Happy December

I don't know about all of you, but I am totally pumped for Christmas! This Christmas is just so different than any other Christmas in my life. I am so grateful to be serving a mission in Canada this Christmas! I am also grateful that it's not my last Canadian Christmas. :) I just love feeling the spirit of the season! 

This week was a little crazy, we traveled to Halifax on Tuesday night because there was supposed to be a snow storm Wednesday before Zone Conference. Zone Conference was SO Fun!! It was like a Christmas party where we had a nice meal, a white elephant gift exchange and Santa came bearing gifts for all the missionaries. We had a talent show put on my the missionaries in our zone which was hilarious and it was fun to see all the other missionaries! That night we actually got snowed in and spent 2 nights at the mission home because the roads were so bad. Thank goodness we rode down in the Elders truck or we might still been in Halifax. :) I really really missed being in New Glasgow this week. It's hard to not be able to meet with the people you care so much for. Church was cancelled again this week because of an ice storm, but the Elders got permission to give us the sacrament, which was an incredible opportunity. It's really hard to see church get cancelled. Jahleesa is so ready to be baptized. She's told us she knows Joseph Smith is a prophet, that the Book of Mormon is true, and even read a talk by President Monson. She is so ready but she can't be baptized until she comes to church twice. But it's been cancelled the last two weeks!! Kinda frustrating but obviously the Lord is mindful of her and had a plan greater than ours.

We finally made it back to our area on Friday and went to visit a less active who is in a senior home. Her name is Sister Wilson and we visit her once a week. She wasn't in her room, and the worker said she was in the main room waiting for their entertainment. We went to find her and sure enough there was about 25 residents sitting in the room waiting for the band that was supposed to come play for them. Turns out, the band didn't show up and the people were so disappointed. Sister Wilson asked if we would sing them a Christmas song. So Sister Starkie and I sang them a Christmas Hymn.. and then another,, and then another.. and then we started singing other Christmas songs, telling jokes, giving out candy canes, and bearing testimony of the Birth of our Savior. The spirit was so strong and it was SO much fun! We were dancing around, and I even got to play a piano piece for them. The residents were so sweet and they'd clap for us after each number and laugh at our jokes. It was fun to be able to feel the spirit of Christmas, and share our testimonies through song. 

I had many experiences this week that were tough, it was possibly the hardest week I have experienced, but it also was one of the best weeks of my mission so far. Things happened I never would've thought would happen to me. I was spit at, cussed at, yelled at, in fact, a man even threatened me it was just one thing after another all week... but it's amazing the peace that I feel in my heart. Despite whatever is going on around me I know I am safe, I know I am protected, and I know I am in His hands. I find it such a privilege that my faith is tried and that I can stand up and declare what I know to be true, without a doubt in my mind. Who would've thought I'd ever have the opportunity to be persecuted for the Saviors sake? My heart is full of gratitude for the opportunity I have to represent Him, to bear His name, and to receive His help and protection. I'm telling you, there's no feeling like it in the world. In this war between good and evil I know I am enlisted in the Lords army, and I am so grateful to know that even though a battle is still raging, the ultimate battle has already been won. "Nothing brings more safety and security than being on the Lords side." 

Well that's my weekly update.. hope there's something in there that makes you think, or smile.. or something! :) Merry Christmas to you all and thank your for your prayers and support! :) 

Love,

Sister Burton

                                  Sis. Starkie bought a celebration cake for Breanna's 2 month mark.

Missionaries go bowling in Canada

Christmas decorating

President Leavitt's office

Windy in Halifax

Two Month Mark

Holy Cow!! Can you believe it's already been two months? You really kind of lose track of time as a missionary because your mind is focused on so many other things! This week was great! We got 4 more new investigators which is incredible, but people are really hard to meet with because they are so busy with Christmas.

 Elder Roberts was transferred to PEI (prince edward island) and we got a new Elder, Elder Amaya. He is pretty intense. He is like 5 ft 3 in from Columbia and he is 26 and is our new district leader. It will be fun to work with him and Elder Watson as we correlate the hastening of the work of salvation in the New Glasgow area. It's nice to work in the same area as Elders because then if we find a man who is interested in learning more, we can give the man to the Elders as a referral, and if the Elders find a woman who wants to learn more, they give her to us as a referral. 

We went to Halifax for some training this week, it seems we are down there almost every week for one reason or another. It's fun to be able to see President and Sister Leavitt though, and also talk with other missionaries. On the way home Sister Starkie and I were having a deep conversation about what makes a missionary truly converted to the work and she obviously was distracted because before I knew it I saw a police car behind us with his lights on... so we pulled over. Sister Starkie is a terrible driver. An incredible missionary, but a terrible driver. She's ran like 5 stop signs since I've been with her, and I am always having to tell her to slow down. As the police man gets out of the car and starts towards her window she was like "how fast do you think I was going?" Turns out she was going 30 kilometers over the speed limit. She was going 140 kilometers per hour. She apologized and explained that she had been distracted by our conversation and that she knew she'd been irresponsible. Guess what? He let her go! He didn't give her a ticket or anything, he just told her to slow down next time she sees a cop! haha The blessings of being a missionary! 

