Tuesday, June 23, 2015

No smoking

June 22, 2015  (week 43 in Argentina)
  
Hola de Linda Clorinda que esta en la Hermosa Formosa!!! ja ja!! 

So now that I have a better understanding of where everything is it’s now not as much stress to leave the pension.  In all honesty our area is organized pretty well and super easy to figure out.  So Elder Goycochea and I have been rocking it up pretty well here in Clorinda. We have been able to meet some of the members, investigators, and even find new people to teach as well!  We had 4 investigators in the church this week!  Pretty crazy if you tell me!  Formosa is so different from Corrientes; it’s like black and white.  Exact opposites!!!  Everyone here is super nice and fun loving, laid back, and when you talk to someone, they want to talk to you.  Back in Corrientes it was a whole different ball game!  True that when we found someone, they were golden and progressed well, but here it’s like you walk up to one out of 3 houses and it’s a lesson.  But also there is a huge obstacle, that people have a hard time getting over, it’s being lazy.  Everyone has a hard time doing anything you want them to do, and when it comes to inviting people to church, they will normally say yes, but they don’t come.  So it’s a change in how we teach.  Elder Goycochea and I are pretty straight and direct with people to see if they really want to learn about the gospel or not, but we do it with love and professionalism.

Three people I want to talk about are first: Giovani and Gilary and then there is Flor.

Giovani and Gilary are a Columbian couple that moved here from Columbia and met the missionaries that were before us, which was Elder Sipple and Elder Extrom.  Yes Elder Sipple is indeed Alec Sipple with whom I worked with as a lifeguard.  When we found their house they were so nice and it was soooooooo cold that they gave us hot chocolate!  It’s been over a year and a half since the last time I had hot chocolate, it make me miss my snow back at home.  And we got to know them.  They are having problems with getting married legally here in Argentina and we are trying to do all the paperwork ourselves to get them married.  We went to the civil registry today and saw that they could be married, but in late July.  It’s hard here in Argentina to get anything done that involves paperwork, but we are working with what we got.  They love the church and came to the church again this Sunday.  They are a very lovely couple and even baked us cheese bread which was soooo gooood!  We will be working with them so that they can get married then baptized!!!
The Third person is Flor.  She is also an investigator of the elders before us and we talked to her to see what she wants.  She told us that she wants to get baptized and change her life.  She’s very shy and anti-social, but with us she’s very open.  We talked to them Saturday night to help prepare them to come to church and we found out that they smoke.  So out of the kindness of our hearts we were very frank with them in how smoking would affect her life in the future and now.  Her mom is nice but doesn’t want to hear about the church, and she has smoked for a long time.  We told them both that smoking is not good, therefore it is bad right?  The mom tried to reason and say that right now she just can’t quit because it won’t matter.  I told her that smoking for anyone is like a man cutting a tree:  every time he swings he cuts a part of the tree, the tree is still standing of course, but if you do not stop smoking now, you will only keep cutting that tree faster.  The tree can still stand even if there is chop marks in it, so don’t think you can’t stop smoking.  We took their packets of cigarettes from their home, with their permission, and Flor is doing better at avoiding her addiction to cigarettes.  When she came to church she told us after that she felt the need to smoke, but it went away after a minute of listening to the talks and testimonies.  She’s progressing!!!!!

This area is super nice and I love the people here, it gets either super cold or super-hot right now in winter so I hope that the weather will make up its mind so that way I’m not dying of the extremes! Love you all and oooopppp!!!! I almost forgot!!!!
  
!!!!!!!!Happy Fathers Day Papi!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 


Monday, June 22, 2015

Formosa!

June 16, 2015 (week 42 in Argentina)

Elder Goycochea
Hola de Clorinda, Formosa! Yup that is right, transfers happened and I am here in Clorinda enjoying the change in environment.  Also did I mention that it’s a white wash?  Meaning that the two elders before were taken out and two new elders are put in, that don’t know the area.  So I’m here with Elder Goycochea from Peru and we are enjoying the stress of looking for everything and trying to figure out where everyone is.  It was pretty crazy!

