Week 60

Happy Monday💖💖

Hi!! We had transfers this week!!!! I'm staying here in Düsseldorf which I'm super happy about!!! I absolutely love this ward!!! But sadly Sister Harouny is leaving me and going to Frankfurt! But she way excited about it! She actually really wanted to serve there on her mission!! And my new comps name is sister Shelley!! I've met her once she was in sister Speaths group and so I met her there when I picked

up sister Spaeth. She seems super cute and nice so I'm really excited to get to know her and be companions with her!!

This was a really good week. We were super busy and always on the move.. it was super fun!! We met with Mauhammad again! Still super Muslim but also still super kind! We talked a lot about the gospel of Jesus Christ so faith, repentance, baptism, Holy Ghost, and endure to

the end, and then really focused on the Holy Ghost and that how he can really receive an answer is through the Holy Ghost. But it's a really hard concept for him. I've realized that a lot on my mission. Someone who didn't grow up with that knowledge it's really hard for them to grasp the Holy Ghost and what he can do! So we are still working on

it!!

We had lunch with the Becks! They are an adorable family!! I love all there kids! They have 3 super cute daughters and 1 son in the midst of them! He's way funny!! I always have so much fun at there house! And they are so open to missionary work!

We went finding in a smaller part of Düsseldorf this week called Erkrath! And it was really cool!! We were contacting in this little park and we reached a point when we could go three different ways and there was literally no one in sight! So we decided to be missionaries and pray and ask where to go and I kept saying in my head purple

bridge! And after the prayer I looked at the path with the purple bridge and really felt we should go that way! And sister Harouny said okay so we went!! And we are walking up this path and all it did was lead us out of the park to this neighborhood with no one around! And so I prayed in my head and asked why and if we were supposed to be there then show me! And then a guy walked around his house. Now granted he looked very busy but I decided to talk to him anyway! And I went up to say hi and all he said was "can't you see I'm busy and I don't have time, leave" and I didn't know what to do but I very quickly explained we were missionaries for the church and have a very important message that we came to share with him that day! So I asked if there was a better time we could come back to share it. And he said yes!! We set up an appointment!! I'm so excited!!! We will see what happens!! We also met a women when we doored at her building and set up an appointment!! We saw lots of success that day! I was excited! Still am!

That night we went to the Barlows for dinner!! They are a cute family who just moved here from England! They are hilarious!! We had so much fun! The have two cute daughters and one cute baby boy!! And we got to help them to learn how to pray in german!! It was fun!

This week we went to eat at sister Kleins for a lunch appointment! And it was so funny! So we had a great lunch and I'll be honest this day I was so exhausted and I have no idea why! I slept great.. but I had a hard time staying awake on the train ride there.. and that continued through our appointment!! Guys it took so much energy for me to keep

my eyes open during dinner and not fall asleep in my chicken and potatoes! So I kept talking and talking cause that would help me! I just kept making conversations out of the most random things! And I managed to stay awake! But then the spiritual thought came along and we planned to read from a talk and discuss it and then all of a sudden

she went out and pulled out this huge book and read out of it for 45 minutes!!!!!!! And it wasn't the most fun book.. well I didn't pay the best attention the whole time cause I was so tired! But I know it was about why our religion is true and what makes others not. And it was a good and interesting book that would be kinda cool to read someday, but I was so tired!! But I made it through staying awake the whole time!!! And we left and sister Harouny just goes "ok.. we need to get you a Diet Coke" haha!

We met with Linda this week and that was a great lesson!! She finally kept all her commitments we gave her and agreed that after her final exam she will come to our church with her whole family!!!

Okay funny story!!! Well.. they probably didn't think it's funny and I didn't at the time, but now it is!! So on Sunday we had this girl who just moved here from Spain two weeks ago and came to church. And she is so so sweet! So we introduced her to everyone and tried to get her involved with the ysa's in our ward! But they all just disappeared! So we asked a member of the bishopric where they were and they told us

just to go to the institute building cause they were doing something with missionaries and the stake president! And I thought.. what no I'm right here what missionaries?? So we went and they were all in the class and we just walked in and are like "sorry are those seats free" and try to sit quietly while this man was talking and I just picked up he was talking about missionary work! And then he got way emotional! And the girl from Spain who speaks no german looks at me and was like what is going on? And he's like bawling and multiple people in the room were crying.. pretty hard!! And i was confused cause i mean the

spirit was definitely present but i mean a lot of people were crying pretty hard! And i just look at sister Harouny on the other side of the room and she is also confused but then it clicked!! A girl was leaving on her mission soon!! THIS WAS HER GETTING SET APART AS A FULL TIME MISSIONARY AND WE WALKED IN.. IN THE MIDDLE OF HER FATHERS TESTIMONY!!! And she gets up and gets set apart! And I'll be honest, I cried! Especially cause it made me think of when I was and how long it's been and everything that has happened! And then she bore her testimony and hugged everyone! Then I apologized so much to her parents and dad for coming in during his testimony! And luckily they were really good about it and said it was fitting the sister

missionaries were there cause she is one now!! Haha but still I felt so bad!! And sister Harouny is in their family picture hahahahaha!!!!

