"Don't wait too long to come home..."

Here we are, at the beginning of another week. It is, indeed, my last full week of missionary service. We'll see where this goes.

This week was good! For the Fourth of July we went to a local event and then spent time with some members in the evening. Nothing too grand of a spectacle, but it was a lot of fun! We have some really excellent members in Havre. I enjoy working with them. 

We had two more lessons with Ephraim, and he is progressing smoothly toward his baptismal date of Wednesday, July 18th. (Three days before I go home - that'll be an awesome thing to see!) He is as energetic is any ten year old would be expected to be, but he is really smart, and it is cool to see how he often is listening well even if it doesn't seem like he is listening at all. We are really trying to make lessons snappy and visual for him. Also! His brother on a mission in California is going to video call in for our lesson on Tuesday! We're pumped for that. 

We spent quite a bit of time in Rocky Boy this week, mostly off of last-minute spiritual promptings. We made a lot of good, solid contacts, and found a new investigator! When we returned on Saturday for our follow up lesson, he had read three chapters from the Book of Mormon and had some great questions that we were able to help answer! It is often really difficult to get commitment on the reservation - most of the time people will say they will do something a hundred times and never do it - so this was a huge step forward. We are hoping to get him to church on Sunday and teaching him the first discussion next time we visit. We are also looking to do some tracting and street contacting out there, perhaps in normal clothes. It seems like people go inside and give us weird looks when they see us walking down the street. Not sure if it is because of our white shirts or white skin. To be determined. I really love working on the reservation with the native people. There is a lot to be done there, and many lives to bless.

On Friday, we went to Helena for a zone conference where we met the Larsons! I will only be a missionary under them for a total of around three weeks, but it was cool to meet them. They are phenomenal, and will definitely be what the mission is in need of right now. They opened things up to a Q&A, and Elder Vargas went right for the throat by starting it all off with "Do you like Star Wars?" Classic Elder Vargas! (The answer was 'yes.')

I gave my departing testimony at that zone conference, too. Elder Brown gave his right before me, and I gave him a hug as he was coming off the stand and I was going up. That was a mistake, because I started crying and it wrecked the whole nice testimony that I was going to bear. Ah, well. I still was able to testify of what I know to be true about God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the truthfulness of the restored gospel. And, I think that would be a good way to end my email. So, here you go:

I know that we are children of a Heavenly Father who loves us. He loves us enough to send us His Son to serve as our Savior, to ransom us from the bonds of sin and death, and to pull us out of the holes we so often dig for ourselves. He is the Redeemer, the promised Messiah, and the Holy One of Israel. He will comfort us when we are hurting and when we are weak, and He will give us direction when we are lost.

He has established His church once again on Earth in these latter days through a prophet called of God to teach the truths of the gospel. These truths are the only way under heaven whereby we can find lasting happiness, real satisfaction, and true richness in our lives. Living the gospel and relying wholly on the merits, mercy, and grace of Jesus the Christ is the only way to grow to reach our potential and thereby obtain eternal life and exaltation with our families and our Heavenly Father.

I know we are led by God through His prophet today. God speaks to us. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the Lord’s kingdom established upon the earth. I know that if we follow the council of prophets and seek to receive and follow our own personal revelation, we need not fear, for God is on our side and will not let us fail. We were never made to fail. We were made to succeed, and to succeed gloriously. Jesus Christ is the one that makes it possible.

I testify of Him who is Mighty to Save. I testify of our Father, of the Holy Ghost, and of the reality of the Plan of Salvation. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

Rock and roll ~

Elder Burch π

Missionary - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Montana Billings Mission

"... My, how the years and our youth pass on."

4th of July

I like trains

Ephraim and us 

President and Sister Larson

“A place they say glistens gold...”

Brigham Young must’ve been mistaken when he declared the Salt Lake Valley as the new Zion for the saints, because arriving here in Powell, Wyoming, I have never been more sure that “This is the right place.” 

