Week 17: BEST NEWS OF MY LIFE

 Well, this week has been a crazy one! Crazy good though!

 Yorba Linda/Anaheim Hills is completely different from Fullerton. We drive much more here, because everything is so spread out. It's absolutely beautiful though! There are lots of hills and when the sunset hits them just right, MMM, gorgeous! I have never seen more Fiats and Teslas in my entire life! This is a very affluent area, so it feels weird! Street contacting isn't really a thing here. We did a lot of that in Fullerton, but here, it's more working with the members and getting referrals that way. It has required a lot of adjusting. This is known to be a hard area because people are very set in their ways and lifestyles. BUT, I'm up for the challenge. I'm ready to work hard and do whatever the Lord wants me to do. We're starting to get more comfortable working in 2 wards, having 2 phones, and 3 people in our companionship! All of this has been an adjustment for the 3 of us, but it's working out! We don't think our trio will last very long though. It's not likely it will last longer than a transfer.

  My companions are great! Sister Green is from Alaska and has been out almost 8 months! She's only been in this area a transfer, but she has been super awesome in helping us get accustomed to the area. Sister Evali is from Malaysia and has been in the field for 1 transfer (she entered the MTC the same day I did). We're helping her finish up her 12 week training. She is so sweet and has been doing an excellent job learning English! We all have so much work to do here, but it's AWESOME!

One of the members of the YL4 ward asked us to teach her 8 year old son about baptism, since he'll be getting baptized soon. It was such a sweet lesson! We showed him the Bible video of Jesus being baptized. After the video, he asked if he was going to hear a voice when he came out of the water, like Jesus did. Soooo funny! He was a little confused about some of the things we were teaching, so his mom likened a baptism to spiritual food and how it's good for our souls. He asked, "Do I have to eat the baptism?"( haha). What a cute kid! We then asked, "On a scale of 1-10, how excited are you to be baptized." His immediate response, "100." Best answer I've ever heard! We're excited to see Andre get baptized soon!

I received the best phone call EVER from Acacia Park! Sister Greene called me Saturday morning and told me she had some good news. I started to hyperventilate. I walked around in circles, jumping up and down because the good news was ROBERT JUAREZ IS CLEARED TO GET BAPTIZED! I literally couldn't stand it. My heart was beating so fast and my body was shaking with excitement! Sister Greene called him later and Robert said he was about to cry. He said he was speechless. SAME ROBERT. same. The Juarezs are currently out of town, but he said he's REALLY on the fast track to the temple now! Their baptisms may happen in 2-3 weeks. Stay tuned! I was beaming from ear to ear! After our phone call, we had our studies, but I couldn't focus for the life of me. I sat there, pondering on my interactions with the Juarezs and how blessed I was to be in Acacia Park during that time. I loved seeing their testimonies grow and their love for our Savior become even stronger. I immediately flipped open to D&C 18:15. My joy is so full in seeing these wonderful souls come unto Christ! I was moved to tears, just sitting there, thinking about how prepared and how amazing Robert and Diana are. I can't wait to be there to support them when they're baptized!

  Sister Greene also told me that Jacob & Joey (the younger couple who were waiting to hear back from Joey's Dad about when he could fly out to baptize them) walked over to Sister Greene and said, "We're getting baptized on November 4th!" WHAT?! YES, YES, YES, YES! So, another baptism is coming up for them soon! My heart couldn't handle it. How am I supposed to handle such news back-to-back?!

 NEWS FLASH: As missionaries, we'll begin using Facebook for proselyting!! We downloaded it this past week and have been working to "clean it up." This Friday is Zone Conference and we'll be getting more instruction then, before we begin using it.  Kinda weird being back on social media, but I know that if we use this tool properly (to keep in touch with recent converts and with our investigators), we can help further the Lord's work and reach even more people than we can in person. Technology is such a blessing!

