Thursday, November 28, 2013

Halloween and Missionary Life


Well hello family,                                                                       November 4, 2013

I am happy to say, that I am doing good! :)   The work is just on fire in this area, and we just aren't quite sure how that exactly happened, but we are excited and just trying to do more and more each day to help our dear sweet investigators progress towards the waters of baptism!

So, this week was really a weird one, in the way that it went by fast and slow, not sure how that works, but that's just life I suppose!  So, lets see highlights from the week...

We taught Judy on Tuesday, and she is still doing great, and working towards her baptism date of Nov. 23, which is the last Saturday of this transfer (ahhh...they always go by so fast, already on week four!!)   And who knows what will happen in 3 more weeks when transfers come, could be exciting! :)  Anyway, Judy is doing great! 

Kelly is also progressing!!!!!!  And she is starting to feel the Spirit, and she is beginning to know that this is true!!!  We are so close to helping her have a baptism date, she really could be baptized this week if she knew it was true.  So, we'll see her tomorrow, and that is so exciting! :)  
  
Hmm what else…oh, so we had exchanges this week, I worked with Sister Murphey and Sister Williams in their area, and that was great!  We found a guy while we were contacting, and we taught him about the restoration, and invited him to be baptized (crazy) but what is even crazier is that He said YES!!!!!  So that was pretty exciting! :)  And made our night, and Sister Murphey has only been out 3 weeks, so her excitement was just great, and really motivated us!   We all got a little bit of a push after our exchange, and we all seem to be working a little bit harder than we were before! :)  

So, Thursday was Halloween.  Most of the day was just normal missionary work.  Though I did kinda dress up (just for lunch to take a picture) and I'll send that to you this week via mail, you'll probably get a laugh out of it.  The only hint as to what it is, is that next week is Wed. Nov. 13. Nine months my dear family, can you even believe it?!?!  :)    Anyway, so we did missionary work, and then we went in a bit early, planned and cleaned our apartment, so that was exciting. ish.  But our kitchen and bathroom got deep cleaned! :) haha.  So that was good!   But we didn't get candy.  Until Saturday, when members gave us a bunch of their kids candy, and dang, people in Irvine are pretty generous.  So, I've got some chocolate.  I realized that I have a lot of self control, cause I still have quite a bit left, and my companions, not so much.   But that's ok, but maybe I just haven't really been in a sugar mood.   When am I though? I have a salt tooth, and a sweet tooth only sometimes ;) 

So that was Halloween. Friday we planned.  Saturday we got to see Charlotte, and as always we got advice for our future lives.  And so that was just great.  We also taught her about how we are all children of God, and she cried. So she felt the Spirit, and that was great! :)  

Hmmm what else...let me think, this week is going to be an exciting one.  Tomorrow will be full!  Got a mini mission conference, we'll also be teaching Kelly, Judy and Shirin, Ben and Elizabeth!  So we are excited for that.  Also, since we have a Family History Center, all the missionaries in our zone will be getting trained all about Family History, so we can help our investigators learn more about it as well!  So I am excited for that !  I would love to get some stories, or just anything about our ancestors (ask grandma's and grandpa's ok? cause that really would be awesome if I knew more about my ancestors) :)     ok, let me think...ummmmm…it's overcast again today.  And it really feels like July and Not November, which I haven't decided how I feel about that yet…it's really weird.  There are really no seasons here. It's weird.   :) 

I am so grateful for your love, support and your prayers! I hope that you have a great week!  And I hope that you keep doing missionary work, and keep on living the gospel, cause it really will bring us so many blessings!!! :)

Also, sad to hear that the civic went bye bye!!!  I'll feel like the RM in that movie when he gets home and his car is gone.  Just kidding ;)  haha, well only a little.  :)  haha, but I hope you have fun driving the new car Kenna, I'm sure that will be exciting!! :)

Have a great week! I'll talk to you soon!

And no, nothing really that I need right away, so a random package will just be great Mom! Thanks!

Love you!!

Love,

Sister Taylor Burningham

Me and Sister Lang taking a nap

Being silly

Writing letters

Me and Sister Lang

Me and Sister Lang not wanting our pictures taken

Sister Drinkwater and her companion for Halloween


She's a nut, but I love her!

