Last Transfer in my Longest Area

Family,

I am pleased to announce that I didn't transfer! So I will be finishing my mission in the beautiful Mandaluyong First Ward. I feel so blessed I didn't transfer. To be honest I think I would've died if I would've transferred and finished my mission in a unknown area. So i'm grateful to be able to stay here with Sister Baldelomar.

This week has been a wonderful week filled with joys and sorrow and craziness. To start off we obviously had transfers and that was wonderful news. It also is starting to get really really hot because it is turning into summer here. You'd think it's summer all the time year cuz it's always hot, but when it's summer summer it is like scorching hot...  So that's really fun, i'm just drinking lots of water and trying to stay alive.

This week I saw my first dog fight outside of the Mesa families home. It was crazy these dogs were like killing eachother and everyone was just screaming and running and yelling and it was insane. Then in the middle of this dog fight there was some drunk man just sleeping on the street. It was hilarious! (picture bellow) Man, I really love the philippines, they always say, "it's more fun in the Philippines" and I testify that that is true haha. 

With some other news, Norman isn't getting baptized this week sadly... :/ Using his agency his boss asked him to work extra on sunday and he did so he couldn't come to church. So that's a bummer because now we have to restart his counting of coming to church. I know everything happens for a reason though and I think once he does get baptized he will really have a more solid testimony of the Sabbath Day and why it is so important to keep holy. So it's all for the best. 

We had a really wonderful experience this last week though. We had just finished a lesson with a wonderful family and were about to call it a night and go home. As we were waiting for the Jeepney. A lady who was selling Yakult came and stopped by us. She starting asking who we were and things. As we started to talk to her she told us that her husband had died and that she has been searching for the truth of where he is. She said that she had listened to Jehovah's witness missionaries, Born again missionaries, Catholic priests, and is still searching. We asked her if we could share with her where her husband was and when she would be able to see him again. She was really excited and really wanted to know more. So we set an appointment with her and are going to teach her tomorrow. I feel so blessed that the Lord lead her to us. 

Every night as I pray I always ask for the Lord's help in leading us to those who are prepared souls and leading the souls who are prepared to us. I know that as we all pray in faith and recognize the times when the Lord does answer our prayers we will receive more blessing and more opportunities to serve His children. I feel grateful for the Lord and to know with a sure knowledge that He always keeps his promises. I really love this gospel and I am grateful for the experience I continue to have each week as I am here serving the Lord. 

I know that as we strive to do what is right, even when it is hard, the Lord will help us and extend his arm. All we need to do is to look to him always in our lives. I was reading an article earlier this week and it was talking about when we have hardships or challenges what we should do. It says, "The Savior doesn't want us to try harder; He wants us to turn to Him sooner." I really like this. To know that we are never alone and that Christ is always there just waiting for us to truly trust in him. As I think about coming home soon, I just continue to think all I need to do is what I have been doing for the last 17 months.. trust in the Lord. I know that everything is right through Jesus Christ. Everything is perfectly planned and perfectly done with purpose if we trust in Jesus Christ. I'm grateful to be a disciple of Him, my Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you all for being such great examples to me and for helping me always in times of difficulty. 

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Barton

17 Months

Family,

Hello everyone!! So guess how old I will be turning in the mission tomorrow.. 17 months. Ahhh time is flying and it's insane weird for me to understand. I'm absolutely loving my mission though. Wow, the things I am learning are such a benefit to me right now and I know they will be for the rest of my life. This week was amazing. On Tuesday I attended Finish strong... meaning i'm gonna go home soon so I gotta finish strong as a missionary haha, then we had exchanges with sisters, and I went with Sister Tekanene again, she is probably so sick of me, but that's okay cuz we had a great time. Then on Saturday Ronilo Mesa Jr. was able to GET BAPTIZED!! It was an amazing experience.. a little stressful, but amazing. 

