Week 80: "What my Mission Means to Me..."

   I've been trying to articulate my emotions this past week into a few simple words, but there really is nothing to adequately describe how I'm feeling.   
   This week was full of a lot of departing meetings, which caused a lot of reflection. It has been so neat to end this journey with the Sisters that I began it with!
  Sister Steele asked me earlier this week if going home feels like going into the MTC. Going home is so much harder than going to the MTC. When you enter the MTC, you really have no idea what you're getting yourself into. At the end of your mission, your heart literally is in two places: at home and with your mission. I have never felt pulled in so many directions in my entire life. Ending my mission is 20x harder than my hardest day in the mission field.
  I've just been soaking in EVERY MOMENT this week. But to better answer my subject title...
  MY MISSION MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME. I cannot imagine my life without having served a mission. In my departing interview with President Golden, he asked me about the Sister Burton that he knew 18 months ago and I just started bawling because I am such a different person now! I mean, I'm still me, but a much better version! I never envisioned exactly what I would be like at the end of my mission, but I didn't think I'd be THIS different. I have been through the refiners fire these past 18 months and I am truly grateful for the experiences that led me to my Savior.
  I've learned so much about the gospel, people, life in general, and especially my Savior, Jesus Christ. I could not have done this without Him. He is the reason I am here, the reason why I served a mission, and the reason why I can have hope and happiness, despite my imperfections.
  I've come to know Him while I've been in the service of my brothers and sisters. As I saw how the gospel blessed and helped others in their lives, it strengthened my testimony and I can stand here today and tell you that, without a shadow of a doubt, this gospel is 100% true. I've talked with many different religious people here and every time I walk away from those conversations, I just realize how perfect His gospel is and how it makes so much sense!
  The people are a big reason why my mission means everything to me. I have been blessed with numerous friendships with people I've taught, random citizens, members, and missionaries that I've been able to associate with. They all mean the world to me.
   Like I said, leaving this place is so hard! But on the other hand, I'm eager to apply everything that I've learned these 18 months! I have so many goals and plans on how I can continue to be a disciple of Christ for the rest of my life.
   A mission is simply a catalyst in the conversion process. It's not the end.
  There is still so much to learn, so many people to serve and strengthen. A mission has been a kick-start for me for the rest of my life!
    I want you to know that I love my mission! There has only been 1 day this whole past week where I haven't cried as I've thought about my mission and all the things I've learned. This experience will forever impact my life. And, just like the scriptures say, I truly do feel nothing but GREAT JOY for the souls I've been able to bring to Christ....including my own!
  The Book of Mormon is the word of God! I know that if we make the effort to get nearer to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ by studying about them and then trying to BECOME like them, we will forever be blessed! That is our Heavenly Father's main objective is for us to become like Him.
   I LOVE getting to wear my little name tag every.single.day. I'm really going to miss the weird looks from everyone around me. I'm thankful for the dedicated time I've had to fully devote myself to my Savior and His work.
  I am so thankful for the assignment to labor in Anaheim, California. I know that this is where Heavenly Father needed me for the past 18 months! There were experiences and people that I needed to meet who have greatly impacted my life.

 I could go on forever and all of this probably sounds like a jumbled mess, but that's probably because I'm just one big jumbled mess right now. I know that I've given my Heavenly Father everything I've had these past 18 months. I haven't been perfect, but I know with my Savior's help, I was able to leave it ALL on the field.
   Although my future is slightly unknown and hazy, I know that as I trust in my Savior, He will help me through. God has a plan for each of us and so He will aid us in that journey!

   I love you all and I'll see many of you soon!

Signing off, for the last time,

Sister Burton

We 4 are the first of the Golden's group to go home. We arrived 1 day before they did!

Departure Dinner with the Mission Presidency

My last, good ole, So-Cal/Mexi tacos...I'm gonna miss em!

My cute little posterity, and Sister Thompson is training again!

Last Temple Trip with the Goldens!

At the Newport Beach Temple

Orange Zone

Last exchange with the Hermanas. They made me a pudding pie!

Last Mission Leadership Council

The Juarezs'

Good ole Brother Kohls.

My last FREE Joe's Italian Ice!

Last District Caroling event!

Week 79: "Joy to the World"

  Another week has come and gone here in Southern California! It straight up rained for 2 whole days this week! I thought the state was going to flood! It was definitely much needed rain and it was a BLAST getting to preach the gospel in it!
  The past week has been full of a few goodbyes. I got to see David and his family last week up in La Habra! I sure love that crazy family! I could just feel more of the Spirit in their home compared to the last time I was there 8 months ago!
  I also got to quickly see Maeve just before she headed out of town for the holidays! She's the best!
 
