Wherein Landen Finds People Who Were Ready to Listen!

March 25, 2019

This week was wayyyyy coool. Time seems to be flying by faster and faster as this transfer progresses onwards! But this week we had a few things happen that I will tell you about:

1) we founds some new friends that are suuper cool and prepared for the Gospel. Their names are Viviana and Angel. they were actually a refferal from Vivianas sister who is a member in Pensylvania. from the start they were excited to talk to us! They had a ton of questions about us and the church and the message and are super interested in learning more. 

      They were telling us that they felt everything that they had seen in their sister and heard about the church had kinda just planted questions in their minds about us that prepared them to meet with us. So that was a first - to have an investigator tell us that they had been prepared to hear our message. But way cool, we are excited to see where they go!!

2) We had a little fiasco this morning when I was trying to weed our yard with a shovel and ended up busting the main water line {which some smart person decided to burry a whole inch under the ground}.... any way, a quick trip to the hardwear store and some serious missionary-style improvising and we got it fixed!  But then we had to let the PvC cement cure for a while, and so we had to shower in the church, since our house had no water!  All in a standard missionary P-Day.

3) Now that I think about it those were the 2 most exciting things that happened. it was actually a pretty normal week.

Heres a fun fact though: I love you all!!

Stay Airey all, 

Elder Bailey

Wherein Landen Felt an Earthquake!

March 18, 2019

     Things have been super great down here in salinas. I am finally starting to feel like my Spanish is coming back more naturally like it was before.  We had a cool week though.  We found a lot of cool people with some really great potential.   There were also some interesting activities.......

     First, we felt an earthquake...it wasn't super strong, just a 4.7.  It's epicenter was a little ways into the ocean, like right off of our pueblito here in Salinas.  We were planning when it hit and we both had no idea what was going on at first.  When I realized it was an earthquake, I started to think, maybe I should get under my desk or something.....but I think I must have just gotten a little lazy or something cause I didn't and it just finished like 15 seconds later, so it was all okay.  So far as I know, nothing was broken, but many of the locals here are blowing it out of proportions and freaking out about it. 

     Then that same day I had my first district meeting.  It went alright.  We had interviews with president afterward, so for the first time in the last 5 months I finally got to see my mission president, that was fun!!

    We taught a lot as the week went on and had some really good lessons. We are working specifically with an older lady named Gloria who is awesome.  She is progressing towards a baptismal date that she choose herself in May.  It is a lot farther out than most people when they chose a dare, but its what she feels she needs to do.  So we are helping her work hard until then to ensure that she is the most ready she can possibly be. 

    Then today we had a super fun Zone activity.  The Zone here is all super young, I don't know hardly any of them.... but we had a barbeque and a fun game of kickball. (My team slaughtered btw, 24-5). It was probably my last zone activity, and it was an absolute partay.  Wayyy fun. I have some pics imma try and send.

  Otherwise everything here is cool. I love you all Lotttts!!!

Elder Bailey

Wherein Landen Meets His Last Companion!

March 4, 2019

     Sounds like some fun times up in Idaho, and even Las Vegas too. Things here are good. I´m actually back in Caguas right now, my area before I went to Dominica. The last week was a good fun one even though it was sad. so after branch conferences last week we had to take the Mohrs up to the airport.  We dropped them off there and went down to Roseau to shop. Then we drove back up to Portsmouth for our English class. for those familiar with the geography of the island that means in just Monday we had to do an entire loop of the island in one day.  It was a lot of driving, but we survived.  Then on Tuesday we went down to Roseau again because we had a meeting with a humanitarian missionary senior couple. Their name is the Rheins, they are also super duper cool. We went around with them both Wednesday and Thursday to visit some potential partners on jobs, and to see the outcomes of past humanitarian work on the island. We got to meet the Director General of Red Cross in Dominica again. We had met her before, but we went with the Rheins this time, and see some really cool primary schools that the church had built out in the middle of nowhere Dominica. The next day we had to drive back to the airport to pick up the new missionary. His name is elder Busco. He´s sooooooo excited to be out there. He thinks its the coolest place ever, and him and elder Segura are going to do so well together.  We had an activity planned that night with all of the Portsmouth group, but then nobody showed up. Eventually one person came. Just one. it was Julien.  So instead of doing what we had planned for the activity, we just took the opportunity and taught him a little about the priesthood and helped him to set up his LDS account.  He´s planning on starting with pathways connect soon. Friday we had a lunch with the sisters, they made us this dessert called danfe nudel.  It is the bombest of all desserts ever... so good.  Then on Saturday they dropped me off at the airport. 

     As far as lessons go this week. we had a super cool lesson with the Sanford family. we went to see them with the Rhiens. They needed to talk about some humanitarian things with him so we used that moment there as well and taught them about tithing and the baptismal covenant (which conveniently enough includes tithing). It was a super good lesson. Bro Sanford told us that he was down to get baptized next week, but his wife wanted a little more time, so they are going to be working these next couple of weeks to prepare, then they will be ready. They both committed to pay tithing as well. The Rheins helped to explain a lot about it and gave great testimonies.  He is a former mission president in Rome, Italy, so he knew a lot about teaching missionary lessons and it helped a ton. 

Saying good by to everyone was hard.  They were all shocked that I was leaving cause everyone, including myself, thought I was going to finish my mission down there.  Nonetheless, here I am. After a 2 hour delay in the airport in Dominica and a really stressful transition in Antigua (because we were 2 hours late), I  landed in San Juan a little after 3 and got taken to be with Elder Jones in Caguas. I've been here with him for the last couple of days, but then we got transfer calls last night, and I will be going to Salinas for my last six weeks. My companion is really young.  He is on his third transfer of the mission. I´ve never met him before though, since he started after I left to Dominica, but I've heard he is really cool. I will be a DL to finish it all off, so here's to the best last 6 weeks yet!!!!

Love you all!!!

Elder Bailey

March 11, 2019

* Landen just called us today and we spoke on the phone for about 20 minutes. He seems to be doing well and is enjoying his new/last companion and area. He said they found 2-3 new people to teach this week and he is really hopeful that some other people that were already being taught are going to accept baptism soon. He sends his love to all.