Still in the MTC.

Hey!!!

So this week has been soooo much better! Everything is starting to fall back into place! Life is going good. Things with my companions are so much better. We finally figured out how to teach together and everything and it's just starting to run smoothly. I thank my heavenly father for that so much! So funny story to tell you, I got a letter from that guy (who shall remain nameless) this week and he basically was like sorry i haven't written you I have been really busy. Then he proceeded to give me a bunch of excuses. I was like whatever and I asked Heavenly Father to help me move on from him. Thank heaven He answers prayers because that is exactly what happened. Yes! Haha.

 

I also asked not to be attracted to any more of these elders and that happened also. But I will tell you a fun story! So the other day I was holding my classroom door open and one of the new elders who is serving in Cambodia came over and was talking to me. Next thing  I knew he was like 8 inches from me and I felt SOOOOOO uncomfortable. The best part is my comps just watched it happen and started laughing. Hahaha. It was pretty funny but it shocked me at how frazzled I was about the whole situation. Hahaha! I guess I really am a sister missionary now!

 

So another fun story we had a bunch of new missionaries come in this week and there were only 3 sisters. They are so stinkin cool! I love them so much. One is from Canada and one is from California and the last is from Utah. All three are so stinkin smart and 2 out of the 3 have already taken a ton of Chinese so I know they will succeed! And yep thats about all that has been super interesting lately.

 

Oh I'm working on a new thing. This week I'm really trying to rely on the Lord when it comes to my language because I know my limits but I dont know my limits when I have God on my side. So I'm really trying to go all out with the language. Haha... I have a feeling it's going to be a great week.

Ni Hao Jiating!

As usual, I have a bunch to say and not much time. Overall things are going well and I'm so grateful for the package!! Biggest story of the week is that the older generation has left and our new missionaries are coming in next wednesday! I'm so excited to meet them! I went to the book store to print out pictures so I should be able to get them on friday which means you will have them next week! Other than that nothing too exciting except for the fact that we had TWO Apostles talk to us this last week!!!!!!! The first was Elder D. Todd Christofferson on Tuesday and Russel M. Nelson on Thursday for Thanksgiving! I loved it so much. It basically made my week. But because we had roughly 3 p-days Thanksgiving week it was weird and hard to get into the hang of things. But you know just the same old same old! Life will get really interesting when I get out into the field. I'm sorry i don't have much else to tell you all. But everything else wasn't too exciting. I just love you all so much! Please write to me, I miss you guys!

Love,
Bo MeiMei

Really, I meant to do that!

Ni Hao!

 

So I only have about 10 min but I will fill you in as much as I possibly can! So, do I have a week to share with you! One of the sisters went home last wednesday and I was put into a tripanionship.

Nothing super fun really happened all weekend..Just study study study! Oh we taught a lesson on Friday and oh my word best lesson ever! The spirit was so strong! It was crazy! We taught about the plan of salvation and he understood and it was so great! To explain how tired I was, on Saturday I got up and when walking to class I literally ran into a hand sanitizer dispenser. Yeah...I totally meant to do that!Then later that afternoon I proceeded to fall out of my desk (which I had no intention of doing) and then that night while I was wheeling around my comp, I ran her into a wall....yeah...that day was super fun! hahaha!

But Heavenly Father knew I would need a pick me up and so my new comp Sister Resendes is a blessing! She is so positive and peppy and it just made everything a lot easier. But monday was reallly really hard. Both of our "teaching" appointments fell through and the day was just super long and then that night I seriously just wanted to go to bed right after dinner but we had class!! Bu Hao! But that night all of us somehow ended up being in a super good mood and we just cracked jokes until 11:30....I had to be up for the temple by 5:50...hahaha!

Thank goodness for p-days and the temple. I feel so much better! It was crazy! And then that day our teacher decided to tell us all about the insects we will meet in Taiwan.. flying roaches...huge centipedes and hairy spiders as big as your head! Which the elders like to catch, kill, flaten and laminate!! Who does that?! I think heavenly Father was laughing when he found out I was going on a mission. I can just picture him saying...."Oh she is gonna loooooove this!!!" hahahaha!

