Friday, August 9, 2013

Second Baptism - ...a Beautiful Day!

Melbourne Missionary Moments - 07/29/13

Oh my goodness I can't believe that it's almost August! Crazy how fast time flies here! Can you believe I've been out 4 months now?? This week was great except something tragic happened. Last Monday I went to print a couple of photos at Office Works and the machine that I put my card into had a virus and it deleted about 120-140 photos. I was so sad. Precious memories that are gone. Everything from seeing the kangaroos is gone as well as everything from our baptism last week and the pictures I took in the city on Monday with all of the other sisters. Oh well. :( I'm just glad my companion and the other sisters have photos on their cameras that I can copy to my USB so that not everything is lost.
Monday we went in to the city with all of the sisters and Sister Maxwell which was really fun. We explored a little bit and took pictures and we went to an Art Gallery which was really fun. I got to see Sister G who I haven't seen since the MTC which was really fun!
It was a rather uneventful week Tuesday-Friday so there's not a lot to tell you. We did a lot of tracting. I love to hate tracting and I hate to love it. Haha - there's times when I feel like it is so pointless but sometimes we have no other option. If we don't have lessons to teach then we need to find people.
Wednesday I was on an exchange with Sister R for the day which was really fun. It is good to work with other missionaries once in a while and have a change. We had a wonderful day. We met a girl from Sudan. We were able to teach her a wonderful lesson and we set a baptismal date for her for 31 August. While we were driving Sister R and I had a good talk about how grateful we both are for the opportunities that a mission gives us. I thank Heavenly Father every day for this opportunity. I seriously learn something new and change Every. Single. Day. It is wonderful. Hard things happen and not everything is sunshine and roses but the happy moments make everything worth it. :) I've been doing better about being patient with myself and letting myself grow from my weaknesses rather than let them become a roadblock. It's amazing what positive thinking can do! 
Saturday was our second baptism which was wonderful. It was a beautiful day! They asked me to sing at the baptism which I was really nervous about because I don't have the most wonderful voice in the world but it was a beautiful song and I saw several people with tears in their eyes so I was grateful for the spirit. The song is called "Baptismal Prayer." Look it up. It's beautiful. When the son and his dad went down into the water his dad got really emotional as he said the prayer. I was crying like a baby. I think it was because I know how much their family has changed and how hard he has worked to be prepared for that day. And their family are such good missionaries. They invited lots of non-member friends which is such a wonderful way to share the gospel. I'm excited to keep working with their family and help them get to the temple to be sealed as a family.
I miss Sundays with the family. Sunday afternoons here on the mission are really the only time that I really miss home. I appreciate the time we spent together on Sundays a lot more now that I don't have it. I also wish I took more advantage of the time before I left to go walking with mom in the mornings. Every morning while out jogging, Sis. Roberts and I have good chats and I'm always reminded of my chats with you mom when I actually went with you. I will definitely be taking advantage of that time after I go home.
Phillip- Don't worry. I've been praying for you every day that you'll be successful at learning Spanish. At least you get to learn it there and not in the field. I know how it feels to not be able to say anything to people. In Texas we ran in to people who only spoke Spanish all the time and it was so frustrating because I couldn't say ANYTHING to them. I just had to stand there and look dumb. But by the time I left I knew a little bit of VERY broken Spanish—enough that I could tell people that we were missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and that I knew Heavenly Father loved them, and asked for their name and number. But don't worry, the language will come. Don't stress too much. Just do your part and know that the Lord will make up the rest. That's true for all aspects of missionary work. If we do as much as we can, the Lord will make up for where we lack. STAY POSITIVE. That's the biggest thing that you can do. No matter what the situation, having a positive attitude will make it 1000% better. Be patient with your companion and pray to love him. If you love your companion, that's when you can truly be successful. Keep your chin up.  A mission is the best. I pray for you multiple times a day! 
I love you all So much. You're in my prayers all the time.
Love you HEAPS!
Sister Baker


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