Week 30: "Are you Nuns?"

 MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY! What a beautiful time to be alive! Seriously, this week was absolutely amazing! Our week was packed full of lessons (which hardly ever happens)! We were able to get 4 new investigators, which is the most I've had in a week since I got here 3 months ago! The Lord is hastening His work!

*We finally got to have a lesson with that golden family, the Mohlers. We sat down with her and her 11 year old boys and taught the Restoration. She said she wants her boys to learn and then make the decision where they want to be baptized. She's definitely checking out the right church for that ;)

*We had another awesome lesson with Eleanor, the diehard Donny fan! She really opened up to us during that lesson and it was evident that she was able to trust us! She has been reading the Book of Mormon and has been retaining the information! She has 2 copies she reads from: one at work and one at home. She reads during her lunch break! SHE'S SO COOL! She loved the Plan of Salvation and is really understanding the gospel. We're excited to see her progression:)

*We were able to meet up with Josh, who we found a few weeks ago just walking the streets of Friendly Village. We sat down and actually had a lesson with him this time. He has a lot of background in the Bible and has a bit of a hard time accepting the fact of Living Prophets. He was a little under the weather, so we didn't get as far as we wanted, but we're supposed to see him tonight!

*We had ZONE CONFERENCE this week! Wahoo! I love Zone Conference. We actually went twice this week! On Wednesday, Sister Jensen and I got to help inspect the cars with Elder and Sister Tolley! It was super fun! We actually got to attend the Conference on Friday. WOW, we talked a lot about working with members and how amazing it truly is! I walked away with a greater desire and motivation to work more effectively with the ward members! We have such an outstanding ward here, so why not take advantage of it?! :)

*We got to go Caroling TWICE this week! Friday night we went with two other Sisters to carol to investigators in our area: Eleanor, Swati's family, the Mohler family, and one less active member! We even made some Rice Krispies to take over to them! It was so great to be able to sing and spread that Christmas cheer to our sweet friends! It's not everyday that it's socially acceptable to sing on people's doorsteps.
  We also went Caroling with our District on Christmas Eve! We went caroling to some of their members and investigators! It's amazing how something so simple can REALLY brighten people's days!

 *Random tidbit about the subject line. We went to the Macaroni Grill with some members the other night and towards the end of our dinner, the waitress stopped and asked, "Are you Nuns?" We told her we were missionaries and talked briefly about it. She said she's seen The Book of Mormon play (we told her the book is always better than the show....). She was SUPER sweet and chipper! We left her a Light the World card with a little note on it. Planting seeds wherever we can!

*OKAY, miracle of the week! Saturday we did a lot of finding and we weren't finding ANYONE home (we were thinking most people were either out of town or out shopping at the stores). We had a lesson in the afternoon so decided to do some finding in the area. We decided to stop by Terry's house, a former investigator. When I got into the area 3 months ago, I met her and she said she wasn't interested. But I had been thinking about her a lot and thought it would be great if we could at least share the Light the World video! We stopped by and she said that it wasn't a good time because she had just returned from the hospital. She said maybe another time!
  WELL, Saturday night, the member who lives just around the corner and is good friends with Terry, texted us and said she gave Terry a Book of Mormon and she wants to meet with us! My jaw literally dropped TO THE FLOOR! BLESSINGS! Even though we weren't finding anyone home that day, we still pushed forward with faith and we followed the prompting to stop by Terry's! That whole situation was definitely led by the Spirit!

*CHRISTMAS! Wow, Christmas was awesome! I LOVED getting to talk to my family, even though it was short and hard to talk with everyone as much as I wanted to! It was definitely a highlight of my day and gave me the motivation to keep moving forward in my missionary work :) We also got to go to the Mission Home and visit with President and Sister Golden as well as other missionaries from our Zone. We then hopped around to a few different members homes that evening, since our original plans fell through.

*I finished the Book of Mormon again this past week! I've been reading The Book of Mormon continuously, probably since I was 11. Everytime I finish, I STILL take Moroni's invitation to pray to know if it's true. Even though I know it's true and I am in no way doubting it, I still like to pray about it. This time I felt something different. I just felt an overwhelming sense of peace and love. It might be because I'm a missionary, out here, trying to spread The Book of Mormon like a wildfire! My admiration and appreciation for that book has grown immensely since I've been out here! I LOVE the Book of Mormon! If you've never taken Moroni's promise, I encourage you to do it! If you haven't read The Book of Mormon in awhile, I encourage you to do it! And when you do, pray to know if it's true. I PROMISE that as you pray to know of the truthfulness of The Book of Mormon, that you will also be able to gain a testimony of our Savior's love for you.

The Savior lives! Because He lives, we have so much hope, peace, and happiness in this life and in the life to come! What an exciting time to be alive!

Always, with love,
~Sister Burton

Photo Cred: Sister Jensen

Sister Jensen turned 21!

Mistletoe!

Filters for Days.

My family on Christmas!

Our District Caroling.

Caroling with the Sisters

Shepherd's Dinner Christmas Eve

Christmas Morn.

The aftermath. THANK YOU for all the cards!

Most of our Zone at the Mission Home for Christmas

My Family on Christmas!

Caroling with the Sisters!

