“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

Preparation day fun

Our new shower curtain! Did we try to be as dumb
as possible with it on purpose? You betcha!

"We were the magnificent dreamers in secret lamplight hideouts..."

Greetings from Greybull, Wyoming!

     There have been some rumors going around that Elder Berrett is being transferred to another area and that I'm going to be trained by someone else for the foreseeable future. I would like to put those rumors to rest: They are true. Am I super happy about it? No. Is it probably for the best and a representation of God's will if it's what President Wadsworth has deemed what needs to happen? Yes. I'm going to miss that guy. Our spiritual lessons, the effortless way we can laugh together, the guidance he's given me, and the conversations we're able to have about Star Trek. No one else is going to think my awful inside jokes are funny! Ah, well. It's been good.

     On Monday, we went to the Thermopolis Dinosaur Center. As cool as it was, I can't help but think that the museum in Mesa is better. It's way bigger, has more well-done exhibits, and has more interesting informative placards. It was still a good time, though. 

     This week, we had the opportunity to do quite a bit of service for a non-member that we've taught in the past, but we haven't been able to get a lesson with him set up. He needed help doing some work, and we helped him out for a few hours. During the course of that, he said to us, "You know, I'm getting too old for this. I just really need to stop drinking, stop smoking, get off my butt, and go to church." Yes, Dave, yes. That is exactly what you should do. Do that and let us teach you the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. 

     Bertie's lessons are going well! Her baptism date has been pushed back to October 15th because October 1st is General Conference. Pray for her. All is going well, but, you know. Satan (Stan) likes to throw wrenches into the mix. 

     Chris, a young adult less active that we are working with, got injured in the back. It's been rough on him, and he went back to trucking today (he works weekdays). We went by last night, and Elder Berrett gave him a blessing of healing. It was the most specific blessing I've ever been party to, and if it comes to pass, I think it will be a huge faith-building experience for Chris, as well as for me. So, pray for that. It's going to be cool.

     We cooked dinner for a less-active family this week, and that was an adventure. After the potatoes didn't bake after being in the oven for an hour and a half, we decided to just nuke them in the microwave. That worked a lot better. The potato soup turned out pretty well. Or, I think so. I liked it. Also, cookies. Cookies are good. On another note, I have remained at a constant weight this entire time. I don't know how I feel about that.

     As we were driving into Basin yesterday at about seven o'clock, the sky was blanketed by a fairly thick layer of clouds. However, far in the west, the clouds ended, allowing the sun to shine under this blanket of clouds. The resulting illumination was gorgeous; golden light thrown across the open area and rolling hills, and rain coming down in this light. It was absolutely beautiful. To top it off, to the east was not one, but two complete rainbows, vibrant and stark against the backdrop of the clouds. The Earth is truly a beautiful thing, a creation of majesty and glory. Look for that in your lives.

     Thank you for your messages, prayers, and support. Keep being awesome. I love you all. 

-Elder Burch π

"... We swore the world couldn't break us even when the world took us down."

Thermopolis Dinosaur Center

Maybe I should just be a dentist.

We're such rebels.

Our Zone.....(until Wednesday)

How our zone really is.

Cookies and potato soup.

I promise you that it was better in person.

The Tolman family.

"Leave it alone, and leave a little room for the Holy Ghost."

Heh, printer.

        This email will be a bit shorter, as Elder Berrett and I are being
taken to Thermopolis to the dinosaur museum today, and I therefore do
not have as much time to write as I would normally like. I'll throw in
some good pictures to make up for it.

        Alright, first and foremost: We put an investigator on baptismal
date! October 1st is the projected day, and goodness gracious, I am
excited. Her name is Bertie, and she has been to church a few times.
Her friend in the ward took her to Education Week in Utah, and she
wanted to know more. She's in her eighties, but she doesn't look it.
She's pretty rad, and I'm excited for her.

