June 11, 2012


HELLO

I know right where that hotel is!! HAhah it is right near I lived for 4 months!! That will be cool. It is within like 30 minutes of everything cool on the island. Thats great!! And the view is really pretty, you can see the continent. The water won´t be AS pretty cuz it´ll still be kind of winter, but thats OK!!

This week was rushed and hurried and we almost got nothing done except solve problems. First off, it is REALLY cold now, I donno whats goin on but everything is always moist and it doesn´t matter if you have a coat on it goes right to the bone. It reminds me of Baton Rouge. But you can NEVER get warm cuz there is no heating here! Only in really nice hotels and houses. But we have had to solve a million emergency transfers that president did, and we were at the bus station a lot. A couple times we had to get up at 4 in the morning and walk 30 minutes to get there and to wait for 4 hours. IT was pretty terrible, I am glad its over. But on Tuesday we had a good meeting with president. The bus ride back was maybe the worst trip I have ever had in my life. There was, of course, 3 babies sitting next to me and an overweight lady as well. We got the bus at 11 at night and got there at 11:30 the next day. Everyone was sick in the bus, so the air was thick. I sat by the window and it was FREEZING cold and the babies cried the whole time. I am also glad that is over haha.

We are having some problems with that couple that we are trying to marry. He just went crazy and said the church is envloved in politics and he hates politics more than anything and now he is fighting with his wife and it isn´t going very well. I´m gonna go over there tomorrow to see if I can solve it, we´ll see though, he really hates politics a lot (I don´t know why he thinks the church invloves itself in politics, because it doesn´t) 

Its kinda funny all of our progressing investigators that we have we didn´t even find them!! There are 2 that are preparing for baptism that came up to us on the road and asked for a visit. This couple that is maybe gonna get married, they showed up at church alone. There is another family of 2 that asked about the book of mormon banners back when we had the exhibition. Another one that is progressing and coming to church was a reference from a member. Its cool to see that when we work our hardest, even if it isn´t a result from our own labors, we have success because God´s hand is in the work. We did a million contacts and it didn´t do anything but we have a bunch of people to work with that were literally given to us!!

The shower is still broken and it is really terrible cuz the bathroom is impossible to clean. It was even worse when we had 6 people over on Saturday night cuz the temple in Manaus was dedicated. Did you guys get to watch!? It was pretty cool! I have never seen one before! But Elder Uctdorf did it and he was so funny! He made the weirdest comments when they were laying the corner stone haha it was fun. It was so cold inside the chapel though.

I told Dad, but I received really cool news the other day. So, I baptized a guy named Marcelo in Itajaí and also his daughter. But his wife and his other daughter were not interested. I just found out the other day that one of my friends (he is a misisonary) here on the mission got transferred to my old area and just baptized them! So now I have a whole convert family to write to! I thought it was pretty neat. 

WELLLLL, thats all I have got. I am really tired and President Fernandes told me to go to the dermatologist, so I am going this week. 

Love you!!

June 4, 2012


Hello:

This week was a good one! We worked a lot, and had a lot of fun experiences. I talked to a girl I know here and she recommended a bunch of places to visit, I sent the places to dad. Elder M. Santos´s wedding isn´t gonna happen in October, but he could easily show us around Salvador. 

So, on Tuesday I did a contact with a family of 6!! It is my only dream on the mission, to baptize a full family. And this is a missionary´s dream! A big family, and they have 4 sons!! Who are all between 10 and 19!! We marked for wednesday, so we will see if they are prepared then. I think I told you already, but I eat like 8 tangerines a day. There are also orange trees, but I never liked to eat oranges. But I LOVE orange juice, its the best. And they drink weird kinds of juices here from other fruits, which are also good, but I miss orange juice. I used to avoid picking the oranges, but now I pick them and drop them on the ground and they crack a little and I suck all the orange juice out. Its soo good!! I will never get sick I drink like 3,000 grams of vitamin C a day!!

We are going to mark the marriage date of Josimar and Tatiani this week, so they will be able to be baptized this month maybe. My shoes are really funny. They are really worn down on one side and not so much on the other side. Everyone laughs at them. But it sucks cuz it rains a lot here and my feet get completely wet. The weather is weird though and it gets really hot the next day. I thought it was supposed to be cold!!

