Marc's email 12/13/2010

This last week i got a backpack and a 30$ steak from outback and i enjoyed every single bite. It really beat the street tacos i eat everyday. The language is coming slowly. It is really frustrating at times because anything i learned before never really helped. It is all about understanding and nothing could have prepared me for that. But give it time and I am sure I will know how to speak. Missionary work is the hardest thing i have ever done. I never thought it would be but it kills me every day. I am sure everybody that has served a mission can testify to that. It is nothing you could ever expect, especially when you serve in a different country. I heard Kade Andrus got his call to baton rouge so that is pretty cool. Also I am pretty happy I get to have my clothes actually washed because in the parts where i have to do it myself i will probably just not do it. I had to wash dish rags over the stone and it sucked. This week we went, as a zone, to an orphanage. It was a great experience and also a saddening one. Those kids were so good and sweet and they never deserved to be in such bad circumstances. It made me grateful to be born into such a great family with such great parents. So i thank you for that. We also went yesterday to give a lady a blessing. We went into a house that was absolutely disgusting. There were dogs and birds everyday, so imagine the smell. There were seriously 10 people living there that hadnt brushed their teeth or showered it weeks. It was terrible and one thing we talked about after is even though they are poor, they can take care of themselves. It was sad. We also had a baptism this week which was awesome. We baptized Manuel and he is probably 65 to 75 years old. He is about to move to his house he owns on some island and he told me that i am always welcome to come visit after my mission. So whoever wants to come down to mexico after my mission with me is welcome.

I have thought alot about our trip to Israel and the things we saw. It was a spiritual experience that i will never forget. I remember they places and stories and share them alot. Well it sounds like you are all still very busy. BYU parties, Jazz games, talking to people that know me (there will be alot in the next to years) and whatever else. Just remember our purpose in life. It is not to be content with the world and the things it has to offer, It is to be content in the eyes of the Lord. I love you all and pray the best for you this Christmas season. I dont know it there is any way to get songs on to my ipod but if you want to send it you can. Anyway im out to eat and do some serious pday stuff. dont know what it is yet but it will be awesome. Mom i love you and everything you have done for me. You are the best.
Love, Elder Burr

Matt's email 12/13/2010

Sorry Im going to start this email out by admitting that the time is flying and I don´t have too much time to write. This week was a butt kicker for sure. On Tuesday I spent the morning packing all my gear for the move and then spent the afternoon saying goodbye to the members and investigators. It is incredible the love that is developed in just 3 short months, but it was great. Our landlord invited us for dinner at his house at the end of the night and it was just legit. We got there and he took us to his backyard where he had a table all set up next to his SWIMMING POOL. The table was full of china glasses and silver forks (something that is not seen here) and a whole lot of coke. He then took us over to the clothesline and showed us what we were going to be eating. Yep just a huge fat piece of uncooked pig leg. It ended up being really really good and the people fed me about 6 times way too much. On Wednesday I woke up at 4 in the morning to begin the travels. I left San Juan at 6, got to Mendoza and 8 15, Left Mendoza at 11 and got to Alvear at like 4 30. It was a really long day, but I arrived without problems and that is all that matters. The rest of this week has been pretty normal. We have found a few people that are getting ready for baptism and Elder Benitez and I are making up for the weeks we had together in San Ignacio (I hate that place.) But things are looking really good for us here and the miracles are definitely out there to be found.
I doubt you are going to believe this story that I am about to tell, but just know that I´m not lying. So yesterday we went to a place called Real del Padre. It is a little city outside our area where we want to open up a branch. When we got there we noticed that the doors were open to the catholic church, so we decided to go in. There was not a soul in there and it was probably one of the creepiest places I have ever been. As we were leaving we saw that the mass was going to start at 8. Luckily the bus passes at 8 30 right in front so we decided that we would pay a short visit. When we got to the meeting at 8 the priest was really excited to announce that we were there. It was pretty similar to the meeting Elder Williams and I went to, where everyone turned around and stared at us. Yeah it was awkward, but whatever. Anyway we were just chilling listening to this corrupt man speak when all of a sudden I felt someone touch my shoulder. I turned around to find the commrade of the Priest. He invited us to come outside with him. When we were outside the only thing he said is, "I invite you both to leave..." Yeah we were stunned. We asked him what it is that we did, but he never replied to us. The best part is that it was in front of about 50 people, and they all saw it. Basically the point of the story is that we got kicked out of the Catholic church for doing absolutely nothing, thus making it obvious that the catholic church is perhaps the farthest away from the church of God. I honestly think it was an answer to my prayer because the morning before I asked God to strengthen my testimony and reassure me that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true church. I can say that I now know without a single doubt that this is the church of God. That Jesus Christ is the Leader of the church and the only way we can gain salvation is through the ordinances found inside the church and temples. I love this Gospel with all my heart. It is the only true Gospel on the earth and we are so blessed to have been able to be born in the church. I don´t know who the first convert was in the family, but when I meet them they will for sure get a hug. I love you all. Thanks for everything you do for me.
Love
Elder Burr

Marc's email 12/6/2010

Well it is nice to hear that errbody is doing well. my first week here was really something else but all in all it was amazing. My trainer is elder harding from spanish fork and elder wright from mesa. They are awesome and i am learning so much. On saturday i baptized a lady named aurora and these next two weeks we have dates for every weekend. the trick for being successful in this life is just getting out and doing it. thats really all there is to it. the spanish is coming along at its own pace. most of the time i am just chillin saying si to everything and laughing. thats really all i can do sometimes so it is whatever. I am in Zapopan Jalisco. It is pretty ghetto. when you google earth it you might see some nice city with a huge mall and nice car dealerships but dont worry i am not there. just look for the most met place and thats me. it is awesome though. it doesnt even feel like christmas out here so that is weird that it is already almost here. for christmas in two weeks we have a mission party and also christmas day there is a recent convert who invited us over for comida. she has a phone plan to the states cause her husband is there so i will call from there for free. the weather here is not too bad. it is always sunny but i only have back sweat for like 4 hours out of the day so i guess thats good. its not humid at all and it just feels like a spring day at home. As for laundry we just drop our clothes off at a laundromat and they wash and fold them for us for like 5 bucks. the food here is so good as well. we eat a lot of tortillas and tacos and meat with lime. i eat lime with everything. also something that will make shea happy is i have started eating onions on everything, so when i get home we can eat onions together. aside from all of the drunk people this place is awesome. it is also pretty safe and with elder wright and me as a companionship nobody is going to mess with us. he played football too and elder harding is a stud so just the three of us, nobody will try to do anything. mom it sounds like you and matthew pulsifer need to start hanging out with all of your new gadgets. i never thought that day would come i swear you just learned how to text. that is awesome though the most expensive thing i have carried for the last three months has been my sick watch from costco. I live a simple life now with a ton of walking and working. also this week i think on wednesday my comps and i are going to make a christmas miracle for this family of 6. we are going to paint their whole house for them. the husband said he wanted to but didnt have the money or time so we are just going to show up and do it. I am excited about that. elder harding came up with the idea and my companions are men with a purpose. we are out here to get it done and we get it done. barely have time to breathe and i havent sat for a week. yeah what. also i dont know how to work this keyboard so thats why there are only periods. to send packages just send everything to the mission house. the mail is pretty good and it will only take like 3 or 4 weeks. also i am going to buy a backpack today cause that bag i have ripped so i am just putting it on your debit card if thats ok. ok well family i love you all and you mom. keep up the christmas spirit. i love this work and what i am doing. there is nothing i would rather do. i know this church is true and the plan of happiness really is for us to be happy. i love the book of mormon and everything that is in it. i love all of you. im out.
Elder Burr

