Hola a todos! This week was very good. We invited our friend B over to a member’s house to have dinner and it went very well. We talked with her about the Gospel library app and the cool insights you can find from using it. She thought it was pretty cool and she told us that she will be using it more often. Now I think this is a miracle from this week.

I enjoyed talking with B about Church history and she even said to me I want you to baptize me. I was like whaaattt! That’s awesome! This will be my first baptism I will be preforming on my mission. The important part is that I need to get the prayer correct. The Lord expects exactness from all his Children. He knows we are not perfect but that doesn’t mean we can’t be exact in the things we do. When we are exact, miracles come and blessings follow as well. This experience has been one of the highlights of my whole mission. I feel like a Stripling Warrior from the Book of Mormon sometimes because I have a mother who taught me exactness in living Gospel Principles.

The beautiful thing about Gospel principles, is that the more principles we learn and abide, the more freedom we gain. The Gospel really does set us free from our prisons of thought and behaviors. Living the Gospel is like your Monopoly ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card. You have to play the game of life and put in the work, and in the case of the Gospel, you have to exercise faith in Jesus Christ and repent of your sins. In return, our Savior Jesus Christ freely gives us His grace and mercy.

On another note, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently released a new Preach My Gospel edition and has made teaching the lessons so much easier. I truly know now that serving a mission has been a huge blessing in my life. I have heard that there have been some people who have been rejected from serving missions and my thoughts on mission preparation are you must be ready to defend the Church at all costs as a missionary. Every day the adversary levels up his attacks and this is the time to prepare to serve. This was the last week of my third to last transfer and the trials I have had have been extremely hard, but I know the Lord was with me through them all. 

I really like this quote by Elder Ezra Taft Benson. It says: “The Spirit is the most important single element in this work. With the Spirit magnifying your call, you can do miracles for the Lord in the mission field. Without the spirit, you will never succeed regardless of your talent and ability.”

I have enjoyed my mission thus far and I hope this quote can touch your lives and encourage some to change if it is needed. I love serving and look forward to these last two transfers. Love ya’ll and Remember Jesus Loves you too!✌️ ❤️ 

Elder Baldwin

Hola a todos! For these past couple weeks, we have been covering three different wards—Mogollon, Ponderosa and Tontobasin.  We recently had a baptism in the Ponderosa ward for a lady named J.S. and I think this baptism was the best one I have seen my whole mission. The Spirit was so powerful at this Baptism, and I knew that God was happy with my companions and me. I know I didn’t take much time to teach her, but I was there to support her in the choice she had made. I could see that she had a different light in her eyes compared to before she was baptized. Baptism is an important covenant we make with Heavenly Father. We are committing ourselves to follow Him for the rest of our lives. 

In Preach my Gospel it says on page 65: “God has always required His children to make covenants with Him.” For those who may not know the meaning of the word covenant, it is a binding and solemn agreement between God and His children. God promises to bless those that make covenants with Him.  John the Revelator teaches us of some of these blessings in Revelation 1:5-6:

“And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the First Begotten of the Dead, and the Prince of the Kings of the Earth. Unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

This scripture teaches us that Christ made it possible for us to be clean from our sins. To do so, we are required to exercise faith in Him, to repent of our sins, and to be baptized by immersion.

On another note, we have continued teaching another woman named B. She has come to Church three times already and has met multiple members of the Mogollon ward. It has been a blast teaching her. At first, she was a little antagonistic towards us, but by the third lesson she apologized to us and said she was trying to prove us wrong. She then told us that from this point forward she will keep an open mind to our teachings.

Both these experience I shared in this letter are amazing miracles that many more of you can see if you serve missions. It has been a blast serving a mission for almost two years. I will always be grateful for this opportunity I had to serve and change the lives of those who are looking for Christ. 

I love you all and I hope one of these miracles can help you this week. 

