Dear Family,
Hey Mom and Dad! I’m super grateful for
your letters. It’s amazing to think that we are getting into Christmas. Dad,
I’m glad that tithing settlement is going good. It is always a fun time as a
bishop, I know. It really does feel crazy to be at the year mark on my mission.
It has truly gone by super fast. Pretty soon you guys will be here with me in
my world!!!
There is a really funny story with my
Thanksgiving experience. To be honest, I completely forgot it was Thanksgiving.
I finally remembered when I got home Thursday night and the funniest part is I
was actually fasting that day. So I didn’t eat anything on Thanksgiving, not
even Jell-o and rolls. Hahah! Something just never change! Mom those pies
you made looked amazing! I almost started drooling here in the Internet
center.
Well I don’t have much time so here’s a brief over
view of my week.
This Saturday I baptized R!!!! He’s an eight-year old
boy whose mom served a mission in Nicaragua, but has since gone inactive. Her
husband is also inactive. Teaching R was a lot of fun and they are probably one
of my favorite families here in the mission.
Then we had a super fun activity on
Sunday where we went to the other branch in San Juan where the Hermanas
are. We contacted less active members
and it was super fun because I got to go to a different area and go with a ward
member. I was the only missionary, but we had a really spiritual lesson when we
went to one house. It was a husband and wife, a little bit older, maybe in
their fifties. Anyway, their daughter came out and I realized that the daughter
very faithful member, so we got talking and I figured out that she is a
returned missionary. So we just keep talking, including the parents in the
conversation, and I pulled out my Book of Mormon. The daughter said in English
that her parents don’t like it when the missionaries share using the
scriptures, so I just kept talking and cracking jokes. I got everybody laughing
and then the daughter asked me whether I was converted before the mission, or
on the mission. The Spirit just grew and I was able to explain my conversion
process and enduring to the end in a way I don’t think I could repeat. It was
very spiritual experience and at the end we knelt and prayed. It was a sweet experience! Then, the daughter
wanted to come with us to find the other less active members. She told me that
she wished that I could stay in that branch. It was super cool!!!! A very big
compliment, but anyway that’s all I can write. I promise I’ll write more next
week.
I’m super stoked for this Christmas.
Elder M left me this super cool binder that has a missionary Christmas story
for everyday of December leading up to Christmas. So I started that today and
it is very cool. I loved seeing the picture of our house at Christmas time. I’m
glad that you got everything set up, but one question, “Why the pig ornament?” I’m
excited to Skype and see how Jake’s Spanish is. He always says it’s near
perfect, so we’ll see. It might be hard to talk with Jake in Spanish because I
speak very Dominican Spanish. As for my plans for Christmas, I don’t have any
thus far. No one in the branch has invited us over, but it’s guaranteed that I
will be here in San Juan for Christmas. Do you realize this is my last
Christmas in the mission? Next year I’ll be home with you guys!
I love you mom and dad!
Elder Bailey Stark
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