Final Week - June 9, 2014

I haven`t been able to think of anything to write for these last 15 minutes, so I`m going to copy what I wrote to my mission president: 

 

What could I possibly write that would capture how I feel about these last 18 months of my life? How could I possibly put into words the miracle that my life has become? How could I even begin to say what this time means to me? 

 

When I was preparing to leave in the mission, everyone told me what a sacrifice I was going to be making. They told me not to drop out of school; they told me not to leave my jobs; they told me not to leave my life; they warned me of danger, of trials, of long days in the hot sun. Then I came to the mission and people kept telling me how grateful they were for my sacrifice, for my service. They spoke as if I had traded something great for something of lesser value.

 

In those moments, I listened and agreed. I thought of all the things I was giving up, all of the opportunities that I will never have again. But President, with time I have learned that the mission is not a sacrifice. Not even a small sacrifice. The mission is a privilege and a blessing. It is my sacred time. It is my greatest joy. It is a small moment that God has given me to be able to experience a portion of the joy that He feels in bringing His children home, and for that I will praise His name forever. My joy is complete in His service.

 

The sacrifice was never the mission. The sacrifice was myself. And now, the Lord is asking me to sacrifice another sliver of myself in leaving behind what took me 18 months to become. But President, I think we both know by now, I`ll go where He wants me to go, I`ll do what He wants me to do, I`ll say what He wants me to say, and I`ll be who He wants me to be. I was called to serve, and even though I will no longer be serving as a full-time missionary, I believe the Lord has much need of me yet. I`m answering that call to serve yet again by packing my bags and setting off for whatever He has in store. 

 

...

 

Well, family, I sure do love you all. If you remember nothing else, remember that I know these things are true. That this is the greatest and most important truth of all time. I know it, and I invite you to come to know it too. 

I love the Lord. This is His work. There is none greater. 

 

 I`ll see you all soon. 

 

For one last time, 

Hermana Bayles

 

He aqui, soy un discipulo de Jesucristo, el Hijo d Dios. He sido llamado por El para declarar Su palabra entre los de Su pueblo, al fin de que alcancen la vida eterna. 

 

Si, yo se que nada soy. En cuanto a mi fuerza, soy debil. Entonces no me jactare de mi mismo, sino que me gloriare en mi Dios porque con su fuerza puedo hacer todas las cosas.

 

June 2, 2014

Ooooooiiiii!

Hola familia mía. Ésta semana yo prometí a mi compañera q íbamos a tener tiempo para escribir, porque en estas ultimas semanas… pues ya saben muy bien q no nos ha dado chance escribir. Bueno pues.

 

This week I complete 18 months as a missionary. For those of you who aren`t familiar with the wonderful world of missionaries, that means 549 days of serving, loving, teaching, finding, and saving. It also means that my time as a missionary is coming to a rapid close. You see, I will finish my time having worn that beautiful black nametag a total of 556 days. And oh, what I wouldn`t give for one day more.

 

I have now been looking at those last few lines for several minutes, wondering what I could possibly write that would let you all understand how I feel, and I`ve come to the abrupt conclusion that words cannot describe my feelings. I can`t show you who I`ve met, what`s happened, what I`ve seen and heard. But I close my eyes and there they are, looking at me for something more than I am, seeing me for what I can become. They don`t see little old Hermana Bayles who`s sometimes a little bit too goofy for her own good. They see a disciple and representative of Christ, something that has taken 546 days of my life to achieve. They see hope and truth and light, and it`s not because they see Hermana Bayles. It`s because they see what Hermana Bayles represents, or, better said, Who Hermana Bayles represents. I wish you could see those eyes, the way they look at me, the way they look through me to see something more than me. They`re the eyes of someone who sees a bit of what they once knew and begins to remember long-forgotten truths. I wish I could show you all what it means to be a missionary. Oh how I wish that you could see what I see.  

 

This last week was spent mostly in hospitals and dr`s offices, with the remaining time dedicated to preparing a baptism that fell through in the very last hour. In other words, it`s been a frustrating week, but in the end, I`m still inexplicably happy, and I know it`s because it`s no longer so much about me; rather, it is about the Lord and His work. That`s I think the greatest lesson we can ever learn: that happiness is not a result of what happens to us or what we do; it is a result of the active choice we make to be happy and forget about ourselves. In 2 Nefi  2:27-29, we are invited to ^choose eternal life,^ eternal life being living in a never-ending state of happiness with those who make us happy. Happiness is not a consequence but a choice, and it`s the choice that God hopes we will take. It`s the choice that is inevitable as we accept and act upon the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

I don`t know what else to say except to say that I know these things are true. I did not give up 556 days of my life for a lie, a joke, or a game. I`ve given up 18 months for the one and only thing that brings us happiness, the one great and everlasting truth, the hope of all mankind, the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

If this is what you`re looking for, come unto Christ. If this is what you seek, let Him in. ^Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you.^ Come unto Christ and you too will find everlasting happiness. I invite you: come unto Christ. 

 

Take care of yourselves and have a lovely week. I love you all oodles. 

Love, 

Sometimes you`ve just gotta grab a chicken. Cheers.

Hermana Bayles

Memorial Day 2014 May 26

Once again, I´m a failure at writing, but just so yáll know, I love you guys. I´ll write next week probably. I´ll have lots of cool stories to tell when I get back. Anyway, take care and have a great week!

Hna Bayles

May the Fourth be With You 2014

As always, I´ve delayed the day of my writing until it is almost too late, so this will be short. I´m so sorry about that, but the good thing is that we can catch up when we talk this Sunday. Speaking of which, I think I´ll be calling between 1 and 3 in the afternoon Honduras time. Probably around 2, but we still have to figure out how we´re going to do it. haha We´re kind of hoping the bishop will lend us his house again, but he hasn´t offered yet. We´ll see what happens.


I was going to write more, but the lady just came and had to use my computer so she took away about 25 minutes of my time. Oh well. I guess I´ll talk to you all sunday.

Love you all,
Hna Bayles

P.s. Eileen: I saw the Romero family again (twice this week actually) and they say hello. They´re going to be traveling again this year and say it would be great to get together again sometime.
p.p.s. I´m training a new missionary who I am also training to be the nurse. Her name is sister Robles. She´s from Peru.

 

May 19, 2014

Oh man. I wish I could tell you all half of what I have to tell you all. Time. goes. way. too. fast. I tried to get an extension again, but I`ve been shut down for about the millionth time... I guess that means they`ve received revelation or something that I`ve gotta be in the States for the 4th of July. Apparently the Bayles celebration is internationally recognized as being unmissable. I will be home in a month. I look at that sentece written on the screen and I don`t believe it. What`s more, I don`t want to believe it. The mission is the biggest blessing and the greatest joy of my whole life. I think it will be a big challenge and trial for me to have to leave it behind. 

