Signing off and heading home.

Well hey there. 

This is the final Monday I have in the field, so not much to update on. Just wanted to make sure everyone had the information they needed for if they wanted to come to my Homecoming talk! It is where I will give a talk in the first hour of church for about 20 minutes. I will talk to about a topic I have been given, but also will be able to share some experiences from my mission. The meeting begins at 9 AM. Hope to see you there!

The Book of Mormon

I want you all to know that these past 18 months have been incredible. I have loved serving the Lord with all of my heart, might, mind and strength. I am however, excited to be able to move forward and see what else the Lord has in store for me. I trust His plan and will do whatever I can to follow it. 

Stay close to the Lord, and remember I am sending you love, always.

Sister MJ Baird

California Sacramento Mission

January 2017 - June 2018

Sis Baird and the Morgan Family

Mike (recent convert) and his lovely wife!

One Step at a Time

Happy Day everyone!

Well it seems that this is the first day of my last full week in the mission field. I will be released as a missionary on June 20, 2018 after returning home.

Before my mission, I had a blog I'd write in and it was named "One Step at a Time". If I have learned anything on my mission, it is that I must take one step at a time. There is so much going on around us that we can easily get lost, however, when we take a step back, focus on Christ, and take it one step at a time, life becomes more manageable. We can start to see the joy and miracles that constantly surround us. 

For those who have followed along through this entire journey, thank you! The update for the week is that we were able to find two new friends and I was able to do my last two exchanges while on my mission. First, with Sister Searle and the final one was with Sister Lund. I love both of those sisters very much. 

Sis Searle and Sis Baird on exchanges!

Sis Baird and SIs Lund - the final exchange of my mission!

Sis Baird and Sis Lund

I want you all to know how much I have loved my mission. If you have heard my story, you know that I had no intention of and did not want to serve a full time mission. In fact, it was nowhere near the top of my lists of things to do. 

18 months later, it has been the single best decision I have ever made in my entire life. I've learned to love my Savior in a way I never thought was imaginable. I have learned that I can rely on Him for everything. I have learned that every person I come in contact with, I have the ability to love. I have learned that every single member I have met and gotten to know, every single missionary, and every single person I've met while serving my mission I've  met for a reason. I know that each and every person I've spoken to has influenced my mission in some way. 

Representing Jesus Christ is the greatest way I could have spent the last 18 months of my life and I wouldn't have had it any other way. I am grateful for the support that each of you have given me. I would not have made it to this point with out it. 

I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I love serving the Lord every day. I love being a missionary. I love that even though I am finishing my journey as a full time missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, that moving forward I can continue to represent my Savior every day. I promised to do this when I made the decision to be baptized at 8 years old and I will always strive to fulfill that promise. 

Luis. Madi. Sam. Annie. Kristi. Maddy. Garry. Kelley. Mike. Kristen. Thank you for letting me be a part of your journey. 

Sending my love always, 

Sister MJ Baird

California Sacramento Mission

I got punched in the face by a water balloon!

Well it seems that for the first time in my whole mission I missed sending a weekly last week!! 

The reason why? 

Well, the subject line explains. We were having a Zone activity last preparation day (p-day) and part of it included fun with water balloons! Well, long story short, I ended up getting a water balloon straight to the eyes.  As a result, I had one eye freaking out and not dilating correctly and with my vision and eye history, we decided we'd better take me straight into an eye doctor. Fortunately, it turned out to simply be a sluggish pupil and that it should heal in time. If,  after time it wasn't 'going back to normal' after a year or so, it would be permanent. Well, the good news - I can see wonderful again (well, wonderful considering my normal awful eye sight)!  Additionally, my eye has now returned to normal. So yep. That was fun! 

This week was a blast. It went quick, but also slow. We struggled a bit with finding people and our investigators are simply going MIA (missing in action), but we have faith that we will continue to find the elect who are ready and willing!! 

On Thursday, I also had my last Zone Conference. It was such a bitter sweet moment. I loved seeing all those missionaries that are serving in the mission, but let me tell you, giving your departing testimony is not an easy task. I am grateful that the last thing my beloved fellow Sisters and Elders got to hear from me was my testimony of my Savior Jesus Christ. 

Zone Conference - Sis Baird getting to direct music one last time!

