Burkley McKay Hansen

President Bell spoke about Christ, and how the disciples must have felt that Friday as the enemies took him away to crucify Him.  Never in their life had they felt so helpless, in so much pain and anguish, so lost.  This to me was my Saturday.  April 4, 2015.

About five years ago, Randy called me up on the phone and told me that a family was getting ready to move to Bartlesville.  His brother Ricky had called him to let him know because Rick had worked with Clint Hansen in Arizona and then again in Houston.  Clint had remembered that Ricky was from Bartlesville so he called him up to ask about this little town they were being transferred to from Eagle Mountain, UT.  Randy got in touch with Clint and let him know a little about what areas they should look in for houses.  I remember Clint sent us a link to their current house in Eagle Mountain so we would have an idea of their style and maybe what they were looking for.  We were living in first ward at the time so of course we were hoping they’d move into our ward but we knew the ward that they should be in was 3rd ward.  We had just recently split into 3 wards and the 3rd ward was where most of our friends had ended up.  I remember Randy telling me that while they were down house hunting that they were going to stop by and see us.  I’m not usually good at unexpected guests so Randy knows to give me at least an hours notice so I can make sure my house was clean and in order.  I just have this anxiety about myself and can’t seem to be calm and focused on guests unless my house is clean.  I remember having Clint and Tami come into our home and having such an easy conversation.  

They had 2 sets of twins, Nate and Mikah, Ethan and Laynie and then one son in the middle, Burk.  The kids got along well from the beginning and the younger played outside with ours as if they’d known each other forever.  They did tell us that the house they found was in the 3rd ward and we told them that was a good choice.  Once they had gotten settled in, we invited them over to Russ Vaclaw's pool with us.  The Vaclaw's were out of town and had told us we could use their pool.  And the friendship went on from there.  Randy and I had outgrown our house on Limestone and it was time to move on.  We wanted to build, and we were looking for a place we thought we would like.  We knew we wanted third ward and there was a lot of land with houses being built in a place called Covington.  There were a lot of members out there and it had a community pool, but we felt strongly about building in the last lot available in Grand Prairie, just three doors down from the Hansen's.  Besides the Hansens, there was only one older couple in that neighborhood that were members of the church, and they were actually three doors down the other direction from the Hansen's.  We knew it was for us.  With Clint and Tami, and even their kids, we felt we could always be ourselves.  

They wouldn’t judge us if Randy was out mowing on Sunday, or playing football or basketball.  We could be ourselves.  I admit at first I was a little nervous about the craziness that might come with a lot of kids around.  My house is truly my haven and I didn’t want it to become a free for all.  I tried to set up rules for my kids to follow not only at my house but also for when they went down to the Hansen's.  I wanted to make sure they weren’t overwhelmed with us being so close!  But all those fears quickly went away.  Once again, they calmed my anxieties and I realized that they were laid back and things that bothered so many others just weren’t a big deal to them, and this attitude rubbed off on me.  We did have their kids down at our house constantly.  And our kids were up at their house constantly, but for some reason it didn’t bother me.  This was the case especially with Burk.  As I mentioned, Burk was the middle child and the only non-twin.  That’s how he was often referred as, the non-twin.  He was born the same year as Avery but because it was the end of the year, he was in the grade below her which meant he fell right in between Avery and Austin.  I was so excited that Austin would have a friend living so close to us because of course he is the only boy in our family and he needed that guy time.  But I worried that with Burk being a grade above him he wouldn’t want to hang out.  That worry came to an end very shortly after we moved in.  Burn was our first visitor to see if Austin could play.  

Randy's top priority after purchasing our house was getting a really nice basketball goal.  We wanted an awesome backboard and we wanted it cemented into the ground and everything.  The Hansen's had said that they had planned the very same thing but their neighbor came over when they moved in and asked them not to.  She was a grumpy lady who didn’t want any kids or balls coming onto her grass, so they just got one that sat on the driveway.  We told them that they could come down and play on ours anytime they wanted.  There were times that they would stay up and play on their basketball goal, especially Nate when he would have his friends over.  But most of the time Burk would come down to our house and shoot hoops.  Nate started coming down more often and would even bring his friends down to play some ball.  We loved it.  We’d sit outside and watch, and always make sure our outside fridge had drinks if they got thirsty.  Sometimes I’d stay inside and could just hear all the commotion from a game going on and it warmed my heart.  It was fun having all the guys around.  It was great for not only Austin but for Randy.  And I loved seeing my girls in awe of all these big boys playing in their driveway.  I think it made them feel special as well.  I recently heard some of Mikah’s friends say that often they couldn't remember which house was the Hansen’s and which was the John’s because they would see her siblings at both all the time.  

