“It’s my own advice I need...”

After a long dearth of any kind of pictures from my end, I present to you the week of MLC. Photo ops, man. Photo ops. 

“Op” stands for opportunity, by the way. You know who you are. 

This week I was able to go on exchanges to my old stomping grounds, Greybull Wyoming. We got to visit some people that I had worked with previously, and I also treated myself to a conversation with Sister Tolman, as well as Brother and Sister Cheatham. I’m sure I’ll be back on exchanges there again, so it’ll be good. Turns out that Brother Cheatham found the thing I left for him long ago. It took him a while to find it after I left, but he did. (It was a dinosaur book that I got from the Basin library while doing service there many moons ago, and on the front was a T-Rex skeleton. I put a sticky note that said, “Look Brother Cheatham! It’s you!” and an arrow to the skeleton. Good times. It’s been a while.) So much changes, but it is good to know that the Cheathams are still the same Cheathams I knew and loved. I’ll be back post-mission. Brother Cheatham is intent on teaching me how to shoot. Also, Vector and Radian, their adorable Yorkies, are hopefully going to have puppies one of these days, and I’m going to adopt one. Because adorable. Also, I have been tossing around being a pilot? (That’s first news to a lot of people. And I’ll probably decide I want to do something else just as fast as I thought I might want to do this. *shrug* Happens.) So Brother Cheatham and I could go flying. That would be fun. Man. Good times.

After dinner, we headed to Billings to begin the monthly process of revelation and lack of sleep that is MLC. We didn’t get to Billings until 10:25 that night, slept in the mission home, woke up at 3, and went to Helena. Cool experiences there. There is a lot of power when a group is unified in faith and petitions the Lord for knowledge. We set a goal, and we discussed it. Honestly, I was a bit apprehensive about it at first. But, then we knelt down in humble prayer, having faith, and one of the missionaries acted as voice as we asked the Lord if the goal we had set was worthy and attainable. The confirmation of the Spirit was palpable, and I am sure that this is what the Lord wants for us and the mission. I felt like that kind of an experience would be cool for everyone in the mission to have, not just the leadership, so we have talked to all our district leaders and asked if they would have a similar prayer in their next district meeting to allow all the missionaries to experience the confirmation that this is the goal the Lord would like us to work towards. That way, (hopefully) all of the missionaries will be on board, and there is power in unity towards a goal.

“If Star Trek has taught me anything, it is that we can’t function on half engine power.” - Elder Burch π

I think I forgot to mention this a while back, but it is important enough to mention now: Billings has only one record store, and it is really super lame. 

I like Montana, and I like Wyoming, too. Funny throwback to the Elder Campbell days in Buffalo, Wyoming: 

Me: “We’re tracting!”

Elder Campbell: “In the wind!”

Me: “In the strong wind.”

Elder Campbell: “Wyoming has little else but sales tax!”

Yes, Montana doesn’t have sales tax. What you buy actually costs what it says. I mean, property tax is real, but still. Missionaries don’t care about property tax.

Member missionary work is fantastic. It is the most effective way to find solid new investigators. Invitations to learn more about the truth of the restored gospel means more from a friend than a random stranger who is dressed funny. And, I know the Lord will give you opportunities that you wouldn’t ever normally consider if you pray to Him in faith with a promise and commitment to act on promptings you receive to share the gospel. That is what a family in our area did this last month. About four weeks ago, we visited them and shared a message with them about missionary work, complete with some role plays with the kids on how to talk with their friends. Then, the mother asked, “Can we set a goal to have someone taught in our home by the next transfer?” And so, they set the goal, applying the things they know, and this last Sunday, we were able to teach two new investigators in this family’s home. The Work is true, and it blesses us all when we chose to be a part of it. 