So to start off, I just wanna tell you a little bit about finish strong cuz it was really really good. All my sisters batch was there and then of course we had a different elders batch with us. It was really weird cuz I've always heard of finish strong and how the "dying missionaries" go there, but I never thought I would ever attend. It was honestly a very inspired meeting though. We learned so much about "the after life" or what we will do after our missions as well as we talked about finishing strong. One thing that really touch me while I had attended the meeting was when we talked about finishing strong Sister Ostler showed a video of a track race. It was 4 girls running the 400. About half way through the race one of the girls totally biffed it and fell on her face. When she fell the other girls were running way fast and were way ahead of her, but the girl who fell got up and started running faster than anyone I've ever seen. She passed up the girl in the back then the girl in second place, then as she was getting closer to the finish line she gave it all her might and won the race. Ahhhhh it was incredible. I literally was just in awe while watching this race and watching this girl who fell so hard and had little to no chance of winning the race come back full throttle and win. It was amazing. 

After watching this I was pondering how much I feel like I am the girl who fell. I feel like at the beginning of my mission I had so much energy, I was so alive, and I just was ready to go on this mission with everything in my heart. Then, I fell, I got dengue and it literally took a lot out of me. I fell flat on my face. Then, with the help and love of companions, senior couples, other leaders, and the mission president, I was able to get up again and run. I still feel like I am not the same person I used to be, but It's nice to know that I can run. I can still give it MY all. Even if MY all isn't as much as someone elses, I know that the Lord knows that that is what I can give. And as long as I am giving MY best, he will accept it. I'm grateful for the chance I have to continue to try and work and give my whole heart to this work. 

On Saturday I got to see the rewards of giving all I have to this work. Ronilo Mesa Jr. got baptized. He is literally like one of my favorite people ever! As the days were coming close to his baptism we were trying to get everything prepared, on Friday we had Norman get interviewed for his upcoming baptism and borrowed the key to the church. Then on Saturday we showed up to the church around 5pm and the baptism starts at 6pm. When we walked in everyone was freaking out telling us there was no water for the font... So we started to fill up buckets from the bathroom sinks to fill up the font. After about 20 or 30 min of doing this, they finally told me they needed the key that another member had. I explained to them that because of the interview I had the key. Apparently they needed the key to turn on the water for the font.. nobody told us that... hahaha so it was a little bit of a fail. Then we had to wait for the font to fill up and it took like an hour and a half.. so we weren't able to actually start the baptism until 7pm. But even though things were a little rough getting started, I feel like this was one of the greatest baptisms I've ever been too. Ronilo brought 2 of his friends who got to witness him get baptized, a couple days before his baptism Ronilo introduced these two friends to us and we were actually able to teach them. It was a really wonderful experience both for us and Ronilo himself. He is already such a good missionary. 

But during the baptism we had some youth who are friends with Ronilo speak and the spirit was so strong. Then we had a member from the bishopric, who has worked with us many times in teaching the Mesa family, baptize Ronilo. As brother Umalia said the ending words to baptize Ronilo, Ronilo then descended into the water and afterwards once he came up he just looked at everyone sitting down and watching him and smiled the biggest smile I had ever seen him smile. He was so happy. It just goes to show the "joy" that comes from bring just one soul unto Christ. I felt such extreme joy and happiness that Ronilo had chosen to get baptized and follow the example of Jesus Christ. Even with a lot of challenges with the Mesa family, they are each decided for themselves to change and to be a little better and try a little harder to make a much greater difference in their lives. It's truly amazing to see them grow and to see them, one by one, accept the gospel. 

I feel so grateful to be a missionary for my savior Jesus Christ. I'm grateful to be able to say, "Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life." -3 Nephi 5:13. 

