10/26/2015

Hey there Family! I just realized that i start the letter off ever week almost exactly the same every week. Ill work on variety. This week we have witnessed many tender mercies of the Lord here in our area as well in our mission. We had many roadblocks this week. One night this week we week were in the middle of watching the restoration with one of our investigators and our phone went off. My compa quickly fumbled with the phone until the noise stopped and after the lesson we looked and saw that it was president caffaro that had called. As soon as we could we called him back and found out that we were going to have to do divisiones esta week for 2 days because of the health of one the elders in our district. so we had divisiones and los elderes were were able to return to their area.I went to 2 different colonies for these divisiones carlolinjia and villas. It was great and we learned a ton but It was tough for our investigators and their progression. When I returned to boulevard my companion got super sick with a something called chinkungunya. Its like intense flu that is carried around but mosquitos or something.The worst part of this sickness it that there is almost always super severe joint pain throughout the body. So we made divisiones with members of the ward for the next three days with members of the ward. I hit the streets and elder antonio rested. I learned a lot about myself and we saw miracles. we found family way out in the boonies that are so humble. we had an amazing lesson with them and then they came to church the next day. Their names are jose luis martinez and yosaline guzman.We are working with them and hope to help them reach baptism on nov 7. They are an amazing family!
I am doing well. I love you all and hope that you have a Great week.
Elder Baldwin

Hey BALDWINS. I Am so excited for dad! if you can please call him and tell him that i love him and that I will pray for him. I know that he is fully capable of and qualified for this presentation. Hey here is a recording let me know if it works!. Let Erin know that i have been thinking about he alot this week. I want her to know that i love her and that she is an amzing example. Also please let Cole and emily know that i love them and pray for them. Play a boardgame for me this week and know that i love you mom!  Please pray for me
Elder Baldwin


10/26/2015

Cole and Emily came for dinner today, you missed out, we played a game----I know you would be surprised. It was "ticket to ride" It is actually one of Jim's favorite games. I bought it on Amazon a couple of months ago. Dad went to Duana and Brett's for a little while because Francis (Grandpa Baldwin's ex) and her sister Paula was here from Louisiana. They had alligator, this atufay stuff and boodaaaaa....yum yum.

Cole gave dad a blessing because dad is going to give a presentation tomorrow at 1:00 pm at the church office building to the executive committee and this is a big deal because he is also inadvertently presenting himself for his job promotion. Grayson came by last week and drilled dad for over an hour on how to present himself. Dad's nerves are raw because he has not been sleeping well and is afraid to take pain pills because they make him groggy and his head foggy. So pray for him that he will present in a clear direct manner, hopefully you will get this before 1:00.

I forwarded the email about how you wired the water heater. Cole reminded me not to forward emails that you mark as BALDWIN Family only. I will be diligent with his and your command.

I love you,

XXXXOOOOO

MOM

10/19/2015

Hey Glad to hear that this week was good. I hope that school goes well this week and that you were able to enjoy the time with the martinezes this week. Dont worry about the leatherman i will definatly love it just as much in december! Have a great week! please let Erin and Cole of my love for them. Thanks for your letters. I love you so much mom!!

Grant

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10/18/2015

Dear Grant,

 What a great family you are teaching, the one with the strong Grandma--how is that going?

    Today is a sad day in the life of Erin and I. We have to go back to school tomorrow:( It has been fall break. Erin had the chance to go Lake Powell Friday and Saturday with Auria.

   Angie made a surprise visit with Jackson and Sunnie. Jackson was best man for a reception down in Santa Clara. Sunnie has a boyfriend Drew. Drew's family came down to see their aging grandma who lives in St. George. So Angie hitched a ride last minute decision  with Drew's family on Thursday. Jacskson came down late Friday night because of school. So Angie and I had fun hanging out. On Saturday Angie, Jackson and I went to the Jacob Hamblin home on a tour, I know they were so excited!!!! Ha, ha....they endured the tour, I have always wanted to go on this tour and it was the perfect opportunity because of the weather only 80!!! So then after that fun filled experience we went to the nature walk gardens near Dixie Rock to kill some time before Jackson's wedding. I know you are so jealous of our high adventures.

So Sorry----I LEFT THE LEATHER MAN TOOL KIT IN THE KIA....so it is not in your package. I will send it with your Christmas package the first week of November. I know you need it,,, dad has been pumping you up about it. I just noticed that I did not pack it last week....you know it does blend in very well with the black interior.

But it will be even sweeter when you actually receive it right?

