"Finally there is clarity..."

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,

"All I do is find, find, find
No matter what!
Got Jesus on my mind
I can never get enough
When I hit those streets
My teaching pool fills up!"

This last week has been just as hectic as the two preceding it. The
only reason y'all get a reasonably lengthen email today is because our
new apartment has only one coin operated washer/drier downstairs and
therefore takes seven and a half eons to clean our clothing.
Y'welcome.

Wednesday morning was the promised day. The day I would finally get my
new companion. The day I would finally be able to be back in my own
area full time and sleep in my own bed every night. It was a glorious
day. We arrived in Helena around 11, and I was privileged to meet
Elder Rickenbacker, my new companion, who would soon become my best
friend. Elder Rickenbacker, from Dublin, California (apparently home
of the biggest St. Patrick's day celebration this side of the
Mississippi (yes, even bigger than Butte, Montana)), is on the last
transfer of his mission, and is determined to end with a bang. Much to
my liking, he has a good taste in music (as well as just generally
good taste for most things), a mirthful sense of humor, and a general
sense of agreeableness and amiability that has allowed us to have some
great times already! To add to that, the Lord has blessed us
abundantly, and we've been able to find three new investigators in the
last four days! How rad is that? The Lord is mindful of us, and
blesses us when we seek to do our best. On top of all of this, we now
have the Downtown part of Missoula in our area, and we can do finding
there all the time! There have been festivals going on all weekend
with vendors and live music and SO MANY PEOPLE with which to talk!
It's been awesome. I love it here.

The smoke is still thick. We had some decent rain the other day which,
combined with some good winds, cleared the skies for two days. No
more. It's not clear. Lame.

It's been a good week. I'm super excited to go to Helena tomorrow for
Mission Leadership Conference, and to serve in the Missoula 4th Ward
with Elder Rickenbacker. Here's to more hard work and the love of the
Lord.

Rock and roll ~

-Elder Stephen Burch π
1101 Greenough Dr Apt E10
Missoula, MT 59802

   "... This tiny life is making sense."

"On cold nights in a prayer for dawn..."

Everyone,

This week has been mayhem. I have used that word quite frequently to describe the situation, but that's because I feel like it describes what has been happening more than any other word. 

In short, I got to be companions with the indomitable Elder Tucker for the week until Friday. We worked in Missoula 4th and we got work done. I tried to learn it as best as I could, because it will be my new area. After that, I was in a trio with Elder Ash and Elder Griffin, and then in Clinton with Elder Vargas and Elder Anderson. It has been rough, but it has been alright. I will get a real companion on Wednesday and it will all come to an end. Jk it never ends. But, at least I'll be able to work in my own area and sleep on my own bed!

Missoula is engulfed in flames. Not exactly, but the Lolo fire is really close to the city, and there is smoke all in the air. Pray for the firefighters in the area, please. 

I will write a better email before too long. Hopefully, when things stop being crazy, I will have more time and desire. The Work is good! 

Rock and roll ~

-Elder Burch π

"... The daylight isn't what she wants. The concrete calls my name again. I'm falling through 

the cracks I slipped."

P.S. My new address is 1101 Greenough Dr #E10 Missoula MT 59802. 

I got transferred from Missoula 5th Ward to Missoula 4th Ward and am now serving in the assignment as zone leader. Fun, fun.

"Sometimes I feel like being whispy, and once in awhile I feel like being dry..."

I am swamped and also a lazy scumbag today, so all y'all get are
pictures. I know that is your favorite part anyway. {insert joke about
Elder Campbell always joking about people not reading his emails and
only looking at his pictures}

Rock and roll ~

- Elder Burch π

"And you're in love with all the wonder it brings..."

Chairmen of the board,

This week has been a good week, in that most nights have resulted in Elder Ash and I getting home and being utterly exhausted because of all the stuff we did that day. Working hard feels good, man. A few brief things that occurred this week:

We have been setting daily goals, which we seek to set under the direction of the Spirit of the Lord. We have been promised that if we do this, and if we work hard to achieve our worthy goals, we will find at least one new investigator a day. Like all blessings, they are predicated upon our acts of faith. So, here's to faithfulness.

We have already seen a significant amount of miracles from our efforts, and I feel very blessed. Elder Ash and I have been really doing our best to talk with everyone and work hard. Things are looking up!

We got a new car! It is a 2017 Toyota RAV4. In related news, we just became the last mission in the United States to have TIWI installed. Mine hasn't spoken to me yet. I think it's broken. *shrug*

The Lord promises us a lot of things. All through the scriptures are statements, clarifying that if _____, then ______. It is up to us to trust that the Lord can and will fulfill His promises. And, He created the Earth, the universe, and us, so I think there is reasonable evidence that He can fulfill His promises. We also know that He is always honest, so there. God keeps His promises. It's up to us to do our part.

Rock and roll~

-Elder Burch π

"... Off you scream into the night."