I love this work, I love this gospel, I am grateful to be able to do what is right always and to be an example and a light to the world. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to search for those who are waiting for me to find them so that they can hear the truth. I love being a disciple of Jesus Christ and I am grateful for all my mission has brought me. Thank you for being you and for helping others grow in ways you couldn't imagine. I know each one of you has helped me grow and develop my skills and attributes to become a better person. So thanks for being so great, I really do love you all.

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Barton 

The Miracles of a Mission

Dear Family,

Hello everyone, long time no see. hahaha This week has been really good. A lot has gone on and I feel so busy ALL the time. I'm doing really really good though. This past week we... 

1. Had a wonderful Zone Conference

2. Had beautiful exchanges with amazing Sisters

3. Got permission from President Ostler to attend a Relief Society activity and do ZUMBA!!

4. Well, I got to speak in sacrament meeting yesterday (for probably the last time) and it was an amazing spiritual experience

5. Got to watch the atonement change someone's heart up close and personally. 

So this is kinda a lot I wanted to tell you about this week, so i'm gonna get started. If you get bored by the time i'm finished... it's okay, I won't feel bad, but the end part is the best part... just saying. But first off was our zone conference. Holy it was soooo good. We talked about how to apply the things Elder Bednar talked to us about when he was here and it was absolutely amazing. We also got to practice how to ask questions to really know concerns and have a completely open and trusting relationship with our investigators. As well as the Assistants taught about how to have FHE for the first lesson and really gain that trust that is needed with investigators. It was really good. And then at the end the missionaries who are leaving next week bore their testimony and it was so good. I can't believe that I only have one transfer left. I can't handle it. But I think to really get me to focus on these next couple of weeks, I know it's weird, but I wanna just ask you to maybe not mention that I am coming home in any emails from now until the last time you email me. I know it's gonna be hard, but I really think it'll help me a lot. Thanks a bunch, love you tons. 

Next, we had exchanges and it was really fun. I went with Sister Fidow. They live with us, but we still do exchanges with them. In the middle of the exchange we got a call that Sister Zarbock and Sister Gabriel would be staying with us for the day so we ended up doing an exchange within and exchange and Sister Zarbock joined us hahaha it was really fun! :)

Now what i've been waiting for ZUMBA!!! Oh my gosh you guys Zumba was so fun! We asked permission because our investigator wanted to go and I was really really really wanting to go. So we texted President Ostler and he said YES!! It was so wonderful. I felt like I was back like myself again. I had to sit out sometimes and rest (that was the agreement of President Ostler) but it was so much fun. I honestly love love love zumba and it was cool to get to do it even though i'm a missionary. It was a great activity and our investigator really liked it, so it was a good missionary opportunity. haha the best part is at every activity (just like in Utah) there is always food after. So after doing this insane workout and just feeling so great everyone shoved their faces with food hahaha it was so funny. The picture below is of our feet cuz we didn't have shoes and our feet got so dirty hahah it was so good. 

Fourth thing, was I had the opportunity to speak in Sacrament yesterday about how the Book of Mormon helps us gain faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It was really awesome to study and read more and share experience and things. It was really cool because I just remember my first talk I gave and how terrible it was and how I stayed up until like 4am trying to translate my talk from English to Tagalog. Ahhhh what a nightmare that was. As I was writing my talk this time I wrote it all in English and read over it a couple times in Tagalog. As I was sitting on the stand partaking of the sacrament I was reflecting my life and the past week as well as my mission. I was praying for the gift of tounges so that I could speak to the congregation in their own native tounge with them understanding all the words I was saying as well as I was praying that my talk would be really good. As I was ended my prayer, the prayer of blessing the water of the sacrament started. At the end of the prayer it said, "...that they may always have his spirit to be with them." This part of the prayer really hit me. It made me understand that I was totally praying for the wrong things... I didn't need to pray for my talk to be really good or even to have the gift of tounges. I needed to pray for the Spirit to be with me. After this I started pondering that because of the Atonement and the partaking ordinance of the sacrament and retaining a remission of my sins, I knew that I would be promised that the spirit would always be with me. So as I pondered this in my mind I started praying more fervently than ever that the Spirit would be with me as I spoke. 

