Diversity

March 19, 2018

It was a good week here in Regina! We experienced a lot of different cultures this week! First, we met with a chinese girl that we met at the university here. She invited all her friends over as well. We got to teach them how to pray and she fed us chinese food! They taught us how to use chopsticks so that was fun! I asked them about moon cakes! 

Then we had supper with the family from mexico again. Sister Uribe is such and amazing cook!! I love mexican food. It's the best! 

Then we had a lesson with a family from africa. Talked with lots of people from India, Syria, and the Phillipines. Then there's always the first nations people. We learned some of their language this week! That is one thing that I love about here. THere are SO many different cultures!! 

A couple months ago sister gatten and I met a man from Sir Lanka. We gave him a book of mormon and got his contact information. We were sad when we realized he lived in another ward boundary so we had to pass him over to the elders there. Anyway, he got baptized this weekend and it was an awesome baptism!! A testimony builder to me that no effort is wasted and everything happens by divine design!

I hit my half way mark this week which is super crazy! It's also transfer week... I will be staying here in Regina and getting a brand new missionary to train. I am scared out of my mind!! Hopefully the Lord will help me and her. 

We were tracting and an older man answered the door with his shirt off. We could only stay in his doorway for a few minutes because he was there alone so we gave him a book of mormon and told him a little about it. As we were leaving he went to shake his hand and he pulled us both in and hugged us. It was the most uncomfortable situation I think I have experience so far... hahaha

I came across one of my favorite scriptures today in my reading.. 

2 Nephi 17:15 "Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil and to choose the good." Make sure you all are eating lots of butter and honey this week!! 

Love you all! Have an awesome week!! 

This week was Good

March 12, 2018

Hello everyone!! This week was good! 

-So It snowed all day and all night for like 3 consecutive days!! So much snow!! We got stuck a couple times but were able to get out pretty easily! Monday night our mission president didnt want us to do any driving because it wasnt very safe so we stayed around our apartment. We planned to do some tracting in the area but then ended up getting people unstuck all night! We were pretty exhausted after that. THe apartment parking lot was really bad though! It took them all week to get the roads all plowed. 

-Tuesday morning our parking lot was still pretty bad so we decided to walk to some houses that are next to our apartment building to tract. We saw a pretty cool miracle!! A lady named Sam let us in! She had an english accent but grew up in South Africa. We had a good lesson with her. We shared a scripture, helaman 5:12 and as we were leaving she wanted us to mark it for her! A couple days later she texted us and said that she talked to her husband and didnt want us to come back so that was super sad:( 

-We also found a student ID card for the university of regina on the side of the road that same day! We picked it up and messaged the girl on facebook so we could return it! Then we tried teaching her as well but she wasn't interested. She was impressed that we tried though haha. 

-We had super with a family from mexico this week and had some authentic mexican food. IT was super yummy:) 

-We had a member call us this week wanting some book of mormons to give to her friends. We went over there to drop some off and then shared a scripture with her. As we were leaving there was a man and woman sitting by the front doors of the complex. We started talking to them and asked if we could teach them about the book of mormon. THe lady  got up and left and the guy talked to us for a bit but we soon realized that he was pretty drunk. So we gave him a pamphlet and then walked out the door. The lady who left was outside. She approached us and said "I want to learn but I wanted to get away from him because he has been drinking." That was a super cool miracle! We were able to teach her a little bit and hopefully more this week! She has met with missionaries in other areas too! 

-We had interviews with president Craig this week and that was awesome!! It was a harder week and we had a lot of rejection. It seems like we get a lot everyday, but it never really gets easier. I was grateful to be able to get some advice and instruction from President Craig. Just what I needed and the Lord knew that too!! So crazy that he goes home in a few months and we will be getting a new one! 

-We had a lesson with a less active couple on saturday and we were teaching the plan of salvation. Sister gatten suggested that we would sing them I am a child of God... I looked at her like, "What?" I am not a huge singer haha. But we did it and they even joined in. I was actually super awesome. Hymns always bring the spirit!! Although I was not fond of the idea at first I was grateful after! 

-funny story.. maybe you have all already heard though but it made my day today. Last week my niece Collins said a prayer one evening and instead of "blessing bayli on her mission" she blessed that Bayli would not get fat on her mission. HAHAH I think the odds are in my favor after her prayer. Thanks collins!! 

-We had stake conference this weekend and we were able to hear from President and Sister Craig. Sister Craig gave a talk on member missionary work! She talked about how small and simple things are great things brought to pass. and gave 4 things that we can do to share the gospel! 

