It
has been such a great week family and friends!! So many good things happened
this week and I am just grateful to be a missionary. I am loving the
opportunity I have everyday to talk to so many different people. I love that
all I have to worry about is helping other people any way I can. I’ve met some
amazing people this week and can’t wait to talk more with them and help them
become more like Christ.
The first thing I want to tell you is that September 15th is going to be a good day! So, rewind 8 weeks ago when it was my two companions together in this area before I got here. The area I’m serving in is fairly new and there has been no baptisms at all. There hasn’t been much success or anything. So, my companions sat down 8 weeks ago together and wanted to make a goal of when they will baptize by. They prayed and pondered and both came together to decide on September 15th. They made a goal and wrote it down on our withe board saying, “Merritt Island area will baptize by September 15th” and let me just tell you that the Lord does provide when you do your part. So, 6 weeks go by and my companions have been working hard and trying their best to prepare people for baptism but no one seemed to be willing. They kept working hard and moving forward in faith and nothing. I got here two weeks ago and since I’ve gotten here, we’ve been working hard. Last Sunday, we get a phone call saying that there is a new family, the Ammons, in the ward but the husband is not a member. His name is Nick and he said he wants to talk with the missionaries! So, we set a time on Wednesday to meet with Nick Ammons and we were way excited! He called us the next day and said, “I’m going out of town Wednesday-Saturday and I am too anxious to wait until I get back to meet with you Elders. Can we please meet on Tuesday?” YES, uhhh yes of course hahah. Before me met with him on Tuesday, we were talking to his neighbors who are members. His neighbors tell us how awesome Nick is and how ready he is to become a member. She says, “I was just talking to him and he was telling me that he feels that he wants to be baptized on September 15th.” Boom, we were blown away. I do believe that it was a coincidence that Nick randomly thought of that day as well as my companions. The Lord has been preparing Nick long before we even got to this area. We are teaching him and his baptism is on September 15th!!! We are all way excited for him and his decision. This is my first baptism on the mish so I’m pretty excited as well!
Another person we have been teaching is Godfrey. My companions were teaching him long before I came and the missionaries before my companions were also teaching him. So when I started teaching him, I was definitely not the first missionary he has heard from. Godfrey has been invited to be baptized many times in the past but has turned it down and said he is not ready and he doesn’t want to leave his choir that he is a part of at a different church. My companions told me this and I knew that he has been asked before to be baptized but hasn’t showed much interest. As we were teaching Godfrey on Saturday, we were reading 2 Nephi 31 which is where Nephi talks about Jesus Christ being baptized. As we read this together, I could feel the spirit really strongly. I could also tell that Godfrey was feeling the spirit as well. After we had a great discussion about Jesus Christ, Godfrey expressed that he wants to become more like Him. I read verse 12 to Godfrey where Christ says, “...follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do.” I then had a super strong feeling to invite Godfrey to be baptized even though I’ve been told that he doesn’t really want to. So, I followed the prompting and asked, “Godfrey, will you follow the example of Jesus Christ by being baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God?” As I asked this, Godfrey stopped and thought for a little while and says yes and accepted my invitation to be baptized. We are working with him this week to prepare him for baptism! I don’t know what I did differently in inviting him to be baptized than missionaries in the past but I am so glad that I followed the prompting from the Holy Ghost. I know that Heavenly Father has been preparing Godfrey long before I got here to Florida. I also know and have a strong testimony that I am exactly where I need to be. I am in this area for a reason while I wait for my Visa. I am SUPER excited to get my visa and get to India, but for now I know I’m in the right spot.
