Extra Post for your Reading Enjoyment!

I know I wrote last week, so don't go expecting some big amazing letter. But I felt like I needed to write today. 

- I'm falling in love with my mission! The more I talk with people and they open up, the more I love them. I literally almost starting crying yesterday because of how much love I feel for these incredible individuals! 

- We have met a wonderful man who texts us scriptures every morning and night! It's the best!

- We were able to go over to a members backyard for dinner! It's crazy how that one thing can make you feel like a normal person again. They let us pick blackberries, let's just say I'm a very happy person. 

- I've been reading a lot of talks recently and wanted to share some of my favorite quotes from them.

- "You who may be momentarily disheartened, remember, life is not meant to be easy. Trials must be borne and grief endured along the way. As you remember that “with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37), know that He is your Father. You are a son or daughter created in His image, entitled through your worthiness to receive revelation to help with your righteous endeavors. You may take upon you the holy name of the Lord. You can qualify to speak in the sacred name of God (see D&C 1:20). It matters not that giants of tribulation torment you. Your prayerful access to help is just as real as when David battled his Goliath." - Russell M Nelson 

- "Spiritual self-esteem begins with the realization that each new morning is a gift from God. Even the air we breathe is a loving loan from him. He preserves us from day to day and supports us from one moment to another." - Russell M Nelson 

- "That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; not that the nature of the thing itself is changed, but that our power to do is increased." - Heber J Grant

I love you all so much! And I hope you can go into this week with hope that miracles still happen. I promise they do, and it is incredible to witness. I quote my 2 dad a lot, but he is right. "I wish you lots of openness and observation to let yourself fade and let the spirit truly work through you." (Thank you Ved!) It is when we open ourselves us that miracles occur. Keep looking, there is no such thing as a small miracle. 

Love ya!!

Sister Bailey

"heavy blessing us"

Dang.... I hope you're sitting down!  If not, do so cause you better be ready for a crazy update. 

Let me just say God is "heavy blessing us" as my companion would say. There have been so many instances in these past two weeks that one might consider a curse, but looking at them closely we can see that Gods hand is in the works here. In my life as well as yours, I encourage y'all to go back and look at your week and see what blessings God or the universe has given you.

I had to get my journal out for this, so you know it's going to be serious. 

- Sister Duerden and I went to drop off a birthday card at a members house that we had previously heart attacked. We were excited to meet them in person. Let's just say the man who answered the door was not the member family and he very quickly slammed the door in our faces. My first slam! 

- Transfers! A time where you could be getting a new companion or a new place to serve in. Good news, I'm staying in Moultrie for at least another 6 weeks! I'm so excited to stay with these wonderful people. Sister Duerden has been moved back to Florida and I have a new companion named... sister Downey. If this sounds familiar, it is, cause she was my MTC companion! 

- At transfers I met my doppelganger! A new sister in my mission looks just like me and we have the same style, smile and laugh. We are the same!

- We got to go down to Tallahassee for transfers, and were able to get Thai food. You've never seen two happier girls. We went to a beautiful park to eat, and just remarked on how gorgeous this world is. Even if it is a little too hot for May.

- Elder Bednar spoke to our mission again! This time over zoom, but it didn't make the experience any less powerful. That was so incredible!

- We found a fun store called the Latin house where we got a ton of crazy flavored wafers, which were way too good. Definitely ate them all in less than two days...

- Story time:

 We got invited to a little girls baptism! My first on the mission, I was pretty excited. We were asked to speak and fill the font. So 9am comes and we get in the car to fill up the font for the 11am baptism. And our car won't start.... it just clicked. Here's where some might say, "why didn't God answer our prayers and let the car start?"

 Well, He answered our prayers in a different way that day. We ended up calling a lot of members, one to go fill up the font, one to try and jump our car, and one to bring us to the church because the jumping didn't work. On a Saturday morning, most people don't answer their phones, but the few that did were so willing to help. 

 When the man showed up to try and jump the car we literally had to push the car backwards into another spot so he could get to it with his cables. So it sat in two parking spots the entire baptism.

 The baptism consisted of the family, the member who filled the font, and us. But it was so good. Both sister Downey and I gave talks. Sister Downey had forgotten her phone with notes and scriptures, so she had to improvise the whole thing. 

 After another member came and tried to jump our car, then realizing that wouldn't work he went to the store, bought a new battery and replaced it for us. Let's just say he was an angel in disguise!

 - Yesterday, we called an interested person to see when we could read the Bible with her, she said right now wasn't a good time and to call back today. Well, not even five minutes later, she called us back and said she couldn't pass up the opportunity. We read, she opened up, we have another appointment to read more, and we're sending her scriptures every night! That was a miracle.

I'm realizing the longer I've been out on the mission, the more I find happiness in the little things, in the things God finds happiness in. I know times are hard right now, for all of us. This is definitely not how we expected to be starting off 2020, and who knows how long it's going to be. Even with all this uncertainty, worry, and anxiety that I know I feel, and I'm sure y'all are feeling it too. I know that God is in charge. He is watching over every single one of us and He will not leave us defenseless or alone. What a wonderful promise! 

Something I wrote in my journal is, one step, one breath at a time. As my second dad always says, "you can do it!" (Love you Ved)

Take a deep breath, you've got this, your break is coming. Trust in the Lord and all will work itself out. It's scary and daunting but worth it! 

I love y'all so much! 

Sister Bailey

Paper Cranes, Face Book Videos and throwing a Book of Mormon

These past two weeks have probably been somewhat similar to what y'all have been experiencing. But we've made it entertaining.

- We've spent every zoom call folding paper cranes, and then we've hung them in our dining room.

- The entire district, or all the missionaries in our general area came over to our apartment for sacrament. They stayed for awhile and we filmed an intro to our Jesus Week on Facebook. It was so fun! 

- We drove past the house of an interested person, he lived on the side of two busy highways. We yelled out the window, while at a red light, "hey are you Adrian?" He seemed super excited to talk to us for a second. We tossed a Book a Mormon to him as the light turned green.

- Our smoke detector keeps chirping. 

- I've been asking God some questions, and in my personal study, He answered them in the scriptures. It was so cool cause I had been reading in these chapters and He still found a way to answer me. With Joshua 1:9 and 3 Nephi 13:32.

- The elders came over and raided our apartment, they took a whole pizza out of our  fridge and some games out of our closet. They left loaded.

- We're fishing today.... not my favorite pastime. 

- We made a singular muffin in a giant pot, cause we had no muffin tin.

- We found a strange wall that we had to take pictures in front of.

- A wonderful member made us food, that smelled horrendous. We had to buy air fresheners, we made banana bread, and stir fry. We did a lot of things to try and get rid of that smell... 

I know that it's a hard time for everyone, but keep pushing forward and keep looking for ways to serve and be a light in others lives. I can promise it makes this whole quarantine thing much better. 

As my host dad always says, "you can do it!" 

I love you! God loves you! 

We can do this!

Sister Bailey