Are you all cool with moving back east with me after the mish?? I think I'm tuning into an east coaster as we speak!!! I just LOVE IT HERE! But don't worry you will still like me, east coasters aren't even rude like everyone thinks they are, they are actually wayyyyyyyy nice! Guess what, it's Hill Cumorah Pageant time! Everyone out here get's really excited about it and they get twice as excited when I tell them that I've seen it too! That just makes them light right up and we get to talk about what a wonderful thing it is! I bet it's a wonderful thing to be so close to for the missionaries up there.
Oh I've been meaning to tell you, every evening when the sun just sinks below the horizon, the skies light up with fireflies and it is pure magic! I haven't caught one yet but I've had many children catch them and try to get me to hold it...uhhh no thank you little person. I even had a little girl follow me into her house holding one, she ended up basically throwing it at me and loosing it in the house...whoops.
We had a lovely miracle happen yesterday. We went to go teach one of our new investigators (Steven). He lives with a less active family (the Pedrosa's) from the Spanish Ward. When we got there, he hollered from his bedroom saying he was too busy to talk to us. We were about to leave but Sister Pedrosa invited us in to talk with her! We got to know her a little bit and she expressed to us how she is doing her best and is trying her very hardest to come back to church. We ended up sharing the "continue in patience" mormon message with her and she was almost in tears at the end. "That was exactly what I needed to hear!" she told us and gave us big hugs before we left.
I love the people in my ward and all of the people we work with, but there is something very special about the spanish speaking people we run into. The ward members love us because lot's of them have never seen sister missionaries and just want to talk to us. And it breaks my heart when we try to talk to people on the street then find out they don't speak english. They always give us the biggest smiles because that is the only way we can communicate with them...I wish I knew enough spanish to tell them they are children of a loving Heavenly Father and refer them to the Elders. Maybe I'll have the zone leaders write that out for me so I can learn it!
I went on exchanges with Sister Pike this week and that was really good! We got to teach Lori and Dori so that was fun! I just love them! We worked real hard on exchanges and that felt really really good. I love being obedient and working so hard that you fall right asleep when you are done planning at night :)
Let me tell you about one of my favorite families, The Robinsons. They have a lovely Pennsylvania farm (which is the best kind of farm). They have a billion boys and two of the cutest girls I have ever met. Their boys climb up on the beams they have in the ceiling of their front room and jump on whoever walks in the room to scare them. It is hilarious. Oh and just so you are picturing this right, they are big football playing boys. They remind me a lot of my baby brothers so that's fun. Last time we were at their house for dinner they told us about 100 anti-jokes. After dinner Brother Robinson asked us if we wanted to milk a cow....
Naturally we said yes! (it's on my bucket list) it was the funnest thing! Mom, we could totally have a cow, especially a little jersey cow like this one (her name is rosebud) and we could keep her down by the creek and I could milk her everyday! you would love her more than you love those cats! I'll even let you name her :). Anyways, I also got to feed a baby (half week old!) calf with one of those massive bottles! And I held a chicken...the same girl that threw a firefly at me basically threw the chicken at me too. Have any of you ever held a chicken...probably the weirdest think I've ever done, they are a lot heavier than I expected. The robinsons also give us tons of eggs so we never go hungry. They have a son serving in Ghana and Sister Robinson has a theory that if she feeds the missionaries once a week, her son won't go hungry. I think it's a good theory. She read me a letter he sent home and we both started crying as she read it. He said that he hadn't eaten in three days but he was glad about it because how would he know how "his people" felt if he was eating three meals a day and they weren't eating at all. What an incredible thing to think about. He sounds like a great missionary and I know his family is being blessed. They also have wild Mulberry trees growing in their yard, they always have us pick about 100 to take home with us and let me tell you, they are the best berries I have ever tasted! I'm sure that's what they have growing in the celestial kingdom :).
I read D&C 88 this morning. It is incredible. In the heading it says that it is the Lord's message of peace to us. It is lovely go and read it. We had interviews with President Anderson on Tuesday. They were wonderful! We talked about the "spiritual stand-still" lots of missionaries hit mid mission. I told him I was feeling some of this, I feel like I'm here (picture me holding up my hand at about eye level) when I could and should be clear up here (extend arm). He told me to read and study Moses 1. In it, Moses is literally with the Lord, face to face and when the Lord leaves him, he is left weak and feels very alone. In verse 10 "And it came to pass that it was for the space of many hours before Moses did again receive his natural strength like unto man; and he said unto himself: Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed.
He learns, which is why the Lord sometimes leaves us (not entirely but sometimes he backs up a little for this reason) Then in vs 13 Satan comes and tells Moses to worship him. This is the test and Moses answers saying "Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten; and where is thy glory, that I should worship thee?"
Because he had been with the Lord he has the knowledge and power to rebuke Satan. After the test in vs 25 the Lord returns to Moses and says " Blessed art thou, Moses, for I, the Almighty, have chosen thee, and thou shalt be made stronger than many waters; for they shall obey thy command as if thou wert God."
Moses is stronger because of this experience. This pattern of the Lord being with us, leaving a little for a time, and again returning his spirit to us is the pattern he still uses especially with his missionaries. It is the time when he leaves us or lessens his spirit that we have the choice to get stronger and become even better or (sadly) some spiral downward, loose some faith and decide to not be exactly obedient and other things that don't allow the spirit of the Lord to come back to them in its fullness. So in my studies this morning I read this, "Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."
If we do this in our time of loss and need, he will "draw near to us" and we will be spiritually renewed. :) --I hope all of this made a little bit of sense...it did in my head.
Hope you have a fantastic week! Happy Independence Day!!!! Yayyyayy America! Oh guess how to say this word-- Schuylkill -- Googling it probably wont help you :)
Love, Sister Bailey
Oh I almost forgot; this is James, he and his mom got baptized on Saturday! The other sisters taught them. They are the best people ever! His mom has an incredible story, she got cancer when he was 7 (he shaved his head to match her), then she got the flesh eating disease and ended up loosing her arm. Through it all the sisters found them caroling one night in December and they embraced the gospel with open arms! James is just 11 but he has one of the most powerful testimonies I have ever heard. You would love him. (He's going to play in the NFL one day, I'm sure of it)
Phillin the Phont for James and Liz's baptims!
Phillin the Phont for James and Liz's baptims!
I would send another pic of us....but we don't have any normal pictures...oh well ;) Lvoe you!
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