A Testimony of the Power of Prayer (Weekly Update)

Hello and happy start of the week to my working people in Brisbane :) 

Hoping this email finds you all in good health and spirits. 

This week has been one of the funniest weekends for me! 

As you all know I'm working with my new companion from Sydney, funniest girl. Anyways at the beginning of the week we had to run so many errands for our baptisms on Saturday. 

We're almost at the mission office and all of a sudden these lil kids run up and start singing my son the NaeNae song. So of course I just jump straight into it (TRUST ME IM A PRO AT IT) haha 

Anyways my companion Sis Ausage was just watching me (didn't even attempt to jump in) so the kids finish the song and I tell em we're leaving now. 

As we leave the kid shouts out in marshallese 'see yous again soon'. Ausage just got here and didnt really hear her so she asks me, 'what did she say?' and I go oh she said cause you didnt NaeNae with me you hafto do it by yourself now. 

Ausage goes all red and is like finnnnnne. I jump straight into clapping my hands and sing 'now watch me whip, what me naenae'  the most fa'ali'iest NaeNae i've ever seen ANYONE do - companion attempts to do hahahaha nekminit the car behind watching her drives straight into the car in front of it...

She had caused a car accident because she did not have full spirit NaeNae with her. Everyone in the car accident was fine but I stitched laughed all the way to the mission office to tell everyone. looooool 

My companions new name is now Sister NaeNae & I will never let her forget the day her dancing distracted a driver and bumped into another car. Hahahahahaha

I loooooooooooooove my companion she is soo funny! haha

This week we had 3 Baptisms, John Jacob, Kito Ramesis and Solomon Ataia. 

Because John was under 18 years old we had to get one of his parents to sign his baptism form. I had spoken to his Father who gave me all the information for his form but when i asked him to sign he refused. Me and my companion were abit confused but he didn't tell us that he didn't want his son to get baptized he just refused to sign and told us that we needed to get his mothers signature and she lived in Town.

Me and my companion were struggling with what we should do so we decided to go ahead and find his mother. We got the directions that John gave and went, determined to locate his mother. Me and my soa walked around for what felt like awhile. I was really tired and confused. My companion looked at me and said Sister Burgess lets just stop for a second. We both paused and then she turned to me and said I think we should pray. A thought that didn't even cross my mind in my desire to locate John's mind. As soon as she said the words I felt instant peace and agreed. As I was praying for the spirit to guide our footsteps to this lady, I felt my whole body just pushing me in the left direction. As soon as we finish the prayer I tell my companion that I felt this strong sense to turn left across the road. As soon as cross I see 3 ladies sitting there. We ask them if they know where Mertina lives and they point and direct us to exactly where she lived. She was so beautiful. She was so willing to sign her sons paper and would even accept being referred to the Elders who looked after that area. 

Me and my soa felt so much love, happiness and gained a stronger testimony of prayer. 

In times of struggle, pain, suffering our thoughts and actions can pull us away and make us forget to do the most simplest of things. We know that we can only be truly guided if we but seek for help. 

I was so grateful for my companion in reminding me this. 

I TESTIFY with you all that there is POWER in prayer. 

and our Father answers all our prayers. May not always be when we want it, but he knows and sees when we need it most 

I love this Gospel. I love being a labourer in the Lords Vineyard & I know that just because we missionaries wear the badge of our Savior every day. We all wear his name in our hearts. 

Thank you for all your love and your emails, sorry if at times I'm slack with replying but you are all in my prayers and I cannot wait for the reunion. 

Thinking of you all on a daily basis and sending my alofaga's to all my Brisbaniannnnnns!!! 

IJ IAKWE KOMIAN AOLEP! 

jen Sister Burgess xoxoxo

First Update for 2016

IAKWE IAKWE AOLEP!

Hoping this email finds you all well and healthy! sorry it's been 10 million years since I wrote an email, but the holidays out here have been crazy with Internet access and allowing me to write or send anything out to you all... just know I LOVE YOU GUYS! :)

The work here in the Majuro have been well this new year.

Oh and HAPPY NEW YEARS btw lol

Last week I said goodbye to my daughter I trained for almost 5 months Sister Mati-Leifi. We worked together in Ajeltake (my 10 month area) and then she was with me when we came together to my current area BATKAN Long Island.

Sister Burgess and Mati-Leifi (Daughter)

I never knew how much I'd miss her but we saw each other today and hugged like moolin (real) family hahaha

My current companion is also Samoan from Sydney Sister Nicole Ausage.. She amazing, shes been here 6 weeks but starting her training from day 1 and shes improving so much.

So last week I worked with my daughter and I was just going through my books and planners i had at home.

This area I'm working in is Long Island - my birth place here in the mission and so i was just going through some of my first planners to see if I'd remember some people and as I was looking through a paper fell down. On it was a Lil map of my current area (batkan) and my writing to ask one of the elders to draw a map of where 'KIMMY' lived.

(Kimmy is a 20 year old Ponepeiian girl I met my first weeks here on the mission. We were playing basketball in Long Island and I sat next to her and just started randomly talking and laughing)

On the back it said, I met kimmy who said she knows elders come to her house to study with her brother but she's so shy and would prefer to talk to sisters. This elder had then drew the map of her house to show me exactly where she lived so that I could find her. Shortly after I had found out where she lived I had received my transfer to move to ajeltake. I never visited kimmy or saw her again as ajeltake was 20 mins away.

As soon as I found the letter in my packaging - me and my companion prayed and went and tried to find her house from the lil map. Low and behold we found her house and are now studying with her!!!!! I could not get over how after almost 11+ months I still kept that letter in my planners and that i was able to find it again at the time when I needed to find it.

Kimmy remembered me (even though shes said I'm 10 x blacker then I was when she first saw me...the nerve lol) shes progressing well and even came to church on Sunday ;)

I LOVE THIS GOSPEL WITH ALL MY BURUO!

I know that things may not work out all the time and especially not in the way or the time that we want it to be but, the Lord is mindful of us and would that we should loke ilo an iien - trust in his timing.

My current companion (my son lol) is awesome though when she first got to me last Thursday all the lil kids would sing the NaeNae song and then we'd just automatically dance and do the naenae on the streets, and she thought I was crazy hahaha, but now when they sing it shes does the NaeNae with me yall HAHAHAHAHA! need to teach these kids while they young haha

We have 3-4 baptisms this week which is blessings in itself. We are also Primary teachers and Relief Society sub teachers AKA every sunday LOL oh and how about I play the Piano for the ward (its those pianos that have all the hymns all i need to do is press the buttons) anyways yesterday I was gone playing and then the piano went crazy spastic and embarrassed me to the dayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyys :'( almost stood up and did the NaeNae haha jokes but i'm never playing that piano again looooooooool but anyways ALL is well with me here in Majuro. I love this mission.

I love this work. I love my Savior and I'm grateful every day I get to share the word of the restored Gospel. Grateful to have each of you beautiful people in my life one song that I was asked to chorister and teach for months and months was 'HOLD TO THE ROD' holds great memories for me and I hope that as we continue to Hold to the rod it will lead us to the tree of life, our Savior Jesus Christ as we feast upon his words and endure to the end.

IJ IAKWE KOMIAN AOLEP
im ij ba aolep men kein ilo Etan Jisos Kraist amen

Sister Burgess xoxoxo