Double Digets

Kamusta!
Wow, IM IN MY 10th WEEK OF TRAINING!! We train for 12 weeks so I literally only have 3 weeks left and then BAM Im a regular missionary! :) and this week has been one of the best and funniest weeks of my mission so far. Many experiences happened and I can officially say I have embraced the Philippine culture. I have also tried new things to feel more like a Filipino haha. 

First off, I used what I like to call... "the paddle" haha people here in the Philippines don't use toliet paper they use.. i don't know what it is called haha I just call it the paddle and since I ran out of toliet paper this week I decided to try the paddle... I have no idea how to use it, but I tried and lets just say I had to change cuz I got myself all wet and yeahhh it just didn't work out.. Soooo imma just stick to toliet paper. 

I also rode in the trunk of a taxi for 4 hours... We went to the mission home to make cookies (SO GOOD) and to just have fun with some of the other sisters from the mission with Sister Ostler. It was so great we made actual homeade cookies and lets just say it was one of the best days cuz COOKIES!! haha but on the way home it was traffic time.. really bad traffic here in the Philippines so we we had 5 people in this little car plus the driver and for some reason they don't use seatbelts here.. probs just cuz everyone drives so slow so like why would you, but we were soooo squished so I just volunteered to sit in the trunk so everyone could have more room (no so I could have more room) anyway, So I climbed in this tiny little trunk and little did I know we were going to be stuck in the car for 4 hours... So I was just sitting in a trunk for 4 hours eating cookies haha It reminded me of the time I was sitting in the back on the way home from St. George with the donuts.. haha but anyway....

I also broke into our house this week... The sisters in our kabahay locked themselves our of their room and we couldn't like break down the door or anything cuz duh rental.. but instead I used a chair lift myself up to climb two stories to get to their outside window. Then I went through their screen and unlocked the door... hard to explain, but lets just say it was a adventure for sure as well as a work out haha but it was really funny for some reason they were going to call the zone leader to come and do it for them, but instead I just did it. I don't know why they would call the zone leaders. It was really fun! I felt like I was sneaking into someones window haha anyway weird story, and hard to explain but whatever.

Also this week was the first time I taught to word of wisdom to someone. We taught it on Wednesday to a less active who is really addicted to Alcohol. Like not just kinda like really really addicted. We taught it and not gonna lie we did really good and kinda funny cuz his wife was just sitting next to him pointing at him acting out like she is drinking alcohol and getting really drunk and we were just like stop lady, we already know he drinks.. haha so I guess that was actually really funny, but the rest of the lesson was actually really on point and I felt the spirit so much. He committed to living the word of wisdom and really I was just overcome with the spirit and I felt so happy. I was like YES this man is going to change his life and stop drinking! So we told him we would come back on Saturday to see how he is going and just show some support. So of course we return on Saturday to teach him and we knock on the door... no one comes. We knock again... nothing. Then his wife comes, opens the door, and BAM the man got so drunk he was passed out on his floor. So all I can say is yeah our area is really really progressing... and i'm still learning more and more patience everyday. 

So wanna know what I learned this week? Well of course you do otherwise you wouldn't keep reading this.. sorry it's so long, but I had a really good week. I learned everyone has the right to choose. Or in other words everyone has their own agency and really I can't do anything about theirs, but I can do something about mine. I can choose the right, I can choose to keep following Christ and keep the commandments. It's frustrating that we can't choose for other people, but at least we can choose for ourselves. I feel like this week I felt just a tiny bit of what God feels. He probably gets so frusterated with some of the choices we make each and everyday, but he still loves each one of us unconditionally. God is amazing and one of the greatest gifts He will ever and has given us is our agency. So lets use it to make Him proud, okay? Okay I love you all. I love my mission. I love my area and my investigators. I love the Philippines. I love my companion. I love my ward and I really love this gospel. The weeks just keep getting better and I can't express how much I love being a missionary. Sister Tiongco is doing better and everything is just getting good. I love it here and I am really happy. I hope you guys are doing great and choosing the right. I love you all. Have a great week.

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Barton

3 MONTHS!!

Helloooooo Family!!

