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

Best Weekend of my Whole Life

Dear Family,

This week has been one of the best weeks of my whole mission/ whole life! Seriously, the power, spirit, and all around greatness felt this past weekend has been truly unforgettable. I feel so blessed to have had the experience with Elder Bednar and to have really gotten myself physically as well as spiritually prepared before his arrival. 

It was so amazing having Elder Bednar come and speak to our mission. On Saturday we were able to have a mission conference with the whole Manila Mission for like 4 hours with Elder Bednar. That night we were able to watch on a broadcast questions and answers with the area presidency and Elder Bednar. Then on Sunday because we are in Makati Stake, we were able to have a special Elder Bednar conference with the whole stake. So it was literally like a weekend with an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. HOW COOL IS THAT?! Ahhh it was honestly so spiritually great that I feel absolutely exhausted. After this email I am going to spend the rest of pday watching 17 miracles and sleeping hahaha but really it was so so great. 

Being with Elder Bednar especially the first time when it was just all of us missionaries in the Manila Mission was so different. I kind of figured that he would just kind of lecture us and tell us how to be better and learn more and pick on people and do things like that, but it was so cool the way he did it. He literally talked WITH us, not AT us. It was so good. He started off by saying, "Okay Elders and Sisters, are you ready? Let's get to work." Then he literally had us talk to him and he asked questions to us and we asked questions to him and it was literally one of the greatest things that I have ever seen. 

I have so many things I want to share with you from things I have learned over this last weekend, but one thing that really impacted me was to always be an agent and act by faith. He was talking to all of us and telling us how we aren't objects. People can't make us feel any certain way or make us do any certain thing. Because we have agency we are agents and we act for ourselves and we must always do so in order to learn and grow. He kept saying that as we chose to do the simple things in our lives like pray, read the scriptures, attend church services, serve, attend activities and institute, etc. we are acting. We are choosing to change and to always follow the will of the Lord. One thing he said that I absolutely loved was, "God will bless you to do things you'd never imagine." As we strive to do His will and be more like Him through our choices, he will bless us. He will bless us way more than we can or could ever bless ourselves. 

He also helped us learn what acting by faith is and what it means. That when we pray and have the intent to act on the things we pray for it is way more predictable and way more powerful. He compared it to OYMing or "opening your mouth" aka talking to everyone. If we pray to have power and amazing words to say to people, but we never actually act and talk first, it will never happen. We must first act. We must first open our mouths to people and then our mouths will be filled. It was so good, because I've never thought about it like that. Even with things like getting a job. You can pray to have help to find a job and things, but if you just sit in your house and never act or go out and look for one of course God cannot help you. But as you go out and act and seek for a job, God will help you and lead you to what you need at that time. It was so good and I just feel like I received so much guidance and revelation for the rest of my mission and for my future. 

As many things as I learned of the gospel and doctrines and things, the one thing I will never forget is the way I felt. The power and holiness of Elder Bednar was so amazing. I can literally testify and tell you that he is a man called of God. He is a true witness of Jesus Christ. I knew that before this past weekend, but actually having Him speak with us and seeing Him face-to-face and feeling his spirit just confirmed what I know to be true. 

The Spirit I have felt this past weekend will never be forgotten. I feel so blessed to be a missionary for the Lord Jesus Christ, to serve him everyday, and to know that I am clean, pure, and worthy to do this work. As we embrace the gospel and the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can change each day. That is the greatest part. If we make a mistake which we are going to do many many times, we have hope. We have the chance to repent even for the smallest of things so that when the great day comes we can stand at that judgement day and know that we are clean and pure to enter the celestial kingdom. This weekend I felt celestial moments. I'm grateful to be in the Philippines and to continue to serve the Lord with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. How grateful I am to be a servant of Him. 

