Elder Baird's Something About Socks: WEEK 23 XIZHI: "Well isn't this just a travesty darling" said in a very southern accent

The day has come.

The prophecy has been fulfilled.

The legend is true.

Corki is going to Harvard and Yale.

I've always been told by other missionaries that there comes a day when people slowly stop emailing you. You slowly become forgotten as your letters are just more and more often sent into the boxes where they can never return.

And so I have decided to stop emailing.

The email is over... Why are you still reading?

I'm just kidding! You all know me too well! You know that I would never not email, because I know it would break all of my loyal fans and followers hearts. And I don't know what I would do if I didn't email every week. It's like, the best part of my week!

So here's this week email for all of those who are still with me!

Wow I'm rambling. I'm surprised more people don't like me. I mean, who wouldn't like just being randomly bombarded by words of nonsense?

Well, I've been busy busy busy! Sometimes busy doing nothing, and sometimes busy doing something! We've visited a lot of members this week, and by visited I mean go to their house to find out they've moved. Not talking to people has been rough!

But it's led to me calling a loooooot of people. Which takes us to two stories! One about me being an idiot, and one about a miracle!

Let's start with me being an idiot. That sounds like fun! So, I'm calling through potentials, people who have potential in wanting to learn about the gospel, and I called a person and was like come to English Group! And she was like sure! And I was like great! And then because I'm a missionary I asked her if she was interested in learning more about the gospel to which she was like maybe. I asked her what her thoughts about Jesus were and she said the following.

"我覺得耶穌基督是我的爸爸，而且是我的媽媽。＂

I lost it.

The other 2 elders next to me lost it too.

She hung up.

We lost it very quietly so I don't think she actually heard us, I think there was phone troubles.

I think.

We called back and her husband answered and said he'd come to English Group. So we will see if I get a second chance.

Then the miracle one. I was sitting in a family Mart calling people and I saw someone that I'd already called like 2 times and they hadn't answered. I decided to give it a shot.

She picks up the phone and I tell her who we are and she says, "I've been waiting for months for you to call me! Where are you? I'll come and we can talk"

I was shocked. Told her that we couldn't meet right then and then set her up for the next day.

We met with her and she's way interested! So we will see where that goes!

And then the day came where we received a text from President which basically said, don't plan finding time but you can talk to people between your activities!

I GET TO TALK ABOUT THE GOSPEL AGAIN! TO PEOPLE ON THE STREET!

We got that text and I went and talked to the next guy I saw and it made me so happy even though he just walked away!

I've also tried my hand at cooking. You will see pics down below. One could say I'm a master chef.

I also just went to Costco and I found fruit snacks and one could say I'm a very happy Boi.

Anyways, time for the question of the week. I really thought this would be a fun thing where anyone could ask any question and we would have a good time, but no one responded to my email... So... That was awkward. Luckily I woke up this morning and Grandma Betsy had responded and asked a question.

The question is, your companion question mark?

Apparently I'm not good enough so we have to talk about someone else.

Anyways.

NOW INTRODUCING ELDER FANG! WITH THE RAPPER NAME OF YOUNG FANG AND COMING IN AT 168 CM HE'S A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH!

Born and raised in the beautiful town of 高雄 he learned from a young age that something was missing. Was it the fact that he didn't fit in with other kids because he was to 帥 or was it something deeper... A spiritual longing for something more.

He started meeting with missionaries at 8 years old and by the time he was 9 he had decided to be baptized. As the first member in his family of him and his mom to be baptized it was an uphill battle.

In middle school his mom joined the church. And before he knew it he was preparing to go on a mission.

Now he's been out for over a year and just recently has acquired his best companion yet. Thank goodness for Elder Baird who he loves dearly.

Elder Fang doesn't speak English. Loves to sing. Cooks. Scuba dives. And loves board games.

He's a great guy with a great heart and he's on the Lord's errand!

And thus ends the question of the day.

Now back to me.

Dang I'm prideful, but no seriously I love him.

I also got to play the piano yesterday and I'm not very good anymore and that makes me sad. I also woke up this morning and was instantly terrified because I didn't remember Calculus. That was scary. It's gonna be weird to get back into school. Good thing I still have a year and a half.

Holy that's a long time. Like it feels sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo far away. But I guess that's how life goes. I'm trying to focus more on living in the moment and not living in a moment a year and a half from now. It's really hard, but I work on it every day!

Anyways, getting off of that. I realized the other day that I don't give God enough credit. I was on exchanges with Elder Lu the other day and we biked up this MASSIVE hill. And I mean massive. I did mountain biking for 3 years and biked crazy race courses and so I get uphill climbing and so I can say that this 算s MASSIVE.

