New Weekly Letter

Weekly Letter 5.08.15

So, I'm starting something new. Sam (my sister in law) recommended that I write just a paragraph or two each night, and send them all as a block on Mondays, to find energy and time to actually write a good email. That, combined with a friend of mine telling me that she'd "love to receive (my) weekly email," despite the fact that there hasn't been one for the past few months...guilted me sufficiently into starting this process and habit, in order to satisfy the masses dying for word of their beloved Elder Burton. 😜  So. Starting today. We had district meeting, In our district of 4. Elder Burton, Elder Peacock, Elder Barrios, and Elder Despain. Elder Despain was in my MTC group actually, the first member of my group I've been in the same district with. He and Elder Barrios (middle and back) are the Spanish elders of Hamburg now. Really cool, first Spanish-oriented mission program ever in Hamburg. Well, in the last 20 years at least. And it started with them, last week. Elder Barrios is a total Hipster, Elder Despain is what one can only describe as Twitchy--remember Twitch from the movie "Holes?" Totally him--and Elder Peacock is...sweet. Just a little sweet-heart. From a family of 10 children, so who can blame him?  

06.08.15 So. We met with Stanoje and his family today. And invited them to baptism. And they accepted. They accepted!! They set a goal to be baptized on the 13 of September. What!?!? They are so cool. Stanoje, Gabrijela, Stole, Gabrijel, and Dejvid. Oh I love them. I will send you a picture too. It will be a long process, and will take a lot of work. But I believe they can do it. They can't ride the bus because Gabrijela is pregnant and throws up on the bus, so they must get rides from members to make it the half and hour to church, but...they can do it!! It would truly be a miracle of the first degree. And it will be. Any prayers on from you for them and their goal would be much appreciated.  Elder Peacock and I also started a major renovation of our area book today. It will take significant time and energy, collating all Contacts, potential investigators, former investigators, less actives, members and current investigators onto a single list of addresses and phone numbers, in order to use time more effectively and really have a view of where people are, how to contact them the best, and why the may need help, or may have stopped meeting with the missionaries. It is especially useful in an area like this, with several different towns to deal with. My old mission president told us over and over again: "there is a baptism in every area book." We are going to find it!! 

07.08.15 Did garden work with a new-ish convert today. Well, he was baptized 5 years ago. But yeah. He is a strange man, very German, and very easily upset if we do garden work any way besides his way. It means that in 3 hours the 3 of us only got about 4-5 man hours of labor done. But whatever. 

08.08.15 What does it mean when your top left eyelid twitches over and over again during daily planning?   

09.08.15 Had church today, and met with the Family again. We cleared it up, yes they are from Serbia, and Stanoje and Gabrjiela speak Croatian, Macedonian, Bosnian, and Serbian, but their mother language is Cigorny, or Zigorni, or however you spell it. And they are Gypsies! You know, the weird Eastern European people from Hunchback of Notre Dame, who don't have their own country or city, just gather all over Europe? Yep. We are totally gunna baptize a Gypsie family.  Yeah, and I gave a talk on repentance to the ward in Lauenburg today. I think it went well. The ward mission, Hilke, was really grateful, her family is going through some rough times...but they are still awesome. Yup. 

10.08.15 Yeah...so that was my week. Now it's Monday. I'll send a bunch of pictures I already took today too, from all over Lauenburg, an old fortress in the forest--hard to tell--from the tower, from the church...a couple cool things. And a giant mushroom that Elder Peacock tried to attack me with my rolling it down a hill at me.   

   

Viele Grüße, Elder Burton