It's been an eventful week here in the KW! One of our investigators, Peter, was baptized yesterday by Raymond, one of our Chinese members. Peter surprised us in our lesson with him on Tuesday by starting of saying how he had done a lot of thinking since Sunday and had decided that he wanted to be baptized because he knew baptism would help him to become the best he could be and more like Jesus. It was really sweet and we were really excited. He had already been taught everything so we made the appointment we had scheduled for that Thursday his baptismal interview! Cheryl and Bella, two of the members in the ward, came to his interview to support him which was really cool. The baptismal service was wonderful. Sister Willoughby gave this really great talk on baptism and how Simon became Peter when he followed Christ, and how Peter had changed his name to Peter as well (his Chinese name is Naihe), and how now as he was baptized he would also carry Christ's name. It was really special. Then all the Chinese YSA members, plus two of our investigators, sang "When I Am Baptized" before the ordinance was performed. I played the piano as they sang (I have never been more grateful for the ability to play the piano than I have been on my mission). Raymond baptized Peter which just adds to the long list of why EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND (he had made Peter promise that when he got baptized he would let him perform the ordinance. A+ for member support!).  On a less cool note, we had a bit of a scare this week when we thought we found what we thought were four bedbugs on our windowsill. We trapped them in tape and had our District Leader confirm they were what we thought (EEK!) and proceeded that evening to check everywhere else in the apartment for them. We have not seen any sign of any since so hopefully that was the end of them.  Also, it seems like our rent check got lost in the mail or something because we've been spammed all week with eviction notices and a summons to an eviction hearing. But no worries, it's all been taken care of. Dramatic though, eh?!  Love you all and hope things are a little calmer for you than they were for me! (Except for baptisms, keep those coming!)
Love,
Sister Makena Bauss
包爱蕾姐妹
Bao AiLei Jiemei

The work here in Kitchener/Waterloo is AWESOME! It's so cool to be in a Chinese area and to really get to use my Chinese. There are two universities here in the area, University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University, which brings in tons of students, which means...lots of Chinese people for us to teach! We're teaching nearly 20 people at the moment and it is awesome.  The Chinese missionaries here are over two congregations, the Kitchener 2nd Ward and the Kitchener YSA (Young Single Adult) Branch. This means nearly 7 hours that we are at church each Sunday. However, this past Sunday was Stake Conference, and because the Kitchener Stake was getting a new Stake President, two Seventies came, Elders Bennet and Kopischke. They were awesome and really focused on member missionary work, which I loved.  There won't be any pictures this week, but next week I'll treat you all with pictures next week that demonstrate how filthy our apartment was when we arrived. GROSS. The meter on our car is about to run out so I've got to run.
Love you all!
Sister Makena Bauss
Bao Ailiei Jiemei

BIG NEWS! Tomorrow I will transfer for my first time ever and head off to Kitchener. Sister Willoughby and I will be whitewashing the Chinese area there together and we'll be the very first Chinese speaking sisters in that area which should be interesting. Apparently, the Kitchener zone is the "land of milk and honey", which has me excited for a really good transfer. It will also be my first real Chinese area, which with less than a year left on my mission, is good to see. HOWEVER (and this is a big but), I am really going to miss St. Catharine's. It's the only area I've ever been in, it's where I was "born" and it will always have a very special place in my heart. We've spent the morning saying goodbyes to some of the most awesome people I've ever met. Mike and Melissa, our landlords, even treated us to a morning brunch! I love them! But I'm confident that I'll feel that way about every place I serve, so I'm really excited to go and love the people in Kitchener just as much!   We're leaving the Elders who are coming to replace us here with 13 investigators! And I really love them, so I'm praying that they will continue strong through the transfer. One of our really special investigators is named Rich. We contacted him on the street outside of his apartment building late one night, and while skeptical, he agreed to meet with us. He had been in a serious car accident about 15 years previous that left him severely handicapped, and as a result, he really didn't believe that God loved him. It's been amazing to watch his faith grow. Wednesday night we gave him a call and the first thing he told us was that he had prayed we would call him before Thursday. As we hung up the phone with him, he said "at least I know He's listening." It was a really touching experience, and was only strengthened when we saw him on Friday and he told us that we had called him only 30 minutes after he had finished saying his prayer. It's so cool to see instances where God uses us as tools in His hand. I hope to be able to continue having experiences like this wherever I serve.   On a significantly less serious note, my companion and I spent the afternoon yesterday with a Baroness who happens to be a member of our ward. That's right, I visited with royalty. That is all.   Take care and lots of love! (and wish me luck packing!) Love, Sister Makena Bauss
Bao Ailei Jiemei