21 - Palmas 4

Well, everything is going well. We have A's baptism tomorrow and we are all excited for that. Today we are going to visit her and see who she wants to baptize her. We also have several other investigators and families who are ready and want to be baptized, but there is a slight problem. They have been going to church, but they have been going with their relatives to church in some of the other wards. Makes it a little difficult because they have to go to the church where the bishop has the keys to preside over them based on where they live. But we have been working with them and we should have a few more baptisms in the next month.

This is a very active area, but it is not without a few disadvantages. Palmas is a big ward and is divided into two mission areas. A pair of sister missionaries have one half (which is where all of the members are) and we have the rest. With most of the ward members living in the other area, we rarely have any members who we can take with us to lessons. But the few members we do have in the area enjoy coming with us and even do their own visits and make friends with them, so it has been good for the investigators.

Aside from that, it has been getting hot here, but it is supposed to get even hotter after March. I'll be honest, I really miss the cold and the snow (although we do have ice-cold showers in the morning). At night, it is still pretty warm, but the people here complain that it is freezing and wonder how come I'm not cold. I'll probably adapt more to the hot weather as the mission goes on.

The mission has been a great experience for me! I love it. I love working with the people here. I can't really explain how, but the people here are fantastic. I don't quite have the language down, but I've still been able to work and progress in many ways. In the mission, I have learned a lot about the Savior and his role in everything, and especially in the lives of the people I teach. It is awesome seeing how the gospel changes them and their lives. The mission is the best experience of my life. I encourage everyone to start now and prepare for a mission. You won't regret it! You will come out of the mission loving it and wishing you were still there.

Elder Bailey

20 - Palmas 3

Another week in the mission. I've now been in the field for over four months. Looking back, I'm wondering what happened. Everything feels like it is going faster.  

 

Our area is pretty big. The church is a little far. The ward is split between us and a pair of sister missionaries. I don't know if President Kirkham will be doing anything more to the area—it has been one of the most productive areas in the city.

 

The work in Palmas has been progressing. We contacted a few more potential investigators last week, although we haven't quite been getting all of the lessons in we would like.  We have most of our investigators clear on the other side of the area, so we have to do a lot of walking between appointments.  But we have been rewarded for all of the work.  We were able to bring a less active family back in and we are preparing one of their daughters to be baptized this week.  

 

We also made a big breakthrough with one of our progressing investigators.  I may have mentioned her last week.  She has been really taking in our lessons and also she has been reading and studying the Book of Mormon and has been praying every night.  She has been going to church and everything, but she hasn't received a witness that all of this is true.  Last week she had an interesting experience.  She had a dream one night where she was directed by an angel to the baptismal font and was told that this was the true church that she should join.  Little more than we expected.  We have her baptism planned for next week.  

 

My companion has been great.  He has been helping me find more ways of teaching and improving my Spanish. My health has been good; the members are really generous and insist on serving us meals, so eating hasn't been much of a problem.  The weather has been heating up a little.  We have been getting a little more sun.  But with sundown at about 5 o'clock, we haven't had much exposure.  I'm not sure I'll be able to send pictures while I'm in this area.  We use this one internet cafe and it doesn't have a port for me to plug in my camera.  

 

Elder Bailey

19 - Palmas 2

Everything is going great. Palmas is very similar to my first area, Coba, so it wasn't much of a transition for me. There is actually a lot of activity in this area. The last missionaries found a lot of investigators that we have been picking up on. Plus, my companion used to work in this area a few transfers before and he has been looking up a lot of his old investigators and adding them to the list. Super busy. I'm ready to drop by the time we get back to the house.

My companion has been working out great. Elder Quarez has worked in this area for a long time before and has been introducing me to everyone and everything. He is American, but I asked him to speak to me only in Spanish so that I can learn and he has been really good about that. I would describe him and his personality a little similar to Spencer Walker in the way he talks and everything (he actually looks a lot like him). But everything has been working out great.

There is a very big ward in this area with a lot of active priesthood leaders. We also have a lot of progressing investigators going to church and everything. There is this one family who we are teaching who is accepting everything and also has been asking a lot of good questions. Although, one of the biggest struggles for them is with giving up tea. They drink a lot of tea because the mom owns a small tea business. But they have been really active with the ward and everything.

