Pumpkin Painting, Hot Cocoa, and The Magic Flute

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Emily Burnham

BYU Spectacular!!

14 October - 20 October 2019

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

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

BYU Spectacular Men's Chorus

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

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

Love,

Emily Burnham

Harry Potter and Painting

7 October - 13 October 2019

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Much love,
Emily Burnham

Mission Reunion!!!

30 September - 6 October 2019

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Love,
Emily Burnham

Waltz Jump

23 September - 29 September 2019

Hey friends! How have y'all been? This week flew by so quickly! There seems to always be too much to do, and never enough time to do it. The hardest thing right now is balancing my many "needs" with my (oh so many) "wants." It takes a lot of self-control and energy to do so!

Monday
I met with my English group half an hour before class started, and then after a long and boring class hour, I went home to eat lunch, only to rush back to campus to meet with my psychology of religion group a half hour before class started. Our presentation about Buddhism went well! In fact, the teacher told us that these were the best presentations out of any her previous students had given! I had a few hours to work on assignments before biking over to my research class in the Taylor building. I enjoyed the discussion we had about different levels of listening and how each level can validate or invalidate someone. These things I'm learning are very applicable to real life. Then I went to my singing class, and we have to perform solos on Wednesday!! Ahh! I'm actually not that nervous :)

That evening we had a game night for family home evening. I joined in a group playing "Code Names" and we got roasted three times in a row.

Tuesday

What a long but glorious day! I tried to get to class early so I could stop by my custodial job on the way and ask to take this Friday off, but I just barely made it to class on time as it was. Go figure! As soon as class was over, I quickly walked home and grabbed some things before heading to the MTC for work. I signed up to help out with baptismal interviews at 11:15 a.m. I tried to be as quick as I could, but I got there about 5 minutes late. It turned out to be just fine because the lady was new and didn't even know I was coming! Ironically, Robby Hughes happened to be in the large group of missionaries that I was helping out. It was so funny because he totally knew I was not a member! But fortunately he did not blow my cover. Afterwards, I went to a training meeting, then started my 4-hour shift. It was a long day of work! I'd been texting people all day to see if they would be home because I had a printer arriving in the afternoon, and I didn't want it to sit on the front mat outside the door all day (even Provo has theives). Fortunately for me, one of my neighbors (who I just met this past Sunday), Mira, had dance practice canceled and was able to store it in her house for me until I got home. Just before I drove home from the MTC, I stopped by the Harman Conference Center building too great a few things for my TA job. As I was grading the assignments, my overall boss lady walked by and we had a great conversation. She told me to start emailing professors if I want to be an online TA next semester and work more hours for lots of money. That would be the dream because I make $13 an hour and I could work from home or wherever I was at. When I got home, I knocked on the door across from our apartment to pick up my printer. I got to talk to Mira for a bit and get to know her better. Then I spent around a half hour setting up my printer, and I'm so excited! I made dinner, and as I was just settling down to eat, Lexy texted if we were home because she got locked out of her apartment! So she came over to chill with us until I had to leave for institute. Katherine and I walked over together. After Institute, we went upstairs to see what kind of treats they had and I was able to talk to two or three new people and get to know them a bit. Then I grabbed a muffin to drop off at Whitney's place since she's so close by. She wasn't home, but I got to talk to her roommate (and previous mission companion) Megan-Jean, who looked like she was having a stressful night. While walking home, I passed by Matt from the summer ward we combined with and got to talk to him for a bit. It was so cool to see how blatantly God is answering my prayers. I told him I wanted to notice others and make more friends, and I was given so many opportunities to talk to and care about other people today. I didn't actually have much homework to do, so I stayed up working on the essay I am writing for the Brimhall contest. It is turning out pretty okay and I am grateful that my friend Kathrine will look it over to edit it.

