1.6.14

I suppose you all would like an update on this little town of Weiser, Idaho. Well, that is just what you are going to get. We did more missionary work this week. Wahoo. Ali has a baptism date for the 18th of January!!!!  Ali is really excited about the gospel. She is the prefect investigator and already knows so much. She is thrilled to learn and grow. Her family is having a hard time accepting it, but she told us that if she didn't know with her whole heart that it was true, she would just give up and go home. She is amazing. Her kids are 2 and 1. She is getting into some housing this week. Our teaching pool is a little slow right now. We are still teaching Mona, and Virginia. They are both progressing but slowly. Rex is doing great! He is the best new member ever! 

We spent new-year's eve playing prophet trivia and drinking Martineli's and jumping on our little trampoline. We spent new-year's day helping the Packers clean their house, it was a no-proselyting day (guess they didn't want us bothering all of the hungover people...)

 Friday we served at the funeral of Darrin Thomas and Christian Alder. It was a beautiful service and the whole town was there. SO many Weiser-ites felt the spirit as many speakers testified of the Plan of Salvation. Though many were mourning, it was really a happy day. We were able to stay to serve that family dinner and clean up. It was a great day of service. 

Friday night we went to see a true back-hills Idaho medicine man. It was awesome. Really he is a reflexologist, but he is still really cool. He was able to test the muscles in my feet and legs to diagnose some deeper issues. It was amazing. I know it seems weird, but it was totally legit. I am just going to move to Idaho and forget western culture and be all natural and such. I love Idaho!!  You can live in the city and come visit me on my ranch that has a nice little stream and is 50 miles away from other human civilization :)

Saturday we met some new people to teach, which is always exciting and by the end of the day I  had come down with the stomach flu... Awkward. So Sunday was pretty much shot.

So here we are today. It is transfer day here in the Idaho Nampa Mission. Ba ba da da Sister Breen and I are staying together here in Weiser! Well, that's all for now, folks. The church is true, the book is blue!
Love,
Sister Baker

12.30.13

This week has been nice and pretty relaxing. Christmas Eve and Christmas day were spent mostly with the Packers and with Rex and his girlfriend Susann. We had several delicious turkey dinners (never eating turkey again) and LOTS of desserts. We spent Christmas Eve evening with a family named the Kites and had lots of fun and read Christmas stories and opened Jammies. It was fun that they have that tradition too and they were super nice to get us some too! Sister Breen and I read Luke 2 before going to bed by the light of her glowing pillow pet. It was very nice. Christmas day was the best skyping with everyone! We also took a nap and cleaned our apartment. I am beginning to understand Dad's need to clean on holidays... It was great to just have some time where we didn't need to be anywhere or do anything. That was a great Christmas gift! The best gift of all was being able to celebrate the birth of our Savior as his dedicated servant. It really helped me to see the holiday and the season in a whole new light. I love this gospel and I am so grateful for the birth, life, and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Anyways, the rest of the week we spent contacting, teaching, and eating leftovers. We started teaching a girl named Ali who was introduced to the gospel through several (male) friends at the gym. Yes, Ali is very cute. Yes the theory of 'flirt to convert' apparently has worked in this situation because Ali came to us this week and asked to be baptized as soon as possible. She has already begun reading the Book of Mormon, prayed about it, and told her family she is Mormon! She is really excited about the gospel. Don't worry, we are not letting these 'gym friends' creep on her too much ;). We are really excited to keep teaching her and are planning her baptism for Jan. 18th. We also found a new investigator named Jim. He is like extra super old and is from Long Beach! I was excited that he knew where Los Al is and he thought it was pretty neat that I am a California girl. He smokes A LOT and chews tobacco, but many have overcome these addictions in the past. I am really excited to be teaching another old guy. I guess it is my M.O.... The work is going well and I am excited to get 2014 off to a good start. I cannot believe I have been serving almost 10 months. I love this work! 

Before I close, I would like to ask each of you to keep the Alder and Thomas families in your prayers. Saturday night Their sons were killed in a head-on collision heading back from the temple. They were both recently returned missionaries who were home for the holidays. These families as well as the entire town of Weiser are mourning their loss. It is a blessing and a comfort to the family to know that their sons are on to their next mission. Prayers would be much appreciated. 

I love you all and pray always for you. 

Love,

Sister Madison Baker

12.23.13

Hello!

It has been count down to Christmas here in the Idaho Nampa Mission this past week. Bah Humbug. Just kidding, I actually like Christmas this year. We had our Christmas zone conference on Wednesday, which was super fun! We had a white elephant gift exchange. I made out with some Richard Simmons work-out DVDs. Hello New-Year's resolution! We have been bringing Christmas cookies and messages about Jesus to EVERYONE. This is why I love it this year I guess. We found a new investigator named Ali who wants to be baptized. Best present ever! 

