Week 16: Sister Cupcake

Hey y'all! Hope your week has been as great as mine!

My new address is 109 W. Rankin St. Brewton, AL 36425! It was hard to leave Semmes behind, but I already love Brewton and know this is where God wants me to be. Sister Palmer, my new companion, is awesome! She is almost a foot shorter than me and is 21. She lived on a farm in Utah and has been out for 6 months. 

Last Monday and Tuesday, I was able to say goodbye to a few of the amazing families I've grown to love. Monday evening, we made Sushi with the Brownings and had this coconut/mango drink with tapioca balls at the bottom that you slurp up through a straw. It was really cool! Tuesdaynight, I got my bag and scriptures monogrammed! Southern monograms are a huge thing here in the south. It's your first initial, last initial, and then middle initial. A 16 year old laurel in Semmes has a machine to cut them out, and she did them for us. They turned out so beautiful! I absolutely love my sparkly monogram on my bag! 

Wednesday morning, I finished packing up everything I own (this is the 4th time this year that I've had to do this) and we traveled to transfer spots. I said goodbye to Sister Wall and met my new companion, Sister Palmer. She told me about how part of our area is Jay, FL. Our church building is in Jay, so every Sunday, we get to cross the state line to go to church! We are actually a tiny branch, not a ward. Fun fact about our church building: it was another church's building, and then our church bought it and changed it into a LDS building. It is very small and doesn't have a steeple. We have about 30 active members that come to church. It is so small, but everyone is very close together! That evening we visited a recent convert named Curtis. He got baptized the day before I got here so Sister Saunders could be there. She finished her mission and went home, so everyone knew she was leaving. When we walked into their trailer, the first thing he said was, "Good thing you're tall because you have big shoes to fill!" But I'm already growing on everyone even though they still love and miss Sister Saunders. Curtis just married his girlfriend Rachel a few weeks ago so he could be baptized, and they are still cute newly-weds, calling each other "dearest" and "darling."

Thursday evening, after weekly planning, we went to visit the Wrights. They also recently got baptized this month. They are a retired couple who watch their grandson CJ, who is 9. He also wants to be baptized like them, so now we get to start teaching him! He is super hyperactive, so we are finding creative ways to teach him. The Wrights have such strong testimonies of the church and talk with everyone about it. We are hopefully going to start teaching their children. I felt an instant connection and love for them. Brother Wright is very funny. He likes to try to stump us with jokes and sayings. He folded a paper and ripped it up and told us to choose a pile. The pile I chose was the one that unfolded to spell out "hell" and Sister Palmer chose the one that turned into a cross. So, I definitely made the wrong decision... We then went that evening to have dinner with the Foxes. They are returning members with an 8 year old daughter that just got baptized. Chloe apparently comes up with nicknames for all the missionaries. Sister Saunders was Sister Sun. Sister Palmer is Sister Palm Tree. Guess what my new name is? Yup, Sister Cupcake. She must think I'm sweet or something, but otherwise I have no idea where it came from. So all night long, everyone called me Sister Cupcake! After dinner we picked a lot of weeds from the garden. The grandma is planting lots of okra. I also found at least 20 bites all over my legs this week, even before picking the weeds, so that's fun. 

All day Friday we were on bikes! We are very low on miles, and will have to bike a few more times before the next month comes! Sister Palmer loves biking and running. She raced bikes all the time before the mission, so she left me in the dust when we got to this big hill and I had a hard time biking up it. Since she loves running, in the mornings for exercise, we walk down to a baptist cemetery, and she runs laps around it. It is so funny because there are a group of kids who wait for the bus to pick them up across the street at the same time we get there, so they get to witness how weird missionaries are... Anyways, so Friday mornings at 11am we go to a senior center and do a devotional with about six to eight elderly people. They are so old and so sweet. We mostly share bible videos and talk about God's love for  them. We are still trying to figure out a way to work the Book of Mormon in there. ;) 

