Week 43: Sassy enters the waters🌊

What a beautiful day to be alive! The sun has finally come out here in SoCal, after a few weeks of lots of rain! Even though it's been only a few days since you last heard from me, there have been some exciting things that have happened!

 ☆Sister Green is back with us! She'll be having surgery soon, but she gets to still be a missionary, which is awesome! We've been settling back into our routine and we're just rolling with the punches from here on out!

☆Something I forgot to write about last week was an awesome FHE lesson with a part-member family! Our Bishop invited them over to his house and we taught about eternal families! They LOVED it! It was such a powerful lesson. The family has been going through a lot of trials lately, but the non-member husband has recently become interested, so we're excited to start working with them soon!

  ☆This past Saturday we got to witness Sassy enter the waters of baptism! It was SO great to go back to Yorba Linda to be there and support her. Many of her family members and friends from the ward were there too! Her member grandmother shared how Sassy has been wanting to get baptized since she was 8 years old, but her nonmember mother never let her. Sassy had the strongest desire to be baptized, so she never gave up. It wasn't until a few months ago (2 years later), her mother's heart was softened!
  I could tell how much Sassy has grown in just the 3 weeks since I've left the area! She was crying and really felt the Spirit! She is the sweetest little girl and I'm SO excited to see where she goes in life. There truly is nothing better than witnessing people change their lives to come closer to Christ!

  ☆Yesterday, President and Sister Golden spoke in the La Habra ward. Both of their talks were fantastic! Something President Golden said, really resonated with me. He pulled out the story of Nephi building a boat, in 1 Nephi 18. He mentioned how often times, like Nephi, we are asked to do things that we know NOTHING about. In verse 3, it says how Nephi went to the mount often to pray and the Lord showed unto him "great things."
  I think Nephi's story is completely applicable to each and everyone of us! We are asked to do impossible tasks sometimes, things that we might think we're incapable of doing. But with the Lord's help, He will guide us! It might not be after the manner of men (like Nephi said), but if we follow the Lord's way, we will be led closer to Him!

  Love you all so much! I hope you have a marvelous week! Get PUMPED for General Conference! I encourage you to pray specifically about questions and concerns that you have because I know if you come prepared to Conference, you will find those answers! We are so blessed to hear from a living prophet!

All my love,

Sister Burton
2500 N. Bristol St.
Santa Ana, CA 92706

Beautiful sunsets...a regular occurrence.

SASSY!

More temple pictures...because who doesn't love that?

All the Sisters who came to Sassy's  baptism!

Week 42: The week where everything changed.

Hey everybody! This past week and a half has been quite the adventure. Lots of miracles, blessings, and unexpected things, but all worth it!


*We had a super amazing Zone Conference this past week! We were asked to perform a musical number "Peace in Christ", so that was fun!
We focused a lot on the Book of Mormon and how we as missionaries can find joy in the work. Zone Conferences are always so uplifting! I am SO grateful for my testimony of the Book of Mormon! I love that book with all my heart and I want to help other people gain that same witness!

*I had a really unique prompting at dinner the other night. We were at I-HOP with a member and as we sat down to eat, I noticed a family nearby who all bowed their heads in prayer before they ate. I instantly felt that I needed to go over and thank them for being such an example! The Spirit worked on me the entire meal, but as we left, I went over and told them I noticed how they all prayed together and how refreshing it is to see people still do that! They were so surprised and were very appreciative. I know it was something small, but I felt the prompting and I knew I needed to follow through with it!

*Sunday, we had a MIRACLE! The part member family we've been working with, the Villareals, came to all 3 hours of church! My heart was so full that they made it a priority to come to church, especially as we're preparing their 10 year old son for baptism. The hardest part of the work is getting people to church and it's such a beautiful thing when people actually make the effort to come!

*IRENE: she is a lady that had 3 separate baptismal dates over the past 6 months and ended up backing out of each one. The Sisters before us decided to give her a break for a little bit. Well, last week she reached out to us! She said she had a sufficient enough break and that she wants to prepare for baptism now. We're shooting for April 21 and hoping this time around she'll really commit and realize this wonderful covenant she is about to make with her Heavenly Father.

*CLYDE: He is super awesome! We've met with him a few times and he's just so sweet. Some things take a little longer to process for him, but he truly is making amazing progress! He is praying about a baptismal date in April. There's a lot he still needs to be taught, but he has such strong faith and we believe he can make it! But, I'll save more details for Monday, so I actually have something to write about 😉

Here's the super crazy event of the week: Sister Green has been in the hospital since Monday! Long story short, she's been having these crazy headaches for the past several months and the doctors have FINALLY figured out what it is. They've been running tests and things and we aren't sure when she'll be back with us. She is in great spirits and we got to visit her Wednesday, in Orange!