 Ok, can we talk about how AWESOME the Women's Broadcast was?! We were blown away at how powerful the talks were! I loved each and every one of them! The one thing I walked away with is that we need to truly LOVE everyone around us! At this time in the world, love is what everyone needs! I especially loved President Uchtdorf''s talk. He taught about the importance of being glad and not letting other's opinions or actions affect that! One of my goals this transfer is to be myself in all aspects of the work. This talk was the boost I needed! No matter how people around me are acting, I can still be glad, because I know I'm a Daughter of God :)

 Yesterday was one of the busiest Sundays of my life. We were at church from 7:30 AM- 3:00 PM. We started off in Ward Council in the A10 ward, where we attended most of their Sacrament meeting. Then we had to dart out to YL4's ward council. We scooted out early from that to talk briefly to the Young Women of the A10 ward. After that, we were then able to attend all the other meetings in the YL4. Phew! So much back and forth, but I still felt peace (surprisingly)! The wards are so welcoming and have such solid members! I was blown away by their ward council meetings. They were fully engaged and truly focused on bringing people back to the fold. These wards are going to be awesome to serve in!! PLUS, the members feed us so healthily here. I love it! So many vegetables and fruits....I think I've died and gone to heaven! :)

  Like I mentioned earlier, it definitely has been a challenge adjusting to this area. Most of the work here is focused on helping to bring less active members back to full activity and strengthening all the members. It's hard to find people home and if you do find them home, it's unlikely they want to talk to missionaries. This area is very affluent and 180 degree change from Fullerton. BUT, the ward members are quite focused and excited about missionary work! They are very willing to give us referrals and open up their homes to us for lessons. I'm excited to get to know the ward members better! But, I know that I'm here in this area for a reason. The Lord has prepared people for us. My purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ! The Lord puts us in different parts of the vineyard for different reasons. I'm just thrusting in my sickle wherever I'm placed! I look forward to seeing what work the Lord has in store for us here :)

 P.S. GET PUMPED for General Conference! I'm so excited to receive more instruction and guidance from our living prophets and apostles!!

Love you all!

~~Sister Burton

Sweet little Andre!

Sister Evali's first In n Out Experience! With Sisters Nichols and Meadows.

Tender Mercy finding this on the ground. I love Stranger Things!

Not the best picture, but some of "the hills."

Last picture of the Fullerton Zone before I left.

Week 16: 3 is a party.

YEP, that's right. I'm about to be in a TRIO. But I'm getting ahead of myself....

THIS WEEK was another great one in Acacia Park! I don't think I have a ton of stories to show for it though.
 We've been enjoying some cooler temperatures here and it's amazing! It's  been in the mid-high 70's. This is the SoCal weather I was looking for ;)

We've been doing more finding this past week, since our current investigators are progressing so well! We've even gotten a few return appointments, so that's awesome! We actually received a referral from a member in Irvine! He said there was a golden family in our area and that he would love to meet with us that night! The member, Adam, came and we met him at the family's home. They're a younger couple with a few kids and have been going through a hard time recently and were wanting to know more about our religion. They currently practice traditional Native American beliefs, so we talked with them for a long time about that. It's interesting to hear about some of their beliefs and how similar/different they are compared to ours. We weren't able to teach them a lot that night, but they graciously welcomed us back!

We met the wife, Natalie, again later in the week and talked with her for awhile. She is a stay-at-home mom and isn't able to get out much. Therefore, she enjoys having people over. We talked more about the Book of Mormon and how it can help all aspects of her life. She said she doesn't doubt that it's true. She started to tear up when she said that she's felt peace in her home since the first night we came over. She said that we were an answer to her prayers. It touched my heart so much! Natalie is such a sweet person and has so much faith. They want us to keep coming back to teach them more. They truly have so much potential, but things might progress more slowly, because we first need to help them establish the foundation of a belief in Jesus Christ.

