Just Keep Trying

So this week at church we didn’t have any investigators come but we did have less actives come so that was super great. We are really excited to be helping a family prepare for the temple and they have been members for a long time. We went and asked them when was the last time they had gone and they were like “ummmm we never have gone” so we jumped on that! Getting baptized and becoming a member and then not going to the temple is like starting a race and then just stopping in the middle. It makes no sense. So we are helping them to do that and we are excited to see how that will help the family. We also had a member come out with us for the first time and he was so excited. He also has been less active on and off so it was a big step but he told us that he had never done that before so it was great to get to help him out with that and really he helped us a ton.

I love the members. I think it’s so cool how great our ward is. They are just willing to try and take care of us. They don’t always know how to do it but I’m always happy with their effort. I think that’s how God is with us. I was thinking of the talk by Elder Holland. ("Lord, I Believe" April 2013 Gen. Conf.)

I like when he says how God has only ever had imperfect people to work with and how frustrating that must be for him. God knows that we aren’t nor can we be perfect but he sure likes to see us try. He wants to see us put our shoulder to the wheel and push even if we don’t know where we are going. There are blessings that come to those who are willing to have faith in what they have been told to do and then go out and try to figure out how to do it. I love the mission for that. I remember when I got put with Elder B* in Houston and they just were like “well make it work”. We just started wandering around and trying to listen for the Spirit to tell us where to go to find people to teach and because of our effort the Lord blessed us. It’s cool and interesting that God doesn’t always bless us in the way that we expect. Like we could have biked around a neighborhood and not found anyone but then been able to get a call from someone that wanted to see the missionaries. I feel like God just wants to see us work. Our members here are trying to learn how to work and we have been trying to figure out how to help them with that. I know that it will all come together as we keep trying to do our best.

This week has been fun. We got to paint a hallway of a sweet family. I got to have exchanges with both of my zone leaders and that was great. It’s fun to be a missionary.

I really hope that ya’ll have a great week and that you are able to do something to grow your faith. I love ya’ll

Elder Birks