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Barton

1.A selfie taken from Riveca Mesa hahahaha 

2. LOOK HOW MANY AMERICAN SISTERS THERE ARE NOW!!!! When I started the mission there was literally just me and now there are 6 of us! ahhhhh it's so great :)

16 Months...

Dear Family,

Uhhhhh I don't know what's happening.. i'm going to be 16 months tomorrow and it's kinda freaking me out to be honest. Luckily since I don't come home for a little longer than that I have a little bit more time here in this beautiful country. I can't tell you how beyond blessed I feel to be able to have the opportunity to be serving here in the Philippines. It's so amazing. Literally everyday as I am here I just feel so grateful to be here. I really love this place. It's kind of weird you'd think i'd still remember a lot about America, but to be honest.. I don't remember much. I was watching a conference thing the other day and it showed the Salt Lake temple and things and I was just amazed at the beauty of the temple and the mountains and just Utah. It's so beautiful, the Philippines is beautiful as well, but just in a very different way. 

I want everyone to know that I am doing okay. I appreciate all the prayers and things, but know that I will be okay. President Ostler gave me strict counsel on what to do to be healthy and strong. So as long as I follow the counsel he gave, I know I will be okay. 

It's actually amazing how many blessings we were able to see this week even though we were so busy. This week we had Interviews with President, taught in two different zone meetings, and had exchanges, but even with the busy week we were able to see miracles happen in our area. A lot of the time this week when we weren't at meetings or super busy, I was resting. We still worked, but I had to rest a lot as well, but Sister Baldelomar and I testify that the Lord really blesses those who follow the counsel of their leaders. We didn't have much work, but through the couple lessons we had and with the Spirit we were able to see six of the Lords children show their faith and attend church on Sunday. Many of them were new face investigators brought by the memebers and it was just so amazing. I feel so grateful for the love and mercy of the Lord. 

Two of those investigators who attended church were Romel Mesa and Ronilo Mesa. The Sons of Sister Mesa. They have always acted really amazing in the lessons and super knowledgable and spiritual, but they just had a hard time coming to church and really acting on the message (that's why they didn't get baptized with their other family members) But on sunday, they showed their faith and they both came to church, Romel for the first time. It was really awesome to see them and I feel so grateful for their willingness to act and accept the gospel in their lives. 

I'm really hoping this will be my last area. There have been so many people the Lord has prepared in this area to accept the gospel and I just want to do everything I can to see this area really grow and all of his children here accept the gospel one by one. Sister Baldelomar is so awesome as well. We are literally like the exact same person. We have some differences, but we are so much alike it's insane. Sometimes we will even be standing the same way or the way our face looks is the same, and we both think the same things are just hilarious and we will laugh so hard at stupid little things that are so funny to me and her. It's so great. Ahhhh I am like praying with my whole heart she is my last companion and this will be my last area. She is really great and we just get a long so well. It's these types of companions who are the best types of companions.

This week I was really pondering about how important it is to be obedient. I was thinking about my duty to "rest" and it just made me think about how the Lord really will make up the difference. Whatever we lack, he will always be there to help. In the Bible Dictionary it says, "The Lord rewards his obedient children according to their faithfulness" Some of the greatest examples ever of this are Joseph, the Son of Jacob, and Nephi. They are both so exactly obedient to the Lord and do everything he asks of them. I think the reason why Nephi is at the beginning of the Book of Mormon is becuase he is one of the most obedient, faithful men in all of the Book of Mormon. 

These two just really inspire me. I feel like I have learned what exact obedience really is, especially being here on a mission. I know that as we are exactly obedient to the commandment, the Lord can't help but pour out the blessings to us. It's so wonderful. One quote that I really love is, "obey first, understand later" I think if we all make this our moto, we cannot fail. Sometimes, well a lot of the time, at least for me, I don't understand why some commandments are the way they are, but I know that as we obey first no matter what the commandment it, we will be blessed. 

