Sometimes the Lord brings us low before he can lift us higher!

What a week! It all started with our last pday. Our last Pday was really good! We got to hike to a place near Redruth called Carn Brea. It's a beautiful place. We were able to overlook all the towns of Redruth, Camborne, Truro, etc. There is a small castle building and a big monument that we were able to explore and look at. That was quite enjoyable. We were hiking up about a mile or so up and it was really fun because we got to wear trousers (the england word for pants) instead of skirts. It didn't feel right to be wearing trousers because we were so used to dressing up to teach lessons, door knock, and find. It was quite fun though and I really loved having the chance to explore and hike up there to Carn Brea. England is so green and absolutely gorgeous. I can't wait to continue to explore the different areas that I get transferred to as the mission continues. As for the missionary work, It has been such an amazing week. It's amazing how one day will be tiring and frustrating but the next day can be so rewarding and you can see all your hard work take place. We taught our investigator Geoffry. Both Sister Schmidt and I were a bit nervous to teach him because last lesson we taught him, he kept just doubting and questioning everything. We prayed and planned our lesson and then went to teach. We taught a lot about be willing to act and having faith. I felt the spirit so strongly throughout this lesson as we shared experiences, scriptures, and stories with Geoffry. Sister Schmidt had been teaching half way through the lesson and suddenly a scripture popped into my mind, 1 Nephi 17:13-14. It was amazing how suddenly I remembered something I had studied earlier in the scriptures and it came to my remembrance. That scripture really fit well into the lesson. The lesson went so well and Geoffry really felt the spirit. He didn't have as many doubts and questions this time which was really good! As the lesson continued, we were able to share a mormon message on our Ipads and we shared with him a video called, "The Hope of God's Light." It really helped us in the lesson. It's amazing how technology is used these days to further the work. The gospel library app has helped us in so many things. Not only that but the spirit was really strong in the lesson. This lesson not only helped Geoffry but it also helped me. It really showed me how this gospel can really help someone in their life. I was able to testify to Geoffry about 1 Nephi 17:13-14 that God is truly our light in the wilderness and that once we have arrived in the promised land, we will know that the Lord is our God and that He was the one who delivered us from destruction. This can mean spiritually and it really can apply to anyone's life. It applies to mine and for my mission. I've learned that God will guide me through the frustrating and hard moments as well as the good moments. He never leaves us to be alone. Just as the restoration movie goes to quote, "Sometimes the Lord brings us low before he can lift us higher." I love that quote and it is so true. This scripture testified to me during Geoffry's lesson that the Lord will help me during my mission as well as through life. There will be trials but that makes us even stronger. As for finding, we have been street contacting a lot. We went to Truro and found two different people who we have teaching appointments with next week. Sister Schmidt and I are really excited for that! We also went door knocking and found this family of 8 who are interested in the message that we want to share with them. It's amazing how the Lord has provided us the small tender mercies throughout this week. The missionary work is truly hastening on and I love to see that as Sister Schmidt and I strive to become better and better, our work is able to progress farther and farther. We have been working with some less active families and have teaching appointments with them next week so we look forward to that. I continue to see miracles happening on my mission and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and to grow. This week was July 4th but seeing how England doesn't celebrate it here and my companion is from Germany....not much celebration took place! But since my companion is so great and willing to have fun, we both decided we had to do something american and so for lunch, we made a meal and had hamburgers :) Plus we sang the star spangled banner so that was fun and exciting! It was sad to receive the news that Boyd K. Packer had passed away. Sister Schmidt and I were with the Redruth ward in our church meetings and everyone was sad when we all received the news. It'll be interesting to know who the new apostles will be. I hope all is well for everyone! This week has been really good for the Redruth area, my companion, and I and we hope to continue progressing in the work! Love you all!

With Love,

Sister Burtis