We always match accidentally. Especially Hna Marley and I. She hated it when we were comps. hahahahaha

 

Hna Marley (my excomp) Hna Zelada Me Hna Robles (current comp)

Let me tell you a little about the most blessed person in the world:

She wakes up every morning at the buzzing of what is possibly the most annoying alarm clock in the world. Really she`s already been up since 5:30 because her downstairs neighbors have to get kids to school and husbands to work and doggies to the tree. She understands. She blinks for half a second then sits up and starts and starts a non-stop stream of babbling to her still-not-entirely-conscious companion, but her companion is a good sport about it and sits there mostly listening to her with bleary eyes and giving grunted responses. They hit their knees then start a very sleepy workout session. They shower, get dressed, then eat a fruity breakfast while they study. They answer the phone a lot because people are always sick and nobody respects study time. They keep studying and studying. They practice and re-practice. They pray then pray again (and again and again and again......). They brush their teeth, drink water, put on their dusty shoes and walk out the door, thanking God for one more day to wear a plastic name badge. They walk. They talk. They teach. They serve. (They answer a lot of phone calls). They get yelled at. They get jeered at. They get whistled at. They get cat called. They get doors slammed in their faces. They get dogs set on them. The come very close to getting hit by cars about 14 times a day. They sweat until they have to wipe their faces with a rag, then 5 minutes later, they have to wipe themselves again. The sun goes down and they keep on going. They finish the day and enter the house completely filthy, smelly, and slightly wilted. They pray they plan they pray. They clean their dusty muddy feet. They answer a lot of phone calls. They study and chat and maybe eat food. They hit their knees. They sleep.

I dare you to find a more blessed person in the whole world.
I.
dare.
you.
I dare you to find a happier person in the whole world.

I.

dare.
you.

I thank the Lord every day for one more day to be a missionary.

Take care of yourselves and know that I love yàll.

Lots and lots of Love

Hna Bayles, the most blessed person in the whole wide world.  

 

 

Sometimes you just have to yell at a monkey. But look... he loves me.

 

This is Pancho. This is a picture of him caught in the act of licking my arm.

How embarrassing. for him. haha

May 12, 2014

 

I don't have time to write but y'all didn't write me either so i don't feel so bad. In other news: today i ate fish eyeballs. They were squashy. Pics to come.

love yall!

Hna bayles
 

April 28, 2014

I was all excited to read and respond to your emails when suddenly I realized I have nothing to say. It´s been such a crazy week. We did three divisions and the only days we actually got to work in our own area were completely eaten up by health emergencies and other general health problems and also a ward mission activity that completely flopped. Hahah. We also had our biggest lesson of the week fall through then we were macheted by a sister in our ward. (macheted means to get, like cut down or yelled at or rebuked). Haha. All in all it´s been a weird but good week. I´m exhausted, but I´m doing well. We have changes this Wednesday and I must admit, I´m pretty sure I´ll have changes. I was really hoping to finish my mission in this area where I am now, but with everything that has to happen before the end of the mission, I think I´ll end up leaving. I think I also won´t be able to be sister training leader any more because of another responsibility that I think I´ll have to take on. It makes me a little bit sad, but I´ll go where He wants me to go, do what He wants me to do, and say what He wants me to say. If there´s one thing that´s really gotten engrained in my head in this mission, it´s that it´s not about me. My mission would have turned out so very differently if it had turned out ¨how I wanted it,¨ but God knows oh-so-much better than I do, and I think it will end up being exactly the mission I want it to be. It´s just interesting seeing how many times I can say, ¨I hope that never happens to me,¨ or, ¨I never want to do that,¨ and that is EXACTLY what ends up happening in my mission. Hahaa. God has a funny sense of humor.

 

I thought I would baptize half of Honduras, and yes I´ve baptized a few people, but not half of Honduras. Haha. I thought I would travel all over Honduras and have a whole bunch of different areas. I have now lived in San Pedro Sula 11 months, and it´s possible that I´ll finish off the mission with a nice round year. I thought I would be a full-time preaching missionary, which I am, but I never imagined that I would end up being nurse and training leader (which is to say, being not exactly a full-time proselyting missionary hahaha). I thought things would turn out so differently, but they´ve ended up being something so completely incomparable to any other human being´s mission that I just can´t even quite wrap my mind around it. And the amazing thing is that it has been the best mission that could have ever existed for me. No one has ever been so changed by their mission as I have, and no one in all of existence has ever loved their mission as much as I have. This is not just what I do. This is who I am. I do not just do missionary work; I AM a missionary, an authorized representative of Jesus Christ, an authorized authority for the church. I just don´t remember how to be anything else, and the truth is, I don´t WANT to be anything else. I just can´t even comprehend how it would be to be ¨baggy¨ (I believe in Gringolandia they call it being trunky). I just can´t even imagine wanting to leave this all behind, wanting to go back to the world as I once knew it. This is my life, and it has become such a part of who I am that the very idea that someday it has to end makes me want to stop time in it´s path and live in this moment forever. I´ve never quite done something so difficult as serve a mission, and I´ve never been quite so happy as I am.

 

When I was in the MTC Jeffrey R. Holland came to visit, and in his remarks, he told us that we had to learn to leave home behind and lose ourselves in the work. He told us to tell ourselves that we were never going home, that this IS real life, not some temporary replacement to occupy us while our real life waits back home. I remember enjoying the talk, but I remember when he said (with all the fire of Jeffrey R. Holland), ¨You are NEVER going home(!!!),¨ I just thought to myself, ¨That´s what HE thinks.¨ Now I think back on those words as they ring through my head and I think he really knew what he was talking about. I am never going home. The person I was before the mission ceased to exist when I entered the MTC. I am no longer her. And now, the person I have become will stay here forever. She will never leave. And even though I have to go home (they keep telling me they won´t give me an extension), the person who steps on that plane in Honduras will not be the same person who steps onto US soil after a 16-month leave. It´s just not possible. She´s never going home. She may look the same, she may talk the same, she may walk the same, she may have the same memories, but she will have left herself behind. Her heart will always be in Honduras.

 

I hope you all know how very much I love you. And knowing that, I hope you all know how very very much I love my Heavenly Father. I do this for Him, I am this for Him, and if it weren´t for Him, I would not be the person I am. Take care of yourselves in this week, and wish me luck this change. It´s gonna be a big one.

Lots of Lovesies,

Hermana Bayles 

April 21, 2014

No worries, I missed the eclipse too. hahahaha. Sorry you`ve been all sick, though. I was sick for a while here, so I know what a bummer it is to have to stay home. It sure is nice to hit the ground running again, though. 

