Week 22: Burnin in an oven🔥

 Well, here we are. The end of my 3rd transfer, I'm now officially 1/4 of the way through my mission.....where has the time gone?! More often than not, the time flies by!

 The weather here was SMOKING this week! Holy moley! It was in the 100's at the beginning of the week, but has since "cooled down" to the 90's! But this week looks promising (low 70's)

  We have some changes happening this transfer. Sister Green was called as a Sister Training Leader (STL) (and so was my other Sister Greene!!) Sister Evali and I will stay here, but will only be covering the Yorba Linda 4th ward. Elders are coming to take over the Anaheim 10th ward! I'll miss that ward! We'll still see them from time to time in the building. It will be nice to just be able to focus our efforts on a specific ward!

Now, onto this week's happenings:

--We accidentally tracted into 2 members this week....#embarassing. Their addresses in our area book said that some potential investigators lived there, but apparently not! And we didn't recognize the members at all, so that makes the situation even more embarassing....But we laughed it off, so it was fine! 

-- We had a pass off lesson with Tyler this week. The YSA elders came and the lesson went really well! We invited him to be baptized, but he doesn't feel he's ready yet. He has some questions about things, but we're confident that the Elders will be able to help him! Tyler is such a truth seeker!

--WOW, on Wednesday we had a miracle hour. The day was a little rough. We were all in a little bit of a funk. We last minute scheduled a member with a lesson that evening. We planned to visit a less active member on the way over to the lesson, but we felt prompted to visit a potential who lived in the same complex as the member. Side note, walking around apartment complexes between the hours of 7-8 PM is primetime to talk with people, because everyone is getting home from work at that hour!! We parked at one end of the complex and started walking towards the other end, talking with people along the way. One woman was just getting out of her car as we introduced ourselves. We started talking about Christ and she said she believes in Him. She then asked if we wanted to come inside.....um YES. The woman (Swati) took us inside, where we met her daughter and we began to teach the first few principles of the Restoration. We have a return appointment with them Wednesday and she told us not to eat because she wants to feed us authentic Indian food! We are SO excited to go back and talk with her again! Very rarely does anyone just let you into their house like that. What a tender mercy!

   Oh, but that's not all. As we were leaving Swati's house, we saw a young mom loading her kids into the car. We stopped her and briefly introduced the Restoration and she said she would love for us to come back, so we got another return appointment! We were on cloud 9!

   When we got to the member's house and told her about the miracles we experienced, she was so, so happy! She said that she had met Swati's husband a few weeks ago and felt prompted to introduce us to their family. WHAT! All of us were in awe. The Holy Ghost is real! If we wouldn't have listened to that still, small voice, we wouldn't have met those people!!

--We had TWO Halloween Parties this weekend (perks of serving in two wards!) Friday night was the Yorba Linda 4th ward party and we saw MIRACLES there! A few weeks ago we went and visited a Part Member family, the Olsens. The wife, who isn't a member, thanked us for coming by, but said they weren't going to be coming back to church or anything. We felt a little discouraged, BUT we invited them to the Halloween party anyway and THEY CAME! Apparently, a member of the ward takes the wife's fitness classes at the gym and this member also invited them to the party! The ward was so welcoming to them. Another part member family, the Morris', came too! The members of this ward are SO good at mingling with everyone and helping them to feel welcome! 

Spiritual Thought:

This week at District Meeting, our Zone Leader/District Leader, who is going home, bore his testimony and he shared a story that really resonated with me. I've been pondering it ever since. The story went a little something like this:

    God told a man to go push this rock everyday. It wasn't just any rock. The rock was as big as a house! The man pushed the rock day after day but it didn't move anywhere. The man questioned God, but God simply told him, "Push the rock." The man did this for many months, but still, the rock never moved. 

   Afterwards, the man looked in the mirror. He had scars and scratches, but he was much stronger than he was before he started pushing the rock. God said, "I told you to push the rock. I didn't tell you to move it. You are stronger now and I can use you for a wise purpose."

