To Infinity and Beyond!‏

Long ago in a far away land called the CTM there lived a sister and her companhera Niels Dog, and together they were to bear it what ever it may be. One day on a cold crisp October morning they were preparing for V their beloved pesquisador when they just could not seem to feel the spirit that was needed. They clashed heads and tried to see the others point of view and it just was not happening for these sisters and their crew. Then an elder so calm and cool headed came to them and said "want to help me with my lesson" together they frowned and hardly agreed, but they helped none the less because they knew he was in need. So they knelt in a prayer and the spirit was there. Then opening their eyes they felt no despair. They knew how to help and they knew what to teach. And together they taught better than an army or fleet! V committed to baptism and is striving to follow the words of the prophets and is helping all that will follow. The sisters were blessed because of a prayer, so people I ask will you kneel today?
This story is true. My companion and I are as different as can be and some how we are making it work not just because we are supposed to but because we care so much about each other that we would do anything. She is my best friend and I would be so lost without her here. It is so cool the people that god puts into your life. She has so many strengths where I fall short and I have strengths in the places that she does. Together I feel like would could convert the world. I don’t want to ever not be companions with her. Yes we have hard days just like the one I talked about but I am so blessed to know that no matter how frustrated I get all I need to do is pray and some how when ever I open my eyes I see her with more love than ever before!! It is so cool!! PRAYER IS COOL AND IT WORKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Also, I need to tell you about my teacher Irmão Buttars. He is the best blessing in my life right now. He just gets it. I am so blessed to have him as my teacher. He has a way of teaching things that just makes you understand weather it be language or gospel he can teach it! It is amazing! We have some of the coolest conversations in my class and I am so grateful for them! He has taught me so much about what being a missionary really is and he makes our district want to be the best that we can. He calls us a celestial district and when we slip up he reminds us that in that moment we were telestial or terestial, and we are striving to always be celestial. SOOOO COOL!! I love my district and my zone so much I wish that you could all meet them! and I wish that I could serve me whole mission with all of them! I love them all!!
Also wish me luck! As of tomorrow we are not allowed to speak English until we leave the CTM!! That is a long time to not speak. My favorite saying is going to be Não falo Englés. and Eu falo um poco portugués, descupa. It is going to be a super strange and quit few weeks! LOVE IT!!!!
I love my mission and I am really starting to love the language. It is so beautiful and I think that it is so cool!! I keep forgetting words in English and in Portuguese it is like I don’t have a language anymore! ahhh crazyness!! But it is cool I have learned so much and keep learning more everyday!
Love you all and make sure that you are still smiling and that you are still doing all that you need to do to make the right choices in your lives! And when in doubt just ask, would Sister Bakker do this? hahahahahahaha jk don’t ask that cause I am kinda crazy and you never know! but do put yourself in Christ’s shoes and think about what he would do if he were you.
love

Sister Bakker
formally known as Lyssa

There's a Storm coming Harry...

- Eating ice cream in the hall.  WE could not find spoons so I used the end of my razor and S Niel-dog used a knife…ohh the life of a missionary!

Cheerios!

-some of the girls in my zone, on the last temple walk w/ E Noyse who is super funny and loves Avatar, E Sorenson who is one of the elders in my district, also super funny but he doesn't like Avatar. S Cordner is the tall brunette on the left back, she is one of my roomies her comp is the blond next to me S Johnosn. Next to S Nielsen is S Bundy and her comp S Hennefer, they are both in my zone.  S Haycock is another sister in my room and in my district!  I love all these people so much!

S Baird (from swim team) and S Bakker

OLA FAMILIA!!!!!!

Okay so first thing is first... The CTM is the MTC. It is just in portuguese. Sorry if that confused people. I had a lot of questions about that this week for some reason...
Now this week was AMAZING! It is my hump day here!!! WAHOOO The language is coming. I think I sound like a robot that pauses for like 5 seconds after every word but what ever!! I don't even care! I have been here 3 weeks and can teach a lesson, pray, bear my testimony, and carry a very broken simple conversation. That my friends is what I call the Dom De Lingua (gift of tongues)!!!! I love my mission so much! I cannot wait to speak fluently and teach everything about this gospel! It is so cool!!!
So one of the coolest things that happened this week, my teacher, Irmao Buttars called it a primera visao experience! I was teaching a lesson to our investigator V, I was supposed to teach her about the spirit and I totally froze. I literally could not speak!! My mouth would not make words in English or in Portuguese. I was stressing out and sat there totally silent for what felt like eternity. Then I was totally over come by the spirit and I knew how to say more in Portuguese than I have ever before. I bore the best testimony I think that I ever have. I knew exactly what to say and I have never felt the spirit that strong in my life. IT WAS AMAZING!!! We closed with a prayer and I cant be sure but I think that our investigator (Irma Wilson one of our teachers) may have had a tear in her eyes. It was so cool. She even said that she would come to church on Sunday!! wahoooooo!! GIFT OF TONGUES PEOPLE!!!!! IT IS REAL!!!!!!!!
Also you know that we are having a really spiritual moment when our teacher Irmao Buttars speaks English. Last night we were supposed to have language class and teach but instead we had a 3 hour question and answer in all English of how we can turn our district from just a distrtict in the zone to the one that everyone knows is progressing the best and has the most spirit. IT WAS AMAZING! I don't even know what I am going to do with out them. My teacher tells us all the time that we are weird. He says that our district came together faster and were better friends than any other he has ever taught. It is so cool. He taught us how to use our friendship against Satan and how to use or friendship and unity to become the best missionaries ever!!! It is so cool and the spirit is amazing!!
I LOVE MINHA MISSAO!!!! I feel like there is a storm inside all of the missionaries here and it is just brewing waiting to destroy Satan!! OOOOOHH he is going to hate us when we all leave here!!
Thank you so much Family and friends for all your love and support! I have officially fallen in love with my mission and I never want it to end! Good thing I am still here for like 17.5 months!!! WAHOO missions are the best!!
Sister Bakker’s Advise for the week: SMILE!! Even when you don’t want to and even when you think you cannot go any more, SMILE and I promise that it will change your life! It changed mine!! Love you all!!!!
Eu sei que a igreja e verdidera!!!
Love