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Children of God


Hello!                                                                                              October 28, 2013

This week has been a lot better! :)  Not nearly as tired as I was last week, I did get a Priesthood blessing on Tuesday after district meeting (I felt like I needed one, but I really didn't want to ask, and then sister Putnam got one cause she was struggling too, and in the middle of hers I really felt prompted to ask one of my zone leaders to get a blessing). So, I did, and one of the first things he said was how God was pleased with me in humbling myself to ask for a blessing.   And then, I was able to get some guidance and direction, but also more support and strength from God, and I really haven't felt as tired as I did the week before, I feel more motivated again, and just excited about missionary work and about life! :)

So, this week was a good one, we taught so many investigators, which was great!   We really have been so blessed here in Irvine, to have so many people to teach!  

Judy is still progressing and just loving the gospel.  Kelly has committed to keep trying to live the Word of Wisdom, and also that she will pay tithing after she is baptized, even though she doesn't have a date yet!  But that is exciting!  

We had the Primary program last week, and that was exciting!  I just loved watching all the crazy cute little kids, and just enjoying them and their sweet pure knowledge of the Gospel!  We had quite a few investigators at church, and Mackey's kids even were in the primary program, so that was just amazing! :)   The theme was “I am a child of God,” and I’ve just been thinking about that this week, how we really are all children of God, and how He loves each and everyone of us.  And that this gospel is so perfect, and he gave it to us because he loves us and because he wants us to return to Him! I am so grateful that we have the gospel, and that I am able to share it at this time!  Most of the time, we will be teaching some one, and I will stop and think "I'm a missionary, I’m sharing the gospel," and it just blows my mind and just helps me to know that I truly am where I am supposed to be, and that the things I am learning are preparing me for the future, and for life.  I have been so blessed to be able to study each and every day the simple foundations of the Gospel, my testimony is strengthened everyday and I just love this gospel so much! 

As for dinners with the members, we have dinner nearly every night with the members, which is great!  We eat normal foods that we would have for dinner in Provo.  The only bad thing is that when the missionaries come over, they always have a big dinner, cause they do it like once a week or once a month.  But we get that every night. So it is nice when we are able to have light dinners, and not so much dessert.  Wow can't believe I just said that. But, nothing too weird, my favorite is still pizza. We don’t get it often, and it is my favorite! haha :)  So, ya, and the Persian food, we had chicken and rice, just cooked with different spices.  But it was good! :)

Jung has also been a delight to teach, he really is setting up his own teaching schedule (on Friday he said " we meet Wednesday and Friday for three weeks, then I come to church."  It was pretty great!) and wonderful!   We are finding the elect!

That’s funny dad, that our weather is almost the same!  It is weird though, Irvine, sometimes when I am driving around I feel like I am in Utah, especially today.  We were super excited to see rain clouds, since we don't see them super often! haha!  :) But it is getting a little cooler, which is nice, helps me remember that It isn't summer, cause most days it still feels like that!!

HMMM what else...  

Oh, Halloween is this week!! Dressing up as anything fun?    Me?  I'll be a missionary.  Though we may buy some fake mustaches to wear when we go in for the night. We have to be in at 7 instead of 9 on Halloween, so not exactly sure what we will be doing...probably going to deep clean our apartment!  Sounds fun right?  :)  But, no, it should be pretty good! :)  We are excited!

HMM, sounds like things are going good at home! Glad to hear that Timpview comp went well on Saturday, and that you are still all doing pretty fun things!  It is great to hear that Grandma is doing better!  And that she gets stronger and stronger every day! :)   Poor Easton, hope He feels better soon!  

Well, I hope this week is another great one!  

Try to be more grateful for everything that is around us!  Also, you are all doing awesome at missionary work!  And I know that with the Lord's help you will know who you can share the gospel with!!! :)   I am so excited to hear that you are doing so many wonderful things!!

Remember that we are all Children of God, he loves us all so much!  And I know that because I know that, I am so much happier, and just so grateful to know that there is a God, who does answer our prayers (not always in the ways we expect), but that he knows us each personally!  And that is just wonderful!