Before sharing anything new that is happening right now I’ll talk about the week and how it went. Well, Magdalena didn’t get baptized, sadly... she canceled last minute.  We went to her house in the morning Saturday and she told us that she can’t keep going to the church.  We asked her why and talked for her for a good while, trying to see what the problem was.  She was having problems with thinking that she would have to be more responsible and have to do more obligations for the church.  We told her that she would only be obeying the laws that God put on the earth to help us follow the right path and receive blessing.  She didn’t want to pay tithing because she felt like she couldn’t pay for it and we told her that she would be fine and that there wouldn’t be any problems with that, nor would she be doing anything more than what the Lord requires of us all.  Sadly though, after so much exhorting and testimony sharing, she didn’t get baptized.   Still there is hope that she could get baptized later, who knows.  It still is a sucky feeling when you can’t see someone be baptized.  But it was pretty cool how some of the hermanas in the branch left to go say hi to her and talk to her.  Maybe she will get baptized while I’m here in Clorinda.

President Zarur and his missionaries
Happy Birthday Elder Lourenco















This past Sunday was my companion’s birthday and so we elders celebrated it by having a ton of sugar.  First, we made a chocolate covered graham cracker cookie that had coconut as well.  It was soo good, it tasted like the chex mix stuff my family makes for Christmas gifts, the ones where I get super fat off of.  Then, I gave elder Lourenco my gift which was a giant ice cream cake.  He’s not so much of a cake fan, nor did he really want anything for his birthday, but I know he likes ice cream so why not get it as a cake?? ja ja.  It was a lot of fun and we loved talking to all the branch and hugging and telling them goodbye.  It was pretty sad to think that I may not see them again.  But you will have to enjoy the perks of Facebook after the mission.  I’m gonna miss that branch and all the families there.

So good to see Elder Nava again!!
Afterward, I packed during the night to go to Clorinda.  The bus left at 8 and I didn’t get to Formosa until around 2.  But I came to find Elder Nava there in the bus terminal waiting for me!  AHHHH!!! We were freaking out and telling one another of our adventures and what was happening.  And then Elder Nava gave me the best presents ever!!!  Which was a Dragonball-Z shirt, a superhero rubic cube, and other little super hero stuff and it was wrapped in an awesome superhero paper!!! He’s the best!  After talking for a good hour, I had to leave again on a bus for Clorinda for another 2 hours and didn’t get to the pension till 7pm.  Me and Elder Goycochea got to know one another while we unpacked and cooked.  Well... he cooked.  He’s basically a chef and makes the best food in the world.  I don’t know how he does it but he’s pretty awesome.  I’m thinking our time here in Clorinda will be definitely an adventure for a good while, especially during these two weeks trying to figure out where we are.  He has many skills and is super spiritual.  We will be having good memories together.

Elder Goycochea and I playing with this
crazy dog at an investigators home
Oh I almost forgot of when I was on divisions with elder stout, I ran into the worst amount of luck.  I took out the rest of my money for the rest of the month so I could have it if I would leave the zone, because I didn’t have a lot in cash.  So I put it in my boot sock when we went to elder Stouts pension, and when we were leaving to return the next night, basically it all fell out on the way.  I didn’t know until I started looking for it.  It sucks because I now have to wait for money from the office to get to my card this Friday.  I still got here fine, I’m just surviving with my companion here until I can get the rest of my money again! Loco!

I miss all of you and also congratulate all those who got married this past week! ALSO.....

GOOD JOB AARON!!! CONGRATULATIONS ON TYING THE KNOT!!!!!! I LOVE YA BUD AND IT’S FINALLY GOOD TO SEE YOU ¨GREW UP!!!¨ JA JA!

Elder Burke

**Taylor's best friend since pre-school got married.  Taylor was his "Best-man" for the wedding.

Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Bowen

 






All is Well!!

