Week 46 - Food and Flowers

Hey y'all! This week I am learning about having patience with myself... again. It's a continuous cycle, not a one time thing. Patience is crucial in order to fully understand and use the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, for often times we find ourselves making the same mistakes. And it's hard, and embarrassing, and you find yourself questioning if you will ever be able to stop, to change. You have to fight the urge to give up on yourself. Part of repentance, though, is permanent change. A change of our very desires. I promise you, as a set-apart disciple and missionary of Jesus Christ, that as you sincerely repent everyday with patience in yourself--or with Christ's patience in yourself--you will not fall short of eternal life.

TUESDAY

We went to get our oil changed in the morning, then went off to district meeting, where we killed off a missionary and had her funeral (mission lingo for saying goodbye because she is going home). We had a great lesson with Brother Tom. He is opening up to us a lot more, but is still hesitant to come to church. We watched the Restoration video with him, and he really enjoyed it. That evening, I helped Sister Benson pack up all her stuff. Something I love about her is how grateful and appreciative she is about everything, even if it is the smallest thing in the world to me. She always makes me feel so valued and appreciated!

WEDNESDAY

Saying goodbye to Sister Benson was sad. I'm really going to miss her, but I'm excited for her to serve in a branch in Troy! Branch life is so fun. Everyone needs to experience it at least once in their life. It truly feels like a family. It's weird being companions with Sister Scott again. I know we will just have a blast this transfer and see so many miracles happen! I'm already seeing so many of her strengths blessing my life and the area. She speaks and testifies so powerfully by the Spirit. She is great at connecting with others and carrying on a conversation. She is so bold and loving, and fearless! One day I was driving down the road, and a man was holding a stop sign for construction. While we were waiting, she decides to jump out and invite him to church with a pass-along card. What a great example to me!

Saying goodbye to Sister Benson

Sister Scott street contacting

THURSDAY

I'm learning a lot more about how to effectively use technology in planning from Sister Scott as we weekly planned today. I have so much to learn from her, and this truly will be a growing experience for both of us as we work to overcome our weaknesses and focus on our strengths. I know you can get along with anyone as long as you have each other's best intentions in mind and are diligently serving the Lord. I'm excited to see the miracles that happen this transfer!

FRIDAY

We served at "Feeding the Gulf Coast" with the Milton Sisters. It was fun getting to know the brand new sister missionary! She already seems like a pro and fits right in, and it makes me reflect back to when I was a new missionary. I felt like all the other sisters were so mature and spiritual and perfect, and I was so small compared to them (not physically, though). However, they probably didn't view me that way at all. Many times we judge ourselves incorrectly and see the world through jaded eyes. As we get out of ourselves and focus on the Lord, we have no time to worry about feeling inadequate; we are too busy following the Spirit and doing the work of the Lord!

SATURDAY

We tracted for 5 hours. I wore Sister Scott out! We talked to and invited everyone we saw. It was so good to be out all day, working hard. That's when you get to see miracles happen, and of course, crazy experiences. I do love all of God's children, but some of them are still very strange... That evening, we went to a ward activity, Easter Around the World, where members brought food from their ethnic backgrounds. Sister Scott got her first taste of the Pace Ward, and she really loves it! We brought nothing, yet left with food and flowers!

SUNDAY

We had some great speakers in sacrament meeting. One lady talked about hope for parents that have lost and wayward children. By remaining faithful to their temple covenants, their children will be blessed and saved by the virtue of the covenant. (However, exaltation must be worked for: faith without works is dead). As she spoke, I felt so much love for God's lost sheep. They were His before they were ever yours. And even the most perfect parent of all lost 1/3 of His children. But He is always reaching out and loving. I don't know why that touched me so much, but I hope that brings some of you parents peace, hope, and comfort. We also had a very spiritual lesson with a recent convert, and I felt so much of Heavenly Father's love for her as she confided in us some of her worries and family troubles. I'm so blessed to be here in Pace, meeting eternal friends. Missions are where you find an eternal family that is not related by blood.