Week 29: Merry Christmas ya filthy animal.....🎅

HELLO TO ALL! I hope you know that the subject line is a quote from my favorite Christmas movie (which I most definitely am having withdrawals from...) and not how I usually greet people this time of year!
  This week has been GREAT! Like I said last week, I've got a new companion, Sister Jensen! She's been out for 13 months, she's from Burley, Idaho and she's TALL! 5.10. We've been spending much of the week getting around to introduce her to our investigators and other members. This week was busy and seriously FLEW by! We've seen a few miracles which truly helps me realize the Lord hears our prayers and is furthering His work in His own timing!

 Last Monday, we showed up for an FHE lesson and the family wasn't home and completely forgot. So, we decided to walk around the apartment complex and talk to whomever we could. This guy saw us, stopped, and asked if we were Mormons. We got to talking and he said he's talked with missionaries before. We sat down at the park and started talking with him about God. He's had a rough past, but truly has sincere desires to know God. He said he'd been smoking some weed (thankfully, he was there mentally). Even though he really wasn't interested in lessons at the moment, it was great to be able to talk with him about our beliefs and how we know our Heavenly Father loves us.

It's always a little challenging to tract during the day because you hardly find anyone home or outside. We went to Friendly Village to see a few people and, like anytime before we get out of the car, we had a prayer. I remember specifically praying that we would find someone who would be interested in talking with us. As soon as we got out of the car and started walking, I turned around and there was a young man.  He smiled and was so happy to see us! He asked what we were doing. We told him, we are missionaries out sharing a message. He was SUPER interested and thought it was cool we were out spreading the word! He asked what we were sharing and if there was anything we could give him. Of course, I had the Book of Mormon in my hand, introduced it to him, and gave him a copy! He said he was really interested to know more. He willingly gave us his phone number and address. He said he'd love to talk more about what he read and so we want to try to get back in touch with him! His name is Adam. He tried to give us hugs at the end (one of the most awkward things as a missionary).  I shoved my outstretched hand in between him and myself so he couldn't side hug me. (haha) We were in AWE all day that Heavenly Father would hear our prayer and literally place us in someone's path that may be ready to hear the gospel.

 Saturday was a little rough.Usually, it's the prime day to be out finding people to talk to. We decided to park the car and do more walking that day, to give us more opportunities to talk with everyone. We were finding very few people home and a few of the people we did find home, had some snarky comments. One of them was actually kind of funny. This old man looked at our badges and said, "I love your religion. You get to have your own planets and populate them. But I don't believe in God, so get off my property," and closed the door. We just laughed for a few minutes. But it was hard not finding anyone home. We were walking around an apartment complex and I said a silent prayer, asking Heavenly Father to place us in the path, (or to place someone in our path) who might be ready for the gospel. After a few more slammed doors, we rounded a corner and found some Hispanic men sitting by their car, obviously involved with moving someone in. I started talking to one of the men, Leo. He said he didn't really understand a lot of English, so I whipped out the few phrases I know in Spanish. (Basically, introducing our message and asking if he'd like Spanish missionaries to come to his home.) His reply? YES! He lives in Ontario (California) and that's out of our mission. But I told him that missionaries would love to come by and visit him there. He gave us his info. and we sent it off! I was so grateful that Heavenly Father placed us where we needed to be in order to talk with Leo! What an AMAZING day!

 Last night we also visited a referral from the Sisters in a neighboring area. The Sisters have been in contact with their next door neighbor, Eve, and said she was really sweet and that we should stop by sometime. (We aren't suppose to proselyte in our own apartment complexes.) So we went by, just "happening to knock on her door" and played dumb a little bit so she didn't think the Sisters sent us. Eve was SO SWEET! She was excited to see the Light the World video. She grew up Jewish, but she still celebrates Christmas because of her kids. I wasn't really sure how she would like the video, but at the end of the video, I looked up at her and TEARS were welling up in eyes. She said she loved it! We told her about the #LightTheWorld and she was excited to do it with her daughter. She told us to come by again so we can check up and see how it went. TENDER MERCY!

We also spent some time visiting some older members of our congregation and performing service for them. Its been a real treat!

The Relief Society sisters had a Hot Chocolate Social. We went, so Sister Jensen could get to know some people! The ladies of this ward are so fantastic!

I spoke yesterday in church! They called Saturday afternoon and said the High Councilor got sick and asked if I could fill in. I was able to talk about the Plan of Salvation which is my FAVORITE topic! It was super fun!

This week was great! Wow, sorry, I didn't think I had that much to say, but this email went kinda long...I look forward to the weeks ahead of us! Sweet Nora, the lady who waltzed into church 4 weeks ago, invited us over for Christmas dinner! She has a heart of GOLD! We have a few other offers from members that day too, so we'll probably bounce around! We also have an Open House at the Mission Home, so that will be exciting! I look forward to Christmas and the wonderful time we get to spend with family and friends.
  Just so you know, the next 2 weeks my P-day is on Tuesday, so you won't hear from me until then!

