Hey y’all,

Well transfers came up and much to my surprise, I was transferred from Vernon after serving here about a month. At first, I was disappointed to leave so many good developing friendships, but then I remembered that I am on God’s schedule, and He knows where I need to be. At least will be staying in the mountains of Northern Arizona. I’m sure at some point I’ll live in the desert valley – but not yet, not now! This time I’ll serve in Show Low Arizona another small town with a population of about 12,000. I will be serving in the Paloma Ward.

This week we had a zone dinner at a member’s house from the Pine Lakeside Ward. He even told me that I am invited back with Denali to go see him after my two years serving. I am missing Denali alot. He is my baby. I want to give a special thanks to my family Mami, Dad, Elizabeth, Sophia, Galilee for looking after my baby while I am gone. He really misses me so I have heard.

I learned a lot during my time in Vernon and enjoyed what I view as my Vernon family.

I pray for each of you each day. Thanks for the prayers and love. I really need it at this time. I am grateful for each of you. I am looking forward to the day I return home from my mission, but not until I have finished what I came to do.

I WISH Y’ALL THE BEST!! BUENE SUERTE AND LOTS OF LOVE!

ELDER BALDWIN ❤💙💜

This week, we received some horrible news that an Elder in another mission was shot multiple times and is in the hospital in very serious condition. The news particularly hit close to home as my companion Elder Wangsgard was deeply impacted. Here is what he wrote: “My good friend Elder Fauber who was in my MTC district back in August was shot multiple times at his church while enjoying a game of basketball with some fellow missionaries and some people he was teaching the gospel to. I have no words to describe how I felt when I received the news other than numb. I hope and pray that he will be able to pull through… A very dear friend bore his testimony and said that God has given us all agency to be able to choose for ourselves right from wrong and that sometimes He doesn’t interfere with people choices because they need to learn from them. I pray that the man who did this to my friend will be able to turn to Jesus Christ and be able to come back to the light. Thank you all for your prayers and support and love which you have shown me and that you are sending to Elder Fauber, his family, and the missionaries in the Birmingham Alabama mission. I love you all so much and I love Elder Fauber and I know that God is keeping him in His watchful care. ” (https://www.facebook.com/christian.wangsgard.1)

I am grateful that as missionaries we are on the Lord’s errand and we are under His care. I’m sad that there is so much suffering in the world – sometimes what seems needless suffering, but I know that the Lord can comfort us in our afflictions. Father Lehi, an ancient Book of Mormon prophet, taught his son Jacob: “Thou Knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.” (2 Nephi 2:2) At this time, I unite my faith with the faith of all those who are praying that Elder Fauber be speedily restored to health.

Despite the bad, the missionary work must keep going. This past week was a crazy load of Service. I helped a family move from a storage space into their new home. I could see this family was very grateful for the work I put in to help them.

Sometimes on your mission you need to have some fun, for example Maybe having a Nerf War with your Cabin Mates at 6:00 in the morning or going to Ross Dress For Less to goof off and have fun.

I have learned while out on my mission that God works on his own time. Many times I have prayed and waited for an answer. It takes time though. I appreciate so many of the families here in Vernon. Many of these families have reached out to me and my companion asking when they can feed us. I have to say there are many good cooks in Vernon Arizona.

Thanks again for the Love and Support! Buene Suerte ( Good Luck) this week and keep on Viben!! Until next week when I share more about my experiences here in Vernon Arizona!

With much gratitude and love,

ELDER BALDWIN  ❤💙💜

Hey Familia, 

This week, after having experienced the love and fellowship of several families as I have served in Vernon, I reflected upon the strength of the family structure. I miss my family. I miss my dog Denali. But I know the reason I am on a mission is to strengthen families. I am here to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because I know that by sharing His Gospel, I can strengthen the families around me.

In the short time I have served in Vernon, Arizona, I have come to know and love many families in the area. I have felt welcomed. I have enjoyed their hospitality, eaten meals with them including some nice Thanksgiving dinners. I have even felt welcomed as if I were a part of these families. I have learned from them and I have had the opportunity to share Gospel Principles with them and testify of the joy that comes from following the Savior through our words and actions.  I have been blessed by them and I have left many with a blessing from the Lord. I don’t know how long I’ll serve in Vernon – I hope a long time, but I do know that I have already made lifelong friendships that I will want to keep after my mission.

