awe at how fast time goes by sometimes. Much has happened over this
past week and I'm excited to be able to share some of those exciting
adventures with you. First of all, Sister Hamann and I got to do an
exchange with the Exeter Sisters. That was a lot of fun! I got to stay
in Redruth and Sister Fromgren came and did some missionary work in
the area with me. Sister Fromgren is from Norway. She has actually
just been out for several weeks and is currently being trained. She is
great though and even though she sometimes struggles with English, she
has a great testimony and did really well in the lessons that we
taught. It was crazy to see how new of a missionary she was and I
realized that I was in her position only about 4 months ago. It's
crazy how much You can learn and how much confidence and growth you
develop in so short of time. The next day, after the exchange, we
exchanged back to our regular companionships and also had our
specialised zone training in Plymouth that day. It was incredible! I
learned so much from it and I also got to do a workshop for all the
other missionaries with my companion, Sister Hamann, and the zone
leaders-Elder Mayes and Elder Dyer. We talked about how we should
center our focus on the Savior and how we can do that through our
actions and conversations. The workshop went really well and I think
the missionaries got a lot out of it. I know I did. Apart from our
workshops, President Gubler and his wife got to talk to us. The
assistants did as well and it was really good. We talked about how we
should trust in the Lord and fear no man. As long as we do all that we
can and have faith in Jesus Christ, then we should not worry about
rejections or outcomes. If God wants miracles to happen and for
baptisms to happen, He can make that happen. It's really just about us
and being personally converted and obedient to be a witness of those
miracles that He has prepared for us. I know this to be true. One
thing that I had to do to test this out was to step out of my comfort
zone. A couple days after zone training, Sister Hamann and I had an
hour and a half of traveling on the bus. I sat next to an older lady
who I got talking to and she wasn't too interested. Well something I
learned from the zone training is that we are looking for the elect
and those who are prepared to receive our message. I bravely and with
all my courage, turned to the lady and kindly asked her if I could go
talk to the lady several rows back and she didn't mind at all. As the
bus continued to travel along the curvy road, I thought to myself, "I
fear no man. I fear no man." Slowly I stood up and moved my way back
as I saw and felt some people look at me from behind including my
companion. I quickly moved into a seat next to a middle aged lady but
as soon as she saw my badge, she wasn't interested. I told her that it
was ok and I wished her a good day and decided to quickly move into a
seat next to a younger girl who looked to be about 17 or 18. She
didn't mind me sitting next to her so I brought up a topic to talk
about and before I knew it, we were in a gospel discussion. In the
end, I invited her to read the Book of Mormon and she accepted. She
had told me that she had sometimes wondered if perhaps God was out
there. It was amazing! God had someone prepared there on the bus and I
learned that when I step out of my comfort zone and do all that I can
to share the message that we have, then it becomes easier to find
those who could potentially become investigators and most of all, who
are willing to come unto Christ. My companion, Sister Hamann and I,
have seen many miracles take place and we are so grateful for all the
people that we have met. We are now currently teaching two young
mothers, Debbie and Chloe, that we have met just recently. Debbie has
6 kids and Chloe has 3 kids. We have taught them the Restoration and
they have both accepted the invitation to prayfully read the Book of
Mormon. We are excited to be able to continue to teach them and
continue to work with them. They are two incredible ladies. Overall,
I'm just so grateful to be a part of the missionary work here in
England. There is so much potential in Cornwall as well! Transfers are
mid-October and because I've been out 3 transfers here in Redruth,
there could be a slight possibility of me moving but I secretly hope I
don't because I want to continue to work with the people here for at
least one more transfer. :) Especially with my companion. We get along
really great and I'm grateful for Sister Hamann. We work really well
together and are able to be really unified in the work. The Lord has
blessed me greatly with the two companions that I've had so far. They
have taught me a lot. Oh, before I hop off to go do some more
missionary work this week, I just want to thank you for all those who
write letters and emails. I love to hear all the fun things going back
at home and I'm hoping all of you are doing well. The work is
hastening on. The Church is true and I'm so grateful to be a part of
this Gospel.
Love you all!
Love,
Sister Burtis
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