MAKE IT GREAT AGAIN!

helloooo der errybudy...commin atcha live from Podunk! 

HOLY I love it here! It is 100% different from Carmel, but I love it! It's the smallest town and everyone is either a redneck or a hick (spoken with love)....all of them are Hoosiers....10% have teeth and that equals a whole lot of fun! Serving here is an adrenaline rush....yesterday we were tracting and someone told us that someone had been shot in that exact neighborhood the day before!! HAHA I love it, never a dull moment. So we are the campus missionaries, but since it is summer, there's not too many students on campus right not, so we work in the neighborhoods too! It's the best of both!!!! :) I'm suuuuper excited for when campus opens up again too! 

Our area is super slow right now, so this week we have been tracting like crazy, contacting potentials and formers and trying to gain a teaching pool! Which to be honest, has been a lot of fun! And we've seen a lot of success coming from it...slowly but surely!!! There's some people I'm super excited to work with! People are a lot more receptive here...but they also claim that they have seen Jesus before, so we are careful :) 

This week we got to help a member on her goat farm...that was fun! We also had zone meeting with our new zone. The Zone Leaders gave a great training on finding and at the end we talked about "girding up our loins" so then we "girded up our loins" ....totally hilarious....pictures coming haha. Our theme for zone meeting was "Make IT Great Again".....Funniest zone meeting I've ever been too:) We will make it great again!

I love my companion and new zone and new area....I can't wait to see it grow, there's so much potential here!!! Miracles coming soon;) 

Mosiah 24:13-16

XOXO

Love, Sister Burgon*

Pics of the week:

Working on the GOAT farm...

Making Blackberry Jam on the GOAT farm...

The Gird Up Your Loins Zone Conference...

face palm...nough said... 

The IT District...

Got my hur done...

So 'til next week...

Smile...

Stay positive...

Eat a popsicle and think of me!
See y'all next week!!!

JUST CALL ME COWGIRL

HHOWWWDDDYYYYYYY :) 

Hope you all had a fantastic week! I can't believe we are in mid July...please enjoy every day for me ok? Thanks:)  What a fun week! 

We got transfer calls this week...I am going to be serving on Campus! AHHH :) I'm so excited! Campus will be completely different than what I'm use to, but I'm super pumped for a new adventure! My companion is Sister Stucki and this will be her last transfer! I have a lot to learn from her! My life is about to ch ch chaaaange!! I've heard it has a really small town feel to it...some people call it exile...haha just call me cowgirl Burgon! :) Good things to come! And it doesn't matter where we serve, just matters that we serve WELL! :) EEPP!

This week we had specialized training for all the new missionaries. It was President Carlson's first one and I thought it was amazing! Nothing like receiving guidance and training from your mission president and APs...they are all inspired. It's so cool how revelation can come to us as we are listening to them. I also saw a bunch of sisters that I came out with! Can't believe it's been 6 months. Time flies when you're having fun;)

Sorry, I have to be quick today BUT cool experience....one morning during my studies, I was reading about the Atonement and experiences about Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon. Later that day we went to visit the Reverend. When we got there, he was a mess...he's been having terrible health issues lately and didn't feel good at all. His wife was there with us this time and immediately the scriptures from my studies came to my mind. How applicable it was, I had read about Christ healing the sick and carrying the pains we feel in life through the Atonement, and I was so touched that I could share that message with the Reverend when he really needed it. I know that Heavenly Father was reminding him that he is not alone. Christ knows exactly what he was feeling. Through our faith in Him, we will see miracles. Just as Christ did, healing the sick, on the earth. Pretty cool how Heavenly Father has His hand in every moment of every day, leading us to do His work, His way...even during studies :) 

Thanks for all the love and support, how blessed am I to have you! What a crazy world we live in lately, but what a strong and powerful Heavenly Father we have. I'm reminded of the 2,000 stripling warriors who, because of their preparation, righteousness, diligence, and obedience, were able to overcome the wicked. I know that if we prepare, are righteous, diligent and obedient to ALL of God's commandments, we will be able to overcome this wicked world. Simple as that:) 

"And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted. Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him."

