Coron, Palawan

So this week has been pretty great.. I live on a seclueded island! Coron and It's awesome! This place is beyond beautiful. I can't even begin to express how much I feel the spirit here and how nice the people are and just everything is so great. I LOVE PALAWAN!! Turns out we actually don't have any water, food, phones, or money... haha It's like real life survivor. It's been quite a crazy week that's for sure. A great and crazy week. I feel so blessed to be one of the first sisters here in Coron. 

In my Kabahay (apartment living.. whatever) It's me and Sister Fermin, my new companion!! And then Sister Jumbawi and Sister Vaka! hahah It is the best! Sister Fermin is from a place called Isabella, Philippines where they speak ilongo. She is the first missionary in her family has 6 siblings and 2 parents haha but honestly Sister Fermin is the nicest person on the face of this planet. I've never met someone nicer. She is so so so nice. I feel so blessed that I got her as my companion. Actually do you guys remember Sister Thatcher? My companion for a little in the MTC? Yeah Sister Fermin was her trainer soooo she's really good. I love her! She's way hardworking and bold and hilarious and we just get along really well... 

So some cool stories for this week... We have no money, no food, no water, and no phones.. It's honestly so cool living poor. hahaha you don't know the definition of poor until you literally have nothing (lets be honest I still don't know the definition of poor) I get to see what it is really like being here. We put all our money together for the week and we bought rice and bread and that is what we have aten for the last week.. haha it's awesome! We also have to fill up our water in buckets from a hose thing and then we shower with a pale and a bucket. I'm telling you all this place is awesome and a ONCE IN A LIFE TIME EXPERIENCE!!! The people here are so wonderful though. They are so nice and humble and are really into listening about the gospel. We actually don't have a ward here. It is just a branch, but we are going to turn it into a ward and it is going to be amazing! :) 

We actually have a baptism on March 5! A girl named Michelle is getting baptized so yay first sisters to have a baptism! So this week we just get to harvest (which is good considering I planted in my last area) but I'm really excited to have my first baptism. Not to mention Sister Anita in my last area Pina D is going to get baptized too! So it's a day of rejoicing!! :) I'm so excited. 

Coron is crazy but awesome! There is this place called Bakawan (Mom I sent you pictures) and it is literally of houses made on top of the water. It's nuts and to get there they put little wooden planks nailed into other plank coloms and then you just walk on them to get to the houses trying not to fall into the water... It's so sick!! They wobble and it is terrifying, but it is so cool. Ah man I just love this place. This morning we went on a hike to the top of this huge Mountain in Coron and wow the view was breath taking. I feel so blessed to be here in Coron, Palawan. It's hard and it's hot, but it is wonderful. May everyone count there many blessings. I love you all. I know the church is true and you do too. So be happy and have a great week!

sorry this is short.. the internet sucks so hopefully it'll be better next week.. don't expect anything to great. Just wait until April 2017 and i'll tell you all about it :)

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Barton 

TRANSFERS!!!

Family!!

Wow you wouldn't believe the week I have had. I have literally had the worlds best week ever. Ahhhhh okay so first off, I was in the hospital all Tuesday.. i'll go into a little detail about that, but don't worry I'm fine and second I had the opportunity to do interviews and area book checks on Thursday and I found out what is going to happen during transfers! Okay Im just gonna start typing really fast so excuse me for my mistakes, but i'm really excited :)))))

So first imma touch on the hospital for a little bit... So I have had really bad acne starting again which is weird considering i've been on acutaine twice now... So I talked to our nurse Sister Lemmon and she told me to go to St. Lukes hospital on tuesday to talk to a dermatologist, so of course I did. I got there and the dermatologist lady told me there might be something wrong with my ovaries.. she told me to go and do a ultrasound of them to make sure everything was in balance. Of course I was freaking out cuz I had no idea what was happening and all these people are trying to tell me in a different language and lets just say I was struggling. So then I go and do an ultrasound which im just going to understate it by saying it was EXTREMELY uncomfortable. After the ultrasound we had to wait a couple hours for the results. During this time the nurse tells me all the possible outcomes and says I might not be able to have kids. I was just like ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! Worst fear right there. Anyway so I was freaking out thinking I'd never have kids and I am in the philippines learning that my worst fear just happened to me and my Mom wasn't with me. Honestly I was just dying. Then the results come back and I go back into the dermatologist to talk about it with her and guess what... everything is fine. I litterally have perfectly normal ovaries. Sooooo then I got medicine for acne and we wasted about 6 hours in the hospital on Tuesday. But whatever.. you live and you learn. Now I know I can still have kids tho so thats cool. hahaha

