New Year ~~~ [Week 5] (Palmdale)

So this week seemed to fly by for sure. 

New years was not cool here, not at all. We had a curfew of 7:00, which is understandable, and I essentially just lied there for 2 hours until I fell asleep. Holidays are not cool on your mission, which is ok, because I need to stop worrying about myself. 

There was a HUGE rumor that we would get snow in the Antelope Valley on New Year's eve, and it was shaping up to look like it. When the 31st came you couldn't see any cloud in the whole sky. :l Oh well. My whole mission has been in a drought for the last several years, so it was a little disappointing. 

Here are some things about Palmdale

Palmdale:

It has the worst tasting tap water in the world. Everyone buys bottled water. 

There are constantly police and ambulance sirens, all through the day and night.

We pull over for sirens about 2-3 times a day, which is weird for me. 

Everyone in Palmdale commutes to the valley, not Antelope Valley, Down by LA valley.

If they don't commute to the valley they work at the Airforce base, Lock Heed, or some other machinist that has something to do with aerospace engineering. 

Elder Craig and I are not doing too well with numbers or with people opening their door. Out of 20 doors knocked maybe 8 answer, 6 will actually talk to us, and 0 give us a solid return appt. time. Keep in mind we have mostly been knocking on recent converts and less actives doors. 

I have been praying a lot to find prepared investigators as I am almost half way through my first transfer. Elder Craig and I have resolved to do better these next four weeks. 

On Friday I got to go on exchanges with the Zone Leaders since Elder Craig is a District Leader. Our Zone Leaders are Elder Hyde and Elder Crandall. Elder Hyde has been out for 17 months and has been a ZL for a year! He is a farmer from Arizona. Elder Crandall is from Cottonwood Heights, he has been in our mission since August, but had been in Sierra Leone for 6 months prior until he was evacuated because of Ebola :(. It was awesome to see how much work they have to do in their area, I got to go and teach a man that wants to be baptized and his son who was baptized last month. He can't be baptized for a year because of some past sins when he was part of a big gang, but he has an awesome testimony and plans on being baptized when he can. 

As missionaries we have the opportunity to see people in all walks of life, and some are really struggling. It is really powerful to me to know that God loves the crack addict as much as he loves President Monson. Keep your heads up!

Sorry for the long email!

I love all of you.

Elder Burton