I want each of you to know that Heavenly Father loves you so much. He sent Jesus Christ here to earth to bear the weight of our weaknesses, sins, inadequacies. To bear us up. He sends His angels to comfort and bear you up more than you can or will ever realize. He is making more out of you each day than you could have ever pictured. Trust in Him, and have patience and hope in your trials. I love y'all!

Much love,

Sister Burnham

Week 45 - MTC Reunion

Hey y'all, with April Fool's day coming up in a couple weeks, I wanted to send home fake transfer news, because I thought Sister Benson and I would both be staying... jokes on me because this morning we got a call and Sister Benson is going to Troy, Alabama! I am so sad because I've grown to love her so much, but she will do amazing things. Ready for another plot twist? My new companion here in Pace is Sister Scott, my MTC companion! This is something we had joked about, but never actually expected!

MONDAY

This week our district has put a lot of emphasis on the importance of the Book of Mormon in this work. We've set a goal to pray specifically for opportunities to share The Book of Mormon and Restoration. We pulled up to a street and the people we were looking for weren't home. We tried all their neighbors and they were very unfriendly. I saw a group of teenagers talking across the street and decided God must have put them there for us. My companion was a bit scared because she felt awkward about interrupting them, but as my family knows, I'm the queen of embracing the awkward (mostly). We go talk to them, and one guy in particular was super interested in reading The Book of Mormon and said he wants to come to our church now.

TUESDAY 

An older couple came to a lesson with us to see Brother Tom, the referral we had visited the week before. They were a perfect match for him, and the lesson was so powerful as they bore testimony. Members are so crucial in missionary work! Y'all need to ask missionaries if you can go out with them, and I guarantee they will be so grateful!

WEDNESDAY 

The nearby sister missionaries moved appartments, so we spent ALL day helping them pack and move. Even with 8 missionaries and a senior couple there! One of the elders taught me how to lasso, and I've gotten pretty good at it.

THURSDAY 

The Kranz took us to Bishop's storehouse, then out to lunch. Apparently one of the waiters was flirting with me and my companion, so they teased us about our new boyfriend. Later, a member picked us up for ward correlation and stopped to buy us lots of treats and goodies. Members fed us a delicious meal that evening, too.

FRIDAY 

The Kranz took us out to lunch and then to teach Brother Tom again. The Spirit was there very noticeably, and Tom was very comfortable and receptive. He believes The Book of Mormon is true, and that Joseph Smith was a prophet. That evening, we went to the house of an amazing family in the ward to stuff Easter eggs for a glow in the dark hunt they were having. Tons of members showed up and there was lots of good food! I love this ward so much!

SATURDAY 

Today marks a year since I opened my mission call! Little did I know I'd actually be serving 9 months in Alabama! I could never have pictured how much I would grow. This morning, we went to try and see someone with a member, but they weren't home. The member asked if we needed lunch, but we knew she was busy and politely declined. Back at our house, we start cooking our lunch, when we get a text that she is picking us up Sonic and will be there shortly. We quickly throw all our food in the fridge and cupboard, hide our dishes, and spray the room down with perfume so she wouldn't know we were just cooking. It was so funny. She shows up and says, "You looked hungry. Never refuse food!" These members sure love us... and if you couldn't already tell, Pace is literally known for fattening missionaries up!

SUNDAY 

Our ward is so missionary-minded. They are making goals to visit every less active this year, and Bishop has set a lofty goal of getting us teaching 20 lessons a week with investigators and less actives. He wants the ward council to set appointments up for us to come to. He has a vision that Pace is about to grow a ton, that the Lord is sending more people to be members, and I'm so excited I get to be part of that process. That afternoon, we taught a lessactive man, his fiance, and her daughter, getting two new investigators and reaching our goal for the week.

