Week 64 - Mini Missions and Marriage

Howdy y'all! Side tip: when you Westerners say "y'all," you have to swallow the L's. Well, lets see the adventures and things I've learned this week. I have a phrase I like to say when really crazy weird or crazy awesome things happen: "Only on a mission!" Some things happened this week that seem to only happen on a mission!

Tuesday:

We signed the journals of the departing missionaries, and I accidentally tried to marry Sister Stites off! One of the elders was going home, and he asked her if she had signed his journal yet (she was holding it, but didn't know it was his) so she said, "Ooohh!" when she realized it was his journal. We laughed at the sound she made and I tried to make a funny joke that the only thing she was going to write in his journal was "Ooooh!" and sign it with her name.  But when I went to say Sister "Stites," I accidentally said his last name instead because they are similar sounding and I'd been looking right at him. Well, awkward because they both looked at each other and blushed bright red, and I felt embarrassed that I said the wrong thing, so I tried to joke it off and told him, "I guess you're getting married a lot sooner than you thought!" But that actually made it worse and he left to go to the other side of the room. Y'all, I am not looking forward to my future dating life! I can already see I'm going to have quite the stories to tell...

We also had cleaning inspections that afternoon by the senior couple, and ours was the cleanest apartment in the entire zone! Score! We'd spent so many hours cleaning yesterday! We played some fun songs and danced with the Lyles. They are so much fun and I'm so blessed to have met them on the mission. I also felt very strongly that I needed a priesthood blessing, and it was exactly what I needed. Elder Lyle really felt like a stand-in dad and gave me a big hug afterwards. I miss hugging my dad. 

Wednesday:

We met with a girl who lives in our boundaries and strongly desires to get baptized but is worried her parents will kick her out of the house because they despise the church. It was sad to hear her story, but amazing to see her conviction and love for the gospel! That evening, our ward celebrated Pioneer Day by watching the old church movie "Legacy." They had a hard time getting the projector to play, so at one point they had 5 or 6 men up there trying to figure out what was wrong. Someone made the joke, "How many priesthood holders does it take to fix a projector?" After 30 minutes of this, bishop's wife comes over and gets it playing within 5 minutes! Women rule ;)

Thursday:

Boy oh boy! We took the bishop's daughter out with us for the whole day as a "mini-mission" so she could experience what life as a missionary is like. She is expecting to get her mission call within the week! However, every single set thing we planned to do today seemed to fall through! She was a real trooper and didn't mind tracting with us early that morning. She also took us out to lunch. We had a great time laughing and joking together. Then we went to do some contacting at a park so she could experience that. Now, every time you go to a park, you first have to swing for a few minutes so you look like you fit in ;). We had a good time talking to some friendly people, and as we were about to leave for our dinner appointment, this man sitting under a gazebo calls out to us, asking what we were doing. I took it as a sign to go talk to him, so we walk over and he starts talking about his life. At first, everything seems normal and he's just a really friendly, chatty guy. But then things started not making sense anymore. Politicians were trying to steal his "fire art" and the producer of Transylvania came to visit him when he caught a bat on his fishing pole to give him a prize, and he said to put it in a movie! And that's how the movie came to be... and a bunch of other insane things! We politely excused ourselves because we really had to get going. He continued to talk to us like we were right next to him as we were walking further and further away. Finally, when we were about 10 feet away, he calls out to us, "I'm still looking to get married!" We all started speed walking/running away with horrified looks on our faces! ...only on a mission!

Bible study that evening went really well, even though only 2 people showed up. It was exactly what one of the ladies needed, because she called us later and thanked us for being ourselves and letting our personalities show. She felt much  more connected to us because she can see we aren't putting on a front, but are just being ourselves. It really touched me and testified to me that God calls His missionaries to certain areas to touch others by their unique personalities. We aren't supposed to change who we are, and there is no cookie-cutter way to be a missionary.

Friday:

I had a slight migraine this morning and had to rest for most of the morning. I just looked and felt terrible. But my companion was very supportive and we have grown a lot closer and have become more unified. We went to visit some members later that day, and they were hilarious! The way they met needs to be made into a movie! We had dinner with a new family that just moved in and we had such a blast! That was the most I've laughed in a while! Plus we had carne asada street tacos! Yum, yum, yum! 

