March 22, 2010

Hey Guys!

Happy Birthday Dad!! I am sorry didnt get anything off sonner. Youll be getting something in the mail here soon. I was meaning to get something sent off last monday but we had a crazy day, and the only time i can really send anything out is on mondays, so i am really sorry. Happy Birthday though!!! It sounds like you guys had a really fun weekend with everyone. That is cool that Ray and Brett went up there. Did you guys spend any time out on the lake at all? I am excited to relax a bit out on the lake. Its going to feel wierd though. Ive spent two years not having time for anything but work, so it will be a different experience just sitting and soaking up the rays.

How is the weather out there right now? Its officially Spring time over here. The weather has been perfect. Hopefully it will stay that way until yall come out. I dont really know in what order to visit those few areas yet. I still need to call a bunch of people in Fort Walton and see what would be best for them. I am thinking that we could drive up to Troy first, then down through Crestview and over to Fort Walton last since that's when most of the people will be home. Ed Stevens will be home all day and that is really one of the only people i would like to visit up there. Maybe one other investigator family. I dont know. I will figure that all out this week and let you know next week what would be best.

I am up for doing anything yall want to do on that Saturday. I really dont mind. It will be fun whatever we choose to do. I just want to be with our family, that's all i really care about. That'll be fun if Ray and Brett come by Saturday as well. They're family anyways. Maybe you guys can pick out your favorite episode of the office and we can watch that or something, i dont know. Just make it a clean one haha.

We don't really have any big plans for before i leave besides just working hard. Im trying to not talk about going home too much and im just doing my best to finish strong. We have been knocking on a ton of doors lately because we dont have to many appointments that go through. We are still teaching Will and Whitney, but we are pushing their dates back because they didn't make it to church this week. They are still doing good though. Our other investigator Julianne is doing good. She just had a baby so she hasnt been able to come to church, but she is reading and marking the Book of Mormon every day. We a few really solid investigators this week through tracting, so we are hoping to have more appointments this upcoming week.

Elder Jenkins is such an awesome companion. Me and him have the best time together every day. Missionary work is so much fun when you are with someone that you love to be around. He will be home anout three months after me so we will keep in touch.

I am so excited to see you guys! I am so excited for you to interview with President Summerhays, and to meet Ed, and to just drive around through the last two years of my life. I love you guys! I will get some pictures printed off today and send them out. You only get three more emails!

I love you!

Elder Burnham

March15, 2010 Whitney and Will

Hey Guys!
This has been a really good week. We have been praying for miracles for our investigators Will and Whitney. They have baptismal dates for March 27, but they had to make it to church twice befor they could get baptized. They are so solid, and would be coming to church every week if they could, but they both work for the County and have work every single Sunday. Whitney said that she would be able to pull some strings, but Will said that it would be highly unlikely. That was last week. So we all said that we would pray that a miracle would happen, and it did. Somehow, Will was able to talk his boss into letting him shift his hours around each Sunday so that he could come to church. So Will and Whitney both came yesterday and had a great time. We have another investigator named Julianne who is really close to baptism as well. We are hoping to set a date soon. She is marries to a member. They are a young couple and are both really excited about the church right now.

We knocked alot of doors this week. We found some dirt roads that have tons of houses so we have been working those areas for a while now, and have had some success.

Zone conference was this last Thurday. It was a good one. We talked alot about how we cannot determine what are success is going to be at any given time, because success is a gift; but we can determine what our actions are going to be, and have hope that we will recieve far beyond our expectations if we just move forward in faith and trust in God. At one point,we got on the topic of our future and what is in store. President listed a few categories on the chalk board, one of them being love and marriage. Of course President Summerhays decides to single me out since i was the closest to going home, and he asked me how am i going to go about love and marriage when i get home. I thought for a moment, and told him, "President, i dont have a single idea." So President gave me some pointers about going to institute and dating. Your going to love this one mom. He told me that his best guess is that i will be getting married alot sooner than later. So wierd to even be thinking about that!

So we are just going to be flying out of Tallahassee? That sounds good. I think the places i would like to go through are Crawfordville, Fort Walton, and Troy. Those are really the only ones that i would like you to see. I think Pensacola would be a little too far. Maybe Crestview. I think that might be on the way from Fort Walton to Troy, so maybe that will work. Its going to be alot of driving, but it will be fun.

Thats cool that President Burnette is just going to meet us right when we get back. What are we going to do on Friday? Just relax at the house with everyone? I would really like to go to In and Out, so maybe we can make a family trip over there? I like the idea of doing an FHE. That will be fun. I am so excited to see everyone!

That would be cool to get started with work. Pest Control would be a pretty good job i think. Thanks for sending that in for me. You sent me that registration information; do i need to fill those out by a certain date? Please let me know so that i can plan a time to do that.

Thats awsome that you were able to talk to Sister Summerhays. She is amazing. I think i am most excited for you guys to meet with her and President more than anyone else.

Well, I love you mom and dad. Im glad everything is going good back home. I am excited for next month!

Love, Elder Burnham

March 8, 2010 Crawfordville, Elder Jenkins killing me off

Hey Guys!
This week has been great. I love Crawfordville. It really is just out in the middle of nowhere. We we have had a really good few days since i have been here. Our teaching pool is a pretty good size. We are teaching a couple named Will and Whitney who both have very solid testimonies of the restored Gospel and are progressing toward baptism on March 27.

