(Please forward to grant )

Elder Baldwin 

I'm so proud of you and the amazing work you are doing. I can tell when I read your emails your heart is genuine and full of love. You've been humbled And are so grateful for many simple things. Its so awesome- thank you for your sweet example. The work that you are doing now is the most important work here on the earth. You are bringing the blessings of Jesus Christ and the knowledge of eternal  families into homes that need to hear the truth. I am personally grateful for my Savior and his atonement. I am thankful for the sacrifice that he made for me -for you and for all of us. It's almost impossible to comprehend the love that he has for all of us. I am so grateful and aware of a loving Heavenly Father who comforts me. I am beyond grateful for prayer. I know that HE answers prayers always. Sometimes quickly and other times not so quickly. He answers them in ways that are best for each of us. I am grateful for the plan of salvation. Knowing that we can all be together again someday if we keep the Commandments and do our best. I'm grateful for a Father who just expects MY best. And doesn't compare me to anybody else. All he has asked is for us to keep trying and he will make up the rest. What a wonderful blessing this is in our lives. I love you older Baldwin keep going! Hang in there! You can do it :-)

Love Autie Ang

Sent from my iPhone

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Hey family- this week was awesome! We have been blessed with a ton of rain! the "winter" or rainy season has officially started according to all of the village farmers. Its been really great to take the opportunity to help to help because literally everybody .....

sorry my computer just crashed and we have to go to a meeting to help somebody get married this week!my time rain out. I love you all and cannot express you you with words how much your letters mean to me. I am praying for each of you and love you. Have a great Week!

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5/24/2016

We can't believe May is almost over! Holy cow!

Hope you had a peaceful and productive week. Fernanda looked great! So good to hear that she has been teaching the people around her, I wish I could meet her and the others you have baptized. 

I sent a card in the mail last week with debit card. I hope you will be able to receive it soon:) Sorry about the license though, I would think you would be able to have some other form of ID, losing license I would think is a pretty common occurrence with missionaries. Let us know. The license lady said there is no other way you can obtain a lisence other than calling the 1800 number and they would issue you a temporary one that is good for 60 days and you can only do it once.

Erin just got home from a candlelight vigil tonight--two teens were in a car wreck on the highway right by our house last night; A girl from Veyo- Taylor Carlton

and  a guy from Diamond- Drex Taylor, he was driving and rolled off the road, they were not wearing their seat belts and were ejected from the vehicle. It was quite awhile before the responders arrived because their bodies were cold. The boy died and the girl was life flighted, she is in a coma. Erin did not know them very well.

Today I was released from YW, and called to be an achievement day leader. I am excited, because the 8-11 year old girls are fun and excited to do things. The other leader is  Madlyn Haws, she is an older lady who loves to barrel race. She just retired from teaching 2 years ago and is an expert in behavior management and at risk kids. We were talking about teaching. I told her I had some hard students at times and would love her ideas and suggestions, she said she would love to come in the classroom and help! I am so excited. I think this will be so good to work together. She also said she sees me on walks and would love to go walking with me. She lives down on Coyote Way.

I felt the power of the mantle being lifted today, it was so tangible. I was released, and I went to a meeting at the new president's home tonight and gave her my stuff and was explaining what we had been doing and I felt a distinct difference, almost a stupor. I realized that I needed to go and the other newly called women needed to discuss their ideas etc as a new presidency. It was kind of sad when I was driving home to have that mantle gone, but I was grateful to feel it also.

The church is true, the book is blue, go BYU ha ha!

Love, xxoxoxoxo

mom               

This week was a great week. We really focused on meeting with Fernanda and her family all this week to help her prepare for her baptism. One night we met with them in the house of a member. She is so outgoing with the gospel and has been learning so much that she already acts as though she is one of the veteran members here from Ixhuatan! We love it , but more than anything I have been truly humbled by the experiences that she has and the testimony that she shares with us in each visit. Seeing the change in others truly changes us. This week Fernanda's  family and many others filled the church house here in Ixhuatan and for the first time ever in our pueblito we ran out of chairs because there were too many people:) After the sacrament meeting we jammed into some cars and traveled down the mountain and had the baptismal service for Fernanda. It was super spiritual, everything went smoothly! I know that as we put our trust in the Lord and turn our will over to him, he will help us change. It is taught me that when we hear others testimonies our testimonies grow. The most important testimony is that of example. In Matthew it says: 

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Fernanda told us that she was baptized because of this example! I am grateful for the examples that I have in my life and I hope that each of you can focus on being the light in the lives of others this week.

Love you all! 

Elder B.

Dear Grant,

It was so wonderful and fulfilling to speak with you Sunday, on Mother's day. The best Mother's day present ever. You look so good. in fact you saw Angie's comment, she wants your diet, she says you look thin. If anything you are on the thin side not the chunky. I think you look great!  You seemed happy and so focused on the following the Savior. Thank you for reminding us and inviting us to act.