NOLAN. Wow, seriously one of the funniest elderly men ever! We went over to his daughter's house again on Friday night and they made tacos for us! Apparently, he calls his daughter and is excited to plan the meal they will have with us that week. We taught Nolan more about the commandments and followed up with him about what he's been doing to keep the Sabbath Day holy.  His response was, "I can't keep it any more holy than I already do. I read the paper, go to church. Well, then I've gotta see what's on TV....by that time, it's about 1 and so then I've gotta get some lunch...." So funny!! Sometimes he makes those funny/sassy remarks and we die with laughter. He was a lot more on task during  this lesson though, because his daughter lectured him beforehand to NOT bring up politics. Even though Nolan teases about a lot of things, we can see he is truly converting! His countenance is much brighter and more cheery! It's beautiful to witness those changes in our investigators :)

Saturday night was a special one. The stake had to cancel their activity and the temple was closed because of a Religious Freedom Broadcast, with Elder Christofferson. It was broadcast from Irvine to surrounding stakes in Southern California. We were blessed to be able to attend with the Juarezs' and it was neat! Robert, being the jokester that he is, said, "So does this count as Saturday Mass?" We were dying! Anyway, the speakers talked a lot about how we each need to lift where we stand, regarding religious liberties. I couldn't help but feel so happy to be an American! We are beyond blessed to live in this country, where we can practice religion freely. I think of it often as we walk the streets as missionaries. We are able to be missionaries because of that wonderful liberty! But it's important to do all we can to protect all religious freedom rights, no matter the religion! It was such an inspiring broadcast! I definitely want to be more involved when I return home after my mission is over.

Well, that wasn't the only thing that happened Saturday night. We also received transfer calls! Sister Greene and I were hoping and praying that we could stay together, if that's what Heavenly Father wanted, of course. As the night drew on, I got even more nervous. Our District Leader called and told us of a lot of changes that were happening throughout the mission and many of them were unexpected. We learned that we were both getting new companions. Sister Greene is staying here, in Acacia Park, and getting 2 new companions. I'm going to the Anaheim East Stake and covering the Yorba Linda 4th ward and Anaheim 10th ward, (which are considered the ritzy areas of the mission, so it should be interesting). My new companions are Sister Green (with 2 E's, not 3) and Sister Evali (who I met briefly in the MTC). I'm not going to lie, I was slightly heartbroken to find out that the "Ginger Twins" were being split up. BUT, I also knew that this is the Lord's plan for us. I still feel like I just got to Acacia Park!  This will always be my "birthplace," but it's also exciting to go to a new place and have opportunities to grow in ways that the Lord wants me to! I have no idea what to expect about being in a trio and covering 2 wards, so it will be WAY interesting to see what happens.  I'm sure I'll have more to share next week, as we get into the area. :)

Sister Greene and I pulled out our celebration/mourning box. (Too bad all the chocolate was in the celebration side, but we ate it anyway). We're sad our companionship has come to an end. It truly has been a party and seeing this area grow has been a beautiful thing! However, we know the Lord has great things in store for us both! I can't wait to come back for all the baptisms in Acacia Park! :)

 I have really been loving the Mosiah chapters the past 2 weeks! I have gained many new insights and much greater appreciation for Alma the Elder and his people. In Mosiah 23, it talks about Alma and his people prospering in their land, but then the Lamanites come and wreak havoc. In verses 21-22, it talks about how the Lord tries ALL of his people. I think sometimes we forget that. We might think we did something wrong to deserve these trials, but Heavenly Father tries us because He loves us and wants us to grow. These people had great faith that the Lord would deliver them, and HE DID! But, they still had to give up their land to the Lamanites. It made me think about how sometimes we expect to come out on top of our trials unharmed. Alma and his people had prepared this land and worked hard to prosper it, but it was still taken from them. The Lord keeps His promises. The people showed their faith and were full of gratitude when they were delivered from the Lamanites. These people are such great examples to me.  We might have to give up seemingly important things during our trials, but as we stay centered on the Lord, He will help us overcome any setbacks or roadblocks we may encounter in life!

  My last Sunday in Acacia Park was bittersweet. We broke the news to the ward council that I would be leaving and sweet Bishop Vreeken said, "Sister Burton, thank you and we'll miss you. I would say more, but I want to get through this meeting without crying." Tears were beginning to well up in his eyes. Many others thanked me and my heart was just so full. During the entire day, I just felt full of love for the wonderful members of this ward. In just a few months, I'm amazed at how attached I've grown to this area! Great things have happened here and I've been blessed to see the Lord's work unfold!