I hope you have a great week!  I love you all!

Love,

Sister Taylor Burningham


Some craziness on P-day

This is a really great family in our ward.  At the ward Trunk or Treat



Me and Sister Lang

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Contact Crazy


Hello family!                                                                October 21, 2013

This week has been a good one, and a weird one all at the same time!  Another beginning to a transfer, and well, as of right now Sister Putnam has been my longest companion!  So, It will be different, and possibly challenging as we continue to work together, and not get too comfortable with each other!  But, things are going great! :)

This week was a good one!  We taught Judy on Tuesday night and she is going to get baptized on Nov. 23, so that is exciting (that is the last Saturday of this transfer, so we are pumped that we will be able to see her be baptized!)  She is such a great lady!  She just loves the gospel and it is great! :)

Wednesday we opened a window, and as we were talking to everyone, this Chinese man came running up to us and said, "tell me what you believe, tell me what you believe,"  so we had a lesson with him, and another with him on Friday, and then we'll be teaching him again on Wednesday!  Truly, we can find the elect or...the elect find us! :) He is great to teach, and his English is really good, but he always repeats what we say to make sure he understands, so we know everything that he understands all the time, so that is nice! But it was a great miracle! :)

So, we also had choir, it is going well, and we will be singing at firesides and sacrament meetings in Nov. I think.  So, that is pretty great!   Sister Drinkwater is now in my zone, and so on Thursday, she drove our car to choir, and I sat in the front, and our new zone leader who had been in our district previously asked if we were just trying to be companions again, it was pretty funny and made us laugh! :)

We also taught Kelly on Wednesday, (and Tues, and Thurs). She is doing well, still won't commit to a baptism date, but we are trying to help her know the  gospel is true!  Since she has been taught everything.  And she knows she should get baptized, she just doesn't know that it is true yet, and that bothers her.   But we will get there!

Thursday we had district meeting and choir, and then saw Kelly and we also went to a Relief Society activity where we made crafts, so I wrote a check to pay for it, just so you know :)    

Friday was supposed to be our planning day, but we didn't plan.  We had a mini mission conference all about adjusting to missionary life and managing stress in the morning, and then we taught Grace!!!  And she just loves the gospel!  She just isn't available to meet very often, but we are being patient, and just praying for her! :)  Then we taught Jung, and that was just great!  And we also taught Jane, who is also an investigator.   We had dinner, and then went and did some stop bys.  And I felt kinda sick, so that was no fun!  

So, Saturday we also opened a window, but we didn't find anyone, but we did talk to so many people!  We are really trying to talk to everyone, and we did this week!   We talked to 111 people, well probably more, but those are the ones that we tried to share what we believed with!   We haven't talked to that many people in a long time, so it was a good week! :)  And just fun to be talking to more and more people! :)   

Then we planned, cause we needed to do that, and then dinner, and more stop bys since most of our appointments tend to be in the daytime!

Yesterday was good, Elizabeth and her dad came to church, as well as Judy and Jane.  Also, Judith, remember her?  She was there as well! :)  So that was exciting! :)

This week has been pretty good, it's had it's ups and downs, but I'm just pushing forward! Cause I too know that this is where I am supposed to be right now! :)  And I am so grateful that I did take this opportunity to serve a mission, it truly is changing my life, and shaping me to be the person who God intended for me to be!   :)  
  
Sister Lang and Sister Putnam are doing great! :) I love them both dearly!   We are blessed to be working together! :)

Crazy how many farewells you've been going to! So many people I know will be on missions when I get home, and weirder, married...weird, weird, weird.   I’m just going to continue to be a missionary! :) haha!  It's great!

I haven't been to the doctor yet, no time last week.  But hopefully this week, so we can get my shot worked out! :)

Things are going good!   I hope you all have a great week!! :)
Always smile, God loves you!!!! Phil 4:13

Love,

Sister Taylor Burningham

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Rain, Playhouses and Transfers



Hello family!                                                                        October 15, 2013

The library was closed yesterday so we get to email today! :) So that is super great!  So, this week was a good one, lots of pictures for me to send you! 

