Weaknesses and Trials to reach the Promise land

Family!!

This week has been an awesome week. We were able to have interviews with President Ostler to receive guideance, revelation, and inspiration and boy did I receive it all. We were able to have interviews as well as classes and we taught one of them which was awesome cuz whenever you teach you learn so much more. So that was really cool.

One of the things that is awesome about interviews is learning what we as missionaries need to change to become better. To become the person Heavenly Father wants us to be. To realize we are nothing and need to change. One thing I noticed about myself this week is that I have been enduring my mission. Which really sucks. I have been going through all the hard things and challenges in my mission and I have just been enduring. Even with my companion right now I've been thinking how I just need to endure until the transfer, then the transfer came and it turns out I am still with her and at first I honestly thought, "okay, I just need to endure until the end of August, until the next transfer" but, honestly during interviews I really had a really strong impression to stop. Stop the negative thinking, stop the put downs, stop thinking things in my head that are just making it worse. Instead, I need to seek and look for the positive. I need to recognize my own weaknesses and change myself before I expect others to change. So on Wednesday night I actually apologized to my companion. I just said I am sorry for the person I have been and I will strive to change and strive to help more. I have been really looking for the things she does right instead of the things she does wrong and honestly it has changed my outlook on things a lot. She is really awesome. Honestly she is a really amazing person. I know Heavenly Father has a specific plan for her here on her mission. I can learn so much from her and I am, especially about being humble. She is such a humble person. Just this last week by reflecting back on how much more I enjoy our companionship and how much more unity we have because I am looking at the positive sides.I really do love my companion Sister Tekanene. If you guys met her you would love her too and know exactly what I am talking about. She is beautiful inside and out and of course there are times where we don't get a long and it is hard, but by looking at the positive and reflecting on how I can change it has really changed my outlook on everything. 

Ether 6:4-12 is honestly a really great scripture passage. I challenge you all to read it and apply to yourselves. I have done this and it really helps when you are going through hard times or struggles or just the challenges of life. So read it huh? :) 

I am learning that enduring without enjoying really sucks. I kept looking at the hard things that was happening and how I just need to endure, but I shouldn't just be enduring my mission, I should be enjoying and learning and getting stronger because of the trials and be praising and thanking the Lord for each trial and test he is giving me. I have learned a lot this week personally. And I just thought I would share my thoughts with you about what I am learning on my mission. So enjoy don't just endure. 

This week was really cool too because we were able to also talk to Brother John Edwards, he is the Australian in our ward. He was able to go to the temple to do baptisms, his endowment, and his sealing for the first time. He was only baptized a year and a half ago, but he is a huge example. We talked to him about his experience and wow. He is an amazing man. He really is the definition of humble. He continually said "I never would be here if it wasn't for God. God has lead my life ever since I was a boy. I have been through a lot of hardships, but everything was well worth it because of the temple." It was a really cool experience talking to someone who has had a really hard life, but looks for the joys and praises the Lord. 

Thank you for everything you do family. You are all so great and I am so EXCITED FOR JENSEN AND QUINCIE TO GET MARRIED!! Ahhhh so when the going get tough keep on keeping on huh? haha Just kidding. Enjoy your marriage don't endure it hahaha I love you both and i'm excited for you. So remember to chose the right and read the scriptures and be happy. I love you all. 

Mahal ko kayo, 

Sister Barton 

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 

Keep on Keeping on...

Family!!

Hi everyone, first of all I just want to say I love you all so much. Like truly I feel so blessed to be apart of this family. I have grown up with loving parents who helped me become who I am today so really just thanks. I love you all with my whole heart. Seeing some of the people here in the Philippines has really opened up my mind and my eyes to the way some people are raised and the way some people live and it is just really sad.. It actually kind of breaks my whole heart.. So thanks Jay and Tina for being the best parents alive :)

