P-Day Fun in July

July 28th, 2015

Dear Elder Bailey, 

So we got a couple of pictures from Sister Clawson last week.  You were with an Elder Bambo.  Is he a new companion or were you on splits?  Anyway, it is always so good to get pictures!!!!!!!

Speaking of pictures, here is one that I think you might enjoy.  I noticed on Facebook that Jeremy Harvey was traveling back out to BYU-I and had a picture taken of this sign on   I-70 just as you leave Baltimore.

Terminus of I-70 outside of Baltimore

Notice the Terminus at the other end of I-70.  It is Cove Fort way out in Utah.  Do you remember going there once when you were little?  We got those Pioneer yo-yo's on a string there.  That sign has always cracked me up.  I-70 only goes between Baltimore and Cove Fort.  Such a funny sign.

Dad has been such a hiker lately.  Last week he climbed Lone Peak.  This week he and Bob hiked to the top of Timpanogos.  Your Dad really does not like heights and dead off places.  I am not sure he will do that hike again.  The view is great, but the scary steep slopes are not so great.  I agree.  I climbed it once, and once is enough for me!

Today is Abigail's 8th birthday.  Her baptism is next Saturday.  It would be nice if you told me something that I could write in a card to give her from you about how proud you are of her decision to be baptized or something to that effect.  She would like that very much.

We had a couple of family parties at our house last week.  My brother Bill was out visiting from South Carolina.  He wanted to cook Grandpa Tom some steaks, so we all got together at our house and enjoyed a steak dinner while visiting with him.  Then on Friday, Chase had never experienced a "Bailey Pizza Party" so we hosted one.  It turned out rather fun with kids playing basketball and riding their scooters all over the place.  We even made dessert pizzas and then sang Happy Birthday to Abigail.  It is so fun seeing little Leo and Zak trying to "one up" each other.  Leo has learned to crawl and walk in the last month.  Not to be outdone, Zak watches Leo and squirms out of his parent's arms to try crawling and walking.  Zak has really got a competitive streak!  It won't be long for him to catch up with Leo, even though Leo is four months older!

I have been thinking of you a lot this week.  I am preparing for another Summer Theater Camp in the backyard that starts tomorrow.  We are doing "Momotaro."  Still have the recordings you made of the songs you sang and I also have the costumes you wore.  Cannot believe that the time has flown by so fast.  Wish me luck with the 27 kids I have yet to meet.

I finally bought the flags you requested, but I wondered if you knew your address so that I could send them directly to you and not to the Mission Office.  Just let me know where to send them.

Stay hydrated!!!!  I love hearing about the little miracles you have on your mission. We are so pleased with the wonderful missionary you are and the wonderful reports we get about you.

Love you so much!

Mom

From Elder Bailey:

Tell Abigail to "walk in the newness of life" and that she is awesome.

P-Day Fun on Bubble Seat

I was on exchanges with Elder Bambo.  Elder Bowman and I got to take the Stake President out teaching with us.  We taught Wendy an “eternal investigator” whose son got baptized 4 years ago.  That was an awesome lesson.  She wants to be baptized but is waiting for her husband.  We taught about eternal families and sang "Families Can Be Together Forever."  We focused on the Atonement in the family.  Hopefully we can get her baptized.  This week was really slow but hopefully this next week will be better.  

Brother Taylor will be in Provo on Saturday and wants to come by and try a brick oven pizza.  Also, if you could send down my long silver barbell with the spiny clips on the ends with him that would be awesome.  If he can’t, that's cool.  This morning we played “knocker soccer,” but we thought it would be more fun to just charge each other playing sharks and minnows and last man standing.  

P-Day Fun with Zone

Early July Emails

July 6^th 2015

We got to sing at the beginning of the Yankees game. We were in Center Field. Fortunately they won.

It has been so great to get pictures of you from Sister Marble. Please send an email to me!

Love, Mom

From Elder Bailey:

This week was very slow because of the 4th of July and everyone being out of town, but we pulled through.  It also helps when your comp is “Shawn Spencer.”  Elder Bowman is really funny and we get along well. Thanks for the new suit.  I can now ride my bike to church without worrying about ripping my pants.  Nothing else really to report this week, I'm alive..... and healthy...... Say hi to Chase for me.

July 13^th, 2015 

Dear Elder Bailey,

While I was on Tour, I got several pictures of you from random people in Arizona.  Sister Bollinger and Sister Marble are my new best friends now.  Another family sent pictures, as well, but never told me their names.  Anyway, it was fun to get to know a little bit about Sister Marble.  She has a sister in the Orchestra at Temple Square that I also got to know a little on tour.

