Moving mountains with a shovel

What’s up ya’ll?

The baptism fell through….NOT! Haha. It was so crazy and it all just kinda fell together. Let’s just say I now know several things not to do but they are full blown members and good to go to the temple for baptisms for the dead on the 23^rd of this month. I was able to do the confirmation! It was really cool. Their dad did the baptism but only has the Aaronic Priesthood so he couldn’t confirm them. It’s crazy to think of how it all happened and that all the stress and everything didn’t even matter. Once it’s done we are good to go. They rock and we will be baptizing their little brother in the next few weeks because I’m staying here with Elder D* for another transfer! I’m probably just going to be on bike and I’ll only have one area. The sad thing is I will lose J* and like all of our members. I’ll be back to the area me and Elder B* had so should be fun.

Something I learned this week, the church makes sense. Haha, like it really does. We are sometimes the problem. We over complicate things and then we miss the simple truths that God has given to us. It’s so great to have an understanding of the plan of salvation. To know who we are, where we are from and where we are going. To know that God has not and will not forsake us and that He has given us help in this life. I love the Gospel. I by no means understand everything and feel more often then not that others could do better, but God has made things come to my mind in the moment that I need them and in the instant that my investigator needs it. It always comes down to faith and being willing to follow inspiration. God will not let us fail when it is His work. I learned that with the baptism. As for myself I am nothing but in the hands of my God I can move mountains, just sometimes it’s with a shovel and a lot of time and effort. I’m so glad to be here and to watch people grow. I hope all of you are doing good and that everyone is happy. I’ve learned that being happy is a choice and it almost always starts with a smile. So smile big! You never know who is looking.

Love ya’ll sooooo much

Elder Birks

Christ's name next to mine

Well, the week is over. This was probably one of the fastest of the transfer. Not sure why. Kinda strange week. Haha it was like a week in my last area. We had like one lesson every day and just did a lot of going around. I got to help some people out with stuff though.

I love trying to talk to Chinese people and people from Vietnam because it’s just fun to see how hard it is to communicate but it helps me see how far my Spanish has come. When I got here I really didn’t feel like I could speak any Spanish but now I can talk with people about really random things, work, school, animals, church family, etc. I don’t speak perfect by any means but you know what, I can communicate. I can tell people why we are here and that I want to help them. With the Chinese it’s different. You have to talk really simple but I got to help a little lady carry a big microwave up the stairs so that rocked! And I didn’t get my shirt dirty. It was great. I had a moment when I walked under a tree that was full of birds and one of them gave me a present (POOO) and it landed on my shirt. I was like, “NO way. Now it’s going to be a good day!” because as everyone knows when a bird poos on you, you’re lucky for the rest of the day. It all worked out. Elder D* is super legit and busted out his Tide to go pen and I got rid of the little poop marks and we were off. Yeah it was fun.

So the R*’s are doing soooo good. Hno R* got the priesthood and will get to baptize his daughters! (Hno = Brother just so you know.) The girls are super ready. All they need is one more interview and they are going to be full out members. I’m really excited. J* has dropped his date for the moment. He needs to come to church at the very least one more time but after that the next Saturday he will get baptized. I just hope I’m here for that. Vamos a ver.

I finally ate some strange food! It’s called menudo and it’s really ……… strange. I’ll leave it there. It’s kinda hard for a gringo to eat. I hear you have to be 200% Mexican to really love it so give me a little while and I’ll love it! But yeah it was fun to get to try it.

Well I want ya’ll to know that the church is true. I feel that every time I go to the R*’s (well I feel it more then that but I really feel it there). You can just see the way it’s pulling their family together, the new light that has been turned back on in that house. I love this work. It will never matter how many baptisms I get or how many families I can help come back. The number is so pointless. It’s the names; it’s the people that now have an understanding of who they are! That God has not left them, that we are only here to help them come back. I love to be a missionary. It’s a funny, sad thought. My nightmares are waking up without my tag by my bed. It really is scary to think the day will come when Christ’s name won’t be next to mine. So I’m going to work as hard as I can with what God has given me because the next time I blink I’ll be here again at email and when I take a breath I’ll have a new comp and when I try to look back, I’ll be home. So I guess I’ll see you soon. I love being a missionary and I love all of you. Thanks for keeping me in your prayers.

