See you Wednesday

I am sending some boxes by mail. My suitcases are not going to be heavy. I have one skirt I will be wearing it, and two shirts. One I will be wearing. I have garments but I need new ones. And I am going to need tissues so bring a handkerchief please! I want to see your pretty faces, and bring all of the people I taught with me. Bitter sweet I guess. I am so nervous to go home. This last week is such a blur. I really have been spontaneously freaking out. Saying goodbye is never fun. SO I Have not cried yet, accept when we didn't have a ride to transfers and a sister in our ward asked if she could do anything for us. She immediately said she would be our driver. Prayers answered. I really want one of those missionary planners for RMs. I have seen one from a RM from here and it looks very useful. 

I love you all, and really want to keep finishing strong! 

See you Wed.

What we are made of

Dear Family,

I just got info sent to me about baggage and things to prepare to return home. I am not in a very happy mood. I am nervous and can't believe this is my last week. My stomach is in knots and I am overwhelmed with getting trunky all of a sudden. Did you know that I finally understand the question, "Why do bad things happen to good people." This is because there is no comfort in the growth zone, and no growth in the comfort zone. I have to realize that this is just an end to a chapter in my life, that is all. SO what an e-mail Mom. That was such a great one to really end on. I am thinking about how much I love and appreciate the temple. It really does bring hope and peace.  So I don't know what to say, about last week. Sean's letter tops it, for sure. But I can tell you that my investigators are progressing and I have not one inch of fear this last week to talk to people. It might have something to do with me going home and trying to leave the area better than I found it. I feel I have. I am so excited for Sean. I have the best brothers in the world.

Sunday we only had Jessica at church. She didn't stay for other meetings, so we had a singing lesson during gospel principles. Only Brother Lukasiack and Sister  Ratza and her mother-in-law were there. All active members. Sister Ratza and Sister Rogers sang hymns while I played. I am getting better at the hymns Mom, you should be proud of me. I hope Sara and I can play together. And the Bishop came in and sang the last song with us. It was very good.

Sister Rogers spoke. She was so nervous and cut it short. The first counselor to the bishop came to her afterwards and said that they forget sometimes how inexperienced and young missionaries are. I think he was saying that to comfort her, but man I didn't take it that way. Hahahahaha! Well, I sang again with two other sisters. We sang, "Lord, I would Follow Thee." It was great.

We met with a lot of members trying to help them invite their friends and family to ward activities and things. And tracting! 

Thats it!

Love,

Sister Burnham

Finish Strong!

Worth of Souls is Great!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh!

Dear Family:

...

There was one lady who came out with this sad look on her face. I didn't ask what church she belonged to but she was adamant that we were deceived because we had the Book of Mormon. The concern was we were adding to the Bible. ...Sister Rogers... asked if she could bear her testimony after the lady bore hers. The lady said no of course. Typical, but, I then asked the lady to say a prayer. She was more than happy to offer a prayer for our sad souls. It was quite interesting. The lady prayed that we would really study our faith and make sure that we were getting right information. I loved that prayer. Yes in it there was a little different doctrine that she was trying to plant a seed in our hearts, didn't happen, but she tried. And so that's how some people are.

...

I gave a talk in Sacrament meeting about the Worth of Souls. Bishop Hicken was in for a treat. My goodness was I so excited! Afterwords he let me know how much he loved the talk. He said he wanted to give me a hug if he could. I was able to talk to Brother Taepke, a member and convert. He was divorced a long time ago. And he said to me with a red teared face, "After hearing your talk I will walk out of this meeting a changed man." He stumbled over it because of his emotions, but he is older than dad and I assume very sensitive. Wow, was I touched by the spirit. Being an instrument in God's hand is like no other. I can't describe the love I had for him at that moment. Again I couldn't hug him, but I sure wanted too.

Then Sister Schulte told me I made her cry and that she was so glad I am serving here.

Then Sister Taylor the music director said that she needed to hear that. And invited me to sing with her next sacrament meeting, the hymn "The Lord, Is My Light." She gave me a hug then I could feel the love leave my body, and she started to cry. I was shocked and so humbled at that moment. She tried to hold back the tears so no one would notice. I was then thanked by others as well.

It was great to get a text from Jessica Hall our investigator last night. She mentioned how she and her LA husband Jimmy who has been to church four times in a row now, prayed together that they both would be edified and get something from church. She said they both were touched by the words that came out of my mouth.

I am so glad that I can give the credit to the Godhead. I am humbled and will always look back on this day and remember the hearts that were touched. My heart if full for this ward and all the members. I will miss them so much. I am grateful for being transferred here.

Cool! thing just happened the sun all of a sudden appeared and the warmth feels good. I love those aha moments. It's great to know that when I go home my Stake President will not be there. So for a day or so I get to continue being a missionary until my Stake President gets home and can catch me to release me. Can you imagine Sister Burnham being chased because she doesn't want to be released. Hahahahaha! It was a good joke, but there is a time for everything.

I hope you have a great day.

Love, Sister Burnham

Finish Strong!

