"But if ye shall bring many souls unto me"

Hello all! 

I hope you have all been fantabulous! This week was pretty amazing. 

Tuesday- Zone Conferences!! 

I was told that I managed to slip out of all the pictures Sister McReynolds took. I don't know how, since I definitely posed for some. But if that is the case, I do apologise. (Note from Mom: He misread my letter - he was in some pictures, just not very many) This conference was really fun in that I was able to play the piano! I love it so much! I was also asked to accompany Sister Buck and Sister Bulkley as they sang "I Need the Every Hour". Despite them being in my district we weren't able to practice until lunch DURING zone Conference!! But as it always seems to happen, it pulled together in the end. I also was able to play our mission song "Jerusalem". It is quite a challenging song to play (especially after several hours of zone Conference), but very enjoyable! If you haven't heard it before, it's pretty good 

Wednesday- Miracle Find

Well, this day was hard. We spent most of our day talking to people on the streets and knocking doors, with no immediate success. On one Street we knocked, they either didn't answer despite being in or immediately slammed the door. By the end of the street my spirits were low, as the saying goes. I sat on a short stone fence and offered a silent prayer that someone would talk with us. The very next door a man opened, and very cheerfully said, "Good afternoon gentlemen! How are you today?" He intimated that he had his own beliefs, but he thanked us for what we do and wished God's blessing upon us. It was a pleasing conversation that buoyed me up. At the end of the street, we went on our way home. 

While walking our way back, we passed a woman and greeted her. From that greeting she stopped and turned. Elder Mbuli, sensing the same draw I felt, asked if he could share a card with her. She agreed, we shared some pleasantries, and then she went to walk away. I suddenly felt impressed to say something much passed my comfort zone. Calling her by name I asked "do you want to learn about Jesus Christ?" She, being about as stunned as I was, took a few seconds to ponder and replied, "Yes, actually, I would. I've never known much about church, but I would love to learn more." She was definitely an answer to much earnest pray, and the blessing, as we learned in general conference, came from our small act of faith. 

Saturday/Sunday: a double baptism! 

Yes, a mother-son duo both got baptised on the same day! The little girl would have, but is waiting for next year when she will be old enough  I'll be completely honest, I played little part in their preparation, and rather walked into this baptism, but that of which I was able to do was amazing! It was wonderful to see their baptism and even act as voice during the mother's confirmation.

In Zone Conference, the focus was on the Book of Mormon. As I've been studying from that wonderful book, I've really been able to see the blessings of likening those stories to our own stories. That practice has helped me to receive more personal revelation from my reading, and I know it can help us all! 

I hope you all have an amazing week! 

Elder Burns