 As we are entering the last week before Christmas, I've been reflecting not only on Christ's birth, but BECAUSE of His birth, all of the many blessings we have. Alma 7: 10-12 says it best:

   "10 And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.
      11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
       12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities"

 What an exciting time to celebrate the Savior's LIFE! He lives so that we can too! He loves us! He knows exactly how we feel! He truly is our best friend! I love my Savior! I'm grateful for this time of year and the time set aside so that we can focus on Him and focus on those around us. Continue to LIGHT THE WORLD this week! I hope that you can continue this Spirit of CHRISTmas all year round!

🎄🎅🎄🎅

~Sister Burton

Saying goodbye to Sister Evali last week.

Sweet Sister Fowler went home last week!

Cali sunsets really don't get any better than this.

Thanks for all the love family, friends, and ward family!

Rudolph!!

A Mansion that looks like the "Meet the Robinsons" house.

Sister Jensen and I going for a spin around the complex.

Week 28: 4th transfer down....

 Hey everybody! Wow, this week was FANTASTIC! Seriously. We've had so many positive things happen and we can really see the work starting to pick up here! AAAAND, I hit my 6 month mark this past week. Holy.cow. Some days it feels like I've been out way longer, but often times it flies by.

--HIGHLIGHT of my week was getting to go tabling at Cal State Fullerton! It reminded me of BYU campus...miss it so much (actually, I don't miss it right now because #finals). I've been dreaming of going tabling since I got here. Tabling is where you set up a table with a sign, copies of the Book of Mormon, and several companionships of missionaries walk around the campus, trying to talk to people! We're able to proselyte anywhere except inside the buildings! I LOVED tabling! I was so excited to get to talk with everyone! Young adults are truly at the age where they're seeking to find answers to deep questions of the soul. We were able to talk to some awesome people! I would honestly love to go tabling...everyday. My dream is to serve in a YSA ward, before the end of my mission.

--I mentioned this golden family that we were supposed to meet with last week. Well, while we're doing the Lord's work, Satan is doing his. We had to reschedule 3 times! Most recently, her husband was in the hospital! It's crazy how things ALWAYS seem to get in the way right as people are making progress. BUT, we should be having a lesson with them this week. Fingers crossed! We're going to teach them!

--We met this SUPER cool guy, Josh, this past week in Friendly Village. It was nearing 9 PM and we were just walking around. We stopped and talked to him for about 20 mins. He said he was comfortable in his own faith. BUT he then told us he actually met with missionaries about 3 years ago. And then he started asking questions about why we were on missions, why we share the Book of Mormon, and if we thought the Bible and Book of Mormon contradict each other. As we were talking, his heart was truly softening. He said we could come by and talk more about it! Wahoo!

--Also this week, we went to a local high school to attend the Mormon club! There are actually quite a few schools out here that have them. They usually just gather and watch Mormon Messages. But they wanted us to come and introduce the "Light the World"video and talk about it a little bit. It was so neat! I think most of them were members, but I think they invited a few friends! It definitely was weird being on a high school campus...but it was great to be able to help the youth!

--Saturday night we had the Ward Christmas Party. They did a friendshipping dinner. So there were several host families and they each had over several adults. Then, after dinner, we all met up at another member's home for singing and dessert. It was SO neat! We went to our Stake President's house, President Flake, and MARRIANE and SYLVIA came! They just LOVED it! It was nice to see them interacting with everyone and all the ward members reaching out to them! And NORA came too! She ate at a different house, but we met up with her at the end. She fits in SO well here, it's beautiful!

--The Stake also put on a Christmas Devotional, full of singing and other Christmas videos. It was awesome! And guess what? Nora, Marriane and Sylvia, ALL came! There is nothing like Christmas music to help touch people's hearts at Christmastime. Afterwards, Sylvia said, "Yeah, we really want to join. We just aren't sure how to do it." Um, HI, HELLO, THAT'S OUR JOB! :D We've been trying and trying to sit down and teach them, but they're usually always out and about. But they set up a time for us to come by this week, so we're PRAYING we can actually teach them some things!

--And the moment you've all been waiting for.....transfers! We really had no idea what would happen. BUT, I will be staying here in Yorba Linda 4th and Sister Evali is going to the Anaheim 3rd ward. We were sad and the ward was soooo sad to see Sister Evali go! But I'm so grateful we had these past 2 transfers together! She's going to go on to do wonderful things in Anaheim:) Her new companion is Sister Brooks (my MTC comp) and I'll be getting Sister Jensen! I haven't really met her before, so I don't know much about her. I'll share more about her next week!

--I've been thinking a lot about Ether 12:27, recently, and how the Lord truly does make our weaknesses our strengths. I've been thinking back to when I was younger and how SHY I was. As I went through high school and college, I definitely became more outgoing. Since I've been on my mission, I've really had to get out of my shell and it's been amazing! I've seen how my shyness has evolved into outgoing-ness. I look forward to talking to people and getting to know them. I'm still PLENTY awkward, but aren't we all? Even though it's taken years to get to this point, I have a strong, firm testimony, that the Lord can truly help us overcome our weaknesses and we CAN see them as our strengths!

 Love you all! I hope you have the best week! Keep Lighting the World! The Savior is the perfect example and I'm so grateful for that!

Love,
~Sister Burton

Beautiful Sunset yesterday!

