Week of Service

Another solid week that blew by! Last Monday evening elder Lyons and I

got to visit a recently returned mission president and his family. The

McConkie family! They are related to Bruce R. McConkie. They served in

the Czech Republic! It was cool to hear his experience as being a

mission president. Oh and it turns out Sister McConkie is Elder

Jenkins from the Tahitian district in my MTC zone's aunt! I feel like

the world around me is shrinking every week I am in Utah. haha

Tuesday our zone got to go to the refugee center for our service

project! We got to help organize donated supplies in a big warehouse

for refugees to come pick up. There are about sixty thousand refugees

in the salt lake valley alone it's pretty cool. We also had some great

correlation meetings with the ward missionaries and with our senior

missionary couple in the area. We have been recently told by the

missionary department that recent converts and investigators aren't

reading nearly enough of the Book of Mormon. Our goal is to really

refocus on the Book of Mormon now. To really explain it to people and

as missionaries spend a lot of time reading along with less actives,

investigators and recent converts. A lot of people don't like to read

the Book of Mormon because they don't understand it but we can't let

people use that excuse! As members we should all be doing everything

we can to help explain the Book of Mormon to others. Having faith in

Christ and having a desire to come back to church or being baptized

really comes down to knowing the Book of Mormon is true.

Wednesday we had a great lesson with Paula  our "on date" and cleared

up some misunderstandings. She felt like she needed to know everything

and to need to finish the Book of Mormon before her baptism! She had

been rushing through the Book of Mormon and not really understanding

much. I'm really glad we got to clear that up because it's a principle

that we will be able to better teach in the future.

Thursday was a long day. Weekly planning took forever and we didn't

get to do much. We did get to meet with a member who works for the DEA

though which was super cool. Pretty sure he told us some confidential

case stuff but his secret is safe with us. haha.

Friday we had interviews with president which went great! He told me I

get to go to the departing missionaries temple trip at the Salt Lake

Temple! Last one for 21 months! But whose counting...

Saturday we got to do a big service activity with the neighborhood.

Basically everyone who is home Saturday morning all get outside and

rake everyone's leaves! It was lots of fun and we got to meet a lot of

new people! Later we got to help a non member mix and pour concrete to

help him build a fence. He's neighbors with one of the bishops so we

are hoping he kinda opens up to the church. He doesn't seem too

interested but he is a really nice guy.

Sunday elder Lyons and I gave sacrament talks in Colonial Hills ward!

Turns out the entire stake presidency just happened to be there haha.

Unfortunately Paula was feeling sick so she couldn't make it to church

which means she's definitely off date to be baptized now. We are

hoping we can move it a week or two later to give her some time but

we'll see. Not that missionary work is a race by any means but I really

want to go to her baptism before I leave! Till next week!

Avec amour,

-Elder Burbank

This is one of the chapels in Highland Stake. Just thought it was

super cool and unique! The building is almost 100 years old and the

ward that meets there is having their centennial celebration on Dec

3rd!