I'm always nervous right before I have to get up and talk, but they same thing always happens. I got up after just had saying this prayer and a tremendous sense of peace overcame my body and my heart. I was then able to speak and translate my words into Tagalog and bear my sacred witness of the things that I know to be true. It was a great feeling to have felt the Spirit really work through me to touch the hearts of the members in the Congregation. 

Finally, the last thing I wanted to share was a really great story of a boy named Ronilo. Ronilo is part of the Mesa family. We met him back in November when we first talked to Victoria Mesa, his mother. He was a really great kid. He studied at a born again christian church, practiced the guitar at this born again christian church, and even had a goal to be a pastor for this born again christian church when he was older. He was very devoted to his faith even though he is only 13 years old. Very very devoted. We would teach his family and he would leave the room. We would invite him to activities and he would kindly decline because he already had activities at his own church. We would try our hardest to discern his concerns, yet he wanted nothing to do with us missionaries. Honestly he acted too cool to even talk to us or listen to anything we had to say. After the baptism of his mother and two sisters literally a miracle happened. Something in Ronilo changed. He was willing to talk to us, and even better than that he was willing to actually listen to us and willing to hear the messages we had for him. As we started we taught about Joseph Smith and the restoration of the gospel and wow how the heart of Ronilo started to change. I remember specifically in one of our lessons we asked him what he wanted to know or learn from us. Then, he said, "I want to know the truth, like Joseph Smith. That's it, I just want to know the truth." We then shared to him that in order for him to know  he needed to do what Joseph Smith did. Attend church, read the Book of Mormon and the Bible, and pray and ask of God if it is true. So that is just what Ronilo did. Ever since that day he has prayed, he has gone to church every single week, and he has started the Book of Mormon. It was truly a miracle to see this young man change his heart and want to be baptized. And now, he is going to get baptized. This weekend. On Saturday March 18, Ronilo Mesa will get baptized and become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It's simply an amazing tender mercy and proof that the hand of the Lord is in this work and is in all things. 

I'm so grateful that I have been able to witness Ronilo have a change of heart. It's amazing to be a missionary and know that honestly I am just an instrument in the hands of the Lord. Without Him I am nothing. I am grateful to know that solid truth. It feels so good to be a missionary and to constantly work and find and teach and help and lift and inspire. I would trade being anywhere in the world for where I am right now. I love the Philippines and I love being a missionary. Thank you for all you do for me, and thank you for reading this really long letter family. You are the best. I'll see you soon, but don't get too excited, I still got a while. 

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Barton

His Hand is in All Things

Family,

Well another week has come and gone. Wow time is flying and it's freaking me out. Hahaha but this last week on my beautiful mission was absolutely incredible. We have been so busy, but we have had some really amazing things happen in our area and with some really great investigators. 