June 10, 2015  (week 41 in Argentina)
The Family of Simon (Jorge Gomez and his wife Dalma and their daughter)
Seeing as I am the Nurse for the mission I usually get calls in the middle of the night with Elders in pain or needing assistance. This Monday morning at 2 I got a call and since I sleep in the top bunk, jumping down onto tile floor is not a good way to treat your feet.  I got a nice bruise on the bottom of my left foot, but it’s better now.  But man did that really hurt while I was talking to a Peruvian at 2 in the morning.  Still as I have such responsibilities I can’t help but feel happy to serve my fellow man.
Sorry for not writing this Monday, as before sometimes it’s very hard to find a cyber that isn’t occupied or has power to make the computers run.  So I get to write you guys this beautiful rainy morning here in Argentina.  I hope all is well back at home and in the missions that you are serving.
Starting with the biggest news is that this Saturday Magdalena Fernandez is going to be BAP- (wait for it) TIZED!!!!!  That is right she is so ready to be baptized and she just loves the people here in the branch and always has a comment in church.  The relief society falls well with her and she is enjoying the lessons, she only has a hard time remembering all of it.  But with time and repetition, she will remember everything.  It’s awesome to teach her because she’s so straight forward and always tells us what’s on her mind.  She’s an absolute joker too, for a 74 year old lady.  She has lived all alone without a husband or a family for her life, but you can see the fulfillment and joy she receives by coming to church and being a part of our branch family.
A lot of people have problems with their wards or branches thinking that they are imperfect and if they move, their problems will all go away, sadly it’s like our family.  Some days we can’t stand one another and end up fighting a lot, but we forgive them fast too, because as the saying goes “love the ones you’re with”.  It’s the same principle in the wards and branches you are in, Heavenly Father has gathered together a great family that will strengthen you with their talents and gifts, so as you would never think to replace the family that you love or have (blood related or not), don’t think that replacing your ward or branch with a new one will be a better for your eternal progression.  If there is someone that bothers you in the ward, learn to live with them and never stop following Christ, because sadly people have stopped following Christ all because they were offended for something that can be easily done away with through the Atonement.  Don’t let your learning and salvation in the gospel of Jesus Christ be diminished and destroyed by someone who isn’t following HIS standards. Be faithful to only Him.
Pedro and Juan (my dudes!)
Other good news that makes me happy to share is that Pedro and Juan are growing even more in their understanding of the gospel.  I love hearing Pedro’s complements of how he has come to know such a sweet feeling coming to church and reading the scriptures.  His understanding has come to a point, as now I can say, that I have felt the joy of what our Heavenly Father feels.  The joy of bring people to the truth.  Never have I felt such joy in bringing people unto Christ as I can see their Joy grow and they become the Children of God that they are.  I felt somewhat like a Father at that moment with his son, watching him grow in righteousness and accepting the truths that bring eternal happiness.  All is well.
As for Rosa Flores and her entire family of daughters, there is like 7 women all under the same roof, they are all progressing at their own rates.  It’s amazing to see how people progress in the gospel by what they want, not what we want.  If you want more blessings from God you have to work for it, he doesn’t reward those who don’t work for it.  So if you’re frustrated by what you’re not getting out of church, have you been paying attention during the talks during sacrament meeting?  Or are you on your phone playing games?  Are you studying the scriptures daily?  Or watching a quick 2 minute YouTube video of cats... again... ugh cats.... Remember that if you want spiritual blessings, you must do spiritual things.   An evil tree cannot produce good fruit, nor can a video game bring us an understanding of the Savior.  People your time is short here, stop wasting it on something stupid that won’t last.
It’s my testimony that the gospel of Jesus Christ helps us become a great nation and people who are in the world, but not of the world.  Focus on the important things like family and friends who need your help and guidance, not on the vain, material things of this world and I promise that you will see your family grow stronger than you ever thought imaginable.
 In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
 Elder Burke

Also I forgot to mention that as of TODAY we can eat with members again!!!  All the other missionaries in the world are freaking out because they get the chance to go hiking as a group, go on boat rides, play paintball, eat at buffets, watch Disney movies on their P-day, use cars and bikes to go to far away appointments, use IPads, etc.  We here in Argentina Resistencia are just happy to have again someone else to cook for us and that we didn’t get bit by a dog or robbed for the week!!! Ja ja ja!  Gotta enjoy the small moments like these!