Secondly, Interviews and area book in Buendia went so well. We actually were the only companionship that got 100% in our area book so you could say we kind of rock. Then I had my interview with President Ostler and of course it was so great. He is such a neat man. I feel so blessed to have him as my Mission President. As we were almost done interviewing he asked me if I had any questions for him. Of course at this time I was kinda freaking out about transfers so I just asked him if he could give me any insights on what was maybe happening to me and Sister Tiongco. He just smiled and said, "Do you want me to tell you?" I said yes and he said "okay i'll tell you right now." Then he started telling me.. he said I'd be transferring and Sister Tiongco would stay in the Pina D area. He said Sister Tiongco was going to be and STL in our area. Then he told me that I would be transferring to Coron, Palawan, I wouldn't have a follow up trainer and I would be fresh starting the area. WOW. I was SO HAPPY!! Okay so you guys are probably like why is that so cool? LET ME TELL YOU. So first off it's palawan. Only 1/4 of our mission gets to go there because it's so little and far not a lot of missionaries get to go! So yay the Lord and President Ostler trust me enough to let me go there. Secondly, Sister's have actually never been in Coron. It has always been an Elders area. It is so isolated and kind of dangerous (but not too dangerous Mom, Don't worry) that they only ever sent Elders there... until now. So I'm kinda like legendary being one of the first sisters going to Coron. Ahhhh I'm so excited. It's going to be such an adventure. Lastly, I don't have a follow up trainer or anything like that. It's just a normal companionship fresh starting.. So that's terrifying but cool because It means the Lord trusts me enough and thinks that I can do it. I am so so so so beyond excited. I can't even begin to tell you. Also I'm gonna be so bomb at Tagalog once I come back to the mainland because in Coron no one speaks even some English or Taglish. They all speak straight Tagalog.. So that's gonna be rough in the beginning, but it will benefit me so much 6 months from now! YEAH IM PUMPED!!

So anyway that is what is happening to me during transfers. I don't know who my companion is yet, I find that out later on tomorrow. I think it'll be a really really great experience for me. I don't know if I can get mail in Palawan, but I got you and Courtney's cute valentines day cards so thank you so much for that. I honestly am so excited to go to Coron. I have said some goodbyes to the people in my area and honestly that has been heartbreaking. Especially considering Sister Anita, Sister Aida, and Sister Hyacinth and supposed to get baptized in March. It's crazy how much you can grow to love someone in just a short 12 months. I love the people in the Pina D area. I love my ward, I love my people, and I love Sister Tiongco. It will be sad to leave, but a new adventure awaits me and i'm sure I am going to love the people of Coron. I am just so happy and have so much love and joy for missionary work and for my people in the Philippines. 

Everyone always remember to be happy and always just enjoy life. Life is the greatest gift our Heavenly Father has given us. Enjoy life, be happy, and choose the right. I love you all and I promise you as you "counsel with the Lord" (Alma 37:37) each day you will do what is right and have a love that grows towards all people. I love you all more than you will ever know. 

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Barton

What a week

Hello!!

Wow this week has been quite the week. I don't even know where to start. So much has happened. So many mixed emotions have come and gone this week. So i guess i'll start with the happy emotions first, okay?

So on Wednesday I had the opportunity to go on exchanges with the STL's again! This week I had to lead my area and do all the planning and pretty much act like the trainer. So it was kinda stressful considering I still suck at the language, but it's fine. haha Anyway I went on exchanges with Sister Mabeza who is from the Philippines and is going home in one week! haha But she was so sick! Haha my trainer Sister Tiongco always told me Balut was bawal and I couldn't eat it so I just listened and was obedient and blah blah blah but NO SISTER MABEZA THE STL TOLD ME I COULD EAT BALUT!! So what did I do? Of course I ate Balut! :) It was absolutely disgusting. I cannot tell you how gross the soup/liquid crap was oh my gosh so so so so so gross. Then I open the actual egg. Start eating the yellow vainy stuff ew so gross, but actually the yellow stuff wasn't that bad... Then BAM there comes the little half almost born bird... BLAHHHH I was dying, but of course I'm in the philippines so i have to try it. I bite into it and OH MY GOSH. It was disgusting.I could literally taste the feathers like going down my throat ahhhh it was so gross.. haha but hey now I can say I've tried Balut :)

The next day (while still on exchanges) our water runs out. like in the morning so we can't shower, get fresh water, cook, nothing. We don't have water so we can't do anything... Hahah it was hilarious so not to mention it was like whatever degrees it is here... SO HOT and we have no water haha best experience ever... So us being the smart sisters we are. Call other sisters in our district and ask if they had water of course they did. So we took our towels and shampoo and all that good stuff and went to their apartment to shower. Anyway weird day, but it was fun walking 2 miles to take a shower and then walking back all wet and still having no water when we got home. Hahaha good experience.

Then the next day I decided i was gonna try to make cake. So I tried it in the rice cooker and BAM! I MADE CAKE!! It only took about 7 times to cook in the rice cooker, but once it did it was actually really good. It was also Sister Tiongco's year mark so I just pretended like it was for that, but lets be honest, I just really wanted cake. :) So yay! great day cuz we got cake! 