  We received a mystery call yesterday evening and the man on the phone asked for Miss Utah. We thought he was referring to Sister Greene, but then he asked for the one moving to Anaheim Hills. We found out the caller was NOLAN. (a shocker, because he doesn't ever use his phone and has never called us before)! He wanted to wish me good luck on my "new mission." He didn't understand why they had to break us up! He asked if we could do lunch or dinner sometime and I told him, most definitely, if it works out ;) He ended the call with, "Until we meet again!" I was just shocked. Such a sweet, tender phone call.

 We also got to visit with Donna very briefly last night. She was so sad to see us go, but I told her I'd be back and that the 3 of us would still be BFFs. I'm amazed at the love the people in this area have. I feel like I don't deserve even half of this love!! But it definitely propels me forward in this work and pushes me to be a better missionary! Heavenly Father has blessed me with so many gems in my life!

 Sorry if my email is all over the place. I feel kind of scatterbrained right now. (ha,ha) But, I love this work! It's truly the Lord's work! I'm excited to meet more of His children in my new area! It will definitely be a growing experience, but as I put my trust in the Lord, I have no reason to fear!

 Sending all my love,

~~Sister Burton

Nolan and Shelby after Church.

Matching with cute Sister Altorfer at District Meeting.

Our celebration treats....which were actually mourning treats:(

It's okay! Sister Greene is coming with me!!

We taught the sweetest little Valiant 10-11 year old class yesterday.

Sister Murray! She's the sweet lady who coordinates our dinner calendar.

DONNA!

Last full day as companions.

Danette. Sweetest soul ever. She gave us matching bracelets on our first Sunday.

Week 15: "I'm on the fast track to the temple."

^^^Brother Juarez's statement. Speechless.

HELLO! What another amazing week it's been here in Acacia Park! We worked a lot with our progressing investigators, which has been so amazing! They're all so solid and we're blessed to be able to teach them! Before I get ahead of myself, let me start with some funnies.

Funnies:
-I forgot to mention, last week we ate a member's home (the Garcias) and Brother Garcia works at Disneyland! His job is to makes sure all of the rides are running smoothly. We asked him if he's seen many famous people there and he said, "too many to count!" Most recently, he bumped into Adam Sandler. Brother Garcia said he looked like a bum and he almost called security, before he realized who he was. (HaHa) Brother Garcia told us to come back after our missions and he'd get us into Disneyland for FREE! You know Sister Greene and I  are already planning a roadtrip!!

-This week in English class (with the Koreans) they told us how back in the day, kids would go and steal watermelons from other people's farms. They were all laughing about it, but WE were REALLY laughing about it (because of our experience last week taking that watermelon from the side of the road). I've never felt MORE Korean than at that moment!

People
-Jacob & Joey: Oh goodness, I'm not sure where to begin. We had a lesson with them in the Hansen's home (a sweet, younger couple in the ward that have gotten to know Jacob and Joey really well). Last weekend, Jacob dislocated and fractured his ankle at a trampoline place with his nieces. He was in a lot of pain and had to use his crutches to get up the stairs, but we're glad they made it. Anyway, before the lesson even began, Joey said she had 2 pieces of good news. Her first, was that she finally started reading the Book of Mormon!! WAHOO! Her second, was that she called her dad and he said HE would baptize her!! He has been less active for the past few years, so he's wanting to get back into church before he would baptize Joey.  Look at the chain reaction?! Joey being baptized and her family becoming more active in the church!! BUT the best part, Jacob piped in, "Yeah, and then I'm going to ask her dad to baptize me!" Just last week, Jacob said that he would be baptized by October 2019 (because he thought he wanted to find someone he trusted enough to baptize him). But now, he's ready for baptism too! We meet with them again this week, so we'll see if they have any more details about when Joey's dad can make it out. Right now, we're thinking October 7th will be the day! We are so, so happy for them!

