Transfer Day

Ahhh no time, so sorry family. It is transfer day and it has been nuts! Ahhh guess where I am going....USC Chinese!! After 7 months in Torrance I am moving out. I have never been so sad my entire mission. And what a way to go out, Leo’s baptism was so powerful. He did not want to bear his testimony at it, he was so scared, but there was a mistake and it got put in the program anyway, and so I told Brother Chen not to announce it, but President Hsiong announced it anyways, so he ad to do it and it was so powerful and sincere!! Elder Yang's first baptism too, I wanted to make it super special for him so I let him get in the water. It was such an intense dunk, everyone in the chairs screamed because the splash was so loud and intense, then they all looked at me were like " did you teach him that??"" But it was super spiritual. Love you all!!

ps: Happy Birthday Mellisa, Leo got baptized on your birthday.

Elder Burr

Leo's Baptism

Birthday cake all around

20/20 Vision part 1 & 2

Hey, it’s been a super weird birthday in the mission. It feels weird being out here. So we have to go to a lesson right now with Leo, he should be getting baptized soon!! We have some cool stories to share but I ran out of time. Thank you so much everyone for the birthday love. Grandma & Grandpa, Tori and the parents and Amanda. I am filled with gratitude that you all really do remember me!! I bought a tie bar today and I am feeling pretty good!

love, Elder Burr

WAIT! So it turns out I actually have more time to write a letter because we went to the church to play basketball and the family history library was open so I will just finish my letter!

So we just barely came back from our lesson with Leo! It was so awesome, so spiritual. In his closing prayer he said, " lord, please give me strength and faith to endure to the end, to become a better person, and to become more perfect, like you." This is the atonement. I am so privileged to teach Chinese people, because most the time, they never know who their Heavenly Father is! And when they learn the gospel lessons, they just have so much more peace in their life, so much more understanding in all things. So, Leo will be baptized the 27th, confirmed the 4th, and then leave for Guang Zhou on the 9th. It’s like an hour away from Hong Kong, so I hope we can contact some members their and help him out. 

BUT we are a little worried about his sister, Regina. So, everything was going good with the lessons and the baptismal date, but then, during relief society like 2 weeks ago, someone made a comment that they thought was a joke, but it ended up hurting her feelings really bad. And now she is questioning how good the church really is....but Leo was like "these are girl problems, I still now the church is true!"

But super cool miracle, so we didn’t even know that this happened, and like two days after it happened, we ended up going over to her house with 2 sisters that came last minute, like literally last minute, they were driving back from China Town and they just came by. And it just happened to be the only two sisters that speak Cantonese, which is Regina’s first language. Super sweet!!

k have to go for real, love you all, bye!! Turns out this place closes at 4:30, can’t win them all!

Leo and Me

Hoppy Easter

Hello all you people out in the real world!!!

So, I will start off with thank you Grandma and Grandpa for the Easter candy. It was so safely wrapped. I would like to also thank you for the gallon Ziploc bags that candy came in. Those are also very precious and useful!! 

So, I think it is happening, I am becoming fat. I have a nice soft belly that I slap every morning. BUT THAT’S ALRIGHT!!! being fat is fun and I will lose it......... eventually. NO wrong attitude, I will take care of it, this coming transfer. 

The guy next to me in the library sat down and is drinking some nice ice cold milk from a half gallon jug, listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd and wearing a sweet French beret hat....I think this letter is going to be very inspired.

But as I was saying, I have been in this area for 6 months now. So this means I have become super friendly with the members. This place is really becoming my home away from home, this branch and the investigators are all I have. I am so grateful for this experience I am having, I really cannot imagine leaving this branch. And leaving Los Angeles is just out of the question!! I mean, I really can’t get enough of this place!

So we also had a chance to go to the temple again! I loved it! I really did learn so much and I am so grateful that I could go and I could hear the covenants that I have made. I love that our Church is so sweet!! We understand the importance of covenants and the power that is givin to us when we are faithful to those. I am bummed that Pres Monson is slowing down the temple building. I need to baptize some rich Beijing-ites up in Palos Verdes, get the tithing $$$ flowing. We need more temples!!!

So Easter is coming up. April has so many awesome things. The actual birth of Christ, the establishment of the church, and we remember the Resurrection of Christ. Everything we have is because of Christ. We have the light of Christ because of Jesus and it is this power of knowledge that drives every investigator to good and pure things, and eventually feel the truth through the Holy Ghost. Christ made the world we live in. Our home away from home. During the temple, it really hit me how grateful we were, as spirit bodies, when God told we would come to Earth, gain these frail bodies, and live a mortal life. I know we leapt for joy! But I also know that we were sad because of the risk it would take. But I know that it is through the loving arms of our Savior, and his gospel that will guide us all back and eventually to be resurrected, like him!! Hope for a new life!! I know this Gospel is true I love you guys Happy Easter!!

Elder Burr  

Party!!

Family!! Thanks so much for the letters! and the straps! and the CD!! You guys are carrying me through this....literally!!

So Conference was awesome, we are so lucky to be living in a time were we know exactly what we need to do in order to be happy in this life AND return to live with God.

I was getting a little stressed during conference, I felt like it was pretty intense. I feel like our church might be reaching that peak of success and then the pride cycle will take place, and next thing we know we got Lamanites on walls and we are all shooting arrows at him.

It was super cool watching the world report after conference. It feels good being informed.

So definitely the highlight of the week has been Regina and Leo. So we met Leo through English class. And he has an older Sister with 2 kids. So we heard from him that she just had a baby, so we thought we would bring her some You Fan. Oil Rice, because apparently that is the tradition. So we did it, and she was just super touched. So it opened the door for us to share the gospel and they have been so receptive, they watched conference with us and they have a baptismal date for the 27th. I am still a little shaken up over Wu Ji. I really don’t want to mess this up. They are just such a wonderful family. I am going to have to learn how to rely on the Lord.

When investigators keep their commitments, it is awesome! People that are true to their word are people of Christ. Something that I learned from Conference is the power of honesty. But it’s cool being on a mission were I can be so honest with people. If they read and pray about the Book of Mormon they WILL get an answer. This Church really is true. It really was restored through Joseph Smith, I’m not lying out here....it’s just the truth.

Love you all!! I will have a better letter next week!

Elder Burr