~Alma 53:20-21

Have a great week!!

XOXO

Love, Sister Burgon*

Saying goodbye and a few more pics from the week...

Winter in JULY????

Nope! The AMAZING S. Krieger makes a hat and a scarf for all of the missionaries! So SWEET!!!

After our EPIC Volleyball tourney last Pday!

Cute S. Simmons....I LOVE HER!!!

With some of my six month sistas

Saying goodbye to our sweet friends at the "old folks home"...I even got to keep an "old folks" robe! YAY

The AMAZING crew at the old folks home! I love them too!!

I've decided goodbyes are NOT fun!!!

I'm sure going to miss this group of WONDER-FULL...BEAUTY-FULL...Thought-full Young Women! 

And this lady right here...Sweet "S" and her adorable little ones (see photo at the top of the post)

but most of all...this extra-ordinarily AMAZING sister from mainland China will always have a special place in my heart! FOREVER and ALWAYS!!!! Love you Sister Luo! XOXO
 'til we meet again...

WHIP CREAM & CORNFIELDS

Howdyyyy everyone!! 

Fastest week ever...my goodness! 

But a great one of course:)

This week we met President and Sister Carlson and I JUST LOVE THEM!! I'm so excited to get to know them better! They are wonderful. We talked about doing things with a full purpose of heart, with real intent! How cool that that was their first training. 

We also blitzed our area with the STL's this week. Talk about fun! We saw lots of miracles too! Plus I just love our STLs. That's one of the best things about a mission...so many friends and great people! 

We also got to go to girls camp!!! We gave some training and it was the best experience. I absolutely love the young women! We talked about relying on the Lord, having fun, and seeing miracles:) We even somehow tactfully managed to include whip cream in our training...I think the young women appreciated the messy faces:) haha I should have gotten pix...it was pretty funny!

MIRACLE MOMENT: Probably one of my most favorite tracting moments happened this week. We decided to just tract one more door...even though the elders told us it was time to go and to meet at the car...haha. GOOD THING WE DISOBEYED ;) A guy named "J" opened up. "J" has a reeeeallyyyy good LDS friend who lives in the Fishers ward. Because of this friend, "J" has gone to church, played church ball, gone to a MoTab concert, researched about Joseph Smith, has read parts of the BoM, and talked to an LDS member on a plane flight for 3 hours because he saw her San Diego Temple screen saver on her phone. OH and he's moving RIGHT next to the church and temple. Um...is he prepared or what? We testified to him how all of these things were not coincidences and he agreed and asked us to come back! We were blowwnnn away! I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father has been preparing him and placing all these moments in his life and then leading us to him! I've said it a billion times...but this is not our work!!!!!! SO COOL! And the whole time I also enjoyed feeling the phone go off in my bag...sorry elders....

Can't believe this will be my last week with Sister Luo and my last week in Carmel! SO SAD!! I have absolutely loved every moment here. I can't wait to see whats next! I feel so blessed! :)

Thanks so much for all the love and support! 

"Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters."  ~Ether 3:14 

Have a great week! 

Love, Sister Burgon*

Tune in next week to see where my next adventure will take me...

I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES :)

Hello errrrybudy :) What an awesome week it has been. We had zone conference yesterday so that's why I'm emailing today!

Ok lets start wayyyy back, the beginning of the week was so much fun. We got to bike so much and it was hotttt! But my favorite thing was biking home at night and seeing all the fireflies by us- cool stuff. 