 This relates so well to us in life! Often, Heavenly Father asks us to do something that we either think is impossible or we aren't able to see how it's benefiting us at all. It's often AFTER the fact that we notice what changed. Heavenly Father is refining us everyday. He has a plan for each one of us, not only in this life, but it continues into the next life! Every challenge, every trial, every situation we're given is to shape us into the person He needs us to be. Don't ever forget that! When things seem to be out of our control, when we want to give up, we need to turn it over to the Lord and trust in Him. He sees the big picture! He sees our entire potential! How amazing is that?! YOU ARE LOVED!

FULLERTON NEWS: Jacob and Joey are getting baptized Saturday and they've asked me to speak on the Holy Ghost! I'm so excited to see them make this next step together! Stay tuned for more baptism pictures ;)

I hope you all have the best week ever! Sending my love and good thoughts your way!  

~Sister Burton 

 Last Monday we went to the Fullerton Arboretum to celebrate Sister Greene's 20th birthday!

The door Sister Green and I decorated for the Trunk or Treat!

Last District Picture: Anaheim East Stake

 Halloween Party!

Sweet Andre(we had a lesson with him on a baptism a month ago) was baptized Saturday!

Our favorite kiddos, Hailey and Spencer, from the YL4 ward!

Some of the burned hills from the fire last week!

Week 21: I don't know about you....

 BUT I'M FEELING 22! That song may or may not have been running through my head all day on Tuesday....
  Thank you ALL for the videos, well-wishes, cards, calls/texts (from missionaries...) and love that you showed me on my birthday! It means the world :) Tuesday was awesome! Definitely the hottest birthday I've ever had (In the 90s)! We spent our morning painting public bathrooms (which is a lot more fun than it sounds), we got Pizookies from BJ's Grill and mmmm, are those things GOOD! Plus, people were nice and brought sweet treats to Book of Mormon class that night! What a great birthday it was, serving and sharing the gospel with others😊

Random Tidbits/Miracles/Tender Mercies

-Yesterday in the A10 ward, was the Primary Program! The kids were so, so cute and their sweet testimonies shined through their singing and smiles. I love Primary Programs!

-I saw my first Pennsylvania license plate the other day!! I never thought I'd see one while here in California! I was excited to see it, to say the least.

-Another cool thing is that on a really clear day (which is rare around here...) you can see the LA skyline! We've seen it twice this week, which is super cool! That's the closest I'll get to LA for the next 14 months!

-We've been really trying to "up" our "Finding" game and it's been SO fun! We had a few visits to an  apartment complex and as we were walking, we saw a girl on a scooter who came right over to us and started talking. We instantly realized that we met her before at a different complex. Her name is Madison and she said she had just moved in. When we met her a month ago, we gave her a pass along card with a picture of Jesus on it. She remembered we were the ones who gave that to her and asked us for another picture! We shared more about Jesus Christ with her and she said she really wants to come to church, but her family is always busy. We invited her to the Trunk or Treat activity and gave her our card with the times of our church services. Even though we weren't able to set up a time to teach their family now, we know for a fact that it was no coincidence that we saw her AGAIN! We may have been planting seeds that will be harvested down the road.

-We had another lesson with Joshua this week! A member from the ward came with us and it was super great! We  tried to teach him more about The Plan of Salvation, especially trying to teach to his needs. He really doesn't know how to read, which is a difficult obstacle to get around. However, we know that he is seeking! We're trying our best to help him feel the peace and hope of our message. We are working on ways to help him study from the Book of Mormon and begin coming to church. He's super awesome and we have faith that we met him for a reason. During our lesson with him, the topic of Satan came up and Joshua said, "If I ever met Satan, I would smack the horns right off of his head!" I died....Joshua is such a character, it's great!

