May 19th, 2014
Hi Everyone,
Here is a wrap-up of the week--
Tuesday- For district meeting, we went on mini-exchanges and went tracting in one of our areas. It was super fun! Me and Elder Joyner went out together and it went really well. I continue to learn the invaluable lesson of the more people you speak to, the more you find people who truly are prepared to receive the gospel. Talk with everyone.
Wednesday- Me and Elder Doane had Elder Ballard with us for the day because Elder Rasmussen had leadership training. I love Elder Ballard. He is a solid stud missionary! He brings so much enthusiasm and excitement with him into the work. We had a lot of fun!
Thursday- We had a great lesson with one of our investigators. We read from 1 Nephi 1 together and once again...the Book of Mormon is true! It was awesome to see as we likened the scriptures to her life, how it became more real to her. Its sad to say, but because so many Hmong people don't know how to read, we often overlook the power of the Book of Mormon. Lessons like these are reminders to really use "the most powerful tool in conversion" (combined with the spirit).
Friday- Weekly planning. Have I told you how much I love planning as a missionary? Me and Elder Doane really feel that we've mastered effective planning. Its so much fun! Although weekly planning is 3 hours, we eat up every second of it.
Saturday- We found the nicest family ever to teach! A few nights ago we stopped by their house and they totally ignored us. Turns out, they're super nice and receptive. I think they avoided us before because they were putting their kids to sleep. Once again, don't judge a book by its cover!
Sunday- We had an amazing dinner with the Strebel's family! They are so awesome. There are families called to be in assignments in the ward and we love them all so much. They completely throw themselves into a foreign culture and are just so selfless. They're a huge strength to the ward. We also ran into a less active that was baptized when I was serving with Elder Xiong. I thought they had moved to Minnesota but turns out they were just living up there temporarily. He was so excited to see us again. He gave us a big ol' hug and it was great to reconnect with him again. He has a grandson in Laos that was born a month ago named after me (Tseem Fwv Leem Jr.)...pretty cool!
Today- Things have been crazy as usual. We are really trying to take care of all our going home stuff on these last preparation days so we can rest assured that we don't have to worry about it while we're proselyting etc.
Thanks so much for all you do fam! I love you all so much and appreciate all the big helps! Let me know if there is anything I can do to bless your life! xoxoxoxox
Love,
Elder Burdick
