Welcome Home!

After a very long flight, lots of goodbyes. I am happy to say I made it home! 

This is it!!! I am coming home!!

Where to start...

I did not see this coming. I am going home! This last year and a half has flown by. It honestly feels like one big dream. The past 18 months have been some of the most joyous, exciting, adventurous moments of my life thus far. At the same time it has been some of the most Frustrating, challenging, and heartbreaking moments of my life thus far. I have learned a lot here! I have learned how to have patience, faith, hope, how to love people, how to teach, how to share the gospel, but most of all I found me. I know who I am. I know I am a Child of God.

I have come to love Cabo Verde. This place will have a very special place in my heart. I wish I could express all I feel for this place and the people but words do not describe it. I am excited to see my family again but I am saddened  to leave one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. These people here are so humble, loving, and generous. I love them. I love Cabo Verde.

I remember when I was little I told everyone I was going to serve a mission and no one believed me. They all thought I would get married first. but now I am coming home and my dream as a little girl has been achieved. I accomplished my dream. Really, Friday morning I will wake up and feel like it was one big dream. I now have new dreams and goals I know with the Lords help I will fulfill them. The dream of serve Christ, representing Him at all times has been really rewarding. Helping Him bring His children home truly brings more joy then anyone could imagine. This work is not over, the fight has just began, but now I know how to help Him better.

My mission has changed my life. I know I am not the same person I was. My goals for the future have changed. I now know what kind of mom I want to be, what kind of family I want to raise, and what kind of man I want to marry. I am so grateful and humbled for the opportunity and privilege I had to serve a mission. It has been some of the greatest years of my life thus far. The future is bright.

I know that this is the only true church on the earth. I know that Joseph Smith restored Christ's church and that the book of Mormon is proof that Christ lives. Joseph Smith is a prophet. I know as we read the Book of Mormon we will get closer to Christ then any other book on the  earth. I know Thomas S. Monson is a living prophet called of God. I know pray is our way to communicate with our Heavenly Father and that one day we will return to live with him. I know that our time on earth is limited so we must use every day wisely. I know God lives and that he loves us. I know the commandments are only to help us return to live with Him and as we keep them commandments we will be blessed. God only wants to bless us but it depends on if we will obey him or not. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Lots of Love,

Sister Burke

LAST WEEK!!

This is CRAZY!!!! Where has time gone!?! To be honest it does not feel real. This has become real life. Plus it has not hit yet. I am not going home, I will just be transferred.

This is my week of lasts as a full time, single missionary. It is not real. So let’s just review the last week.

I had a division with a new sister. She has 5 weeks on the mission. It was crazy to see that she really did not understand creole. I would look at her to teach and she told me she did not understand when they said a very simple creole phrase. It was crazy! I have been blessed to understand all these creoles and still learn Portuguese. Wow... never saw that coming.

It has begun, the rain season! That means the days are SO HOT!!!!!! Then it gets cloudy and humid... but never any rain... The humidity feel can go away, I am just hot and sticky... Uck!

Then, we were sitting at the baptisms this week watching them with our investigator. Our bishop gave talk. Our investigator then leans over and asked me how he could do the course to be a bishop. I looked at him like, that is not possible. This is Gods church, so we are called by god. He looked at me like whoa! That just gave me proof that this is really Gods church and we are really called by god. Either we have something to learn or others have something we can teach them but we are all in this together. We are all Children of God. It was a huge testimony builder for me.

I love this work. I love God and I love my family. I have seen the power of families this past 5 weeks and let me just tell you. I left my family to bring other families unto Christ. Future missionaries look for families, they are way more fun to teach. Thank you for all the love and support.

