Week 32 - Charity and Poo-Pourri

Merry Christmas! This morning Sister Jarvis and I received news that we will both be staying in Brewton for another transfer! This week I studied a lot about charity, and it has changed my life.

If we have charity, we avoid negative feelings and thoughts towards others, and we have patience and try to see things from their point of view. I realized I needed to have more charity towards my companion. Every time she does something that annoys me, I have stopped dwelling on it and have turned my thoughts to something positive about how much Christ loves her. This has completely changed our relationship, just by that small act. I have felt the Savior helping me to develop so much more love for her and all of those around me. I don't have to dwell on the negative of every situation: that is Satan's way. In Alma 7:11-12, we learn that Christ suffered so he could succor us, or run to help us in our time of need. He not only suffered for our sins, but for our sickness, pains, weaknesses, and temptations so that He can understand what we are going through with perfect empathy and perfect patience. He is never annoyed or thinks negatively about us or anyone. Let us all have charity towards ourselves and all those around us. 

With my companion, Sister Jarvis

Monday:

We stopped by John and Tissa's house to drop off a Christmas ornament and carol for them. Their little daughter, Kenna, asked if we could sing "Let it Go" with her. Fortunately, I've listened to that song too many times before my mission and remembered every word, so Tissa, her two daughters, and me and my companion all sang it together. It was such a sweet moment of bonding and hopefully softened their hearts. Even though it wasn't a song about the Savior, it was exactly what they needed to know we care about them individually. The Spirit was there as we all sang together.

Tuesday:

We visited Sister Brand after district meeting. She is hilarious! She keeps telling me that she will call my mission president to tell him that I need to serve on the beach! Next transfer, maybe! We then left to help decorate our church building for our branch Christmas party on Friday. That evening we had dinner with the Andersons for the first time, and let me tell you: I learned more about them in one night of dinner than I have the past four months of just seeing them at church. It was amazing! Their 3 less-active kids  were all there. Sister Anderson told us about sharing the gospel with a man she works for, and we could see the passion and excitement in her eyes. And she showed us her epic craft room. My mom would be SO jealous. 

Wednesday:

We went to visit Diane this morning and record her testimony for Branch History. Here is a snippet of her testimony: "As I progressed into the religion, it’s just awesome and hard to explain. But if you would just try it, you would be just as amazed as I am, because it’s wonderful. Since I’ve been baptized, I’ve been to the temple, and I tell you, there is nothing like going to the temple. I mean, when I stepped on the grounds, I could feel the Spirit." She also told us that she wants to start choristing at church again. She's had shoulder surgery and is now going to physical therapy. It isn't healing as quickly as it should, and she said God told her that if she starts using it in her calling to chorist, He will help heal her shoulder. She is such a faithful example to all those around her. That evening, we stopped by the Wrights to help Rhoda prepare her talk for this Sunday! She was so nervous that the Branch President asked us to help her. She will do amazing though! She also made dinner for us, too. 

Thursday:

This morning Sister Jarvis told me how isolated she feels here in Brewton. She is definitely a people-person and misses being close to all of the members because they live so far away. We realized this is the missing key for this area to progress: we need to get to know the members personally. They need to know we care about them. This was evidenced by the dinner we had with the Andersons. We need to get to know the members, and they need to get to know and trust us. That afternoon, we went to the Senior Christmas Party. They had a "T'was the night before Christmas Right-Left" gift exchange. We didn't know to bring gifts, but they had extras so we could participate. I thought the gift I ended up with was hilarious! It is "Poo-Pourri, Before You Go Spray." One of the workers there also gave us her address so we could stop by sometime to talk with her. Sometimes you find investigators in the most surprising places!

Friday:

After the Senior Devotional, we met with Sister Bliss and got her hooked on indexing! She is at a standstill right now in family history, and we had no clue how to help her, so we decided indexing was the next step for her. That evening was our Branch Christmas Party! We had a catered meal and a white elephant gift exchange. Brother Miller said that we could have a white elephant gift exchange as long as it didn't cause anyone to fall away from the church or get a divorce. I was the commentator :) There was a lot of fun "stealing" that happened between members, and Jimmy really enjoyed himself! 

