11/25/13 | We got a case of the Lymes

"Your mom is the smartest mom" -Sister Bettilyon

My dearest companion has Lymes. :( She's not officially diagnosed but we went to the C_____'s for dinner on friday and we were talking to Sister C_____ about her symptoms. After listening to most of them, she gasped and said "you have Lymes!" Sister C_____ had it undiagnosed for 5 years and their daughter A__ got it when she was in kindergarten. Sister C was so mad that we havn't been allowed to take her to see a doctor out here cause Lymes is so common out here that any doctor would have recognized it and put her on antibiotics right away. All of the symptoms line up too perfectly. So we went to get her blood drawn this morning but the thing is, Lymes doesn't always test positive. It's basically just a big mess, and the mission is still having her work with Dr. Ohio (that's not his real name, but he's the dr thats over like 100 missions and he lives in Ohio) who has no idea what lymes is. But we had Zone Conference on Saturday and President pulled her out of Role Playing to ask her whats going on cause she looks so sick. (we are going to make an apppointment for her to see a doc in the stake this week)

Thank you 100 for the package!! "Your mom is the best mom!!" -Sister Bettilyon we love the tea and naan :) yay! Also the target package came with the cds :) yippy i o kayahhaeyy

Zone conference was so good! I love it! so much good stuff and learning :).
Zone Conference was exactly what the both of us needed this week! We were so happy when Saturday finally came!! I love when we get to meet together as missionaries and uplift each other in the spirit. I learned so much! My favorite thing I learned was something Elder W said (one of the AP's) it's a phrase "No random thought" meaning that every thought you have pertaining to missionary stuff is probably from the spirit and you should act on it. I've already started using it. It's super awesome!

So we have pamphlets out here that we can teach with. WE learned how to use them so powerfully at ZC. I was absolutely blown away by the way we are supposed to use the pamphlets. Sister Bettilyon and I have been trying to use them in our lessons lately but it was never anything incredible. Some times it was even a bit awkward. But the way they taught us how to use them effectively was so amazing! We had the chance to use the restoration pamphlet on a member family we had dinner with last night. They have three little girls (the oldest is 4) so we thought it would be a perfect opportunity to practice with teaching children. It was absolutely incredible!!!! When we got to the picture of Jesus in the America's she got so excited! She knew exactly what was happening in it. I asked her what Jesus was teaching the people, she shrugged her shoulders and I told her "He is teaching them the same things that you learn in primary!" She gasped and got so excited!!! Then Sister Bettilyon added, "And that's the same stuff that you learned when you were in heaven!" She was so excited about that too :). At the very last picture, (the one of the girl praying) she told us that the girl was praying to Heavenly Father to ask him if the Book of Mormon that is sitting in front of her is true. She recounted how she asked Heavenly Father if the Book of Mormon was true and that she told her that it was! She said she knew it was true because she felt good when she prayed about it. We were so amazed that a little girl the age of 4 was telling us this! Her mom then told us that they hadn't even prodded her to do it. She came up with the idea on her own when her dad read her a children's version of the Book of Mormon that they have, at the end of it it describes Moroni's promise, when she heard that she jumped up and exclaimed "lets do it!!" This experience was so precious and the spirit was so strong as that little girl bore her testimony to us. IT WAS SO CUTE!!!

"We are not humans having spiritual experiences, We are Spirits having human experiences" a member told me that at church yesterday.

As a missionary, one of the rules is to keep your companion within sight and sound. The Holy Ghost has been given to each of us as a companion. Are we doing everything we can to keep the Holy Ghost within our sight and sound? 

Well Family, I am so thankful for you! and I will miss you this week, but dont worry about me cause we are being taken care of :) (we have dinners at the Co___, Ca_____, K_____, and L_____) whooooo.

LOVE, Sister Bailey

11/18/13

This week was spent in my apartment...boooooo. 100% not my favorite thing! Sister B has been in bed all week with some sort of major exhaustion caused by either her thyroid or extreme hypoglycemia. Super sad to see her like that. But I can say that I learned a lot about companionship unity this week. As (hopefully) you can tell, sis b and i are the best of friends! So I had been wondering how our companionship could get any stronger! Well the Lord decided to show me how (sorry sister b). Forced service. Sister B is someone that is very hard to serve because she likes to do everything for herself. I had been trying to find ways to serve her and just wasn't coming up with anything until she literally couldn't do anything. I have had so many opportunities to serve her this week! At times (like at district meeting) she is too weak to even open the lid of her water bottle--service opp. She has to eat every 3-4 hours--service opp. The list of service opps goes on and on but I wasn't even put out by having to do all of those things for her! Over the week our friendship and companionship has grown even stronger and I can't even wait for her to get better and we can hit the streets of west chester! yayyy.

