6 March 2011

Heeellllooo!
This week was wayy good. I'm really excited right now to tell you about it. That's cool about that family that was baptized last week. I'm really happy for them. I want to see a whole family come into the church together. Right now we are doing what we can. I also picked up my shoes today. They had just cut off the other soles and like tied (or something) a new sole on there. They don't look too bad. But my other shoes are already starting to be destroyed. And I'm not sure how to remove the stains on my shirts. Usually I only notice them when I wash them or as they are hanging out to dry but while I wear them they aren't noticeable at all.


So Monday night was really good last week. After we had district meeting and emailed and laba'ed and basketballed, we went out for a couple of lessons. We don't really get family home evenings because we only have 2 active members in our area, and the rest are in the other area, but we tract. :D So we went out and we have been praying of what we should teach this one person, Roxanne. We decided it would be good to teach her about the temple. We talked about what happened their and showed her some pictures and she said that it must be just like heaven. And she started asking us what our feelings were when we went there. Then we talked about like baptisms and with the temple and the priesthood and it cleared up like every question she has about it. I think she'll be baptized one day. But she's graduating this month from catholic but she committed to go to church next month. But I'm excited for that fast Sunday when she comes. Then we taught John and Mercy Patria again and they are way good. We actually were teaching them and it was good and I decided to give them a baptismal commitment. As soon as we did, there was a loud bang and the neighbors like started yelling at each other. :/ So that was crazy. We'll keep working with them though.


Tuesday was way good too. I might have told you that last Sunday we had just found a new family, 4 kids and parents, the Delacruz Family. They were way nice, the parents were busy making stuff for their inasal or their barbecue, which is what they do. We tried to help them but they said no, because our shirts would get too dirty. So on tuesday, we planned ahead and got to their house and just pulled out t-shirts out of our bags and put them on over our church clothes and just started putting meat on a stick with them. They say it usually takes them like 3 hours but we did it in one. And as we did it we talked to them, about regular stuff and then into the gospel. Even though it wasn't like a formal lesson it was really good and we were able to build trust and even share a little bit about the gospel to them. And later that night a little before nine while we were heading home for dinner Brother Delacruz saw us and called us over and started talking to us. I think they are a way good family and have lots of potential. We also found a new guy that night named Ian Panase. He is good too. He has a wife and 5 kids. He was way nice and we talked to him for a while. We found out a lot about him and eventually we found out his father recently died and when his first child was born something happened during the birth and she died too. So now he only has 4 kids, but they are way cute kids. We taught them just about who God is and the blessings he has promised to us as families through Jesus Christ and his gospel. I think he really felt touch and he committed to read the Restoration pamphlet. It was a good learning experience for me and really taught me more about what it really means to teach people, and not only lessons. I mean I don't teach things the same way every time but a lot of times I feel I have to make sure I teach the message of the Restoration the first time to get their interest with our unique message to the world. But I felt really good and I'm not sure if I just taught about that that first time if it would have been as meaningful for them. I'm sure it's different for everyone. That why it's important to listen, both to the investigators and to the spirit.


So this week was leadership conference. I felt weird going their with all the GREAT leaders of the mission but it was a good experience. The reason I was most excited was because at 3pm, we all got to go out on splits with the Iloilo elders. So I got to have 4 people work in my area instead of just two. Lucky me! So it was way cool. We had some sweet trainings and got to work. I worked with Elder Bautista on Wednesday. (Remember him? From Roxas? He's a trainer now too!) So we went out and taught the Patrias, and we taught John Tipon. JonJon is really cool guy. He's way sweet. We committed him to be baptized and I think he will be. He actually came to church this sunday too and said it was different from his but he couldn't describe his feelings. It was really good at church. Brother Pancho taught the investigators class and he is a convert like 30 years ago. It was a way good class and testimony. Brother Pancho talked about how excited he was about learning from the missionaries and the BOM. There were actually 12 investigators at church yesturday. I think it really helped some of ours at least, understand just how important this message and these things really are. Then on Thursday I worked with Elder Ordineza. We taught Ian again and it was way good, he had read what we left and had good questions. We got back to the church and I talked to Elder McClellan and Elder Sellers (ZL from Roxas) and they told me they had found 2 new families in our area! It was sweet, I couldn't thank the Lord enough for the tender mercies he had given us.


The next day Elder McClellan and I were pumped. I felt more excited and happier for the day than I had in a while. I new that I could see miracles happen that day. I decided I was going to look forward to each day as that day becoming my new best day. And it's happening, because the work is progressing and everything is just going right. It was way sweet. We got out and whipped out a lesson every single hour of the day. We weren't like punted at all. We had taught people, done some service, and just had a sweet day. And I feel like I felt the spirit more with us too. It was way good. It was funny because Elder Sellers had also found a new less active in our area so we were looking for their house on Friday (by the way, that less active came to church too!) So we weren't sure where it was, but we walked past this house, and we saw someone sitting inside, I was going to ask them if they new where this less active lived, but before I could ask they just told us to come in and share with them. It was flippin' sweet!


Saturday was way good too. For some reason Saturday is our most punted day. But we taught a couple of lessons and we tried one last house. We went in and their were like 4 families in there, so we shared with all of them the message of the restoration on Saturday night. It's kind of hard teaching groups that big, especially to needs but it gets a good start. But we invited them to church and the next day 3 of them came, which was way good for them. And then Sunday was sweet, I told you about that, it was fast Sunday too, so a great week for our investigators to finally decide to come to church. But in the afternoon I felt way excited again. A lot of times after church I felt a little discouraged, giving it my all and then no one coming to church. But we were way excited after church and taught a lot with members. We followed up on the people who went to church and they had way good experiences and all want to come next week too! The only downside of Sunday was when we decided to break our fast our stove ran out of gas. So then we decided to make rice but our rice cooker was broken! What the?! Oh well, I had tang and a PBandJ hhaha. Anyway, I guess that's basically it.


Oh wait, I did want to tell you about Elder Perez in my apartment. He's been a member 3 years but before his mission he studied Philosophy. So if I ask him for help for a person he tells me things like, "If you run into (insert religion), use (this scripture)." I don't really use anything philosifical, because I'm not too smart, but I thinks it's interesting to listen to him. Anyway, we just found a new family from the Iglesia ni Cristo. I didn't really no much about that religion (by the way, can you send me a little info about what they belive) But anyway, Elder Perez told me the main thing is they don't believe Jesus Christ is a God, he is just a man. Elder Perez told me to read Psalms 22:6 to them, which says, I am not a man, I am a worm!.. So Elder Perez told me to say to them. "Jesus is not a man, he is a worm! How do you explain that?" I thought it was kind of funny, but I don't think I'll use it. He said he used it once, but I'm not sure I believe that.... haha. He also said he's used the bald prophet one too. He also said for people who just believe that faith will save us to use James 2:19. Which talk about devils who believe. So he said if that's true then all the devils will be saved. Elder Perez is a clever, funny little guy.


Well, I guess that's mostly all I have to say. I hope you all have a fantastic week. I wish you the best.
Halong
<3 Elder Burton


^ I just learned that heart, nice eh?