-We've been trying a new approach for our dinner messages. We have been doing something called, "Power Hour." We invite the members to pray about where we should spend the next hour. We've had some great successes with this! After they pray, they point to an area in our book map and then we go there. This has resulted in  tons of Quality Gospel Conversations(QGCs), which has been a big push in the mission recently. We haven't found any golden people yet, but we've seen some tender mercies! Friday night we received a referral from the YSA elders! Aikan, a 13 year old boy, who has scheduled a baptismal date! And last night, the Spanish Elders passed off 2 investigators to us! They feel they are both golden also! WOW, tender mercies, most definitely!!

The moment you've all been waiting for.....
 THE JUAREZS' WERE BAPTIZED SATURDAY!!! My heart was so full! We had the services in the chapel and it was pretty full! There were so many family members, friends, and missionaries there to support them! The Spirit was very strong! The missionaries that originally taught them, over a year and a half ago, were able to be there and participate in the services! The Juarezs' truly have come such a long way! They asked Sister Greene's and my companionships to sing, "I Stand All Amazed." As soon as we stood up to sing, tears filled my eyes! Looking out at all the people there to support them warmed my heart. I looked at Robert and Diana and they were both crying....which made me cry even more! Not only has that been my favorite hymn, but now it's REALLY my favorite hymn! I'll never forget the looks on their faces as we sang that song!
   They each shared their testimonies after the baptism and WOW, they are so solid! I'm so grateful to have gotten to know them and have even the smallest part in their story. I'm excited to see them go to the temple and to see what else the Lord has in store for them :)

  I've been thinking a lot about faith recently. Faith is SO vital in anything we do in life! As we choose to have faith in Heavenly Father and His plans for us, we don't have to worry. In one of my favorite Brandon Heath songs, he says, "If you're gonna pray about it, why are you worrying? If you're going to worry about it, why are you praying? Just leave it in the hands of the Healer." As we learn to accept and act upon God's will, we can know that He will never lead us astray! We must always trust in HIM! I'm so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father! Knowing we are each sons and daughters of God means the world! Never forget your divine worth! You are special to Him!

Hope you all have a FANTASTIC week!

Love,

~~Sister Burton

FEELIN 22!

Sweet Sister Taylor made me a cake!

Sherrill's face says it all!

Best birthday banner EVER! Thanks fam!

FREE Pizookie!

THE JUAREZS

Week 20: Where There's Smoke, There's Fire!

 Wow, it's already the middle of October?! Where the heck has the time gone? And we're already more than half way through the transfer. Time is flying!

  In case many of you didn't hear, there was a brush fire in Anaheim Hills last Monday. Luckily, we were at home when the evacuation order came. The morning started off windy and the air was full of smoke. As soon as we were told to evacuate, we started making calls and packing up. We called Sister Golden and she said we could stay in the bungalow at the Mission Home. We packed up a few changes of clothes and our study materials and headed out. The drive to the mission home usually takes us 30 minutes, but the traffic was so bad it took us an hour and a half! We were at a stand still trying to leave our apartment complex. Then the smoke was billowing from the top of the hill and there were billions of fire trucks, police cars, and planes with hoses flying around. It was EXCITING! I was pumped for the adventure. This was Sister Evali's first evacuation!

  By the time we arrived in Anaheim, the smoke had completely covered the sun and it was dark. It was a BAD fire. So, Monday night we helped out the missionaries in that area by visiting some less active members. It was SO much fun!! I loved getting to walk around the streets and talk to people. It reminded me of my time in Fullerton.

   Tuesday morning, President Golden called our apartment complex and everyone was still evacuated. We spent our morning in the mission home doing our studies, service, and by the afternoon we were told we could go back! YAY! We left in the evening, after having dinner with the Goldens (which was so much fun!!) We found our apartment safe and sound! Many others didn't get back into the area until Wednesday night. What a fun experience! You know I had some good journal entries that day! We were just glad our apartment was safe. We heard there were 24 homes that were completely lost in the fire, 1 of the homes belonged to some members in our ward. The ward has really helped them out this past week, moving and cleaning things out. The family seems really positive about it all, which is amazing!