That`s so sad about the little duck that hit the light post. We didn`t find any ducks this week (oh, wait, yes we did... we found a weird honduran variety called pichiches) but we found a nice little monkey that was so thirsty that he pretty much attacked us for our water. I got a great picture of him with his little angry face. haha. I gave him water and a snackypoo. I think he loved it. His name is Pancho. :)

Easter. It seems like such a weird holiday to me. Here it has nothing to do with candy, nothing to do with eggs, and everything to do with Jesus, as it should be. In fact, it`s a week lo

ng event in which everybody goes to the beach up until good friday, then on good friday, they all sit around watching Jesus movies and movies like the 10 commandments. Then they all eat this delicious french toast that is all soggy because instead of putting the syrup on top, the bread is cooked in the syrup and they eat squash in syrup. Then they all get drunk Saturday and go to church sunday. :) Friday they also do reenactments of the Atonement, which is kind of cool and also kind of uncomfortable, then Sunday they burn a doll of Judas to show him that even though he betrayed Christ, Christ was resurrected and was thus not conquered. They fill a life-sized doll with hay and fireworks then they light a match and run like crazy. hahahaha. They`re so crazy. I just love them.

 

Greg`s graduating. Wow. That`s so weird. But awesome. Also, you better keep that pool clean, cause this week has been such a temptation... everyone has either been at the beach or swimming. Sometimes mission rules are a big test of obedience. hahaha Especially when there`s NO ONE around because they`re all at the beach and there`s nothing better to do than swim. Turns out there is something better to do, and it`s walk around empty streets looking for someone to teach. :)

I`m glad housing is all set. I have to be honest, I really don`t care where i live. It makes me so embarrassed and sad to think of my future apartment. I look at some of the homes I visit here and I am just so humbled by the thought that I will live in such a nice place. This week we visited a lot of people who live in very humble circumstances because they were the only ones who didn`t leave to swim or party (they didn`t have money to do any of that) and it`s been a good reminder of what Semana Santa really means and the really important things in life. We were in the Bordo teaching Pascual and he seemed so distracted and sad, so I asked him what was wrong. He told us (after lots of bashful trying-to-change-the-subject) that he didn`t think he was going to go to church because he was embarrassed of his shoes. He said they were too worn out and too ugly and he just didn`t have money to buy new shoes and it embarrassed him to show up to the house of the Lord like that. I shared the scripture in 1 Samuel 16 about how God doesn`t judge us for our outsides, but He judges our hearts. Then I showed him the holes in my shoes and the hole in the shoulder of my shirt and I asked him if he thought I could go into the church. He said of course, that I was more worthy somehow, even with holes in my clothes. I told him that that was not the case, that we are all worthy to go to church, no matter the state of our clothing. I then told him of a cute little sister in Olanchito who walked barefoot for 45 minutes over thorns, sharp rocks, pointed gravel, and finally burning pavement to arrive in church and swing her dusty feet from the edge of the pew as she sat and wept with the joy of being in church. I explained to him that God takes us as we are, broken, torn, dirty, worn out, and that to Him it doesn`t matter where we come from or what we`re wearing as long as our hearts are set on Him. He just looked at me with wonder as he began to realize the true nature of God`s love. 

Later in the week we went to visit Lucia, who is such a sweet and wonderful person. Every time we had gone to her apartment, we had always taught outside, so we didn`t actually know what the apartment looks like, but in this week, we entered in 2 of the other apartments there and quickly found that they are small one-room apartments with a sink and a toilet and a pipe for a shower. We didn`t think much of it until we remembered that she lives in that tiny apartment with her husband, three grown up daughters, their children, and her own still-growing children. I believe there are 9 of them in total. Then I saw a picture of the home I grew up in, and I was suddenly very humbled and very embarrassed. 

I think of going home and I just can`t even imagine the shock it will be. I just want to stay here forever to live among the beautiful and sincere people of Honduras. 

 

I hope you and Ellie had a great Easter and that you did something fun. I personally hid myself an easter egg with a dinosaur toy and tatoo inside. I was very surprised to find it. haha. Here the only thing they do with eggs on easter is smash them over your head. haha. But that`s something they do at any celebration. They cut the egg out of the shell then fill it with confetti and seal it up. Then they paint it, and when you`re least expecting it, they smash it on your head and you get all covered with confetti. :) Nobody really know why. haha. In El Salvador, they do it for every birthday. haha. I love Latinos. 

p.s. speaking of birthdays... I`ll smash an egg on someone`s head for you this Friday. ;) I hope you have a great day!

 

This week I saw baby dogs, cats, monkeys, iguanas, snakes (that one was actually dead, as was the iguana), a bunny, birds, and fish. Not to mention a crab. 

As far as the place I went last week... well. It was incredible, but it was very different than I thought it would be. It was very scary. you`ll see in the pictures, but we`ll have to wait to talk more about it later. Maybe after the mish we can post it all on ma blog. I`ll just leave it at this: this particular place was inhabited by Moroni`s final enemies and it is very clear that they were as he described them in his final flight. 

I haven`t received any packages, but I`ll keep an eye out. 

Noah is 3! Holy cow! I just feel like I can`t handle thinking about him being all big. As far as my arrival home, I`m not aware of the actual date, although I believe it will be the 11 12 or 13 of June. Probably the 12. But we don`t speak of such things. Why wasn`t I called as an elder to be able to serve 6 more months?!

Everything`s good here, just working in the obra and in all that hot hot heat. I just wish you could feel what it`s like. I just don`t think it`s possible to understand HOW HOT it is. I mean, I`m used to it now and it still just kills us. I drink between 3 and 5 liters of water a day (not to mention all of the water the members give us... and the other drinks they give us). The incredible thing is that I`m still always thirsty. If I didn`t see how much we sweat, I`d say it`s a sickness. hahaha. Speaking of drinks, we had a lesson with 2 less-active members this week, one of which was *ahem* not obeying the word of wisdom in that particular moment. He kept speaking to us in English and it was hilarious because he was without inhibition so he kept saying things like, ^I keep tellin my brain...^ which is to say, ^I thought.^ Poor thing. The good thing is, we got him to church for the first time in 15 years. And he loved it. Baby steps are what missionary work is all about. :)

Tell Bill and Gail I say Hey and that I love them. I`ve actually been thinking about them a lot this week. I don`t even know why. They`ve just been on my mind without stop. Tell them I hope they`re doin alright and that I hope they have a great week. 

 

 

Other than that, things are crazy as usual. We`ve got a ton of medical problems right now, but we`re working it all out. We`re also going to be divisions 3 times this week because a week from wednesday is our change meeting. I`ll be entering my last change, and i have to say, it`s more bitter than sweet. I never understood very well the scripture that talks about he who loses his life will find it, but in these last 16 months, I have completely lost the person I was, and the person I am, in the work of the Lord, and in doing so, I am finding what it really means to live. I just can`t even explain to you all how happy I am. I have never ever ever been so very happy in my whole life. And the amazing thing is, lately we`ve had A LOT of trials. It just goes to show me that happiness has very little to do with our circumstances and very much with how we CHOOSE to act. We can choose happiness. And I`m choosing it a lot lately. My joy is full. 