 So, as of right now, we're carrying on as normal until further notice. I'd be lying if I said I'm not overwhelmed, but I'm truly letting the Lord take the wheel. Being in a new area, with a new missionary, and trying to navigate exchanges and other responsibilities, it's a lot. But Sister Bird is so awesome! She has such a strong driving force and is such a good motivator!

WE GOT TO GO TO THE TEMPLE THIS MORNING. Let me just say, after 7 months of not being there (and being used to going once a week), it was much needed. I just felt so much peace and comfort as I sat there in the House of the Lord. In the midst of all the crazy things that have been going on, I just know that my Heavenly Father is aware of me! And the same goes for YOU!
  Although these next few weeks will bring new adventures and challenges, I know that there are miracles waiting for us here in La Habra! We are ready to keep the work moving forward!

LOVE you all so much! I'll be writing again on Monday!

So, until then.....


Sister Burton
2500 N. Bristol St.
Santa Ana, CA 92706

Went tabling at Cal State! It was awesome! 

Got pie for pi day!

Zone Conference! 

The Villarreal girl let me sport her unicorn headband.

We had a Stake Women's Conference and I got to see Sister Juarez!!

Saint Patrick's Day!

The trifecta. 

Newport Beach Temple with Sister Bird.

I love the Temple!

Our Zone at the Temple.

Week 41: Our Little Bird

Hellllloo everybody!
  Can I just say, this was a fantastic week! I am already in love with La Habra and I know these next few months are going to be stellar!

On Tuesday, Sister Green and I picked up our new missionary at the Mission Home! We had a nice dinner and testimony meeting, which was so powerful! Our new greenie is Sister Bird! She is from Longmont, Colorado. She attends BYU(go Cougs!) and studies Elementary Education! We welcomed her home with lots of GREEN gifts!!

This past week was full of meetings, but we were able to see tons of miracles as we went about doing the work. We had many funny situations that made the week even better!
 
 *We were at the church one day and Sister Bird said, "Hey, there's a drunk man coming to the door!" Sure enough, this hippie like man walked up to the church doors, tried to get in, and then stumbled away. Welcome to La Habra!

*We also saw a gas station break-in, so that was exciting!

MIRACLES: we had so many instances where we followed the Spirit and were led to miracles. Too many to mention here, but I'll share a few.

*We've been teaching a part member family and they're slowly coming back into activity. They have a 9 year old son named David. We invited David to be baptized and he's working towards a date in May. We understand it will be a stretch for the family, but we know they can do it and that being active again will help them with the struggles they're currently having.

*We were walking down the street and talked to a sweet lady, named Angela. She said, "As soon as I saw you walking down the street, I could tell God was with you." I love it when strangers can feel the Spirit and recognize us as representatives of Jesus Christ.

*We knocked in a complex and the first door we knocked on, a lady named Bethany, welcomed us in. As we introduced the Book of Mormon to Bethany, at first it seemed as though she was low-key bashing us. But as we began to talk more, she began to open up. She didn't seem very firm in her Christian beliefs, although she said she was. We are planning to see her again this coming week to see where she's at.

I'm convinced all these miracles have happened because of the greenie power! Sister Bird has exceeded all my expectations in a daughter. She is so bold and has talked to SO many people this week! I remember my first week and how quiet I was, but boy, Sister Bird is "soaring!"

I just love being here! I love being a missionary! I love my companions! I hit my 9 month mark this past week and all I can say is, time sure flies when you're having fun!

 Yesterday was Ward Conference, so some Stake leaders spoke to us. They talked about the church membership in California and how there are many people who are not with us each Sunday and how important it is for us to be reaching out to lift others up. It made me want to reactivate the WORLD. Along with that, this morning I studied Alma 5 (one of my favorite passages in the Book of Mormon). I love all of the questions Alma asks. I like thinking about my conversion and remembering how many times I've witnessed the Lord's hand in my life. I especially love Alma's words in verse 26; "Can you feel so now?"  It caused me to think of all the people, members or not, who have felt the Spirit in their lives and have since distanced themselves from God. I invite each of you to think of the times you've felt closest to your Heavenly Father. Maybe you're in the midst of a really big trial right now and it might be hard to see it, but I KNOW that your Heavenly Father is very much aware of your circumstances. I also know that as you ponder on the Lord's tender mercies, you WILL feel so now. You will realize He is in the very details of your life.

 Well, I'm so pumped for another week! The trifecta is about to take La Habra by storm!
 Also, we get to go to the temple next Thursday, the 22nd, so my P-day will be Thursday instead of Monday.