Similarly, I’ve been blessed to not only be in a beautiful land humming with the potential of the gospel, but to be here with Elder Bly, who I am confident will swiftly become one of my best friends.

If that wasn’t enough, I also get the chance here to serve in the first Young Single Adult ward of my mission, along with two other blessed family wards, Powell 2nd and Powell 4th. True, it makes for a long Sunday worth of church services, along with way too many names for me to learn, but it will all be worth it. I love Powell, I love my companion, and I love the Work in which we are engaged. The Lord has suffered me to come at this time to a land of promise, and I can only hope that I will do Him proud while I am here.

To put a topper on it, this might be my last area of my mission. That isn’t doctrine, but it could very well be a reality. Time will tell...

Until that time, though, let’s talk about some things from this week!

Transfers were successful. I was blessed to see many people at the transfer site in Helena, including Elder Ash, who I haven’t seen in almost six months! I didn’t snap a picture, unfortunately, but I did get a picture of the magnificent quad of Elder Brown, Elder Lester, Elder Campbell, and myself, so look for that at the end. The ride was uneventful, primarily consisting of myself and Elder Carter reminiscing about the MTC, until we got a call that the mission Silverado lugging the trailer full of our luggage had ran out of gas merely three miles out of Columbus, Montana. So, we rushed back and rescued them from their predicament.

We arrived in Powell on Wednesday night, and have done good work in the days since arriving here. Elder Bly is a man of many duck noises, from the land of Henderson, Nevada, and he likes hunting. He’s super easy to get along with, we have already developed several inside jokes, and he is a hard working missionary. I really like him.

Some of the week’s highlights include:

- Attending institute and trying to memorize the names of the YSA
- Having dinner with some wonderful member families
- Receiving a myriad of referrals, include three for people who are likely to become solid new investigators.
- Weekly planning in which we set dates for exchanges with the district leaders, which includes me getting to go to my first area, Greybull / Basin, for a day! (I am psyched for that.)
- Having a convert baptism of one of the best people I’ve met on the mission

... What was that, Elder Burch? Did you say a baptism?

Why, yes, careful readers, I did.

Kaili has a crazy story that I won’t go too far into, but the short of it is that while living in Thermopolis, she connected with a woman named Kelly who had similar trials to her, and yet seemed joyful in all her doings. Kaili told Kelly that she wanted to be just like her, and Kelly responded, “Then you should look into the Book of Mormon.” Flash forward to Kaili attending the Northwest College here in Powell, Wyoming, and she does, indeed look into the Book of Mormon. She attended institute, and was quickly befriended by the wonderful members of the magnificent Powell YSA. That was back in January. Back to today, Kaili is now a baptized and confirmed member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and she has already insistently inquired as to when she can receive a calling to serve in the church. She was baptized by her friend Logan, who has also decided to seal the whole thing by getting down on one knee and asking Kaili if she’d like to be with him for time and all eternity.

Family and friends, the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was described as a “marvelous work and a wonder,” and how true does that statement ring in my first five days serving our Father in Heaven in the blessed land of Powell, Wyoming.

It will only get better from here.

Rock and roll ~

-Elder Stephen Burch π

“... I want to go there and never come back home.”

The Quad Of Power

Saying goodbye to Anna

Kaili and Logan

I wasn’t ready for the picture,
but that is what Elder Bly looks like!

Wyoming has a unique beauty to it.
This is a picture out the window
on the road from Powell to Cody.

"Boy, you was battle born."

This week was a fairly eventful week. There was a huge art show in town. The Out West Art show, to be specific, and we gave a fair amount of service at that. It was really neat to see all the different styles of art (I really like art), including a guy who does hammer and chisel. He was working with a type of rock that is essentially lava which erupted underwater and made a foamy expanded obsidian. It was neat, but I agree with his feelings that you can't get as much detail as on other rocks. He says people like the obsidian because it looks contemporary. I looked in his book of older projects and I like his other stuff more. Even still, very cool!

