October 6, 2014

Family!

 

I am happy to report that we did get to watch all of conference, from the stake center right next to our house. And I watched it all in English! It took some finagling, but we did it:) It was also great to see the happy faces of everyone who heard conference for the first time without being translated. Two talks! All the gringo missionaries in the english session ran to go and see in spanish, and then ran back when it was finished. It was great. 

 

I loved conference and cant wait to study it more later. I particularly loved the talk by tad callister, it was one of my very favorites. 

 

Things here are great great great. emergency transfers this week and I now have my third bolivian companion! She is from La paz, and is just the sweetest. We live four in the same house, and they are all little. I feel like a giant. When we take pictures together I always squat down to fit in the picture. 

 

I Love you all and hope you are well, 

 

Lindsey

 

September 15, 2014

You guys, 

 

You are not going to believe what happened with cambios this transfer. I didn't, at least, when they told me. SOOO, try to imagine it. I know you don´t know much about santa cruz and the areas here, but just picture it in your mind. 

 

They sent me back to my first area. I am going to finish where I started! Back in little San pedro, now with my companion Hermana Diaz,  from Peru. But thats not all....They have called me and my companion to be full time family history missionares. Pucha you guys, do you know what this means? IT MEANS THAT WE HAVE SOME STINKING POWERFUL ANCESTORS THAT WANT THEIR WORK DONE! But really, Now we work closely with the stake and teach people and help them do their genealogy from ten to six. Its like a full time job, and then we only have a few hours to proselite at night. And we will also have a big chunk of time to do our own work....

 

So in that point I am going to need your guyses help. Lots of it. If you could all send me the information you have, that would be great. Debbie, you too. I want to be connected to grandpa and grama cook in my tree but I dont know when they were born or their full names or anything. Que verguenza para mi. And I have a feeling that they have probably done some work in their, so it is just a matter of linking myself to them. Grandpa john sent me thirty-three pages of his life story and that is the kind of stuff I want too--Pictures, stories, names, dates. ANYTHING YOU´VE GOT. Talk to the grandparents for me, please? I dont have much to go on here in little old bolivia. 

 

It was really great to see everyone from my old ward. They were all like, "where did my chubby little white friend go that couldn´t speak spanish?" and I was like, yeah yeah, I haven´t changed that much. But It was great to see that some of my effort has paid off. A family that I found all got baptized and they are working to go to the temple, and some of the people I activated are active still and so are some of my converts. But not all of them--there is some work to do. But I have been here for only a few days and I already know my whole area :) 

 

Oh, and a little secret lie story: A year ago I was starting the mission and I made up a sickness that I don´t have so they wouldn´t give me so much food--I already confessed this little lie, didn´t I? Well, they remember! And so the pensionista gives me less food than everyone else which is really just a tender mercy from the Lord, like a million others that are always in our lives. MORAL OF THE STORY: Never lie, because it will poison your soul but, really, blessings come in many ways. 

 

Anything else, anything else....Nope. Attaching a picture of me and my new companion. You might remember that we were together at one other time, in bermejo, living in the same house. 

 

Oh, and guess what? My third trainee went home. And I was pretty bummed about it. But she did the impossible and came back to the mission and now she is opening an area with my second trainee! Miracles happen. 

 

I love you guys, send me genealogy, 

 

Lindsey

 

 

September 8, 2014

Hey family, 

 

Did you know that my mission´s official name is "Santa Cruz de los Milagros", and it sure is a mission of miracles. 

 

Everything here is going great. Transfers are tomorrow, so I will update you on the changes next week. This week I am sending a picture of me and my companion, and the two other sister missionaries serving in the ward that live with us. This ward is a great ward, with full involvement from everyone. I went to ward counsil yesterday and was blown away. It was completely full and everyone was an active part, all participating. 

 

I heard somebody got a little kitty (who needs a sister...?) Or is it a boy, since his name is carleton? I also heard that Jordan has been driving. ¡QUE MIEDO! I hope that is going fantastic, and how much more fantastic it would be if I could get a first person account from a certain someone.... hem hem...

 

Anyways, I have been missing you guys too. But not too much :) Time is just flying by here in bolivia. I cant believe that I will be home in three months. I am enjoying my time here too much. 

 

 Debbie, you bought yourself a preach my gospel! How exciting. That will be  a great study. You asked me a few questions, here are the answers. First, Yes my spirits are up. They are soaring. I am pretty sure I am the happiest person I know. Simply enough, yes. I am loving my mission and enjoying every second. Also, no, they dont celebrate halloween here, but they do have dia santo. I am getting to know the less actives and they are doing will. My companion is SUPER GREAT. 

 

Love you all, 

 

Lindsey

 

 

August 25, 2014

Thanks to everyone, 

 

For all the birthday wishes. I had a great birthday, I even got a phone call birthday song--my pensionista is running for grandma cook award here in the mission. Everybody wished me well, and my companion gave me a great present. She is from gilbert, arizona, so it wasnt cheap either...KIDDING, you guys. But really, she is from Gilbert. Arizona. 

 

I am doing great. If anyone asks, tell them I am converting all the taxi drivers :) 

 

Love you all, 

 

Lindsey

 

 

August 18, 2014

Hi Family,

 

So good to hear from you all. It has been a bright point in a little bit horrible week. Last Monday we were informed of emergency transfers and they took me out of my area and put me in la villa, barrio primer de mayo With Hermana Feddock. She is great but is sick and we spent the bulk of the week in the clinic (Which is all right, the doctor gave orders that I rest up a bit because of my spring hip). So we are both resting--I slept in a chair last night J

 

I haven’t actually been able to work in my area, but I am sure it will be great. There is a bishop in this ward, which is a plus. And there are lots of less actives to work with, which will keep us busy.