Wednesday

I was supposed to meet with my group half an hour before class started, but I was not feeling super well and didn't get ready in time. But at least I made it to class on time! After class, I headed over to the library to work on a personal project and to check out a really nice camera to use for the next 2 days. Then I went over to the Kimball Tower to heat my lunch in the microwave before class. Afterwards, I met with my professor because I was worried about the projection of the course and what I need to do to get a good grade (I currently have a 76%). It was so relieving to talk to her about it and to feel reassured that I'll be okay. I went home and got ready to head over to Sam's Club to buy a bunch of things, and I was so sad to find out that they were completely sold out of mini hummus packs. After coming home, I quickly unloaded everything and practiced my song one last time before heading to my singing class. I opted to go third to get it over with. I honestly think that I was doing very well, except for I got over excited when I was near the end, and so then I forgot the words to the last two lines! Yeah, so that was a little embarrassing, but overall it was fine. That evening, we had a Relief Society art night which was very fun, and I worked on painting the Swedish flag for my roommate who served there.

Thursday
I learned something really interesting today in my social psychology class. We learned about how exercising self-control drains you of energy. Another thing that drains you of the same source of energy is making decisions, whether they are big decisions or a lot of small decisions all at once. In small groups we were talking about how people can choose to be happy, but sometimes we are so depleted that we do not have the energy to choose, period. This was an interesting thought for me, and emphasized the importance of self-care. When we are feeling drained, it is vitally important to take a break, eat a snack, take a nap, meditate, or pray. After class, I went home for lunch, then drove over to Walgreens to pick up more prints of mission pictures that I want to use to finish decorating my wall. I had four lessons today at the MTC, so the day went by pretty fast. That evening I had to stay up late working on art projects that were due tomorrow morning. My friend Kathrine also came over to tell me about boy troubles that she was having.

Friday

Even though I did not want to go to work this morning, I did. Yay for me! After work I went to my art class, and was so relieved to find out we were just presenting in small groups at our table, and not in front of the entire class. Because my artwork was very oh, well, let's just say interesting. That class is quite challenging because it pushes you to think very creatively. After our class, I went home for lunch, to study my scriptures, and to take a nap. I left to go to the Harmon building for work as a TA, and then I went over to Peaks Ice Arena to ice skate. My friend Kathy came with me and had a blast! I got to teach her how to skate backwards! And my friend Dani was there. She was so excited for me to be start jumping, and convinced me to start practicing the waltz jump. I am getting very good at ice skating overall, and it is so surprising and exciting for me. It really boosted my confidence to try these new and challenging moves on the ice. Afterwards, I wasn't feeling all too well, but I hunkered down and did some homework until I was too tired to focus and then I went to bed.

Saturday

My Saturdays are pretty busy as usual. Today I made time in the morning to do a bit of homework, and then I left to go to the temple to make the 11am session. What I didn't know was that it would be in Portuguese. Because I had work at 1 p.m., I couldn't wait for the next session and wore an English headset. It was a great experience to realize that our church really is for everyone. Not just for English speakers, but for the whole world, for all people and all languages. Afterwards, I drove right over to the MTC for work. It was a great time because I met with five different sets of missionaries, and it kept me very busy. The only downside is that I will sometimes forget who I share what with, so it can be a bit confusing for me to remember how much I am supposed to know with each set I meet with again. One set of sisters was leaving on Wednesday to go out to their mission, so it was our last lesson together. I loved meeting with them, and so I made sure to grab a picture with them. They have been such a blessing in my life. After work, I went home and had so much homework to do! I worked on it and just when I thought I was almost done, I checked online and realized I had three big articles to read and analyze before class on Monday. Yeah, so no fun Saturday night for me. I literally worked on homework until I was too tired and soon went to bed (this is becoming the new pattern for my sad, pathetic weekends). Now I will just have to wake up extra early on Monday morning to complete all of the tasks that I need to do for the day. In fact, this next week is going to be quite busy for me!

Sunday

Wow, I woke up so angry at the world! I wasn't feeling well physically, and so you can bet I wasn't feel well spiritually! One huge blessing was that I did not have to teach Sunday school today, since it was fifth Sunday and the bishop was teaching. That was good because I was not prepared to be teaching today! After a bit of a grumpy start to my day, I was really trying to change my attitude and to feel the Spirit. What helped me the most was my concerned friends supporting and listening to me. During the second hour of church, we were adviced to share gospel through social media. The confirmation came to me again that I should film videos of myself about my mission or my testimony and post them on a YouTube channel. I have been so crazy busy with life, but I decided I could take some time every Sunday to film a quick video using the pictures of my mission as a backdrop. The videos may not be the best quality, but that does not matter. And so I did! I am proud to announce that I am starting my YouTube channel today! I'll be posting new material every week print (hopefully). I felt so much better today after being able to bear my testimony, and also having Katie listen to me talk. I have the best roommates!