  JOSHUA: Josh is someone we met in one of the more humble neighborhoods in Yorba Linda. We saw him outside one night last week, gave him a Book of Mormon, and set a time to come back. We taught him as soon as we got back into the area Tuesday. The lesson was so powerful! We planned on teaching Josh about the Restoration, but it wasn't going anywhere. He is a big talker and lots of the things he was saying referred back to the Plan of Salvation. Our lesson was all over the place, but we wanted to teach to HIS needs! I prayed constantly during that lesson, to be able to discern by the Spirit what he needed to hear. We talked about the Atonement and how we can live with our families again forever! I felt prompted to share the "Because of Him" video (which I recommend that EVERYONE watch!)  The Spirit was super strong! Tears welled up in my eyes, which rarely happens to me in lessons. Josh is amazingly prepared and has so much potential! He doesn't really know how to read and we realized that we may need to take these lessons one principle at a time. But he is searching. Truly searching. We meet with him again this week!!

  This week, the A10 ward had a Witches Night Out activity that we attended for a bit. We were able to mix and mingle. It was hard to recognize anyone because they were dressed up as witches. (haha) BOY, do they go all out for their activities!

OK OK, October 14th is an important date to remember (not only because it's Michelle's birthday! Shout-out!), but because NOLAN WAS BAPTIZED! Saturday morning, I leapt out of bed and couldn't stop from dancing and shouting that Nolan was getting BAPTIZED! I remember when Sister Greene and I extended this baptismal date to him and he was nervous about it for awhile, but he made it! Very rarely will someone keep the exact baptismal date that you originally extend.

  I loved getting to see the Acacia Park ward members there, too! My heart was FULL of love! As soon as Brother Paddock stood up to begin the services, I started crying. Sister Greene and I looked at each other and couldn't stop smiling. Nolan was sitting there, in his white jumpsuit (and his black shoes and socks....I guess he didn't feel comfortable barefoot. (haha) I just couldn't handle it! I was able to give the talk on the Holy Ghost and was so honored that Nolan wanted me to do that. It was amazing to see how much Nolan has changed over the past two and a half months, since I first met him. Going to baptisms confirms to me that this gospel is TRUE! The Spirit is so strong and you know without a shadow of a doubt that this person is making the right decision! Many times throughout the service, Sister Greene and I would just start crying and squeeze each other's hands, because our hearts were SO FULL of joy!

  Shelby, Nolan's daughter, even stood up and shared her testimony! She cried many times throughout the service. It was beautiful to see how touched she was! Shelby has been inactive all of her adult life and witnessing the growth of her testimony, while we were teaching Nolan in her home, has been beautiful! She is truly converted! The baptism was sooo amazing! Afterwards, Nolan said, "Thanks for being a part of my life now." My heart melted....Nolan is the BEST! He's one of the funniest, sassiest older men I've ever met!

TYLER: We taught Tyler again last night and he's solid. He's golden! We taught him about the Plan of Salvation and he had such deep questions. He's truly seeking! We were going to invite him to be baptized, but the lesson and conversation were just too much, but we most definitely will next time. We think we'll pass him on to the YSA elders though, because we think he'll be more comfortable there. But Tyler's so awesome!!

 I'm so grateful for this gospel! I'm grateful that I'm able to share this wonderful message with my brothers and sisters in California. In church yesterday, some missionary parents shared their thoughts on missionaries (specifically their own) and it warmed my heart hearing about missionaries serving all over the world. As hard as it at times, I'm so grateful I listened to Heavenly Father and decided to serve a mission. I've learned a lot about myself, about this gospel, and especially about Jesus Christ! He truly IS the center of it all! He is the reason we have hope in the next life. He is the reason we can continually repent and come closer to God. I love my Savior and I most definitely would not be here if it wasn't for Him!

 I hope you have a fantastic week! Stay positive! Look for the good in every situation! Heavenly Father loves you!

~~Sister Burton

.Grocery shopping with Sister Golden last week!

The crazy smoke clouds last week!

