20 May 2012

Hey Family, Sorry we got cut off last week! I forgot to charge the phone! But it's cool, it was fun talking to you and I'm excited to again in a couple of weeks. I'm glad everything is going good there. It sounds like your doing a lot of projects. You'll have to put me to work when I get home. And good news, I was able to order some belts this week! That's cool you had stake conference though, we actually have district conference next week. So, yes, we did have transfers this last week. It's a weird feeling, being in my last transfer, but we're working harder than ever. It's weird its just like another regular day of missionary work. My last day will be just another regular day of missionary work, and then it will be done. But I'm so grateful to be here on the mission. I wouldn't trade the experiences I've had here and what I've become for anything in the world. So on Wednesday I got my new companion, Elder Solis, aka. Killer. He's going to kill me, mission term wise. He's a great kid. He's like a spit image and acts exactly like Elder Tiamzon, my trainer. I told him that and he told me that other missionaries have called him "Little Tiamzon." So this transfer is going to be interesting. But he's a good kid, and has good desires to serve. He's been kind of surprised with the area because he's other areas have been a little more established and a little overwhelmed with how much we got to do, but he'll make it. I'm excited to work with him, we're going to get a lot done. Anyway, this Thursday we went to Sta. Tomas to work and teach Lorenz and his family, the Celorico's. We actually committed them to be baptized in July, so I'm way excited for their family. Lorenz is a great kid. He worked with us from noon, after weekly planning, until 9pm hiking all over a mountain, even though he is just an investigator. It was amazing as we had him help explain certain principles. He taught one person how to pray and you could feel the spirit as he said, "two weeks ago I didn't know how to pray, but this is how it blessed my life..." He's a great kid. It was interesting too because we asked him where all these less actives lived and he showed us to all their houses. So we got to meet some really long-time less-actives and it was a little interesting because the nonmember Lorenz was inviting them to come back to church. Usually its the opposite, with members inviting investigators to church. But, this is good too. I don't know if I told you but Lorenz had been struggling with his doubts if Thomas S. Monson is really a true prophet, but after working with us I had asked him how he felt about it all, as we walked down the mountain. He told me he felt it was all true. It was kind of a cool experience because by him working and feeling the spirit it wiped away a lot of the doubts he had. I feel that's how it works sometimes. You may have doubts about something but deep down you know its true, and you don't realize it till you feel the words coming out of your mouth, testifying of it. It amazes me how the spirit works with people, and I'm always grateful knowing that this is the Lord's work, and he'll take care of everything. He'll witness through his spirit that what we say is true. And as long as they open their hearts, they will know that it's true. You can't compete with the spirit. I love playing on a team that I know cannot lose. Anyway, Sunday school is a little interesting in our branch. The teacher is all about sharing 'facts' (kind of) and it's like a history class. He went off for like 10 minutes about how american history is wrong. He said that there are no Indians in America. Filipinos are from the Philippines, Canadians are from Canada, Mexicans are from Mexico, Americans are from America, and Indians are from India! INDIANS ARE NOT FROM AMERICA!" He asked me what I thought of that and I didn't say much. I tried to somehow connect things into the gospel so we could be uplifted. Hehe. Sometimes I don't know whats going on in peoples heads. We had a cool lesson this week with Sister Villamena. She hasn't been really keeping any commitments so we focused our lesson on the Book of Mormon. Elder Solis shared about where the Book of Mormon came from and then I felt prompted to share a story from the Book of Mormon. We told her and promised her as she read the she would be guided by the spirit and through it God would be able to speak to her, then we told the story of Nephi's great task to build a boat and read in 1 Nephi 17:50-51 about how he knew that through God he can do all things. It touched my heart as she read and said to herself, "This scripture was written for me." The Book of Mormon was written for us. It really comes alive when we can find ourselves and others inside of it. Every day when I read I can see myself within its pages. It's an inspired book. I read a story about Spencer W. Kimball when he attended a missionary conference. He listened to a speaker and commented to him, "Wow Brother! You've used a verse in the book of Mormon in a way I've never thought of using before. And to think I've read the Book of Mormon over 47 times." I thought it was cool because no manner how many times you read, the spirit will make known unto you exactly what you're suppose to get out of it. It's really funny because Elder Solis too just came from Aklan. His language is so mixed up. He's speaking mixed Aklanon, Tagalog, Ilonggo, and Kinaray-a. He'll catch on though eventually. He's a great cook though too. Whoa. Well, take care. I love you so much! Elder Burton