Holy Cow

So holy cow you guys had quite the eventful week. I'm pretty jealous. My week wasn't nearly as exciting except for my new comp. First of all I need Ryan or Sara to get a hold of Paige still, Mom I need you to keep being awesome,  and Dad you just need to beat Ryan or something for old times sake. :) (I couldn't think of anything else.) Ryan It was way good to hear from you about that experience. I can't believe you're legal. No it doesn't really feel different, but wait until you receive the Melchizedek priesthood. Having that awesome blessing really means something and only helps one to come closer to our savior. The power you will be able to hold will only bless lives, nothing less. So keep up the good work and keep reading the BOM!

So Monday afternoon Elder Forsey from Arizona came to Cary to do some work with Elder Burnham. He has been out for 18 months and he was in Raleigh before as a zone leader. Now he is serving, probably in his last area, as our district leader. He is a fantastic missionary and I have so much more to learn from him. He is such a nice guy and quite soft spoken, but he is a leader and knows how this work should be done. This transfer is going to be a good one. Elder Carlisle got transferred to Albertson, where I am told there are more pigs than people. He likes the campo though so he will love it there.

Now on to the week that was not as awesome as I wish it was. Elder Forsey and I did pretty well our first week together contacting a lot of people and receiving referrals, but now very many set lessons stuck. Most of our lessons this week were with nice people that were willing to invite us in. There was a baptism this Sunday for an investigator in Garner and we invited EVERYONE to it. We worked so hard to talk to everyone and really improve the work here and we thought we were doing so well and then Sunday came around. Not a single one of our investigators showed up at all. We had 5 confirm the day before and no one came. I was so depressed and bummed. Luckily going to the baptism kind of lifted my spirits, but I was just upset that so many would stand us up. And even worse was that Ingrid, on of our investigadoras, was scheduled to have her baptismal interview that morning too and she also didn't show up. We have a lot of doctrine to help people understand so that they will change their attitudes towards the importance of Sunday. Well that was basically our week. We started off feeling great, but then it fell through. I'm sure that is a normal thing out here in the mission field, but it was horrible. 

Other than that everything was pretty normal. I'm still loving the work and I have faith that everything will get better. 

I feel kind of sorry for Brianne, but I'm proud of her for keeping to it and finishing strong. Don't let those greenies take over. It's sad that she is almost home, but then she will have more time to write me and send me inspirational things. I'm glad that we will be able to be on the same page about a lot of things. 

Well I love you guys and I'm glad to hear everything is going well. Keep working hard and keep praying for those missionary opportunities. Remember that our message of the restoration really is quite simple and that EVERYONE needs to hear. 

1. God loves us.

2. The gospel blesses families

3. Christ atoned for us and set up His church.

4. Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God and restored that authority. 

Take those four points and spread it around to everyone you know. Then let the missionaries and the spirit do the rest.

I love you guys to death. 

Con Amor,

Elder Burnham 

Busy Week

First of all I can't believe I didn't get anything to Mom for her birthday and I feel horrible. But I'll have you know that it only happened because of how busy I was working my butt off this week. Being the last week of the transfer my trainer and I worked super hard. We have definitely improved the obra misional in this area. My comp. is proud to say that he is leaving this area better than he found it. He is a little sad that he has to leave with Ingrid progressing so well. The other thing is that we have built a ton of member trust here in the branch. The members love us and we have reached the standards of excellence twice in a row now for member presents in our lessons. It was mostly thanks to a recent RM who has nothing better to do until he heads back to Provo for school, but we love usuing other brethren too. Now what really tired us out is that we biked this week and we had to go to Raleigh. We biked like 8 miles a day up hills both ways. Thank you so much for short sleeve shirts. This week was full of finding and a little bit of teaching. We are at that stage again where we need to find more people to teach, which we definitely are. We taught 45 lessons which is a high for us. We had two investigators at church which made us overly happy. And next week there will be a baptism that they will be attending. We are about to harvest big time in this area. A part from all our teaching and finding we have been fed very well by members this week too. We ate at Cici's pizza with a member, we had honduran balelladas another night, if that's how it is spelled, we had mexican ensalada and pisole, we ate at hibachi chinese buffet with another member, and then yesterday we had chilean empenadas and cheesecake. We were fed extremely well. And ooooooooohhhhh my gosh those empenadas were sooooo good. Hispanic people know how to eat. I think we got spoiled this week a little bit more because Elder Carlisle was leaving, but it was soooo good. It was a good thing we were biking this last week. I'm sure I was able to sweat off everything I ate.

Now since my comp. is leaving tomorrow we spent a lot of time yesterday saying bye to people and taking pics. The members in this branch just love the elders here. I'm very grateful to have been born in this city. Now I don't know who my new comp. will be or where Elder Carlisle is going until tomorrow. President just calls everyone that is getting transferred and tells them to come to transfer meeting and then there it is a big surprise on where you are going. It's always fun to hear all these elders make bets and guess where they will be serving next or who will go where. It gets pretty outrageous sometimes. I have made a vow that I will not become like that. :) Well it looks like I will be having to take over the area now though. I'll be in charge of finding the places we tract and navigating my new companion around. It will be an interesting first couple of weeks. This transfer is going to be a fun one.

