June 30

Dear Family and Friends,

Well, tomorrow is the 1 year anniversary of the Arizona Gilbert Mission! How insane is that?! I can't believe I've been out for that long, the time has flown by. We had a fun mission breakfast this morning and then played some water games to celebrate. It was super hot but really fun to see everyone.

Tomorrow we're going to the Gilbert Temple as a mission too, which will be really neat. And then President LeSeour, the temple president, is going to do a devotional for us. It'll be a really neat opportunity. I love the temple, and we're really lucky to live so close to it.

Other than that this week was pretty normal. Nothing too crazy happening here. It's super hot, but that's not really shocking. I'm handling the heat better than expected. I just have to constantly drink water.

We had exchanges this week, so I got to spend the day with Sister Ball. That was super fun! We lived together for 3 transfers awhile ago, and I loved being with her again. We got to talk to quite a few people and had a lot of fun together.

And then the next day I was in a trio with Sister Russell and Sister Bryant, our roommates, since Sister Sanders had to go to a meeting for all the mission leaders. We had a lot of fun too. We taught a few lessons and got to help pick some grapefruit for a less active lady. It was fun.

And those are the highlights of my week. Sad I know, but not too much is going on here. It's almost July and everyone leaves in July because it's so freaking hot! So it's kind of like a Ghost Town for awhile, but it's kinda fun. We're still working super hard trying to find new people to teach and getting to know the members. I really love missionary work, but there are times when it's not as glamorous as others. But we keep working hard anyways, because the Lord can only bless us if we continue to work hard. And even when there aren't big miracles, the Lord still blesses us each day with small miracles. I am grateful for His continued love and support.

There's one last thing I wanted to tell you all about before I finish this email. Our mission is starting to read the Book of Mormon from the beginning again tomorrow. We're going to read the entire thing in 65 days, which is how long it took to publish The Book of Mormon. It's going to be pretty cool. It'll be about 10 pages a day. And President Nattress asked us to invite our friends and family to do the same. So I'm inviting you all to read The Book of Mormon with me in the next 65 days. Even if you don't finish it, it will be a really neat experience. The Book of Mormon is such an incredible book. It is truly another testimony of Jesus Christ. That he lives and loves us. I have found so much comfort in reading the Book of Mormon and answers to prayers. I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the chance I have to share it with others. It truly has the power to change lives. And it's all possible because of Jesus Christ and His love for each one of us. He came to earth and died for us so that we could all live again. I love sharing that message with others every day.

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful week. I love and miss you all!

Love Always,

Baylee

So the pictures: Me and sister sanders after riding through sprinklers, me and sister Ball, picking grapefruit, a giant cactus, and the activity this morning