Sooooo TRANSFERS!!! We found out transfers yesterday! (for some reason I always find out early...) But last night as we finished planning I receive this text from President Ostler, "Sister Barton, after much prayer, you are being called to serve as a Sister Training Leader. The other Sister Training Leader will be Sister Laug-laug. You will continue to be companions with Sister Tekanene but you and Sister Laug-laug will do exchanges with the other sister and will teach zone meeting together. You will also come to MLC together while Sister Tekanene and Sister Laug-laug's companion work together. I know you will do a marvelous job. Love, President Ostler"

So I have been called to be a Sister Training Leader!! I'm so excited, but i'm kind of freaking out because It is a really big responsibility and I'm not quite sure if i'm ready for it. But if the Lord thinks I am, then I guess I am. Sister Laug-laug is in my kabahay (she lives with me) So usually the Sister Training Leaders are companions, but this time it is Kabahay so that's a little weird. I'm very excited tho and I know I will learn a lot. 

This week has been really good. I don't have much time because we had an activity and it ran really late, so I will email more next week, but I had amazing experiences today and I feel blessed for the many tender mercies and miracles Heavenly Father shows me everyday. 

I love being a missionary and I love you all so much. Thanks for the example you show to me. I will email more next week, but remember to chose the right and be happy! 

Mahal ko kayo!

Sister Barton 

Firework

Family,

Happy FOURTH OF JULY!! Wow I can't believe I'm not home for this amazing holiday.. ahhh my I hope you all enjoy the food, parades, fireworks, festivities, and family time. The fourth of july/ Independence Day is the best time of the year. I also am going to do something really cool and I'm going to relate the fourth of July to my area. haha But for real, my area is somewhat like a fire work. It's just sitting there waiting for someone to light fire to it so it can explode and bring forth many people who are just sitting, waiting, ready to hear about the restored gospel. 

My area started out with nothing. Literally nothing. A bunch of Less Actives and that's pretty much it, but I am happy to announce that things are starting to slowly look up. The fire is slowly starting to light. This week we had the opportunity to have Zone Conference and it was all about working with Members and really finding those who are ready, or those who are "white". It was such a great conference. Honestly I say this all the time, but I am so blessed to be in this mission because of my Mission President. He is such and inspired, worthy, honorable man of God. I was able to have the opportunity to speak to him one on one and talk about my next steps as a missionary and how I can do better and better. Wow. The inspiration he receives is amazing. So Zone Conference was wonderful. 

The next day after the spiritually high day at Zone Conference, boom I got super sick.. like 103 degree fever sick. It was terrible.. Two days I was super sick and just laid dying in bed. So that was awesome...

On Friday we were able to have a FHE with the Revemonte Family. We were able to teach them and help them bond together as a family. Everyone in their family is a member, besides the Father. It is sad, because the wife has so much faith and is full of love and really has a strong testimony. More than anything she wants her husband to accept the gospel and to get sealed in the temple for time and eternity. So being missionaries we are trying our hardest to make him feel love from us. Make him feel welcome in everything we do. It was a really neat experience to see him in the FHE participating and showing faith by being apart of the lesson and everything. It was really nice, because I know one day he will accept the gospel and the Revemonte family will be able to go to the temple to be sealed for time and eternity. (little bit of fire)

Sunday was probably the best day on my whole mission. I have been fasting and praying so hard for my area, for my people, for everything to start happening, just start progressing here in Puerto. I pray SO hard. I have never felt so close to Jesus Christ and to my Heavenly Father than I have in this area. I have to really rely on them everyday. So Sunday was amazing. After weeks with no one coming. No less actives, no investigators, nothing... the Lord brought a miracle to us. He brought Marjourie to church!! Marjourie is one of our investigators who we recently found through a Less Active Family. She is so prepared for the gospel in her life and I am so excited to see what happens to her and with her conversion. She also had one of her friends from the Less Active family join her in coming to church. So wow, I really testify that the Lord can work miracles through the weak and simple. I am about as weak and simple as they come, yet we were able to experience a miracle yesterday. Ahhh I really feel so happy. (boom one firework went off)