On our bikes, we went to contact some member referrals. After a while, we were almost to the first house, and Sister Palmer said she felt like we needed to go back and knock this apartment complex. Then we rode back two or three blocks, and I was thinking, "dang we should have turned back sooner or we should just go on our way back from the house." But everything is in the Lord's timing because as we were locking up our bikes next to the complex, I saw a teenage girl holding a book and walking towards the library. I said, "That girls holding a book, so she likes to read. We should give her a Book of Mormon!" I was slightly joking but also about to go after her, even though she was across the street 20 feet away. Sister Palmer said, "Let's do it!" So we started walking quickly towards her. We were far behind and she was crossing the street to the front of the library. Sister Palmer started running and we darted around the back of the library and caught her just in front of the doors to the library. Yup, we are totally stalkers. It was awkward at first, but we got to know her and she took the Book of Mormon and was very interested. We made a cool connection and got her number and address, so hopefully this will go somewhere! We were able to talk to another lady who was walking down the street home from work and give her a Book of Mormon and set up a return appointment. We knocked most of the apartment, and only one lady answered who wasn't super interested, but we gave her a Book of Mormon anyway. So it was definitely a miracle of timing! If we had been there any sooner or later, we would have missed them. Later that afternoon, we biked a long way to the house of a lady who had just moved into the ward. When we finally got there, no one answered the door. I was so disappointed and very exhausted. We went around to try the other door on the house, and right then, a car pulled up, and a very welcoming lady got out and invited us inside! The timing was just perfect--definitely another timing miracle. 

On Saturday morning, we went to check out this Choo Choo Market that a member had told us about. It turned out to only have six booths and not a lot of people. We talked with one lady, but she wasn't super interested. We walked around back to see if there were more booths across from the park, but there wasn't. We walked home a different way so we wouldn't pass by all the vendors again, and as we were walking, we saw this lady sitting on her porch petting a chicken. I was like, "Chickens!!!" and we both just walked up to her! She told us all about her pet chickens (one named Pineapple) and baby cats. Then we were able to share the Restoration with her, and she said she was like Joseph Smith, searching for the one true religion. When we told her about how the Book of Mormon was convincing evidence of this, she asked where she could buy a copy right as Sister Palmer pulled one out from her bag. Her eyes got huge and she was so grateful we were giving a copy to her! She said she would read it and that we can come back to teach her more. The people here are so prepared. We've already given out so many Books of Mormon and have new investigators and potentials. Even though it was exhausting to bike and walk all day, the Lord blessed our efforts. Saturday night, the branch mission leader took us out for dinner and then we had missionary correlation meeting (my very first one). Brother Kelley is a hoot! He and his wife are full of lots of jokes, but he also knows how to get down to business--he served in the navy. 

Church on Sunday was very different. The building is nothing like a regular LDS building, but the people are so loving and welcoming. I got to be the chorister for all the hymns, and Sister Palmer got to work the magic piano. We taught a lesson in gospel principles about the priesthood and had a really good turnout. Curtis and Rachel brought their friend Kim to church, and we got to teach her a lesson after church. The Spirit was so strong, and Sister Palmer said it is because Kim is so prepared and ready. I felt God's love for her as I testified that He loved her. She definitely felt the Spirit, and Curtis interrupted the lesson to say, "Sister Burnham, you are making this very hard for me. I'm trying to keep my promise!" I was very confused. Then he said, "I promised I wouldn't love any sister missionaries as much as Sister Saunders and Sister Palmer!" Since those were the two that taught and baptized him. It was very touching.

Overall, I am finding many ways to use my talents here. There is a deaf member of our ward and a neighbor down our street who is deaf. I feel God has definitely placed me here to use my talents to build up His kingdom! It was cool to sign with the brother in the ward because no one else knows ASL, not even the aunt he lives with. He is so friendly and loves going around showing people pictures on his phone or typing things out to them. I already love this area and the people here so much, and that it is where God needs me to be. 