Matt's email 12/6/2010

So I would like starting off by letting you know that this week I did get those packages. I still haven´t opened up the presents, but the package did arrive. I had to pay 50 pesos which would amount to like 13 dollars to get it, but it was well worth it. I am trying to exercise patience by waiting until Christmas day to open the packages, and I am sure I will make it. I did read the letters and it made me happy to find out that all is going well with the family and every one is still happy. I can´t believe how much my nieces and nephews have grown. I am not going to lie, I had a hard time putting names to the faces, but that is what happens when you go 9 months without seeing or hearing the voice of someone right? No but thanks so much for the packages. I don´t know if you sent the backpack yet?? If you did, I hope it gets here sometime, because if not that means some dirty argentine is walking around with a brand new backpack. It makes me happy to know that all is going well over there. That is really cool that the authorities of the church are now trying to get closer to the saints. I am sure that is going to make a huge difference because pretty soon here we are all going to be tested in one way or another. As for the live here in Albardón... Let´s just say things are about to change.
Last night Elder Orduña and I were talking to a less active family, when all of a sudden we received a phone call from the assistants. After arriving home to the apartment, they gave the phone to President Lindahl and he informed me that my days here in Albardón have come to an end. On Wednesday I will be headed to Alvear to be zone leader with Elder Benitez. Yeah the same Elder Benitez that I was with about 5 months ago. I was super stoked to get that news. I´m way excited that I finally get to finish my time with him. He is a horse when it comes to working, so things are going to work out. Alvear is about the furthes you can get from Albardón, but it will be great. I get to spend some more time with the arrogant mendocinos, but at least the fruit will be good. I don´t really know what to expect about the whole zone leader deal... It seems like it will be a lot of work and maybe some stress, but I´m excited to blow it up down there with Elder Benitez. I just hope you are all understanding if I don´t have much time to write on p days, but I will try my hardest to keep you updated.
We also had the opportunity to have interviews with President this week. It is always such a great experience to meet with him and hear his words of advice. He started out by asking me if I was ready for a big change in the mission life. I now know why he told me that. He then started asking me how the family was doing. I told him that Marcus just entered the mission field in Mexico. That led him to tell me about all the murders and crime that is going on there, which worried me a little bit, but I know that the Lord protects His servants. It was a short interview, but I really do love my mission president. He is an incredible man.
Other than that, the life here in Albardón has been awesome. I have absolutely loved it up here, but I am looking forward to the change. I have grown to have a love for the majority of the people here in Argentina. I still have some room to improve, but it will come. There are still some that drive me nuts, but I have to look past those things. Just like the prophet Ether said, the miracle doesn´t come until after the trial of your faith. I have been studying the past conference session a lot and am so greatful for a prophet here on the earth. I love this Gospel and am so happy that I have the chance to share it every day. I love you all and hope you all have a great week!
Love
Elder Burr

Marcus heads to Guadalajara!

Marcus called today from the Houston airport. He was on his way to Mexico and should have arrived at about 2:30 p.m. He was very excited and anxious to get started on doing the Lord's work in that part of the world. Keep him in your prayers!

Matt's email 11/29/2010

Another week has come and gone, but what a great week it was. We had the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving with the neighbors in the same apartments complex deal. It wasn´t the same as home, but it is what it is. We bought 7 kilos of meat and had a killer asado, definitely something I will be bringing home with me. Perhaps the coolest part is that none of the neighbors are members, so we had a lot of chances to share points of doctrine with them and show them that those mormon missionaries are some pretty cool kids. Nobody really understood why we celebrate the holiday, but that is against the point. The good thing is that a lot of people got exposed to the Gospel. The other way we celebrated the thanksgiving weekend was with a baptism. I don´t know if I have written about brian, but he is the 10 year old brother of Franco, the kid I baptized about a month and a half ago. I had to opportunity to do the ordinance, which was an awesome experience to excersise the priesthood. Yesterday, the day of his confirmation, was the primary program. I have never, ever been more grateful for a well planned primary program. This thing was terrible. There were only like 15 kids, but I was seconds away from leaving. But to make a long story short, the bishop didn´t let me participate in the confirmation because I let Brian use my tie when he got confirmed. I guess he wanted to look legit, but it is what it is. It was the first sacrament meeting that I can remember where I didn´t wear a tie. I´m just trying to do what Jesus would do ha. Those are about the only two cool things that are worth writing about. Other than that this week was pretty average. Elder Orduña and I will probably be together one more transfer, but we have some great people lined up. We are hoping for the best here in Albardon. The fruit up here is incredible by the way. The peaches, apricots, and plums are all in season and I have never tasted anything quite so sweet in my life. We have bags and bags of them in the fridge and everytime we pass an orchard we always pick some goodies off the trees. I feel almost like I am in the Garden of Eden, except it is full of white garbage bags and cigarettes. I love it up here though. The weather is great. It gets hotter than hot when we sleep and I always wake up soaking wet, but it´s all part of the experience.
It sounds like everything went well on Thanksgiving day. I´m sure there is a lot of left over turkey in the zip lock bags. I want you all to know that I´m doing great. I am loving it here on the mission, it is nothing I thought it would have been, but it is awesome. I love you all and hope you have a great week

Marc's email 11/23/2010

Dear family,
Your boi, the one and only, the most met is going to mexico before next tuesday. I went to the consolate today up in salt lake and got my visa. now i am just waiting for my flight plans then its off to guadalajara. I dont know what day for sure and i also wont be able to tell you unless it is after next tuesday so basically dad be expecting a phone call sometime between now and next tuesday. they are really convenient at giving me news so that is about all i know. So mom i need to get my new license here and i can take presents if they are small and few. I really dont know what i need i would love a new tie or something considering the fact i love ties now days. i will be sending a package home with stuff that i cant take and my picture card and stuff. Anyway to say the least i cant wait. I am absolutely terrified but its what i came out here to do and I know the Lord is on my side. It was weird cause my comps and I were saying our guesses of when we were leaving and i said, two weeks ago, that the 23 of noviembre we will go to the consolate. today in the temple i felt that "yep today is your day Elder Burr" and what do you know, i got hooked. Its amazing how much the Lord loves His missionaries. I feel as if every single one of my prayers has been answered from the simplest to the most complex prayers i know ever one of them has been answered. Dad i am proud of you for the protest our whole government blows. I hope that we get the best out of that and sorry for what that guy said. we all know government workers. Also i am jealous you get to go get the mooney i love that airplane. did you hear about the crash in Draper?? aparently there was a plane from uvu that crashed. To answer your thoughts, I am out here to be a sower. I would be fine with not getting one baptism as long as i planted seeds. The reaper is the one that gets all the glory. the reaper is the quarterback who thinks that they are all glorious because they get the praise. I am here to baptize but i am here more to plant seeds of Christ. I want to be a sower. Also i would love to have that chapter emailed to me. that story about craig is absolutely unbelievable and i am pretty pumped for him. I hope he loves it. Mom thank you for spending time with quade and taking him out to eat. Thank you mom and dad for the wingers. I cant even begin to describe how good it was and how warm and fresh and succulent and just unbelievable they were. Thank you so much for that and also for everything else. It sounds like Thanksgiving will be a headache. My day will consist of some study, Thanksgiving meal at 12, some service, sack dinner, and a program of some sort. Pretty lame day if you ask me but ill take whatever just as long as i get out of here. I hope everyone is doing good and i pray for you all. I know the Savior lives and I know that only through Him we can return. I know we have a plan on this earth and i know our Heavenly Father only wants us to be happy. I know Jesus Christ atoned for me and for everyone. I know that God answers prayers and He is our loving Heavenly Father. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and he restored the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know this church is true with all of my heart. Mom and Dad thank you for everything. Thank you for being the best parents in the world and thank you for the example you set. I love you all so much and next time you hear from me is on the phone. Have a great week and mom please send that stuff so i can get it before i leave. Thank you for everything family you are the best

