Week 15: Pday - Whose idea was this Anyway??? (June 13, 2016)

Unfortunately I don't have a ton of time to write. But this week was awesome.

Monday - went on a hike to Saddle Rock where we legitimately almost killed one of our sister missionaries. It was my favorite pday so far. There were cliffs, scree slopes, drop offs, I had a hay day scrambling and climbing rocks like the good old days. We just almost killed Sister Fox.

(Clarification from Jaycie's mom:  

it wasn't her favorite pday because they almost killed one of the sister missionaries, lol!  It was 105 degrees that day and the sister got severely dehydrated but they made it back safe and sound.)

Wednesday - We had service where I learned that although I love being artistic, Hna Baird cannot decorate little brown boxes for community events with legos. Paint, all day. Random craft supplies, not as much.  We had the car and used it to our advantage, visited lots of places we usually can't. We had dinner with the Sharples which is always my favorite. We had a carb party, quite literally. Quote from Hna Dungan: "Today we die of diabetes"

Thursday: Zone Conference with an area 70. It was awesome! He basically told us that if the people that we are teaching are not progressing, or not "golden" to move on and come back later. He stated it very matter of fact, we are here to find those that are ready. We are the harvesters not the sowers. As a result, we have since done a whole lot more tracting and finding and in the long run it's been for the better. There are so many people to meet.

Viernes: We didn't get a whole lot done because our dinner went a little over. It was really cute, that family drove us to the bishops house and we played I Spy on the way there.
Me: "I spy something blue."
Dommy(He's like 3 I think): "The sky, the car, DADDY!!!!"
Bro Mackay: "I spy something stinky"
Dommy: "DADDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
It was awesome. That night we met with the Bishop and two investigadores that were passed onto us from the zone leaders. They are incredible. When we were told that we were getting to teach them, I honestly felt like this was a family that I was supposed to love and teach. We put them on date that night to be baptized and you can already see the light that they are accumulating. This gospel is for families and it is the most beautiful thing to watch it change lives.

Saturday - We did a lot of contacting and met a lot of really neat people. That night we had a noche de hogar (family home evening) with Violeta and Abraham at the Martinezes. Abraham couldn't make it but Violeta did and we talked about prophets and the importance of FHE (family home evening). It was a really awesome lesson, we even involved the kids as much as we could. It was really perfect. Violeta ended up staying much later and just talking to them. I love their little family and am so grateful for the way I have been raised with a FHE as close to every Monday night as we could. It has been a blessing for me and I have been able to see the difference it makes in my life, giving me a strong testimony of these things and the blessings we will receive.

Sunday - it always amazes me that although we have some of the least amount of time on Sundays, that is the day we often get the most work done. We met some really really awesome people, including one lady that resulted in the weirdest experience. She was dressed in all rainbow and held a sign that said stop the hate due to the shooting in Florida at the bar. She was a really neat person, and we had a really awesome conversation with her. This world is a scary place sometimes and I am so grateful for the gospel and the light and guidance it brings into our lives.

--
Sister Jaycie Baird
Washington Yakima Mission

Week 14: Learning to be a Missionary Chapter 2: Learning to Love the Heat (June 6, 2016)

This week has been incredibly long and a blur.

Tuesday we had the Doctrine of Christ which was really amazing. I love learning and Sister Lewis is one of my favorites. We did an in depth study of 2 Nephi 31 and 32 which are my absolute favorites. Well, okay the Book of Mormon is my favorite in general, there are so many amazing chapters but most recently these chapters have hit me pretty hard along with 33. We talked a lot about why we are here as missionaries. Are we here serving out of love, fear, reward, obligation, why are we out here? It was eye opening to me because the reason I came out in the first place was love. But sometimes there are days when it's out of obligation or reward and I need to strive to always be doing this out of the love I have for my Heavenly Father and those that I am serving.