Like the First Presidency Message in Preach My Gospel says, "More happiness awaits you than you have ever experienced as you labor among His children." I know this is true. We do have a lot of hard and difficult days, but we also have the most amazing days ever! There is opposition in all things, so if you never experience very difficult days, you won't get to experience the most joy and happiness possible. I challenge you all to keep an eternal perspective of hope during the darkest and hardest trials you go through. I have a very strong testimony that no matter what hardships we go through, it will be worth it to stay strong and faithful in the church so that we can live in the celestial kingdom with our loved ones for eternity. This is all made possible because of Jesus Christ and His Atonement. I am so blessed to get to share this message everyday as a missionary!

Much love, 

Sister Burnham

My new companion, Sister Palmer

My new area

A very mossy church we walked past!

 Brother Wright, when he found out about all of my food allergies, said, "Come with me. I need to show you something." He lead me to his gun case and said to pick one because life wasn't worth living without gluten, dairy, and eggs. He definitely loves to joke with us! But no worries, he totally loves me :)

Week 15: Greetings from Brewton, Alabama

Hey y'all!

This morning I received a phone call with completely unexpected news... I am being transferred to Brewton Alabama! I'm leaving Sister Walls behind, and my new companions name is Sister Palmer. I will leave Wednesday morning. Well, now I have to say goodbye to my trainer, our farm, trailer, investigators, and amazing ward sent from heaven. I have grown so close with members of the ward and know I have made friends for eternity here. I know I am exactly where the Lord wants me to be, because I have grown so much spiritually by serving Him and learning to love others. As I focus on others completely, everything falls into place and miracles happen. I am so grateful for the lessons I learned from Sister Wall and will sure miss her. I am also excited for the new friends I will make in Brewton! I heard it is the biggest area in the entire mission. On the bright side, I am finished with training!

This past week has been awesome! I have learned new things in the gospel, and it just reminds me how excited I am about the gospel and about learning. I get so excited when I make new connections and learn new details. I was able to rub off some of my excitement to Rachel, who has been a member for just over a year. She came out with us for five hours and we had a blast! We taught our investigator Daniel, and then went to visit a lonely old man afterwards. He wasn't home, but he had an awesome porch swing, so we decided to take a picture on it. BAD IDEA because next thing I know, my arm is stinging and I jump up and accidentally fling the camera to the ground. I look behind me and see a wasp's nest! Fortunately I am not allergic, so it didn't hurt the next day and is finally starting to go away. A few days later a cock roach ran across my foot when I was getting ready for bed! Gross, I absolutely hate bugs, but maybe I'll learn to tolerate (and like?) them in the next life. Unfortunately for me, love bug season is starting!

On Saturday, Sister Wall and I went to the local Flea Market. There were so many people there that we didn't know what to do with ourselves! It was awesome! We got to see baby chickens, bunnies, and puppies. I saw stands for roasted corn on the cob and boiled peanuts. I haven't tried them yet, but they are definitely Southern specialties! We then went to a baptism in Mobile for two men named Chris being baptized. Their story is truly a miracle. So, we got to teach one of them the first three lessons and invite him to be baptized. We were told his last name was Thompson. Then we found out he wasn't in our area and transferred him to the elders. The elders found out his last name wasn't actually Thompson, but shortly after actually found the real Chris Thompson, and he wanted to be baptized too, on the same day as the other Chris! It was so cool! The mission president came and Sister Wall gave the talk on baptism. I absolutely love baptisms and the Spirit they bring.

Then on Sunday, we were able to see Brady receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and later during church he received the Aaronic priesthood. I told his girlfriend, Rachel, that now every time she hugged him, she'd be "holding the priesthood." They thought it was so funny. He is now going to be able to baptize our investigator named Daniel this Saturday. (And I won't be there for it...)

