Life is like a box of....

Howdy from the South of Jersey!!! This week has been pretty fun
again.... Again. Because every week on the mission is just a big
bundle of marigolds... So Fun.

Well this week I got to speak Spanish again on exchange... I learned
that AFTER I had said "Hola" to every person on the street, that it is
more common and casual to say "Buenas" instead. No wonder everyone
knew right away that I didn't speak Spanish when we talked to them...
They would immediately just turn and talk to my companion... Figures I
am Mexican and don't know these things... Thanks Dad. I did get to eat
from a delicious Taco Truck though! We got to taste a bite of cow
tongue... It wasn't as crazy as I thought it would be... And also some
SUPER spicy lamb meat.... I cried a little.

It feels SUPER crazy that I have almost been out for nine months...
almost halfway done... It's like when you are running the two mile,
and you get done with 8 laps... And you still have 8 to go... And it
is 800 degrees outside... And then the guy beside you passes you... I
am loving New Jersey! More warm weather is going to be nice. It has
been PERFECT all week long! Just a nice happy medium with a little
breeze.

Anyways, sorry this is short, but I have some super fun pictures for
y'all!!! I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always. As long as
I'm living my baby you'll be... Farewell! ADIOS!

Pictura 1. What happened here....??? It was a gingerbread man hit and run....
2. Our first exchange of the week
3. All of the sisters we exchange with
4. Our taco truck adventure

Since you been gone.... (Apr 18)

Ok. So this week. Was madness. We had a big meeting and two exchanges
back to back... And I am almost ashamed to say I had to take a nap
during lunch break afterwards... But it was super fun! Helping people
is the absolute greatest...

I got pulled over again... But not really because we were already
pulled over with our hazards on, and Mr. Popo was just making sure we
were alright. So we left him with a Mormon.org card.

We also went mall contacting, and went to this shop that sold like
lotions and body wash and stuff, and had an awesome lesson with the
lady that works there! We are going back tonight to see if she read
the Book of Mormon haha. We also met this young lady there that sells
these super annoying toy dog things.... We gave her a Book of Mormon
too.... It was pretty exciting... So pray that when we go back to talk
to them tonight, they won't call the mall popos on us.

Umm... What else happened this week. We went to find a former
investigator a couple days ago, and it turns out she lives in the
fanciest retirement village I have ever seen. They have this huge gate
when you drive up and you stop at the window if you are a visitor, and
the security asks you who you are there to see. Well when they asked
us, we told them the name, and the address we had for them, and they
called their phone number. Of course they didn't pick up, so they told
us to go in, turn around and come back out. When we did, we saw all
kinds of fountains and fancy houses and a roller coaster... Ok there
wasn't a roller coaster. But if you ever want to live in a super duper
safe retirement village, I know exactly where you should go.

When I was on exchange, we got done with a lesson at the library, and
were walking to the car when this random girl says to me "I like your
skirt." (Btw, that was the skirt that Grandma Rogers got for me...
Thanks!) And then we ended up having a mini lesson with her, and a
return appointment! Miracles happen on exchange!

Yeah, so I am trying to make these stories sound super interesting...
But I can't think of anything else.... So I love you all, and I am so
thankful for Heavenly Father's mercy!!!! He is so nice!!!!

Byeeeee
Sister Baine :)

So I forgot to tell you, our zone has a theme, and we have decided
that we are the zone of Jedi Knights. It works because we both have
the force, we both have temples, we both have trainers and
apprentices, and we both fight against the dark side! So I drew this
interpretation of a comp inventory between Sister McConkie and I haha.
And then I discovered where Santa lives. He lives in East Brunswick,
New Jersey. I captured a picture of his sleigh.
And I finally made it to see the boardwalk! I didn't take too many
pictures, because it was kind of cold, but it is super pretty.
And then that is me and Sister Charles on exchange. Sister Charles
also got trained by Sister Roundy, so it was kind of fun to spend some
time with my "sister" in the mission. :)

ALRIGHT!!!!!

