6 Months out

Well I guess I've got some explaining/ answering to do. I guess I'll start with the debit card dilemma. No it's not that I don't get enough, it's that I don't get enough to get the necessities and some materials for a stop-smoking workshop we do. We encourage our inves. to buy the stuff themselves, but as I'm sure you are aware the residents here in OK are often in some destitute situations, we try our best to get fellow-shippers to provide these things, and sometimes that works, but often the members are just as if not more destitute than the inves. I know it's not a very good excuse, But I promise I wont use my debit anymore unless its an emergency. I'm sorry. It's very hard to walk into a home that has no power, A/C, furniture, or food with a suit on, nice shoes, a nice back-pack to hold everything, a snack to keep me good if I start to get hungry. I try and give all I have, I know anything I do is temporary, but I try my best to help out in anyway possible. I know the water I bring will only quench their thirst for a little while, but the doorway I bring them to leads to the everlasting living waters! I just all would understand this in our wonderful message! Yes, I have been writing Tayler Fox, actually she initiated the contact. I just told her to ask Michael Barton about the Plan of Salvation, because she told me her grandfather just recently passed away. I haven't heard back yet. I have asked her to get me Kimberly Lewis' address but again i haven't received anything back yet. So Jennie got married aye? Good for her! Did Sara get to do a family name at the baptisms? Man next time y'all see Shea tell that woman to write me!!!!!!! she is being a brat! The only one who sees me off and she still hasn't written me. NOT COOL. We have not received any new leadership, our Branch President will be here for another month I believe. He hasn't even found a home to move into yet. BUT, He taught a splendid lesson during third hour, on hastening the work!!! He challenged the whole branch to specify their fast for inspiration for developing a mission plan, which has been non-existent since forever ago! We are so excited to see the branch step it up! I don't know if it was because Elder Burnham pesters members to go out with the missionaries, or if it is because I hound the branch president for a new mission leader, but either way he has stepped up to the plate! I'm excited to see the fire under everyone's cabooses! YEE-HAW!!!! Has Pres. Walkenhorst contacted you? Yes I am still training while serving as DL. I feel like I don't have enough time to plan district meeting trainings, as well as quality training with Elder Kenison. Thank-goodness for manuals we can rely on for basics. I've survived the first week so I guess I CAN do this. Yeah you can delete the photos and videos, the reason my pictures aren't good quality is because the camera is old and not the best of quality, I liked my old camera! but it didn't have an SD card :( I guess I can fidel around with it. So to answer dads inquiry; no the weather hasn't been to crazy. Super humid, which kills while biking, but just as hot as back home.... I think. I've accepted sweat as a natural thing and I have no phobia whatsoever! Sweat is my friend not my enemy! I have to tell this to myself every morning! Hey if y'all could get me McKay's address I would appreciate that. Thanks for the reminder dad! I totally forgot that a ward/branch activity can be scheduled soon! I will implement that in this little branch! That will be a great opportunity for fellow-shipping! Does the Modesto 1st ward have a mission plan? I want a copy? I've never seen one, my past two areas didn't have one, and since we are headed down the road to creating one it might be insightful to know what one might look like :) Well this week has been good, we did a lot of service this week! Elder Kenison and I moved in a sister from the Ada ward all by ourselves! We helped rip up old linoleum from like the 50's, that was fun, not as an occupation but for a one time experience it was fun! I ripped some garments in the process, oops. But I felt like a man! HOORAH! :) Well I love all of you guys! Keep up all the good work! I love it out here! I can't believe It's already been 6 months! Holy-cow this is flying by! It needs to stop that! Work on that for me will ya? :) I love ya more!

Not a Second Wasted,

Elder Burnham(B2)

Pictures

District Leader!

Well this week has been quite full! Elder Kenison and I have become very acquainted with missionary "work" hahaha. We got to rip up an old floor, It was great! Not only were we handling big heavy tools, but we were not in a white shirt and tie!!!!! WOOOHOOOO!! We then taught this investigators family a very intense Plan of Salvation lesson! It wasn't exactly as we had planned it, but they understand it, and understand that they wont fully accept the things we teach until they truly have come to know the Book of Mormon is true! So they are reading! To go along with that, we ran into "Papi" an old southern baptist man, who is awesome! We knocked into him and the first thing he said was "I'm sorry boys I'm baptist" We didn't let up one bit!!! booyah! We bore testimony of the divinity of our message right there on his door step and asked him to read from the Book of Mormon and lo and behold, his next statement was "oh man I was going to ask for one to read, I really want to but I didn't want to impose." We are super excited for him! So this past Thursday we had a meeting up in the city and I asked President if he had gotten the letter yet, he said he hadn't. So I told him what will be coming and asked him what his thoughts were, well he said he never has heard of that, siblings serving together. He said he thinks that would be an awesome experience and he would be willing to work with whomever to get it rolling. I love Pres. Walkenhorst! He is such a great man! So inspired, yet so down-to-earth! So regarding those pictures you think you are sending out, I actually would like a picture of the whole family, as recent as possible but still before the mission. I'm gettin' hounded out here foo not having any so I need one with my siblings and all that jazz. Oh and I asked for some advice on training a while ago, well transfers are this Wednesday and... yeah any advice on leadership roles? Maybe even from Sean. I have been called to be the district leader down here. Well I'm loving it out here! Its getting a little crazy with them miracles! I love it! We will be getting a new branch president soon. Wednesday is the "meeting" for all priesthood leadership to attend, so it will be soon. We need it, I'm hoping this means a new branch mission leader! Things are picking up here in little Pauls Valley.

