Hey everybody, I think I am on week 5 now. Things here are going pretty well. Lots of classes, German study, and Gospel Priciples. The food here is better than BYU-H. Its pretty much the same but a few days fresher. Thinking about that makes me miss the fresh open air of scrambling hills and the beaches. I get a classroom with the hiss of the AC. But all is well! It doesn't bother me because I have things to be doing.
For those of you who write, I will hold a guarantee that I will write back. It may take a few days for the letters to get out to wherever you are, but I will write back always. I am supposed to write letters only on P-Day which for me is Thursday. I do however have some time during the week to write a few notes here and there, but the vast majority of writing happens on P-Day.
Dear Elder's are nice too. Everyone around here thinks of them as txt messages. Speaking of which I learned a couple of German texting words. gt8 means Guten Nacht. I wont waste my time writing them all out. But they're pretty funny. But anyways, Dear Elder's are cool, and real letters are cooler. Props to Jesse Sindelar for sending me a real letter.
So everyone here is getting crazy about General Conference. Some people are saying that the missionary men's choir will sing in it. If it does and you miss it, then I am sure it will be on LDS.org. All of the missionaries have the same meal schedule too which makes me a little concerned about over 2000 missionaries crammed into the cafeteria (if you have been there, you would know).
There is an Elder I met from Rock Hill named Elder Caraway. He is hilarious and gives me some kind of relief from the occasional "I am now in Utah" thought. We have some good jokes about back home we spread around the British and Australian Elders. Amuhrica! Yeah! Guns! Yeah!
On another note. I feel like my testimony and faith in Jesus Christ has vastly grown and improved. The more and more I think about it, the more and more I know that I need it and that I need to spread this message to the German people. I feel like the more I learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ, the more I learn about myself. I know I was called to Germany for a reason, I know that there are certain people there I promised I would teach them, and I know that if I can put my mind to the work, and let the Lord use me as an instrument, I can change peoples' lives.
Ich weiß dass das Evangelium wahr ist. Ich weiß dass Jesus Christus mein Erlöser ist. Ich weiß dass Joseph Smith das Buch Mormon übersezte. (No idea about the last one, cut me some slack here, only gopsel german for 4ish weeks.)
The phrase I am now starting to live my life is: Der Ausdauer schlaft nie. Endurance never sleeps. Thank you Dean Karnazes.
For anyone going through a rough time in their life, turn to Jesus Christ. One might think that they have no one to turn to, no one to ease their burden because it is them that bears it. Turn to Jesus Christ. He felt your pain, and bled for it. I know that if you turn to Jesus Christ, he will ease your burdens. God doesn't give anyone a trial in this life that they cannot handle. He provides a way, always.
Love, Elder Trevor Baker
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
March 28, 2010 Letter from the Mission President
This is a letter we received today from Trevor's mission president in Germany. He sounds so nice. I know Trevor will be well taken care of while he's there serving with President and Sister Ninow.
Dear Brother and Sister Baker,
Sister Ninow and I are pleased to welcome your son, Elder Trevor Joseph Baker, who has been called to serve with us in the Germany Frankfurt Mission. His call comes from a prophet of God and we are grateful for the preparation your son has made to receive this call.
Please know that Sister Ninow and I love our missionaries. During their 6 week cycles, I stay close to the missionaries through their weekly email letter that they send to me sharing their experiences, their missionary activities from the past week, things they have learned, miracles they have seen and how their testimonies are being strengthened. I also have personal interviews with each missionary and we meet with them at regularly held Zone Conferences and other Training Meetings. We also encourage them to call us with any medical concerns or questions.
Upon Elder Baker's arrival, we will have an orientation for all our new missionaries to assist them in a smooth transition. This orientation will include instructions on handling their finances, processing their legal forms and orienting them to the driving laws of the country. I will also have the opportunity to conduct our first interview and get to know Elder Baker a little better. We will enjoy dinner together at the mission home and the next morning, each missionary will be assigned to their companion who will serve as their "Trainer" and they then travel to their first assignment area.