That night we had a really great lesson with new investigators. This week since I had to lead the area and all the lessons and things It was kinda hard and I was kinda freaking out, but I did it :) The lesson was actually one of the most spiritual lessons i've had thus far on the mission. We literally talked about what I studied in personal study that morning. All I can say is the Lord really prepares me for what happens throughout my day. I feel so blessed to be able to be worthy to have the spirit with me always and to be able to listen to the promptings of the spirit. I can't express how much I love this work and how great our Heavenly Father is. I love being a missionary and being able to be a representative of Jesus Christ and being able to do His work each and every day.

Yesterday, on Valentines Day. We had 2 of our investigators come to church. Anita (85 years old) and Hyacinth (9 years old). Anita is the grumpiest but cutest old lady ive ever met man i love her. And Hyacinth just reminds me of Courtney so of course I love her. Also during sacrament the men gave all the women red roses for valentines day and it was just so cute. I love having cute investigators who are progressing and really seeking the truth. Sister Anita is supossed to be baptized on February 27th so lets pray that she will be :) I love people who accept the gospel in their lives and want to change. Agency is the best and worst thing on the mission. In Anita's case, It's the best. First baptism and many more to come :) I just love the people in the Philippines. Things slowly are getting better and better in the mission and I can't wait to see what is to come. Transfers are next week so I guess I will let you know what happens to me..

I love missionary work and I love this gospel. I honestly feel like I have been called to the best mission in the world. I got so lucky. I feel so blessed to know of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have so much knowledge of Jesus Christ and we can really bare witness of His divinity. Late Sunday evening my Mission President called me and told me about Sadie Wells. My heart aches for the Wells family. Sadie was an amazing person and she had such a beautiful spirit. My prayers go out to their family. I know that God has a purpose for everything he does. One of my favorite scriptures is Ecclesiastes 3:1. I know God has a purpose  and a perfect timing for everything. We just need to trust in Him and stay strong in the gospel. I love you all, I love this gospel, and I love this work. Stay happy, Stay strong, and Stay safe. Mahal Kita.

xoxo,

Sister Barton  

A little bit of Heaven

Fam!

Sorry this letter is gonna be a little short, but meaningful ;) haha I have had the worlds best week. We hit all of our goals and we are doing so good as a companionship. We are so honest and open with each other and things continue to get better and better every week. My favorite part about my companion is she is just chill (she doesn't talk too much) haha she's fine with just not talking and it's my favorite cuz people who talk to much get sooooo annoying haha. I love my trainer tho. It's crazy to think I am done with my training in just 2 short weeks. YAY!! My week hasn't been as exciting as it was last week, but it was still really good. 

First of all, because the little kids officially know WHO I AM!! haha they used to call me barbie at the beginning in december, then it changed to Elsa. I would walk any where and the kids would yell Elsa at me haha but now GUESS WHAT!!! They call me BARTON!! YES!! Hahah I love it. They see me and just yell Barton and then wave and ask me questions. I can finally kind of talk to them as well. Ahhhh kids are the greatest gift ever. They so far make my mission a happy good mission.

We also got to go on a temple tour on Saturday. We took a bunch of our investigators, recent converts, and less actives and took them to the temple. I charish every time we get to go to the temple. Even if we just get to see it, it is soooo good. We took one of our old lady investigators (for some reason old ladies really like us) but she came and she is the funniest lady ever. She can't hear very well so she yells everytime she talks and she NEVER smiles. Hahaha It is so funny to just watch her cuz she is just crazy. I love her tho. I'll send a picture and I'm sure you will be able to figure out which one she is.. hahaha but anyway back to how great the temple is...

Honestly, in Utah we take temples so much for granted. People drive for so long just to go to the temple and we live what.. 20 min away from the temple. Wow, Utah is amazing. I can't even begin to express how blessed we are to live in a place that knows the truth. I was telling Sister Tiongco how we can literally drive for just an hour and probably see like 6 temples. Wow. That is truly amazing. God is good. The temple is literally heaven on earth. I was reading about temples during personal study today and In a book I was reading it said, "How far is Heaven? I testify that in the holy temples it is not far at all. For it is in these sacred places that heaven and earth meet and our Heavenly Father gives His children His greatest blessings." Wow. How great is it that we have temples to literally make covenants necessary for exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom. Not only for ourselves, but as well for those who have passed on and are waiting for us to do this amazing work for them. 

I testify that temples are the House of the Lord. I know that going to the temple can lift your burdens and bring you peace. In the temple the challenges and burdens you face each and everyday can be made light. God gave us temples to help us with our struggles. To bring understanding to the concerns we face in life. To help us deal with the challenges we face in life. God dwells in the Temples and  by entering worthily we can be right by Him. I know God lives. I know Jesus Christ lives. I know that temples are a place where we can go to get away from the world and just feel the spirit. I challenge all of you to go to the temple more. I know that by going to the temple you will feel the Spirit more in your life. We are so lucky to have so many temples where we live. Take advantage of them and GO. :) I love you all so much and I hope you have the best week of your lives. I'm doing great and I'm starting to communicate more and more with these wonderful people here in the Pina D area. Life is good and God is great. Say your prayers and read your scriptures :)

Love,

Sister Barton