Wherein Landen Arrives Home from His Mission!

April 18, 2019...We are SO HAPPY to have Landen home from his amazing mission to Puerto Rico.

Wherein Landen Writes His Last Letter Home.

April 15, 2019

Thanks mom, that means a lot, I love you too!

       So, I guess this is It. I will be leaving Salinas in about an hour.  We got transfer calls this last weekend, and I am getting transferred to the Iona south stake!  ;) Elder Niederhauser is getting put as District Leader/Trainer in Hato Rey Ward (San Juan).  So they are whitewashing Salinas. We hope they are able to take off with the work we are leaving them. We are trying our best to leave everything set up well for the new elders. 

      We are teaching soooo many people here right now it is hard to leave. All of the people who have touched my life or that I've touched theirs have been such huge blessings for me and its hard to leave them all behind. But I know they will be alright, and I know that the message of hope is true, and as they follow it their lives will be blessed.

      We had a wonderful last week here in the Salinas/Guayama district. We had 2 baptisms in a joint service and we had a great turn-out. Lots of members were there to support the happy new converts. Gloria, which was our sister that got baptized from Salinas, was so happy and content with the covenants that she made with God that right after her confirmation the next day she stood right up from her chair and without the branch president even asking if she wanted to say anything, she bore the sweetest testimony to the whole congregation of the restored gospel and of her gratitude to all of them for receiving her as family. She will be a great blessing to this branch= just as she already has been in my own life.

      I did get to interview the sisters' baptismal candidate on Tuesday and found him worthy for baptism, which took place along side Gloria's on Saturday as well. His name is Jose. He also has a strong testimony of the restored Gospel - which he expressed to me, and a huge desire to make a commitment to follow Christ, which he did. I am very excited for these two and their decisions to follow their Savior. They still have a path ahead of them, but we are leaving them surrounded by supporters and friends to help them forward in this path.

      We are leaving behind Salinas in the best shape it has ever been in in a while. The new elders coming in will do a wonderful job with the people we are working with and will also bless this Branch immensely, just as I pray that we have done as well.  

      Guys. this church is so, true, and there's no other like in in the world! The gospel really does save our lives and our souls. And I'll tell you a lot more about all that on Sunday during my talk in sacrament meeting. (And if we're being really honest, just any time I talk to any of you about anything, your probably gonna hear about how true the Gospel is and how alive its creator Christ is). I love him, and I love you all. 

See you soon,

  Elder Bailey

Wherein Landen Shares His Testimony With Us.

April 8, 2019

     How did you like Conference? My fave parts were... everything that talked about making your home a sanctuary; ministering in a higher, holier way; how nobody walks the covenant path alone; that if you are truly on the covenant path you will help others to move forward with you - be it family moving with you to exaltation, or friends/quorum members that you help along mutually. Basically, just everything to do with that kind of thing drove home with me, and there were a lot of them.

     This last week went super well. We have been finding a ton of new people that are all solid. We were able to teach all of them about the Restoration of the Gospel and to help them start onto the path toward finding their own spiritual confirmation of the True Church!

     The Gospel Has Been Restored! The Book of Mormon is the Evidence! And my testimony of that is built on the foundation of the Spirit which revealed it to me. Everyone in this world should get the chance to study and pray about this restoration. None will be forced to follow it, but for those willing to find of its truth and follow the answer they receive will be blessed by the same powers of heaven that revealed the path unto them. 

     Like Elder Bednar said, those who only follow the path based on knowledge that other people told them, have a testimony built on sand. We all need to learn from and learn to follow the Holy Spirit and as we do so, we will be fortified and guided in our ways. 

     I don't have a lot to say this week, but I do say what is true, and I hope that we can all continually learn more and more about this great truth God has given us today.

I love you all a ton!

Elder Bailey

Wherein Landen Digs Into The Pearl of Great Price.

April 1, 2019

Sounds like everyone had a fun Spring Break these last few weeks!

We had some good times here as well, here's a rundown:

1) We Taught Zaily and Jeremy again, I think I already told you all about them, but they are the family members of the 11 year old that got baptized in the next ward over. They are Super amazing. We had a wonderful lesson with them and a great discussion about the Spirit that can be felt when truth is being taught. She opened up and shared about the spirit that she has felt in the church (ours) and at her son's baptism. We are going to see them again tonight!

2) We had a Pearl of Great Price class with the members here and had a super great discussion, pretty deep doctrine.

3) We taught Viviana and Angel, they are doing amazing! They are praying and studying for an answer right now if joining the church is the right move for them.  We also found out that Viviana is a professional chef too, and she made us dinner, and it was amazing!

4) We had exchanges with the Zone leaders!

5) We planned out a super cool activity for the branch and got it all put together to watch Grandpa's movie together and do a huge ministering effort to bring in all of the menos activos to the activity. Then when the final date got put.......it got planned for the night of the 18th.  So I wont get to be there, cause I'll be in Idaho that night, but its all okay, it will still be cool. 

6) We had a wonderful lesson with Gloria. She was progressing towards a baptismal date for May 18th, but then after an amazing spirit-filled discussion, she decided to move her date up to April 13th, which just happens to be my last weekend here, so we are super pumped for that!

7) We also had Zone Conferences.

8) I also spoke in sacrament meeting.

That's about all I can think of right now, but it was a wonderful week!!!

I love you all sooooo much 

Elder Bailey