In our desire to do all we can for Elder Baker we request the following items from you:
1. Please send us a letter telling us about Elder Baker. This could include topics such as family--brothers and sisters, achievements, honors, work experience, like and dislikes, and personality characteristics. We appreciate and value your insights and cherish these letters of introduction.
2. Please write a letter of encouragement and support to your son about three weeks before his scheduled arrival time in Germany and mail it to the mission office so that we can present it to him upon his arrival.
I know that our Heavenly Father will continue to bless you as your support your missionary in this very important work. We look forward to welcoming Elder Baker to the Germany Frankfurt Mission.
With warm regards,
Kevin J. Ninow
President, Germany Frankfurt Mission
Saturday, March 26, 2011
March 22, 2011 Dear Dad
Hey Dad,
Thanks for writing. I just heard about the stuff happening in Japan, and I found a full story on the Church website. Really sad stuff. I hope everyone back home is doing alright. I am worried about Sean.
By the way, your 5-page letter is pretty difficult to respond to. Mom hasn't even written as long a letter.
I have been trying really hard to keep fit. We have gym time almost every day, so it's nice being able to run. (I don't even need a companion because it's indoors) and being able to lift weights. I lost about 5 lbs. when I got here, but I have been teetering on about 187.5 lbs. It's really hard to eat healthy around here, and that is probably my only concern. Every Elder has cookies and candy from home as well as soda. I even scored a couple cans of the caffeinated "hard stuff" Mountain Dew. I plan on using it as a type of bargaining chip--haha.
I don't mind you telling me about news over here; it doesn't really bother me. But talking about guns? Now that's just torture. I miss the AR-15 and others, but that is just a sacrifice I have to make. Oh and it would be cool if I could get some pictures in the mail. Maybe one pic of me with an AR? It couldn't hurt, right? I wouldn't think it would be as distracting as a picture of a girl (which everyone in my district has except for me and my companion). I guess I am one of the smart ones.
Well that's all for now. I'm glad you all are doing alright back home, and it's good to hear from everyone. Keep the letters coming!
Bis Später,
Elder Trevor Joseph Baker
Oh and enclosed is a picture of what we draw as a districkt. (German spelling--not intentional)
Thanks for writing. I just heard about the stuff happening in Japan, and I found a full story on the Church website. Really sad stuff. I hope everyone back home is doing alright. I am worried about Sean.
By the way, your 5-page letter is pretty difficult to respond to. Mom hasn't even written as long a letter.
I have been trying really hard to keep fit. We have gym time almost every day, so it's nice being able to run. (I don't even need a companion because it's indoors) and being able to lift weights. I lost about 5 lbs. when I got here, but I have been teetering on about 187.5 lbs. It's really hard to eat healthy around here, and that is probably my only concern. Every Elder has cookies and candy from home as well as soda. I even scored a couple cans of the caffeinated "hard stuff" Mountain Dew. I plan on using it as a type of bargaining chip--haha.
I don't mind you telling me about news over here; it doesn't really bother me. But talking about guns? Now that's just torture. I miss the AR-15 and others, but that is just a sacrifice I have to make. Oh and it would be cool if I could get some pictures in the mail. Maybe one pic of me with an AR? It couldn't hurt, right? I wouldn't think it would be as distracting as a picture of a girl (which everyone in my district has except for me and my companion). I guess I am one of the smart ones.
Well that's all for now. I'm glad you all are doing alright back home, and it's good to hear from everyone. Keep the letters coming!
Bis Später,
Elder Trevor Joseph Baker
Oh and enclosed is a picture of what we draw as a districkt. (German spelling--not intentional)
March 19, 2011 Dear Mom
Dear Mom,
Thanks for all the letters of encouragement. So now I have all of your email addresses, and I am glad that you would be able to send my jacket and those addresses from friends.
Do you have any more information on Sean? Or on Crohn's disease? That really concerns me. If I could get some more info on that, it would be much appreciated.
As for your dear Elder letters, I have been getting all of them. They are nice--kind of like little text messages I can get from you guys back home. It would be totally cool if I could get some of my friends on Facebook to write me back on dearelder.com They would be more likely to do that than send a letter.