This next week our old generation is leaving and I'm going to miss the sisters so much. There was only 3 of them and then the week after that, my group is officially the old generation! How crazy! I can't believe I have been here for only a month... it feels a lot longer than that! Know that I love each and every one of you with my whole heart! I miss you beyond words but I know I'm doing the Lord's work and he will continue to bless us all...I love you!

Tiffany!

Sickbay and Surgery

Ni Hao everyone!

Well, this week has been super interesting...I have been pretty sick the past couple of days and yet I dont feel super duper tired...thank heavens..And then today we found out that one of our sisters is going home tomorrow due to medical reasons! it's super sad and I'm going to miss her alot.But on the bright side things have been really really good. I had another testimony of the gift of tongues this week.

My companion went in to surgery on thursday to get a couple of bone graphs done in order to fix her ACL and I had to teach a lesson basically all by myself. I was really really nervous and I had been practicing but I realized I had been using my comp as a big crutch during lessons and I really didn't feel I could do it. So I went into this lesson really thinking it wasn't going to go well and boy was I wrong!! As soon as the door opened I knew exactly everything to say and I actually had a really good conversation with the investigator. I then proceeded to teach him about prophets and the book of mormon and christ and even did an object lesson with him. Yeah, my chinese was super broken and probably bad but i distinctly remember sitting there and thinking "oh my gosh! i'm doing it! I'm teaching...I have no clue what I'm saying!" totally eye opener and testimony builder for me. It was wonderful. And so far it's been super smooth sailing.

I got sick on Sunday and it wasn't too bad..just a little bit of a runny nose and then on monday I felt even worse..Well, at the MTC they tell you that if you even feel a little sick go to sickbay and they will take care of you.....HA!!! You have to be perscribed to sickbay in order to be in sickbay....lame! So they told me to go home and take a nap. Of course I did but I felt like a huge bum. I was just thinking there was so much more I could be doing. But now I'm so glad. I slept for 2 hours and it was amazing...I had enough energy to go to class but the best has yet to even be explained! I asked my DL to give me a blessing because I was feeling really bad and oh wow! That was so cool...It's amazing to see these 19 year old men turn into men of God! 

But that was really the jist of my week so far..just teaching and studying the language...oh so fun right???

Well everyone tell me about everything! I want to know all the nitty gritty details! I love you all so much and know that the church is true and I know Heavenly Father and his angels are watching over you!!

Sister Burton

First Lesson, First Talk, and the Dreaded White Bag

Ni Hao!!!

Well this past week has been really really good. What they do here at the MTC is after just 2 days you start teaching an investigator and it's so hard because you can say all the words in English but you are stuck with the bare minimum in Chinese and you just can't get into much with the people. But I will tell you that even though it's kind of hard you can still feel the spirit so strong! All you have to say is "God loves you and you are his child and he wants you to be happy" and the reaction is amazing! You can feel the spirit through the little and basic things without going into detail!

But last Thursday my comp and I finished with that investigator... who turned out to be our second teacher! He is ok but super intense. He really pushes the language and really wants us to use it as much as possible. It's challenging and super hard but I love it with my whole heart! I'm really starting to fall in love with this work and it's just an amazing experience! We taught a lesson yesterday and it was just the first lesson and I came out of it feeling the spirit so strong! It's was really really cool.

The language is progressing well...I'm honestly not nervous about it! It doesn't come easily but I know the Lord will provide a way for me to learn it as long as I try my best!

Sunday was fast Sunday so we had a mission conference and then our own sacrament meeting, I went up with Sister Winters (who is from Georgia and is going to my mission...love her!)  and she looked at me and was like.. if you go, I go! So 5 minutes before Sacrament ended we went and said our testimonies! I knew everything I wanted to say in English and right as I got to the pulpit I just knew all the words in Chinese to say! So I did it! It was so awesome! I just love this place so much.

