Week 46 - Food and Flowers

Hey y'all! This week I am learning about having patience with myself... again. It's a continuous cycle, not a one time thing. Patience is crucial in order to fully understand and use the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, for often times we find ourselves making the same mistakes. And it's hard, and embarrassing, and you find yourself questioning if you will ever be able to stop, to change. You have to fight the urge to give up on yourself. Part of repentance, though, is permanent change. A change of our very desires. I promise you, as a set-apart disciple and missionary of Jesus Christ, that as you sincerely repent everyday with patience in yourself--or with Christ's patience in yourself--you will not fall short of eternal life.

TUESDAY

We went to get our oil changed in the morning, then went off to district meeting, where we killed off a missionary and had her funeral (mission lingo for saying goodbye because she is going home). We had a great lesson with Brother Tom. He is opening up to us a lot more, but is still hesitant to come to church. We watched the Restoration video with him, and he really enjoyed it. That evening, I helped Sister Benson pack up all her stuff. Something I love about her is how grateful and appreciative she is about everything, even if it is the smallest thing in the world to me. She always makes me feel so valued and appreciated!

WEDNESDAY

Saying goodbye to Sister Benson was sad. I'm really going to miss her, but I'm excited for her to serve in a branch in Troy! Branch life is so fun. Everyone needs to experience it at least once in their life. It truly feels like a family. It's weird being companions with Sister Scott again. I know we will just have a blast this transfer and see so many miracles happen! I'm already seeing so many of her strengths blessing my life and the area. She speaks and testifies so powerfully by the Spirit. She is great at connecting with others and carrying on a conversation. She is so bold and loving, and fearless! One day I was driving down the road, and a man was holding a stop sign for construction. While we were waiting, she decides to jump out and invite him to church with a pass-along card. What a great example to me!

Saying goodbye to Sister Benson

Sister Scott street contacting

THURSDAY

I'm learning a lot more about how to effectively use technology in planning from Sister Scott as we weekly planned today. I have so much to learn from her, and this truly will be a growing experience for both of us as we work to overcome our weaknesses and focus on our strengths. I know you can get along with anyone as long as you have each other's best intentions in mind and are diligently serving the Lord. I'm excited to see the miracles that happen this transfer!

FRIDAY

We served at "Feeding the Gulf Coast" with the Milton Sisters. It was fun getting to know the brand new sister missionary! She already seems like a pro and fits right in, and it makes me reflect back to when I was a new missionary. I felt like all the other sisters were so mature and spiritual and perfect, and I was so small compared to them (not physically, though). However, they probably didn't view me that way at all. Many times we judge ourselves incorrectly and see the world through jaded eyes. As we get out of ourselves and focus on the Lord, we have no time to worry about feeling inadequate; we are too busy following the Spirit and doing the work of the Lord!

SATURDAY

We tracted for 5 hours. I wore Sister Scott out! We talked to and invited everyone we saw. It was so good to be out all day, working hard. That's when you get to see miracles happen, and of course, crazy experiences. I do love all of God's children, but some of them are still very strange... That evening, we went to a ward activity, Easter Around the World, where members brought food from their ethnic backgrounds. Sister Scott got her first taste of the Pace Ward, and she really loves it! We brought nothing, yet left with food and flowers!

SUNDAY

We had some great speakers in sacrament meeting. One lady talked about hope for parents that have lost and wayward children. By remaining faithful to their temple covenants, their children will be blessed and saved by the virtue of the covenant. (However, exaltation must be worked for: faith without works is dead). As she spoke, I felt so much love for God's lost sheep. They were His before they were ever yours. And even the most perfect parent of all lost 1/3 of His children. But He is always reaching out and loving. I don't know why that touched me so much, but I hope that brings some of you parents peace, hope, and comfort. We also had a very spiritual lesson with a recent convert, and I felt so much of Heavenly Father's love for her as she confided in us some of her worries and family troubles. I'm so blessed to be here in Pace, meeting eternal friends. Missions are where you find an eternal family that is not related by blood.