GOD IS GOOD! JESUS LOVES YOU! and I do too! ✌️ ❤️ 😎 

Hola a todos! This week was tough but exciting. We received two new member referrals L & L. Please keep these individuals in your prayers. We also had the chance to continue teaching B—a lady who has been investigating the Church for about a month now. For the longest time, she tried to prove us missionaries wrong but when we taught the Plan of Salvation, her mindset changed and now she is completely open to hearing all the lessons. This circumstance is a large miracle I saw this week. Her friend Justin whom we have been teaching for awhile told us that she would like to be baptized and become a member of the Church! 😮 That is so amazing! 👏

Speaking of baptisms, this coming weekend on Saturday, we have a baptism for a lady named J! She is ready and prepared to begin her journey back to our Heavenly Father. In Preach My Gospel, I recently read the story of Jesus Christ when he asked John the Baptist to Baptize him so he could be an example of whom we should follow. 

In 3^rd Nephi 17:20, the Savior taught:

“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”.

With these memorable words, Christ invites all to follow Him and to be baptized in His name. I can promise you that if you do this, your life will change and you will see joy and peace in this life more often. I know that Christ lives and that we are the sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father who is always waiting to hear from us through prayer. I invite you all to find someone you know and share the Book of Mormon with them. I promise that the Holy Spirit will be there and that you will be blessed for doing so. 

On another note, we also fed an elk this week. It was an experience of a lifetime that you won’t find unless you go outside the big city to someplace like Africa. I found it hilarious that the elk was munching on a block of bird seed. 😂 

Love you all and 3 1/2 months left to go!

❤️ ✌️ 😎 

The Elder Baldwino! 

Hola a todos!

In my latest milestone, I hit 20 months of missionary service! This past week was awesome. We received three different areas because another missionary had finished his mission a little early. We are now covering Mogollon, Tonto Basin and Ponderosa. Each of these areas have its perks but one of my favorites is going down to Tonto Basin. It is surrounded by mountains, and they have a small branch down there as well.

Recently I have been studying about obedience and listened to a talk by President Thomas Monson called “Obedience Brings Blessings.” He told a summertime story of when he was 8 years old and had a buddy named Danny with whom he explored the canyons. The dry summer was a fire risk and young Tommy was specifically instructed not to use the family matches nor do anything that would create a fire danger.  One evening, young Tommy and his friend disobeyed and found some matches and went to the canyon to build a fire in the middle of a large, dried-out grass field. They decided to clear a ring of grass so the fire would not spread from the center. They tried to pull the grass but that attempt proved too hard. So instead they decided they could burn a ring of grass around the center and carefully keep control of the fire while they were burning the circle. The flames whipped by the wind were soon out of control and the controlled fire began to spread. Discovering the fire danger, the neighbors all came out of their homes and began slapping the flames with their blankets. Luckily the fire was extinguished, and Tommy was scolded for his disobedience. He learned a valuable lesson that day. Sometimes we must be obedient even if we don’t understand exactly why. Obedience brings protection and other blessings.

I know for myself that when I am obedient, I feel blessed and protected and I feel joy. For example, waking up at 6:30am is a rule for us missionaries. It’s not always easy to keep that rule. I have been striving to wake up on time and as a result, this obedience lights the fire within me, meaning I become more receptive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Often I am directed by the Spirit on what to do and say to those learning the Gospel.

On another note, we had some members give us a referral of a man named Lance. We were so happy that a few of the members are sharing referrals because that really helps us have people to teach who already have connections with the members of the Church.  One thing I appreciate about the Mogollon ward is that they like to gather on Wednesday nights for Book of Mormon study. Already, Lance has questions pertaining to the Plan of Salvation, which we will be going over with him Wednesday night after our weekly group study.