Here in the South, so many people don't understand the truth about the relationship between God, Jesus Christ, and the Spirit. They are so confused. It amazed me to realize they don't understand the simple truth that we have a loving Heavenly Father, and we can one day become like Him through His Son, Jesus Christ, as we live faithfully. The more I share the gospel and talk with people, the firmer my faith grows in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The more it makes sense and my testimony deepens. I promise you that every time you share your testimony and faith, even in simple ways, your testimony grows and your sins are forgiven you.

Much love,

Sister Burnham

Southern Sayin

1. A short minute. Instead of saying "really quick", or "see you then," they say, "See you in a minute!" or, "Can we come by for a short minute?"

We were able to teach Chris the first three lessons and invite him to be baptized on August 19. We promised him he would know everything he needed to by then, and this past Saturday, he was baptized! Even though we found out he wasn't in our area, we were such a big part of his story and got to attend his baptism. The elders got to finish teaching him.

The whole district at Chris' baptism

I went out with Sis Wall and got some Thai food. It's really good!

Week 14: Brady got Baptized!

Dear family and friends,

Thank y'all so much for your love and support! I had the most amazing time last night at Brady's baptism. Sister Wall and I spent the entire day at the church getting everything ready (and waiting forever for the font to fill). We had cleaned it all out on Saturday, which was its own adventure. Then that evening at 6, Brady's baptismal service started. His mom and dad were both able to come. His girlfriend, Rachel, sang a beautiful musical number, I Stand All Amazed. Everyone in the room was crying, so a member of the bishopric ran and got a box of tissues to pass around the room. A young man gave a talk on baptism and said, "I got you a little kit to help you for after you are baptized." He then pulled out a Kit-Kat candy bar and talked about how KAT stood for: keep the commandments, always remember Him, and take His name upon you. 

When Brady was baptized, his parents were crying and felt the Spirit. He had a huge smile on his face as he came back up out of the water. One of the little boys that was sitting in the front stood up and said, "Yeah, Brady got baptized!" as he threw his arms in the air with a grin. That provided some comic relief for everyone. Everyone felt the Spirit so strong, and afterwards, his parents were asking questions about our beliefs. They each took a book of Mormon and pass along cards, and we taught them about the Restoration. It was such an amazing evening.

This week, I got to take the lead in everything: planning, lessons, even driving! So it was a miracle we survived :). Other highlights from the week:

Tuesday was Brady's baptismal interview (which he passed, if you were wondering ;)). The Hearns took us all out to a Mexican restaurant and I was super full afterwards. 

Then on Friday, we had the last lesson with Brady before his baptism. We ate beforehand and Brady offered the prayer. In his prayer he said, "I'm grateful everyone can be here for the last lesson, before I'm baptized." Afterwards, Sister Hearn and Norris were dying with laughter at him. We had a testimony meeting after the lesson that really brought the Spirit, and Brady's testimony was so good.

On Saturday, we served at the Gulf Shore food bank with other missionaries in our district. We cleaned out at least a dozen ice-chests, during which a huge red-ant bit my finger. It started stinging and hurting, so I tried to fling it off my hand, but it valiantly hung on. I took the power hose and sprayed at it full blast... and it STILL somehow hung on! I called for Sister Wall to save me, and she took her sponge and scrubbed it off of me. Luckily it didn't swell up or start itching afterwards. We then got to take a break in the break-room, and one of the other sisters said how she chewed 36 pieces of Double-Bubble gum on a date (since their was a lot of gum in the break-room for us to have if we wanted). One of the elders took that as a challenge and started unwrapping and eating them. He only got to 17 before he gagged on it and threw it all up in the bathroom.

Funny moments:

1. I made up the best joke ever! Why do people eat spare ribs? So they can obey the Word of Wisdom and eat meat sparingly.

2. Also, the high councilman, Brother Britain, that came to church on Sunday said, "My dad's half Britain, and my mom's half Britain, so they said that makes me full Britain."

