This has been the fastest year of my entire life! - 12/30/13

Melbourne Mission Moments 

I can't believe that it's nearly 2014! This has been the fastest year of my entire life.

Happy 9 months! - Can't believe I'm halfway done with my mission!

On Monday after our p-day we had dinner with a family in our ward. Four of their five married kids and their grandchildren are all in our ward so everyone was there. It was fun. They are a really fun family. After dinner they had a little Christmas Devotional that they do every year. It was reading the Christmas story from the scriptures and singing songs, a lot like we do on Christmas Eve, except they don't act it out. Some of my favourite Christmas memories come from getting dressed up to act out the nativity.

Tuesday morning we had our district meeting. I love our new district here. There are some really awesome missionaries. I am especially impressed with our District Leader. He is such an exemplary leader and you can feel his genuine love for every member of our district. He really cares about how we are doing and the work that is going on in our area. I love that he calls several times a week just to see how things are going and to ask about our investigators. Seriously, they could make a District Leader Training Video just by following him around. Anyway, after our district meeting we had a lunch together as a district which was fun. After that we went and did some finding and then visited members in the ward. We had dinner with another family in the ward. It was a big Christmas feast which was fun. They have 2 little boys who got to open their presents from their grandparents while we were there and oh my, it was so cute. The three year old just kept saying, "Wow! Cool!" Haha it reminded me exactly of Luke Tanner when he was playing with the marbles.

My Christmas tree with notes from family & friends from home!

Christmas Day. I still can hardly believe that it was Christmas. It really didn't feel like Christmas much at all because it was warm. So weird. Thank you again for the Christmas package. I love it! The best part of the day, and the week really, was getting to Skype home. I miss you guys so much and it was so good to see you and hear your voices. Best gift I could have asked for. After I finished skyping, we went to a family’s for breakfast. It was French Toast with Strawberries and melted Cadbury chocolate on top. So yummy!! After spending the morning with them we went over to Bishop's to spend the rest of the day. We really just relaxed, played games, etc. The members of the ward have been really great and have given us lots of gifts. We have been given fun Australian souvenir type things but other than that it is a lot of food. We seriously have so much chocolate and heaps of fruit mince pies. I don't know if they even have them at home. Also, everyone here eats fruit cake. Sounds like Peru and Australia are similar in that.

So much Christmas LOVE! :)

Thursday was relatively uneventful. The day after Christmas here is called Boxing Day (I have no idea where the name comes from). Nothing really happens here on Boxing Day except apparently everyone here goes crazy shopping. It sounds like it's their equivalent of Black Friday except on a smaller scale and not so crazy.

Friday morning we got to go to the temple which was such a blessing. I love the temple so much. As I was sitting in the Celestial room, I just felt so overwhelmingly loved by my Heavenly Father. It was so obvious that he is very aware of me. I just cried. Weird how that happens. I'm such a sook. It was a bit hard for Christmas to be in a brand new place and I needed to feel that love and I am so grateful for it.

With my companion from the MTC! Love her!

Saturday we were supposed to teach the three investigators we currently have, but they are with family in West Melbourne so that was a bummer. Hopefully we will be able to see them this week.

Sunday was really good. During the 3rd hour, they had a combined RS, priesthood and youth lesson. Bishop taught and he had the 4 missionaries sit at the front. He talked a lot about missionary work and about how it is not coincidence that we are serving in the ward. He explained that he actually called President Maxwell and asked for a set of sister missionaries. He got a little emotional as he testified that there are people prepared in this area, people the members know, who WE specifically need to teach. It was really good to feel so appreciated and needed and I am glad that Bishop is so interested in missionary work because I really think that the ward will follow. Miracles are going to start happening soon.

Sunday night we had dinner with a sister in the ward. Her oldest son is 9 and he wants to get baptized so we are going to start teaching him and help him get ready. His dad is not a member but is okay with him being baptized as long as he understands what he is doing. I think it's funny that I am going to be teaching yet another 9 year old boy. I love teaching kids. Seriously, there is such an innocence and love from them.

This week we are going to be really focusing on finding because WE NEED PEOPLE TO TEACH! I know that people are prepared and that Heavenly Father will help us find those people. I can't wait for miracles to start happening.

Phillip- I hope you had a good Christmas in Peru. I am sad that I didn't get to talk to you but next Christmas I will. Man you have so many baptisms. The people there must be wonderful and humble.

I love you all! Can't wait for 2014 and the miracles it is going to bring.

Love y'all heaps!

Sister Baker xxx