This morning Elder DuPaul and I had a cereal eating contest for breakfast. I started out with 2 bowls of Frosted Flakes, 1 bowl of Fruit Loops, 1 bowl of Coco Puffs, 2 bowls of Cap'n Crunch, and 1 bowl of Life. 7 total. I won by half a bowl. I later heard that there was a Poly elder who did the same thing. It was the Poly Elder vs. some white kid from Arizona. I think the Poly Elder ended up losing. The score was 15 bowls to 22 bowls. So needless to say, I am going running tonight.
That is awfully thoughtful of Glenda! I got a letter from her today 3/19 and it had stamps. Today was the day I ran out. It's funny how things work out. Please reiterate my thanks for what she has helped with. It really has been a lot.
In my German class my teacher, Bruder DaCosta spoke with me for a few minutes. He asked if I was having any problems and I said just one. That no one around here likes speaking German! So he told me that from now on, I will only be speaking German with him. Cool stuff. I feel like I can speak as well as when I left German 2. It's only a matter of time until I start dreaming.
Well that will be all for now. I will describe my district members later.
Bis Später,
Elder Trevor Baker
Thanks for all the letters of encouragement. So now I have all of your email addresses, and I am glad that you would be able to send my jacket and those addresses from friends.
Do you have any more information on Sean? Or on Crohn's disease? That really concerns me. If I could get some more info on that, it would be much appreciated.
As for your dear Elder letters, I have been getting all of them. They are nice--kind of like little text messages I can get from you guys back home. It would be totally cool if I could get some of my friends on Facebook to write me back on dearelder.com They would be more likely to do that than send a letter.
This morning Elder DuPaul and I had a cereal eating contest for breakfast. I started out with 2 bowls of Frosted Flakes, 1 bowl of Fruit Loops, 1 bowl of Coco Puffs, 2 bowls of Cap'n Crunch, and 1 bowl of Life. 7 total. I won by half a bowl. I later heard that there was a Poly elder who did the same thing. It was the Poly Elder vs. some white kid from Arizona. I think the Poly Elder ended up losing. The score was 15 bowls to 22 bowls. So needless to say, I am going running tonight.
That is awfully thoughtful of Glenda! I got a letter from her today 3/19 and it had stamps. Today was the day I ran out. It's funny how things work out. Please reiterate my thanks for what she has helped with. It really has been a lot.
In my German class my teacher, Bruder DaCosta spoke with me for a few minutes. He asked if I was having any problems and I said just one. That no one around here likes speaking German! So he told me that from now on, I will only be speaking German with him. Cool stuff. I feel like I can speak as well as when I left German 2. It's only a matter of time until I start dreaming.
Well that will be all for now. I will describe my district members later.
Bis Später,
Elder Trevor Baker
Saturday, March 19, 2011
March 17, 2011 Week Three
So here we go with week three at the MTC. I don't know if I said this before but the food here is better than BYUH. Its basically the same stuff but fresher (because they don't have to ship it across an ocean). One of the nice things about this place is that we get gym time every day except for Pdays and Sundays. Yesterday I ran for the whole time (about 50 minutes) without stopping and it felt great! Even with the elevation change!
The district that I am in is really cool too. My companion Elder Liebelt and I are getting along better, and I am really starting to get to know lots of the other Elders too. They are all really funny too. One of them is making a giant rubber band ball and its about the size of a pineapple now. Fun stuff. We haven't started to race in the laundry carts yet though... just give us a few weeks. lol
I haven't had any feelings of homesickness (and im thankful for it) but it would be nice to hear from some people and get more letters. ( I have already got a ton but more couldn't hurt.) There are a few people I would like addresses from. Sean Cooley, Jesse SIndelar, Sarah and Meagan Kasper, Jessica Dinh, and maybe a couple more. I can't really think of anyone else yet. Oh Michael Rabon too. But instead of emailing just put it in a letter or something. I never have that much time to shoot emails off. Letters are better. Oh Dear Elder is great too. They are like txt messages but without a phone.