So...we were supposed to stay in our apartment 24/7 this week (mission nurse's order) but sometimes you just have to leave the apartment and do some missionary work anyways...whoops. On one night that we decided to be missionaries. We went to the Lovely L____'s house for dinner. I'm not going to go into any real detail but when we arrived, there was a real crisis happening. It just sounded like an argument of sorts so we decided to drive around the block and give them some time to cool off. we came back 10 min later and there were a few cop cars. We texted M__ and asked if everything was ok, she said no...We asked what we could do for her and she said "Pray for my son" At that moment, K____ came running out to our car absolutely hysterical. She jumped in our car and gave us a sobbing run down of what had happened. Turns our B___ had had some sort of rage fit and had taken off into the woods. The police had the area surrounded and were looking for him with the K9 unit. H_____ came out to the car with C___ (k___'s baby) and was pretty shaken up too. Between sobs, K___ asked if we would say a prayer. We did and then she made us come in the house with her. They found B____ and lots of stuff happened and T__ and M__ went to the hospital to see B____. K___ and H____ begged us to stay with them and have dinner and just help them keep the spirit in their home. So we did and we got to share a really good message (mormon message style) with Z___ there and everything (he's not a member). It was a much needed miracle for us to be in their home that night and I'm so glad that the Lord has allowed us to grow so close to this family. 

Miracle: T__ L_____ CAME TO CHURCH! With M____ and K___, H____ and C___!!! We were so so happy we both shook T__'s hand twice cause we can't hug him :). 

Last night I spoke at a fireside about "How I decided to serve a mission and How I prepared." (When the bishop asked me to speak on this last week, I was like, I've already shared that story with everyone in sacrament meeting and basically every member that has ever invited us over for dinner so I'm not sure what I can add to it...bad attitude). It was really odd, that yesterday morning at church, Bishop came and found me to tell me how much he really wanted me there to speak tonight and that if we had to, he would find a woman to go and stay with sister b while I went to the fireside. The elders told us later that he had expressed to them as well how much he wanted me there to speak...odd

Remember last week when I told you about when we had dinner at D_____'s house and the room would fall absolutely silent every time I spoke about the gospel, Well that happened tonight while I was speaking. It was an absolute wonder. It's amazing to me how much the YW loved hearing my story, I guess for them, most have already decided that they want to serve a mission. They were absolutely shocked when I told them that I had no desire to serve a mission until the spirit prompted me to. It was at the O'___ home and went really really well! Elder M spoke too. I was so nervous about speaking all week long but after I felt so happy and uplifted! yay. Before we left, we were sure to thank the O'___ for having us in their home. Now, Sister O'___is a member but Mr. O'___ is not. He owns the 76ers (can you picture what a beautiful house they have!?) So we went and shook his hand and he thanked us for coming. Then he looked at me and said "you have a beautiful testimony." oh geese thanks and yes we can be best friends and I would actually love to go to a basketball game or two. :) But yeah last night was super good and I love all of the youth in our ward and never want to leave Sister B or West Chester.

I actually brought a picture of the fam to show some of the yw that have been nagging me to see the boys. hahah they about keeled over when they saw you guys! ha and they're really cute tooo! and they come to utah every summer and some are going to start writing spencer :). My favorite one is M____ C_____...she is 12 and so much funny and pretty and Randon she thinks you are so CUTE!!! perfect :) 

Well thats about all that happened this week. Super exciting. OH wait! Amidst all of the sitting and studying in the apartment this week, I figured out how to teach lessons on the phone so we wouldn't have 0 week :) yay! We were only one short of our goal for lessons taught! yayyy! 

Love you 100 my people. 

<3 Sister Bailey

P.S. Holidays in the mission are going to be bliss :) We've already had one thanksgiving dinner and have 2 planned for thanksgiving day (we had to turn down like 100 offers and figured we could do 2 dinners :)) oh and people are already fighting over us for Christmas Dinner.

I realized that Spencer's mail goes through the mission office...so she decorated his mail like this

These cookies were made by Sister B____'s sons girlfriend. They are so cute and so tasty! She uses royal icing or something. 

