Week 53 - Mission Birthday and Ironman

What a week! I got to celebrate my year mark as a missionary and talk to my family on Mother's Day! So many tender mercies this week from God. Thank y'all for your prayers; they helped so much. First off, we aren't in a car share anymore! When President asked the zone leaders how Callaway was doing, they told him that we were still figuring out the car-share situation. President then told them, "Callaway isn't supposed to be in a car share. The Sisters are supposed to have the car, and the elders don't get one!" So they will be the ones needing the prayers now.

TUESDAY 

We have a huge district! There are 13 missionaries, and another senior couple is moving into our apartment complex, so we will soon have 15! I love that most of the sisters are new. Their greenie fire is rubbing off on me again. We also watched training videos from the missionary department, and our church never ceases to amaze me. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the truth, and I'm so blessed to get to share it each day.

WEDNESDAY 

We work out at the gym every morning, and this morning we met a really cool lady named Marilyn. We have been able to talk with her and share a bit about what we do. We also met with an older couple in the ward. When we asked them about how they share the gospel, the sister said that she writes out her testimony with a pass along card, opens up the phonebook, and randomly points to a page. Then she sends it to that address. Once it was to a Baptist Church...  That afternoon, we drove to a far area called Fountain. It is full of dirt roads, so our car got dusty. So did my shoes because I had to keep backing the car out. We only ran into one scary dog. But we were also able to contact 3 less-active families, and they were all surprisingly very welcoming. I don't think missionaries go up there very often. It was so cool to see everyone so receptive and kind.

THURSDAY 

Happy mission birthday to me! I guess I'm getting old, but it sure doesn't feel like it. To celebrate, I made brownies and had ice cream.  We helped out at the thrift store today, and a lot of crazy people were there. I'm pretty sure one guy was on drugs and stealing things because he kept coming in and out with different clothes on. He also called out to us, "Bye Catholic Sisters! Y'all are the prettiest sisters I've ever seen!" And another lady kept accusing the cashier of stealing from her. 

FRIDAY 

We did a lot of service today to prepare for the Ironman race tomorrow. We first helped move in the senior couple that is coming into our complex. And then we headed over to Panama City Beach to help people check in their bikes for the race. We were there for at least 5 hours! We did the math, and the amount of bikes in there added up to approximately 20 million dollars!

SATURDAY 

We woke up this morning at 5:30 so that we could get to the Ironman race. We helped direct the cyclists around a sharp turn in the road. It was so fun to cheer them on! Then after the last one passed by, we helped direct traffic and pedestrians so the cyclists wouldn't be stopped. It was a stressful job, and my authoritative side came out just a little bit. It became super dangerous that the police officers came to take over. There were only a few minor accidents with pedestrians slipping on the road and cyclists almost getting hit by cars, but everyone was okay. I kept forgetting what the cyclists were called, so I called them a variation of things: bikers, cyclers, biklers... The best part, though, was that my companion said that I left them with a smile on their face after they passed by me. It was fun cheering them on, but my voice was scratchy after five hours of shouting.

SUNDAY 

We got to ride to church with the Willmores, a senior couple that works on the church ranch. We had the opportunity to teach in Young Womens, and I felt the Spirit and Heavenly Father's love for them so powerfully. They really enjoyed the lesson. I am more grateful for living prophets than ever before in my life. Am0s 3:7 tells us that God does nothing unless He reveals it to His prophets. That is how He works. What would you not have without prophets?  I am so grateful for the Restoration of the gospel, and for the sure knowledge of the way to salvation that we have.

The Willmore's invited us and the other senior couple over for dinner. We were also able to call home and use their big computer screen! It was so cool to meet my companion's family. And Sister Strong really enjoyed listening to my dad fiddle for her! I loved getting to see my family's faces. I've never been more grateful for eternal families than now. I love them so much and am grateful for the support they give to me!

I testify that God answers prayers. Each hard week or hard day we have is to humble us so we can recognize the many blessing God pours upon us. Just past every dark and difficult day is a day of miracles and light! Hold on and stay strong! It's not about what you've done, it's about who you have become. And that mindset is only possible because of the Savior and His gift of repentance. Love y'all!

Love,

Sister Burnham 

Our district's rendition of the Provo Temple