Much love,

Sister Burnham

At a Bay Bears Baseball game with the district on Preparation day.

 

With Brady and Rachel

Week 13: A God of Miracles

Hey y'all!

This past week has been full of so many miracles... yesterday in particular! We taught Brady about tithing and fasting in preparation for his interview, and he tried on baptism jump-suits! We also got a referral of a guy named Daniel who requested to meet with the missionaries, so we scheduled a time to meet with him on Sunday after Brady's lesson. We planned to teach him the Restoration, but when we showed up, he told us he had already received all the lessons and was going to get baptized in Louisiana, but had to move 5 days before his baptism. Then he asked when he could be baptized! We set a date right then and read the Book of Mormon with him and his sister, after he explained to her what the Book of Mormon was about :).

Then soon afterwards, as we drove to the church, we received a text from Bishop that Kennedie had a baptismal date of September 2! She is 10 and has wanted to be baptized for a long time by her dad, who was less active, so the bishop has been working with him and finally we have a date for Kennedie! She was so excited to tell us that night at her house when we came for a lesson. She didn't know we already knew, so she said, "Guess what's on September 2?" We guessed random things like her birthday, a party, vacation, her re-birth, etc., which was so funny. Two baptismal dates set in one day? God is full of miracles!

Other highlights of the week:

On Wednesday, we met up with Sister Akins to teach Jack about the Word of Wisdom. Afterwards, the family played some Beauty and the Beast songs on the piano and sang to us. It was so cool and I felt the Spirit very strongly that day through music.

Later that night, we had a lesson with Brady about eternal marriage and... the law of chastity. It was supposed to be an awkward lesson, but at the very beginning, Sister Hearn sent her young kids out of the room because it was an "adult" discussion. That definitely set an awkward tone... Then when we were talking about being sealed in the Celestial Kingdom, Brother Hearn said, "Yeah, you'll be shacked up with them forever." His wife started laughing and said, "I don't think that word means what you think it does." We went to mutual with the young women, too, and the funniest moment was when we were talking with Robyn, one of the youth, and she was telling us about how her younger sibling was obsessed with food dye and made blue-colored blueberry waffles. Sister Wall said she could actually have green eggs and ham now! She said, "Eww, I wouldn't eat them if they were green!" Automatically, the leader who was driving us, a pre-k teacher, replied, "Could you, would you, in the car?"

This week we also helped Sister Akins set up for her daughter's birthday party, Beauty and the Beast themed! Then we were able to attend part of it on Saturday and meet a lot of her family. It was a blast and I took a lot of pictures!

The work truly is moving forward here! We have been working with less actives who now want to come back to church and go through the temple! We also have four baptisms set for the next four or five weeks. Mission life is good! I know God lives and loves us individually. He is my support and strength. This week I studied about charity and love in Preach My Gospel. We are commanded to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. This got me thinking, how do we measure the love we have for ourselves? And how does this affect how we love others? I thought about it and realized the times when I am closest to God and feel the most confident are the times when I see the potential of others as children of God and love them. I have more patience and am more caring. The times I feel insecure or unconfident, I'm not as aware of others and not as caring as I should be. This is true in reverse. When others are not treating us with much love, maybe it is because they are in need of a lot of love and kindness. Hope y'all have a great week full of charity!

Much love,

Sister Burnham

Funny moments/Quotes from the week:

-I'm as old as dirt and proud of it!

-Hear that thunder in the sky? It's actually God bowling in Heaven!

-God's feeding us tonight. (An elderly man who took us out to dinner)

-In testimony meeting: "I know I'm half the man she deserves, but I'm twice the man I'd be without her."

-If I couldn't get ahold of her, she's the kind of person that if I prayed and asked Heavenly Father to call me on the phone, I know my phone will start ringing. She would receive the prompting and act on it right away.

-Brady asked regarding tithing, "Do I pay on my gross or net income?" Brother Hearn responded, "Well, do you want gross blessings or net blessings?"

