Excerpt from Elder Burnham's email, March 13, 2010:
So, this week was my second time doing zone conferences. We went to the south of the mission and did the first half and will finish this next week. I went to Argentina again to eat and it was cool. I love being able to say that I went to three countries on my mission (and baptized in two!). The conferences have been great. Elder Bryson and I have been giving a training and doing practices about the Questions of the Soul, a part of Preach My Gospel that teaches us how the Book of Mormon answers such question. President's message is amazing about miracles. He asked the mission to read chapter 7 of Moroni and then to pray to have a miracle happen this month, and invited Elders up to share their experiences with the zone and it has been awesome to hear of the miracles that the Lord has done in our mission. Things are looking good right now. The mission is starting to pick up and make a change as we prepare, especially, for May.
Mom . . . now to answer your questions:
Favorite hymn? "He Sent His Son", from the childrens hymnbook.
Favorite scripture? 3 Nephi 5:13 - Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of Him to declare His word among His people, that they might have everlasting life.
Experience that sticks out in our mind? Right now, one came to my mind of a blessing that I gave in which I had the experience of not saying the words but just being an instrument. I had prayed and fasted to be able to give the blessing needed, and it was wonderful as I had always heard of such experiences but never had one.
Closest mission friend? Why? I have many friends, and it would be better to make a list of the best, but my closest would have to be Elder Christensen. Why? I don't really know. He is just the man. We were together in the MTC and then in Santa Maria, and since we have just been really good friends.
Greatest disappointment, if any? My second transfer in Livramento in which we worked hard but the enemy worked harder and I did not baptize.
What are you studying right now in the scriptures? I am studying about apostles. What is an apostle, how are they called, why, what do they do, and what is their importance.
Newest lesson you’ve learned from the scriptures? Alma 32:41-42. The story of the planting a seed and the process of faith. I took these two verses and realized that they are applicable to every worthwhile cause that we do. That those three traits are the necessary ingredients to success, whether it be a mission, schooling, career, callings or marriage.
Favorite food? Torta de bolacha (which is a desert), lasagna
Also, I would still love to hear about each area. I would love to know what each apartment was like in each area:
São Gabriel - The smallest city that I worked in with about 60,000 people. There were very few paved roads; cobblestone was the common road. The center was very small. There were only 4 or 5 buildings with more that 3 stories. It was full of gaúchos, horse-pulled carts, people on horses, horse remains on the ground and the like. There were few cars, and houses were generally very simple. I lived near the center, in an apartment built above someone else's house. It was a Sisters' house before, so it was pretty nice and large. In the summer it got very, very hot and it was home to thousands of mosquitos every night. It had tile floors, 4 rooms, a bathroom and a kitchen. Cockroaches came up often in the drain and there actually were quite a few spiders. This area was half of the city and was HUGE! To walk from one end to the other could take about 4 hours.
Santa Maria Centro - The house was right in the center, on top of another house again and was tiny for four people. It was naturally dirty and impossible to keep clean. It was made with wood floors with 3 rooms and one bathroom, with a tiny little kitchen. You had to climb some a stairway to get to it and there was a little porch with a railing and on the other side of the railing a little ledge where we often sat drinking tererê, a wonderful drink here made of grass and juice. This house had the most spiders, but not many.
Cruz Alta - We lived in a condominium, at least that is what it a is called here. An apartment with 2 rooms, a spacious kitchen and one bathroom. It was tile floored and, as such, was freezing in the winter. I prefered to be outside. There was a little space behind the house as well where we washed and hung clothes and the like. This house also had an ant infestation that I spent 6 months trying to take out without being successful. The city has about 80,000 people, though it seems much larger than São Gabriel. The center is much bigger and slightly more modern. My area was mostly just houses and cobblestone roads, with one part full of soy and rice fields. This area was the largest in Cruz Alta, but only about half the size of São Gabriel. This is the best city in the world.
Livramento - This was the most unique city. It has about 70,000 people but it borders Uruguai and a city called Rivera, so it seems much larger. The center is the biggest other than Santa Maria for the same reason, as it is just one continuous city stretching into Uruguai. Uruguai is filled with what are called "Free Shops" full of American goods at the same price, which is very cheap in comparison to Brasil. My area was rather large, but not daunting. I lived on the third floor of an apartment complex. It was a nice apartment and one of only two in the mission that has carpet. It had 3 rooms, a normal kitchen and one bathroom. We had occasional spiders and cockroaches, but not much. We did have one spider that lived in our room where our light was that was huge but we left alive because he created a web around the light and would catch all the bugs that entered in at night. Near our apartment there were paved roads, with cobblestone in the neighborhoods and then dirt roads as you got father away. Our area was rather humble and dirty, but I loved it. There were many fields and pathways that we would use that separated the neighborhoods. The chapel was on a hill, and, though small, was like a beacon.
Santa Maria, Santa Maria - This is the nicest and richest area in which I worked, though it also has the largest ghetto as well. It is, in large part, paved and with many apartment buildings and some places that actually leave third world and enter second. Santa Maria is a city of about 250,000, though it seems much bigger because in the center, as is tradicional in Brasil, many people live in large apartment buildings so the city seems to have many large buildings. It is a valley city, with hills that sorround it. My apartment is the nicest that I've ever had. It is new and no one has ever lived in it. It has tile floors, 4 rooms, 2 bathrooms, and a kitchen. It is easy to keep clean and on the second floor, with a little deck where we sit and talk and drink that tererê stuff.
Are there spiders? Big bugs? Not really, out in the woods yes. I have seen some very large spiders, but not really in the cities. There are lots of beetles and grasshoppers that love to come in the house at night, but its not bad.
Wow, that took a while, but there you go. I hope you enjoyed it. I love you all so very much.
Com Amor,
Elder Burnham
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