So first things first, I am sure you are all dying to know about transfers.  I'll be in Irvine for another 6 weeks (at least) and I'll be with...Sister Putnam and Sister Lang!!!! We are all staying, so that is pretty awesome! We are all excited.  Not many people are getting transferred this transfer, so it should be exciting! :)

So, my week!  It has been a great one! :)   On Tuesday we invited Judy to be baptized, and she wants to be!  So that is great!  She is picking a date, and tonight we will talk about that! :)   So that is grand!  Kelly is doing good, she always is bringing up baptism, but she won't pick a date yet, or accept one, but we are working with her! :)   And then we had a miracle on Sunday!!!  5 investigators at church! Mackey CAME!! :)  That was great, and she brought her kids, so that was wonderful, and then Judy was there, and Shirin and Elizabeth, who invited us over for Indian food next Sunday, so we are excited for that!

On Wednesday...the best day ever...IT POURED!!!! It was great! I've really missed rain, haven't really seen any my whole mission, so it was really wonderful, and then well...awkward, cause guess what sister missionary realized she didn’t have a rain coat...that would be me.  And also, I happened to leave my umbrella in San Clemente...so...that was an adventure, but we had the car that day, so that was grand!!   Then, that night, we ate dinner with the Morelands, and they have this fabulous playhouse, that is like a mini house, it is crazy!  And really cool, so I was acting like a little girl on Christmas, but it was great! :)  
  
Thursday was good, we had a Zone Conference, and Elder Falebella (in the 70 I think) came and spoke to us with his wife, and that was just WONDERFUL and Spiritual! :)  And then, we had to get flu shots...which made both of my companions get a little bit of a cold (minor flu like symptoms) so, that’s no fun for them, but for me, I'm ok! :)   And then...great news, we got a full time car! (They didn't want us walking in the dark! yay for us!) So we have a beautiful white Chevy Cruze.  I miss the corolla, but I can't complain really, it is a brand new car, may even be a 2014, not sure.... but I mean, I am in Orange County. haha :) but we were happy about that!

Friday was a good one, we planned, and then, we had our own dinner, cause no one had signed up (or so we thought) and then we went out to visit some families, and we got a call, that said we were supposed to have dinner with this family, who our ward wanted us to have dinner with...so we went there, and had a second dinner.  Which was a good thing that it was taco salad, so we didn’t have to eat too much, but still...2 dinners, don’t recommend that! :)

Saturday was fun!  We helped with a service project (I’ll send you some pictures) and then, 3 girls from our ward got baptized (they just turned 8) but one of them we had taught the lessons too, so it was great to see them get baptized!  

Then Sunday, we had our miracle of investigators at church, and so that was great!!

We had a pretty good week, and it sounds like you did as well!  It was weird to think about you all being up in Snowbird, and me not being there.  This is the first year in as long as I can remember that I'm not there, even if it is only for a day or two.  So that was a little weird to think about! :)   

But, it is also weird that I passed my 8 month mark on Sunday. I can't even believe it! It is gong by so quickly! And that is just amazing!   :)  I can't believe that I've been out that long, but I am so excited for the many more days and adventures that I will have! :)  

We are all excited to be still in Irvine.  Praying for miracles, but we really may see some great ones in the next 6 weeks, we have quite a few investigators, and we are hoping we can help them towards baptism! :)

I hope you have a great week family! :) You are amazing, and I love you all!

I just want to say that I love this gospel. I love the Plan of Salvation. I love that God is our Heavenly Father, and that He loves us! I know that He is real. I know that this work is real. I know that we can find happiness, as long as we turn to him!

I love you!

Love, 

Sister Taylor Burningham 
My cute companions.  Sister Lang and Sister Putnam
                                                                 


Me without a rain jacket :)
                                                              


Me in the playhouse
                                                                
                                                     
Us in our awesome orange shirts for the service project

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Relief Society Lesson


Taylor was asked by a sister in our ward to participate in her Relief Society lesson on October 13.  The following is what she was asked to comment on and her comments follow.