 

We had an amazing conference this week about the Living Christ and I have used some of my extra time to study his life and what he did. Something that has come up a lot in my studies is that he was always thinking of others. Always always. I want to be able to be a little more like that. 

 

Love you guys, 

 

Lindsey

 

August 11, 2014

Hi Guys!

 

Sorry I never write. It really is an unanticipated failure on my part. Who would have known I would be the worst writer-homer in the history of the world?

 

Megan said she wanted a picture of me one p-day in my lehi shirt. Wish Granted! Here I am with my zone at a synthetic field playing football.

 

Lets see. What has been going on here. This last week was Ward conference! Here in our Little Ward that still doesn´'t have a bishop. You wouldnt believe how many people came. When I came to this área my companion gave me the info on the Ward and said that there were barely seventy-five people coming to church every week. I made it my goal that when I left this Ward there would be 165 people coming and partaking of the sacrament. 200 people came to conference! If you take out all the stake representatives and visitors, there were roughly 165-170 people there. Goal!

 

It was great because a lot of the less active families that we are working with came to church. One family in particular came, the familia guacama, that we have been visiting regularly. The mom is super hard to get to, she still has catholic beliefs and openly rejects lots of the doctrine we teach. Although I am pretty sure she picked out her ugliest work-out clothes and refused to do her hair, she was there with all her family. If you guys want to have someone in your prayers, it can be her. Her mom died a few months ago and she is looking for comfort everywhere but the góspel and she isnt finding it.

 

We had four investigators there in the reunión, but not a single one progressing. Sara is the most probable to progress--she has come three times now to the Ward and is loving it. She is also in second nephi in her Reading of the book of mormon. She isnt married, though, and her husband/boyfriend is against marriage. He says it is the artífice of man. But he started listening to us this week and is completing with his assignments. And he is a Little bit more open to listening right now because he is passing through some hard times--his third child ran away from home, that is to say, all of their children have run away except for the last one. He wants to be a better dad so he doesnt lose his last one too. You can pray for them too if you would like, SARA and DARWIN. and julie, thier five-year-old daughter.

 

Another investigator we had in the reunión was Blanca. I am not sure how to explain how much I enjoy visiting this sweet sister. Yesterday in church she was telling us about her lyposuction and her pet cats. I feel like you, Megan, would also particularly enjoy visiting with her. She is the daughter of a member of the Ward. She is 30 years old and when she was a teenager she went to live in Miami and has been living there ever since.she is here just visiting her mom for a few months. Everything about her is just so classic, her big boobs and big lips and way of talking and dressing. she told us her life story and it is full of experiences when she was almost deported and how much she had to go through to find someone to marry so she could be a citizen. It was like a mix of dog the bounty hunter and the proposal and I just really couldnt stop laughing, she tells her story so well. Unfortunately she is married to one person, for the papers, and living with someone else over there in Miami so she cant be baptized.

 

We are going to keep working with these people and looking for more, just like always. I really just want you guys to know that I am loving the work. Sometimes there are unexpected problems that come up, but God really has us in mind in every momento.  I hope you guys are all Reading your books of mormon. Tomorrow we have a zone conference that is going to be centered in the Living Christ--we have all memorized the entire document. Maybe between your book of mormon Reading and your perusing of the ensign you can look over the living christ and study more about His life and ministry.

 

I love you all so much,

 

Lindsey

 

 

July 14, 2014

Wow,

 

Seeing the pictures that you guys sent makes me miss summer! But There is a good ammount of heat here too, between the times of cold that blow in from argentina, and  I got to eat hamburgurs on the fourth to celebrate.

 

This week I have another thing to celebrate! First of all, happy birthday Debbie! I hope your birthday is great. ALSO, I am going to celebrate a year in Bolivia on the seventeenth! One year since I flew in from peru to the viru viru airport.

 

QUICK REVIEW in case you have forgotten :)

 

I have had FIVE AREAS, San Pedro, Guapilo, Bermejo, Guaracal, and La Cañada. In that time I have had SEVEN COMPANIONS two northamericans, two chileans, two bolivians, and an argentine , and have trained three times and opened three áreas. Four of the five áreas have been in santa cruz, all but six weeks in Bermejo. I have been Sister training leader since christmas, which just means that I do a Little bit more interchanges than others. I have only planned and been part of six baptisms from start to finish , but have been part of lots of conversions and reactivations with every person I meet I am converted a Little more. I have gone to more conferences and been sent to the clinic more times that I can count.

 

I have learned that success in the misión isnt about the things you can make a list of but  a lot more.

 

I love you all and wish you all a happy week.

 

Lindsey

 

 

 

 

June 30, 2014

Hi Guys,

 

This last week was San Juan, which means we ate hot dogs! San Juan is supposedly the coldest night of the year, the 24th of june, so everyone gets together and does a bonfire and eats "panchitos". Also, we have been enjoying the world cup this week. Nothing too crazy, though, because Bolivia didnt make it into the running and as missionaries we dont watch, but our pensionista bought a delicious cake to celebrate.

 

We have been working with a lot of less-active members this week and the most aplicable scripture that I have been able to find is Alma 37:46,

 

"46 O my son, do not let us be slothful‍ because of the easiness‍ of the way;"

 

And it is my words to you this week. There are a lot of members that were diligent and went to church when they had to walk across cities and take trucks with chickens, but when a church is built in their backyard the find excuses not to go. Be faithful.

 

Love you all,

 

Lindsey

 

 

 

June 23, 2014

 

Hi guys!