Batman an Avenger !?!
Elder Laurenco
Bruce- our duenos dog!!
He's like "Kevin" from "Up"

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Vayamos a la playa! (Let's go to the beach)

June 1, 2015  (week 40 in Argentina)
Hey there guys, so today was a really different P day for me.  We went to the beach and threw an American football around and played venticinco (25) with a futbol.  It was the first time I got to feel sand in between my toes and it felt great!  The last time I got to have that wonderful feeling was before I left for my mission.  I was staring at the water wanting to swim, but that can wait for a little more!  But honestly it was so much fun to go to the beach and play sports with our whole zone and then enjoy the day.  I still have some sand in my ears but it was totally worth it.  Afterwards we went and got hotdogs from this fake looking diner place and while we were eating our food some bees, as in like 50 started swarming around us trying to get a sip of our coke, surprisingly none of us ran, we just sat there without a problem, but I watched 5 bees drown in my coke.  That’s what you get for beeing in my buzzness! Yes that was a pun! ja ja!  The beach made me think a lot about how the small things we take for granted that we have easy access too.  I guess being a missionary just makes you more appreciative of everything you had before:  cars, naps, movie nights, cheesecake, you know those things, but when you give up all those normal things and put your best into helping people, the reward is so much better.  But cheesecake does get pretty close too! ja ja
So this week was pretty awesome as we have been progressing with our investigator Magdalena Fernandez!  She is the coolest old lady that you can ever meet.  She loves everything the church offers and keeps telling us that it all makes sense, the problem is remembering all the things she learns, she has a hard time with memory, but not to the extremes like in 50 first dates.  We invited her to be baptized and she was like “Well why wouldn’t I be baptized?”  Yeah, she’s the bomb.  We pass by her house a lot because she lives on the way to the rest of our area and she normally says hi to us or gives us sweet bread.  Oh my gosh I love the bread here.  There is Pasta Froli, torta frita, facturas and even alfajores.  I’ll be bringing back a truck load of those with me when I get back.  But anyways expect photos of baptisms from the 13th of June!  She loves all the things about the church and the members feel well with her and so do we! ja ja.
We also had a new person come to the church named Rosa Flores; yes her name is rose flowers! We were teaching in her house and her Daughter is very nice, but kept on saying that Mormons only believe in Joseph Smith and only the Book of Mormon but we explained all of that to her.  We told her how the Book of Mormon testifies of Christ and goes with the Bible to testify that He exists and brings hope to people.  We also talked about how in the Bible talked about the Book of Mormon in Ezekiel 37:15 to 20

