HAPPY EASTER :) !!

Hello All!

This week was a beautiful week here in Eastern Vancouver Washington! It has been sun shiney and when it rained it poured. It was so fun! :) when it was pouring it was so loud I couldn't hear Sister Herpich talk haha :)

So I got sick this week for a few days. There is something floating around the mission. It is a mega cold to say the least. But we got to try some fun things to help heal me that the members have heard of. For example: to relief a cough they said to put Vicks on the bottom of my feet and put on a nice pair of socks and my cough would be gone in minutes. I think it worked. He also had a humidifier going, plus cough drops and some eucalyptus drink but one of them worked! :) haha

Once I got feeling better we had a great week with Mitchell and Larry again. We had stake conference and they came and loved it! Elder Bussey of the 70 came and spoke and he had a meeting before the Sunday session for all recent converts and investigators. They both loved that meeting as well. Some building conflicts happened with the 26th so Larry is getting baptized on May 3rd. He is solid. At his baptismal interview our district leader and him were cracking up the whole time. He is reading the Book of Mormon way fast and enjoys it a lot (Dad he was a firefighter/paramedic for a while too :) Mitchell is progressing really well! He told us this week that aside from buying his car, "this is the only thing that he has pursued in his life that he has stuck with that keeps him learning and he is happier the more he learns." He has been so prepared by The Lord. I cannot express my gratitude enough for this experience. The fact that Sister Herpich and I have been blessed enough to witness these men exercise faith and see them not only become happier, but they change. They were both wonderful men when we first met them. Now that their lives are centered on Christ, they are changed and they will continue to change as long as they keep this way of living. None of their growth or change or happiness is a result of Sister Herpich and I. Not by the way we teach, or our personalities, or our experiences, etc. We are simply vessels for The Lord. We are blessed to also be learning and changing in this experience. I have a firm testimony, even though I am only just shy of half of my mission, that no one, if they have their minds and heart in the right place, would ever regret serving a mission. The experiences are priceless. Learning how to better utilize the atonement is unexplainable.

Also this week was so fun! Sweet Sister Johnson (the family we live with) made us an Easter basket! :) we had lunch with one of the most amazing women I have ever met :) I hope her and I will be eternal BFFs. We ate lunch with her and her cute kiddos at Firehouse subs. So good! I really liked it. Of course when I walked in all I could think of his, "my Daddy is a fireman. I miss him." (Did your heart just melt a little dad? ;)  we have a new training called "Come and See" where we work with the members a lot more. I am not sure if they are implementing that in our mission back home or not but it is big here so we have been visiting a lot of members and there have been many miracles from it! I love spending time with members! :) it brings me much joy. Mom, Dad and Hunter, I challenge all if you to talk to at least 1 new person about the church this week. Let me know how it goes k? :) I am excited to hear!

If any of you haven't seen the Because of Him video I very strongly recommend seeing it. It is perfect for this Easter season.

I haven't done this is in a while, but I would like to share a conference talk. It is titled "The Purifying Power of Gethsemane." This is the final testimony of the beloved apostle Elder Bruce R. McConkie. He had been battling a chronic illness, I believe it was cancer, and was very ill at the time of this conference. He was so weak that they gave him a blessing prior to him talking to that we would have the strength to share his prepared message. Soon after he gave his address he passed away. I want you all to listen to the power and magnitude of his testimony. He knew this would be the last time he would speak in General Conference. He had this last time to leave a resounding message with the brothers and sisters that he served along side for years. He chose to talk about the Atonement of Jesus Christ; the center of our Heavenly Fathers plan of happiness. The most phenomenal and selfless act in history that our mortal minds cannot begin to comprehend. This message testifies of truth. I add my testimony to it that I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know he was resurrected and we will be as well. I know he is our Savior and redeemer. I love him. I desire more than anything else to know him better and to align my will to his. Part of that process is to share what I believe always through any means possible. "Share the gospel. Use words if necessary." I love all of you. I don't know who all reads these, but I do know I love you because He loves you. I desire you all to know of him and to grow closer to him because that is what he desires of us. And I promise that you will have everlasting joy and we become eligible for eternal life

.https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1985/04/the-purifying-power-of-gethsemane?lang=eng

I hope you all are doing wonderful! :)

 

 

 

Love, Sister Birch

Don't Forget Your P.J.'s

Hello all!

