Monday, December 31, 2012

December 31, 2012
 
Hola Familia!
 
It was so great to be able to Skype you all on Christmas! That was definitely the highlight of my Christmas.  We got to spend time at several different members' houses as well, which was really nice. There are some amazing families here who make us feel so loved and appreciated.
 
For the district activity, we went to the stake center here in Huntington and played basketball, soccer, and dodgeball. It was super fun, the elders in my district are so funny! Oh, and at the end we all sat down at a table to play Uno...but then we realized that nobody had brought Uno cards. So that didn't work out too well. We ended up playing knock out instead :)
 
Today we have p-day, and then we have a district activity from 5-8, which is going to be AWESOME because we get to watch The Lion King in a home theater in Helper (that's where our zone leaders are), and I am going to make muddy buddies, and we are going to go to Price early to try to find some snow boots, and it is just going to be an amazing day :) And then tomorrow we have normal study time in the morning, but we can't tract that day, so I am not entirely sure what we are going to do, except that we have another district activity for a couple hours in the afternoon. So tomorrow should be pretty fun as well!
 
Last night at our dinner appointment, we were standing around waiting for the husband to get home and for the food to be done, and my companion's finger started bleeding. She asked the woman for a bandaid, and as soon as she had gone to get it, Sister Chase turned to me and said "Hermana, I am going to pass out." I thought it was just because she was hungry so I told her to sit down and drink some of the lemonade that was on the table, and at that point the woman came back in and I just told her "Um...my companion isn't feeling so good." Hermana Chase just laid her head down on her arm and completely passed out...eventually we got her over to the couch to lay down, and the woman hesitantly asked me, "Does she do this often?" It was so funny. Well, except for the part where my companion blacked out on the couch. But later we laughed. For once I wasn't the one to get sick at someone's house!
 
Earlier this week, we noticed that for some reason, our pens haven't been working when we go to schedule appointments with people, but then we realized that it is because the ink is frozen! Haha! It is so cold here, but we have been doing well. It will be a lot better though if we can find some snow boots today!
 
Hope you are all having a great New Years Eve!
Much love,
Hermana Burner
 
p.s. Trey, go to the dance!!
(Notes from Christmas Day phone call)
 
*They had 2 baptisms on Saturday, Dec. 22nd. A 9 yr old girl, and a 13 year old "golden" boy were baptized. Hermana Burner was able to play the piano at both baptisms.
 
*There is a mobile home park that houses mostly spanish speaking people. There is a part-member family that lives in one of the mobile homes and does not speak any english. Hermanas Chase and Burner were walking past their mobile home when the couple came out and called for them to come quickly. They were on the phone trying to handle a problem with the phone company, and were not able to communicate with them due to the difference in language. Hermanas Chase and Burner went inside and were on the phone taking care of the problem for them for about 1 1/2 hrs. Prior to this the non-member wife of the member-husband would always avoid the missionaries and not talk to them. She apologized for doing that.
 
*Hermanas Chase and Burner were at a dinner appointment where salmon was being served. Neither of the missionaries is fond of salmon, but Hermana Chase dislikes all seafood. She took the smallest piece she could find, and cut it up and spread it around on her plate. Hermana Burner's strategy was to take the smallest "burnt" piece of salmon and eat it.
 
*P-day schedule:  Personal study time, exercise, etc.--- end at 10 a.m.
Check for mail at the post office
E-mail home
Get the shopping done
Write letters
 
*Their district consists of: Castledale (2 elders), Price (2 elders), and Huntington (2 sisters)
 
*Out of the 7 wards they are assigned to, 3 of the Bishops' are Guymons (Jeff, Darcy, and Ray) 
*There are 4 wards in Huntington, 2 wards in Cleveland, and 1 in Elmo.
*Everyone there is a "Jensen" or a "Guymon" and is related to each other. 
 
*When asked what peope did for a living there, Hermana Burner said that there are alot of coal miners.  In Elmo, there are alot of farmers (wheat, cattle, etc.).
 


