Sister Burton Takes on Anaheim!: Week 37: KIMMY GIBLER

Hello,
This week was a little challenging. Sister Jensen and I were battling some sleep deprivation, but we were able to push through and do our best! We didn't get to teach a ton this week, so much of our time was spent finding...and we didn't meet a ton of promising people this week. But you know what? I KNOW whenever there are weeks like this, it's just the Lord preparing you for an amazing upcoming week (and we've already made plans to meet with some awesome people this upcoming week, so we're pumped!)
Here are some highlights from the week:

*We finally got our rumored SMARTPHONES! Lemme tell you, it felt so weird holding one of those things in my hand. Its been a long time. But we've already seen so many blessings coming from having that technology. We are able to connect with people faster and wherever we are (it doesn't just have to be where we have wifi). It's amazing how the leaders of the church trust us with this technology and see it as a tool in furthering the Lord's work in this day and age.

*On Wednesday, I got to go on exchanges with SWEET Sister Harrison! We spent the entire day finding in Brea Hills and it was AMAZING! Sister Harrison just has so much drive and we had so much fun doing it. We saw many great things come from all of the tracting. One of them, was finding Jody. As we were pulling away from a neighborhood, Sister Harrison stopped on the side of the road, in front of a house where a lady had just gotten home and was taking her groceries inside. Sister Harrison said they've already tracted the street and so I wasn't sure if she'd talked to that lady before. I felt prompted to get out and just see if she needed help. Jody was SO nice! We stood in her garage and talked for half an hour. She shared some Hindu books with us (post-mission literature...haha) and we got to talking. She just had such a LIGHT about her. We then in turn said WE had a book we wanted to share with her...The Book of Mormon! It was amazing to see how much she opened up during our conversation. As we talked about the Plan of Salvation, she realized how similar our beliefs were. She was eager to have us come back and talk with her more. I hope the Sisters are able to teach her! I was so glad we followed the first prompting and didn't delay!
Oh, ALSO, KIMMY GIBLER(ya know, from Full House?!) The actress who plays Kimmy Gibler LIVES in Brea! As soon as Sister Harrison told me that, I HAD to go knock on her door. It was in the middle of the day...and there was no answer. I'm determined to go back there and talk to her someday. Seriously, my mind was blown that she lives in our mission!!(Also, our ward mission leader told us Chuck Norris lives in Anaheim Hills! We're going to try and find him too!)

*Friday evening, Sister Jensen and I had a bit of a scare. I don't usually like sharing these experiences with everyone, but it strengthened my testimony on how the Holy Ghost TRULY does protect us and as we heed the first prompting, we will be protected.
Friday night, we dropped by Marriane and Sylvia's. They answered the door hesitantly and said we scared them. As soon as we saw them, I knew something was off. I felt the Spirit pullback a little, but we cautiously entered. As soon as we walked in, we noticed Sylvia wasn't speaking very clearly and obviously showing signs of being heavily intoxicated (not her usual, soft spoken, chipper-self).
Then it started. Marriane started talking about how Sylvia has been mistreating her (to save time, I'm not including these details, but to say the least, she was really laying into her). Sylvia tried to defend herself, but both their voices continued to escalate. I IMMEDIATELY knew that this was not a good situation. Marriane asked us what she should do. Of course, as missionaries, we are not supposed to get involved in family relationships and take sides.
By this point, the Spirit was gone and I knew we had to get out of there. In these situations, common courtesy and manners go out the window (you kind of go into fight-or-flight mode). In the middle of the bickering and arguing, I stood up and said, "We don't need to be here right now. We'll come back another day when things are settled".
As we walked towards the door, Marriane pleaded for us to help her. She asked us to pray. As Sister Jensen prayed, I felt a still, peaceful feeling. As soon as she ended her prayer, the fighting began again. Marriane told us so sharply, "You're not helping!!"
I raised my voice above theirs and told them to pray to God and that we'd be praying for them too! We let ourselves out and Sylvia started to follow us out of the house, so we literally ran to our car and drove off as fast as we could, not knowing if she was following us.
In these situations, it often takes us awhile to get the Spirit back fully. We were literally shaking and on edge. We spent the rest of the evening, occupying our minds and trying to get the Spirit back, full force.
Now, I'm not sure what this story sounds like to you ( it's a "you had to be there..." kind of a story). But after experiences like that (and I've had a handful on my mission so far) you truly realize the power the Holy Ghost has as a protector. After the fact, Sister Jensen mentioned having similar feelings while we were in their home. She said she was praying to know what to do to get us out of there and that's when I stood up and told them we were leaving. It was not a fun experience, but it helped me realize the importance of following the Spirit. Even if you think it might be awkward to just UP and leave, if the Spirit is prompting you, DO IT!
It reminded me of a quote that my Dad always told me growing up:

"At times the Spirit will tell you it's a harmless and innocent situation and at others you will be inspired to not walk away from the situation - but RUN!!!"

I'm so grateful for the Holy Ghost! I know that the Holy Ghost watches over us and blesses us as we follow His still small voice. I invite you to consider the Holy Ghost's role in your life and what you could do to better listen to Him.

I hope you all have an AMAZING week! I look forward to what the Lord has in store this upcoming week. I know it'll be GREAT!

~Sister Burton