Tender mercies and placing seeds

No this is not me.. it's Elder Bautista cooking chicken for the first time on an exchange.

Good day Mum!

Working on my Scottish accent...I just got done emailing Elder Thackeray. I guess he's rubbing off on me!

Things here are going great! Sounds like the same situation for you as well! Good news with Dad, bad news with Lu. We had to get our tired changed too! We got a nail in it and it took them 3 hours to get us back and going! Bunch of armatures...It was hard not just hopping back there and doing it myself. But we left them with a good patient impression of what Missionaries are!

That’s so great to hear about Zak.  I brag about him all the time out here. I can't wait to hear what he will do in Korea. How nuts :)

Two sisters from our ward have received IPods to help with the work.  I asked Mitch if he was going to get one too...That is nuts to hear about the IPods!? I don't know if our mission has any plans on receiving them but that would be cool. Our neighboring missions here have a few IPods so maybe with time we will. That would really change the way we do missionary work but the Lord has always been at the front, using technology to advancing in spreading his message.

So best news of the week...WE FOUND OUR KEYS. I almost cried. Legit starting watering up. It was such a simple tender mercy. The Lord answers prayers. So long story short I was able to open the mailbox and get your Valentines as well as the goodies Nana sent. Both were greatly appreciated. The "Yoda best" especially. Thanks so much. It made spending valentines with a dude a little bit better ;)

Tender mercies!

Birthday wise I have a few weird requests. Could you send some homemade raspberry jam? It's Elder Spears favorite and I think he would get a kick out of trying ours. Also a CD case holder thing so we could organize our music a bit better would be nice. Oh and some elders have a CD called "the Masters Touch" By David Glen Hatch. I think that’s his name. Anyway if you can't find it no biggy. And anything else you feel I need. Honestly going to the temple is the best gift I can think of.

Things here have been a little rough. I'll be honest. The headaches are fine but everything else is a little trying. We talked with 146 people this week, found 21 potentials and picked up 0 new investigators. It was hard. We are placing seeds and working hard to find that one person who truly is searching for the truth. It just seems they are hiding really, really well ;) We have dropped a lot of the investigators we did find this last month and the one investigator who was progressing pretty well has turned to the dark side and decided he would rather find fault in our doctrine then truth. Its heart breaking but it frees up our time to find those who will receive us.

Although in my little plot of the vineyard things might be a bit bleak we had 2 baptisms for our ward yesterday and the work is still in motion. Scotland, Italy, Japan, no importa! Este es el obra del Senor! No matter what I do in my part of the vineyard the Lord is still one step ahead in preparing the way. He is the head of this work.

Love you Mom! Thanks for all you do. Your testimony is inspiring. Tell the fam I say hi or hola, whatever fits your fancy. Until next week :)

Elder Bagley

Weekly planning is rough. I couldn't do it with dress pants on so I went half and half.

This is the talent show with the ward! We sang "The Prophets Pray" to the tune of "If You Could Hie to Kolob." Rocked it!  We sounded awesome.

Supporting Dad's new job already!

It's a huge melting pot...

Hello Mother :)

First off, thank you for always being so supportive, it means the world to not only have members and missionaries supporting me but my family as well. Some missionaries go 2 years without a letter from home. I feel so lucky.

 

Such amazing news about Dad! He has been working so hard and I am happy to finally see that the Lord has decided that this is the time we need these blessings. Be sure to give him my congratulation and admiration!  (Brett has a new job with Sun Products, he starts the 3rd!)

My headaches have really been cutting back lately. I am still taking the medicine and not eating certain foods and I have been seeing a big improvement! Hopefully I won't have to take the drugs forever but as of right now things are good. I can really focus on my work now. Although I do miss eating peanut butter...and chocolate...and cheese...BUT it’s worth it :)

Confirming Juventino was awesome! Blessings in Spanish are giving in "Tu form" which is an informal form that we don't use as missionaries except in blessing and prays. I was excited to get to practice it and everything went well. I don't remember much about what I said, it was all in the moment but I felt it was what God wanted him to hear. So I was happy to say it.