It has been a blessing seeing these miracles on my mission by striving to be obedient as much as I can throughout my mission. I am blessed with energy because our days are long, and much is expected from us. I have enjoyed every difficult and easy moment. Missions are hard—sometimes you will hate being out and sometimes you love being out. God is a God of miracles! He loves each of you. I love you all and have a great Memorial Day! ✌️ ❤️ 🖖 

Elder Baldwin

Hola a todos,

This last Monday was a very big day in the Arizona Scottsdale Mission. History was made with my mission officially being dissolved! And the missionaries were officially reassigned to either the Arizona Phoenix Mission or a newly created mountain mission called the Arizona Flagstaff Mission. It covers all the mountain areas of Arizona. And since I am currently serving in Payson, which is the gateway to the mountains, then naturally I have been officially reassigned to the Arizona Flagstaff Mission.  Our mission boundaries are truly God’s country! We cover the Valleys and Bradshaw Mountain ranges to the west in Prescott, all the way past Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon to the north, through the White Mountains to the east extending into the enchanted lands of New Mexico, and all the way south to the foothills of the mountains and forests with Payson being the farthest city to the south. No more desert heat for me.

It has been tough making this change as I lose official contact with the saints in the Phoenix areas as well as most of my former missionary companions who remain in the valley. I enjoyed serving in the desert valley and the opportunity to teach the Gospel in my mother’s Spanish language in some of the many Hispanic congregations there. I’m not certain if I’ll be serving in a Spanish-speaking congregation again but I’ll go where the Lord wants me to go.

The mountain weather is beautiful especially in the summertime and the scenery and hikes and farms are spectacular! But more importantly, I have grown to love the people here and I enjoy living and serving among them. My companions and I recently explored some magnificent caves in Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. Many of this week’s pictures are from there.

In Preach My Gospel on page 125 it talks about knowledge. It says as we study the scriptures and words of the living prophets our knowledge of this Gospel will grow and so will our testimonies. Giving special attention to scripture passages will help us understand the scriptures a bit better. Studying includes what may seem a peculiar phrase: ‘Begging With a prayer,’ which simply means that as we pray, we Invite the spirit into our study. 

The mountains and canyonlands of Arizona echo the voices of the ancient ones who lived here long ago. And somewhere not too distant in the Americas dwelt our spiritual ancestors who sailed from the Holy Land in 600 B.C. and who kept a record now known as the Book of Mormon. There is a remarkable passage in which Lehi the Father of four sons–Lamen, Lemuel, Nephi and Sam–counsels and blesses his family. He dies soon thereafter and Nephi his youngest takes his place as the prophet and begins his ministry by placing his trust in the Lord. In 2 Nephi 4: 15-16, he shares:

“And upon these I write the things of my soul, and many of the scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass. For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children. 

Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard.”

My studies have taught me the importance of learning about the Savior. Every time I read from the Book of Mormon, I feel a sense of satisfaction and joy come into my being.  Then my day is so much better than it would have been otherwise. As I get nearer to the end of my mission, I think back on what I have accomplished and it has been significant. I haven’t had very many baptisms but like it states in the scriptures the Lord loves effort. It’s been a great time meeting new people, getting accustomed to changes and studying for fun. I am truly grateful for the support and love I have received while I have been out serving. Thank you all for have done for me and what you continue to do. ✌️ ❤️ 

Elder Baldwin

Hola a todos! This week was a good week. We visited as many members as we could. One of the highlights of this week was of a lady named Bobbi. She was very antagonistic the first time we met her. During that encounter, she was prepared with a list of very negative questions that I think she found off of an anti-Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints website. (We used to call that an anti-Mormon website but we try not to use that short name anymore 😂) DON’T READ ANTI AS IT IS NOT WORTH IT! IT WILL ATTACK YOUR TESTIMONY AND IT WILL MAKE YOU THINK OF THE CHURCH DIFFERENTLY! It is super difficult when someone comes up to you and literally the questions they bring up are so simple to answer that any sincere person with an honest heart can understand the truth and distinguish it from the mistruths and misdirection in a matter of minutes.

As we patiently answered her questions, she became more friendly and sincerely started to desire to learn more. This possibly negative experience turned into an awesome one, and we continue with the great privilege of teaching her the Gospel. In a second encounter with her later in the week, we taught a lesson to Justin another new friend and investigator and Bobbi decided to help us out. From antagonist to protagonist. What a change of heart and mind!