In other news my comp has to get knee surgery because she doesn't have an ACL. So they are doing a bone graft on her this week...then she is going to recoup in the MTC and then go home for 3 months to get a ACL surgery and THEN head to Taiwan. We were really worried that earlier this week she would have to go home because of it. But the Lord works in wonderful ways and everything is working out just fine!

And I saved the best story for last! You all will love this so much! We have this thing called the "white bag" that each mission has to do in order to get their visa to go to Taiwan. To make a long story short...they basically need a sample of your #2...YES, your poop!!!! Yeah....if I had not been warned about it before the mission. I would have been shocked!!! But it was a hilarious experience over all!!

Other than that everything is going super well... thank you all for the love and support and send me letters please!! I've only gotten letters from 5 people including family, and I'm pretty sure I'm loved more than that.....Right?

  

I love you all bunches and bunches!!!

Bo Jiemei!

Dork Dot Day

Hey everyone!

First off, my companion's name is Sister Reagan and she is from california! I love her to peices and she is going to be in the same mission as I am! Our apartment consists of Sister Reagan and I and then Sister Daye (day) and Sister Resendes and then Sisters Johnson and Liston. These girls are so amazing and have already taught me so much! I love them and I'm so glad that they are going through this experience with me. I swear I have met them before.

There are 6 missionaries in my entire district and 4 of them are sisters! The entire zone is split half and half where 8 are sisters and 8 are elders. This is kind of unheard of. There are a total of 9 sisters that reported on Wednesday and 7 of them are going to Taipei and the other two are going to Taichung. There are only 3 sisters in the group ahead of us and its so wonderful that there are so many more now!

Please excuse my English over the next 18 months because it's already going out the window. The grammer in Chinese is very caveman. "You, do go!" You know, that type of stuff. The language is progressing well. Sister Reagan and I have already started teaching an "investigator" and it's so real to see the gift of tounges in my life. I can't believe that I can already pray and bare my testimony and teach a lesson and already undertstand most of a basic conversation. I love it so much. Many times I will pass by other classrooms on my floor and see the language they are learning and I think to myself... I am SO happy I'm learning chinese. It's a lot easier than you would expect.

I just want to say that I absolutely love the MTC. It is saturated in the spirit and it just feels so good. On Sunday while in church they played a musical number of the primary song "A Child's Prayer" and I just knew in my heart that this is what I'm supposed to be doing and I'm in the right place at the right time. I have never felt so strongly about something other than being in the temple. It was amazing.

I'm excited to hear from you all and to know how everyone is doing. But know that I am happy and the work here is so right and true! I love it so much and I love you all so much.

Bo Jiemei!

p.s.Thank you all so much for your letters so far. they have made my days!

MeiMei Burton Enters the MTC October 26, 2011

A picture is worth a thousand words. She is SO ready to serve the Lord.

 7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I ^awill go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no ^bcommandments unto the children of men, save he shall ^cprepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. (2 Ne. 2:7)

Set Apart as a Missionary!!

 

Tiffany survived the long wait and was officially set apart as a missionary this evening by President Pritt. She enters the MTC in Provo on Wednesday, October 26, 2011. On this blog, I'll post her weekly emails, so if you want to keep in touch with Sister Burton, subscribe!

FYI I am Mica Burton, Tiffany's sister-in-law. My husband Matt and I are so proud of her and know she is going to be an AMAZING missionary. Stay tuned for future updates from the mission field. :-)

Doctrine and Covenants 4:1-7

 1 Now behold, a ^amarvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men.

 2 Therefore, O ye that embark in the ^aservice of God, see that ye ^bserve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand ^cblameless before God at the last day.

 3 Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are ^acalled to the work;

 4 For behold the ^afield is white already to ^bharvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in ^cstore that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;

 5 And ^afaith, ^bhope, ^ccharity and ^dlove, with an ^eeye single to the ^fglory of God, ^gqualify him for the work.

 6 Remember faith, ^avirtue, knowledge, ^btemperance, ^cpatience, ^dbrotherly ^ekindness, ^fgodliness, charity, ^ghumility, ^hdiligence.

 7 ^aAsk, and ye shall receive; ^bknock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen.

http://lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/4?lang=eng