Week 60 – Tender Mercy of Tamales

Okay, this week was the best week so far this transfer! Thank you for all of the prayers. I worked so hard on not stressing about anything--as soon as it started to worry me, I consciously let it go, because a calm and relaxed missionary is an effective and healthy missionary. Sister Stites has been working hard on adjusting as well. Missions can be a huge adjustment, so we have both been greatly blessed by God, and we know He is aware of our efforts. Here are the highlights of our week: 

Monday

We went to Panama City Beach with the other Sisters serving there. Sister Stites loved it! The water is gorgeous, and we found a lot of cool shells. Haha, Sister Stites also got some funny tan lines!

Tuesday

Exchanges started today after District Council (for those who don't know, the church updated a few things in the online Preach My Gospel, and district meeting has been changed to district council). I went out with Sister Church, and it was the coolest experience ever! She is so loving and had great advice. When the people we planned to see fell through, we drove to a nearby park with beautiful scenery and talked about the stresses of training. While there, we had two miraculous contacts in which we were able to bear testimony of living prophets, and they ended up wanting copies of The Book of Mormon! It was such a tender mercy to know we were in the right place at the right time, and I really felt the Spirit strongly as I testified because I wasn't so stressed or burdened. 

Wednesday

I made Sister Church a scripture box for her scriptures, and she loved it! Everyone here seems to think I am a "master crafter," so I guess I take after my mom! Today's tender mercy came in the form of tamales. A member had asked us a few days ago what we wanted for dinner, and for some reason, we had really been craving tamales and a good Mexican meal. So we told her if it wasn't too much work, that's what we wanted. If not, stir-fry also sounded good. She responded that she had never made tamales before and all the recipes she searched online contained gluten and eggs. So basically, it was a no-no. We said, "No worries, stir-fry would be great!" Well, lo and behold, when we showed up, she had made homemade Spanish rice, beans, and tamales! She'd worked on it for hours and combined multiple recipes to make sure it was safe for me. IT WAS SO GOOD and we ate WAY too much! It meant so much to us... I know it sounds silly, but that one act brightened up our entire week (plus she sent us home with lots of leftovers)!

Thursday

We heart-attacked a member just to surprise them, and while in the area, we decided to try contacting a less-active. She wasn't home, but another lady let us in to talk with the 16 year old daughter that was there. Summer is super active in her church and loves the Lord so much. She has such a great Spirit about her, and we connected almost instantly. We've stayed in contact with her every day since, just being her friend and inviting her to church activities. That evening, the Relief Society had a Retro-themed party, so I let Sister Stites do my make-up to look retro! The ward is really reaching out to us: someone brought matching aprons for us, another made me a special dinner since I couldn't eat the other food.

Friday

We took Bishop's daughter with us to a lesson with our recent convert, Brother Harris. He is quite the talker, but so loving and spiritual. We invited him to bear his testimony on whatever the Spirit urged him to on fast Sunday. He was a little hesitant at first, but we talked about how we are angels when we speak by the power of the Holy Ghost, and that he would touch someone in the congregation with his testimony. A member took us out for lunch at a buffet, so just like a kid in a candy store, we got cotton candy! Plus it was the only dessert I could have... but I've learned that cotton candy and humidity don't mix well together!

Saturday

At the Methodist Community Breakfast, the man who plays the guitar, Earl, was away for a family emergency, so they were relieved when I showed up with the violin. Another LDS family was there serving, so I recruited them to sing as I played through some hymns (with the mom on the piano). I also played a few fiddle songs for them. Overall, the Spirit was there so much more strongly with our music playing than the songs they usually play, and everyone noticed the difference. One of the Methodist preachers told us, "We might just have to tell Earl to take an early retirement!" 