Palmas is the very western end of the city. The city is divided up into regions and they call the region where I live Tierra Maya. There is a Chedraui store around the corner from our house. It's pretty much the Mexican version of Walmart. In some parts there are a lot of apartment buildings, and in other parts there are a lot of small stores.

My spiritual thought this week comes from the scripture Helaman 5:12.

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

That is a powerful promise in this scripture. If we look to Christ in our thoughts and our works, I know that we can overcome or stand up against any temptation, trial, weakness, or difficulty. I know it and testify of that.

Until later,
Elder Bailey

19 - Palmas 1

Sorry I didn't write last week.  With the New Year, everything was kind of crazy.  On New Year's Eve, all of the missionaries had to retire to their houses early and we had to stay there until 6 pm the next day.  There are a lot of things that happen during the New Year celebration that could be dangerous to the missionaries.  Everyone drinks and they light off all sorts of fireworks, which most of them are pretty much just bombs.  Fortunately, I slept through it all and we are all safe. 

 

The area of Bonfil in the last week has exploded.  We came across a couple of new families to teach, and some of our old investigators started to become progressing investigators.

 

But judgment day came last weekend and I received a transfer call to another area.  The area is called Palmas.  It is pretty much the western edge of the city and borders my first area Coba.  So it is pretty similar to when I started, except it's a little more crowded.  My new comp is Elder Quarez.  He is from Utah (Morgan) and has been in the mission for about fourteen months and transferred into this area from a pueblo a few hours outside of Cancun.  He is an awesome companion and I am really looking forward to working with him.

 

So I have a thought to share which was something that my mission president taught us at a workshop last week.  He talked about how big things and big changes are affected entirely by small things.   He used an analogy of how an entire door swings because the hinges move a little.  I'm sure that we all have things in our lives that we would like to change or work on which we can accomplish by simply doing or changing the little things.  Examples of these small things could be like reading our scriptures in the morning or exercising for an hour every day.  Things like these can do big things in our lives such as helping us to receive a testimony or to become stronger or better in shape.  Any big changes that we want to make in our lives can be easily accomplished by changing and working on the little things.

 

Hasta luego,

Elder Bailey

17 - Bonfil 6

We had a workshop yesterday and P-day was moved to today, but I'm probably not going to send a big email this week.

The [Christmas] call was great. It is good to see and talk to everyone. It was good to see Jen. Christmas was great. The zone leaders put on a zone activity with piñatas, white elephant gifts (I got some Christmas cookies that were great), cake, and a lot of nachos. And at the end, President Kirkham arrived to deliver Christmas goods to all of the good missionaries. (If he had a beard, he would have looked just like Santa.) It was fun, but proselyting the next few days was difficult because everyone was either asleep or drunk from Christmas. But towards the end, it picked up with a couple of potential investigators who we are excited to teach. For the New Year tonight, we have to return super early to our house and we are not allowed to leave until 6 pm the next day because it gets super crazy and dangerous for the missionaries with everyone getting drunk. (Drinking and going to church are two of the biggest struggles for us to deal with here.)

Your favorite missionary,
Elder Bailey

16 - Bonfil 5

!FELIZ NAVIDAD DE CANCUN!

It's Christmas time and things have been very active here in the mission. Yesterday our mission did a big Christmas devotional for all of the local stakes. It was a good program which included a couple of special numbers by all of the missionaries in the city. It was great and the spirit was strong. We all are excited for the holiday.

So in Bonfil everything has been progressing with the season. My Spanish isn't there yet, but I'm making fast progress. I can understand about 60% of what the Mexicans are saying and can communicate well enough, although I'm really not very fluent. We've made a bunch of contacts last week that we are excited about. The spirit is strong and it is amazing to see the changes that occur in the investigators.

This is really an amazing time of year as we celebrate the birth of the Savior. Christ was sent here into this world so that we can all be able to overcome our struggles and sin, and have the opportunity to return to our Heavenly Father. This is the greatest gift that God has given us. Through the atonement of Jesus Christ, it is possible for any of us to find comfort and help in times of struggle, and relief and forgiveness for any sin. As we apply the atonement in our lives and continue to recognize weaknesses and work to correct ourselves, we can find much peace and joy in our lives. This I testify of, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Elder Bailey

Baptism picture of C. He is the youth that we baptized a few weeks ago. I believe I mentioned him in a previous letter.