15 ¶The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,
16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:
17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.
18 ¶And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?
19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
20 ¶And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.
and how in the Book of Mormon talked about the Bible in 1 Nephi 13: 20 to 25.
20 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that they did prosper in the land; and I beheld a book, and it was carried forth among them.
21 And the angel said unto me: Knowest thou the meaning of the book?
22 And I said unto him: I know not.
23 And he said: Behold it proceedeth out of the mouth of a Jew. And I, Nephi, beheld it; and he said unto me: The book that thou beholdest is a record of the Jews, which contains the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; and it also containeth many of the prophecies of the holy prophets; and it is a record like unto the engravings which are upon the plates of brass, save there are not so many; nevertheless, they contain the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; wherefore, they are of great worth unto the Gentiles.
24 And the angel of the Lord said unto me: Thou hast beheld that the book proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew; and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord, of whom the twelve apostles bear record; and they bear record according to the truth which is in the Lamb of God.
25 Wherefore, these things go forth from the Jews in purity unto the Gentiles, according to the truth which is in God.
Still sadly she was not convinced that the Book of Mormon testifies of God. But her mother was and she was defending us and the church because she knew that what she was feeling was the spirit.  It was pretty crazy to sit there and listen to them fight but we both were cheering in our heads when Rosa was saying that she is going to church and it’s because she’s felt the spirit when we have taught her.  It was nuts!  She came and enjoyed church and had a ton of questions for us during class and it was great.
Also remember our converts Juan and Pedro?  Well they are doing so well and Hermano Pedro tells me how happy he is to be in the church of Jesus Christ and that Elder Nava and I found him and baptized him!  He’s so happy and awesome!  Hermano Juan is blessing the sacrament now and we are preparing Hermano Pedro to say a prayer in front of everyone!  They are doing so well it’s just awesome!
I hope that all is well back at home and also a shout out to Collin, my cousin, who is getting ready to go on a mission to Chile! Inevitably we will become rivals since Argentines don’t like Chilenos and vice versa with Chilenos to Argentines!  Se que puedes hacerlo primo loco mio! Suerte y preparate bien en las escrituras y en el idioma de castillano! Vos sos Elder en algunas meses!!!  (You can do it crazy cousin of mine! Luck and prepare yourself well in the Scriptures and in the Spanish language! You're an Elder in some months)  Ja ja!  Love all you guys and hope you all enjoy reading my experiences as much as I love sharing them with you!
Con amor,
Elder Burke


La Fe (Faith)

May 25, 2015 (week 39 in Argentina)

WWW
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Elder Burke
Sunset Lookout
Look up on the screen!!! It’s a smudge1 it’s a typo! No!!! Its Elder Burke!!!

Alright enough goofing around, it’s time to tell you all the story of my week!

So first off we start with the last time that I got to write you all.  Last Monday we were on the way to go write and we had this old lady who was raking the leaves in her front yard, which were a ton of leaves.  So we offered her help and she was like, ok if you want to.  So we raked leaves for her for thirty minutes shared a brief message and asked her if we could pass by and share a message.  She was super happy that she had help and said sure why not.  We visited her two days after and got to know her more.  Her name is Magdalena and she is the funniest grandma ever.  Sadly she never married because she’s really shy from what she told us, but that happened a long time ago.  It’s somewhat sad because she doesn’t have any kids and lives alone.  So we taught her about the church and she seemed very interested and when we told her we would come back in two days to teach again she was really excited!  When we returned, she was all dressed nice ready for Sunday church, but it was Thursday, she misunderstood that when we would pass by again it would be for church!!!  Let me tell you that to get someone to go to church here is like finding a needle in a haystack!!!  We were so surprised and we told her that we don’t have church today but in a couple days we will have it.  She has so much faith and is so loving, truly she is an answer to our prayers- to find someone who can be baptized during this translado.  She came to church this Sunday and absolutely loved it and seemed to love every part of church.  She’s such a sweetheart and loves to make jokes about our accents.  We will see what happens when we invite her to be baptized this week!

We found another family who live so far away from us that we have to walk 45 minutes to get there!  They are in the area that I never went to with Elder Nava because it’s so far and we don’t know anyone there so we didn’t have a reason.  Elder Smith gave us a reference to go look for a guy that lives there but we found this family instead.  They are called the Saboa Family and they are so cool.  They have three kids- 13 Nirvana, 11 Mauricio, and 1 a baby!  And they are so cool, the parents are named Hubo and Marena.  We will see how they progress with the more we teach them.  They only have one moto to use to get to the church and they live super far. So we are praying that they can use that moto to get all of them there even if it is two trips, we will see next Sunday!  Also when we were leaving, the small daughter of 1 year of age started crying because we were leaving.  It was so freaking adorable!!! Anga bebe!!!

