May 12

Dear Family and Friends,

Well, it's been a great week, as usual. It's starting to be consistently warmer and my tan lines are getting more and more prominent. It's kind of hilarious.

Last Monday was a great P-day. Sister Bateman and I went shopping and got some great stuff. And we met some great members. One bought us lunch. And another bought us books at Deseret Book. Members are the best, I'm so grateful for everything they do for us. And then we had a zone activity where we played human chess (picture a Harry Potter type setup but more ghetto. haha.) It's super nerdy, but was actually pretty fun.

Last Tuesday we did a church tour for our investigator Maria, and it went really well. It helped her see that our church is a lot like other churches. And she really enjoyed seeing it all. We're hoping she'll feel more comfortable coming to church this way.

Wednesday was zone conference and it was a lot of fun. We had 3 zones so we got to see some other missionaries. All of our training was great. I learned a lot and had a great time.

Thursday we had exchanges, so I left our area for the day and had a lot of fun. I was with Sister Sanders-we used to be roommates so that was super fun. And we got to do family history training, which was super legit. It was through familysearch.org, which is free for anyone to use to learn more about their family. We were looking through old documents and stories, and it was super neat. I got to see a census from 1940 that had my grandparents and great-grandparents on it. Family History is a lot more exciting that I thought. It's more about the people and what they did than just names on a computer screen or piece of paper. It's really neat to hear stories about ancestors, its makes them feel more like real people.

And then yesterday was Mother's day so I got to call home. Unfortunately we couldn't figure out how to get skype to work, so I could only talk on the phone, but it was still great to talk to my family. And weird since it's been several months. Haha. We also saw some great miracles at church. We had a member invite his nonmember friend to church last week and she loved it. So she came back this week with her mother and son. And we're going to start teaching her on Tuesday night! I'm super excited about it!

I'm really enjoying being out here in Arizona, I've even grown to love it here (I never thought I'd say that. Haha.) I've been out for almost a year now and I love every day. I love that I get to share something that has brought me so much joy. I get to tell people about Jesus Christ-that He lives and loves each one of us. That the Church of Jesus Christ has been restored through Joseph Smith, that Heavenly Father has given additional scripture-The Book of Mormon. And that there's a living prophet today who leads the church on earth under the direction of Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful for this knowledge and want you all to know that I know it's all true. And that it can bring lasting joy to each one of us.

Well, this is kind of a short email, but that was pretty much my week. Nothing too exciting, but I enjoyed it. I hope you all have a wonderful week. I love and miss you!

Love Always,
Baylee