We had a bible referral that also wanted a copy of The Book of Mormon. We were able to go over this morning and teach him and his wife. They have the most adorable baby girl! We could tell that the husband is very sincere in his search for truth. It is quite amazing, in fact! He talked about wanting to prepare himself for when Christ comes again, because he has a feeling it will be soon and he wants to be prepared so he isn't left behind. Y'all, it's getting real. The Second Coming truly is coming soon because even non-members are being moved upon to prepare. The wife is a little more skeptical, but we will keep praying for them all! 

The funniest thing happened at bingo this afternoon! A lot of the old ladies are half deaf and can't hear worth butterbeans! So Sister Stites was calling the numbers, loud as she could, while I sneakily was crocheting something for her birthday, and the ladies were playing blackout, where the entire board needs to be covered. It was taking a really long time, longer than normal, for someone to win. At long last, Sister Stites called "B3!" and a lady called out, "Bingo!" Quiet so that no one else could hear, a relieved Sister Stites said, "Oh good, because I was all out of numbers to call!" She had gone through every single number, so everyone should have had bingo, but because of their terrible hearing, it took until the very last number for one person to finally get bingo. Those poor ladies and their terrible hearing!

Sunday

Sister Stites Birthday! She loved the simple gift I crocheted for her and the card I made for her. Church was amazing because the elders investigator showed up to church, and the ward was so friendly in reaching out to him. And then we got a new investigator too! Cool story: a member of our church was at Lowes looking at barbeque and was talking with this lady for an hour. Then he says, "Our church sometimes has barbeques, you should come sometime!" She agreed, so they exchanged numbers and he gave her the address to the church. Well, she came! She had been thinking about it all week and was so excited to come, but he forgot to tell her what time it started, and she thought, "Maybe I've been uninvited..." But he remembered in the beginning of the meeting and texted it to her and she showed up just a tiny bit late. She loved all of church and wants to know more and meet with us! We can see just how golden she is and how she has been prepared by the Lord. We now have an appointment with her on Tuesday, and she also wants to feed us lunch! We had dinner with the Willmores, and they made Sister Stites her own cake and got her presents!  

I am so grateful for the things I am learning each week on the mission. This is a quote that really stood out to me this week: "Get over your reservations and just love people!" I'm really good at over-thinking thinking and over-analyzing things, and sometimes I get so caught up in the "ifs" and the "buts." I think about why it's going to be hard to love a member, or a missionary, because of our differences. But with Jesus Christ, we truly can love everyone as He does. We just need to get over our reservations and love like our Savior. Love people for who they are. Love them as children of God.

Much love,

Sister Burnham

Week 59 - Gator Lake

Howdy all y'all! The most stressful part of training a new missionary is the unrealistic expectations you sometimes place on yourself. I am working on that, though! I'm not perfect, but I am called of God specifically to train Sister Stites (though most often I feel like I am the one learning from her). We've had quite a few crazy adventures this week!!!

On Tuesday, Sister Stites said that she felt very strongly that we should go to a park and contact people there. So, we schedule it into our evening, and when we arrive, she looks over at me with a terrified look on her face and says, "Um, I don't actually want to do this anymore!" I gave her a playful squinty-eyed glare and said, "This was you're idea! Too bad, we're still going!" So we got out of the car and walked around the park. We talked with one lady walking around for exercise, and Sister Stites did great! She left her with a Book of Mormon! As they were finishing up talking, my eyes caught hold of a cute family up ahead of us, and I had this feeling we needed to talk with them. So we did. Turns out that the mom used to be Mormon but became less-active, but is super friendly with the church. She had recently moved here with her husband and little girl from Italy, and was so lonely. We talked with her (or should I say, she talked with us) for 45 minutes! It was pretty cool. And super hot and humid. Y'all, I've been so dehydrated! The senior couples were so inspired that evening to invite us over for watermelon, and without knowing we were lacking water, gave us a giant case of bottled water!

