Week 47: "I traded in groupies for missionaries"

Hello from beautiful Irvine!
   This week has been nothing short of fantastic! Its definitely been weird adjusting to always being around young adults, but it's awesome! Sometimes I feel like I'm at BYU, but then I have to remind myself...I'm still a missionary, haha!
  Lemme give you more of a rundown of my area. Our YSA ward covers 2 stakes: Orange and Irvine. The Elders cover the Orange side and we cover Irvine. Can I just say, I would LOVE to live in Irvine someday. It's such a beautiful, serene place! It's great to see a different part of California!
  The ward is amazing! I just love being here! We've been extremely busy this week, running around, going to colleges, etc. One of the best things about a YSA ward is all the activities they have (and many times people bring their non-member friends!). We got to go to Institute this week and it was a blast!
   Its been a party being back with Sister Brooks! It's so cool to see how far we've both come from our MTC days! We're pumped to take Orange Hills by storm ;)

MIRACLES this week!

*RYAN: Okay okay okay, honestly the craziest story ever. So, long story short, on March 20th, the Sisters knocked on his door and on April 21st he was baptized. He was being prepared by the Lord and he was prepared to embrace the gospel. I was able to teach him a couple times this past week and WOW, he is amazing! I've never seen someone so easily accept and embrace the gospel before! It was a beautiful service. And guess what?! He is planning on serving a mission. One word: WOW. That's all I have to say. I'm speechless.
  At his baptism, Ryan was telling someone, "Yeah, I traded in groupies for missionaries!". What a guy!

*Being in a YSA ward and meeting tons of people all the time means you always have potential "potentials". We're constantly contacting people and trying to find the truthseekers. Well, this week we were inviting tons of people to Ryan's baptism and then to church. We weren't expecting anyone at church. Well, SURPRISE, as we were leaving after Sacrament, the Elders said, "Hey, your friend Dante is here!". We were floored. This guy that the Sisters met a few weeks ago apparently slipped in the back of the chapel and was there for the service. WOW! The Elders have an appointment with him this week and we're excited to hear how it goes.

*Another Sunday miracle: again, being in a YSA ward, they always have food. Each week there's a linger longer after church. Well, we walked in, noticed a kid in street clothes, and went up and talked to him. One of the members saw him walking outside and invited him in for cinnamon rolls. He's a senior in high school and was going for a walk to de-stress from school. We were able to share some of our message and we hope that he comes back!

Yesterday, Sister Brooks and I just basked in the gloriousness of the Lord. This week we had lots of meetings and other things to attend to, which didn't give us a ton of time to find. BUT, the Lord saw our efforts and magnified them! We were able to meet many of our goals this week! The Elders found a girl who is ready for the gospel and got a return appointment for us! Each and everyday I'm amazed at how the Lord truly works in mysterious ways!

 I love being a missionary! This work is so joyful. It's WORK, but so so worth it! I've come so much closer to my Savior and in the process, I've been able to help others come unto Him!

I'm pumped for another whirlwind of a week! There is no place I'd rather be!

P.S. I just remembered a funny from this week. We were knocking doors and knocked into this Asian man who quickly said, "It's dinnertime and I'm already Mormon." He clearly was not Mormon....but we thought it was absolutely hilarious!

Love you all! Keep being awesome! Acknowledge the Lord in all things!

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

Saw this beautiful lake, had to take a picture!

Some weirdo left this note on our board....;)

Korean BBQ with Ryan after his baptism!

RYAN!

Selfie!

So being in Irvine, we get to meet missionaries from the Irvine mission. Well, last night at a fireside we met some! One Sister, Arya(I think) is the FIRST missionary from Iran, EVER! It was so cool to meet her!!

Week 46: Goin' to the Hills!

Hello family and friends! Wowser, this week has been a wild one! Sister Green caught a nasty cold so we didn't get to go out as much as we'd hoped, but we still saw MIRACLES!

 ☆ Monday night, Nora, from Yorba Linda, invited us over for Sister Jensen's "Bon Voyage" dinner (Nora was adamant that I be there...and I could bring my "roommates," haha) It was such a nice dinner and so great to see Nora again. Even though her timing for the gospel is not now, I know it's coming and she has deeply touched my life.

  ☆Like I said, it was super hard sending 2 awesome companions home this week! Sister Jensen and Sister Green both board their planes tomorrow for their homelands. I have loved each and every one of my companions and I'm so grateful for all the wonderful things they taught me. It sure was hard to say good-bye!