We missionaries need your prayers! Payson is struggling with the members who don’t have a desire at the moment to talk to their friends and family about the Gospel. Every time I see something like this, I remember how blessed I am for parents who showed me what it truly meant to be a disciple of Jesus Christ (aka Missionary). I now have only 3 transfers left of my mission and I am shocked that all this time has passed by. It truly has felt like a dream. 

Hola a todos! This week was quite interesting! I had an interview with my Mission President and I asked to stay in Payson for the rest of my mission which is four more months. He said its possible but he honestly doesn’t know if I really will. It’s been fun up here in Payson. We have been teaching members and members and members and helping them gain the confidence to reach out to their neighbors to see how they are doing and if we are able to share a message with them. So far we have had no success but recently we thought about having a ward fast for the Mogollon ward here in Payson. That is a work in progress. On another note, two of my most favorite scriptures are found in Joshua 24:15 and Alma 48:17: 

[JOSHUA] “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

And 

[ALMA speaking of MORONI] Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men. 18 Behold, he was a man like unto Ammon, the son of Mosiah, yea, and even the other sons of Mosiah, yea, and also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God.

Both these scriptures talk about having a strong faith and belief in Jesus Christ. Both Joshua and Moroni were familiar with mountains—both actual physical mountains and spiritual mountains that exist in the Holy Land and in the Americas. They used their faith to ascend to the top of the mountain and have spiritual experiences. When I think of my life’s experiences – of climbing mountains as a young teenager and later skills training at a mountain man rendezvous, and now serving a mission literally in the mountains where I have lived for half my mission, I believe that I have become a mountain man in many respects. I see life from a higher and different perspective. I have paid a price to climb this spiritual mountain – much study and service and much sacrifice. And those who travel with me whether as mission companions or friends have become accustomed to life in the mountains. Together we strive to bring glorious spiritual experiences to those around us so they can experience the joy of viewing life from a higher, more noble and even redeeming perspective. Such is life in the mountains.

I know that Christ lives and that He loves each and every one of us. I have been out serving for 19 months now and I truly feel like this has been a dream. The lesson and trials I have had here have taught me that Jesus Christ still loves me. As I get into the last couple months of my mission, I would like to thank you all for the support and love I have received. It’s truly hard to be out serving away from family for two years but in the end it will all be worth it. Thanks for listening in and tune in to next week when I share more of my experiences! Enjoy these photos of Elk and service!

Hola a todos! This week was so spiritually lit. As I was preparing for Easter, I went around to the members of the Mogollon ward here in Payson Arizona and invited them to read 3rd Nephi 11, which talk sabout Christ finally coming to the Nephites in the America’s just after his Resurrection. This is one of my favorite stories of the Book of Mormon of all time because Christ teaches how to pray and how to perform the Sacrament ordinance and how to Baptize in His name.

President Nelson our Prophet has asked us to make Easter the Biggest holiday of the year by reading 3rd Nephi 11 each Easter. Yes we read Luke during the time of Christ’s birth, but I know if we include 3rd Nephi 11 during Easter that your testimony will be stronger than ever before.

On another note, 18 months has been a long time. I can’t believe that I have made it this far! It is amazing to have the chance to continue to feel God’s love each day and to learn to work and study hard.

Here is a favorite Easter scripture found in  John 20:15-17:

“Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing Him to be the gardener, saith unto Him, Sir, if thou have borne Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away. 

Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 

Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.”

This scripture helps me remember the importance of Easter that Christ to rose from the dead to defeat death and that we are able to be forgiven each day from our mistakes because Christ loves us all so much, He gave his life.

I have enjoyed serving my mission and know that Jesus Christ lives and that one day when we see Him again, we will be able to share with Him all the things we accomplished while here on earth.

I love you all and hope you guys have a good week! ✌️ ❤️ 😎 

Hola a todos! This week was awesome! We had General Conference, and the speakers were amazing and shared very spiritual things such as ‘loving your neighbor as thyself’ and ‘loving God.’ I have been trying to work on these commandments every day of my mission because I know it is not easy.

I especially enjoyed President Nelsons talk about loving those around us because it is so true. As a missionary I practice these principles every day with my companion and mission buddies.