 CINDI: On Tuesday, we decided to cook dinner for Cindi. She has fed us multiple times and we know finances are not always easy for her, so we thought that we might cook for her and enjoy the meal together. We made Chicken Alfredo, Brussel Sprouts, Garlic Bread, and some classic brownies! She LOVED it! It felt so good to serve her! She is coming along slowly, but surely. As of recently, our interactions have been mostly just conversations, versus teaching actual lessons. We've been able to teach her some simple doctrine and correct her misconceptions. She was really upset to hear I was leaving, because in her words, "We're family!" I sure do love Cindi and her 5 crazy dogs!

  EXCHANGES GALORE: Wednesday I got to go back to the beloved YSA ward to be with Sister Akers! She is nearing the end of her training and she is ROCKIN in! It was so fun to learn from her! Sister Steele actually got sick that day so she and Sister Thompson had to take it easy, but Sister Akers and I had a blast in the rain!

Saturday I got to be with Hermana Hinton here in Esplanade! She too is almost done being trained. I'm so grateful that I've been able to serve around these Sisters for so long because it has been so fun to see them grow and change in a matter of weeks! We actually had opportunities to serve that morning with Cindi(who doesn't like to ask for help, so that was a big step) and with a sweet member who is having to move soon. There were some workers who were replacing our windows for about 3.5 hours that morning, so we tried to figure out a way to be out of the house and still be productive...and the Lord provided! Service just always brings so much happiness and peace! I love it! We had a blast finding and talking with people.

  On Friday night, we had our ward Christmas Party! It was all decked out in a "Grinch" theme and it looked fantastic, complete with a "roast beast" dinner! Earlier in the week, we started inviting everyone we could. Ellgyra was solidly confirmed and a few others said maybe...but no one showed :( BUT in the midst of inviting, we finally made contact with the Lovelace family! She is a member who doesn't attend hardly ever, but she has been telling the ward that she wants her family baptized. We've been trying for months and finally caught up with her. It was awesome! She told us how her 2 kids and husband want to be baptized. We could definitely help with that!
  On Sunday, we found out that the bishop had talked to her the night before about that very topic and she bore her testimony about how much the gospel has helped her in her life. And she wants that for her family! YAY! So, we have a high potential family in the works!!

  Sunday was a little bit of a bummer....Cindi was set to come to church ALL week, but then woke up with a migraine. Kelly was also supposed to be there, but he came down with the flu the night before. The adversary is workin too dang hard on these folks!
   Our District Leader gave us some wise words of wisdom last night as we mentioned the hardest part for us right now is getting set appointments with those that we're teaching and being able to pin them down. He said that maybe this is just a test from Heavenly Father to see if we will continue to do what we're supposed to, even if we don't see the fruits. I think he's right! We still push through and move onward, but it is sad when things get in the way for people to progress. Sister Steele and I have been working hard and we've felt satisfied with what we've accomplished thus far! There is still more to do this week!
   And to top off our Sunday, our District went CAROLING! It was the best thing ever! We sang to a couple people we knew, but then we just started knocking on random houses and had such positive reactions! One lady said they've lived there 20 years and never had carolers. An Amazon driver stopped his car, freaked out because we were carolers, and then recorded us on his Snapchat. We also sang to the "ring doorbell" and the guy said, "Sorry we aren't home, we're at the house down the street. Come on down, we have cookies!" Sure enough, they did!
  I LOVE spreading the Christmas cheer! We've been trying to invite everyone to the special Sacrament service on the 23rd! I just love being able to focus on the real reason of Christmas...which is CHRIST and getting to share that glad message with the world!

  I'm so grateful for my Savior! I look forward to see what the Lord has in store for us this week here in Esplanade! What a special time to be a missionary! I love wearing my little black badge! I am ready to give it everything I have this week! It has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster and I know it will continue to be that way, but I'm just so full of GRATITUDE for everything! Being a missionary is the best!

Love to all,

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

Gotta love David and the V family!

My dear sweet, Maeve!

DAVID!!!

Sister Akers! Not sure why my face is that way:)

Cindi feat.! Our delish dinner:)

Yum!

Hermana Hinton and the cute reindeer ornaments Cindi made us!

A palm tree Christmas tree!

Bon Voyage dinner with the Day family...my second family!!!

District Caroling!

Week 78: "I've officially acclimated..."

HAPPY DECEMBER! Can you believe it?! Because I sure can't! We had a super solid week! Not gonna lie, I did start to get really cold with these 50-60 degree days. I think I have officially acclimated.....

