August 24

Hi Mom!

This week was really good. We had our Zone Conference, and I learned

a lot about how the church organization works, and our roles in it.

President Vellinga talked about the growth in St. Marys in front of

everyone as he talked about it, and had me talk a bit on it. After

all of that he had me publicly announce how many people were there my first week, and decided it would be a good idea right then and there

to tell me that there was 81 people there last Sunday, and that

everyone I have been working with is still on date for baptism (this Saturday and those on Sept 20th). I definitely teared up

at all of that. I never knew how much you could love a whole

collection of people until I came on my mission.

The City of North Royalton is doing good! Sister Kunz and I have been

working hard this week! I really love this place. The hills are kind

of fun and it has been a new adventure living around a highly

populated city. I love talking with everyone as we go! We are doing

our best to find as we go in every situation. We had a really awesome

experience this last week. We went to Firestone to get our tires

changed, which took a little while. While we were there waiting, they

had us sit in chairs in front of a tv, so we pulled out our reading

material that we took in with us. There was a couple sitting next to

us that decided to comment on it. That conversation involved into a

mini lesson on the plan of salvation, and the blessings of having

restored truths! It was an incredible teaching opportunity, and they

were a captive audience. Unfortunately they aren't in our area, but we

were given permission to go and teach them to explain that elders

would be coming soon. The spirit was so strong there.

I love being a missionary so much! Sister Frampton went home this

last week mid-transfer for school. It has really put into perspective

how short your time really is as a missionary. I know that the

restored gospel of Jesus Christ can help anyone no matter where they

are at in their lives. I know that when we learn to rely on the

atonement, we can change to become something far greater than what we

are now.

I love you all!

Love,

Sister Bakker

August 17

Hi Mom,

This week has been a good one! I feel like I am writing less and

less, so sorry about that. We have been working hard to find more

service opportunities to do to get our faces out in the community

more. Hopefully we have some more prospects for that this week.

We had a grand finale for the week. There is a less-active, Brother

N, who's wife ratted him out when they were tracted into a

year or so ago, but has no records in the ward yet. We talked with

his wife (who is Catholic) last week, and talked about family history

with her. The topic of an old painting that his grandma had done when

she converted to the church came up, and how he had rescued the

painting from a flood. I know that the spirit of Elijah touched her

heart. Last week, she told us that her husband would avoid the

missionaries at all cost, and the church, but that she wished he would

reconnect with the church because of the good it did for his mother.

Well to make a long story short, she told him about our lesson, and

our interest in his mother and grandmother's painting, and he couldn't

wait to tell us the story. So he set up an appointment for the first

time in decades with the missionaries. Just yesterday, he brought out

the painting and told us the story of how it came to be, and how it

has traveled all of the country. He and she both have agreed to take

the missionary lessons starting this week! I know that the spirit of

Elijah is real. I also know that the veil is thin, and that there are

family members of mine and those I am working with who are helping

this great work move along. I love my mission!

I love you all! Thank you so much for all you do for me each week!

Love,

Sister Bakker

August 11

Dear Mom,

I still love living with the other sisters.  I think it is a great time.  We don't walk a ton.  We still drive.  There is rumor that they will make this a biking area.  There are a lot of hills here, so it would be tough for whoever does it.  The highest point in Ohio is here.  

This week, we didn't have too much to report on.   Sister Kunz is a great missionary!  She really is learning quickly.  I feel like she is teaching me more than anything else which is awesome.  The area here is different.  We have less people to work with because it is so small.  We have pretty much no one in our teaching pool, but we are working on that.  We are trying to serve in as many places as we can.  The ward is good to us.  They have had a big turnover of missionaries here in the last few months, which has been hard for them.  It is hard to let in another set, that according to their past experience, will be leaving in a transfer or less.  They are really supportive, though.  

I know that nothing happens in missionary work until we have someone to teach.  Finding people to teach is primarily the role of members.  The members here in the Strongsville Ward have a huge desire to find people for us to teach.  Many of them are working on certain people as we speak, and that is so effective.  I can't wait to go home and do the same thing.  I love my mission, but a missionary is so limited in the impact that you can have on helping people join the church.  I have seen a lot of success on my mission.  More than a lot of missionaries.  The successes that I have had here is not because of the missionaries.  All of the success has come because of the primary support of the members.  I know that is true.  

I am so grateful for my mission, and love being here so much!  I love you all!

Love,

Sister Bakker

Aug 4

Taken in St Marys, Ohio

Dear Mom,

So this week has been a lot of just stopping by people to try to get to know everyone in the little city of North Royalton.  Usually missionaries don't both start off new in an area like this, so it hasn't taken me as long in my last areas to learn names, and already have lots of people to teach.  Our teaching pool is literally zilch.  To me that is all just part of the fun.  I am glad that Sister Kunz and I get to figure it all out together.  I think that makes it less hard for someone who is being trained to not feel like they are the only new one.  It just makes for two clueless missionaries, some awkward moments, and fun contacting experiences. 

Everyone already knows how I feel about tracting.  It is not the most effective, though can work occasionally.  So we have been trying other alternatives, like service and such.  Sister Kunz really wanted to tract one night, though, so we did.  I was so impressed!  She was the first one to open her mouth without prompting from me or anything.  She is very bold, and has a lot of confidence.  I love that!  