Placentia Zone

Placentia Zone

Last night as companions in our matching Christmas Pjs.

Dinner at the Olives again. They made us a cute sign!

Week 27: "They think I'm an old man. I'm actually Superman in retirement"

^^Something an 83 year old man said in his testimony yesterday....love it!

HELLO LOVELY PEOPLE! Wow, this week has been amazing! Truly the Lord is hastening His work here in Yorba Linda! We've seen so many blessings and wonderful things happen!

~Last Monday, we stopped by a former investigator's house (who actually no longer lives there). We've been trying to reach the woman that lives there now, Eleanor. We chatted with her for a few minutes Monday and at the end of the conversation, SHE set up the return appointment. She asked us to come by the next day and we could share more of our message with her!
  We went by Tuesday and had an AMAZING lesson with her. She is the BIGGEST Donny Osmond fan I've ever met. She was wearing a Donny t-shirt, drinking from a Donny water bottle, the whole sha-bang. She told us how she always goes to his concerts. She was so cute! She said she knows quite a bit about our religion, since she reads the things Donny and Marie post about their faith. She is practicing a different religion right now, but she loves to learn more about God and tries to apply that knowledge in her everyday life. We taught her the Restoration and the Spirit was SO strong! She committed to read from the Book of Mormon and we'll be seeing her again soon! She most definitely is prepared, even though she might not recognize it yet ;) We have Donny Osmond to thank for being such a wonderful member missionary!

~This past week we got to decorate a member's Christmas tree! It was a BLAST! We love the Olive family! Their son is currently serving in Malaysia (where Sister Evali is from!). Sister Olive goes all out for her decorations, so we were happy to at least help with the tree. It helped it to feel a little more like Christmas and a little more like home :)

~We finally got a return appointment with a GOLDEN family that the missionaries have been trying to get in contact with for months! They were last taught about a year ago, but they've really wanted to learn more. We have a lesson scheduled with them tomorrow. We're SO excited!

~Last week, a lady literally walked into church, just to check it out. How do people do that!? First Jacob and Joey in Acacia Park and now Nora here in Yorba Linda?! She is very interested in different religions, so she just waltzed right into church. Well, best news is....SHE CAME BACK, yesterday! The ward members literally swarmed her. We could hardly get a word in! (haha). The members were so loving and inviting to her. Seriously, the Yorba Linda 4th ward is the best! Our meetings yesterday were so powerful too! The testimonies that were shared were fantastic! For Relief Society, we had a testimony/musical lesson focused on the Savior. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. Nora said she loved the feeling she got there. She cried many times. She told us that she isn't looking to convert to any religion, but has just been looking for wonderful people to gather with. Well, she came to the right place!! She really has so much potential! We know she's felt the Spirit and now we just gotta let the Spirit work within her!

~We've been LOVING sharing the "Light the World" videos with EVERYONE that we meet! We just start talking about Jesus and most everyone will listen to what we have to say! It's wonderful getting to spread the love and joy of Christ with all we meet!

~This past week we reconnected with a former investigator who attended a Mormon funeral several years ago and was interested in learning more. Missionaries haven't been in contact with him for a long time, so we stopped by last week. He told us to come by Friday to share our video (Light the World). So,we did just that. We weren't exactly sure what to expect, but it was awesome! He met us on the porch and asked us, "What's up?" We weren't really sure how to take that. He said he read the pamphlet and he agrees. He believes in the gospel and he says he has that in his church. He asked, "What more do you have to offer?" We explained more of the Restoration and how the important thing is the priesthood! (let me tell you, porch step lessons aren't ideal. It always feels slightly rushed and it can definitely be hard to feel/hear the Spirit there. BUT you try your best). He said, "Well, I believe in the gospel. I'm good!" Right when I thought we lost him, I asked, "What if there was more, Darrel?" He paused for a minute and said, "Well, then I would consider it." WHAT? YES. We set up a time to come back this next Friday to answer his questions and to better teach him about the Restoration. He DEFINITELY has potential! Even though we didn't know what to expect going into it, the Spirit certainly was felt and led that discussion! Stay tuned on Darrel!

Testimony:
 This past week in our District Meeting we talked about the Book of Mormon and how IMPORTANT it is in our own conversion and in our teaching. It was perfect, because just a few days prior, I was thinking how I really need to use the Book of Mormon more when I teach. As we sat around, talking about the Book of Mormon, I got so excited! I LOVE the Book of Mormon! I have found so many answers to questions that I didn't even know I had. I have found peace and comfort in life's trials, which come to us all. There are many people we meet that reject the Book of Mormon. Heck, once someone told me to throw the book in the trash. Sometimes it's hard to hear people tear into the Book of Mormon, because this is a book I hold so dear to my heart. I was studying a talk from President Benson this past week and he said, "The Book of Mormon doesn't contain things that are pleasing to the world, so the world is not interested in it." That sunk deep. Not everyone is prepared at this moment to receive this book, because their hearts are not yet softened.
 I know that the Book of Mormon is meant for US in this day! I'm grateful for the guidance we can receive from it everyday! I encourage you, if you aren't already, to STUDY the Book of Mormon each day. Don't read it. Study it. It will change your life, if you let it!