I’ve been studying a lot about faith and how it is the greatest teaching tool that our Father in Heaven uses.  It’s having trust in everything God teaches and tells us is good and that He will never lead us astray.  I read a lot in Ether 12 and it’s a good chapter in helping you understand how big faith is.  Every time we invite someone to exercise faith and read the Book of Mormon or pray to know if joseph smith was a real prophet of God, I come to know that by faith we are more sensitive to the spirit.  It always says in the scriptures that the people’s hearts were softened or hardened and it resulted in the outcome of them receiving revelation or a confirmation of the truth or not. Having faith softens the heart to let the spirit fill in the parts that you don’t know yet about the gospel.  It is impossible to get to know Joseph Smith on a personal level and know whether he was a prophet of God or not, therefore the spirit testifies that he was called to be a prophet but we have to have a softened heart to receive a confirmation.  It’s the same with whichever apostle or prophet we have had in the church, we cannot get to know them as it says in Matthew 7:16- Ye shall know them by their fruits.

But we can hear the words which they say and write if they have received authority from God to be a prophet or apostle.  Why do you think that every Mormon invites whoever will listen to read the Book of Mormon?  It is a chance to test your faith and look FOR YOURSELF if these things are true. It is a test of faith that God talks to us by prophets and scriptures.  It’s a test of faith to soften our hearts and be teachable to the Holy Ghost because (by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.) Moroni 10:5.  I invite every reader to strengthen their faith by reading the scriptures, searching diligently and praying to God that he will guide you.  It’s not to know just if Joseph Smith or the Book of Mormon is true, it’s to know that if God really does exist, if He is there, and that He does have a plan for every person here on this earth. I share my testimony that I have read the Book of Mormon, I have prayed to know the truth, and I was open and patient to hear what my Heavenly Father would say to me about these things and it wasn’t written words nor a voice, but a feeling of clarity and joy.  I testify that God lives, that He calls prophets to guide us, and that He did indeed call Joseph Smith to restore his church upon the earth. The Book of Mormon is true and testifies that Jesus is the Christ, and I know it because the Spirit of God testified to me that they are.  May all of your faith be strengthened.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Elder Burke


lizard time
beautiful sunset

kill a cockroach

Temples

May 18, 2015 (week 38 in Argentina)

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, I would like to present to you, the one, the only, theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
ELDER BURKE!!!!!!
Yeah sorry about the whole introduction, I’m quite embarrassed I would do that for myself, But anyways..... THIS WEEK!!!
Still we don’t have anyone lined up to be baptized but we do have some investigators who are starting to show some progress.  None have come to church and so I don’t want to name people until they go to church because we don’t know if they will be still investigating.  But we are looking forward to the next Sunday!!! Yay!  But, we have been helping a ton of the recent converts like Pedro and Juan progress.  They are doing so well.  Juan received the Aaronic priesthood and Pedro will receive it this Sunday!  They are doing so good and are so much better than before when we first knew them.  We even helped Juan get a temple recommend for the dedication of the Cordoba Argentina Temple! Which was dedicated yesterday.

It was definitely different to go to church and its super reverent and just like the temple.  Oh my gosh, I miss the temple soooooo baaaaaaad.  We got to listen to General Authorities talk about the importance of the temples and how families can be together forever by the power of God.  They talked about the importance of the temples and how in old days there were temples like the Tabernacle with Moses, and even when Christ was on the earth there were temples.  Temples, as Elder Uchtdorf taught, are a bridge way between earth and heaven, where we can feel the spirit stronger than any other place.  It was a very beautiful experience and was even different to see Elder Christoferson talk in Spanish!  He served his mission here in Argentina and was actually in Cortoba.  He spoke really good Spanish and was so happy to see a temple in the place that he served.  I hope it’s like that for me when I’m back home and I can hear that they will build a temple here in Resistencia, Formosa, Corrientes, or Santa Fe.  So I’m working on getting what these people need to get that.  It’s a lot of work, but being a temple worker and having a very good understanding of the importance of the temple; it makes me work even harder.  I recommend that everyone goes to the temple.  If you aren’t a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints you can still dwell on the temple grounds, I promise you will feel a difference in your thoughts, actions, and feelings for the rest of the week.