Saturday:

Our zone couldn't use cars today, so Sister Jarvis and I biked around Brewton. It was FREEZING so I had on three jackets, gloves, and two hoods. Because it was so cold, no one was actually outside, and everyone we tried wasn't home. We went home for lunch, and then went back out biking. It had warmed up some, and we talked with one guy out on the street. He said he wasn't living his life right, but was waiting for God to tell him to change. I testified to him that God was here for him, waiting for him to act and reach out in prayer. Alma 41:10 came to mind, so I told him that he wasn't very happy because of the way he was living, and it was time to change that around. He felt the truth of that and asked if we had any material for him to read, and he asked us to come back on Monday. We don't know where this will go, but at least we are planting seeds. That evening we met with our branch mission leader and discussed ways we could get more involved with the members. They agreed with us and said the branch is not only isolated from missionaries, but from each other. We hope to change that around!

Sunday:

Sister Wright did so well with her talk! Everyone loved it. She talked about building a testimony upon the foundation of Jesus Christ, our rock. She was so nervous but could feel God speaking through her. In Gospel Principles class, Brother Kelley talked about work and responsibility. As we discussed needed balance through rest and recreation, I felt a lot of my concerns and worries being answered. As a missionary who represents Jesus Christ, who is on His time and His errand, I have always felt bad for being sick and taking time away from working. I couldn't allow myself to peaceably rest. But we talked about how even Jesus Christ took a break to go into the mountains, or to rest on the 7th day. It's a natural part of life that rejuvenates us and creates needed balance. Well, my head had been feeling fuzzy and my nose was stuffed, so it was a tender mercy from God to be able to stay in and rest for the rest of the day without feeling guilty, bad, or anxious. Plus it was pouring rain outside all day. 

As Christmas approaches, please find balance throughout the week! You will feel so much peace and will remember that Jesus Christ, The Prince of Peace, is the true meaning behind Christmas. He is the gift that enables us to be better each day and to love all those around us with His love. 

Much love,

Sister Burnham

Week 31 - Snow and JWs

Hey y'all! This week we received REAL Alabama snow. I definitely did not expect it to snow on my mission! It is so cold when we go out tracting, but we keep hoping someone will take pity on us and let us in! 

Isaiah 1:18, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

Monday:

After cleaning, we were just about to head out when we hear a knock on our door. Guess who it was? Yup, the JWs. We stood there and listened to them preach to us. While they were friendly, it felt mostly like a sales-pitch, and the Spirit definitely wasn't there. It was very enlightening to be the one at the door. I wished they would have asked me about my faith or testimony instead of just sharing their beliefs and website to "find all the answers." Me being me, I told her that I loved having modern day prophets and The Book of Mormon to answer my questions. 

Tuesday:

After District Meeting, we sang and played for the seniors in Jay. If you ever want your day to be made, then perform for the elderly in nursing homes because they just shower you with praise. They told us that we'd better come back soon. We also visited the Wrights that evening to teach CJ about the Law of Chastity. It's always an awkward lesson regardless of who you are teaching, but especially for a nine-year-old boy! I put more emphasis on why this was a commandment, and I felt the Spirit strongly as I testified to CJ that it is because we love him, and that God loves him and wants him to be safe. He actually paid attention as I testified to him, which goes to show how important it is to focus on the "why" behind commandments and rules, not just the "what."

Wednesday:

We met the most wonderful potentials today as we tried to contact some less-actives. We met a young mother who lost her husband a year ago, but she is so full of fire and energy. I told her that her attitude was amazing, and she said, "How can it be otherwise? I have an amazing five-year-old boy to take care of." She was very friendly, and I felt so much love for her. Then we met an old lady taking care of three of her great-granddaughters. We helped them do their homework and invited them to church. Well, as I was backing out of the driveway, a car had just pulled in, so I looked over to see who it was, when THUMP! I hit something. Rather, someone. Yep, I ran into my companion, who also got distracted as she was backing me and forgot to move backwards. She wasn't hurt at all, so that is good at least...

