Monday, November 3, 2014

One thing we are certain of though, is that when you live the Gospel of Jesus Christ, amazing things happen.

Sawaadiikhaa!

This was the first week without the Phii Thai's and it was pretty weird to be honest. Quote of our whole MTC life though: "who done make me ruusxg these kwaamruusxg's." -Elder Riddings.
Most of you won't understand, but it doesn't matter. Just know that you really have to get creative when it comes to having fun here in the MTC. Elder Riddings is from Georgia and just barely got to Thailand. He is one of my favorite people! Follow his blog and it might give you some extra insight into the last few MTC weeks. http://elderridings.wordpress.com/ 
Anyways, this last week was pretty normal. As STL's, my khuu and I interview all Sisters in our zone so it was really cool to get to know move of the Cantos. There is only 9 of us Sisters in total, so we have gotten pretty close. I'll do updates now.

Language
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We have started learning script so that is fun to watch everyone struggle with it. I am so grateful I learned it before because I know what it feels like to not understand it at all. That sucks! I can't imagine having to feel like that on top of all the other stresses of being a missionary. So I am really just trying to help people in my district as much as I can because I know how hard it can be. Other than that we have just continued teaching our "investigators", who are really our teachers, it has been going well and they just keep complimenting Sister Remington and I for how unified we are. We work well together and the secret is we just really love each other. That is all it takes. We taught at TRC again this week, but Wiew didn't end up coming this week which was too bad. But it was still a really good experience. It's crazy to see how much more I can say in just the short weeks I have been hear. It's nothing compared to what I am going to have to know, but it is more than I ever thought I would know. So that is a blessing. I have a new teacher Brother Kaosucharit(sp?) who is khon Thai! He was Rowland's companion in Thailand for a while, and then I also have Brother Thrap as our teacher now, who was in Rowland's District in the MTC. They think it's so funny that I know him! Such a small world. 

Spiritual
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This has been an amazing week for Devotionals. Last Tuesday we had Sister Rosemary Wixom speak to us, the General Primary President, and she was awesome. She spoke the whole time about the Savior, Jesus Christ, and how our role as missionaries is to be a witness of Him. We had Devo Review with our districts after, and the Spirit was so strong, I can't remember a time that I have felt it that strong. Every single one of us got up and just bore our testimony about the Atonement and the Savior. It was incredibly powerful and I don't know if there is a way that I can accurately portray just how incredible it was. It's moments like those, that remind me why I am here on my mission. To not only watch the growth of those investigators, but watch the growth of all of us missionaries. We don't know what we are doing, to be completely honest with you. We are all 18-20 year olds. We haven't gone to school to be professional ministers. We are all just barely learning how to live on our own without our parents. One thing we are certain of though, is that when you live the Gospel of Jesus Christ, amazing things happen. Sister Hacking spoke at our Mission Conference yesterday and something she said really stuck with me. She said, "We are the message." I am not on a mission to go preach to people in Thailand about a way of life that I don't personally live myself. I am on my mission to show people the amazing benefits of living the gospel. All they have to do is look at my life and see how happy it has made me. But that isn't even the best part. The best part is that they don't have to take my word for it. That by reading the Book of Mormon and sincerely praying to God, they can know for themselves as well. As wholeheartedly as I do. Read the Introduction to the Book of Mormon. Especially the last two paragraphs. It explains exactly what I know, and exactly how I came to know what I know. There is no other reason I am on a mission than to share what those paragraphs talk about. In case you were curious.

On a more personal note, Wendy Nelson (Russell M. Nelson's wife) came to speak to us on Sunday for Devotional. It was incredibly inspiring and an answer to a lot of my prayers. I won't get into the details but I will share one quote I loved from it. The quote is some advice Henry B Eyring got when he was 13 years old:

"Someday when you know who you are, you will be sorry you didn't use your time better."

That really stuck out to me because sometimes its hard to focus here with all of us being friends now. But that quote reminded me that if I don't take advantage of my time now, I am going to regret it later. That doesn't mean I can't have fun though. We definitely still have a lot of that! 

I love you all and I am so grateful for your prayers.

Rakmaag,

Sister Burbank

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