Missionary Fun

Family,

Sorry for the lack of good emails lately. Tell Jilly-bean congrats! Can I see some pictures? My life and the work has been so unexpected and miraculous and just so Jia Yi.

The picture is from the amusement park, Fancy Land that I went to last week. Wow! so fun. Guard your p-days Alex! It's a day to relax and unwind for the week. A member from my old area met up with us there and we had lots and lots of fun with her taking us around. I'll put some pictures on the drop box of some of the rides. One went straight underground. I love a good amusement park.

The next picture is sweet Sandy, our 9-yr old who got baptized. Her mom is a less active we are working with and past sisters were already working with her for a year before I came here so it was a lot of work on a lot of parts to finally get this family reactivated. Less-actives are really a challenge and there are 500 members in my branch with 80 active so we have been searching out the lost lambs and trying to bring them back. We will use the crook of love and activities to do that. The big miracle with the baptism is that Sandy’s grandpa came to her baptism and church!!!!! He hasn't been to church in a long time and we are going to start working with him. Boom! Miracle. 

A while back I read Alma 17:11 and was just so touched and so inspired to really suffer all afflictions and sufferings to bring a soul to Christ. I remember reading that verse and just feeling such a love for these people who are so in need of light and hope. Well, today I got to put that scripture to the test. I woke up so sick and was puking from 5 to noon (I know this probably is sounding so weird of a story). I got so woozy we went to the hospital to get an IV in. Now we have this investigator Ivy who is normal when she takes her medicine but really angry and crazy if she doesn’t (that's the theme of Jia Yi) we really wanted to meet her parents and understand her situation a little better because she was just getting crazier. Well, at the hospital that prayer was answered. We were trying to figure out what to do with her because she was just so angry. We'll she got checked in the hospital at the same time I did and we were able to meet her parents and work things out! God works in mysterious ways and this way I had to suffer through sicknesses to finally meet her parents. Cool huh.  Don't worry I'm on the path to being better. Really don't worry mom. God is so smart. 

We are going to Alisha next week so it might be a quick one next week just FYI. 

Love you all so much

Sister Burr

You're gonna love this ride!

Little Sandy

Week in Pictures

1. We put a baptismn together in less than 24hrs
for someone who had been investigating for 2 years. The power of GOD!
2. Pizza activity!! Success!
Love you all!
xoxoxoxo
Sister Burr

Jia you at Jia Yi

My Dears,

 

What a week. It was good to have a Sunday and meet all the members and leaders. It always feels good when that happens. It always feels more grounded. Let me tell you about the sweet place of Jia Yi. It's a branch and is part of a district (it's all so confusing) and the leaders and mission has a goal to make this place a stake by July so we need to get some good ol’ priesthood holders and more members in this great place. I think we got it. We got the Lord and we got goals so that's fine. It's super big and city! It's the most city I've been in yet. It's not bigger than my first area (but my first area was mainly mountains). It is a little city. It's gorgeous at night! I do love it already. People here are crazy. Literally a little crazy. I can't even explain it and don't know if I want to explain it, but just know every day is always an adventure of fun. The branch has strong members and just needs some love and maybe activities. We found 8 new investigators this week! Yay! So we will see how that goes. The Lord really does bless us when we work hard. I know it. Also I know this Gospel is the truest thing. I love you all so much!

Love,

Sister Burr

My sweet new companion, Sister Mangelson. She is a halfy too. She is super cute and has an amazing testimony. It is really great serving with her. I can't wait to get to know her better and get this work rolling!

Goodbye Princess Life

Dearest Ones,

Last week was Temple Week. Wow. It was so good. I love the temple. I'm so lucky I've been able to go twice. I'm so grateful for the fact that we have covenanted with the Lord. We are so lucky to be his covenant people. You know what that means? That means if we are just good and obedient then we will, no matter what, be blessed by the Lord. It's what He says and it's the way He works. So good.

