Pumpkin Painting, Hot Cocoa, and The Magic Flute

Hello my amazing friends and family! As I write this week's synopsis, my heart is so full of gratitude for my Heavenly Father and Savior. I've been blessed with joy this week. I've had lots of happy moments, but also have experienced a peace and joy that has brightened each day.

Monday
I learned some Indian and Jewish dances at Home Evening tonight! No, I will never prove it to you by showing you because I looked absolutely ridiculous! I don't think my body was made for dancing...

Tuesday
After work at the MTC, I went down to the Harman building to grade some papers for my TA job... I completed two in 50 minutes. I have 40 students to grade, so this'll be fun! Lexy made me a delicious dinner with sautéed onion, apples, bell peppers, and sausage! I also went to institute.

Wednesday
After my two classes in the morning, I had the rest of the day to myself because my music class was cancelled! I took that opportunity and went ice-skating. My friend Dani was there and taught me really cool jumps. I've been landing them, though not as gracefully as a pro, but it's been so fun! My does did feel rather crushed afterwards. Y'all ice-skating has become such a passion for me!

Thursday
I had my mission friends, Becca and Morgan, over for dinner tonight! We had yummy tacos! I fried up some shells and everything :) It was so fun to catch up with them. They are both soon gonna be married :0! I truly trust in the Lord's timing for me, though, so I'm not worried. I know my time will come eventually! For now, I'm doing the best I can to be an instrument in God's hands!

Friday
I was a bit late to my 8am class this morning because I had so much to do at work! I just had a blast today because while I was home doing dishes and laundry, I jammed out to some good tunes and had a party all by myself! I also got some homework done, then some grading for my TA job. I got to go ice skating with my friend Whitney and then attended an opera, The Magic Flute, that evening to see my teacher. He was the comic relief in the show!

Saturday
This was the best weekend I've had in a long time. I took time this morning to go shopping and get lots of things I needed, and then I ate lunch and went to work. I felt like I performed the best I have yet at work, really being sincere and allowing the missionaries to feel the Spirit as they teach me. Then after work, I went to the temple. The session was super small! When I got home, Miranda was on the couch watching Halloween Town. I made us dinner and then we watched it together, painted pumpkins, and had hot chocolate. It was so peaceful and nice!

Sunday
I woke up and looked out side. What did I see? Snow! Today marks the first snow of the season... I'm not ready! I had my friend Isaac film a video for my next blog video, and I'm super excited (and slightly nervous) to see how it turned out! He said he will help me film one each week, and I hope I don't overwhelm him! Later that afternoon, I was able to take a video of my friend Vincent to post on the channel next week. So y'all will have much to look forward to! I went with my friend Helena to the BYU Men's Chorus fireside and loved the beautiful music and testimonies of the converts. It was so precious and it was cool to see a couple of people that I knew! I was funny because after the meeting, I saw a missionary there that had taught me in the MTC. When she saw me, she said, "Hi Emily! Are you still meeting with missionaries? Did they bring you here?" I told her (a little sheepishly) that I was already a member. During the last song that was performed, a video of the life of Christ was shown, and as I watched Jesus, a thought came to mind, "That's my Savior." I felt the Spirit fill me and can testify that the Savior was friends with each of us personally in the pre-mortal life. Our relationship with Him is eternal—without beginning or end. I'm honored to be part of His church, the church of Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for the daily opportunities I have to feel the Spirit and share my testimony.

After writing down my prayers to Heavenly Father every morning, I record how I felt during and after the prayer. I reflected on it and realized that after almost every single prayer, I feel reassured. It hit me that my number one love language is words of affirmation, and that God shows His love to me through my love language: affirmation/reassurance. It made me think about how God can show us love in multiple ways, but He is especially aware of the ways that make us feel the most loved. If your number one love language is quality time, then spend some more quality time with Him so you can feel extra loved!

Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Emily Burnham

BYU Spectacular!!

14 October - 20 October 2019

I survived another week! Hallelujah! It was actually a good week! I got everything done without any pressure. Projects got finished in time, quizzes got taken earlier than usual, and I even got to go ice skating for 2 hours AND to the BYU Spectacular on Friday! 