Sis Baird and Sis Tenney at Zone Conference

Sis Baird selfie - with the one, the only, the infamous Patrick Twomey!

I also got to go on an amazing team up with Sister Mitchell. She is such a sweet heart and has grown so much since the last time I served with her. We were able to find 2 new investigators in our short time together!! 

Sis Baird and Sis Mitchell

I love this gospel. I love getting to wear my Savior's name on my chest every single day. I am grateful that I have 16 more wonderful days left to do so, because it is an honor and privilege to do so. 

I love and miss you all. You've got two Mondays left to email. Hop on it ;) 

Much Love Always,

Sister MJ Baird

Sis Baird and Sis Ellsworth

Sis Baird and Sis Ellsworth

Sis Baird and Sis Ellsworth - sipping a beverage!

No weekly.

Well, no weekly this week. Why? Well, read next weeks and it'll explain everything!

Just a couple pics to share!

This is our Zone activity today.
BEFORE the 'incident'
Read next weeks blog entry to learn the story!

Sis Baird at the California Sacramento Temple - photo credit to Patrick Twomey

California Sacramento Temple
Sister and President Hymas - California Sacramento Mission
Sis Oaks, Elder Dallin H. Oaks (an Apostle)
Sister Charmon and President Jack Ward - California Roseville Mission 

Is it Sunday? Dang it, forgot to water my corn field!

Well hey there!! Fancy meeting you here!! 

So to start, the subject line is just something a man said in a contact yesterday. He is about 20.. and it was a corn field the size of his car. Oh good times. 

Well this week has been one for the books, that is for sure. Last week Sister Ellsworth and I set a crazy awesome, faith filled goal of finding 10 new investigators this week. Now a good week we find three, and a really great week is four or five, and on my mission so far, the most I have found in a single week is six. Sister Ellsworth's most was the same at six. So, it was definitely full of faith to set that goal, but we were diligent and obedient and GOD KNEW IT!! And because of that He rained in the blessings! 

Mahtab

Majid

Saina

Saeid

Jose

Maria

Fernando

Jessica

Jessica

Tyler

Vikki

Alex

This wasn't even all of them. This week just for our area we found 10. When we then include the referrals for other areas, we bring it up to 17 people we found this week. God does His work and when we are willing to do His will, He will use us as His instruments. 

An update regarding Sarah. She has had a hard week, but we are meeting with her Saturday to see how she wants to move forward. Keep her in your prayers. She is an amazing person, who is being tired really hard right now. 

This week I also got to exchanges with Sister Clifford. She is amazing and I have so much to learn from her. 

I also got to do team ups with Sister Mitchell and Sister Workman!! I have so very blessed to be serving with so many incredible sisters. They work so hard and it shows. I also have a lot left to learn from them.

Overall, Sister Ellsworth and I are having a complete blast. We are exhausted every night. I am incredibly behind on my journal and slightly freaking out about the time I have left. But I know that all I have to worry about right now is the sharing a beautiful message about Jesus Christ. About how He lives and He loves you. 

You're getting low on weeks to email, so you may want to get on that. :D

Much Love Always,

Sister MJ Baird

Sis Baird and Sis Ellsworth - a selfie, of course!

16/18th of the way done!

Well hey there!! 

This week has been wonderful!! Just a couple of things I wanted to share with you all!

First, Kristen was baptized this week!! It is always an incredible moment when you get to see someone enter into the waters of baptism and they choose to make God the center of their life. 

L to R: Sis Ellsworth, Kristen and Sis Baird

Kristen and her family.

Kristen and her family.

Kristen and the missionaries at her baptism!

Then I got to also do splits with Sister Maldonado!! We had Sarah coming to the YSA ward, and Kristen getting confirmed in the family ward, so the other sisters in the family ward helped us out. It was a blast. Sister Maldonado is an amazing missionary!! 

Now Sarah...Oh my goodness, she is amazing. We had a Temple tour with her and on the way UP to the Temple she lets us know that she wants to be baptized!! Well, she has accepted the date of JUNE 2ND!! She is so ready and prepared. She has gone through a lot in a short amount of time, but she knows that this is where God wants her to be at this time. 

