Happy New Year

WOW,

I uh don't really know what to say. I have all kinds of mixed emotions! I think I will just stick with; I love my family so much! 

It was nice to get to talk with y'all! Sara sent me a picture of Christmas Eve pajamas, Sara is so big! Not cool! I'm not going to be able to pick on her as much! ;) Well Emailing after talking to you 5 days ago, isn't the easiest. 

Some area updates: The part-member family we have been working so hard with finally came to church! They had a great experience and will certainly be back! I also had to play bad guy and withhold candy from their 4 year old. It was so hard!!!!! I'm usually the one sneaking candy to the kids behind the parents back, but not only did the dad catch me, our ward mission leader caught me. They then said if he wants another mint he has to say please first. It was so hard for me! The little guy was crying telling his dad that he needed to say it for him. I'm a big sucker for the kids. I think it was because he reminded me so much of Landon. By the end of church he finally said please and got the mint. I was happy to give it to him! I know this is a long way off, but I can't wait for the day I have a little brat running around raising heck! I know I know, careful what you wish for, but we all know children bring the greatest happiness! 

There was supposed to be a baptism out in WA state, but due to some logistic things it was not able to happen. He gets back Wednesday and we will be planning his baptism for out here when he gets back. He's a good guy, I just wish he could have done it out there where family and friends are.

Yesterday we had dinner at the former Stake Presidents home, and we had some delicious brisket and chicken sandwiches. HOWEVER, I don't know what it was, but when I got home an hour or so later the toilet became my best friend. I was throwing up. This has been the roughest time of the mission (health wise) It is driving me crazy. I'm trying to recognize God's hand in it, but I'm not sure. Maybe he is trying to tell me something. I'm working on the deciphering. If you could send me a urimm and thummim that would do the trick ;) 

So a while back I told you about wanting to return in may for the sealing of the Wilsons. Well I was able to go back to the city for a civil wedding this last Saturday. While I was there I was able to see 3 of the sister missionaries that I served with while in OKC. They are all home now, but they came back. I had the opportunity to chat with them and we are thinking of doing a road trip out to OK for the sealing. I don't want to exclude the family, and I want to do what Brianne had the opportunity of doing with us in Michigan. There are peoples I want y'all to meet. I know it's in the future a ways, but before I forget I wanted to tell ya. 

I love you so much!

Not a Second Wasted,

Elder Ryan Burnham

Tough Week

This week has been tough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Bueno and I are doing very well. We are seeing so many miracles! However the night of the Christmas Conference I got sicker than a dog. I think one of the member was trying to kill me. I was out for 4 days! It drove me insane! BUT, I lost some weight and needed to put another hole in my belt! :) The Christmas Conference was full of great training about finding people to teach. Apparently the mission attitude about finding has become stinky. I haven't seen it in the districts I've served, but I guess these soldiers are just not getting out to work! President, and to instruct all leadership to encourage tracting! It caught me off guard. I also think it has a little bit to do with the He is the Gift initiative! It make Tracting so much more fun, festive, and non-intrusive. I love tracting actually! It's so exciting. You can always find some crazy person or story by just talking to everyone and knocking on random doors! I'm not gonna lie, talking with my black brothas is the best! I just always have a ball when I talk with them.

A Modesto Mission??????? Sweet!!! That's awesome! I'm so excited for that! You can't stop the stone cut without hands! 

I am glad you are keeping me up on Sean and Melissa, because he sure doesn't. I actually got Melissa's email from Sean, and I have written and heard from her once. She sounds very nice. All I know is that it can be tough to be out here, hearing all about these major family events and not being there to sit down with the family and jest about them. I'm missing the opportunity to be that typical little brother...... AHHHHHH I now see the big picture. Heavenly Father is occupying me here in this out of the world place so I can't harass and torment. Bummer. I guess I will have to make up for it when I return. ;)  I love the great love that comes from these emails! It always just makes me so happy for the family I have!

So for the Phone call, would 3:00 p.m your time work? 5:00 Oklahoma time?

let me know soon!

Not a Second Wasted,

Elder Ryan Burnham

Thanksgiving

I will make sure I send something for the newsletter. It may be a written letter though. I hope that's okay?

We haven't heard anything about skype, I think it all worked out for the mission, but we will see. Elder Bueno and I working through things. We are just completely different people besides the name tag, which I'm trying to let be the foundation of our relationship. We both are willing to work, but he keeps telling me that the way I do things is the wrong way. It gets me all flustered. I know what I need to do, and I'm doing all I can to work with him. I'm trying to keep a good attitude and do all I can to learn from him. I'm looking for any opportunity to serve him. I pray it works. I've been really studying meekness and how I can apply that characteristic. 

So with this new initiative...... Have you read your ensign? He is the gift! I'm soo excited for this! This is going to be a great opportunity to bring others to Christ! How will you share the gift? I expect all 9 of those pass along cards to be distributed!