 

For the last three months I have been in Guaracal, near the center of the city and now I have been moved to La Cañada, closeby in a zone that I was in when I was in guapilo! My are is big, and in my área is the CUMAVI which you could probably google. It is one of the biggest flea markets for mostly american clothes in Santa Cruz, and its in my área!

 

The Ward that I am in now is going to be a lot of work. There hasnt been a bishop here in six months and all of the members are pretty weak in their faith. In the last year there has been less than five baptisms, from what I have seen, and the people are pretty cold towards the missionaries. But what a challenge! I am excited.

 

I just got here recently, but I will keep you guys updated on all the success that we are having. ALSO, my companion is hermana Cladera, who showed up with me when I got here--we have the same time in the misión. She is from La paz, Bolivia, and she is just the most joyful outgoing sincere person you´ll every find. We are extremely excited to work in this área (she has already been here 6 weeks with my first companion hna mita ) and also work with all of the sister missionaries in our care, since we are still sister training leaders.

 

I want you guys not to worry about me. I know you cant do it but I wish you would. Its true that for the last Little while I have had some hard companions and have been a Little sick and have been super busy and havent written like I should  but you know that nothing will get me down. I hope you guys know that I worry about you just as much as you worry about me and I want you all to know I love you and from now on I am going to have much more time to prepare and write lovely letters. That will be my goal for the remaining six months in the misión, so be expecting a letter every week full of boring spiritualness and powerful experiences. And if I am going to put in all this effort to be as good as all of the other daughter and son missionaries, you better tell me my letters are fantastic because it is going to be an effort on my part ;)

 

Anyways, BE STRONG AND OF A GOOD COURAGE, FOR THE LORD THY GOD IS WITH THEE WITHERSOEVER THOU GOEST. Seriously guys, he´s right there with you, maybe, just a Little bit,  in part,  because I asked him to be. You guys are always in my prayers.

 

Lindsey

March 25, 2014

Alright, So you guys want to hear about my life. Sorry I haven´t updated much lately. I will just do a little bit of word barf because I only have 4 minutes.

 

So this last week we didn´t start out too fantastically--my companion was throwing up and I had diarrhea, and it continued for the whole week and we were sick and elder belnap (the nice boy that looked for the package, mom) who is the health missionary was worried and so he sent us to get medical treatment in Tarija. The doctor thought it was strange that I have had diarrhea for 9 months, but they say that because soy gringa, its probably just alimental. ANYWAY, that all passed by, we are feeling better, and while in Tarija we went to a missionary meeting with one of the seventy and his wife. They came, and he hadn´t previously prepared, just followed the spirit and taught about faith and hope and relying on God. It was lovely.

 

So we were in tarija for a bit, but after that we came back and continue working in our area. As usual, we are working with a lot of less active members, and they are really less active. Some of their hearts are so hard. But somtimes they will listen and you can see them remember what they have forgotten. I really feel like I am working with the lamanites.

 

One of the investigators we have right now is zemlya, who is fifteen years old and her family are members menos-activos. Her brother is active, and preparing to go on a mission (21 years old) And he is really worried about leaving her behind when he goes. Another person we are working with is hermana paulina, who is a recent convert mother of three, that we have been reteaching the lessons to. She was pregnant, but last week she lost her baby, so we have been focusing on the plan of salvation and power of the atonement.

 

We had a talent show as missionaries and invited the whole district (stake) and there were tons of investigators and less active members that came; it was a huge success. We sang songs and I helped the elders, who were acting out a dear john letter. I read the letter off stage, and so ever since then everyone has asked me if I was the one who read the letter. My accent gave me away.

 

We are in a branch, which is great because everyone is really close, but sometimes it is hard. We dont have a functioning young womens or young mens program, and there were only 60 people in the church last sunday. We are working hard to make this branch a ward, but we are a long way off.

 

Anyway,

 

Love you all. Be good.

 

Lindsey

 

 

February 17, 2014

Hello everybody, Transfers! I had to leave my little area in Guapilo to an area that I had to take two planes and a three hour taxi ride to get to. My new area, the Bolivar branch in Bermejo, Bolivia, is a stone throw away from argentina (literally, I threw a pebble and it landed in argentina) and my new companion is Hermana Ramirez, from Argentina. And her accent is so strong that I am for sure going to end up talking like her. I was so sad to leave Guapilo, there were so many people progressing and re-activating. I attached a picture of me and my companion and our hardest re-activation, graciela. When I went to say goodbye she cried so I cried, and it was hard to leave everybody but thats how the mission is sometimes.

 

I am opening my third area here in Bermejo (which basically means that we are starting from zero) and I am training for the third time too, hermana ramirez. They say the third times the charm, so this should be a lucky area. I am also still the sister training leader, so I will keep busy here. It is a little town that is absolutely lovely, but deathly hot. In the car ride to get here, we were in a taxi and I was looking out the window and the first part of the trip I felt like I was driving through Utah (other than the little bolivian ladies sitting on the side of the road) for the landscape and everything, and then the landscape changed and I felt more like we were in pandora with the blue people. There were mountains and dense tropical trees covered in what looked like spider webs,and the air was fresh and clean and wet and there were waterfalls and long black tunnels cutting throught the mountain, and then we went down again to Bermejo, which I think is a bolivian Saint george. I will probably die here.

 

I don´t have any pictures of my companion yet, so you will just have to wait tillnext week. But Idid attach a picture of the view from our third-story loft (the best apartment in the mission). We live four to the apartment and it is big and spacious and has long coridors and a seperate room to study and big dressers for our clothes. When I got here the bed was so hard, so I mentioned it to the elders and they changed it out with theirs within twenty minutes. I think I am going to like it here ;) I hope you are all doing fantastic, I will share more about the investigators we find next week. For now, we just got here and are recently getting to know the ward. Be good and share the gospel,

 

Hermana Baldridge

 

 

January 27, 2014

You guys! 

