Hola a todos! This is it! I will be home in less than 3 days. My whole mission has taught me these following things.

1. Patience: Patience is so important to me as a missionary. You must work on building your patience as a missionary. It is crazy to know how I have grown from being patient with my companions and those I have been teaching. Sometimes I just want those I teach to get baptized as soon as possible but as a missionary you must take your time and enjoy the moments and overall process.

2. Love: Love is another attribute of Christ I have been practicing. Serving in the Mogollon ward here in Payson Arizona has become a favorite area of my mission because in this area where I served the longest (6 months), I have learned to truly love those around me. As a missionary you must love even when it is tough to do so.

3. Service: As a missionary you serve all the time. Members call on you to come help them move furniture, reorganize garages and work in gardens. My favorite though was helping a recently baptized convert work in her garden. It makes me feel good to serve. 

4. Faith: Faith is a requirement to serve a mission. To be a missionary you must have faith to find, teach and baptize. As missionaries, we strive to do these things.

As I have studied the scriptures these past two years, here are some of my favorites that I have grown to love:

• Joshua 24:15—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.

• Ether 3:6-7—And it came to pass that when the brother of Jared had said these words, behold, the Lord stretched forth his hand and touched the stones one by one with his finger. And the veil was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh and blood; and the brother of Jared fell down before the Lord, for he was struck with fear. And the Lord saw that the brother of Jared had fallen to the earth; and the Lord said unto him: Arise, why hast thou fallen?

I have grown to love both these scriptures and I have pondered and have studied them a lot. I have enjoyed my 2 years of serving the Lord and look forward to the future as we learn in the scriptures. Keep the Faith y’all and may the good Lord bless you too. 

This is Elder Baldwin signing out of two years of service! Hurrah for Israel!

🔥 ✌️ ❤️ 😎 

Hola a todos! Wow these two years have flown by, haven’t they

Well this last week was great. We had many inactive visits and it was very enjoyable. I really enjoyed our visit with our friend LM who has been taking lessons for the past couple of months. She has been progressing very well and has been reading the Book of Mormon. Every week we visit with her, we learn she has reached a new portion of the Book. At this moment she is in Alma 34.  One of my favorite scriptures is in that chapter in verse 32:

“For behold, this life is the time for men [and women] to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.”

We should not delay what we can do now. And growing our relationship with God is one of the most important things we can do.

It is super cool how the Lord has been doing his work here in the Payson area. 

The mission truly does bring me joy. It is hard working with companions who are also roommates but in the end it will all be worth it. Recently I have been studying a bit more about the Atonement. Can you imagine what it would have been like to be one of Christ’s friends and watch as He was killed. I cannot imagine that because I hold the atonement dear to my heart. This is what a mission does to you. It helps you make wiser decisions and when you make mistakes, you correct and learn from them.

One of my all-time favorite scriptures about the atonement is in Alma 42:23-24:

“But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be judged according to their works, according to the law and justice. 

For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved.”

Heavenly Father loves us so much He sent His Son to pay for the mistakes we make each day. I am truly blessed to have the Atonenent in my life. Don’t take it for granted! It is a gift and we must use it often. We’ll this wraps up my week! Love you all and may you all be blessed 🙌.  

1 week remains of my mission experience. See you all really soon. 😱 😨 

❤️  ✌️ 😎 

Hola a todos! This week went by quickly. We have continued pushing forward in the Lord’s work here in Payson. Sadly we have stopped teaching our friend B and we do not know why. Recently I went on an exchange with one of my good brothas Elder Angeles. We spent all of Thursday in Pine Arizona and served a few members in the Pine Ward. My favorite service project that day was helping a brother add a piece of wood to his house he is building. We held the piece of wood while he shot nails through the wood to hold it together using his nail gun. It was an amazing experience. Now I know what it takes to build a home.

Building a testimony is similar to building a home. How are they similar? Well in order to build your first home, you must have the supplies such as construction equipment. This is the same for building your testimony in Jesus Christ. To do so, you much read your scriptures daily, say your prayers daily, attend Sacrament meeting weekly and the temple often. Like building a home, these 4 principles are like the construction equipment you need. This is something I have been trying to apply on my mission.

As I near the end of my 2-year mission, I plan to continue building my testimony so that can eventually turn into a large spacious mansion. In Matthew 7:24-27, the Savior teaches:

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 

And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. 

In this parable, we learn of a man who built his house/testimony upon the sand. And when the winds blew and waves crashed, his home was destroyed. But there was another man who built his house upon a rock. His home was protected because it was built on a firm foundation. IF we continue to seek out God and search for the answers to our prayers by reading the Scriptures daily, then we can be like this man who built his home upon a rock.

Two years seems like a long time, but when you are at the edge of finishing a mission, looking back feels like it all began days ago. I love you all and am excited to see some of you real soon. 

