Tassie Times
Where do I even start? I feel like I
have so much to tell you since I didn't get to email last week.
I'll start with two weeks ago…
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| Hike to top of Allum Cliffs |
Monday we had such a fun p-day! Some
wonderful members in the ward paid for us to go and do some really fun things!
First we went to the honey farm which was really cool. They have like 20
different honeys that you can taste and honey products galore. The best part is
the honey ice cream. It was so delicious! After that we went on a hike up to a
place called Allum Cliffs. The view was incredible. Tasmania is so beautiful!
The view actually reminded me a lot of Mesa Falls, except without the falls
part. You'll have to Google it so you can see what it looks like. After that we
went to Trowunna Wildlife Park--my favourite part of the day! We got to see
lots of Tassie Devils and then we got to be with tons of Wallabies that just
eat right out of your hand! We also saw kookaburras, wombats, and echidnas. It
was awesome. A real Aussie experience! Before we did all those things, we went
grocery shopping. We didn't think we bought anything cold so we just left it
all in the car all day. Well, later we remembered that we bought chicken...
Oops! Oh well.
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| At Trowunna Wildlife Park - a real Aussie experience! |
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| Love the wallabies! |
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| Tasmanian Devils |
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| Me and Sister R. feeding the wallabies |
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| Kookaburra |
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| Wombat |
Tuesday we had district meeting.
After district meeting we had the Launceston Sisters over for lunch. I made
Bajio chicken in the crockpot and it was really good! That afternoon we visited
several less actives. First we saw a lady who I have affectionately started
calling Nana Trixie. She's like 85 years old and is so cute! She was 80 when
she got baptized! You're never too old to accept the gospel! After that we saw
the family whose son we are teaching to help him get ready for baptism. Then we
had dinner with a sweet older lady in the ward. She's so cute. She's leaving
soon to go visit her daughter in America and she is starting to get
stressed but she is so excited to see her grandchildren. :)
Wednesday morning we did
some tracting. While we were tracting we met a
man outside his house. He started asking some really good
questions and I really felt like we needed to tell him about the restoration. I
started teaching and realized that I got through every point of the
restoration in about 3 minutes. I remember in the MTC when they told us to
do it in five minutes and I thought it was impossible--it's times like this
that make me realize how much I've grown as a missionary! Wednesday
afternoon we had plans to go and visit a less-active family on the
list who we didn't know. We put their address into the GPS and
started driving. Well, the GPS took us on a wild goose chase and
we were driving like up a mountain. We ended up driving all the way to
the great lakes that are like in the middle of Tasmania. I
felt so stupid. You'd think that we would figure out that
we were going the wrong way. But our area is huge and I didn't really
think anything of it. When we realized how lost we were and how far we'd gone
in the wrong direction, it was one of those moments that you can either
cry or you can laugh. Well, I started laughing. Like crying,
laughing. I felt so stupid and ridiculous. But, on the bright side, we now
know that is not where they live, AND we got to see a beautiful view at
the top of a mountain. Wednesday night we had dinner with C and her
children. They are the cutest family ever. We taught them about Heavenly Father
and about prayer. We committed them to have family prayer every day. Before we
left we knelt down to have a prayer and the 11 year old daughter said the
prayer. As soon as she finished the 9 year old son asked if he could pray too.
Well, absolutely! It was so cute. Unfortunately they are a super busy family so
it's hard to be able to teach them but they have a lot of potential!
Thursday afternoon we had a lesson
with a man in his 70s who is quite opinionated and we were having a hard time
bringing the spirit into the lesson. But then we sang A Child's Prayer and the
spirit came. I don't know how much he'll progress but we'll see this week when
we teach him again.
Saturday morning we saw a part member
family. The dad is less-active and the mum is not a member. But the dad's
entire family are members of the ward and are active, his dad is the new
bishop. We're really hoping to be able to build a good relationship with them
and help him come back to church and hopefully we can build a good relationship
with his wife too.
Sunday at church we got a new bishop
which was crazy! But I think it is going to be so good. It was SO good to be
able to Skype you guys on Sunday! I still can't believe how much McKay's voice
has changed and how tall he is! CRAZY! Sunday night we had dinner with the new
bishop and all his kids and grandkids. We shared a message about the
stripling warriors and how their mother's taught them and then we had everyone
share something that their mother had taught them. Ha, I realized that is a
very Twitchell thing to do. Sunday night we had to get all packed to go to
Melbourne.