Luckily I took it!! Now it's funny!! Then, not so much!

But ya this week was good! Pday was just kinda chill! We cleaned a lot for the new sister and sis h packed! Oh ya our mission president changed our pday to Thursday so next pday is next Thursday..

well I love and miss you!!! Talk to you later!!!

Love Haley!!

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Week 59

Haley's Email-- 1/23/2017

Tanks and Bloody Noses!!

Hi!! This was a crazy week!! Super busy! Lots of work! And lots going on at home! I'm so so thankful that dad is doing okay and getting better by the day! I got pretty nervous when president Stoddard called me this week and told me dad went in for an emergency open heart surgery and I should email mom for updates! That was an intense phone

call! But I'm really happy he's off all life support finally and got to leave ICU! We have been praying for him like crazy all week over here in Germany! And I'm super happy he's getting better and stronger by the minute and that his heart is beating completely on it's own!!

But other than that crazy news, this was a good week!!! We met with a ton of members last week and will meet with so many this week!! Member missionary work is finally getting bigger in the ward! It's takin long enough! 

But we met with Family Smith! The cutest couple everrrr!! He's from England and she's from America! They met when she was 14 and he was 16 at a stake dance in England and just became best friends and never lost contact!! And he is way cool! He's a video game designer!

That's why they had to move here to Germany cause his company moved him here! So no big deal but I already know about all the new games about to Come out!

We met with Eva and Robert again! They are so sweet! It's hard cause she says the Book of Mormon is true, but she says all books are true and when we ask them to pray they just meditate! So we will continue working with them on that!!

Thursday was good! It was cool cause everything we had planned fell out but everything worked out perfectly and we were able to see who we needed to see!! We went by on Linda cause we hadn't seen her in a while, she's going to nursing school and has four kids, and her husband went to Africa for a month, so she's super busy! But on the

way there we missed our Bahn so we had to find another way and then we went to the library to use their free bathroom and walked to Linda's and it was perfect timing cause we talked to her kids for a little and left and as we were leaving she walked in and we got to talk with her

and set up an appointment and everything! 

And then we went by on the Hänes and they were all home, even their daughter! Ya and we met some cool people so it was just perfect!!:)

We went back to Family Happi for dinner! The family who fed us chicken lungs... I'll be honest, I was so freakin nervous all day leading up to our appointment!!! And we got there and she fed us fishy beans and fried dough balls.. super weird! Better than the chicken lungs.. but still not my favorite. But it was worth it cause we had a great spiritual thought and played a super fun game!

We met with a guy named Mohammad and a guy named Ali on the same day and so it was funny cause in our plans it said we were meeting with Mohammad Ali! Haha but they both went well!  We met with Ali in a bowling ally though! I'll be honest it was super distracting and loud! We were originally supposed to meet with him and his girlfriend in his apartment, but she couldn't come! And we can't meet with guys alone in their apartment so we asked him if he knew of a quiet bakery or something and that's where us took us.. a loud bowling alley! But it was still good!! 

Pday today was so fun!! Probably one of my favorites! We went to Aachen and played on old tanks that are just chillin in the middle of a field from the war! Literally so cool!! It was funny, so walking in we saw a sign that said that when the red flag was up it means there is military training and you can't come in.. well the red flag was up.

But there was no way I just spent two hours of travel to see a red flag and leave.. so it took me 5 minutes but I finally convinced everyone to keep going so we continued and got to the tanks and are there for maybe 2 minutes and a huge military trucks comes up and says (rudely) that when the flag is up we can't come and we can get hurt and we must leave now! And so we all bitterly left and walk the 15 minutes to leave and we get to the entrance where the red flag is and

another huge truck comes and as we walk by the flag... they take the freakin red flag down!! What the heck and we ask if it's open and they were like uhh ya come on in! So we went back and continued playing!!

And I grudgingly said "freakin germans.. we aren't going to get hurt we aren't idiots" but then we were playing in them and getting in them and I was getting out and it was slick so I slipped and nailed my face on the tank and got a bloody nose.. and an elder just goes (after we got the nose under control and me out) "ya sister baker we're not

idiots huh!" Hahahah it was super funny!!! Definitely a good pday!!!!

Well I love and miss you! Have an amazing week!!!!

