Happy New Years Everyone :)!!!

Hello Everyone! I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas! :)

Honestly, I thought Christmas was going to be a lot harder than it was. It really wasn't hard at all. The only reason why it wasn't as hard as it probably should have been is because I live with the best members and another companionship. The members always say to keep the missionaries busy on holidays especially Christmas so they don't have the opportunity to get homesick. From the minute we woke up, us for sisters were doing something. Also, the members I live with had their family Christmas brunch pretty early and we feel like part of the family. We were talking with everyone and the food was great! Also, there is a family who are not members of the church but love to have Sister Fitt and I visit so we do. They are a great family! It was really thoughtful they knew we were coming and their family was planning to drink alcohol and coffee so they made sure to buy us Sprite :) haha! It was so nice of them :) I was really afraid though after I was done skyping that the homesickness would hit full force. It was perfect though, Sister Fitt and I skyped at a super fun families home so when I got off rather than being in a quite room by myself and missing everyone, I heard them laughing way hard in the other room so I hurried in there before I had the chance to think. We had a yummy, yummy dinner at another members home. Then another member family had us over because they made us stockings and filled it full of great stuff. And then we visited another member family. It was a super busy day and it was a blast! :) It is crazy to think that next year when I skype for Christmas I will have 1 transfer before I go home.... crazy! It is also crazy to think in 9 days will be my 5 month mark. I am almost a third of the way done with my mission. So weird...

This week was great! Sister Fitt and I had two miracle stories of finding 2 new investigators and some other great experiences as well; one of them being one of our investigators is really interested in the church. He recognizes the importance of the gospel. He is also very open about his opinions and questions. Before I was a missionary I would shy away from people like that because they would either intimidate or offend me. Now those are by far my favorite people to teach. We know exactly what they are thinking and what to help them understand. The people who are smiling and nodding the whole time are very hard to teach because we don't know if they understand what we are saying, if they really want to be a part of the church, etc. This investigator is very, very open with us about how He feels about the church and specific aspects of it. The best part about him though is that because he is curious about it, rather than assuming things or going to the internet, he goes to the source. We are able to address everything until he has a great understanding of what we believe. I don't know before I was a missionary if I would be able to do that; it is impressive. If any of you ever have questions, I strongly suggest to do exactly that. 

The talk I want to talk about to day is amazing. I don't want to summarize it too much; Elder Holland is much better than I. The main part I took away from this talk to recognizing and acting on personal revelation; as well as after I have received revelation to not allow Satan to lower it's importance. Many people who are not members of the church believe that because we say we have a living prophet on the Earth today and he receives revelation for the world we are not able to receive revelation for ourselves. False. We are encouraged to seek for individual revelation. That's the easy part though is asking through prayer for it. The hard parts are recognizing our answer and then acting on it. There are many times that we don't know if we are thinking up our own answers or if it is from the spirit. Also, once we have received an answer we want to act on it immediately. However, Satan will make us doubt our decision for many different reasons. If we are able to recognize our decision and not allow any wiggle room for Satan to tempt us in any way, we will be able to recognize the spirit much more frequently and stronger in our lives. The talk is great! Really, everyone please read it.

I love you all! Have a wonderful New Years! :)

Love, Sister Sierra Birch

http://www.lds.org/ensign/2000/03/cast-not-away-therefore-your-confidence?lang=eng

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HAPPY 40TH MISTY LEE!!! :D‏

Hello Everyone! :)

First off, Happy Birthday Mama!!!!!!! :) I hope it is a great one! :)

I would love to share a few of my thoughts about my Mama :) She is amazing! Truly. She has supported me in everything through my life. A characteristic of my Mama's that I hope to make a part of me is how thoughtful she is of everyone. Year after year for birthdays, Christmas, anniversities, etc. she knows exactly what those particular people have wanted and/or needed. Even better than the material things, my Mama genuinely cares about how people are doing.One of my top favorite characteristics of my Mama is that she loves being a Mama to everyone. There have been many times during my life where I have asked my Mama to help out a friend because they are having a hard time and she jumps right in. She gives more support than we could know. She does not expect praise for anything she does. There have also been multiple times during my life, and even still now as a missionary, where I have a friend or family member tell me how much they love her because she writes them a quick note or sent them a text that is exactly what they needed at that time.

The conference talk I want to share this week is "We Never Walk Alone" by President Monson. (I will definitely share this talk again sometime because it is phenomenal). The example President Monson shares in this talk reminds me very much of my Mama. I could picture my Mama making something or at the store and she feels prompted to get something for some random person that she has only met once. Getting it, dropping it off and being her cute self to this stranger (and they naturally fall immediately in love with her) then going about her day like it was not out of the ordinary. Most of us would reconsider why we are doing it or the stranger might thing we are weird, etc. but I know my Mama would do that in a heartbeat because she has before.

