Pictures!

April 27, 2014

 

 

Hermana Burnham's Mission President will be released soon.  Her district, and a few others, had their final interviews with the President this last week.  Here are some pictures I took from the mission blog.

 

 

Hermana McOmber y Hermana Burnham

Hermana Burnham's District
(Her district is comprised of 6 missionary companionships)

The Sisters in her district
(Third from left is her former companion, Hermana Durham)
(Hna McOmber is second from the right.  Hna Burnham is on the far right.)

The One Where Pat and Hannah Showed Up At My House

April 20, 2014

Patrick, Hannah and Maeve Hervey!

 

My title speaks for itself—ya’ll are the best.  Nobody else get any big ideas! Only Patrick and Hannah are allowed to show up at my house from now on [mostly because of Maeve ;)].

 

This week was so amazing!  We are having so many amazing miracles here in the Woodlands—just one after the other. This week we were walking down the street and a woman just yells "Quieras coka?" I reply:  "Claro!" We walk to her birthday party and greet her family of like 20 people. [She says:] "Cual quieras mi vida?  y cuando va a regresar para ensenarme?"  [When are you coming back to teach me?] Whenever you want, ma’am! Stuff like that has just been happening like crazy and it has been so miraculous.

I also got a free Coke (I never drank coke before my mission. . . . If you eat spicy food, you must have a coke to go with it.  That is just a way of life.  If chicken, rice, beans and chile are presented, a coke, as well, must be presented. Rule #3674 of life.) 

Onto a different note: There is a woman I know who did some things she shouldn’t have done and had to go through the repentance process(who she is and what she did aren’t important.) She has lived the last 2 years of her life in complete dedication to the Lord and His church. She has been completely faithful and active. She has also lived the last 2 years of her life without the sacrament and without being able to participate in any way at church. She feeds us every single week even though she is a single mother with 4 children and limited funds. I love and admire her.  

This week she participated in the sacrament for the first time in 2 years and gave the closing prayer in Sacrament meeting.  My eyes filled with tears as I thought of the power of the Atonement and the role that Jesus Christ plays in our daily lives--the power to cleanse, to make one clean, the heal and to perfect. She came down from the podium and we hugged.  I whispered:  "You did it. Congratulations."  She whispered back: "Thank you. Thank you." 

The Lord lives. Because He lives we can be made whole. We can change. We can be better. There is no greater message that I share with the world every day than that of our Savior.  

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 

That promise is real. I can testify of it because I have experienced it. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.   

Love, Sister Alivia Burnham

 

We found kittens!

Hno Morales.
This man changed my life. The qualities for my future husband changed from "those listed in the Book of Mormon about Moroni" to "Hno Morales". I met him this week on exchanges in Oakcrest. I adore him.



I just learned that my camera has great editing features!

Hermana Burnham y Hermana McOmber
Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

 

The One Where I Dislocated my Pinky

April 14, 2014 

 

 

Several days later
Only the bruising remains

Can a person even dislocate a pinky? I don't know. I know it was bent in directions it wasn't supposed to and I pushed it back into place, but it isn't broken (I assume; I can bend it and everything), so that is probably a dislocation of some sort?

It was during a service project. I was placing bricks around this garden area and I dropped one brick that then landed on another brick with my pinky sandwiched in the middle. How exactly my pinky made it in there I am not sure because I have the smallest pinky fingers mayyybeee on the whole planet earth.  Like, they stopped growing around age 5 and look so out of place on my hands. So, how my little, tiny pinky managed its way in there is beyond me. I will attach pictures for your enjoyment.

Other than dislocating my pinky finger (I’m so embarrassed), this week I also discovered Blue Bell "Southern Peach Cobbler" ice cream……drool.  So good.  I was also thinking at one point about Dad and how he would tell me stories about weird things he would make himself to eat on the mission.  This week, as I thought over what I had prepared for myself, I thought, "yeah . . . I totally understand this now."  When all you have in your fridge is lunchmeat ham, tortillas, pickles and chick-fil-a sauce--you make it work! Haha. I love being a missionary! (Don't worry Mom, that isn't all I eat.)