So we lost our keys this week...we were making references to the Apostasy and how just like when we lose our keys we are sad and how when god takes away priesthood keys we are sad also. We had a good chuckle. But the key to our mailbox was also on the key-chain so unfortunately I haven’t gotten anything about Valentine’s day. We will figure it out though.

Happy anniversary! Sorry I didn't remember. Dates out here mean nothing unless it’s a baptismal fecha or transfers. By the way are one is on the 25th. I am hoping I get to stay here because things have been going well but that’s usually a good sign I’m going to be transferred ha-ha.

I have met someone from Syria, Armenia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Iran…all in one day. Not to mention all the Latinos from different countries. It’s a huge melting pot down here. Every day is something/someone different.

Chickens run the streets...its a different country over here.

The air pollution has been really horrible. Elder Spears' asthma has been acting up and honestly outside just looks terrible. It’s a bit of a downer but LA is a huge city.

We have been having a great success finding people to teach but finding people who want to come to church or set a fecha are a different story. It has been a bit frustrating but I know that the Lord will see our efforts and teach us along the way.

Cool bird. We gave him a pass along card...

We got kicked out of these apartments. People called the cops...

I love you mom! Things here keep pressing on no matter what I do. I am just lucky the Lord has let me tag along. Don't forget how divinely important you are to his plan for our family and for the lives of those who know you. Te amo.

Elder Bagley

My district. It's a little blurry. Elder Alvarado is a bad photographer.

It's a great week to be a missionary

We received a little rain--such a blessing

Hi Mom :)

It's a great week to be a missionary!

I must have forgotten to mention Zone Conference last week. We were taught by the Assistants to the President, the President and Sister Hall.  They were all amazing and I received so much revelation for our work here. They really hit home on teaching simply and that is just what we needed to hear this week.  Especially with all the investigators we have.  We won't have time to beat around the bush.

So to get it out of the way, we went to the doctors for my headaches. They were just getting to hard to handle with diet and ibuprofen. I have stopped eating a lot of food like peanut butter, cheese, avocado, chocolate, MSG, and a bunch of other chemicals to see if that will help.  I guess there are foods that can sometimes be a trigger to headaches.  In a month I will start adding them back into my diet to see if they are triggers for me a not.  It’s a bummer because I eat pb&j’s all the time and avocado is so good ha-ha but I am excited to see if it will help.

The doctor was not a good experience.  I have never felt so judged in my life.  Especially from someone who is supposes to me know my background. He gave me little to no comfort on why I felt the way I did and honestly acted like I was wasting his time.  I am use to people treating me like that when I proselyte but I guess I expected different from a doctor.  All said and done though he gave me a prescription and we are hopeful to see the results :) Sister Flinders is a great nurse and seriously an angel.  She will make sure I am ok.

So enough of that…things this week were awesome!  One of the many highlights was our exchange with the assistants!  It was awesome!  I was with Elder Harris and Elder Spears went with Elder Garland.  I got to stay at their pad and work in Santa Clarita. It is so white down there. SO white ha-ha I felt weird.  I learned a lot on how to be a better missionary and Elder Harris taught me so much.  I felt super blessed because that doesn't happen very often that they go on exchanges outside of leader companionships. Plus their apartment is HUGE!  Two bathrooms and a racquetball court in the gym.  It was like a vacation.  Santa Clarita is a pretty nice city.  A change of scenery was a tender mercy.

Elder Harris

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Santa Clarita--Quite a view

Juventino was baptized yesterday by our ward mission leader Hermano Lico.  Gosh it was perfect. I was so happy for him.  His family was there and the ward came to support.  He even asked that I confirm him next week.  Oh it was a great day.  And even better we got our new investigator to come with us and watch the baptism.  Seeing a baptism is powerful; so, so powerful for new investigators.  We are excited!

So happy to hear from you Mom! Things are going well, I am safe and doing well.  My resolve to be the best missionary I can has never been stronger :) Thanks for helping me grow up to be the missionary I am today.  Love you!

Elder Bagley

Mormonism...A hit!

Enjoying the chopstick Mom sent for Chinese New Years--Italian style!

Gung Hay Fat Choy with a Mexican twist!

Elder Spears conquers Goliath

Fasting, Praying and Studying = Miracles

Hello Mother :)

Wow, it’s so refreshing to sit down and get the chance to read your emails. They are always so great. I am happy we get to email the way we do.

