January 30, 2012

Dear fam.

for some reason these computers are extremely slow today here are a few replies to the emails aside from the one I am replying to … thank you jAnn for the letter. It’s great to see those kids growing up and even more important growing together and having a positive relationship together. yes mom I could see the quote you sent about the wolves. great quote!

I do remember Shaun White. (snow boarder, gold medalist) My trainee Elder Mower loved him and talked about him a lot. There’s a stride gum that is flavored or not sure what has Shaun White and two pictures of him on it. I think it’s like baseball bunch of overpaid people but it is what it is.

I didn’t know I could vote in the election. I’m not registered or whatever has to be down. What do I need to do there? When is the election? Will there be enough time to study up on the election before I vote or can you send me some stuff so I can read up on everything? or mmm I don’t have any time to read extra stuff I barely get everything in a day done anyway. (writing faster than his brain can think – silly boy, he’s too busy to worry about the election!)  I guess it will have to wait or we can do what we did with Mitch when he was on his mission.

 I’m not sure about school situation. I take it to prayer a lot. EA would be great, I think the place to be … but the idea of going on a sporting scholarship would be awesome to that college in phx. I really want to be active again. I understand missionary work is very active; it’s just a different active. I want to run and swim, that’s a huge desire of mine. The less money it is I think the better, I probably wouldn’t take too many classes. My retention for the first semester will be very little I believe.  I haven’t gotten the papers for college yet ... it makes me a little nervous that they haven’t gotten here.

Mom I would love to stay home, love, love it. This last week I have thought about family and being able to have a relationship with everyone. Not like the one before the mission, something much better. I’m exited to have that. President Clements particularly told me go straight to college and do not stay at home when you do it. That’s my concern. He is a man of God, I love and respect that man. He has put me in some difficult situations but looking back, the things I have learned and the way I’ve developed, I’ll take it. I want to learn and grow.  Elder Snedegar has said he would be willing to help out with applications or essays. The kid is flipping genius if I haven’t said that all ready.

I do have an address its 1200 4th Ave NE New Prague and you will have to find the zip code I cant remember it off the top of my head.

Elder Ben Snedegar and I get a long pretty good, not like some of my companions but we do much better than some of them. One thing that bugs him is one of my weaknesses is basically the whole English langue, punctuation, grammar and all that stuff. I’ve noticed my stutter has gotten worse and then he gets upset than ... yeah ha-ha I don’t do a lot of talking when I don’t have too. Elder S hasn’t been out for too long... he will learn, he is a smart kid, he will.

The branch here is great. I’ve got every name and address in my GPS which has made everything extremely easy on coordination for stop byes. We have gotten to know just about all the members. We keep on getting the same response from members “I’m glad they white washed in some hard working elders" … hopefully that will continue as we grow our teaching pool. We got up to 8 lessons this week, improvement. This week we are shooting for 14 I think. I’ll tell you what, when we are both focused on a goal it is much easier to get. The goal is to teach 20 lessons a week and then to baptize a family, meaning a mother father and a child. But truly any baptism will be great. This week we should be able to set up a baptismal date. It’s the Biesk family. The mother is a member and so are 2 of the 3 kids. At age 12 the kids are able to ask the father to get baptized into whatever denomination they choose, than the father approves or doesn’t. The youngest daughter is 12, her name is Julia. Julia has been a full active member for the last 4 years, a golden girl. One goal that the branch council has set and on the missionary side to get the father Frank on the boat as well.  We were able to get some other investigators it’s starting to roll :)

The district is us and Farmington and the zone leaders who are in Lakeville, but the zone leaders being zone leaders we probably won’t see them much. I love having a car. We haven’t biked at all and hope fully we don’t have to. Elder Sneader isn’t the active kind... haha (lazy little guy! But I think it’s his turn for a car!)

That’s so crazy, less than 200 days till I am back in Arizona... I remember the email saying yeah over 100 days out and expecting this great change in feeling like a seasoned missionary. ha-ha I’m still looking for that feeling and its only 200 days till I go home. weird!

Elder S and I are really working on our effectiveness and using every moment as best as we can. In the car it seems like the passenger is always calling or trying to figure out this person that we are going by or what not. Than when we get home its lots of mapping things out. It’s been a lot of fun. I’m soo dead though, excited for a nap later today ... yeah right that won’t happen!! too much to do :)

This morning we went and helped with a move. It was sad, it was us and a member that drove than the lady that was moving in. The 4 of us, that was it. Luckily we got it down in a little over 2 hours.  It’s defiantly not a ward.

I can’t think of anything else for now. I used to keep a running like journal in my planer that way on Monday when it’s time to email I can remember what to say. I’m going to start doing that again.

I love you all

elder baker

p.s. its 40 degrees outside and I want to take my suit coat off because it’s warm. Is that a sign for anything? (I think he’s going to have heat stroke when he comes back to Arizona in August!)