Kwun Tong 8

Hello everyone!

P-day changed to Friday again this week,

I don't know if I ever mentioned this yet but mission has really been different than what I had expected or dreamed about,

but of course, everything will give me experience and will be for my good because it is all arranged by God and He knows what is best for me.

He really personalized this short mission experience for each missionaries for our specific needs and duty.

Mission has been challenging and becoming more challenging as I am out longer, but I am also realizing that the Lord has really strengthened me, prepared me, taught and raised me up for these challenges that I am able to endure them patiently and actively, and it draws me evermore closer to the Lord and strengthens my trust and faith in Him.

I would not be being honest if I said that I don't struggle. But I found that I can still move forward no matter what. It is because of the Grace of the Lord prepared by the Atonement of our Savior. I am understanding ever more about love. and all the things the Savior and the prophets spoke about love sinks even deeper in my heart.

I am learning to trust in the Lord that my best really is enough and I am striving to develope more self-esteem and confidence in the Lord, doing my best to trust that my best effort is acceptable to Him and that He is pleased by my hard works no matter how imperfect. I am learning more about feeling successful by the Spirit not by any other measure, I am applying more of President Monson's quote: "Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved". I am finding more and more things to constantly repent about and can feel my conscience becoming clear before the Lord. "Seeing is half the battle" I know what I need to fix and work on and change in myself, and I know I can change because God is with me every step of the way.

Today was our temple day!

I have really been craving for it since I went to Macau, and it was so good to return home! Temple is where I can feel that I am home, and can find rest. Last Friday we had the opportunity to participate in the baptism part of the temple with Cassandra our recent convert, and few other recent converts! Cassandra is really improving and growing in the gospel. Though she is forgetful and doesn't know or understand much, she is able to withstand all the anti-pressure from school and other places in her life simply because she knows this church is true. She is awesome! I also had the opportunity to be on splits and teach Jenny on Tuesday, she hasn't been to church since her baptism and has told me on Saturday that church on Sunday was the most annoying part about all the church activities and that she didn't want to go, so I had been extra concerned as to how in the world to help her. But I bought her a Childrens' Book of Mormon Story, and she started reading it right away in front of me and started to comment on the stories and things and have impressed me that she really wants to see Jesus Christ like the prophets have. So I asked her "you REALLY want to see Jesus Christ don't you?" and she said "of course" so I told her I will teach her how to see Him, while IN THIS LIFE. :) We turned to Doctrine and Covenants 93:1 and read the pre-requisites to "see my face and know that I am". And I asked her if she really wanted to see His face and if she knew now what to do. And she said she really does and answered me those things in the scripture, and I asked "how do You need to keep the commandments?" and she told me she needed to come to church and keep the Sabbath Day. I asked if she would and she said yes. ,,,,,,!! So I am looking very much forward to this Sunday!!!! I really hope this pure desire to see Christ will really help her keep all the commandments and to grow in the gospel! She is young and has good questions, she has so much potential, and she just needs to come to church and be nurished by the good word of God and renew her baptismal covenants to grow in the right ways. So I am very thankful that the Holy Ghost has guided me to that scripture that I read such a long time ago. Still praying and fasting for Jenny!

There are lots of things happening that I don't understand and causes me to question my worthiness as a missionary, but then as I look back on my week--like during emailing time--I realize I am still being led and guided by the Spirit and I know He is what we need to do this work worthily. And I know that these things are only helping me, leading me to the Promised land. As described in Ether 6:5-12, These winds that God has arranged are to help us get to the promised land, it will not cease until we get there, and many times we will be buried in the depths of the sea, but the Lord will hear our cries and deliver us, and we will praise Him always, and as long as we rely on the Lord no monsters of the seas will brake us, and we will have the Light of the Lord continually, and WE WILL GET THERE, the promised land! :)

Let us all strive to have joy in this journey :)

Add Oil everyone!

Sincerely with loves always,

Sister Burningham