On Friday, I met the Ross family and they are totally awesome. The mom, April, had requested a Book of Mormon from us so we get to go deliver it! We dropped off the Book of Mormon and the kids came to the door so we gave it to them because their mom was sick in bed. There was a little 8 year old girl, a 11 year old boy, and then an older sister that was probably 17 ish. I gave the 11 year old boy the Book of Mormon and asked if we could come back another time to talk to them about this book. He went and asked his mom and she said we could come back the next day at 2. We came back Saturday at 2 to talk to them about the Book of Mormon and the little boy just opened the door and goes “OH! you guys again! Let me go get the book.” So we’re outside the front door all excited that he wants to get the BOM. When he comes back, he cracks the door open and sticks the BOM out and says, “my mom said she wants the real bible, thanks though.” Hahahaha DANG. Well we told this little guy that this is a really really great book and that he can keep it. We said we can get a bible for them and bring it back though! He said were welcome to come back with a bible at 5 that night. Now listen, we are on bikes and we don’t have a bible on us, nor do we have a phone on us and we just committed to get this family a bible and bring it back in 2 hours. SO, we raced to a nearby Burger King just to cop their free WiFi so we could Facebook message some elders that had a car and could bring us a Bible. Luckily, they got the message and got us a bible just in time for us to go back. We biked back to the Ross family to give them a bible. We talked to the kids and also met the stepdad. We learned a lot about this family and the kids LOVE ME. We had a really really good talk about the Book of Mormon and we read a few scriptures to them. We planned a day to come back and teach them more. After we talked to them, the little boy went and got his Book of Mormon that we gave him and asks us, “Is it okay if I keep this book? I want to read it and learn more about Jesus Christ?” Obviously we said yes, of course!! But isn’t that awesome!!! The family is struggling and the kids are usually home bored so they lovvvvve when we come over. The little 12 year old boy loves me and this little 8 year old girl is crazzyyyyyy and pretty whack, it’s so funny but she absolutely lovesssss me hahahaha. She told me she wanted me to make her my wallpaper on my iPad so she had me take some pics of her which you’ll see at the bottom of this email.
Anyway, I absolutely love what I am doing and I love talking to new people and meeting new people that I can help and bring joy into their life. It brings me so much joy as I follow promptings from the spirit and help other people. I have felt God’s hand in my life more than ever recently and I appreciate it a lot. I love all of you!! I love hearing from you as well so don’t be afraid to say hello! ❤️❤️ I hope everyone has a great week!
Love, Elder Baker
The first thing I want to tell you is that September 15th is going to be a good day! So, rewind 8 weeks ago when it was my two companions together in this area before I got here. The area I’m serving in is fairly new and there has been no baptisms at all. There hasn’t been much success or anything. So, my companions sat down 8 weeks ago together and wanted to make a goal of when they will baptize by. They prayed and pondered and both came together to decide on September 15th. They made a goal and wrote it down on our withe board saying, “Merritt Island area will baptize by September 15th” and let me just tell you that the Lord does provide when you do your part. So, 6 weeks go by and my companions have been working hard and trying their best to prepare people for baptism but no one seemed to be willing. They kept working hard and moving forward in faith and nothing. I got here two weeks ago and since I’ve gotten here, we’ve been working hard. Last Sunday, we get a phone call saying that there is a new family, the Ammons, in the ward but the husband is not a member. His name is Nick and he said he wants to talk with the missionaries! So, we set a time on Wednesday to meet with Nick Ammons and we were way excited! He called us the next day and said, “I’m going out of town Wednesday-Saturday and I am too anxious to wait until I get back to meet with you Elders. Can we please meet on Tuesday?” YES, uhhh yes of course hahah. Before me met with him on Tuesday, we were talking to his neighbors who are members. His neighbors tell us how awesome Nick is and how ready he is to become a member. She says, “I was just talking to him and he was telling me that he feels that he wants to be baptized on September 15th.” Boom, we were blown away. I do believe that it was a coincidence that Nick randomly thought of that day as well as my companions. The Lord has been preparing Nick long before we even got to this area. We are teaching him and his baptism is on September 15th!!! We are all way excited for him and his decision. This is my first baptism on the mish so I’m pretty excited as well!
