Co že? (What?) --The Hardest Day of my Mission -- 13 March 2017

Ahoj,

Let's just start out with, "I am so thankful."  Like my heart is overflowing with

"The Last Supper"

happiness. I have had the best mission for me. If I didn't trust Heavenly Father before the mission, I trust him 100 percent now. He is so wise, so all-knowing. I feel like He knew exactly what and who I needed.  

Some of the missionaries ask what is like having to go.  I say "Like torture." Because you are like so torn in between two worlds, two peoples, two lifestyles. I think I will be able to say this Wednesday will be the hardest day of my mission. 

But on the other hand, it was so so so wonderful looking back on the setting apart blessing I received and to see every blessing fulfilled. I just couldn't help but cry realizing how merciful God has been to me. I truly felt like D & C 84:88 has been what I have felt on the mission.

And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, 

for I will go before your face. 

I will be on your right hand and on your left, 

and my Spirit shall be in your ¨

hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.

I have witnessed so many miracles I could never ever deny the existence of God. I know He is there. I know He just waits till we let Him take control and that is when we start to see success, that is when we feel that pure joy, and that is when you understand the great and beautiful plan of our loving Father in Heaven.

This past week my sweet Sestra Peterson and I were able to travel with Sestra Kunčikova to Prague to get here Patriarchal Blessing. She is sooo darling. She is 67 and still rides her bike everywhere and seriously and been a huge source of my happiness in Pardubice. She told us not too long ago that we needed to come over and she had a question to ask. She said, "I have been praying like I do every day, but I need to receive my Patriarchal blessing, and I need to do it now and with you two. So we got permission to travel to Prague. We didn't know if we would be able to listen or not, but she wanted us in the room. But she said she did that so we can be witnesses here on this earth and for the eternities, for the blessings she received.  I can honestly say it was the most beautiful blessing I have ever heard. Such a bright future she has ahead of her. So many blessings I didn't even know would be possible. I truly realized how merciful and patient God is for his children and how eternal and wide is His view. Wow. It was such a source of hope and brightness for me and my view on these people. Sestra Kunčikova told us after that she has been a member for 21 years and she has been waiting 21 years to receive her blessing so that we could be there. I thought it was interesting that Sestra Peterson and I were born 21 years ago. I am just so so beyond grateful that everything else in the last 21 years has allowed me to serve to be here, where I needed to be. 

I know that our Redeemer lives and that is how I feel God's great love for everyone. Jesus Christ did something that we could never do for ourselves. I know change is a possible thing. I think back to Tim Brown and Kiki. They are so different. Even I truly feel like a totally different person. I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is real; it works; and it is made specifically for us. It's the connecting factor to God, family, friends, nature, anything. It has been the utmost honor wearing Christ's name physically on my heart. And I know it will always be there spiritually.

I am so thankful I can be a missionary forever and feel the spirit forever like my mom wrote me today. I feel like this last month I have already received more revelation for investigators in the future. Wow! I just love everyone. My dad said my heart can stretch enough to hold that love for the people here and everyone who has been a part of my life before that. 

I guess I will see you soon. I can't even believe it, and I am so excited (:

-- 

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself...

S Láskou,

Sestra Baxter

Sestra Baxter returns home from her mission 

Thursday, March 16, 2017.

Her homecoming will be at the Paradise 4th Ward Chapel,in Paradise, Utah 

on March 26, 2017 at 11:00 am.

"A letter from Libor" -- 06 March 2017

Sestra Baxter did not send out a public letter this week. So here is a letter and some pictures we received today from a Czech member, Libor Doležal.

* * * 

Good morning Mrs. Baxter,

Your amazing daughter, Sister Baxter asked me to send you photos. 

My name is Libor Doležal. I come from the Czech republic, Region of Pardubice, where she is serving last days of her mission. I have been a member of the church for 2 years. I know that meeting missionaries changed my life and learning gospel is the best thing. I am thankful for that and for listening to the message of the missionaries. 

I am happy that I had an opportunity to meet an angel sister Baxter last summer at Priest mountain close to Karlštejn Castle. 

She is a great and amazing woman! She is an example for all the people in the Czech republic. I will miss her!

I am happy I can send you photos: Priest mountain, Karlštejn castle, Liberec, Sychrov castle, Náchod, Hradec Králové, Prague and Choceň.

I am wishing you and your family a good time!

Best regards,

Libor Doležal

Tak, pro vas (So, for you) -- 27 February 2017

Čau 

Sestra Reilly Manners (on the left), a former companion, visited Czech this week and sent these pictures

Okay. So, there are quite a few times as a missionary where you feel like you are in the exact place, at the exact right time, among the exact people you need to be among. This week was such a blessing because it happened. Of course, it's happened more than once. But we were able to hear it from people who actually said to us in their own words that it was "Thanks to God" that we were here. 

"I Love You."

I will start off the First story about Sestra Kunčikova. She is about 70 years old and has been a member for 20 years, the missionaries actually found her while she was drunk. Now she is literally one of the biggest lights in my life and to all who have seen her riding on her bike and singing hynms through Pardubice. She has been wanting to receive Patriarchal Blessing but has never known the right time. She called us last week and asked if we could come over. She said, I know it's time to get my Patriarchal Blessing, and now we have a patriarch in Prague. So I need to know if you two can travel to Prague with me to receive it. I got really sad because I didn't know if Prezident would allow us to travel out of our area, but we decided to call him and let her ask him. He was literally the best because he said, "Yes!" But she told us she was praying one night and "I got a feeling that I really needed to receive it now, and I really need to travel there with you two." I have not stopped thinking about that since. It was such a precious moment. I love her so much. 

The other time is with this new investigator named Vladmir. When Sestra Peterson was feeling a little under the weather I started to do some calls and ended up talking to him for like 20 minutes about and everything. He is 80 and his English in unbelievable. After that call, he was sick for while, but he finally called us when he was feeling better. To our meeting, he brought us chocolates, so kind! We started to go into our lesson, and he told us a little bit of what he knew about Mormons. Then he said that his mom used to tell him the story of when the seagulls came into Utah and ate all the grasshoppers to save the crops? Sestra Peterson and I both thought that that was so unusual.  Haha. And that he was like living on the earth when that happened? And what Czech mom knows that story or thinks to tell her kid that story? The second thing is he saw the Book of Mormon, and he told us, "Oh wow. The Book of Mormon!" We were like,  "What do you know about this book?" He said, "Well, how do I put this? I know that it is true." We were like, "Oh my goodness. Who is this guy?" The next crazy thing he said was, "A lot has been on my mind lately. Two friends of mine have died in this past month. So I think it's pretty great how God sent you two here to meet with me."  That was it. We were like WHO IS THIS MAN? It was so wonderful. He said maybe we could come have fruit tea with his wife sometime this week. 

Reunited:  Sestra Manners and Sestra Baxter

Wow. I am so beyond thankful I can be here. I am so thankful I made the decision to serve a mission! 

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.... because if you will do this you will want to save the trees and pray always.

S Laskou,

Sestra Baxter