November 18

Dear Mom,
 
You can officially just send everything to Canfield until I leave.  I
was just called to train again, and I will be staying this transfer.
Sister Byers was pretty surprised, and disappointed to leave right
before the holidays.  I don't blame her.  This is a great ward to be
in, especially this time of the year.  I pick up my new trainee
tomorrow at transfer meeting.  I am pretty excited.  I am not the
greatest trainer ever, poor Sister Olson and Sister Kunz.  Maybe I
will get it right this time around.  What I am really excited for is
to be training at the same time that Lyssa is being trained.  I will
be going through the same 12-week packet that she has in front of her.
That is pretty cool!
 
We are doing well after our "deer-car hit" (that is what the Sargent
called it).  It is actually a miracle that we have a car right now.
Our car is currently in the shop, and it is unknown when it will
return.  We went for a few days without a car, but we are now driving
again.  The office misread the odometer of one of the cars, and
thought it was time to sell it just a few days before we hit the deer.
They weren't sure what they were going to do with it, and President
Vellinga had them get it to us pretty quick.  We are so grateful for
it!
 
This last week we found a less-active member in Youngstown.  It was a
pretty interesting turn of events.  Turns out they are moving this
week.  She is living with her foster-daughter, and she decided to sit
in our lesson for a bit.  Right then and there we invited her to be
baptized, and she accepted!  She set a baptismal date for January 3 so
that she can start off the New Year right.  We will just have to pass
all of that info along to the lucky missionaries in Oklahoma.  They
must be praying for referrals down there. I have really had a neat 

opportunity to meet some pretty amazing people out here.  I have learned

 so much about life in these short months out here in Ohio.  I am grateful

 for these experiences as hard as they have been at times.
 
I love my mission so much!  I am excited to be back in a place where I
feel at home for the holidays, again.  It still feels like deja vu
most of the time, but I know that the Lord is wiser than I am and
needs me here now.  I love being able to be used as an instrument in
his hands each day, and to be able to just turn my life over to him
and be led in this way.
 
Love,
 
Sister Bakker