This week was great, we got almost twice as many key indicators as we were getting when we first got here, and hopefully there are even more to come this week! Jahleesa is doing so well, and progressing. Unfortunately, her daughter was throwing up all night Saturday night and so she couldn't come to church. That was a total bummer because there is only 2 more Sundays before her baptism and she has to come to both if she want to be baptized on the 28th. We could end up moving her date but what is really important is that she told us she knows the Book of Mormon is true!! In fact, she even gave us her families information so that the missionaries in Halifax can go teach her family! She is so incredible! We were teaching her little girl Brielle how to pray the other day and when we came back for the next meeting Jahleesa showed us a video of Brielle praying before she went to bed the night before. It was so cute I teared up! It's amazing how this gospel can change people. Her children will know that they have a Heavenly Father that loves them and that they can be together forever! It just makes me so happy! I am so glad Heavenly Father led us to Jahleesa. We taught her the plan of salvation and the gospel of Jesus Christ and plan to meet with her twice this week. 

We got to watch the Christmas Devotional last night and the closing prayer really touched my heart. It's amazing when I stop and think about how many people are praying for the missionaries. I really feel the strength and the power that comes from the millions of prayers said around the world each day blessing the missionaries. Being a missionary is the greatest opportunity in the world. I think about the Hymn Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd where it says 

"Green are the pastures inviting; Sweet are the waters and still. 

Lord, we will answer thee gladly, "Yes, blessed Master, we will! 

Make us thy true under-shepherds; Give us a love that is deep.
Send us out into the desert, Seeking thy wandering sheep.

Out in the desert they wander, Hungry and helpless and cold; 

Off to the rescue he hastens, Bringing them back to the fold." 

I love the part that talks about sending us into the desert. The Lord didn't send me into a literal desert. In fact, I left one. But he sent me to a place that is definitely thirsting for the living water which only he can provide. It's amazing that He relies on us to bring His sheep back into the fold. I love that he knew he could count on me to find those lost sheep, but I know I can't do it alone. For in myself I am nothing, but with the strength of the Lord I contain infinite power. Anyway.. I hope everything is going well back home. I love you all, 

Have a great week! 

Love,

Sister Breanna Burton 

Happy December Everyone

Can you believe it's already December? Time flies when you're having fun I guess!

 Well, it was the most incredible week!! I'm talking super-duper wonderfully incredible! So two weeks ago we didn't teach a single lesson. (which is actually pretty pathetic) We worked so hard and did so much finding but NO ONE wanted to listen. Seriously. We had 22 potential investigator appointments set up throughout the week and every single one dropped us. We taught absolutely 0 lessons to investigators. Total bummer for a missionary. However, this last week we met a girl named Jahleesa while we were street contacting. (she was wearing the cutest boots I've ever seen in my life so I had to compliment them) Anyway, she stopped and talked to us and said we could come stop by her house and talk with her anytime. So on Tuesday we went to meet with her and it was just so amazing! She is searching for the truth and the spirit was so strong! She has two little girls ages 2 1/2 and 7 months and their father was just recently put in jail. She has had a really tough life but she has such a strong spirit. She asked us to come back and we taught the Restoration and she has accepted the commitment to be baptized on December 28th! Now, that is really soon.. and we've only met with her twice so she may have more concerns that need to be addressed but the important thing is that she has the desire! She even told us in her own words that she is so happy that we can finally give her answers and that she knows we were sent from God to help her. She has some doubts about the Book of Mormon that we are working with, but she's agreed to pray about it and come to church. We met with her again on Friday night and she has agreed to meet with us twice each week up to her baptism date. What a miracle! AND she was telling us how she just barely moved back from Halifax about a month ago.. which is when Sister Starkie and I came to New Glasgow. Coincidence? I think NOT! Sister Starkie and I are totally pumped to teach Jahleesa and Jahleesa is totally pumped to learn so we make a great team. I pray so hard she will accept the message. I know it could help her so much in her life! 

Another amazing opportunity I had this week was to attend the temple. A young man in the Branch recently received his mission call to Ireland and was going through the temple for the first time. President Leavitt gave us special permission to travel down to Halifax on Saturday and go through the session with him because his parents were unable to be there so both sets of missionaries serving in the branch got to go with him. It was such a great experience. It's amazing the changes I can see within myself as I serve. The temple is a great place to reflect on how I can be more of help in pushing the work of salvation forward. I was just so lucky!