Love you all! Have an amazing week! Look for God in your lives this week! I promise He's there!


~Sister Burton

About to pick up our little bird. Last moments as a duo.

We got Happy Birthday hats!

Posterity!

I LOVE MY TRAINER💕 Yes, we did plan matching outfits. 

A plus of living in the same complex as other sisters, we have game nights! 

We had dinner with the Acacia Park sisters! It was so good to be back in my first apartment😊

Week 40: I'm Expecting a New Missionary

HEY everybody!

  Another week has come and gone and BOY, has it been a wild one. We've just been trying to make this last week of the transfer count. We saw miracles and had some fun experiences along the way!

*FOLLOWING THE FIRST PROMPTING: We've been talking about this a lot this transfer and Sister Jensen and I saw SO many miracles from it. After our District Meeting on Thursday, Sister Jensen had the idea to stop by and visit Louanne (who is a member we try to help out weekly). We weren't quite sure why, but we decided to go. Louanne needed us to take her dog out and when we did, we saw CHIJO (who is a completely inactive person we've sorta been in contact with since I've been in the area) Chijo, approached us and started talking for about 10 minutes (the longest I've ever talked with her). She told us that she'd been thinking of us and wants us to stop by again soon. We were in awe that we got to see her, right then and there. Sometimes, you never know why you might receive a prompting and you don't always find out why until later!

  Which brings me to my next story. We tried to visit a potential later the same day, and when we got there, she wasn't home. We had other backup plans, but I felt that we should knock a few doors in the complex. We turned the corner and I felt such an overwhelming feeling to knock on a specific door. Well, the Nigerian couple on the other side gladly welcomed us in and we got to introduce the Plan of Salvation to them. The man said we could come back. We were SHOCKED that someone would just welcome us into their home and let us talk about the message we're sharing. We were on Cloud Nine! The Lord truly blesses us when we follow those promptings. I have such a firm testimony of following the first promptings.

*Following up on being spicy bold: this past week we did so well! We really tried to let people know that this the truth and we are here to boldly proclaim it. We ran into a low-key basher this week. He kept telling us about a Tri-Un God (...never heard of it, although he claimed it was in the scriptures). He attends a church that teaches Anti-Mormon classes, so we took everything he said with a grain of salt. Of course, we don't want to bash with anyone, but we also don't let people walk all over us. We were able to bear our testimonies and be spicy, bold with him. I love getting to bear my testimony to those around me, even if they want to fight it. I know these things are true and I'm not giving up that easily!

*Maddison (or Sassy) has a solid date for baptism, March 24th! She has asked that I give the opening prayer. She's so cute and SO excited to be baptized!

Well, I guess it's time to break the news:

I'm expecting....a "greenie"! I've been blessed with the privilege of training a new missionary! I've been so excited for this day because I know what an impact my trainer had on me. And that has helped to set the tone for my entire mission (shout-out Sister Greene!) I hope to at least make a sliver of a difference in this Sister's mission experience. All I know is that her name is Sister Bird and she's from Provo. We'll be picking her up on Tuesday.

 But wait, there's more. On top of that, I've been given the assignment of a Sister Training Leader! Talk about double duty!! I was definitely surprised by those assignments. I'm truly humbled and know that these next few transfers will be a whirlwind of adjustment, but I know the Lord will help!
 I'm transferring to the La Habra ward in the Fullerton Stake. I'm SOOO pumped to go back to Fullerton! I was quite surprised! I'll get to go on exchanges to Acacia Park, so I'm really looking forward to that!!

 I'll be serving with Sister Green again! President is just FULL of surprises! But we're excited to be  together once more! It's nice already knowing one of my companions. That makes this huge transition a lot easier.

 It definitely was hard to say good-bye to the Yorba Linda 4th ward. After having served here for 6 months, I've truly come to love the people! They have been such Christlike examples for me. There will always be a special place in my heart for them! I was able to visit a few people, not as many as I would've liked, but that's okay.
  Oh boy, am I gonna miss Sister Jensen too! I just LOVE her! We've had 2 great transfers together and I've learned so much from her! But I know she and her new companion will do wonders here!

  I just LOVE being a missionary! I couldn't think of a better place to be than right here. I love getting to learn and grow and to share the knowledge of the gospel with anyone who will listen. I'm excited for the new challenge/experiences that are awaiting me in La Habra! I love my Savior and I love this gospel!

Until next week,
 
~Sister Burton

Trying to look official.

Saying good-bye to Sister Webster.

 Love these sisters! 

Best District. I'm going to miss them!

Service at Rise Against Hunger.

Mission Conference with Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf.

Saying good-bye to Nora was really hard.

Placentia Zone.

The sweet Dedricks and Maria💕