Friday, December 28, 2012

Chrismas Day skyping:


Showing us her spanish nametag!
Gathering around the computer for our Christmas Day skype.
Family picture with Hermana Burner.

December 24, 2012
 
Hola familia y amigos!
 
Padres y hermanos, I am so glad to hear that you made it to Utah safely! I have to admit I was a little stressed out because it has been rather snowy, and I didn't know if either of you have had much experience driving in snow. Tender mercy! 
 
Missionary work was a roller coaster this week--we had a couple baptisms, but we haven't really found anyone to replace them in our teaching pool! I think a lot of people were out of town for Christmas because it seemed like for a lot of the week nobody was home. Yesterday was amazing though--after a dry week, we were able to contact at least 3 nonmembers and share a message with another one.  And, at our dinner appointment, we got a few referrals! Hopefully some of those turn out well :)
 
Yes, we have a car. We usually drive to a referral, investigator, or known non-member's house, and then T-contact them which means we go to the houses, on either side and across from them...Which are usually all members, but we ask them about their neighborhood to see if they know anyone else who isn't a member. Often times they only know the members on their street, so hopefully that gets them thinking about fellowshipping.
 
My mission president changed his mind after all, so we get to skype!! Wahoo! We are planning on calling at noon tomorrow. We are going to take turns, but either way I will call you around then and let you know. And I will probably be calling Mom's phone because I don't have Dad's number memorized (sorry Dad), so if you could keep your phone on and nearby that would be great! I am so excited to tell you all about my baptisms and investigators and everything.
 
I love you all so much!
Hermana Burner
Mis Padres,

Thanks for giving me updates on people's missions! That is so fun to hear about.  Sorry if my e-mail/letter today is a little muddled---I have this head cold thing going on and I am not completely sure if I am making any sense at all.

I know it's going to be pretty different for all of us to not be together for Christmas this year, so I thought I would share some thoughts with you that have been helping me:

*"Know that to others, [missionaries] are angels with a message from our Heavenly Father."
   -- Cheryl Esplin, Gen. Primary (RS meeting in MTC)

*"Don't waste time---we only get this chance once."
  --Bradley D. Foster (Tuesday Devo at MTC)

*DECIDE to be happy

*"Jesus saught me when a stranger" (from Come Thou Fount) -- God is seeking people, through missionaries.

Part of the Christmas message we have been sharing with others is inviting them to think about what gift they can give to Christ for Christmas this year-- Time? Love? Service? Church attendance? This year, this Christmas, I am blessed to be giving others the second greatest gift that I can give.  And as I give it to others, I am little by little giving myself to Christ.

I love you both so much.

Thanks for giving me the two greatest gifts that you can give.

With love,
Your daughter
A memory card came in the mail! More MTC pics:







December 17, 2012
 
Hola Familia!
 
So I'm just going to answer questions first, and then I will tell stories :)
 
--My first baptisms are this Saturday.
 
--It is really cold here! But we are doing fine. Thank goodness my companion is from California, so she likes being warm just as much as I do!
 
--Our wards here start at 9 and 11, so we go to Sacrament/Sunday School for the first one, and then leave a bit early to go to all three hours of the 11 o'clock one.  We pick which ones we go to depending on where our investigators are. 
 
--I don't know what our plans are for Christmas yet, but my mission president sent out a letter saying that he changed his mind about letting us Skype.  So, we will just have to talk on the phone I guess. But in case he changes his mind again, you should take one of your laptops with Skype installed on it to Utah with you because I don't think Grandma or Avery have webcams.
 
--I will try to send pictures soon! I haven't been so good at taking pictures since I've been in Huntington, but I am trying to be better.
 
Rumors/news spread super fast around here, since it is such a tiny town! We called a lady the other day to confirm our dinner appointment, and when we mentioned that I am gluten free, she said, "Yes, yes, I already heard that at Pilates this morning." So the members have been so good at making me gluten free dinners. Lots of potatoes, but last night we had stir-fry on rice, and they had gotten gluten free soy sauce for it. So I think the hard part is behind me!
 
