"Love"

Kumusta Family and Friends!!

So this week was...well this week....haha lets just say that everything fell apart it seems even my body!! Everyone gets sick at the end of their mission because your body is just so tired I think and it just can't go anymore! So I may or may not have had a couple of sick days and other things fell apart around me...like Joy was sick too so we didn't have a baptism! Sayang! But we'll have it this upcoming week. And we may have lost almost all our teaching pool, one who is really progressing got a job and we haven't seen her since...curse trabaho!! Then one doesn't want to be baptized till the next year because that's when her life will calm down...uhh...no. And nobody came to church and all the members can't work with us or either cancelled on us for certain things. And being the back up plan to speak in sacrament meeting. Weekly planning just went down the drain.

So that's what a missionary's life feels like when everything is falling apart but good things still happen. You just have to look for the good and make bad things better. Even though my life feels like it's falling apart right now, I just had to take a step back and see what the Lord wants me to learn right now. I still don't really know why and maybe I won't but part of the answer to me came in a blessing from my awesome zone leaders and my talk that I felt inspired to give at church. During my blessing, Elder Wise said I would be able to endure (the rest of my mission), but fulfilling my calling to love. I realized that maybe I hadn't been loving as much as I should. I remember one time in Santa Maria when I was struggling as well, what Heavenly Father had sent me here to do. To love. To serve. And to teach. But most above all to simply love. It was just a beautiful reminder that pure Christ-like love will change the world and it most certainly has changed me. Through my circumstances, my areas, the members, the people and my companions. I know that I was sent to love. 

From my talk I read Pres. Monson's talk last conference..."Dale Carnegie, a well-known American author and lecturer, believed that each person has within himself or herself the “power to increase the sum total of [the] world’s happiness … by giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged.” Said he, “Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime."

"Love is the very essence of the gospel, and Jesus Christ is our Exemplar."-Pres. Thomas S. Monson.

I know that's what we are doing everyday, no matter if our life or world is falling apart, look at what Heavenly Father really wants you to do. He wants us to simply love, serve and teach others to become like His Son and return back to Him. And that's why I'm here :)

Mahal ko kayo!! I love you all!!

Love, Sister Burnham

"Seed planted......and harvested!"

Hello family and friends!!

Another week? Wow, it's all too fast!! I wish I could find the pause button but the mission just gets faster and faster the longer you're on it. We celebrated Sister Lacanienta's 16 month mark today by going to Shakey's! It's this expensive pizza place for all the rich Filipino's. Haha It's funny...the more rich you are as a Filipino, the more American you are. So so true! But we tend to teach those of less fortunate circumstances because they are more humble and I love them just as much. We have a baptism this upcoming Saturday for Celia's two cutest granddaughters!! Joy and Jiselle. So exciting!! It will be so good for them especially with helping raise them in the church. Celia raises them because their mom has psychological problems and they know nothing about their dad. It's so sad but I'm grateful they have Celia...she's amazing.

So something amazed happened this week from my last area...the sisters in Santa Maria called Sister Kinikini the other day to see if she could go visit their recent convert and a referral she had for them in Lipa. So they went and were just getting to know this sister and recent convert, Mary Grace. Anyways, Mary Grace told them about the beginning of her conversion process and how it was this American sister that really started making it happen...Sister Burnham! Ya, she mentioned my name and Sister Kinikini was like, "I live with her, she's hear in Lipa!" It was crazy and I remembered her! I taught her my second to last day in Santa Maria, but that's all and I didn't think she would want the sisters to come back. Anyways, she told what happened; she was taught by us because her aunt referred her to us. She was kinda hestiant but she said something I said touched her heart. I asked her a question about Heavenly Father and said something like how He misses her and that He just wants her to come back to Him. That night after our visit, she had a dream that Jesus Christ or Heavenly Father was hugging her and her husband and she woke up knowing what I had said was true as she prayed to understand more. She kept meeting with the next missionaries after me and was baptized. She told Sister Kinikini that she wants to see me again and tell me thank you, for sharing with her what she needed to hear and for introducing the gospel to her. Her husband is now being taught by the missionaries and it's a miracle of a seed that was planted and then harvested.

It really touched my heart to hear that happened and I knew what I said that day was directed by the Spirit and that she came to know who her Heavenly Father was and her Savior. She found them. Kasi, this girl that we are teaching with her mom shared with me, after we taught this beautiful lesson about the atonement, that now she knows who Jesus Christ is. She found Him. It was amazing to hear that from her and then her mom following. This world confuses you who they really are and it's hard to find them, but through simple testimony, simple reading of the Book of Mormon, we come to find Him.

