Week # 65

1-27-14

         I’m partially still pretty bummed to be here because I feel like I am the new kid in the zone when I actually have 15 months in the mission. hahaha but I know that is just my pride, so I am getting over it. I am trying sooooooooo hard now to stay happy. I feel way better when I am teaching someone or studying. I’m going to try to let the president let me go to the gym so that I can get out some of the extra stress I have. I feel like it would be good for me plus I would not get home so freaking ugly. I feel bad for my comp because he is passing for some pretty serious depression. He said he doesn’t know why he is depressed but that he is just super sad. So I’m trying to help him but it’s hard when I’m a little bummed myself.  He is helping me be happier because with him I have to be. I am not having that much success here; at least not this week. But I know I am working hard and I will be blessed. I have been so blessed in my life up until now. 

    It’s really funny sometimes when I am asked to find homes for the missionaries. For example, right now because they are going to divide the area I am in into two so we have to find a house for the other ones and I have to find them then go in and see how they are and I cant help but think how it will be when I am looking for a house for myself one day!

This is what we did on P-day! 

1-22-14

This is Emily writing.  This week was an interesting one for Christian.  He has been moved to a new mission due to circumstances out of his control.  He is now serving in the Ecuador Quito North Mission.  I have seen Christian go through a lot of different trials, and I know this is just another one on the road of making him a stronger man.  He can handle it if anyone can, but I am sure it is going to be a hard adjustment.  Perú had become a sort of home to him, and he was ripped out of it pretty quickly, without much time to expect it or say goodbye.  I am sure your prayers will help him adjust.  He will get right back on track (:  Plus, he is the only missionary I know that has served in 3 missions now, so that is a pretty cool story to tell! And we all know how much Christian likes to tell stories that make himself sound cool (:!
I saw a quote this week and I couldn't help but think of Christian and everything he is going through.  It said

“A ship in the harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are for.”

  

I know Christian loved his work and the people that he was with in Perú, and I know that he was an amazing leader there.  In a way Perú might have become a type of harbor for him.  Maybe his work there was done, because he is so amazing he is the type of leader and man that will be able to effect things to a large extent wherever he goes.  Ecuador needs him now.  His mission President, Christian, and everyone who loves him cannot do anything except wonder why.  I think it is important to pray and try to feel at ease, because everything is on God's time and God's reasoning.  There is obviously a purpose greater than we know.  

Side note: I thought this quote was kind of funny too haha. And I like it.  

“Serve every day of your mission in such a way that when you get out of bed every morning, Satan says, ‘Oh no…HE’S AWAKE!’”

       Yeah, wow it was a really long week!!! hahahah but I'm here now so I guess I just have to do my best!!!! I am in Quito in the aria Carapugo! hahahha It is straight city wich makes me hate it with my whole heart but i know it is where I should be! hahaha but it sucks sooo bad!!!!! I no joke emily feel like God has humbled me more then any other missionary in the world!! He just wants to let me know that I am nothing without him! I guess that is probably good too that I am getting more humble! 
        Emily it sucked sooooooooooo freaking bad my last day in peru when I went into the office of the President to take my card off of the board. (There is a board that the president has to see where the missionaries are and to do the changes.) and he had already done all of the changes and I was looking for my card but I didn't see it where it should have been. He had moved it to the spot where the assistant to the pres goes. Which means that if i would have stayed in my mission I would have been called to be the new assistant. Which made me really sad!!!!! 
        My comp is elder garcia from Guatemala. My ward here is huge!! I felt like I was in the states again on Sunday! It is just like a normal city here!!!!!! KILL ME!!!!!!! hahaha jk I don't want to die but it does suck!.......... but I do feel better now that I got to write home!!!!!!! 
       My whole zone came to let me off in the airport and they alllllll told me that I was the best leader they had ever had!!!! They all cried just as much a i did!!! hahahah I will send you the picture!!!!! 
      Love, Christian 

This is my zone when they went to say Bye to me at the airport! Dang I miss them! 

This is my last companion in Perú, Elder Peacock, and the sisters from our zone.

 This is my new companion, Elder Garcia from Guatamala.

Week #63

January 13, 2014 

Well my week was good!!!!!! I am having a blast with Elder Peacock! hahahaha Him and I get along great!!!! And we are going to baptise a bunch of people next month!!! We teach really well together! It's really cool, but it's hard to be here as two white guys because people just straightup come up to us all the time asking for money! 

We had one guy yesterday say that he wanted to get baptised but only if we will take him to the United States. So that does suck a little, but we found another guy who speakes perfect English and he is super pumped about getting baptised and his son too!! Other than that we are going to baptise one more guy from the Tipto family.  Their 27 year old son who is super cool, but is super stubborn.  Well he was, but now he wants to get baptised so it's all good.   Then there is another lady who has been going to church for like two yaers but couldn't get married because her husband was in jail.  Now he is out though, so she can finally get married.

We taught like a thousand lessons this week.  It's sooo nice to be with someone else that likes to work hard!!!!!  Oh also it was way cool because this week there were 5 young men that I had baptised that got the preisthood and all got callings to be the priest quorum president and the teachers quorum president and the deacons quorum president etc.!! I literally like baptised the whole young mens program!!!!! It was wayyyyyyyyyyyyy cool to see!!!!!

Yeah, that's pretty much my whole week!!! 

Elder Christian Burleson 

Week #62 It's Finally 2014!!!

January-6-14 It's Finally 2014!

I was thinking about my goals for this year..... and the truth is that all of my goals for this year are things from the mission and like moral things. 

     1. I want to find the best way to have a zone that stays constant with the number of baptisms it has. I'm      going to discover what a zone need to do to be able to get a ton ever month. 

2. Do excerises everyday and gain weight with muscle. 

3.Stop all of my bad habits like drinking a lot of soda and eating a lot of sugar. I figure the best place to learn to drop that stuff is here in the mission. 

4. Do everthing I can to be a better person, husband and father later! I mean I know I can't make money right now and I can't like go studdy but I can perfect myself. That is my biggest goal. Just to be the best I can be!

 hmmmmmm what other goals should i put!?

Oh yeah and now I'm with Elder Peacock and he is the best!!! We get along really well!!!!! hahahaha He is super funny and since we have the same time in the mission we know like the same stuff! It's really cool! Him and I teach some sweet lessons together! hahahah It's really funny because the assistant to the President is getting changed the next change in the next transfer and everyone in the whole mission says that it will be me or Peacock... hahahahaha and we have been talking the other one up hard core to the President soo that we don't get put, but that the other one gets put!! hahaha So we are like fighting to not be the assistant!! ahahahahaha He is really cool though! I was soooo glad to get a new companion! (:  So this month my zone is going to suck!! We are not even going to baptise half of what we did last month!!!!! So that's going to suck but I guess there are always ups and downs! We are still going to do our best to share the Lord's message and plan! 

This week there was a zone conference in Iquitos for all of the Zone Leaders and some of the sister missionaries!