Feb. 20, 2012

dear fam,

What kind of video filming was Mitch doing? Was it for school or is he going to be famous some day in Hollywood? bummer he popped it (his knee) out. Is surgery in the near future?

Teaching went all right. We did a lot of active member work this week. We want full trust with all of them. We and the mission leader (Brother Dvoak) are trying to get everyone on the same page.  We are here for the members and that they should trust us. Missionaries in the past have abused the members using them and using boldness with no love, creating separate teams. We need to be united in all things if this branch is ever going to change in to a ward.  On Sunday we as branch missionaries did a lesson that was with rs and the yw. It went really well. In order to get the men on board we gotta get the women on board first. The man may be the head but the woman is the neck.

We found one new investigator. Very hard heart. He is a youth minister for some Lutheran church. He is never willing to ask God questions. And then if we feel it, it may be from the adversary. bla bla bla. We may end up dropping him this week, too hard of heart. If it’s softened at all than we will keep him and work with him. In order to help him, and really any one progress, they need to be humble or at least a little more teachable.

We had three investigators to church. Next week should be four. On a steady rise hopefully. Before Elder Snedegar and I white washed in there wasn’t an investigator to church for about 4 months.

The focus on inactives isn’t a huge part of the work right now. There’s the Perry plan that is a mobilization in helping new and less active members become and stay active in the church. The branch has 10 families on the list that just got approved by the branch president. Now this week they will be inviting them to basically become active and we will go over once a week and jump start that process.

I have heard from Joe and Jordan. Seems like they are both doing good. Jordan makes me laugh! He gives me all this advice about contacting and how hard the work is but being able to stay focused on the goal. Joe talks about how difficult contacting is and how you only have a few sentences to get someone to listen. Missionary work generally is the same every where it seems.

That’s crazy about Matt and then Shamane!

One thing that’s been fun this week is filling up another journal. I have filled up two and if everything goes as planned, I'll do one and a little bit more.

The snow is almost all melted away but this week there should be more.

In the mornings we are starting to run, well I am running and Elder Sned is biking. (we have been biking more and more :) there’s a new member Cari Odegaard who wants her dogs to be a little more active. That’s where it all came up with wanting to run. It’s so much easier to go out and do something if someone is depending on you to get it done.

Well hope this week is a good week!

love

elder baker

February 13, 2012

dear fam,

I was able to get logged in to the Maricopa schools and all that jazz, do you need that information?

I got the package thank you!

A few weeks ago I went to target to buy some chairs and a shower curtain liner and I used my personal account with the approval that the mission home would pay me back. I asked them to send a check but instead they put it on my missionary standard funding card (msf card)... I was thinking I would just take it out and put it back on to my checking account, but thinking about it , I don't think I will.  Some months I need more money than what I have on my msf, I'll just keep it on there and won't tap into my checking account for a while … hopefully not for 6 months :)  Some times we come in to the library to get things done to make flyers or cards. I can do some college stuff then if I need too. If you send me an email, I'll be glad to get it done before Monday if we get to a crunch.

This week, it as a good week for me, not so much for the key indicators.  At zone conference on Tuesday I was able to see some missionaries that I had served around and was a district leader for.  Elder spencer was one of them.  He came to me and gave me a big hug with tears in is eyes.  About 2 months ago he was thinking about going home for some stuff … he went though his missionary binder with talks and trainings in it. He found the one that I had done that was based off what Kramer had given me about not reenforcing bad habits but enforcing good ones. It stuck him in the heart and he decided to stay. Be sure to thank Kramer for me, he is changing lives for the better and doesn't even know it.

Another Elder that I was working with who had some disobedience issues, after I got transferred to Rochester, he went home ... so sad, broke my heart to hear that.

