August 22, 2016

Bueno pues! This week has been filled with sicknesses in the zone.. I have had a bad cough and killer lungs for a while (for many months). I have to go to the hospital in Managua tomorrow at 3 am to see what weird disease Nicaragua gave me haha. Other than that, this week was really good, we did divisions with members quite a bit and were able to get much work done. We have set up 2 people to baptized this weekend! My time here in country is running out though! There is so much more work to be done!  Keep being faithful, there will be many trials in life.. but if everything was easy.. it wouldn't be worth! I love y'all!

August 15, 2016

So this week was a little crazy! Not much happened and our baptisms sadly fell through because we couldn't find them :/ So crazy thing this week.. my companion and I worked divisions with my son and grandson in the mission (elder Santizo and Elder Mitton) and I went with Elder Mitton, We get an emergency call from my companion and hes saying that Elder Santizo ate fish and had a super bad allergic reaction and stopped breathing and passed out and so me and Elder Mitton threw our stuff together and caught the first taxi that would take us to the hospital.. and we get there and my companion were standing outside saying that they wouldn't let him in. We had to call all the leaders and explain what was going on and then after an hour and a half waiting outside I remembered that I was the only one that had a Nica ID card and so I ran up to the gate to the hospital and they let me in and so I got to be at my sons bedside as he was getting better. It was super scary. But knew everything would be alright. I prayed and knew that our Heavenly Father would make him heal. Today he's completely normal. God saved his life... 

This week since I am always finding odd ways of service, we were able to help with the demolishing of a house. It was so much fun!

I love my heavenly father for saving my only mission sons life..my testimony is strong of the Gospel. I love the Gospel and I love my Heavenly Father!  sorry but times run out!

August 8, 2016

Another Great week! It was sad not working in my old area, but I did get to go visit in it for a day on divisions! So this week I had my first consejo de lideres in managua and I got to see a lot of my missionary friends and talk to them for a few. This week I had to do a few divisions and I stayed in my new area. Over the weekend we were able to baptize this awesome kid named Gustavo and it was a really cool experience because my grandson in the mission was able to baptize him! I was such a neat experience to see the first baptism of my grandson! :D this is gonna be a great week because we've got some cool people to baptize :)

from Mom (10 weeks left on his mission..... Elder Baltimore is not counting but I am!)

August 1, 2016

Well this week was great! I had my last news meeting with my son Elder Santizo and today he has finished his training!!! The surprising new..HES GOING TO HAVE A SON TOMORROW and he's a DL!!! I'M A GRANDPA!!! and because of that...today I had changes though! Good news though is that I literally changed to the other side of Ocotal haha, I became a ZL too so this will be a neat experience! Also today I start my last 12 weeks here in Nicaragua... :/ One elder from the zone, Elder Hirschi, finished the mission today. He'll be missed here! So this Wednesday I had a little operation haha, I had these weird lumps on my face and I had to go to the clinic and they gave me shots and it was super painful! I walked around for 2 days with big lumps from the shots and swollen. The good news is that they're all gone!! Things are great here, this weekend we got to visit a little pueblo called Jicaro to take out some papers for a marriage! We were able to marry a couple super cool and then yesterday we were able to baptize the wife after church! We ask her if she wanted to get baptized yesterday or within the week, and she was like, lets go to the river! I am ready to get wet! ...after 4 months working with her, I was finally able to see the baptisms, my last convert in the area! Miracles exist if were obedient!! 3 nephi 8:1

July 25, 2016
Well this was a great week! We had interviews with our new mission president and it was a really great interview! We bonded a lot and he even went out and with me and my companion! It was super cool to be able to work with him! Today we went to climb a mountain and it was super cool. It was called the 3 señoritas. I do not have much time to write though because it's late! Tomorrow I have to get up at 230 in the morning to catch the bus to go to Managua for a meeting! Saturday we had a service project with a sister to go into the mountains and cut wood and carry it all the way back to her house. It was a painful journey, carrying about 60-70 lbs of wood like 5 miles back to her house on my shoulders, My shoulders are still red and purple and killing me but it was fun. (I do enjoy hard work) and I would definitely do it again! This past Sunday I was able to call my 1st counselor in the branch presidency to help out the branch!! We've had a lot of miracles happening though. I know this church is true!!! I know that God works miracles every day. I have seen these miracles and how it has brought people closer together. I love y'all and I'll talk next week! Sorry for a short message but everything is okay!

