"Example & Influence"

Hello Family and Friends!!

WOW! Another week has come and gone! I swear, the time just speeds up and up...It's crazy how fast things go toward the end of your mission, especially when you are busy with meetings and exchanges. It goes by a lot faster with things happening everyday. We also have a special meeting tomorrow in San Pablo with Elder Robbins from the seventy...he spoke last conference. It's going to be great!

Nothing too exciting happened this week, just getting our area back on its feet and becoming best friends with the tatays. Oh Brother Nelson and Brother Cardona are my favorite! We had the primary program yesterday and Bro. Cardona was laughing all loud and talking all loud making comments about the program. He just doesn't know how to whisper...he's a hoot and makes me laugh. Just the crazy tatays in the ward as our converts. It's fun :)

I really love this one couple that we are teaching that is doing really great, they are our most progressing right now. Mae and RJ. RJ is a long time less active, actually from Calapan, Mindoro, and Mae is from there too. Anyways, she's been a long time investigator and former investigator. We went through our former investigators and I remembered her when I first had gotten here in Lipa, so we went back and it was a miracle. Brother actually joined in the lesson and they expressed how they wanted to come back to the church. They're willing to get married this time as well. Perfect! It was mostly brother that changed so I asked him what made him change. He has a friend that's a RM and really has influenced him to living a better life; living the gospel with a wife and a family. He said he wants that same happiness he has. It truly was a miracle to see someone elses example and influence on someone who had that before him, but was struggling to understand or to have that happiness. Things are finally going to start happening though and their family really can be together forever :) That will be a great day.

So just remember that we never know when someone's heart will change and when they look to us for help...maybe just look at our example. It just might make a huge difference :)

I love you all so much!! Mahal ko kayo!!

Love, Sister Burnham

 

 

"Starting exchanges"

"Dead snake in our neighborhood....yikes!!"

"Me and Sister Taufa in our "stretchy pants" LOVE IT!"

"Making Pakistan food.......masarap!!!!!"

"You May Rescue...You May Save."

Magandang hapon po sa inyo lahat!!
This week was GRRRRREAT!! I swear, miracles are happening and it's been great. Blessings truly do come after much tribulation. But first I just have to share what my cute companion said the other day...she was reading off words in english during language study and read "dome". She asked what that was so I drew a picture and she said, "Oh, parang bahay ng ants! Oh, like a house for ants!" Haha It was so funny!! Oh how I love Filipinos!

So the reason for my title. This past week I thought a lot of the song "Brightly Beams, Our Father's Mercy" as we had miracles take place. We visited this former investigator that has been a lifelong investigator because she's not married to her less active husband. So we stopped by and brother actually opened up to us and we taught both of them and they opened up how they want to come back to church and sister Mhae still wants to be baptized! They even came to church! It was great :) We even have fellowshippers for them...that is always a good thing....The second story was like the first too but this one is closer to my heart. So after Bro. Nelson, the other sisters recent convert was baptized, we visited the Gregorio's one night for Sister Lacanienta to say goodbye. As we were there and I was talking to drunk Jonathon, the strongest impression came to me saying, "Teach Jonathon again with Nelson." I knew that was the Spirit, so once Sister Dadivas came, we went to Jonathon with Nelson. Jonathon was not for it, but after Nelson shared about his life, how he basically rose above all the filth and sins of everything and how the gospel changed him, with the Savior's help. Jonathon listened, and he agreed to have us come back again. And we did, and we taught another great lesson where tears were shed. I knew that this was an answer to a missionaries prayer, but as well to his family's prayers. I don't know what will happen later down the road for Jonathon and when he will finally enter the waters of baptism. I probably won't be here but that doesn't matter. I just want him and his family to be happy and to have every blessing that I have with my family. It will take time and lots of effort to change but what I do know with all my heart is that the atonement is real and people can change. It's the most beautiful thing I've seen on my mission, not the ocean or the beauty of the Philippines, but the atonement changes people's lives. It's real.

Brightly beams our Father's mercy
From his lighthouse evermore,
But to us he gives the keeping
Of the lights along the shore.
Dark the night of sin has settled;
Loud the angry billows roar.
Eager eyes are watching, longing,
For the lights along the shore.
Trim your feeble lamp, my brother;
Some poor sailor, tempest-tossed,
Trying now to make the harbor,
In the darkness may be lost.   
Let the lower lights be burning;
Send a gleam across the wave.
Some poor fainting, struggling seaman
You may rescue, you may save.

I know that we are those lower lights. Keep them burning so that you may rescue, and you may save. I love you all and I hope you have a great week!! Make miracles happen!

 

Love, Sister Burnham
 

"Celebrating birthdays with the Tongans and the Samoans........CRAZY!!!"

"Exchanges with some of the best sisters!"

"Calapan members"

 

"Underwear drying outside our house....nice."

"Book of Mormon"

Hello Family and Friends!

Well, I can't say my week was as eventful as Hermana Burnham's, Robyn my dear, just know I love you and I'm proud of you still working. Believe me, after the trials come the blessings. My week was just busy in other ways like transfer day!! Half of our zone got transferred! And so did my companion... sayang! But I now have Sister Dadivas!! I lived with her for three transfers in Mindoro!! Crazy, huh? She's so great and has changed for good in so many ways! She said I have to and the first thing she said to me was that I was skinny and could speak tagalog. Haha I think I'll keep her. She's just the cutest littlest Filipina. Love her!

