May 2, 2016
Well it’s
that time again of the week, read Elder Burke’s letter and hear more about
Argentina, maybe read some weird experience that needs more explaining, and
some up-lifting words of encouragement.
This week in
Argentina:
Elder Burke
finds himself going into denial that it’s almost coming to an end here in the
mission, but he recovers hope through his awesome newbie companion, who is also
his step son! There is a lot of dogs
(again) that try to attack. Elder Burke
is closing in on ending all of Doctrine and Covenants. A new hope found in the
talks of the Stake Conference of Resistencia. There is so little time and so much to do, but
how can he do it?? Coming to you this
Monday 3:00pm Mountain Standard Time, brought to you by Cyber in Argentina.
So as I would
like to start off, on the personal side of being a missionary for so many
months now, you realize how small your part is in the progression of the people
and how it is important that we must do our part. God is incredibly talented with placing the
right tools for the right job, or in other words, putting his missionaries in
the right homes and helping them say what they need to say and do what they
need to do.
We have a new
guy that is progressing and his name is Walter. Here in the Branch we had 4 baptisms and he
went to watch. The water was lukewarm,
but it was still cold outside. It was
pretty awesome. When we talked to him he
tells us that the more he hears us, the better he feels. When we call him to
confirm an appointment to go the next day, he tells me personally what he is
going through. He lost his Mother about
2 weeks ago and when we found him we really helped him feel better that he will
see his mother again if he follows the teachings of Christ. He tells me that when we come and when we call,
he feels so happy and good, and he made his comments to one of the members that
we brought to the lesson named Ariel Rivero. He really helped Walter understand the point
of view from a member of the church. When
people look at us they feel like we are monks or nuns and that to join the
church they have to go and do what they do. It’s funny to tell them our lives before the mission
and how we are normal but just different as missionaries.
Commercial
Break!
We are now
having a better success with maintaining people to hear the word of God. Normally it’s easy here to find people to
teach, but it’s hard to find people who are willing to learn. As a "yankee" we are commonly known
as the people everyone wants to get to know, but they have zero interest in the
gospel that we share, so we have had to basically tell people what we do and
why it’s important. We did divisions and
I went to Resistencia and as we were contacting, I had some great practice to
really put to test what I wrote two weeks ago- how to be a friend to complete
strangers. We talked to people who immediately
opened up to us and told us their problems, and even though they didn’t want to
hear more they still felt good after talking to us, and that’s the most important.
What would we say to someone who doesn’t
know anything of the great blessing it is to have our Eternal Father send us
blessings continually? It’s just like
the commercial break, it’s trying to convince people to put down their umbrella
and feel the blessings of the gospel!
When we sit
with the poor it’s even harder to teach because it’s basically the people who
dropped out of school because they didn’t want to study. I am very happy that my parents helped me
understand the value of a good education and completing that education! Without that I wouldn’t be able to function in
my life. So as we teach them it’s very,
very hard to not lose patience because you are trying to guide them to think of
the Savior and understand but they are so easily distracted.
We will
return after these following messages!
Going on to
the best part of helping people is getting to know them. How many people have we judged wrongly because
we didn’t know their whole story? We
went to a house that Elder Allen wanted to visit and we found a member who hadn’t
gone to church for a long time, so we ended up talking to her and her daughter
of the basics. We often tend to judge
people who have gone inactive and we sometimes treat them as traitors or
something. I told the Mother that we weren’t
there to nag her to go back into the church, we were there to serve her in ways
we can as missionaries of the Lord. So she confided in us as we taught the
restoration and the story of Joseph Smith and how it all comes down to the Book
of Mormon. The spirit was so strong and
the warmth of the spirit eliminated the cold. She had excitement in her eyes and she was
starting to think more of her daughter who wasn’t baptized and sadly doesn’t
really know who God is. We helped her
with that.
When we sit
there and think of home teaching as members we often think that there will be
an end in trying to reactivating them. Once they have accomplished the mission of
having them return to the church then it’s over, but it’s not. It’s until the End. We mustn’t look at our responsibilities to our
brothers and sisters as burdens but as a true devotion of love. Jesus once said, "Take my yoke upon you,
and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto
your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew
11:29-30. When we reach out to people not thinking that our interaction with
them will have an end, we become better people and truly understand that it’s a
blessing to serve others, never a chore.
I love you
all and hope that in your bright future you too can help those in need without
thinking inwardly but outwardly as the savior would.
Love Elder Burke
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