Working With Members

Time to do Laundry!!

July 20, 2105  (One year on mission)

  

Hola mis queridos amistades y parientes! Me extrañan? Si por supuesto! ja ja!

So this will probably be a long awaited letter that my family and friends were hoping for. Well here it comes.... just wait.... a little bit more........

ONE YEAR DOWN!!!!!!!!!
Ok I got it out of my system.  It’s weird to think that a year has passed and only little less than a year until I am back in ‘MERICA!!! ja ja!  My mom is probably thinking that it’s all downhill from now, and the truth is that it’s true.  I feel like a rock rolling down the side of a mountain and every second that passes by, the faster I am going.  Everyday becomes a blur and I am somewhat shocked how fast it came to me!  But the thing that kills me the most is that just five days ago it would be exactly a year from when I left the sandy beaches and hot canyons of Lake Powell.  They are there now and seeing pictures have made me the most trunky than ever, I have to agree with my cousin Michael, that of all the traditions that we have as our big family, Lake Powell is the best.  But the good thing is that we both will be back in time to be cooked alive as we try to diminish our whiteness from wearing a white shirt and tie every day!  We will probably burn!  But hopefully my family is safe and that they all our missing my presence and that of my cousin Michael, for we are the best- in our own way ja ja!

Doing Laundry like Pros!

Anyways to start off, it has still been raining! Oh my gosh, I have never had time to wash any of my clothes because we do it outside and also we have to hang dry them.  When I think of the beautiful sound of a dryer I think I will cry.  But, on the other hand this mission only makes me think more and more of how I will tell my future spoiled kids “when I was in Argentina we didn’t have instant self-drying clothes, nor flying cars... we waited for our clothes to dry and we walked!  Boy, will I have fun with soooo many people who complain about first world problems.  But you should have seen our faces when Friday the sun came out and we used all of our study time to wash our clothes!!! Man it was sooo funny!

This week we have been working hard with members to share their testimonies and be friends.  The thing is that members have a super power, they can talk and even do things that the missionaries can’t to help people receive the gospel.  We went to three families, with one recount convert named Silvana, and we had so much success!  Remember Flor?  Well I wasn’t planning on writing about what happened because I really don’t like writing about how people reject the gospel, but when we were working with her she wasn’t progressing and didn’t want to go to the church.  We thought about maybe seeing her for the last time with a member and yesterday we went with Silvana to see her and it changed everything!  Now she wants to go to church and feels so much more comfortable because she has an actual friend that will uplift her and tell her what she needs not what she wants.  So that was one miracle. Before that we visited a recent convert single mom of age 17 (That’s actually old for the normal, sadly) named Soña and they both just talked and got to know about one another and the spirit was super strong in making them both be edified in doing the right thing.  She needed a friend and Silvana was there to be it.  It was miraculous!

Ok now for the story number three because it is funny.  There is a partial family here that I love and they are also the family where the boys constantly fight and make funny pranks.  They are literally a mom’s worst nightmare because they break things, but they are so funny that they get away with a lot of things.  I need to get a picture with them so I can show you all.  The smallest is named Jose and he is 4 and bites like a mother!  He has bitten me more than I can count and is always throwing punches.  We were trying to teach and he was being the punk that he is, so we made noises that made it seem that some monster was coming to get him, he cried!  But after he started up again and was making faces at elder Goycochea and so he took off his belt and started snapping it like he was going to beat him and it was soooooo funny to see this little trouble maker run screaming.  We were all laughing and when he finally calmed down we shared the gospel. It was great.

Always try to share the gospel.  If you are having a hard time with sharing the gospel, read 2 Nephi 25 and 26. It talks a lot about Christ and our purpose for all of us to share his gospel.

I love you all and hope all is well.  Keep writing me!  I only have one more year till I’m normal and you can talk to me whatever day of the week, so take advantage of it!  Because once I return.... I’m gonna facebook stalk all of you to see what I missed for the two years I’ve been gone!  And there will be embarrassing comments!!! MWah hahahahahahah! LOVE YOU ALL!

Elder Burke