednesday.  At first we were immediately thinking yes.  Our work here was finished.  We did what we came here to do.  Let's leave.  He asked us to think about it on Sunday and pray about it.  Sunday night we went to the chapel and individually prayed about the decision.  After we both felt like we had come to a conclusion we shared with eachother what we thought we should do.  Welch said she would be ok with leaving.  So it was a surprise to me that the answer I received was that there was still work here that we needed to do.  It wasn't finished.  I sat in silence as a blankly stared ahead contemplating what that might be.  Or who it might be.  We baptized our teaching pool.  All of our other investigators had dropped us.  I guess we could just tract all day for the elders.  But then that trickled back to avoid being out on the streets as much as possible.  The thought came to my mind to look up the hymns that were posted up on the wall that the Bremerton ward had sung that day in Sacrament.  3 out of 4 songs were about the Prophet Joseph Smith.  I thought about the signifcance of his life and the work that he did.  The physical peril that he faced and endured.  I read the line in "Joseph Smith's First Prayer":

When the powers of sin asailing, filled his soul with deep despair,

Yet undaunted still he trusted in his Heav'nly Father's care

I felt that Heavenly Father was telling me that while evil and harm is swirling all around me that if I trusted in Him, He would protect us for another week.  Wow.  Not exactly the answer I was expecting.  But we went with it.  We called President Weaver and told him our decision to stay here one more week.  He seemed surprised but relieved that we were not afraid or too worried.  If anything I was just anxious and a little annoyed that we were staying because we have nothing to do.  Go out finding all day for a week, only to hand them all over to the elders.  But I know that if that's what he needs me to do, then we have to do it.  There is one investigator, Mark, that I would love to see baptized before we leave.  He was ondate to be baptized around Christmas time but relapsed with his alcohol addiction and felt unworthy and discouraged to keep coming back to church.  Well he showed up a couple Sundays ago which was a huge miracle.  I had dropped off a hobo bag at his door and wrote a note that said, "we haven't given up on you, so don't give up on yourself."  He has lost hope, which is the driving force behind any little drop of faith. HOPEfully we'll be able to see him this week.

I know I can relate to the feelings he is feeling.  I have felt so much heartache, sorrow, frustration, and hopelessness here in Bremerton.  It all started with becoming lax or complacent in my dilligence.  My dilligence in saying prayers everyday, in reading the scriptures, in being exactly obedient, in working hard everyday all day.  I think I reached this really high height on my mission.  I was seeing a lot of success.  I was becoming "learned and wise" in my knowledge of the gospel and the scriptures.  Skills needed to be a successful missionary were coming easy for me.  I began to become prideful.  I forgot the counsel of Ammon to boast not of myself but of my God.  I wouldn't publicly boast.  But I was proud in my heart.  I stopped studying really hard and started writing in my journal or doing other still good things.  I began to loathe companion study because I felt like it was an hour that I was just teaching my comp and I wasn't getting anything out of it.  I became more selfish.  I started gradually becoming less and less exactly obedient.  Going to bed at 10:45.  Writing letters not on Pdays.  Seemingly petty and inconsequential infractions to the rules.  It all snowballed and I soon had what the real root of pride is: enmity.  Enmity or hostility or hatred towards God or others.  What once was an equally yoked team then started to feel like I was the one carrying my companion.  My will and desires that were once completely flush with God's would become combative.  I never ever ever intended it to get that bad or go that far.  I don't think anyone really ever does with any sin.  Yes, pride is a sin.  Last time we emailed, I had a little time left over and so I went to LDS.org.  I felt like I should search "President Ezra Taft Benson" in the search bar.  I immediately clicked on his talk entitled, "Beware of Pride."  Read it.  It was the spark that would begin the change and repentance process in me to forsake my pride and return to being an obedient disciple.

There is this quote I also found that I love by Elder Neal A. Maxwell:

"Hope is a particularly needed in the hand-to-hand combat required to put off the natural man.  Giving up on God and on onself constitutes simultaneous surrender to the natural man."

Ouch.  If you are not familiar with the natural man.  King Benjamin in the book of Mosiah teaches us the "natural man is an enemy to God."  In the context of the scriptures natural refers to fallen.  Fallen in the sense that we are subject to sin and choosing to sin with our gift of agency.  I don't want to be an enemy to God.  I never did want to be one.  I never will want to be one.  The rest of the verse tells us that we can overcome the natural man within each of us through the atonement of Christ and become like a child; submissive, meek, full of love, longsuffering, willing to submit to whatever the Lord seeith fit to inflict, like a child doth submit to his father.  I raise a warning voice and one of invitation :  The only way to be happy is to live the gospel of Jesus Christ.  True, lasting, unmatched happiness and joy only comes through and in the Savior and being obedient to his commandments.  Period.  Anything else will just give you a fleeting, temporary, water-downed version of contentment.  Choose to be happy by choosing HIM.

I love you guys,

Sister Baylon