July 18. 2016

So this week has been awesome!! So it all started off like this.... we've got an investigator that we have been working with forever and she is super cool, I have baptized her children but she hasn't been able to be baptized because she lives with her husband but they're not married because he hasn't wanted to.. but this week we gained some confidence with the husband and we had a really deep conversation him and he was saying that he wants to get married with her now so that she can get baptized. Its been so frustrating because this lady is so awesome! She always goes to church and she even leaves and goes teaching with us and things like that. Now I might actually be able to see her baptism! So we get the process going on what they need to do to get married. We thought she didn't have an ID card so we got a little dismayed and prayed a lot that God would open up a way for her to be able to get married so she could be baptized, and so we go back the next day and found her ID card!! Super miracle because it takes 2 weeks to get an id card and changes are in 2 weeks.... So this week were going to do all possible and see if things go through! I got a call from the senior missionaries saying that they were headed up to Ocotal to drop of a package for me!!! I got a package from my Mom with Ping Pong equipment!! I was so excited to get this because now I can play! We have been having little ping pong tournaments in our house during free time haha. Today we went and explored a new waterfall that we heard of! We got super lost and almost headed back to Ocotal, but we finally found it last minute! Sad news of the week though.. I got my flight itinerary for going home.. I was in the branch´s office doing some paperwork and in came the email and I got super sad. The branch president and I had a good talk about it but I still did not feel much better. I have come to love the people here so much! I know that Jesus lives and God loves us. I know if we focus on the miracles that God gives of daily.. we will all be a little more grateful for our blessings! Love yall!!

July 11, 2016

This was another week that it was difficult to write due to time constraints on the computer.

(from Mom...) Elder Baltimore has been working hard in the field. He has never once complained of the elements that have been placed before him. He is doing such a wonderful job for our Lord. He loves the people of Nicaragua and the areas that he has been able to serve. Today he received an email asking for the airport that he will be returning to when his mission is complete. I asked him how he felt about returning home, and even though he loves and misses us, he enjoys his mission so much that it will be difficult for him to return. He loves the people there and the challenges of daily life. Elder Baltimore has passion for what he does and compassion for the people there. I love this young man of mine! In the pictures he sent, he was able to help a family in their kitchen cooking dinner. The rest of the pictures are of the crazy personality of my son. He is always finding ways to make people laugh.

July 4, 2016

Well another week full of miracles!! My companion and I started the week off without anyone preparing to be baptized this past weekend.. and so after having the miracle happen a week ago of baptizing the young man, we knew that Heavenly Father would be able to bless us again. So we prayed a lot together on Monday.... on who we should pass by so that we finish the week by finding our lost soul to be baptized. On Tuesday we were presenting some datos in a meeting and I had a strong feeling to put this one family's name on the board as people we could baptize this week. and so after lunch we pass by the family ( thinking that the husband would still be out of town cause he'd been gone for over a month) and there was the husband and he said " we missed you guys, can we get baptized now" and my companion and I just looked at each other and we just felt the Lords finger in this work! It was a pure miracle that came from a simple feeling to pass by the family. So this weekend we had the privilege to see them get married and also baptized! It was funny cause we were getting the wedding ready and they just walk in like an hour early and we were shocked haha because they lived like 30 minutes from the church.. and then on Sunday they all came to church together. I love to see families coming to church because they want to!  I know the Lord works miracles. And especially here in Ocotal! Throwing fire as the best area in the mission for the past few months!! It is very hot here. We do what we can here to stay cool. The only times that I see or feel air conditioned rooms is at church.  I love y'all! Ask for Miracles with faith, listen to the spirit, and you'll see and feel what I've seen and felt for the past 21 months :) This past week I got a call from the mission president's counselor and he was like hey Elder Baltimore I need to talk to you, I'll be in Ocotal in the chapel waiting for you in half an hour! I was shocked because I didn't do anything wrong haha, and so we talked a minute and he told me that they were gonna start seminary and institute here!!! He asked me who could be my teacher and I though in my head.. "hmmm who can be like Jeri Toolan" haha and so we got in his truck and headed off to this lady's house and talked to her and I shared her the story on how seminary has impacted my life and the changes that it helped me make haha and I told her that seminary teachers teach the future missionaries and then I shared stories and in the end she accepted!

