Sept 30

My Dear Dear Family,

As i read the emails this week i realized that we are very very much connected :) I have been so blessed to be around you my whole life. Blessed by your testimonies and examples and willingness to always help. One of my favorites memories is when i tried to run away from home. I planned to live in a big sagebrush bush next to the canal at the bottom of the hill and sneak home while you were at school to get food each week. I was  aweird child but i remember Janae coming down and talking me out of it. Explaining and teaching me how much i need my family and i need the church. I was probably 5 or 6. Thank you for always building and lifting me. As i sat down to watch the Relief Society Broadcast i thought of you and wondered where you would be but i KNEW you wouldn't have missed it for the world. Well, covenants are pretyy imporant aren't they! in Stake conference here, they emphasized our baptismal covenants and encouraged us to tain our minds to think of our baptismal covenants every every time we see water. I thought that was a pretty neat way to actively remember and keep our covenants everyday. I think i've already shared this but i believe our temple covenants become "OUR PURPOSE" in life. If we can center our lives around the promises we make and those that the Lord makes to us, we WILL have joy. we WILL have direction.  we WILL change. we WILL be better. and we WILL become. If we want to become like the Lord than we must be under his influence as much as possible. Where can we feel his influence the strongest. In our temples, chapels, and homes. The 3 most sacred places on this earth. I feel axious to return to the temple. We go every 3 months. in about 3 weeks i will be able to go again. Well, this week i finally finished the Book of Mormon. I didn't finish in 75 days or even close to it but i finished it and felt the spirit the whole way. I wrote my testimony in the blank pages afterwards: "Through the Book of Mormon my prayers have been answered. I felt that my mind has been quickened and claeared. For the people i loved, i suddenly felt the spirit guid my words to help them and my fingers to find the right pages for them. I felt and feel God speaking to me, Hermana Burrup, personally. ON my weakes days i felt him lft me up encourage me and give me strength. I felt His love as I read of His love and knew his words were not only for those of old but for me. One night as i struggled in prayer over my weaknessses i was filled with a hunger to read. God speaks through his scriptures and his prophets of old and present. Christ surely does live for he is my life light and he listenes. I love him dearly and will ever follow him i nthis life and the next. God be thanked by me and all who read the Book of mormon for Jesus Christ surely did come and by reading the book of mormon we surely will know him."  To myy dear family and everyone/anyone else willing to hear my testimony, THE BOOK OF MORMON IS TRUE. it will teach us how to make and keep and strengthen the bonds of our covenants. strengthen our bonds to the Lord and our claim to his blessings. Dad, i always have known of your love for the scriptures. Countless times i saw you reading in the dark of the night in your chair or your office or beside your computer. I remember them at your office at work in your car. I know you love the scriptures. Thank you for teaching me that! Yesterday we spoke with the excellent stake president here, President Steadman. He took his neighbor to see his office and to see what he does on sunday. Everytime i see him i think about you and your tireless service. He reminds me of you.  This work is real. The Lord is real. His blessings are real. We are important and This message is urgeant may we each tirelessly share it and be unite in our purpose as we make our purpose the Lord's purpose. What is an instrument? an instrument has 1 purpose. Each one has it's own. What kind of instrument are we? are we His? and are we single in purpose? I love you dearly! thank you for you prayers. I fasted that the Lord will help me focus and help me show faith. please pray for me as well. I want to give the Lord the best of all I am. I love you! Hurrah for Israel!

Love

Hermana Burrup

ps- mom, home is wherever you are...don't stress about the house. it can be my winter job before school :) focus on christian and helping me in his preparation. No regrets in the mission are most often prevented by no regrets in preparation. and thanks for getting one last package off. we're excited already. love you!

Dear President,

This week i went on exchanges with Sister Smith. Sounds like their area has progressed a lot and that they are working hard. I am very grateful for Sister Smith's humility and goodness. As we talked one concern came to mind that i will likely address on my exchange with Sister Webb. I am simply concerned that the work and companionship may not be equally yoked. I plan to speak with sister webb a little bit about leadership skills and trainings given to trainers in effectlively teaching with 2 people and one voice. While with sister Smith we specifically worked on using members for finding and how to still provide a spititual experience for the members when a lesson is canceled. I was very impressed and pleased to see the work they are do. Here in Altavista, we are being bold with the investigators and members. We are expressing our love and testimonies as well. WE are struggling with our Ward mission Leader because of his unpredictable work schedule but are trying to work with him to have correlation each week. We also have plans to get a new ward mission plan going quickly. We have goals for the members and missionary work and are anxious to get them going. Thank you president! Hurrah For Israel!

Love

Hermana Burrup