Current Address:
Elder Truman Burgess
140 Pheasant Lane Apt # D2
Woodstock, VA 22664
Feb. 22, 2016:
A lot of people who have been out west, specifically Utah or Idaho, come into Pennsylvania and West Virginia, glance at the Appalachian Mountains, and say, "Those aren't mountains. Those are hills." While they don't maintain the same rocky altitude cliffs peaked with snow, the mountains out here hold a serenity I've never seen or felt before. They reach just high enough to graze into the clouds overhead while rolling endlessly like waves tipping and dipping across the sea. It's for this reason that this email will be a little shorter since Elder Flandro and I will be climbing another mountain :)) hehehe
We came across a man who lives tucked away in the woods named Brother King. He hadn't been to church in a while due to some grudges formed with members, hurt feelings, etc. Despite his absence he still holds in a firm belief that Jesus is our Savior, this is His church, the Book of Mormon and the Bible contain His word; all that good stuff. His fiance, though, did not share the same beliefs. Elaine Park is 74 years old, looks at most 60, was the first woman to be on the chief board of executives for Hilton Hotels, has basically traveled the world in journalism, and is the head of a non-profit organization that's sole purpose is to lay waste to drugs found in West Virginian and Pennsylvanian elementary and middle schools. Elaine is one of the smartest, sharpest, and most devout Christians I have ever met in my life. Christ isn't only a far reached king to her, but rather a stalwart, steadfast friend that knows the way to live happily in any circumstance. Missionaries in the past have gone over to her house to teach her the restored Gospel before, but have left after the first lesson due to concerns raised that are honest questions in Elaine's heart. A common occurrence I've seen with many missionaries is the decision to mistake a concern as a reason to find someone else to teach, rather than a lifeline rope thrown to see if someone can grab the end. They leave at the first sign of push back or difficulty, rather then sitting down and walking with the person to find the answers God has promised to give.
Christ says, "Seek and ye shall find," not "look and ye shall find". The difference is effort. Work is a godly principle. The human body, for example, only stays healthy and balanced when it is put to walking, exercising, and physically laboring. Muscles have to tear to reform stronger than before. This is how it is with mental strength as well. Pushing intellectual capacities is the only way to increase them. Pain is part of the plan. Spirituality is similar and related, only a tad bit larger in my opinion. Spiritual development requires active work and seeking, pushing the boundaries of past limits in the quest to find newness in life. The major difference is that spiritual development cannot be built alone. Friends and guides are needed to accompany us on our spiritual paths, Christ as the foremost friend, the Holy Ghost as our compass, and God our Father as the hope of the destination. So when an investigator is seeking for answers to heart swirling questions, missionaries NEED to be there, regardless of if they know how to answer the question, if the question offends their past beliefs, or if they think the question has already been answered. There's a reason why patience is a virtue. Hope as a saving principle is absent without the divine characteristic of patience.
Elaine has found her answers to doctrinal questions that previously dammed her progress and is now determined to open the gates through Baptism, simply because we walked with her as she found the answers for herself. There is never a question that will go unanswered from God. All it takes is patience.
This email was as long as normal. Oh well. Mt. Cacapon peak here I come >:)
xoxo
Elder Burgess
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