Sacramento - Week 7

Due to the new security measures requested by the Mission leaders, the names of all investigators and people that Sarah comes into contact with will be replaced with the name of a well-known character from a children’s movie. This will keep the identities of people safe as well as make it easier to keep everyone straight. The name given is in NO WAY intended to reflect the personality, looks, or circumstances of the individual(s).


Monday, March 11, 2013

Talofa! 

Lots of things going on this week and they are all scrambled in my brain so this won't be the most organized of letters. Hopefully, it will still be entertaining. 

Me all excited and putting on my helmet. Trying
to figure out how to wear a helmet with hair...

Since Sister Loli is the exchange sister, Sister Hale and I get to do a lot of exchanges. This week I went down to Fair Oaks in the Carmichael stake and was on exchange with Sister Jackson and Sister Strehlow. They have a hybrid companionship which means they have a car and bikes. Thus began Sister Burchett's very short biking saga. One of the bikes needed a new inner tube so we got the Elders to come and fix it. Then, very excited, we got on the bikes to ride off into the day. After trying to ride my bike about 20ft I realized something was wrong. We pulled over and realized that my bike chain was all 3,000 kinds of janky. We tried to fix it but couldn't and spent the rest of the day walking. Thus ends Sister Burchett's very short biking saga. 

Me all excited as I walk out the door to ride
my bike!

Me depressed because my bike broke 10 seconds later 

        While on exchange, I got to teach the Word of Wisdom and help commit one of their investigators to baptism. That was a neat experience because, as you know, we don't get to do a lot of teaching around Green Valley. We do a lot of sowing, but we are waiting upon the Lord to see the reaping. 

Even though Green Valley hasn't seen any baptisms yet, our Zone as a whole is doing great! We have a good chance of breaking the high water mark this month. The high water mark is the largest numbers of baptisms in one month for the zone. Here in El Dorado the high water mark is 12 and we are on track to beat it with at least 13 this month. EXCITING! If we break the high water mark, President and Sister Skywalker and the APs take the whole zone out to dinner. We'll see what happens, but we have great faith and expect miracles! 

My key chains from the kiddos!

We had dinner with a family this week. I think I have talked about them before. They are a part member family. The mom is a less active member and the Dad and kids aren't members. We have been really blessed because they used to hide from other missionaries, but they like us. They went to Disneyland last weekend and the kids brought us back key chains. They are such a wonderful family. I love them! They made us this delicious Hawaiian chicken stuff. Changed my life it was so good. 

We also had dinner at our investigator Daphne’s house this week. Yes, we ate there. This is a big step. A, because the house was finally clean and in order enough to cook a meal, and B because we were just visiting and teaching and not doing service. We wanted to teach her about the Restoration this weekend but something came up so we will teach her this week.

We had a fun Relief Society activity this week to celebrate Relief Society's birthday and Daphne came for a while. It was good for her to meet some of the ladies from the ward and see what they do in Relief Society. She has a bad habit of taking offense very easily though, so we had to smooth some things over. Only Jesus can help you with that one though. 

Speaking of taking offense, a quick story to remind us all that being offended is a choice, and it is a choice not worth making. One of the missionaries had an incident with a member and got offended. They talked to the Bishop and hoped that that was the end of it. But, other members found out and the Zone Leaders got involved and it blew up into this huge deal over one little comment that was taken the wrong way. As members of the church, we can't afford to be offended. We choose how we react and if something hurts our feelings, we need to use the atonement to get over it and move on! That's what it is there for. 99% of the time whoever offended didn't mean to and doesn't even know they did. Especially as missionaries, we can't be offended. When we are, it cause huge problems that we leave behind when we are transferred, but that stay with those members because this is their home. So don't choose to be offended. Choose to smile and give it all to the Savior. 

Climbing off my soapbox, the El Dorado stake did a dance festival this weekend. It was so awesome! So many of the youth from our ward were in it and I was so proud of them. We were cheering for them and the youth loved having the missionaries there. Being on a mission really changes your perspective because as I watched them performing, I didn't just see youth. I saw future missionaries! It made me excited for the church because the next generation of youth is AMAZING which means the next generation of missionaries is going to be AWESOME!

I played piano at a baptism this weekend. It was the Zone Leader's investigator, and it was a beautiful baptism. The spirit was so strong there, and it was easy to see that their investigator was truly converted. I'm grateful for music and how it can bring the spirit and for the opportunity I've had to use it on my mission so much so far. After the baptism we were talking to the Zone Leaders about a referral we had contacted. Sister Hale said, "She seemed really interested but the boyfriend was kind of standoffish." I said, "But you can tell he has a really good heart." Elder Andrew started cracking up and he said, "Sister Burchett, you are always SO positive!" I laughed and said, "Well, I figure you should just look for the good, because it's not worth it to dwell on the bad." True doctrine. Everybody, just smile! It makes the world a better place. I've decided that I'm going to make the motto for my mission "Every day is a good day, some just better than others." 

Sister Loli and I wrote a song for our Zone this week. It is on my SD card so you can watch it whenever I fill this one up. I have another one I am sending home with my song from Zone Conference on it. The camera just stopped recording part way through so it is in two parts and on the second one I moved closer to the camera so you could hear the words better. Just explaining why the video is so weird. Also, I felt really awkward singing to no one. What can I say, I love an audience! (I also hate an audience, but such is the oxymoron of life) 

Our lava lavas and Purple shirts!

Last Pday we all wore our "Remember your purple" T-shirts and our lava lavas to zone sports. We looked so cool, except in the picture Sister Loli and I look like Amazon women next to Sister Hale who is the tiniest human in the whole world. Sister Loli and I decided we are going to open up Samoan work and a Samoan branch. We told President and he just laughed at us, but we are totally serious. 

I stole this cool quote from President Gordon B. Hinckley on exchange this week: 

"Today many sisters are being called to serve. Many more are preparing to serve. Not because they aren't married or don't have anything else to do, but because they have the desire to serve. One reason that the Lord wants more sisters to serve is because within the next generation He will send His priesthood army to the earth. He wants to send choice spirit children to mothers who have been prepared, properly trained and taught in the gospel. What better schooling can a mother have than the experience and growth she gains through serving a mission." 

We are working hard motivating our members to invite non-members and less actives to the open house in April. We just started Week 2 which is to pray about the people from their list and ask who specifically (if not all of the people on the list) they should invite to the open house and who they might be missing from their list. We are making more reminders for this week. Our reminder this week is a string with balloons tide to it. There is one balloon for every day of the week and they pop one balloon each day. There is a scripture inside each balloon about the power of prayer. Our mission leader keeps telling us "It's not about what's the easiest; it's about what's best. After this open house, we want to be able to tell the Lord we did EVERYTHING we could do to find someone who He has prepared to be taught." He also said (in reference to church callings) "Just do what you feel you should do. The worst they can do is demote you, and in reality that is the greatest blessing!" hahahha funny man. Best ward mission leader EVER!

Also, I got a letter from Elder Peters the other day! You know he is in my neighboring mission right? I could pretty much spit and hit him on the head. (That was not a very lady like quietly dignified comment, but it's my personality so...) Anyways, it was fun to hear from my fellow Melissa-ite!

Okey doke, I'm gonna send some pics really fast and then head out. We are putting on an easter egg hunt at our house today for the zone. 

I love y'all! The church is true. The gospel is true. The work is hastening forward and we CAN help the good work move along. 

Sister Burchett