Also, the other night a member gave us a gift bag full of candy, a pineapple, and a fruit platter.  PLUS, the Mormon Tabernacle choir with David Archuleta CD!! When my companion and I opened the bag that night and saw the CD, we started jumping up and down, we were so excited! We hve been listening to it nonstop in car ever since.  I am so glad that my companion and I have things like that in common because I am pretty sure I would drive some other sisters crazy.
 
We have been trying to utilize Christmastime in our missionary work as much as we can.  Usually we only teach non-members, but we have been giving 15-20 minute Christmas messages to less active and active menbers as well, and it has proven really productive-- we have gotten so many referrals out of this! And is just feels nice to work with less activies a bit because they need spiritual upliftment as well.  A lot of our referrals have come from less actives, actually!
 
I just love, love, love Christmas time! I love driving by homes with Christmas lights, having lights and wreaths decorating the lamp posts on Main Street, listening to Christmas music, sharing messages about Christ...everything! And I get to play the piano for District Meetings, which gives me a little time to play Christmas songs on the piano.  Even the snow makes me a little happy. I get to have my first White Christmas this year!
 
It's odd to think that you all will only be about 2.5 hours away from me when you get to Salt Lake for Christmas.  Be we will be together in Spirit--I get to call you that day, and I will probably be thinking about you all often throughout the rest of the day as well.
 
I love you all so much, and hope you are having a Merry Christmas!
Con amor a los cielos,
Hermana Burner


Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Monday, December 10, 2012
 
Hola Familia!
 
Well, I guess my parents already know, but to everyone else-- my first area is called Huntington, which is up towards the Northeast corner of my mission. It is pretty cold up here! Besides Huntington, we cover some nearby towns called Cleveland and Elmo (yes, Elmo. As in Tickle Me).  I think 7 wards in all.  I have seen more cows than people here... as well as some pigs and sheep.  There are no stop lights in my area, although we do have a few stop signs.  There is a grocery store, but we haven't had the opportunity to go there yet.  Apparently it's pretty pricey since it's the only store within 45 minutes of us.  I'm not sure what the selection will be like, but we are trying to find a ride to Price (45-60 minutes away) today so that we can go to Walmart.  I've just been eating the mashed potatoes that Mom and Dad sent me, and a can of refried beans that my companion had.  Last night was a huge tender mercy because we ate at a member's house where the wife was gluten free as well, so I got to eat an entire meal! It's wonderful how the Lord can make a simple meal seem so glorious.  I had so much more energy this morning than I have had all week.
 
Sister "S" (the gluten free member) also sent me home with some lasagna for lunch today (we had chicken and rice last night), and some rolls that I ate for breakfast. How sweet!

I got to challenge my first person to baptism on Saturday night! She is a 9 year old whose parents are having her take the lessons because she wants to be baptized, so it was pretty easy but I felt like it was a little milesone nonetheless.  This area is so productive right now, with lots of baptims coming up and investigators to teach.  I am so blessed to have my first area by so fruitful.  Sometimes I feel like I am learning just as much from our investigators as they are from me; they are so humble, kind, and teachable, all of which are qualifities that I can improve on.

Yesterday we spoke in one of the Huntington wards, so I already got the first talk of my mission out of the way!  It was on the mission of Christ, so I got to do a lot of research and study some amazing scriptures about Christ in preparation for my talk.  I ended up having to leave out half of my talk when I was speaking, though. I felt like the first fifteen minutes were up before I started; I glanced up at the clock for the first time and was shocked that I only had five minutes left! Poor Sister Chase wasn't left as much time as she planned for (it was just the two of us speaking yesterday).  But I guess it is better to have too much to say than not enough!  Although I guess not having enough to say lets the Spirit speak more. Regardless, I feel like it went well, all things considered.  I'll send you a copy of my talk in my next snail mail letter :)

The Mission President asked everyone to have their mail sent to the mission office, and then they forward it to us.  Sister Chase said that sometimes she gets her mail in little batches, so sorry if some of my responses are delayed! But I will love, love, love to get letters anyways!