I turned in a paper that was worth 15% of my grade on Monday, and my friend Helena from the ward brought me lunch (we have English together), so I didn't have to go home to eat. I could stay on campus and get things done. I'm so grateful for the ministering angels that God sends my way to remind me that he loves me! I am enjoying work a lot more now that I'm getting more into my role and can be myself. Missionaries are great! They're not perfect, but they are pure in their intent to learn and teach the gospel, to serve the Lord. While ice skating on Friday, I was able to share about the Plan of Salvation and the Gospel of Jesus Christ with my friend Dani. She shared that she believes in reincarnation and that birthmarks symbolize how you died in a previous life. I'm so grateful for the time she puts into teaching me! I was a little shaky after not skating for three weeks, but I got the hang of it again pretty quick. I met up with a friend from my singing class to go to the BYU Spectacular with that evening. We got to listen to Ben Rector (who I had never heard of until the BYU Spectacular), Hilary Weeks, Vocal Point, and BYU Men's Chorus. Plus, we got to see the Dunk Team. They were my favorite part because they would do all these crazy flips off of trampolines and then dunk the ball! Overall, a blessed week! And I finally took time to go shopping so I have food!!!

BYU Spectacular Men's Chorus

I got to teach Sunday School today. It's amazing how much more revelation God gives me as I prepare to teach His children. I really enjoyed it and everyone said it was really good. Miranda said that the time seemed to fly by, which was really good because that's how it always feels to me! Also, Miranda and Lexy convinced me to ask a guy out to go on a triple date with them in a couple of weeks. I made up a ton of popcorn for Come, Follow Me today! And Miranda invited a lot of sisters from the ward over for dinner, which was amazing. I got free food and good company, so what more can you ask for? (Though we did spend a significantly large amount of time talking about alligators and losing limbs). Also, my friend Vincent was able to help me with my art project (telling a story through hands) today after Come, Follow Me by taking lots of pictures of my hands. He's the best!

Something that really resonated with me this week was about the power of accepting other people's offers to help us. There is a special love that will enter your heart when you sacrifice your pride and the worry of being a burden, and allowing someone to do something for you. That is one way that God reaches out to us and lightens our burdens, but only if we accept it! Just think--God commands us to serve Him. If we want to be like Him, we need to get used to allowing others to serve us, even if we think we could do it better. Instead, allow them to serve and bless you, and meanwhile they are serving God and feeling loved and blessed by Him. If I hadn't let so many people serve me a couple weeks ago, I wouldn't feel such love and gratitude when I see them. Truly service AND being served brings us closer to others. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I would literally and figuratively be lost without Him, and I want to make a better effort to put Him at the center of everything that I do.

Love,

Emily Burnham

Harry Potter and Painting

7 October - 13 October 2019

Hey! So, in all honesty, this past week sucked. Not all of it. But I just didn't feel very well all week long and became overwhelmed and stressed with all that I had to do. Wow, I'm so grateful that it is Sunday so I can rest from the craziness that is my life! I have a headache for the third day in a row and will feel nauseous/dizzy on and off. Despite all that, the Lord has sent ministering angels my way and has strengthened me through it so I could accomplish the things I absolutely needed to get done.

Monday
I did not feel well today. Mostly emotionally/mentally, so I didn't go to my first class. Instead, I went shopping because I needed food. It was cool to run into six different sets of missionaries at Walmart! During my second class, we were asked to draw pictures of God, and mine actually turned out pretty good! So I gave it to Miranda as a gift. We had a Harry Potter themed Home Evening tonight, complete with a realistic looking Hagrid-made birthday cake for Harry. It was super cute and a lot of fun.

Tuesday
Ironically enough (or maybe it was planned, I don't know), the speaker for today's devotional related 5 principles from Harry Potter to the gospel. So that was pretty fun! That evening, I felt so sick and did not go to institute. Then I felt super bad and disappointed in myself. I think I have felt so bad these past few days because I was just on a conference-high and now Satan is striking me down. But not for long! I also surprised my roommate Kayla with some watercolor paintings I did for her because her room is so empty with zero decorations.

Wednesday
I ran into so many people I knew today on campus! I saw Whitney Callahan twice, Lexy Rowberry, and Spencer Ashworth! It was fun to get to chat with them all for a second before getting to class. I am also really enjoying my singing class, and think I'm getting better, but it's hard to tell. I also called and talked to Johnny for half of an hour, which made me so happy! I love hearing from the Wrights and the joy that comes from staying close to those you met on the mission that changed your life forever. He is doing well, but may have cancer in his ear, so I'm keeping him in my prayers.