I'm so extremely grateful for the commandments. It all just makes sense. Heavenly Father wouldn't send us here without any instructions. He created us, he knows what tempts us, he knows what we need to do in order to return to Him. One helpful tool he gave us was the commandments. We are actually so blessed because of all the things he has given us to help us return back to Him; the scriptures, prayer, prophets, leaders, and one of the most important, Jesus Christ. I am so grateful that we have a loving Father in Heaven looking out for us all. 

"I want to be the best I can, and live with God again."

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Barton 

Random

Hello everyone,

well this letter may be a little short, because i'm not feeling so great today... Mom knows why. But this week has been really good. I have a NEW COMPANION! :) her name is Sister Baldelomar and she is Filipino. She is absolutely wonderful. Honestly, she is the cutest person ever and she is just so sweet. She has only been out for 7 months and she is now a STL with me. I think she just might kill me in the mission (meaning she will be my last companion). We have had some really great times this last week. 

1. Before the transfers we went to Ocean Park and it was awesome. I almost felt like I was in America again. We went and saw sharks and fish and stingrays and lots of fun things. A man even showed us some sweet magic tricks haha it was a really great day. We took a lot of pictures (sorry for the overload mom.. dropbox is not working haha) but it was a really chill relaxing day.

2. Sister Kumari went to my old area in Palawan and she is going to do some great things over there. Sister Holzworth also got transferred to my first area so that's cool. And guess what... Elder Zesiger (the one who left utah with me) He is now an Assistant so how cool is that. Man, my batch is rocking it. 

3. Sister Baldelomar and I actually got lost several times because our area is huge. Which was kinda just awkward for me considering I have been here for like 3 months and I still don't know the area that well... it's fine. haha but we really have had some really awesome times. I think Sister Baldelomar and I will do great things together in this area this transfer. This week is going to be insane... we have interviews, two zone meetings, and exchanges :) patay na ako. 

4. My MTC teacher came to my ward so I got to see her. She now says i'm a lot better at Tagalog haha she's in the pic at the bottome. haha

Lot's of random things happened, but the one thing I am really learning at this time in my life is how important it is for us to take care of our bodies. I have had some things happen to me that are a little rough and President Ostler and I have talked and he was explaining to me how important it is to keep our bodies healthy. How our bodies literally are not our own. They are Gods and they are temples. Just like how temples have to take some times to get cleaned it's the same with our bodies. We need to take the time to take care of our bodies and keep them clean and functioning. 

I've realized that sometimes I think I am made of steel and that I can do anything, but the truth is I am just human and as much as I want to do it all, I cant. It's been a little bit of a rough week with some health things occurring, but I know that as I continue to trust in the Lord everything will be okay :)

I just want to express how much I love my mission to all of you. I am so grateful for everyone's support of me coming on this mission. I remember when I first decided to serve a mission some people were "shocked" which hurt a little, but most people were supportive and extremely helpful. I feel so grateful that I made this decision for myself. 

I literally think the reason I came on a mission at the beginning was so that I could change myself and my life for the better. Which if you think about it, that was a really selfish thought. But I really think that I am here to serve. I am here because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and because of the role it has played in my life, I can now share that with others who have no clue. I feel so grateful to be on a mission. To be able to learn and grow in the gospel and through experiences. 

I know this church is the only true church on all the face of the earth. This is literally the church of JESUS CHRIST. The church that he established when he was on the earth is now on the earth again and it is this church, restored by Joseph Smith. I know Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God. I know that because of Him I am lucky to now have the restored gospel in my life and I now have the opportunity to share it with others. I know that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father are living beings who love us so much. They want us all to live righteously and make good decisions so we can return back to their presence. I know that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and when we read the Book of Mormon we can receive a witness of its truthfulness. Because of the Book of Mormon we literally know more about Jesus Christ and his divinity, life, and power than anyone else on the face of this earth. I am so grateful for the gospel in my life and for the experiences I get to continue to have. I love this gospel with my whole heart and soul. I will always be a disciple of Jesus Christ and i'm grateful to be His follower. 

