How’s it going? This week has been slow but a great opportunity to learn. I am starting to figure out what to do during my time here and what the rules are. This week I taught 4 different families about the Plan of Salvation. This is a hard but interesting topic to teach. I appreciate the understanding we have from prophets and apostles that we were sent here to earth for a reason – to learn and grow; and one day after we all die, we will go to the spirit world where we will wait for the final judgment day to determine what level of heaven we will inherit. The three levels are Celestial Kingdom, Terrestrial Kingdom, Telestial Kingdom. Each Kingdom has different aspects and perks. I want to go to the celestial kingdom for sure.

Life in northern Arizona is very unique. I live with three other missionaries in a cabin. We recently captured this photo of me perched on the second floor door frame of our two-story cabin. The door doesn’t really serve a purpose because if I were to walk through the door, I would tumble to the ground below and hurt myself. I’m not really sure if there ever was a purpose for that door. Maybe it was designed to lead to a stairway. Who knows? In its present form, that pointless door got me thinking about metaphorical doors that lead to nowhere. There are many pathways in life that lead to nowhere. They might seem to promise us riches and happiness, but in the end they leave us broken, abandoned, and unhappy.

I am serving a mission because I believe the doorway and pathway back to God is the most important door and path we can choose in life. It is important that we find a pathway with a purpose and hopefully that purpose involves our happiness and the happiness of our loved ones. Our ultimate goal should be to return to our Father in Heaven and live in an eternally happy state. One of my favorite scriptures is in 2 Nephi 2:25 and reads: “Adam fell that men [and women] might be, and men [and women] are that they might have joy.”

During my time lately, I have been involved in several service projects to help some new friends in the area. In one of the projects, we chopped wood.

I also helped this cool lady with drilling in some shelves in her laundry room. The dog in the picture is a trained attack dog. Her husband will wear a protective suit sometimes so the dog can practice his skills. I thought that was pretty cool. She even uses Polish words to tell them when to Search and destroy. Since my sister Elizabeth served her mission in Poland, I appreciate the connection with my Polish friend.

I am grateful for the dog I have and the willingness of my Mother to care for my close friend while I am away serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for two full years. Thanks for all you guys do and the messages and cards and gifts I receive every now and then. Until next Monday  Nov 22, 2021

Buena Suerte and God Bless You all this week!

Elder Baldwin❤❤