We had exchanges with the River's Edge elders, and I was able to spend the day with Elder Hallett. We had a fantastic spiritual lesson with an investigator named Josh. We taught about the Gospel of Jesus Christ (through Christ we can be cleansed from sin, faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, (sacrament), and enduring to the end). As we shared the experience from Matthew 3 of Christ being baptized, Josh really felt something. "That gives me tingles. I bet God was really proud. It makes me want to do that." Long story short, he is on date for baptism on April 20th. (420! We joked about that briefly.) They're awesome investigators. Too bad I won't be there for the baptism because...

I'm being transferred! This might be my last experience serving in Montana. They're shipping me back to my old stomping grounds. Not exactly, but close enough. I'm going back to the Wyoming West Zone (Wyoming Best Zone) to serve in Powell, Wyoming, which is roughly an hour drive from my very first area of Greybull/Basin. I am excited to be back there (not in the least bit because of the sales tax I will once again have to pay (otherwise they'll send me to Federal Dungeon for tax evasion... again (no, still))), and I am excited to do the work! Elder Bly, here I come! Elder Bly is really cool, dedicated, and hardworking, and I am excited to be his companion. 

I think that is all for now. Enjoy the pictures! Thank you for all you do! Rock and roll ~

- Elder Burch π

"When they break your heart, and when they cause your soul to mourn, remember what I said..."

Giving service at the food bank during the BSA food drive

Elder Shumway, Me, Elder Hallett, and Elder Brown

Elder Brown and I after we helped this guy
unload is statues with the crane on his truck

Dinosaurs are cool

The guy that does the hammer and chisel art

Some of his art

The Bergs

“With the morning comes the rest of my life...”

Jedi and Sith,

I’ve been thinking about time periods, and how certain periods of time seem shorter than others, even if they’re the same length. I don’t really know how to describe it. Like, when I think back on history, the time period between 1947 and 1977 seems a lot longer than the time period between 1776 and 1806, even though they are both periods of thirty years. *shrug* Ah, well

This week was pretty awesome. Good news: We found a new investigator! Bad news: They are currently residing in the Cascade County Regional Prison. But, hey! Everyone needs, the gospel, right?

There have been some really cool experiences with following the Spirit this week. Like, there was this time we had twenty minutes before dinner. What do we do? Twenty minutes is pretty easy to just shrug off, but I had the impression that we needed to try a person, this “new investigator” that was in our area book, but I’d only met once of the numerous times we had tried to contact him. I even said in my heart, “Okay, Spirit, if they don’t answer, or if they DO answer and don’t set a specific return appointment, I am going to drop them.” We parked across the street, said a quick prayer, and knocked on the door. Lo and behold, he was there. And he was cordial. And we set a return appointment for Friday at 3pm (which went great, by the way). As we walked back to our car, I felt like the Spirit was giving me that kind of raised eyebrows I-told-you-so look. And, then we felt to try one other person before heading to dinner, this referral from a member in the other stake. We tried him, and got another specific return appointment. The Spirit is really working with us, and it is cool to see those moments where you realize truly how little you control, and how often God has His finger on your head pointing you to where you need to go.

Sunday morning, we are doing our studies before church, when we hear this rustling over by our washer and dryer. It sounds like a small animal is scratching around back there or something, but we don’t see anything. We’d heard something like this a few days before, but it had stopped relatively quickly, plus we live in a complex, so we figured it must just be the neighbors. This time, it happened again, and the exhaust hose of the drier even moved a little bit. Weird. I tried to pass it off as temperature and pressure changes in the exhaust vent, but continued scratching noises caused that theory to be destroyed. So, we scooted the drier out, and disconnected the vent at the bottom, and kept studying, seeing if anything would happen. It did, but nothing came out, so we finally took the hose out of the hole in the wall, and found a little bird inside of it. We put a torn piece of bread in there for the little guy. Eventually, he flew out, and we had to trap him in a box, but we were eventually able to release him into the outside again, and make it to church on time. Score!