Matt's email 11/22/2010

Well I send some great big hellos to everyone out there reading this email. I know it is Thanksgiving week and you won´t be blessed with my presence, but I hope you all enjoy yourselves and have very happy holidays. The mission life up here in Albardon is awesome. This past week was great and there isn´t much more I could ask. Elder Orduña and I are doing good. We are working hard, knowing that this transfer is rapidly coming to a close. It is incredible how fast the time flies out here. If only the school days were like this. That would be a dream.
There was a lot that happened this past week so I ask for your patience as you read this email. The first blessing that happened occured on Wednesday. We were studying the area book, trying to find new people to teach and we ran across a name that looked promising. We planned her into the next day and passed by her house. When we arrived, we were surprised to see a dentist sign marking her house. We entered as if we were clients and took our seat. We waited for a minute and then came Dina. This lady is by far one of the craziest ladies I have ever met. She would get along really well with mom. But anyways we started talking and realized that she had already heard about the Gospel and she was more of a friend to the missionaries than an investigator. We didn´t want to waste a lot of time there, but I was going to take advantage of the time we had. As we sat talking, I remembered  that dentists are really good at cleaning teeth. I then ventured into my mind, thinking about teeth cleaning, and remembered that I had a permanent retainer that was really hard to keep clean. I asked her if she had one of those threader deals that the orthodontist gives and to my dismay, she didn´t. Knowing that the Lord blesses His missionaries, I ventured out on a limb and asked if she had an extra one of those little pokey deals that the dentist uses to scratch around. She asked me why I would use it, and then willingly hooked me up! So now I have a tool to clean behing my retainer! Pretty sick story right? But then another story, more spiritual than comical, happened on Saturday. We entered into an appointment that we had set on Wednesday with a couple that was super Evangelical. When we came up to the house we saw the husband just chillin. We asked if we could enter, but he told us that he had to leave to look for one of his kids. He then, without warning, began bearing his testimony of the Evangelical church. He was talking, and talking and talking, to the point where it became ridiculous. I have never heard so many absurd stories. He told us that God gave him  his house, and his car, just because a simple prayer. He told us that he has used the power of God to cast out devils, heal the sick, and condemn certain people. He also went as far as to condemn Elder Orduña. He asked us if we really believe that the Book of Mormon is inspired by the Holy Ghost. We all said yes, and he followed with a condemnation. This guy was a joke. He was the biggest liar/apostate preacher that I have ever seen. The power showed itself when we both butted in and bore testimony of the things that we know. He was left speechless. He couldn´t answer one question we asked him. The only thing he had against us was the fact that he felt sadness when he read the Book of Mormon with his pastor. What a surprise right? When 2 people get together, with the intent to find evidence to attack the mormon missionaries with doctrine, and they feel sadness. Hmm it makes someone wonder. He was more corrupt than anyone I have ever seen, but through the midst of it all I realized the strength of a testimony. I don´t mean to say that my testimony is the biggest, most powerful testimony in the world, but it is enough for me to know, without a doubt, that the church is true. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World. That God is our Eternal Heavenly Father and that he loves us as a father loves his children. I know that the Book of Mormon was written as convincing evidence that Jesus is the Christ. That it was written by prophets of old, living here on the American Continent. What they wrote is real. They saw what they said they saw. The heavens have not been closed. Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. His story isn´t a fable. He was called by God to be the Prophet of the Restoration. He did translate the Book of Mormon. I don´t have a single doubt about that. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the most valuable principle that there is on the earth. It is the only way that we can come to have eternal happiness. It is the means by which we can become clean from the stains of the world. Yeah the mistakes we make here are stupid and they bring sadness and feelings of guilt, but with true repentance comes true forgiveness. A divine forgiveness. A forgiveness that words can´t describe. The power of God is real. He is a God of Miracles. This is the true church of Jesus Christ, the Kingdom of God here on the earth. We are so blessed to have it in our lives, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to share it with the people of Argentina. I love you all. I hope you all have a great week. Keep me in your prayers is all I ask.

Marc's email 11/16/2010

So it sounds like everybodys week was a good one. If it makes anybody feel any better Elder Bednar spoke to us last tuesday and that was awesome. He just gave a lesson on how if we want people to change we need to teach the doctrine and principles rather than the application. as we teach the doctrine and if they truly believe it they will apply it to their lives. it was really good. it sounds like the family is holding up. Heather thank you for the letter and happy birthday! how old are you almost 40? dang dont worry im almost 20! life somehow seems to be going way too fast. I dont get it one bit but time goes by so fast but slow here it isnt even funny. but cool experience of the week. I officially have an investigator. I called her on a referral from a former room mate and we talked this week on the phone. She is old and cant see so i read her the introduction to the Book of Mormon over the phone and we talked about it. She doesnt want missionaries to go to her house but she is willing to let me call her so i think that is pretty cool. I challenged her to read Mormon 10, she said she would have her daughter read it to her and she said she would pray about it. It was absolutely terrifying calling her but i cant wait to call her this week. I know it sounds lame but flippin i will convert her through the phonelines. That was pretty much the highlight of my week. I found out that i do have my permiso so i will not be reassigned. It is very likely that i will only be a week or two later than my actual departure date but nobody really knows. All i know is that I go to the consolate then a few days later i bounce. So either expect it in an email or have dad expect a phone call on his cell phone since that is what i am going to call considering the fact nobody else answers their phones. I havent forgotten that dont worry. I have seen Justin around and I have actually seen alot of people i know around this place. As cool as that is, the MTC is definitely getting really old and really mundane. I have never read so much in my life, but i figure that the more i read the more the Lord will bless me in times of need. Dad it sounds like that job in beaver is just another forest service conundrum. why do you think the forest service would ever be smart? they never have been. It sounds like the SLC job was awesome and would have been awesome to see. I am happy to hear that lance is purrin like usual, I miss flying so bad. mom i will send that paper to you but i want a copy back so just make a copy and send it back please. it is an awesome piece of information. my scripture i want is DC 35:13 talking about weak things thrashing the nations. I love it. K family well i love you all. I love this work and the happiness the gospel brings to my life. I know the Book of Mormon is true and the word of God. I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve and am so thankful for all of you. I love you all. Have a great week.

Matt's email 11/15/2010

Dearest mother,
It sure does sound like you had a crazy week. Trying to stay busy with the family and the ¨friends¨ if that is what you call them. That´s awesome that you are starting such a Christ centered holiday season. It is hard for me to find the holidays here. It is hard to do when the weather pattern is completely turned upside down and dumped on my head. But the days come and go here as if they were nothing. It´s almost depressing, but I am loving it. Every day I try to comprehend the fact that I am just a 19 year old boy lost in the middle of nowhere, trying to get by with the Book of Mormon plastered in my hand everywhere I go. It is such a blessing to hold so much power every day. It is something that the people just don´t realize. Last night we decided to go to a family that is going through some pretty hard times. The husband is just a punk, the daughters are super solid and the wife just doesn´t know what to do. They are the Zarate family. They were baptized about 5 years ago. Anyways we got to their house and there was an evangelical missionary there! We were just too stunned, but we entered anyway. This guy was rocking a size extra small cut off shirt, a sick military hairdoo, and jean shorts. Apparently he got out of jail in june and now he is a missionary?? Yeah what? But he tried telling us that anyone with the GIFT to teach is a prophet and you don´t have to have any special calling from God. He was also trying to show us all these scriptures in the Bible, but he couldn´t find one. He would always use the phrase, ¨the word has told us.¨ He was a real show this guy. But in the end we both bore powerful testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and the family decided to join our side and bear testimony to this guy. I felt bad for the kid, but what was he thinking trying to combat the truth and steal one of our member families? God obviously won´t let that happen. It was a great experience to use the knowledge God has given me and to see where I really am with respect to the Bible and the teaches it has. Also just to update you on the family of Viviana and the kids. She is doing really well. We had to chance to visit with her a few times. She loves the Book of Mormon. She knows and recognizes the power it has, but she doesn´t want to accept the fact that she has to go to church. It is quite the challenge, but I´m sure that with the power of prayer, God will work a miracle in her.
This past week I had the opportunity to to divisions with another elder in the district. We had an interview to do so I made my way over to his area. While we were there, the whole city had an earthquake simulation deal so the entire military unit was in town. They had helicopter and airplanes flying all around and the kids thought the world was going to end. They have never seen such a thing.  Apparently in the year 1977 there was a massive earthquake there and because of the fact that nobody was prepared, they decided that it might be a good idea to teach the people what to do when the next one hits. I think it might be a little easier to just listen to the Prophet. What do you think?
Anyway that´s about all I got. I love you. I hope you have a fantastic week. I am so blessed to have been born in such an awesome family. I love you all.
Love
Elder Burr