This week was a phenomenal one. We had some really amazing miracles--so many that I can’t tell them all here on this one email.  But, I will share the one of E.

E. is someone that the Sisters before us had found. He got passed off to Elders and then eventually stopped being contacted and taught. I had heard his name once or twice, but had never talked with him or met him. This week we were sitting in our car getting ready to pray before we headed into a lesson and a man walks past our car.  He then walks backwards until he can see into our windows and then comes up and knocks on our window, scaring Hna McOmber half to death (he is a little rough looking). We roll down the window and he says:  "Are you the girls from the store?"  Not really knowing what he was referring too, but assuming we were indeed the same people, we affirmed.  He goes:  "Are you the ones from the Church with the man and the hill...and the light...and...I can’t really remember".   I reply:  "Joseph Smith?"  "Yes! Yes! Jose Smith! That is his name! I want to learn about your church", he says back. "We can help you with that", I replied.  We set a return appointment and anxiously waited for the end of the week to teach him.

 

However, he is a single man and he lives at the very end of a rather worrisome street in our area, so we could not, nor did we want to, go alone. But, Heavenly Father, and His infinite mercy several weeks earlier, provided a new family in our ward (La Familia R.) who live 3 trailers down from E. and have a son on a mission and are SUPER gung-ho about missionary work! So we had E. come to their home and we taught the Resturacion and it was so powerful. At the end of the lesson he said:  "I saw you two leaving the store and I was going to get your attention, but you (pointing to Hna McOmber) had already got in the car and you (pointing to me) were standing behind the car . . . twirling or dancing, I’m not sure (how classic Alivia is that, hahaha), but I just knew that I would see you again. I don't know why, but I just knew I would. And then not only did I see you again, but it was that same day! Just a few hours later. That is why I knocked on the window of your car." The Lord works in mysterious ways. I love being a missionary!!!

This Sunday is Easter.  http://easter.mormon.org/?cid=HPTU041514694

The Savior lives. He is Risen! What words are more joyous?!

I love you all!

The One with the Baby Squirrel at General Conference

April 7, 2014

 

Baby Squirrel

For real . . . baby squirrel

 

My title is a little deceiving. There was no squirrel at general conference; or, at least if there was, I don’t know about it.  But, I needed to figure out a way to squeeze two great things into one title.

1. Baby Squirrel. This week I caught a baby squirrel. Yes, I did indeed. It was the COOLEST THING EVER.  So, here is the story.  Monday night we have an appointment for a noche de hogar and we got lost trying to find the member’s house. We were stopped at a stop sign talking to the Hermana on the phone when I look out the window and see a very small creature crawl from a bush and underneath our car.  I am like "HNA MCOMBER DON’T DRIVE!!!!! DON’T DRIVE ANYWHERE!" Hurriedly, I jump out of the car and lie on the ground (in my dress, mind you) to see underneath the car where this little critter had gone. He was sitting right under my seat in the car. It was a baby squirrel. Like a BABY squirrel. Scared that he would bite me or freak out, I grab a piece of paper and try to scoot him from underneath the car. He doesn’t react at all to me touching him with the paper, so I think, okay, I am going to pick him up. However, I didn’t have a jacket or a scarf or anything to pick him up with, so I grab a plastic bag—still  scared he is going to bite me. I begin to pick him up, but can’t grab him with the bag, and he isn’t trying to bite me or anything, so I just decided to grab him with my hands. As soon as I had him in my hands, he fell asleep.  People . . . I was holding a sleeping, baby squirrel in my hands. I could’ve died.  My life is complete.  It was the greatest moment of my whole life.  

Being the person I am, I could not leave the baby squirrel......clearly. So I bought it to our NDH! The Hermana was not too pleased with me, haha; but, her husband loved it.  Her husband isn’t a member, so we totally bonded over the squirrel--everything happens for a reason. Well, we left him in a warm box to sleep outside while we had our NDH and then afterwards I brought him back to his tree. I was very concerned about his survival and might have shed tears over this little squirrel, haha, but we placed him at the base of the tree and he scurried up it very fluently and calmed my fears about his survival. Sometimes, the Lord sends tender mercies to me by means of little baby animals. :)

2. General Conference. How great was that!?  I loved every second of it. I felt more than ever that Heavenly Father was aware of me personally. I received so many great answers. I found a redetermination to be better and to do better. I was deeply impacted by the talks of Elder Zwick (remember when Dad made me pray in front of him when I was like 6, and it was the most terrifying moment of my life...ha), Elder Bednar, President Packer and President Utchdorf.