-An old man/recent convert doing family history said he kept getting emails from family search of people he was related to. He said, "I didn't know I was related to so many Muslims. Wait, that's not the word... I'll think of it in a minute... ... ... Oh! Mormons!"

-She's got places to be, people to see, and no TIWI (the driving device that constantly tells us to check our speed when we drive too fast...)

We got our hands and feet done! It felt great, and I had a nice missionary discussion with the lady doing my nails ;)

Ever wondered what an LDS church sign would say? Well, I found it!

Picture with Princess Belle!

Brady trying on a jumpsuit in preparation for his baptism this Sunday!

Week 12: Sparkly Hot-Pink Photo Album

Hey y'all! Hope you are having a great week! For those of you who are wondering, I now say "y'all" without thinking twice because it's used so commonly here.

So, Monday night we had another lesson with Brady and the Norris and Hearn families. I mentioned that I really wanted an alligator keychain for my bag, and Brother Hearn started looking up online how much they would cost. He thought I meant I wanted a real alligator on a keychain! He was like, "Oh, I could get you an alligator head for $10 or an alligator foot keychain for only $3!" He then looked up alligator toe and foot necklaces and showed us pictures--they looked absolutely disgusting! But it would be kind of cool to have a real alligator keychain, even though I just wanted a figurine one. I don't know if he will actually get me one, but it would be awesome if he did!

On Tuesday I invited our investigator Wendy to be baptized, and she was so excited! We were reading 2 Nephi 31 with her, and she had a giant notebook out and was taking notes to share later with her daughters (they are 28, but have learning disabilities and learn slower). When we got to the part about Christ being baptized as an example to us, I asked her if she would follow His example and be baptized on September 16. Afterwards, she wrote down on her notebook in big letters, "September 16 Baptism!" and circled it. She told us how much meeting with us has blessed her life and how she knows the power of the Book of Mormon and loves reading it with us. We were then able to meet her fiancé at the end of the lesson when he got home (we still have to teach her the Law of Chastity lesson...).

All day Wednesday was spent all day in Fairhope with our Sister Training Leaders. Most of our day was spent serving a random lady they found in a parking lot who said she needed help moving. Well, when we got there, she hadn't even started packing, so we went to her garage and cleaned and organized everything for over 3 hours in the humid heat. It was fun except for the spiders (I saw at least 30), and I got to sweep up a ton of cigarette buds (Sister Wall found her lighter and threw it away when she wasn't looking).

We started a new service project on Friday! We volunteer outside at a horse therapy program for disabled children. It was so fun to see all the horses and meet the kids. They have a special spirit about them and were so happy and cheerful to get to ride the horses. We got to watch an 11 year old boy who said the funniest things and then two twin five-year-olds who couldn't talk, but knew a bit of sign language!

On Saturday, we helped Brady start his family history using Family Search. We had a less active member come to help him, but apparently we neglected to tell him the gender of the kid he would be helping out, because he brought a bright-pink, sparkly photo album for Brady to put pictures of his ancestors in. Brady thought it was hilarious and loved it despite its girly-ness. We also went to the McCulloughs for dinner and got sent home with a rack of ribs to cook up for later :).

We received a call from the relief society president, who informed us that a member in the ward wanted to anonymously gift us with a pedicure and manicure. We were like, "Sweet!" At church she gave us the gift cards, and they were $38 for each of us! We truly are being taken good care of down here by the ward members and by God. We had a new investigator come to church. She is friends with a young woman in the ward and has decided to dedicate two months of her life to searching for God and building a relationship with him. The Lord truly is placing the prepared right in our path!