One of my absolute favorite memories of my Mama is one her recent birthdays. I am sorry I can't remember the exact number, but I believe it was her 38th birthday. That year her and my Daddy drove all over all day doing 38 acts of kindness. Anywhere from buying someone a Starbucks to a tank of gas to a grocery cart full of food. Her and my Daddy came home so happy!! It was a great way to spend her birthday :)

I love my Mama! Heavenly Father blessed me more than I could thank him for that she, out of every other woman on the Earth, was chosen to raise me. I wouldn't want anyone else as my Earthly Mother.

I love you Mama!!!! :)

I love you all as well!!! :) Have a very merry Christmas everyone!!! :)

Sister Sierra Birch :)

http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/general-relief-society-meeting/2013/09/we-never-walk-alone?lang=eng

Christmas Time!!!

Christmas is only 9 days away! This month has already flown by! :)

A missionary posted on Facebook the other day about how weird it has been being a missionary during Christmas time. It is true! We feel the Christmas spirit differently just because our lives are different. It is just as exciting though! :) With Christmas I still don't know a specific time I can Facetime but I will try to find one that will work with everyone. I am so excited that Kim and Ryan are coming in town! Can I say really quickly, they are an amazing couple. They are so strong in the gospel and they are raising their children so well. Honestly, when I think of the type of person I want  to become when I return from my mission she is my goal. She has an unwavering testimony and it shows through her children. I love those 2! And their kids are great! I really love the Burts :)

This week was again a great one! We found out some sad news though. Sister Cluff is being transferred on Wednesday :( She is a great sister! I will miss serving in the same ward and living in the same place as her. She is so funny! Her new companion is lucky! :) Sister Thorson found out she is training as well. Hence, I will be an aunt for the second time and my daughter will have her second cousin. We don't know who she is yet but we are excited to meet her!

I don't have much to say for this week. The work is slow and we are still loving it! Keeping our heads held high and still enjoying our time here :)

This talk I read this morning. It is now in my top 5 easily. I love to listen to Elder Oaks. In this talk he explains how the world is putting "other Gods" before God. In other words they don't have their priorities straight. Most people don't understand when they are worshiping other God's. There are many things that are socially acceptable and "normal" so they are not intentionally going against God. However, we have been taught from Old Testament times what is expected of us. Most people also look at the commandments as limitations rather than guidelines. I have always heard the term "the commandments are Heavenly Fathers way of showing his love for us." I didn't realize what that truly meant until this past week. Heavenly Fathers "work and glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." He wants us back with him. He loves us. How else are we going to know how to live with him again unless He explains to us how to get there. So, He gave us commandments for that purpose. However, as time goes on people start to question and create gray area. They question what something "exactly" means to try and find ways around following it. Eventually there are many different ways to look at a commandment. What does Heavenly Father do at this point? He calls a prophet! The prophet clears up the gray area. He receives guidance from Heavenly Father to what needs to be clarified and/or explained. The majority of people that we talk with ask why we have "such strict rules" in our church. They are the opposite of that. People have asked with particular commandments what exactly they mean and the prophet has clarified that for us. In result, we have things like the word of wisdom, law of chastity, tithing, etc. In Elder Oaks he includes statistics of how we can see people disobeying God's commandments during our time. We can see that is it decreasing drastically. Sadly, it was not a surprise to me. I know of many people who are doing these things that he explains. Knowing these people personally though I know they are not doing it with the intention to go against what God has asked them not to do. They don't understand the sin. This is where our role as members comes in. He are not asked to call people to repentance and point out their sins; absolutely not! Rather, we show them through example and guidance the blessings and understanding they can receive through following the commandments and our modern day prophet. Going back to my first paragraph, Kim and Ryan are great examples of this! They live their testimonies. They not only are willing to share their testimonies but they show by example what they believe. I have never had to question something that they have done or said and I will always feel comfortable around them. I know even if I was doing something that was not in accordance to what they believed or lived, they would love me still the same. I also know that if that were to happen because they are so kind and loving, I would desire to live the life they do and I would desire to change myself to strive to be happy like them. 

Let us all take a look at ourselves. What are our priorities? Do we fully understand what Heavenly Father has asked us to do because He loves us? I am not asking people to feel guilty, that is the exact opposite! Let us all look at the blessings and happiness we can have, and that Heavenly Father wants to give us. Change is never easy but it is always happening. We are changing everyday so we may as well change to the person Heavenly Father wants and needs us to be :)

I love you as always!! Be safe during the season, drive slowly, pray often, read your scriptures, shovel your walks before it ices, let your car warm up before you drive it, and remember to keep your feet dry :)

Sister Sierra Morgan Birch!!

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/no-other-gods?lang=eng

The Black Name Tag

Hello Everyone! :)

This week has been an amazing one! I am so grateful I am a Washington Vancouver Missionary; best mission without a doubt! We had the great experience to go to the Portland Oregon temple together and have a Christmas devotional afterwards. It is so cool to see how close our mission is. I knew a majority of the missionaries there and I have been out only 4 months. President tries as much as he can to keep the mission close and it is working out great! :) I love the other missionaries! I said this on Facebook already, but I want to stress for those who have a temple recommend to attend often (I suggest weekly). Those of you who do not yet have a temple recommend do all in your power to get one. I promise that you will be blessed and have a happier life and a clearer understanding if our purpose. I love the temple! I cannot wait to go to the temple at least weekly when I come home.