☆We finally had a lesson with Paul and Marissa, a part member family we've been working with recently. There is only one word I can really use to describe Paul: "GOLDEN." He described his experiences going to different churches and said he really has been searching for the truth. Since he has been coming to our church, he has felt so much comfort and felt that he was being led here. He honestly is such a truth seeker and our first lesson was full of the Spirit and powerful. We have another lesson this week and I'm so excited to see where it goes with them!

☆David, the 9 year old we're working, has consistently been reading the Book of Mormon with his mom! He has really been making scripture study and prayer a regular habit and said he LOVES the Book of Mormon! He is making great progression towards baptism!

☆Saturday we had a ward picnic at the park. They had tug of war, shaved ice, and a blow up obstacle course. What more could you ask for, you might say?! Well, I'll tell you. PAUL came with his 2 kids....without his wife! Marissa was working and she said she was going to try and get him to go(even though he's super shy) AND HE CAME! The ward members flocked to him, introducing themselves and getting to know him better. Paul is just so golden, it's incredible.

☆Now: transfers. Honestly, this is the craziest transfer I've experienced on my mission. There were SO many changes throughout the mission, including us! Sister Bird is going to a neighboring ward to continue being trained by someone else. Our area is being given to Elders.  I'm being transferred to the Orange Stake to work in the Orange Hills YSA ward! Not only am I taking my mother's place (aka Sister Greene), BUT I'm going to be with Sister Brooks, my MTC companion! The B team will be back together again!
  I honestly saw none of this coming and am super sad I won't be with Sister Bird anymore (she truly flew the nest early) or serving in La Habra, but I feel at peace and know that we are being transferred to where we need to be!
  My dream my whole mission has been to serve in a YSA ward. I'm absolutely ecstatic! I love talking to people my age. I feel such a deep connection with them, so I'm extremely happy! And the cool thing about Orange Hills... this area is out of the mission...in Irvine!

We had a new missionary follow up meeting this past week and something President mentioned has really stuck with me. We watched a video about how the Atonement and missionary work are so closely related. President said, "We don't find the Savior in our ease."
  I know that to be true. News flash: life is not easy! It's in the hard times that we come to truly know the Savior. So in those hard times, remember Him! He helps us in everything, as we let Him in!

Love you all! I'm stoked for this new transfer and new adventure! Stay tuned for exciting things next week!


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

We got beautiful crepes to celebrate Sister Nichols birthday!

 One of my favorite places: OC

 Bon Voyage Sister Jensen

 Snuck a cute picture of David!

Saying good-bye to Sister Jensen!

Fullerton Zone.

With our Ward mission leader, Bro. Redd and Bro. Adams, in the Bishopic! I'll miss La Habra!

Fullerton Zone looking human!

Week 45: The Last Hurrah

Hello,
  This week was absolutely fantastic! We saw many miracles; my heart is full. We've really been sifting through the wheat and tares (mostly sifting out the tares...) and I'm PUMPED to find the truth seekers.

EXCHANGE MIRACLES:

*Sister Weight, who is an ASL missionary, came to La Habra with me and Sister Bird. We had an amazing day! We did "finding" the entire day and were able to talk to many amazing people. Sister Weight has only been out a few weeks longer than Sister Bird, so it was exciting to see their "new missionary" fires. They both did an great job! As we followed the first prompting, we were led to Emma, who was extremely open and wanted to learn more about our church. We should be meeting with her again this week!

*Saturday I was BLESSED to go back to my birthplace, Acacia Park, and be with Sister Pressler for the day. Sister Pressler is such a hardworking missionary, so we hit the ground running! We had the righteous desire of handing out 3 copies of the Book of Mormon that day and we DID IT! Another miracle was finding a former that I knew when I was in the area 8 months ago. She was always hard to get a hold of, so we had stopped seeing her. But on this day, we had the prompting to go and see her. She was home, let us in, and talked about how she wants this gospel for her family. The Sisters have a lesson with her this week! WAHOO! It's amazing to see, over several months, how the Lord was preparing Madeline for missionaries again.

FINDING MIRACLE:

*As we were out finding the other day, we ran into a lady and her son. As we began talking, I noticed that she had been our waitress at IHOP about a month ago. Her name is Jasmine. She had such a light about her, we were able to share some of the Plan of Salvation, and hoping to meet with her again soon. I'm grateful I actually remembered her face. We could just feel the Spirit with her.
*On our way home that evening, Sister Green needed a sugar pick-me-up, so we stopped at Burger King. We pulled up to the window, AGAIN I noticed the lady at the window, a former investigator we had met a few weeks ago. She wasn't interested and was actually really cold when we met her the first time, but this time, she was so bubbly and SHE was the one that recognized us. It was so cool. Moral of the story, follow through on your cravings...never know who you might find.

