December 15,
2014 (week 16 in Argentina)
HOLA DE
ARGENTINA!
SORRY FOR ALL
THE BLOCK LETTERS BUT ITS WHAT I HAVE TO WORK WITH TODAY. HA HA… SO JUST TRY
NOT TO IMAGINE THAT I’M YELLING THE ENTIRE TIME HERE IN THE LETTER.
I DON’T KNOW
HOW THE HOLIDAYS THERE GOES, BUT HERE IT’S THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF SNOW. BOY IT’S
BEEN REALLY HOT HERE REACHING UP TO 45 C SOMETHIMES! ELDER SWINGLE AND I HAVE BEEN SURVIVING AS WE
GO CHRISTMAS CAROLING AND CONTACTING IN THE DRY HOT DAY. BUT WE STILL ALWAYS
MANAGE TO HAVE FUN. SINCE HE IS MY FIRST SON IN THE MISSION I OFTEN GIVE HIM
COUNSEL IN THE VOICE OF YODA LOL. HE
GETS TO BARE WITH THE FACT THAT HIS FATHER (ME) IS A TAD BIT OF A JOKESTER
SOMETIMES. HE LAUGHS EVEN HARDER WHEN I
DO IT IN SPANISH!
SO AS THE
TITLE OF THIS LETTER GOES, YES WE HAVE HAD A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE. WE HAVE BEEN TALKING TO THIS OLD NICE LADY
NAMED FRANSISCA ABOUT THE CHURCH, AND WE HAVE ALSO BEEN TALKING TO HER DAUGHTER
WHO HAS A 18 YEAR OLD SPECIAL NEEDS GIRL NAMED MAKARAÑA. WE HAVE BEEN SEEING THEM FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS
NOW AND THEY’RE AWESOME. BUT ONE NIGHT
WE WERE WALKING BACK TO OUR PENSION AND WHEN WE WERE SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW THE
ROAD RIGHT I HAD THE IMPRESSION TO GO LEFT, SO ELDER SWINGLE AND I WENT LEFT
INSTEAD OF RIGHT. THEN WE FOUND THE
IMPRESSION TO KNOCK ON A DOOR. WE FOUND TO OUR SURPRISE A FAMILY WHO ARE DESCENDANTS
FROM RUSSIANS THAT MOVED TO ARGENTINA, AND THE WIFE WAS THE DAUGHTER OF
FRANSISCA! SHE TOLD US THAT SHE HEARD
THAT WE WERE GOING TO HER MOTHER’S HOUSE AND HELPING HER FEEL LESS LONELY,
BECAUSE NONE OF THEIR FAMILY COULD SEE HER THAT WEEK WHEN WE CAME TO SEE HER.
THE CHANCES OF FINDING THEM WERE NOT THE LEAST BIT LUCKY, BUT OF A HIGHER
POWER. WE FOUND A FAMILY WHO HAS BEEN SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING MORE THAN WRAPPED
GIFTS THIS YEAR.
ANOTHER
MIRACLE HAPPENED JUST YESTERDAY. ONCE AGAIN ELDER SWINGLE AND I FELT LIKE
JOURNEYING TO A DIFFERENT PART OF THE AREA TO VISIT SOME OF THE INVESTIGATORS
THAT ARE FAR AWAY FROM THE CHURCH. WE KNEW WE WOULD BE WALKING A LOT IN A HOT
DAY BUT WE WENT ANYWAY. WE COULDN’T TALK TO ANYONE OF OUR INVESTIGATORS. BUT THERE WAS A HOUSE THAT WE CONTACTED BEFORE
WHERE WE TALKED TO THIS MOM OF 7 AND A REALLY PSYCHOTIC DOG. WE WENT TO HER
HOUSE AND LO AND BEHOLD, SHE IS THE SISTER OF HERMANO JUNCO!!! THE JUNCO FAMILY FROM FONTANA, MY FIRST AREA,
WAS NOT FAR AS SHE SHOWED ME PICTURES OF THE JUNCO FAMILIY THEY JUST SAW TWO
DAYS BEFORE! WHILE SHE WAS THERE WITH
HER BROTHER AND HIS FAMILY, SHE TALKED WITH HERMANA JUNCO WHO IS A MEMBER, AND
SHE GAVE HER MANY OF THE BOOKS THAT ARE BASIC TEACHING BOOKS IN THE CHURCH OF
JESUS CHRIST OF LATER DAY SAINTS. BETTER YET SHE’S BEEN READING ALL OF THEM! WE TALKED TO HER ABOUT HOW SHE FELT ABOUT THE
BOOKS AND SHE TOLD US THAT SHE FEELS SECURE WHEN SHE READS THEM; A FEELING THAT
SHE CAN’T DESCRIBE. TRULY SHE IS COMING TO KNOW THE GIFTS FROM OUR HEAVENLY
FATHER AND THE POWER AND COMFORT THEY GIVE US.
THIS WEEK HAS
BEEN FILLED WITH MIRACLES AS WE HAVE BEEN DOING NOTHING BUT SPREADING THE
GOSPEL. THE VEIL IS THE THINEST EVER HERE UPON THE EARTH THIS DECEMBER. I HAVE
WRITEN SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN IN MY HEART FOR SOMETIME THAT I WISH TO SHARE
WITH YOU:
WISE MEN OF
OLD
WE WALK
ENDLESSLY, WE WISE MEN OF OLD,
TO BRING HIM
OUR MIRE, FRANKINCENSE, AND GOLD.
WE KNOW NOT
WHERE TO GO AS WE TRAVEL AFFAR
WE ONLY
FOLLOW THE LIGHT OF A GREAT BEAUTIFUL STAR.
WILL WE FIND
HIM IN THIS LIFE? WE ASK CONSTANTLY,
WE KNOW NOT ANYTHING
TO DO BUT MARCH ENDLESSLY
UNTIL WE FIND
OUR LORD, SAVIOR AND KING,
THE ONE WHO
GAVE US LIFE FOR ETERNITY.
TO ALL WHO
READ THIS AND THE BLOG WHICH I’VE HEARD OF, REMEMBER THIS:
THERE IS SO
MUCH MORE TO CHRISTMAS THAN THE HOLIDAY BLISS.
WE WERE GIVEN
A GIFT MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD.
WE WERE GIVEN
HIM, THE ONE PROPHESIED OF OLD.
HE IS THE GIFT FOR ALL OF US TO RECIEVE,
TO ACCEPT HIM WE MUST FIRST BELIEVE.
I TESTIFY OF
THE DIVINITY OF THE CHRIST. THE GIFT THAT WAS GIVEN TO ALL OF THE WORLD, SO
THAT WE MAY OVERCOME EVERY CHALLENGE WE FACE IN LIFE. I LOVE ALL OF YOU AND AM
EVER SO GRATEFUL THAT I CAN HAVE SO MANY FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT GOD HAS GIVEN
ME. CAN’T WAIT FOR CHRISTMAS. CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR FROM ALL OF YOU AND TALK
USING SKYPE.
HE IS THE
GIFT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzjFEMmM0Xs
ELDER BURKE
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