Marc's email 11/9/2010

Yeah another week did come and go. I still dont believe it but the time is just flying by. This week was pretty good. started out last tuesday by listening to M. Russell Ballard talk to us about becoming master communicators. He said the most important tool is our smile.. hopefully mine will suffice. Also i am pretty sure tonight is another apostle so that will make 4 in a row. It is way cool cause an hermana in my district has hook ups so we get on like the second row. it is awesome. also this week i have been praying for patience. I have learned that when you pray for things the Lord will test you. One day i was playing 4 square. Yes 4 square and these elders who were here from their reassignment were playing with us. they thought they were cool or something and were playing so dirty so i took it upon myself to beat them. as i did this and after i was already in my room, elder summers told me that behind my back they were saying stuff like "good thing he has those biceps to play 4 square". Who does that? Needless to say i wanted to kill someone. Then sunday came around and I was talking to elder Roden about some personal stuff before the Devo even started and this kid turned around and said "I think we should sing and not talk". First of all no dont ever tell me what to do. Second the meeting hasnt even started. Third i did not come here to have some self righteous elder like you tell me what to do. So basically i discovered that when you pray for things, be ready to get tested. All sounds well at the casa. Heather it sounds like you and your family are just livin the dream. That picture album i got today was the best thing i have ever gotten, my district loves the kids. Mom thank you so much for all of the packages, some nights that is all i eat cause the food here is so bad. Ben and Olivia...... Still havent heard from you. Cam congrats on the blessing i am sure it was incredible. Dad you surely left me hanging this week on the email. I know your busy its all good in the hood. How are the jobs coming along? The crew? I know if you need help york chappuis would love to work for you. Travel plans... still have no clue what is going to happen but at this point ill go wherever i am sent. I am getting anxious to leave here, it feels like we just spin our wheels during class anymore and i am just ready to get out and spread my wings. I should know by next week what my future is. Well family i still have to email matt so keep on livin it. I love you all and i love this work. I know Jesus Christ is our Savior and I know we are here to be happy. I know Joseph Smith was a true prophet and I know and love the Book of Mormon. Im out until next week. your boi Elder Burr

Matt's email 11/8/2010

Oh buddy you fellows don´t even know how hot and dusty it was yesterday up here in Albardón. I seriously felt like I was walking into the furnace with Shadrac Meshac and Abed Nego. I don´t know if I have ever told you what Viento Zonda is here, but basically it is when the temperatures all sky rocket and then the wind comes. The thing is that the wind isn´t your normal, refreshing wind. No. The wind is even hotter than the air is. And to make things worse, it contains all the gross Argentine garbage ashes and dead dogs and half eaten diapers... All the things that you don´t want to breathe in, but you do anyway. We luckily found refuge in the house of some recent converts. We started teaching them how to have efficient family home evenings, but right in the middle the lights, water and phone lines all got cut. We were basically stranded up there until like 10 40. Then to make things worse, all the fake taxis were out. We thought we were toast, but then came the miracle. Just as we started to make the 2 and a half hour walk back to the apartment, a member passed by, saw us suffering in the elements, and drove us back to the pench. It was definitely an answer to our prayers. Other than that the week went pretty well. On Tuesday we met yet another family that is just golden. We had talked to the mom about a week earlier while I was offering to water peoples dirt and she told us to come back later. We decided to pass by on Tuesday night to see how she was doing, and she just couldn´t stop telling us how intelligent we were. She was impressed that we walk around all day in the heat, cold, wind, rain and everything else mother nature can throw at us, knocking doors and talking to the people. She has a lot of respect for us and loves the Book of Mormon. She remembered at 2 in the morning on Wednesday that she still had to read it and she said she received her answer right there. It was incredible. It is a family of 4 and we are hoping for the best. As for Lourdes and Patricia, the others we found last sunday. They are doing awesome. Lourdes loves the lessons and seems to have a good time listening to my accent. She says that it sounds like here friend´s accent from Spain, so that is pretty cool. Apparently I have a Spaniard accent... awesome ha ha. Life here is still going just great though. Elder Orduña and I are doing work up here. He is a way funny kid. His dad is 72 and his mom is 51... Yeah. He has a lot of cool stories from New York and says I can go over and chill with him in the big city whenever I want. I have received so many hook ups here on the mission, it isn´t even funny. I am loving it out here though. The time is going by way too fast. It seems like the days here are way less than 24 hours, but man when I hit that pillow I can definitely feel it. We do more walking than an Arab in the desert, but I love it. Kicking rocks gets more and more fun every day. The Gospel is true. The church has been restored. Joseph Smith is the Prophet of the Restoration. I love my mission.
Love
Elder Burr

Marc's email 11/2/2010

Dear family,

So another week has come and gone and I dont know where the other 6 days went. I dont get how the time goes by so slow and fast at the same time but it does and it is awesome. This week was awesome. On our tuesday night devo a week ago elder scott came and talked to us about following the spirit and listening to it. He gave us a hand out thing that has like 40 points on ways to follow the spirit and i guarantee once the outside world gets a hold of it it will become scripture. I will try to send a copy home but the coolest part was when he bore his testimony. he started it off by saying he didnt want to close as elder scott but rather as an apostle of the Lord. He ended saying "He loves us. I love Him. I know Him." so pretty much an apostle said he has seen and knows Christ. The Spirit there was incredible. Not to mention his three apostolic blessings he gave to all the the missionaries. He gave us the gift of tongues pretty much saying that he does it through the apostolic power that he has he invoked it upon us. It was amazing. Sorry mom for not answering your questions in the dear elder last week i seemed to have gotten it after i emailed so i have to wait until right now. I loved the package and so did my district. The sobe energy drink thing was a miracle cause it has just a little caffeine in it and that worked miracles. Also the beef jerky i got is all gone. could be a hint for some more. I hear the Utah is creepin up on the BCS boards? that is tight. Also evan sounds like a ton of fun. No matter how old we get he will always just tell us to expect some pressure and some wiggling. I hope we are all used to it. Visas... I dont have mine yet but i think i will know by next pday a little bit more. If they think that i will get it within two weeks of when i am supposed to leave they will keep me here but if not they usually reassign. one kid i know got reassigned to Birmingham Alabama so it is very possible that i get sent out there with holy waffles. I am just ready to get out of here. i am at the point where we have learned all of the spanish lessons and I just need to practice. but i know the time will fly. My district couldnt be any better. I got put into a threesome companionship with elder gonzalez and it is so fun every day. I think the Lord knew that i couldnt handle this place with a bunch of met kids. Also 4 square is my new sport. I just make alliances and never lose.. It gets intense. But anway it sounds like you are all busy. let me know about Mike and stuff and Dad it sounds like you have some work ahead of you. 4 helicopters is going to be alot hopefully the landing can keep up or else clint and randy might be layin down the wood. hopefully randy doesnt unleash the fury that would suck for them. But hey at least you are working and that is a blessing. I finished the BoM this week and that book is so good. I read it in about 3 weeks and i love it. As a missionary it was so powerful and I know without a doubt that it is true. I love the book of Alma and pretty much the whole thing. The people in that book are studs. I also know that the Lord answers prayers. this last week I Have had 6 prayers answered and i know He answers our prayers. I love this work and I cant wait to get out and get people to realize what really matters in life. Its crazy the change i have felt in my life and i love it. I know before this i was completely different and that was definately not worth it. I love our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and i love being His hands and His missionary. But im out i have to go eat some nasty food. wouldnt mind some protein bars and some snacks.. Mom and Dad you are the best i love you guys so much. Every day i realize how amazing you are and i wish i honestly realized how amazing you are before this. but anyway family keep on keepin on. i love you all.

