Sister Baylee Anne Kendrick: Seeds Are Being Planted

Hey how is everyone? First off, thank you to everyone who has written letters to me. I truly am grateful! It makes my day;) I'll try to send you a quick email to let you know I got it and then as soon as I can (within in the month) I'll write you back. From letters that I've been getting, it seems to take about a week and a half to two weeks to get it to me. Just a FYI...it takes about 5 days to get to the mission office and 5 to get to my apartment. This week was so so so good!! I hope you are able to tell how great it has been here through my email !!

Silence
Monday we meet with Crystal and Bruce sat in.... Hip hip hooray!! We taught them about testimonies and faith. Crystal is there!! She is ready to be baptized, but she wants Bruce to do it and she wants him to support her in this decision.. So we asked Bruce, "will you prepare yourself to baptize your wife"? No answer... No answer... We were prepared to wait 10 minutes if that's what it took, but we brought a member along with us and he couldn't take the silence any longer. The seed has once again been planted. Bruce ended up saying that he wasn't worthy. We invited him and committed him to become ready to baptize his wife. Slowly but surely they are getting there.

I'm still a Greenie
Tuesday new missionary training. For the majority of the day we were at the stake center next to the mission home. It was really good. I learned a lot. They went over a lot how we as missionaries need to use and utilizes the Holy Ghost and about how we need to leave everything else behind and just serve with everything we have. I know because of the commitment I have made to serve him, I will forever be blessed. David F Evans said it this way " For me, everything changed. The fog really did lift, and happiness and joy came into my life. In one way or another, every good thing that has happened to me since that day has come because of the commitment I made to serve the Lord and His children and give two years of my life in His service." We focused a lot on the joy of missionary work, because it truly brings so much joy!!

After we had to speed home, or speed as fast as the law would let us, haha to get home to make it to Breanna's appointment. We talked about the scriptures and just picked out some verses to go over to help her understand. At the end she asked us why we are Mormon. We each bore our testimonies and I was last. I was able to tell her that I had prayed to know for myself, and that I got an answer. I know that this is true, then I told her that she too can know for herself if she kneels on her knees and asks her Father in Heaven, he will answer her prayers. Then we asked her, "if you find that what we have been teaching you to be true, will you be baptized?" And she said Yes!!!!!! She said that she can totally she herself doing that!!! Hip Hip Hooray. It's been so exciting watching her testimony grow and watching her grasp the concepts. Hopefully next week we can put her on date and she will be able to partake of those sweet blessings. I want to thank Heavenly Father for aligning our paths just right. He truly puts us (and each of you at home) in the path of others. We just need to open our mouths. We will be a part of miracles!!

Doubt Not
We taught Alex on Wednesday and it went so so good. He is awesome!! He has so many good questions and he participated the entire time. We taught about The Restoration. He was real interested. We taught him about the First Vision. He said it was like he already knew it and this was just a reminder. He said that he doesn't doubt that Joseph Smith saw what he said he saw, but he wants to learn more about him. It's so cool!! He is " hungering " after the truth. It's so great !!! He is willing to be baptized. He just needs to clear some things up. He is very interested in Joseph Smith.

* It’s crazy how many blessings and MIRACLES I have seen this week!!! *
Wednesday we talked with another family that are less active or more so inactive. Jerry has a very strong testimony but he doesn't think that he can overcome his weaknesses so he doesn't even try. His wife has a lesser testimony but she has a desire!! Recently Jerry told his wife if she really wants to know the truth she needs to find out for herself. He told her she needs to read the Book of Mormon and so she is....Crazy, right? He knows and she is once again finding out. We as missionaries just need to help them along and figure out a way to help them come back. It's gonna happen sooner or later!! I can just feel it. I'm excited to help them along their way!!

Stay safe
Miss Gail... I love her so so so much!! We had a great lesson with her. We taught her the importance of fasting. She has had a hard time with it because she has had to go without for a long time she just can't see going without for no reason other than the fact that we told her to. We hopefully got the point across in our lesson. She leaves in a sketchy neighborhood, so she stands out on her porch and watches us walk to our car so she can come save us. More realistically, it is so she can call the cops or something if we get mugged. Haha Anyways, we parked a little ways away from her house and she freaked out at us! She said that we need to invest in a tazer or some pepper spray. I showed her my "muscles" and I told her we would be fine. She said " ok, this is what you do Sister K, you punch them up
top. Sister Jones, you kick them down low and then when you knock them out you get on you knees and pray for them!!!" This made me laugh so hard. I hope this helps you see the person she is and that you fall in love with her as much as I have.

Heaven is cheering
Saturday we went to Nicholas' soccer game! ! It was so much fun. When I get home I think I want to do this. (I don't know if I have said this before but he is autistic) He was so happy that we where there. It was great!! Then later that night, we were able to go to a baptism of a very neat guy in or ward. He has been coming to church for about 3 years, pretty much every week. His kids joined the church a few years back. They have been working on him ever since. He has been looking at the church and taking the discussions for about 3 years but until someone asked him to read the Book of Mormon for himself, he didn't really put his whole might, mind, and strength into the gospel. When President asked him what changed, he said he couldn't deny the feelings he had AND that the Book of Mormon was true!! It was so so cool! His son was ordained a priest last Sunday so he was able to baptize him. It was really neat :)

Hearts are turning
We had the opportunity to teach the 8-11 year old girls in primary about why the commandments are important, and to the terror of everyone in the room we used a mouse trap as part of our object lesson. Miss Gail spent the whole day with us on Sunday. She came to all of our appointments. It was so so so much fun !! Like I said before, she was fasting for her first time and she didn't think that she would be able to pass the food at her house and not eat it, so we kept her busy!! She was great! She talked A LOT to everyone. It was wonderful. We were a little late getting out of homes, but it's all good. Crystal and Robin came to church and with Robin included, we had 6 less actives come to church!!! Yay the work is finally paying off!!

There is a thing, I guess, that is going around called "BG Blues"... BG:Buffalo Grove (which is the stake that I'm serving in) Blues. Nothing happens here, so none of the missionaries want to serve here. I really don't understand it because seriously, look at all the amazing things that happened this week! WE INVITED 3 PEOPLE TO BAPTISM THIS WEEK.... nothing happens here?? I don't think so!!! hahaha The work is going forth!! Seeds are being planted!! Things are going to be happening. I can just feel it. If you can't tell, life is great here!! I'm loving it!! I'm so excited to see what's around the bend ;)

Well, I hope everything it going well and that you are all enjoying life and that you are each counting your blessings because you are truly blessed!!!!

Love ya!!

Sister Kendrick