May 7

Hey family! 

It has been a great week! I will give you a nice recap in the provided essay below. Hope you enjoy since I am taking time to write this.

Monday: We had preparation day. We went to Cheesecake Factory to celebrate my birthday! That was super fun! Then that night we went to the Carsons (a family that was baptized in November) for dinner. They made a super good salad! I ate like 5 plates of it! It was super good! 

Tuesday: We had interviews in the Columbus South zones. So Elder K and I went down to the good ol'e Reynoldsburg for interviews. It was a pretty awesome time! Interviews are super fun because you get to see all the missionaries and get to know them better when you do small group trainings. Then later that night did some proselyting in our area. We also had to figure out district meeting topics for the next day. Then that night we had to make an hour and a half drive out to  Dayton to a place called Piqua to drop off a car to some missionaries. 

Wednesday: Was just kind of a normal day. We had office work in the morning and proselyting in the evening. Nothing to great! Then that night we had to again drive out to Dayton to set up for interviews on Thursday. We stayed the night at some elder's apartment in the area. 

Thursday: We had interviews in the Dayton East Zones. This was super fun again. I loved getting to see and talk with a lot of old companions. It is amazing to talk with old companions and see how they have grown from when you served with them. I cool quote that I got out a Thursday was, "Life is short but it will define all eternity" Not sure where it came from it is just written in my planner. I thought it was pretty sweet though! So later that night we had a few lessons. Then we drove down to OSU to set up for new missionary training down at OSU campus. So we set it up and then again slept on the floor of another elder's apartment.

Friday: This was the day of New missionary training. New missionary training is where we have all the new missionaries from the past transfer and their trainers come down to OSU and we training them on different things. The thing I was in charge of was running the contacting rotation. Basically missionaries would go out and contact on campus. Contacting on campus is super fun! You meet some pretty interesting people doing it. After new missionary training we went out to lunch with President and Sister Nilsen. We went to this Thai Bistro. It was so good! Then we did some more awesome proselyting in our area. 

Saturday: Most of the day was spent doing service. A member in Delaware called me and said a friend in Powell was moving and needed help. So we went and helped them. They were so appreciative it was ridiculous. They literal could not believe that we were there to help them. It was so fun and see how service touches the hearts of others.  Later that night we ran down to a Stake Conference. We were there to assist President and Sister Nilsen with some media they wanted to show during their talks. After the conference we had an emergency transfer that we had to aid in. So again we made a trip out to Dayton. 

Sunday: It was pretty crazy! Everyone that we had lined up for church that morning fell through. So we were able to get someone to come to church at the other ward. The rest of the day was spent proselyting and such. Just doing the grand missionary thing. 

Monday: This also was a pretty crazy day. So in the morning we made again and the final time for the week, another drive to Dayton because an elder was going home. So we picked up the elders and drove back to the office. Then we played some basketball and soccer between the four of us. Then that night we got a call from president letting us know that mission leadership council was going to be somewhere different. So the rest of the night was planning mlc. 

Tuesday: This was a highlight of my week and a highlight of my mission. So for mission leadership council we went to the mounds! These are places that are highly speculated to be the ancient civilizations of the people in the Book of Mormon. We talked all about the physical proof of the Book of Mormon. For example: The Hebrew syntax/culture/war strategies found within the Book. The fact that they have found other plates of metal that were engraven into in a place called Coshocton, Ohio. The fact that the mounds throughout Ohio match the description of Moroni building up mounds of earth round about the cities for protection. The fact that 2 tribes of Hopewells existed (the north and the south) and then they came together (Mulekites and the Nephites). Then there is the mystic symbol and  I could go on about all the physical evidences that PROVE the Book of Mormon to be true and correct. But that does not matter. Never has nor will a miracle or physical proof create faith or a testimony. Yes miracles and physical proof can strengthen our faith and testimony. But our faith and testimony has to come from a manifestation of the Spirit. Being there at the mounds was amazing but more amazing then that was that same night elder Pike and I finished the Book of Mormon. The spirit found within the Book of Mormon is unlike any other. Alma says, "Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety? Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me." It is amazing to me that a man like Alma that had seen many miracles says the way he knows of truth is by the spirit of revelation. I can tell you the same thing as Alma did that my testimony of the Book of Mormon and the restored gospel of Christ was made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God.  The Book of Mormon is true and it is the evidence that the Church of Christ need to be and was restored back upon the face of the earth. 

I love you family! Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Baird