Elder Burr

Matt's email 11/1/2010

Man halloween definitley isn´t as cool here as it was back home. The people here had no idea what it was, but it was a great tool to use to talk to people and share the message of the gospel, so it was all good. This week was awesome. We have continued finding a lot of new people and many of them have been committed to baptism. With the help of the Lord, we will be seeing many miracles here in Albardon. I believe the greatest miracle of the week came just yesterday. After church and the siesta we set out to contact a few references that we had received. It was all going pretty well until the last guy. He was a brother of one of the members in the ward and he and his wife had recently lost a baby. He lived in a shack. The dumpiest house that I have ever seen, but he was still too pridefull to let the missionaries in. It was pretty hard being rejected by someone like that, but we continued, trying our hardest to help the people. A few hours later we saw a lady out watering her front dirt, and me, being the professional dirt waterer that I am, asked her if I could help. She accepted and bam, the Spirit took over. Before I knew it she had turned off the water and told us to sit down. We began talking about the church and explaining where it was when she said, ¨Oh the big beatiful church on the Nacional? I always thought that it was just an abandoned building. I have always wanted to go inside, but nobody is ever there.¨ As a missionary, you dream for times like this. People that are willing to come to church without putting up a fight. Then after saying that, her 18 year old daughter came out and her mom explained everything that we had told her and the daughter told us that she has dreamed about going into the church. It was amazing. They both accepted to come next sunday, and they both seemed really excited. The only problem is that the daughter recently converted to an Evangelical church, so we have to save her before she goes too far. It was an awesome experience and taught me that following the Spirit is the only way to do this work. You can knock every door in the city 10 times over again, but it won´t do you any good until you have the Spirit.

I am glad to hear that everyone is doing good back at home. It sounded like you all had a very happy halloween. It seems like the past 10 halloweens have been rainy and cold. Maybe it is because of the global warning. One last quick fact... The ex president of Argentina passed away on Wednesday. You would have thought that he was best friends with everyone in this country. Everything closed down for 2 days to mourn his loss. These people will use whatever excuse they can to get out of work. You used to think that Marcus and I are lazy, you should see an Argentina. Anyway I love you all. I pray for you daily. I know the Lord lives and He directs this church. The Holy Ghost is the spirit of God given to all who are worhty and have been baptized. It is the most valuable gift we could every have.

 

Have a great week

Elder Burr

Saying Goodbye to Marc

I never posted these pictures of Marc's Kneaders breakfast.  All the grandkids will grow so much while he's gone!  We love you, Marc.

Matt's email 10/25/2010

Alright to start off I have to apologize for not informing anybody on transfers. I thought they were going to be on Monday, but turns out there were on Friday. It was a long week, but here we are. My new companion is Elder Orduña. It turns out that President was just punking me. He told me I was going to train or get a young latin, and he did neither. Elder Orduña is from Queens, New York. He speaks spanish perfectly and has 15 months on the mission. He loves to teach little kids how to behave themselves and the things they shouldn´t do. It is pretty funny actually to see the way all the moms react to him disciplining their kids. But he is a stud. He used to work at Zales as a jewelry salesman... Yep. And mom, yes he does know what a Hearts on Fire diamond is ha ha. Don´t ask me how I remembered that name, but you raised me well. Since he has been here in Albardón, we have already started to see miracles. On Saturday we went up to teach some investigators that we found a few weeks ago and while we were up in the area we decided to contact a few references. We went to one of the houses that we thought was a reference and started talking to the lady. She was super nice and after a few minutes of talking, she let us in. Inside the house were here 2 daughters and her sister, all of the age to be baptized. We started finding out what they needed in their lives and ended up teaching the message of the Restoration. We watched the video The Restoration and afterwards we put baptismal dates with all 4 of them for the 16 of November and they all accepted. Then after that we went to the family of Franco to start teaching them and met his 19 year old brother and 11 year old sister who also accepted dates for the 16. It was an awesome day for us. We are definitely going to get work done over here. We also say Mayra get confirmed and Franco got the Priesthood on Sunday, so that was just awesome. Missionary work is just way too fun when you have success, but when you don´t, it makes for some long, hard days.
About the interview I had with Elder Aidukaitis. We were just talking about the goals in my life and the things I want to accomplish on the mission. He taught me how I could do a really good plan of action to accomplish all the goals I have and he also taught me the importance of back up plans in case the main plan fails. It is hard to write, because the spirit that was there was what made is so special. But yeah that´s how it went. I was also thinking about the Christmas package. I don´t think I want anything to be honest. I think I might just buy some soccer shoes here at one of the stores and call it good. So if you see a hefty credit just sing a Christmas song or something and wish me a Merry Christmas. How does that sound?
Thanks so much for all the support that everyone has shown to me. I appreciate it so much. I´m sure Cam, Adam, and Ben can all relate. I love you all and hope you have a great week!
Love
Elder Burr

Marc's email 10/19/2010

So it sounds like your crew was really met. that is too bad i would have
finished that job in probably a day cause when production needs to happen i
produce. but hey at least you are working and not sitting. How is the
campaign going? is he going to win or what? this is my letter to both you
and mom just so you know but i hope all is well.  somehow
everybody in this place is sick besides me.. nobody gets it but i wont
complain. The food is terrible yesterday i ate bowls of cereal cause i
couldnt handle the nasty chicken they tried to make me eat. at least the
food in mexico will be better than here. i dont think i need much. just some
life saver mints perhaps some beef jerky and some gummy treats. other than
that i have my 72 hour kit in my room full of cookies and such. my grow a
head is awesome it is in my classroom and has i think three hairs. it will
be a good addition. im sittin right next to kyle right now and he is doing
good. it is hard and he sees that and he is just taking every day as it
comes. that is how you get by in this place. oh yeah will somebody hook me
up with the scores to football games and the top 25 maybe? that would be
cool. Also i know how it feels now to sleep on the street cause that is how
uncomfortable my bed is. but i love it here stilll and every day is better
than the last. I am reading in the BoM and alma and ammon are easily my
boys. if i can be half of the men they were i would have a successful life.
I cant wait to get down to mexico to teach the people the plan of salvation
and cry repentance unto them. No news on the visa but it definitely is not
looking too good. but ill go where i am called. i love this work and the
promises i am given. i know i am a representative of Jesus Christ and oh man
what an honor that is. I love it. I never thought i really would but i love
it. the spanish is good i try to speak it all day every day and that is
working out pretty good. i can usually go all day with saying 20 words in
english but i know when i leave i will just be stunned. well i am going to
go but i hope you all have a good safe week and i love you all. i pray for
you all and wish the best. you are the best parents and family in the world
i couldnt have asked for better. no temas. its my new saying its tight it
means no fear. its how i live. love you all

Matt's email 10/18/2010

So this week was perhaps the hardest, most  confusing, most rewarding week on the mission. I know those are 3 contradictory statements but that pretty much sums it all up. On Tuesday I went down to Mendoza and we had a leadership meeting with Elder Aidukaitis. Everyone was getting pretty worried about it because he likes to drop a lot of cain on the missionaries, but it all went pretty well. He started out by asking us if we wanted to be a mission that stays where it is at or if we want to be a mission that is always moving forward. We chose the obvious answer and he then went on to explain a lot about the process of setting goals. He told us that if we had the necessary amount of faith each missionary will be able to baptize once a week. That was pretty humbling to hear, but I am going to put the promise to the test. He taught us a lot about how to make a plan to be able to reach a goal. Then on Wednesday I had to do an interview over in another area and on Thursday we had the zone leaders over to do interviews for us. On Friday we went down as a zone to Mendoza for the zone conference and it was based a lot about the same stuff we talked about. I have come to realize the importance of goals in my life and it has been a huge blessing. The coolest part of the week happened right after Elder Aidukaitis finished and President asked me to go have an interview with him and Elder Aidukaitis. To sum things up it was me, Elder Aidukaitis, and President Lindahl in a room having a private interview in spanish. It was incredible being in the same room as someone from the first quorum of the Seventy. He is an amazing man and taught me a lot. Then on Friday night we got back to San Juan and I had to do some more interviews for the zone leaders. We ended up sleeping on their floor because we got back super late. One of the interviews was just ridiculous. I don´t even want to write about it it was so bad. This lady was just crazy. But then on Saturday we had a couple baptisms which went really well. Sunday shows up, one of the investigators that got baptized didn´t show up until Sacrament Meeting and then we find out she drank a little alcohol after her baptism. She didn´t end up getting confirmed, although President Lindahl says she should have and things just went down. We are hoping and praying to get her confirmed on Sunday. That´s one of the incredible blessings of the Atonement is that it is infinite and available to everyone. But yeah that is pretty much the week in a nut shell. As a zone we won a competition and will each be receiving a belt with our names on them and an asado provided by president. That should be super legit. It´s been a week of miracles. Thank you all so much for the emails. It is awesome to hear from the real world. Things are going great here. I am loving it. I love you all and hope you have a great week.
Love
Elder Burr

