The Last Hoorah!

All the departing missionaries.

​Well... this is it. I can't believe that this is my final group email. This week was really hard. I cried everyday thinking about leaving this place. I am so grateful for the people that I have met here and the experiences that I had.

Now, it's on to a new chapter in my life. One filled with excitement and an unknown future. 

I just want each of you to know that I have LOVED my mission. So much! I wouldn't trade it for the world. This is God's work and it is soooo good! I love you all so much!!!! 

I am so grateful for the chance God gave me to serve a mission. It has truly been amazing. 

I love you all and I love my Savior.

Love, 

For the last time

Sister Bauer

A week to make it count.

This Morning I cried.

I cried thinking about leaving this place. I don't really even know how to explain how I feel. I guess the best way I could explain it is that this has been my home for the past 18 months. The people here are my people. They have seen me change, grow, cry, laugh, and seen my good days and bad. Southern California has seen me grow and change and become something that I never even imagined I could be.

Being a missionary has been the hardest, happiest 18 months that I have ever experienced. I sometimes think about what my life would be like without my mission. I can't even think about it. It hurts my heart too much. The people I have met, the things i have experienced, the person I have become and the changes I have made. I could never give that up for anything. I would choose it over again in a heartbeat. I love my mission with all of my heart.

When I decided to serve a mission I knew it would be hard. I knew I would face trials and have to learn to rely on God, but no amount of preparation could have truly prepared me for how hard it really was. I can recall so many instances when I would ask Heavenly Father, "Can't you just help me feel like I'm not drowning? For like 2 seconds?" I always felt like whenever I would get the hang of something, Heavenly Father would throw another weight on me and I would struggle to keep my head above water... again. It was a pattern I found throughout my mission. I would overcome (barely) a trial, and then I would face something new that was just as hard or sometimes even harder. I remember one experience specifically when I got called to be in leadership. I remember feeling so inadequate and very afraid. I would get on my knees and I would plead with God to help me. Those moments on my knees were sometimes the only times that I felt like I could even continue on. But those times gave me a testimony that prayer is real. They helped me understand that God is listening, that he hears our cries and acknowledges our pain. But just like Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, sometimes we have to drink the bitter cup in order to fulfill our purpose here in this life. 

God's work and His glory is for us to return to live with him. Everything that we experience is for that specific purpose. So Have faith! Have faith that when your mission and your life gets hard, it's all a part of the plan. Have faith that God will not forsake you and that all things are possible through Christ. (Philippians 4:13) Keep on Keepin' on my friends! Because this work is divine and we are entitled to His divine help. I love my Savior and I love this work. 

God is so good. He takes us out of our comfort zones, and he changes the plans we have made for ourselves to what he knows will help us reach our potential. That is what he did with me. I didn't want to serve a mission, but I would never trade it. As we submit to God's will, he will always bless us 10 fold. 

I am excited to see you/talk to you all in a week! But this week, I will make it count. I have one more week to be set apart from the world as a representative of Jesus Christ. I have one more week to change the world, one contact at a time. I have one more week to live it up and be the best missionary that I can be.

Pray for me this week! Pray that I can see miracles and feel the power of my calling stronger then ever! 

I love you all so much! I will send off my last group email next week!

Love, Sister Bauer

Temple Tuesday!

Today was temple Tuesday! But... I didn't even get to go. Because I went a couple of months ago with Sister Perry on a non-pday and I had to give one up.

I don't have much to say this week except life is good. I am sick an dI lost kmy voice... so that's annoying! I don't have much else to say. But I love you all short email time today!! 

Talk to you all next week! 

Love Sister Bauer

The days are like weeks and the weeks are like days!!

Wowee! This week was hectic! We went on 3 exchanges this week. 2 of them were back to back! Sister Oler and I didn't really get to see each other much this week... But none the less is was still a really good week!

This week we didn't even get to teach any of our investigators, we also didn't find any NEW investigators... which is a MAJOR bummer because that means we've gone 2 weeks in a row without finding a new investigator. But we have some really good potentials and return appointments set up for this week. 

We did however have some really rad lessons with some Less Actives. 

Jackson (I changed the name) is an 18 year old kid in our ward who has been through a lot. He made some really dumb choices his senior year in High School that kinda costed him a lot. He's got addictions he has to overcome and the Atonement is becoming very real to him. I love teaching Jackson. He's got such a powerful spirit. He has a desire to change, and you can feel his testimony come through when we are in lessons with him. He has a long ways to go and he sometimes continues to make mistakes... but I can feel the love that the Savior has for him and it's incredibly powerful.

We were also able to do service this week for a less active part member family. Jen and Jayson. Jen is the member. She told us that Jayson has been asking about when we are going to come over again. So that's exciting.

Miracles are all around me! I love my mission!!! :)

Well... That's about it for me this week!!! Catch ya'll next week!!! :)

Love, Sister Bauer

And the Busy-ness Continues!

Wow! This week was suuuuuper busy! I can't believe that it's already Monday again. The first P-day of the transfer. The first week always seems to go by so quickly! Then again, so does the second and third week and then before you know it another transfer is half over and it feels like all you did was blink! The days are beginning to count much more these days. Every time I am in a lesson or at church I can't help but tell myself to savor this moment because soon it will be gone and will be nothing but a memory. I love my mission.

 

Anyways!!!

 

This week was full of exchanges and member present lessons!! We had a goal of getting 6 and we did it! It was not easy but we were quite proud of ourselves. We didn't find this week though... which is kinda sad, but we will find this next week. We have a lot of good potentials who just haven't quite been picked up as investigators yet. They will soon hopefully.

