JOY!

Hey.  How goes the work?

Let me just tell you, this was probably one of the best weeks that I have had as a missionary. Or perhaps in my entire life. You know that scripture in DyC when it says ¨How great shall be your joy if you bring one soul unto me?¨(or something like that, English really isn`t my thing anymore. Well, I FELT THAT JOY! I totally felt that joy. And it was awesome because it helped some of the sadness that`s been there since Nathan passed away.

Hermana Burton and friends

So many amazing things happened this week. I am seriously learning so much from my companion. She ain`t perfect and I ain`t perfect but we are going so well together. I seriously can see my progression as a person. I think... Heavenly Father is helping me become a peacemaker. Let me just tell you, it ain`t easy... but VALE LA PENA.

I have been wanting to tell you forever that I play the piano allll the time. I am getting way better too. Now I can play like almost all the hymns in the hymnbook and I LOVE PLAYING the piano. So thank you so much for forcing me all those years (just kidding you never forced me) and for my teachers and thank you for encouraging me because now we get to go bless the life of others through the talents God helped me develop.

Six Months

HI!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh my goodness, I was so happy to get those pictures. I was so so so excited.  Ky, that outfit is CLASSIC Italian. You look good, brother! 

The poster is too much for me! I L.O.V.E. it!!!

Well. What can I say. This week, my testimony of the Plan of Salvation grew a thousand billion times over. I have had very sacred experiences studying the scriptures, teaching others, and understanding more and more about the plan of God in our lives. I know what is coming after this life, and I want and need to give it all I can in this life so that I can achieve that vision after this life. 

I really really love having a Mexican companion because I am having a really hard time thinking in English right now. Haha. How cool that I am starting to master this language. I would say I am fluent now. It´s such a blessing from Heavenly Father. 

Sorry this letter is so random, it´s just all of my thoughts in one. 

Surety

Homecoming 2011

Note from Audrey's mom: Hermana Burton's friend, Elder McBride, also serving in another mission in Mexico died suddenly on Friday.
News article on Elder McBride

Needless to say, I am a little sad. But I am writing to you last so that my emotions could be controlled and the Savior could help me pull myself together. I guess I am kinda numb right now, but that´s okay too.   Man. This is really hard. I loved Nathan like my brother. We used to disagree about everything...but in the end we always could look over our differences. I remember when we took mission prep together...he was so prepared. And the Lord knew that his time was done. Man. 

Okay, well there are also good things happening this week. The Lord had one more return to His flock this week! A was baptized Saturday and confirmed Sunday. Hermana C and I work really well and really hard together. She is teaching me a lot about patience. I really love her. We are seeing lots of success in the field with some of our investigadores. 

My prayers are going out to the McBride family, I can´t even imagine what they are feeling right now but I know with a SURETY that everything is going to be okay. That we will see tall skinny Nathan again. Ahhhh McChicken. Now he´s serving on the other side. He´s so young... but I know God knows better than I. 

Ky comes home on my 6 month mark! How exciting! I love him so very much. Tell me how it goes! Send me a lot of pictures! 

Don´t really have a lot to say... like I said I am kind of numb.  I love you, this church is true, and that I am eternally grateful that families are forever. 

Love, 
Hermana Burton 

I Can Expect Miracles

Well, I believe in miracles. 

I cried when I read your email because I forget sometimes, how many people have my back. 

We went to the doctor this Saturday, all bundled up like Russians because it`s actually getting cold out there. Okay, let`s be real it`s probably like 45 degrees in the morning but that`s really cold to me now. And the houses are built differently so it is colder in the houses than it is outside. Anyways. We took the hour bus ride to Navajoa, and my stomach was all in knots. We got to the doctor, got the results, and the doctor that was supposed to be there to discuss my condition, well she wasn`t there. So then I was super stressed out, and the nurse must have noticed because she got another doctor, who had worked with me earlier to translate my conditions... because my results are all in doctor language or something. We stepped inside his office and he asked how I was doing. I said I was doing good. I hadn`t really been walking a lot, and was feeling a lot better. He opened the results and then looked at me. I was like, what? And he said you have nothing. And I said, what? And he said you have nothing wrong with your thyroid. I started to cry. I started to cry first of frustration, if it isn`t my thyroid, what is the problem that I have? He explained to me that the worst was over and that I didn`t need to worry. I said okay and we left. He said, your lips aren`t purple anymore. Your legs aren`t swollen any more. He said I could get some compression socks to help my circulation, (like the kind Mrs Buckley has). I said no, thank you. Haha. 

I slowly realized what God had done for me. He had healed me. He has literally healed me from this sickness that I had. I now can walk without problems. My legs don`t get swollen anymore. I am taking my Aspirin every night to help with my circulation. But reading your email I know that I was healed through your faith. Through all of your prayers. I can expect miracles if I am doing what the Lord wants to me to do. 

Just Like That

It was so so so so so so good to talk to you. I will never forget the moment when you and KY popped up on the screen. I guess I wasn't expecting to see my big brother or had forgotten how beautiful you are because I just cried of JOY! Haha. It was so awesome.

I actually read my setting apart blessing frequently, and some of the very phrases that you used from my blessing had stood out to me this week too. I actually cried to read your sweet email (WOW, who am I crying all the time) and well, yeah. I just know that we don´t need to worry. We just need to have faith. And actually this week I realized that sometimes having the faith helps us find the problems so that we can solve them, and also sends us people to help us with our trials. Thank you for all your prayers and your love!

So Much Joy

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope yall are doing well and enjoying the cold weather, because I am LOVING this 70 degree weather we still have here in good old Huatabampo. Don´t even ever forget the real meaning of Christmas, because He (Jesus Christ) is really the only meaning of our lives, we owe everything to Him! I love love love the mission because even though its hard, doing what I love and helping God complete His purpose (Moses 1:39) is the best thing that I could ever, ever ask for! We had our Christmas posada this week with the President and another zone from Obregon so that was fun. I love Christmas! I love my life! 5 months as a missionary and no regrets. So excited to spend the rest 13 months serving the Lord... But I really am learning here that I plan on serving the Lord for the rest of my life, it´s the only life worth living. 

LOVE YOU ALL; MERRY CHRISTMAS! REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE! 
Hermana Burton

Oh and also, I get to say FELIZ NAVIDAD to the people in the street, and that gives me so much joy it is almost unexplainable. MY LIFE ROCKS. 

Give All That You Have

Let's answer the questions first. 
1. I have only been jumped three times... haha just kidding. 

Describe your Ward/branch and leaders. Well. Our branch is relatively large, and the members are really awesome and super cool. Especially the youth. They are really excited to serve missions, almost all of them. They love English and are pretty much willing to drop everything to help us with the obra misional! The president`s name is President A. He is seriously one of the coolest men I have ever met. So humble and so faithful to the Lord. He visits the members, even the inactive ones and gets to know them and their circumstances, their worries. He passes for them in the morning before church. He didn't have counselors when I got here (there aren't very many active men in the ward) but two just got called, and they are pretty fun. I don`t really know how to describe the people here except that they are mostly all like Uncle Deans and the hermanas are like Mrs. Claus. hehe. Shout out to Uncle Deaner! There are a lot of single women that come to church and there are really awesome. Normally the members attend one week, and not the other, and the next week again. So we are trying to work on strengthening the rama so that we can all have success.