I love our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I know He lives! What great peace that brings into someone's life. This is His Church here on the earth. I am so full of JOY! :)

Love,

Hermana B

PS--Aunt Kaly: THANK YOU FOR THE PACKAGE! I love it all! Love you!

The One with the Guy from the Library

March 31, 2014

 

"No kidding, a frog jumped onto my nametag!"

Transfers on 3/26/2014
Hermana Burnham is remaining in Spring, TX

 

Can you tell that her mother misses her? 
While I recognize President Pingree in this picture of Elders,
I posted it because Hna Burnham is in the background with Hna Hosking
(at least I think it is Hermana Hosking)

Hermana Burnham y Hermana McOmber
Staying together in Spring, TX

 

 

I also debated naming this email, "The One with Peanut Butter", because this week I found the most delicious peanut butter known to man annnnnd have probably eaten my weight in its deliciousness. Yumm, peanut butter.

I have so many things I want to write this week; so many ideas running through my brain!! Maybe I will write all of them and this will just be a really long email...

I will start with our miracle this week (and the name of my email).   About 3 months ago, on P-day, I was sitting in the library emailing you, my dear family and friends, while sitting next to a man.  I began to talk with this man and learned he had a lot of friends who were members of the Church. I gave him a pass along card and committed him to visit mormon.org (because I am a missionary and that is what we do).   Well fast forward to this week. Hna McOmber and I decide to try and visit a woman in our ward (E. R., the one from the fasting story). With E lives J, whom we also teach (I have included her in stories as well).  So we went to try and see one or both of them. However, a man opens the door. He opens and says "Heyyyyyy, I know you! Do you remember me? We met at the library!"  "Of course! Hello!"   I reply, "What are you doing here?"  "I just moved in here this week", says he.  Yes, everybody, that really happened. The guy, D, who I met three months ago at the library just moved in with a member of our ward and one of our investigators. This kind of stuff doesn’t happen every day! We proceeded to talk with him about the Church and clear up a few misconceptions. He ended up saying. "Okay, I think I will come to church on Sunday (we didn’t invite him, he just said that); but, you should get my number to make sure that I am there."  He didn’t come, haha. BUT, we have super high hopes for him! And he will come eventually!

On Friday A (RM of about 4 months) got married to D(who she wasn’t dating before she left).  It was a joyous occasion!  I giggled the whole time because I felt uncomfortable being around so many lovey dovey things.  I think we can all rest assured that I am going to be an awkward returned missionary. But, it was so fun to see some people from H5!  Lots of hugging and rejoicing occurred.

Then we had the Women’s General Broadcast on Saturday! It was fabulous, and I have 5 of my 7 mission companions in my stake (Hna Howard is in Chile and Hna Hosking is still in the middle of nowhere, haha). Being in a Spanish stake is absolutely amazing. The Hispanic women here never cease to amaze me! Like I did in conference 6 months ago, and like I will do next Monday after general conference, I will now list the things that I wrote in red while taking notes during the session:

-We simply cannot call ourselves Christians and still continue to judge others and ourselves

-If there are barriers it is because we ourselves have created them

-The work of a disciple

-Step forward in righteousness

-But especially as nurturers

There ya have it folks!

WHO IS EXCITED FOR GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!!!!! THIS GIRL! AHHHH. This is like Christmas! Whooohooo!

To end, I copied below the story from last General Conference as told by President Thomas S. Monson. (How great is it that we have a living Prophet?) I read it this morning in personal study and re-determined to be happier and more grateful—all the time.