Love you XXXOOOXOXO

10/12/2015

FOR THE BALDWIN FAMILY ONLY! GRACIAS:)

Familia!  This has been another week in Paradise! I truly love my mission. This work is so fulfilling and I love it! Earlier this week I found a way to hot wire an electric water heater in our bathroom. Also this week I started cooking breakfast in the apartment so this week so we are living super comfortable! I am definitely blessed to be serving in Guatemala. (sometimes we order domino's on p-days).

 this week has been truly amazing.I am so thankful for the miracles and tender mercies of the lord that i receive and witness in my life everyday. I am so blessed. So this week one of the miracles that we received came in the form of a reference for a family that just moved into a colony near ours. The reference came from another mission in Guatemala and our mission president assigned us to teach this family that lives out of our area.We were super excited! We had trouble finding them for a few days but on Thursday we were able to have a visit wtih the entire family.I was surprised to find that the grandmother(who was visiting randomly) is a recent convert that i know quite well. We had an amazing lesson  with them. At the end of this lesson we the grandmother bore her testimony to her family. It was so powerful! It was truly a miracle because she rarely is able to visit her family.Although this person has only been a member for a few months she has such a strong desire to share the happiness that she has found in her own life. She truly wants the blessing an eternal family for all of her family. With this burning testimony she was able to help her family start to take steps toward baptism. We can all follow the example of This mother and share what brings us true happiness with others. 

I am so excited for all of you and the plans that you have. So cool that dad was able to get and elk! the blessings of keeping the sabbath day are real! Have a great week! ( i would love to write more but the electricity just went out a little while ago so we lost some time).

------------------------------------------- 10/11/2015

Dear Elder Grant,

    Sounds like the work is going strong and you have a wonderful attitude.  Keep up this up..Attitude is everything. Milagros happenings are coming along. Elder Hill's mom reports that it is 94% humidity in Ghana and the missionaries have to sleep with mosquito netting--the netting is so powerful( causes 3rd degree burns) that they have to have a barrier to protect their skin. So they sleep in long sleeved shirts and a blanket....so count your blessings. In addition they are always hungry...and the power goes out frequently...which is bad because they have to have food daily-no refrigeration. I asked Sister hill why the church doesn't provide the Elders with emergency food/astronaut food and she says it has something to do with the native missionaries/members attitude's towards American missionaries--that they are poor little rich boys anyway.

   So count your blessings you are in Guatemala as opposed to Ghana, I know I am!!!!

This week coming up is Fall break...which means we have this Thursday and Friday off. Tomorrow is early out---Erin gets to take the practice ACT(called Plans for sophomores) Yippee for her! Thursday she has a wisdom teeth consultation and Dec. 18th-she gets her wisdom teeth pulled, I know what a fun Christmas present. Wednesday she has to go into have 2 cavities filled, these are her first two so she is doing pretty good, her first two. It was lack of flossing,,,,,,hope you are flossing every day....do you need me to send floss materials? If so let me know what kind.

  Dad finally shot a cow after 6 days, He will fill you in on the details along with pictures.

  Cole and Emily are going to spend their spring break in Hawaii, compliments of Carolyn rounds, I know it is pretty rough having to deal with all of that vacation and time off.......

Xoxoxoxo

Love you forever!!!!!

MOM

--------------------------------------------------10/12/2015

Awesome that you guys were success full! I am so excited for you!Hey if you can download the video on a dvd or cheap thumb drive and send it to me because i cannot watch YouTube! I am committed to work as hard as i possibly can porque yo falto mucho con el idioma y también espiritualmente. Quiero ser mas para las personas aquí en mi mission. Gracias por su apoyo y amor y su testimonio. i Pray para usted y los miembros de nuestra familia cada día. Voy a escribir mas La próximo semana. La electricidad apago y perdí mi tiempo love you!

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Bueno! Pues....10/11/2015

Greetings son. Sounds like life is good in the missionary field. It was good to get back and read your letter after having spent a full week at the cabins. Ive shown everyone your baptism picture. Conference was great. Bret and I opted to not hunt at all on the Sabbath. We just took it easy and listed to conference on a radio we took. It was inspiring and humbling. I realize there is much that I can be doing better so I have recommitted. I hope all is well this week. Let me know if you get your leather man. 

I will write a full detailed account of our hunt next week, but as you can see Bret got a spike at 550 yards with the cannon. Basically blew off all his legs but it was awesome. That was right at dark Wednesday night. Then 12 hours later first thing Thursday morning I got a cow. We are going back up this Tuesday night to hunt Wednesday and Thursday. He has a cow tag and I have a spike tag. It ends Thursday night. Fun week. We are hoping to send you a link in a couple of weeks when we make our YouTube video of our hunt. Awesome footage. 