The Lord has truly been blessing us so much, and great miracles await. The past week I've been really studying about Christ's Atonement. He didn't just pay the bare minimum price for our sins, but he suffered infinitely. In the dictionary, infinite is defined as "having no limits or boundaries in time or space or extent or magnitude." He suffered beyond comprehension, way more than He had to, so we could truly know that we can never sink lower than the Savior's grace and mercy. There is always hope for us as we turn to Him, for He truly has descended below us all.

Much love, 

Sister Burnham

P-day at the beach

Week 44 - Stopping a Robbery

Howdy everyone! I can honestly say that my testimony, my conviction of the Savior, grows stronger each day. And it is because of the hardships and trials I am going through. My eternal perspective of hope grows clearer each day. An excerpt from Elder Holland speaking to mission presidents has helped me understand with greater capacity why a mission is so hard, why living the gospel can often be lonely and trying:

"Let me add a testimony, focusing on the word that was used in that passage we read from 3 Nephi 11 (v.11), where it said that He “suffered the will of the Father.” Suffer actually has several meanings: one of them just means that He yielded—He suffered it, He accepted it, He yielded to it. But another meaning is, He actually suffered because of the will of the Father.I hope that you don’t suffer too much on your mission, but I’ll be disappointed if you don’t suffer a little, because salvation’s not a cheap experience. This isn’t done on a lark; this is not done conveniently. 

"Now that’s probably the wrong tone to suggest in our first teaching moment with you, and I don’t want you to be worried about suffering; I wouldn’t want your missionaries to be worried about it. But I wonder if that word wasn’t chosen specifically—that if we do the will of the Father, we probably have signed on for at least some suffering, at least a little. Kind of like the sacrament is a symbol, and temple ordinances are symbols, and other ordinances that have symbols. I guess there is a symbol in our missionary labors if there is a little suffering like unto the Savior’s" (emphasis added).

Before I talk about my week, I want to bear a second witness of this.The Savior was forsaken, even by Heavenly Father, to know what it would be like for those who don't accept His Atonement. At some point in life, to be more like Christ, we must travel the road He traveled, and suffer just a bit of what He suffered.

This week was hard. It was full of a lot of tears and soul-searching. At one point I received a prompting to ask for a priesthood blessing. The day before, a sweet ward member had reached out to us over text, saying she felt prompted to text us and asked if she could do anything. I was able to ask for a blessing from her husband, and it was one of the most spiritual experiences I've ever had. And his wife bought us flowers. I love this ward so much!

Friday was INSANE! We went out with a young woman preparing to serve a mission. We stopped by a potential from last week, Brother Tom, and he let us right in. We read from the Book of Mormon and he felt the Spirit. We invited him to our family history event the next night, and he came! After him, we tried a few more people, and as we were driving in a neighborhood, I see this old guy sitting on a stump outside a house that was for sale. I decided we should talk to him. We turn around and go back and see him in the back garage. He comes out when he sees us walking up, and I start testifying about the Book of Mormon. He says some weird, strange, creepy things while swinging this hammer around, chucks it in front of me, and says, "I wasn't doing anything, just looking around," and walks off like he doesn't live there. So basically we stopped a robbery by testifying of The Book of Mormon! 

Sunday was amazing. I spoke in sacrament meeting about being special witnesses of Christ, and the Spirit was there so powerfully as I bore my special witness. I know it touched many people.

Fun note: Apparently I pray for the branch still! I'm so used to saying "branch" instead of "ward" that I don't even realize I have been calling the ward a branch until my companion pointed it out.

Exciting moment of the week: A member took us out to lunch at a Mexican restaurant and it was actually good! The service was amazing as well. I just love Mexican food!

Much love,

Sister Burnham

Flowers. I love this ward!

Week 43 - Brother Tom and Service

Hey y'all, this has been a week of mixed emotions. We got to do a ton of service, met a cool old guy, and we also got dropped by our investigators... 

