"Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch who watches over you..."

Heh, greetings.

        This week has been, honestly, pretty strange. From the
will-it-won't-it rain to the odd calls and unexpected happenings, this
week has been pretty strange.

        First off, the rain. The great, open skies above have been teasing
rain on and off for the last week. Finally, Saturday night, as we
stayed in a member's attic room (very Mary Poppins - esque), the sky
let out the brightest cracks of lightning that I think I've ever seen.
They would blast through the window and light the entire room as
though someone has flickered the lights on and off again. And, of
course, I fell asleep for the rain. Just my luck, right?

        So, as of now we stay with a very awesome couple, Eric and Sarah
Cheatham. Living with them has been a blast, partly because they
provide us with food, partly because Brother Cheatham can fix or solve
almost any problem we have, partly because their dog is so dang cute,
and partly because Brother Cheatham knows everything and will give us
mini-lectures some nights on topics ranging from flight and physics to
dark matter and the proper method to cook bacon. We are living with
them because roughly four months ago, the apartment that the
missionaries stayed in was flooded with raw sewage, and needed to be
redone. This restoration was paused due to an insurance battle with
the city, but we got a call the other day saying that all was almost
done. Well, crap. I don't want to move into the apartment! Living with
members is far too awesome! Gah. I'm not excited about it. *murmurs*
I'll just have to learn to live with it.

        Last week at church, a non-member came up to us. She had been
visiting with her friend, and told us that she'd like to learn more,
and that she'd like to have a dinner appointment / lesson at her
friend's house. Could we ask for anything better? Dinner, a member
present at a lesson, and an anxious investigator! The Lord really does
prepare people, doesn't He? We taught her the restoration, and she
accepted the baptismal invitation. No date yet, because baptism date
commitments typically come on the second lesson. I'll keep you
updated.

        The small town mindset is an interesting thing. It seems that even
when people really don't want to talk with us about God and His love
for His children and eternal families and such (shocker, right?), they
are usually quite amiable and polite to us. It's neat.

        As always, I love to hear from you all! Questions will be answered if
asked, and prayers are super appreciated. For those of you who don't
normally pray, can I ask you to do something for me? Kneel down, and
pray for me, just once. It's simple: 1. Start with a greeting to God,
like "Dear Heavenly Father" or "Dear God" or something along those
lines. 2. Say anything you feel. Thank God for blessings in your life,
ask Him for things you might need, and don't forget to throw in a
"please bless Elder Stephen Burch" for me. 3. Close in the name of
Jesus Christ.

        Try it out! It would mean a lot to me. Tell me about it, if you feel
so inclined. I live off of two things out here: Dinner from members,
and the spiritual experiences of others.

        Have an excellent day! You are all awesome - don't forget it.

-Elder Burch π

        "... Make a little birdhouse in your soul."

Weekly planning with Elder Berrett. The two 't's at the end of his name 
can make a π when written right, so he's got that covered.

Vector, the Cheatham's dog.

"Come unto Jesus from ev’ry nation, From ev’ry land and isle of the sea.
Unto the high and lowly in station, Ever he calls, 'Come to me.'"

"While you're at it, keep the nightlight on inside the birdhouse in your soul."