Our Thanksgiving was decent. We were not allowed to proselyte on Thursday. We had a dinner with a family who has three sons who all have mental handicaps. The father is Italian and really loves to cook, and boy did he! We had so much food! It was fantastic! After that we got together as a district and played games and socialized. We had fun, but I felt like we were wasting time. So, I took some time to call just about everyone and wish them a happy Thanksgiving, and try to set up appointments. It wasn't too successful, but I felt like I was being productive. I got the gifts from Aunt Laurie and and loved them. One companionship didn't get anything from family for Thanksgiving so I actually re-gifted the basket. We also got a pie from the family we ate dinner with, so we went around to the companionship's in my district and doorbell ditched them. (Which is really hard to do on bikes, but we worked it out) We weren't found out! I'm a ninja! Just like that time I snuck up to Girls-Camp! ;) 

Other than that, it's been a week of meetings. We received some formal instruction on the He is the Gift initiative. If you don't hear from your missionaries this week, tell them I'm ashamed! This is something that needs to reach every home! They need to get on the ball and talk with all members, active and less active. This is a great tidal wave of goodness! If you don't hear from them soon invite them over to spend at least 15 minutes talking about it with y'all! Will you do that? This goes for all who read this email!

Well I love ya! I'm doing the best I can out here! There is a rumor that we may get a car soon. So if you want to pray for that, I would not be mad at all!

Not a Second Wasted,

Elder Ryan Burnham

GROSS PICS!!!

We fed a spider a lizard. 

 

 My companion after working on his bike.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Beau's infected knee. I think it's called Marsa. It's got gauze hangin out!

Hard Times

First off I feel terrible that you feel bad for your longer emails. I love receiving updates! I did not ever mean to come across as ungrateful for your descriptive letters. They are wonderful! This week was very unproductive. We have not been able to really see anyone! It's been very difficult. Those we have been teaching have all of  sudden gotten sick! It seems like everyone is getting sick around here! 

We had one very memorable lesson, We taught a lady named Melinda. She is Filipino. The language barrier is bad! Anyway, we found out why it's been so hard to get her and her husband in the same room. We set up an appointment and James will show up, then the next one just Melinda, and it goes back and forth! We finally sat down with Melinda and put the beef on the table! We found out that the reason she and James are married is because he got her pregnant when he was serving in Japan, and felt obligation to care for his child and the child's mother. They have no foundation, and barely understand/speak to each other. Apparently there was a pregnancy scare, and so when we showed up she was frantic and going all crazy Asian on us. She wanted us to do the abortion right there, she wanted us to get lawyers there, and she wanted us to basically kill James for her, so she doesn't have to deal with him anymore. It was crazy. In the end we convinced her to seek out the Army Chaplain and counsel with him. (Her husband is a major in the Army) She also agreed to meet with a marriage counselor. I was very glad our member was able to talk her through how marriages take work and faith. It was intense. After all of this we actually got her to pray, as a child. She repeated every word Bro. Melling said. Then she committed to read from her Tagalog and English Book of Mormon everyday! We are still waiting to see what happens. While all this was going on Sis. Melling was finishing up a Home Study so they can adopt two Russian girls. The Mellings are troopers! I'm going to make brownies or something for them!

Attached pics: Beau (Recent Convert) and Monica (Excommunicated Member)

Chad Bolton (Recent Convert)

 

 

 

Pictures from the City

Here's some pictures from the city. Aaron Gates, the man I escorted through the temple, and was a witness for his sealing.

 

 

Another Baptism

It has been another good week! We ended it with another baptism! We were teaching him in secret so his member wife would have a great surprise on the day of his baptism, but he couldn't hold out, he felt like he was deceiving his wife and told her two days before the baptism! Pansy! Just kidding! I thought that was very impressive he felt that way. They will have a long and happy marriage! 

I'm really bad with these picture things, I keep forgetting to bring my cable to get the pictures off the camera. I promise they will come soon.

Bro. Chavez...... Yeah he's a character. Elder Chavez was in my district when I served up in Ponca City. He kind of looked to me as a mentor because him and his trainer did not mesh too well. I did my best to turn him back to his trainer but at the time pride was a big factor in all parties. I also had many occasions to counsel with him about staying out in the mission field. He was belittled quite often by his trainer about being an 18 year old immature missionary. It started getting to him and he began to believe that he wasn't capable/worthy to serve. Those were some counseling sessions I never wanted, but will never forget! We grew to be good friends and he was the kid that will be wrestling collegiate. He is being looked at by Purdue. His father works for a company named Brute. They deal a lot with wrestling gear and since OSU has a pretty decent wrestling team he sent Elder Chavez and myself gear. I thanked him a lot, and told him it was very unnecessary but he insisted. I feel they think I did something a lot more spectacular than I did, I just helped him understand the atonement and Doctrine of Christ just little more. If I wasn't there someone else would have done the same. But I'm glad they see me as a friend. He kind of has become a little mission brother and I try and look out for the kid. He has a lot of potential, last time I chatted with him, he has trained, been a DL, and is now a Zone Leader! 

Well, I love ya! Look for a letter in the mail! Don't open it until Thanksgiving!

Not a Second Wasted,

Elder Ryan Burnham