And now for this past week…
Monday morning we left at 7:00 am to
go to the Launceston airport. We met the Launceston sisters there and the four
of us flew to Melbourne together. When we got to Melbourne we had to wait there
for about an hour and a half for the sisters from Hobart to fly in. We
were all starving so we ate at one of my favourite restaurants-- Nandos! It's
so yummy. After the Hobart sisters got in, a senior couple picked us up in a
mission van and took us to the office. We spent the p-day with the other
sisters. We made a bunch of blankets for a women's shelter and played a bunch
of games together and then we had a yummy soup and salad dinner. After that we
went down to Narre Warren (Sister H and Sister R’s area). All of the Tassie
sisters stayed there so there were 8 of us. We all split up and visited people
in their area. I went with Sister H to teach a 17 year old boy. I love teaching
with Sister H. Love her. Another funny story… that night I decided I'd shower
at night because there were 8 of us and there would only be limited time in the
morning. Well, it turns out that they have absolutely no hot water at night.
Haha it was the coldest shower I have ever taken. I couldn't even breathe. We
all just slept on the floor that night in blankets and sleeping bags which was
fun.
Tuesday morning we got up and got
ready then headed to Sister's conference. It was so good! I love the Sisters in
this mission so much. It was so good to be with all of them and we had the best
trainings! A few thoughts that I loved from the day:
- When you
forget yourself, God will send people to remember you for you.
- Let your
companion shine where she shines--even if you can shine there too. Let her
shine.
- Love is the
greatest motivator.
- Is this time
to fill the tank or is it the time to lose ourselves and go to work?
(taking time to take care of yourself)
- At the end of
your mission be able to count the memories and not the missed
opportunities.
- The difference
between salvation and exaltation is a family.
- Our purpose
doesn't change much after the mission--eternal family needs to be our
purpose.
- When you have
decisions to make, remember that you are affecting generations to come.
- Use this
opportunity as a missionary to prepare to be a mother who knows.
I could go on and on. It was so good.
It was also so good to see Sister B. She is doing so well!
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| Sisters Conference! |
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| Me and Sister R |
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| All my daughters and granddaughters! |
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| My MTC group |
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| I love Sister S! |
After Sisters conference the
Assistants were in the office. Feeling the stress of needing to decide things
for school and stuff after the mission, I asked them to give me a blessing. The
blessing was perfect. And it was a perfect lead in to going to the temple that
night. I am so grateful that we got to go to the temple. I love the temple. I
was really pondering and asking Heavenly Father about where I'm supposed to go
to school, what I'm supposed to study, etc. The very clear answer came. I'm so
grateful for answers from my Heavenly Father and for the knowledge that I
gained. Besides schooling, I've felt so strongly throughout my whole mission
that this is preparing me so much to be a wife and a mother.
Tuesday night we stayed at the
mission home which is always a blessing. I love President and Sister Maxwell so
much! Wednesday morning we were all just sitting and doing our personal study
when President came in and asked if he could talk to me. We went in to his
office and he said that the APs had told him that I had asked for a blessing
and he was just checking to see what he could do to help me. I am so grateful
for President and the time he takes to focus on the one.
Wednesday afternoon we flew back to
Launceston and got in about 3:00. We had dinner with a wonderful family that
night and then we met with our ward mission leader.
A huge miracle happened on Thursday!
We were at the family history center and I had a bit of time to work on my own
lines. I was working on that Lydia Twitchell (the one I told you about on
Skype)... Well guess what! I was able to find her husband and her 10 children!
And now I have it reserved to do all of their temple work! We can all go to the
temple together after I am home and do the work for this entire family! I am so
happy! I thought that too much of my family history work was done and that I
would never be able to find names to take to the temple but I found 12!!
Friday we had a really good lesson
with S. S was taught previously by the sisters but she has been but she's back.
She has some health challenges but she is awesome! We were able to set a
baptismal date with her for the 14th of June!
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| Gotta love farm towns! |
Sunday was really good. Church was
wonderful. I am so grateful to be able to take the sacrament every week. And we
had 3 investigators there which was awesome! After church we did some tracting
and we met a beautiful woman named H who we can go back and see this week. We
also had some pretty interesting conversations with a Jehovah Witness lady.
I feel like so much has happened. I
am so grateful to be a missionary. I love it, love it, love it! I love you all!
Love you heaps!
Sister Baker xxx
