November 23, 2015 Guess who's back

I have a dozen friends serving missions in Spanish speaking areas. Whether it be Spain, Peru, mexico, Argentina, Chile, or Spanish speaking in California, Arizona, or Colorado, each and every one of them has told stories about how much food you are fed. Never before have i given them respect about too much food until my first exchange into a Spanish speaking area in my District. This is the first transfer that Spanish Elders have been with me and woowee would I gain weight if I were there. For dinner the Spanish Branch President's wife whipped out a massive self heated skillet. Elder Skarda didn't tell me what we would eat nor how much we would eat, so I had loaded up with a foot long meatball marinara sub two hours earlier. Suddenly this Sister began tossing papusa (idk how to spell that) after papusa onto this skillet in a frenzy, both hands wielding metal spatulas flying around her. After two minutes or so on the skillet, she swiftly slid each one onto my plate one by one like a conveyor belt while I did my best to scarf them down. Apparently the faster you eat in a Spanish home the more they think you want, leaving me in destined downward spiral of indigestion. In the end I ate 11 papusas. Elder Skarda ate 4.

Immediately after dinner we played an intense round robin tournament of indoor soccer with twenty crazy good Hispanic players who wouldn't speak a lick of English. I ended up with indigestion to the moon and saying aqui and lo siento constantly. Needless to say, I have enormous respect for Spanish Elders now. :)

The wooded farmlands and hills of Pennsylvania offer no housing developments, neighborhoods, or streets to tract out. The occasional farmstead has four or so homes of one family, but normally one answer stays consistent throughout the family. This has led Elder Tausaga and I to be much more creative in our finding efforts than ever before. Working with other active members to help them interact with their friends, to help them in their own difficulties and hardships, is a huge focus for us. Luckily the members have us over every night for a meal and instruction to help them do missionary work in their own lives. This area is cold, windy, and wild, but the warmth and love of the ward family here makes up for it tenfold. (did I just say tenfold?) Our investigator Zoe had been working towards baptism on December 5 before I came into the area. Since I have been here we've only taught her one lesson,and we haven't had contact with her at church or in person for the past two weeks. Elder Tausaga doesn't quite understand the idea that if someone doesn't reply to your text that day you don't text repeatedly every day. :).

Despite the hardships of working here, God still leads us to those in need. Friday night we were on an old country road in the middle of nowhere, walking to the scattered trailer homes up on their own hills. 'Get losts' and 'Get outs' followed us one by one until it was ten minutes before our dinner appointment. In the freezing pitch dark woods, down-trodden and weary, we were more than ready to take off. However, as we began to turn to the car, I spotted a flickering light in a window just beyond us on the steepest hill. Something inside me beckoned to just knock this one more home in our last ten minutes. Upward we climbed to the old rundown trailer home, greeted by three ferocious yapping chihuahuas and an old rusty axe leaning on the door. Still, we knocked. The door creaked open to reveal a blanket wrapped 30 yr old, normal looking lady with a distraught but gentle look on her face. She was a newborn mother in a trailer that had no heat besides a few lanterns and her tiny baby had two cleft feet and struggled to breathe. Her fiance worked as many hours as he could at the sand mine an hour away, trying his hardest to supply for this little family in need. As we began to discuss the hope of Christ and His teachings that bless families forever, a smile lit up across her face i could tell hadn't been there for far too long. The cold disappeared, our hearts were renewed, and our souls were at ease. We go back tomorrow with our ward mission leader to teach the whole family the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

The wonder of difficulties in the broad spectrum of our lives is the inevitability that someone else is walking through the very same challenges with you. Not only is Jesus Christ eternally reaching out his hand to stride beside you, but individuals live in their own worlds of pain, looking for someone to help comfort them just the same. Thanksgiving gives a priceless opportunity to look back on the beauty and glory of living alongside our family, friends, and fellow human beings in a world who's unparalleled glory can be felt in a simple hug. I am grateful for my life, for my liberty, for my family, for my friends. I am grateful for my God, His love, and His strength. I am grateful for the bone chilling nights, the shotguns pulled, the consistent no's and leg numbing hills. For every dead end leads to a turn around. The one smile that melts a heart is worth gratitude of the entire soul.

Happy Thanksgiving ;)

xoxo

Elder Burgess