I want to leave an invitation with you all this week to ponder on:

How will you build your foundation of Jesus Christ this week? 

Email answers at joshua.baldwin@missionary.org 

May God be with you all and guide all of you this week with His Spirit 🙏 ❤️ ✨️ 

ELDER BALDWIN 💪 

Hola a todos! This week went so quickly. I remember sending out my email from last week. It’s been really good here in the Payson area. We had quite a few lessons this week. One of my favorite lessons though was with the D family. They are such great people and their testimonies of the Gospel are so strong. I really loved this lesson because they have a young man whose name is P. Now this young man has some disabilities but that isn’t the point. The point I am trying to make is that this family has been so kind to me and my companion.

It is so much easier now working with the Spirit after serving a mission almost 2 years. I have learned to trust my companion and to do what the Spirit directs while I have been out. Recently I have been studying about Pride and C.S Lewis has a quote about pride which says: 

“Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man… It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition is gone, pride is gone.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

I have recently learned that pride steals your happiness and joy. It is very easy as a missionary to think all about yourself but Gordon B Hinkley’s Father once said: “Forget yourself and go to work.” This is exactly what I have been trying to do these last couple months. When I first heard about missionaries going out to serve and teach, I thought all they do is teach lessons and make friends with those they teach. A few months ago, I learned that missionaries must make friends with the members because through the members is where most of the missionary work is done. Recently the lessons we have had with our friend B have been in at least at 5 different family homes. Most of the members in the Mogollon ward here in the Payson Arizona area know her now and each Sunday they will come up to her to see how she is doing. This shows me that many of these members are trying to eliminate pride from their lives. This is excellent because in the scriptures we read in Matthew 10 about Jesus Christ instructing the 12 apostles on how to do missionary work:

Verse 9:.

“He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”

This truly has been a remarkable 22 months and as I come up on 23 months in less than 2 weeks I plan to continue pushing forward with a steadfastness in Christ. Many of you are excited for me to return home and I honestly do not know what to feel. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that He is the Redeemer and Savior of the world. I know as the world gets darker and darker that the coming of Jesus Christ is 2 steps closer than before. STAY STRONG MY FRIENDS!! LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL IN LESS THAN 2 1/2 weeks! May the Good Lord be with you all this week and Remember to hold Fast to the iron rod because it is the word of God. Love yall!!!

Hola a todos. This week went very well. We have been working with our friend B to help her grow closer to Jesus Christ. Being a leader to those you teach is important because you show them how to live a life more involved with Christ. I have enjoyed serving as a missionary now in the Flag Staff Mission and have seen so many blessings from helping others grow closer to Jesus Christ. My time as a missionary is coming closer to an end. As I reach the final push, it will be difficult but with the Lord all things are possible. I have loved my mission and every person I have met. All my companions have had large impacts on me and I have learned a lot from each of them. The Book of Mormon contains many examples of how to live Gospel principles. One of my favorite stories is the story about Lehi joining with Ishmael and his family. At this point Lamen and Lemuel are murmuring more and more against Nephi and this verse shows how great of a leader Nephi was to his older brothers. 

1st Nephi 8:7 

7. And now I, Nephi, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, therefore I spake unto them, saying, yea, even unto Laman and unto Lemuel: Behold ye are mine elder brethren, and how is it that ye are so hard in your hearts, and so blind in your minds, that ye have need that I, your younger brother, should speak unto you, yea, and set an example for you?

As I near the end of my mission, I will always remember my companions I have had and the examples they were to me in learning how to teach better. Thank you all for your love and support. I am truly blessed to be here at this time serving the Lord and helping others come closer to Him. May The Good Lord bless you all this week.

🙏 😎 🔥 ✌️ 

Elder Baldwin

Hola a todos! This week was amazing. Let me tell you working with the Spirit daily is a blessing. This past week we had a lesson with a guy named JS. Now this guy is an inactive member. As we were at the lesson with him, he began sharing things that were not appropriate for missionaries to hear. While he was doing so, I began to think: ‘How can I invite the Spirit into this lesson and Bam! I thought of a talk called: “Building a Fortress of Spirituality and Protection” by Elder Ronald A Rasband. Elder Rasband shares the following:

“Brothers and sisters, we are at war with Satan for the souls of men. The battle lines were drawn in our pre-earth life. Satan and a third of our Father in Heaven’s children turned away from His promises of exaltation. Since that time, the adversary’s minions have been fighting the faithful who choose the Father’s plan. Satan knows his days are numbered and that time is growing shorter.

 As crafty and cunning as he is, he will not win. However, his battle for each one of our souls rages on. For our safety, we must build a fortress of spirituality and protection for our very souls, a fortress that will not be penetrated by the evil one. Satan is a subtle snake, sneaking into our minds and hearts when we have let our guard down, faced a disappointment, or lost hope. 

