"The Best Two Years" Movie

From March 16, 2015

Dear Elder Bailey,

          Dad and I watched the "Best Two Years" yesterday.  It was playing on BYUTV and we caught most of it.  I hope the home life of you missionaries is not as portrayed in the movie.  Dad says that most of the story line was over-done and over-acted for the sake of dramatic flow and to create comedy.  There was one part that was touching, though.  That part was when Elder Rogers bore his testimony in giving the lesson to the new investigator.  I am holding out hope that you always bear a fervent testimony of the Savior and His mission whenever you are teaching.  I hope you have a clear vision of why you went on your mission.  I hope you and your companions plan and work and count your success by how many times you can bear testimony and not by the other numbers.

We love you and know that you are constantly in our prayers,

Love, Mom

--From Elder Bailey:

          Well, I know that Joseph Smith was a pamphlet.  The Best 2 Years is very accurate.   The mission is dramatic, but much funnier in real life.   I’m not kidding. But this week was really productive.  We were working hard all week and taught 23 lessons.  That was cool.  We had to go to a wedding reception on the 14th to give a progress record to a ward mission leader.   

            Yeah, this week was good and congrats that all your available children have been married off and now I am a burden to society until I get hitched

                      Photos of Elder Mitchell Bailey on a very small mini-bike:

Transfer Calls Were Today

February 15, 2015

From Elder Bailey,

          Transfer calls were today and Elder LeGrand is gone, which means I will be in this area for 7 1/2 months.  I like it, but I need, need, need to see something different!  I’m so tired of this area even though it’s a great area. 

          So, there was a 16 year old boy in one of our wards who died last Sunday night.  The funeral was Saturday.  We got a couple new investigators from it.  So what happened was that while we were out tracting on Tuesday, we knocked on this door and this lady opened the door.  We started our whole spiel at the door and she said that we had already met at a ward Christmas party.  (We just didn’t remember.)  She said her son was a friend of the boy who died and was taking it really hard.  She invited us back.  They were also good friends with one family in the ward in particular.  She had even invited them (the Beckers) to the lesson.  When we showed up, we saw them walking in, too.   That was a pleasant surprise.  She had not even told us they were invited.  And so we go in and teach the Plan of Salvation.  We were trying our best but we were not really together, but the Spirit was there.  Bro. Becker talked a lot of the time and helped with the friend part and everything we taught the mom (Jo) was like "yeah, yeah that makes sense."  That was cool, but it ran a little long and we had to end a little early.  We ran to the next lesson.  Her son even came to church the next Sunday, but she couldn’t make it.  

          In that next lesson we met with this borderline less active girl whose testimony is up and down.  She has been doing solid for a while now and we had her teach us.  She taught us what she taught her primary class about baptism and gave us expensive ties she bought for us.  Mine is a light blue skinny tie and the brand is "Penguin."  That’s a high up brand.  That was very generous of her and it looks sweet.

         Here are some pictures of us golfing on P-Day.

This week has been interesting. 

Hitting the Ground Running

February 9, 2015

Dear Elder Bailey,

          The other day we were over at the Acheson's picking up some branches to make decorations for Cami's wedding, when Aunt Barbara excitedly asked Bonnie and me to quickly come in the house.  She had just gotten pictures and an email from Elder Race's Mission President.  Race made it to France safely.  But there was something else Barbara wanted to show me.  She said she found on the Lyon France Mission Blog a picture of you with a lady she had never met.  The caption said that Sister Engle (or something like that) was standing with an Elder in Arizona who was the cousin to Elder Race Acheson who was the travel companion of her missionary going to the Lyon France Mission.  Barby looked at the picture because it mentioned Race, and then dropped her jaw!  "That's Mitchell!"  And indeed it was.  What a small world this is!  (Either you have grown a foot or two more or that lady was tiny!)

     

          I have been monitoring the weather where you are and we have had basically the same springtime temperatures.  Seriously, we have had such warm weather the people are going around in shirtsleeves and shorts and the flowers bulbs are starting to come up out of the ground.

This is just plain crazy.  We love the mild temperatures, but we are getting worried about not having enough snow in our mountains.  We are actually praying for snow and colder weather!

          Hope you were able to get your bike fixed.  Perhaps you should not go off the jumps and crash and damage your bike so often.  Please take care not to damage yourself and be nice to your bike!

We think of you and pray for you always!

Love, 

Mom

From Elder Bailey on February 9th

          So this week was pretty boring until yesterday when Elder Legrand was sick.  I spent half the day on exchanges with Elder Kapua of New Zealand.  A less active sister told me that her husband was super sick and could possibly die in the hospital.  He has a condition called DKA or something.  Blood sugar at 300 is really high but his was at 1000 or maybe it was the insulin.  Anyway, I told her that we would go by the hospital to see him.  Then there was a recent convert that I have been working with for a long time that was getting the Melchizedek priesthood and wanted me to be a part of it.  Right after giving him the priesthood we hopped in his car and headed over to the hospital.  We found Bro. Cain in the ICU and he did not look good at all.  He is too young to be in the state he is in.  He is 37 but he looks 67.  He is so skinny he looks like he was a victim of the holocaust.  Mark, the new Melchizedek priesthood holder got to anoint and I got to give Bro. Cain the blessing.  That was cool.  