1. Pray for help from Heavenly Father and act on the spiritual promptings that we get!

2. Give loving service

3. Be authentic and natural. Show kindness and friendship! It's not just about preaching to people.

4. Use technology!! 

The Lord is able to help us in the work, but we need to help HIM!! We succeed whenever we invite, regardless of the outcome. Member missionary work is an attitude of love to help those around us! So I hope you will all do these things and be member missionaries:) 

Winter is Here

March 5, 2018

Hello everyone, I hope you had a wonderful week! This week....

-We had exchange and I was able to go with Sister Gardner! She is from Alberta. I learned so much from her! We taught a vietnamese family and that was fun! Also we were tracting in this little neighborhood with a bunch of townhomes and there were these kids all around having a nerf gun war. At one point they thought we were their friends and starting shooting at us. I was pretty comical! 

-We helped an investigator from Nigeria move this week. They just moved here like 6 months ago so all they really know is missionaries. They were pretty stressed and at one point they were trying to find a toolbox that they had left. You could tell there was some contention over this silly toolbox. I had the thought to say a prayer so I suggested it and everyone kinda looked at me like I was silly. I was adament though and so I said a prayer.. 5 min later we found it!! That was cool:) Hopefully it helped them to build their testimonies too! 

-We started teaching a mother and her daughter this week. They were being taught by some other missionaries in another part of the city and recently moved into our area. One day they are super excited about the gospel and the next they wont answer their door. It has been a bit frustrating but hopefully everything works out!! 

-Kendall officially moved this week:( It was super sad! But we had one last lesson with her and I really think she will get baptized in Arizona! She also asked us if we would reach out to her daughter who is still in high school and staying to finish out her senior year. We invited her to church and she came!! Hopefully we will get to start teaching her soon:) After kendalls lesson I was super discouraged and just had fear about the unknown of what was going to happen to her and her family. I want so badly for her to get baptized and I just want it all to happen now! Sister Gatten pointed out to me and it's kind of ironic how we teach people to have faith and patience and hope in god's plan, yet sometimes we forget that as missionaries! That was an eye opener for me. So I am going to start having more faith in God's plan. He knows what people need way better than I do!! i know everything will work out! 

- We have had a HUGE blizzard over the past couple days. It snowed all day yesterday and all night. Plus it is still snowing now. It is pretty crazy!! It's the first time that it has really snowed since I have been in Canada! And it is supposed to be spring! A bit discouraging. It is not too cold though so that is good! It's like a Cache Valley winter now! We got stuck in our apartment parking lot this morning so that was pretty funny. But it wasnt just us. everyone else is getting stuck too! They hardly have any snow plows here! 

I was reading a talk this week from last conference called "Repentance is always positive" by Stephen W Owen. I loved when he said, "Repentance is for everyone- those who are wandering in forbidden paths and are lost as well as those who have gotten into the straight and narrow and now need to press forward. Repentance both puts us on the right path and keeps us on the right path... It is a life long pursuit not a once in a lifetime experience." He also talked about how its not just about gaining a testimony of the gospel, but maintaining one!! Like riding a bike. YOu have to keep pedalling in order to move forward! I know that is the same with repentance! It is always a good thing when we repent and turn our hearts to God. I am so grateful for the the opportunity that I have to repent each day!! I know the church is true and that Heavenly Father loves us so much!! love you all! have a wonderful week!! 

Good Week!

February 26, 2018

Warning.. lots of great things happened this week so this email may be a bit long. 

-we were able to have a lesson with Kendall this week! We took a recent convert who has such an amazing testimony and it was such a cool lesson. The spirit was so strong the whole time! Kendall told us that she knows the book of Mormon is true but she wants to get baptized with her other daughter and husband if she does. She doesn't want to split the family. Also she told us that she is moving at the end of this week to arizona:( we didn't think it would be that fast so we are super bummed. She is so awesome and it's hard that she is moving but I know God has a plan and this must be what she needs. She also came to church again this week so that was super awesome! Also, Sunday morning as we were getting ready we got a call from a random number.. the area code was a 435 number so I was super confused as to who would be calling us from Utah..  we answered the phone and turns out it was Kendall's daughter alandra who is a member!! We were so shocked and didn't even know what to say. I think she found our number online and called us to say thanks for teaching her mom. She said what a miracle it is that she agreed to meeting with us. We told her that she told us that she believes the book of Mormon is true and she said what a miracle that was too because 2 months ago she didn't even believe in God. She also asked if we would arrange for missionaries in Arizona to help her move in so hopefully we can get that all figured out. We still can't even believe she called us! It was super cool. 

- we also met another lady named kinda constantinecu. We were coming into our apartment one night and she was moving stuff from her car to the entrance of the apartment. We passed her as she was walking out and I had the thought to stay and offer our help. When she walked back in we asked if we could help her and she agreed! We helped her carry stuff to her door and then asked if we could come back and teach her. She said yes!!!! So we went back a few days later and turns out she is from Romania!!! I thought Ted would love That! She wants to come to church and hopefully we will get to teach her again. 

