Backwoods

This week we got to do some service for someone the Sisters contacted
after they referred themselves online. We had to drive almost an hour
to get there. It was a little mobile home out in the backwoods--no
neighbors for miles, in the middle of thick forest, and it was
trashed! I thought for sure it was abandoned when I first saw it, but
the sisters assured me it was the right place. An ancient woman lived
inside with her son who looked just as old. They spoke with a really
weird accent, but they said they said they are born and raised New
Yorkers, so maybe it's just a backwoods people dialect. With the
setting, the characters, and the strong stench of urine in the air, I
felt like we were surely about to be murdered, cut into pieces, and
buried in various locations around the county. We survived the
experience, but even though the strange backwoods people didn't get
us, the cancer surely will several years from now. We tore up their
destroyed linoleum flooring and the air was quickly filled with dust
and mold. We were coughing and sneezing as we tried in vain to clean
up the bare floor and lay down the new carpet. My snot was black! So
that's the story of how allergy season officially began for Elder
Burton and possibly the story of how I got cancer. Time will tell.
(Just kidding, I'm sure I'm fine!) It was rather unpleasant, but at
the same time it makes for a half-decent story and a funny memory.

We've had a great week. We have officially started teaching a less
active member named M*. He seems like a really cool guy. He just
seems to never have quite had a solid foundation in the gospel. We
invited him to take the missionary lessons over again and he was
pretty excited to do so. We'll be seeing him again tonight. K* is
starting to grow lazy on us. We're going to have to have a good, bold
lesson with him soon to see if we can get him moving again.

I got to have dinner with a lovely couple in our branch named the
Coopers. It was one of the most pleasant dinner appointments I've had
in a while. I feel like Brother Cooper is someone I could talk to for
hours on end! Their kids are all grown up and unfortunately most of
them are not in the church because the whole family was completely
inactive for twenty years or so. Now they are some of the strongest
members we have. Brother Cooper is in the Branch Presidency. I'm just
adding to the list of people I want to keep in contact with after my
mission. The list is getting really long though... Maybe I'll just
stay in New York instead of coming back to Utah. (Just kidding, Mom.
See you in July.)

We also got to give a blessing to C*, the man I mentioned last
week. He's been having some health troubles, but he's still so eager
to learn about the gospel. He was very grateful for the blessing and
kept thanking us. He told us to keep coming over even if he's not
feeling well. We have baptismal date set with him for next month, but
if his health doesn't improve, I don't think we'll be able to get him
to church.

That's all for this week. Thanks for the love and support! (Also,
shout out and congratulations to Sarah Boucher for the upcoming
wedding!)

-Elder Samuel Burton

Photos:
creepy backwoods house
Our chapel
Elder Hansen & me near our chapel