Elder Taylor James Burke: The Book of Mormon

March 2, 2015 (week 27 in Argentina)

Hola de Argentina!

Just a little bit of rain....

It’s been going good here and it’s rained quite a bit, as in cars were swimming one day. See pictures for details! Ja ja! It was crazy and yes, we still go out and work in such crazy conditions! My boots where so soaked!

Elder Nava and I have been hitting it hard here in Mendoza al sur. It’s a very hard area as in dangerous and that many of the people aren’t very nice in general, but we still take in the moments of small successes we have every day. For example, the missionaries before I was here were teaching this lovely young adult Alejandra. She’s been coming to church for a good bit now but she has some problems with her health and flies out a lot to Buenos Aires. But I finally got to meet her this week and we talked with her and how she feels about the church and the Book of Mormon. She told us that she has so much peace in her life and it started with reading the Book of Mormon and praying. Simply doing two very small things. She is just this tiny happy daughter of God and she has accepted a date to be baptized!!!! We invited her this week and she said yes! But because she lives so far away out of our area we need special permission from president to see her and we need a member with us every time we see her. So we went this week with her uncle. He gave a beautiful testimony and I know it helped Alejandra say yes to being baptized. Since she lives so far away we haven’t been able to teach her as much as we want to, so her date to be baptized is the 28th of March! So we will be hoping that we are here after the transfers!!!

Another story is that we have been teaching Elsa and Ernesto still and they are having doubts still. I can’t imagine how hard it must be for them to change over 60 years of being catholic to work up the courage to go to a different church, but we are helping them and answering their every doubt with the true doctrine of Christ. One of the best ways to teach how Christ was baptized is to read the Book of Mormon in chapter 11 and then read the end of chapter three of Matthew in the bible and see that really the doctrine of Christ and how we should be baptized hasn’t and won’t change; only men have changed such sacred things. But not to worry, the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has the authority and power to baptize and they do it in the correct way that Christ taught. I recommend that you read these chapters and see how simple it is and how the Book of Mormon only brings light to knowing about Christ.

I bore my testimony yesterday about how the Book of Mormon changes lives, as a missionary it is one of the best things to see the results of such a great and marvelous book. Every person that reads the Book of Mormon daily has a better day than the usual. I can see it in our investigators eyes when they have read the Book of Mormon with a true heart and a sincere desire to know about Heavenly Father and Christ, that THEY ARE HAPPY!! This book has the power of God and I can’t explain how it does it but I testify that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that through Joseph smith the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth. It’s light. It’s truth. It’s pure joy. I desire that everyone should read this book, The Book of Mormon, and see your life change. I promise you it will only be a change for the better good.

Love you all and love your letters,

Elder Burke