TUESDAY 

Today was a GREAT day! After the work out this morning with the Relief Society, my companion realized she forgot her shoes. We did some studies, then had to go home to get her some dress shoes. We decided to go to a nearby area before dinner, and the last door we tried, we met an old guy who lost his wife 6 years ago. He was very friendly and open to talking. As we introduced our names, he said, "Oh man, I don't have a title." We told him we would call him Brother Tom, since we are all children of God. He lit right up. I've missed this kind of contacting, where the Spirit leads you and you find God's prepared children!

WEDNESDAY 

This morning we went to a food-sorting service place. The highlight of the day was meeting with a young woman  named Tuesday. She became less-active, but now really wants to become fully active and meet with us. She is so awesome! We had such a spiritual conversation, and she told us we are like the sisters she never had! I had felt sick beforehand, and my companion asked if we needed to stay home. I knew we needed to go though, and that the Lord would sustain me. We had dinner with a sister in the ward. She is so missionary minded and took us to meet her neighbor after dinner. We introduced her to The Book of Mormon and invited her to church. The best part was that the member did most of the talking and sharing! I also love spending Wednesday nights with the young women. So many look up to us and want to serve missions now.

THURSDAY 

A couple picked us up to serve at Bishop's storehouse today. I got to see all of the other missionaries and give Sister Scott an early birthday present (I made her a scripture box/case). It's amazing to see how the Lord takes care of His children. This is the true church! The couple took us out for lunch afterwards. The ward loves us! A family made us the best food ever! Sweet pork, guacamole, homemade green salsa and beans, etc. I love Mexican food :).

We got to video chat with Tuesday and read the first half of 1 Nephi 1 with her. So many miracles are happening because we get to use technology!

FRIDAY 

We were able to fit in some weekly planning this morning, and tried finding some people later that evening. We had dinner with an amazing family. They have a little boy who has to be hooked up to a machine at night to breathe because his brain forgets to make him breathe when he is unconscious. They have such a great testimony and understanding of the plan of salvation. And the couple is super in love. I am definitely learning so much about marriage on my mission, even though my focus is on bringing others unto Christ ;)

Tuesday sees how reading The Book of Mormon is helping her so much!

SATURDAY 

Long day, but good. We spent over 7 hours at a Family History booth at Pensacola State College. It was amazing to see the Spirit of Elijah working on some people. They had such a deep desire to learn more about their family history and receive help. By stark contrast, there are also a lot who really don't care to know.

That evening we had dinner with the Sumralls! President Sumrall of the Jay Branch actually lives within our ward boundaries, so we decided to coordinate dinner with them. They are such a loving couple. I love their family. And little JJ surprised me with a giant hug!

Before going to bed, I decided to have a personal inventory with God... or you could say a companionship inventory between God and I. I was just amazed by how powerfully I felt the Spirit, especially as I asked Heavenly Father how I could best help Him and my answer was, "Just be happy." God truly wants each of us to be happy. To enjoy life. We are His greatest work and joy, and He is happy when we are living after the manner of happiness.

SUNDAY 

I just want to start off by saying how proud I am of how far I have come. I've grown so much in faith of prayer and fasting, and I am now being able to fast without passing out! Also, this morning our solid investigators with baptismal dates dropped us over text message. It was much harder for Sister Benson, who has been meeting with them her whole mission thus far. Anyways, after church and studies, we only had a small time left to go and see people. We decided to go and drop our only other investigator, since he's been avoiding us for about 2 weeks, but he wasn't home. We both felt prompted to knock on his neighbor's door and invite him to church. He was very accepting and nice. We had a wonderful dinner... Cafe Rio style food! And they got me ice-cream for dessert!!!! People really care for me here, and I'm so grateful. At no other time in your life will random people that barely know you cater to you, simply because you're a missionary serving the Lord.