Most of our teaching has been in English, although we have been able to contact a few people in Spanish.  At dinner last night, one of Brother "S's" hispanic employees named Benny was there, and Benny said he wants us to come teach him, so I will probably have the opportunity to teach in Spanish soon! Sister Chase's spanish is really good, thank goodness. So it should go fine :)

My companion and I live in a house, which is pretty nice.  The basement isn't finished, so we just do laundry down there, but the upstairs is plenty spacious.  I'll have to send you some pictures sometime.  Sister Chase's mom sent us a box full of decorations (she even sent me a stocking, isn't that sweet?) so our house looks all Christmasy.  It makes me happy!  Oh, and one of the bishop's wives made us an advent calender, and another gave us a 3ft artificial christmas tree with lights on it.  The members are so generous!

I love you all so much!
Con amor a los cielos,
Hermana Burner 

Friday, November 30, 2012

Hola Familia!

Thank you for all of the letters and emails! I love getting them.

I forgot to bring my list of things I wanted to e-mail you about, so sorry if this e-mail isn't as productive!

My companion situation is a little different this week.  I was companionless for Monday and Tuesday (I just had elders in my zone or the sisters I live with escort me places), and then when I started Visitors Center training on Wednesday, there was only one other girl in the class with me so they told us that we are now companions. Which is good, because we have been able to stick together more than I have with any of my other companions since we actually have class together!  But she lives in another building, opposite of where my residence hall is, so that is a bit of a challenge.  In the meantime, the new sister we got in our zone was assigned to be my companion, but the only time I have been able to see her is at night when we go back to our residence hall and during breakfast! Poor girl. But the zone and the other sisters in our room have been good about taking her places.  What a hard adjustment to the MTC for her! I have class during all of my Coordinating Sister meetings, so I haven't been able to fulfill my calling very well.  My teachers said that they aren't supposed to assign sisters to be Coordinating Sisters when they are doing Visitors Center Training.  Sad day.  But Sister Scott (the new sister in my zone) seems to be doing fine.

We went to Temple Square on Wednesday morning, just Sister Pajoul, our teacher, and I. It was reallly nice.  On our tour, we had a couple of investigators join us, which was really neat!  On our way back to the car, we got to go through the tunnels, which made me think of how Grandma would always see General Authorities down there (Didn't she literally bump into Elder Perry one time?), and also made me have some Disney flachbacks from when I would go through those tunnels to get to Magic Kingdom.  We get to go to Temple Square again tomorrow night, only this time we will be the ones talking to investigators.  Scary! But we get to see all of the Christmas lights on while we are there, so that will be nice.

Oh! Funny story. So last week, Sister Bartschi and I were in the bathroom, and this girl comes in and starts speaking to us in Spanish.  We just go along talking in Spanish, telling each other about where we are from, where we are serving our missions, how long we have been here-- basic stuff.  But then I was telling her that I was going to start Visitors Center Training soon, and I realized that I didn't know how to say that in Spanish, so I just said "Voy a empezar Visitors Center Training esta Miercoles."  But then the sister says, "Lo siento, no hablo ingles!" (Sorry, I don't speak English!) Now, this is a white girl and she wasn't super fluent in Spanish so I was like uhhh....rude! So I just corrected myself by saying "Empecere preparando para el Centro de los visitantes" (I'm still not sure if that is correct), and she got it.  After she left, I was still a little annoyed, but then Sister Bartschi told me that the girl was French, so she legitimately doesn't speak English.  Oooops! I had not idea!

The other day I was talking to some practice investigators, and it turns out that she is the daughter-in-law of Zoe Bradley! Small world! So I got to meet Sister Bradley's 8 month old grandson, Christopher.  He is adorable~ Well, I need to take off... Sister Pajoul finished her laundry like 15 minutes ago and is waiting for me.