View of Bonfil from the balcony of an investigator's house. Kind of gives you an idea of what Bonfil is like.

Feliz Navidad from our zone, taken last Thursday after the district meetings.

One of our investigators worked at a circus that was in Bonfil last week. We got our pics next to Simba.

Us with the investigator at the circus.

15 - Bonfil 4

Christmas is coming up fast. It's weird how you don't notice it without the snow and everything. Every day is always sunny and warm. (I don't know why they complain that it is cold. Everyone tells me that it gets really hot in the summer.) I really loved the Christmas devotional. There are some inspiring messages that would be really good to remember. Here in the mission we will actually be doing devotionals in the different areas, and I'm looking forward to this. We've been working hard to invite all of our investigators to come.

Bonfil is actually a pueblo just outside the main city of Cancun, although our assigned area still includes a part of the main city. The people here are poorer than in Coba, so some of the food that we have been eating usually involves scrambled eggs and beans. Those are the cheapest foods to come by.

Bonfil is one of the hardest areas to contact investigators. The blocks are divided up into properties which are bought by families, and then they build houses on these properties. This is a problem for us because most of the people usually stay secluded on their property and only come out for work, so street contacting is a little difficult. But we have been working with some of the members and have been receiving references that we have been working through.

Last week we contacted a small family who has been really receptive to our message and who we've been excited to work with. It is a divorced mom and three children. The mom was baptized into the Church, but went inactive shortly after. She has a brother who is an active member in my last area, Coba. The only problem is that they have been exposed to some anti-church stuff previously, but the spirit has been working through us and has been eliminating a lot of their doubt. It's really exciting for us to see the changes in them.

So, for this week I have a thought that comes from Alma 47. This is when Amalickiah starts to take over the Lamanite nation and raise an army to go against the Nephites. There was a group of the Lamanites who were afraid of Amalickiah and knew his objective, but they didn't want to go to war against the Nephites. They gathered themselves on a hill and they had a leader named Lehonti. Amalickiah sent messengers to Lehonti to have him come down to the bottom of the hill to negotiate. Lehonti knew Amalickiah and knew that negotiating would lead to bloodshed, so he refused to come down. Amalickiah sent more messengers, and to all of them Lehonti refused to come down from the hill to negotiate. Finally Amalickiah came halfway up the hill and sent a final messenger to tell Lehonti to come only partway down with his guards which Lehonti accepted. We all know how the story ends with Amalickiah through trickery appealing to Lehonti, and then he murdered him and took over his armies.

I like to relate this to us being on the hill and Satan tempting us to come down. We know who Satan is and know where the lines are where there is safety, but a common strategy of Satan's is to tempt us to come closer to the line or to come partway down the hill and to test the limits and get further from safety. The standards have already been set for us and we have been given commandments so that we can be safe. They are not something that should be tested or toyed with. It is important for us to stay far from the limits and to stay fast and true. Giving in to only going partway will certainly lead to terrible consequences.

So thank you for your prayers and support. Remember the true reason behind Christmas and do what is right.

Happy Holidays!
Elder Bailey

14 - Bonfil 3

So, the holidays are coming up and we are now working extra hard this season. As a missionary, perhaps one of the biggest changes is that the days or times when you would normally rest are the days when you work the hardest because it is when everyone is at home and with their families. It also feels a little weird to see all of the Christmas decorations coming up, and the foliage is still a lush bright green and all of the tropical flowers are in bloom. (I think Jimmy Buffet's Christmas Island album would be very appropriate here.)

Things have been going well here. It's been a tough week, but we just had a baptism last Saturday. There aren't too many members or investigators, but we are excited with the baptism. Plus, we just received a bunch of referrals from the members, so things are looking up. The week has actually been a little more difficult than it sounds. We really only did about four lessons for the entire week. It is a tough area, but we are being optimistic. The president actually gave us the assignment of establishing a branch in this area, so there are some people that the Lord is preparing.

Perhaps the most effective teaching tool that we have is The Book of Mormon. The first step in the conversion of the investigator is to have them read The Book of Mormon and gain their own testimony of it. The Book of Mormon is the pure word of God and there is a power that exists in that book so that as you read, that power will flow into your life and bring blessings. It is important for any missionary set apart or those not to understand this power and how critical The Book of Mormon is to conversion.