 

I am sorry I suck a little bit at updating about my life (am I allowed to say suck as a missionary?) But I am going to try to give you a little more this week. 

 

First of all, you guys have asked if I have done anything fun for P-day. Normally the elders just want to play football, but this monday we went to the botanical gardens and it was just lovely. Right when we entered it started to rain, and I felt like were in a rainforest and we just had a great time walking around and seeing mini ostriches and ducks and all kinds of birds. I will attach a picture of my companion and I in front of a lake in the botanical gardens. The other picture is of the aftermath of the botanical gardens (don´t show it to anyone, its super ugly ;) I was attacked by a giant black bolivian wasp. Two, actuallyI got stung twice, and stings hurt, espicially when they are on los labios. 

 

We have had a lot of good things happen this week, too. One of our investigators, Sebastian, said that he prayed about the church and he couldn´t explain it but he knows its true and I was so happy. We also were talking to karen and Carmelo, and we set a baptismal date (22 de febrero!) We have a baptism this weekend, too! Her name is Brenda, she is eleven years old, and all the rest of her family is already baptised but less active. So we went, we activated the family, and we are going to baptize brenda. And she is extremely inteligent, she has read all the way to helaman in the book of mormon. 

 

Today is absolutely beautiful, weatherwise. It is clouded over and the perfect temperature. Also, we have another leader-meeting coming up today and we get to get together and find ways to help the other missionaries better. This week, as sister leader, I went on exchanges with other sister missionaries and got to be in another area for a day. It was a little bit funny, because they were all nervous that I was there and they were all trying to be on their best behavior. But it was fun, and I got to know other sisters better and act like I know what I am doing. 

 

But I am doing great, growing every day in my knowledge of the gospel and the needs of others. I get to work with a lot of people, and yes, I fill out a lot of paperwork and do my own laundry and pray that mondays can be sunny days. I hope you are all doing well and finding ways to be better and more the person you want to be. 

 

I heard about uncle Lucky, and his family will be in my prayers and I send all my love. 

 

I love the gospel and I love you guys, 

 

hermana baldridge

 

 

Janauary 20, 2014

Hello!

 

I hope everyone is doing good. I hear its cold, for all of you guys in Winter time right now. I don't have too much to add this week, just a few Little experiences.

 

First of all, we had a service Project this week at the house of a menos active, Zulma, who is a single mom and Works all the time. Not many people showed up, but the bishop and his to counselors and the stake patriarch (who reminds me so much of grandpa Baldridge that I almost want to hug him) were their and though we were small in number we worked hard and got everything done--moving her lavandería, and cutting all her overgrown plants to help with the mosquitos and putting doors on her bathroom for...well, obvious reasons.

 

We had a funny and kind of sad experience this week. We were passing by the house of one of our investigators, and we stopped to se if he was there but his Little brother was out front burying their dog that had just died. We felt bad but were also trying not to laugh, because the hole really wasn't deep enough. Our investigator wasnt there, but when we went back the next day, we found him and made the comment, "it looks like you got your dog buried" and he looked at the mound of dirt between us and was like, "my dog died?" And we felt super bad.

 

Well, thats all for this week. be good.

 

Hermana Baldridge

 

 

December 23, 2013

Hola Everybody!

 

Its so great to hear about everyone's Christmas, I hope to get updates next week on everything that happened. 

 

I am doing just fantastic down here in Bolivia. The spirit of Christmas has filled the homes and spilled into the streets, even if it is a little lacking in cold winds and snowflakes. 

 

We have been visiting lots of less active members of the church this week, and it seems like they are all filled with a lot of love and a lot of excuses of why they haven't been at church, and none of them were any good. Where is the imagination? I think we can all take a moment and think of how very liberating it is to leave the excuses behind and do what you know is right. 

 

Two good examples this week of people who left the excuses behind and came to church were 1) Hermana Charito, a very spirited older woman in the ward who had Dengue ( a sickness given by the mosquitos and lovingly nicknamed,  "bone break fever")  and couldn't move very well, but was in the sacrament meeting early to take the sacrament, and 2) Silvia, who is a mother of an 11 year old and a 11 month old who has recently come back from inactivitity, and with or without her husband she got up early, dressed her kids, and took the packed and stinky micro to church. 

 

I am excited and happy to spend the christmas season here in Bolivia as a missionary, but I do miss you all. I hope your break is filled with the christmas spirit. The best advice I can give for today is to be the type of person that you would like to look up to. I, for example, have some pretty big shoes to fill. 

 

Love and appreciate you all, 

 

Hermana Baldridge

December 16, 2013

Hello everyone, 

 

I don´t have much time but I can share one experience we had this week. 

 

 We had an experience with an investigator this week that got her to come to church. She shared with us something that happened when she  was in La Paz last week she wasn´t feeling well (for the altitude) so she went into a pharmacy and the pharmacist there, after helping her, gaver her a bible. She wrote in the front "God loves you and cares about you". Someone she didn´t even know gave her a bible, and my companion pointed out at the end of our lesson about the love of God that the bible she was given was from a member of the church, it had the name of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints on the spine. She was so surprised and she began to cry, and despite all of the reasons she gave that she couldn´t come to church, she was there on sunday. It was a testimony to me of the way God loves each and every one of us individually and sends others to bless us and prepare our hearts to accept the gospel. 

 

Much love, 

 

hermana Baldridge

 

December 9, 2013

Yup, its true, 

 

I am still in Bolivia, but like I said before I am in a new area. I attached a picture of my chilena companion and I in front of a laguna in our area. We are in Guapilo, which is in a ward that still counts as being in the city of santa cruz, but we are pretty far out. Close to a little town, Cotoca. 