The fire works are coming. They just need more fire, more work, more love, more prayers. I love this work and I love being a missionary. One thing I really feel like the Lord is trying to teach me in this area is to rely on Him, as well as try as hard as I can to reflect His love to everyone. So when people see me or meet me, they don't see "the white American" or "Elsa/Barbie", but instead they recognize me as a disciple of Jesus Christ, or better yet, a reflection of Jesus Christ. I know I am nothing without the Lord helping me. I love love love the scripture in John 15:5 "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." I think in this area I have really learned how much I am not. I really am nothing without the Savior. I can do nothing. I have learned that I truly need to rely on Him every single day and be worthy of the Spirit in order to get through the day and do the work he has called me to do. I really love the word abideth too. It shows that we need to be interlocked or interconnected with the Savior at all times in order to have His power to do His work. I really really love being a missionary. I love the experiences I am having and the miracles the Lord is showing me. I have changed so much in just the short 8 months I have been here. I still have so much more to experience and so much more to do here. I hope all of you are doing what the Lord would have you do. Make good decisions, help others, and chose the right palagi. I love you all with my whole heart. Have a Happy Fourth of July and eat lots of watermelon for me. 

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Barton

Ps. I really have changed... I sang a solo in Zone Conference and I suck at singing.. that just shows you how weird I've become hahaha

The Work for the Other Side

Family!

Oh how much I love you all. Slowly but surely things are starting to improve. We were able to have a returning less active become fully active this week. Ahhh it was such a cool experience being able to help her build her faith, reteach her, and bring her back to her loving Heavenly Father once more. Her name is Sister Jaylo and I honestly am obsessed with her (in the least creepy way possible) I really love her. Everytime we teach and share with her the spirit is so strong. I honestly feel like we were like really good friends in the premortal life. (Even tho she's like 60) ahhh I love her. One thing we had to do in order for her to become fully active was... FAMILY HISTORY. To be honest before this experience I kinda thought Family history was lame and pointless, but it's not. Family History is so important. 

Nanay Jaylo is really interested in her family's history. Like so interested. Everytime we would visit her she would ask if I could teach her how to do family history and everytime I would just kinda shrug it off and be like, "nay if ya wanna learn family history ask the family history consultant" (cuz honestly, i didn't really know how to do it...) So anyway then on Wednesday I get this text from our district leader telling us we were going to have a family history activity on Saturday to help our recent converts and less actives do family history to become fully active. So from Wednesday to SaturdaySister Tekanene and I told all our RC's and LA's about the activity.. I wasn't super thrilled about it cuz I thought it sounded kinda boring... but anyway so we of course invited nanay Jaylo and she was jumping off the walls with excitement, the way a 60 year old can jump off the walls... haha but really she was happy so I was like okay.. maybe it'll be fun... like who knows? 

So Saturday comes a long and we went to the Church to start our Family History activity. It started at 9am.. but with Filipino time people didn't show up until about 10 or 10:30am. So anyway we are waiting for everyone and for some reason Nanay Jaylo wasn't there. She just didn't show up. We kept texting her, but no reply. Then her daughter Lorita comes in and so we ask where her Mom was and she said she was wondering the same thing. So anyway we start the Family History Activity and start going on the computers and then in walks Nanay Jaylo with her family booklet in hand, ready to go. 

I can't express to you how excited she was to do Family History Work. I asked why she was late and she told me that she had walked all the way from her house to the church.. which was probably a good 3 or 4 km which is really far. She doesn't have much money so she said she had to walk.. She has a big concern about not having enough money for the things she needs. She was sealed and endowed in the temple in 2003, but afterwards became less active and her husband had died and she hasn't been to the temple since. One thing that is really cool tho is that the we have a temple day where a bunch of members from our branch are sailing (by boat) to Manila to go to the temple. And being apart of the beautiful church we are apart of Nanay Jaylo and her daughter were invited. The ticket paid for and everything. TALK ABOUT A BLESSING. I have been praying like crazy for something like this to happen to Nanay Jaylo. Not only to strengthen her faith, but to help her understand the importance of the temple. 