Saturday:

I have had hard time focusing during my prayers lately because of feeling tired, so the thought popped into my head to pray out loud. I found a quite place in the closet of our room, and it was very inspired and helped so much. I need to remember to pray out loud more often! Sister Lyle came over and joined us for our companionship study. Then they had us over for lunch, and I was working on printing something, and Elder Lyle called out to me by my first and middle name to get me to come eat. Haha, just like a real dad! And it worked, too. I came running asap!

Sunday:

We taught a great lesson second hour, and the missionaries did a great job with the combined third hour lesson. We discussed the Character of Christ by Elder Bednar and encouraged all the members to turn outwards in love and service, even as their natural man wants to take over. The Spirit was very strong, and we hope the ward will be more motivated to minister to one another. We were also able to swindle ourselves a dinner appointment with the Brignonis. They are so funny and also cook a lot for us. Afterwards, we went to try to find a less-active, but we couldn't find their house. We pulled over to pray, and in the middle of the prayer, I hear a man calling out to us. It freaked me out because I knew the doors weren't locked. But it turned out to be a nice guy asking if we were lost or needed any help. I took the opportunity to bear witness that we were praying to ask God who we could help, and then we invited him to come to church!

We also went to visit a sister whose husband just got home from the military. He is a nonmember and offered us alcoholic drinks and tried to tempt us to break our mission ruled... She was so embarrassed! But hey, it has to happen on a mission at least once, right?

I've been studying a lot about unconditional love this week. How often to you hear, "If you do this for me, then I'll love you even more!" or "If you don't do this, I won't love you as much." That kind of love is conditional and changing. It causes stress and insecurities. When you make a mistake or mess up, it makes you worried that you are loved less. I testify that we have a perfect Heavenly Father who loves unconditionally. He sees your future and your potential, and He loves you just as much in your weakest hour as He does in your strongest hour. There is nothing YOU can do to change the amount of love He has for you, and you don't need to earn it. You can't. It's just always there. I encourage each of you to love one another more unconditionally. Don't let another's shortcomings cause you to love them any less, and know that even when you fall short, there are those here on earth that love you regardless. The best thing you can do for someone struggling down the path of the gospel is to love them unconditionally, to give them an anchor of love that can become a life-line back onto the path of God.

Much unconditional love,

Sister Burnham

Week 63 - Chasing Down a Pizza Man

Hello there! This has been the most relaxed transfer week I've ever had because I knew I'd be staying with Sister Stites and finishing her training. I can't believe we are already half way through her training. It has slowly gotten easier as time has gone on, and as my understanding about Jesus Christ's mercy has grown. I know He is proud of me every step of the way and patient with my weaknesses. As I turn to Him, I am finding strength to overcome my trials. 

Monday

This evening, we had a BBQ with the other missionaries at Heidi's house. She was kind enough to serve us even though she wasn't feeling well. She really demonstrated the character of Christ: turning outward in love and compassion, when the natural man would want to turn inward.

Tuesday

We got to help plan Lana's baptism. She is an 8 year-old who recently moved into the ward and loves missionaries! Her dad is inactive. I did her hair into a crown braid, which she wants me to do for her real baptism.

Wednesday

Sister Stites came down sick with a stomach bug that has been going around, so we stayed inside most of the morning. That evening, we were able to help out at the minute-to-win-it games with the youth. We were in charge of coming up with the ideas and running the show. The youth had a really great time! We're glad to help out where we can!

Thursday

I've really felt the Spirit prompting me with ideas during weekly planning that can really help unite and strengthen the ward. It made me so, so excited! Even though this has been a hard week for us, I'm so blessed to recognize Heavenly Father's tender mercies each day. That evening, we got to help out at a charity fundraiser for kids with autism, and we got to take home the leftover flowers!

Friday

Today was a good day because I got to wear service clothes all day long! While Heidi was sick today, we went out and weeded her garden for her for a few hours. Then that evening, we washed walls and baseboards of a member who has really been struggling. Also, Brother Tom from Pace wrote me a very sweet letter. It brings me so much joy to remember the eternal connections we make on our missions. There is no greater or more rewarding work than missionary work!