Temples are important and sacred. If you are a member you should be worthy to enter a temple in whatever time you can.  I hope that all of you can understand the importance of regular temple attendance and that you all may be able to be guided by the Almighty to do what is right.  Temples are so precious and holy and I want to be in them more than any other place.  I feel closer to my Heavenly Father and feel my purpose here on the earth grow to be something grand and spectacular.  If you can go to the temple, I recommend that at the least you go once a month.  Have the temple in mind and you will be wise in your actions and judgements.  Also speaking of temples, within them is the great power of sealing.  We can be sealed as husband and wife, and along with our families within.  I cannot help but smile to see that some of my dear friends that have married just in the past weeks and I hope they all know that I love them.

Congratulations to

Tyler and Jessica
Colten and Charley









May your marriages be the best things in your lives!!!

Keltsy and CK
I love marriages and it kills me to be away from my friends and miss such wonderful wedding days, but it’s really not the one wedding day that’s the best, it’s the never ending happiness and love that comes from one another each new day.  Work hard all of you and love one another even when you are angry or frustrated.  I hope that all of you one day will be sealed together or already are for time and all eternity.  Love you all!!!


Love you all,

Elder Burke



Rain

May 11, 2015 (week 37 in Argentina)
Hola de Corrientes!!!
So we have had many different experiences here in Corrientes and we have been working hard to find new people and help people learn about Christ. First things first, the title.
We had a very well planned out evening and we knew that we would need our rain jackets because it was gonna pour all day.  Well... all of our appointments fell through and we ended up walking and contacting doors for three hours.  I never have had that happen to me, but I guess there is a first for everything.  I was somewhat surprised by how every person we talked to, trying to share a message about Christ, and every one of them said nope we can’t right now, or I’m not interested, which is the usual, but when it is pouring rain and they just leave us out in the cold, helps me understand what type of person I want to be when I am back home.  I could care less of what you are trying to share with me, I would at least give you shelter for 30 minutes before thinking of letting you go out into the pouring rain without much.  But it’s not about me, but the message that we share.  That Christ is the Son of God and that if we understand that principle, we will change everything that we do in our lives to become better.  Many say that they know He is, but what does that really mean?  If we know that Christ is the Son of God, then everything he teaches and does, is of the Father. Making His doctrine unchanging, nor imperfect, this would lead to the fact that He only made one church, not thousands.  It’s one of the basic principles that we need to strengthen, to understand our purpose here on the earth.  If we have faith in Christ and recognize him as our Savior, it changes everything.  So keep that in mind and work hard to understand to fully understand who Jesus really is.
We are now working hard to find 19 men who need to be reactivated to make our district a stake, the problem is that we need to find these men and help them remember why they were baptized and return to the fold of God.  It’s amazing the amount of people who fall away, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t return and be a member again.  I really liked the talk by Brent H Neilson (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/waiting-for-the-prodigal?lang=eng#watch=video) that helped bring to light how everyone of us can come back even when we are lost.  Remember that everyone can come back from whatever you have done for whatever reason.  We will soon see the fruits of our labor with these people.
This past Sunday we got to talk to our mothers for Mother’s Day.  Everyone who was in the church computer room was laughing super hard as I was being my old goofy self and I just was having the time of my life talking to my family.  I absolutely love my family, and I can’t imagine not having them in the world to come.  I told them how important it is to do your part so that we all can live together as an eternal family.  It is true that families are together forever, but God is just and we can’t make the decisions for others in our family, so we show genuine love for one another, support one another in their righteous choices and when they are trying to come back from making an unrighteous choice, and always being quick to act on righteous principles and slow to judge one another.  I hope that they know how precious and dear they are to me, each one is unique and different and yet each one makes me better than I was before.  That is what Christ does to families: strengthens them.
May all your families be united whether it is you and your spouse or your many great grandchildren.
Love you all!

Elder Burke
We found a lizard in our pension......and we got hungry!!