HOLLA cuz 3 Months down in the mission!! 15 More to go (not counting down or anything) haha just kidding I love my mission. It's hard, but it is so so so so good and so so so worth it. I love missionary work. Also thank you everyone for the Christmas cards! I got a ton this past week and wow I felt so much love even though its in the end of January I still felt the Christmas spirit and love and it was so good, SO THANK YOU!! This week has been a hard/crazy/messed up week, but you live and learn from every experience right...? haha well I have really had a great time experiencing this week.. 

A lot of this week I have studied about Adversity. Because the mission is so hard and sometimes I just wonder why things have to be so much harder than they really need to be... but I was reading True to the Faith and it said, "As part of Heavenly Father's plan of redemption, you experience adversity during mortality. Trials, disappointments, sadness, sickness, and heartache are a difficult part of life, but they can lead to spiritual growth, refinement, and progress as you turn to the Lord." Ahhhhh I love that. We teach people so much about the Plan of Salvation and why we have life here on Earth, to experience trials, joy, pain, sadness, happiness, every emotion. But I never really applied it to myself. We learn so much from the trials and challenges we have. This week was especially was hard because my companion Sister Tiongco has had a really hard time with being stressed out of her mind and It is affecting her physically. Her back aches everyday to the point where sometimes she can't even walk (definitely a trial).. so this week we actually stayed inside a lot for her to just rest and feel like she can regain herself to get back to work. 

It is really really really hard for me to sit in the house. This week especially I found myself getting a lot of anxiety. It's hard sitting inside a house instead of going out to work. I came here to be a missionary and help others and yet we just sat inside of a house all day everyday and it was really hard. I definitely feel like if I am learning one thing, it is patience. I'm learning patience in every form possible. It is so good for me though because I know that once I get home I will be a very patient person and you guys will like me even more than you already do ;) haha 

Another trial we have had this week is our area is so messed. I ended up going on exchanges for some of the days because I wanted to work so the STL's came to help with our area and lets just say Sister Vaka and I experienced weird things... I can't even explain what happened and what we felt, but it was weird... (that'll be a story for in 15 months) but anyway having all this adversity come our way this week was just hard, but I know that in the long run it will be a blessing. I really really love Mosiah 24:13-14. I'm not gonna quote it cuz it's kind of long, but it's really good so look it up.

I know we have trials for a reason. I know we go through things we wouldn't necessarily choose to go through whether it is Missionary Work, School, Work, or just life in general. I know that if we look unto the Lord always and do what he would have us do in times of need he will "lift us up." All we need to do is trust in him with our whole hearts and our whole souls. In True to the Faith it talks about have Faith in your trials, Finding the Joy and Peace in trials, and Trusting in God and His son Jesus Christ during your trials and afflictions. I've really strived to understand what it means to "Trust in God" I've come up that trusting in God simply means giving him everything and knowing everything that happens to you, everything that comes your way is for a reason. He knows you better than you know yourself and He knows what you need at every time in your life. I love love love that I have someone to turn to at all times. It used to be my Mom, every time something would go wrong or bad in my life I would call my Mom and talk to her. Now, that isn't an option, I can't just call my Mom and express all my feelings to her. Instead I have to turn to the Lord. That is why I love praying. Missionaries pray SO MUCH. haha I love it though, especially my night prayers. I just get to unwind and tell the Lord everything that happened that day and He comforts me. 

I love this gospel and I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church established on Earth today. I love knowing the truth and I love teaching the truth everyday. This Mission is stretching me and tossing and turning me in ways I never thought I could, but it is so good. Being on a Mission is the best thing in the world. I love you guys so much. I'm so grateful to have you all in my life. Thank you for being the best example to me. 

Love you all so much,

Sister Barton

Slowly but Surely

Happy Day Fam!

IM IMPROVING!!! Yes yes yes! Slowly, but surely I am improving. First off, I have made it through a whole transfer! I didn't realize how stressful transfer day is for some people. For me, nothing changed... I am still in training for another Transfer with Sister Tiongco as my companion (thank goodness cuz she's so good) I'm so blessed to have her as my trainer.

