Zone Changes

Hey everyone back at home! How are you all doing?

We got a new district yesterday and they are kinda strange...none of them are going to Chile though.

Its been really hard because the other district left us, and the quietness of our dorm is crazy.

So, I am luckily not the district leader, nor will I become the new zone leader...Elder Hauver is our district leader.  He has now been called to zone leader and Elder Davis is soon going to be the new district leader. Its been a crazy pass couple of days due to the switch in leadership...

Conference is coming up and...sadly the chairs we have to sit on suck! They are suck hard and after about 10 minutes you can't feel your butt...

One of my buddies Elder Foster likes to walk around naked in the dorm every time time he showers! Haha, its so crazy because usually my glasses are off so I can't see anything but he got me this morning. I was brushing my teeth and, BOOM, he came right in butt naked. I think I'm scared...

So a queso party is where we get like 4 things of dip and 2 bags of chips and we invite the entire zone to come in and party it up with stories and all kinds of things. It's one of the best things in the world, but the masters at throwing a queso party are now gone...so it's our job to make sure it doesn't die!!

The language grind...ya...its now slowed to a snail like pace. My companion and I are getting frustrated with it...However, we worked hard yesterday and we were able to almost master regular predicate and imperfect...and we have mastered regular present tense. Today we will be learning about future tense and hopefully that will go easy enough. And yes, the sisters seem to all be able to speak it like a true Chilean! Freak'n hate it...but what am I going to do?

We have these things that are called TE (Teacher Evaluations). Its where you sign up for like a fake investigator and you go teach them on your own time. Well, we did one yesterday and it went wonderfully, then we signed up for 3 more...well we are only allowed 1 in English...and we didn't know that so now we have to teach lessons 1 and 2 in Spanish by next Wednesday.

On P Day, when we went to the temple, we helped one of our sisters out and did some initiatories for her (about 30 or so) and man were they hard to say. She has some weird heritage.

To Kaykay -

     Hang in there little girl, everything will work out in the end. Just gotta keep fighting to stay the better person...oh and sadly all my buddies' little brothers that are 12 or 13 live in a different state...they all say sorry. I miss you very much, and I can't wait to come home and see how grown up you are!

I love you all very much, and please give Fezz tons of headscratches from me!

P.S - Please send M&Ms Peanut butter ones...if you could :D Thank you very much.

Love Elder Burge

Its amazing how much fun...and frustration you get at the same time

Hey there!

 

Well for Sister Gibbons -

   When I first got here I thought that maybe we would just be learning the language and learning the lessons. As soon as we got into class they started talking about how we need to know what the investigators needs are and how we can address them. My first TRC (Practice Contacting and Teaching), my companion and I just let the spirit run the show...us not thinking it was very important, that it was just a practice, we left and talked about it a little and then we went on with our day. Come to find out the person who was playing the investigator was a young man who just a got a mission call and didn't feel like he wanted to go. After we challenged him to read and pray about the Book of Mormon he felt that he needed to go, that it was the right thing. I now feel so differently about any type of interaction while being a missionary. I feel as though we are just finding non-members or inactive ones, and we are simply here to help all know the truth in all things. This work is so important and is a nesscary part of my life. If one of us doesn't come, I can now think about how many souls are lost...how sad is it to tell our father we didn't feel like we wanted to...and that's why our brothers and sisters didn't get the chance. I love this work, this work is so important that we spend 2 years in a constant state of service. We all need this work, nonmember or member. Plus, its super fun to be around people who want the same things you do ;). I know that this is the right and true thing to do. There is no better work than to serve.

 

Well, now for the family stuff....

 

In my District we have 6 Guys and 4 Girls. And one of the sisters has an ankle problem so...Elder Hauver and I gave her a blessing, he anointed her and I sealed the anointing. That had to have been the most scary thing in my entire life...but I did it exactly as the spirit said I should and everything worked out...she woke up the next morning and was able to walk on it!

 

Spanish is...coming slowly now. I am sorta getting frustarted with the work... 

 

A few of my best friends left to their places Monday...So Sunday night we had a little thing in their room and we sang "Till We Meet Again"...and the night before that I had a Queso Party in their name...that was a lot of people in our room.

 

I wish I could see Fezz dancing...I love his little love dance. At least I know he still has the moves! I promised him a little tiny hat that we can wear around so when I get to Chile I will send him one. He is a hot thang...

 

Thank you so much for the package! It was a big hit with my District and we still have some left...but that won't last long. Also, thank Grandma and Grandpa Matson for the brownies they sent me...we elders ate some and let the sisters have some...and now they're gone...sisters ate them all! Haha, but thats ok because we like the sisters!

 

My companion is pretty cool, he has opened up and talks with me all the time! Elder Nolte says he thinks you raised me well. Elder Davis says he love you all from the heart of his bottom. Elder Wood, says thanks for your son. And Elder Hauver gives a shout out to Kayleigh! (and Sam and Silas...)

 

Tell Silas that he needs to get in with the teachers so he can do anything he wants to do. And don't get caught in the round up things...

 

Hows my car doing? Would you be able to send me a picture of it? The Elders here want to see it.

 

I love all the letters and things you are sending...I was homesick for the first few days, but now...Im not at all. I love you so very much, and I know that I will get to come home in a few years and see you all. Tell Dad we all started a lose weight contest here in my district...so far none of us have lost weight...

 

Its amazing how much fun you can have...and how much frustration you get at the same time. I finally had the horrible food problems...found me a nice toliet..and so did many of my roomies. And last night, Elder Larson scared me right before bed...and this morning Elder Davis scared the crap out of me too. I am so loved by all of my people.