Thank you all for your support,
Elder Bailey


Sorry, but the computer isn't reading my camera again. Sorry, not too many stories. Also the blog is doing great. I actually received a letter from someone in Las Vegas who just got a mission call to Cancun and found the blog. Really cool.

13 - Bonfil 2

I'm starting in on my second week in Bonfil.  It is an amazing area with much potential.  It is a large area that also includes a lot of the private residential areas which we don't go to unless we are invited or receive a referral.  A lot of the work in this area is concentrated in a small section of the city.  It is a little more cluttered than Coba, but the people here are great and I enjoy working with them.  There aren't as many members here, but we have received a bunch of referrals that we are working through.  

My new comp is awesome.  He has helped me a ton with the language, and every day he teaches me a lot about being a good missionary.  I enjoy working with him.  

Something that Elder Humphrey said about being not only a great missionary but also a great leader, is the importance of having humility.  No matter what position we are in, it is important to accept that there are many things we still may not know and that there are many people who know more than we do and that there is something we can always learn.  Humility is the foundation for developing all other Christ-like attributes.

Thanks for your support,

Elder Bailey

12 - Bonfil 1

So today is judgment day.  Not really, but it is transfer day and I moved into the area of Bonfil.  It is part of the Cancun Zone which is the eastern part of the city.  I haven't been proselyting yet, so I can't describe much of it yet.  My new companion is Elder Humphrey.  He is about a year into the mission and he will be finishing up my training.  He is from Alpine, Utah.  ¡Que potente! I'm really looking forward to working with him.

Glad to hear from home.  I'm doing fine, but today I finally found a bathroom scale and discovered that I've lost over ten pounds since I arrived in the field.  I remember Elder Gonzalez telling me how the American missionaries burn a lot of energy in the sun.  I'm eating well, although the food schedule is a little weird.  In the morning we have time for a quick breakfast, and at 2:00 we have a big lunch at a member's house, and then we don't always have a dinner.  It depends if a member offers or if we have money to buy something.  But everything else is going well.  I'm healthy and doing fine. 

So it looks like we have Thanksgiving coming up.  They don't celebrate it here in Mexico, but it is still a good holiday to remember.  A lot of the time we don't really realize how much we are blessed.  Looking back, I often see the Lord's hand working in my life and my mission so many times.  Every day I give thanks for this amazing opportunity to serve.  You may not be in the mission, but I know that there are many ways that the Lord is guiding and blessing you.  That will be something good to think about for Thanksgiving.

So thank you for all of your support.  Love you all.

Elder Bailey

Last night with Elder Gonzalez and Elder Forsythe.  The bishop invited us over for chocolate cake as kind of a going away party.

My new companion, Elder Humphrey

11 - Coba 6

So it's now officially a month into the mission. Looking back, it is amazing to see all of the progress I've made. The Spanish is still progressing. I'm not fluent yet, but I'm getting there. We got hit with a couple of major storms, but we now have some clear skies.

Something interesting happened last week. President Kirkham assigned another missionary to work with us in Coba. We will be working in a trio now. The new missionary is Elder Forsythe. He transferred into our area from Tizimin, a city northwest of Cancun. He has been in the mission for about nine months and speaks good Spanish. I'm looking forward to working with him. He is a really fun missionary to have around. He likes to talk and help other missionaries with their Spanish. He is from Provo, but before that he was in Texas. There is a lot I'm learning from him already.

Things have been progressing in some ways. We unfortunately had to drop off investigators last week because they were not keeping any commitments. But we do have one golden investigator we are teaching. Her name is E. She was referred from another member and accepted our message from the start. She really loved church. After her first Sunday, she told us in our next visit that she wanted to be baptized. We are so excited to work with her.

So when we were visiting with one of the members in the ward, she shared something really interesting. Everyone here lives in some degree of poverty. Most can manage to live in a house and live well enough. But they are also very thankful for their living condition. They are afraid of earning too much money because they don't want to become prideful. When they earn more money, they are afraid of thinking that it is because of them that they are prospering instead of the blessings of God. In the Book of Mormon, we see this kind of thing happening over and over again. It is important to remember our blessings and to give thanks to God. A good story to go with this is the story of the ten lepers. Read it.

