Hey Family!
This week has been pretty good. My last few days in Roxas were really good. We were able to see a lot of investigators and still teach a lot of lessons. I was excited about that because I really wanted to try my best to leave Roxas at least pretty good for Elder Eror and his trainee. I am excited for some people in that area and it will be cool to hear about their experiences later. And another reason Roxas was fun the last couple of days was because everybody in the ward wanted to feed me because I was leaving and I'm just too gwapo not to be fed. Well, that's a lie. But people did offer to feed us a lot and we got some delicious foods. By the way, my favorite dessert here I had at a members house my last day, it's called a Mango Float, since Rob asked.
So we only worked in Roxas Monday-Wednesday. Those days were really good. I was really sad to tell people goodbye and leave, but I know I'll be able to see them again one day. Just like the sons of Mosiah, even if it doesn't happen in this life, as they continue to progress and stay strong in the faith, we'll meet each other again. I will really miss the people and the ward there, and our investigators. Even knowing the area and knowing where I'm going, I'll really miss that.
So on Thursday we just took a 3 hour bus to Iloilo City for our transfer meeting on Friday Morning. So that day was really uneventful. Just did some reading, said some goodbyes, and finished packing. It was really weird to leave that apartment and leave Roxas. I will miss it.
So on Friday I got to my new area, which turned out to be the same place I spent the night on Thursday night. It was kind of funny because I took my bags from the place, then I went to transfer meeting, then had to return right back there. So I've been assigned in Iloilo City, Molo Province. I actually really really like it so far. And I'll tell you why.
So my knew companion is Elder Jenkins, he is 6 weeks behind me. So he was just trained his first two transfers so I guess I'm like a follow-up trainer. It's weird having to make all the decisions, especially because I still don't really know the area, but it's fun, and it's good, and I have really high hopes for this area. So Elder Jenkins and his last companion actually had just opened up this area. So this area is just 3 transfers old. Our ward is really cool though. There are 4 elders total in our ward; us two, and Elder Adams and Elder Gowey. Elder Adams is the AP now, he's the one who trained Elder Pettit and then Elder Gowey is the Supply Manager of the Mission. So we are in the district with all the office elders. It's kind of cool.
Our area of the ward is kind of weird because we have, I guess, 3 members in our area, and then the other Elders have the rest of the members, but, to me, that just means that we have a ton of potential in our area and I'm excited to find and teach.
So Friday after the transfer meeting we went back to our apartment. We had a chance to work but we had to be in our house by 5pm because New Years here is really crazy. It was still crazy in the afternoon when we went out. We went out and just tried to meet with some investigators he has. They really don't have a lot of investigators right now, but the investigators they do have seem to be really really good. On Friday we were able to teach this one girl named Roxanne. They had just found her the previous week and I'm really excited about her. We followed her up what she had learned from the others missionaries and we asked her if she read and prayed about the Book of Mormon. She said she had and she believed it was true. She read it really carefully and has really good questions. I'm really excited to see how she goes with everything. She told us this stuff we were teaching her about the plan of Salvation is really cool and she likes it a lot more than what she is learning at her Catholic school, so I'm really excited. She really has a desire and strong faith.
It was hard for me to actually like lead the discussion though, and my voice and myself have both been really tired lately. But I've felt the comfort the Lord has given me and I know this is where I'm suppose to be and doing what the Lord wants me to be doing. I had a really big headache on Friday night because I was already a little worried and then the fireworks started going off. The fireworks here aren't like the fireworks in America. What they mainly do is just make a really really loud noise. I thought we were like in a World War 2 movie. It was so loud that it was making my ears hurt a lot. So I'm actually really really tired right now. At like 2 in the morning the fireworks slowed down and I was able to sleep. SO it was pretty good, till I had to wake up at 6:30 again. Saturday was really good too. It was hard for us to find because everyone was drunk from the night before. I met some more people and like they seemed really really prepared too. We did have some weird experiences with some drunk people. So we were in this one area, I don't know the names yet, I think Timawa, but we were going to a members house, and this drunk, shirtless, guy started talking to me, We talked for a while, he wanted to come with me to America, but I said I'll probably go back in like 2 years, so he can ask me then. Then he was asking us to share with him, but he was really really wasted, so I just told him a different day we would try when he wasn't. Then we left and lost him and went to follow up Roxanne, when another drunk guy popped up behind us. It turned out to be the same guy but he had put on a shirt and like a sombrero. So then I just told him to go home and we walked off again. So we went down a different street around some turns and then we went around some more I thought there was no way we would see him again, but then we popped around and he was like peeing all over his hands and on a wall and flashing his
everywhere so we turned around and walked off and he started following us with his pants around his ankles. Finally I just went up to him and told him that was enough and to go home. Elder Jenkins told me he could tell I was annoyed with him. But that guy was just palagpat.