 

For anyone who is wondering, my name is Sister Bayles. I am a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and I am inviting you to come and see what true happiness is all about. Come unto Christ, all ye that are heavy laden, and He will give you rest. He suffered not only for our sins, but for our afflictions, our sadness, our sickness, our weaknesses, our temptations. He suffered so that we need not suffer, and He lives so that we too may live. If you are already a member of the church, I invite you to share your happiness with others. If you are getting to know the church, I invite you to take the next step on the path to happiness, to form a closer and more real relationship with your loving Heavenly Father. And if you have never heard of the Church, or even if you have heard of it but have never wanted to go, I invite you to come and join with us. You will never regret it. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church of Jesus Christ in the earth, and it is through that true church that we can obtain true happiness, both in life and in death. It is ONLY through this true church that we can be baptized in a baptism that is valid in God`s eyes, and it is only through continuing on the path of discipleship that follows baptism in Christ`s true church that we can obtain the promise of being with our families forever, even when death separates us for a brief moment. Come unto Christ and find truth that will set you free. I testify that God is our Father and that He loves us, and that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to come and show us the way. His way begins and continues with the promises and covenants we can make through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. If you want to find out more, or if you want to remind yourself of truths once forgotten, go to Mormon.org. 

 

I love you all immensely. Sorry I can`t spell in English anymore. You`re all just lucky I can remember enough English to write a letter. haha. Take care. 

Love, 

Hermana Bayles

 

April 14, 2014

Hey-a family!

I'm sorry i couldn't write you all and respond to your emails, but today was a very special pday. You won't be able to post this on the blog... just the picture of the chickens and the beach, but the other one no. [I know, the suspense is awful!  Be patient!]

 

 

To send a quick note so you know we're alright. :) I'll send more pics for next week, but for now this'll do. Love y'all tons!

Hna bayles

 

April 7, 2014

That's so cool that you got to go to conference in the conference center. I bet it was awesome. Conference both made me very excited and very nervous. You´re right in saying that they gave a lot of warnings about the power of adversity in these days and strengthening ourselves now. That makes me excited because it means Christ is coming soon. However, it makes me nervous because it means that some day I´m going to have to raise children in a world that is even more scary than the world of today and that absolutely terrifies me. Battling the adversary is hard enough on a personal level, but add on top of that the responsibility of future souls of God and that´s just scary. Hahaha.

I liked your story about Bailey and about Brian and the varmint. Sounds like life is ever exciting. J

 

This week the only weird diseases we had were a wicked bad parasite and what we thought was MRSA but ended up being a Strep infection. The poor kid with the strep looked an awful lot like 2 face from batman. I´d send you the pics but it´s a total HIPAA violation.

That´s cool that you got to see Grandma and Grandpa. Tell them to hang in there and remember their promise to be at my homecoming ;).  Better yet, tell ém they´ve gotta be in my wedding and first baby birth. That´ll tide us over for a decade or so.

I think that´s funny that mom´s an iphone junkie. Haha. I can just imagine. Does she listen to all of my music that was still on the phone? I hope you all haven´t thrown it all out (or the music on my computer). That collection of music is a masterpiece of years of my life (and many of my college grocery budgets hhaaha).

It´s true what you say about the spotlight bit. I remember in young women´s they always drew a V on the floor and asked us to walk the 2 paths as long as we could with one foot on each path. In the end we always had to choose a path or end up sprawled and split-legged on the floor. I never really thought it was true until now. I´m beginning to see the truth in the fact that we cannot walk with one foot in the world and one foot in the path of ]God. It´s just the real-life application that´s difficult.

Applewood is my past and my future. Sign me up.

How long is La Dee going to be in France?

 

Mumsie,

So… you´re jury folk for real, eh? That´s pretty awesome. Don´t worry about missing part of Conference. I missed my favorite speakers because our bishop told us it was going to be broadcast in our building (but it wasn´t) and we had to travel 30 minutes to get to the stake center. Also, I still have  a cold, so I was kind of a zombie in the other sessions. Don´t really know if I got as much out of it as I should have liked. Hahahha. The good thing is, it was awesome. My poor comp was like, [they´re speaking Spanish wayyyyy too fast!¨ I think sometimes we forget how slowly Hondurans speak. I´m used to fast talk, though, so it was fine.

I liked the CS Lewis quotes. He seems like a very good man. Some day I+d like to meet him. I´ll just bet we end up crossing paths in the spirit world.

Your week sounds hectic as does jury duty. A jury of our peers seems like a great idea until suddenly we´re responsible for the life and future of someone else. I know you´ll make a good call and I hope the other jurers will too.

Wow, the sobrinos sounds really cute. I want to see them all! Some day I will. Wow, Greg is going to the U! Wowsers! Little does he know I might also end up going to the U in a year or two haha. That´ll be three utes that bleed blue in the family. That´s awkward haha. What will he be studying there? I always forget. Is Andrew going to keep living in Utah or is he going to the East coast-Canada?

 

Hope you all are well and happy. There´s a slight chance I won´t be able to write next Monday, but I think we´ll work something out. I´ll be leaving the city on another medical tour to see some of the outlying clinics and some other things. I´ll send pics ;). Lauren will love them and be jealous… I won´t say any more because I´m not allowed to, but the pics will tell all.

Lesson I learned this week: It is not meet for a ma(re)n to run faster than (s)he has strength. If you want to be an efficient saw, you can´t just keep sawing and sawing and sawing. You´ve gotta take time to sharpen the saw.

Anyway, love you all oodly doodlies. I hope you have a great week and that you preach the gospel.

Lovesies,

Hna Bayles

30 March 2014

[In response to Salt Lake people writing about weather:]  Wowsers, snow. I sweated so much this week I`m pretty sure they`re going to dedicate a lake to me. You wouldn`t believe how hot it is here… it`s getting to be the very hottest part of the year and I just don`t even remember what snow is like.

We did get to go to the women`s conference, but I didn`t get to enjoy it very much as I was a little bit sick. It was super great, though. The only thing I didn`t like was that they put so many pretty videos and songs… I mean really, they should have just handed out tissues as we walked in the door. It was ridiculous. I was the only one that brought tissues, which means I could have put up a business, but I figured we were in the church so it probably wasn`t appropriate.

Breathing moments? I don`t even know what those are. Haha. This last week I lost two days to the visiting AMA (which I report with gratitude, not complaining… he`s great), two days to divisions, and one day to being sick. It was not a great week for la obra misional.