Elder Bailey

10 - Coba 5

Another week in paradise. Not too much happened this week aside from having to bail out a baptismal font (biggest workout I had in weeks!). It was the baptism of the stake president's son and there was something going on with the drain in the font, so someone left it filled all week. Really gross. We had a fun time hauling buckets of the dirty water from the font, cleaning it, and refilling it for the baptism. Lots of fun.

Most of the work is focused on reactivating the less actives. The biggest problem is that they don't like to commit. We do have a large group of investigators that we are working with, but there are two commitments they have trouble with: going to church and getting legally married. But they love our message, especially about the Plan of Salvation. Many of them have families that they love dearly.

My Spanish is progressing. I'm still am not fluent, but I'm exercising patience.

Earlier, Hermana Kirkham, the mission president's wife, shared an interesting thought with us. She shared a scripture from Moses where Enoch was called by God to be a prophet. Enoch responded by asking why of all people he was chosen, because he was slow of speech and not favored with the people. Here God gave an amazing promise. He promised Enoch that if he would open his mouth to speak to the people, the Lord would fill it with utterance (Moses 6:32). For us missionaries, we have many weaknesses which sometimes include speaking the language. But this promise also applies to us when we teach. We give the spirit opportunities to teach through us and we teach the things the spirit teaches us. This doesn't just apply to missionaries, but also to every member of the Church. If you open your mouth or let the spirit teach through you, the spirit will tell you what to say. I hope we can always remain worthy to have the spirit and to teach from the things the spirit will put into our hearts. If we do this, we will always know what to say.

Hasta luego,
Elder Bailey

09 - Coba 4

Hey Everyone,

It looks like my letter didn't come last week, so I’ll try to give a good update.

The last two weeks have been crazy.  We've been hit with a bunch of storms and most of the streets are flooded.  This makes it a little difficult to get to the appointments on time.  But it feels good to have a little cooler weather in contrast to the normally hot, sunny days.

The work is progressing rapidly.  Most of it is focused more on the less actives.  The people here are very humble and receptive to the gospel, but they have a hard time with commitments.

My Spanish is progressing rapidly.  I can speak well enough for the lessons, but the biggest struggle for me is following the native’s Spanish.  They speak fast!  But the members have been very helpful and encouraging.

Also, in our last zone conference, we received an exciting announcement—in our zone we get to have beds!  The hammocks are fun, but often you wake up with a couple of stiff muscles.  Everyone in our zone is all excited about it.

Also, about Halloween.  From what my companion told me, most of Mexico normally celebrates El Dia de Muerto which last for two days, but here in Cancun, they celebrate Halloween instead and it lasts for three nights!  My area kind of turned into a party town.  We had trouble sleeping those nights because one of our neighbors set up a mega sound system in his front yard and was blasting spooky music all night long.

During church last week, one of the sisters in the ward gave an interesting lesson.  In Mexico, the holidays are traditional and everyone loves to party, but they have all forgotten the meaning behind the holidays.  Especially El Dia de Muerto.  It is a holiday to remember and honor our ancestors before us for the sacrifices they did for our generation and we serve them on these holidays.  In the church, it is especially important.  We do family history to learn about our ancestors and do service for them by performing the sacred ordinances they need but didn't have an opportunity in the mortal life.  Each of us is encouraged to actively participate in the Family Search program and learn about them.  There are many things that we can learn from them and they need us so that they can have the ordinances necessary.

Elder Bailey


Other stuff:

[I am in the west and north side of Cancun;] most of the area is all of the city to the south and to the north into the jungle.  It’s kind of big.  It actually is supposed to be divided into two parts, but too many missionaries left and there are not enough coming in, so my companion and I have to work the entire area.

One image is the new beds.  I don’t have a pillow, so I stuffed the pillowcase with the sheets to make do.  The next image is our house.  The tree in front has coconuts that we will soon pick and have for supper.

I’m happy, although I've developed a craving for bread lately.  I haven’t had bread ever since I arrived.  It’s always tortillas.  I miss Mom’s bread and cooking.  The food here is very good, but they always serve the same thing.

Every night we put our shoes up against the fan to dry them out.