So my German is going great. I can give multiple discussions in German (broken German), but it still counts. From our first day here we started teaching someone in german. That was difficult but its gotten better. I have been learning faster that I ever did in high school (surprise) and I am acutally retaining the language. There are missionaries who have been here for about 5 or so weeks and I can hold a decent German conversation with them. Its not the understanding, its the speaking thats difficult. Now looking back on things if I were speaking English I would have a much easier time conveying the message. Oh well. German it is.
All in all, things are going well. Just please don't send me any candy or sweets. Literally every single missionary has at least 3 bags of cookies they hand out to everyone because they are getting fat. I wouldn't mind some Wasa Crackers though... those things are great. You can tell the Davis family about that. They would think its pretty funny.
Oh and tell sean he needs to send me lightsabers. My Jedi skills haven't been practiced in a while. lol
I also found out about dry cleaning here. Jackets are 7 dollars so things are pretty cheap. I was also curious if any of you back home would want an engraved hymnal or something. I can get just about any language and get it engraved for free. I can also get the Large green german hymnal for super cheap too. The smaller ones are around 4 dollars. I just need to pay for shipping. Also, shipping in Germany is ridiculously expensive so I want to get everything done while I am here.
Well I am going to go take a nap, eat lunch and then probably write some letters before dinner.
Bis Später! Ich liebe euch!
Elder Baker
P.S. Oh and whoever is managing my facebook, I would really appreciate the addresses from the people listed above.
The district that I am in is really cool too. My companion Elder Liebelt and I are getting along better, and I am really starting to get to know lots of the other Elders too. They are all really funny too. One of them is making a giant rubber band ball and its about the size of a pineapple now. Fun stuff. We haven't started to race in the laundry carts yet though... just give us a few weeks. lol
I haven't had any feelings of homesickness (and im thankful for it) but it would be nice to hear from some people and get more letters. ( I have already got a ton but more couldn't hurt.) There are a few people I would like addresses from. Sean Cooley, Jesse SIndelar, Sarah and Meagan Kasper, Jessica Dinh, and maybe a couple more. I can't really think of anyone else yet. Oh Michael Rabon too. But instead of emailing just put it in a letter or something. I never have that much time to shoot emails off. Letters are better. Oh Dear Elder is great too. They are like txt messages but without a phone.
So my German is going great. I can give multiple discussions in German (broken German), but it still counts. From our first day here we started teaching someone in german. That was difficult but its gotten better. I have been learning faster that I ever did in high school (surprise) and I am acutally retaining the language. There are missionaries who have been here for about 5 or so weeks and I can hold a decent German conversation with them. Its not the understanding, its the speaking thats difficult. Now looking back on things if I were speaking English I would have a much easier time conveying the message. Oh well. German it is.
All in all, things are going well. Just please don't send me any candy or sweets. Literally every single missionary has at least 3 bags of cookies they hand out to everyone because they are getting fat. I wouldn't mind some Wasa Crackers though... those things are great. You can tell the Davis family about that. They would think its pretty funny.
Oh and tell sean he needs to send me lightsabers. My Jedi skills haven't been practiced in a while. lol
I also found out about dry cleaning here. Jackets are 7 dollars so things are pretty cheap. I was also curious if any of you back home would want an engraved hymnal or something. I can get just about any language and get it engraved for free. I can also get the Large green german hymnal for super cheap too. The smaller ones are around 4 dollars. I just need to pay for shipping. Also, shipping in Germany is ridiculously expensive so I want to get everything done while I am here.
Well I am going to go take a nap, eat lunch and then probably write some letters before dinner.
Bis Später! Ich liebe euch!
Elder Baker
P.S. Oh and whoever is managing my facebook, I would really appreciate the addresses from the people listed above.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
March 12, 2011 First Long Letter
Hey guys!
So I know that I haven't given you all a full blown letter yet, and I know that the email thing is ridiculous, so here we go. Things are going well here.
My resident members are all going to Frankfurt: Elder McGuire who looks like Glenn Beck, Elder Liebelt, my companion, and Elder Larson, who has problems letting go of his girlfriend (girls=trouble).
Waking up at 6 am every morning and having time to work out during the day keeps me constantly tired and I am starting to lose weight again! Woohoo! I guess running and lifting weights every day and crappy food (same stuff from BYUH except fresher) will do it for me.