 Anyway I'm slowly improving tho. This week we had the opportunity to teach a Sister named Sister Wenng. We OYMed her and just taught her right then and there. We started off with a song and a prayer like we always do. We were teaching on the street just siting on little benches and as we started singing a bunch of little girls came and gathered around us. Then when we told them we were going to say a prayer they all sat down, folded their arms, and closed their eyes. It was the cutest thing. It reminded me of the way Jesus must have felt when he was with all the little kids teaching them and loving them. It was honestly one of the highlights of my whole week was just being able to pray with these cute little kids. I love the kids here. As we got more into the lesson we were teaching just about our purpose and expectations and things. When it was my turn to talk and share some insights on who we are as missionaries, I started talking and It just came out in Tagalog. I literally said everything I wanted to say in Tagalog. I don't know how it happened, but it did and it was wonderful. I know it was the spirit. it was CRAZY. I can't wait until I am fluent in this language and that happens every lesson. I felt so blessed to be able to have the spirit work through me like that. Wow, I can't even describe the emotions I was feeling during that time. 

Another experience I want to share is with a Family we met on Monday and taught the following day. We went to teach them and they are the cutest family. There is Sister Chana Hernandez the mother who has 3 kids. Vence (18), Venmore (14), and Veneza (16). The husband works abroad in the UK. They have had a really rough life in the past and they are so thankful for God in their life. They are Catholic, but are looking for the truth (YES) and they are a very studious family. Anyway one of my goals on my mission is to always have the spirit with me and have people feel that when they meet me. They will just get that feeling of the Spirit. As we went inside the Hernandez Families home we were getting to know them and just building the relationship of trust. We asked Sister Chana why she let us inter her home to teach her and her family. Sister Chana said that when she met us she just got a feeling that we were there to help her and her family. She said we just had a warmth about us that she doesn't feel very often. As Sister Chana Hernandez was talking I had tears in my eyes. She was describing the Spirit. When Sister Hernandez met us she felt the Spirit. I have never felt such a deep emotion in my life. When she was describing how we made her feel I just kept getting an overwhelming confirmation about how real the Holy Ghost is. I had it with me. It made her feel all the feeling she expressed through me. Wow. It really just solidifies to me how real this gospel is, how amazing it is, and how through the power of the Holy Ghost it can change lives. My goal is just to always live worthily to have the Spirit dwell with me. Missionaries are nothing without the Holy Ghost. I realized this week the Holy Ghost is the true teacher and comforter. 

So much happens every week I continue to just have my faith build and build everyday through my experiences. I wish I had all day to email and share everything I experience everyday, but obedience sooooo.. haha but know that I love missionary work and I love being apart of this Gospel. Thank you everyone for all the support and love you show me. Continue to do the things you do and be the best examples you can be to the world. Everyone says missionaries are weird when they get home and it's true. They are. It's because they aren't of the world anymore. That's what makes them so different. I can't wait to be weird when I come home because It means I'm not apart of the World. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints we should all strive to be in the world, but not of the world. Be examples to all of those around you. I love you all and hope you all have the greatest week. Remember God loves you and so do I.

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Barton

Simple Joys

Family!

This week has been so good! haha I forgot to tell you last week... the picture of Balut wasn't me eating it... the foreigners aren't aloud to.. it was sister Tiongco who ate it.. she eats the weirdest things haha she ate Balut and fish eyes right in front of me BLAHHHHH it was so gross I almost threw up haha but I made it a goal that I would eat Balut by the end of my mission even if it's bawal. I want it. haha this week was so good and i've realized there are so many simple joys you experience on a mission that you never even think would be a joy in real life... for exampe... 

Monday we were able to go bowling for a District activity and who knew bowling was so fun! I've always thought bowling was okay, but NO BOWLING IS THE BOMB! Hahaha I love it! probably because I won 103 and the lowest score was 8 hahaha it was hilarious.. A lot of people from the Philippines never experience bowling so I was really good compared to everyone haha it was awesome! Also we found Jamba Juice!!! I almost started crying when I saw it. haha I bought the biggest one and everyone just looked at me like I was crazy but I just thought ahhhhh AMERICA!! hahah It's so weird the joy I find here in the Philippines. So lets just say Pday is one of my very favorite days.

On tuesday, I asked one of our less actives what is name was (after 6 weeks of knowing him) when I meant to ask him how his praying was going.. Two completely different questions, but of course me being me screwed them up so bad.. haha It was so funny I felt so stupid, but hey that's the joys you find in learning the language. People just laugh at you and you really just gotta learn to laugh at yourself because in reality you do look really dumb haha It's so fun tho! Also that night I tried to cook... Yeah I burnt it and set the fire alarm off... I thought that was only going to happen in college.. I was so wrong.. I just am terrible at cooking and I have learned to accept that fact about myself.

