January 4, 2016- Living the Dream

Any missionary that has served in a small town for a decently long amount of time will tell you that after a while you get to know just about every soul in sight. Every door has been knocked, and every member has been talked to to help with their own missionary work. This dilemma often puts missionaries in a state of discouragement and bewilderment on what they should do with their time.

Not me hehehe >:)

I've been blessed to have serve in some ordinarily dry areas from the crazy island of misfit toys of Kent island to the way rich four story homes of Urbana, areas where everyone either has their mind's fixed one way for ever, or they have no minds at all. Trial and experiences have led me to the firm belief that no one cares what you have to say until they know you care about them for who they are.

Here's an example. Walking the freezing streets of Hancock, an old man tells us he's not interested but in the ancient motel atop the looming hill lives a woman recently moved in from Astonia (a country in eastern Europe), who was recently diagnosed with cancer. Up we trek to the haunted mansion-motel that I thought was abandoned expecting to meet the witch of of the west, my trainee unsure of himself and I'm unsure of how to ward off evil spells. Sure enough, the motel is open and inside the colonial mansion office sat a woman as a receptionist. However, the woman sitting at the desk was no older than her mid-30's, and as pleasant as possible. 

We introduced ourselves as missionaries and talked to her about what it's like thinking in a different language, how to raise kids when you travel internationally, and why in the world she and her family would move to Hancock, Maryland of all places in America. In her thick accent she laughed and told us her life story of traveling and devoting herself to god, cutting her husband off of cigarettes, and how her family dream has always been to own a motel. Naturally the conversation melted through the broken ice to heart-felt testimony of how God really knows us personally, despite language and ethnic barriers. Our homes may change and our friends may shift, but families will stay knit together through the teachings of love and kindness found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We scheduled an appointment to meet with her and her family while they weren't working, and I'm looking forward to eating some Astonian food :))

Too often missionaries feel they need to become some sort of stencil shirt and tie missionary, forsaking who they were beforehand all throughout their life. This is completely opposite to the plan that god has given us in the first place! He places experiences and adventures into our lives that push us and mold us according to how we face each day. At no point does God require us to forsake the life changing events that have shaped us to who we are. Rather, He asks us to become a greater person each day forward, using the past as a foundation to build upon. Living life in the moment with all you've become up to that point and sharing your innermost thoughts and feelings according to the situation is the true vessel of missionary work. Forsake the chains and bindings of previous mistakes by moving forward, remembering the true purpose of your life to love.

Happy New years. 2016 baby WOOOOOO

xoxo

Elder Burgess 

Don't worry; I wasn't back in the hospital again. That's a killer picture taken by Elder Carling from two weeks ago of me still doing missionary work while stuck with an I.V. and drugs >:)