Aug 26

Sounds like everyone is doing great in school and Ohio and everything else!  Yes I am being transferred, I will be over with the Knoxville south zone or Cumberland zone. I hope to be able to go to Knoxville because Farragut would be in my zone but either place would be great! my comp and I will also be training a new greenie! ha ha that’s exciting! Sorry for the brevity of the letter but just know that all is going well and I love you and I am good and happy! The gospel tends to do that for us!

I will email you my new address when I found out where I am next week! Hopefully I will get to email Monday but its Labor Day so who knows it may be Tuesday!

Love you

Elder Bakker

Aug 19

Hey yall!

So Marion is great.  The luau is not happening but that is ok I'm at peace with everything. I learned what needed to be learned and now it's time to apply what I learned to my new area coming up in a week or so.

I got permission to start teaching mission prep. So for the last several weeks that's what I have been teaching. It's a lot of fun actually, I like to teach.

Sounds like everything is changed back home. Dani sounds good she was telling me she was having some pretty tough Bible questions from her investigator at the MTC so that's a good experience. ha the south is THE hub for anti-Mormon questions and trust me I think I have heard it all, sometimes I get a new one but not often. In fact earlier this week we ran into a Baptist missionary who wanted to have it out with us, and just as an example for Elder Hart I decided to bite. Pretty solid Bible bash but when the spirit isn't there it just doesn't matter how many times you back the other person into a theological corner, they wont change, and that was our object lesson of the role of the spirit in conversion.

On other news we do have a solid new investigator finally! Its been pretty dry nearly the whole time I've been here. Her name is Holly and she is a very free spirited open to anything artist who runs a local art place where they sell arts and crafts and do art lessons for kids and stuff. We have been doing some service over there and had an opportunity to teach and testify about the atonement and the book of Mormon while we were working with her. It was a really spiritually powerful lesson and then afterwards we were led to leave a blessing on her business. She does everything she can to help the community and struggling individuals and families and stuff so I feel it was a much needed blessing for her struggling business.

I'm still fairly certain that I will be leaving on the 28th but I will know for sure this Saturday. I am excited to have a change but I will miss Marion. I have learned a lot of very key lessons that will help me very much on my mission, and in my life. I know that everything in life is done with purpose and wisdom (2ne 2:24). There is no where I would rather be. My mission is going much to quickly, and that scares me a little. but all is well in zion!

Love you

Elder Bakker

Aug 5 & 12

Aug 12

Hey mom,

sounds like all is well at home, but kinda strange with the family being reduced to 4. I hope all is well with that. On the bright side there is no where I'd rather be and I'm sure Dani will feel the same shortly. So don't worry much about us!

So the luau is for the time being off... There was a lot of bad communication with the bishops and branch president and they decided to just cancel it. So that was quite disappointing. I really feel as though it was led by the spirit and that was what the lord wanted me to do while

 I was here to boost missionary activity in the area, But I guess perhaps it was led by the spirit so that all might learn some valuable lessons. Its all still up in the air, I’m trying to save it but who knows, its in the Lord's hands now.

Robert is going to be baptized the 24th, unfortunately President Irion is not going to let me go down for it. He did say, however, that if it were moved to the 31st (which doesn’t work for Robert) I would be a lot closer. I guess that means I am most likely being transferred again the 28th... so we will see what happens. I did get to go down to Knoxville earlier this week for a leadership conference. Elder Kopiske of the 70 spoke to us, which was awesome I really learned a lot from the spirit. Also I got to see the P family while I was down there! They are on fire! Can’t wait to get to the temple to be sealed in a year. So solid. Well the lord has a plan for each one of us and if we do our part all will work out. I love you.

Elder Bakker

Jackson, Andrew, Brother P

Sister P, Andrew, Brother P

Kingsport Zone Meeting

Kingsport Zone training

Aug 5

Marion Marion Marion, Marion is an interesting place haha always a bounty of strange people and interesting situations. This week Elder Hart and I have been moving a family.   We have spent 9.5 hours as well as several hours of the branch members time and its about 1/2 done. so more this week! but that’s ok the Lord will bless us for helping some folks in need.

The Luau is really starting to take off! Its on Friday the 23rd of Aug, and the members are really catching the vision. We found a pig like 200lbs for 150$! which is way good and also a propane cooker that we have a member funding so we are going to pull off a luau for 200+ people on roughly 180$... thats right haha the lord provides a way! haha so thats pretty good. The P family baptism was on Wednesday this week! I was supposed to go down and baptize Jackson their 14 year old son but due to some complications I wasn't able to attend. Typically you aren't supposed to travel for baptisms but President knows what they mean for me and is willing to work with me. Robert's baptism is scheduled for Alyssa's birthday the 24th! I hope to be able to attend that! I really have been blessed through my mission with great success and I hope to be able to keep up strong.

