Sister Burton Takes on Anaheim!: 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