October Update! Halfway There!!!!!!!

Well, needless to say Heather has been so busy the past few months. She has completed more than half of her mission! WOO HOO! We're almost there, baby! I have only heard from her briefly in the past few weeks, but she has sent some pictures that I've been slow posting. I have posted pictures of her visit with her brother, Jared; her P-day trips to Hunter's Point in Queens (the jumping pictures) and Jackson Avenue (the crazy-good spray art work); and lastly, her trip to the Manhattan temple.

Heather seems to be doing well and the work is good! She has been paired up with a new companion as of the last transfer. The new comp is Sister Crandell from Heber, Arizona. Heather says she is a very sweet and gentle soul, so they equal a good pair. I haven't heard much else about the new pair besides that.

Anyway, I just wanted to share these wonderful pics with you all! I hope all is well and will post again soon! -H

New (or is it old??) Companion...

Heather sent some new pics of her companion Sister Thomas & her on P-Day when all the missionaries decided to go check out the Brooklyn Bridge. It looks like they were having a great time. But ofcourse, all good things must come to an end. Sister Thomas had completed her mission and went home at transfer time this week. Yet because of not having enough new missionaries at transfer time, there was the need for some sort of musical missionaries, if you will. And Heather has been paired back up with her first companion, Sister Frodsham! They must have done so well the first time that the mission president paired them up again! So, they are still working hard serving in Jamaica.

As for other news, Heather got a visit from her brother this week. Jared was on the East Coast visiting a friend and got to stop in and take Heather and the Frod to lunch. I know Heather has been looking forward to this visit for a long time, and I've heard that everything went well!

Below are some pics of Heather and her last companion, Sister Thomas. I don't know the names of the four male missionaries, but I hope you enjoy. And yes....that woman's fingernails are real. Oh the joys of public transportation. Taxi, please!

Better late than never...

So, obviously I've been a little behind in posting and A LOT has happened in the mean time. I haven't heard much from Heather in the past two weeks, but I'm reposting some of her dad's posts to catch everyone up (thanks for being on top of it Bill)!

First Thing's First ---- Transferred to Jamaica, New York

Heather and Sister Frod were both transferred. Heather was sent to Jamaica, New York (I guess it's near or in Queens) and her new companion was the same companion she had at the MTC, Sister Fields. Heather says they walk a lot more than they did an Bay Shore, and her feet are KILLING her! Jamaica is very culturally varied; in fact, probably (according to Sister De Paula) the most culturally varied of any of the districts in the New York New York South Mission.

New Companion, Again

Apparently, the night of the July 4th was a dramatic one in Jamaica. Heather was in the ER all night with her companion, Sister Fields. Apparently Fields had had some kind of seizure, and the Mission President decided to send her back home to South Carolina. So Heather got put in a trio companionship with the two Spanish-speaking sisters that are her pad-mates. She did say that the Richmond Hill elders had a bar-b-q on their roof that the district went to, and it was nice to watch the lights of the city and have some fellowship with the others in the district. Heather also said they don't have a car in this district, they use a Metro pass for buses and trains to get around. The next few weeks should be interesting in Queens.

Heather has since been taken out of the trio and received a new companion, Sister Thomas. Heather and Sister Thomas are working hard to catch up after the problem with Sister Fields. Heather says that Sister Thomas is "Awesome!" She was actually a Spanish-speaking missionary who was moved to be with Heather. The only bad part is that she goes home at the next transfer, so Heather will be getting a new companion. Again. Monday was a zone activity day, with soccer, frisbee, and that sort of thing. All the stuff that Heather hates to do; but they have food, so it's worth going to.

Heather has sent me 0 pictures in the last few weeks, so sorry there's not more to post! Hopefully next week.

Luis Takes the Plunge!

There was another baptism in Heather's district this month! This is amazing since there have been no baptisms in this area in more than a year! Here are pictures of Heather and Sister Frodsham with Luis, who was baptized and confirmed a member of the church, and at a cookout they had to celebrate. Congratulations Luis!!!!

There are also pictures of Heather and Sister Frodsham picking up their new companion, "Ned". Apparently, they found this turtle on the side of the road and thought it would be a good idea to take it home and make it a pet. It turned out to be not such a great idea, as Ned proceeded to pee on Sister Frod on the way home!

Oscar's Baptism

Oscar, a young single father Heather and Sister Frodsham have been teaching for the past few weeks, was baptized this last Saturday. Oscar and fiance have two children and will be getting married in the temple in the future. Erika, his fiance, is a member of the church and has been trying to get Oscar to take lessons for 2 years, and he finally did after meeting Heather and Sister Frodsham. Heather said it was such an uplifting experience and is excited to be working with the amazing people in Bay Shore.

Birthday Fun

This past week was Heather's 23rd Birthday. She said she had a wonderful day and had 4 cakes baked for her. Here are some pics from the week.

Oh, Thank Heaven for P-Day

These are some pics from Heather's P-Day at "Fire Island" Beach and lighthouse. The other one is of Heather and her companion at Oscar's house. He is an investigator who apparently is gearing up for baptism. I don't know what she's drinking though. Enjoy!

Here are some updated pics. I got them about a week ago---sorry for the delay! Heather looks great and sounds like she is doing well. Her birthday is coming up on April 17, so make sure you all send her lots of birthday wishes! Love, H.