I know this is Heavenly Father's work. This church is organized and lead by Him and Jesus Christ. There would be no possible way we as missionaries could survive if this wasn't the true church. Heavenly Father is a real person, as real as I am. He knows you and loves you so much. He wants you to be so, so happy, and I testify that you can and will be as you live the gospel each day.

Much love,

Sister Burnham 

Funny Southern Moment:

Sometimes people add an extra "s" at the end of words. Everyone called Sister Wall, "Sister Walls." Or they ask, "How many childrens do you have?" Well, our ward mission leader is so funny because when he prays, he says "Dear Heavenly Fathers."

Week 42 - Full Mission Conference with Elder Holland

Hey y'all! Today's email is going to be a little different because I really want to focus on Elder Holland's talk on Saturday. It was such a powerful meeting. It felt so unreal: whenever I was looking down to take notes, I felt like I was listening to a general conference broadcast. It was also great to see everyone from the entire mission!

Highlights from the week:

1. We taught a less-active this week. She's been wanting to come to church for MONTHS now, but always has an excuse. We watched "Repentance is Always Positive" from general conference, and she realized she didn't have any more excuses. As we left, she said, "See you on Sunday!" And she actually came! She also received a calling in the Primary and is so excited. 

2. We drove up Friday evening to spend the night in Destin, FL so we'd be closer to Panama City the next morning. It was unlike any part of the mission I've served in... One of the sisters we drove with summed it up accurately: "It's like Las Vegas and California had a baby!" There were flashing lights, tourist attractions, souvenir shops, and the ocean right next to some of the roads. It was pretty cool, but I think I'll stick with the "boonies" ;)

3. On Sunday, Bishop asked me and other youth and leaders to bear a short testimony on what we learned from Elder Holland at our meetings (There were 3 that day for missionaries, leaders, and then the youth). It was such a spiritual meeting. They had forgotten to get my special sacrament during the meeting. I was very sad, then had a thought to ask the bishop if I could get it after the meeting. They were so grateful I asked and apologized that they had forgotten about me. We went into the kitchen, and two priests blessed one corn chex piece and a glass of water (they had forgotten a tiny plastic cup) just for me. It was such a sacred and touching experience, and I truly felt that the sacrament is individual, just as the Savior's Atonement is. I love how caring the ward is. They are amazing, and I feel so loved!

Full Mission Conference with Elder Holland:

-Before the meeting on Saturday started, we all got lined up for a picture with Elder Holland (hopefully I can send it next week) and then got to shake his hand. They spoke about the importance of a handshake. As we shake his hand and he looks into our eyes, the window to the soul, he can sense our worthiness, love and devotion for the Lord, and any sins or things we are struggling with. I had decided I needed to fast the day before, so I felt so peaceful and calm and happy as I shook his hand. I know the Spirit was with me that day, and I know he felt it. 

-Elder Holland started off by expressing his immense love for us. He is hilarious! He would crack jokes and make funny comments, yet kept it a very spiritual meeting. With two words, he could bring the presence of the Spirit into the room so powerfully, and I know it is because of his consecrated life-style and powerful conviction. He then said that this work is the work of Almighty God. We will never do anything more important than this work of saving human souls. It is the reason for the Creation, the Fall, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and the Restoration. Being parents might be just as important, coming closer to Christ might be just as important, but never more important. 

-He also said that we are called to serve for 18 to 24 months, but sometimes they only get 15 or 11 months of service from missionaries because they are not converted themselves or they do not realized the importance of this work and give it their all. He said that we are doing this full-time. It's like a race. You run the whole way and give it your all, and when you hit the tape at the end, you collapse. You have nothing left to give. I love the imagery of that. When we go home from our missions, we should be exhausted and worn-out, and then from there we can gain energy and refocus. But for now, this is our one moment. We will never have it again. Senior missions are not the same. Nothing is. He kept stressing just how important our calling is. He wanted to pound it into us. And he made some funny jokes (maybe not jokes) that if he saw missionaries who didn't take their calling seriously or went less-active afterwards, he'd go into a seizure and start flopping around, banging his head on the ground. 