Saturday

We've been struggling to find new people to teach. During personal study, I felt very prompted to study Chapter 9 of Preach My Gospel. I made a renewed commitment to have the faith that the Lord is placing His prepared children in our path. God really answered this prayer quickly! We went finding in a neighborhood and ran into two people, one who asked us sincere questions about our beliefs, and another who wanted to attend church. Later that evening, we went to a park to hand out cards to invite people to church. We met some friendly people, and then left to our dinner appointment. We were running a bit early, and on the way there, we passed a boy swinging an advertising sign around for pizza. Sister Stites wanted to stop and give him a pass-along card, so I pulled over and we ran back to talk to him. Then, as we pulled into the neighborhood where our dinner appointment would be, Sister Stites wanted to give away her last pass-along card, so I said to have faith and we would see someone, and she could jump out and talk to them. A few seconds later, we saw a man out in his yard, so I stopped by a stop sign and she ran out and gave him a card. She was fearless today! Love it!

Sunday

We went to a Pentecostal church this evening, and while the people were friendly, I learned two things. 

1. The Spirit was not there. 

2. I now have a new appreciation for the scripture "Be still and know that I am God." So much noise and movement created an atmosphere of chaos to me. It wasn't until I bowed my head and prayed silently to God that I was able to feel the reassurance of the Spirit. I know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's true church established upon the earth. I know that is where the Spirit dwells.

This week I ran into a quote that completely changed the way I view the world: "There are no ordinary people, only potential gods and goddesses in our midst." The way we interact with each other can help or hinder one another's progress towards their final destination. Whenever someone did something ridiculous this week, instead of getting annoyed, I was able to think that they would one day be like Christ, completely perfect. It softened my feelings and made me more patient and understanding.

This also helped me to have patience with myself: "We will be made perfect in God's timing, and not a minute sooner." In a world full of comparisons, I sometimes think that people push themselves to be better than others so they can be perfect sooner and have the advantage. Maybe they think there is a time-limit on perfection, and once the timer goes off, it's too late! But it is by grace we are saved, in God's timing, not ours.

Much love,

Sister Burnham

Week 62 - Gators, Wasps, and Ants

What a crazy week, y'all! Every day is an adventure with Sister Stites! We've been focusing a lot on sharing Preach My Gospel with members and inviting them to study portions of it. We created a list of questions, such as "How can I study more effectively" or "How can I become more like Jesus Christ," and put page numbers relating back to Preach My Gospel for them to refer to. It's been working wonderfully!

Monday

We went to St. Andrew's Park to visit the Gold family, and they took us out to Gator Lake and the Beach. WE SAW A GATOR CLOSE UP! It was the best thing ever! I was surprised by how badly I wanted to poke it... or be chased by it! I might be going crazy, y'all!

Tuesday

We sanded some more cabinets for Sister Galinkski, but we didn't get very far before wasps started attacking us! So we had to run to the back yard. Well, then a few minutes later, it started pouring rain, so that ended our service pretty early! That evening, we had dinner with Sister Fierro, and she invited us back to make hummus with her. She is trying to go vegan and vegetarian and has been telling us all about how much better she has been feeling, and how there are great recipes on a blog called "Cooking with Plants."

Wednesday

I wasn't feeling well today, so we tried to take it easy, but we still had a 2 hour long lesson with Brother Harris (he really likes to talk) and went over family history with the YW Leader. Then off we went to mutual. I am also practicing for a musical number with a brother in the ward who plays piano. I'll be playing the violin. 

Thursday

AHH! What an insane day. We had a lunch appointment with Heidi, the lady we are teaching, and she asked us lots of random questions. Then before we left, she mentioned how her ears had closed up and she was sad because she wanted to wear her special earrings. I volunteered Sister Stites to re-pierce them because she said she had done it before. Next thing you know, we're sitting at a table with Heidi clutching fearfully onto my hand while Sister Stites is jabbing an earing through her ear! And it made the weirdest popping noise. It was the strangest and funniest experience ever. We went to go make cookies with a member, but they were in a rush and we ran out of time to deliver them. Then we were rushing off to our dinner appointment. The wife was running late, so we were sitting outside waiting for her to show up with the food. Sister Stites had the door open with one foot out. Bad idea... there was an ant pile there and soon her foot was covered in vicious ants, biting her all over. She was screaming for me to help her, so I sprayed bug spray all over her foot and had to get her abandoned shoe from the giant ant pile with a stick. I then kicked her shoe around the street to get all the ants off. Of course this happens right as the wife pulls up with the food. We were quite the comical sight.