I know that this is the Lord's work and that we as missionaries are simply just His tools in His hands. It been the hardest 15 months of my life but the most rewarding. I've never been so happy while helping others find Christ.

I love you all, help someone this week find Him too.

Mahal ko kayo!

Love, Sister Burnham

 

 

 

"Pedicures!! Yes, its been too long!!"

 

"Ukay ukay shopping!"

"Joy and Jiselle"

"He is going to the Phoenix, Arizona Mission....cool!! Right?"

"My favorite two tatay's.....Nelson & Cardona...they're the other sisters recent converts and one is getting baptized next week. They're my favorite!" :)

"These two cute girls are getting baptized this Saturday!"

"Having fun at Celia's"

"Family"

Hello Family and Friends!!

So this week went too fast for me to remember anything!! I swear, the mission just gets faster and faster that the only thing I can really remember doing this past week was Sister Kinikini drawing a u-brow on my face and us being "eyebrow single to the glory of god" daw. Haha The work just really stresses me out that I'm growing a u-brow! Haha Not really but we did have some good laughs. What other things did we laugh about this week...we only had about 10 people at church yesterday because we had a mini storm Saturday night...nothing like the typhoon but no power and water for the morning. Rain showers, starting to get used to them! Haha But nobody came to church but the missionaries, the bishop and the two greatest tatays in the whole ward, and a few members...but it was great, hanging out with them. It made church easier not having to coordinate with members and being by our investigators side, and just weird punted lessons, people not wanting to listen to us...(maybe something is wrong with me haha maybe I smell bad...hindi ko alam) and the lessons we do make the lady talk the whole time and we can't even get a word in...I don't think she even breathed! It's been a weird, fast and interesting week. I have nothing exciting to share...sayang. Except one awesome experience I had talking to this guy on our way to exchanges...he started talking to me, which has been happening a lot lately...thanks to the nametag! And his English was perfect! It's so weird oym'ing in English but he was really interested, especially in learning how the gospel could bless his family and help him become a better dad for his new born daughter and a better husband for his wife. It's just amazing to see how much the gospel offers us...even that most important part of our life. It really is all about family :) 

I guess the greatest thing though that I had from this week was our zone training meeting and exchanges with Sister Abubo. I love my calling, I love serving my zone and especially getting to learn one on one with the sisters. It's so great to learn from them and apply in my area. They're my success right now, not my area but that's okay...the Lord is just kinda giving us a challenge right now...but we won't give up. The mission is never smooth, it's more like an up and down wave or roller coaster, but that's a good thing, because we would never learn what the Lord would have us know or become.

All in all, life is great :) I truly have been blessed to be here and especially have the support I do have to be here. Thank you for your prayers, love and support. I really have been able to feel that while I've been in the place I've come to love so much. I really will miss the Philippines so much...but I'm not leaving it yet! And it will never leave my heart.

I love you so much!! Mahal na mahal ko kayo!! Have a great week!

Love, Sister Burnham

"My cool scriptures"

"Meetings"

"Sister Balcita's Birthday!"

"Head massages!"

"Love Notes"

"Love Notes"

"Yummy Lomi"

 

 

"My favorite tatay!!"

"Sister Kinikini being weird."

 

"In the Last Hour"

Hello my dear family and friends!

Another week has gone by! And this one way fast! We had three meetings in a row this week with Elder Bowen, he's the seventy assigned here in the Philippines. It was really really good but so tiring. My mind and spirit felt so exhausted after all was done along with the traveling. But I got to get to know my zone leaders a lot better and it's fun being a team with them...especially with my batch mate from the MTC. The mission is too fast. Haha But it was just amazing to learn who we really are and if we are living up to the potential, to that person we were before this life, and then we act accordingly to who we really are. It was amazing.

But I had two amazing experiences this week that I would like to share. One required a little bit of patience, diligence and some faith. So after all the meetings were said and done, we could finally go back to work! After a painfully long weekly planning...I will not miss those after the mission, but we were so excited to get out the door and got punted left and right...the whole day! But we kept a smile on our faces, talked to lots of people "so we wouldn't be unemployed" and asked ourselves, "Why did the Lord bring us here?" It was good up until the last appointment fell through...now really, why did the Lord bring us here? We're we getting something wrong...not listening to the Spirit? We felt confused for a moment and thoughts of retreat entered our minds, but we didn't give in and went to the neighbors and began talking to them...miraclously,they let us in. And even better they were looking for something more and were happy that we had stopped by, anxiously wanting to learn more. The Spirit testified to me that good things can still happen but in the Lord's timing. And if we put in our all, go the extra mile that things really do occur. So many times have I had things like that happen in the mission, that in that last hour of work, doors open or we really find those that are prepared. Don't give up at the last hour.