It snowed Friday. That was lovely. First white Christmas will be fun. Sunday's Christmas programs really made me miss Foothills ward, but they were still nice. 

Anyways, remember our Savior as you give and receive this week. Remember the ultimate gift that He gave to us. He loves us and the best gift that we can give others is that Christlike love. I love you all! Merry Christmas!

Love,

Sister Baker

P.S. I almost forgot to tell you the most exciting part of the week. Rex got baptized!!!!!! It was beautiful. He cried through the whole thing. He has gained such a sincere testimony and has made so many changes in his life. He will be a wonderful servant of the Lord and disciple of Christ. He is such a special, sweet man who has really taken the gospel into his whole heart and soul. Here are some cute pics from the special day!

12.16.13

Hello!

This week has been a happy week! We have both been on the upswing health-wise and have been able to do a whole lot more missionary work. We only took one sick day. Hooray! It is still really cold here but it should be up in the 30s this week. I never thought I would use the word "up" to describe 30 degree weather... But I guess I have to count my blessings when they appear :). 

We have taught some amazing lessons this week and have had some miracles occur. For some reason whenever I get sick as a missionary I get really scared that when I get better there will not be any work to do, but of course that is never the case. We hit the ground running this week finding 2 new investigators, 3 more potentials, and handing out 6 copies of the Book of Mormon. We made like a million cookies and have been bringing them to less-active and part member families which is super fun! We taught Mona and Cynthia an amazing lesson about prophets this week. They could use any extra prayers as they have a WHOLE  lot going against them right now. 

Anyways, we are loving the Christmas cheer and basking in the love everyone feels at this time of year. It is wonderful. As I attended the temple this week, I realized that sometimes Heavenly Father has to allow us to go through hard times so that his plan can be carried out. Just like Adam and Eve had to partake of the fruit. Sometimes when it seems like Heavenly Father has stepped out, he is just patiently watching and waiting to bring even greater blessings into our lives. I know that the Lord has a plan and that he loves us. 

I love you all! Merry Christmas (no more bah humbug from this sister missionary!)

Love,

Sister Baker

12.9.13

Hi!

I am really cold. Also I have a cold. I am pretty much dying and spent most of yesterday and the day before in bed. I really don't have much of anything exciting to report as we have both been misrably sick all week. Bah humbug. We did watch the Christmas devotional last night and it was really nice. I love hearing the prophet and apostles speak. I loved sister Wixom's talk about remembering to be like a little child. It was really touching. Well, the Packers have been taking really good care of us and keeping us warm in this 1 degree weather. I got my hair evened up this morning so no more long side. Virginia set a baptism date for dec. 28th and Rex had his baptismal interview. We taught Mona and Cynthia about having a loving Heavenly Father which really touched them as they have grown up in a home filled with drugs and alcohol and not very much love. They are very touched by the gospel and by the spirit that they can feel when they are at church and around good loving members of the church. I am very excited to keep teaching them. In other exciting news, I get to go to the temple on Wednesday! Yay! We are excited to get better so we can get back to work and keep being missionaries. Life is fun here in the tundra.

Love,

Sister Baker

12.2.13

Dear Everyone,

It has been a lovely week of new missionaries and Thanksgiving festivities! The week started with an all sisters slumber party at the mission home. That was hilarious and awesome.  Tuesday the new missionaries came in and I got Sister Breen as my new companion. She is from Hawaii and is amazing. I feel like she is not even a new missionary which is such a relief/blessing/sweet sweet tender mercy right now. I am still the STL and have 6 companionships to exchange with this transfer. Wahoo... She is so on top of things though. She is also really funny and is teaching me to speak like a Hawaiian. Word of the week: Dakine "We are going to see Dakine, yeah?". Yep. She is really really great. We have been hitting the ground running and are ready to rock the Weiser 1st and 3rd wards! 

For Thanksgiving we started out our day doing some service at the senior center. We helped prepare and serve meals to all  of the old folks of Weiser. It was great. I love doing service during the holidays, it brings back all of the good memories we have created doing service as a family. Afterwards we had dinner numero uno with the Real family in Weiser 2nd ward. It was a delicious and fun meal. Sister Real printed out a bunch of random fun facts and we all passed the jar around and read them as we ate. It was great. After we finished eating all four of us sisters headed down to Nampa for round two at the mission home. There we all shared what we are thankful for and talked about all of our blessings and then shared funny mission stories. It was great to spend the evening with other missionaries and President and Sister Cannon. Thanksgiving is the best holiday ever. SO, then after that we did more missionary work/stuff. That was really exciting. 