On another note, Payson has been awesome. I have enjoyed the people I have met here so far. Chances are I might avoid the heat from the Valley again. Wouldn’t that be a blessing? I know that would be great for sure. It’s so nice and quiet up here in Payson Arizona. Normally in the valley like Mesa you can hear cars passing by all day but like I said in the mountains in Payson you cannot hear a single thing which in my book is a blessing. That includes the stars at night. Their isn’t very much light pollution up here in Payson which creates a beautiful opportunity to star gaze. 

We had the chance to give some service to the Letterman family who are members of the Mogollon Ward here in Payson. It took me back to the times when I would help my mother in our Garden back at home. I enjoyed meeting them and they took us out to a restaurant afterwards. There are many scriptures that talk about showing love to our enemies who offend us. This scripture is among my favorites and is found in the Savior’s Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:43-44:

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”

This is exactly what President Nelson in the recent Conference has asked us to do. Love our enemies. I have a passion for being kind and this scripture helps me remember the reason for doing so.

Thank you all for your continuous love and support these past 18 months while I have been out serving. I have enjoyed every single moment and trial I have had as well. You guys are awesome! Keep up the good work and press forward with a steadfastness in Christ. As we go through this holy week, I invite you all to do the study in gospel library that outlines the events of each day of this Holy week.

I love you all and talk to you guys soon ❤️ ✌️ 😎 

Hola a todos. This week was a bit difficult because we had to split our time in two different areas evenly. When this happens one area gets more work done and the other area gets less. We taught quite a few people this week, which was wonderful. I felt the spirit this week very strongly and knew that the Lord was pleased with my work.

On another note, this is the last week of my 12th transfer on my mission. I haven’t realized that I only have 4 transfers left. That is kinda freaking me out. I can say I feel like I have been out for years and years and years even though I have in reality only been out for 18 months today – Monday March 27th,2023.

And I hit another milestone this week with it being my 21st birthday on March 21st. Lots of 21s! Here its important we take time to celebrate so I took my companions to a nice dinner at a favorite place that reminds me of back home – Chili’s.

But no matter where I go or what I do, my goal is to do my best and be faithful to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the tasks he assigns to me. There is a character from some of the new Star Wars movies known as Baby Yoda. He has little control of where he goes because his experience is small in the ways of the world, but yet he always comes through and helps those around him when they are in need. Like Baby Yoda, we shouldn’t be concerned about time or place, but about love and compassion no matter where we are.

I recently received transfer news and will be heading back up to the Mountains to a place Called Heber Arizona. I heard that it is a really great place and is very beautiful as well. Lots of pictures will be coming this upcoming transfer so keep a look out!

In my studies this week, I learned a bit more about prayer. Now why do we pray?

1. To speak to our loving Heavenly Father who wants to hear from us.

2. To receive help in the things we need.

3. To ask for the blessings we would like to have.

In the teachings of the Prophets chapter 2 “Pray Always,” Ezra Taft Benson teaches:” There is power in prayer. All things are possible through prayer. It was through prayer that the heavens were opened in this dispensation. The prayer of a boy fourteen years of age, in the Sacred Grove, opened a new gospel dispensation, and brought forth a vision of the Father and the Son, as they appeared as glorified heavenly beings before the boy, Joseph.”

I have directly experienced the power of prayer! Every morning I get up at 6:30am and get on my knees to pray. It is then that I feel the Spirit and joy that our Heavenly father has for each of us. Prayer is important. Do it and I know you will receive the answers you need to this life.

I have enjoyed serving in the Arizona Scottsdale Mission. I have learned so many good lessons and have had many good experiences. I recently just finished as a district leader and this position has taught me the importance of looking out for other missionaries. I have also met so many good friends that I will keep in contact after the mission. This truly is the Best Two Years and I would not trade a single chance of staying home for it. I am grateful and glad I chose to serve. Let’s see what these Last 6 months of my mission bring and what experiences I will have.

Love you all and Enjoy General Conference 🥳 🎉 it will be a good one! Don’t miss out!

Love you all and see you guys really soon!

The Elder Baldwino✌️ ❤️ 😎