 

I saw a toad this week, as well as a fuzzy-looking caterpillar that isn´t actually fuzzy but has a bunch of fever-inducing spindle-quills like in sleeping beauty. Don´t worry, I didn´t touch it. Just took some pictures ;) The toad looked just like a statue, completely still except for when it jumped. Don´t worry, I didn´t touch him either, and am still happily wart-free. 

 

We have been working as close as possible with the ward members and less-active ward members this week. Its been sad to see, but most of the less active members don´t really have a good reason for not going to church, just being tired on sunday or having to do laundry. We have focused a lot on the book of Mormon, because if you are reading and really studying the book of mormon every day, there is really no way to be less active. 

 

Also, Christmas is in the air! (Which is a little weird, because the air here is hot and humid) Everyone is talking about it, putting up christmas trees and lights, forming choirs. This is the season where we can really focus on Christ. 

 

Update: we went back to visit our investigator Julia (who talks to spirits) and we didn´t make much progress with here, but we did learn that my six year old daughter would like to talk to me and wants me to come home. 

 

Anyway, 

 

Much love

 

November 25, 2013

Hello All! 

 

Things are great in Bolivia, like always. We recently had cambios and for the first time in my mission I am not in San Pedro. After only 6 weeks training hermana Lopez they split us up and now we are both training. She stayed in San Pedro and they sent me to open an area in Barrio Guapilo. It was sad to leave all of my investigadores and the members and my pensionista behind, but this is God's work and we go where he sends us. 

 

My new area is way out of the city, close to a little pueblito called Cotoca. When I got my mission call to Bolivia, this is what I had in mind: Dirt roads, lots of greenery and lots of bugs. The sun is strong and our area is big, but the air is full of butterflies in the day time and lightning bugs at night. Fourty-Five minutes out of the city and already the people are different and the smells are different and the air is different. I love it. There are cows digging in the trash and little canals filled with aquatic bugs.

 

My companion is Hermana Perez, and even though this is her first area and she is bran new everyone thinks she has been here a year and is training me :) She is a fantastic missionary, bold and talkative and willing to work. She doesn't like the bugs one bit, but that is something that can be fixed with a little spray (not ;) 

 

We have already had a few interesting experiences here. In Hermana Perez's first lesson the woman we were teaching started talking in tongues and to spirits as if they were right there with here. She got all glazy-eyed and said that hermana Perez's grandma was going to visit soon. We left pretty quickly after that, but not without offering a prayer and leaving here with the first pamphlet and the compromiso to pray about Joseph Smith :) 

 

Also, our church building is way out of our area, we have to walk a ways  and then take a micro. On our way to church the bishop passed by in his tiny little truck and offered us a ride, so we climbed in the back, just there in the open air. We arrived twenty minutes later to the church, completely windswept and with skirts covered in dirt but beaming ear to ear. That was the closest thing I have had to a roller coaster in a long time. 

 

The ward is great and they are willing to help us in any way possible. We are the first sister missionaries here in a long time, like ever, and all the relief society and young women are excited to go out proselyting with us. There is a whole lot of potential here and I am excited to get my hands dirty. 

 

Much love and enjoy your thanksgiving, 

 

Hermana Baldridge

 

PS: Wish Jordan a happy happy birthday from me and a big hug.

 

November 11, 2013

Todo bien en Bolivia! This week was a great one. I am really growing to love the people in the ward and the people we are teaching. It is amazing to see the light of Christ in their eyes as we all grow together in the gospel. 

 

This week in our sunday school class we had all kinds of different accents--bolivian, french, japanese, and american. I absolutely love this class because it isn´t just the teacher talking at us, but it is a real conversation and it is in a class full of investigators and recent converts who are all actually learning a lot in the class, and not just reviewing. It is great to really approach the gospel from a different perspective. This week we talked about our relationship with God, and we got into this big conversation about if he knows our every action before we do it, why are we even here? And we got to explain more about our agency. 

 

Also, this week we started clases de Ingles, which were a success! There were people there, including investigators. There is this one investigator, eighteen years old, whose mom is a recent convert less active, and he came to the classes and then because of that he went to church. Maybe he will the push his family needs to get them active and baptized and sealed in the temple. One can hope. 

 

The couple that we are trying to get married, but the husband has to get divorced first, says that the papers are going to go through by january! This was a miracle for us this week, because divorces usually only take one year. Also, something cool happened this week--we were walking by this catholic church in our area this week and from inside we saw members of the church and they were calling us over. Apparantly the catholic church was also were the civil weddings were done as well. We went to the wedding and it was a good experience, but the mom wasn´t very happy because it wasn´t in the temple and they already had a child. Temple marriage is the best. 

 

It is raining hard outside right now, and the weather is back and forth, but mostly hot. The bolivians say that the hot season has started, but the rain will come every so often. Its just sad, though, because I feel like the rain comes every monday, which is the only day that we have to wash laundry, which we do ourselves in the outside sink and then we hang it to dry :( Another week without clean laundry. 

 

I hope you are all doing well, and lets just say I can feel the affects of all of your prayers. Things are great and I love the work. 

 

Con mucho amor, 

 

Hermana Baldridge

 

October 29, 2013

Hello everyone! 

 

Things here in Bolivia are going great. I have been keeping busy with "the Work of Salvation" as they call it. Which is more than just looking for investigators, as you probably know. It is helping everyone, members and less active members and investigators, do all they can to have eternal life. 