LOVE YOU ALL! Happy December! Keep "Lighting the World!" I've loved seeing it all!

We've been making Rice Krispie treats for the Ward Council

Selfie with Sister Green

The Olives took us to Wahoos. Yummy fish tacos!

Last night's beautiful sunset!

We helped set up a recent convert's nativity, before our lesson.

Sister Olive in her element!

She called us her "Two Little Elves." Thanks for the hats, Jamie!

Met this lady, Peggy. We shared some water with her for Light the World.

Week 26: "I'm so special, Sister Burton"

  HELLO EVERYBODY! What a beautiful week! I hope you all had a most blessed Thanksgiving holiday! I loved seeing pictures of family and friends together on that special day :) With it being the holidays, it was somewhat hard to find people home, BUT we experienced miracles this week! We've gotten a lot of return appointments for this upcoming week, so we are excited to see what this new week brings. First off, let's start from the beginning.

 FRANCISCO and MINERVA: Ok, ok. So, we met Francisco last week outside of his apartment complex. We introduced ourselves and he said we could stop by anytime. We decided to stop by on Tuesday, just to see him and set up a return appointment. BUT NO, he invited us in to visit with him and his wife, Minerva. We sat down and chatted for a few minutes and then turned the conversation towards religion. By the way Minerva was talking, it was evident that religion plays a big role in her life, although she doesn't regularly attend church. We felt prompted to teach them The Restoration right then and there. The Spirit was so strong! As we asked questions throughout the lesson, Minerva appeared to be really grasping the ideas of our message. At the end, she told us that just the night prior, she had a dream that 2 people came to her to talk about God....That isn't a coincidence! I'm sure my jaw dropped to the ground. They're a sweet couple and we hope to go back and teach them more soon!

THANKSGIVING: was such a beautiful day! It was well into the 90's, apparently a record breaking high for Thanksgiving since the 1940's. It was blazing hot! I hope that's the hottest Thanksgiving I ever experience! President Golden gave us some direction for the day. We were advised NOT to  actively proselyte (knock doors). Instead, we tried to use our time wisely. We had our Thanksgiving meal around lunchtime with some members from the ward. He is from South Africa and made some DELICIOUS food! They gave us way too many leftovers though.( haha)! Sister Evali was amazed at how much food we have on Thanksgiving. (This was her first one). Because it was her first Thanksgiving, they wanted to give us even more food. As we left, Sister Evali turned to me and said, "I'm so special, Sister Burton". Yes, she IS! She gets all the special treatment, especially around the holidays ;)

   We then did some service in Anaheim, at the Honda Center. They had a big Hispanic meal/concert, so a large group of us missionaries went and helped to take everything down after the festivities were over! It was nice to be of service to those who may be struggling during the holidays. We then stopped by another member's home for a light dinner. They had the non-traditional Thanksgiving foods: steak, spinach artichoke dip, fresh veggies, etc. It was delicious! We then spent the remainder of our evening doing some online proselyting and getting a headstart on our weekly planning, which we usually do on Fridays.
 
  LIGHT THE WORLD: Yes, get ready, it's here! #LIGHTtheWORLD. We received some extra training on Friday before rolling it out. We didn't have any success showing it to people Friday, but we've had more successes as the weekend progressed. We've been showing the launch video and helping people to think about how THEY can light the world this Christmas. We really are trying to get people involved and get them excited! Everybody loves Christmas, so we hope that people will be more willing to talk with us when we show them a short video about the holiday season! We've had a few spiritual experiences while sharing it. We were able to connect with a former investigator and get a return appointment for this week. And we stopped by another former's house and shared the video with his family and the Spirit was SO STRONG. We are excited to see more miracles come from this over the next month!

  MARRIANE and SYLVIA:  They're the 2 ladies that came to church a few weeks ago. With it being Thanksgiving, they were pretty busy all week, but we were able to stop by and talk with them Saturday. Funny thing: As soon as we walked in, Marriane, (who is 84) gave us hugs and said, "Oh I just had a glass of wine. I probably shouldn't be hugging you." I was dying! She is such a sassy, funny lady! We talked with them about Light the World and got them excited for Christmas. They are excited to get involved with the various activities that are going on. Marriane, is a remarkable piano player, so we sang some Christmas songs before we left. And the best part? They came to church yesterday! We introduced Marriane to our choir director, because Marriane said she would LOVE to accompany the choir for the Christmas program! They just love the people in our ward and feel so welcome! It warms my heart! We hope to be able to teach them more and share more of the Restoration with them. It's slow progress, but any progress is good :)

I just love the holidays! Even though the weather doesn't feel like the holidays, I love being able to reflect upon the previous year and all of the things I have to be grateful for. I'm excited to LIGHT the WORLD this Christmas! I encourage each and everyone of you to participate! You don't have to do something big everyday, but I challenge you to do something everyday. I know that as we each Light the World, our testimony of the Savior will grow and that this will be your favorite Christmas of all! Please share how you're lighting the world and I will do the same ;) I know that as we strive to emulate the Savior  this Christmas, we will feel an increase of love for those around us!

 LIGHTtheWORLD: mormon.org
 
  Have a most amazing week! Happy December!

~Sister Burton

Bowling last P-Day!