- 5 Catholic High School Girls: We got a call last week from a girl named Sarah. She told us that she and a group of friends were doing a project on different religions and their group was assigned the Mormon religion. They wanted to meet with the bishop, but we told them this is what missionaries do!! So, we met them at the church Friday afternoon and talked for almost 2 hours! They had lots of great questions about our practices, symbolism, texts, and other beliefs we have. The first hour they were reading from their script, but the second hour they starting asking us MORE questions, outside the realm of the interview. They were intrigued, especially with our beliefs on the pre-earth life and the afterlife. One girl in particular, Lindsey, was so eager to learn! You could see it in her countenance. We had such a great time with them, getting to share our beliefs and also asking them more about Catholicism! Lindsey said she lives just around the corner from our church and couldn't believe she hadn't ever been here before. We hope she texts us someday!

Miracles

TEMPLE GROUNDS TOUR! We had the privilege of going to the temple grounds with our investigators on Saturday! Twice a year, the mission puts on a temple ground tour and the missionaries are encouraged to invite investigators. The Juarezs and Jacob & Joey were able to join us! It was so neat to see all of the missionaries there with these amazing investigators! Members from the local ward in Newport Beach gave us a nice little tour around the temple grounds and shared a little more information about temples. It warmed my heart, seeing our investigator couples holding hands as they walked around the temple! We are so excited for them to go there someday....soon! We were also blessed to be able to ride there with Robert and Diana! They are so fun! I wish we could hang out with them alllll day! (haha) We told them how we're already planning on coming back to the area after our missions are over.  Robert asked if we would come and see them? IS THAT EVEN A QUESTION?! OF COURSE! The Juarezs are at the top of our list!!

SUNDAY MIRACLE. Yesterday, was one of the most beautiful days....ever. We had 8 investigators at church!!!(The most Sister Greene has ever had!!) The Juarezs, Jacob & Joey, Nolan, BEAU, and Nico & Omar Somoza). I guess I should rewind for a second. We had dinner with the Somoza family Saturday night and I think that was definitely helpful in getting them to come to church yesterday. Marie is a member but her husband, Omar, and stepson, Nico, are not. They met with missionaries in the past, but it didn't really go anywhere. They're very supportive though! Anyway, during dinner, their 16 year old, Nico, was asking us all sorts of questions about missions and life in general. In fact, HE did most of the talking! As we were leaving, they all said they would see us at church! Sister Greene and I definitely saw that light in Nico's eyes and were thrilled that they came to church. Omar, left after Sacrament Meeting but Nico, STAYED and went to Young Men! Later last night, we texted the Young Men president to see how things went with Nico. Brother Collins, the Young Men President, then gave us a call. He said, "Hey Sisters! I just dropped Nico off  at his house. He came to the Youth Standards Night tonight." Our jaws dropped. We literally started jumping around and were speechless. He said,  Nico is one of the boys now. He's included, asks great questions, and desires to learn more. During the Standards night, they asked all the Priests to stand up. Nico asked Brother Collins if he was considered a Priest? Brother Collins told him that after he's baptized he will be. The Young Men president told us to keep doing whatever we're doing! OH MY GOSH! NICO! We are so excited to see where this goes! As we sat at dinner with them talking about missions, I couldn't help but see Nico as a missionary someday. We are stoked to see where things go this week!
   Honestly though, we were so blessed to see 8 investigators at church. Sister Greene and I were reflecting on our first few weeks here, when we had no investigators. We truly have witnessed miracles and we're beyond blessed! The Lord is hastening His work!


   After ward council yesterday, Brother Garcia came over to us and said, "As you were talking about your investigators today, I felt it then and I can feel it now *takes a moment as tears start to well up*. You are here for a reason. We needed Sisters. The work the Elders did, you're pushing it forward. We are so blessed to have you in this ward. You are here for a reason." We were so touched. It means so much when people testify that they know we're here for a reason, at this time. I think it's natural for us all to question that throughout our lives (not just on missions). Heavenly Father sometimes speaks through other people to answer our prayers and our questions.  We are all in this world for a reason. I believe that we're each given an individual mission and we most definitely were NOT placed here by accident!
  I know that I am here, in Acacia Park, with Sister Greene, for a reason. We've already seen so many blessings that have confirmed that. It's not always easy. The adversary is still a real challenge, even on a mission. But as we remember who we are and why we're here, we can be strengthened during those hard times. Don't ever forget who you are! Why try to be someone else?! They're already taken!