 

We are seeing a lot of changes in people. This Sunday in church we had three investigators and lots of less active members that we are working with and members in the ward that we have worked with. As missionaries we work with them and we get to see a little glimpse of their hopes and their dreams and their fears and their pitfalls. It was amazing to me, just to sit there after we had sung "Mas Cerca, Dios, De Ti" (Nearer, my God, to Thee) and to take the sacrament. I just looked around and reflected on the lives of these people and the way that, with the help of the Atonement, we can be better people. 

 

We have taught the first lesson, the restoration, a bunch of times this week and it seems like every time and every one can feel the spirit and know deep down in their heart that our message is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet, but they won't accept baptism. They don't want to change. But I can testify that the first vision invites the spirit more than almost any other lesson.

 

My companion and I knock a lot of doors, a lot of doors, and we have gotten used to rejection. My companion is Hermana Lopez, from Arizona, and she is just about as bubbly as they get. She loves to talk to people and dance and be in big groups. Basically she is the opposite of me, but we are good friends and get along well. Because I am her trainer she listens to me and accepts anything I say and really uses it to be better. She is humble and works hard. 

 

This week, also, we survived our first failed fireside. We had this planned to a t and have been advertizing it with signs and invitations and word of mouth for a month now, but when the night came there was practically no one there and we couldn't start until an hour and a half late when the bishopric showed up. I think in the future we will have big, spiritual activities on Sunday. 

 

Also this week I had my first run in with infection and a drunk man. Frist the infection--my finger was all swolen and red and so we went to the clinic and they cut it open and drained all the pus (ouch) and then I went back every day for three days to get it reopened and redrained. But it looks much better now, don't worry :) Also, with the boracho, we were just about to enter our house for the night and I was reaching inside and trying to unlock the door (the doors and the locks are a little different here) when a man, completely drunk, came up and asked us where he lived. He told us that he was new around here and that he couln't find his house. My companion and I were there, telling him that we didn't know where he lived, trying to get in, but I just couldn't get the lock open. And then one of the boys that work across the street at the welding shop who always whistles at us every day came over and took him around the shoulders and wisked him away, apologizing if the man had bothered us and asking politely what the borracho needed (he kept insisting that he knew that I knew where he lived). It was really sweet. 

 

But yeah. Right now the weathers great and the clouds are fluffy, and like they say, the fields are white and ready to harvest. 

 

Hermana Baldridge

 

September 23, 2013

Hello everyone!

 

I am doing really well here in Bolivia. The weather is cool, sometimes, and guess what? I had my first baptism! Four of my investigators were baptized (all but the person standing next to me, he did the baptizing) Three brothers and one single adult (it sounds more normal to say that in spanish). It was really great, but also really stressful. We had to plan everything, from the filling of the baptismal font to who was going to sing the special musical number (The four missionaries in the ward, including me. You guys know that I can´t hold a tune?). In the end, though, everything turned out just perfectly and the spirit was really strong and the suport from the ward was amazing. I almost cried when one of our investigators didn´t show up to be confirmed on Sunday, but all is well and he will be there this sunday.

 

Anyway, I am doing just swimmingly and hope that you are all reading your scriptures everyday because that is what we tell our investigators to do and how embarrassing would it be if our own family and friends weren't doing it? No, I´m joking (but seriously ;)

 

Love you all,

 

Hermana Baldridge

 

August 26, 2013

Hola Todos!

 

I am still doing well down here in Bolivia. I am learning lots about the language and about the culture and about life in general. I am still in the San Pedro ward with my companion, Hermana Mita. Thanks to all for the birthday wishes, I had a great birthday. My pensionista (the hermana that cooks for us every day) made me a giant chocolate cake and it was delicious.

 

The missionary work is going well, too. We had five investigators in church on sunday, which was fantastic. We teach every day, and while some people don´t seem to understand our message others are really getting it. We don´t have any baptisms, but we are hopeful. The other sisters in our apartment had a baptism last saturday, but when they went to find their investigator for the baptism, he had moved away and he left no forewarding address. So it is in Bolivia :)

 

It has been cold, and what is funny is that last week on thursday it was really hot and the elders decided it was a good time to wash our blankets. So we all sent our blankets to be washed. But when the storms rolled in and the temperature dropped, we didn´t have our blankets. It has been a cold couple of days, but also lots of fun pulling out all of our clothes and using it as bedding.

 

Yesterday while knocking doors in the rain with our rain boots and five layers of clothes I saw a mother hen with all her chicks sitting under her, and was reminded of the scriptures and the gathering of israel and how much love God has for all of us. I love the scriptures more and more every day as we read and teach from them.

 

Hermana Baldridge

 

August 5, 2013

Hello All!

 

Things are going well here in Bolivia. I am learning Spanish as well as the customs here just great. At church on Sunday I was actually alarmed when I looked in the mirror and saw a white person staring back at me. I forget sometimes how much I stand out. Of course, there are other north americans here. 

 

I hear that Debbie got a puppy for her birthday, how nice. This week we saw a puppy in the road, and my companion picked it up and it was covered in fleas. We couldn´t just leave it there, so we doubled back to our investigators house and knocked. They opened the door and we asked, ¨Is this your dog¨ (even though we knew it wasn´t) and the just thanked us and brought it in. My companion said the puppy just needed a bath.

 

Oh, I really want to write more about my investigators and about the food and everything but I only have one minute! Just remember, cocacola in a bag with bread is pretty good.

 

hasta luego,

 

Hermana baldridge

 

July 29, 2013

Hello everyone,

 

This is my first general email! How exciting! I am, of course, in Bolivia. Santa cruz Bolivia, on the outskirts of the city between radial cuatro and radial quince, in the San Pedro ward. I have been here for thirteen days now and am learning español quite swimingly. A veces personas piensan que yo puede hablar español, y hablen conmigo mucho pero it doesn´t take much time to figure out that I am not understanding everything that they are saying, and then the start over a little slower. Yesterday in Relief Society they called me up to lead the music, of course because I am a north american mormon and should be able to do that kind of thing, right? Well, it was a song that we don´t have in english and I just waved my hands at the front of the room and moved my lips as if I was singing. Luckily, though, nobody seemed to notice anything off.