Much love!!
---Hermana Burner
(excerpts from letters that arrived in the mailbox-- written November 24, 2012)
 
..... So, since my companion leaves on Monday, I will be the last sister left in my zone. So, by default, my branch president asked me to be the coordinating sister.  Some of the elders in my zone were congratulating me, and I said "Yeah, because it is so hard to coordinate myself!" To which Elder Sheeder responded, "Well you do do a good job of it." Haha :)  Some of these elders are just so awesome!
 
The other day I overheard a random elder complaining about the prices at the bookstore, and he said, "And stamps are like 41 cents each! What the heck?" To which someone awkwardly informed him was kind of standard... LOL! Oh, elders. Bless their mothers.
 
Love you!
---Hna Burner

Friday, November 23, 2012

(Friday, November 23, 2012)
Hola Familia!

This week has been so great! Thanksgiving yesterday was AMAZING. My companera and I agree that it was probably the best Thanksgiving we have ever had. We started off the morning with a devotional by--guess-- ELDER JEFFREY R. HOLLAND!! If that's not a good way to start off a morning, then I don't know what is! He talked all about missionary work, how what we are doing right now is historic because we are proparing the world for the return of its Savior. He also spoke about how the Lord knows each of us individually, by name, and He knows our hearts. We got seats right in the center on like the 4th or 5th row of bleachers, so we had a direct view of him. It was amazing! Halfway through I glanced away and was like, "Whoa~ There are other people here!" I guess I was just super into what he was saying, so it was as if Elder Holland was the only other person in the room! Haha :)

After that we had our Thanksgiving meal, and they made me some gluten free stuffing and cake to go with my turkey and mashed potatoes.  How sweet of them! They take good care of me.  Then we went for a walk up to the temple with my companera's district, which was super pretty.  And it was just a wonderful day for walking, I even took off my jacket because it was so nice outside.  After that we had a service project, putting together hygeine packets for people in Africa. There wasn't enough room at the table with my district, so I went over to the next table and sat with some random elders. I saw that their nametags were in Spanish, so I just started speaking Spanish to them...apparently they were just learning it though, because they looked at me a little dumbfounded as they tried to figure out how to respond. It was kind of fun though, they were asking me how to say things in Spanish and we managed to have most of our conversation in Spanish.  It was nice to feel good at Spanish for once, since the elders in my district are pretty much all native speakers!

We had dinner in our residence hall, which I enjoyed because my bed is sooo much more comfortable than the chairs we usually sit in! Then we went back to the gym for what had been called a "program" (we were not sure at all what to expect), where they proceded to pass out a bag of popcorn to each missonary, dim the lights, and start the movie 17 miracles on the big screens! It was so awesome!

I thought it would be kind of weird, since I haven't ever spent Thanksgiving away from family, but it was actually really nice. A great time to focus on being grateful for the things that I have, being born in this time where we have so many opportunities, and most importantly, focusing on showing my gratitude for my Savior, Jesus Christ.

Today I am doing what is called "in-field training which focuses more on the practical aspects of missionary work. Sister Bartschi leaves for Ventura, California on Monday morning, and Sister Bradshaw left for San Diego this last Tuesday, so after Monday I will just tag along with some other sisters until Wednesday when we get a new Hermana in our zone. I start my visitors center training on Wednesday, which should be way fun! I get to go to Temple Square first thing in the morning, and then do some classes after lunch.

I got my travel plans for when I head to St. George! I leave the MTC at 4am on Dec. 5th, and my flight leaves Salt Lake at 7:55am. So, are you ready to get up at 6am to talk to your missionary, Mom? My flight is all of 58 minutes long, and there are 6 other missionaries flying down with me. The only one I have met is Sister Pajoul, though.

Speaking of meeting missionaries, I met a couple the other day that are headed to Roseville! We didn't get to talk for too long since we were in the middle of a volleyball game, though.

