Sept 7, 2015 - 2 weeks, 2 baptisms

Hello everyone! Thank you all for the birthday wishes!! I love all of you so much!!
This week has been hot. Just checked the weather forecast; only gonna get hotter. I´m thoroughly convinced this is the most physically challenging mission in the world. Only the strong serve in Missao Brazil Manaus. No joke. I´ve heard people occasionally go home early just from the heat alone.
I fasted for the first time here in Brazil. It was rough. The previous mission president asked missionaries to please still drink little bits during fasts. But President Castro says that isn´t real fasting and said no water. Which is fair, but super hard. Here we fast from lunch to lunch. During church on Sunday, I had no energy. It was bad. And as soon as I drank water, and lots of it, it was like turning on the sweat faucet. My body didn´t absorb it, it just poured right out. Lame. Haha I learned that fasting super hard here. But my companion said every time they fast, the blessings are blatently obvious. The hardest it is, the more you are blessed.
We had a good week. Another baptism yesterday!! This was of an 8 year old, T......... Elder Marques baptized him. His mom also attended church and the baptism, and will hopefully be baptized soon too!
Totally forgot last week. I am in Manaus, in the area Cidade do Leste. I have no idea what part of Manaus, but that´s the name of the branch I´m in. 

My companion is Elder Marques de Souza. He is awesome. We are living in a small house right now. Well, small for me, but honestly really big for just two people here. It´s... a house. Let´s just say we are looking for a new place to live right now because Elder Marques thinks the water has made him sick since the day he got here, 5 months ago. I have been feeling good for the most part, but yeah, that´s the situation.
This week we had some sweet experiences. Like every week, I guess. We are seriously blessed for our physical suffering, no doubt. We often leave blessings on homes for our lunch messages with families. We ask people "If Christ were here, what would you ask of him?" and then as representatives of the Savior, one of us prayers and specifically asks for those things for each person. The Spirit is always strong. The Sister who fed us Saturday bore her testimony on Sunday and said she literally felt and saw Christ in us. I have learned a whole lot about my role as a true representative of Jesus Christ here.
I would encourage all of you to study Preach My Gospel. Mom, Dad, Tyler, Cierra, Jennica, Addison, Cinnamon. Everyone. I read a talk today that encouraged everyone to study it, and I know why. That book is amazing. Study it, use it in FHE, do lots of things with it. That is my advice and my request for all of you. As a birthday present :)
I love all of you! Thanks for the birthday wishes! You are amazing!! Keep up the prayers, and I´ll keep praying for you!
Elder Baldridge

September 14 - third week in Manaus

Hello everyone! This week has been super hot. It was about 110 degrees farenheit yesterday. It was awesome. Love it. Sometimes we just have to stop and rest for awhile. I feel like I am always gross. But, it´s all good because I love this mission and the people in it.

This week I also got to experience some things that you think of when you first think of a mission in Manaus Brazil - the "jungle mission". We had lunch with a member that we had to take a bus, walk, and then a small boat to get to. Her kids picked us up in the boat. They live basically in the jungle. It was wild.

Also, yesterday we saw a big old lizzard in the middle of the road. With the tail, it was probably 4 feet long or so.  Just small reminders that the literal jungle is never too far away.

This week was good. I definitely feel the Spirit a lot here. It´s awesome. We have opportunities to teach more than I did in Oregon, so I have more opportunities to bear testimony. But my studies are also better, I see answers to my prayers. It´s way awesome.

For example, two times when Heavenly Father answered my prayer almost immediately. One, we were having a spiritual lesson when the neighbor started blasting music. I said a mental prayer that the music would stop so that everyone could focus on the Spirit. Not immediately, but about a minute and a half later, poof, no more music. The same night, in the middle of another lesson, I all the sudden had to use the bathroom really bad. Here in Brazil, and especially Manaus, you never know when it´s going to hit you.  I once again asked for immediate help, and this time immediately, poof, gone. It was awesome. There is no doubt in my mind that Heavenly Father hears all of our prayers, even over the little things, and that He responds. He will help us when we need it. He is concerned about us at all times and in all things, and is always willing to help. Always remember to pray. Pray for the big things, and the little things. Pray for the things that are on your mind and in your heart. I promise that Heavenly Father is listening.

I love all of you.  I´m praying for all you. Thanks so much for everything!!

Love, Elder Baldridge

August 19, 2015 - Week 1 in Brazil

Ah, so little time!! Hello everyone! So glad to hear from all of you.

I need to be pretty quick, because we have some time to go out and

walk around outside the CTM (Missionary Training Center in Brazil)

and use our Portuguese, and we want to use

as much of that time as we can. But I also want to tell you as much

as possible. A difficult task. But here goes.      On my flight from

Portland to Atlanta there was just me and one missionary just leaving

home, heading to the Peru MTC. We didn´t have much time to talk. On my

flight from Atlanta to Sao Paulo, there were like 35 missionaries. It

was crazy. I was like the first or second one there, and they just

kept coming. A lot just leaving home, and a lot coming from Provo MTC

to finish in Brazil. Elder Nelson (AKA Sean), a good friend from my

hall in BYU was on our flight, which was crazy because I hadn´t even

heard he was called to Brazil. Weird.     So, we got here and got

right into it. My district is just three people, all of us were visa

waiters. Our purpose here, as our teachers say, is solely to learn

Portuguese. We already know how to be missionaries. But, at the same

time, we are learning more about that too. Elder Hammond (was in my

district in Provo) and Elder Rodriguez are my companions. We jumped

right into Portuguese, and were teaching 3 lessons our first full day

here. And have been most days since then. It´s crazy. The language is

doing okay, but definitely needs work.     We have already been out

proselyting in downtown Sao Paulo twice. We go out with a teacher, get

4 Livro de Mormons a piece, and go to it. People are super open and

receptive here. And even though I can´t understand everything they

say, it´s easy to pass the books out. They have been good experiences.