Friday

Interviews with President Smith! He noticed how exhausted I looked and told me, "You know it's okay to take a nap if you're tired, right?" Um... no! I always say, "No rest for the righteous!" But I've realized how exhausted I've become lately... to the point where I will start dozing off anytime I am holding still. So sometimes in studies, prayers, etc. And that's not good! So after lots of soul searching, I realized that I need to be nicer to my body and take it easier these next few months of my mission, because if I don't allow myself to nap or take breaks, then I will be an ineffective, sickly missionary. I really appreciate and love President Smith. It's crazy to think I've known him for 14 months. He really is my mission dad and is looking out for me. We went to visit some youth in the ward who are in a hard family situation, and after getting to know them, I felt very prompted to share part of the Restoration with them. I could really tell that they felt the Spirit and our love for them. I love working with the youth! We then met up with the members we had made cookies with yesterday to deliver them and cheer some people up. Ministering really is the best thing ever.

Saturday

I've decided that it's really fun to play jazzy music on the violin. I've have the opportunity to meet lots of musically talented individuals at the community breakfast every week. Funny story: in the middle of bingo that afternoon, we hear this high-pitched voice coming from a wheel-chair bound old lady in the hallway saying, "Please let me go! Somebody, please!" 

Sunday

Two things made today awesome! One, Heidi came to church and sat with us. She loved sitting by us and said she felt like we were her two daughters she never had. Two, that night, Sister Stites served me. She put together a spa-night for me. She gave me a facial (complete with cucumbers), did my nails, and gave me a massage. I did not include pictures because while it felt really good, I looked completely ridiculous! Haha... :)

~ ~ ~ ~

These past few weeks, I've really been studying about the purpose of this life. For those of you who don't know, I am a perfectionist, and so I really hate making mistakes and messing up. And sometimes I get down on myself for it. I wish I was already perfect and didn't have any struggles so that I could better help others. I have such pure desires and am so disappointed when I can't live up to my own expectations. But if I keep wishing I was perfect, it defeats our Heavenly Father's plan. He sent us here to earth to learn and grow to become like Him. Learning and growing inherently means that we aren't perfect, that we're not supposed to be perfect (yet), and that it's okay. That is why He sent us His Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die for us. Because He knows we will mess up every single day and that we will need help to overcome the hardships we face. It is through our Savior that we will be perfected. If we wish we were already perfect and didn't have to make any mistakes, then we are trying to take Jesus Christ out of God's plan for us.

It's completely expected that you aren't perfect. It's normal that you are struggling. It's part of God's grand plan for you. Your mistakes don't define you, but because of our Savior, they refine you into who God needs you to be. No matter how many mistakes you make, you haven't disappointed your Heavenly Father. I think the only way we truly disappoint our Father is if we give up on ourselves and stop using His sacred and divine gift to us, the gift of repentance through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Remember, if you think you have ruined God's plan for you, rest assured: you aren't that powerful!

Much love,

Sister Burnham

Week 61 – 4th of July Carolers

Howdy all y'all! This week has flown by! You know you've been busy when you don't even have time for daily planning!

Tuesday

Before district meeting, we stopped by to drop off a bible to someone who requested it. They weren't home, but their friend answered the door. When she saw we were missionaries, she started saying, "I'm a good Christian; I believe in God!" I asked her, "If God had revealed more scripture, would you want to read it?" She said "Yes, where is it?" We pulled out a copy of the Book of Mormon and shared it with her. God is truly placing people in our path! 