I have been studying agency in the Book of Mormon and I have never had more powerful or insightful study sessions. I highly recommend reading through the entire Book of Mormon with one topic in mind. It’s crazy cool what you might find. Agency is a cool place to start. Helaman 6 is a wild chapter.

Thank you all for reading! I hope you do well. 

Rock and roll ~

Elder Stephen Burch π

“With this empty glass, I will break the past. ... I want this to be my awakening.”

"This [manufactured home] ain't big
enough for the two of us!"

The bird in question

Elder Brown, myself, Elder Lester,
Elder Madsen and Elder Campbell

Ice crystals are cool

Missionary Leadership Conference
Helena, MT

Zone Conference

"If love is a labor, I'll slave 'til the end..."

On the adventures of Elder Stephen Tanner Burch π... 

This week saw Elder Burch and Elder Brown venture to Billings, where they enjoyed exchanges with the Assistants to the President, Elder Luebke and Elder Tucker. This story is primarily to show that God answers prayers. (If my formating is funky, I apologize. It is funky as I type it now and I'm not sure why. Ah, well.) I prayed the night before exchanges that we would be able to find a new investigator and that my faith might be strengthened. Well, the next day, we shovelled the mission home (I used a snow blower for the first time!), and then I went with Elder Tucker and we did some finding. We were trying to contact off of a part member family sheet, and suddenly Elder Tucker says that he feels we should knock some doors in the Rose Garden Apartments. So, we head off, and the fifth door we knock on is a kind, young gentleman who says that we can come back! Prayers are answered, and God is eager to help us in our personal, practical challenges. 

I think that is all that is relevant today. I will include quotations of the week, as well as pictures. I hope you enjoy!

Rock and roll ~

Elder Burch π

"... I've been here so long, think that it's time to move. The winter's so cold, summer's over too soon..."


"There is a special place in the Telestial Kingdom for them, and it has no plumbing!" -Elder Campbell

"Cut Bank is like a clingy girlfriend. you want some space, but you're ultimately glad it's always there." -Elder Hayes

"It's like a Nephite mic drop!" -KH, referring to Alma 30:60

"We'll go visit Brother Porter, and then we can send this receipt to Elder Baird." -Elder Burch
*pause* "I hope he isn't in the shower." -Elder Brown
"Elder Baird?!" -Elder Burch

"What are they gonna use this fire hydrant for? Putting out the swing set?" -Elder Brown

"They're Canadian; whatcha gonna do?" -Elder Brown

SPPD! 

Sun Prairie is ghetto. Also, I'm on another horse!

The District

Overlooking Billings

The biggest game night ever!

“It’s too cold outside...”

You only get pictures today. 

Almost.

Know it is really cold. And transfers went smoothly despite snow storms. I saw so many people I love at transfers! So good. And exchanges with the assistants on Thursday. And Elder Tate Shumway is a great district 

Leader. 

- Elder Burch π

Elder Wheeler, me, and Elder Murphy 

Elder Lester, myself, Elder Campbell, and Elder Brown

Sister Miner, me, and Sister MacQueen

Myself, Sister Taylor, and Sister Medley

Myself and Elder Ray

Sister Rash, myself, and Sister Hymas

... What grass?

The refinery blocks out the sun. Makes it look like the apocalypse.

"Suddenly I see..."

I have been keeping a consistent journal since Monday. I was pleased, because I was going to be able to use the journal to make my email here way better, because I would have a detailed log of what even happened this week. Well, poop. I am at the church and the journal is at the apartment. Lame. Que triste. Ah, well.

On the topic of that journal, I am writing the happenings of the day, but I've also taken it upon myself to write down five things for which I am thankful in the form of "I am thankful for ___, because ___." I've seen a little improvement in how I see the world and my overall thankfulness for things. It is a solid practice, and I highly recommend it to anyone. After those five things, I took a page from the Book of O'Konukia (a.k.a. the warped and beautiful mind of Elder M. K. Campbell) and place a quotation of the day, which I will attempt to place at the end of these emails. Because, fun. And, worth it for the story.

