Hey family!
It has been a pretty normal missionary week. Its been full of Methodists and Baptists not excited too see us. It has had some teaching as well as no show appointments. It was full of doors opened, remained closed, and slammed. We did some service for a few people. While doing that we had meetings to go to on both the missionary and stake level. But here is a nice synopsis on the week;
Monday: It was P-day so I emailed all of you! It was also Elder Decker's birthday so we went to a cheese factory. We bought a lot of cheese!
Tuesday: It was another normal day full of knocking and teaching. The highlight of the week was finding whole year worth of Ensigns from 1982 and 1984. It is pretty interesting to read those Ensigns. The brethren were a lot more open and opinionated back then. Also it is weird to see all the past prophets as just Apostles.
Wednesday: We had zone meeting which was super fun! But it was super long! It was too long! Lost my attention at about an hour and 15 minutes. Then we got home did some finding then we had dinner and were at the church from 6 till the end of the night. I had some interviews and we were there from mutual and institute.
Thursday: We did some service for the coolest recent converts. Their names are the Darin and Shirley Welker. They joined the church in January. He is my 2nd counselor. They are amazing! They feed us like every night! There are the most dedicated members I have met. Then later that night we made the hour and a half trek to New Albany for Stake Priesthood. It was really good. The Stake president talked about the importance of why. The true gospel restored upon this earth teaches the why while all the other churches teach the how.
Friday: We did some tracking and then did some weekly planning. We did some more missionary work and end the night with a dinner and birthday party. In the month of June Elder Decker, Elder Pierce (Senior Couple), and Brother Welker all have a birthday. So we did a small dinner and birthday party. It was super fun!
Saturday: We did some service for a lady in the ward. After that we did more teaching and testifying.
Sunday: Sunday was a pretty good day. I only had 1 interview so that was good. After that we did some home teaching with Darin. Then we taught a lesson to Ray and Tia. The thing that Tia is struggling with the most is the need for the Book of Mormon and the apostasy. I have never had a strong testimony of the apostasy till I have ben a missionary. It was prophesied in many places in the Bible(Amos 8:11-12, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3) and it did happen. Lets be honest anyone that is not apart of the Catholic church HAS to believe in the apostasy. They are bound by the principles on which their church was founded. The early protestant church leaders believed in the fact that the early church had false doctrine being taught or in other words they believed in a apostate church. Which it was. This can be found in many facts. First that the Bishop that the catholic church originates from, Bishop Linus, was excommunicated upon the fact that the church in Rome was in apostasy. We see evidence of this because the Book of Romans exists. Then a Deacon named, Linus also, was made leader of the church in Rome. But he was killed and did not pass on the authority to the true church. But to continue to follow the line of Bishop Linus, we see the creation of the position of Pope. There many issues that arise within the papacy of the early church. One of these issues included the reigned of 2 popes. They excommunicated each other and then went to war. Who was the real pope? Then there is the talk of a woman Pope. Her name was Pope Joan. The church says that she does not exist while others say she does by research. Then you have the Nicene Creed where the trinity and other parts of the gospel were defined. Other things that were added or changed were indulgences, mode of baptism, and many others. These early changes and apostate church caused many people to seek for the truth. You have people such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and many others. So they sought for a reformation. They decided they need to change what they believed was false. Little do they know that the Lord did not need a reformation but a restoration. You can see prophesies of this in Acts 3: 21 (Restitution of all things) and Ephesians 1:10 (dispensations of the fullness of times). The Lord also prophesied of the Book of Mormon, the evidence of the truthfulness of the restoration. These prophecies are found in Ezekiel 37: 16-40 and Isaiah 29. There is so much more that I can show, discuss and testify about for this principle of the gospel. But I do know that an apostasy from Christ's original church did occur. I know this but the Spirit not by the secular evidence of the world. I know that there was a need for a restoration and that a restoration did occur. I know this as well by the Spirit and no amount of secular evidence can convince me otherwise. And I know that Christ church has been restored. I know this by the way that living His gospel properly has changed me.
Love,
President Baird.
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