Well Goooood Moooorning Viieettaaaiwwwaannnn
lol
lol
What is up my peeps? Like literally. Tell me what is going on in your lives. Shout out to the people who read my email last week! It was a grand total of 6 people who read it and responded that they had. So I guess I can say the the page is not dead yet!
Speaking of pages, if anyone has any experience with running a Facebook business page lmk. Cause I do that now.
Wooooow what a week. Sit down. Grab some cocoa. A notepad. Cause Get ready here we gooooooo (vloom vloom vloom vlloooooooom)
((supposed to be Peter Pan music for you true fans out there who know what I am talking about))
So we will start on Monday. P-day was so chill and that is okay. Did some dope things. Did some less dope things.
So lets just move on to Tuesday. I was still feeling sick when I woke up, but sick doesn't = no spirit. Because that morning we have a lesson with Janet. Janet is getting baptized on the 12th. She is amazing. We taught her the law of chastity (and by we I mean my companion spoke in Tagalog while I sat there and bore testimony when he told me to) and may I just say the church is true? And the gospel changes lives?
As we were talking about it I started to notice that something was up. Since I don't talk a lot in these lessons my main objective becomes to pray for my companion and the investigator as we teach, and then listen to the spirit. Because the gift of tongues is real I can still be prompted by the spirit to know what to say even if I have no clue what anyone else is saying.
So we asked her about her thoughts because, like I said, we could tell something was up.
And she just starts to tell us about how she already has a 7-year-old son. She's 24ish. And that she didn't get married to the father and how the father left her. And as she was telling this to us you could just see the weight settling on her shoulders. 7 years of pain because of what had happened. 7 years of doubt and trial. 7 years raising a child alone because her boyfriend left when she got pregnant.
And then she looked at us and asked "Can I still get baptized?"
And of course the answer was yes! We started to share about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of repentance. And she broke into tears. I literally watched this 7 year weight be lifted off her shoulders as she turned to God. She was just sitting there crying and we told her that she can be forgiven and that God will help her. And so she just sat there and cried as she felt God's love for her.
And I just want to take some time here to say that God loves you. You. No not the other person that might be reading this email. But you. YOU. And he will work with you as long as you are willing to work with Him. And you will not be perfect. And you will mess up. And it will feel terrible. And there will be pain. I know that. I have felt that. The pain of addiction and sin is real and it is heavy. But somehow, Somehow, God still can reach in and help. And it takes time. It will take time for Janet to be completely healed from 7 years of pain. But she has felt God's love for her. And God loves all of us. In the darkest times of my life (my intermission for those of you not religiously following along with my emails (if you've missed them check out my blog (link down below))) God was there for me. Even though I sinned against the light he still brought me back and forgave me. I am so grateful for that. And I forever will be. God be thanked for the matchless gift of his divine son.
So yah. Amazing Lesson.
Then we went to a members house for a dinner and they made authentic Mexican food which I haven't eaten in a while and so that made me smile :))))
Yerp
Wednesday I forgot to write in my journal and have forgotten about it because we have been super busy.
But one of our other friends, Helen, who is also getting baptized on the 12th, said rather emphatically that Jesus was her husband. Her husband left her and started another family while she was abroad making money for her family. Her life is incredibly hard. She has had employers that have beaten her because she didn't do her work right. There was one time that she walked across the mountains from Turkey to Syria to escape wars in the country. She walked for 10 days without food or water. And when she was about to die, she prayed to God and asked to see her children again. And immediately she had strength to keep going and found water so that she could survive.
This woman has been through everything, and she is the most humble person I have ever met. When she only had 3USD she gave it away to a woman and her young baby because they needed it more than she did. I have never met anyone quite like this. She is an angle.
We met with her again on Sunday and she told us that she was so excited to be baptized because she had finally found that truth. The true church. She has worshiped God her whole life, but she told us that this is the organization she was missing. This was the Restored truth of Jesus Christ.
And I just sat there stunned listening to her testify about how the Book of Mormon had changed her life. She was testifying to me! It is incredible! I have no clue why I am so lucky to see this happening in my area. The Filipinos are such an amazing people. And wow. So amazing.
Just jaw dropped and stuff.
Then Thursday was transfer day so everyone was moving around and in the office. We said goodbye to Elder Zhang and Elder Cai. They will be missed. And we said hello to all the new missionaries. We do a lot of training with them which is kind eh. But at the same time it means that we get a lot of free food which is nice!