This is what Sister Taylor gave me to read: 

"This love begotten in the hearts of the missionary Elders of our Church for the peoples of the earth, comparative strangers to them, and in the hearts of the people for the Elders who bear to them the Gospel message, is in itself testimony sufficient to convince the honest heart that its source is divine, and that God is with us. This sacred and holy feeling, awakened within us by the Holy Ghost, has already distinguished us as a community from the rest of the human family; and this is the feeling that will yet revolutionize the whole world, and convince unbelieving man that God is not only the Father of us all, but that we are His friends and servants.

“To the service of the Lord I have devoted my life; my all has been placed upon the altar of sacrifice, that I may honour him, do his will acceptably, and spread the principles of life among the children of men. When I reflect upon the past, and trace the hand of the Lord marvelously opening my way, and prospering me in every thing relative to these missions beyond my highest expectations, I feel doubly encouraged to press forward to the future; language indeed fails to express the deep gratitude of my heart for his blessings. Those brethren and Saints whose liberality of soul and interest for the work of God have been particularly manifested in these missions upon them, may the blessings of the Most High be poured with equal liberality, and when in after years they shall hear the sweet sound of thousands, and tens of thousands of those nations shouting the praises of the Almighty for the light of revelation, then will their hearts also rejoice in the glad consciousness that they likewise took a part in bringing to pass this glorious redemption.”  Lorenzo Snow

***Tell a little about your experience in the joy of missionary work. Do you have an experience why we sometimes need to be patient before we can fully experience this joy?

And this is what I said:

Hello Sister Taylor,

Thank you for your email, and thanks for the opportunity you have given me to share my testimony about this great work!

I love being a missionary!  It is the hardest, yet greatest thing I have yet done in my life!  And the joy that comes from sharing the gospel is wonderful, and I often think about D & C 18:15-16 and I know that this is true.
  
I have had many experiences of how we need to be patient before this joy comes.  I feel as though for me this joy has come after many hard days, when we get the news that someone is interested, or that someone is reading the Book of Mormon, that news alone makes my heart leap.  I have really learned to find joy in the small things.  Each small step that someone takes towards the Savior is amazing, and something that we should recognize!   

There was a man I taught when I was in my first area. I met him the first night I came out to the mission field.  I honestly didn't know if he was really serious in learning about the gospel, I didn't know if I could trust him as a person, and this initial judgement on my part blocked the love that I could have felt for him.  As the weeks and the months went on, I prayed to have charity towards him, I prayed that in a small way I would be able to see him as God did.   There was one night, when he and his family had us over for dinner, and as I listened to him speak about the feelings he had about the Savior, and about the woman who was about to marry him, I was humbled and hit with the Spirit, as I remembered what Moroni promised in the Book of Mormon, that "by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things."  This man was a son of God, and He was loved by God.

And after that, it was easier for me to teach him, and to know that this was something that God wanted him to be a part of.  The greatest day on my mission so far was the day that he was baptized. It took him time, to know that that was what he wanted.  But as he came up out of the water, you just KNEW that he was clean.  And that he was forgiven.  That he was perfect, for that single moment.  It was an amazing feeling, knowing that I had given my all, to see this miracle.  I was merely an instrument in God's hands, as are we all, but it is amazing the blessings and miracles the Lord will allow us to be a part of, as we give Him our all. 

Another experience I had was actually right before I left on my mission.  I have a really good friend, who has struggled with many things in His life.  And I have had a lot of heart ache because of some of the choices that he made that affected me.

As we were saying goodbye,  I told him that I had forgiven him, and that the past was the past, and that we could move forward.  I knew I needed to forgive him before I left, or I knew that it would bother me for a long time.  I watched as he struggled, he heard the words, but he did not feel forgiven, he did not think that this was a possibility.

When he felt that forgiveness, not from me, but from God, the change was evident.  He looked at me with tears and said thank you.    I hadn't felt like I had done much.  But looking back, I realize that I helped him feel the Atonement work in his life.  He knew that he was forgiven by God, and that because of our Savior he could progress.  

That is what sharing this gospel makes me think of, helping our dear brothers and sisters experience the cleansing, healing and enabling power of the atonement.  I have a testimony that the Atonement is real.  I wouldn't be here today if I did not have it.