The link to my new YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/956V0XbMY7k

Love,
Emily Burnham

Water-balloon Launcher

Howdy y'all! It's nice that I can still feel a bit like a Southerner since I get to act like a Southern Baptist at my MTC job three days a week! It's keeping my "y'alls" and "howdies" alive and well :)
There have been so many small blessings and miracles happening. I need to keep better record of them. But when I lose one thing, it turns out to be a blessing because then I find something else I'd been missing and never would have found otherwise! So many small blessings!

Monday

English class in the morning led to more and more drama throughout the day. We sent out an email after class to tell everyone that we are the leader group (in charge of running the class), and another group sent out an email behind our backs (but they accidentally sent it to us anyways) telling everyone that we were lying and not to believe us. Lots of emails were sent throughout the day, which was pretty annoying. I ate lunch and did some homework in the gap between my two classes. Then I went to my psychology of religion class, after which I met up with a missionary from Aaron's mission who had kept a letter from him to give to me. I was so happy and excited to open it when I got home. Aaron is such a thoughtful and kind brother. I noticed when I opened it that he had written all of the siblings a letter, so after taking my letter out, I taped it back up (it kind of looked ghetto) and sent it home to Arizona so everyone else can get their letters. That afternoon, I biked over to my research class, and we had a good discussion about what a validating statement truly is. It is not necessarily what you say, but how the person receives it. I went straight over to my singing class, and I think I am getting better at singing. But it is hard to tell. I headed home to eat dinner and did a bit of homework before heading off to the Orem Library so I could go to Sarah M. Eden's book signing. I literally got teary-eyed two or three times, no joke. I'm such a book nerd, but I love the stories she told about being illiterate until sixth grade and having to push really hard to read something. She said a good book is something that is worth the effort of fighting to read because you connect so well with the characters in the story. Then I went shopping at a nearby store and then to the mall to grab a few things.

Tuesday
My Social Psych teacher let us out 15 minutes early from class for the devotional, since President Russell M. Nelson was coming to speak. Even so, when I got to the Marriott Center, every seat was taken or saved! After walking and walking around trying to find a seat, I gave up and, with a little bit of disappointment, headed over to the MTC early to do stuff there. Fortunately, they were broadcasting it in one of the rooms, so is still able to watch it with other employees. Afterwards, I ate my lunch and worked on grading some assignments for my online class. Then my shift started for the day, and I got to be taught by missionaries. I found so many ways that I can improve on my job. I need to link my questions with my actual needs and concerns, not just ask filler questions about what the missionaries are teaching. That is how the missionaries will feel like they are actually help you. I feel that my lesson that day went a lot better. Additionally, the missionaries are praying for my brother Sean, which I think is so awesome. And finally, while I was sitting at work, I had a thought come to my head of how I can use my time more effectively and arrange my schedule just a bit so that I can get more done in the day and not feel so overwhelmed. I know that is direct revelation from God. He is guiding my life and helping me as I take time to ponder. I am so grateful that my job gives me that time, as I often get to reflect how I can be better and do better. After work, I walked home and ate dinner. I worked on homework up until it was time to go to Institute. After Institute, I went over to Whitney's house so we could finish watching our movie "Tall Girl." It was so cheesy! Would not recommend! Then we just talked for a bit and I told her some things that were happening in my life and she is very excited for me. Then I bit before I went home to continue working on homework.