08 - Coba 3

I am writing from an internet cafe, and it takes time to write letters on the Spanish keyboards.  The hammocks are comfortable.  They always serve two course meals and it is rude to refuse a second helping.  We really don’t have much time to exercise vigorously and I’m starting to gain a little.  The only way for me to return to the normal weight is to catch a bug, but that’s not a good way to go.  The city is dirty and not what I am used to, but the people are great and I’m adapting.

I’m out of time now and I’ll try to get in a little more next week, thanks.

Elder Bailey

A picture of the inside of our house

07 - Coba 2

Hey, so it’s been a week already.  The mission is hard work but I’m working my hardest.  So just to give you an idea of my area, Coba is a section of Cancun.  It’s very hot most of the time, but sometimes we get sudden intense rain for a few minutes a few times per week.  Everyone lives in small houses that are stacked side by side so it’s one big building.  Sometimes it’s hard to navigate around the city because all of the houses look identical.  But you can manage by memorizing the shops and graffiti.

There is a lot of poverty in the area, but as I may have said in the last email, because of the circumstances, the people are very humble and receptive to the gospel.  I’ll admit, speaking with the natives is hard—they all speak very fast and it’s hard to follow, but I’m still picking up a lot of Spanish from conversations with my companion.  Elder Gonzalez is an awesome companion.  He doesn’t speak much English, so I have plenty of opportunities to practice my Spanish.

The house that I live in is small, but meets my needs.  We don’t have beds to sleep in, but we do get some colorful hammocks!  In the morning we eat our own breakfast (Raisin Bran!) and the other meals are at member houses.  The food is very excellent.  I never imagined that there are so many more Mexican dishes besides burritos and salsa.  The food is very tasty and they serve a lot.  It’s polite to accept a second serving of everything, and every meal usually has two courses.  My favorite food so far is the empanadas.

The work has been going great!  We have a lot of investigators to teach each day.  Our schedules are always completely booked.  All of the contacting has to be done in the street between appointments.

The transition has been hard, but I’ve been called by God to this area and he always provides a way to accomplish the things that he commanded us (1 Nephi 3:7).  God knows of our weaknesses and has always provided a way for us to become strong and do what we need to do.  If we have faith in Jesus Christ, we will be blessed, and looking back, we can always see His hand guiding us and recognize the miracles that happen in our lives.  In times of strife or challenge, I invite you to turn to Jesus Christ and remember Him.  He knows what you’ve been through and will help you if you put your trust in Him.

So until next week,
Elder Bailey


PICTURES

*These are the hammocks that we get to sleep in.  Mine is the bright green one.  This was taken the first night, so it’s not at the house where I’m staying in, although both houses are very similar.

*My new companion, Elder Gonzalez, and his old companion, Elder Bigler

*President and Sister Kirkham

06 - Coba 1

Hey, I made it.  Sure, the security in Salt Lake City gave me a hard time*, but I made it.  I love the mission so far.  President Kirkham is an awesome guy.  He is very energetic and loves everyone here.  I don't have my camera with me right now, but I'll be sure to send pictures next week.  

I've been assigned to the area of Coba.  It's a section of the main city of Cancún.  There are three areas in Cancún, and about five more outside of the city.  My companion is Elder Gonzalez, he is a native to Mexico and doesn't speak very much English.  He has been helping me a lot with the Spanish.  My Spanish isn't that fluent, but according to the other elders, after a few months I should be fluent.  I haven't been here very long, but the area surprised me in many ways.  Most of the people don't have much, but because of their circumstances, they are very humble and have amazing faith and a great capacity to love.  They love you before you even greet yourself.  

  

Out here in the mission, one of the most important things to have while teaching is the Holy Ghost.  The Holy Spirit plays a great part in the conversion of the investigator.  It has often been referred to as the missionary's third companion.  True conversion can only come with the Spirit testifying in the heart of the investigator.  Every member should always strive to have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.

  

Well, that's all for now.  I'll be sure to send lots of pictures next week. 

Hasta luego,

Elder Bailey  

*The security scanners picked up something on his hands and shoes; turns out, he had polished his shoes the night before, and some shoe polishes give off the same vapors as explosives.  They ended up doing a full-blown security inspection because of this.