Wednesday was a day to remember... haha the culture of the Philippines is crazy. We went into this investigators home to teach her on Wednesday night and man her house was crazy! I wish I could just snap shot pictures, but I know I can't... We went in and dishes, dirty, clean, food, just tons of stuff was all scattered on the table.. Laundry was everywhere and her whole home was literally probably the size of the school room in our basement. So small... and so messy and cluttered.. anyway, we cleared off a spot to be able to sit down and as we started with a song and a prayer, during the prayer we heard all these little creatures making noises.. I was freaking out, but of course we are praying so I couldn't do anything. Ahhhh after the prayer I swear to you I saw like 7 mice just roaming around the floor AS WE ARE SITTING ON THE FLOOR. Oh my gosh I thought I was gonna die. Plus that lesson was so long. Ahhhh it was so gross, but hey I guess a good experience.. 

Sadly on Thursday Sister Tiongco physically couldn't work because of her back.. She has been having back pain for her whole mission and she was really struggling on Thursday so we just decided to have a rest day and she just slept. I cleaned and organized stuff cuz I was just super bored, but it was fine. Kinda nice I guess to just have a chill day, but i've realized i really don't like chill days. I like working and proselyting and stuff.. so hopefully that doesn't happen often..

From Friday to Saturday I was able to do exchanges with the STL's which was so good! I got to go with the foreigner STL (like me) which was awesome! I didn't realize how much of an impact the different cultures has on a companionship. I got to go with Sister Vaka and she was awesome! She is from Canada and has been out for 12 months! She is the funniest person I've ever met! She is just super cool and has a really outgoing and fun personality. I thought she would for sure take it easy on me the whole time I was with her cuz first exchange, but nope! She made me OYM and talk to people and she would just stand there it was like she wanted me to train her.. hahaha it was so good though because she really made me step out of my comfort zone and just have confidence in talking to people. I feel like i'm finally understanding more Tagalog and I can OYM actually pretty good on my own. I can say a lot when it comes to OYMing and I love it. Mission is so much more fun when you can actually feel like you can talk to people! It's so good. So I really enjoyed that 24 hours being with Sister Vaka. We actually had something funny happen to us. We were OYMing some lady (little did I know she was drunk) but you know me just doing my thing talking to this lady about the gospel and since im white she said oh sit down let me get you a soft drink and cookies and hands me all this food. Then this guy sitting next to me asks who we are, so of course I OYM him and turns out he is Atheist... He starts sharing how science contradicts blah blah blah and I just couldn't even understand what was going on so I was just saying uhhhh ehhh ahhh cuz I physically didn't know what to do haha Finally after Sister Vaka was done talking to the Lady she see's the situation im in sits down next to me, and whispers to me "finish your drink as fast as you can" so then we literally drank our drinks in like 30 seconds and left. I thought Sister Vaka and the Atheist guy were gonna get in a fist fight when we were trying to leave. haha He REALLY wanted to share his views with us. haha honestly it was just really funny and fun doing exchanges. 

Sunday was just like any other Sunday. Church was good and I finally feel like im starting to be able to talk to the members and really get to know them. I love feeling like i'm progressing and it's finally happening so I'm so happy! haha 

Being a Missionary is so good. After my experience meeting the Atheist it just really solidifies my testimony of the Restored Gospel. I know this is the true church of Jesus Christ and I feel so blessed to be able to be a missionary in the Philippines Manila Mission. I get to serve God for 18 months. Like what is better than that? I get to turn my self over to God and just do his will. Bring people back to him. I get to physically help souls return back to Heavenly Father. What a magnificent calling. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY AND I LOVE MISSIONARY WORK! It's such an honor and a blessing to be here and to serve these people. It's hard, boy is it hard, but it is so worth it. I love this gospel and Jesus Christ with my whole heart. Thanks to all of you who support me and write me and uplift me. I love you all so much. :) Also I've almost made it through a whole transfer (half way done with training) so yay!! 

Mahal ko kayo!

