Happy St. Patty's Day! :)

I'm not wearing green. Let all the virtual pinches commence...  I literally looked through my wardrobe today and realized... I don't own a single green anything! Wait!!! I lied! I have a green cardigan that was in the wash.... well this is awkward.

Anyways! SO THIS WEEK! This week was good. I went on 3 exchanges. 2 of them were BACK to BACK! It was really crazy and I am so sleep deprived but they were good.

I went on an exchange with Sister Perry. I talked about her closer to the beginning of my mission some blog entries back. She is the one who added me as a friend on Facebook before the mission and then got my weekly emails until she got here. Well she is also a Sister Training Leader and this week we went on an exchange because in our mission they don't have Sister Training Leaders as companions because there are too many struggling missionaries. But anyways! It was the best thing ever! We just went out and TO' UP Norwalk! It was so great! It felt so good to just work hard and feel like a MISSIONARY! It made me realize how much I really love it. It's always good to have those little reminders that I love what I'm doing even through all the stupid crap that happens.

Our area is super slow right now. We don't really have any investigators that are progressing even at the slightest. We have a lot of potentials that if we could JUST meet with them might turn into something... but that's about it. We have been working with less actives a lot in this area which has been good, but it's always nice to be able to teach investigators and we haven't for a while. So continue to pray for our area and for God to show us to those who are prepared.

Also pray for my sanity. :) That's always something that is on the rocks! But That's nothing new... ;)

Well My friends and family, that is all for this week. But like always I love you all so much! You are always in my prayers and please keep[ me in yours!

Have a happy week!

Love your favorite missionary girl,

Sister Bauer

1 John 2:15

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

Picture from last transfer that a member sent to me from her camera! :)

Happy 11 Months to me!

Well folks... Today is exactly 11 months since I entered the MTC. Next month I hit my year mark! Hard to believe that It's been that long! I'm an old missionary!!!!  o_O  Crazy...

Well, I had exchanges this week. I felt like I didn't really know what I was doing but that's ok!!! It was still good! I love getting to know the other sisters more. I have 3 more this week and then one more next week! woohoo for sleepovers!

I am sorry I don't have very much to say today! Just a quick email to make sure you all know that I am alive! I love you all so much and I will email you next week!!!!

Mosiah 24:10, 13-15 (Helped me a lot on my mission)

Love You all so much

Your Favorite Missionary Girl,

Sister Bauer

So, I missed a week! Sue me...

Ok, So I'm sorry that I missed last week. I didn't have the time or patience to write a weekly letter. So Here's me apology to those of you who thought I was dead.... *Cough* Heidi *Cough*. Joking. You know I love you! :)

Well the past 2 weeks have been ok. A lot of stress, I have a new calling as a Sister Training Leader and it causes me massive anxiety. I feel very inadequate and I don't really know why I got the calling. But Something I have learned is that as soon as I start to feel comfortable and like I can actually do this mission thing... He takes me out of my comfort zone again. It's like a trend you would think He want's me to grow or something. The scripture Ether 12:27 has rung so true in my life these days! And.... my whole mission.

This past week I went on an Exchange with my old companion! Sister Brown!!!! It was so good to be companions again, just like old times! :) She is a really good missionary. She must have had a really good trainer... haha.

This week I start my exchanges with the other sisters I am over. It will be good I think! We as a mission are really focusing on finding. We want to try to find a new investigator every day. Its a daunting task... for me at least because I feel like I suck at missionary work... but "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13) This scripture has become one of my many montras...

Anyways, This week we got quite a bit of rain!!! :D California has been in a drought so it has been really good!!! But It also makes for complicated missionary work... especially when you don't have waterproof shoes! :/ But we decided that we were going to be obedient and NOT use our car during the day... soooo... we biked. In the pouring rain. It was the worst! haha But I just kept thinking.. "I'm making memories!!!" So here's a picture! You can't really even tell that we are wet... but just trust me me when I say we are literally SOAKED to the bone...

Well Anyways. That's it for this week! But I love all of you! have a fantastic week and know that I am doing my best! Love you all lots!!!

Love your favorite missionary girl,

Sister Bauer

Transfers!

Well, I know you have all been dying to hear about transfers.... So drumroll please.

I am STAYING in Norwalk another transfer! Sister Lindsey is getting moved to the El Dorado YSA ward and she will be Sister Brown's companion. I am excited for them... but also nervous. They were companions in the MTC and had a few trials there.... but I think they will be good for each other.

I am getting put into a trio. My companions names are Sister Greathouse and Sister Shipman.

I am really excited for this transfer! I also get to work with the sisters in my area a little more which I am really excited about! I love being able to help other sisters and I'm excited to get to work with them more!

We picked up a new investigator. His name is Randy... He was a media referral from Temple Square and he watched the Joseph Smith Restoration movie and wanted to learn more. So we went by this week and picked him up! However... He is a bit of a creep.... He says some weird things and I think he is a little lonely and likes that girls come over... so we are going to pass him to the elders. I think he has a lot of potential, but he needs to have the right focus first.

Well, I know this is short and sweet, but I don't really have much else to say! I love you all have a fantastic week!!!!!

Love Your Favorite Missionary girl,

Sister Bauer

Good, Better, Best.