Thursday:

It rained all day and was FREEZING cold. On the bright side, we had three hours of weekly planning to do inside. Afterwards, we went around and visited a lot of less-actives in Brewton, sharing gifts and singing to them. This really seems to be softening them up. Well, the awkward moment of the day was when we knocked on the neighbor of a less-active, and they totally thought we were Jehovah Witnesses: When she opened the door, she was shocked we were out in the cold. I said we were waiting for someone to take pity on us and let us in. She said if works got us to heaven, then Jehovah Witnesses were all going to heaven. We just chuckled and said some had knocked on our door Monday morning. She asked if we had let them inside. We said, no. She replied, "then I'm not letting you inside." I don't know what expression I had on my face after that, but she started laughing uncomfortably and said she was just joking. I told her they didn't want to come inside because we are Mormon, and that's when she finally realized we weren't Jehovah Witness. So, I learned to be more clear about what denomination we are!

That night we had dinner with Sister Fox and Sister Adams. Afterwards, we played Uno and I won the last round!

Friday:

We worked our whole day around interviews with our mission president in Fox Run. He asked me how I was getting along with my companion and told me that he knew this companionship was truly inspired, that I was the companion she needs right now. Afterwards, we were able to visit some less-actives we had never seen before. We've been using the excuse "We're in the neighborhood doing some Christmas caroling" to get people to open up to us. One of the families let us in and were touched that we sang some Christmas songs for them. 

Saturday:

IT SNOWED! I woke up, and after I prayed, Sister Jarvis told me it snowed. I didn't believe her until I looked out the back window and saw the lawn covered in snow! Like a little kid on Christmas, I said to hurry up and get ready so we could go out and play in the snow! We made a tiny snowman. We had the Bag Lady service project that afternoon, and it was awesome! No non-members came, but a ton of the Relief Society sisters came, more than usual, and they stayed for 3.5 hours because they were all having so much fun. The branch is becoming more and more tight-knit, and it truly does feel like one big family. That evening, there was a parade in Brewton, and people lined up both sides of the streets. Well, we are supposed to be where the people are, right? So we got a ton of Light the World pass-along cards and handed out over 20 of them to people. 

Sunday:

I love Sundays. We had the primary program during Sacrament Meeting, and I got to sit up front and be the official page flipper of the song lyrics for the children. Then during third hour, I went to Primary to help the kids decorate gingerbread houses as a party for doing so well in the program! After church was the linger-longer with lots of food, and then we left to teach Jimmy a lesson. He is progressing so well towards his baptism date, but he told us he will be moving very soon. Some lucky sister missionaries in Pensacola will get to finish teaching him! That evening, we had dinner with the Millers and Sumralls. We had a few minutes before we were supposed to be there, so we decided to knock on a door and do some caroling. The lady who answered said they had just got home and asked us if we knew what time it was. She told us we could try her neighbors, but they might all be asleep (even though it was 6:15pm). Dejectedly, we walked to one of her neighbors and knocked lightly on the door. No one answered. We trudged back the way we had come, and suddenly the lady who had turned us away called to us and said we could sing for her and her little boy. We chatted and shared Light the World, and she said she'd call her neighbors and tell them to answer the door when we knocked. So we went to the next house and sang for her other neighbors, who loved it, and shared about Christ. By that time, we were running a bit late for dinner... After dinner, Sister Miller took us back to their food storage closet and started piling us up with food and supplies to take home. The members are so amazing.

As I've been studying this week, I contemplated over how I live my life now to before my mission. I have such a stronger vision of how important service and church callings and activities are. Before, I  might have grumbled a bit over something I had to do, or didn't listen as closely as I should have to general conference. But now I can see how every aspect of the gospel is so important, and I don't want school, work, and homework to distract me from what matters most: this gospel. Nothing is more important than church callings and activities, watching conference, and studying the scriptures everyday. Even after my mission, I want to put the Lord first in every small detail of my life. As I do so, I know the Lord will bless me more fully in all other aspects of my life.