Pondering hydrating with Gator Ade

We had a marvelous tour, and are recovering at home now.  Seems that a virus was going around in the choir near the end of tour.  Now that we are home, everyone is taking turns being sick.  It is my turn right now.  No voice.  Hope it comes back for the Pioneer Day Broadcast this weekend.

Glad to hear that you got the suit.  Hope it fits well and you like the color.  I am also pleased that you get along with your new companion.  I will get the flags to you as soon as I can.

Chase gave his Homecoming talk yesterday.  I did not hear it because of rehearsals, but at the reception after, people told me that he gave a great talk.  He looks so good. The Acheson's are off to visit family up in Washington this week.  Then Chase will be looking for a job.  The Stake President challenged him to go to the Temple everyday for a month.  He has done pretty well on that task.  And Pres. Ostergar also challenged Chase to go on a date each week for a month.  He also outlined what specified a "date."  It had to be where Chase actually asked the girl out to go somewhere, to do something (movie, dinner, dance, etc.), and he paid for it.  No "hanging out."  I think he has had at least 2 dates so far.  A lot of girls came to hear his Homecoming talk, so I think he will not lack for candidates.

Elder Ronald Rasband was the General Authority onTour with us.  He gave such wonderful talks to us.  I will just share one thought from his remarks.  When he was a mission president in New York, he reminded his missionaries of the promise in 2 Nephi 1:6 "Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord."  That gave the missionaries confidence.

They had the responsibility of taking the gospel into Harlem and the Bronx, two very scary places run by gangs and Mafia and populated by people who by all accounts were in impoverished circumstances.  Harlem was made up almost entirely of Blacks and the Bronx had a lot of Italian and Puerto Rican immigrants.  

He first gathered some of his most courageous missionaries and set up a street display in a plaza in Harlem.  As they were trying to start talking to people, three big burly black guys carrying a sign with a Black Jesus on it came over to them.  Elder Rasband greeted them and said, "We have not come to argue about the color of Jesus' skin.  We love Him and serve Him, and just want to share the message that if all people would harken to his words, they would find true happiness."  (Or words to that effect)  The biggest black guy then said, "Oh..., well...., that sounds all right."  And they walked away.  

From that point on, the missionaries had no trouble with street contacting.  That was their only means of proselyting, though.  But now, 15 years later, the Church has grown to 4 wards in that area, and they have even been able to build a Church building.  Amazing.

Love you,

Mom

Elder Bailey helping girl comb doll's hair

Armed with Pens?

Leaving a Message 

From Elder Bailey:

This week was slow.  We worked really hard, but this area has really slowed down.  It will get better this week.  There are a lot of young girls that want to be baptized but can’t until they are 18 in my new area.  Do you remember the Taylor’s that use to live behind us that now live in the Second Ward?  Because Brother Taylor’s parents are in one of my wards and Brother Taylor is my Ward Mission Leader.  I have a lot of connections.  Not much to say about this week.

Oh, and I learned how to solve a Rubix cube.

Little Miracles from July 20th, 2015

From Mom,

Dear Elder Bailey,

This week was busy for me preparing and singing the Pioneer Day concerts with the choir.  The problem was that I got the virus that was being passed around on tour, and really didn't have much voice to contribute.  But I stood up there and pretended to sing along anyway.  It was my last Pioneer Day Concert.  I was not going to miss it!

Ellis nearing the summit of Lone Peak

But dad did something interesting.  He and three guys from his work and your uncle Bob hiked up Lone Peak between American Fork Canyon and the Salt Lake Valley.  It is a very grueling hike because most of it is bouldering.  They literally had to crawl up and over big rocks for most of the ascent.  They traveled about 14 miles up and back down and it took them most of the day.  Here is a view of Dad on the southern face of the mountain looking out over the Highland/Alpine/American Fork area and off to a view of Utah Lake.  See all of the boulders.  He said that getting to the top was crawling up and over big boulders like those.  All granite.  They did get all the way to the top.  But he was really tired.

Later today we are going to meet Katelyn and Brendan and the kids to go miniature golfing, have supper and then go out to see the lot that they are purchasing out in Eagle Mountain.  Maybe they will start building their new house by the time you come home next summer.  I am not sure what their time frame really is.