Love Sister Baker 

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Week 58

Kölner Dom!!!⛪️

Hiiii!!! This week was a super successful week!! We did a lot of finding this week!!! Lots. To be honest it was a tad chilly, wet, snowy, and icy... but it's cool cause I feel like whenever I started getting down and or cold and complainy, we would be able to have a great conversation with someone!!

This week we met with mr. Schornstein or Bruder Schornstein.. we don't know what to call him cause he didn't tell us his first name! But we found him dooring in hösel back in December! He told us he was way busy and to come back January 10th. So of course we did! And we get there and he said "oh you actually remembered.. well come in!" So we did!! And taught an amazing lesson!! He has a beautiful family! And we were able to tell him about the restoration and prophets and the Book of Mormon! And he really like it! But he said he's super busy, he has lots of traveling to do cause he has had some deaths in the family and him and his son have to go to the funerals.. but he said to come back in a couple weeks after he reads the pamphlet and the Book a little to tell us if he wants to hear the rest! I hope he does!!!!

We went and visited Lisa at the hospital again!! She is so sweet!! And she loves when we come to visit!! It's fun to just be able to sit and talk with her!!! She has such a sweet strong spirit!!!

So funny story.. we had a lunch appointment with Family Becks. They live about an hour away! And we were going there and had to switch busses and trains like four times and I was starving cause I didn't get lunch at my normal time cause we were eating with them! And so we are walking up to their door and as a joke I go watch us have the wrong time! And we clingal and he comes out and looks confused and I go wait.. are we really here at the wrong time? And he goes what are you guys doing here Our appointment is at 6?? So he gave us an apple and we went our way! And we had 5 hours of contacting and dooring! It was actually way fun!! We found two people that said we could come back and set up an appointment!! It was really cool! Then we went back and had dinner with them!!!! It was. A good dinner and we had a fun activity after!!!

Sunday we had a good day!! All the meetings were really good!! We got to help out with primary!! Cause a little girl was the only one in the class who couldn't speak English and the teacher only spoke English so we had to translate to german! And relief society was great!! Then we had a lesson with Maria!! Our translators car broke down and she only speaks Spanish so we had to call an elder that spoke perfect Spanish!!! It was actually pretty good!!!

For pday we went to Köln!!! I've been waiting to go there my whole mission!!! And to climb the Kölner Dom!!! And I did!!! It was hard and walking up a windy stair case for 15 minutes but so worth it!!! AND I got to see sister Clifford!!!!! 

Best pday ever!!!!!!

Well sorry this email is really short!! 

I don't have lots of time! 

We are emailing in subway! But this was an amazing week and I hope you have an amazing week!! Love you!!!!💖💖

Sister Baker

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Week 57

Hi!! This week was way good!! Saw lots and lots of miracles of course!! We were super busy which is always good!! We had an appointment this week with the family walker! They are an American family who are living here for a couple years, he is a scientist and they are studying something to have to do with plants.. I'll be honest I was busy eating my Nutella filled crepe and playing with there adorable son while he was explaining his job. But they are way cool and super missionary minded! I love it!!! 

We met with a girl names Fatima this week! We met her for the first time when we went over to the krauses the week of Christmas and kept in contact with her! She says she is interested in learning more about our church. But her husband isn't super interested but he is the one who speaks german so when he tells her what we say.. who really knows what's happening.. and they are both Muslim so we will see where that goes! 

We went on a split this week with the STLs!! It was fun! We had a great lesson together! We taught lioba and Andy!!! It went super well! We taught the plan of salvation!! I was super excited to teach that cause he's a member and already knows about the temple and being sealed and was super excited about it! And was way helpful!! And they are reading and praying together every single night!!!! I love it!!  

We also taught a really good lesson to Linda!! We finished teaching the plan of salvation!! She asked lots of questions and we were really able to help her understand the plan and that's it's perfect and fair for everyone!! And then she fed us rice and chicken!! It was yummy!!! 

We met with kuse this week!!!! I LOVE his family!! They have the cutes little kids ever!! Clarissa, jaeden, and prince!! So cute!!!! And we taught the restoration and he loved the idea of prophets! And said he will read the Book of Mormon and pray about it!! Teaching him is great!! The spirit is always so strong and he is so open!! 

But we contacted a lot this week!! We met some amazing people!! We met Joyce and her adorable son Emanuel! And so many other people!!! For pday we went to a super yummy Mexican restaurant and to a mustard museum!! Super fun!! But my iPad is going to die soon so I need To make this fast! Sorry! But I love and miss you!!! Have an amazing week!! 