-If we want to double the amount of our baptisms, we simply have to double the amount of people we talk to. The gospel is for everyone. We don't get to choose in a smug way who gets to hear it or not. No. We open our mouths and we speak to everyone. If we don't, we are passing judgement on them.

-The only way to convert someone is through spiritual experiences. We need to learn how to create instant and powerful spiritual experiences. Not only can we not teach without the Spirit, but we should not teach without the Spirit. He really inspired me to increase the amount I testify and use the Book of Mormon in a lesson to help them feel the Spirit. That should always be our goal. There are so many other ways, and he encouraged us to study about them. As we increase in sincerity and conviction, our testimony is more powerful. This makes it so every word we say is filled with the Spirit--and Elder Holland really taught that by example.

-One last thing that he revealed was about the nature of Preach My Gospel. He said that in the past, missionaries would memorize lessons word for word and teach people. Those lessons were made to convert the investigators. The apostles and prophet realized that to their utter horror, many missionaries became less-active after they went home from their mission. "How could that be?" they wondered. Finally, they came up with the idea of Preach My Gospel. Elder Holland testified that it was written to convert us, the missionary. As we became converted to the gospel, we would then be able to convert others. I LOVE that. It is so true. He said he hopes we don't memorize the lessons and become route teachers... because there are no lessons to memorize. Instead, as we study the doctrines and become converted, working by the Spirit, the words will be given to us to say. Every lesson is unique and personal for that person we teach because the Spirit leads it.

I testify that this is the Lord's work. He sits at the head of this church and directs it through living apostles and prophets. I know as we follow their counsel, we will be blessed and protected. There is no greater work or calling!

Much love,

Sister Burnham

Quotes from Elder Holland:

"Nicodemus the Nincompoop" (as we studied John 3 together)

"Don't do anything stupid."

"I have one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel."

"That was when I was young and stupid. Now I'm old and stupid."

"I wouldn't waste 20 seconds of your time if the gospel was a flop, a joke. And I wouldn't give my whole life to it, either, if it wasn't true."

Reunited with lots of friends and loved ones.

Week 41 - Phones and Pendulums

Howdy y'all!  I am emailing you from my new smartphone. It is weird  having one now because I have spent the first half of my mission without one. It has been amazing to see the Lord hastening His work through technology this week. Shout out to my brother, Sean, who is turning 16 today! #datinganddriving #watchtheroad 

MONDAY:

Unfortunately, my companion was very sick today, so she stayed in bed while I cleaned the entire house. Maybe I should pretend to be sick next Monday... ;)

TUESDAY:

We started setting up our phones today in district meeting to prepare for zone conference. Afterwards, a member took us out to lunch. We then had Ward Correlation meeting with all of the ward missionaries and the ward mission later. I'm still trying to get used to saying "ward" instead of "branch." It is amazing how involved everyone is in missionary work here. We are currently going through a ward roster and talking about every single less-active member and who will visit them. As President Lee stated, "Missionary work is but home teaching to those who are not now members of the church, and home teaching is nothing more or less then missionary work to Church members."

WEDNESDAY:

We went biking this morning. I told my companion that I knew where I was going and decided to lead out... bad idea. A mile later, I had us turned around and we had to backtrack. But all things happen in God's timing! As we got to the right place, no one answered the door, but at that moment, their neighbor pulled up and we were able to talk with him and invite him to church. Had we gone any sooner, we would have missed him.

THURSDAY:

Zone Conference!  I have gained a strong testimony that the Lord has blessed us with technology to hasten in his work. Technology is His invention, not man's invention. We get to learn how to use it the way He created it to be used: to spread the gospel. Technology is simply a tool for us to use, as prompted by the Spirit, to reach out and bless others. It is not something we should be controlled by or addicted to. We likened our phone unto a wrench in working on a project (or when sharing the gospel). When you are building a car, you don't carry around a wrench and say "How can I use this wrench next?" Instead, you use all of your tools, and then pull out the wrench when it is needed. When the Spirit prompts. Then we split up for exchanges! I got to be with Sister Sjoblom (for the 3rd time) in Gulf Breeze.