Wednesday... I have quite the story, y'all! We got to teach Jon Harris, our recent convert, and some other less-actives. That evening, we had a dinner appointment with an active member. We were able to share a very spiritual message with her afterwards. She was really feeling the Spirit and opening up to us. Then all of the sudden, her less-active, cynical son walks into the room and starts questioning everything we are saying. I don't know why, but I felt very strongly to speak up. In my companions' words, I sat straight up, looked him in the eye, and said, "We have the authority to call people to repentance." He looked taken aback for a second. I went on to exhort him to study his scriptures and pray everyday because he had nothing to lose. According to him, his life sucked, and it could only get better if he followed the Savior. It was one of those moments when I knew the Spirit had spoken through me, and I hope that was what he needed to hear (in the long run).

We had Zone Conference on Thursday! All of the senior missionaries were invited. I got to participate in the musical number and play the piano. I felt very impressed about the importance of keeping your fire burning as you testify to others. Always testify of principles that have personal relevance and meaning to you. When we got back home that evening, we found out that our AC wasn't working anymore...

On Friday, our AC was still broken, and boy was it getting HOT inside. We were finally able to get it fixed, but not before Sister Stites raided the freezer for some ice packs.

Saturday was super fun! First of all, I finally did it... after 13 months, my hair was in dire need of being cut. At the Methodist Community Breakfast, they have two hairdressers that cut the homeless people's hair. Well, I'm far away from home, so I count, right?! Plus we wanted to get on the good side of a potential investigator. So my hair got chopped. A little shorter than I wanted, but oh well. That evening, we drove down to St. Andrew's Park to have dinner with members. They took us out to Gator Lake and the beach after. Boy oh boy, did we see some gators!!! It was so exciting. One of them was right up by the shore, and a much bigger one was swimming further away. 

We had two families that moved in recently finally come to church! It was so good to see them there. I connected really well with one of the families, especially their little girl. She reminds me a bit of CJ from Brewton. I sat next to her and she would copy exactly what I was doing. We went over to a member's home for a late lunch (like, 3pm) and it was really good! They cooked a lot for us! But... we had a dinner appointment at 6pm with Bishop's family, only a few hours later. It all worked out though. We have been really trying to bond and connect with the ward, and have made plans to spend as much time with them as possible to let them know that we are truly here for them. 

This past week, Sister Stites and I have been studying about the signs of the Second Coming. With the revelations that President Nelson has given to us and his address to the youth, we really feel that the second coming is a lot sooner than any of us realize, and we need to step up our game to prepare. If you look around the world, the wicked are wicked enough to be destroyed. God is waiting for His Saints to step up their game and be prepared for when Christ comes again. Even among church members, He is sifting the wheat from the tares. What can each of y'all do to more fully prepare for when our Savior comes again? I testify that we will see Him soon, and when we see His face, we will realize that no sin is worth keeping us from His eternal presence. 

I really love y'all and am so grateful for the support you give me. Have a wonderful week!

Much love,

Sister Burnham

Bonus pics from Gator Lake:

Week 58 - Make Room for Hello

Happy Father's Day! I got to give a talk in sacrament meeting, and it went very well! Being a parent is a sacred assignment from God, and I compared it to training a new missionary. The way you teach and train them will influence the rest of their mission and life. This past week has been a little crazy, but I survived, and my new trainee is still alive. My new companion's name is Sister Stites, and she is from Payson, Utah. She has 11 older siblings! We have had lots of fun and laughter this week:

First of all, it was hard saying goodbye to Sister Strong. She has become one of my best friends, and I love her a lot! I'm grateful for every single person and friend I have met on my mission and the lasting influence they have had on me. Goodbyes are hard, but you still have to make room for "hellos." 

My daughter, Sister Stites

On Tuesday evening, we set out with another set of sisters to drive up to Tallahassee to spend the night in preparation for our training meeting the next morning, at 7am. It was a great meeting, in which President Smith talked about how important training is. What we do will influence the new missionary for the rest of their lives! He went over expectations to be exactly obedient, diligent, patient, and full of charity. He also shared a quote with us from the Mission President's Handbook: "Choose only outstanding missionaries to serve as trainers." He looked at each of us and said, "Now what does that say that I think about each of you?" This assignment is very humbling, but I pray the Spirit will guide my words and help me prepare my trainee to love missionary work! Then we got to go to the chapel to meet our trainees! Sister Strong's trainee (Sister Miller) and my trainee were companions in the MTC! That was so cool to find out, because we had kind of joked about that happening. Also, Sister Miller is from Gilbert, AZ, and while I haven't met her before, she does look slightly familiar. 