But our main company at the house was Burk and Laynie.  If my doorbell rang, 95% of the time it was one of those two.  Burk for Austin and Laynie for Addie and Ashton.  I remember after Burk graduated from elementary and moved up to middle school being worried again that he wouldn’t want to hang out with Austin anymore.  But that didn’t happen.  That year though was when Avery and Burk started getting closer.  Avery was starting 7th grade at Madison Middle School and Burk was just coming in as a 6th grader.  Days before school started Avery’s best friend in her grade and also in our neighborhood told her she was moving.  Avery was devastated.  It was so hard for her to go to school without Kenzie there.  Burk was also nervous about a new school.  He was a very anxious kid and had been dealing with a lot of anxiety issues through elementary, and I remember telling Avery to just watch out for him.  I truly believe now that Kenzie needed to move away so that Avery would have more room in her life for Burk.  They rode the bus home together and they sat together.  They needed each other in that situation and it brought them closer together.  Now Burk wasn’t just Austin’s friend, but he became Avery’s close friend too.  Next it was time for Austin to start 6th grade.  The middle school is for 6th-8th, so the three of them went to school together.  The bus was always the worst part of the day.  Burk was taken to school by Clint most every day and sometimes Tami, so I took my kids to school as well.  But after school they rode the bus.  It was a very crowded bus and included Mid-High students which were 9th-10th graders.  The rule was 3 to a seat, which I’m actually glad about.  They became the three musketeers, no one got left out.  Not long ago Burk was sitting in class and all of a sudden he felt something wet on his foot.  There was a special needs girl that sat in front of him and she peed.  Instead of saying anything or making a scene, he just continued with the rest of his day.  But when he got on the bus with Avery and Austin he put his foot up in Avery’s face and said “a girl peed on my shoe.  I’m not kidding, smell it.”  He was still a kid, and loved laughing with Avery and Austin about it.  And he couldn’t wait to get home and get his shoes washed and tell his whole family about it but he didn’t do anything in the situation to embarrass the girl.  

Many times Avery would say she didn’t want to ride the bus anymore because of the things that were going on around them but I said as long as Burk is riding you guys need to ride and stay together.  She was worried about Austin and what all he was learning on the bus, but I told her I would continue to let him ride the bus until Burk graduated from 8th grade.  I trusted Burk with Austin.  He was the kid that if Austin wanted a sleepover I would tell him to ask Burk, or if he was bored I’d tell him to go see if Burk was home.  I remember on more than one occasion that I announced to both Avery and Austin that there were no rules when it came to Burk.  He could come over whenever he wanted, he could eat whatever he wanted and he could spend the night whenever he wanted.  They didn't have to ask me.  And if you know me, that’s not anything I would say!  He made me feel that comfortable to have around.  And he did!  He would be over till 10pm sometimes on school nights.  He and Austin would grab Mountain Dews out of the outside fridge and shake them up and drink them.  I would come home to he and Avery watching girlie shows on tv or dancing to some game on the Xbox.  He and his family would come down to watch basketball or other sports on tv and we would go up there to do the same.  We had movie nights together, went camping together, jumped off cliffs together.  My favorite thing about Burk was his laugh.  When he really got a good laugh out it would go up high like a girl and it was contagious!  I loved when he would laugh like that because it made me feel like he was at home in my home.  There was one time when we were sitting around watching sports and talking and all of a sudden Austin says, “Hey Burk, suck it.  I mean… do you want to go play basketball?”  We all looked at Austin for a second and died laughing.  It was the funniest thing.  He didn’t even know how that came out of his mouth.  But Burk laughed and laughed.  We all asked Austin if he had Turrets Syndrome or something.  