Marc's email 10/12/2010

Hey mom how are you? i hope your week was good and you got everything done that you had to. My week here was really good just still doing the same thing every day. laundry right now is not fun just because the washing machines blow and the dryers dont really dry but oh well. This week i have been studying in mosiah and i love what king benjamin said. It relates to that question you put in your email and we will always be eternally indebted to our Lord. just when we try to pay him back he blesses us more. Im pretty sure that is the scripture but i wrote you and dad a letter that has the scriptures. In the scriptures the way to get back is to have faith, repent, baptism, and receive the holy ghost and endure to the end. that is how you get in that is why we get it. If we have faith that we are always doing what is right the lord will be pleased with our efforts and ours will be the kingdon of God. As long as we strive to be like our brother Jesus Christ we will be worthy in the eyes of God. Serving others like Jesus did is what i am doing now. One thing i know for sure is that i represent my Savior Jesus Christ and His name is always on my heart. I will not do anything to defile his name. I got matts email and it sounds like he is doing really well. I hope he is cause he deserves it. Missionary work is hard and i know how hard we works. He deserves the best for his work. Heather wrote me and it sounds like her family is doing good. Lucy seems to be a genius already i could count the words she actually said to me on one hand though. i will come home and she will realize how cool i am. how is the rest of the family? lilfe here is good i have learned to love my comp and district. They are all really cool and they make this place so much better. my teachers are awesome and just altogether it is amazing. I have been getting random packages from random people but that is cool.  but i dont really realize it id rather just serve the lord for my remaining time and not worry about having a girl to write or anything. best decision i have ever made. But i love you mom thank you for everything. keep praying for me and matt. I know it is tough and I can feel your prayers. I hope you have a good week

Matt's email 10/11/2010

So I have to tell you all that this week was just awesome. It was by far the most tiring week that I have had thus far on the mission, but it was amazing. I think the motivation that I received from conference really helped. I can tell you, after seeing 2 full sessions of conference on the mission, that there is not a greater time in the life of a missionary than the 2 days of conference. I didn´t want them to end, but sadly enough they did. But about this week... On Tuesday we had interviews with President Lindahl. I can´t get over how legit that man is. He connects so well with his missionaries and he honestly is like a dad out here on the mission. The only thing he wants for us is to be happy and work. He is always willing to help with anything and he is just an amazing person. In the interview he asked me if I would rather have a really young latin companion or if I would rather train a brand new gringo. I told him that it would be awesome to train, but that it would be great to improve my spanish. I know he will make the better choice and I wouldn´t be surprised to receive a phone call on sunday telling me that I will be training. Then on Thursday I went out to do some more baptismal interviews and met a lot of investigators in other areas in the district. I love interviews. The Spirit that is felt is just incredible during them and it is an awesome time getting to know someone and such a spiritual level. The only downer of the week is that Vazquez has started counting down the days and is talking about home a lot. I think he is way excited to leave this country and he makes me think of home a lot, but we are still working and finding people so it´s all great. We will find out transfers again this next monday so I am sure I will have some news. We will also be baptizing a few people this Saturday so I am super stoked. As for Viviana and her family... Well we called to set up an appointment to go and teach them again and she told us that she needed us to come pick up the Book of Mormon because her husband wouldn´t let her switch religions... It was hard trying to swallow that one, but we told her to continue reading and praying and when the Lord softens up the heart of her husband to let us know. She seemed pretty upset, but I have trust in the Lord and I know He can do anything. I have seen miracles on the mission and I don´t doubt the power that He has. This week is going to be crazy. Tomorrow in the morning I have to go to Mendoza to a leadership meeting with Elder Aidukaitis, then on Wednesday and Thursday I will be doing divisions and doing interviews again, then on Friday we are going to Mendoza as a zone to have zone meeting, then on Saturday we will be baptizing. It is a pretty packed week, but it will be awesome.
I hope all is going well back home. I have been trying to imagine what you are all doing without Marc and I and I just can´t do it. I hope you all have a great week. Keep the prayers coming. Thanks for all the support and love. Thanks for the packages mom. I´m sure they will be here soon. At least I hope so. I love you all. The Gospel is true. The church is perfect. The Prophet really does talk with God. Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. I love Him. The Book of Mormon is the most true book that we have. It can change lives faster than anything else. God loves us. I love you all
Love
Elder Burr

A photo of Matt

Matt is on the right end of the second row.

Marc's email 10/04/2010

Mom

Matt still hasnt written me neither has anybody from our family so they suck. tell adam thanks for the ipod and i really appreciate it. how is taelyn? But about conference I loved is from this perspective. I could relate almost every talk on how i could be better and i enjoyed that. i think overall i have changed alot and my testimony is very strong. I love the new testament and am almost done with luke. reading through those reminds me of israel and i loved israel. i loved all of the places and i love knowing what the places look like that i am reading about. yeah that parking ticket i told you about so its not all my fault but im sure you liked the surprise. just make sure when you pick out my picture you pick one that doesnt make me look like a homo. might be hard to find but im sure there are some. and to answer your question yes i email on tuesday. Tell the family to write me either dear elders or email me cause i want to hear how they are doing. I love you mom and realized how great you really are while ive been here. i know you have only wanted the best for me and im sorry for how i was before i left. you are the best lady in the world and i wouldnt trade you for anything. I hope you have a great week. I love it here by the way i will write a letter next week cause i am out of time. love you mom

Matt is made a District Leader

Dear Brother and Sister Burr,

 

            It is a pleasure to be working with Elder Burr.  He has recently been called to serve as a district leader and is growing and maturing as a man and as a servant of the Lord.  Thank you for the support and encouragement you give to him.

           

            Your son’s mission brings many blessings to him, the people he teaches, and the other missionaries around him.  I’m sure that you have also felt the blessings that the Lord gives to a missionary’s family.  A district leader is assigned to a group of elders, normally two or three companionships.  Once a week he presides in a meeting with his district.  He will prepare talks and classes that will help the missionaries in his district improve their teaching techniques and knowledge of the scriptures as well as the missionary lessons. He is responsible to stay aware of his district’s health and spiritual progress.  He also does proselyting work with each of them.

           

            As district leader, Elder Burr will give baptismal interviews.  What a wonderful opportunity and blessing it is for him to sit and discuss with baptismal candidates their progress and the covenants that they will make.  He determines whether or not the candidates have fully repented and if they are prepared to be baptized.  We know your family will be blessed and see the growth in Elder Burr as he shares with you the experiences and challenges that he has as a missionary and a representative of Jesus Christ.  I pray that the Lord will bless you and your son continually in your efforts to build the kingdom of God on earth.