Love Sister Baker

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Week 56

Happy New Years🎉🤘🏻

Hi!! This week was great!! I don't even know where to start!! On Monday we had second Christmas!!! That's one thing this was great! Germany has three Christmas's!! Heilige Abend, so like Christmas Eve, and 1st Christmas and 2nd Christmas!! Christmas Eve we went over to Familie ihlns!! So fun! They have three of the cutest little boys!! And we ate yummy food and set up the nativity while explaining who everyone was and they even got us gifts! Like real ones! Cute scarf and a notebook and pen and socks and then we got to watch frozen in german!!! Then Christmas we went to our bishops for brunch and opened gifts! Lots of food! And a hat! And went caroling! Then second Christmas we went to schwester Kleins, a sweet old lady, for lunch. Then Familie Jansen for dinner! We grilled! And watched Stille Nacht about the song silent Night and how it was written! Super fun Christmas!!! 

This week we got a new investigator, Shad, he's super cool! We will see how it goes! It's super funny cause he doesn't understand the missionary rules! He thinks our phone is embarrassing so he kept offering to buy us a new one. And stuff like that! Way nice though!! And is very open to what we have to say!! 

This week we went back to our magic apartments and the miracles continue!! We found two more people there!! I honestly can't believe it!! I'm so excited!!! One of them was this way cool guy, Ali, and he was playing with his SUPER cute puppy! So I said we had to talk to him!! And we went up and it turned out he didn't speak much German, just Italian! But we was way nice and sister harouny and I both were saying we wished someone was there who could speak his language, just then his girlfriend walked up and she spoke perfect Germans and Italian!!! And we talked with them for about 30 minutes! And she was saying that he didn't have a religion and was interested! And that she thinks it's funny she met us cause she grew up Muslim but not very strong so she didn't really know anything about her religion and her son started asking her questions she couldn't answer about religion, then she met us!! How cool!! 

We met with a guy named camera!! Coolest guy ever! He needs the gospel so bad and it so open to it!!! He says he is having a hard time right now and needs help and feels something is missing and knows that it's God!! Sadly we have to wait a tad bit to teach him cause he's a refugee. But that won't stop him!! We will figure it out!!! 

We met with this investigator Eva! She's an older lady, way sweet, super cute, super nice!! And a while back she had a stroke and had to pretty much re-learn everything like talking and using her hands! But she's pretty much all better! She's so great and knows the church is true! But we still have some stuff to work on!! But we had a three hour lesson with her and her husband! I've never had to pee worse in my life!! I thought I was going to explode!! And I kept waiting for a part to cut in and ask but her husband kept talking!!!!! And FINALLY he had a small break and I was about to ask and Eva goes ever so sweetly "excuse me I need to use the bathroom" i wanted to cry!!! I was shaking! Then after she came back I finally went! Haha 

So in case anyone was curious.. no, no chicken lungs do not taste good, and no peanut butter sauce does not make it better! But yes, yes I ate chicken lungs this week! And no, no I don't think we are supposed to eat them! We went to the Happis house for lunch, the are from Africa, and we went and we thought we were safe cause we smelled rice!! And we are talking with her kids and she brings out rice and brown sauce with meat in it! And I just hear chicken with peanut sauce! And I think okay not bad! I like chicken!! So I got some and ate it and it tasted so bad and the texture was terrible! So I thought I was just unlucky and got a bad piece of chicken with bone and stuff! So I choked it down with my orange juice and took another bite and it was the same!! So I cut one and looked at it and it looked like I was legit eating a alien!! Haha it was pretty much black and it was veiny. Ew guys honestly I wouldn't recommend chicken lungs! But plus side, the family is way nice and I can say I ate chicken lungs now! 

New Years is so big here!!! People celebrate it like crazy!! One thing different about it here than in Arizona is that no fire works are illegal here! So everyone can buy those giant ones that explode in the air!! We had to be home by 6 on New Year's Eve to be safe cause it could be dangerous later at night!! And fire works start at like 6! Haha and so we went home and finished weekly planning then a member let us borrow a heiße Stein so Grill on! So like a slab of marble and two things that you light on fire under it to heat it up! And we were doing that! And we were doing it on our balcony so it was freezing and not really working! So we took the grill part off and just roasted hot dogs over the fire! Haha but then we went to bed around 10 and woke up again at 12 and the fire works were crazy!!!! There were three families in front of our apartment lighting giant ones off and some teenagers! It was great!! Then we went out back to our balcony and there were giant fire works in every direction!!! It was crazy! And super cool!! And the next day there were fireworks everywhere on the streets!!! 

Sunday was good!! There weren't to many people at church! But still way good!! Sunday school was great! This 18 year old American got called to teach gospel principles and he did way good!! And then we went over to the Norris's house for lunch and had crepes and hungout there!! They are from Tennessee and are here for a couple years for the dads job and there son Joshua is living here with them! He's 18 and there other son James came to visit for Christmas! He's living in Provo and going to byu there!! They are a great family!!! 

And for pday we are just chilling! It finally snowed so we played in the snow and played basketball and ya didn't really do much!! But I love and miss you and will talk to you later!! 

Sister Baker

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