The joy that comes from seeing the atonement work in someone else’s life is amazing.   And yes, it takes time, but it is worth the wait.

I don't know which story you will choose to share, but I felt prompted to share both with you.  I hope that all goes well in your lesson, and that you can build your own testimony as you share the gospel with others!

Love,
Sister Taylor Burningham 

Answers to Prayers


Dear family,                                                                                                 October 7, 2013

I hope that you have had a great day so far!  And It sounds like your week was wonderful, and well, things sound like they are going well!! And Yes, I too loved conference! :) I always love conference, and it is different but the same as a missionary.  My zone leader put it nicely yesterday after all the sessions when he said, "either the General Authorities are getting better, or I'm caring more."  We all decided that it was a little bit of both!  :)   But, I really enjoyed all of the sessions, and mom, that is funny, but just shows how the gospel is universal, but individual, because I felt like the Sunday morning session was amazing, and answered nearly all of my questions! :) So that was just great! I received much revelation, and now I am pondering and praying to know what I can do with the revelation that I received, so that I can be a better missionary, and a better person after!
  
Can't believe that it is your last fall tour this week Kenna, enjoy it! :)   Crazy how fast time is flying! :)    But it is also amazing!

So things are going great here in Irvine! Some days are a little bit hot actually, so we sweat a lot as we are walking, so that is enjoyable.  But I love it here, and it really is going to be a great place to visit someday. Though, I really can't believe that it is October, cause it still looks like July here, which is weird, but true.  So I miss the seasons, but that is ok!!!

So this week, Tuesday was AMAZING!  We taught Mackey, and she still wants to get baptized, she is just wanting her husband to be on board, so we pray for him everyday!   She watched conference, and LOVED it!  Then, we taught Kelly, who is also progressing, she is still struggling to recognize the Spirit, but she felt it at conference, so that was great! Tuesday night we got a new investigator, her name is Judy.  She loves most everything about the church, and told her fellowshipper that they needed to tell her when to get baptized, so they called us, and now we are teaching her!  We'll be inviting her to be baptized when we teach her tomorrow, hopefully on Nov. 2.  So that will be great!   

Wednesday was kind of a weird day.  We did our studies, and then had choir.  Then, we went to the doctor's to get my shot, and they couldn't figure out our insurance, and then they said that my insurance was still good (they thought it wasn't) but that they didn't use it or something, not really sure, the lady was confusing.  And she felt bad that I couldn't get my shot...so...not really sure what to do about that at this point, but, maybe if I knew dad's birthday that would help, cause they asked, and I guessed, but I don't think I was right ;) haha... anyway, then we ate out with a member at this waffle place that reminded me of the Awful Waffle, so that was great!    :)   

Thursday we had a zone training and that was really great!!! Time to work harder than ever!!!

Friday we went to a funeral of a man in our ward who passed away on Sunday and then we did weekly planning! :)  So that was great!  

And then Saturday was conference, and we got two new investigators, Shirin and her daughter Elizabeth. They've been coming to church for the past few weeks all on their own (they live right next door to members and wanted to come to church because they knew that their neighbors were good people, and they are looking for a church…so you just never know)!  

Then Sunday was conference!! :)   And we saw Grace, and she had recorded conference cause it had been a busy weekend, but she'd already been able to watch the Saturday sessions, so that was a miracle!!! :)

So, this week has been a good one! And we are hoping for another great week!  We are working hard, being obedient and giving it our all!   
We'll find out on Saturday night if any of us are getting transferred.   Can't believe it has already been another 6 weeks, and that Sister Putnam and Sister Lang are going to be done with training this week!!!

Also, just remembered, Tuesday night we did a random exchange, and I was with Sister Drinkwater.  I am so grateful for her, for her service and dedication.  She inspires me to do better every time I see her. I was so blessed to have been able to be her companion!!!!!

So that is me! I hope you have a great week! Study the conference talks, also, when the Ensign comes out can I get a copy???

Also, Sister Lang and Sister Putnam were excited to get some treats from you in my package.  So thanks!!! :)

I love you!!!

Love,

Sister Taylor Burningham