Last night Erin had an end of school year pool party here for some of her friends. Dad did a lot of work to clean the pool and have the yard looking nice. Her friends were respectful and nice. I think it was a success, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. They swam, roasted smores, ate hamburgers and some watched a movie projected on the man-cave wall. I bought a Costco cake for desert and we had half of the cake left over. I wrapped some of the cake up and put in the freezer, the rest I took to church with me. I wanted to have treats for the YM/YW after the last hour. I went to look get the cake last hour out of the fridge in the church kitchen and it was gone! Someone stole the cake. I thought it was dad playing a joke, so I went to the clerk's office and asked him where it was hiding the cake, and he said he didn't know anything about it and so we went scouring the church for the thieves.  We concluded the culprits were the ward before us. Dad called the bishop of the ward and the bishop told him he would try to get to the bottom of it. Funny, but sad that someone rationalized, stole and took the cake!!!!!!!!

Tonight I walked to the ledge that over looks Sand Cove reservoir behind the Brooks home. It was a perfect sunset. Because of the recent rains there are more flowers in bloom this year; the cactus, creeping phlox and sweet peas in between the rocks on the over look---so pretty. I have a stash of water bottles there, it is a sweet set up. 

 

How did the baptism for Fernanda go?

Scripture for the week I am ponderizing on: And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God. Alma 31:5

Hey family! It was amazing to be able to speak with you yesterday! the time flies by quick but I am so grateful for the opportunity that we have to communicate! This past week was really busy! This week we were invited to eat dinner with Fernanda and her family. As we sat down she Gave us a small gift and asked us to open it. We were nervous that it was a Chiarra or something because she said " if it flies away its not my fault". So we popped it open and inside she made a little craft that said } "I WANT TO BE BAPTIZED" She is so prepared and her testimony continues to grow every day! Her baptismal service is scheduled for this coming Sunday and we are so excited for her! We are enjoying the work in this part of the lords vineyard and I Hope that each of you are enjoying your part where you are! I love each of you and i Hope that you have a great week!

Elder B. 

Dear Grant,

   It was wonderful to talk to you today, the best Mother's Day p. We were so blessed that we were able to skype and see each other! YOu look wonderful! Your testimony is amazing! You are in the right state of mind, thank you for keeping us on track and helping us remember what is most important- the atonement, the fullness of the gospel and sharing this happiness with others. Thank you for your strength and testimony! Talking to you is never long enough, I cannot believe how quickly the time passed and it was time to say good bye.

Cole has some ideas about object lessons; he is going to email you today his 3 lessons you can gather prompts easily. I will also search and get more to send you.

I am going to get the bank card going and drivers license tomorrow.

Love you foreverxoxoxoxoxo Mom

5/2/2016
This week has been awesome. We have been very blessed and Have had some really awesome experiences. This week we were able to meet with Fernanda and have some awesome appointments with her. She has seen Miracles in her life through the church This week she told us that Heavenly father has answered her Prayers and that she wants to be baptized. This week Fernanda and her sister Edna took us along with them to visit their cousin. We had an awesome lesson with their family; the best part was that at the end of the charla, Edna and Fernanda Shared their testimonies about Joseph Smith. It was so Powerful. Other than that we have been having good times trying to figure out how to stay dry now that the rainy season is starting up and enjoying the time running around south Guatemala to different areas in chicken buses. We are so blessed to have Power and comfort of Scripture in our Lives.  I know that God lives and that he Speaks to us. If we ask with faith and real intent, it is promised we will receive an answer. Missionary work is an honor that the Lord has entrusted to us. Each of us can can be an instrument and bring change to the lives of others. What  a Blessing! I love you and I hope that each of you have a great week.


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I can't believe another week has come and gone! You have had some busy weeks also!

The scripture I have been pondering this week is 1 Nephi 3:7, it can be a bit of a challenge to do when I am in a surly mood.

Today in fast and testimony meeting I bore my testimony of the the restoration, prophet, and apostles. I have been preparing a lesson this week for young women and as I have been cutting out pictures of the apostles, I had an overwhelming love for them, again I was reaffirmed that they really are apostles; memories came flowing of all of the general conference talks and how I had felt the spirit when they spoke.

    I also spoke about the spiritual experience of cleaning the church. Erin, dad and I were able to clean the chapel yesterday. Erin put on some hymns during this time which filled the building. As I was vacuuming under the sacrament table, I remembered the sacredness of the chapel, how beautiful the building we have to meet in, how blessed we are that we have a building and I thought of you and your members and how you are trying so hard to be a branch. 

   It was difficult to put into words and express the depth of my feelings of gratitude and assurance of the church, I feel like I couldn't put it across as strongly as I felt; Looking into their some of their eyes I felt like I wanted to shake them.

     But Brother Rumler got it, he thanked me for my testimony and asked about you. He loves you. I love you and Erin loves you, Dad loves you.

    I should have Erin compile the hymns she was playing on a flash drive, would you like that on a flash drive or CD?

Love,  xxoxoxoxoxo

Mom,