Wednesday we got the car! Yay! (We get it every Wednesday and Saturday) It is really heating up here, yesterday it was 105 and today it's supposed to be about the same. So when we get the car we are overjoyed. We met with some really neat people, we knocked into a couple of kids while we were searching for a potential and holy cow, they were darling. They absolutely love Christ and when we gave them the little Easter video, one of them ran up to his house to watch it right then. They wanted us to come talk to their family right then but her mom didn't really want to see us. But they really brightened my day :))

Thursday we helped with the food drive! Her whole garage was full of food and it took us quite a while to fix it up. It's for all of the children in summer school, on the weekends they get to take food home so that they have something to eat.

Friday we had Zone Training Meeting. It was really powerful. Again, there was a huge focus on why we are out here. Sometimes people just see us as the missionaries. They don't see or we don't show enough how we are the evidence of the gospel of Christ changing someone. As we were discussing that, I took a step back. I love this gospel, I love the things that I teach and I'm here to help others find happiness. It isn't out of my obligation, it's because I am really learning how to love this and I want people to see that it isn't just my tag that makes me share this, it's legitimately a part of who I am. We also threw a surprise party for Elder Solis during lunch because it's his last one. He's pretty fabulous and so although we tried our best, I don't know that we came close.

Saturday we met some Guatemalans that were awesome. It was actually kind of funny how that played out because we were just walking by them and said our typical, "Hola como estan?" He replied, "Bien bien, wow you speak really good Spanish! You are American, I mean you look American but you speak really good Espanol! I was really surprised!" It was a perfect opportunity to invite him to the free ingles classes at the church and they said that they would give it a try :)

Sunday wasn't the most productive day but it was a day packed full of some crazy things. We had a fast and testimony meeting combined with the ingles ward and so there was translation that needed to occur. Elder Solis was translating the Spanish testimonies and we were sitting by Hermana Gitta. She turned to me and said "I want you to translate for me." HA wait what Hermana I am so green, Elder Solis is there! "No, I want you to. Lets go." So I got up with her to translate her testimony. You think bearing your own testimony is nerve-wracking in front of a combined ward. Not even when you're facing a crowd of people you don't know and who don't know you and a handful of people that can speak los dos (both languages) and will be fully aware of how badly your translation will be. I knew all of the words, I understood what she was saying but to actually turn it into an ingles sentence that others could understand was a different story. Also, I needed a whole lot of dispacio entre sus palabras and sometimes there was a little bit more than I could both translate and then remember. It was incredibly nerve-wracking but as her testimony went on it got much easier. It was a really neat learning experience even if I butchered a good part of what she said. I was a little bit blown away by the faith she had in me, and afterwards I kept apologizing. She said, "No, don't apologize. It isn't us, it isn't what we say it is the Spirit that brings it to their hearts." It was humbling to say the least. We didn't have a dinner for that night so we ate with  some members we had run into from Castle Rock ward a couple weeks before. It was amazing. Their stories, the time we spent. It went much longer that we would have liked but it was worth it. At the end I asked if they happened to know of any violins floating around because I was hoping to play in church sometime. And miracle: Shelly had one! She gave it to me then and I carried it around the rest of the night. It's incredibly bright but it was such a miracle, I was thrilled beyond belief.

It sure is wonderful to be a missionary. Sometimes there are things that we go through, we get thrown into the fire, or baked in the oven that takes the forms of the streets of Wenatchee. But when we come at it at an angle of truly loving the Lord and serving Him with all that we have, it isn't something that is too bad. You learn to love everything about it, all the good and the bad. No importa. What a blessing it is to be called to serve.

Elder Solis in unicorn form.

Food drive! Took us about four hours but we got some awesome food out of it (we got to pick food out of all of the expired stuff. Super excited to eat my expired mac and cheese with my expired butter and a little bit expired milk.)

I let the kids draw in the back of my agenda. I've gotten some really awesome drawings. I love kids a lot and I've found that when you get the kids to love you, the parents see you in a much kinder and willing light.