So anyway she gets to go to the temple in July! But back to the original story, we were getting her names so she could take them to the temple to do proxi for them. As we started, I was helping her find her ancestors and what they need to get done in the temple and all that great stuff. As we started it was kind of hard because not only was I helping her when I didn't really know what I was doing, but she had so many questions.. So I just had to wing it... As she was so excited and so interested though it kind of made me really excited and interested. So we got started doing her family history and we found so many of her ancestors who haven't gotten any ordinances done inside of the temple. As we were researching and looking for her ancestors, I don't know how to quite explain the feelings I had. The spirit was so strong. I could literally feel her ancestors in Spirit there in the room. It was the neatest experience for me. I really felt like her ancestors were in the room with us in spirit and they were just saying thank you and literally leading us to find more and more of her ancestors. It was the coolest thing.  I really can't quite explain it. We were researching them for like 2 hours just researching and printing and researching and printing and it was awesome. 

I really have much more of an appreciation for family history work as well as for temple work. It is amazing to see how much happiness you can feel by doing the work for those you love who have already passed onto the other side. It is especially cool when you know they are with you, blessing you, and helping you every step of the way. It's crazy because there are only 2 temples in all of the Philippines and being from Utah we have what like 15 temples... in just 1 state. I feel so blessed to be from a place that has so many temples. So many sacred places where we can go to feel the closest to Heaven. Honestly this experience with Nanay Jaylo probably changed my whole outlook and perspective when it comes to Family History work. It is so cool and it is a whole other way to do missionary work, just the work for those on the other side. 

I love you all so much and I'm grateful for your examples to me in my life. I hope you all have a beautiful week full of happiness. Know I am doing well and Im still going. One day at a time. One experience at a time. I love my mission. All members are missionaries so continue to share the gospel with EVERYONE cuz everyone needs to be as happy as us and with the restored gospel they can. I love you all. Be happy and chose the right. 

Love,
Sister Barton 

8 MONTHS

WOW I've made it! 8 months!! :) Can you believe it? FINALLY! Ahhh this week has been something else. It's so funny cuz in Coron no one ever fed us cuz they didn't have any food to give us, but here we eat at someones house everyday... SO HERE WE GO.. im gonna get fat again. hahah we had 2 dinners yesterday. AHHH I love it. It's so funny to try to stuff your face with food cuz it's rude if you don't eat everything on your plate and get more. haha 

But really this week has been a lot better than the previous weeks. We are finally finding people in our area and where are area is and all of that great stuff. Minus getting lost for a couple hours this week things are looking good. We were able to have a one day mission on Saturday. Not a lot of women showed up to be a part of if, but we were able to work with the Branch President, President Somara and his Daughter Joann. It was really good because we were able to visit some less actives and I think that they feel a lot more valued when the President himself came to visit them. We were able to share John 6 with them and Jesus asks a really good question to his apostles. Many of the people took what Jesus said about partaking of His body and blood literally and it offended them so they left Jesus and departed. After this happened Jesus turned to the twelve and says, "Will ye also go away?" The twelve reply and say, "We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." I love this. If we have a firm testimony of Jesus Christ we will never leave Him. We will never go astray or fall away, but we will be faithful to Him forever. 

 I really love focusing on the Less Actives because I honestly think the core is bringing back the ones who are already members and who already have or had a testimony. I just want to show them how much I love them and how much our Heavenly Father loves them. It's so hard to want something so badly, but know they have their agency to chose. I can't imagine how it would be to be Heavenly Father and just watch your children make choices. Even for myself.. I've probably frustrated Heavenly Father too many times to count. haha 

We are also trying to find new investigators. We try our best to OYM as many people as we can everyday, but it's a little rough considering we got lots of buisnesses in our area... This week I wanted to try something new so we actually went tracting. It was really a cool experience. We got punted all day so instead of just walking around hoping someone would be interested as we talked to them on the street, we went on this one street and literally went door to door knocking and asking them if they were interested in a message that could change their lives. It was really cool because not only did it take great courage, but also great faith. I've never actually tried going from door to door knocking, but it was neat to see the Lord working through us. We actually were able to find people who were interested. It just shows that if you really want to work and find those people who are waiting for the gospel, you just go out and find them. Knock and try your best. Of course there was many rejections, but the ones who didn't reject and who were open to the message, they were the ones when I knew this is what missionary work is. 