Our district was split in half. We now have 8 people in our district and a new district leader. Guess our district was getting to big! We went to meet with Heidi, the woman who showed up to church in Sunday, for lunch at her home. She is so solid! She already knows a lot about our beliefs and made the comment during lunch, "Maybe I'll be a member by the time I finish my cook book." She is also an amazing cook! Right after, we went to do service for a returning member. We spent a few hours sanding her kitchen cabinets, and it was amazing how we can see the evidence of her changing just because she has started reading her scriptures and attend church (even if it is another ward). 

Wednesday 

Happy Fourth of July! We went early this morning to help serve at a community breakfast. I took the opportunity to go outside of my comfort zone and talk to a lot of families and people. I ended up talking religion with a guy who asked me, "Do you believe Satan and Jesus are brothers?" It was amazing to see that no matter what crazy questions he asked me, as I spoke and taught by the Spirit, he agreed with everything I said. 

We left straight to go to an appointment with a lady, Yolanda, the elders had referred to us. We were able to teach her the Restoration, and she really felt the Spirit and had a desire to read from the Book of Mormon. The Lord has been blessing us a lot this week!

Right after, we had a lesson with our recent convert, Jon Harris. It truly is amazing how in tune with the Spirit he is. He wants to start a blog for young cynical teens who don't believe in God. It will be interesting to see how the Lord uses him and his gifts to share the gospel. 

Bela called us to come pick up some more tamales and Mexican food!!! Blessings! We then drove to the Meeks family and had a photo shoot with the kids and played games with them. They had a great time! Then we went to the Willmores for dinner for Sister Willmore's birthday! Yum :)

That evening, to celebrate, Sister Stites made us walk around the apartment complex, decked out in glow sticks, singing the national anthem. We were 4th of July carolers...

Thursday

We helped clean the church... and the only thing I have to say about that is the pulpits are now free from raisons, hair, and toe-nail clippings. That afternoon, I wasn't feeling well, and I had the thought to take a short nap while Sister Stites read in the Book of Mormon, because she had run out of time to do so in personal study. It turned out to be good because after my nap, she was SO excited to share with me her insights about 2 Nephi 13 and the Kardashians... haha. Bible Study that night went very well. I have been told many times that I have a gift of teaching and should work as a MTC or institute teacher after the mission. #futuregoals

Friday

We were inside all morning due to studies and weekly planning. And through some miscommunication, we accidentally double-booked ourselves for dinner! We didn't want to cancel on anyone, so we flip-flopped sometimes around and had one dinner at 5pm, and the other at 7pm. We were just praying the entire time that we would be able to eat at both and not offend anyone. Prayers were answered that night! It was really good to talk with those families and bring the Spirit into their homes.

Saturday 

Nothing too exciting happened at the community breakfast (besides the violin going out of tune) or at bingo. We visited a new family that just moved into the ward, and I already love them so much! They are so proactive and ready to jump in and strengthen the ward. They asked us if there were any investigators or less-actives that lived nearby them. We had such a good time talking and laughing.

We stopped to get gas before choir practice, and as I was outside the car, paying for the gas, a man walks past and says something. I wasn't paying much attention, but he went around to his car on the other side of the gas pump and told me, "I just wanted you to know that you're going to Hell." He started bashing me, and I just stared at him thinking, "What is the point of you telling me all of this?" He shouted, "666" got in his car, and drove away, yelling out "All Christians are going to Hell!" So I can check that experience off if my mission bucket-list! But it just reaffirms my testimony that this is the true church, and he recognized us as authorized servants of God. Choir practice was fun--we had a potluck afterwards. They are very serious about choir here!

Sunday

Some less-actives that don't come to church regularly came, which was a huge blessing. Heidi wasn't able to make it because she felt very sick, but some brothers in the church were able to go over and give her a Priesthood Blessing, and it really helped the pain to go away. 

I am so grateful for the lessons I am learning each week on my mission. This week has been such a testament to me about the blessings that come from paying a generous fast offering. We only had one dinner appointment scheduled for the week, and that was on Monday. After shopping, I wondered if I bought enough food for the week. And miraculously, each day this week someone invited us over for a meal (even two dinners in one night, haha). I know it is because I have made a personal goal to pay a more generous fast offering, and since doing so, I have never had to worry about money for food. I encourage each of you to consider what you offer for fast offerings and to really make it a sacrifice so that God can bless you even more!

Much love,

Sister Burnham