Elder Baird's Something About Socks: WEEK 21 HUALIAN / XIZHI: Popular. I'm already Pah-ah-pular!

This is directed to my MTC teacher.

Derrick.

What have you done.

The whole ward knows me as Bunn Zhang Laos child now. More like 笨長老。Sorry Brother Bunn. The joke had to be made. Please don't hate me :)

Anyways so I'm serving in the same area that my MTC teacher served in and he let the members know that I was coming and so they already know me. It kind of makes it hard to set people up because all they talk about is him. He's kind of a legend in Xizhi 汐止。So yah. Thanks. Too good of a missionary.

On that fact I am in a new walk of life now!

No longer do I get to live the simple life of the east coast. No longer do I get the ocean on my front porch.

It's the city life for me! Not quite the emerald city but close enough (wow it's like I miss musicals or something (you already know there's gonna be references throughout the whole email. (count them all and you get a prize! I'm so wicked))) (that one better be easy)

So I actually am really enjoying this place. I knew I would, but now I am! Movings always rough though. No jetset for me. Just a steam engine cause nobody can do it like a steam train.

So I brought all my luggage with me and pretty soon I was a line missionary out to face the world. Transfers are weird. Just me on a train to a new home. But this is my shot for a new start! New comp! New house! New people! New everything.

So yah, Xizhi is a big city in between two big mountains. It's nestled right there which means it rains a looooot. Not just that, but it's been colder than a snowman in summer here. Colder than the new York city streets. But I shouldered the burden well.

This is just gonna make my email really weird. Sigh. I don't have anything better to right about so why not. Gotta have fun somehow!

Anyways the past days I have been wearing a long sleaved shirt, two jackets. Gloves. Two pairs of socks. A face mask. And I've still been freezing. It's odd.

Which brings me to face masks!

So for those of you who don't know we're in the middle of an epidemic. This is the part where I do my best to scare everyone. So.

Corona virus!

Or 大陸病！

So yah if you haven't heard about it then you don't pay attention to the word very often. Or you're just smart and don't watch the news. Or you're not smart and and don't watch the news... I'm not sure which it is. Anyways the Corona virus is in Taiwan!

Scary!

But actually not at all. There's like 9 people in all of Taiwan who have it and they are in quarantine. So there's less than 7% chance that any of us could get it.

That doesn't stop the whole entire sovereign nation of Taiwan from going into a complete uproar!

Literally its Disneyland in here. Except at the end of the line there isn't a fun ride or something, there's a mask for you to buy.

The government is rationing out masks and to do so they are going to they're most trusted partner in business.

7-11

Yep, the government is rationing masks through 7-11. So basically you wait in line. Get a pack of 3 masks. Each mask lasts 3 days. You give them your money. And then you leave.

Literally everyone is wearing masks. It makes it harder to do missionary work but at least youre safe from dalubing. (China sickness)

Yah. There's literally nothing to worry about. Other than looking like a ninja. Which of course I do.

Also!

Costco!

I give it a 7/5

It's just too good.

Anyways things are going swell here! Not a lot to report on. I did get to sing in a quartet for a fireside and that was fun! We sang 'brightly beams our fathers mercy' and it came out pretty good! No recording, but just take my word for it.

Also we biked up a giant mountain to get to a members house and they had the most amazing trees. And I saw the stars. And something about forest expertise.

Anyways that's gonna be it for the day. I'm busy and can't really think of anything else to make up.

Love you all! Keep up the fire!

Love,

Elder Baird

Something about socks:

*stands back onto soap box*

So, come follow me, I literally can't stress enough how important it is that everyone is doing this. Whether with your family or by yourself. We need to be in the scriptures every day. And the Prophets have literally given us inspiration from God on what to do.

So yah.

Anyways this is my thought from this week's Come Follow Me.

1 Nephi 17 is just an amazing chapter all together, but as I was reading it I noticed something that really stuck out to me.

"And it came to pass that we did again take our journey in the wilderness... And we did travel and wade through much affliction in the wilderness... And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us... And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish... strengthen... and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them" (1 Nephi 17:1-3)

I can testify of the truth of this. We're gonna go through hard stuff. But God will always provide a way. And most of the times that way is going straight through the middle of it. Straight through the forest. Most of the times the way isn't going to be a fun trip around the forest while looking at the beach and playing in the sand. Nope, it's straight through.

But that's the way God provided for us. That's they way he wants us to go. And we need to be humble enough to accept that.

I've learned on my mission a lot about humility. Mostly about how I don't have it and how I need it. But I've noticed that there has been little things that I've fought with the Lord about. Things were I wasn't humble.

As I've tried my best to change these life's gotten better!

So this is my invitation. Find one thing in your life that you're fighting God on. Find it, then pray for help to change. Then change 🤷‍♀️ maybe it's doing come follow me. Who knows. But as we use the atonement to become more humble and change we will more fully be able to accept our journey in the wilderness. And we will be able to get through them with more happiness and joy!

I love you all! Discover the joy of repentance!