Our shower is the worst. I bought caulk to try to stop the water from leaking from out from underneath the metal that lines the shower but it didn´t work and only made the shower smell like vinegar. I put soo much on and the water somehow finds a way through and so the floor is always wet and smelly and terrible. And there are four of us there with little time to clean so you can imagine how it gets. I am trying to fix it but I just don´t have time except on pday and it takes a long time to dry. 

So we taught a young kid and his girlfriend the other day and they told us that they already know the BOM is true! It took us by suprise! And then the next day, 2 girls came up to us and asked what time church was at, so we ended up marking a visit with them and their family and went there, taught a lesson, and they went to church this sunday and said that they really liked it! It was a pretty good week this week, with lots of cool experiences. But we also had 8 people over for 2 days, so the bathroom is putrid now. 

Friday was interview day. It was good, I talked to president about you coming to pick me up. He said that you need to work out the flight plans and stuff and need to respect that I will have stuff to do until the last day, but I think that isn´t gonig to be a problem. But, he said that our stake president can just release me over the phone. So you gotta work that all out and tell me!!

Saturday we did divisions. It was alright. NO ONE was home though, I dunno why. Sunday, we had district conference, and president Fernandes spoke. I know I always say it, but he is so funny. Today and yesterday I had an opportunity that almost no missionary gets. We rode with president ALL the way from Chapecó until floripa. We talked the whole time about stuff. We got to ask him a bunch of questions and we got to know him a lot better. He got to know us better, too. There were just 3 of us and him! For 12 hours!! But we went to Chapecó until a city called Videira, where we slept at the missionaries´ house. Then at 6 in the morning he was outside honking, so we left. It was soo fun!!! I remembered all of our road trips too. It was really cool cuz he answered whatever question that we asked about doctrine. 

The landcapes here are amazing. It was the coolest drive ever!! The roads are so crazy here!! They wind and wind and drop and twist and they are all on the ridge of the mountains, it was so cool. We also drove through a forest which has trees that are considered to put out the most pure oxigen on earth, so that was fun too. 

Thats all, I love you!!! Tchau!

May 28, 2012

This week was alright, its so tough here cuz everyone is rich. But, we found a couple families that we are teaching right now, that aren´t like ``BOOM`` though. But we are workin with em. 

I didn´t take notes on what to say, so lemme try to remember. Ummmmm transfers were this week, so we were at the bus station a lot. It was kinda boring. We had to wake up one day at 2:30 in the morning and walk to the bus station. I was sooo tired that day!

We taught a girl named Elaine again, I think I told you about her. But she has a bunch of problems that we found out about, mainly about the word of wisdom. But we are working with her.

One thing really cool that happened this week was that we marked the marriage of a couple that want to get baptized!! So we will baptize them in about 30 days from this week. But the lesson was really cool, we brought a recent convert to the visit with us that bore testimony and really helped the couple, whose names are Josimar and Tatiani, to feel the truthfulness of the message that I left about temple marriage. They even went to a marriage that was held last saturday to see how they want to organize theirs! 

Oh yea we were interviewed on the radio as well!! haha we went there and asked if they could put of english class advertisement on the radio and we ended up gettting a 30 minute interview!! It was pretty cool, I wrote down a bunch of questions for him to ask us on the air, and we responded to them. I got a recording of it, so I will have to show you when I get home. 

I only have 4 months left!! Isn´t that weird?? I am nervous. I am just nervous about everything haha about the time I have left on the mission about when I get home, but its fine cuz I know there is nothing to be nervous of. I am really, REALLY excited to have you guys come to get me!! I hope it all works out! I still haven´t had time to research where I want to go, I think I will go there right now and take a look. 

I will FINALLY be able to go to get my braces treated on the 5th. Its been like 40 days!! I think I will have to go home with them, president forgot he said he wouldn´t send me out here. Sooo, he kinda left me in the dumps there and we lost money I think. Sorry. 

I will be able to talk to him this Friday is all goes well, but you never know with him so we will see. I am gonna ask to be a normal senior missionary for my last transfer so I don´t have to do all this junk and can focus on missionary work more!! I want to go to the island, we will see if he lets me... 

Thats all I have got, you are all in my prayers and I love you all!!!!

Elder Alex Baker

May 21, 2012


Hello family:

How is everyone doin?? I hope well. This week was pretty good, it was pretty rushed though. 