I am so blessed for the people I get to meet here, and the friends I get to make! I've met so many people and have felt instant love for them. I know the Lord has put me here in Alabama for a reason. I get to be part of so many people's stories, but more importantly, they get to be part of mine! As the missionary commission statement from Bruce R. McConkie says, the Lord sent these people to me, even though it appears at first like I was sent here to Alabama for them. Our loving Heavenly Father and Savior know exactly who I need to meet, and what experiences I need to have, to help me grow and progress in the gospel. I am so grateful to be a missionary, a representative of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Much love,

Sister Burnham

Sayings:

1. A friend is someone who knows you and still likes you (said in talk during sacrament meeting)

2. When I'm older I want a baby but don't want to keep the mom (an 11 year old boy with disabilities)

Our front porch was taken over by goats and sheep!

 A goat trying to invade our car! They were trying to get in the car, in the house, and even tried jumping on top of our car! Perks of living on a farm!

Exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders in Fairhope!

Week 11: Hunting for Gators

This week we have found a lot of new and potential investigators, Ann, Marian, and Ricky! We met these people as a result of not knowing where to go or what to do, but following the gentle promptings of the Spirit and tracting. The Lord has been blessing us with success and miracles as we put faith in him.

This was also our last week working with the refugee kids on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I love the names of the kids in the refugee class--anything from Queen to Iracoze! There was one 12 year old who was very flirtatious to all of us. He kept wrapping his arm around Sister Browning (a married woman with four children), Sister Wall, or me.

We had a lesson this week with Brady on Tuesday and Thursday evening. It's always an adventure! On Tuesday, we were driving home, and something randomly fell on Sister Wall. She yelled and flung it to the ground. Sister Hearn, the member driving us, turned on the front light and we discovered it was a frog! She started freaking out and her hands were shaking. She ordered Sister Wall not to take her eyes off of it. She said if it jumped on her, we'd all be dead because she'd probably crash the car in her fright. Then when we got to the parking lot, Sister  Wall had to take her 12 Week book and fling it out of the car. Sister Hearn also bought me dairy-free ice cream for both lessons, and I was one happy camper! Brady is progressing very well and is excited for his baptism on August 13th. Also, the members at his lesson always crack me up. The Hearns call paper towel rolls "Hootie-Hoos" because you yell into them after they are empty. Also, Sister Hearn thought the reason I couldn't have eggs is because it is a type of dairy. We all started laughing and told her it wasn't. She looked at us in disbelief and a quick-witted 15 year old boy responded, "Cows don't lay eggs!"

We had Zone Conference on Wednesday. I met my new district leader, Elder Blamires, and found out he is from Queen Creek, Arizona, and his dad taught me in seminary for two years! The elders at zone conference are hilarious. The elders performed a bunch of skits, one of which was about hunting for Gators. They related hunting for alligators by asking locals where they are to using the members when finding new investi-gators. We are new in the area, but the members have been around awhile and know a lot about the people here. Then, later this week on Saturday, I SAW MY FIRST ALLIGATOR!!! I tried to throw pine cones to get it to move so I could get a better picture, but it wouldn't move. In the process, Sister Wall found she was standing in an ant pile and got bit all over and had an allergic reaction...

Sister Wall shared that a general authority encouraged them all to look in their studies for a reason we are here serving a mission each day. So, I started a journal to write a reason I am on my mission for that day. This week I learned that I am on a mission to come to know God even better, "For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?" (Mosiah 5:13). As we do this, we will one day have eternal life (John 17:3).

Sayings:

Stink Perty (when someone looks pretty)

He's a leaking faucet (An old man who took blood thinner and bled a lot from random cuts)

Much love,

Sister Burnham

Book-Mobile! This is so clever because it's in a city named Mobile, and I've always wanted a Bookmobile to drive around my neighborhood!

I drew a picture of Sister Wall and she loves it!

On our way home from Zone Conference!

Brady, our investi-gator who is getting baptized August 13th!

A motorcycle gang...too bad they drove away before we could teach them the gospel...

Me "gator" hunting

Week 10: Bless Your Hearts

Hey y'all!