​I believe this to be an accurate representation of me.

It sure is wonderful to be a missionary. Sometimes there are things that we go through, we get thrown into the fire, or baked in the oven that takes the forms of the streets of Wenatchee. But when we come at it at an angle of truly loving the Lord and serving Him with all that we have, it isn't something that is too bad. You learn to love everything about it, all the good and the bad. No importa. What a blessing it is to be called to serve.

--
Sister Jaycie Baird
Washington Yakima Mission

Week 13: Learning to be a Missionary Chapter 1: Charity isn't Sassy

Monday - Today was un poquito raro (a little weird). Hermana Kennedy left the mission this day and our companionship was chosen to become a tripan (threesome) until Hermana Harston's new companion came on Wednesday. Fortunately it began on Pday and so we only had to rearrange a couple of things for that night. We ate at a little Mexican restaurant because we didn't have anything gluten free and Hna Harston lived on the other side of the river before heading to our appointment with Arturo y Vero. We've been meeting with them now since my second week out in the field and I love them so much. We taught them the 10 commandments that night and it was neat to see how much they really love to learn. Whenever we teach something new, they say, "Wow. There's so much we don't know. Thank you." They're awesome. After that lesson we decided to stop by the elders apartment and put some sticky notes on their door like that had done to us before we had to head home to get back in time. While our intentions were good, the Spirit had a different plan for us in mind. On our way there (it was right outside of A&V's house) we ran into Evan and Sam. They were probably in their 20's, Sam lived right next door and Evan was visiting his other friend nearby. He had a giant elk horn knife and so naturally we had to ask what he was doing with it. He was incredibly friendly and we ended up talking for quite some time. Hna Dungan talked to Sam while Hna Harston and I talked with Evan. By the end of our conversation, Sam was super excited to learn more and Evan said, "I bet I'll look back at this day and thank God that I took the time to talk to you even when I had things I needed to do." It was awesome. Also, it was really funny because he would call out to anyone else on the street, "HEY!! You guys should listen to them!! They're from Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas and they're really awesome and have a great message!" He would be such an awesome missionary I was trying really hard not to laugh at his enthusiasm because it was so awesome to see.

Tuesday - We had a tripan (triple) miracle today! Holy cow, today was awesome but I'll sum it up short. We went to a track  to exercise and I got to do some old vault exercises. We taught an investigator of Hna Harston's who is really amazing. She speaks three languages and has walked to church before. We had dinner with Sister Sharple, she's my favorite and we had a really awesome gluten free dinner and then ice cream. That was actually really funny because she got out cookies and cream and Hna Harston was heart broken because she couldn't have it. So Sis Sharple said, "You know what lets just get out all the ice cream and we'll just eat out of the tubs in an ice cream buffet and you can choose what you want." So that's totally what we did. There were like 7 different flavors, it was the best. Then that night we had a miracle happen, we got an on date with Mauro!! It was a really really neat lesson that night, very powerful. Some of the kids in that house (I dunno which ones are his and which are his brother-in-laws) came out and listened nice and quiet as well. Until one of them regurgitated a pastry of some sort during one of the more spiritual parts but hey that's alright. It was hilarious. Then we ran into like 3 other people we knew as we ran back to the car and one of our kind of investigators gave us this frozen dulce of some sort that she sells. I love seeing that even if we don't get to teach them because they aren't intereseted, they are our friends.

Wednesday - Miracles and miracles every day. We had transfers and so our tripan split. We walked a lot and had some neat lessons, we found a house of an old investigator of the ingles missioneros (English missionaries) by accident which was awesome. That night we had another lesson with Arturo and Vero with Hna Gitta and it was incredible. I really love my "job". We talked about the importance of prayer and scripture study with the use of Enos. It was really powerful.

Thursday - Elder Solis tried to tell me that my planner was wrong. He told me that it was "Las familias pueden ser juntOs" (families can be together) not juntas. I about had a heart attack. Turns out I used ser when I should have used estar anyway but it's obscure enough I don't think anyone will catch it.

