:( -----> :) (Monday, June 01, 2015)

Dear Mom and _______,

Have you ever had one of those days where you are so happy and just can't stop grinning? It's kind of like Barbie at the end of that Toy Story Movie: "Goodbye! Goodbye now! Goodbye folks! Oww, my cheeks hurt!" That's kind of how I felt yesterday. This week was very crazy and stressful, and pretty rough right up until about 7:30 on Saturday night. But then we went to the church for April and Pepper's baptism and I couldn't have been happier! Now I understand why missionaries get so excited about that. It's not because it's just another number and it's definitely not a measure of success, but the joy that comes from watching someone change their life and enter into a covenant with their Heavenly Father is indescribable. It's a journey that we have come on together, and as I have watched them grow and learn, I have grown and learned as well. So many people talk about the reasoning behind mission calls and about how "there are people in that place who only you can help." But I'm convinced it's the other way around. They didn't need me. I needed them. Even though I was called as a Spanish missionary and I still haven't taught a single lesson in Spanish over these past five weeks, my time in Willits has not been wasted. I love the people here and they have helped me grow and improve in so many ways, that I'm sure will also help me and others when I finally do get to teach the Hispanic people in California. It has been hard and quite discouraging at times, but just as there is always bad in opposition to the good, there is always good in opposition to the bad! 

What I guess I'm trying to say has already been said better by someone else (I don't know who, I just found this poem one day)

Highs and Lows

A mission is a strange experience, 

A trial and a test,

A mission throws at you the worst,

Yet, teaches you the best.

I've never been so happy,

I've never been so depressed,

I've never felt so forsaken,

I've never been so blessed.

I've never been so confused,

Things have never been so clear,

I've never felt my Heavenly Father so distant, 

He's never been so near.

I've never been so discouraged,

I've never been so full of hope,

I feel I could go on forever,

I've come to the end of my rope.

I've never had it quite so easy,

I've never had it quite so tough,

Things have never been so smooth,

Things have never been so rough.

I've never been through such a deep valley,

I've never been to so high a peak,

I've never felt so sure and strong,

I've never felt so weak.

I've never had so many ups,

I've never had so many downs,

I've never had so many smiles,

I've never had so many frowns.

There might be more to it, but this was the only page I found. Somehow I feel like this is what we're going to say when we are standing once again beside our Heavenly Father someday, but instead it will begin with "Life on Earth is a strange experience..." 

I know that I wouldn't have recognized what a beautiful and uplifting day yesterday was without having been through the rough days ahead of it. I hope all of you are recognizing God's hand in the details of your lives and experiencing the joy He intends for you! Lots of love!

Hermana Burton