With my MTC sisters at the Thanksgiving service. It's rare when we're all together.

Picking up garbage.

A coyote!

TOO MUCH FOOD!

Met the cutest little dog, Mijo.

Week 24: Selemat Mengucap Syukur!🦃

  (That's "Happy Thanksgiving" in Malay by the way....my companion is aweseome!)

 WOW, this week was fantastic...truly! Sister Evali and I have really been praying for this area and been thinking of what we can do to help it! We've really had to think outside the box on this one, but we've made a breakthrough! Let me start from the beginning of the week though....

 TUESDAY we had exchanges! And this was the first time, in the 5 exchanges that I've been on, that I've actually left the area! I went to Brea with Sister Green for the day. We had a blast! We helped a lady move, had a lesson, found some people, and got some return appointments! The highlight of the day was finding this older gentlemen outside of McDonalds (which is where our lesson was...very interesting.). I saw him reading a book and asked what he was reading. He told us he was learning English and had recently moved here from Taiwan. We chatted with him for a minute and tried to share parts of the gospel with him. Such a sweet, positive conversation with him!

 Watch out folks, I'm about to be multi-lingual! Well, sorta. Sister Evali and I learned some Persian this week! There is a Sister in another ward that grew up in Iran and has been approved to teach some of the missionaries basic Persian. She actually is involved in translating D&C into Persian right now. She's amazing! We learned greetings, basic introduction of the church, and how to set up a return appointment. Sister Christensen said we're naturals ;) We hope to be able to use our Persian as we meet people around here, since there tend to be quite a few Persian people in Anaheim Hills.

  Speaking of different cultures, we found a Chinese family that said they're looking for a church! WHAT!? They were on our list of formers and so we decided to drop by. The parents didn't speak any English, but the high school aged daughter spoke English! She let us come in and we shared part of our message with her as well as the "Because of Him" video. She really loved it! She said she would talk to her family and see if they would be interested in learning more. We obviously would pass them to Chinese missionaries, but HOLY COW, what a blessing!

 Like I said earlier, Sister Evali and I have really been focusing on how to help this area. We've really been trying to reach out to the members, to have FHE with them or teach them lessons over again. Many members are constantly thinking about their friends that can benefit from the lessons. As we teach, we will not only improve our teaching skills, but we truly have faith that we will be led to those who are ready to receive this message. We just have a feeling that in these next few weeks, this area is going to take off! We are just having to think outside the box.

  Yesterday we were asked to teach the 16/17 year old Sunday School class. Boy, I sure don't miss that age....haha. We talked about "How can I prepare now to make good decisions?" We had them think about all the important decisions they will be making in the next 10 years and to think about what they can be doing now to prepare for them. I really loved studying the material in preparation for the lesson. Part of the lesson came from Elder Scott's talk, "Using the Supernal Gift of Prayer." I highly recommend everyone go read it! There are so many good things from it, I'd probably just copy and paste the entire thing. Here's one thing that stuck out to me though:
  "Be thankful that sometimes God lets you struggle for a long time before that answer comes. Your character will gow; your faith will increase. There is a relationship between those two: the greater your faith, the stronger your character; and increased character enhances your ability to exercise even greater faith."
  Sometimes it's hard to be thankful when Heavenly Father lets us struggle a little bit. But we must "study it out in our minds" and "counsel with the Lord" as we make decisions in our lives. One year ago this Wednesday, was the day I received a firm, strong answer to my prayer that I needed to serve a mission. Heavenly Father let me struggle for 3 years before answering that question. Even after I had given up in asking Him about it, He still answered it. Our Heavenly Father truly does love us and has our BEST interests in mind. It's for our eternal good!

  Well, as Thanksgiving approaches, of course I'm pondering more on the things that I'm grateful for. I'm so grateful for my family! You really do appreciate them more when you're not around them for a long time ;). I'm grateful for this knowledge of this gospel. Especially this year, since being on a mission, I've realized the importance and the value of the simple gospel truths that we sometimes take for granted. As I meet people who have no beliefs in God or in His plan, it makes my heart fill with gratitude for those beliefs that I've been taught from a young age. First and foremost, I'm grateful for my Savior. We truly would be nowhere without Him. He created this earth. He died for our sins and shortcomings. I'm thankful for His love and mercy!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope that you continue to think/ponder about those things you are grateful for! As you show gratitude for those things, you will in turn show your gratitude and love for our Heavenly Father!

All my love,
~Sister Burton

Sorry for the lack of pictures this week, you'll just have to deal with a few selfies ;)

How Sister Green felt about being on exchanges with me....(just kidding)

.A Persian BOM!

.I've got the cutest companion ❤

.Service with a smile :)

Week 24: Fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever + ever.

Hey everybody! Another week has come and gone, and the Holidays are almost here! This week was a much better one! We've slowly (but surely) been settling into the area more. The weather here CAN'T BE BEAT! Seriously, SoCal is going to spoil me for the next year with this weather!

Here are some highlights of the week:

 ~ Ok, first off. I just want to go on a rant about how AWESOME this ward is! They truly are focused on "the one" and really want to work to help everyone feel the hope and light of Christ's love. We were able to meet with our amazing RS President this week and talk about things we can do to help the members and people that could use strengthening. She's basically the female Ward Missionary Leader. She served a mission, so she gets it. I always come away from those meetings hyped and ready to help people!