Thank you for the prayers, the love, and the beauty you bring into my life. I'm so grateful for you all. Thank you for being you. Remember how much I love you.

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Barton

PS. Happy Valentines Day!

Blessings on top of Blessings

Family!

This week has been such a blessing. Hence the title "Blessings on top of Blessings". I have felt so grateful for everything that the Lord has blessed me with and for all the miracles and little tender mercies he gives everyday. One thing that I have really learned is that if we are exactly obedient and completely faithful the Lord can't help but give us blessings. So the ipinakamagandang blessing we witnessed this week, was the baptism of the Mesa Family. Maria Victoria, Ronillia, and Riveca Mesa were all baptized this week and it was the most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed.

We were fortunate enough to find them at the very end of November through talking to them on the street.. now a couple months later they made a covenant with the Lord and are now official members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It's that amazing. We have been through so much with the Mesa family. Many laughs, lessons, prayers, tears, spiritual confirmations, and so much more. This family means so much to me and they are so close to my heart. There is still a lot of work to do to get their whole family to accept the gospel and someday enter the waters of baptism, but this is a very great first step. I know the Lord is pleased.

I remember as I was watching them enter into the baptismal font their faces just being so excited and ready to be clean. After each of them were baptized you could see it on their faces and in their eyes that they were changed. They literally accepted the gospel and it changed their whole life. How grateful I feel for each one of them. I remember talking to Victoria (the Mother) after her baptism and she just said, "Sister Barton, i'm clean." 

She has such a sweet spirit. It radiated before she was baptized, but oh how much more it radiates now. It's so wonderful to be apart of such a great work that brings people so much joy and salvation. 

As we were attending MLC this last week I really felt such a great impression to always constantly seek for the Spirit. How it is so important to have the Spirit with us at all times. Not just in lessons, or when we want answers, or when we feel the need of the Spirit. We need to literally seek the Spirit to be in our lives every second of every day. We are in constant need of the Spirit and it's promptings and it's teachings to each of us every single day. It was a really nice impression. I know that sometimes I seek for the Spirit to be with me when i'm teaching or talking with an investigator, but I realized I need to seek the Spirit when i'm talking to anyone or doing the simple things so that I can feel the Spirit and seek that love every day and at every time of my life. 

I know that because of the Spirit the Mesa family was baptized. I know that they were willing and prepared by the Lord to hear the message and act upon it. I feel grateful to be a missionary and a true disciple of Jesus Christ. I know that when we have the Spirit with us, anything is possible.

I'm truly grateful for this work. I'm grateful for inspiration and revelation received from the leaders of the church. I love being a missionary and working everyday to bring lost souls back home. I love my savior Jesus Christ, I love His teachings, and I especially love being His servant. 

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Barton 

The greatest gift = Jesus Christ

Hello Family!

Wow, this week has been crazy. Amazing and spiritual and dramatic and happy and stressful and many miracles have been seen. To start off with I went on two exchanges this week and it was the most dramatic thing of my whole life... holy, I had to fix their problems and correct them and help them and I did like an hour interview with them each and man... it was so hard. Just for a brief moment I felt like a mission president and oh how grateful I am that I am not and never will be a mission president. haha On a more positive and upbeat note... THE MESA FAMILY IS GETTING BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY!! So I honestly am so happy and so grateful to see them get baptized. It will be a truly great day. It's amazing to think that in just a short two transfers with the Lord's guideance and direction we were able to OYM and find a beautiful family, teach them, love them, help them, and now we are able to see them enter the waters of baptism. I am so grateful for the tender mercies the Lord poors upon me everyday. This is the last week of the transfer and I think it will be my last week with Sister Kumari. It's funny because at first we were such different people and had to figure out how to get a long and be unified and love each other, but now honestly I love Sister Kumari and I'm kind of nervous to maybe get a new companion.. It's crazy how much we have gone through together and how we are so different yet can get down on our knees and serve our Master with all of our heart and learn how to love each other. 