I saw Elder Hanks, Elder Harris, and Elder Page here. I spoke with Elder Hanks last night and boy has he changed. He is an example to me even though I am older. I still don't really think about it that way. Elder Harris is pretty much the same as last time I saw him except he has a receding hairline. And Elder Page still has another 6 or so weeks here. That's a total of 12 weeks for him here. I don't know how he does it.
Now for the photos situation, I have taken a lot but can't email you any of them because the computers suck. Oh well. What I was thinking was getting some pictures and printing them out at the bookstore and sending them (I get a 40% discount) or I can just send you a full memory card. Not really sure what I want to do yet.
As for what I said about my suit jackets--my old work one would work best. I know it's dirty but they have a dry cleaning service here that is fairly quick. This depends on what you all think though.
Now my German is coming along pretty well. I have given multiple discussions in German, and I am working on grammar right now. I have done discussions on God, Our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, and the restoration. It's pretty cool. The only downside is that my companion refuses to speak German (he took 4 years) and it would end up with me speaking 80% and him 20%. Oh well. I just gotta live with it.
Just because I can, I will bear my testimony auf Deutsch:
Ich weiß dass Gott lebt. Ich weiß dass unsere Himmlische Vater will uns zurückzukehren. Ich habe ein Zeugnis auf Freunde, Dass sie haben mich ändern. Ich weiß dass Jesus Christus sünen für vasere sünden. In der name Jesu Christi. Amen.
Oh and I can also pray in German. For now I have the time to write letters like these every few days or so. I will wait for a response from this one so I don't get so confused. You guys can totally send me care packages and stuff, but please lay off the candy and cookies. Everybody has that stuff around here. Spam musubi on the other hand...jk. Well that's all for now.
Bis später, (Until next time)
Elder Baker
P.S. My rubiks cube and German awesomeness has caught the attention of all the elders. I am known as the "Deutsch Meister" now. In Das Stimmt!
So I know that I haven't given you all a full blown letter yet, and I know that the email thing is ridiculous, so here we go. Things are going well here.
My resident members are all going to Frankfurt: Elder McGuire who looks like Glenn Beck, Elder Liebelt, my companion, and Elder Larson, who has problems letting go of his girlfriend (girls=trouble).
Waking up at 6 am every morning and having time to work out during the day keeps me constantly tired and I am starting to lose weight again! Woohoo! I guess running and lifting weights every day and crappy food (same stuff from BYUH except fresher) will do it for me.
I saw Elder Hanks, Elder Harris, and Elder Page here. I spoke with Elder Hanks last night and boy has he changed. He is an example to me even though I am older. I still don't really think about it that way. Elder Harris is pretty much the same as last time I saw him except he has a receding hairline. And Elder Page still has another 6 or so weeks here. That's a total of 12 weeks for him here. I don't know how he does it.
Now for the photos situation, I have taken a lot but can't email you any of them because the computers suck. Oh well. What I was thinking was getting some pictures and printing them out at the bookstore and sending them (I get a 40% discount) or I can just send you a full memory card. Not really sure what I want to do yet.
As for what I said about my suit jackets--my old work one would work best. I know it's dirty but they have a dry cleaning service here that is fairly quick. This depends on what you all think though.
Now my German is coming along pretty well. I have given multiple discussions in German, and I am working on grammar right now. I have done discussions on God, Our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, and the restoration. It's pretty cool. The only downside is that my companion refuses to speak German (he took 4 years) and it would end up with me speaking 80% and him 20%. Oh well. I just gotta live with it.
Just because I can, I will bear my testimony auf Deutsch:
Ich weiß dass Gott lebt. Ich weiß dass unsere Himmlische Vater will uns zurückzukehren. Ich habe ein Zeugnis auf Freunde, Dass sie haben mich ändern. Ich weiß dass Jesus Christus sünen für vasere sünden. In der name Jesu Christi. Amen.
Oh and I can also pray in German. For now I have the time to write letters like these every few days or so. I will wait for a response from this one so I don't get so confused. You guys can totally send me care packages and stuff, but please lay off the candy and cookies. Everybody has that stuff around here. Spam musubi on the other hand...jk. Well that's all for now.
