April 27, 2015

Sweating and huffing up a neighborhood's highest hill, Elder Wilson and I finally made it to the peak looking over the western Maryland rolling green waves of hills when we heard a loud cough. After turning around we discovered a huge squad of ten Hispanic construction workers lounging in a front yard of the house they had been working on drinking soda and eating MickyDees, all staring at us. In the center of the group was a single tree, the ringleader leaning against it with a hip one leg bent, arms crossed, head down like a cartoon biker boss.

 

Let me tell you that my Spanish is non existent, Elder Wilson's even worse than that. Somehow we managed to preach to all of them at once while speaking to the leader purely about Jesu Cristo, amor (I think that is the wrong version to use but idc), and a whole bunch of words I can't even remember what. I pulled out a Book of Mormon and taught the story of Nephi using the pictures in the front while Elder Wilson acted them out. In a way it was our own personal spin on the Sermon on the Mount xD We handed out all five of our Books of Mormon and 10 pass along cards, setting up two return appointments for the Spanish Elders to the leader's and his best friend's families. You never know who the Lord places in your path or when he will, only that he indeed will.

 

Tuesday through Thursday I was on exchanges in Mt. Airy with one of our Zone Leaders, Elder Thompson. Most Missionaries say he's a stern, cold leader with no compassion. Maybe they were thinking of a different Elder Thompson because we hit it off from the get go! We drove up a windy dirt road to a house we had seen on the highway we thought we should knock on. It had been raining for the past day, leaving the ground dark with humidity, so we had no idea that the man had recently repaved his asphalt driveway. Woops. We pulled a U-turn in his driveway before coming out to meet him and, to our surprise, he came out to meet us instead. The first words out of his mouth were some of the most grotesque and vulgar profanity I think anyone has ever called me to the face before. That old man was the least Christ like person I think I've ever met. He made it extremely apparent to us that we had torn up a side of his pavement with our car, even though his car was parked on top of it, no sign was out warning people to not drive on it, not even a no trespassing sign. No apologies were accepted and we drove off after he refused to have us fix it.

 

Boy was I feeling angry after that. But the words of Christ came to mind to cast the beam out of my own eye. It was our fault the asphalt was messed up. It was our fault he had gotten all upset. He had put time, effort, and money into his previously pristine driveway and we had ruined it. Frankly I forgave him in my heart and hope he'll accept my forgiveness next time I see him, whether it be in this life or the next. Kinda weird to think I'll meet him again someday. :)

 

Forgiveness has been on my mind even before angry driveway man. Too often do I seek forgiveness from God without seeking forgiveness from others as well. When we forgive others, God will forgive us based on out forgiveness. The same applies to our judgments on one another. By the same judgment I judge that old man, God will judge me. Take heed to embrace forgiveness both directions to and from our neighbors. In the end we all come up short in the grand scheme of things and it is only through the eternal mercy of Christ that we may all be forgiven of our mistakes :)

 

xoxo

Elder Burgess 

April 20, 2015

There I was, sprawled on the member's couch in their basement as Brother Fisher practiced his clinical acupuncture on my neck. Five gargantuan needles stuck out on the left side of my neck while under both of my ears a smaller needle was placed.

 

It wasn't until he had put all of the needles in that he told me, "Now I'm going to connect them to an electric pulse." Like a pebble dropped in a still pond, the electricity rippled through my muscles where each needle had entered. I can honestly say that was the weirdest feeling I've ever experienced. It didn't hurt, well kind of, but it was as if the electricity was coming from within my neck, reaching throughout my body. I will say that afterwards I was so relaxed that I can't even remember what we taught the Fishers following the treatment...my neck feels 100 times better too!

 

Who would have thought I'd be in a basement in Urbana, Maryland, having my neck electrocuted with deep acupuncture, ON MY MISSION? God leaves opportunities in our path that wait until we act upon them to become reality. Pretty sure I'm the only missionary in the Maryland Baltimore mission who's had electroshock acupuncture. Oh yes.

 

The struggle here is finding people to teach. It seems like most, if not all, contacts immediately tell us to go away. Two days ago we pulled into a cul-de-sac in the middle of a huge housing development and immediately when we stepped out of the car I heard a redneck accented, "y'all best be leavin round here." I looked around, didn't see anything, began getting my bag out of the car when I heard the press (I can't type the real word for loading a gun's chamber to fire on the missionary email lol) of a shot gun. Out on the porch of the house in front of us a 50/60 year old lady stood holding her loaded gun, staring at us. Ok, so she couldn't legally soot at us in any circumstance due to Maryland gun laws, but still, who does she think we are? For crying out loud, we're the goofiest most harmless looking teenagers imaginable. Here was the guardian of the cul-de-sac warding us off for "trespassing".

