Oh my... time is going so freaking fast and I can't keep up with it. To think that in just a short 3 months I will be home. Back in America and i'm going to go insane. Ahhh it's going to be crazy, but anyway I'm so happy with what I have accomplished and have learned on my mission. I feel like I have grown so much and really have been taught a lot of valuable life lessons that I never would have been able to learn anywhere else, only on a mission here in the Philippines. I'm so grateful for all I get to do everyday. I'm grateful for the heartaches and the happiness and all the emotions I feel everyday that come along with missionary work.
This week has been especially good. Honestly one of my most favorite weeks on my mission. We were able to go to MLC on Tuesday and Sister Savea and Sister Holzworth were able to stay with us from Monday to Tuesday and that was awesome. I really love them both so much. On Tuesday at MLC I found out a lot of things that made me really happy. Let's just say we will be having so many changes in our mission and I AM SO EXCITED. I think the missionary work in the Philippines is just getting started and the changes that will be made to the mission will help boost the work so much. I really can't wait for it to be announced to the mission. :)
Also this week we had interviews. I got to Interview with President Ostler and we talked about a lot of things, but one of the things we really talked about was love. We talked about my mission and how honestly my mission has been really really hard (for me) and he told me that my mission isn't the mission that I probably necessarily wanted, but it is the mission that I needed. I'm so grateful for that. I'm grateful for a lot of the real life lessons i've learned on my mission.
Like I said earlier we talked a lot about love. I think that one of the most important lessons I have learned on my mission is love. I have learned how to love people even in the most difficult circumstances. To just see them for who they really are and how Heavenly Father sees them. Heavenly Father loves each of us so much and I know that as we see people the way He sees them we will develop so much more love and charity in our attributes that we will be exceedingly different from the world because of the love we have. Sometimes loving people isn't easy. Sometimes it is actually really really hard, but I know that as we try our best to communicate with others and try to look for the positives in everyone we will be able to see what Heavenly Father sees in them and we will learn to love them. I really think the verses in Moroni Chapter 7 are so true. It's so important for us to develop Christ like love in order to be as he is.
I'm striving everyday to develop more and more love in my personality and to share love with everyone I meet so they can feel not only that I love them, but that Heavenly Father loves them as well, through me. I'm trying so hard to develop the attribute of charity. It's actually a really really hard attribute, but I think it's one of the greatest attributes anyone could every have.
One thing that I have seen myself doing is looking for example of love in the New Testament. I have read the new testament many times within the time of my mission, but this time it is so different because I am really seeing how the life of Jesus Christ was literally all full of love. He had charity for ALL men. Not just the ones he like or the ones he thought were cool or good looking. He loved everyone. He truly loved them. There is nothing fake about the love of Jesus Christ. I know that as we all really try to develop the love of Jesus Christ we will see so much more miracles in our lives and we will see everyone and everything in a much more positive light.
I really love love. The gift of charity that Heavenly Father can give to us as we strive to obtain it is magnificent. I'm grateful to be in the Philippines where so many of the people are humble and loving. It's easy to love people who love you, but the key is to love ALL people, no matter who they are you can love them. Anyway that was just a thought that I had a lot throughout this week. I invite you as well to try to magnify the love you carry with you. Love everyone as Jesus does. He is the perfect example. We can all look to him and try our best to become as he is with the help of our Father.
One of my favorite chapters is Matthew chapter 5. When Jesus Christ teaches the Sermon on the Mount. In verse 44 he says, "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;"
I truly love you all and I am excited to see what these last 3 months have instore for me. I'm excited to continue to love all the people I meet here in the Philippines. I really believe the gift of charity is the greatest gift on earth. Thank you for all you do for me and the love you show. I love you all and thank you with my whole heart.
Mahal ko kayo,
Sister Barton
(Sorry i forgot my camera chord.. so i'll send pics next week...)
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