Wednesday
Wow. So today was crazy. I enjoyed attending my singing class, and then I'd planned to have dinner with all my roommates soon after I got home. Luckily, I went to check for my wallet in my car, because I realized my car had been BOOTED that morning! And if I hadn't known and called in right then, it could have been towed away and cost even more money. I didn't know that my parking pass was expired, so that was an expensive $60 adult lesson to learn... But then I was able to leave with my roomies to go to Bombay house to spend time together and get to know each other. I branched out to try something knew and did not like it, unfortunately. I know there is a reason I usually stick with the same old, same old! Oh well. It was still nice :)

Thursday
Right after class, I rushed home so I could get my new parking pass (I was not about to get re-booted!) and ate lunch. I also ordered a new printer for a good deal (thanks to my awesome padre for helping me find one). I am just so fed up with on-campus printing. It's the worst. Then I went to work at the MTC. When I got home, I had just over an hour until my date with Spencer. We went to Rock Canyon and doubled with his previous mission companion and another girl. We launched water balloons! It was a super fun evening, and my favorite part was when some people from out of the country showed up at the park. They were mesmerized by the water-balloon launcher, and the one man had never seen a water-balloon before. I said he could have my turn and try launching it, and he was so excited. Then all four of them ended up taking turns and they thought it was the coolest thing ever! It brought them so much joy. We stayed out pretty late! We all talked and joked around for at least an hour towards the end of the date and somehow started singing hymns in parts. It was very unique and a cool experience. They all seemed like great people and would be fun friends to have. Also, my cute roommate Katie surprised me with a bunch of nice sticky notes!

Friday
I was SOO tired when I was rudely awoken by my alarm clock this morning to head my custodial job. Funny story, though. I totally tried to play match-maker with my boss and a girl in my psychology class (she's older with two kids and is going back to school). I had my 3-hour art class afterwards, and I actually really enjoy it! We had to rush to finish five different art projects involving crayon. Afterwards, I went home for lunch but hurried over to the Harman building to grade and hold office hours. And I realized that I'm not actually hired to work for the company! By some huge mix-up, their system says I'm approved to work even though there is no record of hiring me. It's a huge mess, so I haven't even been paid for any of my work from them yet! I then went ice-skating at the rink and had a really good time. I'm improving incrementally and it really is a place where I don't feel stressed. It helps ground me and makes me happy. Then I had a load of homework awaiting me!

Saturday
Today was jam-packed full of things to do. I got up and ready for the day, then spent an hour grading assignments for my TA job before heading off to the temple. I went straight from the temple session to the MTC for my four-hour shift. I had a meeting with my supervisor soon after I got there, so I didn't have time to eat lunch right away. But I am so grateful for my amazing and relatable supervisor. She is great, knows how to follow the Spirit, and is kind. She gave me very good advice, and told me God hired me to work at the MTC for a reason. We are part of the church hastening forth. I finally ate lunch after that, and then my shift flew by because I met with three different missionary companions. Before going home, I stopped by the creamery to pick up a couple of items, and traffic was so bad because of the BYU football game! Then I went home and graded papers for two more hours before doing a small bit of my own homework and going to bed completely exhausted!

Sunday
I had a marvelous Sunday! At first when I woke up, I felt like I couldn't move. My body was so exhausted from being run like crazy this week. Today truly was a day of rest and not worrying about my problems. Church was really good: my roommate Miranda was called as the new Relief Society President and my roommate Katie taught Relief Society! During relief society, I was actually feeling pretty hot with my cardigan, but I heard a girl behind me whispering how cold she was. I thought about giving her my cardigan, but then thought it would be weird and RS was almost over anyway. But then the thought popped in my mind, "Never suppress a generous thought." So I took it off and handed it to her. She was uncertain at first, saying I should keep it, but I said I was hot and she gladly accepted it and put it on for the rest of the lesson. I tried to talk to many new people at church today because I want to be able to notice others better and look for opportunities to serve. I painted that afternoon with Kathrine, and then had Come, Follow Me. Whitney came to it, and then after we walked over by her apartment to talk. It was really nice and I am so grateful to have her as a friend. Afterwards, I made dinner and then went to ward prayer.

I am truly learning that as we turn our life over to God, He will accomplish the impossible with us. He is helping things fall into place as long as I keep Him at the center of my life. Also, it is nice that the weeks pass by so much faster when I am extremely busy. I almost feel like I'm living life at the pace of a missionary--always having something purposeful to do.