          Then we went over to where Elder Legrand was and we go in.  (I had found a copy of “The Best 2 Years” in a missionaries’ house and had previously lent it to Mark.)  When we went in to see Elder LeGrand, Mark said, "Wow!  It’s really messy in here, just like the movie."  I laughed pretty hard because I didn't live there.  Then Mark anointed Elder LeGrand and Elder Kapua gave him a blessing.  So, Mark got to hit the ground running as a new Melchizedek priesthood holder.  That was so cool. 

          On a different note, the Sue Sue family is coming up to Provo this week on Thursday or Friday. I am sending some stuff home just because I don’t need it, but I want something in return.  Can you send me some of my weights?  I want my silver dumbbells with 60 lbs on each and one barbell.

How it should be on each bar is: 

     5-5-10-10-handle-10-10-5-5  

     Grey weights on both dumbbells

     and nothing on the bar unless they are willing to take more 

     and send my good bar!

It’s going to be a lot of work but get Orihah to do it, he will!

The Grand Announcement - Ta-da-da-dah!

  From Elder Bailey,      

           We have been working really hard this week and everything has been going well.  Weeks are so long and by the end I feel like the stuff that happened on Monday was forever ago.  We had 19 teaching opportunities this past week and in Gilbert that is hard.  The average up here is like 8 or 9 in a week and we had 19!  If you go down to Florence, 19 is about average because they teach a lot to all the people that get out of prison that live down there.  More people are willing to hear the message there, but in Gilbert that is unheard of.  Usually we try for 15-ish, but we have been doing pretty good.

          There was this guy we tracted into named Charles who is a black Southern Baptist guy that when we were talking to him, sounded really nice.  He wanted us to come back and talk with him, so we went back on Thursday on splits.  I went with a recent convert, Brother Hovland and taught Charles the First Discussion.  It turns out he is a “golden” investigator.  He had already read the Book of Mormon (because people told him not too).  He matched it up with the Bible and knew it was true. He knew Joseph Smith was a prophet and when asked if he wanted to be baptized, said “yes.”  But he moved yesterday!  However, the good news is that he gave us his new address.  So, we will refer him to those missionaries. At least the address is still in the mission -- which is rare!

          It was kind of scary yesterday.  Donna and Roger were in an interview with Bishop because they are having financial issues.  When they came out, they sat down and were talking with us. Donna suddenly got sick or something.  Her back started hurting and she felt as though she would throw up.  We got her out to their car.  She was saying it was probably from all the stress and anxiety of their financial crisis.   It was really scary and Roger wanted to take her to the hospital.  She texted us later that evening saying that she was feeling better.  That was good to hear

          Transfers were good.  Elder Ramon is gone and we welcomed Elder Kapua of New Zealand.  He has been out 4 1/2 months and is doing the "2nd half " training of Elder Falkenberry.  

And, now, for the grand announcement dadadadadadadadadadadadadada (drum roll) -- Elder Legrand is our new District Leader!  Every single one of my companions has been a foreigner who has done one transfer with me and in the next transfer has gotten a district leader call.  We heard from the Assistants via the Zone Leaders that I was supposed to get transferred and go senior companion in a different zone and Elder Legrand was supposed to train the new French elder from Lyon (who met my cousin Race Acheson in the MTC) but we were too effective working together.  They decided to keep us together for another transfer.  Then I think I’m gone in the next transfer.  But that’s ok. 

Sharing "He Is the Gift"

December 29, 2014

From Elder Bailey:

                  It was cool, right after the Skype call, Brother Young gave me a football.  And I really wanted a football!

                  This week was really slow.  I went on exchanges with Elder Falkenberry from South Carolina.  He is brand new and being trained by my last companion.   (He was having a hard time, but I got to show him around his area.) During the Christmas season, we were promised that if we devoted our time to sharing “He Is the Gift” we would double our teaching pool.  We worked very hard.  He will be a really awesome missionary.  

                  We contacted 2 out of 3 referrals and got return appointments with 3 people and that’s really all that happened this week.  We are almost over on miles and it really stinks that we will have to ride our bikes.  Our area is too big for just riding bikes and we don’t have enough time.  At dinner yesterday a 5 year old thought that it would be funny to put a bow on my head, stand on my shoulders, pull on my ears really hard, and yell “ELF!!!!!!!!”  I was about ready to see how far I could punt a kid, but all is good.

January 5^th, 2015

From Elder Bailey:

                  My early morning work-outs with Elder LeGrande are very chilly in anywhere between 27 and 35 degrees.  It’s really fun this week.  Not!  I dislocated my left pinkie on New Years Eve.  I got to set the bone myself and that was cool.   It is still pretty swollen but my mission president is a physical therapist and said I should be fine in a few weeks.  

                  We put Donna and Roger on date for baptism on the 24th of January.  I have been working with them on and off for 4 1/2 months, so that’s awesome!  We taught a really awesome lesson and resolved a few concerns of theirs.  Then we prayed together.  Roger prayed for a sign and I think Donna did too.  After we left, they were listening to music and a song came on called "There Must Be Something in the Water" which is about Baptism.  So, the next time we saw them they said,  “I think we are ready.”  That is soooo awesome!  

                  We have a bunch of new investigators and referrals, so we are trying to stay busy.  Transfer calls happen today, but they have not come yet, so we are tense right now.