 

Moments like those have opened my eyes to how others may perceive my accidental judgments. I'm grateful for experiences like those so I can treat others as I would want to be treated. I've been studying my hero Enoch in the book of Moses chapters 6-8 constantly and how he offended every man in the land and how the word spread that a crazy man was walking around. Meanwhile those that took a second to sincerely listen to what Enoch had to say concerning their eternal happiness were part of the translated city of Zion later on. What we have to do is convert ourselves to be worthy vessels of God's hand to become His instruments in caring for our literal brothers and sisters around us. When the opportunities present themselves, it is up to us to seek after them.

 

Don't run off Jehovah's Witnesses with a shotgun.

 

:)

 

xoxo

Elder Burgess 

 

April 13, 2015

Wow. Some buffets are best left uneaten. I'll leave it at that.

 

Spring has solidified!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOO!!!111111 Spring is here with all its glory and perfection YESYESYESYES. IT'S 80 DEGREES OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW WOOOO! short sleeve missionary shirts make me really look the part, although we have our car back! 

 

Elder Willis is gone and Elder Wilson has taken his place. If you've ever seen Ferris Bueler's Day Off, Elder Wilson looks exactly like the principle, just 15 years younger and now mustache. LOL. He's only been out scarcely 3 months, exactly half of time. From Farmington, Utah, Elder Willis is 20 years old, a little shorter than me, incredibly sarcastic and swagtastic (you know what I mean. Snap-back hats and designer jeans and 2Chains), and loves baseball. We get along pretty darn well, even after only five days together. Teaching is a different story, but that will come over time. 

 

Brother Lund from last week's email has been coming out with us proselyting and it's been surprisingly successful. While most think he's insane, and part of him is, he also has incredible story. Last year he died, flat-lined, for a few minutes, then was in the hospital for months. When he came out he was a different person in his old body, reverted back to his punk rock Californian skater attitude, absolutely fearing nothing. Also, I don't think I've ever met anyone so devoted to god that they'll disregard enough mortal fear to drive in a Nissan Leaf on the grass divider between the two driving lanes for a half mile during rush hour. Sorry, Mom. <3

 

We had the opportunity to partake of the Passover at a Jewish man's house with all of his extended family. I'll admit that I felt a bit out of place at first, but something about Moses ahs always resonated with me. No matter the language spoken, they were all praying and singing in Hebrew, I really did feel the Spirit there. Moses left everything behind in his quest and service to God. The courage it took to put his faith in a burning bush to confront Pharaoh is awe inspiring in itself. Courage and fear have been on my mind this week. Every moment that occurs in a deer-stare of fear when street contacting an intimidating biker, every awkward slap of silence commenced with a group of Hispanic friends that don't understand a thing I say in English can be dispelled into a harmony of confidence built on the foundation of love to God.  If you have a true, unconditional love for all men and women around us, you will open up your innermost thoughts and feelings to help them in their personal struggles. All it takes is a step of courage and faith to throw you into the ring of freedom.

 

What does that even mean lol

 

xoxo

Elder Burgess

April 6, 2015

An old crazy man from our ward is harassing me right now in the library. He's been driving us around since breakfast, coming on six hours now, and will not drop us off on our own. Emailing is the only preparatory activity accomplished so far today. On the way over here Brother Lund, the old man, decided to charge his fully electric car by driving 15 mph down the single lane highway. A High School-looking girl was tailgating us for at least ten minutes before she decided to drive past us in the opposite lane, breaking the law. Brother Lund didn't take any of that. He floored the accelerator, preventing her from passing us, and ended up flying past her. He then whipped the driving wheel around, blocking both lanes from moving, leaned out the window with half of his body and screamed, "I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU, I'M AFRAID OF GOD. WAAAAHHHHHHHHH" throwing his head around like a lunatic.

 

I sure hope she didn't see Elder Willis and I sitting in the car with him.

 

xD

 

People are crazy. I've learned that much so far. The day after tomorrow I will have been serving for six months. Isn't that something. 1/4 of my mission is done.

 

Let that sit for a second. Hm.

 

At the same time, I feel as if I've been a missionary my whole life. I can't remember what it was like lounging in a home, wearing flip flops, or even swimming in my own swimming pool back home. I don't remember what it was like being looked at as a normal, regular person. I don't remember what it was like being burdened with worrying about girls, money, or what customers need forks and ketchup. 

 

The truly amazing part of this mission is that I have never been happier than I am now. Even with Brother Lund currently ranting about corruption in our Ward, even with the incredible stress of being exactly obedient to the minute, even with being physically absent from all family, I am perfectly and completely happy.

 

Never before could I realize the happiness waiting to be poured down upon us by our Father in Heaven. All I had to do was take a leap of faith to take a journey of my lifetime in the service of love for others and BAM happiness. I'm starting to rant like Brother Lund, so I'll cut here so we can make it home in time.

 

God lives. God loves. He cares for me and cares for you. Take the time to seek after pure emotions of love through the Holy Spirit and you will know He loves you too. John 14:26-27

 

 

 

Also pray that I'll get home alive :) <3

 

xoxo

Elder Burgess