"I wish we could open our eyes..."

Loyalists and revolutionaries alike,

Miracles? Miracles? DO YOU WANT TO SEE MIRACLES?! ... So do I. To be fair, this week was full of them.

First off, we went on exchanges. Elder Munroe came to Buffalo with me, and we had a rad time. We got a tip from Sister Jenkins regarding a guy who was moving, and he called us up. On Tuesday, we went over to help him move stuff. Towards the end of packing things into his trailer, he comes out of the building looking disheveled. Turns out that he had just gotten a call informing him that his father had passed away.

Crap.

Elder Munroe snaps into action. "Hey, man, you know we're Mormon missionaries, right? We believe that God gives power to his servants, and part of that is the power to give blessings. Some of those blessings can be for comfort. Would you like one?" The man agreed, and we were able to give him a blessing. Since then, we've been over twice more to help him move and share a short thought. Here's to hoping that us teaching about eternal families will be enough to spark his interest...

Later that night, we took a trip to Kaycee, a little town 45 miles south, to visit the Olsen family. After a very enjoyable time with them, we head back. Well, we realized that we were out of gasoline. The little display that estimates how far we have to go didn't even have a number, it just said "LOW" in big, bright, foreboding letters. "Elder Munroe, I need you to offer a prayer over the gas tank if you would. Due to the nature of me driving, I will not be closing my eyes for this prayer." And so, he did. On the drive, there were two times where I thought I felt the car lurch for fuel, but we were able to make it back into town and fill up. The Lord gives us tender mercies, and I think this is one prime example.

We had dinner with Jean Bourdin, the sick French guy, again. It was pretty good. He fed us lentils and sausage. Also, he showed us his collection of firearms. I'm not a gun person, but I was a little worried that Elder Campbell might faint, or maybe drool on himself. I knew he liked guns, but I learned then that he is quite good at identifying weapons on sight. I have to remind myself that we are in Wyoming, but I do hope to one day find someone with which I can talk about audio equipment or music. To be fair, I did find someone with an electric guitar the other night that I messed around with. I have met someone who collects records, too, but they don't have any credibility with me because all they have is Beatles and Rage Against the Machine, and they don't store their records correctly at all. Oh, well.

Elder Campbell sent the first letters of his mission! ...They were both to friends of mine that he has never met. *shrug*

I was reading in 1 Kings the other day, and there is an instance where a king inquires of his dignitaries whether he should go to battle. They all reply in the affirmative, to which he asks, "Are there any actual prophets of God in this city?" His second in command says, "There is yet one man, but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil." When the king asks the prophet, the prophet tells him to not go to battle, or he will die. The second in command gets all up in arms, "See! I told you he would prophecy evil concerning us!" What is the lesson here? The king and his friend ignored truth because it just didn't suit them. That led to a miserable defeat, and the downfall of that reign. When the prophets speak, they speak the words of God. If that means we need to change, it means we need to change. We shouldn't disregard the voice of the Lord simply because it doesn't suit us.

Keep being awesome! Thank you all for what you do!

Rock and roll ~

-Elder Burch π

"... To see in all directions at the same time. Oh, what a beautiful view if you were never aware of what was around you."

Buffalo's Dynamic Duo

Elder Campbell likes trains more than he likes girls.

Meagan is making me a pinky-promise that she will say
the prayer next time. This is my proof.

It snowed again. Freaking again!

Dinner appointment with the Ruby's

We have been editing pictures from the children's version of the Book

of Mormon. Oh, the joys of the iPad mission.

"An act of God..."

Happy Monday to those I haven't seen in at least seven months!

        Early this week, we went on exchanges. I was in Sheridan with Elder Emms, and we did a lot of bike riding. Riding bikes on ice is precarious. I fell and damaged a pair of pants. How lame.

        We were on a hike the other day, and Elder Campbell fell in the river. I guess that's what you get for rock-hopping when there's lots of snow.

        In the same vein, Elder Campbell and I get along very, very well! We make an obtuse amount of jokes, and we just have a really good time doing the work that doesn't feel like work at all because it is just too much fun. I'm thinking that I might get transferred this next transfer (March 8th is the transfer day, with calls being on the 5th), which would be sad because Elder Campbell is cool. Also, I want to see Meagan and Branden get baptized. They are doing well, and slowly making more and more progress.

        Saturday was simply a day of miracles. It began with our ward missionary coming with us to contact a potential, and we decide to stop at a less active member's home. Turns out, them and our ward missionary are friends, and we were able to sit down with them and even give them a blessing. It was rad. We also were able to have a surprise sit-down lesson / service opportunity with a less active part member family. Later that night, we had dinner with Meagan and Branden. It was a good time, we enjoyed ourselves (especially playing with their little boy, Kaden), but what came after was the real kicker. They are still taking the Word of Wisdom stuff slowly, but it seems like they are trying. That, and Meagan told us towards the end that us coming over has really helped them, and they feel more peace and have less conflict. That, my friends, is what I live for out here. It doesn't happen often, but when people tell you how much of a serious difference you've made to them, it makes it all so worth it.