Love,

Sister Burnham

Our cute little snowwoman


P.S. My email address is: emily.burnham@myldsmail.net

Week 30 - Spirit Tracting and Dog Day

Merry Christmas, y'all! I had the most wonderful week! I am so excited for the special Spirit that comes around with this season. Like I keep telling everyone, “To catch the real meaning of the ‘Spirit of Christmas,’ we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the ‘Spirit of Christ.’" 

Monday:

I love getting to spend Christmas in a small town! The decorations around town are amazing! Sister Jarvis and I went around to get some fun Christmas pictures with the decorations. We also got to visit with Sister Longs and Alex.

Tuesday:

After district meeting, we tried to visit a lot of former investigators. None of the people we tried were home that afternoon, but we always knocked a few doors around them. A really cool experience happened because of this. As I looked around at all the houses by the former investigator who wasn't home, one of the brick houses seemed to shine, and I felt an invisible force tugging me towards the house. My stride lengthened and I walked up to it with so much confidence. We knocked and a 26 year old girl opened the door and came out to talk with us. She told us she was going through a lot of challenges, and I felt so much love and empathy for her. I testified to her, as a representative of Jesus Christ, that she would be much happier and at peace if she read from the Book of Mormon every day. She smiled and looked happier as we  left. 

That evening, we had dinner with the Belden family. I have felt that we need to go around and visit all of our active branch members this month, and last month we saved up almost 400 miles to go and do so. We scheduled to have dinner on Tuesday with them, and a miracle happened. Their daughter's boyfriend, Jimmy was there. After dinner, he said he felt this was the right path for him, and he wanted to know the steps he would have to take to be baptized. His trials have really humbled him, and he is so prepared. We taught the Plan of Salvation to him, and he cried. He had lost his brother a few years ago and never thought he would get to see him again. The Spirit was there so powerfully, and I felt so much love for him as I testified that his brother is very proud of the changes he is making in his life, and is helping to guide him down this path.

Wednesday:

A day for service! We were supposed to rake the yard of a potential we met last week, but she wasn't home. I decided we should just do it anyways and leave a note. After about ten minutes of rigorous raking, Sister Jarvis and I had a bad feeling, so I quickly scattered back around the leaves so you couldn't tell we had raked and we got out of there. We went down the street to visit our investigator Ceola, and she let us rake her yard! That evening we visited with the Wrights and watched part of Meet the Mormons. It was such an uplifting experience that reminded me that I am not in this work alone. Sometimes it can feel that way in a giant area with very few members. This truly is the Lord's work, and He is making so much more out of me than I can by myself. 

Me with CJ and Hunter during our visit with their family

Thursday: 

This morning during studies, I came up with this brilliant idea called "Spirit tracting." The longer I've been on my mission, the more I have come to dislike tracting. Not because you have to talk to strangers, but because it sometimes feels like a waste of time, and like you are intruding on people. We can knock 15 doors, and only two people would be home. And those two individuals may not be interested or are annoyed we interrupted them. Based on my experience on Tuesday, I came up with a plan for us to walk around a neighborhood and knock on the doors that stood out to us. It was cool to see that God led us to the right home to talk with a sweet mother of five who told us about all her neighbors (90% of whom were preachers). Not every door we felt like we should knock on lead to cool experiences (sometimes no one was home), but it helped remind us that this is the Lord's work, and that He knows the people that are being prepared. All we have to do is listen to His Spirit.

We had lunch with Sister Field, the Relief Society president, at a Chinese restaurant. We had a great time, and we told her all about the Bag Ladies. We are going to start it next week with the Relief Society! After lunch, we went to visit Sister Longs. We asked her about her conversion story, and it was amazing to see how strong her testimony is. She loves the new truths she learned and is so grateful for the Book of Mormon. Then she let us pick out some clothes from a big pile she has for free. She has hung them up to sell them eventually, but let us pick out anything we wanted. She said, "I'd rather have the blessing of giving than the money from selling." She also gave us sugar cane. Literally, a cane of sugar! Sometimes it hits me all over again that I'm in the South!