I am enjoying my companionship with Elder Wangsgard – we are making great memories. He is very creative and courageous in sharing the Gospel. He is my trainer and will always have that singular distinction among the missionaries I serve with. When we were first assigned together, he posted these kind words about me: “Elder Joshua Baldwin is a brand new missionary from Texas and has a great motivation to work! I am excited to see what this transfer will bring!!!”

 I also enjoy the chance to serve with the other Elders in our area. This past week, I went on exchanges with Elder Leary – a roommate in my cabin and I learned a lot from him. He has been out for about four transfers. I guess that’s how missionaries count age by how many places we’ve been. But for now, Vernon is great and I’m glad to be here!

I know for sure that families are forever because the Plan of Salvation is Proof of this. In Genesis 12:3 it says: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. This scripture speaks of the power of families. It is our responsibility to have and care for our families here on earth. Thanks again for the love and support you guys have given me while I have been out on my mission. 

Buena Suerte (Good Luck) and Till we meet again Monday the 6th of Dec!

With Much Love,

Elder Baldwin ❤❤😀😁

Hey Y’all my week has been great. The area that I am in at the moment has some pretty sweet members of the church. Everyone here loves one another. I think it is so cool how all these members look out for each other. Sharing is caring, am I right?

This past Monday my District and I decided to go caving. I have been caving a few times before, but never as a missionary so the context was different. As a Boy Scout several years ago, I explored mining tunnels. I remember the blackness so well — I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face. How important it was that I had a light with me to illuminate the way.

As I explored this cave with my fellow missionaries, I realized that in this cave and in the caves of our lifes many things can happen and it is up to you to make it safely through the Cave and back out. Lots of mud and dirty water ugh! Symbolic of the temptations all around us and the importance of cleansing ourselves from sin. I am grateful for the faith and strength I have been given to resist temptation.

Good News! I was given a task to read the Book Of Mormon throughout my Mission and to underline interesting paragraphs. As of TODAY! I have reached THE BOOK OF 2ND NEPHI!!!! Wahooo!! I am growing and learning a lot as I read the Book Of Mormon. Each time I read this Book my day gets even better. You too can have the light of the Book of Mormon illuminate your path if you choose to at least read a chapter a day.

Buena Suerte And Talk Soon!!

With Much Love Elder Baldwin ❤❤❤❤

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❤❤

Hey yall this week so far has been a blast. I finally met my new comp and I think he is pretty cool.

So far this week has been a shock! I woke up at 3:30a just to make it to the MTC bus that would take me to the Salt Lake Airport. It was tiring to sit at the airport for two hours waiting for my flight to Scottsdale Arizona.

I am learning fast and growing too as well. I can see my self reaching out to more people to see how they are doing. It’s also making it a lot easier to talk to new people I have never seen before. Thank you to every one who has sent me packages and cards so far of love and support.

3rd Nephi Chapter 14:7 says ” Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

This scripture talks about going to the Lord in prayer if you have any question that you need answered. God is the key to happiness through prayer. He wants to hear from His Children. Thanks for all you guys do for me and for sending me wonderful cards of love and care. Until my next email next week on Nov 15,2021!

BUENE SUERTE MIS AMIGOS!

Funny Story: I was originally scheduled to train at the Mexico City MTC, but was switched to the Provo, Utah MTC. 5 Missionaries from my Arizona Scottsdale District connected into Dallas from the Mexico City MTC on their way to Arizona. They missed their connection in Dallas and one of the senior missionary couples – Elder & Sister Lauritzen arranged the delayed missionaries stay at a relatives house, which happened to be President Moon (brother to Sister Lauritzen) in the Stake Presidency of the Plano Texas Stake. The missionaries stayed overnight at his house and knowing that I was also assigned to the same mission, President Moon invited my parents to come over. President Moon set me apart to begin my missionary service. He’s a great selfie-taker. 😎

And if you look at my Week 1 blog – Ghosts From the Past, it which I reenacted the iconic pose from my Mom’s picture when she was an MTC teacher, my parents recreated the picture. 😂😂😂

Hola a Todos! This is my last week at the Provo MTC!! My experience here has been different from other experiences.  Here I have enjoyed a stress-free, peaceful emotional experience. The environment it’s wonderful.  Also, I’ve learned a lot and I’ve met great life-long friends and hope to meet many more out in the field of Service! I received my flight itinerary, and I will be checking out of the MTC around 3:00 AM on Monday November the 8th. It’s a bittersweet moment because you love it here, but you are ready to go! 

This morning we went to the temple again and I loved it.  I love the Celestial room and this time what caught my attention was the enormous chandelier–it’s so huge even my Mom would be surprised to see it. It’s beautiful!