Then another Filipino sister invited us over for a Thanksgiving dinner! What a miracle. A Fillipino woman, living in Taiwan, making an American Thanksgiving. The light that comes from these members is astounding. I had never seen anything like it until this night. As they just talked about there desire to share the gospel I was just amazed. Like, woah us white people arent' like this at all. We should learn how to be more humble.
It is incredible.
Friday was my first full day as an office elder so that was pretty lit. We took some missionaries to the train station that were going home. And put all the other missionaries on the bus to the airport. We lost 10 sisters this transfer and got 0 new ones.... So.... Yah our mission is struggling on the number of missionaries front.... Oh well.
We then talked to a friend who we had asked to pray about if what we were talking to her about was true. She said she had and that she felt a ton of relief when she said the prayer.
It really is relief when we find the truth. if you want to know what that's like, open the Book of Mormon. Yeeeeey
Then we met a guy on the street who seemed willing to talk. But then he just started to go off on Joseph Smith and stuff and just was quoting all these false things and it was kind of funny. First time experiencing that really. Man I just love only contacting foreigners. They are sooooooo nice. More on him later.
Saturday we met with another Filipino sister named Marina. This was our first time meeting with her. We were also meeting with a friend of hers who is a member but hasn't been to church in over 30 years.
And after we shared the first lesson they both just started to cry. They were both so touched by the spirit that they just could only cry.
Marina set a Baptismal date for December 20th.
What message, other than the Restored Gospel of our Lord and Savior even Jesus Christ, could change a person this much?
LET me know in the comments down below what else would do that?
There aren't going to be a lot I can tell you that.
Sunday we met a Russian guy at church. one of the members invited him. He is way cool and we will meet with him sometime next week. So yeeeee. I then put Chinese subtitles on the light the world video the church put out.
Speaking of. If you haven't looked at light the world yet then repent and go look at it.
comeuntochrist.org will have everything you need to get started on your advent calender of service! Wohoo!
And that was basically my week. Let me think..... Yah that is about it.
What a crazy amazing week.
I love you all so much! Remember to light the world!
Love,
Elder Baird
Something about socks,
So remember that guy who I said I would talk about him later. Well. I'm not going to talk about him yet.
I love to see the temple
I put Sriracha on my siracha
One spoon to clean
Okay now I will talk about him. So as he was talking with us he said that there was a verse in the Bible that was about breaking down strongholds. And he told us that he was here in Taiwan to break down strongholds. He then told us he was here to break down OUR strongholds (rude, I spent good money on the mortar around the outer perimeter)
He then started talking about some anti stuff and just looked at us and was like, "I'm telling you things that should be destroying your faith, but you aren't listening!!!!!!" (he was pretty exasperated while saying that, I guess he thought that we were just little pillow forts)
And I kind of just wanted to laugh.
Not to be rude or anything. This was a good guy who believes in God and just wanted things to be his way.
But I wanted to laugh because Satan thought it was that easy to destroy my faith.
Ha
Think again.
As he said that I was immediately reminded of a verse in the Book of Mormon (it's like it's the word of God or something)
Helaman 5:12
12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
My foundation was built on Jesus Christ and his true and restored gospel. And it didn't matter what words this guy said (whirlwinds) and what jabs he made (shafts) he could not make me fall. Because my foundation is sure. I am built on the rock of my redemption.
And this rememinded me of a talk that our Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, gave recently. He talked about how 'it will not be possible to survive spiritually unless we learn to receive personal revelation'
Friends and Family. The world is a crazy place. And our faith is gonna be tested. But we do not have to be worried. If our foundation is sure then our hope can be sure to. So do a structural integrity test of your personal spiritual foundation. How are your prayers. Your scriptures. Your church attendance? When was the last time you received personal revelation from God? What are you doing that is prohibiting you from recieving this revelation.
Then after you've done this check. Change. You need to make your foundation sure or else you will be knocked off. I have seen so many people leave this amazing gospel because there foundations were not sure. Don't let that be you. Make the choice now. You can. Because God loves you he will help you to do it. So just do it. DO IT.
BREAKING NEWS:
There's a new way to hear all about Elder Baird time in Taiwan! No longer do you have to scroll back through all my emails during your daily "Have to read something that Elder Baird wrote" fix!
Thanks to the hard work and countless hours of a mother who is too nice there is now a new way!
Click on the link above and you will be taken to an internet blogging platform that will have all my letters and pictures in one place! As well as added pictures and videos never before seen! So there you go! Invite all your friends as well! The more the merrier!
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