9 MONTHS!!

Family!!

Okay I officially turn 9 months on thursday... soooo that's CRAZY!! Everyone says the first half will go really slow and the last half will fly by, but I feel like the first half flew by so i'm kinda freaking out about how fast this next half is going to go... but whatever i'm not thinking about that so neither should you ;) haha

This week has been great! I'm glad you got the pictures of my cool adventure on a boat. It was actually kinda funny because we were trying to go to a place called 100 caves, but the tour guide man lead us to the wrong place that was bawal for us to do as missionaries.. so we ended up just having to go home. But it was fun because we got to ride on a boat so that was cool. haha :) Palawan is beautiful. I really hope I never get sent back to the Mainland. I really really love being on the islands.

I also realized that the life being a Sister Training Leader is so much more stressful than I thought. I thought they were just the sisters who kinda looked over the other sisters, which is true, but there are SO many more responsibilities that are required of us and it is so stressful, not to mention I am still in the same difficult area, with my same foreigner companion, but going on exchanges a lot and having different things I have to do everyday... haha it's rough, but it is a neat experience and I am thankful for the opportunity I have to serve as a Sister Training Leader. I think I am really going to learn a lot more on how to lead, which will be good for me now and for the rest of my life. 

This week I had a really awesome experience with our investigator Marjourie. It is difficult to teach her sometimes because she does live with a Less Active and she only wants to go to church if she has a friend and the members are really busy and seem to have every excuse in the book as why they cannot work with us.. so it is difficult. Marjourie is also very busy so it's sometimes hard to find time to teach her. 

On Saturday night we got punted hard and we had a prompting to go to Marjourie's home to see if she was there. Once we reached the house we saw a lot of alcohol, men, and smoke. So we decided maybe it would be best to try another day. As we turned around, surprisingly we found Sister Marjourie and her Mom sitting on a bench across from their house. We greeted them and asked them if we could teach them. They brought over some chairs and we just taught them there. As we started though, there was so much worldly things going on around us it was honestly really hard to feel the Spirit. The TV was on in the house next door and music was playing really loud and drunk men were singing and there was just a lot going on around us and it was hard to focus. So as we were singing the Opening song I said a prayer in my heart. I remember specifically asking Heavenly Father if he would remove the distractions around us, so that we could share the important message we had planed to share to them at this time. About 3 min after I had closed my prayer, all the lights and power went out. Boom. No music, no tv, no distractions. We had to use the flashlights we had with us in order to see, but honestly it was a really amazing spiritual lesson. It really strengthened my testimony as well that Heavenly Father does answer prayers. 

It just goes to show Heavenly Father answers prayers in his own way. He has all power and He will do anything. All we have to do is ask. It was a really spiritual experience for me. To know and to see the power Heavenly Father has. To even see how mindful he is of each and everyone of us. Some may just think it was a coincidence that there was a brown out, but I know it is because Heavenly Father cares. He cares about that one simple lesson we wanted to share to Sister Marjourie. He cares about each person individually and their growth. 

The experiences I have each day on my mission are unforgettable. It's so cool to see how much I am growing and changing. I keep hearing about all the things changing over there in the US, but things over here in the Philippines are changing too. The small amount of missionaries in the world are making a HUGE difference. I feel blessed to be apart of it. It's only been 9 months and i've changed so much for the better. I'm still myself, just a better version and I still have 9 months to change and become an even better person. 

So here is to 9 months down and 9 months to go. 9 months more to experience, to grow, and to become the person Heavenly Father wants me to be. I love you all with my whole heart and I am grateful for all you do for me. Thank you for your example and for your love. Remember to share your light and do what Jesus Christ would want you to do. Be safe and Be Happy.

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Barton