We All have them. Weeks that are good, weeks that are better, and weeks that are best. This bast week was better. Better than last week at least. It was still stressful, but not as bad as before. I feel like I am getting back to normal. A lot of crazy things have happened these past 2 weeks or so and I'm not the only one in the mission who is just ready for this transfer to be over.

The transfer ends a week from tomorrow.

So those of you who have been sending letters to the address on Ferina Street don't send them there anymore!!!!

I don't know if I will be staying or going, but I don't want to miss any of your letters so just go back to sending them to the mission office address, which is:

Sister Jacqueline Bauer

6500 E. Atherton St.

Long Beach, CA 90815

This week was rough number wise. We didn't get very many lessons plus we had to drop Cecilia and Danielle. They just aren't progressing to Baptism. They enjoy our visits and stuff, but they said they aren't ready to "switch religions" yet. But we feel that all hope has not been lost yet. They will get baptized, just maybe not right now. But we will see how this week goes. They said they would still come to church and stuff, but they didn't come yesterday. So who knows what will happen.

We do have a new Investigator though. His name is Antoine King! He is a Gospel Rapper, He was in Jail for a while, he used to sell dope but wouldn't sell to pregnant women (He is a man of integrity), and got shot in an ally and almost died a couple of times... Then he found Jesus and has been a "follower" ever since! He's funny. We taught him the restoration and watched the 20 min. Rest. DVD. He said he liked it and believed that Joseph Smith really did see God and Jesus Christ. He said he liked the concept of our church being "Jesus Christ's Chruch". But he is very devout in "The Christian Liberty somethin or other..." I don't remember what it's called exactly. He just kept saying, "but you and I believe the same thing" with like everything we taught him. The only difference is the priesthood and that we have a prophet on the earth today. We will try to clarify that for him next time. But anyways. He is genuinly interested and wants to learn. So we will see what happens.

Well Anyways, that's about it for this week. I love all of you dearly! Make this week a good one! Happy Valentines day! Here's a video about the best kind of love there is!

Love Your Favorite Missionary Girl,

Sister Bauer

Pictures of the Van.

Crazy Week!!!!

Well, This week was incredibly crazy. It started out with my zone leader (Elder George) getting super sick and having to be rushed to the emergency room and ended with a baptism and a trip to the temple...

First things first, Elder George is my Zone Leader and he got rushed to the Emergency room. He started to lose his vision after a few days of the flu and they decided that was not a good sign. they took him there and he was there for about 3 days. Long story short, they thought it was viral, then bacterial, then back to viral meningitis, then ruled it out completely. Yesterday they moved him to a hospital at UCLA. They still don't know what is wrong, his parents are here and they have been for about a week. It was suuuuper scary and was really hard for me this week. I never knew how much I loved my obnoxious elders until they get sick and almost die!! (But really...)

That kinda threw the whole week off... and made it hard to concentrate on the work and stuff. Lots of other emotional things happened too... but that's besides the point!

But then we had a BAPTISM on Saturday!!! Yeah!!! Little Monique Obando! She is our 9 year old little ray of sunshine that we have been teaching. She cracks me uppp!!!! haha I love her!

There are some people I have met that I know God intended for me to meet and she is one of them. Along with her 13 year old sister Mia and her 5 year old sister Mariah. Those girls have some crazy bright futures and I fully intend on making sure they reach their full potential in life. (Facebook for liiiiife! :)

But of course sticking to the theme of the week, the baptism couldnt just go smoothly... no that would make too much sense.

So there was a car fire before. Sister Lindsey and I had to go outside to get something and we notice that a VAN WAS ON FIRE!!!!!!!!! WHAT THE...... So we did what any logical person would do and we ran inside and yelled, "SOMEONE'S CAR IS ON FIRE!!!!!!" haha....

So we ran in to grab our phone and call 911 and we told the elders that someones car was on fire. Elder Bengtzen was in the process of filling up the baptismal font with no shoes and didn't want to miss anything so he hurried out of the font and ran outside with a fire extinguisher with no shoes.... and starts to put out the fire. Well it didn't work and the fire department had to come and finish putting it out! It was CRAZY!!! The elders are just being elders and taking pictures and videos of the whole thing. Ugh! It was nuts! But I got to check "call 911" off my bucket list so that was a thrill!! :) haha

But then this morning we went to the temple... and the temple is ALWAYS amazing. God knows how to solve everyone's problems. We couldn't have been assigned to a better week to attend the temple. The whole zone just REALLY needed it. IN the picture below is

Elder Brock, Elder Begtzen, Elder Schooff, Sister Bauer, Sister Lindsey.

We have kinda been together a lot this week because of everything that has happened, but I couldn't imagine any better missionaries to experience the craziness with. Elder Schooff and Elder Brock are Elder Begtzen's temporary companions right now. Elder Schooff is our District Leader and he is THE BOMMMBBB!!! .com :)

Me and Sis Lindsey at the temple.

Also, something else cool that happened. CA has been having a SUPER bad drought. So on Sunday they had a state wide fast for rain... and guess what? Sunday night it poured!!!!

The church is so true it's ridiculous!!!

I love you all!!! Have a fantastic week.... I will try!!!! Pray for Elder George.

Much love!

Love, Your Favorite Missionary Girl!

Sister Bauer