We see a lot of problems with less actives here. In a ward of 600 enlisted members, usually only 120 are active members. That is why I am confined to being a less-active reactivating missionary for… ever. Haha. I love it, though.

Thanks for the quotes, I really liked them. J

 

How ironic that everyone asked about my health the one time I`ve had to stay home for being sick in 15 months. Haha. I`m fine though, no worries. Tell them I am well and happy and tan. Hahaha. I`ve started using sunscreen a lot more because I talked to some white people the other day and I realized that I`m getting tan and I don`t want skin cancer. The thing is that I thought I was still white because compared to everyone else I`m a marshmallow.

In talking to the AMA this week, he asked about my future plans and he told me something that has a lot to do with what you said about having to deal with boredom and monotony. He told me basically what you`ve always told me, but for some reason it struck me different this time. He said, ^really it doesn`t matter which specialty you go into, so long as you love it. You have to be able to do it every day for the rest of your life.^ Wow. That`ll get you thinking a little harder. Maybe I really will go into cardiology then. Errbody knows I love a  good heart and circulatory system.

 

Man, I think it will be hard not to spoil the Missionaries in the future, because I`ll look at those poor things and say, ^Man, I know exactly what kind of day you had today.^ I`ll have to remind myself that they still have to do their thing, cause otherwise I`ll just try to take care of them. Especially if there are sisters in the ward.

Easter here is… a week long. Everybody leaves for the beach because no one has to work. Everyone sits around eating sea food and watching Jesus movies. Then they do a bunch of HORRIBLE reenactments of the crucifixion in the streets of the big cities. It`s kind of ridiculous. Here it`s basically an excuse to get drunk and party and to pretend like they`re celebrating Christ. It`s a bit blasphemous really. It`s also the hottest week of the whole year, supposedly. But it`s nice. J

 

Mums,

Look at you, you good citizen-jury-member you. Haha Man, what would happen if someone got called to jury duty in the mission? Weird.

My new comp had a bit of a big-eyed moment when she saw everything that I have to do on  a daily basis. I think it would be fair to say she was in shock. She`s getting used to it now though. I was joking with her that I`m just like spider man, but instead of getting bit by the whatever spider that he got bit by, I was bit by a nurse spider. Hhahhahaha. Look up pics in google. They`re some pretty intense looking things from what I remember.

Tell Gail and Bill I say Hi. I have a picture of Gail in my photo album here and I always show her to people and tell them she`s my aunt (or whatever other family title that comes out in the moment). They always say, ^wow, you`re even huge in your country.^ Yup. Yup I am. Hahaha.

That`s pretty cool about the sacrament. It`s an interesting way to think about it.

That`s great that Debbie is getting her PT. I hope she`s getting back some strength and usage. As far as Jason goes, I didn`t realize that that was a part of being a chiropractor. That`s pretty intense. Man, I hope he heals soon.

Applewood 5 sounds like the place of my dreams. Sign the contract and we`ll have it over with. Thanks for all your (plural) help in that. I know it was a pain, but I appreciate it.

Here`s to hanging on for dear life (o sea, enduring to the end hahaha). It`s a blast and I`ll be devastated when it ends.

Wish Grandma (and grandpa) a happy birthday for me.

Love you all tons

Take caresies,

Hna Bayles

24 March 2014

Hey yáll. I won´t have time to write you all this week (again). Sorry about that. The AMA (area medical advisor) Dr. Cragun is visiting us, so I don´t really get pday again this week. That´s aiight though. I had cambios this week. My new companion is sister Marley from Idaho. We saw a ton of really awesome miracles taht I wanted to tell you about, but I can´t write any more until next week. Thanks so much for the letter. I loved it. Love you all!

Hna Bayles

 

ps if the option is bunk bed or applewood, PLEASE choose applewood. I don´t want to have a bunk bed ever again.

March 17, 2014

Hola Familia,

Honestamente, no sé que escribir hoy, entonces lo siento por el correo aburrido que están a punto de leer. Pues si. 

Thanks for the St Patty´s Day wish. I´m about a million percent sure they don´t celebrate it here, and it´s probably a very

good thing, because I can just imagine how much the overly-flirtatious men here would love a good chance to pinch a gringa. Haha.

I´m sad to hear that Enoch still isn´t doing too great. I´ve been praying for that little guy and I hope he feels better soon. I was also sad to hear about Debbie´s fall. I hadn´t heard about it except that someone had written a pitiful one-liner that said something like ¨Debbie is in recovery, keep praying.¨ I´ll definitely be praying for her.

I´m slightly bummed about the housing bit, but I feel just fine about applewood. I´d say upstairs would be my choice, but downstairs would be fine too. Yes, I´ve lived without ac for a year and change, but people who visit me will not be so well-accustomed to the heat, so I think something where I can cool it down would be better. Who knows? Whatever´s just great. Chelsea is super expensive, and as I am increasingly poorer every day, I think the cheaper the better. You know what they say: once you´ve lived in Applewood, you never really leave. I think I´d prefer an upstairs apartment, but if you can´t get it, it´s alright.

That´s awesome that the missionaries are looking for me. But my question is: why did it take them 15 months of supposed inactivity to look for me? Plancheros. Hahahaha. As far as the Mother´s Day call, that´s like 2 months out. Paaaaleeeease. Haha. But yeah, I´ll probably call. Don´t worry about it. We´ll see when we get there. I swear the family is always more baggy than the missionary. Hahahahahahahaha

As far as Katerin´s baptism… it didn´t happen. I was so disappointed. It will still happen, but not yet. The thing that makes me sad is that I might not be there for the baptism, so that´s a bummer, but all in the Lord´s time.

I liked the thought about the sacrament. It´s amazing to me that one of the most sacred ordinances we participate in is also the ordinance that we perform in front of every single other member of the church. It´s incredible.

Last week our teacher in Relief Society asked everyone, ¨how would you act if Christ were here in the church with us?¨ Then she walked over to the sacrament table and pointed at the table cloth and said, ¨Christ is right here every week. Act like it.¨  It was awesome and it made me think a little differently about the sacrament.

It´s been a lamb in Honduras… until today. Now it´s a lion. It´s super windy today, which is a little bit unusual.

Well, aside from that, it´s been a rough week, but I think this next week will be better. We have changes this week and I´m pretty sure my comp and I will have changes, which makes me really sad. We´re going to be friends forever. I already know it. And the thought that we won´t be companions any more seriously makes me sad. She´s been a great friend and a great companion. I´ll miss her for sure. The good thing is, because we´re hermana leaders, there are only two areas where we could end up and two people who could be our companions, and we´ll still be in the same zone. That won´t be soooo bad. 

Anyway, have a great week. Love yáll. 

