Monday, March 4, 2013
Italics are additional explanation added for your benefit
It is a beautiful P-day in California
We just finished playing football at a park in the sunshine. It was lovely! Thank you for my package and for the pretty stamps!
We just finished playing football at a park in the sunshine. It was lovely! Thank you for my package and for the pretty stamps!
Sister Loli and I have to record Brightly Beams on the SD
card and I will mail it to you. Maybe we can go do that today. Speaking of
which, some of the other Elders in the stake said they have a member that would
help us record it and has the equipment to write down our arrangement so maybe
we will get to. Also, Sister Dalley who just got transferred out, is a back up
singer for some Mormon singer in Utah and she said when she gets back she is
going to tell her friend to have me come sing alto back up for her. Who knows,
but flattering. Apparently, I'm an ok singer haha
Lots of new baby cows! Yay! How fun! You
should send some pictures. Actually, could you take some farm pictures of the
farm and animals etc. and print them off and send them to me? They would be
nice to have because people are always asking to see them.
Funny story, last night we were in the Library
at the stake center and sister Loli said, "I'm just really trunky
today." She was talking about being Pday trunky because it was Sunday
night but we hear a voice from outside the library say "THOU SHALT NOT BE
TRUNKY" We cracked up because it was our Stake President. He had overheard as he was walking by and, being a former mission
president, had to give his input through the metal accordion window covering haha
it was awesome. He is the best!
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| My BYE book! |
I made a BYE book on P-day. This is a book
where all the missionaries and members you know that leave an area or when you
leave an area sign and write their contact information and a note for you. It's
a big thing we do in this mission and its lots of fun. It's like yearbook day
every 6 weeks.
Wednesday was the first day after transfers so
it was really hard. We had to say goodbye to all of our missionary friends and
it was very sad. We bought donuts to mourn and when we walked in Brother Doolittle says "That doesn't look very healthy..." And we said "NO! IT'S
NOT BECAUSE WE ARE MOURNING!" and he just laughed at us. After we ate some
sugar we felt better and also felt the need to work out but had to wait until
the next morning.
We only have from
6:30 to 7 to exercise, which is hard because by the time we are all dressed we
really only have 20 minutes.
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| Sister Hale and I with Elder Seumanutafa and our Purple Shirts |
We got some awesome shirts made for our
district with all of our former District Leader's sayings on it. It says
"Let me tell you this. Pretty much..." (Which is how he started every
sentence) and then on the back "Remember Your Purple" Which is what
he would say when he was trying to tell us "Remember your purpose"
So, as Dad pointed out, we do not have very
many investigators. That's because we as missionaries have done everything we
can do to find people. The area has been tracted out 3 times in the past 4
months and we have exhausted all our resources. We were praying as a
companionship about what we could do to find more people and we had the
inspiration to have an open house at our building. When we presented it to the
stake, they loved it. Now it's a stake event for the four wards in our building
headed up by the missionaries.
There will be a musical night going on in the
chapel. That's where the tour will start and people will come in and hear the
music. Then they will visit rooms about baptism, the restoration, plan of
salvation, and temples and families. They'll end in the cultural hall where the
auxiliaries will have booths and information for people to get involved as well
as family history, emergency preparedness etc.
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| Our Signs! |
The goal is for members to bring their friends
to the open house and go through with them. To get our members involved and
motivated, we created a 5 week plan with out ward mission leader:
Week 1: Make a list of everyone you know that is less
active or not a member of the church. Pray daily by name for the people on your
list.
Week 2: Pray specifically to know who from your list you
should invite to the open house and if anyone is missing from your list.
Week 3: Pray for the people you plan to invite to have a
missionary moment this week.
Week 4: Invite.
Week 5: Follow up and attend open house with
your friends.
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| Our Signs! |
We explained week one in all the auxiliaries
on Sunday and had someone we had talked to before hand pray for their list in
class. In Relief Society it was an amazing experience as a Sister prayed for
her dear friends on her list. The spirit was so strong and all the sisters were
motivated and ready to pray for their friends.
Sunday night, we ran around in the dark with
our ward mission leader, going from house to house hanging reminders to pray on
all the members’ doors. It was so much fun. How many people get to run around
like crazy people in the dark with their ward mission leader?
Friday was Brother Doolittle's Birthday! Our ward
went and volunteered at a soup kitchen and Brother Doolittle loved spending the day
serving people. We had a birthday party with the Doolittle's and the missionaries. We
made homemade lasagna and black forest birthday cake (like a devils food cake
with homemade whipped cream, cherries, and chocolate on top) SO YUMMY!
The Elders had a baptism on Saturday and they
asked me to play piano. President and Sister Skywalker were there too. Sister Skywalker pulled me aside and said, "I just wanted to thank you for your positivity.
You are always friendly and smiling. I just find it so refreshing!" Made
me feel good because some days it isn't as easy to smile as others, but I
decided when I came on my mission that when I got up every morning I would A. thank
god for being a missionary and B. put a smile on my face. Some missionaries are
just so unhappy looking and I'm like "Hey, nobody is going to believe that
you have the plan of happiness and the good news of Jesus Christ if you look so
grouchy!"
In other news, our investigator was supposed
to come to church on Sunday but she didn't and when we went on Sunday to see
her she wasn't home. We hope she is ok. We are going to try and see her today.
Barbie and Ken, the 10 and 13 year old kids we’ve
been working with (refer to Sacramento –
Week 2, paragraph 7), came to church
on Sunday and...brought their new scriptures with them! We got the Bishop to
give us scriptures for them from the Stake Library and we made them nice and
bought them bookmarks at Deseret Book to give them. When they got them they
were really excited, especially Barbie. I LOVE THOSE KIDS! Ken is 13 and reminds me a
lot of James. Quieter but really snarky. He doesn't let on, but I know it is
really hard for him not being baptized and not having the priesthood like his
friends. We are still praying for a miracle and that their mom will let them be
baptized.
Sister Loli tried to teach us how to hula the
other night. Did you know that when you hula it isn't all in the hips but is
actually all in the knees? This is terrible, because I’m very good at moving my
hips, but I’m awful at moving my knees, so I just move my hips anyways.
So, I guess my takeaway for this week is to
always have a good attitude. Being offended is a choice, and it is a stupid
choice to make. There have been plenty of times on my mission where I could be
offended, but I choose not to be. Then, when the hard times come where you
don't want to be offended, but you are hurt and can't stop thinking of it, you
have to get down on your knees and use the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I find
myself on my knees a lot asking Heavenly Father to help me use the Atonement
and give my feelings over to Christ. Guess what? IT ALWAYS WORKS. The atonement
is real, and through its power we can overcome anything. We can be empowered,
and we can be happy.
I love you all! Have a wonderful week! Have a
missionary moment!
(Mention you're Mormon, bear testimony,
invite)
Sister Burchett
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| Making our signs with Sister Doolittle! |
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| My planner cover. I did this one myself. It took me forever. I'm terrible at crafts. |
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