"As I have traveled far and wide throughout the world fulfilling the responsibilities of my calling, I have come to know many things—not the least of which is that sadness and suffering are universal. I cannot begin to measure all of the heartache and sorrow I have witnessed as I have visited with those who are dealing with grief, experiencing illness, facing divorce, struggling with a wayward son or daughter, or suffering the consequences of sin. The list could go on and on, for there are countless problems which can befall us. To single out one example is difficult, and yet whenever I think of challenges, my thoughts turn to Brother Brems, one of my boyhood Sunday School teachers. He was a faithful member of the Church, a man with a heart of gold. He and his wife, Sadie, had eight children, many of whom were the same ages as those in our family.

After Frances and I were married and moved from the ward, we saw Brother and Sister Brems and members of their family at weddings and funerals, as well as at ward reunions.

In 1968, Brother Brems lost his wife, Sadie. Two of his eight children also passed away as the years went by.

One day nearly 13 years ago, Brother Brems’s oldest granddaughter telephoned me. She explained that her grandfather had reached his 105th birthday. She said, “He lives in a small care center but meets with his entire family each Sunday, where he delivers a gospel lesson.” She continued, “This past Sunday, Grandpa announced to us, ‘My dears, I am going to die this week. Will you please call Tommy Monson. He will know what to do.’”

I visited Brother Brems the very next evening. I had not seen him for a while. I could not speak to him, for he had lost his hearing. I could not write a message for him to read, because he had lost his sight. I was told that the family communicated with him by taking the finger of his right hand and then tracing on the palm of his left hand the name of the person visiting. Any message had to be conveyed in this same way. I followed the procedure by taking his finger and spelling T-O-M-M-Y M-O-N-S-O-N, the name by which he had always known me. Brother Brems became excited and, taking my hands, placed them on his head. I knew his desire was to receive a priesthood blessing. The driver who had taken me to the care center joined me as we placed our hands on the head of Brother Brems and provided the desired blessing. Afterward, tears streamed from his sightless eyes. He grasped our hands in gratitude. Although he had not heard the blessing we had given him, the Spirit was strong, and I believe he was inspired to know we had provided the blessing which he needed. This sweet man could no longer see. He could no longer hear. He was confined night and day to a small room in a care center. And yet the smile on his face and the words he spoke touched my heart. “Thank you,” he said. “My Heavenly Father has been so good to me.”

Within a week, just as Brother Brems had predicted, he passed away. Never did he dwell on what he was lacking; rather, he was always deeply grateful for his many blessings."

Might we all be a little more like Brother Brems...

Much Love,

Hermana B

The One with the Pollen

March 24, 2014

 

Pollen Puddle

Hermana Burnham (center), Hermana Hoj (yellow), and Hermana McOmbre (white scarf)
I do not know the other two Hermanas

 

 This email is going to be all over the place. What's new?  

1. If you have allergies, shoot, even if you have never had allergies in your life, I would not suggest moving to Texas. This week was defined by pollen.  Pollen everywhere.  I kid you not, our car turned from red to yellow this week. The pollen fairies came by and heavily sprinkled pollen on every surface visible.  Sometimes it even rains and you would think that would calm the pollen. Oh no, this pollen can’t be calmed, my friends, it just becomes pools of pollen throughout the streets.  It looks like giant puddles of chalk, but it isn’t; it is pollen. 

2. Amber, thank you for the Girl Scout cookies!! I got those two weeks ago and realized yesterday that I had not given you a shout out! How terrible of me! THANK YOU!!! 

3. A member in our ward has a son who came home from college for spring break. I saw him at a ward activity and proceeded to stare at him for a solid 5 minutes (probably creeped him out a little bit).  I swore I recognized him and knew who he was until I realized where I recognized him from: HE LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE FREDDY FROM i-CARLY. Spitting image, people. Spitting. Image.

 

4. Our awesome miracle of the week is W.  W is a man we tried to find when I first got to this area. He was an old investigator from our area book. He had been to church like 4 times (miracle) and he seemed totally golden. We went to his house annnd he didn’t live their anymore.  It was a white family.  Dang.   

Well, fast forward 1 month and we knock into a woman named J.  This woman just happens to know a Hermana in our ward and so she let us in. We talked with her for about 10 minutes and have been trying to meet with her again ever since.  