 

Anyway, If you guys are wondering how to picture me here in bolivia you can picture me walking in the sun with a noticable layer of sunscreen on every inch of skin you can see with my Bolivian companion . Most, but not all, of the streets here in my current area are paved if not covered in sand and rubble and random piles of bricks. At any given time you can see at least three dogs in every direction, of every sort and of varying degrees of health. They are all pretty tame, I am actually most afraid of the ducks here. They´ve got mean eyes and strong beaks. In my little apartment complex thing there live three cats, a parrot, and a bunny rabbit that I can never catch. We wash our own laundry and hang it to dry and we make our own breakfast and dinner. For lunch we go to the pensionista, who feeds us. The food is so heavy and they give so much. I have been sick all week and have been to the clinic twice, but don´t worry I don´t have any parasites:) Or so they told me. The temperature here is warm again--aparantly for twenty days out of the year frigid winds blow up from argentina and cool the whole area, but now we are back to the baking temperature.

 

These past twelve days I have gotten my first taste of missionary work. I already feel a lot of love for the people here and want them to have the gospel. One of the bigest problems we have is that nobody wants to take the time and the effort to go to church, and also that many are not married but living together. It is frustrating but we keep trying. As of right now it seems like there are two sorts of people, those who want to fight with us about small points of the gospel or of what we believe, that already are very strong in their own religion, or others that just aren´t really interested. It isnt very often when we find those that are interested and want to learn, but they are out there and they have been prepared. We just have to find them.

 

In my study of the gospel in the scriptures and in Preach My Gospel I am astonished by how simple and beautiful the gospel really is. If people really knew the good that could come from hearing our message and following the principles I am sure that they would seek us out instead of avoiding us.

 

Well, anyway, the time here is really flying and My goal is to enjoy every minute of it. I hope you are all doing well and love hearing from you. Best of summers to you!

 

Hermana Baldridge

 

July 22, 2013

Hola Dad and Debbie,

 

When I said five weeks in my email I really meant five minutes. I only had five minutes. Well, things are going well here. Finally I am in Bolivia, safe if not a little worse for wear because of the cold weather and long walks. Our area is far away from our house and we dont have a map so we are always always lost and even when we find where we were trying to be no one wants to let us in. But its okay, we just need to try harder and talk to more people.  The food here is good but they give so much! Every time I eat I feel like throwing up. But thats okay too. The weather is cold here, and it rains so much that the streets are flooded and we have to wear boots, but I dont have any so one of the missionaries let me borrow hers but my feet are so big that they dont fit. my poor toes. Oh well, perhaps I will be able to buy my own boots.

 

It has been hard adjusting to the language and the climate and the weather and the food but I know that God will help me. Right now I am in the outer ring of the city. The members here are very nice, and so are the people even if I don´t really understand everything that they are saying.  Yesterday was my first day at church and it was a nice experience. I had to get up and bear my testimony in my broken spanish, and the members said afterwards that it was a show of courage and faith to come to a country where you don't know the language and share the gospel. Or at least thats what i think they said. My companion said that they could understand me, which is good. In church we sang without a piano because no one knew how to play, but then a family showed up a little late and their nine year old daughter ran up to the front to play, note by note, the rest of the hymns. It was great.

 

My companion is Hermana Mita and she is great. We communicate surprisingly well since she only speaks spanish, and I don´t speak that much. She is extremely giving and very nice, always doing stuff for me because I am usually a little lost as to what is going on. That is another one of the hard things, we don't have a map and I don´t really understand everything so I never know what is going on or where we are going or what we should be doing or what our objective is, so its hard. I just have to move foreward in faith and have trust in my companion and try to learn as much as possible.

 

You guys said you went and listened to Al fox at the Slys? I went and listened to her at byu, so I know who she is and everything. Her story is definitely inspiring. I only have access to my lds mail on the computer, so I won´t be able to be her friend or anything. I am glad you guys are doing well and that Debbie is feeling better. Have good summers and keep writing me, now my pday is monday and will be for the rest of the mission.

 

Oh, and the money thing. I don´t know if I have enough without the help from that fund. perhaps talk to mom, talk to grandpa john, that kind of thing if there isn´t any. My card hasn´t been working, but hopefully it will work today. who knows.

 

Anyway,

Love you all and have a great summer.

 

July 18, 2013

Hey guys,  I am finally here in Bolivia and everything went great. The country is absolutely beautiful and I know that this is where I am supposed to be. I hope you are all doing well, and perhaps next week I will have more than five weeks to send a message.

 

Love you all,

 

Hermana Baldridge

 

July 9, 2013

HOLA! I have no idea what emailing will be like in a week, so we will see if I ever speak to you guys again. I am glad you got the mail, thats great.

 

It is so good to hear about everybody. I am so proud of Jordan for bearing his testimony and being awesome. You tell those three (Taesha, Jordan and Josh) that there is someone on the bottom of the world who loves them and is proud of them and that I am rooting for them always.

 

I am sorry you guys have been sick. I got sick this week too--stomach problems. go figure. I knew it was going to happen sometime.

 

As for the rest, If you want to be wealthy make sure you are paying your tithing. Windows of heaven and such, but I know you know that. God is just waiting to bless those who have faith. I am glad you guys are praying as a family and everything, it makes me so happy to think that everything is going well there.