 

This week we had two of our investigators come to church. Good Ol' Mike Michalka, and a new investigator that we picked up last week, her name is Chin Yu. She is from Taiwan and is studying English here. She is pretty good for only being here one month. She understands most of what we say. But man... it is really difficult to teach her! Our "Teaching simply" skills have really been put to the test. We literally can't elaborate on anything It's been very interesting. Not only because of the language barrier, but also because she doesn't have a Christian background. This is not something I have encountered on my mission yet... so it's been kinda a trip! She is 21 years old and is the sweetest thing. She is always laughing and smiling and telling us she doesn't understand us! haha. It's really funny. Luckily we have a few resources who speak fluent Mandarin Chinese who have offered to help us with lessons. It's been quite the adventure I must say.

 

This week I was studying more about the atonement. I was studying about how to use it and apply it into my life and I was brought to the story about the women who was taken in adultry. (John 8:2-11 <-------Go visit that link and watch the video.)

The scribes and Pharisees bring the woman before Christ to see what he says about her. And in so doing he says the most profound thing. 

"He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." 

None were perfect except Christ. He was the only one who was even capable of casting a stone. And yet... he says these simple but life-changing (for me) words.

"When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."

"Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more"

The atonement is LITERALLY that simple!!! Christ does NOT condemn us. As we are willing to change and we recognize the mistakes we have made in the past, all He asks is that we go and sin no more. Maybe this is too simple and you all already realized this... but this was the coolest insight that I had when I realized that I can be forgiven. When I realized that I can change. BECAUSE of Jesus Christ. 

Go and sin no more. 

God is so good. He just wants us back with Him. Christ loves us. He's our older brother and he will do anything fore us. He has done everything for us. I love this gospel. I love my Savior. I love my mission and the person is has and still is shaping me to be! 

Have a great week! 

Love, Sister Bauer

It's the final countdown...

So... That was a suuuuper trunky subject line. But it's kinda true. :( Tomorrow marks the last first day of the transfer that I will have on my mission. I can't believe it. I have 5 weeks left to be a full time missionary. It's so crazy and so sad.

I am staying in Cypress for my last transfer! Hurrah! And I am staying with Sister Oler. But.... Plot twist!!!! Sister Greathouse is going to be coming with us in a trio!!! Whaaaaaat??? We were both super surprised because I was with Sister Greathouse for 2 transfers before in Norwalk and she has already served in this ward for 3 transfers before she came with me in Norwalk. So she will have a double repeat. Repeat companion and repeat area! Weird... That doesn't happen very often.

This transfer is only 5 weeks. Normally a transfer is 6 weeks long, but there was a scheduling conflict so they had to change the transfer date. I got short changed. Oh well... what are you gonna do? Anyways, Sister Oler and I figured out that we literally only have 4 full proselyting days with each other. Every other day we will either be in meetings, on exchanges, or at the temple. It's going to flyyyyy by! It makes me sad.

I have been doing a lot of reflecting these past few days. I have made a lot of mistakes on my mission. A looooooooooooot. There are things that I wish I could've known at the beginning that I know now. There are things that I wish I didn't know still... And I have realized how truly amazing the Atonement is. Because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, I can be forgiven of the mistakes I have made. I can finish my mission knowing that I did everything I could to make God proud. There are still times that I wonder and doubt that God loves me with all the flaws and stupid things I have done in my life. But last night I talked to one of my past companions who had to remind me that even though I do mess up a lot, it's the grace of Jesus Christ that makes me worthy to enter into the kingdom of God.

I am not good because I have done good things in my life. Nor am I bad because I've screwed up so many times. I am "good" because Jesus Christ paid for me to be good. Now I have to accept that and do something with it. It does me no good to sit here and be upset with myself because of the things I have done wrong, instead I take that and use it to change myself. A change that is only possible because of my Savior.

I am soooooo grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and that I have priesthood leaders who can help me access it's amazing healing power! I am soooo thankful for examples of goodness that I can look up to and strive to be like.

I'm probably not done making mistakes, both consciously and unconsciously. I'm not promising to be perfect. But I am promising to "Try a little harder, to be a little better." (President Hinckley)

I want to be better! I want to be someone who God (and I) can be proud of. Thanks for letting me screw up sometimes and for loving my anyways. It's been a bumpy ride... But I think I'm finally starting to see what God has in store for me. That's what a mission does for you I suppose. :)

I looooooove this gospel. I really do. I know that it's true. I know that it is Christ's church. I bear HIS name. I represent HIM. This is HIS work and it can only be done with HIS spirit. I love this work. Soooo much. I have been soooo blessed to be apart of it for 17 months.

God speed this week! I love you all!!

Love, Sister Bauer

Subject...

I had noooo idea what to put for the subject box... so I just left it like that. 

Sorry there was no weekly email last week. Email time was sparse... and I was lazy...

Last week me and Sister Oler went to the Long Beach Aquarium on Pday. It was really fun! Which is really funny... because she is afraid of animals, and I am afraid of fish... haha. But we really enjoyed ourselves. Pics are attatched.

We find out transfers this coming Friday and I have no clue what is going to happen to me. There are a few options. Option A: I stay as a Sister Training Leader, stay in Cypress, and Die with Sister Oler! Option B: I get released and get trainsfered to a new area for 5 weeks, with a new companion. Option C: I White-wash/Train into an area. (White wash means they bring 2 new missionaries into the area at the same time, and if I trained at the same time, It would be me and a brand new missionary) I am hoping for either option A or option C. But I'll go where you want me to go dear Lord. :)

Well, That's about it for this week. Oh! There is a Recent Convert who we are helping move tomorrow and she is in need of prayers. Her name is Juanita. They are basically going homeless and she has 2 little girls. It's super sad. So keep her in your prayers. 

Alright! I love you all!!! Have a great week!

Love,

Sista B!