Of course he takes the group photo when I'm not looking because I'm trying to figure out phone issues... :(

My phone died this week. It wouldn't plug in to charge or anything. And Sister Stites' phone wasn't unlocked, so it wouldn't read the SIM card. We had a stressful few days without any solid contact to the outside world or any of our planning apps. But we eventually got everything figured out! We stopped by a Verizon store, and they were no help. They sent us to the AT&T store, and they were super helpful. My testimony has definitely been reaffirmed that God answers prayers. 

I played the fiddle along with some old guys at the Saturday Methodist Community Breakfast and really impressed them. And I impressed myself, too! It was a lot of fun, and the people I play along with are really softening up. 

Miracle of the week: we had some plans fall through, so we knocked on the door of a male potential. A female answered, and I felt strongly to pretend we were there directly for her. As I testified to her, I knew she felt the Spirit and let us come in. We could tell she was very awkward and uncertain about what was going on, but that the Spirit was really working with her. Turns out her boyfriend is Mormon, but she doesn't know much about it. We were able to briefly testify and leave her with a Book of Mormon.

I've been studying a lot this week about desires. Alma 29:4 says that God "granted unto men according to their desires," whether it be good or evil. I know this is true. Throughout my mission, I've received many blessings that promised me that God would grant me the desires of my heart. And looking back on my mission, He truly has. Of course, it was all in His timing, not mine. I strongly desired to train a new missionary when I first came out on a mission. I hoped for it, thought about, etc. When it didn't happen the first 6 months, or even the first year, I kind of supressed those feelings. Now that it is actually happening, I've felt stressed and inadequate. But as God reminded me that it had been my desire, I have so much more gratitude for this calling to train a new missionary. Sister Stites is amazing and will do wonderful things! Think about the desires you have had in your life and reflect over which ones have been fulfilled. I promise you that God does grant us according to our desires, but the key is that it is always in His timing, and we better make sure that when He grants it to us, we still want it. 

Thank all y'all for your love and support! 

Much love,

Sister Burnham

Stormy Weather

We live right by a swamp! #swampsisters

Week 57 - Expecting to Expect

Howdy y'all! I am short on time again because technology really does not like me today! But, we received transfer news Sunday afternoon, which always means you are either training or going into a leadership position... I had a feeling I might be training a new sister this transfer because we have 11 new sisters coming in, and President Smith said to expect big changes. So yes, y'all, I will be training a brand-new, fresh from the MTC, missionary here in Callaway! I am so excited, but it is also bittersweet, because it means saying goodbye to my best friend, Sister Strong. She is absolutely amazing and has been such a tender mercy to me here. So, you can say I was expecting to expect (have a missionary-baby).

What I was NOT expecting, however, is that Sister Strong is white-wash training in President Smith's ward in Tallahassee!!! She will be in a new area, with a new companion, trying to figure everything out, with President watching over! Kind of stressful, but she is taking it well and is excited to get to know President Smith better! I'm so excited for her and know she will do wonderful.

We had a pretty crazy week! We went out with Sister Cook, a ward missionary, to go contact people at a park. We decided to go to the back of the park, right by the bay, instead of the playground. There we found a cute family that was taking pictures of the hermit crabs in the water. We started talking to the mom and found out that they were on vacation and this was their last activity before they were going to pack up and drive home the next day. We were able to share the Book of Mormon with her, and the Spirit was really strong when I shared 2 Nephi 25:26 with her. It had just popped into my head. She seems really interested and we hope that she read the Book of Mormon on the long drive home. I can really imagine their family joining the church one day soon! 