I want each of you to know that Heavenly Father loves you so much. He sent Jesus Christ here to earth to bear the weight of our weaknesses, sins, inadequacies. To bear us up. He sends His angels to comfort and bear you up more than you can or will ever realize. He is making more out of you each day than you could have ever pictured. Trust in Him, and have patience and hope in your trials. I love y'all!

Much love,

Sister Burnham

Week 45 - MTC Reunion

Hey y'all, with April Fool's day coming up in a couple weeks, I wanted to send home fake transfer news, because I thought Sister Benson and I would both be staying... jokes on me because this morning we got a call and Sister Benson is going to Troy, Alabama! I am so sad because I've grown to love her so much, but she will do amazing things. Ready for another plot twist? My new companion here in Pace is Sister Scott, my MTC companion! This is something we had joked about, but never actually expected!

MONDAY

This week our district has put a lot of emphasis on the importance of the Book of Mormon in this work. We've set a goal to pray specifically for opportunities to share The Book of Mormon and Restoration. We pulled up to a street and the people we were looking for weren't home. We tried all their neighbors and they were very unfriendly. I saw a group of teenagers talking across the street and decided God must have put them there for us. My companion was a bit scared because she felt awkward about interrupting them, but as my family knows, I'm the queen of embracing the awkward (mostly). We go talk to them, and one guy in particular was super interested in reading The Book of Mormon and said he wants to come to our church now.

TUESDAY 

An older couple came to a lesson with us to see Brother Tom, the referral we had visited the week before. They were a perfect match for him, and the lesson was so powerful as they bore testimony. Members are so crucial in missionary work! Y'all need to ask missionaries if you can go out with them, and I guarantee they will be so grateful!

WEDNESDAY 

The nearby sister missionaries moved appartments, so we spent ALL day helping them pack and move. Even with 8 missionaries and a senior couple there! One of the elders taught me how to lasso, and I've gotten pretty good at it.

THURSDAY 

The Kranz took us to Bishop's storehouse, then out to lunch. Apparently one of the waiters was flirting with me and my companion, so they teased us about our new boyfriend. Later, a member picked us up for ward correlation and stopped to buy us lots of treats and goodies. Members fed us a delicious meal that evening, too.

FRIDAY 

The Kranz took us out to lunch and then to teach Brother Tom again. The Spirit was there very noticeably, and Tom was very comfortable and receptive. He believes The Book of Mormon is true, and that Joseph Smith was a prophet. That evening, we went to the house of an amazing family in the ward to stuff Easter eggs for a glow in the dark hunt they were having. Tons of members showed up and there was lots of good food! I love this ward so much!

SATURDAY 

Today marks a year since I opened my mission call! Little did I know I'd actually be serving 9 months in Alabama! I could never have pictured how much I would grow. This morning, we went to try and see someone with a member, but they weren't home. The member asked if we needed lunch, but we knew she was busy and politely declined. Back at our house, we start cooking our lunch, when we get a text that she is picking us up Sonic and will be there shortly. We quickly throw all our food in the fridge and cupboard, hide our dishes, and spray the room down with perfume so she wouldn't know we were just cooking. It was so funny. She shows up and says, "You looked hungry. Never refuse food!" These members sure love us... and if you couldn't already tell, Pace is literally known for fattening missionaries up!

SUNDAY 

Our ward is so missionary-minded. They are making goals to visit every less active this year, and Bishop has set a lofty goal of getting us teaching 20 lessons a week with investigators and less actives. He wants the ward council to set appointments up for us to come to. He has a vision that Pace is about to grow a ton, that the Lord is sending more people to be members, and I'm so excited I get to be part of that process. That afternoon, we taught a lessactive man, his fiance, and her daughter, getting two new investigators and reaching our goal for the week.

The Lord has truly been blessing us so much, and great miracles await. The past week I've been really studying about Christ's Atonement. He didn't just pay the bare minimum price for our sins, but he suffered infinitely. In the dictionary, infinite is defined as "having no limits or boundaries in time or space or extent or magnitude." He suffered beyond comprehension, way more than He had to, so we could truly know that we can never sink lower than the Savior's grace and mercy. There is always hope for us as we turn to Him, for He truly has descended below us all.

