A week full of Albas! (Monday, May 25, 2015)

Dear Mom and ________,

Happy Memorial Day everyone! Thank you to all those who have served and are now serving our country in any way! There are many remarkable men and women out there (and even close to us) who do so much for us. Thank you. 

During a get-to-know-you game, someone recently asked a missionary what his favorite roller coaster was. His reply: "Well, besides the mission, it's ... " I have to say that I agree. Each week is a roller coaster, but somehow it all works out in the end. This upcoming week is probably going to be crazy too because we have so much going on, but I think it's better than not having anything. If you look at a heart monitor, you'll see that there isn't much to life if it isn't going up and down. 

We went to the temple this week as a zone, and I had never been to the Oakland temple before last Thursday. It's so beautiful! The detail and fine workmanship of a temple is remarkable to me and another witness that it truly is God's house, and He deserves the best. It was a special experience this week because it was my first time going as a missionary and my companion's last time as a missionary, and we were able to share that with our mission president and his wife, President and Sister Alba. We didn't know there were going to be there at the same time as them because they just go whenever they can. It was funny because we had already run into President Alba and his Assistants last Monday at the Safeway in Willits. How random to see him here in Willits, of all places! They had stopped for dinner on their way up to Eureka and we happened to there at the right time I guess. We're getting a new mission president in July, so it's been fun to meet the current President a few extra times.

Willits really is a pretty absurd little place. We've also had the cops staking us out this week as we talk to people on the street. I almost thought they were going to come over and ask to see the contents of what we were holding (the Book of Mormon), and we would have been delighted to explain! 

Two of our investigators are getting baptized on Saturday and we all can't wait! They are thrilled and are just counting down the days! They truly teach me so much each time we talk and I'm so grateful that I have the opportunity to be here and be part of this monumental period of their lives and to learn from their example. There are so many opportunities to learn from each person we talk to, even on the streets. We're all learning together. 

I love the proverb that Sister Linda K. Burton shared during this last General Conference: "Thee lift me and I'll lift thee, and we'll ascend together." It reminds me of an insightful scripture I found recently in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 "Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up." We know that life is hard and we're going to have struggles, but Heavenly Father never intended for us to do it alone. He has provided us with friends, family, scriptures, prayer, neighbors, and even His own son, Jesus Christ, to stick with us through the good and the bad as we are "ascending together" and making our journey back to Him as changed and improved children. His plan is perfect.

I hope everyone is doing well and has a wonderful and productive Memorial Day!

Love,

Hermana Burton

Sheep are gross. (Monday, May 18, 2015)

Dear Mom and everyone,

Here we are again! I think California must be in a time warp or something because it was just barely Monday last week! Well, I guess I'm having a "that's-the-funny-thing-about-birthdays--they're-kind-of-an-annual-thing!" moment because it makes sense that Monday happens once a week... Anyway, we did a service project this week and helped a family in the ward with their shearing day and I know that my dad always wanted me to have been raised on a farm, but after this week, I'm not so sure I would have loved it if there were sheep! They smell funny and they are quite obviously not potty-trained, it's so weird to watch them lose their wool, and it's sad when they get cut sometimes. On a positive note though, they look pretty funny when you're done. The razor/shears thingamabob they use has a fork-like thing with a lot of tongs on it, so it leaves a lot of parallel lines on the wool that's remaining on the sheep. I made the remark that it looks like all of the sheep were wearing corduroy pants, but no one else seemed to find it that humorous... 

We were able to teach a lot of lessons this week, and there is a very sweet couple that is getting baptized on the 30th and they are so ready and excited! They teach me so much more than I teach them. We were talking about Jesus Christ and faith, and one of them said that "It's not a religion, it's a relationship." Profound! I've been thinking a lot this week about my personal relationship with Heavenly Father and in general about our relationship with Him as our Father, and there is still so much for me to learn, but I am so grateful to know that God truly is our Father and as such, He loves us and takes a personal interest in each one of us. There is so much we can learn about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His restored church on the Earth today, but it all boils down to the fact that there is a God, that He knows us and loves us, and that He has a plan for us. From there on out, it just builds on that. 

Well, I hope everyone is having a good and productive week! Lots of love!

Hermana Burton

Yuck!

This was my mission president's weekly letter, but be sure to look at the promises listed on the bottom. Lots of love! (Monday, May 11, 2015)

You know what they say, a picture is worth a thousand words! (Monday, May 11, 2015)

Dear Mom and the rest of y'all,

I realized that I haven't sent any pictures in while, and since we got
pretty caught up yesterday for Mother's Day, here's a quick over"view"
(literally) of a few things that have happened recently! Lots of love
and I hope everyone is doing well!

Hermana Burton

Willits! (Monday, May 04, 2015)

Dear everyone,

This was a crazy week! We had transfers on Tuesday but then there was a Mission Leadership Conference the next day in Santa Rosa that my companion had to attend, so we ended up spending the night in Santa Rosa with some other sister missionaries and I spent Wednesday with them while my companion was in her meetings all day. It was a lot of fun, but kind of crazy because I didn't really know what was going on and I hadn't really had to chance to meet my companion and work with her. We finally made it to Willits Wednesday night and I met the amazing bishop of the ward here. The drive here was phenomenal too! Willits is the "Gateway to the Redwoods" and this area is breathtaking.The "drive-through tree" is in our area and we're going to go see it one of these P-days. Willits itself is quite small, but our area is huge and covers a lot of the others little towns too. The ward members are amazing here as well, and there is even a Brother and Sister Burton! It was fun to tease the other ward members and claim that I was their granddaughter, and they are so kind I almost believe myself that it's true. I'm a little sad that I don't live in Yolo county anymore, but now I get to drive a jeep! It's the only jeep in the mission and we definitely need it here as we do a lot of off-roading and driving on dirt roads in the mountains. There are also a lot of hippies here and everyone smokes marijuana, so we have a lot of work to do here. I already love it though and I'm excited to be here. My companion is fantastic and I'm so lucky to be working with her! Her name is Hermana Hamblin and she's from Eager, Arizona. I already know that we are going to do great things here in Willits.

One thing that will be difficult here is finding people to teach in Spanish because there aren't many here, but my companion and I are determined to find them and keep working on Spanish, even though we don't use it much with others besides ourselves. Because of all of the crazy stuff that happened this week, we didn't have the chance to teach too many lessons, but I have already learned so much from the ward members and even the people we meet on the street. This past week we met three guys from Afghanistan who are living and working here, and they have each served in the Army, and they are Muslim. They said they hardly ever agree with what the missionaries tell them, but that it's always important to listen and learn more and try to understand others. We're going to try and visit them sometime this week. When they first said they were Muslim, I was a little discouraged and wondered if it could ever even go anywhere. But thankfully this is God's work and we are all His children, regardless of our religious background. I know that He has the power to change a heart and that if they are ready to accept the Gospel, they will. Change is possible! This upcoming week is going to be more organized and normal (or as normal as it gets) and I am really looking forward to it.

And Happy Mother's Day to all of the incredible moms, I am so grateful for your influence! 

Lots of love, 

Hermana Burton