Here in Semmes, the ward members are angels. One member, Suzanne, took us grocery shopping and bought all of my groceries! She said whenever we need anything, we can just text her and she will run and pick it up for us. I know she and her family will be blessed. Other ward members are so good about giving us food and feeding us dinner. I already feel so at home with this ward and hope I will stay here for a long time!

On Tuesday, Sister Wall and I served at the community center, helping refugee kids with homework. They are all so cute and friendly. They love quoting out of the Bible and have so much appreciation for God and what He has done for them and their families. That night, we had dinner with a family in the ward. I tried deer meat that the family had hunted and had processed for the first time. It was pretty good. We invited the family to give out a Book of Mormon in two weeks, and the father says, "I think we can do two in that amount of time." Our ward is full of amazing member missionaries!

Wednesday was a day full of lessons! We taught two less-actives and two investigators! We went from appointment to appointment. I'm feeling more and more like a "real" missionary as I recognize how the Spirit is speaking through me and inspiring me to know just the right scriptures to share. Suzanne made us a delicious meal of BBQ port, lime-cilantro pork, and two different kinds of rice. We taught her son about repentance, and his mom bore powerful testimony about the importance of baptism and invited him to pray about it for himself. So we didn't even have to invite him to because she did for us! We taught Brady a short lesson on how we are commanded to pray and study the scriptures. One cool thing Sister Wall said was how the Lord commands us to pray, which means He wants us to ask for things we need and communicate with us so He can better help us. I know our Heavenly Father truly is loving and cares about us individually.

Friday was a day full of miracles! We made a lot of plans of people to try and visit. All of our plans fell through. All of our backups fell through. We had no idea what to do, but we said a prayer for guidance. Suddenly, Sister Wall pulls into this random neighborhood and says we are going to tract. We were able to meet a lot of people and find potentials that invited us back and seemed interested. We then felt like we should try to visit an old referral from a month ago. She was home, in the process of packing everything to visit her family for the weekend. We caught her at just the right time and gave her The Book of Mormon, which she was very excited about! We then went to see her neighbor again, Jennifer. She was the lady who claimed to have birthed a prophet. Her son was outside the door, taking out the trash. We were able to meet him. He said his mom was sick, but he was very interested. He asked us a lot of great questions, and his mom had already given him a Book of Mormon. We taught him about the Restoration and how Joseph Smith was a prophet called of God. He seemed very intrigued and wants to know more. That day I learned that when all your plans fall through, it is because God is making room for miracles to happen!

On Sunday, an amazing sister brought two of her nonmember Spanish friends to church. She had invited them over to lunch, but said they had to come to three hours of church with her first. She had also invited us over for lunch. We were able to meet and talk with them while eating delicious home-made tortillas.

One thing I love about Semmes is how unpredictable the weather is. It will be sunny and hot outside, then suddenly start pouring with dark clouds and lightning! And sometimes it is sunny while it is pouring. But the rain never lasts too long, and it helps keep us cool in all the heat and humidity! I am so grateful to be a missionary, and for the extra protection we have been given. I truly know angels are round about us, protecting and uplifting us in this great work. Thank you for all of your love and prayers!

Funny Moments:

Southern Sayin': "Getting a little long in the tooth" apparently means you are getting old! High councilmen here are sure full of funny sayings and stories!

One ward member, when singing I am a child of God at the door of an elderly man, sang "Has given me an earthly home, with parents kind of weird" instead of "kind and dear." It was funny because he sang it while next to his two daughters just to embarrass them!

I forgot to mention this last week: In Sunday school, we were talking about the Word of Wisdom, and the teacher said, "I heard you should keep alcohol and coffee beans in your food storage--for barter!" It was really funny, but also sad to think that some people probably would trade good food just to feed their addictions even in a life-threatening situation!

Much love,

Sister Burnham

Service with the refugee children

The gumbo I ate last week with okra and shrimp.

Signs we passed to visit someone...