And then there was Sunday. Started out like any normal fast sunday would. Went to ward counsel and sacrament meetings and such. But then it was third ward sacrament meeting time. Hanna Packer excitedly announced that her two friends were coming (one of them had come last week to sing with a group). They both showed up and had tears in their eyes throughout all of the testimonies. One of them leaned over to Hannah and asked "Can I go up there and say something" Hannah told her that she could, so she did. And so did her sister. They both proceeded to bear the most sincere and heartfelt testimonies I have ever heard in my life. Both girls who had only ever set foot in an LDS church twice in their lives stood up and professed this to be the true church. That they knew it because there was a feeling there that they had never felt anywhere else. Let me tell you there was not a single dry eye in the entire chapel. They are starting the lessons on Tuesday. We can't wait!! It was a miracle. When people are ready for the gospel they are ready. There are no two ways about it and the Lord will plant them where they need to be to receive it. It is up to us to help them. To help them feel welcomed and loved. To bring the spirit into our homes and into meetings. To love and accept all of Heavenly Father's children so that when they are ready to receive what we have, we are ready to give it to them. God has a plan. This gospel is true and it is for EVERYONE. I love you all!!

Sister Baker

11.25.13

So... This week has been interesting. Well, it has been mostly normal with like one or two interesting happenings. I did normal things like break up a fight at P-day volley ball, go on exchanges, teach Rex about the law of chastity again, help Malinda move back in with her husband, speak at a Young Women in excellence about how much I "loved" personal progress, make really good soup, teach like 32 lessons, and have my purse stolen right out of my car. Yep. Pretty standard week.

Let me begin with Last Monday. We decided to travel to the far away land of Caldwell, Idaho for P-day activities because we were planning on exchanges with some sisters in the Caldwell zone. So why not mix it up? Ohhhhh I will tell you why. So what started out as a few lovely games of volleyball soon shifted into some really disorganized half court basket ball. Which seemed all good and fine albeit a bit chaotic. After a game or two I noticed one of the sisters had decided to sit out and was sitting on the stage writing letters. I jumped out of the game to make sure she was not hurt and before I could even ask another sister had come out of the game, screamed in this sister's face stormed off mad and the stage sitter ran off in tears. Whoa. At which point the Caldwell zone leader prompts me "I am pretty sure that is your job, not mine". Crap. So I start to go after the sweet little abused sister but another sister had already gone to console her, so in a split second decision I beckoned the yeller to come with me into the hall way to talk about what had happened. Very calmly I explained that there are better ways to resolve differences and that shouting at people out of the blue is not conducive to missionary work. She calmly agrees and then out of nowhere begins to verbally attack me. Luckily her companion showed up and was able to jump in front of her right as she was about to deck me. Lovely. By some miracle I stayed calm throughout this entire experience. I was able to talk her down and finally have a conversation and do some problem solving. Man, I was scared pantsless though! She eventually apologized to me and to the sister she was being unkind to on the basketball court and I am pretty sure President is helping them resolve differences. When I was called as the sister training leader, I had no idea what I was in for I guess, but President Cannon assured me that is exactly why I am in this calling. I have a testimony that the Lord qualifies those whom he calls. Sometimes even if we don't realize it until after a situation. Anyways, that was Monday. The rest of the week was pretty smooth sailing. We taught a lot and had a baptism on Saturday for a man who was taught in the Boise mission. It was a little weird, but nice to see someone receiving the ordinance of baptism. We also taught Virginia the plan of salvation, which she loved. Her friend/fellowshipper, Sister Olsen gave her a David Ridges "Book of Mormon Made Easier" which she is devouring. She is really progressing and we are hoping to extend a baptism date for her in our next lesson. We also found a new investigator in the 1st ward. She took the lessons about 20 years ago from some "cute" elders so naturally she remembers nothing. She is genuinely interested in learning though, which is exciting! 

So, to end our week after the baptism on Saturday night we stopped by one of our ward missionary's home to coordinate for the upcoming ward christmas party (I don't really know why we are the party planning committee, but we just are.) After about an hour of him showing us a bunch of old home movies form their wedding and stuff we decided to leave. Well, that didn't happen because as soon as we got in the car we noticed that our purses had been stolen. Lovely. So, we called the Cops and President Cannon and all that jazz. The cops found our purses dumped out on the lawn two doors down. The only thing gone was sister Ketring's camera. Some punk-A kid did a really poor job so they are pretty sure they will be able to recover the camera or at least catch him and collect restitution for it. Pretty lame. Guess I didn't have to go to a third-world country for the true missionary mugging experience. Wahoo. 

Anyways, that was less exciting that it seemed. Things really are good around here. Today is transfers. We are splitting the Weiser area and are both training new sisters. Wahoo. So yeah. Have a great week. The Gospel is true!

Love, 

Sister Baker