Another person we have been teaching is Godfrey. My companions were teaching him long before I came and the missionaries before my companions were also teaching him. So when I started teaching him, I was definitely not the first missionary he has heard from. Godfrey has been invited to be baptized many times in the past but has turned it down and said he is not ready and he doesn’t want to leave his choir that he is a part of at a different church. My companions told me this and I knew that he has been asked before to be baptized but hasn’t showed much interest. As we were teaching Godfrey on Saturday, we were reading 2 Nephi 31 which is where Nephi talks about Jesus Christ being baptized. As we read this together, I could feel the spirit really strongly. I could also tell that Godfrey was feeling the spirit as well. After we had a great discussion about Jesus Christ, Godfrey expressed that he wants to become more like Him. I read verse 12 to Godfrey where Christ says, “...follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do.” I then had a super strong feeling to invite Godfrey to be baptized even though I’ve been told that he doesn’t really want to. So, I followed the prompting and asked, “Godfrey, will you follow the example of Jesus Christ by being baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God?” As I asked this, Godfrey stopped and thought for a little while and says yes and accepted my invitation to be baptized. We are working with him this week to prepare him for baptism! I don’t know what I did differently in inviting him to be baptized than missionaries in the past but I am so glad that I followed the prompting from the Holy Ghost. I know that Heavenly Father has been preparing Godfrey long before I got here to Florida. I also know and have a strong testimony that I am exactly where I need to be. I am in this area for a reason while I wait for my Visa. I am SUPER excited to get my visa and get to India, but for now I know I’m in the right spot.
On Friday, I met the Ross family and they are totally awesome. The mom, April, had requested a Book of Mormon from us so we get to go deliver it! We dropped off the Book of Mormon and the kids came to the door so we gave it to them because their mom was sick in bed. There was a little 8 year old girl, a 11 year old boy, and then an older sister that was probably 17 ish. I gave the 11 year old boy the Book of Mormon and asked if we could come back another time to talk to them about this book. He went and asked his mom and she said we could come back the next day at 2. We came back Saturday at 2 to talk to them about the Book of Mormon and the little boy just opened the door and goes “OH! you guys again! Let me go get the book.” So we’re outside the front door all excited that he wants to get the BOM. When he comes back, he cracks the door open and sticks the BOM out and says, “my mom said she wants the real bible, thanks though.” Hahahaha DANG. Well we told this little guy that this is a really really great book and that he can keep it. We said we can get a bible for them and bring it back though! He said were welcome to come back with a bible at 5 that night. Now listen, we are on bikes and we don’t have a bible on us, nor do we have a phone on us and we just committed to get this family a bible and bring it back in 2 hours. SO, we raced to a nearby Burger King just to cop their free WiFi so we could Facebook message some elders that had a car and could bring us a Bible. Luckily, they got the message and got us a bible just in time for us to go back. We biked back to the Ross family to give them a bible. We talked to the kids and also met the stepdad. We learned a lot about this family and the kids LOVE ME. We had a really really good talk about the Book of Mormon and we read a few scriptures to them. We planned a day to come back and teach them more. After we talked to them, the little boy went and got his Book of Mormon that we gave him and asks us, “Is it okay if I keep this book? I want to read it and learn more about Jesus Christ?” Obviously we said yes, of course!! But isn’t that awesome!!! The family is struggling and the kids are usually home bored so they lovvvvve when we come over. The little 12 year old boy loves me and this little 8 year old girl is crazzyyyyyy and pretty whack, it’s so funny but she absolutely lovesssss me hahahaha. She told me she wanted me to make her my wallpaper on my iPad so she had me take some pics of her which you’ll see at the bottom of this email.
Anyway, I absolutely love what I am doing and I love talking to new people and meeting new people that I can help and bring joy into their life. It brings me so much joy as I follow promptings from the spirit and help other people. I have felt God’s hand in my life more than ever recently and I appreciate it a lot. I love all of you!! I love hearing from you as well so don’t be afraid to say hello! ❤️❤️ I hope everyone has a great week!
Love, Elder Baker
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