Another week, another week in paradise.
I got a package!
Also, while I was driving, we saw a zombie. He was walking with his arm out (he only had one), walking in the middle of the street, and he looked petrified. I was a little scared. Who would have thought that the zombie apocalypse would have started in El Salvador while I was here. You may not want me to come back in 9 months. I might eat you all. Maybe I'll have mercy on Mike and Joseph and just bite them, but Scott, sorry.
I've had a very successful week. We taught and found people. Hey, I could use some really high arch insoles. It's getting a little ridiculous. High arch on the inside.
Yesterday we taught the Primary. Pretty much a success. Yeah. Too bad we can't baptize them ALL.
Office work, lots of it, as always.
Also, I'm getting fatter.
Thank you for your love, support, prayers, and packages.
Goodbye,
Elder Bailey
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
58: Independencia 25
Well, we had a baptism!!! Yanira on Friday. Man, it was so cool. I got to baptize her. We got to the chapel early to fill up the baptismal font, then realized no one there had the keys [to the font]. So we went on a wild goose chase looking for them, then gave up and just climbed over the glass in the font to get in. But when we actually got into the room, the font was already filled. Apparently it didn't get drained from our last baptism, so I had to baptize Yanira in old dirty, mossy water. But don't tell anyone that; only Elder Ward and I have that knowledge.
Man, this week has been so hectic. It was changes week. Oh yeah, by the way, I'm still here in the office. I'll have 7 ½ months here. We got a new assistant, Elder Alvarado. He was my zone leader here in Modelo.
On Monday, I started the day with a dentist appointment, where he fixed the big gap I had in my back molars thanks to another not-so-good dentist. After that, I had to go find beds. We needed to buy a whole bunch of new beds for the office because we were getting a whole bunch of news [new elders], opening two new areas, having 12 people go home, and sending 8 to Belize. So my companion and I walked around centro until we found some stores, found the beds we wanted, got some prices, found another store, did the same. They gave us a discount, then we went to the other store and told them our discount, so they gave us an even better deal. Then we ordered the beds to receive them the following day.
After that, we had a special brunch with Hermana Cordón, salad and sloppy joes. Man, it was so good. Hermana Cordón is so cool. We all said goodbye to Elder Molina. Man, Elder Molina is one of the most amazing people. He is such a good teacher, and very humble. He's been an awesome assistant. I learned so much from him. So he left the office for Atiquizaya to train some dude from Toronto. A couple of nights before, we had a farewell meal with him at The Pampa. I had filét mignon steak wrapped in bacon. What could be better? I'm going to miss Elder Molina.
Back to Monday. So after, I went with Hermana Cordón to pay half for the beds.
Tuesday, we were up bright and early, taking the news [new elders] to the office. We bought a new house for the assistants, and had half the news sleep in their house, and the other half in ours. That day was just crazy. We were moving so many people in and out.
Wednesday I finished the history of the mission. Man that was a pain. I learned that you really can't procrastinate in real life. I was in the office until 8 working on it. After, I was so brain dead that I just went and ate pupusas.
Thursday was a good day. I got to study Jesus the Christ, an awesome book. We found a family of 7 and put an appointment with them for tomorrow. I'm stoked. They've got bills.
Friday is today. We started out going over to the stake center to play basketball. It was a lot of fun. We had a whole bunch of people here, and even though I'm terrible at that game, we all still enjoyed it. Good times. I want to do it next P-day too. After, we returned to our house. One of the new areas that was opened was Palmar II. President put two more missionaries in Palmar to help. They're living in our house right now. They're Elder Basham from Arizona and a Latin he's training from Guatemala. But Elder Basham is a way cool person and a really good missionary.
So once we got back, Elder Basham and I decided to cook breakfast for us four (Elder Maradiaga was gone with Elder Basham's companion doing immigration stuff). So we cooked up some pancakes and eggs, which seriously, were UNREAL. So good. We decided to start our own breakfast shop and call it:
BAILEY & BASHAM BREAKFAST
"It's Worth the Gristle"
The motto came in because as I was cooking the eggs, we had a little bit burnt to the pan. So instead of throwing it away, we mixed it in with the eggs. It actually gave a really good taste. So yeah, if you want breakfast in 20 years, you know where to find it. It was cool. We all sat at our dinner table, blessed it, and ate like a normal family would. Way cool.
Well, that's the week in a nutshell. Hope everyone's doing well back home!