Hna Bayles 

March 9, 2014

Hola!!! :)

Hey-o! I loved hearing from yousies. I always love mondays because I get to know a little more of what`s going on back on the homefront. It`s weird, but I almost can`t remember what it`s like back home. I vaguely remember, but when I think about home, about Las Vegas, about Provo, about SLC, about all of those old stomping grounds, I feel like they`re from an old dream. Something that never quite existed. It`s like seeing a flashback in an old movie where everything is slightly foggy and sentimental, but it`s nothing so tangible. Sometimes I wonder if it really existed at all. I`m beginning to understand better the veil of forgetfulness between our premortal spiritual life and la vida mortal. We`re so focused on what we`re doing right now, and what we`re doing now is so different from what we were doing before that we hardly remember that anything else ever existed. Sometimes we get flashes of what we were and what we did, but it`s distant and foggy. It`s amazing how true is the statement: Lose yourself in the work. I`ve completely lost myself here in Honduras, but the beautiful thing is that, just as the scripture promises, I`ve also found myself. I love the mission so much and I can`t even begin to imagine anything else. 15 months have gone by way way way too fast. I wish I had 15 more. 

 

This week was another normal week. There were lots of miracles, but there are always lots of miracles, so I don`t really recognize them with so much surprise anymore. One really great moment was with a less-active named Henry. We`ve been working with him a whole lot to get him back to church as he is actually a recent convert of about 6-7 months. He`s super great, but has pulled away from the church because he hasn`t had great family support. He`s had the opposite, actually. Anyway, we re-taught him lesson 1, The Restauration (my very favorite lesson. I`m obsessed with it. I`m pretty sure the whole mission knows that that lesson is all mine). It was so beautiful to look him in the eyes as he remembered those beautiful truths he had so quickly forgotten. He just looked at us with wonder as we taught and testified, and at the end he thanked us for reminding him of what he already knew. He`s now preparing to serve a mission when he hits his 1 year mark as a member of the church.

God changes lives. 

 

Something fun that happened this week is that it was my companion`s birthday. We completely spoiled her (me and my housemates) and we had a really good time. It was a super fun day. The only bad thing is all of the balloon scraps that are strewn across the house. haha. We cleaned it up, though. 

 

That`s great that your ward had a baptism. I think of missionary work in the states and I have great respect for any missionary that makes it through their time serving in the states. My mission is much harder in certain aspects, but on the whole, I was sent in a very blessed time to a very blessed mission in a very blessed country among very blessed people. I`m beginning to understand what David means when he says that his mission was easy. It`s not that the mission itself it easy. It never is. But compared to other missions, the Latin-American missions are the dessert. We see so many results here because the people are so prepared. I always tell the sisters in divsions: ^I`ve never gone contacting for more than 5 minutes and I hope today won`t be a first for me. There are so much better ways to do it here, and the people here are ready and willing to make it work.^ Then I think of the poor little things serving in the States or my poor brother who served in Ukraine, and I just shudder at the thought that day after day after day is spent doing nothing more than contacting. It`s not that they`re not great missionaries, in fact it`s the contrary. It`s just that the people aren`t as prepared yet and the members aren`t as willing to dig in and go to work. Now, in other missions they may contact all day, but they don`t have to worry about many of the things that we have to worry about here in Honduras (especially in San Pedro), the likes of which I will probably never tell you all. haha. But I thank the Lord every day for sending me to the mission I`m in and also for sending me three big brothers whose missions have absolutely inspired me and kept me going. 

I really didn`t understand what they talked about until I got out here, and now I`m beginning to truly understand the kind of men they are. I think of David`s stories of things that happened and I realize that we will end up with a lot of similar stories that we will never tell our mother hahahahahaha. I think of Andrew who had to speak more than two languages in the mission, and who walked through freezing temperatures every day for two years. Then I think of Greg. Good ol`Greg who, if I may say, had the hardest mission of the four of us. Greg who helped and served and loved for two years of horrible heat and below-freezing cold in areas where the church was probably in his very hands more than those of anyone else, who served for two long years and didn`t see as many fruits of his labors as he deserved to see. I think of those three men and, understanding what it means to be a missionary, I understand exactly the kind of men they are. God sends big brothers to be heroes for their little sisters.    

 

Anyway. I really liked the story of Henry B. Eyring. I think that one will probably stick with me, too. 

 

I didn`t understand the subject line of the email for today, but I have to tell you, it surprised me a little bit because last night I had a dream that we were in Disneyland and a lion was running wild and attacked us and he scratched your head then I beat him up and told him not to mess with my mumsie. You haven`t gotten attacked in the head by a lion, have you? I hope not. 

Anyway, that`s too bad that dad`s been sick. If I had a lempira for every time someone here was sick with a stomach problem, I`d be rich, even with the lempira to dollar conversion rate. Seriously. I got like three calls this morning. 

 

As far as Katerin goes, she will be baptized this saturday at 3 pm. :) Her mom revoked permission until she had gone to church a little bit more, and even though Katerin is a legal adult, her parents are paying for her everything, so she felt like she should obey. Also, she wants to show that she`s changed, and disobeying her mom would be the opposite of that. But all`s well that ends... in a baptism. haha. So we`re stoked for that. She`s 20 years old and we met her in the church haha. Love when that happens. She was more than prepared. In fact, she met with missionaries (my good friend Elder Bergquist, in fact) about a year and a half ago, but wasn`t ready then. Now, after all this time, she`s ready. It just goes to show: even if we don`t see the fruits in the moment, we never know when missionaries are going to show up again and reap what we`ve sown. 

That makes me sad that Enoch has RSV. I guess it would be spring there, so there`s probably quite a few bebesitos with respiratory stuff. I`ll pray for him for sure. Lil Enoch. I`ll be excited to meet him. 

 

Greg`s thesis sounds super interesting haha. Exactly up his alley. 

 

That`s cool that you`re still doing the marriage class, and I love the proclamation for the family. I always use it to teach the law of chastity. I tell them if they want the blessings of an eternal family, they`ve got to live an eternal law. We read the responsability of parents and children and then we talk about the sacred powers of procreation. It`s a pretty sweet lesson. Now if only we could rent out a hot-air-balloon and a loudspeaker and preach it to all of Honduras. haha. You have no idea how many times I ask people if they`re married and they say no, then I ask them how much time they have together and they say, for example 34 years. Then I tell them that they have very beautiful grandchildren and they thank me. Then I ask them why they haven`t gotten married or if they`re willing to get married, and do you know what they answer? That they don`t know if they love each other. I tell them they have 34 years of proof and they tell me that all of their friends who get married get divorced and marriage is something sacred so they don`t want to toy around with it. I tell them they`re dummies. Not really. But I`d like to. If you don`t want to toy around with the sacredness of marriage, don`t toy around with your boy or girlfriend before marriage. Is that really so complicated, old people?! hahahaha. They`re so crazy. I hear that response like four times a week. 