 

Keep up the good work, you know I love you all

 

Lindsey

 

July 2, 2013

Dad and family, it is so good to hear from you all. It sounds to me like your summer is going well and you are all keeping busy. I loved seeing the pictures of you guys. TAESHA, I love the hair. You are

totally rockin it. Hopefully summer school is going good and you have some people you like in your class. JORDAN I am glad Karate is going well, it sounds like you are having fun with it and it is keeping you

busy. JOSH, I love you and hope that your summer is awesome and I heard you did well in swimming, so awesome job:) To everyone, I am glad that the house is slowly falling out of disarray. Hopefully that

continues. Keep keeping me updated, its great to hear. I am keeping busy, can you believe that I have only got two weeks left here? its crazy. I am learning spanish well and always feeling the spirit, and things are going great. Its good to hear that you guys are reading the book of mormon as a family. I LOVE the book of mormon! it is so pack full of great stuff and reading it has really brought me closer to being the person I want to be. Someday I will have time to send real information about what is going on and stuff, but for now the internet just is not very good and take forever to do anything. Just know that I love you all and hope that you are doing awesome and enjoying the heat. I sent some letters in the mail a while ago, and on them is a mail address that you can send letters to (it is also in the information I left)

Love you all, bye bye Lindsey

 

 

June 25, 2013

Hey guys, its me. I hope things are going well back in Pleasant Grove.  I hear things are warm there? Its winter here, so its always around sixty or seventy degrees, which isn't bad but the humidity just makes

the air feel strange no matter the temperature. The food is good, like I mentioned before; there is a lot of bread and rice. I always enjoy the meals. I would make a new paragraph now but the enter button isn't

working, just like everything else about these computers. The computers here are not the bright point of the CCM, but they don't need to be. This week has been a really good one, I learn more about

the gospel every day. This sunday we even got to watch a live broadcasting from utah all about missionary work and how the members really need to step up and help the missionaries. Every member a

missionary, that type of thing. They want the missionaries to be so booked that they don't have any time to knock on doors. It is a cool idea, and I would like it to happen, but I think they have higher

hopes for places that aren't bolivia. We'll see how it is when I get out in the field. I don't know if I mentioned it last week (by the way, did you guys get my emails? I didn't get a lot of responses this

week and it is depressing when the person next to me gets too many emails to read in an hour and I am finished in less than two minutes. But quantity doesn't matter, I just want to hear about how life is

going with everyone and stuff) But I went out proselyting this last week and it was an eye opening experience. We just stopped people on the streets and tried to tell them about the gospel in our broken

spanish and they were all very nice, pretending to listen and understand what we were saying. I think the important part of what we did was to get people to welcome the real missionaries back, and we

got some references. Did you guys get that picture I sent? I am not even going to try for a while because it takes so long and then doesn't load and then crashes. Hopefully when I am out in the field

the computers will be better, though I doubt it. I will try to get you that picture of my tag, though, dad. Do you have any particular reason why? Anyway, I might be better off sending mail just in the mail box,

even if it does take a year to get to you. We went shopping at some of the peruvian stores and I needed paper and pens, but all of their paper is for some reason graph paper so it is hard to take notes on. I

should have brought more. But shopping is very interesting, and sort of stressful. Its not like in Utah where you can just stop down at the walmart and get whatever you want. Things are hard to find and

disorganized, and its usually hard to ask for what you are looking for. We have to be careful about what we buy, about how its packaged and who we buy it from. And we definitely stand out, us white people

in our church clothes walking in twos with our name tags. Since we are so close to the MTC, though, and there are only two stores that we are allowed to go to they seem pretty used to it. I really like these

cookie things, Tentacion, so I bought some of those and also some graph paper that I definitely cant see my writing through but maybe I will be inspired to be an architect or something and It will do me

some good. I also bought a pen, since so far I have been the pen charity case because I didn't bring any and everyone else was super prepared. WELL, I love the gospel and reading the scriptures and sharing my testimony in spanish. Lots of love, Lindsey.

 

June 18, 2013

This week I went proselyting for the first time, which was strange. They just let us go walk the streets and talk to people and get referrals, even though we don't really speak their language.

 

I will write more next week,,

 

Love you all and be good,

 

Hermana Baldridge

 

June 11, 2013

DAD!

It is so good to hear from you. I have only been here for almost a week but it feels like years. Our P day is on tuesday, so that is when I will be able to email everyone. We figured out the air, so it hasn't been too cold when we sleep, which is good because we don't get enough anyway. The days are jam packed and I am always tired. It is hard to learn a language, and it is easy to get discouraged but I have faith that I can learn it and teach the gospel in spanish. The MTC is beautiful and the food is fantastic, though it is a little weird sometimes. They have a four week schedule with the food, so there is something different everyday. I am so thankful that I haven't gotten sick, but I just might get fat.

 

Love you lots,

 

Hermana Baldridge

 

 

June 6, 2013

Hi Guys! I don't think I have all of your email addresses, and I don't have much time. Mom, can you forward this to Dad and Deb? That would be great. Anyway, I got to the MTC in peru last night around 3:30 and we still had to wake up at 6:30, and I didn't get any sleep because it was SO cold in the room. In the morning, when it was too late, we realized that we were in controll of the temperature ourselves and suffered for nothing. My companion is very nice, her name is Hermana James and she has curly red hair. The flight was way too long and I have officially decided that I hate air planes and flying and anything to do with them, but I did get to see the sunset as we flew over cuba which was pretty cool. There were no missionaries at the SLC airport, but there were a group that gathered in Atlanta. I just got my tag and I am so excited. Finally a real missionary. Well, I would have written more but I only have five minutes and this keyboard is in spanish and everything is in a weird place.

 

Lots of Love,

 

Hermana Baldridge (which no one seems to be able to say, by the way.)