BEST SUNDAY IN LA HABRA
 Yesterday was honestly one of the most beautiful Sundays I've experienced here in La Habra. First off, David (the 9 year old on date for May) and his family came to church, all dressed up! I just have such a love for that family and it was so great to see them there! Secondly, another part-member family came too! Marissa (the member) and her non-member husband, Paul, came and they stayed through Sunday School. We talked about repentance in class.They both had great comments. Seeing the changes Marissa has made in her life, after being lost for 15 years, shows the power of the Atonement and of repentance. As I sat there, listening to her, the Spirit felt so strong. THAT is why I love being a missionary. Witnessing other people change their lives and come closer to Christ has brought me pure joy. I'm very grateful I get to witness these things! We have our first lesson with them Wednesday.  Sooo excited! Paul said he feels comfortable and good when he comes to church. They are an amazing family. My heart is beyond full!

Well, this is our last "hurrah" with Sister Green, before she gets released and preps for surgery. We've planned some fun things to do for our last few days together. We're ready to work hard and harvest La Habra!

Love you all,

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

Chicken n waffles last week!

MLC (missionary leadership council)

JENN! A member who loves to go finding. We saw some miracles with her that evening!

A cool mural in Acacia Park.

Sister Pressler! We treated ourselves to Milky Buns (a donut ice cream sandwich) for achieving our goals for the day!

Week 44: In the words of Elder Holland...

WHAT.A.PROPHET.

  This past weekend was FANTASTIC! Well really, this whole week was bomb!  Before I get ahead of myself, let me first start with some bad news.

*Irene dropped us. We had such an amazing lesson this past week, but later that night she texted, asking if she could move her baptism up to this coming weekend. Since she hasn't been coming to church, we said we wouldn't be able to do that. She wasn't too happy with that answer and now won't talk to us. It was really sad to see that happen, but it was a testimony to us that she just really isn't ready at this time. We're putting her in the Lord's hands now.

*We'll be getting a new companion next transfer. Sister Green's surgery is much more intense than they first imagined. So she'll be staying until the end of the transfer (2 more weeks) and then will be getting surgery and going home.  I'm going to miss her SO much, but we all know it's for the best.

On to the AMAZING news of the week:

*I had SUCH a fun exchange with Sister Altorfer this past week! I love her so much! We worked so hard and really saw miracles as we followed the Spirit! It was amazing! She reminded me of how I need to be "real" with people! Sometimes we can get into missionary mode and forget that we're dealing with real people, God's children!

*MARISSA! You know the part member family we had an FHE with a couple weeks ago? Well, we saw them the other day when we were out finding and we chatted with them for a minute.
 Later, we got a text from our Ward Mission Leader saying that he got a text from Marissa. Her husband, Paul, wants to start taking the lessons. WOOT WOOT! The ward's service and love to them during these past few weeks has really softened his heart. I have such a strong testimony that the love and service from members can really change people's lives.

*General Conference! Wow. Wow. That's about all I can say. I came prepared with questions and I received the answers that I needed (whether it was from the words spoken or the Spirit). As I stood with all the other members of the church in sustaining our new Prophet, a wave of warmth and peace rolled over me. I KNOW that God continues to speak through His prophets today! Participating in that Solemn Assembly was such an amazing experience, one never to be forgotten.
  I could go on for years about how great Conference was, but I'll spare you the boredom ;)
  We even got to watch the Sunday morning session with a less active from my first area! I never got to meet her when I was in the area, but she was so nice to have us over yesterday for breakfast and conference! What are the odds?!
  I noticed a very common theme of love, forgiveness, and the Holy Ghost. I came away with resolves to be a more loving disciple and to truly forgive. I loved Elder Uchtdorf's talk on the Atonement (obviously....). The way he described how the Lord, who has never sinned or done wrong, still forgave those who did wrong to Him. How much need have we to forgive?!
 
  Also, something that has been on my mind is how much I LOVE being a missionary! Recently, many people have been asking if I like my mission. I tell them, "I don't like my mission, I LOVE it!"
  Honestly, this has been the best time of my life! I have never felt so much joy before! I'm sooooo happy I decided to serve a mission! I am grateful everyday to be able to represent my Savior!

Love you all,

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

Famous Roscoe's Chicken n Waffles. I can see why it's famous...

Posterity pic with my "father"

MISSION St.

Fun with Sister Altorfer

Happy Easter!

Beautiful....