FRIDAY:

I got to see the benefits of technology today. As we met with a recent convert in Gulf Breeze, a scripture from the old testament came to mind, but I couldn't remember where. I searched a key word on Gospel Library and was able to share it with her. It really related to something she was going through. Later in a lesson, the lady was having a hard time seeing the print of The Book of Mormon, so I enlarged the text on my phone and she read along with us.

SATURDAY:

I finally met our investigators, Samantha and Gary! We had a powerful lesson with them this morning, answering a lot of questions and bearing testimony. Well, the rest of our lessons that day fell through, but then we realized we had completely forgotten to weekly plan this week! That evening we had dinner with the Petersons. She is so hilarious and giving. I love members!

SUNDAY:

Samantha and Gary came to church and loved it! We asked Samantha how she felt after sacrament meeting. With a giant smile, she said, "I'm just so happy!" The gospel truly is here to bring us joy and happiness! 

In my personal study, I found a passage of scripture that basically sums up my feelings this week: Jacob 4:6-7

   "Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea.

  "Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things."

I feel so powerful with Christ. I know I can do all things with Him and feel so strong. Yet I am constantly seeing my weaknesses and feeling called to repentance. I feel like a pendulum swinging, but I'm looking for the balance. And I'm slowly finding it... with lots of patience. ;)

Much love,

Sister Burnham 

I will send some more pictures next week when I have access to a computer...

Week 40 – An Ammon-like Missionary

Happy Valentines! Last Saturday, I hit my 9 month mark. I hear it's all down-hill from here. I'm old :(. This past week has gone by so fast. I really feel that I am becoming the missionary I have always wanted to be. The Spirit has been so powerful the past few days, and there are times when I felt like Ammon. I've really learned that as I purify myself to become a more worthy instrument in the hands of God, He pours out His Spirit through me to bless and strengthen others. Alone I am weak, but with Christ, I am more than strong. 

Monday:

Goodbyes are truly the worst. After a long day of packing, we stopped by Sister Longs' to say goodbye. She almost started crying and said she was really going to miss us. Afterwards, we went off to Dora's lesson. We decided not to tell her we were leaving until after the lesson, and after we committed her to be baptized. She said she would be baptized!!! I am so excited for her progress! I just pray the elders won't scare her away ;). At the end of the lesson, we told her new missionaries would be coming in, and she was so heartbroken and started crying. It was hard. Then we went to the Wrights. They had made us dinner, and they took the news of us leaving better than I expected (even though Johnny thought we were tricking him about elders coming in). God is preparing them for great things. I'm so grateful I had the pleasure of knowing and loving them these past six months.

Tuesday:

After district meeting, we went out with Sister Field to visit some less-active members. We couldn't find one of them (sometimes houses don't seem to exist), so we went to a nice looking neighborhood to tract. After a few doors of rejection, we went further down, and this old man opened his door and waved us over. He asked, "Who do y'all represent?" Me being me, I said, "Jesus Christ." "Come on in!" We went inside, and he invited us to present him with our message. We briefly taught the Restoration, and we could tell he had a bit of Alzheimer's, but I asked him if he would read The Book of Mormon. He told me that I was asking a lot of him. I responded back full of the Spirit, "But it's not me asking; it's God. And if it's coming from Him, then I don't think it's too much." He just sat there for a few seconds and said, "You're right." That evening we had dinner with the Belden/Sumrall family. I will sure miss how funny they all are!

