Amen! Amen!

Whew, this week was a crazy one! Gladys Knight was here and because of all of that our Preparation Day was moved to Wednesday...and then Thursday. I have never been more grateful for a P-Day. =) 

So much has happened and I don't know where to start. Gladys Knight was the biggest thing. She has a choir, the Saints Unified Voices, and they are invited all over the world to do firesides. They were here Friday and Saturday and were able to do four firesides during that time. Each time, the Stake Center was PACKED! Chapel, overflow, cultural hall, and the stage was filled to overflowing. We were able to go on Saturday night with two ladies from our ward. I could try to explain them, but my words wouldn't do them justice. Just picture two ladies that never stop talking and there are moments I would cry from laughing so hard. One of them, Sis. Evans, is in her 80's and is more spunky than anyone I know. Another one of those black spunky grandmothers that everyone needs! The car ride was not lacking in entertainment. 

Most of those in attendance were either investigating the church or were members of other faiths who were invited by members. There were some members and missionaries galore. It was amazing! There were people off all colors and faiths there and I have never seen a people more unified even though there were so many differences. Get it, Saints Unified Voices - well named. 

The moment the choir walked in the door I felt like I had left the Stake Center and was somewhere down South! Everyone was on their feet, clapping, and shouting gospel praises. Not going to lie, I LOVED it! This entire experience was such a wonderful missionary tool! The choir sang gospel songs and it was exactly what the audience needed and what they were familiar with. A member of the choir spoke and he explained how we are all related to Gladys -- how we are all children of Heavenly Father. He talked of Jesus Christ and what He means to us. I have never heard "amen" said so many times in my life. It was constantly coming from the audience. And then he talked of the restoration...I wasn't sure how they would take it. At first, the "amen"s weren't as loud, but never fear, the night ended great! Understanding has to happen first before testimony. 

Then Gladys' husband spoke next and the Spirit FLOODED the room. He talked about his background -- Southern Baptist from South Carolina. Everyone understood where he came from. He talked about how he was friends with Gladys and how everyone in the African American community knew she went crazy because she became a Mormon. (Laughs were constant during his talk!) But, he married her anyway. He knew she believed in God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost and that was good enough for him. Eventually he studied the gospel out for himself. (How could he not when his wife had so many young men friends on bikes who would come over all the time!) He knew the Bible inside and out. As he read it he knew there was a need for the Book of Mormon, he knew the only church that could be Christ's church would be named after Him and would be organized how He would have organized it. He found his own testimony when He compared it to the Bible and found it to support the words of God and not try to be its own religion. He knew The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was Christ's true church restored (not new) on the earth. As he spoke you could feel the understanding coming to the audience. You could see how they were changing their views of the LDS church. Honestly, I feel like that entire night was a miracle.

After he finished, Gladys spoke. Oh wow. She talked about joining the church and about how she had to study it out on her own before she could know if it was true or not. She had heard so many negative things about the church, but as she studied, she came to realize those negative things were coming from people who didn't know a thing about the LDS church and most of the negative concepts came from people who had never even met a Mormon before. She talked about culture and differences and how that's okay and how we can all learn and grow from each other. If we come together, follow Jesus Christ and help each other grow towards Him, we will be amazed at the blessings the Lord has in store to give us. He loves all of us and wants us to follow Him. Through following the prophet and reading His holy scriptures -- the Bible and the Book of Mormon -- we can know this is His true church and it is the only church that is organized by Christ and ran by Him. As she ended, she stated how she knew that Heavenly Father had given her music and her talents to do these firesides. Everything leading her to that point -- touring around the world, fame, fortune -- it all prepared a way to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Gladys Knight and the Pips don't matter -- the gospel does.

She closed by singing "I Stand All Amazed". Ahh, we need more soul in our hymns. Haha. In the program there was a guest card and if the audience filled it out, the missionaries would bring them a CD with a couple songs from the night, a Book of Mormon, and the Restoration DVD. Over the four sessions we received over 500 (guessing, maybe more) request cards for our mission. Hasten the work!!!! We're still connecting with people, but I can already see how great this will be for Ohio.

As for the rest of the week....

The Visitors Center missionaries were invited to a steak fry for helping with a strawberry festival before I got here. Steak Fry = grab a MASSIVE and thick steak larger than my head, cook it yourself on the MASSIVE grill, eat MASSIVE amounts of food with said steak, and go home with MASSIVE amounts of leftovers to feed your for two more days. Ahh, yumm!!!

It's actually warm this week! Thanking Heavenly Father everyday. 

We met with a referral and she really wants to talk about the gospel and build her faith in Jesus Christ. I'm so excited to see where things go with her. She is beyond adorable! 