Sister Burke

2 Weeks!!!

This week had a new experience, I never thought I was going to have on the mission. A few days without power. So we lost power Wednesday morning and as we left to teach that day we realized it was just our apartment. Therefore we called the secretaries to see what the problem was. They had forgotten to pay the May’s bill. They paid for April and June but forgot May. They then worked endlessly to get it back on. Thursday all the food in our fridge went bad. We were eating it all just to get our money’s worth. Friday still had the a little food there and finished it off. Finally, Friday night, after a long two days our power comes back on. But the miracle in this is that we decided not to by chicken or meat this week just tuna, beans and eggs. That was a huge miracle. But we got power and lived off tuna for a few days.

Today, we went to Cidade Velha for our activity. There I took the death photo of my mission.

My district is shipping me off to sea. It still does not feel real but time is counting down somedays faster than I would like. It is so crazy! But a lot can happen in two weeks!!!

Love,

Sister Burke

3 weeks to go!!

This week was a crazy week. I guess, it is starting to feel real but then it is not that I will be returning home. I had my last zone meeting this past week. Where I had to bear my last testimony on my mission in this setting. That really made me think about what I really have learned on the mission. I have almost 18 months as a missionary. It feels like yesterday I was in the MTC. I have learned so much it is crazy!!!!!!!!

Last week on my blog, I talked about a family, let me tell you how they are doing. They are just AMAZING!!! Our stake president and his wife invited us and them over for a family night. We showed up to a nice 80’s film from the Church. The movie was talking about marriage. We still have not talked to them about marriage, so we were a little nervous at first. Since they have to get married. My companion and I were just biting our tongues at the funny American 80’s film. In the end everyone said they liked it. It was a great family night but 80’s American films are the best thing to watch!!! I highly recommend that film... ha-ha

Whelp, other than that nothing exciting happened. I got sick, doctors told me it was tonsillitis but I do not have my tonsils, so I am 90% sure it was just a head cold. All better now.

Lots of love,
Sister Burke

4 to go

Happy 4th of July!

Can you believe in one month I will be home?!?! Where is time going!?!

This week was amazing! So many miracles!!! Let me tell you about this family of Gold! The last Sunday with Sister Cardoso, we were knocking doors and found this family who only had 5 minutes to talk. S we got to know them, testified of the gospel being restored and left a book of Mormon and we marked a day for the next week. The next week Sister Park and I went there but they were not home. I told her they probably did not want it the message. So we did not try again. Then this week they came to church!! WHAT!? We had not talked to them in over two weeks and they came to church all by themselves. They talked to the bishop. They were super happy to be at church. Later that night we went to teach and that lesson was amazing! We taught them about Joseph Smith and they accepted baptism! A funny thing, I asked if they read the book of Mormon, and they said yes. I know for a fact that when people read the book of Mormon they have the desire to go to church. WOW!!! God answers prayers. I asked Him for a month of miracles, since this will be my last month on a mission. Then what does He do. Opens the windows of heaven and blesses me more than I can ever repay Him. It is a huge testimony builder. I know that God is in control. This family is amazing!

I hope everyone has a great 4th of July!! Oh and Happy 17 months on the mission!!!

Love,

Sister Burke

5 WEEKS!!!

So last week I said nothing about my new companion. Sister Park is awesome! She has little over a year on the mission and is from Utah. She is almost exactly like my MTC companion Sister Capener. So that is so much fun, ending how I started. She is a hard worker, which is super nice! She is crazy, full of energy, all the time.

This week was crazy! I said goodbye to some great missionaries. It is weird, to think I am next. Then we welcomed in some newbies who have so much fire to work! Makes me want to take all this information and knowledge I have and start over on my mission.

This week we did not have a normal day teaching. We taught in a trio, a lot due to all the sisters coming and going.

Do not have a crazy story for the week, just found a TON of new people to teach. I hope that they will continue to progress. One thing I learned this week, if you look for families you will find families. We are pretty much only teaching families. I wish I would have known that at the begging of my mission so I would have found more families but it is never too late to start. Families are a lot of fun to teach, once you see that they understand that families can be together forever a new light comes into their eyes. Families are so important. The gospel is better learned in families and there is more joy in families. Families are forever! What a great thing to know!!