We had supper with the temple president and his wife. They were actually the mission president/wife a few years ago! It was super awesome. They gave us lots of help and suggestions on how to improve our teaching, finding, and just be better missionaries:) 

-We had zone conference this week!! It was super great. We got training on the gospel of jesus christ and we talked about how as we continue to repeat the process of the gospel of jesus christ it is like a spiral staircase, rather than a hamster wheel. with every turn we get higher and higher, closer to our heavenly father!! I loved that! We also talked about the book of mormon and the importance of it in conversion. I definitely have a testimony of that. Kendall is living evidence!! As soon as she started reading and praying about the book of mormon she started to change and become converted. It is still a process of course which is why we need to continue reading it every single day!! We also watched these super cool videos on mormon.org.au about the power of one verse. Go check them out!!

-Also, we got smart phones!! It is super weird. I will admit, I was very nervous about getting them but they showed us the things we will be able to do on them and I really think it will help to accelerate the missionary work, if we use them wisely of course! It will teach a lot of self discipline! I am not as nervous anymore I hope to see miracles with them. 

-After zone conference we went to go stop by a potential investigator. We parked and were about to get out of the car when sister gatten stopped me. I was in the middle of telling a story so I was oblivious to what she was seeing but there was a guy in the street yelling and swearing and walking around. I am pretty sure he was drunk. Sister gatten locked the doors and he walked up to our window and looked in and started yelling. We just kinda sat there not knowing what to do... He eventually walked away and we were able to get out of the car but it was kinda scary! I am glad that sister gatten was paying attention and had the prompting not to get out! 

-I messaged an investigator from warroad to see how things were going and she told me that she was getting baptized!! That was a HUGE miracle. It was a part member family and she was very catholic and set in her ways but she said after a lot of prayers and tears she has decided that its what she wanted to do! I think that I was one of the first people she told because sister knight said on sunday at church she walked up to her and told said, "I told bayli I was getting baptized" CRAZY!! Super huge miracle though!!

-There was also an investigator that got baptized this week. He was a referral to us from our bishop so we started teaching him but then we had to turn him over to elders in a different ward because he lived in their boundaries. That was super neat to be a part of it though! The week we set the date with him I set a goal and prayed to Heavenly Father that we could set a date with someone within the week who would get baptized in february. My righteous desire was granted! Just in an unexpected way since we only actually taught him two lessons. 

-We were tracting last night kinda by the university of regina so there were quite a few YSA people. We knocked on the door of a house full of guys and we gave them our card but they didnt seem super interested. 5 min later we got a call from one of them who was in the washroom when we came. He said he wanted to learn about jesus christ so we started talking to him over the phone. A few minutes into the conversation he siad, "To tell you the truth I just thought one of you was cute.." So which one am I talking to.. Hahaha kinda of a funny experience. When we asked if we could send boy missionaries there to teach him he said no. That was a bummer. 

-Also it has been a bit warmer the past couple days. only like -7 so we got out our lighter coats!!! 

-For pday we have been playing pickleball in the morning with the senior couples and some other older guys!! It has been super fun! Reminds me of st. george! And I am actually learning the rules. There is a lot more that goes into pickleball than you think! We also went to a trampoline park today which was fun! I will send pics!

I think that is about all that happened this week! Sorry this email was so long!! Looking forward to another great week!! ​​

I included this picture of the elders because I think he looks just like Tristan

Family Day!

February 18, 2018

Happy Family Day!! That is a holiday here in Canada. The kids get the whole week off school for it! This week was another good week!! It is super funny, everyone asks me and Sister Gatten if we are sisters.. Like actual sisters. We must look alike! The only thing is the height different. She is quite a bit taller than me, but that's not too hard!  We have a member in our ward whose daughter turned 6 this week. All she wanted for her birthday was for the missionaries to come over. That was super cute!! We were street contacting one day and met a guy that went to USU and had friends who were mormon so he went to church for 2 years while he was there. The only bummer was that he is actually living in Saskatoon so hopefully missionaries there will teach him!! We met a family from Syria while tracting this week. They were super nice and asked for an Arabic book of mormon! Hopefully we can teach them. They are muslim so it will be hard but they were very nice! Kendall came to church this week! She only stayed for sacrament but we were very happy that she came! It was a miracle. Although she told us that she got offered a job in AZ this past week and is going to take it so she will probably be moving there in march.. We were super sad about that. Not sure what will happen. Her daughter still has to finish school here so maybe she will travel back and forth for 6 months and we can still teach her but we will see what happens. Sometimes it is frustrating because we know that there is a reason that everything happens but you just wish it could happen your way. We just have to trust in God's plan!!