~Wednesday was AMAZING! We were able to talk to so many people! We had a lesson fall through in Friendly Village, but we decided to walk around because there were tons of people out. Sometimes it's hard to talk to people because when they see how you're dressed and the name tag you're wearing, they don't really want much to do with you. BUT sometimes you find those golden people who are nice and want to talk with you. We talked to a handful of Spanish people and it was SO fun to brush up on the few Spanish phrases I know. I haven't really used my Spanish since I served in Fullerton! The Spanish people were interested in learning more, so we passed their information along to the Spanish missionaries!

~This week, we had ZONE CONFERENCE! I always get so pumped to be instructed on how to be a better missionary! Best 7 hours EVER! We were also introduced to this year's Christmas initiative and I'm PUMPED! I hope and pray that people will have softer hearts at this time of year. We get to start using it on Black Friday. I'M SO EXCITED! Be ready for lots of Christmas posts on Facebook ;) This time we talked all about finding and how we should strive to have casual conversations with everyone and then relate it back to the gospel. We've really been practicing that and trying to perfect our skills. These past couple weeks, I've been really burned out from just street contacting for hours each day. President Golden talked about how all of our areas are different and we have to adapt to those areas. This is definitely an area where street contacting is challenging.  Another awesome source of finding is working with members! That is KEY in this ward. Sister Evali and I are trying to get involved with the members and think about how we can strengthen them while also finding others (whether it's their family or friends) that might be interested in our message!
  Another tender mercy of Zone Conference was getting to see Sister Greene again...even if only for like 5 minutes. Shoutout! :)

~On Saturday, we were invited to Peter Park's 30th Birthday bash! He is a sweet, sweet soul, who lives in our ward, but attends the YSA ward in Fullerton. He has been telling us for months about his birthday party and wanted us to mark it off on our dinner calendar. He had a taco truck and everything! We made an appearance and it made his day! He wanted ALL of the missionaries to come, but only 1 companionship was allowed to go...and he picked us! That was another highlight of our week!

~I'm a little more than half way done memorizing "The Living Christ"! I should achieve my goal of having it memorized by Christmas! As I recite these words everyday, my appreciation for the Savior grows and grows! If you haven't read The Living Christ in awhile, I recommend you go read it. Like, right now! I know that our Savior truly does love us! He descended below all things...ALL things! That means that no one is too far away to still feel the light and love of our Savior. He knows how we feel. As we continue to increase our faith in Him, we can be carried through our trials and challenges that seem helpless. Our trials are impossible for us to get through by ourselves. Are trials are POSSIBLE for us to get through WITH the Lord's help!

 I love you all! I pray for you all daily! I hope that you can feel of Heavenly Father's love for you everyday! As you continue to look for those tender mercies each day, you will know that He is ever near!

~Sister Burton

California Skies.

Trying to take a picture of said skies, but failing miserably!

Zone Conference with my cute companion!

Awkwardly- Gapped picture with Peter, the Birthday Boy!

Week 23: With God, all things are possible!

  Happy November! What?! It's almost Thanksgiving! It's actually starting to look/feel like Fall around here. I've seen a few leaves change color. And in the evenings, the weather is cooler. I LOVE it! Sister Evali is always freezing though! She's learned to bring her sweater with her everywhere we go ;)

 *FIRST OFF, crazy thing that happened last Monday. We went to dinner at the Burt's house and they had their nephew, Jonah, over. We got to talking about how I'm from Pennsylvania. Jonah said missionaries used to live with them in Ventura and one of the Elders was from Pennsylvania. Of course, Pennsylvania is pretty huge, but I decided to take a whack at it. I asked if the Elder was Joel Cook and he said, YES! We all sat there for a good 20 minutes, shell shocked that I knew "Elder Cook." Jonah called his mom right then and told her what was happening! What a crazy coincidence! Small world...and even smaller in the church!

  *A funny from the week. Tuesday, I felt a prompting to text Sister Wright, a member of our ward. She's a returning less active and I thought it would be nice to visit her. We texted her and asked if we could come to visit her and she said she would love it! We were excited! We decided to do some finding around her complex before seeing her. When the time came, we knocked on her door and no one answered. We called her and she said she was home. We went back and knocked. Nothing. Then, it dawned on me....we have 2 Sister Wrights in the ward! We were a few minute drive from the OTHER Sister Wright's house. So, we quickly drove there. I had no idea who this other Sister Wright was. As soon as she opened the door, I realized who she was. She's a very active member of the ward! She kindly let us in and we sat down. We visited for awhile. Luckily, we could play the "We're new to the ward and trying to get to know the ward members" card. She told us she was SO glad we texted her, because she had lost contact with the missionaries over the past few months. She hadn't been able to get to know the missionaries, so she was ecstatic to meet us! She said she would love to come to lessons and help us out! Even though we texted the wrong Sister Wright, it all worked out and she was very grateful we came by! Always follow those promptings, even if they may not work out the way you think ;)