Next an Elder came up and said "hey do you know … Rachel Smile (not her real name)?"  I said yes and told him that Elder Kinikini and I had found her in Eagan. Rachel had moved after only a few times teaching her and we lost contact and no one heard a word from her. This Elder said that Rachel, a few months ago tracked them down and now has a baptismal date. Rachel talks a lot about the fat Polynesian and  the white boy :)

And another great thing that I found out is that Eddie is back to being active :)

I gave a talk on Sunday about missionary work. The main point was "We need to have and be friends" and than I based that off of the 5 languages of love.  #1 words of affirmation #2 acts of service #3 quality time #4 physical touch #5 give gifts. Love people and than love them into the gospel. Realize that satan does not want  us to love people into the gospel and he will cause us to be afraid or procrastinate.  Take action before this happens find a motivation …  a poem, a quote, a picture of a temple and use that as a drive.  I felt it went well.

We had 3 investigators to church! Hopefully we will have 3 dates set by the end of this week. We had set up for 5 appointments with 5 families looking at around least 10 new investigators, but all 5 appointments fell though, but maybe this week we will get them :) looks like missionaries will be staying here for a while :) we are at 166 missionaries out of the normal 210, Pres. said we may be getting less before we get more.

Bronte probably did see us. We are the only missionaries around for 40 miles in all directions. Thats funny that she saw us in New Prague because we are hardly ever in New Prague.   Typically we are in  Jordan, Belle Plane, Montgomery, New Market, LeSueur or Pine City. oo its such a small world.

sorry the email is a short one
love
elder baker

February 6, 2012

Dear fam,

New Prague is ... I’m not sure on the size we drive about 45 miles a day though, everything is spread way out.

This week was a good one. We were able to get a few lessons in.

Monday; we both felt really good about a street, and there we found a lady who invited us right in and said, “when can we have lunch so I can learn about the Mormons", it made us laugh. We had a great conversation about her LDS friends and how she has meet with tons of missionaries but never got baptized.

Tuesday I went on exchanges with Elder Donaldson, great singer! He has been out for about 10 months. We talked a lot about the role of the district leader and how to help disobedient missionaries or get lazy ones motivated. I gave him some trainings on being district leader and how to do interviews and other fun stuff.  We went car tracting, it’s where the houses are so far apart that you just drive from house to house. One drive way was so muddy and really deep. We thought a moment if we really wanted to go down it. Well, we did and it was a little scary, with a ditch on both sides, the tires spinning back and going side to side, we got there and a really nice lady came out. She laughed at the little car and that we were able to come the whole way. She had been wondering about the mormon.org commercials, we talked for a long time and thank goodness because my heart rate was going crazy after the ride to her house!

We taught Julia Bisek. Her date for baptism is March 4th. Her dad has opened up more and more. He said the closing prayer at the end of the lesson.

Wednesday we had a few lessons. One that really stuck out to me was the dinner with an active part member family. The sister, who is a member, asked for a blessing. She cried ... just cried as I gave her the blessing. Her husband is anti-ing the family and her son was about to return home without completing his mission.  She had many reasons to cry.

Thursday not a lot happened ... we were able to get in contact with some former investigators, some said "I told you to never come back" … others said " I’m glad you came back I was wishing you would come sometime".  It’s amazing to me how the work of the Lord is done in his timing.

Friday same thing.

Saturday, great day. The 3rd to last door we knocked on, a lady answered. We started talking about the Book of Mormon, I handed her a copy, and she flipped though the paintings and pictures. She stopped at the painting of Moroni burying the plates. She asked who is this? We explained that he was the last prophet in the Book of Mormon. She asked "is there a prophet today?" We answered and she put the book next to her chest and said, “where is your church and what time is it at?!"  We told her ... her face sadden and then she said that her husband may not let them go, he doesn’t like the Mormon faith.     That was such a great seed planted!

Sunday great day again. Church was great, we had 2 investigators there. Then we went out with President Naajets like normal. We went by a single sister. She was struggling, president gave her a blessing of council... she just bawled. It’s been a great week of spiritual feasting.

I’ll register to vote next week. I forgot my wallet today.

mmmm yup good week!

I love you

elder baker