Updates . . . finally!

Elder Burnham's last two emails. These should be read in reverse order.

"A New Dispensation", July 3, 2010:

Well, time flies. This week was probably the strangest of my entire mission, haha. Monday we spent the whole day in the office just packing things up and getting everthing ready. On Tuesday the moving van came and we supervised as everything (and I am talking about 150 boxes or so) got shipped out. President and Sister Myrrha are gone, now home in Belo Horizante and working as though they hadn't missed a step these last 3 years. It was very hard to say goodbye to them, very hard. I don't want to make you guys jealous or anything, but it was much harder than when I left home.

On Tuesday I had one more interview with Presidente, which was great. He gave me some great last counsels, then I gave him a hug and left. Then Elder Reis and I took Sister out to dinner, which was actually a tradition for her when [someone] left, but we reversed it and took her out to Subway (yes, the same Subway). It was awesome to be able to talk to her for a little bit. I created a great relationship with her, both as a mom and as a friend, and it was very hard to say goodbye. Elder Reis and I walked into our apartment and sat on our beds crying (I wouldn't have cried but Elder Reis started and made me do it too), haha. I imagine that it was quite the site.

Then, Presidente Ribeiro and Sister Ribeiro arrived, officially starting a new dispensation da Missão Brasil Santa Maria. It is completely different - it is literally the complete opposite in every way. They are fantastic! He is a spiritual giant, and the way he thinks is actually very similar to the way I do. She is a soft-spoken, fun, mom type. We sat in a meeting with him for about 3 hours on Thursday and literally EVERYTHING is changing. It is so strange and different, but I am very excited. He has a ton of new ideas and things that he brought straight from the Twelve and his meetings with them. He wants to put them in fast! It is a new fire and all this change is exactly what the mission needs. I hope we really do come back in December so that I can see where all of this change and ideas have gone.

As for the area, we marked the date of Josias, Richard's dad for this next Saturday. It was a lesson that we do just to accompany (is that a word?) the Book of Mormon reading that we leave with the people the first time we teach about it and it usually isn't a date marking lesson. I was there with Elder Witt, coming to the close and I wasn't going to make the invite, but then I just felt that he was going to accept, as though a voice saying, "DO IT!" So I did, and he accepted. He is an awesome dude, and the family is great. It will probably be my last baptism because of the traveling I will do, but it is a good way to finish

Mom, my ward is one of the strongest in the mission. It has a frequency of about 130-150, but as in all of Brasil, about 600 members or so in the ward. The Brasil statistic is that only 1/3 of the country is active. We have 4 missionaries here: Me, Reis, Witt and Albrechtsen. I love you so much. See ya is 3 weeks, haha!

Com Amor,
Elder Burnham

"The End Has Come", June 26, 2010 . . .

Well, the time of Presidente and Sister Myrrha has come to a close. Sorry about last week, but I forgot what happened so I will just write about this week. We spent the week doing the last Mission Tours, one here and one in Alegrete, which was the last time for the missionaries to see and talk with Presidente and Sister. They were wonderful. Each zone had a half-hour to do a presentation for them. They were so funny and everyone was crying. Then Presidente and Sister Myrrha, and their daughter Nathalia, also gave their last discourse, and everyone was crying. There was a time at the end to sing and hug them goodbye. It was like a funeral with the heavy rain outside.

On Tuesday, I was making the our mission film 2009-2010 and everything that could possibly have gone wrong did, meaning that I stayed in the office with Elder Reis, until 5:30 in the morning; then, we literally ran home, took showers, and Presidente picked us up at 6:00, haha. It was terrible, but the film turned out great. It has been a very different experience.

I am excited for the arrival of the new Presidente and the change that will occur, but I can hardly believe that Presidente Myrrha is leaving. They are so awesome and I love them so much. But, strangely enough I haven't cried or anything, much like when I left you in the airport. Though ready and prepared to cry, I didn't, haha. There were also a bunch of return missionaries at the Tour, which was cool. I, oddly enough, felt much more comfortable around them than I did around all of the other missionaries. I am old and don't fit in anymore. It has been a sad time, not just because Presidente is leaving, but because all of my best friends from my generation of the mission have gone too. Saying bye to some of them has been very difficult...But, all is well.

With everything that happens, the work still continues on as it always has and always will until the Lord says it is finished. I don't know if I talked about Richard and his baptism? Did I? He is the man and is so smart and now we are preparing his dad, Josias, to get baptized, and other family members are also listening with much interest, like his Uncle Caleb. Edimara and her family still go to church but are not progressing anymore. They keep smoking and now Roberto is traveling a lot and Jamile has a boyfriend, which hinders our work completely. I love that family and want to see them enter the Church, but it seems as though a miracle is all that can do that now

Mom, it is super great about your friend [Editor's note: my dear friend, Evelyn, who is such a kind and supportive woman, even though time and distance makes it difficult to ever see each other] who I don't know but who has kept up with my mission. Also, that is cool about President and Sister Showalter. That is exactly what I am going through right now [Editor's note: We had dinner with President and Sister Showalter, the Mission President here in the Everett Washington Mission. They left at the same time Zack's Mission President left, so we talked about what they were feeling and the emotion among the missionaries.]

Happy 29 years, Mom and Dad!!! And happy late Father's Day, Dad, haha! I love you all so very much!

Com Amor,
Elder Burnham

P.S. - I picked up my last group of arriving missionaries last week and there were some who knew Spencer and I got a note and hugs from them, from him, it was great! [Editor's Note: Spencer is Elder Calvert, one of Zack's closest friends. He started his missionary service on June 2, 2010, reporting to the Brasil Sao Paulo Missionary Training Center. Between the two of them and the timing of their missionary service, it will be four years before they see each other again.]