Wednesday:

I cleaned so much this morning that I could barely move. I was afraid to stop moving and take a break in fear that I would fall flat on my face and never move again. We then drove off to transfer spots, where we met our new companions. On the bright side, I already knew my companion because she has been serving in our district for the past three months. She has just finished training and is nervous to be leading out the area. She is from California and has 3 siblings. I already feel so much love and connection with her. That evening, we had dinner with the Cass family. They are a cute young couple with three kids, and very much in love. He takes joy in embarrassing her by expressing how much he loves her in front of us. #marriagegoals

Afterwards, we went to mutual and helped the young women work on personal progress.

Thursday:

We went to a general conference devotional at a member's home with some ladies from relief society. They bring their kids to play together, and one of the little girls there, who just turned 2, is my new best friend. Afterwards, weekly planning took forever because I did not know anyone! We didn't quite finish, but we are making so many goals and plans for the area already. We had a relief society craft event in the evening, where I got to know more of the members and make some Valentine crafts. I already love this ward so much and know this is exactly where the Lord needs me to be.

Friday:

We met with Bishop Welty this morning to discuss the needs of our area. He has a GIANT picture of Christ hanging in his office. He is so bold and loving. I'm excited to be working with him. Later that afternoon, we had a lesson with Jerry, one of our investigators, who is super skeptical. I felt the Spirit so powerfully in that lesson, it was like I was reading his mind and knew exactly what his concern was. He'd been tricked and lied to by people in his past because he was gullible, and now he has trouble trusting others--himself included. I surprised myself by how bold I was with him. The only awkward part of the lesson was when I went to download gospel library onto his phone... he had a very inappropriate picture as his screensaver. But, by the end of his lesson, I had committed him to change it to a picture of the Savior ;). Never before have I felt the Spirit so tangible throughout the day as Sister  Benson and I study, plan, teach, or discuss problems we are having. We did a lot of service today as well, and then that evening we had dinner with the Petersons. Sister Peterson has six autistic boys and handles them with so much love and patience! She is also super nutritious and gave us tons of tips on how to eat healthier. That is such a blessing to me!

Saturday:

Every Saturday morning we play volleyball with the youth in the area and other missionaries. It's supposed to be a great fellow-shipping activity. Well, two hours later and I was so tired. But whatever side I went on seemed to be winning! All our appointments that afternoon fell through because of the pouring rain, so we knocked a few doors. One lady seemed to be a former investigator and had come to church a long time ago. She happened to be looking for a new church, so we invited her to come again. Then I really felt prompted to go home and finish weekly planning. I didn't know why until I saw the area book. It was in MAJOR need of being updated and organized. That alone took over an hour with both of us working on it. Can't wait until we get the Area Book Planner app on our smartphones next week! We had a dinner appointment with another family in the ward, and I feel a big part of my influence in this area will be getting to know, love, and strengthen members. Our purpose as missionaries is to "invite others to unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end." This doesn't just apply to investigators. Every member of the church is in the "enduring to the end" stage and can always use a boost. 

Sunday:

After relief society, our meal calendar was already full for the entire month. What??? Crazy, I know. It will be a big change from Brewton! Sister Benson said Pace is known for fattening missionaries up. I got to meet two of the recent converts, JR and Maddie. They are both 16 and strong in the gospel, even if their parents are not supportive. I am so excited to work with them! We had dinner with the Larsens that evening, where I got to see my new best friend. We played with trains together. Sister Larsen said her friend told her that if a kid takes to another person so quickly, it could be because they were close in the pre-existance. What a sweet thought.

My companion said she has noticed a lot of my strengths this week, including that I get along with everyone. I love asking questions to get to know people and show that I care about them. Everyone deserves to feel special and important. As I focus on others, literally forgetting myself as I go to work, everything goes by so quickly! I love this work. I love representing Jesus Christ and feeling so much heavenly love for everyone. I know this is the true church where we can find lasting peace and happiness, and I'm excited to share it with everyone here for 9 more months!

CJ gave me a goodbye hug. I love him so much.

Brother and Sister Sumrall. They are the funniest newlywed couple ever!

Saying goodbye to Dora and Devarian