Bis später, (Until next time)
Elder Baker
P.S. My rubiks cube and German awesomeness has caught the attention of all the elders. I am known as the "Deutsch Meister" now. In Das Stimmt!
March 10, 2011 15 Minutes of Email
Ok so I had some trouble getting onto my email account today so I only have 15 minutes. Things are going well here. I just want you guys to know that. The only thing I would need or want would be my old work jacket. It just fits better and I think I am losing weight. I sent a couple letters a few days ago so you should be getting them. I think letters are going to be good for constant communication. I will be able to talk more quickly with letters. Just wanted to say Love you guys and things are going well. Oh and I am the only one in my district who hasn't gotten a letter yet. I will be sending pictures maybe later today or sometime within the next couple weeks.
I hope everyone is doing well and not getting too depressed about me not being there. Maybe the next E-mail I will tell you all about some of the pranks that are going on in the mtc. There is an Elder DuPaul and Elder Hunziker who I have really started to get to know and like. My companion's name is Elder Liebelt and we just got back from the temple.
There is an Elder McGuire who looks exactly like Glen Beck (I actually brought it up). As well as an Elder Larsen who reminds me of Aaron Vincent and Corey Hanks put together.
I will send a few more today when I have the time.
For now Auf Wiedersehen.
Elder Baker
I hope everyone is doing well and not getting too depressed about me not being there. Maybe the next E-mail I will tell you all about some of the pranks that are going on in the mtc. There is an Elder DuPaul and Elder Hunziker who I have really started to get to know and like. My companion's name is Elder Liebelt and we just got back from the temple.
There is an Elder McGuire who looks exactly like Glen Beck (I actually brought it up). As well as an Elder Larsen who reminds me of Aaron Vincent and Corey Hanks put together.
I will send a few more today when I have the time.
For now Auf Wiedersehen.
Elder Baker
March 10, 2011 First Email
So I tried putting some photos up but its not working. So when I leave the MTC I will send out my memory card. I still have two more.
Not really sure what to say right now so please send lots of letters so my Branch President doesn't have to have a pow wow with me. lol
Ich habe die Wahrheit.
Oh and Katie needs to put this up on facebook.
Ich waehle dich Pikachu!
And make sure Sean sees it. lol
Cya later!
Not really sure what to say right now so please send lots of letters so my Branch President doesn't have to have a pow wow with me. lol
Ich habe die Wahrheit.
Oh and Katie needs to put this up on facebook.
Ich waehle dich Pikachu!
And make sure Sean sees it. lol
Cya later!
Monday, March 14, 2011
March 8, 2011 "Deutsch Meister"
Hey Mom, Hey Dad,
I am here and Alive. Yes I just capitalized Alive. There is just so much going on around here. They always seem to keep you busy, but it's a good thing. I just want you guys to know that I am being obedient and things are going well. I even found a running partner. I can see myself enjoying it here and I plan to. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to serve the German People.
I was asked to be the Senior Companion and I have been given the title of "Deutsch Meister". Even though some people have more German experience, I seem to be at the top of my district. We will see how long that lasts. I don't really have too much time to write this quick note because I haven't had a P-Day yet.
My missionary address is:
Elder Trevor Joseph Baker
MTC Mailbox #204
Germany-Frankfurt 0502
2005 N. 900 E.
Provo, UT 84604-1793
Tschüs!
Trevor "Deutsch Meister" Tevo Joseph T-Bake Baker
I am here and Alive. Yes I just capitalized Alive. There is just so much going on around here. They always seem to keep you busy, but it's a good thing. I just want you guys to know that I am being obedient and things are going well. I even found a running partner. I can see myself enjoying it here and I plan to. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to serve the German People.
I was asked to be the Senior Companion and I have been given the title of "Deutsch Meister". Even though some people have more German experience, I seem to be at the top of my district. We will see how long that lasts. I don't really have too much time to write this quick note because I haven't had a P-Day yet.
My missionary address is:
Elder Trevor Joseph Baker
MTC Mailbox #204
Germany-Frankfurt 0502
2005 N. 900 E.
Provo, UT 84604-1793
Tschüs!