Miniature Golfing with Ethan and Family

Michael's truck

Saturday was the deadline Bonnie set for moving the old piano out of the back room at 781 to Matthew's house.  I looked into getting actual piano movers to come.  But Matthew called Michael and before I new it, the two of them went over to get the piano.  Michael bought himself a truck last week and they decided that it could easily move a piano.  They expected Chase and Dad to help them, but neither of them were home at the time.  So, I went over to hold open doors and clip shrubbery and Grandpa Tom gave them tips for how he had moved pianos in the past.  It all worked out okay.  Those guys were sure determined.  Now Chase will be able to move his bed into the back room and fix it up to be his own space.  He plans to live there with Grandpa and Bonnie while attending BYU.  He thinks it will distance him enough from his home on Maple Lane.  I am sure he will be a great help and blessing for Grandpa Tom.

Hope you had a wonderful week,

Love you, Mom

From Elder Bailey,

It is so weird to think that Chase is home from his mission!  Tell him to email me if he can. 

My last zone liked to hike the San Tan mountains, but I always forgot my camera (well I lost my charger and didn't find a new one until I got transferred) so no pictures of those hikes. 

Tell Michael congrats on the new truck. 

This week was slow again but I had a couple miracles personally this week.  We faced a lot of opposition to get out and work -- like going to a mission choir practice and my comp forgot the phone at the church and took 3 hour to find a ride and retrieve it and we had Zone Conference.   We took a recent convert family to go do baptisms for the dead, though.  I think the baptistry in the Gilbert Temple is the best I have ever seen.  And while in the Temple I saw my favorite family from Cooley Station Ward.  And at the In and Out afterwards, I saw a more members from the Gateway and Maplewood Wards.  I loved that area so much, so it was a blessing to see them.  

Pictures from Elder Bailey

Sunset in Gilbert AZ

Favorite Family from Cooley Station Ward

A No Work Week, But Miracles Too

          This week was depressing because we basically had a no work week.  But we still had a couple miracles. This week was filled with meetings and service.  On Tuesday we had an activity with other missionaries and afterwards Elder Mauclair felt sick and so we did not go out that evening.  However, later an appointment that we had missed earlier called (they were investigators that we have not gotten to have a sit down lesson with yet) and they asked if we were coming.  I explained that my companion was sick.  They said that they really wanted to meet with us and asked to reschedule with us.  This shows they really are serious about meeting with us.  This is super cool and means they will not be flakey, which is super awesome.  
          The second miracle was on Saturday when we contacted a referral from a member for a 15 year old girl named Natasha.  She answered the door and was super interested and said that she wants to meet with us. She has been going to church with her friend in a neighboring ward.  We taught her on the door step.  She started crying and told us that her life has been changed because she was going to church.  (Making women cry seems to be a regular occurrence with us) 
          Also, the Bailey family helped me buy a new suit.  I gave them money and they went to Burlington (outside the mission boundaries).  I had asked for a light grey suit thinking they couldn't possibly find anything too light and that they would come back with a nice looking grey suit.  But the suit they came back with was almost white.  Be careful what you ask for because it was crazy white.  So today they are taking it back and trading it for a different one.  My grey suit is almost worn out and gonna rip everywhere soon.   It probably would have already if Aunt Barbara hadn't reinforced all the seams in the pants.  The jacket is all sun bleached and stuff and ripping inside. It's bad.  I cant wear the black one because the jacket is way too big and I look like a dork.  I wear it only in emergencies, so there is still a use for it.

Awesome to See People Change

From Elder Bailey on June 1^st, 2015

     Well, last week was cool.  I found my wallet!  Also, Bishop Taylor took us to Dillards last P-day and bought us expensive shoes. They are super cool.

     Then, we have been doing work this week to set up teaching for weeks to come. So there is one potential investigator we have that we talked to and made initial contact with.  She is going through a terrible divorce. We shared some words of comfort with her and she cried a little and talked to us about how it was hard to try to be strong for her son.  We bore testimony of the Savior and related her situation to Job.  She cried more when I said Job because that was her father’s story. He died a few years ago.  She needs the gospel so bad it hurts and she knows it.  She is trying to go back to church but to Catholic Church.  So hopefully we can be the guides in the right direction.  Then on Sunday we went by another lady’s house that started coming to church a couple weeks ago.  She is really interested in learning more about the Church.  We knocked on the door and she gave us water.  I felt prompted to say Elder Mauclair is French. Her eyes lit up a little and she started speaking French to Elder Mauclair.  It turns out she is from Haiti and that is super cool too!  

     Also, thanks for the package and the tie.  Elder LeGrand is jealous (we have style competitions and right now and I think I’m winning).  I wore it to the baptism of a man I was teaching in my last area.  He is super cool.  It is awesome to see people change.  

     Also, were you making fun of me with the superman card?  Because if you were it was pretty funny.