Willits? (Monday, April 27, 2015)

Dear Mom, etc,

Well, we found out transfers last Friday and surprisingly I have been transferred. Tomorrow I'll be going to Willits (and finding out where it is), and saying goodbye to Winters over these past few days has been really hard. Much harder than I imagined. The people here hold a very special place in my heart. Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak in sacrament meeting and sitting up in the front and looking out into the faces of the people I love so much was not easy, especially when I realized that it was my last Sunday with them. I am excited for the new adventure though and for change. 

Other than that, things have been pretty normal here. Just kidding, I just remembered that nothing is ever normal. Each day is different and brings new adventures and challenges. One day the toilet exploded in the bathroom, another day we had an investigator who wanted to see a baptism before he got baptized but was unable to attend because he reacted poorly to a bad situation and was intoxicated, earlier this week we went to a neighbor's house to borrow some lemons and ended up eating menudo (don't read this part Dad, because menudo is the stomach of a cow). It was terrible. I would pick the squid-ink pasta any day over menudo. So, I guess you could say it was a pretty interesting week. To top it off, yesterday we helped a woman in the ward make a cat craft (a cat finger puppet) out of cat hair while her husband made almond butter for us. What a great week! I truly love the people here. 

I don't have a ton of time today because I need to finish cleaning and packing, but I hope everything is going well and everyone is enjoying each day with its new surprises and adventures! Lots of love and thanks for the support!

Hermana Burton

Rock farmers and horse massages! (Monday, April 20, 2015)

Dear everyone,

Well, here we are again! I can't believe it's already Monday again. This past week was pretty great too, we had the opportunity to do a lot of service again this week so that made it even better! And I got a massage from a famous horse! Okay that probably needs a bit more explanation. We did service on Thursday at a place called the Stallion Station, and they have a horse named Jedi who has been on America's Funniest Home Videos because he knows how to give massages! Crazy, right? I don't really know how it works, but you just stand in front of him and he massages your back with his face! So it actually seems a bit gross if you think too much about it, but at least it felt good. Our service project was clearing rocks off of the cross-country trails so the horses don't get stone bruises, so we spent a few hours out in the sun raking rocks and picking them up. I think I'd make a pretty good rock farmer with all the experience I have now. Saturday we helped someone with her flowers and garden and then I mowed her lawn and she really appreciated it. She says she doesn't normally let anyone help her, not even her children, but for some reason she let us help her and I'm so glad she did! (Don't tell dad, but I actually enjoyed mowing the lawn). 

More exciting news, Joel came to church again yesterday for second time in a row! And during our lesson with him afterward, we set a baptismal date for next month to start working toward! He is so great and I feel like he teaches me more than I teach him, but I'm grateful that I get to be here and have the chance to see him making these changes in his life and coming closer to Christ. I really love Winters and the people here, and especially the members of the ward. The first time Joel came to church, he was so surprised by how happy and loving everyone was and how much they loved him and us too. He couldn't believe that I've only been here and known them for a few weeks because he could see how much they really care. Transfers are coming up and I am pretty sure I will stay here, but even the thought of a possibility of leaving Winters makes me really sad. I am so lucky to be here and be blessed by these incredible people. 

Well, I hope everyone all of you incredible people had a great week as well! Lots of love and best wishes from Hermanita Burton!

Service! (Monday, April 13, 2015)

Dear Mom and you,

I decided this week that one of my favorite things about being a missionary is all the service opportunities we have! Whenever we meet people, even if they don't want to know anything about the church or talk about religion, we ask them if there is anything we can help them with (such as carrying things, yardwork, etc). We found a really kind elderly woman who lives next to someone we teach, and it turns out that she needed some help with her garden. On Saturday we went over to her house (in shorts and t-shirts!) and spent a few hours pulling weeds and getting all the leaves out of her flowerbeds. Most of the flowers she had were Irises, shout out to Grandma Mortenson! It was really fun and afterward she seemed much more open to talking to us. Most people are like that, in that they open up more when they see us in normal clothes and can see that we really are just normal people who want to help in any way we can. After finishing in the garden, we went into the house and shared the Easter video with her and talked more about Jesus Christ. She grew up Lutheran and now belongs to the Presbyterian (sp?) Church, and she has gone to church regularly for 83 years. What a record! We talked about how many of the churches have similar beliefs, and it was amazing to me to see how much faith and diligence she has, and I appreciate her example. She's a very sweet lady and we're planning on still visiting her to see if there is anything else she needs help with. 