Sister Cook trying to share the Book of Mormon with the squirrels

We took a youth out with us to go and heart-attack some members, and she really enjoyed it! We know we were also able to touch a lot of people through that random act of service.

Going heart-attacking with Hannah

Adventure of the week:

We convinced Sister Lyle to come out with us Friday night to another church's "revival." You know the stereotype of the pulpit-pounding, fire and brimstone preachers?  Those aren't exaggerated... The topic of the preacher's sermon was "five reasons I don't want anyone to go to Hell." After about an hour of shouting at us about that over loud speakers and pounding his fist, he started talking about how we need to accept Jesus Christ in order to be saved. He also said that we need to repent. "Repentance is a change of heart..." (Yes, the first true thing we heard!) "but not of action." (and... he ruined it ...). Finally the senior sister we were with said that we should go, and as we were walking away, we heard the preacher tell everyone to stand up and raise your hand if you are 100% sure you have been saved and were going to heaven. I was glad we left before that. That sermon was crazy. We left feeling beat up and like we had been yelled at for an hour. It really increased my appreciation for the Spirit that is felt in our church building, and for a Prophet that keeps doctrine pure and has the steps we need to take to make it back to our loving Heavenly Father. I never knew I took so many gospel truths for granted! If you want to increase your testimony of this church, go out and visit other churches!

 

With Elder and Sister Lyle

Miracle of the week: So, my phone hasn't been working properly all week. I just found out it has a virus on it or something. Anyways, we had set aside time to go finish inputting the area book so the new missionary won't be stuck with it. Well, my phone didn't want to cooperate. I decided to kneel down with my companion and pray. After that, my phone worked! Just long enough for me to finish putting in my stack... and now it isn't working anymore. God is a God of miracles, and I'm so grateful for Him everyday. Plus, we FINALLY finished the area book!!! Y'all don't know how amazing that truly is!

I know this gospel is true, and is lead by a Prophet called of God. I know that God will give me the strength to make it through the crazy week ahead. I know everything will work out as I trust fully in Him. My number one goal is to love my new trainee and help her be excited about missionary work!

Much love,

Sister Burnham

With Brother Harris and Elder Lyle in Bro Harris' beautiful garden!

The service project at the ranch last week

Week 56 - Church Ranch & Mexico Beach

Howdy y'all! We are short on emailing time because we had an adventurous day! So I'll quickly summarize the highlights, but let my pictures do most of the talking!

We taught our new investigator, Kimmi, the Restoration in her humble home on Wednesday. The lesson felt more like a conversation than a presentation  (as it should be, but not always is). She really grasped onto the concept of living prophets today. It is amazing to see that the Lord has prepared someone for us after much after much hardwork and prayer. I really felt the spirit lead my words as I testified to her. The lesson really connected with her, and she is so excited to read the Book of Mormon!

Saturday was a day full of service! Went to the Methodist community breakfast that morning, and were able to see our investigator Kimmi! We then went to a service project with the young single adults out at the ranch. After some hard shoveling, we had lunch together and played games. Then afterwards we went to play bingo with the seniors. They love them some good bingo!

Sunday was a spiritually rejuvenating day. I really loved the testimony meeting because every single member bore testimony about missionary work and how we had influenced or helped them out. They recognize our light and our spirit that we bring into their homes. It is so amazing to see how the attitude in the ward is changing towards missionaries. They are truly softening! Partaking of the sacrament was also a humbling experience. I made it a goal to truly prepare myself to partake of it thoughtfully, and combined with the power and sanctification that comes with fasting, I feel spiritually re-energized! When we partake of the sacrament weekly with sincere, broken hearts, we recieve the Spiritual strength to endure each moment, to the end of our life.

We were able to go to the church Ranch located Wewahitchka today! It was amazing to learn more about the different ways the church earns money and is so self-sufficient! You could definitely feel the spirit on the ranch. It was a powerful moment to look around at how amazing everything was run and to realize that all of this was done for the Lord, by His organization and guidance.

