3 Months

Woot Woot! I hit my 3 month mark the other day. Crazy the time is going by so fast. 

This week was full of so many crazy adventures.  But I feel like the problem is that I need to work harder. Why does everyone tell me I need to not work harder. It drives me crazy!!!!!!!!!!!! I just don't want to be lazy. So Any advise? Do you think I should work so hard at least with the language? Because I study when I am eating breakfast and when I am cleaning my clothes.  I don't know,  I just feel so so anxious all the time so I am trying to be more relaxed but it is hard because I am not a relaxed person.  I swear a new person tells me everyday that I need to be relaxed.  I am not even kidding -a different person everyday.  I am like, "you don't even know me and your telling me to relax." It is super frustrating because I feel like I am trying soooooo hard to keep my cool and not go at the fast working pace that I want to go and even when I am trying my very best people still tell me to calm down. It is so frustrating. 

This week we saw so many miracles. My favorite was when we were walking to Filli dei. It is a little town in the middle of no where and it takes 1 hour to get there. We had to go there 2 times this week because we have a little girl who is going to get baptized on 7 Feb. So we have to teach her all the lessons before then. So when we were walking in like 100 degree weather this car pulled over and offered us a ride. It was so nice. Then when we were walking home, our investigator drove by and gave us a ride. It was awesome. We got two rides in one day. Then another crazy thing happened. We were walking to visit these people and we went to knock on this really big house and when we got to the door then 10 big dogs ran over to us and jumped on us. I felt teeth try to bite my arm but it didn't! Then the lady comes over and says "oh my gosh, you are so lucky the dog didn't bite you!!!" My companion and I are convinced that there were angels protecting us. Then this crazy lady took us to some temple and it was so crazy. We couldn't get away and she was like making us pray to the sun and I was trying not to laugh and my companion was like singing because this lady was making her sing. Then we finally got out of their temple... Oh ya and the lady said that Jesus was sitting on this red chair in the temple. It was soooooo weird.  

I am out of time. Love you all. Dad,  tell the mission prep class to read their scriptures and attend church and to get their testimonies really strong now. Because the mission is not fun and games like they probably think it is! But you can tell the class that the mission is fun because you are always helping others and you are filled with the Spirit all the time. That is the kind of joy you feel in the mission.  Not adventure fun, although there are crazy things you will see in the mission. It is all about the Lord. 

Love,

Hermana Bailey

I am out of time. Tell Katie I am soooooo sorry for not writing her on her birthday but I love her and can't believe she is 25?

Love you alll

Spanish!!!!!

Happy New Year!

My New Companion

Our Apartment

Oh I love my new companion!!!!!!

Sooo this week was quite interesting. I was really nervous at first because I didn't think I would be able to teach my trainer our area. I was going to need to call our investigators and take her everywhere and plan our days and plan what we were going to teach. Yeah that was a lot of pressure, especially for me still being in training-and not knowing Spanish... Well sooo many miracles. I don't even know how to explain it. I can talk in Spanish. I am not perfect and there are times I have no idea what is going on but I can teach in the lessons and I can actually have conversations with people. It is soooo great. Every night I am just sooo full of gratitude. hahaha It is kinda hard to keep studying a ton because my companion speaks English and most of the people in my zone speak English and I feel like most of the time I can teach in our lessons so my desire to study has kinda died.  hahaha Obviously I still study and I am still trying to learn the language but it has gotten so much better. I actually have an idea what is going on now. Oh and I was able to talk to people on the phone this week. With my other companion I could not understand anything anyone was saying on the phone but I can actually understand people! Ahhh it is so exciting. 

It is kinda interesting... SO I love my companion. She is laid back and always tells me to calm down.  I swear I get told at least once or twice a day to calm down. I don't know what I need to learn from all these laid back companions but I am just trying to be teachable, because I know that I am supposed to learn something about being more laid back.  My companion said that I was exactly what she needed. She said I am so obedient and receptive to the promptings of the Spirit. She said  "shoot, this girl is training me!" hahaha That made me smile. 

A hard thing is that my new companion speaks Spanish, but she doesn't speak as well as my last companion.  And there are times in the lessons when she doesn't know a word and the investigators can't understand us and then the Spirit leaves. Ughh The first couple of days I was sooooo frustrated with this.  But from this experience I am trying to teach more and my companion relies on me more than my other companion. So I think that is a reason I am with her- to learn that I can do things and to start to be that missionary I imagine myself being. 

I love my companion. We hardly ever talk in Spanish so that is a problem because then I don't learn as much. But we get along great and we laugh all the time. We put our beds together hahaha! So we sleep in one big bed!  Oh and yay! She plays the piano, so I don't have to play in church anymore. 

There is a new missionary in the mission and I can see how he is struggling and it made me remember my first week in the mission.  I feel like he is way ahead of where I was but I am so grateful I am past that point. Yay! I am not the new newbee! 