05 - MTC 5

In 4 days, I'll be out there in Cancun!  The MTC is a great experience, but it's out there where the magic happens.  The travel plans came in early this week and we will be leaving Monday early in the morning.  Our district will be traveling together along with an elder and a sister from the main campus.  So ready for it! My teacher, Hermana Mackay, commented how in Mexico they would say that we "have battery."  Can't wait to get there.  My Spanish may still be a bit rough, but I'm confident that I'll become fluent eventually out in the field.  You'll know when I stop commenting about it in my letters and if the letters need a little translation.

We had a couple of good storms here that tore some of the shingles from the buildings.  For service activities, we have been doing some cleanup work.

Like the shirt I'm wearing in the pic?  I borrowed the lava lava from one of the departing elders.  He is from Hawaii.

Conference was great!  The spirit and message that those speakers bring is awe inspiring.  There was a lot of emphasis on enduring to the end.  I can add my testimony, that as we continue through life, we will encounter many challenges and struggles, but if we remain true and steadfast and put our faith in Jesus Christ, everything will turn out better and how great will our joy be in the eternities.

My next letter will be from the mission field.  Stay tuned!

Elder Bailey

04 - MTC 4

I've now been in the MTC for about a month, and have less than two weeks left.  I can't wait to go out into the field!  The MTC is a great experience, but it's going to be out there where we get the most.  

We just had a change of teachers yesterday.  Our teacher, Hermano Law, worked here at the MTC to the limit—which is 3 years.  He was an awesome teacher and I'm going to miss him.  I learned so much from him—not just the language, but also about being an effective missionary as well.

My ZRT (zone resource teacher) shared an interesting quote a few days ago.  "You become who you want to be by becoming who you want to be every day."  It reminds me of a talk by Henry B. Eyring about the word "someday."  I recommend everyone look it up.  We sometimes like to think that over time, the changes we want in our lives will come to us automatically, or that there will always be tomorrow to accomplish our goals.  The truth is that nothing happens unless we work for it.  Now is the best time to do and accomplish.

Well that's all for now.  Next week will be busy getting ready to head out.  General Conference is going to be awesome.  

Thanks for your support.

Elder Bailey

Oh and here is a pic.  I traded the tie from another missionary in my zone.  Like it?  I try to acquire a variety of ties in my wardrobe.

I've been working out during gym time—we've heard all the horror stories about missionaries gaining 30 pounds within a week.  But no worries, I've been eating the vegetables and drinking the water.  Actually there isn't much of a gym here on Wyview.  The only activities we can do are running, basketball, volleyball, and four square (I'm becoming a champ).  

The thermos is very useful.  They actually provided a plastic bike bottle the first day (although it doesn't keep he water cool) and a water purifier.  The purifier is a water bottle that you fill from any source.  When you want to drink, you squeeze the bottle and it will clean the water as it comes out.  It's a good expensive purifier that they provided everyone.

Be sure to send letters through DearElder.  Thank you for everything.  

Your Favorite Missionary,

Elder Bailey

03 - MTC 3

So it's been an exciting week.  Last Monday our district got to go up to the Mexican Consulate in Salt Lake and get our VISAs!!!  We also just had a district in our zone leave for Argentina and we got a new one in yesterday. 

The days are getting colder and hopefully by October before we leave there may be some snow!  I'm not going to see any of that for the next two years.

So the classes have been hard, but I'm learning still.  My Spanish is getting much more fluent, although I'm not sure I can keep up with the dialog of a native.

We had a bunch of good speakers for our devotionals.  Last Tuesday, we had Elder Don Clarke of the Seventy come in and address us in the Marriott Center.  He talked a lot about taking every opportunity to teach the gospel that you find. We actually placed a Book of Mormon with a potential investigator while up in Salt Lake!  He also gave an interesting quote:  "about 80% of the fish are in 10% of the water."  There is also another talk that I would recommend everyone look up and listen to.  It is by Elder Bednar called "The 20 Mark Note."

Until next week,

Elder Bailey

02 - MTC 2.5

An announcement: on Monday, our district will be going up to the
Mexican consulate in Salt Lake to get our visas!!! We will be going
straight to Cancun after the MTC! For some reason, all of the
exciting things happen on Thursday after I send the e-mails.

Well, everything else is going well here at the MTC. I love it here
and I can't wait to get out in the field.

Love you,
Elder Bailey