Thursday
After my Social Psych class today, I was talking with Haley Bell and she thanked me for my comments that I give during class, which made me feel good. She showed me pictures of her cute kids and said she was open to being set up on dates. It was a really good conversation and I gave her a hug. Then I remembered she said she had the flu! So I stopped by the JKB on my way home for a free flu shot! I went to work at the MTC and had an amazing lesson with these two elders. What made it so great was how excited they got about teaching me the Plan of Salvation. It felt so good to obviously be helping them to fulfil their purpose. That evening, I spent a lot of time printing, cutting and finishing up my poster for my art class tomorrow. I had a small bit of time to do some readings but then needed to go to bed.

Friday
I went into work. I don't know why, because I felt absolutely awful. But I did. I got to talk with Ben and give him Haley's number so he could ask her out when his divorce is finalized (I never considered myself to be a match maker, but who knows what'll happen). Then I had my art class. It was really good! I got to present my painting projects and was super proud with how well they turned out. My teacher seemed pretty impressed. Then we had some free time at the end to work on our next project: guerilla art. I got the whole class in on doing a flash mob on campus where we will freeze in place for 4 minutes. I'm super exited about it and recruited some friends to help me out. I had a QPR training about suicide prevention for my TA job, and it was actually very good and informative. I held my TA office hours and went shopping and then to the temple, and then came home to do homework. I went with Whitney to a game night for about 45 minutes that evening. All my other time was spent doing homework!

Saturday
I did not sleep well, and I couldn't sleep in until 6am. My body was too stressed, I think. I had a service project out in Lehi, UT, so I left with Helena (she's in my ward but she's also in English class, which is the reason we had to do this service project) at 7:30am. I thought that when we showed up, they'd put us to work digging ditches for five hours or something. But no, we totally got spoiled! They had breakfast laid out for everyone, a junior high choir serenaded us as we ate. Then we got to pick which service we did (we helped paint the mural outside) and they had food trucks feed us for lunch. Plus they had water and snacks for us. I got to meet and talk with some pretty cool individuals and feel reassured that I'm doing the right thing. I brought home a doughnut from one of the food trucks for someone and ended up giving it to Kayla's fiancée, Matt. He was so happy. I quickly had to leave to go to work. I just packed a lunch with me and ate there. Then, because I only had one lesson scheduled, I was able to clock out for a bit to get some homework done, and then I also could leave early since I wasn't feeling all that well. My cheeks were flushed all day and I was a bit out of it. All week. I went to the Harman building for a few minutes to finish up some work and then went home to work on homework. I got a perfect score on my quiz! And I got pretty far on my essay that is due. I'll just need to wake up early on Monday to finish it up.

Sunday
I slept in a bit past 8am. And I still didn't want to get up. I'm so grateful that Sundays can be a day of rest for me! With how busy my weekdays are, Sunday is a mental rest day too! I started my fast and was almost ready for church when I started have violent waves of nausea and knew I had to eat something or I very well might have thrown up. So I ate a banana, but that's all I had! I enjoyed listening to everyone's testimonies today and being filled. I sat next to Lexy in Relief Society and we talked afterward about how time-consuming it is to cook for ourselves, and we decided to do a small food group. She'll cook for us on Tuesday and I'll cook for us on Wednesday. That way we have motivation to cook and don't have to feed ourselves once a week. Kathrine may be in on it as well. As we were walking home from church, Lexy and I stopped to talk to a guy in our ward named Isaac, and he said he is a videographer and offered to help film my weekly YouTube videos so they are not ghetto-quality. Wow, what a blessing! He is my new best friend. Also, I need to actually have more coherent and meaningful things to talk about... yikes! But it'll be good :). I posted some new videos to my channel today as well, and I don't think they are as bad as the first couple, so that's good! Vincent and Kathrine came over for Come, Follow Me study group, and it was nice having a small group today. I'm grateful for the many friends that I have and the ones I am making each day!

I've been thinking a lot about the joy and love we will experience in Heaven. I know that it will be so great--and so worth our every trial and hardship we had to go through here in order to get there. I am filled with hope that my hardships happen for a reason. Waking up for work at 5am, walking there in the cold feeling nauseous from hunger. That'll be a fun story to tell my kids one day! It has helped me see that I can do hard things and overcome anything with the help of the Lord. I know what awaits me in the future will more than make up for every misery I go through now.