Take care,
Elder Bailey
Man, this week has been so hectic. It was changes week. Oh yeah, by the way, I'm still here in the office. I'll have 7 ½ months here. We got a new assistant, Elder Alvarado. He was my zone leader here in Modelo.
On Monday, I started the day with a dentist appointment, where he fixed the big gap I had in my back molars thanks to another not-so-good dentist. After that, I had to go find beds. We needed to buy a whole bunch of new beds for the office because we were getting a whole bunch of news [new elders], opening two new areas, having 12 people go home, and sending 8 to Belize. So my companion and I walked around centro until we found some stores, found the beds we wanted, got some prices, found another store, did the same. They gave us a discount, then we went to the other store and told them our discount, so they gave us an even better deal. Then we ordered the beds to receive them the following day.
After that, we had a special brunch with Hermana Cordón, salad and sloppy joes. Man, it was so good. Hermana Cordón is so cool. We all said goodbye to Elder Molina. Man, Elder Molina is one of the most amazing people. He is such a good teacher, and very humble. He's been an awesome assistant. I learned so much from him. So he left the office for Atiquizaya to train some dude from Toronto. A couple of nights before, we had a farewell meal with him at The Pampa. I had filét mignon steak wrapped in bacon. What could be better? I'm going to miss Elder Molina.
Back to Monday. So after, I went with Hermana Cordón to pay half for the beds.
Tuesday, we were up bright and early, taking the news [new elders] to the office. We bought a new house for the assistants, and had half the news sleep in their house, and the other half in ours. That day was just crazy. We were moving so many people in and out.
Wednesday I finished the history of the mission. Man that was a pain. I learned that you really can't procrastinate in real life. I was in the office until 8 working on it. After, I was so brain dead that I just went and ate pupusas.
Thursday was a good day. I got to study Jesus the Christ, an awesome book. We found a family of 7 and put an appointment with them for tomorrow. I'm stoked. They've got bills.
Friday is today. We started out going over to the stake center to play basketball. It was a lot of fun. We had a whole bunch of people here, and even though I'm terrible at that game, we all still enjoyed it. Good times. I want to do it next P-day too. After, we returned to our house. One of the new areas that was opened was Palmar II. President put two more missionaries in Palmar to help. They're living in our house right now. They're Elder Basham from Arizona and a Latin he's training from Guatemala. But Elder Basham is a way cool person and a really good missionary.
So once we got back, Elder Basham and I decided to cook breakfast for us four (Elder Maradiaga was gone with Elder Basham's companion doing immigration stuff). So we cooked up some pancakes and eggs, which seriously, were UNREAL. So good. We decided to start our own breakfast shop and call it:
BAILEY & BASHAM BREAKFAST
"It's Worth the Gristle"
The motto came in because as I was cooking the eggs, we had a little bit burnt to the pan. So instead of throwing it away, we mixed it in with the eggs. It actually gave a really good taste. So yeah, if you want breakfast in 20 years, you know where to find it. It was cool. We all sat at our dinner table, blessed it, and ate like a normal family would. Way cool.
Well, that's the week in a nutshell. Hope everyone's doing well back home!
Take care,
Elder Bailey
Saturday, February 11, 2012
57: Independencia 24
Oh man.
We had a baptism! Sunday, we brought Jonathan to church, and we baptized him! His older brother, Mario, left a week ago for the mission, but for homesickness or something like that, had to come back. So Jonathan got to get baptized by his older brother Mario! It was so sweet.
Sunday morning we had 4 investigators in church. It was a good day. Also, Hermana Cordón and her kids ended up coming to our ward. (She also commented that she likes our ward better! Woot!). They went to the Gospel Principles class, and stayed after for the baptism. Also, a new pair of old missionaries came in, the McLaughlins. They were in our ward with the Cordón family. They are really cool. They were also at the baptism. It was way cool! Jonathan was so happy.
Here are some pictures of them--Elder Ward, Mario, Jonathan, and me. Yes, I am wearing a very small suit. Mine was at the dry cleaners, so I grabbed an extra that was in the house. The baptism was awesome.
Tuesday, we went and bought some pizza with Jonathan. Man, he has changed so much. It is awesome to see how much he has changed and the gospel has blessed his life. I thought he'd have a problem with the Sabbath day or tithing, but he didn't. He really wants to follow Christ. It's way cool.