We also got to do exchanges on Thursday in Dartmouth. However, one of the Sisters has major health problems and so we worked in the mission office for most of the day. It was fun though and I learned a lot from her desire to serve, even when she is having such a hard time. I just am so blessed to be healthy and able to do the Lords work the way he wants me to do it! I am so happy it is December. Christmas time just makes everyone a little more receptive and open to discuss religion and it seems to be helping the work progress! We bought some decorations for our apartment but really have no time to put them up.. haha maybe next week. I am so happy to be a missionary I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

 Happy First Week of December Everyone! :) 

Love,

Sister Burton

November 25, 2013 Jessie's got baptized!

What a great week here in New Glasgow! 

I love it here so much it's so charming and cute. We see deer running all over the place too. The area kinda reminds me of Island Park. Lots of trees and animals and snow and stuff. It's getting colder so I was really excited to get all my winter clothes today. My coat is good til -30 C so I should be good all winter, though it does kinda make me feel like an Eskimo. 

The best part of the week was definitely Saturday! Jessie got baptized! WAhoo!! Interesting story actually. They asked me to play the piano, and I accepted, assuming I could pick the songs considering I was the only option of a pianist and my ability to play is so limited. Friday night I find out they've already printed the programs saying that we would be singing two Hymns I have never played before in my life. Anyone who knows my piano skills will know I about had an anxiety attack. But they talked me into trying to learn the songs before Saturday night. However, I only had about an hour during lunch to practice... So, trusting in the Lord I fasted all day Saturday, asking for Heavenly Fathers help to learn these piano songs. I was pretty confident he wouldn't abandon a missionary, right? haha I practiced as hard as I could for that hour and then decided I would just pray the Lord would guide my fingers as I played that night. So the time of the baptisms rolls around and the opening hymn announced.. I was fairly confident that with the strength of the Lord, I was going to be able to play this darn Hymn better than anyone has played it before. I was wrong. It was a complete failure. You could hardly tell what song I was even attempting to play. It was awful. A complete disaster. Pretty sure they'll never ask me to play for anything ever again. I was pretty disappointed. Why wouldn't Heavenly Father help me play that piece? I did everything I could, and prayed as hard as I could... and nothing. I was embarrassed that anyone in the Branch had to witness it. How could Heavenly Father let me make such a fool of myself? I honestly had felt so confident that he would help me. Well I decided I had to put it out of my head because this was Jessie's baptism for goodness sakes (and Jessie is probably in my top 10 favorite people in the world) I had the opportunity to teach her, to get to know her, and to watch her make a covenant with Heavenly Father through baptism. I felt the spirit so strong I wanted to feel that way forever! And then I remember this one little thing I'd almost forgotten about baptisms.. the closing Hymn. I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't know how to play the closing Hymn any better than the opening. But I didn't want to ruin the spirit that had been brought into the chapel with Jessie's sweet testimony. I prayed so hard that some miracle would happen. I sat down at the piano, opened to the page and began to play. I didn't miss a single note. I had never played the piece all the way through before and yet, my fingers just knew where to go. You should've seen the look on my companions face. (she'd been listening to me practice during lunch) The song was beautiful and the spirit was so strong. It truly was a miracle. I've tried to play the same hymn since and I couldn't even play the top hand. The Lord certainly was watching over us. Being am missionary is just incredible!! 

Another thing I have learned this week (other than to never volunteer to play at baptisms) is that putting on a name tag doesn't change who you are. The Atonement does. Repentance does. Prayer does. Anyone can put on a name tag, but it doesn't change anything about them until they decide to let the Savior in. Thinking back on my pre-mission life (sometimes it feels like forever ago haha) I realize just how much I was missing out on. It reminds me of the mormon message about the man who went on a cruise but stayed in his cabin the whole time and ate canned food and such, and on the last day discovered that everything the entertainment, the food, everything had been included in the ticket price. I think it's called "Living Beneath your Privileges" or something like that. If you don't know what I am talking about, look it up because it's awesome. The gift of the Holy Ghost is an amazing thing that we often take for granted. We don't realize that we truly are entitled to the direction, guidance, comfort, and strength of a member of the Godhead at all times. What an incredible gift! I have so many things to work on, and every day I strive to be a little better. But it's amazing to see the growth and progression that takes place within your heart and you finally let go or everything holding you back, and decide to live up to your privileges. So take it from a girl who can't play the piano to save her life.. Heavenly Father cares. He loves each of us and wants nothing more than for us to turn our hearts to him. I absolutely LOVE being a missionary. Sometimes it's hard and I feel like rolling into a ball and staying there for awhile haha but ultimately I know that the promise found in D&C 24:12 is so real. "at all times and in all places he shall open his mouth and declare my gospel... and I will give unto him strength such as is not known among men." What a blessing it is to be a member of this great church! I love you all and hope you have a great week!! :) 

Love,

Sister Burton

Jessie's Baptism