13 Months

Familyyyyyy

So this'll probs be pretty short cuz we WENT TO THE TEMPLE TODAY!! That's why we have a different Pday... but it's awesome cuz WE WENT TO THE TEMPLE. Like holy what a blessing temples are especially when I am a missionary. I feel so extremely blessed. Not to mention it is the greatest Thanksgiving/Christmas/13 month present in the whole world. Right... can you believe i'm 13 months. In just a short 5 months i'll be at home with you all eating M&m's and things... hahaha but really time is flying and I can't handle it.

This week was honestly SOOOO hard tho. Like to be honest man it was so rough. I was just struggling so hard with changing and coming back to the city and everything. My new companions name is Sister Kumari, she is from India. She is so nice and so sweet and I really think we will do well together. It's a little bit of an adjustment going from Sister Holzworth (practically American) to Sister Kumari who is an indian. I felt so bad when I first saw her tho. She has been a STL for one transfer so i've seen her at MLC, but I just remember when I was in the MTC and saw people from India and I would make fun of the way they talked and I am just so mean talaga. But now i'm a lot better and don't do that type of stuff, cuz im mature. haha but it is cool that I have companions from all over the world.

On Thursday so the day after transfers, I honestly was dying I was like so emotional for some reason and just really couldn't handle all the changes that just happened so fast and I didn't really know where to turn. I was praying so hard and just trying my best to just adjust and feel comfortable, but it was so hard. So what happened... President Ostler called. Man, he always just knows the right time and the right things to say. He really helped me. I really felt kinda mad that he transferred me to be honest because at MLC he told Sister Holzworth he wasn't planning on transferring me. So we made all these plans for Christmas and all these things and then BOOM... i get transferred. It was a terrible feeling and I was so confused, but when President Ostler called he literally told me that the Lord NEEDED me to come to Mandaluyong with Sister Kumari. He told me he kept trying to ignore the promptings because he knew how much Sister Holzworth and I wanted to have a chance to actually WORK together... but he said to me, "I know that you trust me, and the reason you trust me is because I follow the Spirit. So I had to transfer you." 

So after my nice little chat with President Ostler I felt so much better. I prayed after and just got this huge feeling of peace and love and I know that I am supposed to be in this area.

And even though Thursday was a bit of a rough day we actually had a really good week. We taught this girl named Samantha (like 23 years old, one kid, probs not married) on the spot last week and she actually came to church on Sunday! We had 4 investigators and church and it was awesome. One of the members brought his friend and we taught her as well. Then, just yesterday we went back to Sister Samantha to teach her and she was with some friends and so I asked if we could teach all of them and they were SO interested. Our lesson went for so long cuz they just kept asking questions, like soul searching questions and it was so awesome. So I think we will have a lot of success in our area :) 

As hard as it was to leave Palawan and come here, I really think I'm going to like this place. I think that's the pattern with me. I come and go and I cry and I struggle, but in the end I really start to love the people and it's wonderful. 

Then I get transferred again....

hahaha but really that's kinda the pattern of my mission. I'm just grateful to be here in the Philippines Manila Mission with the wonderful mission President I have and with a beautiful temple (literally like 20 min away from my apartment:) ) I feel like the luckiest person ever! 

So happy week. happy day. and happy thanksgiving. Make sure to eat a lot of food for me and express how much gratitude you have towards me haha 

I love you all! Continue to read the Book of Mormon, choose the right, and pray with all your heart. Thank you for everything you do for me and for your wonderful letters. Sorry if I don't respond to some... time is limited. Know I read them all throughout the week and I'm so blessed to have all of you in my life.

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Barton

Some random pics. The little dark indian is my companion :)