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 ;)
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| How Sister Green felt about being on exchanges with me....(just kidding) |
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| .A Persian BOM! |
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| .I've got the cutest companion ❤ |
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| .Service with a smile :) |
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