Shout, SHOUT, shout for joy, we are free to do what we will do!!

Dear Jiating, (see I’m learning something)

Guys, guys, GUUUYYZZZ, it’s day 20!! It’s always funny to think about how these days I am in the MTC are still real mission days! I have less than 2 years left. Classes are the same, our teachers are really cool and inspiring people. They love the Gospel so much and it is so inspiring. Our teacher challenged us to learn the First Vision in Mandarin. I almost have it all down, it’s just so slow because I have to process what the word is, then how to pronounce it, then the tone. I am going to take Sister Amanda Burr’s advice and read aloud from the Book of Mormon in Mandarin every night. 

I got called as ward music coordinator, which I think is so awesome because I have always loved church music so much, it has always been able to touch me so deeply and bring the spirit so quickly. I love it because Elder Mataoa doesn’t care about it so I get to pick all the hymns I want!!! 

I have been trying really hard to (as a wise RM once told me) be strictly obedient, but not a fuddy-duddy suck up!! My district is wild. The French guys and I love pretending to be mob members screaming about "Joe Smith and his Golden Bible" the French guys don’t know American jokes that I learned in 6th grade, so I can tell them and they think I’m a comedic wordsmith. BUT at times I want to crack down on them so hard because they are not respectful during a lesson or they log onto their emails during study time. But I can’t because I know I need to make myself into the best missionary I can be before I ever tell anyone else how to act. I have such a long way to go. Sometimes the only thing caring me through the day is knowing that Amanda has done this before and that I am doing my best and the Lord will push me past my breaking point. I stretch, but never tear. 

I saw the Sister Lindsi Burr again and we finally got a picture together, I’ll send it once I get this computer to read my card. The church needs to spend more tithing money on MTC computers and not City Creek!!I’m pretty sure she is leaving....tomorrow, that is so awesome she gets to get out there and do the work. 

The eldest district left, it was a really tender moment, they were really awesome and took us under their wing when we first came in, it’s going to be awesome to help out the noobies that show up in like 4 weeks, share all the knowledge I gained. HAHA we found a scavenger hunt written on some tablets we found in our dormitory and Elder Keller used his urim and thummim to translate them and it took us on a hunt for the Legend of Spinochi, we are still looking for the next clue, I wish Nicholas Cage was on a mission. AHHHH we have all been cooped up too long in here, and we have like 6 more weeks to go! 

I have been learning how tricky Satan is. I hate that he has so much power and that he knows me so well. Sometimes it doesn’t seem fair, but then I remember I have the scriptures and I have prayer. Prayer really has calmed me from a world of care. I also have been thinking a lot about pioneers and how far the Church has come  I don’t know why) I look at where I am and the movement that I am a part of. With the age change we are really fulfilling prophesies made from the Lord, and we would have never been able to do that if the Church never evolved from that log cabin where it started. We are spreading the gospel through all the world, and I could not be more excited to be a part of it 

Love you all so much,

Elder Burr

P.S. thank you all for the care packages, they brighten my day so much

Sister and Elder Burr

Loving the fresh fruit

Elder Andrei Kirilenko (look alike)

STRICT OBEDIENCE

Thank you so much for all the care packages, they really do lift my spirits so much. I tried out the oils on my companions, (it's not what you think, his Mom gave him essential oils to help his companion stop snoring) I guess I shouldn't have done it when he was asleep because I just scared him awake!! The sweet rolls were awesome from Grandma and Grandpa, the Fantas were such a hit. I could have used them as currency for the black-market tie trading that goes down in the living quarters. We are not supposed to call them dorms because they are not supposed to have a dorm atmosphere, but they do anyways, it's a pretty wild place at night when everyone tries to wind down.

I saw Lindsi ..oh I mean, Sister Burr in the MTC cafeteria and it was awesome, she's going to kill it. She is so happy and optimistic. Being an English speaking missionary would make the MTC the bomb because all you do is eat awesome food and ice cream and play competitive dodge-ball and feel the spirit. It's like a 10-day spiritual vacation!! But I'm happy, I get to spend 55 more days here because that means I get 7 more Tuesday-night Devotionals which means I get to hear Apostles speak 7 more times. Last Tuesday, Elder Richard G. Scott talked to us and it was the wildest thing, I had never heard an Apostle speak like he did before, it was so personal and human. I mean, General Conference is awesome and all, but it's refined for millions, this was a talk just to us and it was raw and real. He gave us all a blessing that we would learn the language. The spirit was so strong, he was crying the whole time and he said he was emotional because he could feel the presence of his wife (who died 18 years ago) It was wild. I was thinking after, that her spirit was there because missionary work is so important. I'll bet there are souls in the spirit world just screaming for missionaries to teach their families in Peru, or Nashville, or Taiwan, or ......LA!!!!!! 

The language is coming a little better, I love all the letters you guys send, I will try to write back ASAP. I have been thinking a lot about prayer since I have been praying so much in the MTC (before I eat, before I study, before class, before we sing) and it's wild that God, who is perfect, powerful, the creator of worlds, Alpha and Omega, the Great I Am, and Jesus Christ, My Savior and Redeemer, The light of the World. These two amazing beings WANT to listen to me, some lowly human who knows not great doctrine wise and not a spiritual powerhouse, but just some guy. They want me to talk to them, and whenever I want to. I get to pray to them whenever I want to. It just goes to show how infinite and eternal their love is for me and all of Gods Children (Shen de Haizi) haha I'm learning something. Well, love you guys.

Love,

Elder Burr  

This tree smells like cream soda

你好 !

Well Im in and there is no coming out. I cant believe dad was right, the MTC knocked me flat and my butt. I cried the 2nd night like a BABY!!! A little baby in its crib!!! My companion was nothing like i expected. Same with my district. So they are all pretty much from France and they are going to learn Mandarin, so its me and 4 frenchies in the room. Its been hard communicating with them which makes studying hard. They also have very European personalities so class is pretty loud and crazy. Its been hard to feel like a missionary. I want to be apart from my wordly ways and how i was and acted, and I'm trying to get that message across. Elder Mataoa or Ma Zhang Lao and i eeehhh we dont mesh perfectly, ill just say that. I want to love him so bad, I just get so ticked off at all these things that i bottle up inside and drive me crazy!! learning a language has been probably the hardest things, MOM IM SORRY I DIDNT PAY ATTENTION IN CLASSSSSS. Everyone here knows mom from the TRC stuff and they all yell at me like "Bu Bu on you for not learning" and im like I KNOOOWWWw. Thanks for the packages and stuff, it would be awesome if i could get some nasale decongestant and stuff. not for me, for my comp, he snores like a mama mia. A thing that i have learned from all this is that this whole mission is not about ME. I came into it thinking that MY testimony would grow and MY life would be blessed, but its all about the investigator. What ammon said " I boast not of myself, but in my God" Love you all I'm out of time!

 

love,

Elder Burr