Well, I gotta run! Love you all!
--Hermana Burner

Friday, November 16, 2012

(e-mail Friday, Nov. 16th, 2012)
 
Hola Familia!
Sorry it has taken so long for me to e-mail you! My p-days are on Fridays while I am here. They let me send you a letter, but I didn't have a chance to stick it in the mail until Monday or Tuesday, so you probably just recently got it.
My first few days were pretty rough. There are just so many rules here, I find it hard to keep track of all of them!  Also, as I mentioned in my letter, I am what they call a "solo sister", which means that I am the only sister in my district (our district is the people we have class with). I do have two companions though, they just are in different districts. And the elders in my district are awesome. One of the members of our Branch Presidency gave them a talk about how they need to respect me since I am the only sister, so every time I enter the classroom they all stand up until I sit down... So, as you can imagine, I pretty much run across the room to my chair when I get to class.  Oh goodness. It is so great though, they are all so diligent and thoughtful. I can't ever walk anywhere by myself, so if my companions aren't around, they walk me home or to the cafeteria or wherever I need to go.  And they all act so happy about being able to walk me somewhere. How sweet! My companions are Hermana Bradshaw and Hermana Bartschi, who are both solo sisters as well.  Hermana Bartschi has been here for 7 weeks, but Hermana Bradshaw came in the week before me. They are both going to SoCal on their missions, Spanish Speaking.  Hermana Bartschi is also the coordinating sister in our zone. They are both so nice. The first night I got here, when I was super tired, Hermana Bradshaw made my bed for me while I unpacked. Which wasn't so easy, since I have a top bunk.  And both of my companions have been super patient with helping me figure things out here.
Some informational things:
My MTC departure date has officially been changed to Dec. 5th, and I am supposed to get back on April 23, 2014.
My sweater arrived in the mail from Grandma, muchas gracias Abuela!
I have seen lots of people that I know here. Not so many that you would know, though. Mostly from school-- Amelia Bruneel, who was my visiting teacher, Michelle Crosby, David Durfee, and Elder Nelson (I don't remember his first name) have been in my wards up at BYUI, Matt Yen (He worked with me in the Math Lab), and a few others.  This girl that I met while I was working in Utah lives on my floor of the residence hall, so we run into each other a lot.  She is learning Hungarian, yikes!
For every meal, I just go to the back of the kitchen and get a plate of food with my name on it out of a heater thing, it's super efficient. Although I did get sick last Sunday :( It was probably my fault though, I brushed some crumbs off of my chair before I ate, and they probably had gluten in them. But my companions took care of me! I went and laid down in a random classroom, and a friend of ours --Sister Aldridge--stayed with me while my companions went and tracked down some ibuprofen for me. We almost missed the fireside, thank goodness we had some sisters saving seats for us! But besides that I have been fine. During lunch on Sunday I just grabbed a bit of gluten free bread for Sacrament.
Only one elder in my district isn't a native speaker, so talking in class is a little intimidating sometimes. But my Spanish is getting so much better! The other day we were at the TRC (this place where we go to teach a random volunteer acting as an investigator), and I was teaching with Elders Munoz and Garcia about the Book of Mormon. The man wanted to know about Joseph Smith, and I was able to recite for him the first vision, as well as bare testimony that I know that if Christ could appear to His Apostles three days after His death, then surely He also appeared to Joseph Smith-- He lives, He loves us, and He wants us to come unto Him.  It was so great, and the spirit was so strong.
I have been marking my Spanish scriptures according to topic, and I feel like I am getting to know the scripures all over again. There is just something so neat about reading them in another language. And talk about a tender mercy, I haven't had a hard time reading them in Spanish at all! I think I have studied the scriptures so much more intensely than I ever have. I love it!
Anyways, I've got to run! Time's out.
I love you all-- Hermana Burner

The First Missionary letter

(mailed Nov. 13, 2012)
Mi Familia,

I won't have a p-day until next Friday, so don't stress when you don't hear from me for a while!

MTC was tiring today. They say to just hang on until Sunday though, and then it gets better.

I have two companions, Sisters Bradshaw and Bartschi.  There are five of us in the same room, and everyone seems super nice.  My companions and I are what they call "solo sisters" because we are in different districts, so we meet up at gym, meals, church, etc., but we are in different classes.  So I have elders escort me sometimes.