And to top off my week.... We went to dinner at a members house. We had brownies for dessert and they gave us the extra brownies to take home. As I was eating my brownies, something was sticking out of the piece I was about to put in my mouth. As I pulled it out I realized it was a WORM!!!! Yuck! There was a worm in my brownie. (See attached video) Who would have thought I'd be eating bugs on my mission in Ohio. Haha

This isn't everything that happened this week, but it gives you something. =)

By the way, I love Kirtland! I get to feel the Spirit every single day! I get to see why the Saints did what they did in the 1800s and see how it has changed so many lives -- how it has changed my life. I am so grateful for their faith in our Savior and in His church. I am grateful for the temple and the opportunities we are blessed with that we can do work for our ancestors. It's a cycle -- we're all helping each other get to the Celestial Kingdom. =) So, umm, I can't go to the Temple while I'm here. I'm thinking you should all go and tell me about it! Invitation given...ready. set. go! 

Love you all!

Your worm eating, hallelujah shouting missionary, 

Sister Burns

Padded elevator at a retirement apartment complex.

SUV and Gladys Knight!

One month!

Hi!!!

I've already been out one month. So crazy! I still feel like a baby here, but that's okay! I'll wait till next transfer when we get new missionaries. =)

The mission is wonderful! We're having a hard time finding more investigators in our area since all of ours got baptized a few days before I got here....what a dilemma to be in. Ha. We'll keep searching! We did have a cool experience the other day during lunch. We stopped at a park to eat and there was a group writing uplifting thoughts with sidewalk chalk for suicide prevention week. They asked us if we'd like to write something. Of course!! Scripture time!! I wrote Philippians 4: 13. The cool part was as we were finishing a guy stood next to me and was reading the scripture. As we started talking I felt like I should give him a pass-a-long card. I was originally looking for the card for a free DVD about Christ. I knew there were some in my bag since I had just put some in there moments ago, but I couldn't find them. All I could find was a Book of Mormon card. I figured I'd just give him that instead. We talked for a moment, the entire time he was just staring at the card. He said, "You know, I actually already have this book. My grandpa was a Mormon. He was the coolest old man." Score! We talked to him and he is more than willing to meet with us. They all thanked us for the scriptures and we left. I loved that God knew exactly what card this man needed and he helped me find it. After we left, all I could find were the DVD cards. Small and simple things. =)

Sites were amazing this week! An older sister came in. We found out she had joined the church in the 80's and we didn't think much of it, just that she lived close and wanted to come see the sites again. But as we got to know her, we found out that she had fallen away from the church and had just started the process of coming back and coming to Kirtland was her first step. She was amazing! She had been in a car wreck and couldn't really walk,so we only made it to the main floor of the Whitney Store. We talked with her about her journey and her faith in Christ. You could see how much she has gone through and how grateful she was for a Savior who would never turn His back on her and was there with open arms when she gave up those things holding her back and returned to Him. Wow, she was such an inspiration. I love talking to people like her.
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A tour we took yesterday was with a couple from Boise, ID. They had never been here and said people thought they were crazy for stopping after visiting Palmyra since it was so far out of their way. As we walked through the store she asked about Christ showing Himself in Kirtland and knew it happened, but wasn't sure. We told her He did and in four places in Kirtland. She was beyond happy. We didn't tell her more since we were about to walk into the School of the Prophets and would talk about it there. The moment we walked through the door she started to sob. She said, "This is one of the places, wasn't it? I can feel it." Ahh, the Spirit was wonderful and we had such a wonderful discussion on the Lord's love for His children! I know that God loves every single one of His children and He wants us all to be happy. The entire reason for the Gospel of Jesus Christ is for our happiness. I feel it every day here. Such a blessing to know that and not be lost or confused and to have that guidance in this crazy life. I know that we can all know that through study and prayer. It normally doesn't come fast like turning on a light, it's normally slow like the sunrise. The key is noticing that it's getting lighter. (See Elder Bednar's Patterns of Light. So good!!) 

Thank you all for your love and support. I couldn't do it without you. =)

Love your favorite missionary, 

Sister Burns

My cute little grey house! 

Because My Heart Is In Ohio!

Hello World!!! 

Well, I am in Ohio! And it is so green here! The trees are stunning and there are so many of them! I don't realize the mountains are missing because the trees are so high. The humidity isn't bad at all either...I kinda love it. Except when it's cold and with Fall coming, it's chilly a lot! Shock surprise, I'm freezing most of the time. Ha. I might have already had hot chocolate... =) 

My companion is Sis. Harrison and she is wonderful! She is beyond dedicated and helpful. The first few days were adjusting days and there's a lot to adjust to. I think I'm slowly getting the hang of it though. I haven't cried once since being out here, so I've heard that means I'm doing amazing! Ha. Oh, and I've come to realize that I am, in fact, a Utah driver. My companion has Spina Bifida, so I get to drive on my first transfer! Whoot, but it's such a pain. Anyone who has served a mission with Tiwi understands my pain. It yells at me a lot...but I'm getting better with these 25 MPH speeds! Yes! Also, living on a budget is hard! I haven't had to do it for a while. All good things, all good things.