Love mucho mucho,
Emily Burnham

Art, Bubbles, and More

9 September - 15 September 2019

I am slowly becoming adjusted to my crazy busy schedule and had a much better week. Plus it helps that God dropped a couple of tender mercies throughout my week!

Monday
I woke up and found a notification on my phone that someone had logged into my email--and it wasn't me! So after a panicked start to my day, I was able to study my scriptures and then exercise for a bit. I had English this morning, and the teacher handed out the game cards today. Ironically, my group is the leader group--the one group I absolutely hoped we would not get! That means that we will have to do a lot more work than the other groups, which is kind of a bummer. Afterwards, I went home for a quick lunch, then went back to campus for my Psychology of Religion class. Today we got put into groups of a different religion that we will have to present on in a couple of weeks. I picked Buddhism and have a pretty great group, which is always a blessing! Afterwards, I went home and drove down to the library to return some books. Then I went home to work on homework, but I wasn't feeling good and it was hard to focus. That afternoon, I biked down to my research class in the Taylor building. I am actually very excited about this course because we will be able to see videos of couples in therapy and have a unique opportunity to see what it is actually like and decide if that is what we truly want to do. Ordinarily FERPA laws prohibit you from watching therapy sessions. Straight afterwards, I biked over to my music class. I actually am really enjoying it and think I am slowly improving, even though I know I have a lot to work on. Afterwards I biked home for a quick dinner before attending our ward-combined family home evening. We played a bishopric trivia game, and while it was not the most organized, it was still fun. Miranda said she saw one of the guys at my table scoping me out, but I don't believe it. She's always saying things like that but nothing ever comes of it.

Tuesday
I don't know why it takes me so long to get ready in the mornings, but at least I am consistently exercising and studying my scriptures first thing in the morning. It has helped a lot. I went to my Intro to Social Psychology class, and it was a little bit boring because it was everything that I had already read in the textbook. Afterwards, I quickly ran home to watch the devotional from my laptop while making lunch. I couldn't go in person because I had to go to a training meeting at the MTC at noon, and I wouldn't have had time to attend the devotional in person. However, they announced that our dear prophet will be speaking next Tuesday at the devotional, and you better bet that I'm going to be there! After the devotional ended, I quickly finished up some work business as an online TA and then went down to the MTC to work for five hours (four of which were spent in my small little cubicle). I was so tired by the end of my shift and very hungry too, so I went home and ate food. Then I had a lot of reading to finish before Institute, but I didn't finish all of it, so I had to continue working on it afterwards. I have not been motivated to do my homework yet, as if I am still in denial that school has started. That is pretty bad attitude perception to have, considering it is already in the middle of week 2 of school!

Wednesday
I had a really good day. I tried to get ready quickly this morning so I could finish my reading assignments for my psychology of religion class. I then attended my English class. I was able to work on multiple things during the class because the teacher is rather long-winded and likes to talk a lot about random things. After class, I went to study from my GRE book for a bit while waiting to meet up with a group from class. It was raining today! The weather was actually quite cold. I ate my lunch and then met with my Psychology of Religion group. We are planning on attending a Buddhist service this Sunday, and I realized that since Stake Conference is in the later afternoon, I won't be able to go to my church. I guess I will just have to tell the bishop that I'm converting to Buddhism. We took a quiz over chapters 1 and 2 in our psychology of religion class and I did not do well on the first quiz. I forgot what made each religion unique and totally mix them all around. But I did get a perfect score on the second quiz. After class I went home and worked on homework and did some laundry. Then I went back to campus to attend a workshop for a writing contest. First place will receive $3,000! I don't know how I will do, but I figure it is worth a shot to try. I left from there to go to my vocal performance class, and on the way there, I ran into a guy from my freshman ward, Spencer Ashworth. It was fun being able to say hi to him. Also, I found someone to go to the BYU spectacular with! My roommate ended up not being able to come with me, but one of the girls in my singing class wants to go with me and bought the ticket extra ticket I had. I cannot tell if my singing is getting better or worse, haha. I went home and ate a quick dinner after class and then headed to the Springville Museum of Art. We would receive extra credit credit for attending, and I was glad that I did because it was enjoyable and I got a lot of free cards afterwards! We made relief prints out of Styrofoam. It was very easy and quite enjoyable.