Its pretty different here though. Normally i have been in areas where you can find streets with houses that are really close together and those are the ones that are the best for tracting. But here, all of the houses are so spaced out, so it maked tracting a little bit more interesting. It has been alot of fun tracting down some of the dirt roads out here. The whole area is just a few main streets, and then dirt roads off all of them, so its really fun.

Elder Jenkins is an awsome companion. Im actually really happy that he is killing me off. We have alot of fun together but work hard at the same time. He reminds me of a mix between Brett and Jake Brown. He is really funny. He has been out about 20 months now so he doesnt have very much time left either.

We had a pretty funny experience a couple days ago. While we were knocking on some doors, this 9 or 10 year old kid kept following us around with his little tiny dirt bike and was yelling all sorts of stuff at us. He told us that we were going to hell and that nobody wanted to listen to us. It was wierd because he was so young, but was trying so hard to insult us. Many times he would ride as close to us as he could and then skid out and try to kick dirt up on to us, but he failed every time. The best part is that at every door, he would tell us that nobody was home, and every time someone would answer the door. Then on one door, he told us that nobody would ever want to hear our message, and at that door, a man answered and let us in. As we were going in, i looked back at the kid and gave him a big smile and a thumbs up.

That man that let us in was named Bill. He was a really interesting guy. We taught him for about 20 minutes, and he seemed really interested, so we will see what happens in the future.

To tell you the truth, i am really happy to be out of theodore. I mean, the members were great, and Elder Tolley was great, but there was just abslolutely nothing going on there. This area on the other hand has so much going on, on the memers are amazing. They feed us alomost every night and are all willing to get out and work. The members are all really involved and they all no our investigators. I am excited to finish my mission here where i know i will be able to finish strong.

So that is really cool that Brett and Ray will be in California for the summer. I am so excited to hang with them. I am so excited to get to spend some time with the family as well. As far as the lake goes, i am fine with whoever wants to go. If Ray and Brett want to go i am fine with that, but if you would rather just have our family i am fine with that too. Either way will be alot of fun.

My new adress 46 Mary Lou trail Crawfordville, FL 32327.

I will take alot more pictures this tranfer. It is a way cooler looking area than Theodore was so i will make sure to take some. I love you guys! I will see you soon:)

Love, Elder Burnham

March 2, 2009 My mission has been the greatest experience of my life

Thank you for forwarding that email to me that Elder Bond Wrote. He is such an awsome Elder. Those were some of the best weeks of my mission serving with him in Troy. Thats really cool of him to write you guys.

So i was pretty suprised about transfer information. I am getting tranferred for my last six weeks. I am actually really excited. I am going to Crawfordville which is pretty close to Tallahassee and is as back woods as you can get. This will be the first area of my mission where i can legitimetely say that i am out in the stix. I am going to be serving with Elder Jenkins which is also really cool. I served around him in the beginning of my mission and he is a great guy. We are really good friends. At first i was a little bit confused at why i was getting tranfered, but President Summerhays called me and told me the reason why. I guess recently he sat in on a lesson recently with the Elders in Crawfordville with a nice couple who are having some difficulties overcoming some problems and preparing for baptism. President told me that he recieved a very specific witness from the Lord telling him that he needed to send me to that area and that there were people in Crawfordville that i needed to help. I cant really be upset with that answer, so i guess i am going to Crawfordville haha.

So this got me thinking, maybe we dont even need to come out to Mobile. There is only one family out here that would be worth seeing (the Schloemers) but is that worth coming all the way out to the end of the mission for? If Troy is the furthest up we go, then we could just fly right back out of Tallahassee, I think. Would it be cheaper and easier that way? There really isnt too much to see here in Mobile except for tthe Schloemers. I would be fine with that. What are your thoughts?

Anyways, this week was good. We had a good lesson with Desiree. We explained to her that we had taught her everything that she needed to know to find her own testimony. She hasnt really been praying and doesnt seem to have too strong of a desire, so we just bore our testimonies and kind of left it in her hands, so hopefully she will come through.

We also went on Trade-offs this week with a few different missionaries in the Zone. I was able to go on one with an awsome Elder who i will probably be really good friends with after the mission. He is serving in Atmore which is also in the middle of nowhere. It was a good trade-off. We taught a couple lessons and knocked on some doors out on some dirt trails. It was fun.

The last couple of days have been hectic. We are moving apartments because there has been so many problems with these ones. So we have just been moving furniture and cleaning and packing for the last couple days. I am going to be sending some stuff home so that i dont have tons to fly home with in 6 weeks.

I am so wierded out that i am in the last tranfer of my mission. It doesnt seem like it has been two years, but at the same time, it seems like forever ago that i was being trained by Elder Honzic and scared out of my mind. My mission has been the greatest experience of my life. I am so excited to talk to you guys about everything and to show you at least a few places and people that have made an impact on me. I think i am mostly excited for you to meet President Summerhays. He has been my best friend out here and is one of the greatest leaders i have ever known. I cant belive its happening soon! Am i supposed to be sad or happy?! I dont know!! ahhhh!!

So anyways, i love you guys. I am glad you had a good week. Ill talk to you next week and tell you all about my new area.

Love, Elder Burnham