Oh and my companion likes to cook! She makes the best food. We made this really good banana bread today! So fun. 

Hahaha so yesterday we were in a lesson and  there was this way nasty sick dog that was dying in our investigator's yard. The lady was trying to get the dog out of the yard but it wouldn't leave because it was really really sick. So my companion Hermana Miller and I tried to get it out of the yard but it wouldn't move.  No one wanted to touch this dog because it was soooo gross. So I grabbed this cloth and picked up this sick dog and the lady and my companion were all freaking out and I took the dog out of their yard. Then the lady started yelling "Throw the cloth, throw the cloth hahaha because it had the germ from the dog. It was sooo funny I wish you could have seen it. I just picked up this dying dog and my companion and this lady were laughing and laughing. So funny. 

Spiritual experience- so many this week. But my 2 favorites:  My companion and I had a lesson at one of our investigator's house but I could not remember where or how to get to their house. We started walking down the wrong road and I just said a prayer.  I had a feeling to turn around and so I just started to walk and it was like God was picking up my feet and taking me to where we needed to go. My feet weren't physically picked up obviously,  but I walked right to their house. So cool. Then we were teaching a lesson to one of our inactive members and I had a feeling to share a scripture that I read in personal study but I could not remember where it was. I just opened my scriptures and I opened to the exact scripture! So amazing.  I see miracles everyday - so amazing. I am really enjoying my mission. I still have moments when I am frustrated or when I just want to go home but I am loving what I am doing and the language is sooo much better!!!! 

Serenity,  that is so great you are being a missionary. Keep it up. Maybe you guys should tell the missionaries to visit them.

Dallas!!! Oh MY GOSH that is SOOOO AWESOME! How is Bridger? I miss knowing what is going on with the family. Tell them to write me. I got a letter from Sissy and a dear elder from Tyson, a way old one, it was like from my first week in the MTC, and then I got a letter from Aaron Connell's Mom.. But nothing from you Mom hmmm weird. 

Brayden you got your permit! Sweet. You're so big I can't handle it.

Love you all and miss you tons. I hope my letters make sense. If not, tell me so I will write slower and I will read what I write and make sure it makes sense. Because I don't reread what I write. 

Love,

Hermana Bailey

New Companion

Wooot Woot!! Yay!!! I got a Gringa for a companion!!!!! Ahhhh this week was full of so many miracles. I wish I could call you on the phone and tell you.  Anyways, okay so... I have been with Hermana Guzman for 6 weeks. The whole time I thought I would be with Hermana Guzman for 12 weeks.  A few people would say things like, "no Hermana is going to leave 6 weeks in." But nooo we were almost certain she was going to finish training me. 

Sooo I took everyone's advise to make learning the language my only goal right now. Well, knowing me, I took that, I guess you could say, to the extreme.  In the streets I would always be asking my companion questions.  I would always have my dictionary out I was not paying attention to people around me.  I was so focused on words in Spanish that I wasn't enjoying the mission, the people or really anything. My companion was getting frustrated with my endless questions and me making the same mistakes and what seemed like me making no progress. Thursday was way hard.  I felt soooo discouraged. Not only was I not understanding the language,  but I felt that our companionship was having struggles.  That night I talked to my companion and I told her I felt like I was annoying her..... Well she looked at me and gave me this lecture- in obvious, straight Spanish. I could understand her perfectly! It was crazy. In the lecture she told me that I need to be focusing on all parts of the mission. She said, "I know you miss your family but you need to put your whole heart in the work. And be patient with the language." She said "You are always studying the language.  Like tonight for example there was a huge wind storm and you were still reading in your dictionary." She said, "Do you think that stuff is going to stay in your brain?" She said, "No, because you weren't completely focused on what you were studying. There is a time and place for everything. When we are in the streets you need to be aware of our area and be ready to listen to the Spirit."  So after she said all this I took her advise. But I just wanted to cry because I felt like my whole soul was fighting against what she was saying because I want to learn to speak the language so bad and I feel like why not practice in the streets. So I prayed.  I just cried and told my Father in Heaven my problems. I told him that I want to learn this language so bad and I am willing to do whatever it takes. I wanted to explain that other people say that I should dedicate my whole heart into learning the language. But when I was praying I could not remember those words at all. I was trying to remember but I couldn't.  I decided that maybe it was a sign that I need to focus on other things too. Then I finally remembered the words "put your whole heart into learning this language". I was like oh yeah... and so I was about to ask my Father in Heaven if that is what I needed to do. But then once again I could not for the life of me remember those words. I was so confused. I am learning a big part of prayer is listening. I am not putting in a grocery list order I am asking for help and when I ask for help I have to be willing to act on what the Lord wants me to do. So the next day I decided that I would focus on other things as well as the language. And I spoke so much better and I understand so much more. I don't know if my story makes sense but I believe that I was supposed to learn from my companion to relax and not to take things so seriously. But to enjoy every moment. I am always in a rush. You all know that I rush on the phone and everything.  When I relax I speak so much better. Kinda weird because I am so used to wanting to give it my all, but I learned I need to give my all in all aspects of the mission.  I am so grateful for the things I learned from my companion. She seriously is amazing. I am soo sad that she is leaving but I KNOW that this new companion is exactly what I need.  