We just did a million contacts on monday and tuesday. Wednesday we went to an area called Efapi to do divisions with the guys there. It was fun cuz I got to go with Elder Pearson, an elder from my group that is from South Dakota. The area is just another neighborhood of Chapecó, but the city is really big so its far away. On Thursday we did the exhibit thing again because there is an area that is really close to the downtown place that we did it so they wanted to do it again so we went and helped them. It was a long day hhaha. But the results are really showing now. We found a family of 7 that we are teaching now, they are pretty cool. But another family we found, a family of 5, they are really cool! I am excited to teach them. We have an appointment for Saturday.

On Friday I took a 6 hour bus ride to be able to go to an area at the end of the world to do a baptismal interview called Fransisco Beltrão. It was a pretty cool city, it has a big tall tower made of bricks that we went up and looked at the city. Its in another state and is pretty close to Argentina. saturday I rode the bus back. 

I think 7-8 days would be great. Its up to you. You have to decide where we are gonna go too!! I haven´t had time to look around. I think next pday I will go to the library to look at places. Maybe I´ll go today. But I am so anxious to know how Sérgio, Nilva, and Alex are doin back in Itajaí!! MY dream is to baptize them when we go to visit them, but that´d be good if they get baptized soon here. 

I am excited to get the acne medz. Its kinda good though I guess, cuz the brazilians LOVE blond hair and blue eyes here. I have never told you this, but almost every girl I talk to asks if we can date on the mission and if I have a girlfriend haha. They also think that dad is a model and that mom is from germany and they all think mom´s hair is so cool when I show them the pictures, so be prepared to recieve complements!! 

I talked to elder Neilson the other day and he told me that president said that his stake president could call him and release him over the phone, so thats what we will do I guess!!!

Thats all I hve got this week, Linds I haven´t had a chance to read the talk yet, I am printing it and will read it tonight. elder Val is getting transferred and a brazilian is coming, so all our english talking will have to stop.

Love you!!


P.S. The pic is of me doing a brazilian bbq called churrasco!!
-- 
Elder Alex Baker

May 14, 2012

yea it was really good to talk to everyone, I think that was my favorite call of all four!! I liked the phone better, I actually managed to talk to some of you!! With Skype it was hard cuz everyone was talking at once!  Hey, can we go to Machu Pichu too? I here its waay cheap!! But whereever we go, it willl be fun. I will make some suggestions next email, I gotta study about it a lil bit. 

The week was pretty good, we got some new investigators and found 2 families-I hope they are prepared! we have one appointment with one tonight, so we will see how it goes. We had a really good lessons with a girl named Elaine. She is a single 25 year old mom that we talked to and showed the exhibit to. She was really special and was teary eyed when she heard about joseph smith she told US that the spirit wsa really strong at that moment! She is one of the smartest people I have ever taught. 

We did a churrasco today!! We bought 46 reais worth of meat and grilled it up today. It was really good!! I will have to do it for us when I get back!! 

I forgot to tell you but I have been learning CLAIR DE LUNE on the piano. I have been slowly teaching myself since I was in Tijucas, but Elder Lynch can read music so we got a copy and I am learning it really fast!! Its fun!! I forgot to ask you where that piano we used to have went-I forgot.

Everyone sounded good!! One of the most shocking things was how OLD Olivia sounds!! She sounded kinda like emily!! It was weird. Is she shy now?? She hardly talked!!!!! 

Well, there really isn´t much more to talk about, we just talked yesterday!! Isn´t that weird to think that the next time I will talk to you will be in person!?

Mom, thanks for being the best mom in the world, without you I would not be here or nearly who I am today, even with everyone else doing what they have done for me, I wouldn´t be who I am. Seeing your faith has helped mine exponentially grow. I love you. Thank you. 

Thats all I have for this week, I love you all!

 

Elder Alex Baker

May 7, 2012


Hi:

It was a good week this week. It got really really cold to the point of having to wear a coat and then this week it got burning hot again. But, I think its gonna cool down next week for good. I am so excited!! I HATE the heat!!