The CTM is way different here because everyone is trying to speak the

same language. You can talk to anyone in Portuguese. It makes it so

much easier to speak your language. I have barely spoken English since

Wednesday. It´s weird.      Our teachers are awesome. I have learned

that Brasileiros really like to joke around a lot, and our teachers

are hilarious.     We went to the Campinas temple today. It was

awesome. Super pretty. It was P-Day for all non-native speakers today,

so our session was in English. Kinda nice, and also kinda

disappointing at the same time. But I had a really good experience in

the temple today. Personal revelation is so real.      I need to head

out soon. Sorry I can´t answer all of your questions. But, before I

go, spiritual thought. A few days ago I was really upset with the

language and slightly depressed. I really missed Oregon and everything

that I loved there, and I felt like I had just left to come to Brazil

and not understand people. Leaving a mission is super hard. Then in

one of our lessons, we talked about how Heavenly Father will help us

in all our difficulties because He loves us so much. I bore my

testimony on just that. And as I did, the Spirit confirmed it to me.

That Heavenly Father knew my problems, and will help me because He

loves me. That slight depression or whatever you wanna call it left

as I bore my testimony. And hasn´t come back since. I know it´s true.

He will help me. And He will help all of us. Just trust in Him, and

it´s all gonna be good. It was a sweet experience.    I love all of

you so much! You are amazing! Good luck with everything going on in

your lives! I love it here, I´m starting to love Brazil a lot, and I

know this is where I need to be. Love you!! Elder Baldridge     

I'm Alive and Well!! Arrived in Brazil August 12, 2015

Brazil or Bust!!  Elder Baldridge in Portland, Oregon
 airport on Aug .12 - on his way to Brazil

Hey! I´m so sorry I wasn´t able to call from the airport! Time was

short in Portland, and I wasn´t worried because I had plenty of time

in Atlanta. But Atlanta had no working payphones. So I am really

sorry! I wanted to call really bad. But, twas not meant to be. We got

into Sao Paulo this morning, and are currently at the CTM. It´s really

interesting, but I think it will be really good. I need to learn

really fast though, because these Brazilians are speaking some weird

language or something... I´ll be praying very hard. Anyway, just

wanted to let you know I´m okay and so sorry about the phone call.

That was lame! I love you all! Oh, by the way, our P-Day will be

either next Wednesday or Friday, don´t know yet. But it definitely

won´t be until next week. Until then, I love you!!       Elder Baldridge

New missionaries in the Brazil CTM Aug. 12, 2015
Elder Baldridge is middle row, third from left

August 3, 2015 Final week in America!!

Hello familia! How is everyone doing? Hope it's all going well!

I'm doing well. This week has been another VERY slow, fairly

frustrating week. We did have a fair amount of meetings as district

leader, so that didn't help our proselyting efforts at all. But, those

were good. It's good to see some of the behind the scenes stuff and be

able to take part in it. I'm definitely learning a lot. Sometimes not

in the most fun way, but learning lots haha.

Elder Baldridge as a missionary in Oregon.
He will miss this place so much as he heads to Brazil!

It still doesn't feel like I am leaving the country soon. Doesn't feel

real at all. I am definitely sad to be leaving the Oregon Salem Mission. I love

everyone here. I don't think you could find a better mission president

anywhere, and I love all the other missionaries. Plus I love this

area. Next Monday will be very sad...

But, I'm also excited. Excited for new adventures and new challenges.

Probably more challenges than I want to think about right now. But,

you can't grow in your comfort zone. There will be plenty of growing

in the coming months.

I have learned so much here. I have realized that you learn a whole

lot more from the bad times and the mistakes you make then when things

are easy. Bad times don't seem fun when you are in them, but looking

back they are so important. When you are going through something

rough, try to figure out what you should learn from it. That's

something I have learned I need to improve on, for sure.

Anyways, I love you all! Have a wonderful week! That temple picture

was awesome and I'm kinda jealous. Love you!

Elder Baldridge

July 27. 2015 Hey ya' all!!

Hello family!

I'm glad the family reunion sounded so fun! The temple especially

sounds awesome. So cool.

This week has been SUPER slow. Slowest yet. Like 3 investigators

dropped us. I think we taught a total of one lesson. It was not a

super fun week. But, all is well.

I am definitely full of lots of different emotions with getting my

visa. Sad and depressed to be leaving this place. Excited to go to

Brazil. Scared about the language and cultural changes. But, I know

it's where I need to be. The gift of tongues better be real, cause I'm

gonna need it! I know the Lord will help me. I shouldn't be scared.

Trying not to be. But definitely sad to leave this place and these

people!!   I'm definitely coming back to this area after

my mission.

I went on an exchange with the Oakdale Elders this week. I was with

Elder Sallade in their area. We had a really good day, and had tons of

fun. But apparently Elder Sims and Malauulu had a terrible day in our

area. So, I felt bad. But, it was good.

I've been pretty stressed this week. Being a district leader in a

mission is compared to being a bishop. So, you kinda have to deal

with everyone's problems. So, I want to fix everything and help

everyone, but it's not possible to do all that because people still

have their agency. Sometimes that is really annoying. So I got a

little stressed. But, I'm fine. Figuring it out as I go.

There was a summer fest this week in Dallas, just like the fall

festival in Franklin. The three wards had a booth, which all the

Elders took turns being at with members as well. It was pretty slow.

People don't want to talk about church at a fair. But, there were

small miracles that made it all worth it. But, it did take tons of

time from our week, and didn't help the fact that we already had no

one to teach. But, I liked it.

One thing I've learned this week is to look for the small miracles

every day. On our exchange Elder Sallade and I counted the miracles we

saw. On a not so great day, we got to like 15. It made our day so much

better, and was so much easier to keep going. I need to be seeing all

the little miracles in life, and especially on my mission. So I'm

trying to write down at least one a day. I would encourage all of you

to do the same! It's so much easier to see God's hand in your life

when you are really looking for it!

Anyway, I love you all! Hope everything is going well! You rock!

Thanks for all of your love and support!

Elder Baldridge

July 13, 2015 Slow!!!