        Secondly, Frank came to church again! He's the less active that came
to church and surprised us a few weeks ago. He missed last week on
account of being out of town, but he came this week! I like him; he's
a good guy, but sometimes his fears and doubts cloud his mind. It's
okay, though - we can help with that.

        Third, we were without our car for three days, and it was actually a
blessing. Besides having to bike into Basin (Full headwind - it kind
of sucked. On the other hand, it was pretty fun.), we walked a lot.
Through walking, we saw many miracles. We met six new people, were
able to give a random, unplanned act of service to some people moving
some furniture, and we were able to talk with several people about
families and the importance of them. I have a testimony that when God
gives us signs, we should follow them. On Wednesday, we didn't have
the car, and then a bike tire went flat, and then we couldn't find
Elder Berrett's helmet after that. I know that the Lord wants us to be
wise and resourceful, but I had received signs enough, and told Elder
Berrett that we should just walk. Lo and behold, that is when we saw
miracles.

        Moral? Listen to the Spirit. God has His ways, and they are the best
ways. He will guide and direct us.

        Elder Berrett thinks he is a stunt driver, and I think he has a
slight obsession with e-brakes. I don't even think our Corolla has an
e-brake; aren't they just parking brakes?

        This email was wholly inferior and less interesting than my other
ones. Stay tuned next week for something a little bit more exciting!
As always, thank you for reading. Send me emails and letters, and I
will do my darnedest to respond. Keep being awesome!

-Elder Burch π

        "... Now your pretty horses run wild and free. Have mercy."

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

This little dude turned 14 on Sunday!

Elder Berrett sits on couches weird.

This is in one of the training videos. Check out that polo, though.

With Elder Berrett and Mickey!

"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."

Oh Deer.

Hi Family!

        On my iPad, I have a folder for all the apps that I don't ever use /
aren't allowed to use. My companion does too, and he named his folder
"Babylon." In similar fashion, I have named mine "Great & Spacious."

        My companion and I were praying the other night, and the quiet
supplication "Dear Heavenly Father" caused me pause. How tender are
our supplications to the Father! The chance we have to pray to Him and
to talk about what happened that day! It's so cool! One of the things
that sets us apart as a church is that we believe the heavens are
opened and that God speaks to and helps man! That's so cool! Praying
with a specific question and listening for answers is the best, man.
(Sometimes in my prayers, I openly and verbally admit to Father that I
don't remember my investigators' names, and apologize profusely. I
think he forgives me.)

        We were listening to a talk in the car the other day, and it talked
about looking at the past and using it to help us in the future. The
talk giver person (speaker! Use your words, Stephen) discussed the
Roman god Janus, who had two faces (I am Two-Face! I have two faces!).
With one face, he looked into the past, and with the other he would
look into the future. I want to make sure that I can look backwards
into my past triumphs and mistakes to help me to excel in the future.
In a different General Conference talk (I'm trying to read them all
from 1971 to 2016), well, I'll just copy and paste it for you:

        "This philosophy of excellence was demonstrated by the artist
Whistler, who once painted a tiny picture of a spray of roses. The
artistry involved was magnificent. Never before, it seemed, had the
art of man been able to execute quite so deftly a reproduction of the
art of nature. The picture was the envy of the artists who saw it, the
despair of the collectors who yearned to buy it for their collections,
but Whistler refused steadfastly to sell it.
        “For,” said he, “whenever I feel that my hand has lost its cunning,
whenever I doubt my ability, I look at the little picture of the spray
of roses and say to myself, ‘Whistler, you painted that. Your hand
drew it. Your imagination conceived the colors. Your skill put the
roses on the canvas.’ Then,” he said, “I know that what I have done I
can do again.” "

        I really like that. I hope that I can look back whenever I feel down
and know what to do going forward.