  *This week was very challenging. Because our area un-split last week, we are only covering the Yorba Linda 4th ward. Therefore, our investigator pool got significantly smaller. At the beginning of the week, we really had no solid investigators to teach. Joshua, the guy we met a few weeks ago, basically dropped us. He is currently moving to Garden Grove. We've tried to reach out a few times,to let him know we can help and that the missionaries in Garden Grove would love to help as well. But he doesn't want us to help or visit at this time. We prayed about it and felt that right now isn't Joshua's time. We have faith that sometime in the future he will be ready :)

*We saw some miracles this week too! We have just been going through our "formers" list of those who were dropped because the missionaries weren't able to contact them. We were able to get a couple return appointments from that!! We knocked into a mother and daughter, Sylvia and Marianne. They apparently were taught a little about a year ago and were hard to get back with. They were so gracious to invite us in! They said they've been thinking about the church and have been wanting to come back. They said they would come to church on Sunday. As soon as we left, Sister Evali and I were SO thankful! We offered a prayer of gratitude, right there on the street. We had a difficult week, but we're so grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord :)
  And guess what.....SYLVIA and MARIANNE CAME to church on Sunday. They came in and sat close to the front.  SO many of the ward members came over and introduced themselves. That is something the YL4 ward is so marvelous at: making people feel welcome. Sylvia and Marianne loved it! The testimony meeting didn't get off topic, so that was another blessing!! We set up a time to teach them Saturday and we're pumped! They've really been wanting to get involved with a church and to have better friends!

*JACOB and JOEY were baptized Saturday!! I was so happy to be there for yet another baptism in the amazing Fullerton area! Fullerton will always be my home :) Jacob's mom and Joey's dad were able to attend and it was SO sweet. I think I mentioned before, but Joey's dad has been less active for a long time, but seems to be returning to activity. He mentioned to Sister Greene how grateful he was that Joey had been coming to church and that she's now getting baptized! Sister Greene and I were able to speak and it was just beautiful! The Spirit was so strong there and Jacob and Joey just looked EVEN more prepared to follow Jesus Christ! They both gave solid, strong testimonies that brought tears to my eyes. Attending baptisms just strengthens my testimony that this ALL IS TRUE! This is the Church of Jesus Christ!!

*Another tender mercy yesterday! Ok, so about a week ago we were tracting in a complex. A lady got out of her car, we started talking and she invited us into her home. We taught her the first few principles of the Restoration and asked if we could come back. Well, WE WENT BACK LAST NIGHT! And, we taught their family! Swait (the mom), Drishti (a college student), and Vishel (the Dad). They believe in Christ and wanted to learn more about our message. We taught them the Restoration and it went SO well. The Spirit was so strong. They don't have a solid Christian background, so we have to teach more simply. However, they really are prepared. They all committed to read the Book of Mormon, pray about it, and prepare for our lesson with them again in 2 weeks!
  Swati wanted to cook us traditional Indian food, so we had 2 dinners last night(ahhhh), but it was great! She made Choa?(this is when I wish I had google. It's a garbanzo bean dish. Anyone want to look it up and let me know what it's called? haha). She also made Nan and some yogurt/cucumber dish. It was good!
  Here's another funny. Just as I was about done with the garbanzo bean dish, Swati, began telling us what was in it. She then said, "I cooked it in black tea bags to make it darker." I instantly panicked inside. BLACK TEA?! I got really nervous and quietly offered a prayer for forgiveness to Heavenly Father. I'm sure He understands the situation....and hopefully, I won't die from breaking the Word of Wisdom....hahaha. Sister Evali didn't understand what Swati said, so she ate more. When we got out to the car, I told Sister Evali that it was cooked in Black Tea. She was shocked too! Maybe our Word of Wisdom lesson will have to come sooner rather than later ;)

* Like I said, this week started off really challenging for me. I felt overwhelmed and inadequate about my abilities as a missionary. But then I realized that I truly need to turn it over to the Lord. My testimony of the power of the Atonement was strengthened this week! I literally had to turn everything over to Him. Sometimes we must plead with our Heavenly Father for the strength to make it through our trials and challenges that come in this life. I'm grateful we have a Savior to turn to, during the good times and the bad. He, unlike anyone else on this earth, knows exactly how we feel and how to help us. Like in the poem, "Footprints," it says, "It was then that I carried you." We each have those moments in our lives where the Savior literally has to carry us through. But I know that He NEVER leaves us. He wants to help us. We must continually turn to Him! Satan really stinks and tries to get in our heads and tries to distract, especially during those times when we're in the refiners fire. Don't listen to him!  He just wants us to be miserable.
   Heavenly Father wants us to be happy. And sometimes we have trials that are too hard to bear. But I know that even during those difficult times when we think He isn't there, He truly is!  He gives us these trials to make us stronger, like I mentioned in my email last week.
  Heavenly Father loves you and wants you to succeed! Don't ever forget it!

  I love you all! Have a most blessed week.

~~Sister Burton

 Our last outing as a trio!

Saying bye to my Great Grandma, Sister Johnson

Us and our cute pumpkins.

Jacob and Joey on their big day!!

Celebratory Chick fil a lunch after the baptism!

You can't tell, but it actually rained 3 TIMES this week!

Out preaching the word!