Tuesday, after that, we went and taught Yanira. Her cousin (the member) said she didn't really want to get baptized, and we were kind of scared. But we got in there, and just had a stellar lesson. It seriously was awesome. The spirit was so strong. By the end, after about an hour and 15 minutes, she said, "I've made the decision" about three times, crying. "I'm gonna get baptized this Friday, and I want you to do it," looking at me. Wow. That was just so powerful. Seriously. It was a way powerful lesson.
We've also found a way cool family, they're progressing well.
So yeah, we're going to have a baptism today. I am stoked.
Take care family,
Elder Bailey
We had a baptism! Sunday, we brought Jonathan to church, and we baptized him! His older brother, Mario, left a week ago for the mission, but for homesickness or something like that, had to come back. So Jonathan got to get baptized by his older brother Mario! It was so sweet.
Sunday morning we had 4 investigators in church. It was a good day. Also, Hermana Cordón and her kids ended up coming to our ward. (She also commented that she likes our ward better! Woot!). They went to the Gospel Principles class, and stayed after for the baptism. Also, a new pair of old missionaries came in, the McLaughlins. They were in our ward with the Cordón family. They are really cool. They were also at the baptism. It was way cool! Jonathan was so happy.
Here are some pictures of them--Elder Ward, Mario, Jonathan, and me. Yes, I am wearing a very small suit. Mine was at the dry cleaners, so I grabbed an extra that was in the house. The baptism was awesome.
Tuesday, we went and bought some pizza with Jonathan. Man, he has changed so much. It is awesome to see how much he has changed and the gospel has blessed his life. I thought he'd have a problem with the Sabbath day or tithing, but he didn't. He really wants to follow Christ. It's way cool.
Tuesday, after that, we went and taught Yanira. Her cousin (the member) said she didn't really want to get baptized, and we were kind of scared. But we got in there, and just had a stellar lesson. It seriously was awesome. The spirit was so strong. By the end, after about an hour and 15 minutes, she said, "I've made the decision" about three times, crying. "I'm gonna get baptized this Friday, and I want you to do it," looking at me. Wow. That was just so powerful. Seriously. It was a way powerful lesson.
We've also found a way cool family, they're progressing well.
So yeah, we're going to have a baptism today. I am stoked.
Take care family,
Elder Bailey
Saturday, February 4, 2012
56: Independencia 23
Well hey there. It's been another week. I'm still alive. I'm still working. Don't worry.
It's been a really good week. I've finally learned how to deal with the stress. It was a very simple answer, and I don't know why I didn't think of it before. I bought some ice cream. It really is amazing how great it is.
So this week we're going to have a baptism. We're going to baptize Jonathan tomorrow. He's sweet. He's the little brother of Mario D..., a youth member. Jonathan really is an awesome guy. I've put in a lot of effort to get him baptized, and I am so excited for tomorrow. I remember that we always visited Mario and his mom. They are less actives, and they're very, very weak. Mario not as much, but the rest of his family, they just don't get it. They're really poor. I remember I visited them all the time and they never really progressed much (the mom at least—Mario did). Then, during my last week with Elder Christner, I just asked Jonathan why he had never been baptized. He said it was because of insecurity. And I was like, "Wow, well let's baptize him."
So I started working with him with Elder Ward. It was really hard. There were a lot of obstacles to overcome with him. But it was good. I remember the second lesson I had with him. It was hard—very teary, but way good. Well, after that, he was very close to accepting baptism, but kept making excuses. I was getting very frustrated. But on an interchange with Elder Alvarado, we put the date. Then we had to teach him the commandments, which I thought would be a big problem, but he accepted every single one. He's a boy who really wants to change and be a good person. I am so excited for his baptism tomorrow.
We're also going to baptize a girl next week, her name's Yanira. She takes care of a newborn baby of two very faithful members, Victor and Delia S..., and lives in their house. She is a very timid person. It was hard at first to get her to open up, but then I figured out what kind of questions to ask her and what she liked to talk about, and then we were really able to get her to open up. She really likes feeling the spirit, so we were able to get her to commit to baptism based on that. It was way cool. I really like putting dates. It is such a cool feeling to be in a lesson and to just be lead. Honestly, with her and with Jonathan and some other lessons I have had lately, I have just been lead. I was able to figure out what they needed, and commit them to baptism. It's been a really awesome experience. I've gotten a lot better at teaching, and teaching with the spirit. It makes such a difference in the lesson if you invite it or not.
Yesterday I got to go with Elder Maradiaga and do a baptismal interview. It was cool. The guy's going to get baptized today, and he is awesome!