Fast Sunday was a really good day though. Church now is a 8:30am! not 2:00pm like in Roxas, so that was exciting for me. It was weird because it turned out priesthood is first then sacrament last. So like the opposite but it's okay. I actually really like the ward they are really really nice and really really hilarious. After church our Ward Mission Leader, Cornell, gave us what everyone in our district is calling like the golden investigator. But he really is. Elder Adams, the AP, wanted him, but he is moving into our area. His name is Gregg and he is already ready. He's been to church four times and he likes reading the gospel principles book and then he does like the scripture study activities at the end of it. He's been to church 4 times but had never been taught by the missionaries. So we taught him for the first time and he had read 17 chapters of gospel principles. He shared with us how his life has already been changed by learning of this church. It was weird teaching him because his spiritual level is already so high and he's already felt the effects of the gospel in his life. Usually the first time we teach someone I try to promise them the blessings that as they listen to our message, they will be able to overcome their trials and be able to find more peace and joy in this life, but his life has already changed. All we could do is help him continue, and we just gave him a date to be baptized, so he can enjoy the further blessings and the companionship of the Holy Ghost. He really is a cool guy.
After that we worked with 2 members. They just came up to me after church and asked if they could work with us. There names are Misha and Josel. Josel is going to go on a mission in about a year. Misha is like 17 but she has a really strong testimony and was a really big help to us. We ended up getting punted a lot so we had to start finding. It might have been a bit overwhelming having 4 of us pop up at somebodies house, but these members were a lot of help. Misha even wanted to do the talking at one of the door, which she did and it wasn't to bad. I think it was really brave of her, I probably would have never tried it before my mission, but I'm better now. I still wish I worked with the missionaries more before my mission.
Anyways, we actually found some really cool investigators that sunday. We had gone to their house after a couple of houses and told them we were missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ and they told us to come in right away. When we went it they told us it really was a blessing we had come because they said they were about to go out and find a church to go to because they wanted to go hear the word of God. We asked them what religion they were but they told us they had none, but they were open to anything, they were just going to see what church was open out there. So we taught them about the Restoration and before we even finished, they were asking us if they could come to our church and invite their friends. We, of course, told them yes!!! And it was just really cool that we found them and I'm excited. I think this area is going to go really well. Then we followed up Roxanne again later that night and she had read all of lesson two pamphlet and I had wrote some chapters in the Book of Mormon to read on the back but we only committed her to read the pamphlet, but it turned out she had read all of those too. I was really excited and surprised and she basically bore testimony to us. She told us she has a little problem right now because she goes to a catholic school and they pay for her schooling but she wants us to keep teaching her because she just told us, "I know it's true, and I want to keep listening." It was really cool and I was so excited about her faith. And I know even with this problem, because of her faith, God will help her.
That was basically it. We had a delicious meal at the end of Sunday which is something I really needed, because I was hungry. It was in our ward but in the other Elders area at the house of the 1st counselor in the bishopric, I think Brother Mac. It was delicious and there were ward missionaries there and a ton of members, so it was good to meet them. I really do like this area and this ward. I mean, yeah, it's not as like, beautiful, but I think the area and the work is just going to fly, which is really the reason I came on a mission. And the food they cooked us.. holy toledo. I'm going to like the city. I thought I was in the city before, but here, wow. We had chocolate cake, fried chicken, and Lasagna! First time eating lasagna in a long time. Elder Adams said too it was his first time eating it in his mission. It was sweet.
But seriously, I really do love this area so far. I love the people and I love this place, and I'm sure this is where God wants me. And I think this area will progress so much with the help of God and with the hard work of me and Elder Jenkins.
Oh, about Elder Jenkins. He's a cool guy. He seemed like he was a popular guy in High School. Like he played football, he was Student Body President, but he's really cool. It took me a little while to get his humor but now I think he is hilarious. I really like him as a companion and I think we'll do some good here in Molo this transfer. He's from Plain City, Utah. He also is like 200 lbs so we are probably going to eat a lot more. His last companion though, his trainer, is Hawaiin and is like 260 lbs. So he was telling me how much they always ate. But there is so many places to get food, so I'll have to be careful with money. But I am really excited. And Elder Jenkins said he'd help me get buff. That's what some other Elders told me, they'd see me again in 6 weeks and be like, wow Elder Burton, looks like you had a good transfer. haha. Anyway, I love you all and have a Happy New Year!
Love,
Elder Burton
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