MONDAY: We got to go have dinner with sweet Nora, from Yorba Linda! I just love her dearly! It was so great to catch up with her and to visit her sweet little dog Zico, who seemed to remember me! I love my sweet Auntie Nora!

WEDNESDAY: I got to go on exchanges with my sweet little Sister Thompson. What a day it was! We got to go tabling in the morning at a college and did more finding throughout the day! I have just been amazed at how she's grown from her infant days to now. I learned loads from her! I also think I grew a 6 pack from laughing so dang much!
  To top off the wonderful exchange, we had dinner and lesson with none other than ALEECIA, the member that has been returning to the church. She was surprised to see me there. We had a special lesson about the temple and she was soooo excited! She got her limited use recommend and is waiting for a few more months until she can go through the temple! I hope to be there when she does! Aleecia is so amazing and it was neat to see how much her countenance has changed in just the last few months.

THURSDAY: IT POURED! I REPEAT, IT POURED on Thursday! I was exceedingly happy! It was strange, it would downpour for awhile, then the sun would start to come out, and then it would downpour again! We even had "sun rain"(...Mom ;) ) Plus, we got to see a super awesome rainbow!

FRIDAY: Sister Steele and I have been diligently seeking for others who are ready for the gospel. Many of the people we have taught in this area have been "one hit wonders."  Meaning, we have a super awesome lesson with them and then they start to fizzle or just fall off the face of the earth altogether. Nevertheless, that doesn't stop us! We've been finding and finding! We've had some great conversations with people about Light the World and the Christmas season! We actually knocked into this YSA aged guy, Josiah, and he literally asked questions that were evidence of a truthseeker(such as, "All the churches in the world are so confusing. Shouldn't there just be one?") We were in awe. We set up a time to teach him on Sunday(stay tuned).

SATURDAY: Another fantastic exchange with Sister Koivisto and Sister Sorensen in Tustin Meadows! Since it was the worldwide day of service, we got to help the ward out with cleaning and moving a less-active member! It was very fulfilling! We then got to teach a super amazing young man, Cruz, who is absolutely a gem! He is so prepared for the gospel. He mentioned how many of his friends do drugs and drink and he just really isn't about that life. He was asking about baptism and how that happens....and well, he accepted to be baptized on December 29th!! WAHOO for Cruz! What an awesome kid!
  We had lots of other fun experiences that day! One of which, being the hunt for "street corn." You'll have to Google it, but it's basically this amazing corn on the cob that is lathered in butter, mayo, chili powder, and parmesan cheese. It sounds weird, but I promise, it'll change your life. Anyways, Sister Sorensen was craving it and the cute little Spanish people are always out pushing their corn cart around, honking their little horn. We were on the hunt. We started talking to everyone asking them where the street corn man was and then OF COURSE talking about the gospel. We ran around a few streets for a few minutes until we heard the beloved sound of the street corn man! HALLELUJAH! He seemed a little taken aback about how excited we were, but it probably made his day.

SUNDAY: Ok, so back to Josiah! We went and taught him the Restoration yesterday. He had read the introduction page and was a little unsure about how a Prophet could speak for God. We taught very simply and to his needs and the Spirit was so very strong. At the end, when we asked him if he'd pray to know if what we taught was true, he said, "I prayed the other night and God told me that I don't need to go through anyone else to get to Him."  It was honestly very sad to hear him say that, but I was reminded in Preach My Gospel how it says that a missionary's job is to teach clearly and then it's up to them to decide. I knew that we taught clearly, so we just bore FERVENT testimony to him about these things and told him to call us when he's ready. I felt so fulfilled in that moment! He had the honest heart of a truthseeker, but not the real intent....hopefully soon Josiah!

  Last night, we departed from our original plans and really let the Spirit guide. Well, we were guided to see CINDI again! She was gonna come to church, but was sick this weekend. But we got to go in and talk with her and catch up. We're planning to make her dinner on Tuesday and have another lesson. Cindi is so dear to us. She still has a lot going on in her life, but we're doing our best to help her.

  Well, in case you haven't noticed yet, it's Christmastime! What a lovely time of year to reflect on our Savior and all He has done for us. I love the Spirit of Christ that is in the air, unifying all of God's children together! I just have to say, my testimony of the Savior has grown so very much this past year and a half. I have come to know of my Savior personally as I've studied and had experiences of my own, but especially while observing other people and their experiences of coming closer to Christ. My heart is so full. My goal for this transfer has been to strengthen and share my testimony of Jesus Christ daily and I've been doing all I can to fulfill that! I want this area to know that Christ lives and that He cares about each of us. I bore my testimony of these things yesterday in church, for my last time as a full-time missionary in a Fast Sunday testimony meeting. It was bittersweet. Mostly sweet because WOW my testimony is so pure and real! I can't wait to continue to strengthen and share it for the rest of my life! I LOVE MY SAVIOR!