Witches Night Out

Preaching the gospel to every creature!

Yorba Linda! Gracious living is RIGHT!

.Eating dinner last Monday with the Samoan sisters (since we were evacuated)

Throwback to 2 weeks ago on exchanges with Sister Garcia

Blurry, but NOLAN!

ALL of us!

Cafe Rio with the Juarezs. They will be baptized on the 21st!!

Week 19: Whatta Week!

Hello everyone!!
  This week was GREAT! I've been feeling more and more settled with covering 2 wards. We've gotten into a bit of a rhythm and it's been successful! We've been able to get in touch with people and set return appointments, so its been wonderful!

-Tuesday we went on EXCHANGES! Sister Evali and I stayed in the area and Sister Garcia came with us for the day. Because Sister Garcia was in A10 about a year ago, she knew of some good people for us to check up on. We did a lot of finding that day and it was so fun! At the beginning of my mission, I was terrified of finding, but I've learned to love the days of finding! We went to a park and just walked around and talked to people. It's funny watching some people walk the other way to avoid us, but that doesn't stop us ;) We met this interesting lady at the park. We asked her if she had a belief in Jesus and she said, "OH yes! Probably better than you guys. I'm married to Him. I'm His only wife." I've definitely never heard that before....it was hard to stay composed in that moment. We saw her talking to herself before we walked over, so she may have legit been crazy. BUT, you talk to everyone as missionaries and sometimes you have the funniest, most interesting encounters! Other than that, we were able to make some great progress in A10. We found some people who haven't been contacted in awhile and were able to get return appointments with them! Huzzah!

-Wednesday, we had an interesting evening. We had so much success earlier that day! We had just come from contacting a less active member and setting up a time to see her this next week. It was nearly 9 PM and so it was obviously really dark outside. I was in the backseat, filling in our area book, when all of the sudden I hear a loud "crunch" and noticed we ran over something. Sister Green looked frightened. I hopped out of the car and noticed that we ran into this thin, not very well lit at all, median strip. Not only that, but the little reflector sign punctured our front tire. The air was flying out of that tire so fast! The hubcap even flew across the road. We moved over in the lane as far as we could. We decided we would just change the tire and go home for the night and figure out the logistics later.
   I was honestly excited, because I LOVE changing tires (thanks for teaching me Dad) and wouldn't it be an adventure doing so in a dress?! But I was AMAZED, by how many people stopped to see if we were okay. There was a couple walking by and they stopped and helped us. People continued to ask if we needed help, offering flares or whatever they could. My heart was full. It's beautiful seeing that Light of Christ within others! My testimony of the goodness of the human race was strengthened that night.

  But because of that incident, we were without a car for 24 hours, which wasn't bad because the next day was our weekly planning, so we spent a majority of the day in our apartment anyway. What an adventure! We were supposed to get bikes, but they didn't have any bikes left....bummer. We got our car back and it's good to go! But now I'm the driver because Sister Green is tired of driving. (haha)(understandable) :)

  We had a special conference with Richard J. Maynes, of the Seventy this week! It was so inspiring! He talked about how we can increase our finding efforts and focus on our missionary purpose more throughout the day. He told us that our missionary purpose should be connected to everything that we do during the day! I was so pumped by his encouraging words! Everyday I'm trying to be an even better missionary!

  We taught Hailly this week and a member was able to come to the lesson. It was such an awesome lesson! We taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ and invited her to baptism and she said YES! We set the date for Nov. 18th! She seems so prepared to learn more and become better! We're excited to continue to teach her!!