Email Address

Heather wanted me to post her email address so everyone can write her. She can't reply via email, but if you give her your physical address she can get snail mail back to you! I know she'd love to hear from everyone, so feel free to send her a quick hello! Her email is: hmburton@myldsmail.net

Lots o' photos!

Here is the first glimpse into life in Long Island. Like I said, Heather is living in a garage in Islip. Long Island was hit this weekend with low temperatures and snow, but it sounds like everything is well with Sister Burton.

One month down...

Here are some pictures that I stole from other people's blogs. The first is of all the missionaries in Heather's district. There are six sisters serving in the Bay Shore area and her district is the biggest in the entire mission. The missionary to the left of Heather is Sister Frodsham, Heather's companion. She is from SLC and Heather said they get along pretty well. The second picture is Heather with the Mission President and his wife.

There are more pictures at http://www.depaulamission.blogspot.com/. This is the blog of a missionary couple serving in Heather's area. They do a great job at keeping it up-to-date with photos and mission info. There's also info at http://www.burtons57.blogspot.com/. This is Heather's dad's blog.

As for Heather, she said in her last letter that she was living in the 'ghetto' and things can be a little crazy. It sounds like she has had some interesting experiences...She ate ox tail at a member's home last weekend. She also said the city is dirty and everyone knows she is a country girl because of her big hair. One person even said she looked like Loretta Lynn. So funny...

Anyway, I should be hearing from her again soon and will post shortly! -H

First Letter

I received the first letter from Heather this week and she sounds like she is doing great. Her companion is Sister Fields from South Carolina and they get along really well.

Here is an excerpt about her experiences so far at the MTC:

"Yesterday in our fireside we sang We'll Bring the World His Truth and the chorus usually says 'and we will be the Lord's missionaries to bring the world his truth', but instead we sang 'and we are now the Lord's missionaries to bring the world his truth'. I can't tell you how much that got to me. This gospel is so Amazing and I am thankful to be apart of it!"

The letter was short, but everything seems to be going well! Hope to post again soon!
-h

Pics at the MTC!

Hey everyone, this is Hollie. I'll be taking over Heather's blog for the next 18 months and posting pictures and letters as they arrive. Here are the first pics from the MTC today. Enjoy!

Address...

For those of you who want to write me... Here are my addresses!

For the MTC:

Sister Heather Burton
New York New York South Mission
Provo Missionary Training Center
2005 N. 900 E.
Provo, UT 84604

Mission Home:

Sister Heather Burton
New York New York South Mission
85-69 60th Dr
Elmhurst, NY 11373-5547

I will put current addresses up when I get them! :)

Friends!!!

I never would have made it this far without such great support from my AMAZING friends! I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life who are always willing to show the true side of friendship and it inspires me to be a better friend to others.
From what my friends have taught me I am truly grateful to take that with me as I encounter this new stage in my life. Thank you for being so instrumental in my journey of life and helping to make me the person that I am today and hope to be in the future.

Thanks for the great night girls!!!

Thanks Hillary!

Here are the 8s:
Rules:
1) Post Rules on your blog
2) Answer the six "8" items
3) Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving them a comment

8 favorite TV shows:
90210
Roseanne
Tori and Dean Home Sweet Hollywood
The Wonder Years
Jon and Kate plus 8!
10 Years Younger
Bob's Price is Right
17 and Counting

8 things I did yesterday:
Went to lunch with Ian
Went to Leslie's
Shopped for the mission... AGAIN
Hung out with Crazy Carol
Sang in the car
Went to dinner with Crystal
Visited with the Anderton's
Read the BOM

8 things I look forward to:
Going to the temple today and tomorrow
My cold sore to heal
Meeting with President Abarca again...
Seeing my brother Jared
Being set apart as a missionary
Going to the MTC
Serving a righteous mission
And of course, the end of the mission.

8 favorite restaurants:
Spaghetti Factory
Red Lobster
The Melting Pot
La Frontera
Costa Vida
Ruby River
Olive Garden
The Original Pancake House

8 things on my wish list:
To be 100% ready to leave on the 28th
Lose 10-13 pounds
My parents move
See Hollie one more time before I leave
Love
College degree
An awesome dog! (Lab or Schnauzer)
Not be so accessible

I tag...
Maggie
Sydney
Holly
Kiera
Kelli
Elva
Kenzie
Jessica

Tyler is Baptized!!!

I cannot believe that my "baby Tyler" was baptized last Saturday! It's insane to think that this little guy is 8! He has such an awesome personality and a kind heart! He constantly amazes me with his generosity and love for others! I hope and pray that he can stay true to the Gospel and thrive on it's goodness. I love you Tyler!

Hollbabe and Burtonbabe2K

"....Here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

I carry your heart, I carry it in my heart"


Today was the first, hardest day before I leave for my mission. I had to say goodbye to my best friend. My sister. Hollie has touched my soul more than words can express and I am very fortunate to have her in my life. This will be the longest that we haven't spoken or seen each other since 1998 and it is definitely going to be a struggle getting through these next 18 months.

I am so grateful that her belief in me has made the difference between giving up on my dreams, and trying even harder to reach them. My life is richer because she is in it.

Thank you for sharing with me all the kind things you've said, and all the beautiful things that you are! I love you always and forever!