Hello everyone!  I hope everyone is doing well!
This week has been pretty slow still. Not a ton to report on in terms
of lessons and teaching and things like that. That has been pretty
rough. It's actually pretty frustrating and sad. But, we are trying,
and working to improve every day. And that's all you can do.
Our whole district is struggling with finding new people to teach.
It's hard. But, if missionary work was easy, we wouldn't learn
anything. And sometimes you learn the most when things are tough.
Like Saturday for example. Saturday was horrible. Lessons cancelled,
no one we tried to visit was home, and basically nothing productive
got accomplished, even though we were out and about all day. With
about 25 minutes left in the day, we sat down on a park bench for a
short break. It was super depressing. I really wanted to go in for the
night, and I could tell Elder Malauulu did too. Then I just got this
thought, "what gives you the right to give up?" The time to be most
obedient is when it is the hardest. If Christ had given up in the last
15 minutes, there would be no purpose life because we couldn't return
to live with Heavenly Father. So, we got up and we walked. And nothing
came from it in terms of numbers, but my attitude changed a ton.
President Samuelian once said if you truly understand the Saviors
sacrifice, then you will always want to serve Him, and doing the hard
things becomes easy. I'm not fully to that point, but I definitely
drew a little closer on Saturday. We don't have the right to give up.
Something good came out of Saturday.
I've been super tired this week. Don't know why. But, all is well. I'm
loving being a missionary, even when it's slow and frustrating. I'm
learning so much, that even the slow times are beneficial. Just not as
fun.
I love all of you so much! Hope you are all doing well and have a great week!!
Elder Baldridge

July 6, 2015 Week one of Transfer 4

Hello everyone!

Sounds like everyone had a pretty good week! I'm glad Jennica got to

go to EFY! That's awesome. I always loved EFY, and I hope you did too.

Also sounds like everyone had a pretty good 4th of July. Better than

my day, anyway.

The 4th was interesting. It's one of those holidays that isn't big

enough for missionaries to get the day off, but also very much big

enough so no one wants to talk to you. So, we went to a breakfast and

flag raising at the church in the morning. Tried to be productive, but

basically failed. Went to eat dinner with an awesome family, and then had to be

in by 7:00. Then at about 4:00 the next morning, I woke up and

realized I had food poisoning. Let's just leave it at that. So, we

stayed in all day yesterday and missed church. Lame. The first time

I've been sick on my mission. Great times. But, I'm good now, so all

is well.

This has been a pretty slow week. It just felt weird. Not a whole lot

of teaching, not much of anything really. We did do a little more

service than normal, which was good. But overall, this last week has

felt weird.

Elder Malauulu and I survived another transfer together. Every other

companionship in our district lost one missionary though. We got

destroyed. It will be so new, and so weird. Elder Young, who is

basically my favorite missionary and our district leader, goes home on

Wednesday. I am going to miss him SO much.

Also, some more fun news. President Samuelian called us on Saturday

and extended the call for me to be the next district leader. Which is

pretty scary. I am excited though. I have decided I love leadership

callings, not because of the responsibility or the title or anything

like that, but because you get to know and love all the people you

serve better. I love that side of it. So this will be an interesting

transfer. I'm praying that the Lord will help me know what He wants

for me and this district.

Spiritual thought this week. On Saturday night, when I woke up and was

in the beginning stages of the food poisoning goodness, but before I

came to the conclusion it was food poisoning, I really just wanted to

go back to sleep. So I'm sitting on the floor in the bathroom, and I

say a prayer asking for help to be able to sleep. So I finish the

prayer, and I sit there another minute or so. And then I very clearly

thought something along these lines: if you expect Heavenly Father to

answer your prayer, if you have any sort of faith at all that He can

help you sleep, why are you still sitting on the bathroom floor? So I

got up and got in bed. Sadly, it wasn't His will at that time that I

would sleep, because I was back in the bathroom puking in like 10

minutes, but that really hit me. If we expect Heavenly Father to

answer our prayers, we need to act like it. We need to pray, and then

do the work in order to make those answers possible. Just something

that really stuck out to me this week.

Thanks for all of your support! I love you all so much! Have a wonderful week!

Elder Baldridge

June 29, 2015

 Hello all! Seems like everyone is doing pretty well. I was especially
glad to hear about Jennica and Addisons experiences at camp,
especially the spiritual ones. Sounds totally awesome. Enjoy EFY!
Don't get too crazy.
This week has been better, in some ways. We found 3 new investigators,
which is very nice. Who knows how solid they will be, but at least
they invited us back. I'd say that's a good start! We still haven't
taught a whole lot this week though. Hopefully it ramps up and the new
people continue to let us come back.
Elder Malauulu and I are very different people. Very different. All is well.
We are learning to work things out. But definitely different people.

P-Day hike

We went on a sweet hike today with Elders Sims and Young, and a member
from their ward. We went to a place called the Valley of Giants,
because it has massive trees. Apparently very few people even know how
to get there. But, it was awesome.

 I love nature, and I totally want to go to like every national park when I get home. Cause nature is
cool. I'll try to send some pictures.

This week Elder Malauulu and I did have some cool experiences with the
guidance of the Spirit. There were some times where I felt prompted to
talk about something, but then he would start before I could, and he
would say the same thing. Stuff like that. It's super cool. We
honestly don't know anything, but the Spirit knows what these people
need. And if we listen to that, we will both be on the same page.
We had an exchange this week with the zone leaders. I went to their
area, which is randomly super hilly. And it was SUPER hot. Like, 100
degrees hot. And we walked up and down hills all day. I was dripping
sweat for a very long time. It was awesome. And then I remembered that
Brazil will only be worse. Can't wait!! We did have a good day though.
It was all good. I still love being a missionary!
I don't have much time today. So sorry. I love you all! Have a great
week! I miss all of you, and pray for you! Love you!
Elder Baldridge

June 22, 2015 - Happy Father's Day!!