Yesterday Tuesday Nov. 2nd we had a devotional by Jean B. Bingham (17th Relief Society President) and her husband Bruce B. Bingham. They gave fantastic talks on how we can better ourselves in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Here are some of Sister Bingham’s thoughts:

1: FAITH IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we are all able to partake of the Sacrament each Sunday and be made clean again through the power and faith in Jesus Christ.

2: KEEP AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE. When we are born and as we reach the age of 5, we think “Oh life will be great for us, and we will be happy forever. As we grow into adulthood, we learn that mistakes are part of life and that is where the atonement of Jesus Christ rolls in.

3: BE WILLING TO DO HARD THINGS. Missionary Life is not a 100-Yard Dash, it is a lifelong marathon. It is up to us to make the best out of it. When we trust in the Lord, He will give us strength to push forward in life.

4: SERVE OTHERS. This month will be just a small moment in your life but if you endure that moment well, God will Exalt thee on high.

A few remarks that Brother Bingham taught that I found quite interesting. He said that the power that comes from the priesthood is a result of healing. We as missionaries have the power to heal. Another interesting thought he said was that our goal here and after is to get families to, in, and through the Temple. By doing so, all families on this Earth can live together forever.

The physical demands of missionary work is challenging. Keeping a missionary schedule is not easy. Waking up at 6:30 every morning ready to go is a challenge, but I have been able to keep a good pace and will continue to progress until I have mastered it. I know missionary life will provide me with opportunities to improve in many areas of my life and I welcome that.  I have learned these past weeks about relationships and solving personal issues, doing laundry, managing resources, showing leadership, developing friendships and much more. 

I feel my Spanish has improved much since I began my mission, and I am grateful for the opportunity to study in the morning and in the evening.  One of the best things at the MTC are the teachers. I want to thank Hermano Ray and Hermana Richmond for their language skills and their desire for us to succeed.  I also want to thank President Porter (MTC President) for enlightening me about the purpose of being a missionary and for making the effort to shake every missionary’s hand. He has shaken mine a few times. 😀 A big thanks to President Anderson, my Branch President, for his teachings and influencing me to have a different view in life. I will take the lessons I’ve learned from him into the field and back home.  I feel grateful for the staff in the cafeteria for cooking for us and making sure there is always enough food to eat.  Last but not least, a big thanks to all those who clean this amazing facility.  It looks great!

THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THE LOVE, SUPPORT AND CARE I have received so far while I have been on my mission, IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE!

Hasta La Próxima Semana Mis Amigos y Familia Cuando yo ya esté en Scottsdale Arizona!!!! 😀😁😂😀

Hola a todos!  What a week it has been!!  Time in the MTC goes by very fast because we stay so busy with language and Gospel studies. I enjoy the chance to take a break and often the cafeteria is one such place I can relax for a few minutes. This week, I was enjoying my favorite drink – raspberry lemonade. 😊 Apparently, I was enjoying it too much because I spilt some on my black jacket. Little did I realize that the pink drink went through the jacket directly onto my white shirt – now turned pink in part of the front area. I wasn’t sure how to remove the stain. I considered the possibility that my white shirt was ruined. Before giving up, I had an idea. I went to the bathroom, got some soap from the dispenser, rubbed it on my shirt, and the pink stain came off. Much to my surprise and delight, the pink stain was gone!

We had a lot of rain this past week and the rain caused me to think about my Baptism Day. Just like the rain that washes away all the filth from the Earth, my sins were washed away when I was baptized. That was an important day for me because of the covenants I made with God to take upon me the name of Christ, remember Him always, and keep His commandments. 

Christ is our great example: “Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of Him…And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:  and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3: 13,16-17.  He invites all to come unto Him “Now this is the commandment:  Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.” 3 Nephi 27:20

We had the visit of another General authority, Elder Budge of the Quorum of the Seventy.  He gave a 40 minute talk. It shocked me to see how much information he put into his talk.  I think his preparation took a Iot of work and I appreciate it.  I have to say it was an amazing experience.  He shared a few ideas that I loved.

• Idea #1.  A Saint who keeps on repenting and glorifies God and shows that he or she loves him will receive the full Glory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the last day.
• Idea #2.   We Missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are sent off to find the lost ones and cry repentance unto them. These two ideas hit me the hardest. It made me ponder more of the purpose of my mission.