Much love, 

Sister Burnham

P-day at the beach

Week 44 - Stopping a Robbery

Howdy everyone! I can honestly say that my testimony, my conviction of the Savior, grows stronger each day. And it is because of the hardships and trials I am going through. My eternal perspective of hope grows clearer each day. An excerpt from Elder Holland speaking to mission presidents has helped me understand with greater capacity why a mission is so hard, why living the gospel can often be lonely and trying:

"Let me add a testimony, focusing on the word that was used in that passage we read from 3 Nephi 11 (v.11), where it said that He “suffered the will of the Father.” Suffer actually has several meanings: one of them just means that He yielded—He suffered it, He accepted it, He yielded to it. But another meaning is, He actually suffered because of the will of the Father.I hope that you don’t suffer too much on your mission, but I’ll be disappointed if you don’t suffer a little, because salvation’s not a cheap experience. This isn’t done on a lark; this is not done conveniently. 

"Now that’s probably the wrong tone to suggest in our first teaching moment with you, and I don’t want you to be worried about suffering; I wouldn’t want your missionaries to be worried about it. But I wonder if that word wasn’t chosen specifically—that if we do the will of the Father, we probably have signed on for at least some suffering, at least a little. Kind of like the sacrament is a symbol, and temple ordinances are symbols, and other ordinances that have symbols. I guess there is a symbol in our missionary labors if there is a little suffering like unto the Savior’s" (emphasis added).

Before I talk about my week, I want to bear a second witness of this.The Savior was forsaken, even by Heavenly Father, to know what it would be like for those who don't accept His Atonement. At some point in life, to be more like Christ, we must travel the road He traveled, and suffer just a bit of what He suffered.

This week was hard. It was full of a lot of tears and soul-searching. At one point I received a prompting to ask for a priesthood blessing. The day before, a sweet ward member had reached out to us over text, saying she felt prompted to text us and asked if she could do anything. I was able to ask for a blessing from her husband, and it was one of the most spiritual experiences I've ever had. And his wife bought us flowers. I love this ward so much!

Friday was INSANE! We went out with a young woman preparing to serve a mission. We stopped by a potential from last week, Brother Tom, and he let us right in. We read from the Book of Mormon and he felt the Spirit. We invited him to our family history event the next night, and he came! After him, we tried a few more people, and as we were driving in a neighborhood, I see this old guy sitting on a stump outside a house that was for sale. I decided we should talk to him. We turn around and go back and see him in the back garage. He comes out when he sees us walking up, and I start testifying about the Book of Mormon. He says some weird, strange, creepy things while swinging this hammer around, chucks it in front of me, and says, "I wasn't doing anything, just looking around," and walks off like he doesn't live there. So basically we stopped a robbery by testifying of The Book of Mormon! 

Sunday was amazing. I spoke in sacrament meeting about being special witnesses of Christ, and the Spirit was there so powerfully as I bore my special witness. I know it touched many people.

Fun note: Apparently I pray for the branch still! I'm so used to saying "branch" instead of "ward" that I don't even realize I have been calling the ward a branch until my companion pointed it out.

Exciting moment of the week: A member took us out to lunch at a Mexican restaurant and it was actually good! The service was amazing as well. I just love Mexican food!

Much love,

Sister Burnham

Flowers. I love this ward!

Week 43 - Brother Tom and Service

Hey y'all, this has been a week of mixed emotions. We got to do a ton of service, met a cool old guy, and we also got dropped by our investigators... 

TUESDAY 

Today was a GREAT day! After the work out this morning with the Relief Society, my companion realized she forgot her shoes. We did some studies, then had to go home to get her some dress shoes. We decided to go to a nearby area before dinner, and the last door we tried, we met an old guy who lost his wife 6 years ago. He was very friendly and open to talking. As we introduced our names, he said, "Oh man, I don't have a title." We told him we would call him Brother Tom, since we are all children of God. He lit right up. I've missed this kind of contacting, where the Spirit leads you and you find God's prepared children!