So I got to speak Spanish this week... Just kidding I don't know how to speak Spanish... but i pretended to know how to speak Spanish. I went on my first exchange this week as a Sister Training Leader with an Hermana to her area. It was so much fun, and I am definitely learning a TON about how to love others and be an effective leader... hopefully I don't have to learn it all by bad experiences about what NOT to do haha.... but anyways.

Ehh.... There haven't been a ton of crazy stories this week... Let me think... Last week for P-day we had a giant nerf war with our zone... that was really fun. We had the whole gym set up with tables and chairs and chalkboards to hide behind... but my team lost every time. 

We had an investigator at church yesterday! She is a super cute little Black girl with her little sister, and they were SO good! They sat so reverently and were just a joy to be around! Also yesterday, I gave a talk about sustaining our leaders. It was pretty easy, seeing as how we just had a wonderful conference last week. Haha but apparently the bishopric thought that me and the other elder who spoke would take up more time than we did, because we got out of sacrament meeting like 10 minutes early haha. I just wanted to make sure I didn't have a repeat of what happened at my farewell talk, so I kept it all brief! But a miracle happened in Gospel Principles class, because we had forgotten that we were supposed to teach the lesson until that morning, and hadn't prepared anything! we figured out what the lesson was on in Sacrament meeting, and then went into class and just winged it!!! Thankfully Heavenly Father is a merciful and loving God, because in a moment of pure comp unity, we busted out that lesson like we had rehearsed it for days! It was so cool how the spirit worked with us. We shared a couple videos, and at the end everyone was so excited about the scriptures that we handed out a Book of Mormon to all the class members so they could give them to their friends! It was truly a miracle of mercy! 

Umm... I dont know what else to talk about except the weather.. It has been pretty chilly and rainy and yucky lately... but today it is warmer, so hopefully it will get warmer for good! 

Oh! actually good news! So Sister Hale called me the other day and told me that one of our investigators that we worked with together is getting baptized this Saturday!!! I am so filled with the  lasting joy that only comes from the Gospel!!!! Even if I never have another baptism again, if all the investigators that I love and have been working with get baptized eventually, I will be so happy! He was going to wait a while to get baptized because he didn't know if he was ready, but then the bishop talked to him, and pointed out that if he wanted to get baptized this Saturday, him and his wife could be sealed in the temple on their anniversary next year! So he said he would get baptized this week because he wanted to make that a special day for her. ISNT THAT SO CUTE!!! This is also the guy who we had pretty much dropped because he was working so much that he couldn't ever meet with us. But then we found out that he and his wife had been fasting and praying together and then he started REALLY progressing right before I left. And now he is getting baptized!  I am so happy. 

Also, I have been gaining SUCH a testimony of prayer and study. I have been receiving SO many answers to questions and gaining SO much understanding of things! It is so crazy to think that everything everyone has told me about prayer before is actually TRUE! He literally answers our prayers. I don't understand it, but He does. I ask for a pony, and when I wake up in the morning, guess what is standing in my living room... It is a pony.  I am so thankful for that power... Now, God isn't Santa. But He loves us. He wants us to succeed. He doesn't ever put us in situations to fail. He puts us right in the middle of challenges and problems to help us learn to be creative and optimistic while we solve them! 

So my zone is doing like a sacrifice challenge. We are all getting up a half hour earlier to work on being better missionaries. Whether it be studies or role plays, or contacting or anything that we struggle with, we start our day earlier to get better at these things. And I am loving it more than a happy meal! Sometimes I get up even earlier to get in more time for learning... I have been kind of addicted to studying the good word of God lately... It is so EXCITING when the Holy Ghost LITERALLY directs me with what to study to answer my questions. It is so fun, and makes me SO much more confident when I teach and talk to others, because I know that these ideas were given to me from God in answer to my desires to help these people. I love it!!! I know that the Holy Ghost is a teacher. I know that we can learn things from the Holy Ghost that we can't learn from any other source, and I know that obedience to these things that H-e reveals to us is CRUCIAL to finding joy and peace and happiness! 

WELLLLLLL!!!! I will let you know if there are any other crazy things that goes on here... I love you all a boatload!!! 

 

Sister Baine