Email September 21, 2015

Email September 21, 2015 – Elder Isaac Kenneth Burton

New transfer, Temple visit, neighbors at the temple

So we had transfers this week and found out that my companion is staying in this area after all. We are calling him the eternal missionary now because after this transfer he´ll have been here for 8 and a half months. We also found out that he is our new district leader so that should be cool. That was kinda a shock to both of us and it made me laugh cause he´s been telling me the last few weeks that he hates responsiblilty and was hoping that next transfer he could just be a junior companion again. I thought that was pretty funny that now he´s a district leader. He´ll do a good job though.

On saturday we got to go to the temple with an investigator named Gregorio and his friend Cristian! It was super cool, the temple here is amazing. We took lots of pictures, bought some stuff at the districution center, and then taught them a lesson in the waiting room of the temple. The lesson was awesome, we tuaght about our purpose on earth and the purpose of the temple. I love how strong the spirit is at the temple, it definitly had a big effect on how the lesson went and I know that they could feel it. At the beginning of the day Cristian told us that he didnt beleive in God but by the time we left he said he did. That was pretty amazing, just shows what kind of impact the temple can have on people. It´s such a huge blessing to have a temple in our mission that we can use to help our investigators progress. 

So while we were in the distribution center I was in line to buy some stuff and I looked over at a book shelf and there in front of me were the Mathewsons! Not actually the Mathewsons, but it was their family picture on the front of this book titled "Como fortelecer a la Familia." I was so surprised! That was definitely not something I was expecting to see at the temple in Argentina. I immediately grabbed the book and started flipping though it and found pictures of several families from Ogden including: the Garrets, Stories, Richards, Smiths, and even Aunt Michelle and her family. All the pictures were probably 12 years old or so, Jake looks like he´s about 6 years old. It was pretty neat though, I of course bought the book so that I could show everyone someday. Just shows that the temple is full of surprises.

So I had a kinda weird and cool dream the other night. I was back at home and would be leaving of my mission in a few weeks so therefore I would be giving my farewell talk also in a few weeks. I was at church with my family two weeks before I was supposed to give my farewell talk. During sacrament meeting the bishop randomly called me up and said that I would be giving my farewell talk right then instead of in two weeks.My topic was on Christ. I was super shocked and nervous of course but I went up and did my best. I finished and sat down, kinda disapointed cause i knew I hadn´t done as well as I could of. Then after sacrament meeting my dad came up to me and said something along the lines of "That was good, but you´re definitly a better speaker and teacher when you are properly prepared." And that was it, my dream ended. What my dad said kinda hit me though. Preparation is the foundation of success. If you don´t properly prepare yourself for any aspect of life then you wont have the success you could. I had been kinda trying to figure out ways to be a better teacher and I think that dream was an answer to my prayers about it. I need to prepare myself better. If I´m not prepared for a lesson then it´s not going to go well and the spirit wont be as strong. It applies to every aspect of life. In the Book of Mormon Moroni prepares his people for war against the lamanites by fortifying the city with walls and forts and the people with breastplates and helmets. Because he did this the lord was with him and his armies and they were victorious. Preparation is the foundation of success. It´s something that I´m trying to appy and use more in my life. I know that by better preparing myself I can be a much better missionary.

Yesterday I ate the worst meal yet here. It was called muldongy and is the skin of a pig. Think of a two inch thick solid slab of raw pig fat that you slice and put on bread. I thought we were gonna have a heart attack. Not the most delicious thing ever.

It´s been a great week, I hope everything is well at home. I love you all!

Love, Elder Burton