Love you all,

Sister Burke

THE LAST 6 WEEKS!!!!

Whelp...

It is the beginning of lasts...

Transfer number 12...

I will be staying in Tira Chapeu but I will be getting a new companion. Her name is Sister Park!! I do not know a lot about her yet. Next week I will be able tell you all about her. Since I am staying in Tira Chapeu, it means I am staying the Sister Trainer Leader. I am so excited to stay. Lots of small miracles happened this week and next month should be a great month for more miracles! I am so excited!!

This week...

Well, I was so proud that I have never fall or tripped yet in the mission BUT this week I fall and it was EPIC!!! We were on our way home and going down a hill, my companion was in front of me. I stepped on a piece of plastic that I did not see and down I went. My companion turned around so fast to take care of me but what happened was I started laughing. My companion looked at me like I was crazy. Normal people start saying where it hurts, nope I laugh. She then starts laughing as well. She told me she was not going to laugh because that is rude but since I laughed first it is okay. She then told me my fall looked like I slipped on a banana peel kind of fall. Really that is what it felt like. My knee hurt really bad. We then went home and I iced it. The next day I just had a nice bruise. I am all good. It was super funny fall.

I love you all!

Sister Burke

7 weeks!!!

Story of the week…

I know we are protected by God. There is a part of our area which is scary at night, so we plan only to go there once or twice a week. We plan it well so we just go to the members and investigators houses then return to the save zones fast. Really, it is not that bad but everyone talks about how bad it is. This week we saw a cash/body or in other words 3 men robbed a family. Let me back up, we just finished a family night and were playing games, my companion had the thought just one more game. I thought, okay why not. We then left and were almost to the safe zone when we saw the 3 men run past us and rob a family about 30 feet away. When the men ran past us they were about 10 feet away. My companion and I stopped turned around and ran to a member’s house. If we did not play that one more game it would have been us. We then made it home safely. I know that God is protecting us. This just proves to me that this is the Church of God because He is watching over us. Thank you for all your prayers and support.

Much love,

Sister Burke

8 Weeks!!!

Testimony builder!

After telling all your investigators that if they go to church God will blessing them. I have never seen miracles like this. We told this very poor mom that if she goes she will receive blessings. She then came to church. A few days’ later she went for a walk and sat on a bench at a park. While sitting there a women came up to her and out of the blue offered her things she needed. We then visited with her the next day. She told us this wonderful story. Wow! It was amazing. She realized that when we keep the commandments we will receive what we need.

It was a huge testimony builder! God really does know us and will bless us in his timing.

Lots of love,

Sister Burke

9 Weeks!!!

This week was hard. We kept finding new people to teach, they seemed great but then we can never find them again. Then all our other investigators won't come to church for so many reasons. Had some great lessons but really this work is all about finding people. Once you find people to teach the work to them. 

I had a division's this week with Sister Lee. She is amazing. She was also a BYU cheerleader. That was really fun learning about BYU cheer leading and her life. She is a great person and so much fun to get to know. 

Gave my second talk in church this past Sunday. I spoke to much, they gave me a paper saying time is up, Oops. Hope it was well. All the missionaries in our ward got to  speak yesterday to get the ward excited to work with us. 

Lots of love,

Sister Burke 

10 weeks!!!

This week I had the privilege to go on divisions with two amazing sisters.

One is brand new. It was so cute seeing her speak and teach. I bet I was just like her a year ago. Had no idea what was going on but making the most out of it.

The second division was in a different area. This area was unlike any other area I have been so far here in Praia. I felt like I was teaching in America. No one was on the streets only cars. That is not normal for Cabo Verde. I did not know what to think. It was a fun experience to see a new part of Praia that I did not know existed.

This week went by fast. Nothing crazy to report. Also do not have a ton of time this week to write.

Love you all.
Sister Burke