Love,

Elder Birks

Baptisms and tamales!

Well here everything is going great. The weather is kinda strange, not all that cold but rainy but I really don’t mind the rain. I have my car today so that helps out even more. As for things that have been going on, did I tell you this is a short transfer? It’s only 5 weeks so yeah. Just so you know. Well I’ve been doing good. I’m working hard. We had lower numbers this week then we have for a while but I’ll figure that out this week. The R*’s are planning on being baptized on the 23^rd of this month so that’s going to be a great day as well as J* (still hasn’t come to church though, car problems). It was really funny. We had this kid J* drop us. The funny thing is that we have been texting him everyday for the past month (without a response) to read the Book of Mormon, every day at 4:30 because he asked us to. Then all of a sudden we get a text and he is like “I’m not interested” and I was like “Why not?” and ect. But yeah it was really funny because I’ve been annoyed that he never texts us back and I felt like we were just wasting texts and we hadn’t seen him in several weeks. I was ready to just stop texting him. He is a really cool kid, just not ready yet. Now I don’t have to waste my texts on someone who isn’t even going to read because we have 2 other people who are going to read!

Oh, I have a lady that’s going to teach me how to make tamales! I’m so pumped. Mom you should figure those out because they are so good but they are kinda hard to make. Sorry, haha, but it’s worth it! Man and homemade tortillas, oh they are soooooo good. I’m getting better at making beans and the sisters here are helping me learn things to put in them and how to make other things. I love the food here. Spanish food is way good and there is so much here, then all of a sudden you’re eating Chinese or BBQ. Texas has options and Houston is so full of people from all over the world that man, it’s great.

Funny thing. So I was at a house with the S* family yesterday and the kids there are starting to love me. I’m not sure if it’s a good thing (the little boy climbs all over me now, haha) but me and the little girl, she is like 8 or 9, she was teaching me a handshake. We say like “lemonade, lemonade, piece of ice, beat it once, beat it twice” and then repeat it. It was so funny. I’m not very good at first but I learn pretty fast. She was just laughing and saying “oh missionaro, porque no puede hacerlo” (missionary, why can’t you do it?) It was fun, but don’t worry, by the end I had it down! They are a great family. The dad helped me remember something really important too. As much as we are there to be their friends we are there to bring the Spirit. He told us about the missionaries that he remembered and every one was because of something they had said that had helped him feel the spirit. It was really cool and helped me remember that I need to love the people enough that it will push me to study harder so I will have the knowledge to answer their questions and to help them come unto Christ and to know Him better and as I do that I will grow. I will be blessed and I will become who I’m supposed to become. It’s something for me to think about.

I really hope that you have a great day and know that everything here is good. Valentines is going to be strange, I’m sure of that. But it could be worse. Haha. I could have a girl waiting. Holidays are so strange here. They are really just another day. I forgot it was Valentines until I read your letter. The life of a missionary is always on fast forward. It’s so crazy to me. 

I love ya’ll

Elder Birks

Fast Forward!

What’s up ya’ll! Well this week went really fast. How crazy is this right now. Who hit fast forward! Every time I blink I’m sending a new email. It’s crazy. Well this has been a good week. We were able to talk with J* a little more and he is doing really good. In every prayer he asks God to help him be ready for his date. It’s awesome.

We were super blessed this week. The R*’s came to church and they are doing so good it’s crazy. The girls still don’t have a date but we are working on that one. That’s where we were for the Superbowl. We were just at their house talking with some of their friends and eating pizza. We were able to have so many people at church. That lady bought us groceries again and while we were talking to her she was standing by her daughter and all of a sudden she said that her daughter is not a member and that we should start teaching her.

Well I’m super sorry but I was talking with a Sister from Spain and now my time has kinda run out but you will get a great letter in the next week with all kinds of awesomeness.

I love ya’ll tons and am glad to hear that you are doing well.

Love,

Elder Birks