Not a Second Wasted,

Elder Burnham (B2)

 

 

Hunky-dory :)

I am glad to hear all is well and hunky-dory. I am also so thankful I will always have a place to sleep in your home even if it is in a sleeping-bag on the cold hard floor. Just a side thought, I wonder how many of those bags began as the Walker's, and how many of the Walker's bags began as ours? All well, well this week flew bye! We have been doing lots of work, and weeding out the elect from the non. I have really pushed this to the front of my sights and am trying my best to work with those I feel impressed are the elect. I desperately want to do my part in working towards the goal of 100 baptisms in August, but not to complain, Pauls Valley is notorious for being the "dead-zone." We had ended the drought with our one baptism last transfer, but let me tell you; Satan is hitting this mission hard with our new resolve! Us missionaries are very well known now, we have been involved in community projects, events, and lots and lots of knocking! We haven't seen too much result from all this, so we turned to the members! Which we should have done in the beginning, but we don't have the miles to get out to our members! Its so frustrating. We are trying so hard to involve the members here but no one has any motivation. We started a missionary 101 class to invigorate members, we try those who are within our miles. No one is doing anything because in 2 weeks there are going to be major changes to the branch. New branch president and all that jazz. Our mission leader is super dee duper less active! He is now setting us up! We setup appointments then he magically is not there! He is the only one I have met who has avoided his calling to this degree! BLEHHHH! But other than that the work is going great! We have found some families out there! They are in outlying towns that we can't get to frequently, but we are doing what we can! Oh, I don't know what it is but it seems like we are finding more receptive spanish speaking families than english, which is fantastic because we don't have anyone here who speaks spanish, Oh wait yeah we do our mission leader! :( We could use Sean immensely right about now! I know this will end up on Sean's screen so, Sean If you would please, write me and include your testimony in spanish that I can relay to these wonderful families. I actually kind of taught a lesson in spanish the other day. I took out the Libro de Mormon and read Moroni 7:45-47 in spanish and took the vocabulary from that and did my best. It was pretty cool, I so wish I had been called spanish speaking! Maybe we are finding all these spanish families because it is prep for Sean to come ;) hahaha. I thoroughly enjoyed the letter sent to the Mission Presidents. It is really cool to see the line of missionaries I come from! I am at this point the youngest serving out of our whole family! I have been prepared and had the best of examples to apply into my own mission! Thank you to all! I love you so very much! If you have gotten anything out of this letter, I would hope it was be involved in missionary work! I love this work! I love the struggles that arise, but I love seeing the growth when we finally look back and see the victory of those trials! 

Not a Second Wasted,

Elder Ryan Burnham (B2)

Every Member a Missionary

The week sounded awesome for y'all. I'm a little jealous, but not too much! I think the reunion I'm having with my brothers and sisters out here is pretty darn sweet as well. (And I've got Fields Pie) Man I still cannot fathom Sara being in high school. It's just not right! So, have you arranged for someone to pick Sara up every morning or will you be taxiing once more? I say make her walk! :) When does water polo practice start? Has she considered leadership? If not she better! It will help with college! Get involved Sara!!!! So we had our temple conference this past Thursday. It was great! The OKC temple is tiny but just as wonderful as any other. For our conference part Pres. Walkenhorst established his vision for the mission! For the month of July we got 28 baptisms and confirmations, For the month of August he has received inspiration to challenge us and see 100 baptisms and confirmations!!! HOLY MOLY!!! Its a big number, but if he has confidence in us we should have confidence in us! Needless to say the work is hastening! We have got to really put in the work now! I thought I was doing all I could before! I guess it wasn't good enough! Time to build upon the knowledge and understanding I have! I am fervently praying to find the elect in this little town of Pauls Valley! I am kind of feeling overloaded with responsibilities here in this branch, with having to teach gospel principles, a missionary 101 class, train, and do my best to help this vision come to pass! But who said it was going to be easy right! Maybe this dough boy will be back in shape in no time! So that's really all I've got for y'all today! Mom don't worry about the stamps too much, whenever they arrive they arrive. I'm learning patience and it will help me in the long run! Well I love you guys! I hope all is well wherever you may be! Thanks for all you do for me! Keep up the good work! And remember every member a missionary!

Not a Second Wasted

Elder Burnham (B2)