Aug 12

My dear dear family,

How are you? I was so excited to get the good news about jon and nicole and the pregnancy! Can't wait for the two of you. You will be excellent parents. 

Well, to tell you a little about the work in altavist, this has been a little bit of a strange week. We've had a lot of meetings this week so sister Jeronimo and I just felt restless to work. We just wanted to get out and go to work. So this week we will work hard to catch up on lost time. We are trying to get things moving now. We know the people and we are just trying to push the work forward. We had a few lessons with members this week and more than anything felt the great need to train the members. President Neider taught us that our job is to find on our own but more than anything to train the members in their missionary efforts to find and support the investigators already present. There are few spanish people in this area so when there are lessons the members get really excited. They are so willing to let us teach their homes, to come to lessons, sit with them at church, invite them....anything they will do. We are trying to be supportive of them and their efforts but to teach them to humbly testify in a loving way that won't be taken incorrectly. To teach them their role to testify in lessons. We had a lesson with frankie this week and struggled teaching because the member was so excited to share her testimony. We have some ood plans in how to better organize and coordinate the lessons between the members and us so that we are all prepared and know what the point and end goal of the lesson is. Please pray for us that we can be effective teachers and trainers in missionary work. President neider said that we are simply the missionary specialists but that the members should be the source of people to teach and homes to teach in. We want covenant keeping homes to teach in he said. despite the less than ideal lesson with frankie he was anxious to come to church yesterday and even brought his friend. If a desire to share the gospel is an indicator of the personal conversion of the members than it certainly would be as well for the investigators. Frankie is our main focus right now because he is progressing most. He has a lot of good questions that honestly are hard to answer but we study it out and the Lord helps us. 

We are also working with family history and temple work for the recent converts in the area. Rodrigo Reyes was baptized about a month before we got here. He has his own manuals now and said he stayed up until 1 just reading and reading and reading. People like him are out there that simply want and are looking for the gospel. The members will lead us to their doors and homes. I'm excited to get going and to start family mission plans in this branch as well. 

I'm still trying to read the Book of Mormon before the end of the transfer. I'm behind but getting better. this week i woke up with an anxiousness to read. An excited to read. The book Of mormon is true and i know and feel the blessings it brings. I am coming to know my savior better and better with each day of reading. Never let a day pass by without the power of the book of mormon. Christian, the book of mormon is the most powerful tool in conversion but also in temple and mission prep. Learn it, study it, and feast upon it. I love you so much!

I'm doing well, trying to stay positive, and absolutely focused. Thank you for your love and prayers,

Love

Hermana Burrup

ps- mom, in regards to school, i just need to know when sign ups are for classes next winter so i don't miss it. As for the flights and all, i'm game for anything at all. As soon as it's for sure, sister royal and you will work out the details. She said that you will probably buy my ticket and then the church would reimburse you but that they would need the details probably sooner rather than later. Thanks for working things out and sorry i'm not more of a help.  the office number is 702-794-0365

Dear President Neider,

Thank you for you wonderful counsel and encouraging words at interviews. I think every time we get the opportunity to see you and your wife we walk away motivated by the spirit to work hard and show our faith to the Lord.  Thank you for living worthy of the Spirit. Well, We are planning 2 exchanges this week to get caught up a little and we're really excited to learn from other sisters. We are excited to be in this area and are trying to constantly show our faith. I feel bad that we aren't contributing 10 LTMs to the mission each week but we are trying to show faith that we can get there as we diligently work. Finding has been the biggest problem. Elder Johnson kindly indicated a few ways we could work on finding and we will follow in faith. We're excited to see what miracles the Lord has prepared. I love the Book of Mormon. I love the Lord. I Love his work and his children. May God bless others by blessing us in this work! Hurrah for Israel!

Love

Hermana Burrup