Temple

Ok well sorry this is late but I got to go to the temple today and because of that they had to change our p-day and all that kind of thing but I got to go to the temple!! It’s so cool here. Have you all seen it? It’s really cool. Look it up. We got to go for like 6 hours because we went with a member who was working a shift there so we just stayed and did different stuff. I wrote more in a letter I’ll send today.

Um this has been a good week. I really can’t believe how fast it all goes. I feel like I’m writing ya’ll all the time and it’s just crazy that it’s been so long. This might be my last week with Elder L*. Sad and not cool but it is what it is. We don’t know yet but we will see next Monday.

We had been having some crazy stuff happen this week with our members. We have this sister whose name is L*. She is way cool. She was telling us how she was on the phone with her brother when she heard him get in a fight with his girlfriend and she just heard yelling and stuff so she went and jumped a fence and broke it up. That sounds like kinda strange but if you could see L* you would laugh. She is like 5’3” or something and the fence is tall and she was like “I just jumped right over it”. She didn’t understand it either. I almost lost if right then. That was really funny.

We have a guy with a baptismal date now. That was really cool. His name is J* and he is really cool. He is interested in hearing what we have to say and in trying to read and pray. If he does it then we are gold because it’s true. All they have to do is read and they will know, it’s just that simple. There are some things I’ve been learning in my time here, like if you say your prayers every night (family and personal), do your home and visiting teaching and read your scriptures you won’t be able to fall away. The people that fall are the people that stop and that’s all it is. They choose to forget what they know. I want to ask every less active person what it was that kept them away and I’m sure it always starts with small things. People need to go to church, and more than that they need to want to go to church. Church is the chance we all have to be able to turn off the world. It’s the time where we can ask our questions to God and expect to get our answers. I know that if we can get people to come to church they will feel the Spirit that’s there and they will be able to understand why it’s so important. I love the way that the Spirit talks to me. I know it’s different for everyone but I think I’m really learning how to listen out here. I love the things that we teach and the way that it can help people.  What we have is really special. Never forget it! Please read and pray as a family. If you’re not doing it start. If you are GREAT JOB! Keep it up. It could make all the difference in the future. I love you all.

Good bye all and I love ya lots

Elder Birks

PS Oh and we are trying to get into the county jail to teach a members brother still. We hope to go in this week! It feels so funny walking in. We are going to get into jail one way or another ;-)    We will see how it works. I just thought about that. Love ya’ll