Randy teased Burk a lot and played around with him a lot and normally you would get a smirk out of him (his Burk smirk that he gave most of the time) but sometimes he’d give it back to Randy and I loved that too!  Austin had a birthday sleepover recently and he invited Burk, Logan Vaclaw, Mack Vaclaw and Brandon Bulleigh and as they laughed and played upstairs I just thought about each of them and how grateful I was that Austin had these boys in his life, the dream team in my opinion.  With this being Austin’s 12th birthday, he was blessed with the Aaronic Priesthood the following Sunday and we had been talking about the responsibilities of a deacon and also him going into young men.  The most comforting part about that was that Burk was there.  Burk was the president of the Deacon’s quorum and we would tell Austin when it was time for him to pass the sacrament, Burk would be there to help him.  He had his first mutual activity and I told him to go with Burk, so they left early and played baseball first and then went to young mens together.  I know I depended a lot on Burk but I knew there was no one better that Austin would trust and feel comfortable around.  A week after Austin’s birthday sleepover he had his own sleepover at Burk's house, just the two of them.  They didn’t have school on Friday because of Good Friday and Thursday night they had a sleepover.  

I’m so grateful for that time they had together.  They were like brothers.  Burk didn’t have a twin, but he had Austin.  We had to go up and get Austin from the Hansen’s house on Friday so we could go over to my mom’s house to dye Easter eggs.  The Petty’s had also come into town so we wanted him to see them.  We were over there most of the day and then we and the Petty's went to Tulsa to spend the night and my mom came over to spend the night with the kids.  The next day was Saturday, April 4th.  The worst day of my entire life.

The day started by meeting Addie in Tulsa for her soccer game.  She had two games in Tulsa and then we had to hurry home to catch Avery’s soccer game in Bartlesville.  Scott was watching the game with one headphone in his ear so he could also listen to General Conference.  He had mentioned how a lot of the talks were around family.  Normally my kids don’t like to go watch their siblings play soccer but I usually make them go anyway.  I like for them to support each other.  Since we would be getting there just in time I didn’t care if they came to Avery’s game because my mom had left the house and we didn’t have time to go pick them up.  But Ashton and Austin really wanted to go so we called up Randy’s dad and he said he would bring them.  Avery had quite the crowd watching her play, and she was playing really well.  My mom, Ashley, Scott, Randy, Ed, and then all the kids.  And then I got a phone call.  It was Clint so I answered it thinking he might need someone to watch Laynie or something, but as soon as I heard his voice I knew something was wrong.  I stood up from my chair and began walking away from the game.  I still can’t believe the words that came out of his mouth.  He said he had some really bad news, Burk was in an ATV accident and didn’t make it.  I just began shaking and saying this can’t be and he said he wished it weren’t true but that he was there with his body at the hospital.  I had a really hard time holding it together, I made sure that the Hansen kids were all okay and he said they were all up at the hospital and then I began to tell Clint how much I loved Burk like a son.  I had walked a long way by that time away from the game and away my family.  What I really wanted to do was run.  I just wanted to run and get away from all this crazy talk that was making no sense.  How could it be Burk?  Why was it Burk?  What was I going to tell my kids?  How are the Hansens?  I got off the phone, weak at the knees and completely broken inside.  I texted Randy to come find me and I couldn’t believe the words that came out of my mouth when he found me in tears, “its Burk, he’s gone”.  

As much as I’ve been hurting and feeling the emptiness of losing such an important person in our life, I really want to focus on the tender mercies and knowledge I’ve gained through this tragic event.  I know this is how I will heal and continue to better myself and my family so that we can be with Burk again.  Because truly, he was like our own.  I’m grateful that my kids were all together when we found out, and I’m grateful that my mom and Randy’s dad were there to help them and be with them and bring them up to the hospital as we took off immediately following the news.  Our kids were each able to say goodbye to Burk and give their love and hugs to our Hansen family.  I’m also grateful for the support and love and friendship of the Petty’s and that they were able to be there and help us through this difficult time.  They had come up to surprise us but I felt Heavenly Father’s hand in having them there for us at this time.  I’m grateful that Austin was able to have a sleepover just a couple days before, one last great time with his best friend.  