June 22, 2015
Hello everyone!!
Happy Father's Day Dad!! Elder Malauulu and I gave talks in sacrament
yesterday on our fathers and some of the things we have learned from
them. I didn't have enough time to cover even a minor portion of all
those things. So, I focused on one of the big ones. I'm so grateful
you taught me how to serve, and to love it! You have been an amazing
father, and I am so grateful to be your son! I love you!!
Everyone else, you are kinda alright too :)
This week has been decent. Still slow. We had a lot of meetings and
such this week. Thursday we went up to the mission home and had a
meeting with President and Sister Samuelian and the Assistants and
stuff. Elder Malauulu got his iPad, and they talked about using them
properly and stuff. I love any time we get with President and the
Assistants. They are all awesome!
We did get one new investigator last night! First one in like over a
month! We set a goal before we left the apartment to talk with 5
people about the gospel. We prayed and told Heavenly Father our goal,
and asked Him to put 5 people in our path. And He did. It's almost
like He hears and answers our prayers or something. Crazy! But
honestly, when you set a worthy goal and then ask Him to help with the
things that you can't really control, I know that He is there to help.
It was a neat experience. I have no idea where things will go with
this new investigator. We have a lesson scheduled for next Wednesday,
not this week, so we will see.
I have a good feeling about this next week for some reason. I don't
know why, but I do. We are kinda mixing up the way we do things.
Trying to improve everyday. I don't know if it's worked yet, but we
are trying! Hopefully my good feeling is accurate. We will pray lots,
and we shall see.
This week we as just missionaries met with the bishop. He talked a lot
about prayer. We often talk about it like a phone conversation with
Heavenly Father. But we don't really change the way we pray based on
that. When we are repetitive in prayers, why would Heavenly Father
want to listen? I'm sure He still does, but it doesn't mean it means
anything anymore. We also need to give Him time to talk. Don't just
hang up the phone. If we close the prayer before Heavenly Father has
time to talk, then it was basically worthless. Give Him time in every
prayer. I never did that every time, but I can promise you that it
works! He will begin to speak to us more, if we give Him the time!
I love all of you so much!
Thanks again, Dad, for everything. Love you all!!
Elder Baldridge

June 15, 2015 Spoke some Portuguese!

Hello everyone! I hope all of you are doing well! I'm doing great! We had an interesting week.
First off, thank you so much for the package! Those cookies were amazing, and thank you for the ties! Also for the picture. That was awesome. Thanks so much.

Disc golf with Elder Wilson on P-day

We had some awesome meetings this week. We had two meetings with a member of the first quorum of the Seventy on Thursday, which was awesome. One meeting was just for missionaries, and the other was for us and the bishops and some members of the ward council. It was super awesome, and very specific on certain things that we as missionaries and members need to be doing. Super helpful. We had actually scheduled to meet with our bishop and ward mission leader this week, to talk about things that needed to be done in order to help the missionary work in the ward, and the Seventy basically covered all of it. Which was great, because it means a whole lot more coming from him than from me. So, if our ward chooses to act on what he asked us to do, I think there will be some great things coming!! Let's hope and pray.
We also had a stake priesthood meeting yesterday, and that was amazing as well. The stake presidency basically called everyone to repentance for some very specific things, and it was sweet. I loved it. They talked about the law of the fast, sabbath day observance, and the sacrament, as well as how important it is to fulfill and magnify our callings, especially in relation to home teaching. I love our stake president here. He is totally awesome, and loves the missionaries. We have breakfast at his house with missionaries in the whole zone/stake, and it's sweet.
I met a Brazilian lady at church yesterday! She is in the other ward, and I had never met her before. She moved here like 2 years ago. We talked some Portuguese, which was cool. And made me realize how much I am not good anymore. So that was fun. She was super happy to meet me though. She said she missed speaking Portuguese. I believe she may have even cried she was so happy haha. So that was neat yesterday.
For my spiritual thought, I'll refer to that meeting with the member of the Seventy. He talked about how nothing is more important than the salvation of souls. Not our job, not money, not our hobbies, not anything. If we are too busy to worry about bringing someone else to Christ, than we are doing it all wrong. That really stuck out to me. So that was cool. Don't get so caught up in ANYTHING that we don't have time to worry about the salvation of others.
This week has still been fairly slow, but a little better. We taught a few more lessons, so that was good! Hopefully with more from the ward, the work will start to pick up! Some great things could happen! So, we will see.
Love you all! Hope this week is great!
Elder Baldridge

June 8, 2015 Keep the commandments and serve others!

Hey everyone! Sounds like things are going good back in Indiana.
School is out, everyone is having fun, and more importantly you are
all doing some awesome church stuff, like the temple names and
preparing for the temple celebrations and such. Keep it up!
This week, and the past few weeks really, have been very slow. It's
frustrating, honestly. The number of lessons we teach has dropped
significantly, and we just can't really find new investigators. I feel
like I'm just not doing enough as a missionary, and I feel bad for
Elder Malauulu sometimes because when I first got here, we were pretty
busy. And now we just aren't. We stay busy trying to contact people
and all, but not much teaching. I know some points on your mission
will be super hard and slow and all, and that's fine. That's the way
it's supposed to be. But, we need to be doing more. I just don't know
what we can do. But we are trying. Our fast yesterday was all about
knowing what Heavenly Father wants us to be doing. How to use our
time, who to visit. Just to know His will for us and for this area. We
are meeting with the Bishop and Ward Mission Leader tomorrow to
discuss some important things that I think will help, so let's hope
that goes well.
In the midst of all the frustrating things, we still found A……  last
Saturday. A…….  is cool. The gospel can really help him, and we are
hoping he will let it. We have a lesson with him tonight, and hope to
put him on date for baptism. So that's exciting! At least there is one
bright spot.
This week has been super hot, like Mom pointed out. It's not fun. We
had the car, which was nice. Hopefully it isn't as hot this week when
we don't have the car, but we will see. I've got to get ready for
Brazil I guess....

Elder Malauulu and Elder Baldridge

Elder Malauulu and I are getting along really well still. I like him a
lot. So all is well in that area.
I don't have a whole bunch to say this week, so sorry about that.
My spiritual thought is something I read this morning. I was reading
about baptism in Preach My Gospel, and it talked about receiving and
retaining a remission of our sins. You receive a remission of your
sins when you make covenants with God like baptism. But retaining that
is the most important part. Look up Mosiah 4:11-12 and verse 26.
Basically, it's all about keeping the commandments and serving others.
I really liked how service is a big part of our retaining forgiveness.
It's not just about repenting and apologizing, but then we need to
show our desires to follow Christ by keeping the commandments and
serving others like Christ did. That is when we can always retain a
remission of our sins. So, strive for that, and I will too.
I love all of you. I hope your week is wonderful! I love this church,
and I love this work.
Elder Baldridge

June 1, 2015 First Week Training

Hey everyone! Sounds like you all are doing well! Yay schools out.
That's awesome. Way to make it through another year, everyone. I'm so
proud.

Picture from Elder Watson's last day in the District

Our District was, and still is, crazy!

