It's Kinda Like Magic

Hi family, Well it sounds like everything is going good. Well as for Texas, it’s been going pretty good. It’s been warm and I think I’m getting old because now I sometimes feel tired on my bike so that’s been fun. It’s more like I went on exchanges with two Elders who are like kids in a candy store and I had to bike hard to try and tire them out. Haha. it worked. They were dead by the end of the day. They are both great Elders and they want to work so bad. It was a great exchange. I have not been able to get in and visit that cool girl from the porch. I don’t think she has a problem with us but the family she lives with doesn’t seem too pumped that we are coming by (they just never answer the door) but we will keep going and going and going because one day she will come back to the door and everything will work out. Hey so I’m learning a lot out here from the scriptures and it’s been so crazy to see how much happier a family will be if they just make the scriptures a part of their life. I really hope that everyone is taking some time everyday to read and pray and learn the things that God has prepared for them. I love the fact that we can learn something new every time we read. It’s kinda like magic if you think of it. You will always find something new and for you when you read and have the Spirit. I have been trying so hard to read and have the Spirit and it’s been amazing to me to be able to see the difference in my studies. I hope you all get the chance to read and learn. I love you all and am grateful for all of you. I hope you have a great week. Love, Elder Birks

Evacuation Drill

Well this has been a good week. Today we got to do an evacuation practice. It’s like a really big fire drill. All the missionaries got a text at like 6 am that said you must evacuate (and as to the fact that the way we know the weather is looking outside we all thought something big was coming, haha) so we have to pack and put things on shelves and in bags and put food in the freezer and do fun stuff like that then drive to the church where we meet and then follow the instructions of the district leader (haha, no pressure right). So we got up and were ready to go after an hour or so and then we were off. They did it with the whole mission! It was a really good practice and something we really need to know how to do. When we got there we ended up having to wait for a while so we played Uno while we waited. So that was how this day has started.

As for my week, well this has been a good week. It’s been warm and moist outside. We were able to teach a few new people that were really cool but we weren’t able to get into this one house that we really wanted to, the one with the lady who I wanted to go back for. It’s been really hard to contact her because she doesn’t own the house and the owners don’t seem to like us too much because they never answer the door when we come through. They almost always look through the blinds though. Haha it’s the funny moments like that that make a day interesting. If every door opened every time I tried I would stop thinking it was so cool when they do open. So yeah, that was fun.

We were able to talk to this family that gave us some strange Mexican candy. I’m getting better at eating it though so that was good. We were able to help them do some service and then teach a lesson to a family of 6 so that was great and they live really close to C*. We are trying really hard to work with C*.  He seems to be having a hard time. He is just bored all the time and has no friends that live close so he just plays video games all day and is having a hard time reading. We are trying to get him to come out and visit some people with us but he is kinda shy so we will see where that goes.

Well I’ve been doing good. Me, Elder F* and Elder F** are doing well together. Trios are fun. It will be really strange to go back to just two. We will see how long Elder F** gets to chill here with us. I’m still way pumped to be here. I love Texas. I love that right now I’m in a library and I think me and my comps are the only white people here. People are great when we give them a chance. I love that there are people here that want us to be happy, that are always willing to give us water or let us in out of the sun. I know that there are blessings that come from working hard and that the Lord is in the work and He will help us find who we need to find. I’m hoping that you’re having a great week and I love ya’ll.

Love,

Elder Birks

"Listen and follow the Spirit" story

What’s up family! Well it’s really strange to think of all that is going on over there. It sounds like summer is going to be hot for ya’ll. It’s always hot out here but it’s something you just get used to. The strange thing is that in Utah it will be that hot but you will still be dry. Here it will be like 80-100 and you will just be wet (it’s not all that bad, just kinda the way of life here) but you always are sweating and yep we glisten out here. Haha. It makes riding a bike feel better. Helps keep you cool.

Well other then that, this has been a good week. We were able to teach a lot and were able to have some people start making some steps to help them receive our message.

As for me I had a way cool thing happen this week, well yesterday. I was biking and I passed this lady who was sitting by her porch on the ground (I really didn’t see her till I was already passed) but I waved and we went to where we were going. Then on the way back I saw that she was still there and I felt like I really needed to talk to her but I was at the back of the pack so the other Elders didn’t stop. I had to ride away from her (sight and sound rules) but I went and got them and said that we needed to go back so we did and I rode up to her and just said “I feel like I need to talk to you.” She said “No hablo ingles” and then I started talking to her in Spanish and turns out she is way cool!  She has only been here for 2 months and is way lonely and is from El Salvador and we are going to go back and teach her again! It was a great listen and follow the spirit moment. After we were done we said a prayer with her and she started to cry and I could tell how much she missed her family (she is like 23) and I knew that we had helped her feel better and as we rode off the last thing I saw was her opening the Book of Mormon that we had just given her and starting to read. I want to help that girl know that she is not alone, and see the love that God has for her. That was one of my highlights of this week.

I have really been having fun being a DL. It lets me go on exchanges and because of that I was able to go and work with some of the other Elders in my district and that was great. I have a great bunch of missionaries in this district, Sisters and Elders who are just fun people that love the Lord, It’s showing me that the people who come to do this work are really special. (Not a pat on the back thing haha). There are some really cool people here who just have really solid testimonies. We have a great blessing to come to Texas and learn Spanish because it’s hard. Some missionaries get here and they can just go straight to work and be great at what they do but we get here and learn that we need help (most of us) and that without our companion we wouldn’t know what was going on or how to help the people. We also learn to turn to our Heavenly Father. I don’t know what the difference is between learning Spanish here vs. other countries but it’s hard here because we have people that speak English all around us here. You have to really have faith to walk up to a Spanish speaking person here because you know that the person behind them speaks English and you would be able to talk to them without a problem and yet you walk up to the one that you were sent here to find and you stumble through as best you can. I may not have perfect Spanish, but I have grown so much in my faith. I feel like I can talk with anyone. I feel like I can see people the way that God wants me to. I see them as my brothers and sisters who I was sent to bring a message to. How cool is that. God sent me here just to find them. I know that blessings come from doing what God wants even when we don’t understand exactly why (or what’s going on).

I love ya’ll. I love Texas and I LOVE THE HEAT X 100.

Have a great week,

Elder Birks

Short and Sweet

Well hi there family. I can’t believe how fast this week has gone and even more so how fast this email time has gone. Haha. This will be short.

Just so you know as district leader I get the chance to lead a district meeting every week (almost every week) and we are suppose to teach and do training on different things that will help our district. I just want to tell ya’ll how cool it is to be able to see God’s hand in this work. I have had times when I was thinking of what I needed to share and things just come to my mind and I can tell that it is from God. This is God’s work and He is helping us as we work to know His will. I love ya’ll and hope ya’ll have a great week.

Well I have to go. I love ya’ll.

Elder Birks