Almost got arrested...for being "white" girls.

Well for starters one day we almost got arrested! For being white! We were walking around a neighborhood that I'm just gonna say is prime for contacting Spanish speakers and this cop pulls up to us and gets out and is like "excuse me ladies do you know where you are? What are you guys doing here?" and we're like you know bringing people eternal salvation and never ending happiness so nothing too important ( visiting someone we met here last week)  He says well we have been having a lot of break ins around here and you two match the suspects' descriptions of being "two white females", so I'm going to have to run your IDs. And we're like, yes of course the two white Mormon missionaries walking around THIS neighborhood are the two most likely suspects. I mean it only makes sense. Because I'm gonna rob someone when I have pamphlets and cards about Christ and our church spilling out of my bag as I hand him my ID.  But anyways after about 5 more minutes he finally let us go after feeling convinced we were innocent even though he still insisted on writing down all our information. We invited him to church though so idk maybe we'll see him again haha. 

Marcela, the referral we contacted last week and had the 13 minute silent prayer experience with is doing so well. We saw her a few times this week and she's been reading in the BOM, and praying out loud and a lot shorter *fistpump. She shared what she is learning with her sister who lives in her apt complex and we are actually teaching her too now! They're awesome! -

General conference was this week and I've never been more excited for it in my life. It's like the Super Bowl for missionaries. We went around telling everyone about it this week, inviting everyone to our "super bowl party" at the church. We're like yeah we're gonna have this big screen TV and air conditioning and long cushioned chairs and maybe some old stale sacrament bread it's going to be great you've gotta be there. But really though that's all I could think about this week was how excited I was for conference. Every morning Newbill and I would wake up and say "ONLY 96 HOURS TILL CONFERENCE" "ONLY 37 HOURS TILL CONFERENCE" "ONLY 3 HOURS TILL CONFERENCE" . I remember always thinking that conference was the longest and most boring thing ever and would keep checking the time hoping it was almost over so I could go back to doing what ever unimportant thing I was doing before. Now I kept checking my watch dreading the time when it would be over and wishing it would go on forever. I'm not sure when or how my attitude about conference changed but it's definitely done a 180.Conference is so so much more than a Sunday where we get to stay home from church and eat cinnamon rolls and watch BYU TV in our pajamas instead. It's the time when we get to hear direct revelation from God through his living prophets and apostles that is specifically for us. Its amazing. I think what really was making me so excited for conference this time though was because I knew how many people we are teaching have been praying and trying to know for themselves that this really is Christ's restored church. I feel like we've been doing everything we can to try and help them to receive and recognize their answer but we kind of came to the point this week and we're like ok we've done all we can do it's the prophets turn now. 

I find it really hard to believe that if someone watches conference with an open heart, real intent and sincere desire to know truth that you can't watch the prophet speak and not know that he is a true prophet of God. -Our turnout for conference wasn't as great as we wanted it to be but we did have a few investigators who came. Justin came for the Sunday morning session ( was baptized last week) and it was hilarious sitting next to him. He thinks he knows like everything there is to know about the church now that he's baptized and has been reading and studying his scriptures more. During the talks he'd be like " oh that scriptures in 1 Nephi chapter 10 I know that one" or " psh all this stuff is in The gospel principles". Wish I knew as much as Justin does.- there were so many good talks that I can't even decide which was my favorite. The one that Uchtdorf gave though about gaining a testimony and recognizing spiritual truth was really powerful though. There are so many people I can't wait to show that talk to this week. But my overall testimony was strengthened so much this weekend. I feel like I just got recharged and am ready to go teach every single person in Bradenton that I can. I know that we have a Heavenly Father that loves and knows us individually. I know that he sent his son Jesus Christ so that we would be able to overcome our shortcomings, our trials, our sorrows and our weaknesses so that we can make it back to live with Him again. He wants us to live with him again. but we need to do our part with our time we have right now. I know that He has given us a living prophet to lead and guide us to know those things we need to do to live with Him again.- overall I'm just so thankful to be a missionary. I'm so thankful that I have the opportunity to help God with his work and his glory " to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man". I know that's what he wants for each and every one of His children! I hope everyone has a great week this week and doesn't forget the things we learned this weekend! I'm praying that I don't!

I find it really hard to believe that if someone watches conference with an open heart, real intent and sincere desire to know truth that you can't watch the prophet speak and not know that he is a true prophet of God. -Our turnout for conference wasn't as great as we wanted it to be but we did have a few investigators who came. Justin came for the Sunday morning session ( was baptized last week) and it was hilarious sitting next to him. He thinks he knows like everything there is to know about the church now that he's baptized and has been reading and studying his scriptures more. During the talks he'd be like " oh that scriptures in 1 Nephi chapter 10 I know that one" or " psh all this stuff is in The gospel principles". Wish I knew as much as Justin does.- there were so many good talks that I can't even decide which was my favorite. The one that Uchtdorf gave though about gaining a testimony and recognizing spiritual truth was really powerful though. There are so many people I can't wait to show that talk to this week. But my overall testimony was strengthened so much this weekend. I feel like I just got recharged and am ready to go teach every single person in Bradenton that I can. I know that we have a Heavenly Father that loves and knows us individually. I know that he sent his son Jesus Christ so that we would be able to overcome our shortcomings, our trials, our sorrows and our weaknesses so that we can make it back to live with Him again. He wants us to live with him again. but we need to do our part with our time we have right now. I know that He has given us a living prophet to lead and guide us to know those things we need to do to live with Him again.- overall I'm just so thankful to be a missionary. I'm so thankful that I have the opportunity to help God with his work and his glory " to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man". I know that's what he wants for each and every one of His children! I hope everyone has a great week this week and doesn't forget the things we learned this weekend! I'm praying that I don't! Love you!

Hermana Baugh