I'm in LA! The second I got off the plane there have been opportunities for missionary work. When I was in LAX one of the workers there came up to me and asked about the church! It was super cool! My first week has been awesome! There are tons of people in LA and holy cow I need to learn some Spanish! Almost everyone here speaks spanish.
My companions name is Elder Burns and he has been out for about a year. He's from New Jersey and he's served in Compton for most of his mission so he has lots of fun stories to tell. My area is just west of downtown LA. Its the biggest area in the mission so there are plenty of people to talk to.
My area is way cool it ranges from pretty nice clean areas to some pretty sketchy ones. It's tons of fun to drive around and see all the different places.
My first week has been a lot of fun. Me and Elder Burns are both new to the area so we are both trying to get to know the area and all the people. So far it's been a lot of getting to know recent converts and all the other members. I love getting to know people and hearing their stories. That's been very entertaining for sure. The people in the ward are super nice! Last week we had dinner at members homes 4 times and every time they've fed us hamburgers. It's been awesome! We'll see how long the streak continues. When me and Elder Burns have cooked it's been pretty interesting. There's tons of frozen seafood in our freezer that we have no idea how to cook so we've just been throwing everything on the stove and hoping for the best! So far we've had some scallops that turned out pretty good. We'll see how everything else goes.
The last Sunday in the MTC I watched a devotional that Elder Holland gave and it was the best! In it he shared this part of the first vision from JST:
15 After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction.
He said that one of the biggest things that Satan can do to prevent the work from progressing is binding our tongues to keep us from sharing the gospel. He challenged us to do the exact opposite of that and open our mouths and share the gospel. I know that as we open our mouths and share the gospel we can bring so much happiness and joy to others!
Have a great week!
-Elder Burgon
Pix:
President & Sister Haynie
Me & my comp E. Burns
A guy from Emily's mission that I ran into at the airport
Saying goodbye to the best MTC district
Saying hello to the BEST mission in the world!!!!