        So, deer are a major problem on the road out here. As in, hitting
them. Elder Berrett has swerved twice to avoid deer on the road. One
such instance was at night, as Elder Berrett was telling a story about
him and his friend Dani, and just after I had half-reclined my seat to
rest my eyes and attempt to alleviate a minor headache I had. Nearly
immediately afterward, I was jolted to alertness as the car swerved to
avoid seven deer at various stages of crossing the road. After
recovering from that shock (sort of), Elder Berrett was telling me
another story. Somewhere along the lines of that story I realized that
he was talking to me, and said "Elder Berrett, repeat everything you
just said. My mind was half on the deer and half on Dani." So that's
our new phrase whenever we're out of it and not paying attention to
anything. "Half on the deer and half on Dani."

        I love you all. Keep being awesome, alright?

-Elder Burch π

*British voice*
I think I'll call this one "Mail Percy."

"In my head there's all these classic cars and outlawed cowboy bands..."

Hello! It's good to see you again!

Thank you for reading my emails. It feels good that people are rooting for me back home.

Sunday was an excellent day. The spiritual uplift that we get on Sunday is desperately needed and very appreciated. On top of that, seeing investigators and less active members come to church makes the hard work and rejection of the rest of the week totally worth it. Today, three investigators and two less active members with which we've been working showed up to church, and it was awesome. I was asked to give a talk in Basin Ward on the Fourth Article of Faith. It wasn't my best, but I felt the Spirit and I hope some people learned something. One highlight I'll share from it: "Everything about this gospel is based on making us better, more awesome, more like God. If my dad were here, he'd refer to these as 'upgrades.' "

We ran into some racism the other day. Those people need the gospel. I don't like racism.

During some of our less productive times of the day, Elder Berrett and I have decided to visit members' homes and sing to them a hymn, share a few messages, and see if they know anyone who could use the message of the restoration of the gospel. It's proved a good way to feel the Spirit, let off some stress, and get to know the members better. "For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads."

I ran out of feta cheese for my salads, but we're also super broke, so I have to wait until next week to get more. Sad.

The weeks go by in a blur. The days are forever long, but the weeks are quick. I hope you're doing well, and I repeat my invitation for you to write me! I love hearing what's going on out there. 

I wish I had a copy of Green Eggs & Ham with me when talking to some people. "No, I'm not interested." "... Try it and you may. Try it and you may, I say!" There's so much joy that the message of Christ can bring to people in this life, and I wish I could show them that in the short time before they close themselves and turn away. "Strange we come to find ourselves not knowing we're lost."

Alright, thank you again for reading. Until next week, keep on keeping on.

-Elder Burch π

"... I always kinda sorta wished I looked like Elvis. I always kinda sorta wished I was someone else."

Drinks at the Maverick!

Our town's one stoplight.
They're simultaneously proud of and annoyed by it.

Planning selfie!

This was in our front left tire. Ah.

"It was one hundred degrees as we sat beneath a willow tree..."

Hello again, and welcome to another exciting installment of The Many
Adventures of Elder Burch!

  We'll get right into the nitty-gritty. Like I've said before, these
wards have a very large amount of less active and part member
families. Due to that, and the fact that few people we meet have
accepted to hear our message, we spend a lot of time on reactivation.

