“No sunlight, no sunlight...”

This week included a trip to Helena for MLC. Going to MLC from Powell is way worse than going to MLC from Great Falls or Missoula. A fun time, for sure, but far more stressful and time-consuming. Let me lay it out for you in steps.

Going To MLC in Wyoming West: A How-To Guide

1. Monday night, drive from Powell to Billings

2. Stay the night in the mission home with the Wyoming East Elders

3. Wake up at 3 to get ready to go

4. Depart the mission home in Wyoming East’s man-van (SaVANna) at 4:15

5. Stop in Bozeman to pick up those Zone Leaders

6. Arrive in Helena for MLC at 8:00

7. Enjoy MLC

8. Drive back to Bozeman to drop of those elders

9. Drive to Billings, arrive around 7:30

10. Get dinner in Billings (we went to Outback Steakhouse)

11. Sleep in the mission home again

12. Drive to Cody in the morning for district meeting

13. Drive back to Powell

14. Have a wrecked day because we’re dead tired

Good times. It actually was really good, though. MLC was great, and we really enjoyed the time with the other Elders.

Besides that, we have set some finding goals and have been striving to succeed. The recent weather (WHY IS THERE MORE SNOW) might hurt that a bit, but we will remain committed. 

Conference was awesome. Just, straight up. I loved it. Revelation is strong. Miracles await in the near future.

I feel that the next decade and beyond are going to be years marked with many miracles, much sacrifice, and a powerful surge of the furthering of the Work of the Lord. I feel that, through the inspiration of the Lord through our living prophets and apostles, the Lord will accelerate His Work as never before seen among the children of men as the world begins to draw nigh to the Second Coming of the Messiah. I feel that the coming years will provide opportunity for the saints to definitively declare “Who’s on the Lord’s side, who?” as the lines between the teachings of the world and the teachings of God are drawn more clearly than ever. Satan is a very real being bent on the misery and destruction of the souls of men, and as the battles of the last day intensify, we will face increasing trials and temptations that are ever more subtle and ensnaring. The evil one will seek to bind us with addiction, doubt, and complacency. While these things are intimidating, the blessing that will come from them is more opportunity to become the firm and steadfast disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ that we were created to be. As the heat intensifies, so does our refinement if we keep our hands firmly on the rod of iron and our gaze always towards the Mountain of the Lord. Grand opportunity is before us, more than ever before, and ours is the commission to lift up the hands which hang down and build the Lord’s kingdom in these last days. As President Nelson said, the grandest miracles of the Lord are to occur in the time between now and the Second Coming. I feel strongly to echo the admonition of Joshua: “Sanctify yourselves​: for tomorrow the ​​Lord​​ will do wonders among you.”

Thank you all for all you do. Rock and roll ~

-Elder Burch π

“...It disappeared at the same speed, the idealistic things I believed...”

WHY IS THERE MORE SNOW?!?

Watching General Conference

With Elder Bly

"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

"Didn't know what to say. Merry Christmas, baby."

Family, friends, and well-wishers around the world,

        This week has been nuts. Let me break it down for you:

        First, we went on emergency exchanges. (I'm a district leader, if I
didn't mention that before.) Two Elders in Sheridan were having some
serious trouble getting along, and president phoned me and told me
that an emergency exchange was in order. So, Elder Ferrara and I
packed up and went to Sheridan. I was to stay in Sheridan with the
"problem missionary," while the other would come down to Buffalo with
Elder Ferrara. I don't need to go into too much detail, but there were
a few lessons learned: One, there is good in every single person, you
just have to look for it. This missionary who was struggling is a
fantastic tracter, and has a good work-ethic for finding people. This
was especially impressive to me because I don't like tracting one bit.
With him, though, it was easy. So, look for the best in others, and
you will find much good. Lesson two: Judge people based on how they
act and what they say, not based on a reputation that people have.
This is, in a way, a continuation of the very same lesson above, but
it is important. People change, and often that change can be rapid. We
just have to be willing to accept that and give people a shot.