I absolutely loved President Nelson's devotional to the youth. It was so inspiring to learn more about the gathering of Israel and what our part in it is! It really helped me to realize that this is our life misson, THE most important work ever. Because it is the work of salvation, of bringing others unto Christ. I had been wondering what my purpose after the misson could be, since it can't be the exact same as it is now, and this devotional answered my question. I made a commitment to myself that after my mission, I will always make the gospel a priority, and do things each day and week that further God's work. That will matter in the eternities. What things are you doing each day that will matter 10 thousand years from now? I challenge you to do at least one thing each and every day that will matter in the eternities, whether it be family history attending the temple, simple service, learning something new, going out with missionaries, or building relationships.

Much love, 

Sister Burnham 

@ Mexico Beach. There were so many shells!
You could just scoop up handfuls from the water!

The "10 Commandments" listed at the church ranch...so funny!

My first time trying clams!

Some Southern sayings clarified! Y'all would be
surprised by how many of these I actually say now ;)

Week 55 - Brother Tom's Baptism

Hey y'all! We've been getting some tropical storm weather today! Fun stuff. We haven't been allowed outside until this afternoon. This has been such a wonderful week, full of so many miracles!

MONDAY

So, we were going to do something cool today. Instead, it decided to rain all day. Welcome to hurricane season in Florida!

TUESDAY 

We went with the new senior couple, the Lyles, to district meeting. They loved it! They call themselves greenies and are so pumped about the work! We read 1 Peter 2:21, and I realized that if we are to become an example like Christ is, then it will involve some suffering, too. The best examples we look to aren't those who have it easy, but those who have it hard and persevere through it, because that's what Christ did. The Lyles took us to a lesson with Kathy, and we weren't sure what exactly we were going to do, just that we needed to read in the Book of Mormon with her. After we sat down and talked with her, an idea came to mind to have her pick a question of the soul, and we showed her how the Book of Mormon answered her question!

WEDNESDAY 

Exchanges today! I was paired up with Sister Fast, whose first area was Brewton! We had fun talking about the branch and experiences we had there! While we were out finding and tracting, we faced a lot of rejection. We drove to a different area, and passed by a guy washing his car. Sister Fast decided we should go over and help him. He was waxing his car and refused help at first, but Sister Fast insisted, and picked up a rag to help. He was so amazed and shocked that we were serious about helping him. He kept saying, "Are you seriously doing this right now?!" He then told us how he wasn't  supposed to be up and about because he had two cracked ribs. Just before we got there, he had been in a lot of pain and had been praying because he just wanted to give up. Just us he was about to quit, we showed up and took over for him. He recognized that we were an answer to his prayer and asked more about the church and what we do. I bore witness of how the Book of Mormon has changed my life, and he was really touched and could see the light in my eyes and feel my conviction.

THURSDAY 

We finally got to teach our recent convert, Jon! He is so intelligent and basically teaches himself (and you) when you go over. All you have to do is keep it on track. He bought himself a tablet just so he could download Gospel Library. We showed him how to navigate it (you know, old people and technology don't always seem to mix). He was soooo grateful and excited to start studying about the priesthood on it! Jon also told us that in order to be a good teacher, we must "never forget what it's like to not know."

FRIDAY 

We visited with the Lyles and I recieved a blessing becaise I wasnt feeling well. Afterwards, I felt more peaceful, and we were able to carry on with our day! We had dinner with the Willmores that evening and got to learn more about what they do as service missionaries on the church ranch.