Conference Weekend =)

This week was amazing. I am so happy to tell you that I am still staying focused and still going to be focused on my purpose til they come and take this tag off themselves. BRING IT! I am so pumped for this last month. We have lots of work ahead of us. And there is no room for fear or procrastination. I have been working with Sister Rogers with role plays. She is still getting away with a lot during lessons. But she will soon see that the work gets more exciting as we invite others to repent. She is so funny. I am not sarcastic, and she is really sarcastic. So that is our next project. How to find a happy median. We went to the BIG HOUSE today. The stadium is huge and we got a tour of the stadium and suites that rich people watch the football games in. We got to stand on the turf and some elders raced the 100 yard dash. It was fun to be with our zone and President Holmes came as well.

Are any of you jealous? I did take pictures.

Conference was perfect for the inv that watched it. Sat we watched morning with Houston and afternoon with a member. Sunday we watch both sessions with Martha who says she is planning on coming to church taking her daughter with her. This is a big step for Martha. She knows the Book of Mormon is true and she knows that what she feels is the spirit. She says she hasn't felt that yearning to go to church since she was a teenager. I am so proud of the area and we are again falling behind in finding so we are again refocusing and tracting more. I have good and bad weeks when it comes to finding. It will get better.

So Sean said that he liked priesthood session. He is doing so well. The number of people he has on date to be baptized is so amazing. I am so proud of him. He should continue what he is doing. He might make a district leader soon and then make his way right up to AP.

We went to Specialized training as well twice this week. Took a lot of time out, but it was good to go over special needs of the mission. President Holmes wants us to focus on the fundamentals of PMG. We have been straying a bit from that. We are trying to work with the spirit more, and trying to pray with more intent and make it a goal for each missionary to baptize each month. That is possible. I know it!

Thank you for the motivating and inspiring thoughts. I love how hard our family works. And I love how Ryan said that he recognizes how blessed he is to have parents who provide him with spending money and helping him along with other things they provide. I know as long as our family gives to each other and continues to give thanks to God for how awesome our family is we will be blessed. Or one of us will all of a sudden get cancer and then we will have to be tested in that way. Because our family is just too awesome. I love you Mom and Dad, and the rest of you! I am so proud of Sara. And I agree with Sean. Stop having crushes. Just stop growing up.

Love YOU! Finish Strong!

Three investigators

I have about thirteen min and I am so way behind in writing this letter.
SO this week we had three investigators at church. Jessica brought her less active husband.

Kollyn is 15 and is starting to go to ym's with a member of the ward. YES!

And Pat is a regular.

The testimonies were perfect. This was Kollyn first time. We gave him a church tour on Sat to get him ready for Sunday. He stayed all three hours. I hope he comes next week. He is still working on the faith part of his lessons and reading. He is not at all responsible. He has been to everywhere I never want to be. Example, juvie! Anyways we are seeing progress so that's good. He doesn't swear around anyone except his aunt and family who adopted him when he was a baby.

I sang at a fireside on Thursday. Houston came to that. I sang the song I memorized at home. Dad do you remember singing it with me while I played. Well I am much better at playing the piano now and still going to keep it up. I sang and played the song. I dedicated it to Dad and all the others dads there. It was perfect. It was, "Whom Shall I Serve."

We are teaching members from an outline President gave us called, "Seize the Mormon Moment." So we are teaching this and really getting success from families. They are more open and we are team teaching really well.

Love you,

Finish Strong!

Sister Burnham

Quick note from Sister B.

Oh man! A lot has happened this past week.

1) TORNADO

2) Mom came to Michigan wow!

3) Car got broke so we walked everywhere

4) Taco Night

5)Yes, I got bangs. My comp cut her hair so I thought I would do something too. If it doesn't look good, LIE TO ME! Hahahah!

I am so excited to help in Dexter to help pick up trash and garbage where the tornado hit. Hopefully this is a wake up call and people will soften their hearts. We hav not been able to find any investigators in Dexter my whole 6 months I have been here.

Our car broke on wed. So we have no car until today or tomorrow. The gear got stuck in reverse once and we had a stranger call his friend who is a mechanic and change the gear manually. So then we drove it home and the next day drove it to the dealership and the man said, "YOU DROVE THIS HERE? ARE YOU CRAZY? THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS GIRLS!" I said, "Well, we were driving on a prayer." He was so shocked because something that is supposed to be attached the to the engine wasn't, so that we could shift gears. Just a little small part broke. But if we hadn't figured out it was broken, then we would have been in that tornado. We were planning on that day to go to Dexter and proselyte, because our ward mission leader is pressing us to work more in that area. So we were set on going but, I am glad the car stopped working. It is interesting how everything falls into place.

Our ward had a taco night/auction for girls camp. It was so good. A member got us these peanut butter and chocolate bars/fudge treats. Yum! And we had some non-members there and our mexican investigator Andres was there. I wish Sean was here to teach him. I really do.

I love you so much! The Easter package was perfect. The granola reminds me of home and the stuffed dog is perfect to keep me company at night. I am trying to get as much rest as possible at night, because it is my last transfer and I am not going to go home with regret. I hope Houston and Jessica get baptized in April.

Love you!

Finish Strong!

FYI There was tornado warnings last week in Chelsea, Ann Arbor and there was extensive damage in a town near Brianne called Dexter.

Incoming missionaries

Here are the newest missionaries in the Detroit Michigan Mission

Elder Cowen, Elder Vass, Elder Valdon, Elder Salazar, Sister Rogers, Sister Simcock, Elder Slawinski, Elder Hart.

Sister Bishop and Sister Burnham with their newest baptism