I have been reading in 1 Nephi the past month and I have loved it so much! That family is awesome! I read the story about Nephi getting tied up by his brothers. In 7:17 it talks about how according to his faith he asked for the strength to burst the bands himself. We can ask for strength to face our trials and draw on the Atonement of Jesus Christ rather than asking for Heavenly Father to take about our trials. He knows what is best for us and what we need in order to grow. I know we are never alone. I am so grateful for the knowledge I have of the gospel!! Love you all!!

Are you Boys

February 12, 2018

Hello everyone!! This week was pretty long, but super good!! Here are some highlights:
-We got to teach Kendall again. She is SO awesome!! She started studying about the Atonement on lds.org. I just want her to get baptized so badly!! Please pray for her and her family that her eyes will be opened to the truth and blessings of the gospel. Also she will be in Logan for her daughters wedding in the summer so it'd be cool if you could meet her!! And her future son-in-law served his mission in bolivia.. Maybe braxton knows him!?

-We got to be in a Tri-pan for a day while transfers were going on. Sister Peacock (one of my MTC companions) came with me and SIster Gatten. It was super fun! We showed up to lessons with members and I think our investigators were a bit overwhelmed becuase we had so many extras. It was awesome though! 

-We met a Philipino guy one day while tracting. We taught a brief restoration at the door and then asked to come back when his wife would be awake so we could teach them. He said yes so we left a book of mormon and planned to go back. Well sister gatten lost her preach my gospel that day so we were thinking maybe it fell out of her bag at his house. When we called to confirm the appointment sister gatten asked if they found a book anywhere that day. He said yeah you left one.. the blue bible do you want it back?" Haha wrong book. He ended up cancelling on us and not wanting us to come back but atleast he has the book of mormon still!! That was kind of a random story but it was super funny. 

-We decided to rest Chelsea and Jay for a bit. They are the ones who were supposed to get married a few weeks ago. THey havent been progressing at all so we thought we should use our time trying to find people who will! Kinda sad, but hopefully they will now realize what they are missing and start progressing again. 

-We were tracting one day and both had our toques (canadian word for hat) and hoods on. We knocked on a door and a guy answered. He thought we were boys because he could not see our hair. Hahaha 

Something I learned this week.. "Charity, like faith leads to action. You will develop charity as you look for opportunities to serve others and give of yourself." Charity is one of the greatest qualities and traits of Christ that we can develop. I hope that you will all look for ways to serve those around you and develop this trait in your own lives!! Love you all, have an awesome week!! 

COLDDDDD!

February 5th, 2018

This week was a slow week! I have realized that is usually what happens when you have a super great one, then things get slower. But things will pick up again this week! It was SUPER cold this week. -38 most days which was painful.. literally. Almost all of our lessons fell through so we did a lot of finding. We were out tracting one day and we decided it might be easier to bear the cold if we imagined ourselves in Hawaii.. Our feet were burning from the burning sand, not the cold. Our faces were red from getting sunburnt, not wind burn. My companion slipped and fell from slipping on some water on the boat deck, not the ice. There was water on our faces from the ocean, not the tears. Haha surprisingly it actually helped!! I am exaggerating though, it wasn't actually that bad. We just couldn't stay outside for longer than a half hour. We'd have to warm up for 10 min, then go back out again. 

We were able to meet with a lady who has been an investigator for years now. She is practically a member and would have gotten baptized a long time ago but her husband will  not give permission. We found out this week that he was actually set to get baptized as well but then found out about the church's history in polygamy and got super angry. He has been ever since. It is very sad. Hopefully some day he will come around and the whole family can get baptized. Right now only the two daughters were able to. 

We have been training a lot on working with members this month and it can be hard!! I know that the best way to do missionary work is to involve members but it can be very trying at times working with schedules and such. I have been praying a lot for help to have the patience and persistence to work with members and I think the answer has come because most of the people we have found over the past few weeks have been men. So we will have to bring members to our lessons! It's funny how he works! Moral of the story, help the missionaries out! Missionary work is so much more successful when the missionaries work with the members! And missionary work is important for all members of the church, not just the missionaries!!

This week I was reading the talk from the past general conference called "Turn to the Lord" by Bishop W. Christopher Waddell. I loved this quote.. "In this mortal experience we cannot control all that happens to us, but we have absolute control over how we respond to the changes in our lives... Whatever change in life's circumstance may come our way, and whatever unexpected path we may have to travel, how we respond is a choice. Turning to the Savior and grasping His outstretched arm is always our best option." Love you all, have an awesome week! Also I almost forgot.. We got transfer calls today and I will be staying in Regina with Sister Gatten for another 6 weeks at least. I am SOO happy!! We are going to see miracles in this area together! Love yous!!