Sister Alyssa Bakker
more commonly known to y'all as Lyssa!!

Cha Cha Cha Changes‏

Sister Nielsen and Sister Bakker



Dear Familia, well that’s it. I am coming home... HAHAHAHAHAHA gotcha!!! I would never!! the CTM is so great!! I never want to leave. I could go for some real food and a little more English but other than that it is the life!



















S Nielsen, S Bakker, E Nance, E Rose



Oh the CTM!! No joke it is like living on Mars here. I feel a lot like an alien. Everyone is walking around speaking strange languages and everyone is dressed strange all the time. It is super funny! This week though I had what felt like 100,000,000 tons of bricks dropped right on top of my head! I have realized that I need to change. I cannot just pray for the gift of tongues and have it just come to me. I need to change the way I am studying. I also changed my attitude. Every time I get called on in class everyone always looks right at me cause they know that when I am called on I smile and usually give out a little giggle. I can’t help it! It just happens!! But hey people think that I am super funny because I do things like that all the time. So I was worried that people would think that I am a weirdo, well they do but somehow it has helped me out so much!! Smiling is no joke how I get through everyday!! I would probably be home right now if I did not make myself smile and find the joy in everything. At the end of the each day I don’t want to look back and say "shoot I should have handled that a little better." When I force myself to be happy it makes the biggest difference and so far I have had no regrets. Sure the language is HARD! but it is ok. And I am faced with new trials all the time but I know that because I have learned to literally grin and bare it that it will all be ok!! MAN THE CHURCH IS TRUE!!! or in Portuguese A Igreja a veredera!! (if anyone reading this speaks Portuguese I am sorry for the spelling. Everyone else please just assume that all that was spelled correctly. haha)

The Sisters in our Zone
I love minha missao so much and I feel like this is the best place in the whole world!! EVERYONE THAT IS WONDERING IF THEY SHOULD GO, STOP THINKING AND JUST GO!!!!!!!!!!!! I will never look back and say wow I should have done such and such instead. I am so blessed and I love the church so much!! Life is good and all is well!! Thank you all so much for your support you are the best!! And I love you all so much!! Keep on smiling and even when you don’t want to find something good in your day!! Love you all! I pray for you all daily!!
XOXO
That one girl that used to be Alyssa Bakker but now they call Sis B
Peace and Blessings y'all!
Elder & E Vargason, S Bakker, S Nielsen


P.S. Letters are the best thing in the whole world and I love getting them so you know I probably wouldn't even be mad if you wanted to write me (:

Happy Pday

Sooo the mtc... the good news is that none of the girls in my room snore!! so yay for sleeping every night! Also my comp is probs the greatest person in the world and I seriously love her!! Her name is Sister Neilsen from Price, Utah!! Conference here was AMAZING!! We are going to the temple today for the first time here and I am stoked!! My district is the best!! We have so much fun! They are no joke my CTM family!! As far as the speaker in conference that spoke in Portuguese, no we just heard a voice over thing like you in engles. wow... i did not mean to write English in Portuguese... my brain works half in English and half in jiberish now. yes jiberish cause I feel like it should be Portuguese but I don't know enough to actually speak so its just like weird mumbles with a few words. We have taught 2 lessons in Portuguese (we call it pork and beans here btw) and I pray in all Portuguese now. My teacher Irmao Buttars tells us that we are supposed to speak no English. I think I am going to die. We tend to be really quite most the time. or we just give you and speak 90% English and 10% Portuguese. It is interesting... haha I love it!!! I am pretty sure that I always look like a deer in the head lights during language class. Haha my teacher speaks 0 English. It is so intense and my brain always hurts. Also we never know if it is morning or night becuase we are alwyas tired and it seems to always be dark when we finally get to leave the class room. Oh it is so great!

So since have been here I have seen...

Elder austin rose
Elder conner nance
Elder garrett vargason
Elder janzen deanse
Sister krissy mckell
Sister kayla stockwell
Elder josh mcnall
Sister britney bently

and probably other people that I can't think of right now. I feel like this is high school all over again sometimes. I even sat in front of Elder Rose and Nance at conference. hahaha small world.

Any way the language is coming. it is really hard and all but it is good. I have already taught two lessons in Portuguese. I can pray and bare my testimony too. Its all very basic right now but it is coming...

THE FOOD SUCKS!!! I'm pretty sure I have eaten more cold cereal here than I have like in my whole life and they don't even have plain Cheerios. kill me.. jk jk its fine and I swear that isn't a complaint it is just stating a fact!!

My p day is Tuesday so sorry that I didn't get to write for so long.

Love,
Lyssy

October 1, Entering the MTC

Faithful Skipper helping Alyssa with last minute packing

Jack and Alyssa on the way to the MTC