> Ok, how crazy is it that Alex is done with his mission this week? It
> is nuts! I can't hardly believe it! I hope him, Heather and Shawn have
> a wonderful time in Scotland :)

> So I want to try and write my emails like my dear friend sweet Sister
> Mcclees (p.s. She is hilarious)
>
> Monday: P-day! Sister Herpich was still way sick so we went shopping
> real quick to buy her some stuff and some groceries. Also I bought
> some ribbon for my hair and the guy who was cutting the ribbon started
> asking about the church. We talked with him for a good 5 minutes. He
> was really nice. He isn't particularly interested but he sees
> missionaries a lot so we told him to talk to them the next time they
> knock on his door. The rest of p-day we hung out at home. We wrote a
> lot of letters. I am so bad, I haven't written a letter in months haha
> but I am working on it :) we gave a church tour to a new investigator
> with a member and we had another lesson afterwards with another new
> investigator Mitchell. Ok, he is awesome! He reminds me so much of my
> dear friend Mr. Drew C. West so when we tracted into him we hit it
> off. We were talking and I felt like I went right out of "missionary
> mode" into "Sierra mode" (tangent: I am trying to make those modes the
> same mode) and we get along great! He is hilarious! He has had a crazy
> past and about 3 years ago turned his life around completely. From the
> moment we met with him the first time a few weeks ago, he has been
> studying a lot in the B.O.M and he even watched conference at work! He
> also came to all 3 hours of church yesterday (and didn't even have
> halftime ;) and loved it. The ward embraced him immediately. One of my
> favorite stories of his is how one time he was driving at night on an
> icy road. His car told him to do something (I can't remember what)
> when he was driving and whatever it was it saved his life because he
> almost slid off of a bridge. He was telling us how "gnarly" it was his
> car talked to him. I can't wait for him to find out that was the Holy
> Ghost :) (I wonder all the different things the Holy Ghost has been
> mistaken for)
>
> Tuesday: We had district meeting and I have been so blessed, all of
> the districts I have served in have been awesome :) Lots of fun!
> Sister Herpich was still really sick so we stayed in until dinner and
> we visited some members.
>
> Wednesday: We stayed in today as well. This sickness is really not a
> fun one for Sister Herpich :( I have been blessed with so much time to
> study. I have received so much revelation, I am grateful! We had
> dinner with an amazing member of the ward.

Right before dinner one of our investigators who I
> love very much called us and it was not pretty. I was heartbroken. The
> member though must have felt promoted by the spirit because what she
> talked to us about at dinner was exactly what we needed to hear. We
> took some pictures by the gorge I will send them through. I am trying
> to wear my hair it's natural "Spicoli" way and love it so my hurr
> looks a little funny ;) the gorge is gorgeous! And look Daddy,
> sailboats eh? :)
>
> Thursday: We did some walking. We did some talking. We did some door
> knocking. Taught a few lessons. One of our investigators really wants
> to be baptized! He is praying whether the month of May is the right
> time for him. It was a good day :)
>
> Friday: Today was amazing!! The Lord blessed us for sure :) We met
> with one of our new investigators Ben. His girlfriend Mary-Jane is
> also investigating but she wasn't there. We taught him the whole
> restoration and he is on date to be baptized on May 10th! :) he is so
> excited!
> Also we met with Larry and he is getting baptized April 26th for sure!
> He watched all 10 hours of conference and he is solid. He is going to
> be a wonderful member! :)
>
> Saturday: We walked a lot today and it was great because it was way
> warm and beautiful outside :) I think I said I was a walking sister
> again but in case I forgot, I am a walking sister. Today was just a
> normal day
>
> Sunday: This ward is AMAZING! Our bishop is hilarious I was laughing
> through ward council the whole time. We had 3 investigators come to
> church: Larry, Mitchell and another lady who has been pretty much a
> member for 5 years her divorce is just taking a while. Church was
> wonderful and they all really enjoyed it and were spiritually fed. We
> did quite a bit of Tracting. We had a miracle happen. After dinner the
> member we ate with, who are amazing members, drove us to another
> neighborhood to try and contact her friend. When we pulled up there
> was a guy about my age walking his mastif and the dog sat down right
> next to her mini van and wouldn't move. So we hop out right there and
> start talking to him. He is actually looking for a church and has a
> lot of questions. He is way excited to meet with us. Absolute miracle
> :)
>
> The story behind the title is the family we ate dinner with last night
> has a cute acronym they use. Every night they say, "don't forget your
> P.J.s" which stands for prayer, journal and scriptures. So to
> everyone, "don't forget your p.j.s" :)
>
> We had a great week! I hope you all have a wonderful week and a
> fantastic Easter :) please remember how important this holiday is.
> Because of Christs resurrection we too will be. Because of him we are
> all promised immortality. Also because of this miracle he have the
> potential for eternal life. His resurrection is monumental and an act
> only He could complete. He broke the bonds of death for us. The cross
> is important to remember, but if that was the end, death would be the
> end for us too. We must always remember Christ is our living savior.
> He is the head of this church. He is conscious of us and loves us. We
> must always be grateful for his sacrifice.
>
> I love you all! :)
>
> Love, Sister Birch

Do you feel the urgency?

Hello everyone!