Another service I often have the opportunity to do that I had never really thought about before is helping with homework. Who knew understanding Geometry would come in handy as a missionary? And Earth Science? I actually don't remember much about earthquakes and Earth Science that well, but I help her find the answers in her textbook and help her see the connections. I don't feel like I'm doing much by just reading her book with her and helping her find stuff, but then I remember that's not really why I'm there. I just want her to know that she is important and that we care about her, even when we're not at the church. I know I've said if before, but God really is in the details of our lives and He cares even about the little things!

I noticed another random thing about myself that I never really thought would help me be able to relate to other people, and that's my love of the DI and thrift stores! Yesterday we saw a woman who had given us a drink on a hot day a few weeks ago, so we pulled over to talk to her again. She was unloading her car and showing us all these great bargains she had just found at a yard sale and the thrift store and explaining the projects she's planning with them, and we helped her unload them. We talked with her for awhile and made plans to come back this week and help her organize her garage and do more yardwork! More service! 

I really love all of these service opportunities we have, and it makes me think of a that quote that says "Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words." Jesus Christ spent His life in the service of others and led by example, and He has told us that we are serving Him when we are serving others. I know that I need to improve my teaching skills and learn how to teach the Gospel simply so that I will be prepared when the time does come to teach with words, but I am grateful that I can still teach in the meantime even when I don't know what to say. 

I am very grateful for all of you and your examples to me! Thank you for everything, and I still hope everything is going well! 

Lots of love,

Hermana Burton

The blind can see! (Monday, April 6, 2015)

Dear Mom and people,

I guess I'll start with the fun stuff. Actually I should say funny stuff because it wasn't very fun in the moment, but quite humorous when looking back on it. So, long story short, I accidentally sprayed myself in the face with pepper spray... I'm not actually sure how it all came about because the circumstances leading up to it were definitely out of the normal. I was blow-drying my hair yesterday morning (which I never do) in the far corner of the living room so the noise wouldn't bother my companion, and I found a little pink thing sitting on the bookshelf. It looked like one of those Pez candy dispenser things, but I still wasn't sure what it was. It had a button that said "Press" so I did, not seeing the little tiny nozzle that was pointing directly at my eyes. And then I couldn't see anything anymore. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to drive so we could go to Woodland to see General Conference, but everything worked out and after many rinses and sitting with a wet wash cloth on my face, we were able to go to Conference. And I'm so glad that we could! There is something about watching Conference as a missionary and I learned so much. I'm so grateful for living prophets and apostles who guide us and teach us the will of God. 

The week leading up to Easter and Conference was really great too. We have been sharing the video "Because He Lives" (watch it if you haven't seen it!) and it's so great to see how people react to it. They seem to get nervous when we start walking toward them, and even more so when we ask if we can share a quick video with them. Then they love it when they see it and are reminded to remember that Christ still lives, and their attitudes change and they are happy that we are taking this time in our lives now to share this message. I know it doesn't always seem like it, but there really are so many good people in the world and I've had the privilege to meet so many of them in such a short time. There is so much good in the world, but we need to look for it and contribute to it so others can find it as well. 

Another amazing thing that happened this week was that we met with Joel again and introduced the Book of Mormon to him. He had already heard a little bit about it and about how it talks about how Christ visited the Americas, and he kept asking us if we really believed that He had. Then he said that it makes sense that He would come here as well, because God loves all of His children. It was an amazing experience because he was almost teaching himself as he thought about and realized these things, and we were just there to confirm what he was understanding and guide him. It was another witness to me that these are eternal truths and that we aren't really the teachers. It was a great reminder and comfort to me that I don't have to be perfect and know everything to be able to help someone come closer to Christ. 

Pues, thanks to everyone for the love and support, I truly appreciate it! I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and have a wonderful week! 

Lots of love from Hermana Burton