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.

Leaving for a New Area

         

At baptism with Elders LeGrand, Bailey and Jackson

March 30th, 2015

          Well, I was just another 6 weeks with Elder Jackson and now I’m getting transferred. It is happy and sad.  I was tired of the area, even though we were getting a lot done and the work is picking up.  We were getting higher stats than the area has ever seen but, I was getting really stir crazy.  I have really learned a lot from Elder Jackson and had a lot of good times.  The transfers are going really fast now and it’s really weird to think about.

Transferred to SanTan Area

 April 6th, 2015

         This week has been okay.  I got transferred to the SAN TAN Zone in the San Tan Stake, Coronado 2nd and San Tan 1st wards.  My new companion is Elder Mauclair.  He is is from Lyon France, and met my Cousin Race in the MTC.  

Elder Race Acheson (right) with his companion in the Lyon France Mission

         This area is kinda dead.  We have no real investigators, but we are going to get something going.  I am excited.  There are a lot of part member families here that are police officers.  I want to be a cop and so that might be the way in.   So that's cool.  Some members told me that one of my football coaches is in Coronado 2nd Ward.  I haven't seen him yet but we will and I'm excited.

Elder Mitchell Bailey (right) with another Elder Bailey (not companion) at the mission transfers meeting in April 2015

April 13th, 2015

          Elder Mauclair and I are working hard together.  We have seen some miracles like praying which door to knock on and finding someone who wants to talk to us.  That was cool.  

Coach Skyles is taking us to lunch and its cool.  

I don’t have much to say.  ‘Bye.

"Where's Waldo" Mission Pics

Oooo!   Oooo!  Oooo!

I found him!

I found Elder Bailey!

He's right there in front

on the left

covering his face

with his arm!

October 2014 Gilbert AZ Mission Conference

Okay! Well this one is harder!  I think Elder Bailey is on the back row on the left wearing sunglasses.

January 2015 Gilbert AZ Mission Conference

Hmm!  This is a lot of work...but I think I spotted him on the fourth row back in the middle lifting his chin up over the blond Sister in front of him.

Did I win?  Do I get a prize?

From Wonderful Ward Members

Elder Jackson and Elder Bailey

Text messages:

"We are members of the ward where your son is serving his mission.  We were out for a walk and we ran into him.

Thought you'd like a picture."

---Bob and Melanie Shaha

Thank you so much!  It is great to have instant connection with our missionary thanks to thoughtful people like you!

He is a great missionary.

Awesome!

"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: