September 15, 2014




I have been studying a lot about faith. I have learned a lot about the relationship between faith and obedience. It says in the scripture guide that faith is to have confidence in Jesus Christ. We can´t just say we have faith in Jesus Christ; it has to be shown through actions. It´s interesting here, because Uruguayans love to say how much faith they have, although faith without actions is dead.

We show faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ when we obey his commandments. When we´re obedient it´s saying that we trust in him and when we´re disobedient it´s saying we trust more in ourselves. If he is able to see our loyalty through obedience he blesses us with miracles in our lives. The brother of Jared was obedient and when he prayed to his Heavenly Father he expressed his trust in him, saying:

´´4 And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man; therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness; and they shall shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may have light while we shall cross the sea.

5 Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to show forth great power, which looks small unto the understanding of men.´´

He expressed fully his trust in the Lord and he was also obedient to every commandment given to him. After, expressing his faith he saw a miracle. The Lord showed his finger and touched two rocks that would help him fulfill the commandments the Lord gave him. He didn´t have faith because he saw a miracle, but he saw a miracle because of his faith. When we are faithful we can expect miracles. ( Ether 12:18)

I have not seen the finger of the Lord, but I have seen the hand of Lord as I work. I know it´s because of my obedience to and willingness to obey the mission rules or commandments. As I express my confidence in the Lord and I pour out my desires in prayers day and night and show my willingness to serve him through obedience I have seen miracles.

I have a strong desire to find more people to teach and this week we have seen miracles. One day we went to go contact a reference. The reference wasn´t home, but the mom let us in to teach. She started telling us in tears how just that morning she had passed for a trial and was looking for comfort. She knew that we could help because she had listened to the message before. When we should up at her door, it was perfect timing.

Then, as we started teaching her she expressed how she knew Joseph Smith was a prophet and she has continued reading in her Book of Mormon since the missionaries taught her years ago. We then taught her about the Doctrine of Christ and invited her to be baptized. It was a miracle and the Lords hand was with us the whole time.

Yesterday we even went to go teach a family of 6 who are preparing for baptism. They are incredible and have such strong testimonies of Joseph Smith. We entered and the parents and sisters of the wife were visiting. We taught a powerful lesson and our investigators were able to testify of Joseph Smith. The whole family is willing to go to church and be baptized. It´s incredible.

I know this is the Lords work and through me he teaching his children. I am so grateful I have the opportunity to know and work with all of these people. For the miracles the Lord shows me every day and that I can grow with them. I know my Heavenly Father loves them and me and that he sent his son Jesus Christ to lead us back to him.




Love,

Hermana Baca

September 9, 2014

My ´´hija´´ IS THE BEST COMPANION EVER! We are working so hard together. We have a companionship that is centered around the spirit and I love it! At the end of the week we can both see in the numbers that we have worked hard, but we don`t feel like we worked so hard. Time is just flying by! I love Hermana B.

After having 3 baptisms last week we knew that we needed to find new investigators. We set goals to find new investigators and to have more than 30 lessons for the week. We both prayed for what we desired and work hard together to accomplish it. We have had miracles this week with our lessons and finding new investigators. What surprised me most is how the Lord put those who are prepared to listen to this message in our way. I feel like he literally SENT people to us.

One of the investigator we found this week is G. He is the brother of a investigator M, who got baptized last week. He recently moved in with his mom and when we went and visited we got to know him and taught him the first lesson. He told us how he attended church and listened to the message before. At the end of the lesson I asked him how he felt about Joseph Smith. He told me that he knew it was true and always has known. GOLDEN. After, we felt inspired to extend a baptism date and he accepted. I know he had been prepared to listen to this message.

Later, we were walking down the street when an 8 year old girls ran up to us with her arms opened ready to give us kisses. She started to say ¨Can you visit in my house?¨ Over and over. We went to the window of her house and started to talk to her mom. It had only been seconds when she said ¨Come in and sit down!¨. We had and excellent lesson with her and she later asked us what she had to do to be baptized. All this time she was looking for a way to get baptized in whatever church and her daughter brought us to her.

Then, we found V and M. Really it`s more like we found them again. I had taught them a while ago and they had moved to a different part of my area. One day we were hiking to our area, or in other words going up the steep hill we take to get to our area, and we passed their new house and only waived to them. After, reaching the top of the hill we felt like we should go back down and talk to them and so we did.

We ended up walking with V to her house and she started telling us about all the problems they have had since we stopped teaching.  She told us that she felt confidence to tell us everything that was going on and knew we could help.  We ended up having a lesson with her that was very powerful. Later, we taught the whole family and they are coming to church and getting ready to get baptized together.

I know that when we communicate with our Heavenly Father to ask for our righteous desires he helps us. I know he sees and knows we have the desires to work and so he blesses us. I know when we show him through actions he is willing to not only give, but pour out what we ask him for. I am so grateful for the confidence he has in Hermana B and I to work with such great people who are willing to listen. I know this gospel is true. 