 Love you all! Always remember Him! Don't forget to LIGHT THE WORLD!

Auntie Nora!

Tabling with my Mija!

Aleecia!

RAIN!

...and a Rainbow!!!

The Street Corn Man!

Sisters Koivisto and Sorensen. Feat. Street Corn.

A super decked out house! The owner's been doing this for 30+ years!!!

Cindi's dogs love it when we give them treats!

Week 77: "It's beginning to look a lot like..."

Has it truly already been a week?! And WOW what a week it has been(in a good way of course...)
  Here are some of the highlights...

KELLY: We finally got to have a lesson with our dear, Black Sabbath loving friend, Kelly! One of my favorite members, Sister Folger(also an RM) came along with us and she KILLED it! Honestly, I look up to her so much because I want to be an awesome RM who still loves being involved in the work, just like her! Kelly's "gal" Sherry, (whom Kelly told us was NOT gonna be interested) ended up sitting in on the whole lesson! We got to teach most of the Restoration, although Kelly still has some qualms and concerns about some doctrine of our church. But he accepted the invitation to read from the Book of Mormon and pray about it, so that's good! He said our congregation is the nicest, warmest congregation he's attended in California! He is interested in the "men's group" and still is curious about many things! Wahoo for Kelly! Hopefully he'll let that desire stir within him!

THANKSGIVING: Thanksgiving was a great day! We went about doing good, walking the streets, chalking, etc. We even got to participate at the service at the Honda Center, just like last year! We helped clean up after the free public turkey dinner! It was such a blast to help!
  We then had dinner with the Roberts, a new couple in the ward. They also invited a lot of friends from their previous Mid-Singles ward so it was quite the party! Bro. Roberts went to 2 culinary schools....so you could say the food was to die for!

DAWNICE: I think I failed to mention that a member brought a friend to church last week, Dawnice. She is super nice and LOVED the services. Meghan, the member, and Dawnice came to dinner at the Roberts. Well, while talking with Dawnice, we came to find out...she's a member!! Our bishop found her records and everything. She was baptized a LONG time ago but had an absolutely traumatizing experience that she stopped attending. She doesn't remember diddly squat about the church, so it's basically like she's a non-member. Dawnice has a lot of issues going on in her life,  but she commented how much she loves this congregation and the peace she feels. We're gonna continue to try and work with her and help her overcome those issues in her life.

EXCHANGES: I got to go on exchanges this past week with Sister Sorensen! We had such a blast finding for most of the day! Nothing much to add, except she's awesome and I love her loads!

8-9 PM MIRACLE: So last night, it was getting to be "late" and there comes a point when not many people will open their doors to us. We decided to try and see Roberto, someone we met on the streets our first week in the area. We've been having the hardest time getting hold of him. We were thinking that if we didn't catch him last night, we'd probably have to move our energy elsewhere. Well, we popped in and he immediately said, "Yeah, let's go to the complex clubhouse where we can talk more." We sat down next to the pool and taught him the Restoration. The Spirit was so very strong! He mentioned how he's not the best at committing to things, but we told him we would start small. He has a lot of questions about religions, since he hasn't really been involved in any! We were so grateful to have finally been able to contact him and to teach him on the spot! I love those moments!

  I attended my last Zone Conference this week. It was so bittersweet. (Sister Nichols and I actually had a good cry and hug afterwards...) But I got to be in a musical number and bear my testimony so nothing like going out with a bang, right? I got emotional as I talked about a few things I've learned on my mission...a few of MANY things...and my heart was so full of all the amazing lessons I've learned and am continuing to learn. This really is jump starting me for the rest of my life!

  Along with that, we kicked off LIGHT THE WORLD! Gah, I can just feel the Christmas spirit in the air! We've been going around trying to share the video with people that we meet and we've been able to share it several times so far! I just love getting to be a missionary, especially at this time of year! I can feel the unity between ALL of us, God's children, no matter what we believe. I love getting to share the message of Jesus Christ!

All my love,

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

Pretty Birds of Paradise plants. You see them everywhere here!

Where's Sister Burton? Hint: I'm wearing a white shirt!

Thanksgiving chalking masterpiece!

Peanut Butter cookies! Sister Sorensen and I made them for exchanges!!!

Sweet Sisters in the zone!