        I'm happy to report that those Elders have been doing much better,
and I'm excited to see what they do. I really believe in them both,
and I know they will do much good if they strive to do their very
best.

        Alright, second thing. People are really, really nice. Like, really
nice. We literally don't have enough cabinet space in our apartment
for the amount of food that members have given us. That, and there are
a few families that invited us over for holiday shenanigans and
dinner, and it was a good time. I love the members here, much like I
loved the members in my last area. People are rad. Even more than the
members, there seem to be an abundance of people willing to help us
out of the snow each and every time we get stuck in it. So, shout out
to them and their pickup trucks.

        Third thing: Long story short, we got invited to a Wesleyan Christmas
Eve service from a man we tracted into. The Wesleyan church actively
preaches against us, and so I was super pumped to attend their service
and show by example that the Mormons aren't demons, but rather can be
quite open and accepting of others. The service was actually pretty
good. Really contemporary, but good. There wasn't a lot that I
disagreed with, either. Their translation of the Bible was a little
weird at first, but overall I enjoyed myself. This guy then said,
without us even asking, that he'd come to our service the next day,
and then he actually did with his wife! How rad is that? We're going
to hopefully start teaching him. He gave us his number and everything.

        Christmas, oh Christmas. I didn't have to dream of a white Christmas,
because we actually got one. And not like a nice little Christmas with
gently falling snow. Oh, no. This was a blizzard, as far as I am
concerned. The wind was nuts (30-45mph, with gusts up to 60 and a
temperature without wind chill of 6), and there went out a universal
call to stay off of the roads. We did as best we could, but still got
stuck twice in the little driving that we did. It was good to talk
with the family, though! I have the best mother in the world, in case
you were wondering. No big deal, she's just the best that's ever been.
Just sayin'. Elder Ferrara and I sang a rendition of "Still, Still,
Still" in sacrament on Sunday, too. I was a little worried because I
was still stuffed up, but I think it was overall okay.

        Spiritual thought: It is important to remember that all blessings
from heaven are predicated on conditions of obedience to the law upon
which they are predicated. (D&C 130:21) This makes a lot of sense when
put into rational terms. If we fall, we'll get hurt. If we eat well,
we'll feel better. In physics, if there is a force on something, that
thing will change its velocity. God's miracles obey natural law, and
this is why "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say." (D&C 82:10)
The message? Follow the commandments, and you will have greater peace
in your life. Listen to the prophets, and you will be prepared against
the winds of the adversary.

        There may have been more going on, but that is all I can think of at
the moment. And this email is pretty long anyway. Keep the faith! I
love you all. Rock and roll ~

-Elder Burch π

        "Didn't mean to leave you hanging up. Didn't mean to leave you all alone."

Christmas Eve Dinner

OH MY GOODNESS IT IS CHRISTMAS EVE!

Elder Munroe and I at Taco Bell!

The Zone

Matches!

Service is a good thing. It also relieves stress when done with puppies.

"I'm not the only one!"

Last Night

This Morning

"I put on my overcoat and walked into winter, my teeth chattered rhythms..."

Friends, family, and people who don't read these emails,

   It's been a good week! We had the awesome opportunity to participate
in Sheridan's Storybook Stroll, which was an event held in Sheridan on
Friday. The shops on Main decorated for the theme, and various
organizations had tables set up with hot chocolate and other things.
The missionaries in Sheridan invited us, and we all were able to talk
to a lot of people and share this year's Christmas initiative,
#LIGHTtheWORLD. If you haven't seen it yet, go to www.mormon.org and
check it out! Basically, it is twenty-five days of service leading up
to Christmas, with short videos to accompany each. Share it with you
friends and get some service into your holiday season! Anyway, we were
able to street contact many people. Some of the other Elders took me
out to do that, and though I was hesitant at first, it quickly became
something I was excited to do! It takes an act of faith, my friends,
and we can do anything.