FULLERTON NEWS:
  Everyone in Fullteron is getting baptized!! Jk, but all my favorite people are!
  Nolan, the older gentleman we taught, is getting baptized this Saturday, the 14th, and he asked ME to give the talk on the Holy Ghost! He also wants my companionship and Sister Greene's companionship to do a special musical number!! My heart is so full that he wants me to be a part of his baptism! I'm so excited for SATURDAY!
  THE JUAREZS are getting baptized October 21st! They are SO pumped and I'M so pumped that I get to be there! Ahhhhh!
  Jacob & Joey will be getting baptized November 4th! So many awesome things are still happening in Acacia Park! I'm so excited to witness these amazing baptisms. Stay tuned for TONS of baptism pictures ;)

Studies: I've been loving Alma! He's such a cool guy. These past few days, I've been studying his counsel to his sons. In Alma 37:36-37, it talks about how we need to turn to the Lord in all things and to counsel with Him in all our doings. The word "counsel" stuck out to me when I read it the other day. Often, we go to the Lord and tell Him what we want to do. But counseling is not a one sided conversation. It is for both parties to come together and to help the one. I thought about how we need to come to the Lord and truly align our will with His. HE knows all. I think back to my decision to serve a mission. I didn't want to serve a mission and made up my mind that I wouldn't. But when Heavenly Father told me that I needed to serve, it was hard for me to accept it at first. But as I counseled with Him, I realized that that was His will for me. As I turned to Him, my desire to serve a mission grew and I am eternally grateful that Heavenly Father would want me to serve His children! I wouldn't have changed that decision for the world! I'm grateful that we can turn to the Lord anytime, anywhere. He listens! But that means we also need to listen when He is speaking to us ;)

All my love,
~~Sister Burton

The crazy fire! Will have more details later!

Surprise, we evacuated our area because of a wildfire.  But we're staying positive and having fun!

The Halloween decorations are out!!

 Sister Evali's first ride in a Tesla

Juarez St. My favorite street because of my favorite people. 

Week 18: English is Weird!

I'm not sure how it's already October..time is flying by! This week I'll hit my 4 month mark! And at the end of this transfer, I'll have been out for 1/4 of my mission. Ahhhh! This week we've been getting more adjusted to both areas, but it's still been hard to spend equal amounts of time in both. However, we're getting there!

-Monday there was a crazy brush fire up in Anaheim Hills! It lasted all of Monday and Tuesday. They even had to close down one of the lanes on the highway because the flames were so close! I guess that's what happens in the desert. Luckily, it didn't come close to any homes!
-On Wednesday night we hung out with the Activity Day girls! We ate dinner with them and talked about missionary work. The girls are so precious! It was fun to think about what I was like at that age! We asked them what they thought the difference was between Elders and Sisters. One girl said, "The Sisters smell better and the Elders smell bad!" (haha) We then let them ask us random questions. One cute, quiet girl asked, "Do you have to know someone for 2 years before you can get married?" We weren't sure what to say. (haha). One of her leaders piped in, "Well, that would probably be a good thing, but it's not required." Such cute little girls!
-I guess another interesting happening was that we received 2 missionaries from Puerto Rico. Obviously, I don't know much about what's been going on down there, but I heard they had to evacuate missionaries. Two Elders have been transferred into our mission. We met them briefly at Zone Conference.

Another funny: Last week we went to the mission office to wash our car. Sister Evali was cleaning, I was squeeging, and Sister Green was drying. Sister Greene told Sister Evali, "You gotta put some elbow grease into it." Sister Evali immediately gets up, goes into the shed, grabs the Dawn dishsoap and asks, "Is this it?!" We DIED! She is so sweet! Since she's still learning English, we sometimes have to explain different expressions and sayings, because in the words of Sister Evali, "English is weird." Agreed!'

 TYLER: Tyler is a friend of someone who is currently serving a mission from the YL4 ward. A few weeks ago, Sister Green and Sister Phillips contacted all the missionaries serving from the ward, asking if they knew anyone who would liked to learn more about the church. Elder Olive quickly told us about his friend, Tyler. We had a lesson in the Olive's home on Wednesday and it was SO GOOD! Tyler brought a notebook and took notes on different scriptures we shared and questions he had. He said he wants to continue to learn more and will even come to church this next week!! There is just something special about having lessons in members' homes. The lessons always go so much better! We'll be meeting with him again shortly!