He entices us with flattery, a promise of ease, comfort, or a temporary high when we are low. He justifies pride, unkindness, dishonesty, discontent, and immorality, and in time we can be “past feeling.” The Spirit can leave us. “And thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.”

This talk taught me that we as members of the Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints must continue to build fortresses of testimony and push forward and endure to the end. As we know, the first law of heaven is to be obedient. This is what we missionaries do on a daily basis. I know that as y’all practice this and apply it to your lives that you will feel the Spirit more abundantly than you have ever felt it before. 

Since the theme of my letter is fortresses of protection, I included missionary pictures of my older sister Elizabeth at Malbork Castle in Poland and my Dad (in front with ‘ditto’ shirt) at Eger Fortress in Hungary. The greatest fortress is the one dedicated to God so of course my picture is in front of the Mesa Temple.

On another note, this is the last week until my final Transfer. Isn’t that just shocking? September is almost here! 🙌 Last I remember, I was saying goodbye to my older Sister Elizabeth as I left for the MTC in Provo Utah. If any of you are thinking about serving missions, do it! It will help you plan out the rest of your life and you will make lifelong friends. I know the Church is true and that Jesus Christ loves each and every one of you! 

Ps. This week I went on an AP (assistant to the president) exchange and it was one of the most memorable times in my mission. Elder Hanke in the photo is a legendary missionary. Make this week Great my Brothers and Sisters!

✌️ ❤️ 😎 

THE ELDER BALDWINO

Hola a todos! This week was great though a bit tough. We had to push back our baptism for our friend from July 22nd to August 19th to give her some time to prepare herself mentally, spiritually and physically. She took it as an opportunity to become better. This is exactly what we teach our friends. We teach them to be better and hard workers. It was a blast and I am looking forward to this week as well.

Now to talk about why missionaries plan. We plan because it sets up our day to a point where we can manage it. Planning prepares you and helps you know what you are going to be doing throughout the day. We recently received a new Mission President and he is amazing. He wants the mission to improve each day and to be better. I am grateful for this opportunity to be serving and learning how to plan.

This missionary experience has helped me out a lot. I have enjoyed the friends I have made and companions I have had even though you go through hard times. It is normal but it teaches you how to be an adult, leader and teacher. I am truly blessed for serving and hope for the best in the future. I am about 22 months out on my mission and pretty soon I will be home with many stories to share.

Have a good week y’all and Remember Jesus Loves you and He will always be there when you fall to pick you back up! ✌️❤️ 😎 Rock on my brothas and sistas may y’all be blessed and please continue praying for the missionaries they really need it!

Elder Baldwin 

Hola a todos! This week has been a wild ride. We have continued to teach our friend B and each time we teach her she feels the joy of Christ. This week I got to meet my new Mission President and his wife (President and Sister Stratton). The experience was so interesting. Having President Smith for roughly about 20 months of my mission and now it has changed to President Stratton, I noticed their teaching techniques are completely different. President Smith was more of a doctrine educator who loved teaching us missionaries about the love of Christ and now President Stratton is more of a straight to the point obey all the rules and don’t add more rules to obey the standards. We had the chance to visit our bishop and his family this past week and we taught them about the atonement and the role it plays in our lives.

In the new PMG (a guide to missionary work) it talks about the atonement. Repentance is a gift we have been given to be redeemed of the Lord. This quote by President Nelson explains a bit more about the gift of repentance. 

“Too many people consider repentance as punishment—something to be avoided. … But this feeling of being penalized is engendered by Satan. He tries to block us from looking to Jesus Christ, who stands with open arms, hoping and willing to heal, forgive, cleanse, strengthen, purify, and sanctify us” (Russell M. Nelson, “We Can Do Better and Be Better,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 67).

This week I have been thinking about how I as a missionary can be better and can help others come closer to Jesus Christ. This is a blessing that we shouldn’t take for granted. The result—after the repentance process is over—Is pure joy and happiness and you are straight with God and with your family and friends. I hope and invite those that read this email to think about what the Atonement has done for you in your life and share it with those around you.

Love you all and have a great week!

Elder Baldwin. ✌️ ❤️ 😎 

Happy 4th y’all! This week was crazy. We had transfers and had to drive up to Flag Staff to meet all the other missionaries. It took most of the day but the views from Mormon lake and the mountains around were beautiful. This past week we had roughly around 16 member visits 3 lessons a day which has been one of my goals this transfer. It’s been amazing. I am so glad to be living in a country where we can share the Gospel and it’s a feeling that is wonderful. We also had our new Mission President come into the mission and we get to meet him this week on Thursday. His name is (President Stratton) Our former President (President Smith) recently finished his mission and the love I felt from him while I have been out is so remarkable. 

We also had the opportunity to do some service for some members this week. 

Joshua 24:15 says:

“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.”

May God bless each of you this July 4th and see yall in less than 2 and a half months. 🙏 ✌️ ❤️ 

Elder Baldwin