Love,

Hermana Baca

September 1, 2014



As a mission we are working on teaching with more clarity the doctrine of Christ to help those we teach understand and progress. As president Smith says ´´ We have a belief that when people understand the doctrine of Christ they return to church or get baptized and never turn back.´´ The work we are doing changes lives. I testify that when someone understands the doctrine of Christ they repent and come unto Christ. I am able to see this more and more in my mission as I work to understand the doctrine of Christ and teach better. The doctrine of Christ has changed me.
Alma taught is son Corianton the doctrine of Christ. (Alma 39-42) He taught him clearly so that his rebellious son would change his heart and repent. He understood that if he could understand the importance of returning to his Heavenly Father through repentance, he would change. Corianton needed to learn the Doctrine of Christ and his father was a great missionary who took the time to teach him.
When we are rebellious and seek to do our own will we are choosing to be like Corianton. WE CANNOT BE LIKE CORIANTON BECAUSE WE CANNOT RETURN TO OUR HEAVENLY FATHER IN AN UNWORTHY STATE. The consequence of justice takes it´s place making it impossible to return to our Heavenly Father. Although our Heavenly Father is merciful so that we can repent and not face the consequences of the demands of justice.
It´s completely possible through the Atonement to erase of the consequences of Justice. Like Alma says in Alma 42: 23 ´´But God ceases not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be judged according to their works, according to the law and justice.´´ Our Heavenly Father is so merciful.
I have studied about the Mercy of our Heavenly Father in and out this week. I was surprised to find how many times the Book of Mormon says ´´Misericordia´´ or in English ´´mercy´´. All the prophets in the Book of Mormon have repeated to say so many times that our Heavenly Father is merciful. They pounded that into the scriptures so many times so that we would understand.
It´s like when my mom keeps telling me to clean my room. She repeats it over and over again at times. It´s not that I didn´t understand or hear her though, but she keeps repeating it until I show her that I understood and heard her through my actions. Our Heavenly Father repeats saying the same thing so that we understand and put into action that we understand by repenting.
Through prophets he teaches clearly and repeats what he wants his children to know so that we return. So that we don´t have to face the consequences of justice, because he loves us. As I come to understand the Doctrine of Christ I understand how important I am to my Heavenly Father. Alma wanted to teach Corianton about his importance and then when he finished teaching him he sent his son to declare the doctrine of Christ to others ( Alma 42:31).
I UNDERSTAND the doctrine of Christ better and I feel so very obligated to declare what I know to help others understand. I feel what Alma felt as he taught his son every time I walk into a house. After Alma taught these these he couldn´t even rest and went and taught right along side his sons. Alma 43:1 ´´And now it came to pass that the sons of Alma did go forth among the people, to declare the word unto them. And Alma, also, himself, could not rest, and he also went forth.´´
I don´t want to rest. I know understand why Alma was such a great missionary. I know understand why he didn´t rest. More importantly, I understand why Jesus Christ never rested to teach his doctrine. I understand why he suffered so much for us. I understand the importance of the name I carry and my badge and the sacred calling I have to preach his gospel.
I love my Heavenly Father and savior Jesus Christ. I know they both live and love us. I know that this is the true church that has the fullness of the doctrine that Christ taught. I know the Book of Mormon is true and I know that through the atonement I can return to live with my Heavenly Father again.


Love,
Hermana Baca

August 25, 2014




It`s always good being companions with a new missionary because they always have so much energy and excitement to work. My `` hija`` is helping me be a better missionary every week. One of the things she told me last week is that we should get better with the schedule and try teaching more. She had a a good goal and desire. We decided that we would try to have shorter lessons and put a goal every day on how many lessons we wanted every day.


This helped me a lot because one piece of advice my brother gave me after his mission is that we should have short lessons. Short and powerful lessons are the best. The holy ghost can`t be in the same place for a lot of time so if we have 20 minute lessons it allows the spirit to be with us the whole time. We really strive this week to have short lessons.


We prayed a lot to do this with the lessons. Then, during the week we really did meet our goal every day for the amount of lessons. We felt the spirit more during every lesson and we taught more. I felt good as we had success this week with our goal.


Saturday came and we had a lesson with a new investigator who Evangelical. We spent a little time getting to know her and then we were able to adapt the lesson to teach her based on what we knew. The lesson was quick and very guided In the end we invited her to pray. She said she didn`t feel comfortable praying in front of us because she hadn`t prayed in a long time and needed to ask for forgiveness from God in a personal prayer first.


In that moment I felt the spirit guide me so that she would pray. I shared with her an experience. One time a teenager, like all teenagers, I had a quarrel with my mom. We had been ignoring each other and not talking until I cut my finger while cleaning. It had been a deep enough cut that it needed mothers care. I thought `` I need my mom, but she`s mad at me``. In the end I ended up asking her for help. Instead of continuing being mad she helped me.


I explained to G that her Heavenly Father wants to help her. At times we feel unworthy of his help, but no matter what we do wrong. After that she said `` Ok, I`ll pray.`` She said a BEAUTIFUL prayer. I felt the spirit as she began speaking with her Heavenly Father for her needs and to know if the message we had shared was true. The spirit filled the room and she received her answer. In the end she asked us if she could have time to think, because she had no idea what had happened to Joseph Smith. It was amazing.


I really do know that as we look for the guidance of our Heavenly Father when we have righteous desires he guides us and helps us through our prayers. We prayed everyday as a companionship for his help to reach our goal every day, G prayed for what she desired to know in our lesson, and each prayer was answered. I know that the power of our prayers is strong and we should kneel before our Heavenly Father every day for what we need and desire.


Love, Sister Baca