January 13, 2014

Hey y'all!
I LOVE KYLIE'S PREFERENCE PICTURES!! They are so adorable. I tell everyone I meet out here that my sister and her boyfriend look like Barbie and Ken, and when I show pictures, they completely agree with me! It's so true! They are such a cute little couple! Tell the boys to stop growing! It's freaking me out! they are all going to tower over me when I get home!! Well, I guess, since Ryan is getting bigger, Dad will finally have his golf team that he's always wanted. haha. I'm so glad to hear that Trent is behaving so much better. That really makes my heart happy! He's such a good kid! I miss him a lot. And I miss all the other kids so much!!!!! And you too bubby!

Yes, I am in Rockwood, Tennessee. It's by Herriman, TN or Spring City, TN. It's west of Knoxville. Ya I can't believe I've been out 5 months tomorrow!! It's crazy!! I can't believe it!!

So this week was FREEZING!! it was the coldest it's ever been in Tennessee I guess! They closed down schools until Thursday. It. Was. So. Cold! haha.

The Trio is going good. It's been interesting trying to teach with 3 people, but it's going good. We all get along really well! 

Well this week was rather intense! haha. Hold on to your screen, it's about to get crazy up in this email! So, we had a great/scary week. It was great because we committed our investigator Jeannie H. for baptism for Feb. 1st. She's a sweet, old lady and it touched my heart because right after I committed her, we talked about the sacrament and how it's a cleansing feeling just like being baptized again.  Then she said I hope so. Because this gospel is what i'm looking for.  It's what i've been searching for. And I just burst into happy tears.  My heart was filled.  There really are people searching. Truly.  It's strengthened my faith.  If we, as missionaries, don't walk out the door with the faith that we will find those people, the Lord can't work His miracles.  The members are so awesome in this Branch! We get fed almost every night! In my last area, we rarely got fed. And it just makes me SO grateful to members who feed missionaries! 

We saw a less active member named Denice, she has had so much hard things happen to her, she's had a hard life.  She kept expressing she didn't know if there was a God.  I would bare my testimony that I know there's a God and she can know for herself.  She just kept fighting me on that.  She's very logical person.  It was very hard to teach her.  I kept trying to tell her ways she can know He's there and trying to help her.  But she kept fighting.  I felt like a failure because I felt like I was making it worse.  But it's okay that I failed. Sister Cady taught me that it's okay to fail.  We need to fail.  Failure's great! She's right and this experience just confirmed that for me as well. And so other people we're teaching, Deron and Leigh Ann T.  Sister Hollis and Turner tracked into them and we're trying to start teaching them lessons.  We're trying but they keep saying no, but we still visit them. I know they're ready. 

So we went on exchanges this week and Sister Weirich (why-rick) came and stayed with me and Sister Hollis. Sister Turner went to Knoxville for 24 hrs.  So we went and saw another investigator, Megan. And we invited her to church and she's like oh well my boots are all packed (they just moved) and so I probably won't make it.  Well I was wearing boots and I said Megan. Are you kidding me?? you won't come to church because you don't have boots?? Well take mine! And she's like oh no no! and I was like I'm serious. Take. My. Boots! and so she did and she was like ok, I'll come to church.  But lo, and behold, she didn't come. But we're seeing them tonight, switching back our shoes (she gave me her flip flops to wear home) and I'm gonna give her a whoopin'! ;) Gosh...but we'll get her! So yes, it's been an exciting week. 

OH and I spoke on Sunday. It was good..I was so nervous but it went well. So let's see...we had Zone Conference this week. It was a good meeting.

So yes, this has all been so exciting right? well JUST WAIT. The biggest event for the week...Saturday night we had all gone to sleep at 10:30, when we're supposed to and there was a loud banging on our front door. Then someone looked in our window. We were all freaked out! The banging kept going and Sister Hollis got the phone, called 911 and within a 60 seconds there were 2 cop cars there and we looked out the window and it was this HUGE guy with tons of tattoos and we're like ahhhh!!! Why was he knocking on our door???? ahhh! and then pretty soon, there was 5 cop cars and 2 ambulances outside of our house.  Then the police guy comes to our door and he's like well this guys is EXTREMELY drunk and he's most likely going to jail tonight. he was trying to get to the house 2 doors down.  And the sketchy thing was that there was blood on our door and the medics were trying to wrap him up, his arm and his head, and the police man was like he was just at the wrong house. And Sister Turner is like well, aren't you concerned about our safety or should we be? and he's like no, he just had the wrong house. Well thanks dude!! I feel SO safe now! Thank you! hahaha ahhh!! It was scary! But very exciting. They were outside of our house for an hour.  So it was kind of crazy, but I guess it's good he got put in jail? HA! oh missionary work...I tell you it's just great!

Anyways! it was a pretty great and eventful week!
Don't be worried about me mom! I promise I'm okay! And don't call the mission office...like. Don't be that mom. I'm okay. hahaha.

I miss y'all soooooooo much. More than I can even tell you! I am growing and learning so much!! and I'm going to continue to do so. Thank you for your support. It means the world to me. There are some missionaries out here that don't have any support whatsoever...it's really sad and hard to watch and I can't imagine what that would be like.

I love you guys SOO much. I miss you more than you know! I promise I'll be safe this week! haha I love y'all so much!!
Love always,

Sister Burr

Sister Turner, Sister Burr, and Sister Hollis