Much love,
Emily Burnham

Mission Reunion!!!

30 September - 6 October 2019

Howdy howdy! It's me again! I had such an exhausting week, but it was also wonderful! I know you'll be disappointed if I don't give you a play-by-play of my day, but I'm super tired, so I'm just gonna give the highlights!

Monday
I woke up an hour early to finish homework for class, and then did homework between each class. The fun part of my day was that after FHE, I stopped by BYU's Museum of Art to scope out the pieces for my art class paper. Then I ran quickly by the store to grab some needed materials for the rest of the week. I loved all the artwork of the Savior and the pioneers, who sacrificed so much to follow Jesus Christ.

Tuesday
Another day of waking up extra early to do homework in the morning. With general conference this weekend, and my mission reunion, I need to get a lot of homework done early! I began working on my test for my Social Psych class, and I feel blessed that it is open notes and textbook! However, I also felt so stressed that I could not bring myself to attend institute. I just mentally couldn't go. Sometimes you just need a break, and it's okay to say no to things that you usually do when you aren't feeling well emotionally. Ooh, I also got to see Elder Hughes at the MTC when I was getting off of work!

Wednesday
Today between classes, I took the essay I'd written for the Brimhall Contest to the writing center. The girl who helped me had some good suggestions. It made her laugh a lot! I hope I have a good chance of winning, because I really poured my heart and soul into the piece! When I got home from class, I opened a giant package that had arrived for me: a set of my very own pots and pans! Ones that I won't have to share with anyone; that gluten will never touch! Did I mention how amazing my mother is?

Thursday
I got to hold baby Parker (Miranda's nephew) this morning while she got his bottle ready. He's so cute! I had to leave early to meet with my professor about my performance in my English class so far, and I was surprised that he was really happy with me, because I'd been pretty sure he didn't like me very much... After my class, I met with my TA to go over some test questions. After my shift at the MTC, I went over to do initatories at the Provo City Center temple, which was a blessing. Then I had to do a lot of homework and personal business stuff all night. I turned in my essay for the contest! I hope hope hope it wins!

Friday
I didn't go into work this morning. What a blessing! I went to my 8am class until 11am, then went home for lunch. I left to go to the Harman building to hold my TA office hours and grade the big assignment that was due. Blah. Took me three hours! I rushed home and got ready and was able to carpool with Jessica Church, Becca Strong, and two others to SLC. The mission reunion was held in a chapel, and it was so overwhelming to see so many people I knew all at once! But it was also good. I know that life moves on and that friendships change, but I'm grateful for the amazing memories I get to share with these people. I was able to drive home with Ashleigh Jensen, and we had such an amazing conversation! We both want to go into Marriage and Family Therapy.

Saturday
For the morning session of general conference, we ate breakfast at Lexy's apartment and watched over there with a group of friends! I absolutely loved general conference! I also worked on my art project about the 5 senses while watching ;). Even though I was busy and had a lot to do, I learned so much and have felt prompted with ways that I can improve. I was able to finish all my homework and assignments by 9:30pm, which was such a blessing! I'm so excited for the changes that are happening! A temple in Orem?? So cool!

Sunday
I feel like I am coming down sick. Two of my roommates have been/are sick, and I am feeling dizzy, nauseous, and tired. I felt the Spirit a lot while watching conference, and truly had so many questions and concerned answered. I realize that I need to pray with REAL INTENT. Not just that I'll act on the answers I receive, but that I really care about what I am saying and praying about. I also want to be more generous with my time and resources. Satan has spent over a thousand years coming up with the best strategies to distract me from my divine role and purpose, and I feel like one of them has been putting so much focus on school and work, stressing over both so that I put service on the back-burner. I need to realign my priorities and really seek out ways to love and serve my fellowmen. I have started a service journal, where each week I will make a list of things I want to schedule and do to serve and reach out to others. I want to be a blessing, a force for good, in the lives of others! Also, we have the best prophet ever! Love him so much! Also, I posted another video to my YouTube channel! It's so hard putting myself out there like that, but I hope and pray it will do good in someone's life!

Love,
Emily Burnham