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
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