Thursday
Wow, Thursdays must be the busiest day of my whole week! Well, maybe it was just today in particular. I went to class, ate lunch, then went to work until 5pm. I left from there to go shopping because I had some things I needed to get that couldn't be put off much longer, but it required me driving to a Walmart that was further away. Ugh. Let me tell ya--I got home at 8pm. Literally THREE hours! It took forever, and then I ate dinner and had to stay up finishing my art assignments for tomorrow, despite having to arise early for my custodial job. Blah.

Friday
Work wasn't too bad. I found some food, which is always a bonus, and got leftover popcorn from the game. Then I went to art class and had such an enjoyable time! I don't always know what the teacher's expectations are, but I have a really fun time! We presented our projects and then went outside to blow HUGE bubbles. I'm not quite sure what the point of it was, but it was SO FUN! I literally felt like a little kid again. It was very stress relieving, and she gave us all her secret bubble recipe that she has perfected! After class, I went to the BYU bookstore to get a book, then went home and talked with my mom, who convinced me to reach out to Spencer on Facebook and suggest we should catch up sometime. So I did. Then I studied my scriptures and got ready to go down to work my TA office hour at the Harman building. It ended up taking longer than I thought because I had a situation to deal with... somehow I got hired to work for the Psychology department even though I am actually working for the Continuing Education people. So I've been doing work for them, but then attending meetings for the other job and getting paid at a lower rate through the wrong department! I had to get all that sorted out--get myself fired from the other job so I could be hired for the right department and let them know how much I worked so I could make sure to get my extra money. Anyways, yeah, so I got all that worked out and then went to the ice rink to skate for a bit. Later that evening, Whitney came over and we watched the new Netflix original movie that came out, "Tall Girl." We didn't have time to finish it, but I saw enough to be disappointed with the bad acting and cheesiness of it.

Saturday
Aye, this morning was a bit of a train wreck. So, I had planned on attending the 10am session at the temple. Somehow I ended up at the 10:40am session because I was just running so behind! Then I didn't have time to do homework before leaving for work, and I couldn't find my ID card, so I had to get pulled over by the MTC security and fill out some paperwork. Then when I parked underground, I realized I couldn't get into the building to the elevator without my card and nobody was around to let me in! So I had to walk up and around, making me 10 minutes late! I was so frustrated. But the missionaries who taught me today were so kind and understanding. I still have a lot to work and improve on, but at least this time around I can tell that the missionaries truly think I am a nonmember! After work, I had to do homework up until stake conference, and then after stake conference.

Sunday
I had the most interesting Sunday ever! I went to church with Becca Strong since I would be missing Stake Conference. I ran into some people I knew from my ward last semester, which was cool! I went home and ate a quick lunch before heading off to pick up my classmate to attend the Buddhist service. It was definitely a unique experience. We sat on mats on the floor with booty cushions and did a guided meditation. There were different chants to recite and songs to sing, and then the guy in charge told a story about how they can make elephant poop into paper. They also burned incense and had tea for people to drink. Everyone was really friendly. I got home just in time for our Come, Follow Me study group. Three guys and three other girls attended, which is really good! Better than the previous week :). Soon after everyone left, Spencer showed up to watch the devotional, and Miranda stayed to watch it with us, which I was so grateful for because it helped break my awkwardness. After the devotional, she left and Spencer and I sat across from each other on the couches and talked. The conversation flowed fairly well, and he asked about my mission, and then I asked about his and asked him to show me pictures. Tahiti is such a beautiful place! Just before he left, he asked me out on a double date for Thursday evening, which was super exciting!

Before I sign off, I just want to testify that we can learn the most about God and about ourselves through the way we deal with the trials in our lives. Trials are the times to apply the gospel principles we are studying and trying to emulate. They are the test of mortality, and through Jesus Christ, we can overcome every single one and come out the better for it. I received unexpected blessings this week from the trials I went through--losing one thing only to find another thing I'd previously been searching for, etc.

Much love,
Emily Burnham