Water and work. Cherish both.

Hello to you all.

I hope this finds you well. I hope you've enjoyed your week as I have. I've been working and working and working! I've been having a wonderful time in Lenyenye. We have been doing a lot of service! There's many people here that struggle with water shortage, so we've been getting them water. Yesterday even I was getting water in my suit... It's been quite the adventure!

So a few short stories for you.

First one, miracles do happen. We've been teaching an investigator named Thalita. She's been taught for a while now but her mom has been against her getting baptized. She has said she can get baptized when she's 18. Well Elder Bagoole and I wanted to try again. We told Thalita this but she wanted us to ask because she's been turned down so many times before. So we finished a lesson with her and she goes to get her mom. But then she comes back alone with a face of bewilderment. at first I thought her mom had said no again but then she tells us, "My mom says I can get baptized." Just like that!! It was amazing to see the Lord's hand open this gateway for her!

Second, We almost got stuck. We were out in one of the villages and it started to rain and hail (side note: the hail was the size of golf balls!). So on our way out of the village it was very muddy. And as we are going we get stopped by some people, telling us that if we continue the mud is very thick and we'll get stuck. Well as we try to get going again, we find we're stuck where they stopped us. Not sure what to do, I get out and look at where we are. Our left side tires are half covered by mud. I then get a feeling, "Get in the vehicle and reverse". Looking at what's behind the tires I'm discouraged because if we backed up both rear tires would be stuck. But I did it anyways. As I begin to reverse, amazingly the mud on the sides of the tires get sucked under, shifting the truck to the side and giving us a clear exit.

Lastly, I'll be performing my first baptism on Mother's Day. As I said before, we have two 11 year old boys being baptized. The one will be baptized by his father but the other one asked me to baptize him. I've only just met him and he asked me to baptize him! Interesting enough though, I wasn't surprised, I felt he would ask me. None the less I'm excited and honored that he asked me to baptize him.

Well I hope you all know that I appreciate you so much and I wish you all the best.

- Elder Burgess