Another amazing thing I saw yesterday was with the other sisters. At church a man walked in at the end of sacrament and made his way to the back. Sister Kinikini and Sister Garcia talked to him once the meeting was over and the man confessed that he was on his way to Batangas pier to commit suicide. But as he got off the bus in Lipa and walked his way down the busy freeway on his way to Batangas...he had a feeling to go inside this church on the side of the busy freeway of Lipa...which happened to be ours. As he saw the name "Jesus Christ," he thought he should try once more for help. So he came in, felt the spirit and told the sisters that he felt directed here and knew he could get help. And he did, our bishop talked to him and then the sisters had an amazing plan of salvation lesson with him where he decided to go back home to his family, his poor situation and become a mormon. That's what he told the sisters. What an amazing testimony to me that God is so aware of each of his children. That man was clearly directed by the Holy Ghost and followed before something terrible almost happened. I don't know what will happen to him since he lives way out of our mission boundaries but I do know that the Savior was the answer to saving a man's life.

It's just amazing to see the Lord's hand in my life and in the life of others this past week... there's a great talk by President Erying called O Remember, Remember that is perfect about this. He says at the end..."Tonight, and tomorrow night, you might pray and ponder, asking the questions: Did God send a message that was just for me? Did I see His hand in my life or the lives of my children? I will do that. And then I will find a way to preserve that memory for the day that I, and those that I love, will need to remember how much God loves us and how much we need Him." I hope and pray that we can all see the miracles and blessing in our life everyday and maybe to write them down...to retain those precious memories of those happenings in our lives and others. I know that God is aware and that He does love us, no matter where we are, He is always there.

I love you all so much! Have a great week and see the miracles that are there everyday!

Mahal ko kayo!

Love, Sister Burnham

Merry Labor Day!!

Hello Everyone!!

Let the Christmas music begin!! It's now officially the "ber" months!!! Haha. In the Philippines, Christmas music starts in September...it's great. That's what our Baptist priest neighbors next door play now...it was church music but now it's Christmas!! So merry early Christmas everyone or Happy Labor Day! Haha :)

This week was good...chicken heads on the porch as a gift from the neighborhood cats...they don't bring rats but chicken heads. Too bad, we could have eaten that! haha joke lang :) And Jake Jake (the Gregorio's youngest son) pretending to pick out lice from my hair. Don't worry...don't have that...yet. And hopefully never! It's so common here...there's just not good hygiene in the Philippines. But all is great! No transfers! I still have my favorite...Sister Lacanienta (La-ca-nien-ta) with me and we have a lot of great things coming up even though we had some sad moments this week...

We had to drop Jonathon. It's been a whole transfer that he's not progressing and it was a bit to the sakit sa puso ko. But it's okay...we'll still visit.

 

I still love that man and someday he'll be ready. It's just not his time right now. But it's others. We've had lot of opportunities with us being ready...this cute couple we found that just soaks up everything we teach, less actives giving us referrals and Nanay Celia working with us and referring her whole family and many friends to us. Wow, it's getting better and we don't feel stuck in such a small teaching pool. It was just a testimony to me that yes, some might not be ready right now but plant that seed, love them and find those that are prepared now by the Lord. They're out there and we're going to find them :)

So I love D&C 123:17...it's my favorite along with D&C 15:6. It's beautiful and something that I know to be true. No matter where we are in life, there will be things out of our control or hard things that will happen. We do what we can, within our power and we smile. Doing it cheerfully and then give it to the Lord. Then we stand by and watch Him take care of the rest. I know that to be true with all my heart. I'm not doing this work, but the Lord is. And He is the one who takes care of those things that we can't. If we just let Him. I love you all so much. My greatest hope and prayer for you all is to really come unto the Savior. To give those things that are hard over to the Lord or for good things to happen in your life. Hand it to the Lord and see the miracles happen.

Have a great week!! Go make a difference and see the miracles that happen everyday! Mahal na mahal ko kayo!!

Love, Sister Burnham

 

 

 

 

"Coolest Zone Leaders. Elder Geronimo went home....done with the mission! So saying :/"

 

 

 

 

"William and Flor"

 

"Street food with the companion....I'm so Filipina daw."

 

 

 

 

"Introducing Dr. Pepper to the Filipinos."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Exchanges"

 

 

"The city of Lipa"

 

 

 

"My neighborhood"

 

 

"The city of Lipa"

 

 

"Chicken heads on the porch."