 

So, we heard from someone else who is going to Chile (my mission, Osorno) that their flight time is 36 hours long. All of us looked at each other and said, finally, we will be able get some good amount of sleep! Oh, and I have already started to go insane...jokes that were never funny before and now very funny...and I acutally enjoy praying multiple times a day. Well, I gotta go...just about out of time.

 

I love you all very very very much...I will be home...in 2013.

 

:D BEN

Its me...again...

Hey there family!

So I forgot to mention something really cool about my Zone...We get 2 email days a week. Shhh....don't tell anyone else though. It's only for us.

I love you all very much, I have been sharing my Zero bars which are a big hit around here and I love the fact that everyone is so nice.

I will be thinking of what to write for Sister Gibbons for next Tuesday because I don't have the letter with me right now and I can't remember what she wanted me to talk about, but I think I know...maybe.

Anyway, I have made so many friends. It's awesome because I already have plans for when I get home to hang out with my new best friends. They are: all my roommates, plus Elder Hauver, and Elder Clark. Elder Clark leaves this Monday at 3am and Elder Hauver is in my districto (think that the espanol way of spelling it).

Its amazing how my body has adjusted so quickly to the waking up...I haven't had a single problem yet and its really cool because I am able to wake up happily and work hard. Oh, and I get up early at 6am. Just easier to do that...Tell Josh, my email address so that he can write me.

Yesterday, I had my first conversation with my companero (Elder Larson) in all Spanish. While going to the temple I asked over and over again to have the gift to say the words right and now, my skill has increased mucho! It makes me happy to know the Lord loves me enough to bless me with the ability to talk well. For Dad, the temple doesn't have the escalators anymore. But the people haven't changed I bet...everyone there is so nice! Its actually kinda nice to be able to go there every Tuesday morning.

I have 4 hermanas in my zone and they are all in my districto too! We are all like family, the other day we were all laughing so hard in class that we had to leave and relax for a minute or two. They are so nice. We are truly brothers and sisters. Its weird because when your here you see people and go....I know that guy (or girl) and they say the same about you but you're from different countries or states! I feel so at home here and I haven't used any Dramamine in days! It's probably because of my family at home praying for me and my family here helping me along.

The MTC is such an amazing place and I am so glad I was able to come. Many times I feel the spirit telling me that I am doing well and what to say...I hope that Sam and Silas get to come serve the Lord with all their might and fuerza (strength).

Yo Testifico que el libro de Mormon es verdaredo (I can't spell well) y que Dios es nurestro Padres Celestial. Yo se que, I am supposed to be here and I am supposed to go Chile.

They told me that if I ever feel like I should challenge you to do something that I should, so here I go. Please read 3 Nephi 11 and pray about what you read. I know that will help Sam and Silas know they are doing the right thing by going to church.

To Kayleigh, I love you so very much and I know that you will do great in middle school. Just remember that you can't let your friends bring you down. If they bring you down then they aren't really friends after all. 

I love you all, and remember that I'll be fine.

I get to write on Tuesdays and Thursdays...and did you know we have a toilet that has a secret combination? We call it the (here I go) Gadiantin Toiiet! Me Gusta mucho!

Please let Fezz know that all of my Districto loves his name and his orange cheeks.

I will probably be printing off some pictures here next week and send them home so you can see my MTC Familia.

Please send me lots of questions or anything you want. I will love to answer them.

Love,

Elder Burge

P.S I love our last name, it sounds so cool in Spanish...now I am telling everyone its Spanish pronunciation

First Week in the MTC

Well, hey there famlia! I am doing very well here at the MTC, and I just wanted to say I miss you very much. Tell Fezz I love him very very much.

 

My P-Day is Tuesday, and my companion is Elder Larson. He is a pretty relaxed guy and is very cool. Yesterday (Monday) we went to our first teaching lesson. It went so well and I dont think it could of gone any better for our first time.

 

I got everything unpacked quickly, and all of my roommates laughed because of all of us and these jam- packed cases. For gym we lift weights and run every other day.

 

As for our room, last night we noticed some writing in the dark. Someone had written Elder Larson on the wall in glow-in-the-dark nail polish! And we found an Almond Joy...I ate it. Today we are going to check the list to see when we can get haircuts. Both Elder Larson and I need them.

 

I haven't taken Dramamine in 2 days! I feel a slight bit sick, but I am able to make it through the day. A few days ago I threw up...gross but, oh well.

 

As for my language skill, I am doing pretty well. We have memorized our purpose in Spanish and we say whatever we can in Spanish!

 

The MTC is a weird place, everyone one is way nice, and I have made a ton of friends! My entire district (my classmates) are all going to Chile and 3 of them are going to my mission. I will be sending home some pictures I took the other day when we went on our Templo Walk.

 

As for today, I am going to the temple with some pals, and after that we do laundry and will get some stuff laminated. Oh, we get these blue cards that have 6 dollars on them, and every Wednesday they add 6 more dollars. So I have been able to buy some really good stuff, the food in the lunch room, however, is kinda 50/50. Like some stuff is super good, and other stuff is really bad. None of us have had any "problems" yet and we got a cure if do we have "problems".

 

Our two teachers are super nice and way fun! Oh and we do service twice a week, and we like throw chairs and catch them -- its so freak'n fun!

 

On a spiritual note, I have felt the spirit in so many ways. God has helped me do some pretty amazing things and say some amazing things. Our first lesson was to someone who in real life got a call but didn't know if he wanted to go. After Elder Larson and I taught him, he told our teacher he knew this was true and wanted to go on a mission for sure. Its our teachers brother-in-law!

 

For now I think I am good on snacks, but the next email may have a few things I want.

 

I hope all is well back at home, and I love you very much!

 

Tell Sam...I loved the joke. And yes, the colors for my room sound very nice.

 

P.S - Everyone told me sisters don't start looking cute till week 3, Im only on week 2. ;)

 

Love, Ben