I absolutely love being a missionary. I feel grateful to be here. It is hard, but it is worth it. I can do it with the Lord I can do anything. It is cool to see how much I have grown in these last 8 months on MY mission. That's what I have realized, also from the great advice of Jens. But that this is my Mission and I can have it be anyway I want it. It's all about my attitude. I just need to have a positive attitude and a heart full of gratitude everyday. I am really starting to love it here. And I feel like Heavenly Father put me here for a reason. Things are looking up and time is flying. 8 months down.. and in 10 i'll be right back in good old Utah doing whatever you guys do over there. Haha

I love you all so much and I'm so happy that I have a wonderful family and amazing friends to help support me in this crazy amazing adventure of mine. Remember to be happy and to chose the right everyday. It's all about the simple choices and the simple things. 

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Barton 

Slowly but Surely

Fam!

Sorry I don't have a ton of time this week. We had a branch activity so our email time is a little less and I also spent a lot of time looking and Jens and Quincie's engagement photos. AHHHH THEY ARE SO BEAUTIFUL. Wow congrats talaga. :)

This week... you know I got through it and that is that. haha I've never felt so much hardship on my mission before, but thats okay because I am doing it. One day, one step, one trial at a time. I am doing it. I know the Lord has called me to serve in puerto princesa branch one for a reason. I may not know the particular reason, but i know he wants me to learn and to grow, as well as to help others come unto Him and His Son Jesus Christ. It is hard and it is going to continue to be hard, but I realized that if I really want to truly change into the person Heavenly Father wants me to become I need to have faith, have trust, and endure, not only endure, but endure well. I know with His help I will be strong and I will be able to do everything He wants me to do in this part of His vineyard. 

On Sunday I had the wonderful opportunity to speak in Sacrament Meeting about a change of heart and true conversion. It was really awesome because not only was I able to share how the Branch can change their hearts and come closer to Christ, but I learned what I need to do to come closer to Christ. I feel like whenever I have to prepare a talk, the topic is way more for me, rather than for the people I am speaking to. It's weird how that works. I also was able to say my talk and everything in Tagalog. I was able to express myself in TAGALOG. Ahhhh wow, how blessed I feel for the gift of tongues. I remember just a few months ago when I had to write a talk to give in Coron and how hard it was. I stayed up all night trying to figure out what to say and how to say it and now I prepared it and was able to say it and express what I wanted to from my heart. The feelings I had after I gave my talk were indescribable. Of course I still have a lot to work on to become really good at Tagalog, but it was nice to see that all the hardships I had at the beginning of my mission with the language are starting to pay off. 

I know this area might be a struggle, but we were working with Sister Gladys (one of the members in our branch) this week and she told me about one of her experiences on her mission and said that she had a really hard area once while she was training. She cried all the time and it was really hard, but she said that she learned to truly trust that this is where the Lord wanted her to be. She was able to visit members and create long-lasting relationships. She then told me, that out of all her areas that one was her favorite. The one that caused her the most heartache and pain. The hardest one on her mission. That was her area where she felt she learned the most and grew the most. 

It is always nice to think, the hardships I am having right now are all temporal hardships. They will be worth it to be refrained and become who I need to be. Looking back on my mission already I've seen myself grow so much. I know I can do this, with the strength of the Lord. It is going to be hard, but I am just going to have to work really hard and try my very best everyday. Because that is all I can do. I can do my best and give the rest to the Lord. So that's what I'm going to do. 

We've already started to see miracles tho. All week we were looking for an investigator named Jessa. We couldn't find her anywhere. We literally looked for her for so long. Then BAM guess who was in sacrament meeting.. JESSA. I think I just needa chill and not stress out so much. Just enjoy my mission and be faithful even when I don't see any progress. 

I love you all and I thank you for the words of encouragement. Salamat po para sa lahat. You are all my favorite and don't worry about me.. Im just gonna keep on going. Slowly but surely just like the turtle in that one funny story. haha Everyone be happy, ctr, and share the gospel because we know the truth.

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Barton