One of these days I received an answer to a prayer that has been a long time in the making. Thank you to my dear friends in Helaman Halls. The little notes you sent was a huge blessing and miracle to me this week and it meant the world :))

Saturday - So my goal for this transfer is to become a missionary. It's tricky, being trained. Sometimes I think we fall into the idea that "Oh, I'm new I don't know how to do these things yet." When in reality, we're being taught how and we need to begin to apply them immediately. So este es mi meta. To act like the missionary, to become the missionary that I know my Heavenly Father wants to be from the very beginning, taking the initiative and working as a companionship instead of as a trainer and trainee. And the first step to this is charity. Sometimes I get a little bit sassy with those that disagree or are being stubborn about something. I don't see everything from their perspective, sometimes I just see how they are wrong. So in comp inventory Hna Dungan gently told me, "You should really work on holding back the sass factor. Charity isn't sassy." I had some awesome opportunities to apply it immediately actually. I struggled during a doorstep lesson, but later that night my eyes were opened. I felt such a strong love for the people we met later that night, and I could feel how much they meant to Heavenly Father as well as the amount of pain He must feel as He sees them struggling. It was really really amazing for me and I'm excited to really apply this charity thing. It works a little bit better than being sassy at least. Who knew?

Sunday - I got to give a talk in Sacrament. That was fun and a little bit terrifying because the preterite and imperfect tenses are not a thing for me and that's all I used as I told my story as to why I came on a mission. Mosiah 28:3, Proverbs 3:5-6, Ether 12:27, and Moroni 2:17 is a basic outline of what I had written, but I only had time to give the first half. I also am officially the pianist of our barrio now. (this is where my parents get to tell me, "I told you so, don;t you wish you practiced more?") Say no more, because the answer is yes. Every opportunity I have I practice. Pday, during lunch when we have District Council and Sundays before church. So, if you are considering a mission, I would get some heartfelt advice to learn how to play the piano. Or at the very least, learn some hymns. But it's actually a blessing because I've really been missing music and my violin of late and now I have an opportunity to play the piano every week.

I'm sorry I write so much. Being a missionary means that a lot goes into your days, every hour is planned and something new or interesting therefore happens every hour of our days. It's the best thing.

Les quiero! (I love you all!)

​Update on my cooking skills - still not a thing

 ​Ice Cream buffet!! (I ate the entire thing of raspberries. as well as raspberry and salted caramel gelato. it was kind of the best.)

​New planner and old planner. Shout out to my mom for that picture of the fam, 

everyone loves it a whole lot :))

--
Sister Jaycie Baird
Washington Yakima Mission

Week 12: Tis all about the little things (May 23, 2016)

Well, I've now been out in the field for one transfer! One whole transfer, six weeks, seems like forever and yet only a day. I'll do my best to give a sum-up of the most interesting things that have occurred at least, although I think for the most part it's really just this week. :))

~Last Sunday I get some great new blonde jokes thanks to some of the most chistoso personas (funny people) in our ward. They were in ingles (english) but when you add a thick spanish accent, somehow you just can't get mad about it. They were hilarious. My favorite one was about a couple of blondes fishing with magnets. They got in trouble because it was a closed lake but they showed the officer that they were just magnets. He left, shaking his head and they turned to each other and said, "That officer is so dumb. These fish are steelheads!"

~Pday - we got to play ultimate frisbee!! As well as nerf wars in the gym. One was zombies and highly panic inducing, not only are the zombies something to avoid but elders as well, and let me tell you, between the two of them it's like a minefield. Then we played a team nerf war where I got to be the medic and personally took out our zone leader who then shot me while he was dead which distracted me so that I really got shot and died and lost for our team. Life lessons in everything we do - don't get so focused on all of the things someone else is doing that causes you to lose focus and fail to protect yourself. It's such a real thing, both at home and in the mission field.

