2/15/2016
Well to start off this week has been awesome! We have been working hard and enjoying the highs and lows of missionary work. In reality, there aren't too many lows just sometimes we get savaged by fleas at some of our appointments.
Elder Rodriguez and I have seen many miracles this week, the Lord truly knows us personally and blesses each of us in this aspect, but in this work I have noticed how blessed we have been as families and right now how blessed my companion and I have been blessed as a companionship. The Lord truly is in every detail of our lives are one of the blessings/miracles that we have witnessed this week is that we were able to find a new family of gold. This past Wednesday we were in the outskirts of my in an area called San Antonio we were visiting a family called the family Hernandez.
We were talking about their preparations for marriage and baptism it was an awesome lesson and towards the end the dad of the family stood up and kind of shouted "there is someone I want you to meet" so we ended the lesson and followed hermano Hernandez into the jungle. Pretty soon we arrived at a small house with the coolest view I think I have ever seen! You can see half of Guatemala and five massive volcanoes that are blowing smoke and stuff. We were introduced to our ErNesto Gonzalez, he is the head of the family, by our investigator Hermano Rodriguez. Ernesto invited us in warmly and introduced us to his wife and everyone of his dogs. It was neat, we shared the message of the restoration of the gospel with them and had a super spiritual experience. They are humble and excepted the challenge to be baptized on 20 March, but one of the best parts of or one of the most powerful part of this experience is
that our investigator, Brother Hernandez, supported us when we shared the lesson he shared what the church meant for his family and invited them to come to church with us. They are super receptive and we are excited to continue visiting them and helping them progress towards there goal of baptism.
This week we also finally had the opportunity to find a bigger house to hold church meetings. Hopefully, we will be able to be moved in by next week.I'll try to send some pictures if I can. I am so thankful for all that you do for me I have a testimony that Jesus is the Christ. He lives and his church has truly been restored to the earth. I would invite each of you to have your heart and mind ready to share what you believe especially about our Savior and remember that was his infinite atonement is both for us the center and the saint for each of us have a great week!
Elder Baldwin
Elder
Elder Grant Baldwin
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Well, we have had a fu time this wee up here in Provo, SLC, and bountiful. Went to cabbalas yesterday and got a case for Erin's Ruger 10/22. We got stuck in traffic at the point of the mountain like happens soon often! Then we went to the SLC temple and the city creek mall. What a huge contrast in that and where you currently are. Today we got to see Elder Ballard at conference with Grandma and Grandpa Barlow. It was great. Im sure mom included all what he said. The powerful part of the mission was when a mission President and his wife who just came home from Georgia spoke. He called up an elder from his mission who he said had a vision to change a bishop's vision for his ward, who then went and changed the vision for the stake, who then saw baptisms explode because they were all on the same page. That concept of that one person sharing a vision about reaching out to the "one" ended up affecting hundreds of lives. Pretty awesome thought!
Well, we are going to the Martinez's to celebrate grandma's birthday. Have a great week. Im thrilled that you have a good companion and it sounds like the work is going great. We are looking in to seeing of we can send a portable baptistry/font. Don't know f it will work. We ended up buying a metal trough at one of my areas. It was big enough for 2 people. Let us know if they sell something like that down there that we could send money for you to buy. If not, we can send one as a ward project.
I love you Grant. Been teared up all day thinking about your service and how much it means to our family and those you are teaching. Have a great week. Love Dad.
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Steve Amy Baldwin <luckybfarms17@gmail.com>
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Today Erin, Erin's friend McKali, Dad and I are at Grandma and Grandpa Barlow's house. We are up for 1) months ago I thought Erin would be swimming in State at BYU, I made a hotel reservation for Friday the 12th. The swimming situation changed due to Erin not qualifying for state, but we kept the Hotel reservation anyway because she wanted to see other swimmers swim.2) Also, we could have the opportunity to go through the Prove City temple open house, Also 3) we could celebrate Grandma's birthday.
Yesterday after dropping Erin and Mckali off at the final swim competition, dad and I went to the Provo temple and went to an endowment session. It was really peaceful almost too peaceful, dad and I had a hard time staying awake. It doesn't seem to matter what time of day, dozing is inevitable. I look around me and most people are dozing.(Every time I attend the temple, I put your name in: praying for your health, that your body is adapting to the conditions there, and that you will come home with no long term ill health effects, that you feel loved, and that you are able to relay the love of the Savior and Heavenly Father to the people.) I think it is because it is dark and peaceful and most people have seen the film numerous times. Anyway, I was thinking about the person I was going through for Josephe Jeanne Salle from France, born in 1783, praying that she would accept and embrace this ordinance and grateful for this chance to be there for her. I prayed today that she and others that I have performed ordinances for will assist us now through our trials. It is so comforting to feel and know our ancestors, and the people we are performing ordinances for are with us, pulling for us. I have increased my temple attendance to once a week, partly for more assistance, partly because I need the power of the temple and the atonement. A scripture I have been pondering this week is Hellman 5:10--about how the Lord does not save us in our sins but from our sins, the next verse 12 goes onto tell us how, from our sins with repentance through the atonement. I am so grateful for this knowledge! So grateful you are helping people see this and grateful you have such humble people! Thank you for sharing your experiences I can't wait for Mondays to come and feel of your love and spirit. Your new companion, Elder Rodriguez sounds good, nice that he speaks English. How are the plans for a new building and font coming? if nothings is new there, tell us when it does happen.
I am rounding up your baptismal pictures, do you want them 4 X 6 photo size or 8 1/2 by 10 or both?
I sent another package of Frisbees, more vitamins, veggie soup mixes, and oatmeal.. let me know if the oatmeal works for you....don't know if you eat it without milk?
Thanks for the picture, I assume that is your new companion, who is standing next to him in the grey shirt?
We were able to go to Grandma's stake conference and Elder Ballard spoke!
We were so blessed to be able to be at the conference----I was 30 feet from Elder Ballard! So grateful to hear his counsel and blessing. He read about Satan and how he is raging in the heart of men----carefully down to hell, pacifying in creating a false sense of security. 2 Nephi 28. He said some people even in the church are feeling that the brethren are too strict and out of touch. He counseled us to stay and have a firm testimony in the leadership of the church. He also warned of pornography and called those in the audience addicted to it to repent.
He spoke of Doctrine and covenants 138 that we are are all going to die-what will happen when we die is that we will be accountable to God of who we rescued, so be a missionary now.
Be obedient and invite. That is what you were doing.
The speakers before the conference were amazing, the spirit was so strong! there were 2 youth, one sister who recently returned from Texas south speaking mission and an Elder preparing to serve. They were so confident and prepared. The sister spoke of how angels bore her up and how they are helping us. I started to weep and could not stop, throughout the whole meeting because I had had the same thoughts and impressions earlier when I was on a walk. It was like I was hearing a repeat of the my thoughts during the talks. I have never felt that before to that extent. Lately I have been discouraged with the "raging" that is going on in the world with the presidential debates, the attack on the family and the defining of marriage, and now with the death of Justice Scaliea.....( He had a heart attack last week) anyway, I was pondering and felt strongly that the people I have gone through the temple for and my grandparents, etc. will help us as we struggle in the future and now.
Love,
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