Sister Burton Takes on Anaheim!: 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!