 So I'm training!  It's crazy! I spent Tuesday and Wednesday with
another trainer, Elder Larsen, because our companions were transferred
and we needed companions. We served in our area. He was super cool.
Wish I could have spent more time with him. But on Thursday we got our
new greenies! We had a meeting with President Samuelian as trainers,
which was awesome! Any time you can be with president is amazing. He
asked each of us how we were feeling. I said I was nervous but
excited, of course. He said I would be training myself along with the
new missionary, which is so true. I still have no clue what's going
on, so we can learn together. He also mentioned how awesome it would
be to go to Brazil already having the experience of training a
missionary. Which is true, that will be sweet. Also stressed the
importance of trainers. If we screw our kids up (the person you train
is referred to as your son), their sins can come upon our heads. If we don’t
do it well, we can shame the mission and this kid forever. So, it's
kinda important. And scary.

Say hello to my "firstborn son", Elder Malauulu.
Kid is a stud!!

Then we got our greenies! I am training Elder Malauulu (pronounced
Mala-ooloo).  He's super cool! He is from San Diego, but his
grandparents are natives of Samoa. I already love him. He worked in
the oil fields in California for a year, which means he lived away
from home and is already more mature than right after high school, so
that is super nice. I feel like I got pretty lucky. I don't know him
too well yet, because we have only been together like 4 days, but I'm
so excited!
Training is forcing me to be a better missionary. I've had to change
my mindset and do my best to be a good example.  I really am training myself at the same time, and I think it's
pretty cool. Also scary, because as stated before, I barely know
anything. I better learn fast.
This week we had a cool experience, which will lead into my thought
for the week as well. We had time planned for basically street
contacting, and no real plans. So I went through the area book, both
the paper copy and the app, and picked some former and potential
investigators to go visit. I had never even heard of them before. As
we went and visited them, we set up an appointment with one. Another
we knocked on the door and he wasn't home, but as we were leaving some
car pulled up. A guy got out and we helped him carry stuff inside,
then proceeded to have like a 45 minute lesson, ending in him
accepting a soft baptismal challenge. It totally wasn't the guy we
were looking for, but Heavenly Father made it work out. It was such a
cool experience.
We had been struggling to find people to teach for awhile. We baptized
3 people, which destroyed our teaching pool. So, we were praying for
new investigators and kinda getting down because it was super hot and
we walked a lot and nothing happened. Then we picked some random names
to visit, prayed and asked Heavenly Father to help us out, and then
put in the work to go visit people. So, for the thought, I know that
as we pray in faith, and then put in the work, miracles will happen.
As long as we have righteous desires, the Lord will provide a way.
Missionary work is awesome! Being a missionary is cool. Love it.
Training is weird, but sweet. I love all of you! Have a great week!
Elder Baldridge

May 25, 2015 - Transfer week!!

Hello family! Happy Memorial Day!! I'm glad to hear everyone is doing
well! School is done tomorrow?! Holy cow, that's crazy. Can't believe
it!  I got a letter from Grandma Poulson today, so thank you so much to them for that!
 I loved it!

Oregon is beautiful!!

This week has been crazy! We had Zone Conference on Tuesday, which was
absolutely amazing. We focused on getting back to the basics as a
mission. It was awesome. Any time you can be with President and Sister
Samuelian is a great time. They are both amazing! Zone Conference
definitely took about 12 hours of our day though, so that day was shot
haha.
Our tripanionship went fairly well.  We were still productive. We had to cover two areas for
the week, so our numbers in our individual wards were down, but it was
all good. Overall it was a good week.
We did service a couple times, which was good. I love serving people!!
Our teaching pool is pretty small right now, which is lame. Man,
baptizing people makes things harder haha. But, I wouldn't have it any
other way. We will definitely need to be doing a lot of finding in the
coming weeks though.
Speaking of the coming weeks, you probably want to know who I will be
with. Transfer calls were on Saturday. We got the call from President
in the middle of the day, which means someone is getting leadership.
Elder Watson will be leaving and becoming a tech Elder, to train and
work with the iPads and such in the mission. He will be in another
tripanionship, but will be serving with his trainer during his
trainers last transfer. So he is excited about that. As for me, I will
be staying in Dallas. I have no idea who my new companion will be yet.
I do know one thing though. He is still in the MTC as I write this.
I've been called as a trainer! President said it was very rare that a
visa waiter trains, but it is what the Lord wants. He said he is
praying that my visa doesn't come for at least another transfer.
Jerk... Haha :)
I definitely feel very inadequate for this assignment. I'll be
responsible for a whole other person and their progression. That's
scary. But, I know that the call is from the Lord, and both He and
President trust me. I'm nervous, but also very excited.
My thought for this week is that the Lord will help us when he asks us
to do something. Just like Nephi said, I know the Lord doesn't ask
anything of us without giving us a way to accomplish it. I know that
who He calls, He qualifies for that calling. I know that I can't train
a new missionary on my own. That sounds horrible. But I'm comforted in
the fact that Heavenly Father has asked me to do this, and he won't
let me fail. However, I could also definitely use some prayers to help
me recognize that help and have everything I need to be the best
trainer I can possibly be for my new companion. But I know that if I
rely on the Lord, all will be well.
I love you all! Thanks for all your support and prayers! Have a
wonderful week! I'll let you know all about my new greenie next week!!
Elder Baldridge

May 18, 2015 - Another baptism this week!

May 18, 2015 – Another baptism this week!
This week has been pretty good. C….. was baptized on Saturday!!  That went really well. He has progressed so much even in the last week alone. I'm so glad we pushed his baptism back a week, and it was definitely Spirit led. He invited a lot of non-members to his baptism too, which was sweet. Our ward mission leader felt prompted to ask him to share his testimony after the baptism, and he straight up told everyone to take the lessons to feel the same joy that he has felt. That was awesome haha. Then on Sunday I had the opportunity to confirm him, which was awesome as well! Love him.
I said goodbye to Elder Lowe on Friday. He leaves for Brazil either today or tomorrow. That's crazy. So he will be there soon.
Speaking of visas, I got an email on Friday, saying... There are new visa requirements for the LA Consolate! Yay! So I had to email Amber (at Church Travel) a picture of my driver's license. But, that also means that they haven't done anything with my visa yet haha. So, that's some news. I don't care. I love Oregon, and I'll leave when I need to. No worries.
I am a little nervous about the transfer coming up. I know everything will end up how it is supposed to be, but it just will be weird. Elder Watson has been here a long time, and could very possibly leave. We will find out on Saturday.