I am the only girl in my district, and only one other guy in my class isn't a native speaker.

I will be so glad once I am used to all this!

I love you all-- Hermana Burner

Thursday, November 8, 2012

The procedure for entering the MTC changed a few years ago to pretty much a "stop, drop, and roll".  When you turn into the driveway of the MTC, you drive past many missionaries standing next to posts that have numbers on them.  We arrived a little early before Janelle's 12:30 check-in time, and drove most of the way down towards the exit.  We pulled over by 2 Elders who opened our doors, took Janelle's luggage out of the car, asked her a couple of questions, and helped her take her luggage to the MTC. That was it! Because it is so quick, we decided to take pictures at the temple across the street. 


 



Catherine, Grandma, and Janelle in front of the Provo Temple

 
We have a tradition in our family that when you go on a mission, you take a little lamb with you.  We got some pictures of Janelle with the original "Lambsi", who has been on missions to France (in the 70s'), Michigan (in 1985-86), France/Switzerland (1987-89), and the Family History Center Mission in Salt Lake City (2002-03). The grandkids take a "Lambsi Jr." on their missions, and they have been all over the world.
 
 
MTC Day
Janelle and cousin Catherine spent some time together!
 



While we were taking pictures in front of the Provo Temple (across the street from the MTC), a group of international missionaries came out--- a bunch of Elders and one Sister. The wife of the couple that was with the missionaries came over to Janelle, with the Sister missionary by her side, and asked Janelle what mission she was going to.  It turns out that the lone sister missionary had arrived from France and came to the MTC on Monday, and will also be serving in the St. George mission! The woman explained that Sister Pajoul had been lonely being with a bunch of elders. It was a "tender mercy" to her and to us to meet there, prior to taking Janelle to the MTC. The Lord timed it just right, as we had rearranged the order of our plans for this to happen.
 
 

The day before entering the MTC, Janelle (Hermana Burner) went to Temple Square in Salt Lake City. There were many sister missionaries there and she talked to one from the Philipines and one from Brazil. They look forward to seeing each other in 4 weeks when Janelle goes for a day of "tour training" on Temple Square.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Monday was Janelle's day to say good-bye to Dad and her younger brothers', and fly to Utah.

On Sunday, November 4th, Janelle was set-apart as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For the next 18 months she will be known as "Hermana Burner".




Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Language Test

Today, on my lunch break, I returned a phone call from the MTC to do a language evaluation. In other words, they needed to see how well I speak Spanish so that they know where to place me when I get to the MTC. Depending on how people do on this evaluation, they are either placed in beginning, intermediate, or advanced levels of learning Spanish. I was super nervous, so it took me a few days to gather the courage to return their phone call!

They started off with easy questions ("Como estas?" "Que te gusta hacer?"), and then moved on to harder questions that required different tenses. I felt like I did okay on most of them--the only one I kind of stumbled on was "Why did you decide to serve a mission?" because I really need to learn my gospel vocabulary! It's hard to think of all the right words when you feel so on the spot.

BUT, I think I must have done rather well in spite of that because they told me that they were going to be putting me in the Advanced level. That means that I will only be in the MTC for three weeks! Plus a week for tours, since I will be working in the St. George Visitors' Center. It is just such a neat feeling to know that I am fluent enough in a foreign language that I don't even need to be taught it in the MTC!

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Mission Call

Fresh from the mailbox!
Hey guys! I am so excited to have the opportunity to serve a mission! I enter the MTC on November 7th, and while I am there I will learn how to teach the Gospel in Spanish, as well as learn how to give tours for the Visitors' Center and other sites in my mission. It is going to be so great! I have studied Spanish in college, and I absolutely adore it. Everything that I have learned about the St. George, Utah mission so far just seems so perfect for me! 

After I leave, my mother will be updating this blog for me, so after November 7th this will be the place to check for the latest updates. I will be posting my mission address on here, and I would love to hear from everyone while I am out there!

Thanks for all of the love and support :)

-Janelle