WEDNESDAY 

This morning we went to a food-sorting service place. The highlight of the day was meeting with a young woman  named Tuesday. She became less-active, but now really wants to become fully active and meet with us. She is so awesome! We had such a spiritual conversation, and she told us we are like the sisters she never had! I had felt sick beforehand, and my companion asked if we needed to stay home. I knew we needed to go though, and that the Lord would sustain me. We had dinner with a sister in the ward. She is so missionary minded and took us to meet her neighbor after dinner. We introduced her to The Book of Mormon and invited her to church. The best part was that the member did most of the talking and sharing! I also love spending Wednesday nights with the young women. So many look up to us and want to serve missions now.

THURSDAY 

A couple picked us up to serve at Bishop's storehouse today. I got to see all of the other missionaries and give Sister Scott an early birthday present (I made her a scripture box/case). It's amazing to see how the Lord takes care of His children. This is the true church! The couple took us out for lunch afterwards. The ward loves us! A family made us the best food ever! Sweet pork, guacamole, homemade green salsa and beans, etc. I love Mexican food :).

We got to video chat with Tuesday and read the first half of 1 Nephi 1 with her. So many miracles are happening because we get to use technology!

FRIDAY 

We were able to fit in some weekly planning this morning, and tried finding some people later that evening. We had dinner with an amazing family. They have a little boy who has to be hooked up to a machine at night to breathe because his brain forgets to make him breathe when he is unconscious. They have such a great testimony and understanding of the plan of salvation. And the couple is super in love. I am definitely learning so much about marriage on my mission, even though my focus is on bringing others unto Christ ;)

Tuesday sees how reading The Book of Mormon is helping her so much!

SATURDAY 

Long day, but good. We spent over 7 hours at a Family History booth at Pensacola State College. It was amazing to see the Spirit of Elijah working on some people. They had such a deep desire to learn more about their family history and receive help. By stark contrast, there are also a lot who really don't care to know.

That evening we had dinner with the Sumralls! President Sumrall of the Jay Branch actually lives within our ward boundaries, so we decided to coordinate dinner with them. They are such a loving couple. I love their family. And little JJ surprised me with a giant hug!

Before going to bed, I decided to have a personal inventory with God... or you could say a companionship inventory between God and I. I was just amazed by how powerfully I felt the Spirit, especially as I asked Heavenly Father how I could best help Him and my answer was, "Just be happy." God truly wants each of us to be happy. To enjoy life. We are His greatest work and joy, and He is happy when we are living after the manner of happiness.

SUNDAY 

I just want to start off by saying how proud I am of how far I have come. I've grown so much in faith of prayer and fasting, and I am now being able to fast without passing out! Also, this morning our solid investigators with baptismal dates dropped us over text message. It was much harder for Sister Benson, who has been meeting with them her whole mission thus far. Anyways, after church and studies, we only had a small time left to go and see people. We decided to go and drop our only other investigator, since he's been avoiding us for about 2 weeks, but he wasn't home. We both felt prompted to knock on his neighbor's door and invite him to church. He was very accepting and nice. We had a wonderful dinner... Cafe Rio style food! And they got me ice-cream for dessert!!!! People really care for me here, and I'm so grateful. At no other time in your life will random people that barely know you cater to you, simply because you're a missionary serving the Lord.

I know this is Heavenly Father's work. This church is organized and lead by Him and Jesus Christ. There would be no possible way we as missionaries could survive if this wasn't the true church. Heavenly Father is a real person, as real as I am. He knows you and loves you so much. He wants you to be so, so happy, and I testify that you can and will be as you live the gospel each day.

Much love,

Sister Burnham 

Funny Southern Moment:

Sometimes people add an extra "s" at the end of words. Everyone called Sister Wall, "Sister Walls." Or they ask, "How many childrens do you have?" Well, our ward mission leader is so funny because when he prays, he says "Dear Heavenly Fathers."