Well I think that's all I have for now. I hope everyone is healthy and doing great. I want to see some of those pics from China Ryan. And also can Sara get a hold of Paige for her new address or is she scared. Ryan might have the ganas to do it. :) She is a nice person I promise. Hey mom is it healthy to drink a gallon of cranberry juice a week? Well I love you all and I am so grateful to have such a supportive family, immediate and extended.

Con Amor,

Elder Burnham

Gracias!

Glad to hear Easter was so awesome for the family back at home. Speaking of colleges, this last P-day we went to NC state and toured the football stadium and the basketball court. I have pics of the stadium you guys will see someday. :) I'm horrible at taking pics. Um no we didn't get spoiled this Easter. In fact we didn't even get fed yesterday. But its okay we had two awesome lessons with members present and the English ward made us Easter baskets. Nothing big, but we know we are supported. Dad, I email at the Cary library and its a quarter for every page we print off. Why do you ask? I think that's all the business right? Oh question for Dad, why does all other countries in South America hate on Bolivians. It's like an insult to call someone a boliviano(a). They also insult the Bolivians by asking them, "Como esta su mar?" I don't get why they hate on them so much. Maybe you know. :) Oh one more thing for you Dad, I have finished reading the new testament and I began studying "glory", what is it? Also in my studies of glory I found a scripture that I think you would enjoy, let me know. :) Proverbs 20:29

Okay so this last week was awesome. We are progressing so well. We had exchanges this week and I got to spend all Wednesday with Elder Miller, my MTC companion. It was awesome to work with him in his area and see how much we have grown since we have been in the MTC even in this short amount of time. That was the highlight of the beginning of the week up until Friday. Friday we drove all the way down to Holly Springs, finally to contact some referrals we have had for almost 3 months now because it is so hard to drive that far and try to conserve miles for the rest of the week. But we finally did it and had some success. After that we had a dinner appointment at a members home who invited like 6 of their nonmember friends to eat with us. It was perfect! I have decided that I am not a big fan of flan though, but I love sweetpotatoe pie.:) Anyway besides having a good meal we had a BOMB lesson. Since the next Sunday was Easter Sunday we decided to read about the atonement of Christ and how important it is for us in our lives. Of all the principles of the gospel that we teach, I love testifying of the atonement and the Savior's love for us the most. Anyway, we finished teaching and then their friends started asking questions. PERFECT! They were curious about what we believed happens to those who never get the chance in this life to know Jesus. He really loved our answer that they aren't just damned and that everyone gets a chance to hear the gospel. We are excited to see how they react to this lesson and the spirit I know they felt.

This Sunday, like I said we had two wonderful first lessons with some of the greatest members present. We were able to feel the spirit and we learned a lot about teaching from Bro. Foster who was with us. They were two very successful lessons, but even though I haven't been out that long, I have already seen how boring it is to teach the first lesson so many times. These investigators need to start progressing, because I want to teach something more. I have the first vision down sooooooo well. Anyway that's whats going on and we are excited for the work out here in Cary. Unfortunately this is the last week of the transfer and my training, thank goodness, but it looks like I might be getting a new companion next Tuesday. We'll see. I'm honestly somewhat excited because change out here in the mission is fun and keeps things rolling. We have such a set schedule and routine that it would be so horrible if we didn't get thrown around here and there. Plus it's nice to get fresh ideas and techniques from other elders. So it will be a bitter-sweet event.

Oh also we found out that the Brethren have decided to make a change in the calls for new Mission Presidents and our new president will no longer be Pres. Senior, but President Bernhisel. He's a Physician from Florida. So that's new and interesting.

Um........Oh this week while out contacting an investigator we were walking through a trailer park and we talked with some guys who were outside boiling two pig's heads for el Dia de Pascua. IT WAS FREAKING NASTY! Two whole heads and they were cutting them up and they planned on eating everything. Menudo, chicharrones, todo. Glad I'm not eating there for dinner. Well that's basically how the mission life has been going here. I love you all and I hope you are keeping up the good work. Love ya guys to death.

Con Amor,

Elder Burnham

Oh one more thing for Sara to do for me. I received a letter from Paige this week and she said she was moving, but never gave me another address so if you would be so swell as to call her or something and get that for me so i can respond. I'm sure she would love to talk to you. :) Thanks I love you!

Here is a picture and what info was in the Church News about Elder Burnham's (soon to be)new Mission president.

Julee K. and Marc A. Bernhisel

Marc Alan Bernhisel, 61, and Julee Kirkham Bernhisel, five children, Riverview Ward, Brandon Florida Stake. Brother Bernhisel serves in a Young Men presidency and is a former counselor in a stake presidency, high councilor, stake mission president, bishop, high priest group leader and missionary in the Southeast Asia Mission. Self-employed physician. Born in Minneapolis, Minn., to Harris Glenn and Bethine Sax Bernhisel.

Sister Bernhisel serves as a Young Women adviser and is a former stake Young Women president, counselor in a stake Young Women presidency, ward Young Women president, Relief Society president and seminary teacher. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Emerson Dale and Virginia Koch Kirkham.