Pretty Good Week!

Hey Family!! 

Well family this week was a lot better than last! I shall tell you why!

Monday was a pretty normal day. Had some awesome finding experiences and it was beautiful day!! Tuesday was and interesting day for me. An Elder in our zone texted us that morning and asked, "if my companion has been sick for the past 2 days and I have just been stuck here what do I do?" (By the way I love it when this happens. It shows that they trust and will ask us for help.) He is a greenie so I don't blame him for not knowing what to do. So we called Sister Nilsen and I went down to stay with the sick Elder for the day why the awesome greenie come up to Delaware with Elder Motes. That day turned into a day of pondering and reading and pondering some more.

Wednesday I went down to Worthington on surprise exchanges with Elder Geist and Elder Caulderwood. Elder Geist and I stayed in Worthington. It was loads of fun being down in Worthington. I love going to a different area for the day. We were able to eat with one of the office senior couples which was fun. Thursday we had another surprise exchange with Lewis Center. Elder Motes stayed down there with Elder Bean while Elder Monahan and I went to Delaware. It was loads of fun with Elder Monahan! He is a great Elder! He is always happy. We mad some pie for some people and also go to eat with the Bowmans! They are like my favorite members here! 

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday we stayed in Delware for the most part. We were able to work with a part member family we are teaching, the Davis family. They are pretty sweet! A few of them were able to come to church this Sunday. Friday we got to go to Abuela's house. Abuela is a little old mexican lady in the ward. Her grandson, Gabe, lives with her. Gabe is awesome and he comes out with us all the time. Well once or twice and month abuela feeds us authentic, delicious mexican food! I love her food!  Sunday we had the opportunity to take Chealsea Rettig (recent convert from December) to a New Member missionary fireside. It was loads of fun to hear testimonies and talks from the senior couple that has been teaching the Mormish (Mormon Amish) families. These children are amazing. Back in October I was able to see them. Let us just say they would destroy anyone in scripture mastery! In all seriousness, they could pull out all those scriptures in 2 seconds or less! 

Well I hope all of you will have a great week! I know I will! 

Love,

Elder Baird 

CRAZY WEEK!!! (March 10)

Yello family! 

Hope you all have had a fantastic week! It has been well a crazy week! It has consisted of almost all our investigators and anyone interested in learning dropping us. I really am learning what uncle Robert said about how on a mission you will have some of the most happiest times of your life and some of the biggest disappointments. That on a mission you will feel a new kind of happiness and a new kind of sorrow. But that is enough on the sad part of the week! 

On Monday we got to help a sweet member tear down his ceiling which was super cool! Then Saturday we helped that same member paint his kitchen and also build cabinets! It was so fun! We also talked with his foreign exchange student from Pakistan! He is sweet kid! We were bust up laughing asking him questions about America and what he has like about it so far! 

Then Tuesday we had leadership council. It has been said that the leadership council of a mission is one of the most spiritual and important meetings of the church. I would agree 100%. As we discuss what to do to help the mission grow. It is amazing to council together and truly set goals and make plans for the mission. 

Wednesday we had Zone conference and the fun part was we got to do the training during zone conference. Almost every pair of zone leaders and sister training leaders were doing some training to all the missionaries. I love training and helping elders and sister become better missionaries. But selfishly my favorite part is what I learn. I think the Lord but me in a position so I could train is because he know it takes me a lot longer to learn something than most the missionaries. By about the 3rd or 4th rotation I actually have a deep understanding of the doctrine and figures out how I need to apply it! 

Thursday was another normal missionary day. But another sad part of the week was one of my favorite senior couples is leaving. Elder and Sister Niu are the best! They were the grandparents of the mission. The crazy thing was she reminded me a perfect combination of Grandma Baird and Roberts. So needless to say I am really going to miss them. It is crazy to me as I am about to hit a year to see the missionaries I have come to know so dearly and have come to love go home.

One thing I love about emailing on pdays is I am almost forced to look at all the positive things that happen during the week. During stressful hard times there will always be the hand of the Lord. You can always find the good things in life if you take the time to recognize them! 

Hope yall have a good week! 

Love,

Elder Baird 

Another Day, Another Week, Another Month, Another Transfer (March 3)

Hello Family! 

It has been another great week! So update on the companionship: We were the only official tripanionship in the mission. Well an elder went home so Elder Jensen was emergency transferred on Friday morning! 

This week I got to go to the temple on Tuesday! I love the temple! One of the things I am most excited for when I go home is the opportunity to go to the temple more than just every 4 to 5 months. I learned so much personally and doctrinally. The Lord truly desires us to enter his house as often as possible. We can learn so much as we make temple attendance a habit. Also studying the temple in the scriptures is amazing! My companions thought I was crazy Tuesday morning when I was sitting at my desk saying things like "Mind blown!" "That is incredible!" "I love the Spirit!" "It now makes sense!' and many other similar phrases! The Lord will truly will enlighten our minds if we allow Him too. We have got to let Him in. If we do not willingly let Him in than He will not come in because that would be against our agency. I have thought a lot about agency lately and being an agent unto ourselves. 

Sadly a few investigators dropped us this week which to me is so devastating. I think one of my biggest weaknesses as a missionary is I can not let anyone go. Lots of missionaries know how and when to stop teaching someone when they are not progressing. But for some reason I never can. In my head I can never give up on someone no matter how uncommitted they are. But it is always sad when an investigator drops you because you know in the end what they are missing. You know the happiness that they are not achieving. I think for me the hardest thing about being a missionary is I want it so bad for them yet they don't want it for themselves. 

Back to a positive side is that we have an investigator named Jeremy! We have been working with him a lot lately! We were able to teach him in a members home this past week and he will be getting baptized on March 15th. We are really excited for him. 

Well all in all it has been a great week full of ups and downs. But what would life be if it was not a roll coaster. We came to this life for experience. So we should not complain about what we chose to do. More and more I’m realizing we need to make the best out of things no matter what is placed before us. We need to always follow those desires we have in our heart. The only thing stopping you from reaching your dreams and being happy is you. 

Love,

Elder Baird