In an unknowing way physically, I believe that spiritually Burk was being prepared for this day.  Just a few days before he had taken the time to go for a run with Tami which they never did, and spend some quality time with just her.  He suggested to Austin just a few days earlier that they go up to a neighbors house that they hadn’t played with for a very long time to go shoot some hoops.  He also had an amazing last journal entry where he asked himself the question: “How can I express sincere gratitude for my blessings?” He answered it my saying, “I can do this through my daily prayers or even in my daily events.  I can keep my body pure and keep from saying or doing bad things.  *Try to be like Nephi everyday.  'I will go I will do the things the Lord commands.’  Focus on other people.  SERVICE”  

What an incredible and lasting testimony he left for each one of us that loved him so much.  I’m so proud of the young man he was and for the example he has been for both Avery and Austin.  Burk definitely had favorite clothes and wore his favorites all the time.  Clint’s mom Claudia and Amber Lee, one of Tami’s high school friends, took Burk’s favorite shirts and made them into a tshirt quilt for Tami.  I was in charge of putting items and pictures out for viewing and I used that as part of the display at both the Bartlesville and St. George service for Burk.  

As I thinking of how to make the display look like something Burk would want, a thought came to Randy and I to call the football coach and see if we could borrow their linens.  It was amazing how that all fell into place.  They had just the right amount I needed and it said Bartlesville Bruins on it which Burk would have loved.  It wasn’t easy to be in charge of the display and as I was preparing the items I began to look through Burks journal again.  I had really been hurting but trying also to not let it go as I didn’t want to take away from the pain his real family was going through.  I turned the page to where Burk had written some notes down from a talk given by President Thomas S. Monson.  In it he posed the question: Should we block the path of pain?  And he spoke about how heaven is right where we are standing and to come unto Christ.  I know that this was exactly what I needed to hear as I try to heal and come to grips with this new life I’ve been given.  

As Tami was preparing for what to say on the day of Burk’s service in Bartlesville, she looked over on the bookshelf and found a book she had read a long time before about adversity.  She opened the book where a tiny paper bookmark lay, on a page about a mother and father who had lost their child and an amazing quote on how adversity comes to all.  Then she looked at the piece of paper and it said, “I love you mom.  From, Burk.  Here is a book"

I know God lives and that he knows us and loves us.  I know this life it part of an eternal plan, that doesn’t end when we go to the grave.  I have felt the veil almost physically this past week and I know it’s there, it’s real, and it will one day be lifted from my eyes and I will see clearly the reason behind all things.  I have a testimony of the power of prayer.  I know that prayers are answered and miracles happen through the power of God.  I know that some prayers aren’t answered the way we might like them to be.  But I know in both cases, as we pray, we draw closer to our Heavenly Father.  And in those instances where are prayers aren't answered the way we would like, if we choose, through faith, humility and patience we will understand the will of our Heavenly Father.  That peace and assurance that He is in charge will come to us.  I also have a testimony of daily scripture study.  It isn’t something that I’ve always done but for the past year and a half I’ve been reading my scriptures daily.  And in this daily event, my Heavenly Father has spoken words to me, through his prophets voice, as if we were speaking face to face.  It amazes me how just reading daily, words that you need to hear that day can be given to you.  In my state of sadness and wonder at why our life had to go through this huge change, I read Mosiah 4:9.  “Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all things which the Lord can comprehend.”  This scripture was such a testimony to me.  I know that God is in charge and how important it is for me to align my will with His.

I loved having Burk in my kids’ life.  I have some favorite memories that will stay with me forever.  One was when we were sitting on the couch watching basketball.  We were talking and laughing about different things, and then Austin looked at Burk and said, “Hey Burk, suck it.  I mean, do you want to go play Xbox”.  We all looked around at each other and died laughing!  I have no idea where that came from because Austin doesn’t talk like that!  It was hilarious!  Another favorite memory was when Burk was passing the sacrament.  He handed it to the Wegner’s who were sitting right in front of us and all of a sudden their youngest son Liam sneezed all over the water.  They were mortified and tried to pick the cups that for sure were hit by his sneeze.  Next Burk handed the tray to us, and Randy just looked at him like “you want me to drink out of this?”  Randy then put his hand toward one cup, and Burk shook his head no, and then he reached for another cup and Burk shook his head yes.  I was laughing and Burk was trying to stay reverent but his smirk definitely came out!  It was hilarious, we gave the Wegner’s a hard time about it as well.  For Christmas we got a dance game for the Xbox and we had a lot of dance off’s with Burk.  We still have a video of Randy and Burk doing a tetris dance together and Burk was laughing so hard because Randy was being extra funny.  We’ve watched it over and over recently.  I miss him terribly.