Friday:

I didn't feel super good after eating at the restaurant yesterday, but I trudged along anyways. Not much happened, except that everywhere we went there seemed to be a ton of dogs! I think I came into contact with 12 dogs that day, and at one house, 4 dogs jumped up on me at once, causing my dress to start to fly upwards. Yikes. One dog followed us around a neighborhood that we were tracting. He wouldn't leave us alone, so I decided that he was our guard dog. We also found a beautiful lake! That evening we had correlation meeting with Brother Kelley, and we talked about the importance of letting people know they are loved. They want to be hugged and know they are appreciated. How do you show others you love them? It's so important that people know we love them and don't just want to convert them. Like someone once told me, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."

Saturday:

Today was a wonderful day. My mom sent me a package full of Christmas ornaments to give out to the people in this area. This is exactly the miracle we have been praying for because we have been looking for ways to strengthen the branch and show that we love them. We also went out biking that day, and met some very interesting and rude people... But we took it all in stride and laughed and had fun anyways. As we talked with one lady, she said, "I can't understand how a young boy hallucinating in a barn started a whole religion." As we testified to her about Joseph Smith, she said, "I'm a psychology major, and I don't believe a word you are saying." I tried not to laugh because I'm a psychology major... Needless to say, we left shortly after that. We found a new investigator, Tommie. He was lost in his truck, and while we couldn't help him find where he was going, we shared that we were missionaries and he was very interested. Later that evening, we stopped by Ellen's house to drop off an ornament. She invited us in and said she had a present for me too! She gave me a big crocheted blanket! We were able to share "Light the World" with her and just talk and laugh together. After, we stopped by the Wrights and dropped off their present too. We then went with them to a Christmas event down at a park. They had a snow machine (actually just a machine that spit out soapy foam) and a train for the kids to ride around on. It was a fun and wonderful day!

The blanket Ellen gave me. I had mentioned how I had always wanted someone to crochet me something. She said she didn't crochet it, that it had been given to her, but she didn't use it and wanted me to have it to lay over my bed.

Sunday:

During our gospel principles class, our branch mission leader taught about ways to invite the Spirit into your home. Something he said really touched me. He testified that one way was by having the sister missionaries come into your home. He experienced this on Friday as Sister Jarvis and I went over for correlation meeting. He said it's like we walk around holding the hand of the Holy Ghost and bring Him with us into people's homes. Everyone in the room nodded and agreed. As I looked around, we had recently been in all of their homes: Jimmy, Sister Longs, and the Wrights. I guess I never realized what an impact we really have in the homes of members and recent converts, not just investigators. I love feeling the Spirit so strongly on my mission, and I don't want to take it for granted. 

Right after church, we went to the Belden's home to teach Jimmy again. He loved the message of the Restoration. As we taught the Word of Wisdom so he can give up dipping (something I just learned about on my mission having to do with tobacco...), he was so willing and ready. He wants to make all the changes he can in his life to be baptized and sealed in the temple with his family. He is so sweet and definitely a miracle. He has already seen how reading from the Book of Mormon is blessing his life, even though he has a hard time understanding it sometimes. Funny moment of the lesson: I was testifying how Jesus Christ could help him overcome his addiction to dabbing because of His infinite Atonement. Yeah, so I didn't realize until later that I had said dabbing instead of dipping... I grew up living a sheltered life! But we invited him to be baptized on January 6th, and he is so excited to prepare himself for that date!!!

That evening, we had dinner at the church building with the Potters. They made us a feast and gave us all the left-overs! We were able to give them a Christmas gift and share a message about how we can Light the World. Then we watched the Christmas Devotional in the chapel. What a spiritual and inspiring day!

The Spirit has testified to me over and over again that I am exactly where I need to be. I wouldn't want to be serving the Lord anywhere else in the world. I love the people and culture here, and I love being a representative of my Savior. Each day I get to become more like Him. Every week has its up and downs, but it's the attitude we approach it with that makes all the difference. Thank you all for the support and love!

Much love,

Sister Burnham