Something else that has really impressed me about the Strongsville ward is the amount of sisters who are returned missionaries (who are only here temporarily for pest control) who just are aching to go out with us.  We had one family say, "Sisters, what can we do to help find investigators for you to teach?"  They understand their purpose.  That is for sure!  So many of the other members are willing and eager to go out teaching with us, or even have their investigators in their homes for lessons.  Members sometimes forget how powerful their influence is in just being involved in the teaching process without even having to teach anything.  I know that any investigator who is taught with the involvement of the members, their retention in the church is much greater than it is if their whole experience with solely with the missionaries.  I want to be like those good members when I return.  I want to be involved in going teaching.  I want to invite the missionaries to bring their investigators and less-actives they are working with into my home.  I want to help find people to teach. 

I love my mission and I am grateful for it every day!  I wish that there words that could describe how much it has changed my life, but I can't.  Everyone should experience this.  

I love you all!

Love,

Sister Bakker

There are so many White Tail Deer out here.  They are so over populated out here, and not afraid of people.

There are some pictures of cleveland and a church out there.   

July 28

Dear Mom,

I wish you all could have been there to see the branch for the last time, and my last few moments there with everyone.  I think about St. Marys all the time, just like I am always thinking about Youngstown.  I am now training Sister Kunz (from Pocatello, ID), in the Strongsville Ward.  We opened up a sisters area in the city of North Royalton.  We literally only cover that city and that is it.  I just came from a place where I covered two counties, and had a thousand little cities (some of which, I never even saw), lots of farm land where you can see for miles and miles because it is so flat.  I am now in a place that is very hilly (our car makes weird noises each hill it tries to tackle) and I can get from top to bottom in our area in 30 mins or less... So strange.  The ward is HUGE!  there was probably more than 150 people there on Sunday, and I haven't seen more than maybe 120 my whole mission.  It was so crazy!  There a three sets of missionaries in the ward, Sister Kunz and I live with the other set of Sisters, Sister Jackson (Colorado) and Jarvis (Washington).  The Sisters work in Brecksville and Broadview Heights, and the Elders cover Strongsville.  It is definitely a different world living with another set of missionaries, but we all get along really well.  I have been enjoying it!  

The ward seems ready for some changes, but I am not 100% sure where all of those changes will be happening yet, if that makes any sense.  Sister Kunz and I are still trying to find our feet and figure out how we can better work with the ward in a way that we are working together towards the same goal.  There are a lot of young pediatry residents here as well as young couples selling pest control. Many of the women are returned missionaries, and want to go teaching with us.  It is so awesome! 

Sister Chapman went home last week, and Sister Frampton came to that transfer since she is leaving mid transfer in August.  It was really sad to have them up there and to sing our mission song and God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again.  They both looked at me and we all started crying.  I have become a softy out here.  I wish that everyone could take the opportunity to come on a mission, or could at least get a taste of how incredible it is.  I am excited to start training Sister Kunz.  She was one of 22 that came out this transfer, which was a little less than mine, but it seems that our mission is still having pretty high numbers coming out.  

I love you all! 

Sister Bakker

Pictures of St Marys

These are all pictures in St Marys before Dani left for her new area..The zip line is supposed to be for little kids.  She and S OBanion were out catching lightening bugs.  Even in summer it apparently gets quite foggy in St Marys.

July 22

Dear Mom,

 

Sister O'Banion and I found out that I will be leaving on Saturday.  I received a very last minute call to train (usually we get them a little over a week in advance) during my quarterly interview with President Vellinga.  I am very excited, and a bit anxious about the call.  Since I will be leaving to a brand new area, and training, that means that I will be shotgunning, or opening an area for sisters.  So it will be a lot of firsts this time around.  President hasn't told me much, but he did say I would have to work harder there than I have here.  That is really saying something!

 

I am so sad to be leaving.  It was very hard to have that news right before Tera's baptism.  Leaving here feels a lot like it did that day I walked into the MTC.  I feel like I am leaving home.  Last night, the F's had us for my last supper with them.  Brother F was able to give me a blessing before I left, and it brought a lot of peace and comfort.  There are a lot of changes ahead.  I wish that everyone could experience the miracles and amazing changes that I have seen here in St. Marys.  This is a unique and very special place that will always be sacred in my heart.  I am so excited for Alyssa to go out and serve and experience for herself what it feels like to love everyone around you so fully. 

 

Wow, that is all really sappy, and makes me really sad!  Change of subject, eh?

 

So Last week we went on splits with members in the relief society.  It was an awesome experience.  Between the two of us we were able to cover 9 lessons and helped those women become very excited for the missionary work.  It has been really hard to help the relief society as most of them are busy watching their children, and tending to their family.  Often times they can never come out with us.  Now that they are able to see the miracles first hand, their enthusiasm is overwhelming.  I know that if we are committed to doing the Lord's work, and actually try to put forth the effort, He will help us. 

 

Great news this week, Sister M has accepted to be baptized on August 30!  Their family is doing great!  Brother M is going to prepare himself to baptize her, and they will be able to go to the temple one year from that day.  That is the goal for them all, the temple! 

 

I love my mission so much, and am so grateful for all of the miracles that I have seen here.  I look forward to updating you on my new trainee, and area.  I love you all!

 

Love,

 

Sister Bakker