There have been many missionary opportunities from Burk’s passing.  Clint spoke to the kids at Madison and was able to share his testimony with them.  Mr. Eidson, the principle, read Burks last journal entry to the school and is having a Burk Hansen Award to whoever has the most service hours turned in.  I believe Avery will be winning that award, she wants it so bad.  Clint and Tami have also spoken to the two boys that were with him the day of his accident and they and their families want to know more about what Burk believed.  Avery has given a Book of Mormon to Mr. Eidson with favorite scriptures marked.  She also gave him a copy of the Articles of Faith and the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet.  They have spent a lot of time discussing religion.  

Burk’s funeral service in Bartlesville was completely packed all the way up onto the stage and then overflowed into the side rooms where it was being broadcast.  I would guess that the majority were not members.  Even the Catholic priest was in attendance.  The spirit was so strong.  My kids have started keeping journals and making sure their focus is on Christ and family.  Randy and I took Avery and Austin and joined the Hansen’s on the trip to St. George where there was another funeral service and burial.  We left Friday, and were able to go to Zion’s National Park on Saturday where we sat off to hike Angel’s Landing in honor of Burk.

This is one of the most grueling and treacherous hikes in the park.  I was worried about Randy as he has a fear of heights and starts getting vertigo, but kept telling him how Burk would be proud of him.  I didn’t realize at the time that it would also be hard on Austin.  They both made it past the point that they thought they would I it meant so much to me and the Hansen’s that they made it up as far as they did, to a spot I believe was called Scouts Lookout.  

We stopped and took pictures there but I needed to keep going and Tami was determined to get all the way up to Angel’s Landing as well.  I just knew that there would be peace for me.  There were parts where it was necessary to hold on with all your might to the chains there for support.  For me, this was a symbol of life.  I am at a time in my life where if I wasn’t holding fast to that chain, or that iron rod as Lehi saw in his dream, it would be so easy to fall.  But I chose to hold on, and stay true to what I’ve been taught my whole life.  

And because of that the Lord has blessed me with strength and comfort and even physical symbols and He knows me, He loves me, and He continues to care for me as my physical body goes through the loss of separation.  We got to the top of Angels Landing and there was a beautiful yellow butterfly that greeted us.  I felt Burk’s spirit all around us and felt that butterfly was our physical symbol of that, even though we hadn’t asked for anything.  I knew I was going to remember to write down this beautiful story of the butterfly, but we were given something even more special.  As Clint went to take a picture of Avery and I at the top of Angel’s Landing, the butterfly flew over the top of us, capturing the most amazing imagine for us to hold on to for the rest of this life.  

We had a group hug filled with tears.  I treasure that picture.  Afterward, the butterfly circled around us a bit and then landed on the tip of Tami’s foot. The wind was blowing and it was not easy for this little butterfly to stay landed on Tami.  Its' wings were blowing in the wind and it was really trying to hold on, staying there long enough for some sweet pictures to be taken and some contemplating moments as we all watched in awe, with tears rolling down our cheeks.  Testimonies were strengthening as we could feel Burk and know he would always be with us, and that our Heavenly Father and Savior knew us and loved us.

The next day, we went with Clint and the kids to church up in Pine Valley, UT.  Tami had gone to church with her family that day.  It was a 45 min drive, but that was where his mother Claudia and stepdad Hugh live on the weekends and go to church.  It is also, unofficially, the oldest church building still running.  When we got up in the mountains and saw this beautiful church, we were so glad we went.  It was like stepping back to the days of Brigham Young.  Hugh was in charge of the sacrament, so he asked Austin if he wanted to pass.  Austin had not had an opportunity to pass the sacrament since he was ordained into the Aaronic Priesthood yet.  The following Sunday after he was set apart was Easter, and that was one of the tough things about Burk leaving this world.  He was such an amazing young man and I know I put a lot of my faith in Austin becoming a great young man by handing him over to Burk for “safe keeping”.  I kept telling him not to worry because Burk would help him, and for me its so hard to not have him physically to turn to anymore.  He gave me so much comfort when it came to raising my only son.  The minute we moved into our house, Burk was there to take him under his wing and he was a huge part in our decision to move close to the Hansen’s.  With all sisters, we knew he would have that older brother mentor in Burk.  So not getting to pass the sacrament with him, and just not having him with us daily has been so difficult.  But that Sunday, as Clint and Nate blessed the sacrament, and Randy, Austin and Clint’s brothers passed the sacrament in this tiny little branch of the church, I felt like Austin was given the most amazing gift from Burk.  Since he couldn’t physically be there, he had Austin surrounded by his family and gave him the sweetest memory of the very first time he was able to pass the sacrament.  I could feel Burk all around us and I’m so grateful for this experience.