  Specifically this week, we met with a less active named Frank. Frank
thinks a lot - he's well educated and analytical (he was the librarian
for the high school here for years). As we've met with him these
couple times, we've come to know of his incredible factual knowledge
of the scriptures and of other things.
  Well, as we were preparing to visit him one morning, I asked Elder
Berrett what exactly were Frank's needs, and how we can help him.
Elder Berrett told me that a major thing, he thought, was that Frank
just didn't have a testimony, and needed to come to church. Well, me
being the new missionary that I am said, "Let's read with him from the
Book of Mormon, testify of Moroni's promise, and ask him to pray to
ask if it is true, right there." And so, that's what we did.
  After reading aloud in a circle 3rd Nephi 11, which describes the
visit of the Savior to the Nephites, Elder Berrett extended the
invitation. "Frank, will you, right now, pray to God and ask him if
the Book of Mormon is true?" With some hesitation, Frank agreed and
offered what seemed to be a sincere, searching prayer. After the amen,
and the silence that followed, Frank opened up to us. I firmly believe
that the Spirit that was present because of the prayer and the
question was the catalyst. Frank described to us how he knows that it
is true, and wants to follow it, but finds himself unable to bring
himself to do it.
  After we listened to him, I offered, "Frank, we all feel that way.
We do stupid things and wonder why we did that again and then commit
to not do it again, and then we do it again and we think 'well, crap; I
did it again.' But we can overcome. With Christ's help, relying on Him
and His Word and His Grace, doing all we can, He will help us. We'd
like to invite you to take the first step on the path back to Christ.
Frank, will you come to church this Sunday?" And, he accepted.
  After a reminder Saturday evening and fretting the minutes before
church wondering if he'd come, we saw him walk in just a minute late,
and waved over to him to sit with us. And so, for the first time in
thirty years, Frank participated in three hours of church and partook
of the Lord's sacrament.
  Sometimes, we need to be bold, and trust that the Lord will put
power behind our words. After all, as missionaries, we are called of
God to represent Jesus Christ - we represent the Savior! He will give
us power in our words if we say them by the Spirit.

  On Saturday, Elder Berrett and I got a call that the Sister
Missionaries in Worland had an investigator ready for a baptismal
interview. Elder Berrett being the district leader and the one to
handle such a thing, we loaded up the car, turned on a talk from a
General Authority, and proceeded to head out there. After the
interview, it was determined that the baptism would have to be
postponed from next Saturday to an indefinite date, because the young
mother needed to head to Chicago to deal with a family problem. This
investigator, years before, had a similar thing happen, and the
baptism never took place. With that in mind, combined with the
knowledge that the Holy Ghost would be a powerful tool for the
investigator during this time of trial, combined with the fact that
the font was being filled as we spoke for another baptism that day,
the Sisters invited her to be baptized right there. After a Priesthood
blessing and some thought, it was agreed. And so, an hour and a half
later, Elder Berrett baptized this woman into the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints.

  The lesson I'm finding here is that the Lord's timing is beyond our
capability to realize or understand. Sometimes He has us wait because
we need to be patient or someone needs to be prepared, and sometimes
He lets our efforts seem to be fruitless until some time down the
line, perhaps a time we will never see ourselves. But no matter what
He does, whether it is trying our patience or having us drastically
switch plans to perform a baptism right there, it is right. God knows
what's up. We are the tools in His hands to bring to pass His Work.
His Work, not ours.
  "How long can rolling waters remain impure? What power shall stay
the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the
Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to
hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven..." -D&C
121:33

  I have been blessed to see a fruit of my labor, and the labor of my
companion, and the power of the Holy Ghost when we have listened to
the promptings of God. It is my invitation that we can all listen for
God's council, and then act on it. If we do not act on promptings from
the Holy Spirit, we will stop receiving them. Why would a member of
the Godhead waste their time trying to speak to someone who time and
time again doesn't act on what they receive? On the other hand, if we
do follow the guidance that we receive, we will be led to do great
works, and do things that we wouldn't be able to do ourselves. We will
be led to glorify God, and we will find happiness for ourselves and
for those we serve. That is my testimony which I give in the name of
Jesus Christ, amen.

  Thank you for reading all of that. I hope you're all doing well!
Keep being awesome, all of you. I love you.

  Rock and roll ~

-Elder Burch π

  P.S. I love sending and receiving physical letters just as much or
more than I love sending emails! If you want me to send you a letter,
send me your address. I promise that I will send you at least one
letter. Thanks!

  P.P.S. All of your emails and letters are a great encouragement.
Thank you all so much for your kind thoughts and words.

"... I'm a war of head versus heart, and it's always this way ..."

The high school in Worland has the Warrior as their mascot.
I feel obligated to support their sports teams.

Elder Berrett and the newest member of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Nothing but the best for the Primary kids.

Beautiful, ain't it? Someone should take a picture.

Lunch!