The Marion building is under construction so we are currently meeting for the next 3 months or so in the Marion life saving crew building. Its the building that the ambulances and stuff deploy from. so thats interesting! 

When the Lord decides to test us and we endure it well he will bless us. I feel that the work Elder Hart and I are doing here is really more of an "Elias" type role, or a fore-runner. Preparing the area for great success and more than likely the need for another set of missionaries! well I gotta jet but I love you all and thank you for the prayers! 

Love Elder Bakker 

July 28

Wow that's really exciting for Dani! I can’t wait for her to go into the MTC! Behold a Royal Army! Well the battle is being waged and Elder Hart and I are putting forth our best! We have an investigator named Jerry S. Nice older black fellow, and we have been working with him for a few weeks and tomorrow we should be setting a baptismal date with him! He wants to be baptized we just gotta get a date set! so that's exciting! Also yesterday I received word that the P family is getting baptized on the 17th! (happy birthday Morgan!) haha and Their 14 year old son Jackson wants me to come down and baptize him! So exciting! I also talked to Robert B today and his son is getting back the 16th of August, so he will be getting baptized the 24^th (happy b-day Alyssa!) so I should be able to go down for that as well! It's so exciting! Next week Elder Kopishke is coming from the 70 to speak to the mission leadership so I will be in Farragut for that as well. Hopefully they don’t get too sick of me down there! 

The Luau is pushing forward I have a meeting this Thursday with someone to work out the smoker situation right after I do a baptismal interview. It's going to be great the wards and branch are really grasping onto the idea and hopefully they will be successful in the vision to invite their non-member friends and less actives! It's really going to be exciting!   Anyways, Love you all.

Elder Bakker

Elders Christensen and Bakker at the S family baptism.  Brother S, Sister and Brother S Senior, Sister S

Anyways, Love you all.

Elder Bakker

July 22, 2013

Hey Mom,

The Luau is going great. A lot of struggles trying to communicate with 3 different units but we are working through it to get assignments made for food and decorations and games and what not.

Not a whole lot has changed. Transfers was last week and half of my district got transferred so I have been working with an almost entirely new group. 2 of them are brand new too, which I like because they have a little more fire. 
Well as always I’m grateful for my experiences and growth and pray for you all to have great missionary experiences, so reach out to those around you. I love you. My scripture for the week is 1Nephi 20:10 and 2ne 2:2.

love you

Elder Bakker

"Rooster's" Car

Elder Hart and Bakker at Bristol Caverns, TN.  (I looked them up on the internet and this is a very cool place.  Andrew didn't mention if he toured the caves or just saw the sign.)

Sugarlands Overlook, Grayson Highlands State Park, VA

Elders Bakker and Hart

July 15

Aloha Madre!

All is well in the Bible belt!  Virginia is wet as well We already almost hit our average rainfall for the year I think. And trust me Utah is not humid like it is out here. You say you feel humidity but unless your hair never really dries and if you put your hands in your pockets and it takes you 30 seconds to get them out because you're too wet and sticky then you are in the humidity. 

So we have been adding on to the church building here lately and the construction is going well. We are getting kicked out of the church for about 3 months while they blend the 3 phases of the building together, so we will be meeting in the local life saving building where the ambulances depart from. So I have been praying hard for a baptism during those 3 months because chances are we will get to baptize in the creek out here. Boy oh boy that'd be an experience.

We had to move our date for the luau from the 24th of Aug (happy bday lyssie) to the 23rd so that we weren't interrupted by the NASCAR race at the Bristol Speedway. The south loves there NASCAR, something I will never understand but the stadium holds 160,000 people... so the whole area up here will be slammed and the freeway traffic will be unconquerable. But it will all work out.

We have been really digging deep lately into true and pure doctrine and I'm giving a training on the fall of Adam and Eve and have really been enjoying my studies. Well I gotta go! Remember there is no growth in our comfort zone and there is no comfort in our growth zone!  

Love Elder Bakker

E Bybee, Babbitt, Schouten, Bakker, Garber, Spencer and Brown

Friedman Bakker Schouten Brown Tayler Warhurst Vincent Babbitt MIlls C Robinson, E&S Nielson, E&S Wilcken, S&P Irion, S&E Miner, Jack Quada Kalani D Hatch Colwell Stone Hollon Boggs Bedke S Hatch Burningham Taylor Shurtleff deHoyos, Eckery Darrington Spen