The whole purpose of biking this hill was to get to a house at the top. As well as to bike down it. But we bike up and we knock on the door of the randomly lady who decided she wanted to live literally on the top of a mountain, and she answers. We talk for a while and she explains why she hasn't been going to church.

We talk about it and then Elder Lu says something that I will never forget, "God sent us up here to give you a chance to come back."

'now that's a lie', I instantly thought.

Then I stopped. I literally just stopped. (thankfully Elder Lu was still talking as my brain processed.)

I had taken all credit of being on the top of this mountain for myself. I thought that I had made the decision to come up here. We'd decided to. Not, we were sent by God up here.

But we had.

We were his instruments to give this woman another chance and I didn't even believe it. After Elder Lu said that my whole outlook shifted. I was on the Lord's errand and so where I went I was sent by God. He was leading and directing me. And I'd been too prideful to notice.

It was a very humbling and great learning experience and it ended in a great ride down a mountain!

So I had learned. I am on God's errand and as such I have his power.

Since this encounter with my Ego I've since become a lot bolder. I've realized it's something I've been missing. In my lessons I'm quicker to promise people blessings and testify with power. I have no need to fear the reproach of man. And so I don't anymore. I'm turning into a more bold representative of Christ and it makes me happy to improve!

However I still have a ways to go. But I'm going to do it giving credit to the Lord. And I invite you all to start doing that as well. Give the credit to God for that is where it belongs.

I'd also just like to testify of Joseph Smith.

He is a Prophet of God.

Through him the Gospel of Jesus Christ was restored.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints is the one and only true and complete church and it is the same church that Jesus Christ himself established while he was on the earth.

Joseph Smith was a man.

Joseph Smith made mistakes.

Joseph Smith was called of God.

I know these things are true and I invite you all to find out for yourself the truthfulness of these things for yourself. Through reading and praying about the Book of Mormon you can know these things for yourself.

I also invite every person reading this to start reading the book "Saints". The church wrote this for a reason. And I invite all of you to read it and find out for yourselves why. It's an amazing book. It has strengthened my testimony, and it will strengthen yours if you allow it to.

That's about all for this week. Know that I love you even if you don't email me and know that I literally want emails from you. Like you. Like the you who just read the word you five times. That you. Now 6.

I hope you have a good week!

Love,

Elder Baird

A quick apology.

I'm sorry I stole your joke Roman. I won't do it again.

A quick original joke.

Why do ducks have tail feathers?

To cover their butt-quacks!!!

Something about socks.

Here we go again. You all know what's about to happen here. I'm thinking about changing the title to "something about come follow me" but that would take too long to type. So nah.

So. 2 Nephi 7. We've got ourselves an Isaiah chapter. What am I other than confused? Happy. Why? Cause I finally got something out of an Isaiah chapter. *confetti*

"I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

7 For the Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded. Therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.

8 And the Lord is near, and he justifieth me. Who will contend with me? Let us stand together. Who is mine adversary? Let him come near me, and I will smite him with the strength of my mouth.

9 For the Lord God will help me."

DANG

How powerful is that?

Just the straight assurance and the steadfastness and knowledge. This is how I want to be. I want to not be ashamed and I want to be successful.

But what is success? This is something I've thought a lot about as I've felt that I haven't been successful the last while. Thankfully in my Preach My Gospel study it just so happened to be about what makes you a successful missionary.

"Your success... is measured primarily by your commitment"

I was like, huh. Commitment. But what does that mean?

The trait of sincere and steadfast fixity of purpose

The act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action

Success is not based anything on any outward appearance. It's based on binding yourself to a course of action and then steadfastly and sincerely pursing that purpose.

That's what makes life good. Finding the purpose and then pushing for it.

"but Elder Baird, how does this have anything to do with come follow m..."

*throws white board marker across the room*

So as we go about this committed purposeful life where we hope to feel successful and follow God's commandments and stuff we're gonna get stopped. We're gonna have trials. And it's gonna suck.

That's when we need to set our face as flint and stand with God. No matter what is being throw our way it cannot prevail. It can hurt and wound us. But it cannot prevail.

So stand for God.

Set your face.

Be not confounded.

And be successful.

Fix yourself to the purpose of life, coming to know Christ, and stand immovable against whatever may come.

And do come follow me.

:)))

Holy today's email was long

Pictures

A delicious cuisine of meat of cow, season with a delectable store bout seasoning with just a pinch of salt. Cooked on pan for probably not long enough leaving this piece of meat still moping but at least I'm not dead and it tasted good.