We also then had the opportunity to Skype home on Sunday for Mother's Day!! I absolutely loved it!! I love my family so much and am so grateful for them. Seeing them made me realize just how close the end really is and that sometimes we do not fully appreciate what we have until it is 'almost' gone or already gone. We just have to trust that what we given and what we continue to give is enough for God. 

I am excited for the miracles we are going to be seeing this week. We know they are out there. 

Much Love Always, 

Sister MJ Baird

The obligatory selfie - Sis Baird and Sis Ellsworth

The final call!

Well folks, if you can believe it. I received my final transfer call of the mission on Saturday!! 

And the news.... 

I will be staying in the Fair Oaks Park Ward - North area and the River City YSA - Carmichael area, and will be receiving the companion of... Sister Ellsworth!! I am so very excited to be serving with her. She came out with Sister Rowley, so it will be so much fun to get to know her better. 

This week has been a week. Blurry, running around here and there, you know, the usual. There are a few key points I wanted to share with you all though!! 

First, Sarah!! Remember her?? Well, we had our make it or break it lesson with her on Thursday and it as wonderful!! Oh my goodness. She was amazing and so open to everything, I could not believe it. She'd definitely struggled and wanted to give up, but ultimately she decided to give it another go, but this time just take it slower. We can definitely do that!! I'm so excited to continue working with her during this upcoming transfer. 

We then met with Kristin in preparation for her interview for baptism and she was amazing. She has progressed so much in the time that I have been here in this area. When asking her about whether or not she had prayed about modern prophets, she said she forgot his name but that when pondering on it, she said we have to have a prophet so that we don't fall back into apostasy!! Which is exactly correct!!! I could not believe it. It may not sound huge written down, but this was a HUGE victory in her process!! 

Then, a final tender mercy moment. In reality, as a missionary you give out a lot of 'challenges' that people say yes to and then, never do. It is the just a fact. If you are preparing to go on a mission, be prepared for this!! A couple weeks ago, we taught a class of 12 to 14 year olds and committed them all to go home, pray about the Book of Mormon and receive their own witness of its truthfulness. Well, this past Sunday one of the youth got up and bore testimony about the experience she had doing the challenge from us. Oh my goodness, it was the best feeling in the world!

I have 6 more amazing weeks ahead of me. My feelings are all over the place, but most of all, I am so excited to be representing my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. How great is my calling. 

Here's to the last 6 weeks!

Much Love Always,

Sister MJ Baird

Zone pictures.

Zone pictures.

Sis Baird and Sis Van Valkenburg

Sis Baird, Sis Clifford, Sis Van Valkenburg, and Sis Maldonado - doing 12 week by the river!

Sis Baird by the river!

Sis Baird, Sis Clifford, Sis Van Valkenburg, and Sis Maldonado - doing 12 week by the river!

The River!

Girls just wanna have fun!

Selfie fun w/ Sis Baird and Sis Van Valkenburg

Sis Baird, Sis Clifford, Sis Van Valkenburg, and Sis Maldonado - doing 12 week by the river!

Sis Van Valkenburg and Sis Baird and some Minion bubble blowers! 

Roller Coaster of Emotions

Well hey there beautiful souls!! 

This has been quite the week, and regardless of how it ended, it was still a good week!! 

I took notes so this would go more smoothly!!

First, we had the incredible blessing of four new investigators this week. It may not be Brazil level, but hey I am pretty excited about that number. Our Zone is hitting all time highs for new investigators or friends right now. Woot woot for breaking records!! Now, a fun update on how fast things go in missionary work. 

Here is the path for these four new investigators for the week:

Investigator #1

Excited to learn and accepted a baptismal invitation. Then, chose to back pedal and would not accept date or come to church. 

Investigator #2

Referral that we received from another set of missionaries. We had a return appointment scheduled, and when we showed up, she said she did not want to learn and that we did not ever need to come back.

Investigator #3

Got a return appointment and taught a lesson over the phone. 

Investigator #4

We set up a return appointment and had a solid lesson and even extended baptism. Had a super excited yes! Had a second super solid appointment and she accepted the date of May 19th for baptism!! They received a solid confirmation about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon from God. Texted us later that night indicating what time the baptism would take place. Sunday morning before church we received a text from saying that she wanted nothing to do with the church and basically to leave her alone.We managed to convince her to meet with us one last time and are working on scheduling it. So, yeah - one week can make a world of difference. 

