Week 25 -- Week 16 from Sao Gabriel

Here is Elder Burnham's email from two weeks ago entitled "Happy Birthday, Mom":

"Thanks so much to the Erickson's for their letter! It is great to hear from anyone and feel the support of members from back home.

This week was very, very long. Tuesday was Zone Conference which is always very good and very eye-opening. The rest of the week was one of the slowest I have had on the mission. I don't know why exactly, maybe because we had to knock doors a lot, because there were so many things we needed to do, or because it is just very, very hot and it makes you very, very tired. But, so that this message doesn't remain pessimistic, I will tell you about one guy in the other branch who will be baptized this Saturday. He showed up to a baptism in the beginning of the month and since then he has been to church 4 weeks in a row. He is the only person I have ever heard of who received the 5th lesson before baptism (Temples, priesthood, callings and family history). He already has dowloaded the Church's family history program and has a 4 generation pedigree. He urgently accepted all of the commandments, even if he had prior problems - basically, he is super elite (or elect, it is the same word in Portuguese)! I had a division with the companion of my district leader on Thursday, so I got to teach him and invited him to be baptized and he accepted. He is really cool, and we have many of the same interests. He is a sergeant in the Brasilian Army and already knows more about the Church than 75% of the members here in São Gabriel.

Mom, I don't have very many funny stories except for little things that happen between me and my companion. I like him alot. We play street soccer (Dad knows it) and also a game called prophecy were we prophecy future events. The two connect because I prophecied my victory over him (and right now I lead 82 to 61!).

What will I remember? I will remember Val, Rodrigo and Luis Fernando, a family here, and I will miss being a junior companion the most, haha.

Com Amor,
Elder Burnham"