Mission Tour With the Nielsons!

Family and Friends!!

So I just found out on Sunday that our p-day is today, not Friday...Sayang!! But it's okay, I'm grateful for the emails I had and the time to catch up and write everyone :) 

I can't believe that the holidays are already here...haha we actually thought Thanksgiving was this past Thursday but it's tomorrow! Oh well, we already celebrated with sinagang which is masarap!! Love it and Sister Wilson is obsessed with it. Haha The hoildays are weird here because it never gets cold and just doesn't feel like it's the holiday times yet....I feel like it's still August. Haha The only way I can tell is everyone's Christmas lights and music but other than that I just don't really feel it yet. Haha But I think it will be fun to spend Christmas here :) 

Our work is going really great, last time I wrote about Brother Ricky and he is golden!! Definelty someone who was prepared by the Lord. He's been to church twice already and he's just beaming with happiness. I wish I had a picture of him but he's a tricycle driver and we see him all the time  drive by on his tricycle. Haha and he wears these shades and always yells "SISTERS!!" Whenever he sees us. Haha He's the happiest, smallest, and kindest Filipino man I've meet. I love teaching him. And I think he'll be our next baptism :) It's just amazing to find these people who I didn't think would be ready but they are because the Lord prepared them :) 

So mission tour was so so good!! We had Elder and Sister Nielson of the seventy give our mission tour and it was amazing, it was everything that I needed to learn and hear. I especially loved Sister Nielson's talk for just the Sisters, she said that we learn lessons throughout our life and can only learn them through opposition and trials because we wouldn't learn any other way. She shared D&C 123:13-17 with us and it perfect for me, especially the last verses. I learned that Heavenly Father offered me this mission to learn and become "holy". He wants me to learn many things through the experiences, my companions, and everything and apply it throughout my life, especially in my marriage and family that I will have. This is the time to learn for that. She also talked about to not focus on the what we can't do and focus on what we can do. Then do what you can and watch Heavenly Father take care of the rest. It really changed my perspective. 

I know that I'm imperfect and that I make mistakes everyday. And that I have quite a ways to go but I know Heavenly Father doesn't count those, He counts what you can do and where you are heading. And that we have His promise, that after all we can do, He will take care of the rest. It really taught me to hand him over the reigns and let him lead me, even if it's through storms. I need it to learn to lessons I'm meant to learn and become the person I'm suppose to be. 

I hope you can all see that in your own lives and let Heaven'y Father guide you where you're suppose to go. I know that is always there. I love this gospel and I love how blessed we are to have it. It has changed my life even more as a missionary.

I love you all so much and I miss you just as much. Have a great week and look for the holiness of all things. Or in other words, looks through Heavenly Father's eyes :) 

Mahal ko kayo!! 

Love, Sister Burnham 

"Celebrating Thanksgiving...I know!! Early!! Opps!!"

"Setting up our Christmas tree, cute, diba?!"

"Seeing lots of friends at mission tour!!"

 

 "Free ice cream while working!"

"Traveling to mission tour and back :)"

"Elders being Elders....haha they were taking pictures looking like they were eating the islands haha it was entertaining :)"

Finding the Elect

Family and Friends!! 

Hello everyone!! Another week has gone by in the beautiful Philippines, I actually hit my third month mark since I've been here in the Philippines, can't believe that's how long I have lived here! It's great though, I love it here! It's become home to me in so many ways. 

So just so you know, I won't be on next Monday because we have a mission tour!! Elder Neilsen of the seventy is coming to visit us and we're having a zone conference with him. But it's next Monday so no p-day. But I'll have my p-day next Friday so you won't hear from me till then! Sayang but I'm excited for the mission tour, I think it will help me a lot. 

Anyways, things have been good, we worked hard this week. I love my new companion, she's different than Sister Malig but still good. I'm still trying to get used to her but I know that we'll become good friends. I'm grateful for how good she is as a missionary though, she came pre-trained and helps me a lot, especially with language. I'm very grateful for her because I've realized just how imperfect I am and the many weaknesses I have. Training is hard, being in charge of everything but hopefully I can get it soon and learn and progress more than before. 

We've been looking a lot for new investigators, looking for the elect and we found someone. His name is Ricky and he's a friend of Sister Jane's. He's a single man with no family but I can tell he's been searching for something more in this life. We taught him the first lesson and taught him that he could know that these things are true through prayer. We kneeled and he gave the prayer and after he asked if what we taught him was true, he paused. And he listened. Never had an investigator before do that. After the prayer we extended baptism and he accepted. He even came to church yesterday and is excited to read the Book of Mormon and find out for himself if these things are true. I know for a fact that he was prepared by the Lord and that he is one of the elect. I'm so happy for him and see the light that he has in his eyes just grow more. It's amazing and I know that Ricky is finding what he's been searching for. 

I'm grateful to be here and to find the elect here, in the Philippines. It's hard work and I'm being pushed harder as a trainer but I found some comfort in a talk by Elder Bednar, called "The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality." He said- "[Christ] has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy in so many phases of our life.He can reach out, touch, succor literally run to us- and strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we could never do through relying upon only our own power." I know that to be true and as I've been reaching out more for the enabling and strengthening power of Christ, I receive comfort that I can do this, that I can overcome any challenge and do what He knows that I can do in my journey here in the Philippines as well in this life. As well as for all of us. 

I know that the power of the Atonement is real and that it can change and strengthen us. I'm still working on it but I feel it and I've seen it start to happen in my investigators and recent converts. It's amazing and how blessed we are to have it, we just need to use it. 

I love hearing from you, I miss you all but I know that we have a great work to do where ever we are. And mine is here in the Philippines for a time. How blessed I am to serve here and have the family and friends to support me :) Thank you. Salamat po!

I love you!! Mahal na mahal ko kayo! And have a great week!!

Love, Sister Burnham 

"Farewell party with the Tings :)"

"Yes, I ate a chicken foot!! Not my favorite because walang meat!!"

"The many frogs in our apartment"

"And playing with Dorina's dogs :)"