June 27, 2016
So this was a great week! The Lord loves his missionaries!! I had another super miracle baptism this week. We didn't even know the kid until Wednesday, but found out that he had investigated the church before and was away for along time. His aunt is a member. We had a meeting in the church and he came and I stepped outside of the meeting to ask why he was there and invited him to be baptized the 10th of July and he said this Saturday. We almost didn't get baptized because he had vacation from school and had to go to a pueblo to visit his grandma and so he wouldn't be able to do it.. then he told us Friday that his vacation was canceled and had school Monday and that he'd be able to go to church Sunday and be baptized Saturday! so 2 big miracles... finding him, and in the end baptizing him. He came to church with his family to be confirmed! This week I was doing service making a fence and cutting down a tree whose branches had 3 inch thorns all on it... and one fell on my arm and the thorns went all the way in and it was super nasty taking them out and had to go to the clinic because my arm got swollen... so now I am just having to wait for the little barbs to come out of there holes in my arm.. :)... Also Saturday we had a big mother's day, father's day and children's day activity and came more than 100 people and it was super fun! There were many fun activities. I was asked to dance in front of everyone haha.. still not the best dancer let's just say :) Also today we went and visited a little city outside of Ocotal called Mosonte and did some exploring and found a cool little old catholic church and took some cool pics! But anyways I know the lord works miracles in our lives! My companion and I were praying a ton throughout this past week asking that we would be led to find those searching for the truth and want to be baptized. We didn't have anyone for this week, and so we set out searching with faith and we found our miracle. If we ask and have faith.. He loves us and will give us miracles if we do whats right. I love y'all! take care!

June 20, 2016

I do not have much time to write today. Here are a few pictures of what took place this week though. We were walking along the road on our Pday and saw this man who had his truck stuck in the mud. I ran to help him. As I was pushing him out, the mud splattered all over me, but that was ok because I was offering service.

The next pictures are of President Collado and his family with the farewell hugs. They are a great family and will be missed!

June 13, 2016

Well this week has passed by fast! just 19 more weeks left :/ next week my pops Elder LeSuer heads back to his house and I'll be left fatherless in the mission! But things are good! Wednesday we will have our last meeting with President Collado because hes finishing his mission too and all. This past weekend we had a cool baptism in the waterfall and it was great!! Today we went to Rio Coco and went fishing! We were a little unsuccesful, aparently fish don't like hot dogs lol. We have been teaching this wonderful family and the husband is super pilas. He goes to church by himself and his wife was mas o menos, but this week she finally came to church with him which was a miracle! We passed by thir house in the morning and they weren't home so we went to church a little dismayed, We sat down and were getting ready for the Sacrament meeting and he shows up and is like " dont worry my wifes on her way" and in the end she came!! YESSSS!

This week has been great in the area, we foundsome cool new people and some old members that are less active! We found a man that is from bluefields and was the first member in ocotal, but hasn't come in a while, so we talked to him and are working on reactivating their family because they're super legit! Hope y'all have a great week! Don't forget to say your prayers always!!