 

Anyway. Rant over. The housing business sounds good. Anything is fine. 

 

I hope your jury duty goes well and that pops feels better soon.

 

Love you all tonsies!

Hna Pilas

 

This little girl`s dad killed this iguana with a sling shot. They were about to eat it, so I asked if I could touch it. It was really cool. The poor thing had already lost his tail, but he was really pretty. Too bad they were going to eat him. Also, can we please not focus on my dorky glasses tan-line? I`m trying to get rid of it by not wearing glasses. haha. 

Love yàll!

March 2, 2014

Ok, family. I´m really sorry I didn´t write last week. I´ve felt bad the whole week, but it was necessary. I´m making up for it by sending a bunch of fotos because I won´t be able to write much today either. Things are going ok for me. We´re working really hard and doing divisions at least twice a week, usually outside of San Pedro. It´s kind of crazy. We´ve also been having a lot of health problems lately, so my life has been crazy. Katerin is all set up for baptism and doesn´t seem to mind the fact that we have to neglect her sometimes to be able to do nursing and sister training leader stuff. It really is incredible how God blesses us for our sacrifices. We hardly ever have time in our own area, but somehow we´re still helping people along. Yesterday we had 7 investigators in church, which isn´t anything crazy, but considering that we were only in our area for the equivalent of a day and a half, it´s pretty dang incredible. God blesses us a lot. We´re really working with a couple of families right now. One of them lives in the Bordo, which is basically the equivalent of the Ghetto. It´s also the poorest part of any area. The houses are made of cardboard boxes, stray pieces of wood, old advertisements, things like that. I´d take a picture, but it would be a reallllllllly bad idea to whip out a camera in the Bordo. hahahaha. Maybe someday I´ll work it out. Yesterday another person asked me  where I was from... he didn´t believe me when I said I was from the states. He said, ¨well obviously you look like a gringa, but then you talk and suddenly I doubt myself.¨ I still think I have a definite Gringo accent, but sometimes people try to flatter me, which is nice of them I guess. Aside from that, I´m just really coming to understand two great lessons I´ve been learning my whole mission. 1)He who loses his life will find it: The moment we completely forgeet ourselves, the moment we go to work and forget everything but work is the moment we find who we really are and what is our true purpose. I know that I am nothing but an instrument in the hands of God, and i couldn´t be happier to say it. 2)Faith is action: I always grew up thinking that I had to feel something to have faith, that my beliefs had to be backed by a certeza (surety?) deep inside of me. I still believe that we should strive to have that deep and burning testimony, but I am coming to realize more and more that it doesn´t matter so much what we believe, but who we are and what we do with what we believe. Even more profoundly, it´s who we are and what we do whith that which we do NOT know. My faith IS my action. They say faith without works is dead, and I believe that I am coming to truly understand that. Faith IS works, and therefore without works, we have not faith. If we believe in something, we must act in it. It´s like the example I always give to my investigators: I can have faith that the water in my bottle will quench my thirst, but until I unscrew the cap and take a drink, it won´t change a thing. I´m learning so much and changing so much, I just wish you could all follow me like flies on the wall and see everything I see. The mission is my life, and as George Bailey would tell anyone, it´s a wonderful life. 

May you all have a blessed and fulfilling week. I love you all very much. 

Hasta luego,

Hna Bayles

PICS:

Horse-drawn vegetable sales... it´s pretty common in San Pedro, but no where else in the northern coast

I caught a scorpion

Campana is pretty typical of Honduras

 

Campana

una plancha

Bautismo de Kristyn

Feb 9, 2014

Hermana marroquin is our new housemate. Shes awesome. 

This is my wall

Thanks for the christmas tree

Graciela is awesome! We should be having another baptism this weekend

 

Hey fam,

thanks for the email. We just had an emergency in the mission and my whole day has been changed. I won[t really have time to write today, but Graciela got baptized and things are alright. Anyway, I will send pics in place of words. Theyre worth more anyway. Give Enoch love from me!

packages: I got two, one witht he shirt and flashdrive and one with the stocking. I don't know if there was another or not. anyway, love yall!!!!!

 

h bayles

2 Feb 2014

I completely forgot about groundhog day. haha. That`s a real thing. 

That`s awesome that you got to see DHE for a bit; I love getting pictures of things like that... wink wink. Especially Elise, she`s changing so much and I`m not seeing any of it. haha. I`ll be excited to remeet her again someday. 

Woah! New nephew on the way. Man, it`s incredible the things you miss when you`re in the mission. Pero vale la pena absolutamente. 

Tender mercies are an every day occurance if we`ve got the eyes to see it. 

 

February already. I actually missed when February came haha. I was so busy for a couple of days there that I had no idea what day it was; I just knew what I had to do so I did it. haha. It definitely took me by surprise when my comp told me it was the 2 of Feb. Tomorrow I will have lived in Honduras for 1 year, and that is both exciting and nerve-wracking. Time goes way way too fast. And whatp`s worse: it`s been speeding up lately. But all things are in the Lord`s time. 

That`s so great that you have sister missionaries in your ward, and i love hearing that you`re trying to work with the less-actives. I always tell the members, you don`t have to go out of your way to do a whole lot, you don`t have to put on  a plaque and knock doors, you just have to say hello to people when they come to church and be friends with the less-actives. The rest takes care of itself. That`s awesome. :)

I didn`t realize the Olympic games are coming. Wow, sometimes I feel like I live in another world. Then again, they only care about soccer here, so all i hear about it WORLD CUP. The scary thing is, they`re telling me I will be watching it in the states. That freaks me out. haha

Oh, by the way, thanks for the scriptures last week. I looked them up and was especially touched by your quote from Nehemiah. Totally gave me an umph of go-get-em for the week. :)

 

Aww, Elise sounds so cute. :) I hope I`ll get to spend some good solid quality time with her in the future. :)

Carlos has glasses! Woah! I want to see pics for sure. .

