Hello Everyone! I hope all is well for you. Last week had its ups and downs. As I have been here in the field for three weeks now, I'm becoming more and more familiar with the areas and more comfortable to the different culture around me. I love it here and I'm grateful to be here in the Redruth area. I love the members here in the Redruth ward. They are so good to Sister Schmidt and I. We have become great friends with the members and being part of a small ward, I have come to know mostly everyone now. Sister Schmidt and I are slowly but surely finding more and more people. It hasn't been easy re-opening the area but we are confident in finding those that need us and continue to search for people that will hear the message that we have for them. I have learned a lot this past week. Sister Schmidt and I had teaching lessons planned with people we found but many of them got canceled. It was a bit discouraging for us. I wondered what I was doing wrong and for the first time in the mission got pretty discouraged. We had been finding and searching for many hours but just kept getting rejected. I kept wondering if I was doing something wrong or why I at times couldn't feel the spirit when I went to speak to someone. Sister Schmidt helped me overcome my discouragements though and helped me to realize many things about missionary work. I am so truly blessed to have a companion and trainer like her. She explained that many people have their agency to listen. We can't choose for them if they accept or deny the gospel. They don't simply reject us but they reject who we represent which is Jesus Christ. It's hard to see that but the people of England have their agency just as everyone else does. Sister Schmidt also helped me to realize that not everything we do with missionary work involves the spirit testifying to us in our hearts and in our minds the things we need to know. Simple things like talking to someone, knocking on a certain street, loving the people and having compassion, etc. can all be inspired of the spirit. Sister Schmidt and I have helped pick each other up and helped encourage one another as we continue to find people to teach and it's amazing to see the unity that we have. Something I learned from the Preach My Gospel manual as I was studying it was that a mission will be discouraging but you shouldn't ever be discouraged in yourself if you know that you are doing your very best and are being obedient to all the mission rules. My companion and I grow and learn each day and I'm grateful for it. It's been a month for me now and I can't believe how much I have seemed to change within just that time of being out here. Everyone tells me that a mission is one of the best things that happens in your life but it's also one of the hardest. I have come to learn for myself that this is very true but I'm grateful because I have been able to see myself grow from it. I look forward to the months ahead of me. As for the missionary work here, our goal is to get a teaching pool together and we won't give up until we succeed. We fasted this past Sunday to find someone and we actually came across a lady in her car and had a really good gospel discussion with her. She lives in Newquay (which isn't part of our area) but she comes down to Truro sometimes so we hope to stay in contact with her and see how it goes from there. We do have a couple of investigators that we are currently teaching. Most of them that we are teaching are currently ones that have been taught by missionaries before. Geoffry is someone we are teaching right now but It's been somewhat hard with him. He has been taught by 2-3 sets of missionaries before us and has been taught basically all of the principles of this Gospel. He struggles still with knowing if God is really there and how can he know for himself that truth. Geoffry is a bit argumentative as well so sometimes we will try to say something to him but then he will ask questions that go against what we say. Sister Schmidt and I aren't losing hope however and will continue to see if we can help him understand better. Another investigator that we are currently teaching struggles with the word of wisdom but he is striving to be committed and stop. He really wants to get baptized but knows that he needs to become worthy and faithful in order to do so. Sister Schmidt and I are continually seeking for those who are prepared to hear the gospel and have goals set to find those people. I've learned so much about the power of pray and the importance of trusting in the Lord. Everyday here in England continues to be an adventure and I love it! My love for the people and this mission continues to grow more and more! I hope all is well for everyone!
With Love,
Sister Burtis
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