SATURDAY 

The long anticipated day arrived at last! A day I will never forget! We left early this morning to make it to Brother Tom's baptism at 10am. It was about a 2.5 hour drive. So worth it! It felt like a dream, walking into the very familiar church building and seeing so many people that I love again! Rhoda and Johnny were surprisingly there with CJ! Brother Tom was so touched that I was there, and he looked so happy after he was baptized. After his baptism, Bishop Welty invited me up to bear my testimony, and I shared a bit about how we found Brother Tom. I got to hear the story from his point of view afterwards! I learned that the day we knocked on Brother Tom's door, he had been outside walking and praying that morning because he was lonely and wanted to feel like part of a church congregation again. Well, later that day, guess who showed up kncocking at his front door? The Spirit had really led me and my companion there. We had been in a neighborhood that wasn't very welcoming, and we realized we didn't have to be there. We followed (what we didn't realize at the time) a prompting to leave and try the other neighborhood we had planned to go to because an uncontacted referral from 3 years ago had appeared on our phones. We knocked on the door, and Brother Tom answered and was very welcoming. The rest is now history! God truly does answer our prayers, and he truly does lead us by His Spirit in this great work.

We drove straight from the baptism to the stake BBQ that was going on that evening. We were supposed to have been there earlier to help set up. When we arrived, we really needed to use the bathroom. We soon found out that one of the toilets had some issues and flooded all over the floor. We tried plunging it, while one person held the lever to stop the tank from filling and flooding again. Yeah, we got toilet water all over us... we finally resolved the issue enough to go get a paper that said "Do not use" when the other sister missionaries happened upon us and asked what we were doing... we told them, and while we were gone, they tried to fix it and caused it to start flooding on the floor again. We see them running out of the bathroom to get a mop on our way back. So then we had to re-plunge and temporarily fix it. Well, after that disastrous fiasco, we washed up the best we could, and carried on as normal. The BBQ went great, and we even got a new investigator! Our newest ward missionary brought three nonmembers to the stake BBQ that we had, and one of them loved the church tour we gave her. She was captivated by all of the paintings and felt the Spirit.

SUNDAY 

Sister Strong played a beautiful musical number in sacrament meeting. She is so gifted! We sang in choir for an hour after church. Also, the old ladies at bingo love to hug and kiss us! 

That about sums up this adventurous week in a nutshell. I had a lot of fun, for sure, but I also learned and grew a lot too. This week, I studied a lot about spiritual gifts. Sister Fast shared a footnote from the talk, "I Have a Work for Thee" by Elder John C. Pingree. This footnote listed a lot of less-conspicuous gifts, many that we have never thought of, but that are of great worth: "the gift of asking; the gift of listening; the gift of hearing and using a still, small voice; the gift of being able to weep; the gift of avoiding contention; the gift of being agreeable; the gift of avoiding vain repetition; the gift of seeking that which is righteous; the gift of not passing judgment; the gift of looking to God for guidance; the gift of being a disciple; the gift of caring for others; the gift of being able to ponder; the gift of offering prayer; the gift of bearing a mighty testimony; and the gift of receiving the Holy Ghost."

I invite each of you to study your patriarchal blessing, the scriptures, and Elder Pingree's talk to discover gifts you have been given. I testify that each of you have been given special gifts to bless others and be instruments in God's hands. As you develop them, you will see that God has prepared you, specifically you, to accomplish miracles in hastening His work. He will make more out of you than you ever could alone!

Much love,

Sister Burnham 

Week 54 - Fire and Rain (Not Brimstone)

Okay, so most of y'all might already know, but us missionaries are always a week behind on news... My brother recieved his mission call this past week!!! He will be serving in the Peru Chiclayo Mission! I am so proud of him, and I also laugh to think that everyone in Peru will think he is a giant. You better get used to all the jokes that will be made, Aaron! This week has been great. Even though the work has been slow, my companion and I get along great and have had so many fun adventures and moments of laughter this week!

MONDAY 

We went to the beach with some members of our district! We had a fun time making sculptures out of sand and finding shells. Sister Strong is an amazing sand-architect. After we finished making the Provo Temple and were leaving, we saw some people over there looking at it. Creative missionary work at its finest!