Trevor "Deutsch Meister" Tevo Joseph T-Bake Baker
March 6, 2011 First Letter
Hey Guys!
Today was Fast Sunday and oh boy that was cool. We had a 2 hour devotional type meeting and Sacrament after that. I also took some pictures of my District at the Temple. I will send those along when I can. Sacrament Meeting was completely in German and I understood most of it. I really would like my old work jacket. It would feel like it would fit me better. I just feel uncomfortable in the jacket I have right now. That's the only real complaint I have.
Everything else is going good. I am keeping up with my journal and I tend to have time to write quick notes to you guys back home like this one. Once P-day comes, I will shoot you guys emails and write a longer letter.
Tschüs!
Elder Baker
Today was Fast Sunday and oh boy that was cool. We had a 2 hour devotional type meeting and Sacrament after that. I also took some pictures of my District at the Temple. I will send those along when I can. Sacrament Meeting was completely in German and I understood most of it. I really would like my old work jacket. It would feel like it would fit me better. I just feel uncomfortable in the jacket I have right now. That's the only real complaint I have.
Everything else is going good. I am keeping up with my journal and I tend to have time to write quick notes to you guys back home like this one. Once P-day comes, I will shoot you guys emails and write a longer letter.
Tschüs!
Elder Baker
March 2, 2011 Entering the MTC
There were a great group of missionaries waiting to welcome us as we drove up to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, Utah to drop Trevor off. All missionaries going to international locations spend two months in the MTC learning their new language. Missionaries going to domestic and international English-speaking missions spend just a few weeks. So even though Trevor had two years of German in high school, he will be in the MTC from March 2 until May 2 learning German, studying the scriptures, learning cultural information about the country he is going to and learning how to do his new calling 24/7 with structure and discipline. It's to bed at 10 pm and rise and shine at 6 am every day!
As we drove up, the missionaries at the curb welcomed us with, "Good Morning. Welcome to the MTC!" It was awesome. One Elder came over to the car and helped get Trevor's suitcases out of the trunk. There were hugs and tears. Mom handed Dad the camera to take pictures as she waited in the car. She didn't want to fall apart in front of the whole group of helpful Elders. It was hard to say goodbye for two years, but great knowing that Trevor is where he wants to be and is excited to be serving the Lord and the German people.
Fun Fact: Check out the two rolling suitcases in the pictures. It is amazing that Trevor fit everything in those two suitcases that he will need for the next two years. You wouldn't believe everything that fit in there. If I made a list of the items, it would be quite impressive!
As we drove up, the missionaries at the curb welcomed us with, "Good Morning. Welcome to the MTC!" It was awesome. One Elder came over to the car and helped get Trevor's suitcases out of the trunk. There were hugs and tears. Mom handed Dad the camera to take pictures as she waited in the car. She didn't want to fall apart in front of the whole group of helpful Elders. It was hard to say goodbye for two years, but great knowing that Trevor is where he wants to be and is excited to be serving the Lord and the German people.
Fun Fact: Check out the two rolling suitcases in the pictures. It is amazing that Trevor fit everything in those two suitcases that he will need for the next two years. You wouldn't believe everything that fit in there. If I made a list of the items, it would be quite impressive!
March 1, 2011 Temple Square
We were able to go visit Temple Square in Salt Lake City the day before Trevor went into the MTC. It was beautiful weather! We also went to the Joseph Smith Building and were going to watch a movie, but Trevor wanted to go to the Family History Library instead. We had a wonderful time researching our family history on both sides--the Baker side and the Phyfe side.
February 27, 2011 Setting Apart
Trevor was set apart as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Stake President Bryant Baker, Randall Harris and Trevor's Dad, Joe, set him apart. He is going to be a great missionary! He reports to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah on Wednesday, March 2nd.
February 27, 2011 Family Photos
We went to Freedom Park in Charlotte and had family pictures taken. The last time we had family pictures taken was 7 years ago, and Trevor was 12 years old! It was about time! Chantel Tucker took the pictures. She's awesome!!!
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