I first want to tell you a little story about Norman. We found brother Norman back in January and he was sooooo good. He is the brother of Victor and Victor is a member in our ward who doesn't attend very much. One day as we went to visit Victor, Norman answered the door and told us that he wasn't home. So we asked Norman if we could teach him. He was so willing and gladly accepted the invitation to be taught. So we excitingly taught him and the lesson went great. He attended church the next week and then the week after that as well. He was literally a miracle "golden" investigator. The next week we weren't able to teach him at all because he was so busy and then he didn't come to church. We finally got a hold of him that week and he told us that he had finally found a job and he knew that he had finally received an answer to his prayers. Unfortunately his work schedule was everyday. He never had a day off. It absolutely killed us inside. All we could think was how he was so willing and so ready to become a member, yet he now had work... He had struggled with several different things in the Word of Wisdom, but through the weeks of teaching him he gave it all up so he could get baptized. As we prayed to know what to do and to know what to teach him when we found out he had a job, we just decided to teach the importance of keeping the Sabbath Day. The lesson was very simple, but very powerful. Norman knew that he was breaking this commandment because he was working instead of going to church. So we committed him to ask his boss, even though it was his new job, if there was anyway he could get the day off or at least switch shifts so he could make it to church. He accepted the assignment and said he would talk to his boss. The next week, we went back to his home to follow up with him. He had told us that he is doing really well, but he didn't talk to his boss because he was really nervous. Which of course everyone would be considering it was his new job that he had prayed for and wanted so bad. To ask for a day off is EXTREMELY hard. So we shared another message and committed him again to talk to his boss. The next week we went again to Norman's home. As we sat down and followed up with his reading and praying and then finally with talking to his boss he just looked at us. As he was looking at us, I just kept thinking.. dang... he still didn't talk to his boss. But as he continued to stare a big smile began to come across his face and he said that he no longer has work on Sundays. Oh man how big my smile was I can't even tell you. I felt so grateful that the Lord would grant unto him this miracle. So Norman has now come to church and is doing really well because he was willing to do what the Lord asked of him. And now, he is going to be getting baptized on the 25 and I am more excited than ever!! (hopefully I don't transfer) 

It really just does go to show that the Lord is mindful of all of us. He knows what we need when we need it. We just need to show our faith by doing what he asks of us. The experience and example of Norman really just shows me that anything is possible. He is so good and now he will be even better because he is being blessed by the Lord and becoming a member will help him even more to improve himself the be more like Christ. It really strengthens my testimony that it is so important to keep the commandments and do what He asks of us. Always. 

Another quick experience I wanted to share this week was seeing the faith of other missionaries. I was able to go on exchanges again with Sister Singer. She is so good and we had a really fun exchange! All of our appointments fell through on Saturday morningso we decided to go tracting to see if we could find anyone. We literally went knocking on doors, which to be honest I hardly ever do cuz I just don't like it. I'd rather just talk to people on the road and then have them lead us to their home to teach, but Sister Singer was really pumped and ready to knock on some doors. So we knocked. Door after door. It was a really weird experience because in the Philippines everyone loves white people! So Sister Singer and I are both white so to be honest my thinking was kind of prideful. I kept thinking "ah this'll be easy. Anyone will let us in, we are two white people." But it so was not true. We had so many people literally just ignore us as if we weren't even there. This old lady literally shut the door in my face. I was just standing there testifying of Jesus Christ and she just said "i don't care" and shut the door.. it's really too bad cuz she's gonna care when it comes to be the day of judgement. But really door after door, excuse after excuse, and rejection after rejection. It was kind of really sad.. but then we were walking out of one of the compounds we just got rejected in and saw this really nice man dancing to spanish music holding a cat. So we decided to talk to him. As we started to introduce ourselves he said, "oh come on in" and he grabbed his wife and we went in. It was an amazing experience because after rejections we were able to see this beautiful family accept us into their home. We taught about eternal families and arranged for another appointment this week. 

This experience just really goes to show that there are people everywhere who God has prepared. We just have to be willing to find them. I really feel grateful to be on a mission and to have the hard times. Without the hard times we wouldn't be able to experience the good, joyful times. We wouldn't know anything different if everything was always just good and happy. So i'm grateful for rejections because it shows to the Lord that we are willing to work to find the seekers. 

Sorry this is so long, but everyday I see so many miracles. The Lord really is the one in charge of this work. He leads and guide and directs His church and it is amazing. I really feel blessed to be a missionary. I love the lessons I get to learn on this wonderful mission of mine. I'm grateful to be a missionary and for the opportunity I have to wear the Lord's name on my chest and in my heart everyday.

Mahal Ko Kayo,

Sister Barton

1. These are some pics of Sister Singer and I with the Mesa Family (Ronilo gets baptized next Saturday so that's gonna be awesome!!)

2. And me and my beloved companion at MLC