Sister Fitt is SO great!! I love her a lot :) We have a lot of fun and we get along great. The work is moving slow BUT we are staying happy and positive. We are working with the ward a lot more and that will definitely help. This Friday we find out if either of us are being transferred. Most likely neither of us will because I am training her but you never know right? We didn't have anything miraculous happen this week that is great to share but we are having fun and working as hard as we can :) I read a talk given by Elder Ballard to mission presidents and missionaries a little while ago. A line from it I like a lot is "You will find that work is a tremendous therapy." If anyone is anything besides happy go do some work! It will help you feel better :)

There is something that I really want to share this week. What kind of example are you to others?

The reason why I am concerned about this is because we had a few situations about this recently. One in particular is there is a member of our ward who is very proud to be a member of the church and loves to talk about it. However, the way she presents herself is not in compliance with what she says. She lives a "do as I say not as I do" lifestyle. We tracted into a young woman who said she would not look into our church because of how badly this particular young woman treats others and she would not want to join a church who teaches that. Those of us who are members of the church know immediately we do not preach to treat others badly but rather the exact opposite. We are expected to treat others with love and kindness. It broke our heart as missionaries to hear that! She is an amazing girl who would benefit greatly from the gospel but the church would greatly benefit from her! Also, we must not assume or judge others. Ever. If someone is not of our faith and participate in things that we do not agree with, we still love them. Christ taught, ^"loveyour enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pary for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." Love everyone equally! Do not have friends who are only of our faith. How will the work of the Lord progress if we have Mormon cliques everywhere? Spread out the gospel as far as we can! Get outside of your comfort zone! Share this glorious message of the Restored gospel always! You are being watched as a member of the church. Represent the church well. I am required to wear a black name tag with my name and Christ's everyday and I am honored to. How many of you wear your name tag with honor?

I love you all so much!! Be an example always

Love, Sister Birch

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/ye-are-no-more-strangers?lang=eng

"Your Wonderful Journey Home"‏

Hello Hello Hello!!

This week has been a week of miracles!! :)

Firstly, we had exchanges this week. I got to go stay in the other area while the S.T.L (sister training leader) came here. In both areas miracles happened it was so great! Then 2 days later we had Thanksgiving. This was one profound moment for me that I am grateful to be serving in the states. People sometimes tease us for "only being called to Oregon" but we had 3 families feed us dinner and another feed us pie. So, it was a pretty great day ;) Along with all of those appointments the members made sure to have non members or less active members there so we can talk to them about the gospel. All of them were very nice and open to letting us talk to them about the gospel!! It was such a fun day! :) The next day was full of miracles too. Sister Fitt and I were worried about our day because we didn't have any lessons scheduled. We have tried making it a goal every time we get out of the car we say a prayer first. We kept asking the Lord to lead us to who needed to hear about the gospel and nothing was working. We weren't discouraged or anything, but we were getting a little worried. We both felt prompted to go try a former investigators home and tract the street. The first door we knocked on we introduced ourselves and the man said "Sure! Come back at 8. I am excited to hear." And it was his entire family that night and we are going to meet with them again this week! We tried the door next to him and he is now a new investigator! He is so ready for the gospel it is amazing :) We are really excited to start teaching him!

Some exciting news (but I am sure most every one already knows?) but the Washington Vancouver Mission is now on Facebook! :) I am still trying to figure out what to do exactly, but that is the purpose right now. The missionaries are trying to find the best way to help people come closer to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through social media. It might take a little bit of time but the Lord knows the best way for this to help hasten the work. He will guide us :)

The talk I am inviting everyone to read this week is called "Your Wonderful Journey Home" by President Uchtdorf. It is such an amazing talk! :) Something that I have come to better understand since I have been on a mission is the plan of salvation. It is perfect. The Lord has a perfect plan for everyone. It's not a plan that fits certain people or certain lifestyles. It is for all of his children to follow obediently. We accepted this plan before we came to the Earth. Because we moved forward with faith Heavenly Father blessed us with a body that He promised will be "perfected and glorified" when we are resurrected; reguardless if we lived a rightous life or not. What a blessing! We are also promised to live with our Heavenly Father again. The way to get there is a marvelous plan! A "Wonderful Journey." I promise, with all of my heart, that if we lead the Lord guide us through our lives and we are obedient to what he asks us to do, we will be happier than we could comprehend :)

I love you all so much! I hope you are excited for this Christmas season!! :)

Sister Sierra Birch

http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/general-young-women-meeting/2013/03/your-wonderful-journey-home?lang=eng&query=your+wonderful+journey+home