TUESDAY 

In district meeting this morning, we found out that our district leader had all of the sisters study second Nephi chapter 18 without us knowing. Then he had us share insights we had from it. It was cool to see how everyone got something different out of the same chapter. We discussed how each verse of Scripture is in the Book of Mormon for a reason. How would the Book of Mormon be different if even 1 verse was missing? We went to visit a referral we recieved. She turned out to be a less-active member that moved here recently and is trying to get back into church because the trials in her life have greatly humbled her. I felt so much compassion and empathy for her. She couldn't stop crying in the lesson, and I testified of Heavenly Father's love for her. We have the greatest privelege as missionaries to stand in place of Jesus Christ and say what He would say. 

WEDNESDAY 

We are trying to save our car miles in order to attend Brother Tom's baptism in Pace next week, so we decided to walk all day and talk to everyone in our path as we contacted potentials. Lo and behold, the weather forcast this week consists of rain and thunder storms. As we walked, the dark clouds loomed closer and closer, until we finally got rained on. It was a fun adventure, even though we got soaked! We talked to one man out in his garden, and he actually seemed very interested, but that is when it decided to pour down rain the hardest, so I couldn't hear anything he said. My companion was closer and luckily could hear him. 

Towards the evening, we met a member at a Mexican restaurant for dinner, and then she dropped us off at the church for choir practice and mutual. Nothing major came out of our efforts, but we recieved two headquarter referrals that day. Coincidence? I think not! When you work hard, God does bless you, just not always in the way you expect. 

THURSDAY 

We put together some chairs for the senior couple moving into our apartmentcomplex and went to take them over. We approached what I thought to be the correct door... only the key didn't fit. I knocked to check if they had somehow already arrived, and when a random man answered, I knew we were at the wrong door. Awkward! 

We served at Catholic Charities that afternoon, and had dinner with Bishop and his family that evening. His daughter is working on her mission papers and is so excited! We were able to answer some deep questions they had about the plan of salvation and strengthen their faith in Christ.

FRIDAY

I got roped into singing a musical number for zone conference today with another elder. Luckily, I also roped Sister Strong into playing along on the violin :). She is so talented and was able to compose an accompaniment in just a couple of days for "A Child's Prayer." We recieved many compliments, and I feel so good to get to use my talents to help others feel the Spirit. I was very nervous, but the only reason I agreed to sing was because instead of focusing on myself, I tried to be more like Christ by  turning outward and seeing an opportunity to help and bless others. In Zone Conference, we learned that empathy comes from having charity, and it doesn't mean "painting a silver lining" over someone's problems. Sometimes it is just listening to and feeling with people. How amazing is it that Christ has perfect empathy for each of us?

SATURDAY 

We helped out at the Methodist Community Breakfast this morning, and I decided to go out of my comfort zone and strike up a conversation with a lady in line. I was able to testify about living prophets and apostles! When we open our mouths, we never know the impact we can make and the friendships we can develop. I was talking with another man, and as he asked us if we had seen about the horrible shooting on the news. I replied that we hadn't. I explained that as missionaries, we don't watch TV because we try to focus on our Savior every moment of the day. That really struck him and he made a goal to focus on the Savior more that week! A simple testimony can change lives. That afternoon, we got to meet the new senior couple that moved in, Elder and Sister Lyles. They are awesome and so ready to work! I know so many miracles are just around the corner.

SUNDAY 

Interesting day... something was off with the fire alarm/detecter, so in the middle of sacrament meeting, they announced that 2nd and 3rd hour would be cancelled so that fire men could come work on it. Guess it was a good thing no investigators came today. We still had an hour of choir practice, though. We went with the Lyles to a lesson that afternoon...  in the pouring rain. It turned out really good. Afterwards, I realized it was the first lesson Sister Strong and I taught together to an investigator, and we did very well!

Even though the work has been slow, I know I am so blessed to have a wonderful companion and to serve around 3 senior couples! God is so good, and I'm grateful for the Savior! I promise that as you make a concious effort to be grateful each day, you will recognize how merciful the Lord has been in your life (PMG 94), and your burdens will be lightened.

Much love,

Sister Burnham