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.

A Mother's Joy on Mother's Day

May 10th, 2015

          We waited and waited to hear from our missionary son in Arizona.  He had emailed the time for us to be ready --- 3:30 pm on Mother's Day.  So we waited and wondered and wondered and waited some more UNTIL we realized that Arizona does not change to Daylight Savings Time.  Ahhhhh!  His 3:30 was really our Utah 4:30.  So we waited some more until just after 5:00 Utah time.  Then a call came from Elder Bailey.  "So," the voice said, "How are we going to do this? Skype, Google Hangout, or what?" We were ready with the Google Hangout, so with a few connections we got the video conference call started.  Cami and Greg promised to join us when we could add them later.  There he was --- Elder Mitchell Bailey --- looking healthy and happy and well groomed.  Awesome!

          Elder Bailey introduced us to his host family, also named Bailey.  The mother thanked us for sending such a wonderful missionary.  They have two sons getting about to missionary ages and were grateful to have an Elder Bailey to be such a great example and friend for them.  He also introduce us to his companion from France.  I tried out my limited conversational French and then stopped abruptly when I could not go further than "Good day" and "How are you?"

          Mostly we just wanted to hear him talk and tell us about anything and everything he is doing.  He described the areas they support, the wards and the neighborhoods.  He told about getting to drive a car for a transfer because his companion from Canada felt insecure driving in America after being on a bike only for so long.  He told about the low income housing projects where they have been fortunate to find some very humble people willing to listen.  He told of the incredible week when they had 20 teaching appointments.  Usually they only get 5-7 teaching appointments.  He talked of the many little miracles that happen day to day.

          One little miracle he shared he said has been the highlight of his mission.  He said that missionaries don't always recognize or acknowledge the Spirit they carry with them every day.  But after this experience, he has learned to recognize and acknowledge this wonderful gift.  The Bishop's wife took them to meet a neighbor who had been having a rough time.  She was going through a divorce.  When she answered the door, she said that she just did not have time right then to sit down and talk with the elders.  Her little dog had run out onto the porch and was curious about the missionaries, but did not bark.  Elder Bailey bent down and patted the dog and snapped his fingers to point commanding the dog to go back inside the house.  The dog instantly obeyed.  The lady was surprised at how well the dog obeyed and said that she would call when she had time to visit with the Elders.  The missionaries were rather surprised when the lady called back so soon.  She explained that while the missionaries were on her porch she felt a peace that she had not felt in quite some time.  And her little dog, that usually yaps loudly and bites "intruders" on the ankles, was uncharacteristically calm and obedient.  She just knew that she needed to feel that Spirit again.  So she called the missionaries right away.

          Yes, Elder Bailey said, we as missionaries need to recognize and be grateful for the Spirit we carry with us.  That was truly a miracle!

Lots of Rain

Dear Elder Bailey,

I got a photo of you from Sis. Zollinger last week.  She titled it "Transfers."  Did you get transferred last week?  Or was this an old photo?  You were standing with an Elder Carpenter.  Just wondering if that was your new companion.

We have had such a dry winter with hardly any snow.  And now in May, we are having some torrential rains.  I hope we are making up the rain deficits.  How about you?  Have you been getting rain in your area?

Last week felt like I was holed up in a dungeon.  Just the rain, and me at my computer struggling to learn how to use the video editing program.  I was going through footage from three different tapings of the show at the Provost Elementary School.  Finally after days and days of trial and error, I succeeded in editing a usable product.  My goal was to get them copied to take to school today.  Somehow, I made my goal.  Seems like I cannot reproduce the steps I used before to copy some more, though.  Oh well, at least I have 25 made and delivered.  Now to go back and try to learn the steps all over again.

Hope your week was good.  I so enjoyed hearing about your miracles last week.  It made me want to pay more close attention to recognizing the hand of the Lord in my day to day activities.  Getting that editing accomplished was one of those, certainly.  Now that the first wave is done, I realize that I must have had some divine intervention.

Have a great week,

Love, Mom

Elder Mitchell Bailey and Elder Carpenter at the May 2015 transfers meeting

From Elder Bailey:

There was a lot of rain this week and no I did not get transferred and Elder Carpenter is not my companion. He just happened to be standing near by when we took the picture. This week has been strange work wise but no stories. Riding my bike in the rain was fun. 

All of my previous companions are now zone leaders, even my MTC companion, so that's cool.

What Elder Bailey Does Not Tell Us About

Gilbert Arizona Mission Choir performing at the "Because He Lives" Concert April 30th, 2015

       This photo was on a mission blog announcing the concert by the Mission Choir for the missionaries' efforts to promote the Church media presentation of "Because He Lives."  Don't know if our Elder Bailey was singing, but he should have been!

From Elder Bailey:

     This week has been long and hard.  We were teaching a lot this week but nobody we have been teaching has been progressing.  And that stinks.

     We learned that the number of missionaries in our mission will drop significantly in the next few transfers.  When I came in, we had 210 missionaries.  Now we have 150 and in August we will have 95.  Then it will probably go back up to around 150-ish, but the next 7 1/2 months will be super hard.  Most of our mission leadership will be going home in the next transfer or two.  Then it will be a whole new mission.  We are going to cover 4 to 6 wards each companionship, and that will be super hard.

Elder Mitchell Bailey (right) and companions. Photo sent by an anonymous text-er.