11/11/13

Hello my family, 

This has sure been a week to remember! We went on exchanges with our Sister Training leaders. I did learn a lot from being on exchanges. Mostly how much I love Sister Bettilyon and how obvious that the Lord is in charge of everything that I going on down here! Like paring up sister B and I together. yay

Now I'm going to tell you about a woman named D______. She is the lady that stopped her car in the middle of the street to ask for directions, When i walked up to her car (after kindly suggesting that she pull over to the side of the road) She looked at my name tag and asked "Are you Jesus?" haha She is the sweetest little Italian woman. We asked her if we could come visit her sometime so she gave us her number. I called her on Wednesday and we talked for like 20 min. She just has so many questions about who we are and what we do. She ended up inviting us over for dinner on Saturday. So we go to her house and a girl in her twenties opens the door holding a handful of stake knives. She asked us who we were and then said "oh you have the tags" and let us in. That was Dorothy's granddaughter, L___, she was totally freaked out that her grandma had invited strangers over for dinner so she googled what we were supposed to look like and came across Stephanie Nielson's blog. She read a little about it and liked it. (yay fist pump for nie nie!) We chatted a bit with them while dinner cooked and then L____'s parents show up to eat with us too. They were the most hard core Roman Catholic's I've ever met and they were all so curious! I was the best dinner experience! at one point of the evening, They were all asking a bunch of different questions to us, I turned to D____ and was answering hers while sister b was answering her son in law. I started testifying of Joseph Smith and the room fell silent, They all turned and were listening to me so intently, The spirit filled the room. Now, I don't know if anything will come of that night but I do know that they all felt something while we were there and they all really liked us. It was so cool!

We spent quite a bit of time at the hospital this week visiting H____ L____. She hasn't been doing well at all. Lots of complications with her diabetes. :( But she asked for a BOM and some chapters to read on wednesday. Then she's been texting us all week asking for more chapters to read and asking us to come and read with her everyday. YAY, hate to say it but being in the hospital so long has been good for her. 

K___ is doing really well. We are having dinner with her tonight. We moved her baptism date to the 30th of Nov. I really hope that she can make it! 

A__ is doing well. We just found out how confused she really is...After going though 13 different sets of missionaries who wouldn't be confused.

I made the best purchase of my whole mission this week. We stopped at walmart and there it was; the 5 $ CD bin. We had a few extra min so we did a quick dig and what did i find??.....wait for it Elvis gospel jams cd! It is so so so so so so so fantastic! haha mom you would really hate it. 

I got the best package last monday! yay! winner winner chicken dinner for mom! thanks for the left over halloween candy pika and boss. :)

10 points for me because I got sister B saying "Kookoo" haha

I had raw milk last night at dinner at the P____'s...they have a thing for the Amish. It was good...kinda tasted like whipping cream or half and half...not that I would know what those taste's like. 

Well I'mma go read all 500 emails in my inbox ;) good luck with life out there! Satan's a real kook so watch out for him! 

Love you alllll so manny times 12!

Sister Bailey

11/4/13

Hello my family!

I am super happy this day! Wanna hear a happy story? ok We were at K___ and A____'s--Whoa hold up cause guess what! K___ and A___ came to church on sunday! yayyyyyy---k we were at their house last night and first of all they gave us apples, anyone that gives me apples is favorite in my book, Then we went into the other room to have spiritual time (away from the TV and hooligans that live with them...hooligans being A___'s kids, They don't want to have anything to do with the gospel but the a few weeks ago, Amor (A___'s son, senior in high school) was sitting on the couch listening to all that we were saying super intently, we were talking about the plan of salvation. We are just having a real good discussion and he says out of nowhere (cause he was trying too look like he didn't care and wasn't listening but I knew he was) "So are you trying to say, that we lived with God before we were here?!" exactly. anyways, the point of that was to show you that he is taking baby steps to the gospel...really tiny tiny steps) So we are in the other room and we are teaching about keeping the laws of the land (which is exciting in and of itself because that means she has had all of the other lessons and is ready for baptism) and we had pretty much said as much as we could on the subject ("um obey the laws of the land ok?") and Sister B turned to me and did that thing where she stares at you because she is done and wants you to say something. So then I'm like I don't have anything else to say about this other than just do it probably, (those thoughts weren't audible) and then the spirit prompted me to just testify on what I had been studying and contemplating lately, which was our pre mortal life and who we were, what talents and abilities we have forgotten on coming to earth, how we can remember and re develop them etc. So I just turned to K___ and testified of those things and how I know that I have found some of those things for my self just since being on my mission and that I know that there are so many more things I am still working on, That she has many talents and abilities that she needs to remember to help others and the Lord here on earth. I said a bunch of other stuff and kinda just ended with telling her how much we love and care about her. Her response to that was (after thank you) how much she noticed how we "light up" when we are teaching/testifying and she can see that we really so love her. that we are not just in it for the baptisms and she really loved us. She recounted the many many missionaries that have taught her and told us that most were missing that when they taught. Which is so sad to me! Then A___ said that he's not afraid to kick people out of his house (which he's done to missionaries they didn't like in the past) Which is his way of saying that he likes us too. :) Hearing that from K___ was such a validation to what we are doing out her! It made us feel so good and like we really are doing something right. Cause out here in the mission field that's something you wonder quite often, am I doing this right? are my efforts enough? what can I do better? and on and on.

