Sept 23

My Dear Family,

the Lord blessed us this week. We were able to get some really good work done. We are trying to get things organized with the ward mission plan to get family mission plans started because we really believe it will help the work move forward. We are usually 4 missionaries in the branch but one of the elders recieved his Visa and it's actually put the pressure on a bit because the other elder can't visit as many people and we've been asked to work with a lot of inactives. it's been a little bit of a balancing act but we just do our very best and try to grin the whole way through. Sister Jeronimo and I both studied Patience in PMG chapter 10 because we felt we both needed it. I enjoy serving with Hermana Jeronimo and wouldn't be surprised if we get to be together for 1 more transfer. She's so good good good through and through. I admire her a lot. She is also a convert and a very strong one at that. I am glad we can talk openly about what is most important to us. Well, Frankie's Baptismal date has been dropped we are going to help him choose his own baptismal date. He is enjoying the book of Mormon and excited to learn but we have struggled having lessons with him this week and still haven't taught the Word of Wisdom. We are anxious to keep contact with him so he feels strengthened and doesn't get discouraged by his family and work situations. Vanessa Mora is really progressing now. She really opened up this week. We had two lessons with her with good members to be her friends and we have another one planned for tonight. She loves the ideas of eternal families. She told us that she took her kids to the park right after our visit. She said the wind blew the leaves right in front of her and she felt really really good. She said she feels that the book of mormon is true when she reads and that she feels different when we are there. She is really sensitive to the spirit. She opened up with her doubts and expressed her fear of marital problems if she gets baptized and her questions about rules. She is so sweet and when we are teaching by her face we can see she is hungry for truth. We love our lessons with her. I am also loving my studies. I felt the spirit strongly this week as i was reading in the scriptures. For example today in Ether 12 8 and 9 it talks about being partakers of the heavenly gift. I love that. a heavenly gift. The greatest heavenly gift we can recieve is eternal life but up until this point, the greatest heavenly gift the world has ever recieved is Jesus Christ. I beleive there are many heavenly gifts we can recieve in preparation to recieve the greatest of all heavenly gifts. How i love the Lord and i know he desires to bless us. I know this is his work. he is all around us in this work. Preparing before us then following afterwards the traces, tracks and footprints we leave on the hearts of the people by sharing simple testimony. Testimony really goes a long long way. I am trying to testify more than just teach and include the saviour in every principle i teach. It really does teach what President Stapleton taught me at my setting apart. All things testify not only that there is a God but that God is a loving heavenly father who wants his children to come back. i love you family and am grateful for you. May the lord always bless you and us in our steps and goals. Hurrah for Israel!

Love

Hermana Burrup

Dear President,

How the week flies by. We have been trying to work with the members and had a meeting with our Ward mission leader about the importance of a Ward mission Plan. We are hoping to meet with him this week to set it up then present it to the branch president so that we can get going on Family mission plans based on the ward mission plan. We have a lot of goals for the area and believe it has a lot of potential if we can better coordinate the efforts and get the members excited about the the work. My companion is doing well and i've been impressed with her willingness to step up and lead the area. This week i went on an exchange with Sister Nieto. I went to her area and was able to  work with her. I specifically worked with her on the importance of how to begin teaching to help investigators progress or discern the need to drop. She is so good and does want to work hard  thanks president! i look forward to Zone conference soon! Hurrah for Israel!

Love

Hermana Burrup