Our area is Shaker Heights North. It's about 30 minutes outside of Kirtland, so we get to drive out there three times a week. (I'm not looking forward to driving it when winter comes. I might cry...) I LOVE our area. The ward is wonderful and completely dedicated to missionary work. There were four baptisms the week I got there and so many recent converts in the ward. We have three sets of missionaries in the ward and so much to do! Exciting for our mission, Gladys Knight is coming to do a concert on the 19th and 20th. She's a bit of a hero here and so many people LOVE her. Gladys uses it as a wonderful missionary tool. Members can come, but they need to bring investigators and that's not hard for them to do. Some people are bringing
10 - 15 people or more. The people hear Gladys and coming is a no-brainer. I'm excited to see how it changes our mission. (Also, rumor has it that LeBron James is coming with his LDS aunt...Cross our fingers! Wouldn't that be cool!)

My first day was such a whirlwind. We woke up (Mom and Dad, thank you for the letters and pictures! Much needed) and were able to tour Kirtland with all of the incoming missionaries, the mission president, and Karl Anderson who is the king of Kirtland history and the patriarch of the Kirtland Stake. So with all of them we were able to see all of the Temple (Including upstairs where they normally don't take tours) and we were able to read from the Doctrine and Covenants and really experience what happened there. Something that never happens on a normal tour. So blessed! Then we toured the sights and spent a lot of time in the School of the Prophets. Wow, I never knew how many amazing things happened here. Kirtland really is key to the restoration of the Gospel. There is a reason the First Vision is called the first and not the only. =)      

We then went to Transfer Meeting, I got my amazing companion, took my suitcase to our house, and went right to our area. We were able to meet with a few member families and one little boy we are teaching. Overall, great day! 

We rotate days between our area and Kirtland sites. And I do love the sites. It is slower now since school is back in session, but we have had a few tours. Yesterday was amazing! We took a non-member older lady and her husband on a tour. They are from Columbus and just saw Kirtland on the internet and decided to check it out. They came for a history tour, but I know they left with so much more. We were upstairs in the N. K. Whitney Store and Sis. H asked the wife (Mary) if she wanted a Book of Mormon. She said she was familiar with the book and felt it would be better saved for someone who hadn't already heard about it. No worries. But the best part was that throughout the tour you could see her change. We talked about the people and why they did what they did. We talked of their sacrifice and their faith. Ahh, it was wonderful. As we left the Johnson Inn she walked next to me, and with a soft voice asked if she could still have that book. Best feeling ever when you can help someone be in the right place to feel the Spirit and God's love for them. She completely, willingly gave us her information and I cannot wait to talk to her about what she's reading. 

Funny moment of the week. We are teaching a little 8 year old, Demetrius. His sister joined the church a bit ago and now he's old enough to get baptized, too. Goodness, he is so funny and SO smart. He has so much spunk and little black boy attitude. One lesson we were talking about Prophets and showed him some pictures of Bible prophets. As we were flipping through pictures he suddenly stopped us on a picture of Christ on the cross. He was like, "Is that blood! Is he dead? How'd they kill him?" (The way he said it was hysterical in only the way a little black boy could! Ask Emily for You-tube videos and you'll understand completely what I'm talking about.) He then proceeded to be obsessed with death and the "Under World" and being thrown into the fire. Oh silly. (Made me think of Ben's line in the British Pageant) I LOVE teaching him though. He has so many deep questions.    

I guess I could talk about where I live. I live right behind the N. K. Whitney Store! So cool! I love living on site and being so close to this beautiful place. Ahh, I feel the Spirit so strong and I know special things happened here. 

By the way, my address is never changing!! =) It's always going to be the Visitor's Center. I will be moving areas and homes, but mail can always be sent there. (Sending to the mission home takes a lot longer.) 

7800 Kirtland-Chardon Rd.

Kirtland, OH 44094

And....YOU ALL CAN E-MAIL ME!! =) Although, snail mail is beyond exciting and I would HIGHLY recommend you all sending me packages and letters to my cold and lonely mailbox *cough* *cough*, but you can send e-mails as well. I don't have a strict time limit on the computer either. =) 

I sure do love this place. The people of Ohio are wonderful and I love talking about the Gospel with them. I never realized how simple the Gospel is and how much it changes peoples lives. You can see how much happier people are with it in their lives. We have been able to meet with so many converts (because Ohio is full of them!) and hear their stories. I know because of Jesus Christ's Gospel, we can have that happiness. I see it so much already and I know I have just started to dip into it. 

Read your scriptures, say your prayers, go to church...God is there. You will see if you keep looking and keep your heart open...I promise. 

Love you all!! Write me! Especially you, yes you...the person reading this. Because odds are I don't have your address or e-mail. =) Thanks!  

Until next Tuesday,

Sister Burns

Pictures: Me and the Kirtland Temple, Sis. Harrison and I