I will tell you what I did all week and then I will answer all your questions. Soo, this week we had those big banner things I told you about, but I went and talked to the government and we managed to get permission to do it in the dead center of the city, and this huge park-type thing right in front of the huge catholic church they´ve got here. So, we put up the banners, and did contacts and taught lessons using that all week. On the week I talked to 150 different people and taught 23 lessons about the BOM... So did the rest of the missionaries!! It was great!! It was really tiring though.. I think I can say it was the week that I have worked hardest on my whole mission. I really want to find a whole family to baptize, I have always baptized 2 or three members to complete a family and stuff like that but I want to find a complete family!! So pray for us. But my companion (elder Lynch) is really funny and we get along well and work together pretty well, so its fun. I love living with another companionship!! Its fun!! The house gets filthy though. But my comp was interviewed on the news!! I look over and he is gettin interviewed!! It was really bizarre though, cuz he was interviewed by a famous transsexual that is really well known. It was awkward. But I think we also got pictures and an article that I wrote published on a website called http://idchapeco.com.br/ so you´ll have to look. 

Tell Christian to email me!!!!!

Of course I want you to come!! 2 weeks might be a long time, maybe just a week?? But I dunno if you wanna stay 2 weeks lets do it!!, the places I want to see are Foz do Iguaçu, the beaches of Bahia or Recife, maybe Rio de Janeiro but its kinda dangerous there. I will have to research a lil bit more and ask around cuz I dunno where to go!! This state is really pretty though!! But I will talk to president in 2 weeks for interviews and I will talk about all this stuff with him. Write downa list of things that we need to know and send it to me next email. 

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I dunno when I get to call but I will send you an email on Saturday telling you the details. I can´t believe you got a new car!! I´m gonna have to ask a member to show me on google. Why did you get that one!?? Hey can I get a car?? Look around at estate sales for a jeep or somethin... I just want a four wheel drive stick shift.. big SUV. 


But thats all I´ve got. Talk to you next week!!

Love Elder Baker

April 30, 2012

hello:

Sooooo I went to a city called Xanxerê on Tuesday cuz president asked usto do exchanges. So, I went with Elder Longo for a day. It was fun, the city is pretty cool. An even cooler city is called Xaxim. But, I met a man named Neuto Pasinatto, who has been working with Miss Brazil for his whole life. He knows all the winners personally!1 He is like 75 now and reminded me of Hugh Hefner, except that he is a member now. He is a recent convert. He has no vocal chords, and a metal tube sticking out of his throat and every time he wants do faintly whisper he has to plug the tube. You would think that would prevent him from talking, but he is a talker!!! He is really funny. He gave me a mug! But when I went in it was pretty memorable. I looked over and on his wall he had 3 pictures, one of the 2nd Coming, one of Joseph Smith, and one of the BOM. I commented and said that I liked them and he looked at me with a huge smile and said ``they light up the whole house!`` It was pretty cool to hear how this man was before and then to see how he had changed, even unto appreciating a few pictures! 

On Wednesday we started the EXHIBITION- a series of huge banners that thoroughly explain what the book of Mormon is and how it came to pass. We hang them up on the fence at the chapel and talk to every car and person that passes by. So we have been doing that all week. We talked to about 700 people this week and taught about 100 people about the BOM!! It is pretty cool, I will have to send some pictures next week. But, the coolest thing is that when I was a traveling assistant me and my companion Elder Athayde designed those banners on the computer! it was actually mostly Elder Athayde, but I helped too!! hah. But they work really well.

It is really cold now, it came out of the middle of nowhere!! And on Thursday we suffered. Elder Perren was taking a shower when out of no where the showerhead caught on fire. If you didn´t already know, in brazil they use electric shower heads because water heaters don´t exist. They are really dangerous! I have been shocked more than a fwe times!! but, needless to say, the showerhead was destroyed. So we had to take cold showers for the next couple times. I finally couldn´t take it, so we gathered all the money we had and went and bought what we could. The good thing is we had about 83 reais (money) so we actually bought a really nice one!! 

These banners will hopefully help our teaching pool out cuz it is pretty empty right now. It has been raining ever since I got here, and my shoes are 100% absorbant so its been a blast. We have been denied by soo many rich people!! The houses here are so huge, I don´t know what is here but there must be some company that everyone works for that pays really well. 

Its really weird here cuz we see the sisters every single day of the week. We basically share the area with them. Its unique, thats for sure!

Hey, I was thinkin the other day, have you (mom and dad) done a lot of family history work^? Cuz its somethin that I am really interested in now! 

Love you all!!

Elder Alex Baker