Goodbye to Bandon

Hello everyone,

This past week was my last week in Bandon.  At this moment I am traveling in the transfer van on my way up to the Corvallis stake in the Newport ward as a follow up trainer to Elder Dillon, and as a district leader.  Newport is the most northern tip of the mission and will require an all day trip, going from transfer point to transfer point, but it has been good.  Elder Pierce will stay in Bandon training a new missionary coming in.  There are around thirty new missionaries coming in, along with another thirty that will still be in training from the last transfer.  Basically, most of the mission will be training which is pretty cool, and in the Coos Bay zone alone there is only one companionship not training.

This past week has been a very normal week as far as work goes.  For the most part, nothing out of the normal happened until the weekend hit and we got the transfer call on Friday night.  At that point the weekend rushed past as I packed and visited various investigators saying goodbye.  Among those visits I had the chance to say goodbye to David and Nancy.  The lessons were great and we got to share powerful testimonies and really set up the area for success for the new missionary.  On Sunday night we got to do a lesson with Nancy where we testified of the Atonement and showed her the baptismal font and sacrament tables and helped show her how important they are.  She pointed out the Spirit in the room and it was an amazing lesson, probably one of the best ones I have ever had.  She will definitely be baptized.

And that brings us to now.  I only got to talk a little of what happened this week due to how transfers are working, but know that the Spirit is the true teacher and it was an honor to serve in Bandon and I am excited about the possibilities in Newport.  I have made many friends and this is a place I hope to visit again.  Thank you for all of the support!

Elder Baxter

Goodbye to Elder Pierce

Goodbye to The Wooley's

Goodbye to Nancy

Goodbye to David

Spirit Filled Week

Hello everyone,

This week was a very Spirit filled week.  Monday and Tuesday were pretty normal days here in Bandon with P day as well as a service filled Tuesday.  On Wednesday we had Zone Conference and it was a very good one.  President Orton is a spiritual powerhouse and we talked about many subjects ranging from companionship unity to receiving revelation.  I think we all walked away feeling good about the meeting and being very spiritually filled.  We also learned that a seventy will be visiting the mission next month, and as that comes closer I will let you all know about that!

Teaching wise, we had a couple good experiences this week.  On Thursday we felt prompted to visit one of our other investigators who never seems to be home.  As we came by though, we found his daughter, who let us straight in.  She thought that we were Jehovah Witnesses at first, but after all of that confusion was gone, we got to explain who we were and got into a great discussion where another member of her family got involved.  We got to teach a great Restoration lesson and really just help them understand our religion more.  We hope to go back again this upcoming week.

We also got to teach David, the cranberry bog farmer, again.  Since we last left he read over what we gave him twice and was very excited about what he was reading.  He apparently told his family about us very favorably, and got engaged into a lesson that flew by but ended up being two hours.  He is really growing in the Gospel and is just a super sincere person.  We talked a lot about how faith and the Holy Ghost are linked which really helped him understand faith better.  It was one of the best lessons in a long while.

Finally today I got to see the eclipse.  The Woolley's invited us over and let us watch it with them, as well as another senior missionary couple name the Sivula's.  It was fun to watch, as the sky darkened and the temperature dropped for a few minutes.  I also got to run into my old companion Bushman from last transfer.  He came through on a mission tour with his family and it was nice getting to catch up with him.

Thank you for all of the support!

Elder Baxter

Enjoying the ocean

Circles in the Sand

Loving the ocean view

A cool sand castle someone built

Port Orford

Hello Everyone,

This past week was unique in the aspect that we finally found a way to make it to the second half of our area in Port Orford.  Port Orford is a small town of one and a half thousand who live about thirty miles south of Bandon, and it is surrounded by beautiful beaches, as well as Cape Blanco, which is the furthest traversable point on the American west coast.  We saw that we were going to land far under miles this month for our Chevy Cruz, so we went on down Friday and Saturday starting with the Branch President.  He was very nice and he gave us a few names to other members,who gave us further referrals until we ended up more or less visiting the entire active branch.  It was neat to see how that tiny branch operates as well as see an intense missionary spirit that was had among the members.

Teaching wise, we had several great experiences.  To start, while down in Port Orford we got to visit a man who has fallen into inactivity.  At first he was angry, but as we talked to him the anger quickly left, which led to a discussion where he admitted that he still believes in the Gospel.  It was great to see the Spirit work on him in a way that made him go from anger to wanting us to come back and teach his whole family, some of whom are not members.  The branch mission leader down there also helped out.  While trying to correlate with him, he decided the best thing he could do was take us straight to those he was going to refer.  This led to him introducing us to several people who are interested as well as giving me a great example of the kind of member missionary I hope to be.

We also met with Nancy again this week.  She had her grandchildren over as well as her daughter.  It was a chaotic lesson, but great to see how her entire family is supporting her in this change.  Every time we talk she points out the increased miracles she sees in her life and it has been awesome.  Then on Sunday we got to meet another investigator named David in a cranberry bog farm.  We got talking and he was super sincere and had true intent in the questions he was asking us.  In the end  he told us that he had learned a lot and it was a great lesson about enduring to the end.

Overall it has been a great week and will be awesome to see what follows.  Thanks for all of the support!

Elder Baxter

Lighthouse 

Name Tags

Be Well Prepared

Hello Everyone,

This past week we have had a couple miracles.  To start, this past Thursday we had two great lessons.  One was with a Jehovah Witness who ended up asking us a lot of questions.  The great part is that she really is interested in learning about our church.  While talking we had the chance to really show the extreme importance of the Book of Mormon and explain the importance of temples.  She seems to understand, and while we have a lot to work through going into the future, it will be a worthwhile ride.  One thing is for sure, she definitely has the ability to make sure that I know my scriptures well and that we need to be well prepared.

