Week Ending 9-21-09

Friends and Family-

I learned some valuable things this week. First- cutting hair is harder than it looks. Second, cutting your own hair is even harder than that.
Yes- I attempted the self-haircut this week. I bought a pair of clippers and went at it. I cut the sider nicely and then started to hack away at the top with scissors. I used the method I've seen my mom (a pro hair dresser) use- comb it up, grab the hair in between two straight fingers, and then snip. I repeatedly combed, grabbed, cut, eventually leaving the comb out of the sequence. After about half an hour of this it was looking... wearable. Had I kept at it, I probably could have perfected the top, but I decided to just take clippers to it too. It turned out nice. Now I don't have to pay for hair cuts the rest of my mission!

So Elder Burton and I were talking this week, and we discovered that we are COMPLETE oppopsites. We had known we were different before, but we realized that besides the mission and the church, we really don't havae ANYTHING in common. We couldn't be more different. I figure if I can get along with him, I can get along with anybody.

The appartment here in Hastings really has become my home. I don't say "let's go back to the appartment", I say "let's go home". It's strange- I feel like I've known everyone in the ward for years. Sometimes I think that if I mention anyone here that you should know exactly who I am talking about. You wouldn't though. There is Teresa, a member of three years with a 14 year old son, DJ Adams, a cool member of about three years who is 23 (his birthday was yesterday and we made him brownies), and the Turpins, a couple who feeds us often. They are really cool and have an 18 year old boy named Boyce. Those area the members with which we have the best realationship and see often.

There are lots of small animals here. Squirrels and rabbits abound bounding across the road. There are a few skunks too. Unfortunately, this results in lots of roadkill. Poor animals.

I think that's all for this week. I would like to share a quote that President sent out in his weekly email. "When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will instill us with power." -Ezra Taft Benson
I hope we all make it our quest to keep the commandments.

I love you all so much.
-Elder Burnham

Week ending 9-14-09

Friends and Family,

Not too much to write this week. (Sorry!) We had a district meeting on Tuesday. One elder in our district left and now our district leader is training a greenie. We still have a really young district.

We are still teaching Aaron Shanley. We met with him twice this week. We just found out that he is going to be moving the begining of October. He is still planning on being baptized here, and is excited about it. I hope he doesn't stop going to church after moving, but I don't think he will. He is the only really progressing investigator we have at the moment- we are working on enlarging our teaching pool.

We had dinner with a really cool member family this week. They are the Turpins. They are both about 25 and have an 18 month old baby. They just moved here a few weeks ago. They both served missions so they know how it is to be in our position. We have dinner with them again this week.

So most of the ward here is inactive. I think if every member came, the ward would be about three hundred, but we only get 40-60 depending on the week. We have lots of re-activation work to do, but they just don't seem to want to come to church! it's frustrating sometimes.

One of our members attends the community college here and has us over for dinner at the cafeteria there. We ate there this past week. When dinner was over, it was pouring, and our car was a three-minute walk away. We had just come from a meeting, so we had our suit coats on. We opened the door and took off. Rain was coming down in football sized drops, and puddles were EVERYWHERE. And these weren't just normal puddles- there were anywhere from three to five feet deep, and spanned miles and miles. At least, that's what it felt like. I ran with all my might, mind, and strength, laughing hysterically the whole way. Man, it was so fun. Needless to say, we both got soaked. Good times on the mission.

Okay that's all for this week, but I'd like to share a quote from Jesus the Christ by Talmage. "Prayer is made up of heart swells and the righteous yearnings of the soul, of suplication based on the realization of need, of contrition and pure desire."
That's going from memory, but I think it's word-for-word. I read it and really liked it. It's now hanging above my desk.

Love and miss you all,
Your Nebraskan Elder Burnham

Week ending 9-7

Hallo Friends and Family!!

Transfers were this past week. I am staying in Hastings with Elder Burton for six more weeks. I love this place.

The library is closed today so we are using a member's computer. I don't have much time to write because of that. It will be a short email.

We have an absolutely amazing investigator right now. His name is Aaron Shanley (I think I mentioned him about four weeks ago). He just showed up at church- never been to an LDS church or taken lessons before- and wanted to "be a Mormon" as he said it. He disappeared for three weeks but finally came back! We taught him Friday and we have three appointments set up with him next week. He soaked up everything we said and loved the Restoration video, which he wants to show his brother. "I definitely felt something," he said after our lesson. He is set for baptism for the end of this month.

I would love it if any of you could send me CDs or sheet music! Along with what I said last week, I could use:
Fred Jones Pt. 2 (sheet music)
Les Miserables CD (from our computer)
Thank you so much!!

I am still at the same adress. Send it there or just to the Mission home and they will forward it.

I love you and miss you all!
-Elder Burnham

P.S. Sorry it's so short.

Week ending 9-31-09 (but really 8-31)

Friends and Family,

First off, thank you all for your letters and emails!! I love getting them and look forward to hearing from ALL of you.

This week, Elder Burton and I had another baptism. We baptized three people from the Pendleton family. The husband was a convert at 9, and served a mission in the Canary Islands. He went inactive for a while, but wanted to get his life back no track. His wife has two ten-year-old twin sons and they have a five-year-old baby. We baptized the Wife and two sons. I performed the actual ordinance; it was a neat experience. The water was really low, however, and because of that, I had to redo one of the boys (his head didn't go all the way under). Brother Pendleton spoke at the baptism and it was really good. Missionary work is amazing.

Okay, random fact: the Hastings branch is part of the Kearney (pronounced car-knee ...weird, I know) Stake. Kearney stake is the largest geographical stake in the world. I guess that's what happens in Nebraska.

Transfers are this Thursday. I feel like I'm staying, but I don't know about Elder Burton. We'll just have to see.

I have two requests:
1- Can you send me some sheet music for Memory and other cool piano songs? I often go down to the church on preparation day and play, but I would really like some music to read. If you could also send the music for All of Me, by John Shmidt (I think it's in the book we have) I would love that.
2- Can you send me a few CDs? I don't have a CD player, but we can listen to them in the car. As of right now, we are using leftover CDs from other missionaries. They are good, but I would like some variety. Here are some suggestions of music I would really like:
-Mormon Tabernacle Choir
-Piano CDs (maybe cool-sounding hymns?)
-Soundtracks (Man from Snowy River and the like)
The sender would get my eternal love and might enjoy some Chipotle or something good when I get home....
Wait to send them till next week when you can send the package right to my appartment (I might be moving). Send letters to the mission office though.

Okay that's about all for this week. Sorry it's kind of short. I guess it's time for a little pre-mission insight for the Westwood Ward priests and any others who read it. Find some favorite scriptures and memorize the basic idea and the reference. Memorize one every week, and soon you will be armed with an arsenal of powerful passages. If you have at least one scripture no each topic, there will be few situations where one of them will not apply. The scriptures are so powerful, and we can harness that.

I love you all,
Elder Burnham