We are praying that you are safe, healthy and successful. 

All things are possible when we put full faith in our Savior. I wish I would have known more about the concept of faith on my mission. You have a great advantage having attended 4years of seminary. Be an example to all with whom you serve. Show them your faith and theirs will grow. Remember, rely upon the holy ghost to touch and teach and convert. You just need to be prepared to be the mouthpiece. I love you and am so very proud of you!! I'll write more next week. It's very late.Love Dad.

Hola familia!  10/5/2015

This week has been a blessing! There is an excitement building in Guatemala that we are working to build the kingdom everyday! Vamos a hacer fuego! The opportunity to listen to conference this weekend was incredible! The spirit was so strong. I hope that you were all able to listen to all the talks but if you were not please take the opportunity to listen and read these talks over again. Really my favorite part was the entire thing but I really enjoyed the talk given by Elder Lawrence. Which essentially for me was about the importance of seeking the will of the lord for our life's and then following it.We should ask ¿what lack I yet? and then listen. The Lord will direct us in what we personally need and what will bless us in our life but necesitamos take time to listen and then to act. Then we need be willing ot obey these personal commandments that are given us. This can only lead to happiness. If we make excuses after recieving these personal revelation it only leads us to sit in stillness. I am so grateful for this opportunity to improve everyday under the direction of our Loving Heavenly Father.

Thing here in Milagros are Going very well. We see miracles everyday! I honestly love my mission and I learn so much every day! I hope all of you have a great week! 

Elder Baldwin

MOM. Did you hear the talks By elder Holland and Elder Nelson in this conference? The whole time that i was able to listen to them i was thinking about you and how much you do for me in my life. I am so Grateful that you carried my all throughout my life. You truly are the type of person that elder Nelsen was talking about in his letter. I am so thankful for you and you example for me! Please know how much I love you. Thank you for sending the package! I am waiting anxiously:) as far as the music goes. if you could get it onto a thumb drive that would be amazing! but please send the Cd's tambien.I usually have about a 30-45 minutes to write and use the computer here so i don't really think i can put the songs on a thumb drive down here. Please send as many songs as possible! ask Erin for help. the hymns in Spanish and also as many quality versions of the hymns in English that you can. please send all that you can by the motab. no importa si es un himno o no. Thanks! love you. Tell Erin Cole and dad that I love them.
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10/4/2015, 

Grandma and Grandpa alarmed me Sat. evening the 3rd when they texted me " have you heard from Grant? is he OK? There was a landslide in Guatemala.....Well I had not felt that you were in danger. I looked up where the landslide occurred--El Cambray? 28 min north east of you? So did you go and help?In your patriarchal blessing it states that you will kneel at the alter in the temple and be sealed so I have faith you will make it through your mission alive.

So wonderful about the baptism of Rosario and the miracle of the stopping of the rain for her baptism, it brought tears to my eyes! 

Conference is wonderful---hope you had the opportunity to view all of it; was it in Spanish or English?

Quotes: More than three: "What lack I yet?" Customized counsel from the Holy Ghost and he can remind us our strengths.-Elder Lawrence.  

"Are we making our disclipleship too complicated?(my favorite-simplify-"focus on the simplicity that is in Christ." Exaltation is our goal, discipleship is our journey."-President Uckdorf.

":You have been called inspite of what you have done" Elder Renland.

"Center exactly on the wheel" -exactness in following Christ-Elder Maynes.

So I will be moving onto happenings here: Dad is hunting and saw herd of elk but no elk yet, I do not know if he will be able to email you. Mac is coming by soon to get eggs, 2 cycle oil and onions. We have a set of tires for the 4 wheelers in the entry way--that is progress---but dad did not have time to put them on for the hunt :) at least he has them now.

 

It has been a great weekend for us...yes I stayed home for the marathon and ran the other way down to sand cove instead of "cheering" for the runners on highway 18. I shopped before hand so I did not need to set foot in St. George--it was great, I ran, swam, mowed the lawn, listened to conference, went on a walk with Drea and Doug, (they asked about you ) and watched movies on netflix. Erin was in town volunteering for her English honors class. She has to have 5 hours of service per quarter--so she helped out at the Marathon.

I am so relieved you received the watches, it is a miracle I packaged them so poorly----the next package is done much better and there is another watch, just in case you didn't receive the 2.

Remember to start making a list of items for Christmas....I have Spanish hymns Cd's ready. I can try to get them on a flash drive if that is easier.

xoxoxoxox

Mom