Manic move call. The time has finally come. My 6 months in Daya has come to an end. My baby grew up and now she is done with training. Sister Rohlfing is so ready. She was fantastic from the start. We had a lot of fun together and worked so hard. I'm so proud of her! Being her trainer was a super happy time. We had a star of a time and now I've moved down South to Jia Yi. President is keeping his eye on Jia Yi so it's kind of like 0_0. He also told me some information about that area and informed me that this one was going to be hard for a couple reasons but he was trusting me with it. Yikes! But guess what, the Lord was preparing me for this 3 weeks ago. I want to share something with you.  Three weeks ago I got a blessing because I just felt like God was trying to tell me something and I wasn't getting the answers through prayer and scripture study so it was time to hear it straight from the Priesthood. In the blessing He told me 5 times that my mission was about to get hard and that it was going to be my refiner’s fire. Yikes! I learned a couple things from that blessing. 1) God knows me so well. He knows our thoughts and that blessing was from God. I have always referred to my mission as the refiner’s fire for me and Elder Gassman (the one giving the blessing) didn't know that! God knew that, so he was just letting me know he understood me. 2) God will prepare us for what is coming up next. And because he will prepare us for it, he knows we can handle whatever we are given. He knew where I was going, who I was going to be with before move call was made. He knows EVERYTHING. He is sosososo smart that sweet Heavenly Father of ours. So because He told me that 3 weeks ago, I've been preparing as much as possible and trying to strengthen my faith and all that sweet stuff. It was really sad to leave Daya, but it was time. I really found my missionary self in that area, saw miracles, gave it my heart, and fell in love with the people there. Man, but it was time. And now it's time to fall in love with Jia Yi! I already feel the love. I could just feel the pull of another area. It's the craziest feeling. It's like a dog that goes into a stranger's house that’s super comfy so he doesn't want to leave but he keeps hearing his owner whistling for him so he knows he has to go outside and leave. The weirdest analogy. I know. But that's what it's like. I'M PUMPED! It's just a branch and they want to make it a ward in July so we got to get some Jia you going here. I'm excited to see what happens!

My new companion is Sister Mangleson. Her mother is a Chinese teacher at Summit Academy. Mommy do you know her mom? Also, Alex I think you know her. She is fresh off of training! I came to a realization. The only older companion (mission time wise) that I've had has been my trainer. Yikes! Aside from that, it has been a trainee and people fresh off the training and someone who was the same time as me. I've lived a baby life. I'm nervous to be honest about what's to come and it's always a bit scary to take over a new area and to get all settled in but I know that Lord helps and I know the gospel is true and that's enough. I'm so excited.

Also lets not mention this but maybe I should... My year mark! Yikes! It's this week. Oh man. Time flew. Well I love you all sosososososo much. You know that and I can't wait to just meet the people of Jia Yi and fall in love with them so I can tell you about them.

xoxoxoxo

Love,

Your Daughter

Picture 1 - Sister Shi with her mother and her baby. She was my little miracle investigator. We found her on the road we started talking because she was listening to Grey's Anatomy's theme song and I pointed that out (that goodness for my TV knowledge). She disappeared for a month and for the past two weeks she appeared again and has been going to church the past weeks and praying. She needs a little jia you with the BoM, but she's on her way. I was really sad to leave her, but she's in good hands. This is me being sneaky and fake holding a baby. There were so many cute babies around Daya it was crazy.

Picture 2 - MY LADIES! I saw these ladies get testimonies and grow from people not knowing a lick about the gospel to living it. Wow. Nothing is more satisfying or beautiful than helping people feel the love and joy the gospel brings. I feel really blessed that I was able to learn with them and from them. It is also so humbling to know that you can leave and they are fine without you. It's Christ that they need and so when I leave my goal was to just make sure I leave Christ with them. They’re good. No worries. Penelope and Patty went proselyting with us on Sunday. Wow. I LOVED it. Penelope is a naturally, Patty needs some good MTC time. IT WAS SO GOOD!

#1

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Missionary Life

Sister Rohlfing and Me