  I love this work! I love being a missionary! I love being able to serve and help my brothers and sisters come closer to Christ! I love sharing what I know to be true! I can't wait to see what this next week brings! Love you all!

~~Sister Burton

Celebration on Thursday!

With the Juarezs on the Newport Beach temple grounds.

Brother Juarez's amazing texts!

My reaction to said amazing texts!

Low quality picture of high quality people. (the Catholic girls)

)

With Jacob and Joey at the Newport Beach temple.

Week 14: "I've saved lives, but wouldn't saving souls be even better?"

^^^^Robert Juarez' comment during our Plan of Salvation lesson. Seriously golden. He is so converted, it's fantastic!

AHHH! This week was so bomb! It was so, so hot, but we survived! It helps to have an air conditioned car! I have so many funny/great things to share with you. Hopefully, I can at least partially convey the AMAZINGNESS of these stories!! I'll try my best!

Funnies:
-Both of our funnies happened down in the Little Mexico area (which is most definitely not a coincidence). We went there the other night because we had a return appointment (which ended up falling through, but that didn't stop us!) There are always so many people out and about. As we were crossing the street, we saw a young man walking his dog and he started to go in the opposite direction. Sister Greene yells out, "WAIT!". He stopped and looked at us. Sister Greene turned to me and said, "That's Edgar, right? (Edgar is the young man we were supposed to have a lesson with). I told her it was not Edgar. As we were having a discussion about who this young man was, he started to walk away, obviously confused as to why we would ask him to "wait." We decided to strike up a conversation with him anyway! We started by talking about his dog and then eased into the gospel.We ended up giving him our card. This probably doesn't sound as funny as it was in the moment, but we were laughing about it afterwards!

 - About 20 minutes later, we had another funny encounter. First off, I guess I should preface this. I thought up this game and we call it, "Alpha-Tract." The idea is that as we're preparing to approach someone on the street, one of us calls out a letter in the alphabet. The other one has to strike up a conversation with a word starting with that letter. For example, if one of us says,"Q," the other one might begin the conversation by saying, "Hello! Quite a nice night, huh?" Anyway, the game is still in its trial period. I'm sure I'll have more funny stories to share as we get better at it! Sis. Greene gave me a letter as we were approaching a group of young women. I only had a few seconds to think of something and my mind went blank. So, Sister Greene jumps in with, "Hey! Have the missionaries called you yet?!" The young women started mumbling to each other in Spanish and they looked so confused. I thought Sister Greene was pulling an Aragon on me, (right Dad?). I just wanted to bust out laughing! Sister Greene then said, "Oh, they haven't? Well, they should be calling you soon!" Still, the young women looked so confused. As we were walking away Sister Greene exclaimed, "That was Marisol!" Marisol was a lady we met in a different Little Mexico a few days ago. We gave her  El Libro de Mormon and told her the Hermanas would be getting in contact with her soon. So, Sister Greene thought this was THAT woman! However, it most definitely was not Marisol. We laughed ALL the way back to the car! Eventually, we realized that we did give this lady a card the other day, so Sister Greene wasn't completely crazy!

-Also, it POURED yesterday!  ABSOLUTELY POURED!! We were at Bishop Vreeken's house for dinner and when his daughter opened the door, it was pouring rain! This is the first time I've actually seen substantial rainfall since I've been here! It was beautiful!! Bishop and his wife went out and dried off our car for us before we left. It was so sweet! I loved the post-rain feel. It felt just like home :) The smell, the humidity, and the slightly cooler temps.

 - After leaving a member's house Saturday night it was dark, but as we were driving out of the neighborhood I noticed some round things sitting by the side of the road. I hit the brakes and asked Sis. Greene to get out and check to see if they were watermelons. Much to our excitement, THEY WERE! They weren't attached to vines or anything, so we took one. It actually tastes pretty good. Hopefully, those watermelons were placed there for people to take. (haha)

Progressing People:
-We are so blessed to have about 5 really progressing investigators at the moment. We've been teaching each of them about once a week and they are all moving in the right direction. It is so awesome to see!! I'll share a few highlights about them from this past week!