Sometimes it’s hard to look at the good in all of this, but I know as I do I get strengthened and see the hand of the Lord.  I have bad days, but when I do I turn closer to prayer, and the scriptures and conference talks and I get that extra comfort that I need.  Tami and Clint felt very strongly that Burk was ready for his temple work to be done, so when we got back to Bartlesville they began working on that.  

We had a ward temple trip planned on May 2, 2015 which happened to be 4 weeks to the day that Burk passed.  We rode down to the temple with Clint, Tami, and Tyler and Amanda Vaclaw.  It was the most amazing experience.  Tami and I were able to do initiatory work before the session.  It meant a lot to go through the whole process as we knew Clint was doing the whole process for Burk.  His spirit was there and it was strong.  When they first began the video, it started in Spanish.  We all chuckled a little and all I could picture was Burk smirking from the other side.  I could even hear his laugh a little.  Harriot Hood leaned forward to Tami and said, “looks like he’s on a Spanish speaking mission.”  It was funny.  It had been way too long since I had been to the temple last and I was so spiritually lifted that day.  Another tender mercy was given.  Lori Hartzfeld looked at Tami and asked if she wanted to go in front of her and a couple other sisters so that she could be up at the veil when Clint was up there.  And it just so happened that when she went up she was standing right next to Clint.  I felt the three of them, Clint, Tami and Burk all together passing through the veil.  I know Burk was so incredibly happy.

At the end of President Bell’s talk, at Burk’s funeral, he mentioned how Burk was sitting at the table of the feast, and patiently waiting for all the chairs to be filled.  We all pray for the day where there will be no empty chairs.  That would be, and hopefully will be, the greatest blessing of all.

I have felt for a few weeks now that I need to bear my testimony but I’ve struggled with this.  Sunday’s have been so hard on Tami and I don’t want to make them harder.  I also have had a tough time grieving because I don’t want to take away from the loss of the Hansen’s.  I realize as much as I love Burk that he wasn’t mine and their grief is so much more.  I also realize that I’m a very private person and that a lot of people don’t know how close our family was to Burk.  So because of that I’ve tried to really keep my emotions in check.  I went to the temple contemplating this very thought, and I decided that I will write down my testimony and leave bearing it in church up to my feelings when I get there.  

I have a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I know that His church is back on the earth today, and it is distinguished from other churches through the sacred power of the priesthood.  I have been very attentive and sensitive to this power over the last month.  I feel in this past month that I have been blessed to be a part of so many gifts of the priesthood.  From the sacred and important sacrament prayer, to the hands of worthy and humble men being placed on my head giving me blessings of comfort, to the dedication of the sister missionaries home, to the sweet and beautiful dedication of the grave, and then the peaceful and eternal blessings in the temple.  One gift that I have always recognized in me was the gift of faith.  I have never doubted what I have been taught my whole life, but my life had never been shaken so hard as it had been in the past month.  I have leaned on that faith and trusted in it, continuing my prayers and my daily scripture reading, and because of that I have felt the hand of the Lord so apparent in my life. 

I know that we were sent to this earth for a short period of time.  It seems even shorter now.  I know we were to be born into families, and given the choice to return to our Heavenly Father again.  I know we chose this life, that a veil was placed over us so that we could choose for ourselves.  I have felt that veil almost physically and I’ve longed for just a brief glimpse into what will be… but my gift is faith.  And I choose to believe.  I know we have a loving Heavenly Father who did not just say “goodbye, you’ll report to me when you return” but is loving, and here with us along the way if we will allow Him to be.  I have had a song in my head all week and I know it’s not by coincidence, “How gentle God’s commands, how kind his precepts are.  Come cast your burdens on the Lord, and trust His constant care.”  

I’m grateful to be a member of this church, of Christ’s church.  I’m grateful that through temple ordinances, we can be forever families.  I love my family and my friends who feel like family.  I believe there is divinity in friendships, and that we are brought into each others lives for a purpose.  

I’m grateful for the friendship of Burk in our lives.  He will be a part of us forever.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.