We also got to teach Nancy again.  All day she kept texting us asking interesting questions and telling us that she had a story she wanted to tell us.  As we went over she explained that the previous Sunday during the sacrament she prayed and asked if the Book of Mormon was true.  As she did that, she went to open the book and it fell straight to a verse in 2 Nephi 30: 6 that the Spirit was able to testify strongly of to her.  She is now learning so much so fast.  We put her on date, but if I had to guess she will be baptized long before that date with how well she is doing.  It is these kind of moments that really define a mission.

We also had exchanges with the zone leaders.  It was a good time and we had a knack to keep running into people who were willing to talk too us.  One thing I have learned is that if we get into a home of an older person is to be prepared to hear a life story, but it has been fun getting to learn from and see the Spirit work on these people before we even first meet them.  At the end of the exchange we had interviews with President Orton that went well.

It has been a great, Spirit led time out here.  Miracles are happening and I look forward to continuing to see how the work of the Lord moves forward.  Thank you for all of the support!

Elder Baxter

On splits with Elder Terry

Doing The Small Things

Hello everyone,

This week was another good week of missionary work out here in Bandon.  Overall, a lot has been the same kind of thing, as we go out and try to contact various people, as well as tract.  To start, on Wednesday evening, we were going out trying to have lessons and visit a few people, but over the course of the evening every door closed literally and figuratively until all we had left was a small street we thought we would try to tract.  As we drove down the street I felt prompted to start on a specific side, and it turned out that the very first door opened and was willing to talk.  We met a man who was sincerely looking for a religion that would fulfill his spiritual needs better than the one he was attending, and as we talked we gave him an interest and hope in ours, saying that he didn't believe it was a coincidence that we came when we did.  He still needs to get a go ahead with his wife before he lets us come over, but if all works this man will be taught very soon.  It was an amazing experience.

We also met with various less active members this week that Elder Pierce was able to connect with very well due to his military background.  We have met several Vietnam veterans, including a guy from the 101st Airborne Division for those history buffs out there.  Not all of them accepted, but there are now several families that want us to come by, have dinner, and teach them when they can make their schedules align.  It should be a good when the time comes.  We are trying hard to do this in order to help our branch president in his goal to get ten Melchizedek Priesthood holders reactivated in order to get closer to having this branch become a ward.  Our approach has been mainly focused on showing how doing the small things allows us to truly live the two great commandments, thus making God a larger role in their life.

It has been a good week and the coming week is looking promising as well.  Interviews with President Orton are coming, as well as an exchange with the Zone Leaders on Friday.  Miracles are happening and the work is moving forward.  Thank you for all of the support!

Elder Baxter

At the Beach

With the Bandon Lighthouse

Miracle

Hello everyone,

I would describe this past week with the word "miracle".  With all that has been happening at home which I am sure many of you have heard about, it has been amazing to see the Lord's tender mercies come in many various forms.  I am also now with Elder Pierce who is a great missionary and we have been having a great time so far.  Rather than go through the whole week I will describe just a couple of experiences.

On Thursday following dinner I felt impressed to go down a specific road to visit a potential investigator family.  On the way a man in a truck stopped and asked if we wanted a ride.  We didn't but we did get to talk.  The Spirit worked on him to tell us that he was actually an inactive member and explained his whole story about how he felt forced into the church.  This led to us being able to share a powerful testimony about how now he has the chance to choose for himself to join the church, and he can do that by reading the Book of Mormon.  In the end he said that he didn't know why he felt prompted to stop, but that we gave him the best reason he has yet been offered to read the Book of Mormon.  He then accepted a copy, had us sign and put our emails into it, and then promised in a sincere way that he will read it.  He is a tourist and we won't see him again in all probability, but it was an amazing experience.

Another experience like this happened again on Sunday.  It was very windy and our moral was fairly low, but we went out anyway not knowing quite sure of what we were going to do.  We ran into a couple near the church whose car had died on them. At first they acted weird towards us, but over time they softened up, talked about how they always loved the people they see in our church, found ways we connected to them personally, and said that they want a church that expects people to actually change and repent.  I think that we can answer that request. In the end they made us promise to drop by their home this upcoming week and we are super excited to go on over.

These kind of experiences are just a taste of what true missionary work is like.  Often times the Lord will put people in our way who are ready, we just need the faith to go out and work.  As long as we rely on the Lord and not our own wisdom, new paths open up and the work of the Lord progresses, not just for others but for ourselves as well. This is why it is important to always fulfill your callings,
especially home teaching.  In the end it all leads to the same source and that source is what grants to us Salvation.  Thank you for all of the support and love,

Elder Baxter

With Elder Pierce

Circles in the Sand

Simple Teaching Moments

Hello everyone,

This email will be a little shorter due to how transfers went today, but the past week has been good. The real highlights of the week came from simple teaching moments.  To start, on Wednesday we taught a young mom with her kids listening in from a different room.  When we first entered the house, our initial thoughts were that this wasn't going to go well, but over the course of teaching the Spirit really worked on her.  It was amazing to us to as the Spirit also showed us what Heavenly Father thought of them as well.  By the end they accepted a soft baptism invite and it was awesome to see.

We also taught several other people as well.  The focus ended up being the Restoration as well as baptism.  It is truly a blessing to see how the Gospel can influence everyone for good, regardless of who they are.  I will go into a little more detail next week.

Today was transfers and I am staying in Bandon.  My new companion is Elder Pierce and I had to go on into Roseburg to pick him up which is why I am out of time.  It should be a good week and thank you for all for the support!

Elder Baxter