Ya lavamos Pantalones!

June 29, 2015 (week 44 in Argentina)

Hola mis queridos amigos y familiares!!! Estoy aqui en la linda Clorinda que se queda en la hermosa Formosa! Ojala que todo este bien en cualquier lugar que estan y que sepan que les quiero.

So as for the many things that have happen this week I would first like to make a huge shout out to my friends Jake Dansie and now newly renamed (I figured she would want to take his last name or suffer the consequences of not being even more awesome) Danika Dansie.

FELICITACIONES PARA SU CASAMIENTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

SO HAPPY FOR THE BOTH OF YOU AND WISH YOU THE VERY BEST FOR THE BEGINING OF THE BEST YEARS OF YOUR LIFE, AND THEY WILL JUST GET BETTER!!!

Now that I got that out of my system, this last week has been such a blast and the time flies.  I feel like I just wrote you guys yesterday!  There have been a lot of surprises for the both of us as we are trying our best to bring souls unto Christ.

So this last Sunday came a kid named Pablo.  He is 18 years old and is basically the next Jet Li because he is a master at taekwondo and kicks some serious butt!  He came to the church by himself because his Uncle who lives in a different ward gave him a Book of Mormon 2 years ago and for some reason felt that he needed to go to the church.  We set up a date to see him and met with him and I will tell you all the truth, I have never felt such a sincere and spiritual teenager in my entire life.  When we talked with him we taught him after every deep question he had that was a very sincere desire to follow Christ and know more.  He told us that he can’t express himself the way he can with Elder Goycochea and me.  With other people he feels like his questions just bother other people, but when he asked us such questions, we taught him and answered every one of them.  He was at the point of tears when he told us of his desire to be baptized and how he wishes to follow Christ’s example.  Both elder Goycochea and I were shocked by how strong this kid’s spirit is.  We felt the spirit so strong with him and we invited him to be baptized on the 18th of July.  I’m so excited for this guy that he will be a leader and future missionary!  He’s soooo awesome!

Washing Pantalones (pants)

We are still working with Hilary and Giovani and their papers to be married and then after baptized. The thing is that Argentina is somewhat of a hard place to get papers done, it takes a good amount of time and they are super picky on what they want as paperwork.  They need to have more official papers from the country of Columbia to receive an ok to be married.  So we are doing all we can to keep them supported and strong in the church until they can marry.  So we did a service project for them.  We washed Pantalones (pants) for them, only it wasn’t their pants, but their dog named Pantalones!!! ja ja!!!  It’s a pretty good joke we do.  I don’t have my camera with me so I can’t send pictures but this little dog is such a stud and we got to get rid of his dread locks and give him a nice bath.  He didn’t like it at first, but now he’s super happy and clean. One dog down, 2 billion more to go.  There are a ton of dogs here and it’s just sad to see how no one really takes care of them, but one small act at a time, missionaries change the hearts of the people to do good.  Small acts lead to big changes.  If you can focus on the small things you can handle the big things.  Also it’s the birthday of Giovani today so we are buying him a cake and we are gonna sing happy birthday to them. 

Nice, clean, dread lock-free Pantalones!

Also we are still working with Flor on her progression, she couldn’t come to church this week but we are working on her for the next week!

Something I’ve learned is that sin causes guilt which causes insecurity.  When we tend not to admit our faults nor try to change them, we are insecure and when we are told that we are in the wrong we can’t really say anything against it.  Being free from sin brings peace and a calm state of mind that you literally have nothing to hide nor worry about, a scripture that I like that I just read is found in the first chapter of 2 Nephi:

12...I would that ye would remember; yea, I would that ye would hearken unto my words.

13 O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe.

14 Awake! and arise from the dust, and hear the words of a trembling parent, whose limbs ye must soon lay down in the cold and silent grave, from whence no traveler can return; a few more days and I go the way of all the earth.

15 But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.

16 And I desire that ye should remember to observe the statutes and the judgments of the Lord; behold, this hath been the anxiety of my soul from the beginning.

Shake off the stress of sin and sadness and reach for the light.  Forgiveness is possible.  I too felt bound by guilt but Jesus Christ made me clean again.  My testimony is that all of those who read my words may understand that all those who need help can look to Christ and be forgiven.  If it’s not my words that convince you to do such, then I hope that my example has helped people see that second chances do indeed exist.  Keep fighting, keep moving, and keep trying, there will be a day when you won’t be weighed down by your own mistakes and past life.  Christ helped me to move forward, and I know that he will with anyone who is willing to follow Him. I share these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Elder Burke

Happy Birthday Giovani!