Last thing: Transfer calls were yesterday. Elder Bly is being transferred to the Gillette 2nd Ward, being reassigned from zone leader to district leader / trainer, and he is stoked. He’s been a zone leader for more than 15 months, and is ready to be done with dealing with all the junk zone leaders often have to deal with. So, he takes off Tuesday night, and Wednesday evening I will be blessed to receive Elder Craig as my new companion. I know Elder Craig a little, and he is awesome! This will be his first transfer as a zone leader, so I hope to do a good job at not just being a good companion, but a good trainer in the ways of a zone leader. 

Elders! Pray for me!

Elders! ... Pray for me!

Alright, I will close this thing up. Thanks for reading.

Rock and roll ~

-Elder Stephen Burch π

“Living trapped inside the chase...”

The Worland District
(Greybull/Basin, Worland 1&2, Worland 3, and Thermopolis)
plus us, feat. heavy photo editing

The Worland District plus us

Sister Tolman and her adorable adopted child

MLC pictures

Farewell, Sister Hymas. 

Sami, Kaili, myself, Logan, and Elder Bly

"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."

"The boxes are empty, we can finally call this our new home..."

Hello all,

  After a swift conclusion to the MTC experience, they loaded us up in
a tiny little jump jet and shuttled us from the SLC to the Billings,
Montana airport. For those unawares, Billings is a city of a little
more than 100,000 people. They pride themselves on having a Walmart, a
Costco, and a single Café Rio. But, alas, my stay in Billings would be
short enough. After arriving and being helped to the greatest meal
I've had in three weeks (the MTC isn't awful, but I would definitely
not call it good), I grabbed a few personal things and spent the night
at a member's house with a handful of other elders.

  The following day, after some training, we found out where we would
be spending the next significant part of our lives. The verdict was
given, and I became excited. I won't be serving in Montana, but rather
in Wyoming. "Will we be heading out tomorrow morning?" "You're heading
to Wyoming? You'll be leaving in... About an hour and a half."

  And, so it was.

  After a two hour and generally unimpressive drive, we arrived in
Lovell, Wyoming, where the five of us met our trainer and hopefully
best friend for at least the next six weeks. Elder Berrett, a smiling,
glasses-wearing Elder from Gilbert, Arizona, greeted me. Quickly, we
put the two suitcases in the Corolla, strapped the bike to the back,
and drove off.

  I have been assigned to labor in the Wyoming West area. Greybull,
Basin, and Ten Sleep are all within our boundaries. Due to the size of
our area, we are allotted a fairly large amount of miles.
Nevertheless, we don't make it to Ten Sleep more than once or twice a
month. We spend most of our time in Greybull and Basin, population
1,800 and 1,200, respectively. The wards have a high rate of
inactivity, and much of our time has been spent on reactivation.

  Elder Berrett of GIlbert, Arizona (I know, right?) has been out
somewhere about a year. He's a nerd (we're both psyched for when the
post office in Basin gets Star Trek stamps - September 3rd!), and he
knows how to follow the rules and work hard. We get along well, and I
feel like we are smooth at transitioning in lessons. Elder Berrett is
awesome, and I'm super happy to have him as my companion.

  We are staying at a member home. Brother and Sister Cheatham are
both very nice, loving, and funny, and I'm grateful for the
opportunity to stay with them.

  We've already had some wonderful experiences with both members and
not, but I will leave you with a spiritual thought:

  One person we visited last night opened up about a concern she had.
She had heard from certain people that if one member of the family
reaches the highest degree of glory, but a child or something does
not, that they won't be together forever. We were able to testify that
because families are such an integral part of The Plan, God promises
us that we will be together. We need to follow His way in this life as
best we can, and He will take care of the rest. Of this I have a
testimony. (For further reading on the subject, may I recommend the
First Presidency message in the August 2016 Ensign?)

  I hope all is going well! I love to hear from you probably more than
you love to hear from me, so don't hesitate to send some goings on,
some thoughts, questions, or anything along those lines.

  Rock and roll.

-Elder Burch π

"... I can't hear a word over Kind of Blue ..."