                                                                                                           

                                                                                                With love,

 

                                                                                                James B. Lindahl

 

                                                                                                President James B. Lindahl

Matt's email 10/04/2010

This past week has been absolutely awesome. On Tuesday I went down to Mendoza with the zone leaders and the other district leader to a leadership training meeting deal. It started on tuesday and lasted until Wednesday night. It was awesome. President and the assistants talked a lot about getting our districts and zones excited about the work. He told us that as a mission we are going to have baptized over a thousand people this year. That is the goal at least and we are going to kill it. It was also great because we got to eat some Hermana Lindahl brownies and way legit food. On Tuesday afternoon we were all assigned to go to particular areas around Mendoza and work the rest of the day. I was put with an Elder that just transferred into my old zone. We were all challenged to put as many baptismal commitments as we could and were told the winner was going to get a tie. The elder I was with and I committed 5 people to baptism in one afternoon and ended up winning the tie. It was an incredible day. Then just to top of the week yesterday we were walking to the stake center to watch conference and we were approached by some random guy on the street. He literally ran up from behind us and chased us down and he told us that he had a question about the bible that was really bothering him. Since we were way close to the church I told him we were going to run in, drop our stuff off, grab a Bible and that we would be right out. It turns out that nobody in the church had a Bible in spanish so armed with my English Bible, Elder Vazquez and I went out to try and help this guy. He had been reading in 2 Timothy 1 and had a ton of questions. After me trying to explain to him what the verses were saying I basically just bore testimony to him and told him that each of us are blessed with knowledge of certain things. These certain things make up a testimony that each of us possess and if we put our testimony and our trust in God, He will help us through all our trials. He went on to explain to us the problems of his life and we told him that he was about 30 minutes away from hearing from the prophet of the world. He came in, watched all the Mo Tab concert and the entire first session. It was awesome bringing in a random guy from the street to hear the prophet. It was one of my mission goals that was fulfilled. Last cool story of the week. On Friday I was doing divisions with an Elder from another area. We had an appointment that fell through and so we just started walking and knocking doors until the next appointment we had. The whole time we were telling each other that if we walked to the end of the street and knocked every door some sort of miracle was going to happen. They are always in the Ensign right? Anyway after entering a few houses and walking a ton we arrived at the last house of the street. Pretty common story so far... But this man was too far from common. We started to talking about the concept of eternal families and God and all that good stuff then he assured us that he had a spot reserved for him in Heaven. After seeing a pack of cigarettes on the table I asked him if he had been taking care of the blessings God had given him. He asked if it was becasue of the box of cigarettes that I had seen that caused me to ask the question. I told him that it was and he replied, "you have no idea." He then told us his entire life story. When he was 9 he started smoking weed. By the age of 13 he was doing and selling cocaine. He bought his first brand new truck when he was 14. He continued this lifestyle until he was 24 and decided after killing 17 people that he was tired of that kind of life. He also taught me a great lesson: God can forgive man, Man can forgive man, but it is nearly impossible for man to forgive himself. It was awesome. I can´t say that we put a baptismal date with this guy, sadly, but we are going to continue teaching him and hopefully things will work out.
To answer the conference question... Yes we had the opportunity to watch all the sessions in English. It was great. I absolutely loved every talk. The themes were all pretty common: Follow the teachings of the prophet, repent and live a life full of faith and the Spirit, and make wise, careful decisions. Man it was just awesome. I hope everything goes well at home. It sounds like Dave Salo is going to have a lot of fun with his new toy. I love you all and wish you all a great week!
Love
Elder Burr

Marc's first email home 10/02/2010

Hi mom,
Life here is ok it is not a party but my district and companion are the best i could have hoped for. Ill write a letter next week in detail cause i have no time for email but yeah life here is alright. It is not what i expected but it could be a lot worse.  I told dad alot of what to tell kyle but he just has to stay positive and has to realize that he is doing the lords work and is not here for himself. If he comes for himself he will probably start punching himself in the face asking why he is here. thats what i want to do when i lose sight of why i am here. My roommates are tight. every night we are in bed by 1029 and they dont mess around so that is good for me. I can honestly say we havent disobeyed one rule yet and i hope to keep it that way. I love this work and know that the Savior is the redeemer of the world. I know Jesus Christ atoned for everyone of us and i am always thinking about israel and how awesome that really was. We are all children of God and that is how i have started seeing everyone and i can already see a change in my life and i love it. I love this work and cant wait to get out. Mom you are the best and i love you so much thank you for everything. For right now i think i am good on stuff that i need. just i know your brain thinks of good things to send so i will be happy with anything. Thanks for everything mom i love you i am out of time. 

Matt's email 9/27/2010

This week was awesome. We had the opportunity to find and teach a lot of people that are ready to receive the Gospel. It was amazing to knock a door and find someone that had just been praying for someone to help her out. That was something that I always wanted to experience on the mission, and I finally did. It was also nice to get into a house, talk a little bit about the purpose of baptism, and have someone commit within the first 10 minutes. She was incredible. She basically told us she wanted to be forgiven of her entire past and we told her we knew the perfect solution. She pretty much set her own date and told us she was going to talk to her husband and daughter about it too. Her name is Viviana and the husband is Jose Luis. They are incredible.
I´m sorry to say that besides that, not much has happened this week. The weather has been getting super hot and I have to put sun screen on my beak every day to keep from getting skin cancer. It is pretty stunning falling asleep sweating and waking up sweating, but I love it.
I hope you all have a great week and you know that I love you!
Love
Elder Burr

Marc's Farewell Party

Last Saturday night, we enjoyed a night of family, friends and delicious food provided by Cam.  It was a wonderful way to show Marc how much we love him!

Matt's email 9/20/2010

So here I am in yet another new area with a new companion. It is crazy to think that a new transfer is starting. My companion is a super cool guy. His name is Elder Vazquez and he actually went to Provo High and knows Meg and Madisson. Pretty small world huh? But yeah this is his last transfer which means that for sure I will be staying at least two up here. What a relief. The area of Albardon is absolutely massive. I don´t think it is possible to walk from one end to the other in a day. It has also been really successful in the past so we will see what the Lord has in store. It is super hot up here already. I think it is pushing 85 every day and we are still in the winter. Pretty stunning going from 50 to 85 in one day but it is what it is. I don´t think Argentina really has transfer seasons like spring and fall: It is just really hot or cold... No inbetween. I love it up here though. The house we live in is just a straight up crib. It is way too legit. Also the mosquitoes up here are a joke. I think I wake up scratching like 5 new bites a day.
It sounds like Marcus and Kyle just tore it up with their farewell talks. I´m not surprised. Marcus is just massive. His arms... ridiculous. That is so crazy that he is leaving on Wednesday. I hope all goes well around the house. Don´t miss us too much alright?? It´s a pretty sad story that I wont be able to see them for the next 2 years but I can fight through. Oh and another quick story. On Thursday I had to conduct the first baptismal interviews of my life. They were sweet. The Spirit was felt really strongly. I had to interview 3 kids and a mom. I was really nervous to be honest, but all went well. It was a really good learning experience. Other than that not much has happened. Just living the dream here. Loving every minute of it. I hope you all have a great week. Keep praying for the people here in Argentina. I love you all.
Love
Elder Burr

Matt's email 9/13/2010

Well it is good to be writing all you all again. This week was super good here in Rivadavia. Elder Williams and I have just been preppin up the baptism pool getting some people ready to make one of the biggest steps of their lives. It is way sweet seeing the way people change once they come in contact with the Gospel. We are teaching a kid named Ariel and he is just a stud. He is 16 and jacks people up on the soccer field. Anyways we have gone past his house like every day this past week and his mom and grandma are always thanking us for teaching him and bringing him into the church. They tell us that they can´t believe the change that he has made and they have no problems with him getting baptized. It was nice to have someone that is super solid and actually has a future ahead of them. He seems pretty content with it all and loves learning so it´s all good. Other than him we have a few more that are pretty legit but their stories aren´t very cool. Also this week we had a meeting with President Lindahl and he said he had a trip planned for me and that he was kicking me to the curb. BUT... the sad news is that I will not be staying in Rivadavia anymore. We seemed to get a call from President last night informing Elder Williams that he will be training a new missionary and that I will be leaving. I have no idea what is going on but this will be my fourth transfer, fourth area, and fifth companion... Pretty stunning. President told me I will be headed to Agardón, San Juan. I don´t really know how to spell the name but yeah. It is the most northern area in the entire mission and he also informed me that I was going to be district leader. I was pretty shocked to find out that I was going to be district leader at so short a time, but it is what it is. San Juan is going to be ridiculously hot. I have heard that 120 is about the average up there. All the people here say the summers there are brutal, so I guess we will see.  But yeah that is the news for the week. Some new guy is walking into a ton of baptisms, and I am leaving them all. It is pretty disappointing, but when presidend receives revelation, he doesn´t let anything get in his way. I will be with Elder Vazquez, who I don´t know anything about, and we will just tear it up. I love you all. Congrats to Cam and Ashley. That is awesome. I wish them the best of luck in the next few years to come. Have a great week!