However, overall the work is going well here. Mike continues strong and we are finding the elect. Kristin, the one who got married on the 21st, is on date for May 12th and continues to go strong. We are so excited for her. 

We did get to attend the baptism of a YSA named James. She is so sweet and she is now dating our investigator Seven!! We are uber happy for them. It has been a long journey for James, but she is so grateful for the gospel in her life. She is an inspiration to all. 

Sis Baird, James, and Sis Van Valkenburg at her baptism!

Sis Baird, James, and Sis Van Valkenburg at her baptism!

I also got to go on exchanges with the wonderful Sister Maldonado. She is such an incredible young missionary and I love learning from her!! Such a sweetheart. 

Sis Maldonado and Sis Baird selfie!

Transfers will be shared on Saturday night and apparently that may likely decide who will get to 'kill me off' here in the mission field. Pray for them!! 

Much Love Always, 

Sister MJ Baird

Can you say busy?

Hello beautiful family and friends of mine. What a joyous week it has been!!! 

There has been quite a lot going on over here in the great state of California, and now I get to update you on what exactly was going on!! I'll try to keep this on the shorter side, but there was a lot!! 

Lessons: Heavenly Father has some incredible plans for the Fair Oaks Park and River City YSA wards because we have been giving lessons like crazy, which, as a missionary, is a HUGE blessing!! 

Zone Conference and other meetings: We had the amazing opportunity to have Zone Conference and an additional meeting with some missionaries with Elder Patrick Kearon, a member of the Presidency of the Seventy. He was hilarious and said exactly what I needed to hear. I know a lot of people probably felt this way, but I felt as thought it was all for me during those meetings. 

Sis Tenney (former companion) at Zone Conference

Sis Tenney (former companion) and Sis Baird at Zone Conference

Sis Baird and Sis Root at Zone Conference

Baptism: This week we had the honor to be able to witness Mike enter into the waters of baptism. It was so exciting seeing him just glow as he was there. His wife is a returning less active Member of the Church and she was even at church on Sunday and is looking forward to coming with him every week. Pictures to come in the following email as usual. 

Sis Baird, Mike, and Sis Van Valkenburg - ready to enter the waters of baptism!

Mike and his wife!

Mike and his family w/ Sis V and Sis Baird

The missionaries w/ Mike before his baptismal service. 

Wedding: We also got to attend a wedding for one of our investigators. I loved getting to be there and a part of it. We ended up being the ones to consistently refill the food and drink, but it turned out wonderful and I was just grateful that I got to go. 

Kristin, our investigators wedding.

Kristin, our investigators wedding.

Temple tour: We then also got to go on a temple tour this week with Seven and another person getting baptized, James. They were awesome. We got to sit in the waiting room with them and really just pray and talk to God. At the end, for an update with Seven, he did decide that right now he does not think it is the right time for him, but that he does think it is the right path. He is wonderful though and we are definitely excited for him and his future. James is wonderful as well. She will be getting baptized this coming Saturday. She is not our investigator, but we are so excited for her. Also a miracle that happened at the temple!! 

James, Seven, Sis Van Valkenburg & Sis Baird

Sis Baird, Seven, & Sis Van Valkenburg

Sis Baird, Seven, & Sis Van Valkenburg

James, Seven, Sis Van Valkenburg & Sis Baird

So backstory, we originally had planned to do the temple tour with Seven and James in the afternoon, but Seven ended up having to reschedule for the morning. Well, we did a lesson in the church next door and then went inside to the waiting room. Well as I walked in, I see a handful of missionaries I don't recognize, so naturally I ask what mission they are from, and they say Roseville. Well, as soon as I look in front of me, there is Sister Ward!!!!! I quickly go hug her and well, don't let go for a while. A few minutes later walks in President Ward!! Turns out that it was the session for the departing missionaries this transfer. I could not believe I got to see them. For those who are less familiar with Missions and stuff, seeing people from other Missions, let alone another Mission President just doesn't happen very often. Yet, there on the one common ground we have, I got to see them. A face of home. It truly was a huge miracle for me. I know it was all in God's hands, otherwise I would have never seen them. 

This was just a small glimpse into everything that went on this week, Life is great. I am happy. And I love being a missionary!!

Much Love Always, 

Sister MJ Baird

Deborah and Steve