Elder Baldridge and Elder Pope

For the next week, I'll be in a tripanionship with Elder Watson and Elder Pope. Since Elder Lowe is leaving, someone had to go to his area to be with his companion. So Elder Wilson will go there, and Elder Pope will be with us. They are both from another ward in Dallas. So, we will see how this week goes. Could be interesting.
This week has still been pretty slow. We had a baptism, which was definitely exciting, but not much happening in terms of future success right now. I think we need to change some things in order to be more effective.
Anyway, spiritual thought. This week I have heard multiple times about how our personal conversion comes before anything else in the church. There are lots of great programs like home teaching and young mens and all that stuff, but nothing is more important than our personal relationship with our Heavenly Father. We work out our own salvation individually. But, as we improve ourselves as disciples of Christ, the other things take care of themselves and improve as well. As each of us strengthens our own discipleship, then our families will be strengthened. As families are strengthened, wards improve. And so on. It all starts as we work on our personal conversions. So, focus most heavily on improving yourself and becoming more converted to the gospel, and the rest will follow.
I love you all! Have a great week!
Elder Baldridge

Time is Flying!!

Time is Flying!!!
Hey everyone!
It was so nice to skype you yesterday! I'm glad everyone could be
there in one way or another haha. That 40 minutes went by SO fast. It
seems like we barely talked at all. But, it was so nice, and I was
very grateful for technology as well.
This transfer is FLYING by. It's already week 5. We get transfer calls
at the end of next week. That is ridiculous! I can't believe how fast
it's gone.
The last two weeks have been kinda slow in terms of lessons and
things. It's lame how we don't teach the lessons after people are
baptized. Ward missionaries take care of the new member lessons in
this ward. So after baptisms, we get less busy in terms of scheduled
lessons. Lame. I guess people getting baptized is kinda cool too
though... :) I definitely want to teach more though.
We have been going on lots of temporary exchanges with the Elders in
the Oakdale ward the last two weeks. Elder Young is the district
leader and has some meetings to go to. But they also have appointments
sometimes they need to go to, so we help them out. I go with Elder
Sims and Elder Watson goes with Elder Young, and it's pretty fun. We
don't have as much time in our area though.
They also double booked service projects on Saturday, so we helped
them out with that.
Our district is crazy.  We have so much fun. At what point is
it too much fun?? Question of the century. Elders Young and Sims and
Elder Watson and I are all super good friends, and we have a lot of
fun. One of the reasons they also ask us when they need help on those
exchanges and stuff.
This week we began doing push-ups for things that we want to improve
in ourselves. For example, I do 25 push-ups everytime I put myself
down or put someone else down. The push-ups add up during the day, and
then we do them at night. So far the most I have had to do is 125. Not
too horrible... We are either going to be super righteous or super
buff. We shall see which way it goes haha.
C…. should be baptized this Saturday, which is exciting. We've got a
lot of work to do in this area now. We definitely need to find new
investigators, because our teaching pool is running a little dry.
That's a big goal this week.
Spiritual thought for the week: the Atonement is very real. I know
that Christ really did suffer for our sins, as well as our pains,
weaknesses, etc. It is only through the Atonement that we can return
to live with Heavenly Father again. I am so grateful to Heavenly
Father for sacrificing His son for us, and for Christ sacrificing
himself. It is only through the Atonement of Christ that we can
experience a fullness of joy, both in this life and the life to come.
Christ is literally our Savior, and I will forever be grateful. May we
all strive to apply the Atonement in our lives more effectively and
more abundantly. That's my goal, and I hope you all make it yours too.
I love you all. Hope this coming week is wonderful!
Elder Baldridge

May 4, 2015 Time goes so fast!

Hey family! Sounds like everyone is doing well.  Sounds

like everyone else had a great week too, so that's awesome.

L.... was baptized on Saturday! She is my favorite! I love her so

much. It was awesome. After the baptism, she came up to us and was

like "I just need to hug you guys" and comes at me very quickly. I

very smoothly stepped back and extended my arm at the same time,

quickly explaining I can't do that. It was fairly awkward and so

disappointing, because I want to hug her and congratulate her, but you

just can't, first time that has happened to me. Probably not the last.

I forgot the notes I had written for this week, so my email my be

jumbled and not very detailed. Sorry.

We just got done playing a round of golf, which was really fun. I shot

like a 48 or so on a par 31 9 hole course. With the amount I have

played golf throughout my life, I thought I did pretty good. Should

definitely play golf more, though.

Elder Watson forgot his name tag one day, so he wore my spare!
That was interesting to explain!

C..... is still scheduled to be baptized this Saturday, but we aren't

sure it's going to happen. First off with his mom, and second I just

don't know if he is ready. But definitely working hard with him.

This week has been really weird. Lots of just random things popped up.

We had to help some of the other Elders in Dallas out with some

lessons and stuff at the last minute, so that was fun. I don't really

know how to describe it, but this week has just been weird.

About Mother's Day, I believe we will be Skyping from a members home.

But, right now I have no idea what time or how to set that up or

anything. I will have to let you know later. I don't even know how to

let you know though... We will try to figure it out.

This week I have been studying a lot about charity. Charity is SO

incredibly important. If you do everything else right, but don't have

charity, you are basically worthless. Charity means loving others the

way Heavenly Father loves them. It means seeing people the way

Heavenly Father sees them. And it also means loving Heavenly Father

and wanting to please him. Basically everything that we do stems from

those two things - love for Heavenly Father and love for others. True

disciples of Christ have charity. So, work to develop charity, and we

can improve on all the other Christlike attributes as well. That's my

thought for this week.

I love you all. I can't believe it's already Mother's Day this week.

Time is flying. It's crazy. Have a wonderful week! Make it great! Love

you!!

Elder Baldridge

April 27

Hey everyone! Sounds like a decent week for you all. Lame about Adam Wainwright. Come on!

So, this week has been good. The days and times are all mixed up and everything. It is crazy.

We have two investigators right now under the age of 18. Both with baptismal dates, and both with parents who are not too happy about that. And so, they may not exactly be happening as planned. But, the kids are great, and I think they will both get baptized at some point. We just need to keep making sure their testimony is growing. So, a little bump in the road that is fairly disappointing.