Love

Elder Burr

Matt's email 9/7/2010

You people back there have no idea how happy I am to look outside and see the sun shining, hear the birds chirping, and see the trees finally blossoming. It has seriously been the longest 9 month summer of my entire life, but it looks like things are finally staring to turn around. It is about time. It sounds like things have been pretty busy around the house, which would be a good thing I supose. It´s crazy to think that pretty soon that basement will be empty and mom and dad will just be staring at each other for 12 hours a day figuring out what they are going to do. Don´t let them get too bored ok Heather? Cam and Ashley are having their baby this week?? It seems like just yesterday they announced that Ashley was pregnant. Man I wish them the best of luck and I hope and pray that everything goes without a problem. The family is growing like a weed without me. I somehow have a niece and a nephew that I don´t know and pretty soon Olivia is going to have another one. (Prophecy from Matt Burr). Man the way things change. This week was pretty good down here in the ARG. Rivadavia is just too legit. The young men in the branch are the biggest studs. Every Sunday they bring one of their friends and they always are willing to leave with us when we ask them. They are super cool kids and help us out a ton. We put a date with one of their buddies named Ariel for the 18 of September. We are pretty confident he will make it, we just have to talk to his parents about it. I´m sorry I don´t write a lot about the investigators that we have. A lot of them are just kind of the mediocre people that are interested in the Gospel and progressing, but have some obstacles to overcome. I try to keep you informed on the people that really stick out and have a cool story, but that hasn´t happened for quite a while.
About the whole culture thing of these people... They are just crazy. They have this mixed up theory that the United States is full of thieves that want all the fresh water from Argentina and that we are spies here trying to find out how they live. We have also heard that we sold them bombs that were all duds and that is why they lost the Falkland Islands to England. Also, perhaps the most ridiculous, thing that we have heard is that they developed the most sophisticated fighter jet in the 80´s... You never would have thunk it right? These people life in houses with bamboo roofs and invented the most sophisticated fighter jet?? Yeah right. It´s way funny hearing how sweet they think their country is. They think it is just the bee´s knees down here. That´s about all I got for the new news. The time is flying down here. It´s crazy to think about the day I entered the MTC. Feels like Yesterday. I love you all. Do work.
Love
Elder Burr

Matt's email 8/31/2010

Sorry I never got the opportunity to write home yesterday, we had quite the day and didn´t plan for time at the internet, but the good thing about Argentina is that from 2 to 5 everyone sleeps, which makes for good make up time. Last week was pretty frustrating though. We had 2 people ready for the water. We had already taught every lesson, cleared up any doubts, and scheduled their baptismal interviews until it all fell apart. The first kid, a 13 year old boy named Gustavo, was first up on the baptismal schedule. We had been walking out to his house 2 to 3 times a week and teaching the kid since the beginning of the transfer. We always knew that it was going to be hard to get him to the font, but we set a date and followed with it. Anyways to make a long story short the zone leader showed up to his house to do the interview and Gustavo refused to pray in front of him. We all know that prayer is essential to salvation and is perhaps one of the most simple acts of faith that we can perform, but he just wouldn´t do it. The zone leader, Elder Ashby, basically told him if he didn´t pray, he wasn´t going to have the interview. So yeah baptismal candidate #1 fell. The other investigator, a 17 year old girl named Euginia has quite a different story. She comes from a part active family and has been hearing the missionaries since her siblings got baptized a few months ago. She never really paid attention but little by little we got her committed. She passed the interview with ease and seemed way stoked about her baptism, but when we went out to pick her up sunday morning her parents told me that she was sick and they were headed to the hospital to do some tests. I asked if she couldn´t come for just 2 hours and they rejected that idea pretty quick. After church we went back to the house to see if she needed a blessing, only to find her outside with her boyfriend just doing whatever it is the people down here do. It was super disappointing, but she says she will get baptized the 18 of September. We will see how that turns out. Anyway that´s how it goes when Satan gets the best of the people. Aside from those 2 disappointments we had a sweet outcome at church. Three people that we have never met showed up and loved church so we are visiting them this week. That´s about all that happened investigator wise this week. We still have our solid pool of people close to baptism, we just have to help them get there. It´s all part of the fight, what can I say?
Anyways on a better note, yesterday was just one of the most legit days on the mission. Elder Williams and I headed up to Mendoza to have a talk with president. He called us this week and said he wanted us to come up. It was awesome. We just sat outside the offices and talked about how to make it big in this life, and how much of a competition this life should be. We should be competing for everything that we have. President is too cool. It is awesome the way he knows each of the missionaries in his mission and schedules time out of his schedule to talk to them about the future. It was way awesome. After finding out how to become legit Elder Williams and I went to a bodega in the city of Maipu. This bodega was too sick. I know I wrote this in the last email, but we stick out so bad in this place. The two tallest people within a 50 mile radius, dressed in a shirt and tie, with a plaque, and me carrying a huge package that I just got from the offices. Just the most touristy looking tourists to ever step foot in the place going on a tour of the wine factory. It was really cool to learn how the wine was made though and learning more about the Mendoza wine industry. That is about the only thing this place is famous for. The most ridiculous part happened at the end when everyone started their free wine tasting experience. Elder Williams and I were just posted up taking pictures of the winery and everyone on the tour came up and started asking to take pictures with us. I felt like Mikey the Mouse at Disneyland. It was just ridiculous, but don´t worry we didn´t sample any of the free wine but we did feel pretty cool swirling it in the glass and smelling it like the fine wine coneisseurs that we are. However that word is spelled. But yeah it was really fun and people started asking us why we don´t drink wine and all that so it turned into a good experience. We got some good pictures with the people and everyone was happy and that´s what it is all about. I am finally starting to love the people here which is a blessing. It has been a process adjusting, but I feel like I am getting it. Sorry my letters aren´t very cool but it is what it is. I love the mission. It is the best experience I have ever had. The most reassuring thing is knowing that the Lord is always on my side when I do what he asks. I love you all. Have a great week. Thanks for the garments. That made my day. Keep the faith. Pray always. Do work.
Love
Elder Burr

Matt's email 8/23/2010

It is hard to believe that yet another week has gone by in the mission world. It is starting to get ridiculous, but it is what it is. This week here in the ARG was pretty nice. We have just been teaching up a storm and winning big in the eyes of the Catholics. Last night we were in the plaza talking with the people going to mass and opened the mouth with an old grandpa dressed like a million bucks. He invited us to come to mass with him and we were reminded of all the other invitations and deals we had madewith all the other catholics. Anyways we are men of our word and decided to go see what everyone sees in the Catholic church. So this is how it all goes down... Two gringo mormon missionaries walk into a huge catholic church. Everyone is kneeling and praying, inbetween us is a 90 year old grandpa that everyone know. We walk up to the fifth row and take a seat right in the dead center. The priest comes out of his hiding place and before saying anything else welcomes the 2 representatives from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and encourages everyone to applaude. Thirty five seconds pass and Elder Williams and I are just too stunned. The meeting continues. Forty five minutes later they have a little God bless you deal and again the priest comes down to welcome us and give us the side kiss cheek deal. Then the meeting ends, everyone is outside the church, the Mormon Missionaries walk out, the priest stops his convo with whoever he was talking to, thanks us for coming and then we invite him to our church. He declined the offer but it was still legit. Then like 6 people come up to us and tell us that they want to come to our church and were asking us all sorts of questions about the church. It was a really cool experience and by the way... The Catholic Church... Not True, super weird, and full of hipocrites. Yeah that is how it went down. Also this week we had zone conference in Mendoza. President Lindahl is just one mark above the legit bar. He is one of the most awesome guys I have ever met. He opens my eyes every time. That´s about all I got. The church is true. I love you guys. Keep keepin it real.

Love

Elder Burr