December 2, 2013. Happy Thanksgiving!



Happy Thanksgiving!!



Love this family--The Hansons

So this week has been the most bizarre week of my mission thus far. Not a bad bizarre. Just weird. And also awesome.

We were told that instead of Monday being our p-day, it would be on Thursday. That's why we told those members to tell you so you wouldn't be sad not getting an email for a few days. Then that night we were told we could still email and get food. After that mini-pday, we went to pick up our third sister, Sister M! Getting her took up about half of the day, then we continued on with our missionary-ness.

Tuesday. On Tuesday. It started off bright and early with a pumpin' up devotional at seminary. That was fun! (I've got some pictures of us and the dead seminary students. I remember those days...) For Tuesday we had planned to go on splits with a girl named H from our ward who's thinking about serving a mission. Clearly we would love for her to join the ranks. Anyway we got a phone call from the office about my visa and the extra papers i had to fill out. Ma and pa, you know all about that now! That was so funny to call the mission office about a question and hear him say that he had you on the other line. Hahah. So Sister M and I worked on those papers while Sister J and H went to see a less active. It was nice that we still got some work done amidst all that crazy paperwork.

Wednesday. I prefer to call it d-day. Or death-day. That is, death of the trio. That morning our beloved trio died because Sister M was being transferred up to Salem. That took most of the day and was pretty bummy.

Thursday. THANKSGIVINGGGGG! Num num num!! We got to have dinner with the C family, the awesome members that we live with. Sister C made all the Thanksgiving treats and it was wonderful. Since it was our p-day, both Sister J and I took naps! Mine ended up being two hours!!! Hurrah for Israel! We also turkey-attacked our bishop, some less-actives and some investigators. You know, like heart attacking, but with turkeys. We also made Christmas paper chains for decor for our room. The issue is that they won't stay up now. Bahhh.

Friday. Our investigator R got baptized!!!! We were calling to make sure members were coming, then found out that it was also the night of the Civil War game. That's the football game with OSU Beavers vs UO Ducks. It's a huge deal here. Like Carolina and Duke basketball time 5. I didn't think that could happen, but it does. I guess it's because they don't have as many big universities to rival each other. So it ended up that about half of the ward was at one house watching the game, so when that 

family remembered about the baptism everyone else came too. It 

was awesome. By far the most people I've ever seen at a convert baptism and R  felt so loved!

Saturday. We saw two less-actives- a mother and her daughter.

As we were leaving they gave us 5 HUGE slices of pie. I'm
talking massive. We're getting better at saying no to sweets, but not that much better. People give us food sooooo much and I can't even handle it. When I get to Brazil my mission weight loss plan A is to walk and sweat everything off. And my plan B is a tapeworm. Just kidding mom. I'll use that water filter thingy thing.

And Saturday we had dinner with the HANSON FAMILY!!!! The coolest family this side of the Mississsippi came down to have dinner with me and Sister J! It was totally wicked! (read that like the little boy at the end of the incredibles) AHH. I just love that family and they know it. (Hayyy Sister Hanson- I know you're reading this!) And Emma, the youngest daughter, made J and I these super cute bracelets. You had best believe I'm rocking it every day.

Sunday funday. R was confirmed at church then bore his testimony!! It was sah-weeeet. Then his wife D bore her testimony during Relief Society. She gets really bad stage fright so that was a huge deal for her. Now our goal for them is the temple!! That night we had a lesson at the Bishop's with a less
active family.  They're pretty funny and call us their "missionettes." According to them, the elders are called the missionaries and the sisters are called missionettes. I think it's pretty funny, so whatever floats their boat I guess.

That's the lowdown of Sweet Home. We've been working with a lot of less actives and it's been fun. I've been writing a tender
mercy in my journal every night and it's been amazing to look back on every day and see that hand of the Lord and see how much he's blessed me that day. For instance, when Sister M and I were working on paperwork and R's  baptismal program, there wasn't any paper in the printer and we don't have the keys to the library to get more (we're working on that). We also didn't have the phone- Sister J and H  did. I don't have our phone number memorized, but I found an extra program from Sunday with our phone number on it and also all the leaders in the ward's numbers. One of the sweetest women in the ward drove all the way to the church to give us the keys to the library and offered to give us a ride to the police station so I could get my fingerprints for my paperwork (we also didn't have the car). It was just a little thing that made a huge difference in how the day went and how we were able to get things done.

Mamma- I haven't gotten your package, but I'm super excited!!!

Oh. I had a dream the other night that I was getting transferred to the Ukraine and Evelina Moraru (from Chick-fil-A) was going to
be my companion. That would have been awesome. Except I don't speak Ukranian! Haha.

We went to the chiropracter last week and I found out my right side is shorter than me left. Who knew? My back's been kinda achy and poppy recently so we're going to get that checked out today. I'm pretty pshyched!

Yup. That's all. Keep it real. Remember who you are and what
you stand for.

Love, peace, and chicken grease,

Sister Baker