   Other things this week include contacting a referral from the Hilton
family. We met the father, who is probably early thirties and has a
wife and two little boys. He let us in right away and we are so
excited to be visiting with him and his family in the future! We'll
likely be texting him today about that. His work schedule is a little
mean, so we'll have to work around that. It'll be good - we're
excited! We also did a fair amount of tracting today. I didn't
particularly care for knocking doors, but the more I do it, the more I
find enjoyment and fulfillment in it. On top of that, there seems to
be a direct correlation between tracting and success, even though that
success does not directly come from the tracting itself. Funny how
that works.
 
   I was about to make a joke about Yanni, and then I remembered that it
wouldn't be funny to pretty much anyone. That seems to be how most of
my inside jokes are. Ah, well.

   We got to see fireworks the other day. They were in a park and it
made me laugh. They were nice, but compared to even the Arizona
Celebration of Freedom, they were weak. It was super funny, though, as
we were walking away, probably three minutes after they had stopped,
there was a huge rumbling sound behind us, and we turned to see a wave
of smoke and fire rise into the air amid a few more fireworks going
off. I guess it had gotten stuck and then went off all at once?
Anyway, it was rad.

   We have an investigator on date! His name is Kieth and he lives in
the local veterans' home. He showed up to church one day, and we asked
him about it. He says that recently, he has been looking for God in
his life, and so we started to meet with him. He is awesome! He talks
a little slow, but he has been reading the Book of Mormon and praying.
(He prayed for the lesson last week!) So, yes. He is on date for
baptism coming up fairly soon. On another note, we totally ship him
with a lady in our ward who is a bit... different. She was actually at
the lesson we had with him last, and afterward we all played pool. It
looked grim at first, but her and I as a team pulled the victory over
Elder Ferrara and Kieth. "Do you hear that? Those are the winds of
change..." Maybe that game of pool was symbolic of our missionary work
more generally. Things are changing!

   I love doing this work, and I'm seeing more and more blessings from
the Lord regarding it and I just feel so thankful for it all. Let us
hope that Elder Ferrara and I show our appreciation and take advantage
of it!

   Thank you for your continuing prays and support. As always, keep the
faith, and rock and roll!

-Elder Burch π

   "... And they were grouped in twos or threes like a morse code
message was sent from me to me."

Elder Burch π, serving in Buffalo, Wyoming.

 

The district, featuring me as a Sith.

Buffalo, Wyoming from the ridge line.

The mailman is late!

Buffalo, Wyoming from the outskirts.

Playing pool with our investigator.

Buffalo, Wyoming from the ridge line.

Snowdrifts

Thanksgiving 2016

Salvation Army Reindeer

Walking away from the Storybook Stroll.

Our booth for the Storybook Stroll!

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas!

"Faintest snow, keep falling..."

Thank you and good morning,

This week can be summed up into two main categories: Faith and Frozen. Let's start with the one that is a Disney movie title.

It snowed. It snowed a good amount. Thursday morning I woke up, looked out the window, and what did I see? Popcorn popping on the apricot tree? No, I saw a white, endless expanse. After doing the morning things and studying and all that, we ventured out into the wild. Elder Brown was on exchanges with me that day, and so he can attest to much of what I will say, including the fact that I thought the snow was beautiful and magical and I loved it... For about seven minutes. After that point, I realized that it sticks on everything and it gets the floors in your car all wet, and if it gets in your shoes you might as well give up right then and there. And I got the car stuck in it three times. One of the times was on a dirty road heading to some houses and agricultural plots out of town. A nice man drove by about ten minutes later and helped pull us out with his front loader. Thank you to that man. To be honest, the snow isn't that bad. Most of the time, I find myself pleasantly enjoying it, and then there are those times where the ice on the road causes the car to slide into the intersection and I remember why I like Arizona. I also remember that I am grateful that Elder Ferrara is currently the designated driver.