Well, things here are just chugging right along. A lot of fasting, praying and studying which really means a lot of miracles! We were blessed to find 8 new investigators this week; the highest weekly record for me so far in my mission. I feel really blessed that the Lord trusts me with his children in this way. I am happy about the opportunities we will soon have to teach and invite these people to come unto Christ. 8 is just a number but it has power when you think that could be 8 new missionaries, 8 bishops, 8 primary teachers, 8 worthy temple attending members. It truly is exciting. You never know what the Lord has in store.

Whatever the Lord has in store it is good. Oh it is so good. I could never imagine doing the things I am doing right now in this moment on my mission. For one I am living responsibly on my own away from home and friends. I can speak Spanish and understand those around me (I taught Elders quorum yesterday. How crazy!). I am receiving revelation that is so personal and so precious every single day. Not a day goes by that I don't receive more "light and knowledge". Whatever we go though it will be good, it might not be good now, but it will be.

Elder Holland says blessings don't always come quickly or in the way we imagine them but for faithful members of the church, they come. I can testify that is true and that the Lord wants to bless us every day. Oh it's great to be a missionary.

I have had a lot of opportunities to give priesthood blessings out in the field. Just yesterday I confirmed a recent convert to the office of a priest and gave him the Aaronic priesthood. It is such a blessing to hold this never ending power to bless. Truly that’s all it is, God’s power given to man to bless.

I cut my hair again. Not as short but it is still pretty bad. I basically gave myself steps on the side of my head. I didn’t even mean to. Hopefully president doesn’t notice...I am getting better though. I'll come home and give Paula a run for her money :)

We fasted twice this week. Once for a special blessing on our ward mission leader's father and the other time to double baptisms in the mission and stop the drought in California. The first was just Elder Spears and I but the second was a mission wide fast. We are so excited to double our baptisms. With the new investigators we are finding it is only a matter of time until someone wants to get wet :)

Fasting as a missionary is hard. Oh it is so hard. Elder Spears is bigger and stronger than me and so his body really can handle the 24 hours but for me it is a huge sacrifice. But I am grateful I get to give up food and water, endure the pain and show God that these things I fast for mean more to me than the food and the water. It is a hard but a beautiful thing. As yestderday's fast was ending it started to rain outside, first time in a while that California has gotten rain...fasting works.

We recieved a phone call from the Los Angeles Temple Visitor Center.  It was quite a shock.  Mitch had asked the sister missionaries to call us and get a number for a referral.

 

Sorry, I didn't give you a heads up about the visiting center. The sister missionaries taught us and we got to go around and see a bunch of beautiful videos. It was so spiritual to just be taught and to not be the one teaching. The whole time I was just thinking about Samantha and how much regret I have for not sharing the gospel with her more fully. So I gave them the referral and your number and they said they would figure it out. They can call anywhere in the world and send missionaries everywhere it is actually really cool. I knew you might not know a lot of her information but I now know that the Lord wants her to have an opportunity to hear this message and so when I get home that’s what I'll do. I actually can't remember what any of the street names are from home so I'm not much help. Don't give it too much stress. But do look for other opportunities to share the gospel.

I asked Mitch for an update about his other missionary friends.

 

In response to your question I only keep in contact with Noah weekly. He is doing great and is such an amazing missionary. Every email he sends is just packed with testimony and growth. I send a group message every now and then to the other missionaries I know...Kevin, Sam, Brady, Tyler, Tyler, but it is hard to find time for them and I am sure it is the same with them. But, we send pictures and everyone is doing great. I hope Amy gets better. She always took care of everyone back home. I hope someone can return the favor to her now.

I still get headaches now and then but it’s no bother. I try to stay on top of what I need to do to not get them. Honestly it’s the least of my worries.

Well, everything here is just great, just so great!  I can speak Spanish, I can pray, I have a great companion, I have a testimony, and I have made temple covenants. I have so much. I am so excited to be a Latter-day saint for the rest of my life. Nothing would give me more joy. I love you Mom. I love everything about you, past and present. Thanks.

Elder Bagley

140,000 schoval unti hotsause...not cool. But yummy!

Fancy dinner!

My fridge and my "fridge" of a companion