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I also was given the opportunity to sing in the Missionary Choir for the Devotional. We sang Hope of Israel. That song is super powerful and grew my testimony. Here is a recent singing of that song led by our latter-day prophet President Russell M. Nelson

The tree you see in this Picture represents the Tree Of Life!!! This tree is found at the entrance of the Missionary Training Center (MTC).  It was pretty cool to see this tree because it reminded me of the scriptures found in Genesis and the Book of Mormon where we learn about the Tree of Life:

“And the Lord planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put man whom he had formed.  And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every. Tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” Genesis 2: 8-9. 

“And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.  And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen.  And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew it was desirable above all other fruit.” 1 Nephi 8:10-12. 

One of my all-time favorite pictures is this one of the famous Captain Moroni. This Man is Top Notch on my list of Book Of Mormon Heroes. Every time I think of the Scriptures, I think of him because of the type of man he was in the eyes of God. He stood for Family, Men, Women, Children and Religion. I want to do the same too.

I would love to hear from you, how your weeks have been and what you have been up to!  Thanks again for all you have done for me, for teaching me and helping me become the man I am today! I hope everyone enjoys the rest of this week. Till the final week before I leave for the mission field in the Arizona Scottsdale Mission!!!!😂😀😁😂

Adios!!!! Y Buena Suerte!!!

Hey Y’all! This is Elder Baldwin. My first week here at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, Utah has been a blast. I am so grateful to be participating in this great tradition of missionary service. Not long ago, my sister Elizabeth trained right here at the MTC for her mission to Poland. Now she studies at BYU and was able to pick me up from the Salt Lake airport and take me to the MTC. Along the way, we shared a traditional lunch with Uncle Ken & Aunt Jana.

My Dad also trained at the Provo MTC way back in 1991 for his mission to Hungary. And my Mom was an MTC teacher here in the mid 90’s sometime after her mission in Mexico. My sister trained in Polish, my dad trained in Hungarian, and I was originally scheduled to train in the Spanish language at the Mexico City MTC. Mexico City is where my Mom served her mission, but the rise of the Covid-19 delta variant changed the ability of Mexico to host foreign missionaries. This change to the Provo MTC was bittersweet. On one hand, I would have trained in the Spanish language in the land of my Mexican ancestors, but on the other hand, I really wanted to have the Provo MTC experience. So I’m very glad to be here!

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The goal of a Missionary is to ‘Teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, The Son and the Holy Ghost.’ My goal as a missionary is to find those in need and teach them that God is looking out for them.

Yesterday 10/19/21 we had a devotional by Elder Jeremy R. Jaggie here at the MTC. He told us to picture thousands of people outside the Gates of Heaven waiting for us Missionaries to allow them to enter by the authority of God. I am glad I saw that devotional because it gave me a greater sense of my purpose here at the MTC. I am learning a lot and am very excited to serve for 2 yrs in the Arizona Scottsdale Mission, which covers eastern Arizona from Scottsdale (Phoenix area) and parts of western, central New Mexico.

Today on my preparation day, I attended the nearby Provo Temple and felt the spirit Strongly. As I walked in, I felt that I was in God’s arms and that the world could not touch me. The Temple is the perfect refuge from the world.

In my dorm, we have a pull up bar for workouts. One of my dorm members decided to do pull ups and accidentally hit his head against the ceiling tile. As he went up to reset the tile, he found a bag just above his head inside the ceiling. The bag was filled with past Missionary stories. In one of the stories, I read of an Elder who was ‘Simping’ on a sister. In one of the stories, an Elder created a commandment that says “Thou Shall Not Simp” which means don’t go chasing after Sister Missionaries. Reading that made me laugh. 😂And another reminder of the Ghosts of the Past still making their presence felt at the MTC! 👻👻

I really like the murals in the MTC, which share stories from the Gospel. This Picture portrays the Sons of Mosiah who were sent to preach the gospel to the Lamanites in the land of Ishmael. The verse I really like is found in Alma Chapter 18:41, which reads: “And he began to cry unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, Have mercy; according to thy abundant mercy which thou hast had upon the people of Nephi, have upon me, and my people.” I really like this scripture because it talks about asking for mercy through the power and blessings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am grateful for His Support!!!

This last pic is with Elder & Sister Rasmussen who have been called to serve in Italy. They are the parents of Jennifer Smith of the Smith family from our Plano congregation. I was happy to see that the MTC is a training place for missionaries going to far away places and, at the same time, a small enough community that occasionally I find familiar faces.

Tune in to Next week’s Email full of pictures and more of my experiences here at the Provo MTC. Good Luck to y’all and HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!!!!!