Letters from Elder Burns 01/24/2010

CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE

Dear dad

114 [missionaries from our stake]? Wow, that’s way crazy!

That inspiration that you have received is what i have needed most. Sometimes we struggle to do those things and it throws our entire day off.

Walking and riding bikes is not missionary work. It’s teaching and studying and sharing the gospel with your companion and a lot of times, it is hard but we have been working so hard with that and are getting more consistent.

Just yesterday, our week of hard work really payed off. We went tracting in an area out in the middle of nowhere because when we were planning in the morning the spirit directed us to tract there and no one has ever tracted there before. So we followed the spirit and we weren’t finding much success until we ran into this family. They are a white family from South Africa and when we approached there door they invited us in and we taught them the plan of salvation and committed them to come to church next week. The mom’s name is kinda funny. It’s Birgit and the dad’s name is normal – it’s been and i can’t remember the kid’s names, but they were awesome. The lord will greatly bless us if we are doing our best. I have seen that on my mission.

Just the other day i made sushi and it was awesome... Man, wasabi is hot!

That is such an amazing story of sacrifice [the violin – story told by Thomas s. Monson about Benjamin Landart, a pioneer] and love for the lord and it greatly strengthened my testimony.

Thank you so much for your love

You’re the best dad ever
Love
Your son
Elder burns

Dear mom

It sounds like you had an awesome sacrament meeting. Strength and courage are the things a missionary needs most and praying always that we can be comforted, and honor our heavenly father because even though he knows all of our thoughts, he still needs to hear from us. He requires us to act.

I had the opportunity to go to the temple on the 19th and it was such an amazing experience. You learn more and more each time you go and it’s awesome.

I am doing amazing. Just yesterday, our week of hard work really payed off. We went tracting in an area out in the middle of nowhere because when we were planning in the morning the spirit directed us to tract there and no one has ever tracted there before so we followed the spirit and we weren’t finding much success until we ran into this family. They are a white family from South Africa and when we approached there door they invited us in and we taught them the plan of salvation and committed them to come to church next week. The mom’s name is kinda funny. It’s Birgit and the dad’s name is normal – it’s been and I can’t remember the kid’s names, but they were awesome. The lord will greatly bless us if we are doing our best. I have seen that on my mission.

President Scruggs told me in interviews that i would most likely be staying with elder Bennett one more transfer, so that will be awesome.

You are the best mom ever and I love you, and you are always in my prayers. You don’t know how much you have helped me in my life, but I want you to know you’re awesome

Love

Your son

Elder burns