I can't remember if I've told this story yet...buuuut I will tell it anyway because more happened with it this week! Sister Luo had a package coming for her and somehow it got lost-the post office even said it had been delivered but we didn't get it! So sad. So we went around to our neighbors and asked if they had seen it. Well once we got talking to one of our neighbors, the missionary in us came out and we started asking her about church and religion in her life. We went in asking if she had seen a lost package, and came out with a return appointment...and no package hahaha :) So we went back for our return appointment this week and it was awesome! We planned to teach her the restoration, but once we were in there, the spirit told us to teach her the Plan of Salvation. Her mom had recently passed away and so it was amazing to be able to teach her the wonderful news that families are forever and that she can/will see her mom again. Kind of a cool unexpected miracle. Also another testimony builder of how important it is to talk to everyyyyone :) 

Every Tuesday we go and do service at an assisted living center. I LOVE service so much- and miracles come every time we serve too! The activities director, "R", is the one we've been coordinating service with so we've talked a little bit, but not too much. Then last week, she just opened up to me about some trials that she was facing in life. I shared a scripture and a thought with her and she was extremely open and she seemed to be touched. So then yesterday when we went back, she came up to me and said that she took my advice and took her trials to the Lord and he took care of them and helped everything to work out. It was just an amazing moment and I'm so grateful we've been able to do service there!

Wednesday we got to go to the Temple. Every time I go to the temple, I am so touched. I believe that there are nooooo coincidences in the Temple! Please go as often as you can. I know going to the Temple will bless our lives and fill us with the spirit. I Know that you will receive help, strength, guidance, direction, comfort and revelation in the Temple. I know it is the house of the Lord.

kk story time...last week we went to an appointment with the reverend, which ended up falling through, so as we were leaving his apartment, a guy came up to us and asked "You preaching the Gospel?" We talked to him for a little bit and found out he is from Africa. His name is "T", he's like 7 feet tall with dreads haha. We got a return appointment and went back this week to teach him. It turns out that he had been taught by missionaries before and knew all about Joseph Smith and about the Book of Mormon, but then moved. What a miracle that we were able to meet him! We are going to teach him again today and I'm soooo excited:) Biiig Potential wooo:)

On Friday we helped a hoarder move....(no pictures for obvious reasons) Not gonna lie, it was so flipping fun! hahahaha and gross...but mostly fun! Just thought I'd put that in there haha BUT THEN we biked to "M's"...he has been on vacation and not progressing so we thought we at least needed to try one more time. SUPER GREAT LESSON....he opened up about how he has seen God changing his heart and has felt something different when we come by. He agreed that he needed to do more on his part...YAY we will see how it goes:)

Wow...this email is so long...I am so sorry! Just a few more cool stories hahaha....SO we finally got to meet with "M2" this week. This is the one from Africa who has 6 kids and is looking for a church for his family. He has been stuck on the idea of the Godhead forever...it's hard because he won't pray about it either so he's closed off to other ideas. BUT we had a great lesson with him this week and the spirit totally took over the lesson. I don't know how, but once we got on the topic of prophets, it seemed to just click with him. Prophets are in the bible - he follows the bible religiously. So then it makes sense that there would be a prophet on the earth today. YAY FOR "M2" :) I'm so glad the spirit was there to help him make that connection. The spirit is the real teacher! Even though we've taught him about prophets so much, it was most beneficial when the spirit confirmed to him in his heart that it was true. We offered him a baptismal invite too...and he said YES! This is huuuuge progress for him! :):):)

Ok...I will hold off and tell you more about this week....next week...hahah but the 4th was so much fun! And we are already off to a good start for this week too:) YAY! 

When I was in the Temple, I was sitting in the Celestial room and opened up to Alma 26, It blew my mind and touched my heart to read about great missionaries. I've read it before but this time it really impacted me and I felt the spirit confirming to me again how great my calling is to be a missionary. I love this work. Ammon says it the best in Alma 26:16...

"Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel."

Thanks for bearing with me on this mega long email...I just "cannot say the smallest part which I feel" :):):) Thanks for all the emails, letters, support and prayers!! It means more than you'll know! LOVE YOU

xoxo

Love, Sister Burgon*

This week in pictures...

Temple Time

District Meeting...

4th of July*

Remember Bubs??? The Largest Large on the planet Burger

Practicing my photography skills 

* Heart attack...

cool fountain...totally reminds me of my friends

Keep the faith...Keep smiling...XOXOX