Fast forward 2 months. This week we went to try and see J. We walk up and there is a man washing his car and we ask if J is home. He goes inside and gets J. We talk to her, she says she is busy, so we set a return appointment. This man was then sitting in his garage. We start to walk away and I just wave and say "mucho gusto!" -- as we walk past their driveway to get to our car.  Once we had passed the driveway and had almost gotten to our car we hear him yell:  "Son Mormones?"  I turn around and . . . being the person I am, I reply, "Claro. yyyy usted es Catholico?"  ("Hey, are you Mormons? Yeah, are you Catholic?") He laughed and walked up to us and said, "No. I don’t have a religion, but I did meet with some missionaries a few years ago. I went to your church a lot, too."

 

After we had confirmed that they were Mormon missionaries, and it was in fact our church he had attended, I asked for his name as I reach out to shake his hand.  He smiled and said:   "W. R.”   WE FOUND W! A golden, old investigator now living (as friends; Julia has a husband) with a potencial!? AHHHHHH. He was like:  "They just stopped coming, but I still want to go to church. When are you going to come back to my house?"  Setting up his own return appointment?  We will take it!  The Lord is so good to us! "I ask you . . . have miracles ceased? I say unto you NAY!" 

5. Hna Hoj is getting transferred :((((((( .    I am so SAD!  But, I am excited to take her super comfortable bed, haha.  She is one of my very best friends from the mission and I am going to miss her sooo much; but, she is going to marry Zack and then we are going to be together eternally, so no worries. 

I love you all <3  

"Let the residue continue to preach from that hour, and if they will do this in all lowliness of heart, in meekness and humility, and long suffering, I, the Lord, give unto them a promise that I will provide for their families; and an effectual door shall be opened for them, from henceforth." Doctrine and Covenants 118:3

 

The One Where I Am One Year Old

March 17, 2014

 

This is how it feels to turn "1" on the mission

Well I hit my year mark this week. So, that was really weird. I attached a picture of my year mark and how it feels to be a year old missionary.  It was taken at 6:20 in the morning. We took that picture and I said:  "I’m gonna send this home and say 'This is how I feel a year into my mission.'"    Hna Hoj says:  "You feel like a boy?"   Hahaha.  So, this picture can be referred to as my "year in the mission" picture or my "boy" picture.

Some exciting news: The night of my year mark, I awoke to Hna Hoj saying:  "Sister B . . . you woke me up sleep talking last night. You were talking in Spanish."   POR FIN. How ironic is it that on my year mark EXACTLY is when I finally sleep talk in Spanish?  I sleep talk like every night people, and I finally talked in Spanish.  It is a miracle.  

It has been a great week and lots of great things have happened. As I was waiting to write ya’ll, so like an hour ago, I received a call from one of our investigators who is about to get deported. She was asking me to come with her to court (something I wish I could, but cannot do).  I then spent the last hour trying to contact people to help her to no avail. That is the life of a missionary everybody--happening right now.  This is definitely something that only missionaries who serve Spanish speaking in the U.S. get to experience.  I can’t even number the times I have dealt with this on my mission. It is heartbreaking because there in nothing we can do to help!  

In better news, J came to church accompanied by his nonmember sister this week. :)  We also had another investigator at church and two menos activo families!!  It was rather joyful. Oh, also, I spoke this Sunday. All the missionaries did.  

Then last night we received this text from J:  "Just got done reading my scriptures. ‘Bout too go to sleep.  Just wanted to thank ya’ll for everything ya’ll have done for me.  I was blessed to meet ya’ll. Ya’ll have truly changed my life in a way I’m so glad I met ya’ll . . . one of the most important things in my life was meeting ya’ll and having ya’ll in my life...thanks...love ya’ll goodnight."  

1. How much do you love the abundant use of “ya’ll”?

2. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH.

3. What a tender mercy was it that he sent that to us? :) Heavenly Father is so good to us.

Sorry this email is super sporadic.

I LOVE YOU ALL

 

Alivia wrote:  "S!  Doesn't she have the most beautiful smile you have ever seen?"