~We had the opportunity to eat with the Newbry's this week and we were discussing different religions. We have multiple investigadores (investigators) who are meeting with us as well as either Jehovah's Witnesses or another religion and I wanted to do more so that I would better be able to address questions that they have about how our religions differ. I was honestly a little bit worried that my ignorance could end up leaving a loose end or even butchering something. Brother Newbry answered in a way that I don't think I can ever forget. He told me that, "It doesn't matter if you're ignorant about some things, you don't have to know everything. Because your testimony is not ignorant. And that is what truly matters, that's what really holds sway in lessons."

~Wednesday was great. We met a lady on the street as we walked to a potential who was very very atheist and essentially told us that she was enlightened and that all we need to come to face the truth one way or another. We tried to bear testimony of the times we have felt our Heavenly Father, when we have felt the Spirit, and she chuckled, "Hallucinations darling, that's all they are." I honestly didn't really know how to even respond, many of the things she said were somewhat contradictory, but we tried our best to tell her what we know. It was interesting though, she said that she usually doesn't ever engage in any kind of religious discussion but for some reason she talked to us, we "slipped under her guard". It made me a little bit sad that sometimes people are very set in their ideas but we can do nothing but respect that decision and be polite in return.

~That same day we ran into a little lemonade stand as they were closing up. The 4 year old was the one who appeared to run it, he was so cute. He said so many things that I could quote but my favorite was right before we left. We had given a Plan of Salvation pamphlet to his mom and he grabbed it, pointing to the cover. "Is this Jesus?!" "It is! And did you know that he is your big brother?" He looked at us in disbelief. "Are.. are you KIDDING me???" It was pretty much the cutest thing ever.

~Later that night we met a sweet family and the little girl, she was like 2, ran up to me and gave me a huge hug like she knew me. As we left, she was absolutely devastated, and chased me as we walked away! I tried to tell her that we were coming back, we promised but she would not hear it! I felt so bad, her mom was pregnant and she had to chase this little girl down and catch her so that we could leave. Needless to say, I felt really special. And I learned that if you win the hearts of the kids, the parents at the very least have to invite you back. :)

~Saturday we met a handful of interesting people, some were golden some were very anti. We met a man that night with a dog named Dude (my kind of name for a dog or anyone really) who although was very against us, was pretty harmless and didn't have a "shut-down" attitude. He was of the opinion that we are solicitors but he also kept asking questions and gave us a fist bump for "pounding the pavement and doin what we do." To each his own I guess. I really love people :)

~Sunday we had the awesome opportunity to OYM 5 people! They were all about my age, a handful of guys who were on their way to the skate park. They were really neat. It reminded me again how much I love this work. There are people who think you're crazy and then there are teenagers, peers, who have had a rough time or are just trying to keep their head afloat in their own way and it doesn't matter who you are, what your background is, what you've been through, what you've done, what you believe. We are all the same in God's eyes, we are all precious. Without Him we are nothing and yet He loves us all the same. We've been able to share just a little shred, sometimes only by listening, just a tiny shred of the love God has for each and everyone one of them because that's why we're out here. We're out here to help others be happy, to come closer to Christ and have a little bit more joy. And even if after we talk to them nothing comes of it, even if they choose not to recognize it or do their best to argue, for just those few minutes, I can feel that love that God has for that person. And I really hope that they can too.

Keep shining your light! Always always always :)))

Les quiero!
Hna Baird

​Hna Dungan got struck with a flu like bug but kept on trucking like the amazing missionary she is. And that night, we came home to this. Thank you to our wonderful Zone Leaders and District Leaders (aka our entire district) for making me chase down sticky notes all over our yard at 9:15 at night. :)

​One last sisters pictures before transfers happen :)

​Puppies! Actually, the same one whose mother attacked me a while ago. Note: Even if it is the puppies fault, you will be the one attacked.

--
Hermana Jaycie Baird
Washington Yakima Mission