Ether 12:6 reminds us that "faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." I don't feel like I deserve it, but I know that the Lord is giving us the witness. Through His mercy and His grace, as well as His timing, Elder Ferrara and I have been seeing miracles in this area. We met a man named Matt, who has concerns about the Book of Mormon, and despite having read much of it before, is willing to give it another go. John, the man we mentioned from last email, committed to read the Book of Mormon after the longest lesson of my life. And Kieth, a friend of ours from the Veterans' Home who has been searching, committed to prepare for baptism in three weeks. I'm so grateful to the Lord for showing us His hand, even though I don't feel good enough to be receiving these things. I'm grateful to my companion for being awesome, and I'm grateful for the open, willing hearts of those who the Lord has prepared to hear the message of the restoration of the gospel. God really is good. I'm so grateful to Him. 

Short email, many pictures to come. Thank you so much for reading, and have a great Thanksgiving!

Rock and roll ~

-Elder Burch π

The Lord's work is rad!

Elder Burch π, Elder Ferrara, and the Zone Leader.

The first snowfall of the Buffalo season.

Elder Brown and I in said snow.

Very much stuck in snow.

Gratitude Tree

"I wonder which song they're gonna play when we go..."

Monday, October 17, 2016

Good day to everyone, 

     This week, a lot happened. I'll see what I can do about breaking it down for you.

     Alright, first, Bertie was baptized on Saturday! What a lovely experience it was. Elder Andrews was telling me how often times, things go poorly the day of or the day before the baptism, the adversary trying to mess with the plans because he doesn't want more people to come to Christ, you know? I actually saw that with the person that we interviewed for baptism a while back, and all the crazy that went on there. Anyway, it seemed like Satan was weak that day. Having someone forget a dry change of underwear? Really? Is that the best you can do, man? Weak. Weak! She was baptized the following day, and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. I'm super excited that we had the privilege of teaching Bertie, and we look forward to continuing to visit her for the new member lessons! We should have pictures of us with her before too long, so I'll send those out when I can. 

     The baptism was a big- huge- part of the week, but a few other things have been on my mind. On Friday, we attended the funeral of the dad of an inactive member that we visit Fridays. I'd never actually met his dad, but he's an awesome guy, and we wanted to be there to support him. Many of his children, siblings, and friends got up to share thoughts and memories, and it was all quite enjoyable to listen to. There was a distinct difference, though between those of faith and those not. Some of the people shared memories and expressed thoughts on his life, and the life to come was often alluded to. One of his daughters even talked about the entirety of the Plan of Salvation in a way that made me take notes. It was simple, direct, and powerful, and she expressed that she was sure that because of Jesus Christ and temples, that we'll be able to see our families in the eternities. And so, while still a mournful event, it seemed that the promise of "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted" was true. (Matthew 5:6) Others were much more sorrowful, and lots of tears were shed. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm grateful for the plan of our Savior and Redeemer that saves us from death and from hell. He truly is the miracle that makes the dead come alive, and helps us to overcome sin and live more awesome lives. 

     Along those lines, we received a call right before the baptism from another less active member, who was in tears and told us that she had just lost a grandson. We visited her after the baptism, and talked to her about what had happened, and how things were progressing from there. We talked about the kid, only 18, and what he was like. It was solemn, but there was an air of peace. We had the opportunity to share with her verses from the Book of Mormon. In Alma, chapter 40, he discusses the life after death. He says:

     "Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life. And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow." (Alma 40:11-12)

He goes on to speak of the resurrection: 

     "The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame. ... And then shall the righteous shine forth in the kingdom of God." (Alma 40: 23, 25)

     Needless to say, this has caused me to reflect on my own life and find things that I want to do better so that I will have made the best of this mortal state I've been blessed to have. I'm grateful for the knowledge of our God and His plan for us that gives us strength over sin and the grave. I hope that I, and all of us, can live every day to the fullest and look for ways to improve. Always remember "men are that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25)

     Keep rocking and rolling. 

-Elder Burch π

     "... I hope it's something quiet and minor and peaceful and slow."

Bertie and Us. Better pictures to come.

It's odd looking at the forecast and saying, "Elder Andrews, it is going to be hot.
High of 75 and low of 48."  What has become of me?

Photo bombed by a pumpkin!

Rollin'

"I don't make deals with peasants!"

One of the old folks at the Wyoming Retirement Center
(Eva, I believe) was reading this! Haha!