L.... is still set for this weekend, and we are super excited!! I love her so much. She is super cool. Anytime we go over there with a member, the member is always like "she is going to be a great member of the church" and one even said he could see her as a fantastic relief society president. Couldn't agree more, she is that awesome. So we are pumped.

We had exchanges again on Saturday. Once again, I was with Elder Young in our area. And once again, we totally killed it. I love him so much, he is awesome. He is the district leader now, by the way. So, we did like 3 hours of service, taught some members a short lesson and committed them to having us names for referrals by the end of this week, and found another new investigator street contacting. Not as wild an experience with the street contacting as before, but still awesome. We kill it together. haha!

Last night we went over to a part member family, where the wife hasn't been to church in awhile, mainly because of health issues. They were super awesome and love sports, so we talked about that a lot. Then they said they knew one of our investigators, and the non member husband invited us to teach him in their home if the place we normally taught didn't work out. Teach an investigator in the home of a non member and less active? Um, yes, absolutely!! So, we should be doing that this Thursday. Such a sweet blessing.

This week has been fairly normal and not all that exciting. Today for P-day we did go to a driving range (a member in another ward manages a golf course). We thought we were going to actually play golf, but there were a lot of people cause today was a really nice day, and they didn't want us newbies screwing up the experienced golfers. It was still fun though. We also went to a batting cage in town and threw to each other. But we only had a softball bat, plus I haven't hit in like a year, so it was ugly. But fun. This group of Elders in Dallas now are willing to do fun stuff on P-day, which is so nice.

We are still working out three days a week. I'm so out of shape, but so glad I am finally doing something again. Even if I do have to get up at 5:00 to do it.

Elder Watson and Elder Baldridge at the temple

Elder Watson and I have started communicating even better the last few days. I think things with our companionship will get even better, which will be awesome. Communication is so crucial, and I never really realized it.

Cruisin' with Elder Watson

I just recently finished reading the war chapters in Alma, and I LOVED them. They are amazing. They are so many spiritual applications I got out of them all. About preparing for when Satan comes, and relying on the Lord, and other awesome things. I don't have my notes or my scriptures right now, so this spiritual thought is kinda lame, but read those chapters and think about how they apply to you today. Cause they definitely do.

Sorry I haven't sent pictures recently. We have just been emailing from our ipads so that is hard. But, I will today. Lucky you.

I love you all, and hope all goes well this coming week. Enjoy your trip Mom and Dad! I miss everyone, but it's all good. This is kinda important too. Love you!!

Elder Baldridge

Tuesday, April 21 - 2nd week of this transfer

So, transfers were on Tuesday.  Guess who is in the district now, and who I am sitting next to right now on our ride back from the temple. Elder Lowe (Mom’s note – Elder Lowe was Elder Baldridge’s companion for the 6 weeks that they were  in the Missionary Training Center!  He also got reassigned to Salem Oregon to wait for his visa)  Haha he got transferred from his trainer after one transfer and is now in Lincoln City. But, he also got a text on Friday during district meeting that he got his visa! So he leaves in like four weeks, and spends two weeks in the São Paulo mtc before heading to Manaus. I am convinced I will be here at least one more transfer, but we shall see. We also got two other new elders in our district, and one new sister. The two Elders are Elder Sims and Wilson. I like them both a lot. 

Elder Baldridge's District at the temple

We just went to the temple! The Portland temple is amazing! The celestial room is two stories, and is the coolest one I have seen by far. It was an awesome experience, too. I love the temple

We now have three people on date for baptism! L…. decided May 2^nd would be the best day for her and her family to be there, so that's when hers will be. C….  is on date for the 9th. And M….  is on date
for the 16th. We are super excited about all of them. They all seem to be doing pretty well. The baptism dates are pretty soon, and we have a lot to do before then.
The weather in Oregon is crazy. One day it was sunny, rained, was sunny, hailed, and then was sunny again, all within like 5 hours. It was wild. It was also like 80 degrees yesterday, which was really hot.
But then I realized it was nothing like Manaus, which was depressing... Yuck.
We started working out three times a week this week. Elder Watson and I compromised. We have to wake up at 5:00 to go work out with the Oakdale Elders. So, I like the compromise. Working out half the time and sleeping half the time. It's all good.
So, being on a mission has really shown me that I have way more weaknesses than I have realized in the past. There are so many things I need to improve. Basically, you think you are going to be a good
missionary and then you realize that you never do anything perfect, or even close. But, that's okay. As long as you are trying your best and being obedient and asking Heavenly Father to help, he will help make up the difference. I'm so grateful that the Atonement covers more than just our sins, and helps with our weaknesses too. So, that's my thought for the week. We will never be perfect, but when we do our best and ask for help with the rest, we can be good enough for Heavenly Father to help with the rest.
I love all of you so much! Hope you have a great week!
Elder Baldridge

April 13, 2015

Hey everyone! Sounds like your weeks have been super good.  That's so cool that you all got to go to the temple together! I hope that was a sweet experience, especially for Addison! Keep up all the good work and stuff, family!  So this week has been awesome! I am currently sending you this email from my new iPad! We got them on Wednesday at a big zone conference with President Samuelian and his wife. It was awesome, and interesting. There was little talk about how to use the iPads to teach

and stuff. We are just supposed to follow the spirit. They talked all about how to protect ourselves with technology. And stressed that learning that now isn't just for missionary work, but will be
important for post mission life and even for our salvation. It's so true.  I really realized that
technology is how Satan will most attack us now, and will be the "stumbling block" of this generation. I think one of the reasons I am in this mission right now is to learn to use technology appropriately and effectively.
So, D…..  did get baptized this week! Elder Watson baptized her, and yesterday I got to confirm her! So cool. I have no idea what I said in the blessing, because it was definitely the spirit doing the talking. Anyway, first ordinance I have performed. Awesome. L…..  was going to be baptized the same time as D……. But about an hour before the baptism, she decided to postpone it. Her family
couldn't be there, and at first she thought she could just do it on her own. But she decided she wanted to involve her family and just make sure everything feels right. So,  postponed, but for all the
right reasons. It is now scheduled for the 25th.