100 baptisms is absolutely possible. When I was in Puerto Cortes, I remember everyone in my zone, which is to say every missionary who worked in The Choloma Stake, was getting super excited saying that we wanted to be able divide the stake. We worked super hard and baptized and reactivated the heck out of that place. Our goal for the month was 80 baptisms (which was a bit carried-away, I must say) and I think we got something like 46. I just remember the excitement of helping the church grow. We worked our tails off, but after my one transfer in the zone, we still hadn`t reached what we needed to divide the stake. About two months ago, I heard word that they had divided the stake, and that made me so happy. The Lord helps in His work, and He wants it to grow (and fast). When Elder Duncan came, he asked us what our goal was for our area. He challened us to re-see our area as something more, to see each and every ward we work in eventually becoming a stake. And that has become all of our goals. I personally want to help San Pedro Sula get a temple, and i think we`re close. In fact, I think the temple will eventually be placed in this building where I am writing right now (the stake center in el Benque). It was the first LDS church in all of SPS and the first lds church in the entire northern coast. It`s the biggest church I`ve ever seen, and it`s absolutely gorgeous. I wouldn`t be surprised if they just remodel the inside and turn it into a temple. Anywya, rant over. I think that a goal of 100 baptisms is absolutely beautiful. Work hard, and work with those little missionary-folk. They don`t need dinner, they need references. They don`t need a break, they need members to accompany them. Go to work! :)

Elder Holland is always a very powerful speaker. I do believe the most powerful spiritual experience I`ve had in my entire life occurred as he was speaking to us in the MTC. I don`t even doubt it; it was the most incredible experience I`ve ever had. That man carries his mantle of authority and his special witness like an aura around him. 

Ahora, my life. I`ve been promising for a while that I`d send more information, so I`m making good. First off, we have cambios this week. I don`t know if my comp will have changes, but I think one of my house-mates, hna Vance will. I`ll be sad to see her go. She`s great. So so great. 

 

Also, I`ve suddenly realized this week: I`m fluent in Spanish. I mean, I was fluent before, but now it`s just getting a lot better. I`ve had like 10 people this week ask me where I`m from, thinking that I was from latin america but have Gringo parents. Also, someone asked me if I knew how to speak English. I told them that I know a little. haha. Now, that`s not to say I speak perfectly or that I know every word in existence or even that I`m super great at Spanish. I am just saying, something has changed over in these last few months where I went from being a Gringa leaerning spanish to a bilingual Gringa. Woah. Imaginense. Last November I didn`t speak a word. hahaha. The gift of tongues is AWESOME. When President Teshima set me apart as a missionary, he promised that I would feel a familiarity for Spanish as if it were something I already spoke. It`s coming to pass. I feel like I`ve spoken spanish my whole life. :)

 

In case you`re wondering, hna Joaquin won in the bean growing contest, but I came in second. What, our non-pet iguana, ate hna Vance`s bean, so she was disqualified. We`ll be eatin beans in a couple of months here. haha

I have decided that I am a menos-activo magnet. O sea, I attract inactive members like nobody`s business. Every single time I do divisions, I find a whole bunch of MAs and the sisters always just look at me like a crazy person because it almost always results from some random and sudden prompting to veer off to the side and talk to someone. When I did divisions in Puerto, hna Tercero was talking to me and i saw a little girl sitting on the steps of a house playhing with a baby. I felt like I should talk to her. They just moved to Cortes from Tela and when they moved, about 2-3 months ago, they just stopped going to church. We found them and they are now reactivating the family, as well as baptizing (I hope) the 2 oldest kids who are still not memvers but have a sudden and unexplained need for God in their lives. Miracle. Also, this last week, I was in divisinos in campana otra vez and every single appointment we`d had had fallen through, so we were walking in the rain, climibing up a mountain to visit the very last person my comp for the day could think of (because literally no one else was home). We climbed up talking to a woman and were asking if we could continue the conversation inside, but then she totally rejected us... after we had climbed the whole mountain with her. So there we were, at the top of a very large hill (mountain) in very cold rain in the dark at 7 at night in an area where this sister doesn`t know ANYBODY. So I said a prayer. I said, Father, you brought us here for someone. Put them in our path and Ipll talk to them. Then I promised that I would talk to the next person I saw. We went to knock on the door of someone the comp thought she knew and we heard a voice saying, theyp`re not home. I turned and saw a little girl and, staying true to my promise, began to talk to her about the church and a bunch of other things. I then asked if we could go to her house and share the message witht he rest of her family. She said yes, so we followed her up a little higher in the mountain. Her family wasn`t home except for one brother and an uncle who was visiting. The uncle came out and said, ^I wondered when you`d show up. ^  I asked him what he meant and he said he had been waiting for someone from the church to come find him, and that he knew it was going to happen in  that week. He is a less-active of lots of years, but recently decided he wanted to return to the church (but didn`t even know where to begin or what to do). We taught him as well as the two young people, who had heard of the church before, but wanted to know more and be baptized. Miracle. 

What`s up. 

 

Now, the funniest thing that happened in this week. This is a story that Lauren will love, I think. It will be even better when you can see the evidence in person. It actually happened last Monday, but I had already written. I was just leaving the office at almost the end of Pday when an elder from the other mission came bursting in with a letter for Hermana Bailey. We don`t have an hermana Bailey in our mission, but sometimes people who can`t say my name call me hna bailey (ironic, right?), so I took interest. I asked him to see it and recognized the return address (ok, let`s face it, there`s no such thing as a return-address here, but there was a name written where a return address should have been). The letter was for me, so I stuck it under my elbow on the way out to read it while I was walking. My comp looked at the typed page that I pulled out of the envelope and said, ^oooh a love note! He wants to marry you!^ (completely joking obviously). I thought it was strange that it was typed, but this particular man owns a school, so I figured he used a school computer to make life easier. I also thought it was weird that he had included to pictures of himself, but I remembered that he said he was going to visit Las Vegas with his mother and both of the photos has a las vegas backdrop, so I assumed he was just reminding me of my home or something. I began to read. It was very professional. He spoke of his visit to Las Vegas and how he got to go to church there, etc. Then suddenly I read (I`ll paraphrase because the actual letter is in Spanish and is not currently with me): Hey, remember that time you were talking to my mom and my son and I about the temple? Well, I hope you know that, if you don`t have a boyfriend, I would marry you in the Tegucigalpa temple with much pleasure! (says the 45-ish year old divorcee with child). It hit me like a semi and I read it through again to be sure I wasn`t crazy. I wasn`t. He wants to marry me. haha. It`s even funnier if you can see the letter and the fotos, but it was so funny to me because the letter was so serious and then suddenly he was like MARRY ME then he was all serious again. hahaa. The last line of the letter says something to the effect of, If you get excited at the thought and want to marry me, here`s my email. hahahahaha Poor thing. Anyway, I`ll send yàll a copy sometime. 

 

Aside from that, life is good. It`s crazy. Super crazy. But it`s good. Anyway, love yàll and hope you`re all doing well. 

 

Lovesies, 

hna Bayles  

By the way, I forgot to tell you all, but when I left the Primavera ward, I left a bunch of people with only 1 or 2 weeks until their baptismal dates. Jenifer, who I was teaching got baptized, and I believe Wilmer also got baptized. Meylin should be getting baptized any day now (maybe she already did get baptized), and I just got pictures of Sergio`s baptism. He was one of my favorites to teach because he had SO MANY QUESTIONS. That`s the best kind of person, because they stay in the church forever once they`re converted. I`m forwarding the pics of Sergio.