This week we've had a bunch of meetings. Two days ago we had the leaders' meeting, and I got to go to the ZL's meeting because they needed someone to take notes. It was really cool. President talked a lot about leadership, and I learned a lot; it was definitely one of my favorite meetings I've had here. He definitely gave it to the missionaries. We've not been doing so great as a mission, but I feel like it's going to go up after that. All of my district baptized in January, though! And I'm going to keep that going for as long as I'm DL.
After, I got to have an interview with the president. It was way cool. President is a genius. When dealing with administrative things, we always need to remember why we're doing it. That's the way we can make sure we're doing a good job. Also, he taught me a really cool lesson. A lot of people in this world look for happiness and excitement to feel good, and on that base their life. But they need to base it on faith. If they do that, whatever happens, they can still be happy, and still have a positive outlook. If they try to base their life only on feeling good and excitement, they're going to have a lot harder time dealing with hard things. President is so awesome. He also thanked me for being secretary, and said that I have done a very good job. He's just great.
So that was the week, in a nutshell.
Gracias por todo, les quiero, cuidense, ¡Adiós!
Elder Bailey
It's been a really good week. I've finally learned how to deal with the stress. It was a very simple answer, and I don't know why I didn't think of it before. I bought some ice cream. It really is amazing how great it is.
So this week we're going to have a baptism. We're going to baptize Jonathan tomorrow. He's sweet. He's the little brother of Mario D..., a youth member. Jonathan really is an awesome guy. I've put in a lot of effort to get him baptized, and I am so excited for tomorrow. I remember that we always visited Mario and his mom. They are less actives, and they're very, very weak. Mario not as much, but the rest of his family, they just don't get it. They're really poor. I remember I visited them all the time and they never really progressed much (the mom at least—Mario did). Then, during my last week with Elder Christner, I just asked Jonathan why he had never been baptized. He said it was because of insecurity. And I was like, "Wow, well let's baptize him."
So I started working with him with Elder Ward. It was really hard. There were a lot of obstacles to overcome with him. But it was good. I remember the second lesson I had with him. It was hard—very teary, but way good. Well, after that, he was very close to accepting baptism, but kept making excuses. I was getting very frustrated. But on an interchange with Elder Alvarado, we put the date. Then we had to teach him the commandments, which I thought would be a big problem, but he accepted every single one. He's a boy who really wants to change and be a good person. I am so excited for his baptism tomorrow.
We're also going to baptize a girl next week, her name's Yanira. She takes care of a newborn baby of two very faithful members, Victor and Delia S..., and lives in their house. She is a very timid person. It was hard at first to get her to open up, but then I figured out what kind of questions to ask her and what she liked to talk about, and then we were really able to get her to open up. She really likes feeling the spirit, so we were able to get her to commit to baptism based on that. It was way cool. I really like putting dates. It is such a cool feeling to be in a lesson and to just be lead. Honestly, with her and with Jonathan and some other lessons I have had lately, I have just been lead. I was able to figure out what they needed, and commit them to baptism. It's been a really awesome experience. I've gotten a lot better at teaching, and teaching with the spirit. It makes such a difference in the lesson if you invite it or not.
Yesterday I got to go with Elder Maradiaga and do a baptismal interview. It was cool. The guy's going to get baptized today, and he is awesome!
This week we've had a bunch of meetings. Two days ago we had the leaders' meeting, and I got to go to the ZL's meeting because they needed someone to take notes. It was really cool. President talked a lot about leadership, and I learned a lot; it was definitely one of my favorite meetings I've had here. He definitely gave it to the missionaries. We've not been doing so great as a mission, but I feel like it's going to go up after that. All of my district baptized in January, though! And I'm going to keep that going for as long as I'm DL.
After, I got to have an interview with the president. It was way cool. President is a genius. When dealing with administrative things, we always need to remember why we're doing it. That's the way we can make sure we're doing a good job. Also, he taught me a really cool lesson. A lot of people in this world look for happiness and excitement to feel good, and on that base their life. But they need to base it on faith. If they do that, whatever happens, they can still be happy, and still have a positive outlook. If they try to base their life only on feeling good and excitement, they're going to have a lot harder time dealing with hard things. President is so awesome. He also thanked me for being secretary, and said that I have done a very good job. He's just great.
So that was the week, in a nutshell.
Gracias por todo, les quiero, cuidense, ¡Adiós!
Elder Bailey
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