She is Hermana Miller. She is from Canada (she doesn't know Winnipeg).  She has been in the mission for  1 year. She is super nice. I am so grateful for a Gringa because she is going to be able to help me understand the rules of Spanish! Yay! Lots of people tell me that I have a great accent and that it is almost perfect.  I just need to practice grammar hahaha. And this new companion can help me with grammar. I am a little nervous because I have to teach this new companion our area-where people live, everyone's names and uhhh I don't really know our area very well... So I am really relying on the Lord to help me remember everything I need to remember. But It is seriously a miracle the things I do remember. I remember the first day I could say anyone's name. The names are different here too.  I feel like learning names is like learning another language too.  But I remember names!  I have no idea how, but I do.  Miracle!!!

Oh and guess what? One of our investigators came to church. Yay! Baptism on Jan 31 hopefully. She has to come 2 more times. So exciting. 

Serenity you got your ears pierced!!!! Soooo cute! Were you scared?

Hope,  I love your shoes!! We are twins. 

I love you all. What did Kami quote in her talk from my letters?  

Well out of time. Uhhh time is just flying by. I can't believe I am to my 3rd companion!! Love you all. The language is so much better- still not good but sooooooo much better. Thanks for your prayers. 

Love  Hermana Bailey

PS I am glad Cookie didn't die I was so sad

2015!!!

Dear Family,

I continue to pray for you all. Thank you for fasting for me. I am doing so much better. I am understanding so much more. Obviously not everything but I am understanding a lot more. Lots of people tell me my Spanish is better and they say they can understand me! Yay!! People can understand me!! I am still nowhere close to being fluent, but people can understand me. 

My New Years Eve was one to remember. My companion and I got to go to a member's house. They made some way fancy food. It was chicken with egg inside or something, I don't really know but it was soooo good. I will try and send pictures if I have time. We listened to music from Argentina and it was so fun. I just felt so grateful for the opportunity I have to be in Argentina. The next day the whole town was shut down. No people worked so all the missionaries got together and played futbol. We play soccer all the time. Too bad I didn't play soccer in high school. We occassionally will play basketball. It is so much more fun to play basketball because I am better at basketball. Hahaha and I am not so good at soccer. The missionaries call me Brittany because there is a really good basketball player in the USA and her name is Brittany. After we went and got ice cream I was telling one of the elders about my struggles with the language and he told me to memorize music. That will help and plus it is more fun than studying other things so I think I will try that. 

I got a blessing from one of the elders and it was a nice blessing. It was really a miracle how that all came to play. I had wanted to ask for a blessing but I knew I would cry hahaha so I avoided asking for a blessing. Then my companion out of the blue asked for a blessing.  Afterward I asked for a blessing and the elder gave it in English--so nice. I felt in the blessing that I just need to have more faith.  I have been given the gift of tongues now I just need to believe that I can do this. In the blessing the elder said you will be able to teach the language better than you can even imagine.  Is that true or what because I can't even imagine speaking right now. But all I can do is try my best and the Lord will provide a way. 

The biggest thing I am struggling with now is to really focus when people are talking. When I focus really hard I can understand what people are saying. But it is really really hard to focus hard 100 percent of the time. So that is what I am working on now. I just hope the language will get to a point where I don't have to focus so hard to understand what people are saying. Because it is really draining. 

Wow So many miracles.... I will look for words in my dictionary while walking in the streets and I open up right to the word sometimes. Cool huh? Little things like that all the time. Oh and the other day we were visiting people and I had the feeling to go visit one of our less actives but we weren't supposed to visit him until 8 that night. I asked my companion if we could go visit him and we did and he was home! It was a miracle because he wasn't home the whole week before. The Lord is in the details of our lives.  I am really seeing that in the mission. 

My talk went great! I pretty much just read the paper but that is okay. People came up to me and said it was great! Hehehe yay! Oh and one of the elders gave me a hymn book made easy. Yay miracle. Now I can play the hymns better.  It is crazy that you guys are cold right now because I am so hot. What is 30 C in Fahrenheit?  I have no idea how far we walk but we walk for 5 hours a day if you take out the lessons, so lots. It isn't that hard though. The mission is more emotionally hard than I thought it would be but physically it is easier. But maybe If I get a companion who works harder then I will think the physical is harder haha. 

Love you all,  I am doing so much better. I will pray for you all.  Talk to you again in 6 days.

Love Hermana Bailey!