 This week had ups and downs and all the normal stuff, but goodness gracious it was accented by an awesome occurence. Let's flash back for a second...

Last week on The Many Adventures of Elder Burch: "A member in Two Rivers had invited her friends to church, and this is the fourth time that they had come, and we were able to  talk with them a lot more. FOUR TIMES! Non-members! From a friend's invite! How rad? (Also, member missionary work at its best. Take notes, you all.) They are a newly married couple, and have mixed religious upbringing. Anyway, we have a lesson and dinner scheduled with them and the members this Friday night! How cool! We are blessed to be in the service." 

So, that lesson happened this week, and it ranks among the best Fridays I've ever had on my mission. 

Good thing Number 1: The member family, the Crist family, is a fantastic family. Sister Crist is one of the greatest humans, and she is a phenomenal gospel principles teacher. So, it was a joy to eat with them and have a lesson. 

Good thing number 2: "We're going to have salmon for dinner; is that okay with you?" "...Yes. Yes. Yes it is." Salmon is my actual favorite meal of all time, and the Crist family makes some excellent, excellent fish. (Reminds me of the fantastic salmon of my youth. Thanks, Grandpa and Grandma Burch.) So, that was rad. 

Good thing Number 3: The two friends are super cool. Newlywed couple, Kenny and Jenny, who are super funny and enjoyable to be around. Outgoing personalities and all. They're super cool. 

Good thing Number 4: Elder Brown's magic show was very well received. Always a good time. 

Good thing Number 5: The lesson was superb. It was so, so good. We taught the Restoration, and they seemed to understand it well and it made sense. Afterwards, there was a question session which was awesome, and we had to duck out at 9:15 to avoid the public pumpkin transformation that occurs to missionaries out past curfew. 

Good thing Number 6: We talked to the member after church (we were in Cascade, and these people are in Two Rivers) and learned that Kenny and Jenny had both come, and had brought their mother, too, who loved it as well! How super duper rad is that? 

Good thing Number 7: We have lunch and a lesson at the Crist home on Saturday at 1 and I am so psyched it is ridiculous. 

How cool is that? I'm so excited.

The warm weather spree has officially ended. (Killjoy!) The day after Groundhog Day, a day of a high of 35, we woke up the next day to the first snow we'd seen in two weeks, and a temperature of 2. D*ang groundhog must've saw his shadow. 

We had back to back dinners at the Mahana home Saturday and Sunday! The Sunday meal was actually provided by the Riley family, and the Mahana's just hosted it. It was awesome. 

Oh, hey! Transfer news. I am staying in the Montana Billings Mission. 

And this area. I'm staying in the area. Cool! I love this area! This is interesting, because after this transfer, there are only three more. I'm thinking that I'll only have one more area, but who knows?

Cool. Thank you all for reading and caring and all that. Rock and roll! ~

-Elder Burch π

"This is what I wanna be..."

Quotes of the day that I can remember:

*walks out of unnamed gas station* "This place sucks; we're never coming back here." - Elder Brown

"You know you're in Montana when someone mentions Trump and tells a story bashing Fords in their testimony." - Elder Burch

"Breath mints aren't made of metal!" - Little girl at the Cascade County Detention Center

"It is weeks like last week that make me want to stay here another transfer. It is days like today that make me want to leave." - Elder Burch 

Next time, I'll have all the quotations.

Look at that, preaching to every nation.

"Sit tight, take hold, Thunder Road..."

*looks out window in the morning after days and days of good weather*
Stupid groundhog must've seen his shadow.

The Great Falls District, for the last time.

Look how dejected I am.

Man, this is a lot of pictures. Ya' welcome.

Courtesy of Elder Campbell

Elder Campbell, Elder Brown, myself, and Elder Lester

 "I'm on a horse!"

I think there are new investigators that way!

No Ice