I've had such a cool experience these last couple of days. I'm writing you on Tuesday because we had our Zone Conference yesterday. President Ostler asked me to teach about Repentance and honestly I was so nervous. It was one of the most spiritual experiences I have ever had though. I wanted to be prepared and everything so I studied and pondered and really felt for myself why we repent and what repentance is and how I can apply it more in my life. The Spirit was so powerful during my studies and I really gained such a stronger testimony of repentance. 

Honestly repentance is one of the most important doctrines everyone needs to know. In Romans 3:23 it says, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." We are all sinners and because of that we can never return to Heavenly Father. The whole purpose of our lives, the one thing we are striving for, is to live so we can return to Heavenly Father, but because of us being human and making mistakes and sinning we can never return to Him. BUT, because we have such a loving Heavenly Father he sent His son Jesus Christ to come to the earth and die for us. To literally give his life so that we can be free and so that we can overcome the bounds of eternal death and instead we can look to the Atonement and repent and receive eternal life. Isn't that the best news you have ever heard in your entire life? Man, I can't even begin to express how grateful I am for the opportunity I have to change and to become a better person and really "put off the natural man and become a saint through the Atonement of Jesus Christ" (Mosiah 3:19) 

There is so much hope in our life because of Jesus Christ. The hymn I stand all amazed is one of the most in depth uncomprehending descriptions of the love Jesus Christ has for each one of us, "that for me a sinner he suffered, he bled and died." How grateful I feel for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and for the knowledge I have of knowing Heavenly Father loves me. Truly loves me to send his perfect son to die for me. An imperfect person who quite frankly doesn't deserve His love, get's to be saved because of love. 

I love what Elder Dale G. Renlund says about repentance in his last conference talk. He said something like, "Repentance is not a choice, it is not an optional back up plan... it is a commandment." I absolutely love that. If we want to receive the blessings Heavenly Father wants to give us and receive the blessings of eternal life, we have to repent. We have to use the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ to be saved. And why would we not want to? It is free and it gives you the most indescribable feelings in the world. "to keep repentance before us always, we must partake of the sacrament" The sacrament is so important to take in our lives. I can't remember who said it, maybe Jensen, but I remember him saying we cannot afford not to take the sacrament. That is so true. The sacrament shows that we are willing to keep trying, keep changing, and keep repenting. I am so grateful for the sacrament. I am so grateful for the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ and for his glory and perfection. 

I feel so unworthy yet so grateful I get to wear the name of Jesus Christ on my chest, on my heart, and in my soul everyday. I am a true disciple of Him and I know that will never change. Even when I come home from my mission. I will still be a disciple of Jesus Christ. 

I just really feel inspired to share some of the things I learned this week about the atonement and about repentance and how important it is to apply it to our daily live by repenting everyday and doing things to be worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost. I have never felt so clean in my life then right now on my mission. 

One quote that I absolutely love is by President Packer, he says, "The Atonement leaves no tracks, no traces. What it fixes is fixed. It just heals and what it heals stays healed. The Atonement, which can reclaim each one of us, bears no scars. That means that no matter what we have done or where we have been or how something happened, if we truly repent, the Savior has promised that he would atone. And when He atoned, that settled that. The Atonement can wash clean every stain no matter how difficult or how many times repeated."

It's so important for us to repent. No matter how dark our life has been, because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can see the light. We can feel happiness, joy, and forgiveness because of Him. It's such a great gift and I am so grateful for who Jesus Christ is and to know Him. 

I'm grateful for all of you. I appreciate everything you do for me and for you love and for your sacrifice. Continue to chose the right and live the way we need to in order to return to our loving Heavenly Father. Thanks for all you do. 

Mahal Ko Kayo,

Sister Barton

PS. ELDER DAVID A BEDNAR IS COMING TO OUR MISSION ON FEBRUARY 25 AND I AM SO EXCITED!!! :)))))