This weekend was amazing!!! I love conference. I wanted to jump up and
run outside and knock on every door in Vancouver after Elder Holland's
talk. There is an urgency to hasten the work and "not sleep through
the restoration." I have a renewed sense of not only my purpose as a
missionary but how I want my entire life to pan out. It's not the
details of who am I going to marry, where will I go to school, where
will I work, how will my kids be, etc. We have been blessed with this
life to return to live with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We
are here to help others get there too. Those details that used to
consume my thoughts (and yes they will be important in 10 months) are
not and will never take the top priority which is the Savior. Because
of him we have purpose. Because of him we can enjoy the beautiful
spring weather, baby bunnies and rainbows because we know we will live
after this life. If he didn't complete the atonement we would be lost
forever. What a pointless existence! I have learned, very clearly,
this past week that when we have all, and I mean all, of our thoughts
and desires focused on him and his will, he will guide us and bless
us. Future husband, career, school, kids: if I am living my life the
way I should and focused on Christ he will bless me with an all of
these things and he will do a much better job than me on my own
because he knows me better than I know myself and he knows exactly
what I need to reach my full potential.
How blessed are we to prepare the way for our savior?! There are
hundreds of people who have sacrificed their lives for this gospel
over the centuries for this time that we live in. We have such a
sacred responsibility to share this message of joy with everyone! You
may not know what it is like to not have the gospel in your life. How
stinking blessed are you?! Go share that with others :) I felt a very
strong sense of urgency from the brethren. The work has been hastened.
There are more workers in the vineyard. It is time to gather the
crops. Have faith The Lord has prepared people.
We didn't teach many lessons this week because my companion has been
really sick. We do have one investigator named Larry and he is
awesome! He is taking our appointments and message very seriously. He
has come to church for 2 months straight now and watched all of
conference. He is excited for our next appointment and is wanting to
set a baptismal date. He has taken our promise to heart that any true
seeker of truth will find that in the Book of Mormon and in the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is feeling the message change
his life and he loves it!
I hope everyone is doing great! 

 I hope you all are happy and healthy :)

Love forever, Sister Sierra Birch :)

I LOVE Vancouver!!!

Heya!
 
 This week has been so full of miracles it is amazing! :)
 
 One miracle I want to share is that I finished reading the Book of
 Mormon on Thursday. We are asked to pray and ask The Lord if the Book
 of Mormon is true after every time we read it; no matter how many
 times we already have. Later that evening we had a lesson with a
 member and her boyfriend. He has been reading from the Book of Mormon,
 praying and coming to church. I had the opportunity to testify to him
 that the Book of Mormon is true. I know what I said was truth. I could
 feel the spirit so strong and my mouth was filled with words that the
 spirit needed me to say. It was an amazing experience. For anyone who
 hasn't read it or is currently reading it or had read it many times
 before, read it. The words it contains is truth. You will gain
 strength. Your testimony of our Savior and the plan of happiness will
 grow.
 
 This ward is awesome! They help Sister Herpich and I everyday. They
 love to share the gospel and spend time with the sisters :) my
 companion, Sister Herpich, is absolutely amazing! She is an answer to
 my prayers. I have learned so much from her. We get along great and we
 love the work :)
 
 Another miracle is that we were asked to go visit a lady in the ward.
 She hasn't attended church for a while and we aren't sure why. Her
 daughter, Anna, is a young woman and in high school and is not a
 member. Anna has come to girls camp, church, other activities with the
 young women many times but hasn't had the desire to be baptized.
 Sister Herpich and I visited her for the first time last week and
 taught her about the Restoration and the Book of Mormon. The Lord has
 prepared her for the gospel. She was glowing with happiness when we
 were sharing the message. We asked her if she would like to be
 baptized and she was so very happy! To see her that happy, I knew the
 Holy Ghost had testified to her that what we were saying is true. And
 not only that, she was wanting and willing to know if our message is
 true. She is getting baptized in April. She is a doll! And we
 absolutely love teaching her :)
 
 There were many other miracles this week with finding people, and
 lessons where the spirit was very strong, etc.
 
 I loved the General Women's Broadcast! It was great :) I am running
 out of time but if you haven't watched it definitely do.
 
 I had some really cool revelation during the broadcast. As members of
 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we agree to live the
 law of consecration; which means we are to give all our time, energy,
 means, talents, etc to The Lord and his church. It makes sense to me
 that we make that covenant at before we serve missions. While we are
 missionaries that is what we are expected to do everyday for 18 months
 to 2 years. In my mind, we have time to practice living that way
 without the worldly distractions. What a blessing! Also, once
 missionaries get home, along with every other members of the church,
 we are to continue living this way for the rest of our lives. The
 Gospel comes first period. It is expected of us to fulfill that
 covenant and in return The Lord will bless us with much more than we
 are sacrificing.
 
 I love you all! Have a great week :)
 
 Sister Birch