HAILLY: The previous Sisters met Hailly, who is a young, stay-at-home mom. She learned about the  Restoration a few weeks ago and we've been trying to get back to teach her more. We saw her Wednesday, but she was busy. We went back Thursday and had a great lesson about The Plan of Salvation! We all agreed the lesson was slightly all over the place (since we weren't able to have companion study before our lesson....studies are SO important as a missionary). BUT, Hailly had so many great insights and said, "This just makes sense to me. I could really see myself enjoying this religion." The Spirit was so strong and it was beautiful to experience! She should be coming to church next week as well. We have a return appointment scheduled for this Thursday! Hailly told us she liked us and is eager to learn more! Wahoo!

 We had the most spiritual weekend ever! Friday, we had Zone Conference and then of course, this weekend was General Conference. Zone Conference was so exciting because we talked more about online proselyting. As we talked about the successes of other missionaries using Facebook and other avenues for proselyting online, I couldn't help but feel excited. This is truly how the Lord can hasten His work! Social media and technology will not go away, and, in the words of Elder Bednar, "We cannot be afraid of it anymore." Yes, it will take some discipline as missionaries, but the Lord has entrusted us with this great power. I know that as we begin using this wonderful tool, we will begin to see miracles and be able to reach those who truly are ready for the message of the Restored Gospel.

General Conference!! Holy cow! The only thing better about watching conference is watching conference AS A MISSIONARY! We went to the church and watched the broadcast (with a handful of members) and it was so nice to be completely focused on the talks without any other distractions. Like I do every year, I took my index card of questions to conference and boy were they answered! There were SO many amazing talks! Here's a list of top talks I recommend going back and reading soon:
-Elder Pingree
-Elder Holland (of course)
-Elder Rasband
-The entire Sunday morning session
-Elder Ellis....and so many more

   I noticed a common theme of how we should better understand our divine worth and by knowing that, we can truly be happy! President Uchtdorf's talk could not have been a better kick-off talk for the weekend. He talked about how each of us is longing for our eternal home and as we turn to the Savior, we can know His plan for us. Many of these talks can so easily be applied to missionaries. Through these talks, I realized my divine worth as a missionary and how Heavenly Father has great plans for me here where I'm serving.

  I also loved Elder Rasband's talk about how there are no coincidences! I've always been a firm believer that Heavenly Father is in the details of our lives. I've come to realize that even MORE, since I've been on my mission. I know without a shadow of a doubt, that everything happens for a reason, for His reason. He is watching over us everyday and is "orchestrating important things in your life." We all would do better to ponder upon those times when we've seen the Lord's hand in our lives. I think too often we forget that He really DOES care, especially during the hard times. He never leaves us alone. The Lord is truly going before us and leading us on! We are so blessed to have a loving Heavenly Father!

   We also got to go to the Mission Home to watch the Priesthood session with Sister Golden. She made crepes and eggs (definitely didn't eat the eggs). This is the first time I've watched the Priesthood session live and it was amazing! I even learned some things that I can apply in  my own life. I'm grateful that we have the Priesthood restored on the earth today!

  Even though Conference can be very overwhelming, because you want to improve on a billion things all at once, I invite you to pick ONE thing you want to work on and  make a plan to do it! Sister Bingham's talk really resonated with me. I've made the goal to memorize "The Living Christ" by Christmas. There are 13 paragraphs and 13 weeks until Christmas, so it's totally doable. I'm planning on memorizing a paragraph a week (and picking up a second paragraph when the paragraphs are short). I'm grateful for this time that we have to ponder on the words of the living Prophets and Apostles. I'm so grateful for this knowledge of a living Prophet and that He leads this church today, under the direction of our Beloved Savior, Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ lives and LOVES YOU!

All my love,

~~Sister Burton 

Activity Day Girls!

Sweet Peter! He attends the YSA ward, but loves visits from the missionaries.

The Brush Fire last Monday.

Reunited with my Sisters from the MTC!

Lunch break between Saturday's Conference Sessions. These Sisters rock!