        This email is short. I apologize, no pictures. Have a great day!

-Elder Burch π

        "... and nothing less will be accepted."

"Everything is going to be alright..."

My small band of heroes,

        This week, the zone had a conference in Gillette. Gillette is a place
about an hour south east of Buffalo, and it may be one of the
dreariest places that I have ever seen ever. That didn't matter much
to me, though, because I slept in the car on the way there as well as
on the way back. Missionaries need to get in that rest, you know.

        Elder Christensen and I went on exchanges after that. He came to
Buffalo while Elder Campbell went down to Gillette with Elder
Dougherty. Elder Christensen taught me how to exercise. Look out,
world!

        We taught a lesson on the Word of Wisdom to Meagan and Branden. I
feel like it was taught well, and Elder Christensen was an absolute
necessity for that lesson, but the reception was mixed. They both
understand it and the reasons, and they also both know it will be a
struggle. Meagan seems to have more desire to try than Branden, but
we'll keep tabs on them. Little setbacks are no reason to go dropping
them or anything rash. Also, they came to church yesterday! Any tips
for helping them to live this commandment? Send them my way.

        Sister Croft is one of our investigators. She's been taught for a
long, long time by missionaries with her husband, Brother Croft, but
the issue is that she has a language barrier. She is from China, and
she speaks English, but is quite broken. We've struggled with how to
get across to her. The last two lessons that we've taught with her,
though, have been excellent! The keys that we have found are teaching
slowly, teaching excruciatingly simply, and using visuals. She's still
not in to come to church, but we'll get her there. We've taught the
Gospel of Jesus Christ and Plan of Salvation. The Restoration is
next...

        Everything is melting. The sun is such a beautiful thing.

        I love the phrase used in Isaiah often: "... but His hand his
stretched out still." The phrase is usually preceded by something a
little more foreboding, and it speaks to me. No matter how stupid we
are sometimes, and how we often have to face the consequences of dumb
things we do, God will still reach out to us with His mercy. He wants
us to grow, and sometimes (often) that growth isn't comfortable.
Nevertheless, He will be there to help us with His hand stretched out
still, if we seek for it.

        Keep being cool.

        Rock and roll ~

-Elder Burch π

        "... Be strong, believe."

Up towards the Big Horns

Companionship Unity

Our investigators trapped a bobcat!

Onderdonk

Animal Shelter

The animal shelter here! We give service there on Wednesdays. 

"When the change was made up town and the Big Man joined the band..."

Citizens,

        The weeks seem more and more to just fly by. I need to keep a better
journal, and by that I mean that I need to start writing a journal at
all. I really should, considering how easy I have it in this iPad
mission and all. I will start doing that more.

        So, I may be the worst person that has ever lived. I lose everything.
If it isn't attached to me, or can be detached somehow, I will lose
it. Yes, the car keys got lost, and yes, they were in a fairly obvious
place that I wasn't able to find for at least four hours. What an
efficient use of time! Elder Campbell now holds most of the valuables
most of the time.

        The other night, we were walking around 8:30, and I had a strong
prompting to knock on a door. The prompting was so strong, in fact,
that I just kind of froze in my boots and stared at the door for a
while before Elder Campbell asked what was up. We knocked, and now we
have a potential investigator! We will be returning tomorrow,
probably. Here's to hoping that they are looking for something better
and that this can be the answer!

        Meagan and Branden are looking to get married, which made teaching
the Law of Chastity lesson so much easier. They're in Minnesota right
now, but should be back before too long. They are awesome, and we are
excited for them. Next up is the Word of Wisdom lesson, and putting
them on date for baptism! Pray for our efforts there.

        Saturday, we hit the pavement. At our zone training on Friday, much
was said on the topic of finding, and developing the faith to find.
So, we put the teachings into practice and spent almost the entire day
on Saturday tracting out the town. We cleared two trailer parks and
some houses in between. Nothing obvious directly came of it, but the
Lord will bless us as we work and exercise our faith. We receive a
witness after the trail of our faith. (Ether 12:6)

        That is all for now. Elder Campbell's humor is dry and I love it. We
get along well.

        Rock and roll~

-Elder Burch π

        "... from the coastline to the city, all the little pretties raise
their hands..."

Ice Sword

Scary...

I'll be in Bub's Fallout Shelter if you need anything.

Holy Juxtaposition

I'm a cowboy. Am I cool now?

Wyoming East Zone