I especially love the enthusiasm and positivity that my companion brought with her, I feel like our work is already changing and that things are on the way to getting better. The Gregorio family is doing better...they're reading, praying and starting to come back to church. We also are going to try to teach Jonathon again because the other sisters recent convert, Nelson, would make a great fellowshipper for him. Great things are ahead and I feel like they are coming with just being positive and excited to love and to serve.

So last Wednesday we had our zone training meeting and something that our mission president taught us was about the differences between knowledge, testimony and conversion. Of course, conversion is where we want our investigators to get to and especially for ourselves. So I've been thinking about that a lot this past week for myself and after conference I felt really strong to have more of a mighty change of heart and be converted to the things I know. Starting to know if Joseph Smith really was a true prophet. As I read His testimony, and finished the Book of Mormon, to pray to know, and felt the Spirit whisper to me after I asked the question..."Is the Book of Mormon true?" I answered yes it is in my heart then I felt, "Joseph Smith really was God's prophet." I don't know what is happening back at home with people doubting these truths but I do know that if one really wants to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet or not, you have to go through the Book of Mormon. We taught this sister last night as well and she just had so many questions and was just confused about so many things. This world is so confusing and the only really true source of truth is from our Heavenly Father through His servants. And that's what we advised her to do, read the Book of Mormon. If I learned anything from my mission it's that the Book of Mormon has power no other book has, it changes lives and lights a candle in a dark, confused world. I know that it is true, and I cannot deny it. And I know that anyone who honestly seeks to know if it's true, God will answer them, just like He has so many times for me.

I love this work, I love what I've been called to do and I love my Savior. For allowing me to change my life through this mission. It's been the hardest, challenging but happiest, best and greatest 15 months of my life to change who I'm suppose to be. And a big part of it being the Book of Mormon, let it change you too.

Mahal ko kayo!! Have a great week!

Love, Sister Burnham

"Everlasting Beginnings"

Hello Family and Friends!!

Well, this week has been crazy, beyond crazy for me!! I hardly was in my area because of exchanges and meetings...and we didn't have our baptism because the other girl was sick...it's just postponed till Oct 18th...sayang but that's okay. We still went to Bro. Nelson's baptism that was probably one of the best. It was like Ricky's for me. But...HAPPY BIRTHDAY Hayden and Abby!! Sorry, no presents but bringing cool stuff home in December :)

So with a lot happening a lot has been on my mind and lots of feelings have entered my heart. Especially those feelings of gratitude and love for the mission and the people I've loved and served and seen how they've changed, as well as for myself and knowing that all of this, the past 15 months and 3 more to go have been for a reason, a purpose. I really have found myself while here in the Philippines. Serving these people that I love so much and who I wish I was...haha I always joke that I'm really a Filipina...people normally don't believe me...wonder why. Haha :) But it's just been beautiful to experience all of this and to see conversion and to hear the gratitude. Ricky wrote me this past week and it was the sweetest letter that I've ever received. He's active, serving as a faithful priesthood holder as a 2nd counsleor in the Elders Quorum and is happy. Even though he is still single and alone at times, he is happy because he's converted and now knows that he really is not alone. If anything, I came to the mission for him. As well for others, the members in Santa Maria, the Gregorio family even though they are struggling with being active, and so many others. God really accomplishes His purposes through others. I know that with all my heart and I'm so happy that I'm a part of this great work.

So since I'm feeling all these feelings with my 15 month mark, I read something from Pres. Uchtodorf from last confernce...

"In light of what we know about our eternal destiny, is it any wonder that whenever we face the bitter endings of life, they seem unacceptable to us? There seems to be something inside of us that resists endings.

Why is this? Because we are made of the stuff of eternity. We are eternal beings, children of the Almighty God, whose name is Endless¹³ and who promises eternal blessings without number. Endings are not our destiny.

The more we learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ, the more we realize that endings here in mortality are not endings at all. They are merely interruptions—temporary pauses that one day will seem small compared to the eternal joy awaiting the faithful.

How grateful I am to my Heavenly Father that in His plan there are no true endings, only everlasting beginnings."

It's only everlasting beginnings and that's what I'm doing here. Creating everlasting beginnings for others as well as for myself. It's not the end when someone is baptized or a missionary goes home, only everlasting beginnings. And everyday, is the opportunity to create those :) I love you all so much. Remember the words from the prophets, for they are true.

Mahal ko kayo!! Have a great week and create everlasting beginnings :)

Love, Sister Burnham

"Family week with the missionaries!"

"Zone p-day"

"My crazy Zone Leaders."

"Exchanges with Sister Suapaia.....she reminds me of Robyn. All new in the mission too."

"Eating challenge! They played 'eye to the tiger!' It was intense and happened all in 5 minutes."



"Elder Wise.....he did it!"



"Me and Sister Reed.....I love her so much!"



"We didn't have a baptism but Brother Nelson's baptism was amazing! Talk about conversion!"

"Shakey's Tayo"

"Old reunions"