By the way, I survived my first transfer! Elder Watson and I are both staying put for the next 6 weeks. I'm excited because great things are happening.
When D and L  were baptized, we would have like no investigators left. So we were worried and praying about that. And we got three new investigators this week! A………, the girl we met on the
street, finally was there and let us in, and she and her husband/boyfriend are fairly interested. Awesome. Yesterday at church a kid we knew from this bible study group we go to sometimes came with a member friend. Afterwards we talked to him and he asked some questions. Long story short, he asked what he needed to do to be baptized and we have a lesson on Tuesday. Crazy!!  There is also a nonmember who is dating he bishops daughter, and has been coming to church forever. No one has ever forced the issue on teaching him really. Well on Wednesday, we committed with our zone leaders to find a new investigator. I thought that would be impossible because the technology meeting lasted like all day and we had no real proselyting time. But we were at the church, I was thinking about how we could possibly find a new investigator before the day was over, and this kid walks by. He walked by and I just felt immediately like he was the one. I looked at Elder Watson and he looked at me clearly having the same impression. So we went up to him, and we pretty bold in just asking how serious he was about the church. Long story short again, he's taking the lessons. This week has been so awesome!
We went on exchanges with the zone leaders this Friday. That double booked their exchanges, so we just had a tri-panionship with Elder Lloyd. I love him. We had a great day. Loved it.
For a quick spiritual thought, just know that miracles are real! I've been working a lot on trying to develop more faith that the Lord is preparing people and that he can make up for all my weaknesses if I rely on Him. Working on that. But, it's definitely true! So basically this week has been awesome.   Just know that all is well in Dallas, Oregon. This week has been amazing, and I am so looking forward to this next transfer. I love you all, and hope everything is going well!
Love,  Elder Baldridge

April 6, 2015 Easter and General Conference

Hello everyone! Sounds like everyone enjoyed conference and had a great week. If you didn't enjoy conference, you are crazy, because it was amazing. 

So, conference. Wow. AMAZING. I went into conference with about 6 or 7 questions. I prayed to be able to find the answers through conference. And sure enough, I got at least some sort of an answer to all of my questions. It's almost like Heavenly Father hears our prayers and loves us enough to answer them. Crazy, huh? Nope, not at all. I knew that as long as I asked and was sincerely seeking the answers, they were there. And that applies to a lot more than just conference. So keep that in mind.

This week has been pretty good. D…. had her baptismal interview on Friday, and she is set for this Saturday. So excited. L….. has her interview on Tuesday. She has missed a couple Sundays because of work (they are in the process of hiring new people so she can get all sundays off though!) and she had to cancel a few lessons for emergencies. So, she will definitely be baptized, we just don't know if she will be ready for this week, or wait until next week. But, it will happen. And she is awesome. I love L….. a lot.

Both of them were able to watch at least one session of conference, but not all of them. We got to watch one session at a member's home with L…., which was super cool. The other sessions we just watched at the church. It was the 6 missionaries in Dallas and like 4 other people. Everyone just stays home to watch conference haha. But conference was really good. I loved it, and seemed to get so much more out of it this year. It was awesome.

Elders Baldridge and Watson

Funny story of the week. We went to try to talk to this kid who we had given a Book of Mormon before. He came to the door and was like "I'll be back out in just a sec." So, we waited. And he never came back. Ha we waited like 20 minutes, and nothing. It was actually really funny, and strange. That was a first for me. Good times as missionaries.

On Friday we gave a blessing to a guy who is really cool and we have a good relationship with. He was really sick. He could barely just sit up in bed for us to give him the blessing. He said he has some kind of problem where he gets sick a lot. And then he asked me to give the blessing, which really surprised me because everyone around here has a better relationship with Elder Watson since he's been here longer. But, it was a cool experience for me, so I'm glad he asked. And the next day he was at the Priesthood Session of conference joking around and looking fine and everything. So, that was neat. Little miracles are awesome.

On Wednesday a ward member asked us to visit her mother-in-law, who is a former member of the church, but now goes to another church. So, we drove by, and she was outside sweeping her sidewalk. We stopped and asked if we could do it for her. She said yes because she has a bad back. As a former member, she knew who we were, and probably didn't want to see us, but needed the help. We then asked if we could do anything else for her. She asked us to come back later and vacuum her house (we had an appointment right then, so we had to leave). We of course did, and she made us some awesome dinner that she said she had been saving for company the next day, but made for us instead. I think she liked us. We never once brought up the gospel (we did leave her a card with our numbers with the Easter video on it, but we just left it with her), we just served her and let her know that we care. She may never want to hear about our church again, but she appreciated the service a lot. Service can open so many more doors than pass-along cards or anything else. Show them that you love them and that Heavenly Father loves them, through you, and people's hearts will be softened. 

Easter was great. Mainly because of General Conference. In the morning while Elder Watson was in the shower I opened the box from you and arranged all his stuff in a nice way where he normally studies. He was very excited, mainly because he lives to eat unhealthy haha. But thank you for the package, and for remembering him too. I knew you would!

Easter treats Elder Baldridge set out for his companion, Elder Watson

So, we watched conference, weekly planned (a solid 2 hour planning session for the whole week, which I kinda enjoy but most people despise), and then went to a member's house for dinner. Dinner was really good, so that was awesome. But, it was a couple with no kids at home, so we didn't do anything kiddish like I knew you would be doing with the Elders there  haha. But that's okay. It was a good time.

So, spiritual thought. During conference, I realized that I have always believed a lot of things about the gospel, but there were lots of things I didn't really know. I had a testimony, and that testimony has been strengthened and deepened throughout the years. But there I was a lot I didn't know for sure. So, this morning during personal study, I set out to fix that. I got on my knees and asked sincerely for the knowledge I need to not only help my own testimony, but to help others strengthen theirs as well. As I said before, Heavenly Father definitely hears and answers our prayers. It was a very personal experience which I won't share all of, but now I know a whole lot more. I don't just hope and believe that God loves me, I know it. I know that Christ suffered for our sins out of love for us, and I am grateful for that sacrifice. I don't know everything about how the Atonement works, but I know that it is real. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father and an older brother who was willing to suffer and die for me. I hope during this Easter season, all of you remember that too.

I love you all, more than you know. I hope everyone has a wonderful week full of awesome, fun things. Keep being cool and keep sharing gospel stuff even though Easter has passed.

Love, Elder Baldridge

P.S. We may have bought some Easter candy on clearance when we went shopping this morning.... I'm getting so out of shape. Oops.