Sister Barton

 

Happy New Year

Fam!!

aaaaaand it's 2016!!! Yay happy new year everyone! I honestly have had one of the best weeks on the mission so far. It's just been so happy and wow it's so weird im in the Philippines, but it is so cool! I feel so blessed to be here. These people are amazing! I love it here! 

So to start off with the craziness of how the Philippines celebrates the New Year. haha It is nuts. So on Thursday (New years eve) it was just a normal day and we were able to go proselyte and teach members and things, but since our area is pretty dangerous and there are many drug dealers and men who drink, since we are sisters we had to be in our apartment by 6pm... kinda lame, but I totally understand why.. As we were proselyting men would just shout at us and we would just have to walk fast by them because they were so drunk.. at like 1 in the AFTERNOON! People are crazy. Apparently last year a man threw a glass beer bottle at an Elder in the head.. haha (sorry thats not funny) but isn't that crazy?! So we had to go in by 6.. also as we were proselyting, little kids were lighting little firecrackers and fire bombs off everywhere.. It sounded like bombs were just going off and man crazy things were happening everywhere. So needless to say we went home by 6. Of course before going home tons of people fed us. In every appointment we got food. I don't know why I was worried about the food either. The Philippines has great food. They eat some neat stuff for the holidays. They have this thing called Pansit and it is like noodles and idk its just so good. haha but anyway they have really good food and good desserts and wow they just know how to cook here haha. As for that night, we pretty much just studied and did stuff which is good because I love studying and gaining more knowledge of the gospel. I don't know why, but I just think it is so fun! So after studying we went to sleep at 10:30pm (curfew) and set an alarm so we could wake up at 11:50pm for the new year. It was crazy as we tried to go to sleep everyone was just setting off fireworks and it was so loud. It literally sounded like a war zone. People were all over the streets blowing these little horn things and just drinking and laughing and loud music and wow it was so cool. I fell asleep way fast tho cuz you just get so tired as a missionary. Every ounce of sleep you can get is worth so much. We woke up at 11:50pm though and were able to watch the fireworks! We live in apartment on the third floor so we had a good view and OH MY GOSH when it was midnight... The whole sky lit up! I tried to send a video, but I don't know if you guys got it. It was amazing tho. I was just in awe because I love fireworks and Wow it was just so good. haha Im so happy I get to have 2 New Years here cuz it's so cool! 

Also, We have an investigator who is progressing so well. Her name is Sister Aida and we have been teaching her the lessons and her family is very spectacle with everything, but she is so ready. She reads the Book of Mormon everyday and she loves when we visit her. I know the Lord is really with us throughout this work. I know that if we are worthy of the spirit we can accomplish anything. I realized this week that Missionaries are nothing without the Spirit. The Spirit is the true converter. Everyone needs to find out for themselves and have the truth confirmed to them by the Spirit. As Missionaries we can only do so much, the true converter is the Holy Ghost. Without the Holy Ghost missionary work couldn't happen. I strive everyday to be worthy of the Spirit. I want to be that light and have people want to talk to me just because some thing is "different" about me. I hope we all strive to do that this year.

I also was fortunate enough to meet with President Ostler this week! He text us on Friday and asked to meet on Sunday, which apparently doesn't happen often, but it did to us! It is soooooo good meeting with him. He is such an inspired man and just knows what to say. I feel like he knows me better than I know myself.. And i've only know him for a month. It's crazy. I feel so blessed to have him as my Mission President. He is truly a man of God and has the countanence of the spirit. Literally you just need to stand by him and you can feel the Spirit radiate. I want to be like that. That is one of my goals for when I come home. I want to just radiate the spirit and be a light to everyone I meet. I feel so blessed to be on this mission and to be Serving in the Manila Mission. This place is wonderful. Trust in God and he will always help you. I love you all and I hope you know I pray for each of you everyday. I want you to know how truly honored I feel to have the family I have. You guys are such a gift to me. Thank you for everything. 

Last thing, New Year = New Goals. I challenge each of you to make a new goal for yourself and strive to achieve that goal throughout the year. I know as we rely on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and be humble in our weaknesses God will make up for it and we will be able to change any weakness into a strength. I love love love that Scripture. Ether 12:27. I love all of you! Have a great week! :)

Mahal Ko Kayo,

Sister Barton