Now lets talk about my favorite family in Pennsylvania; The L____s. I think I've talked about them before (M___ and T__?) So this weekend M___ was the only one home so she called us and made us come over for lunch (not too hard of a battle when the alternative was eating...nothing)--Can I have a side note please: M___ IS the funniest person I've met out here! She is straight up the Jim Carey Grinch! I LOVE HER! and I have found the one and only dog I truly love. Her name is Bambalina and she is so so cute, she sits on my lap when I'm at their house and I don't even hate it! She is so nice and I'll be sure to send you a pic some time. Mom, you could even like her!---Moving on. We were at her house for lunch and she was telling about how obsessed her family is with B2 (thats b squared, thats what they call us). B___ even asked if we could come for Thanksgiving! ha! Last night M___ texted us saying that H____was on her way to the hospital in an ambulance. She was having a diabetic episode. no bueno. so we made a few quick phone calls and worked with some schedules to get some priesthood holders to the hospital for a blessing. And we did it. :) M___ told us that hannah was lucid for the blessing and was very grateful. She is totally out now though, last time we checked she was in a coma while her organs worked overtime. She has infections in her liver and kidneys i think. I do think that this might be a good way for them to come closer to christ though.

On a happier note, our heater works :) Also note to any and everyone that is reading this: if you are ever cold, Tell Sara Jo. She will send you a polar bear blanket...like a blanket straight up made out of baby polar bear fur! This is not a joke. So I've been sleeping cozyyyyy goodness :) But Sis B tells me I'm still talking in my sleep...I'm working on it. I guess if it doesn't wake me up its not a problem right? ha sorry bad joke.

Oh Halloween was this week huh? How was yours? I waited all week to see Tiny B in a strawberry suit! but then I saw the pictures and felt sad...cause it looks like she hates it. or she just forgot how to smile since I left...probably. She is super cute though :)

Ohhhh get ready for this cause I'm going to tell you about Sister B____. This woman is so so so funny and she cooks like Aunt Natalie (thanks for all the emails! Hope you're having fun in NY!) you know, were she adds a little of this and a little of that and oh boy theres the best meal you've ever had. I like to call it spiritual cooking. It's this thing where you let the spirit guide you while you cook. And she reminds me so much of my (favorite) Aunt Sue! She is just wonderful! She had us and the Elders over for halloween and guess what. She invited 4 non member friends! yaya thats so good! Thats called an IBM, which stands for something that means a potential investigator introduced to the missionaries by a member....Its a key indicator in our mission...but you don't know what that means.  Oh well, just know its a thing..or ask an RM.

There are just so many people I wish I could tell you about! But I'm going to talk about me now cause you love me. I'm good :) I love you family and I love getting mail from you :) Dad I read your email before writing and loved it a million! It made me happy cry. Which isn't really a thing i do. Pennsylvania just gets more and more beautiful as fall goes on. it is more beautiful than words can describe. You'll just have to come see it. oh my I almost forgot to tell you about apple cider doughnuts. weather they are doughnuts made out of apple cider or doughnuts made specifically for the intended consumption companionship of the doughnut and the apple cider is still a mystery. But that not important, They are too good to be true!!!!!! Oh my so good!

Love you love you!

byeee

P.S.

I forgot to tell y'all some exciting newssss. Come December,  Every Missionary will get an iPad and every companionship will be getting an iPhone :) yay!

Have I told you that Kennett Square is the mushroom Capitol of the world!? totally awesome weird.