-JACOB and JOEY: Joey, was the only girl in her family that wasn't baptized growing up. She and her husband have been coming to church for months, just because they were "thinking about joining." They recently returned from a trip to CT, so we taught them again this past week! The lesson went so well! We taught about the Plan of Salvation and they were much more involved in the lesson this time, than they were the first time we taught them. They had such great questions and were really interested in learning more. We invited them to be baptized and Joey said, YES! Jacob wants to be baptized, but feels he needs to find someone he trusts to baptize him. Anyway, they're progressing and are so, so awesome! We're excited to see what happens with them this coming week! Stay tuned.

-ROBERT and DIANA: Again, so, so awesome! We taught them about the Plan of Salvation after Book of Mormon class on Wednesday. Sis. Greene and I both felt a little off during that lesson and a little scatter brained, but we still walked away enlightened, because the Juraez' are so amazing! When they share their thoughts, it seems like we're talking with people who are already members of the church. They truly are converted! They'll be baptized really soon!

Miracles:
-The other day in Little Mexico we were trying to find an apartment complex where we had a return appointment scheduled. Buuut, the apartment complex didn't exist. As we were walking away, we noticed a woman walking around a neighboring complex, which we've visited a few times. We went there trying to visit with Madalin, a potential investigator, but haven't had any luck catching her home. We ran over to the woman and asked if she was Madalin and SHE WAS! The Elders taught Madalin several months ago, but were never really able to teach her again. Madalin said she's been waiting for them to come back! She sounded interested to meet with us and asked if we could bring something for her daughter, because her daughter is starting to ask questions too! WOW! We set up an appointment for this coming week, so we'll see what happens!! The Lord placed us on the street at that moment for a reason...even if our original plan fell through!

BEAU: Beau was being taught by the Elders, just before we arrived in the area. We've tried a few times to reach him, but have never really gotten through. Recently, we've been texting him and he's been asking us questions about God and how we know He really exists. On Friday, he texted: "I'm headed over to the church. I'll meet you there in 15." Good thing we weren't doing anything super important at the time. We ran over to the church and had a lesson with him. He really has a desire to know God. He is working through some things right now and is wanting to change for the better. We needed to start with the basics and it will probably be slow progress, but he already has a solid desire to learn more. We invited him to church and at the last minute he said he couldn't come.....BUT then we received a text from him right before church and he said he was coming to Sacrament Meeting!

  He floored us yesterday at church! He walked in and started talking with everyone! We followed him into the chapel and he marched right up to the front and sat down. He was also the second or third person to bear his testimony!! He got up there and introduced himself and said, "I don't really know anything yet. I'm just checking this out. But I don't like the way my life is headed and I want to change it." It was beautiful! Many people thanked him for his testimony and said they truly appreciated it. After Sacrament Meeting was over, he asked, "So, what's next?" We didn't think he'd stay longer, but he DID! Everyone was fellow-shipping him and making him feel welcome. The lessons, the people, it was everything Beau needed! He even stayed for the 3rd hour! YESTERDAY was so GREAT!! We can't wait to see how he progresses as well!

Testimony
 This week during our dinner appointments, we've been sharing Alma 5:26. The whole chapter is amazing and contains many questions which cause self-reflection. Verse 26 says,
   "And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?"
  We can take this verse in many different ways. One way, is that we've all felt the song of redeeming love (the love of Christ). Sometimes in our lives, trials become too great and we are slow to remember our Savior. At such times, we tend to forget the times we've seen God's hand in our lives. It's important that we often reflect upon our testimonies, to help us through the good and bad times in our lives. Christ is always there! His love never fades! Please don't ever forget that!!

I love being a missionary! I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store for us this week!

      LOVE,

~~Sister Burton

A few Cool Street Signs

Only in Anaheim

97% of the time, Sis. Greene and I,  unintentionally match.

A treat from the Korean Market!

Our Watermelon!!