Weekly Update: September 22-29, 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

Can I just say it has been on CRAZY week?! It's been very good, I've
learned lots of things that I needed, but I also have had some crazy
experiences that caused a lot of stress. I loved Zone Conference! It was
just what I needed. I had had a hard week the week before it happened, but
everything I experienced leading up to zone conference prepared my mind for
what I needed to learn there. Many of the things I came across in my study
the couple of days before zone conference helped me prepare for what I
needed to do. The things I learned at zone conference just confirmed all
that I had learned in my studies. I love when that happens.

This week we had an amazing lesson with Sister Dangerfield, a less-active.
She is trying to decide if she wants to come back to the church or not. We
planned to share the Mormon message "Mountains to Climb"  with her, but
hadn't planned anything else. I prayed in my heart to know what to share
after the video stopped. The spirit lead me throughout the whole lesson to
different questions to ask her and different scriptures to turn to to help
her. One of the scriptures I shared was from the list of scriptures Elder
Packer asked us to read in preparation for zone conference. It was John
15:16. I read some earlier scriptures before that one, that talk about
Christ calling us his friends if we keep the commandments. Then I asked
Sister Dangerfield if she wanted to be a friend of Jesus Christ. NO, she
replied. That through me off a bit, I didn't know what to say, but then the
spirit kicked in again and gave me the words to speak. That lead us to
finding out some of her concerns on why she doesn't want to come back. That
was probably one of the best lessons I've had on my mission. I felt so
guided by the spirit it was amazing. She ended up coming to church on
Sunday, probably because her brother who is an active member in B.C. was
visiting, but still she came and had a great time.

The craziness happened for Jordyn's baptism and the next day. Jordyn and
Sister Metzner (her mom) got in a car accident the morning of Jordyn's
baptism. That set them back and they were an hour late to the baptism, but
they were persisitent and did not want to postpone it. So Jordyn then got
baptized! The next day we helped out at the funeral for Jordyn's father. It
got canceled because of crazy family drama, but then was put back on 20
minutes before it was supposed to start. So we rushed over to help.
Everything was chaotic, but we managed to get everything set up. That was
the weirdest funeral I've ever been too. It wasn't like any other funeral
I've been too, more like a bunch of people getting together, sharing
stories, and eating food. Because of all the family drama, the tension in
the air was thick. You could cut it with a knife! I didn't want to be in
the gym where it was happening, and only was in there when I had to be.
Friday night after the funeral I was grateful to have a lesson with Rocio
planned to help me get back in the mindset of doing missionary work. We had
a great lesson with Rocio, where the spirit was really strong. Her heart
has softened since the last time I saw her when her and her family got
priesthood blessings. She recognizes the difference. She is making baby
steps, but they are big for her. I love to see her more willing to listen
to us. She came to the Women's General Meeting and loved it, especially
Elder Uchtdorf's talk. She didn't come to church on Sunday, but was going
to come to break the fast if it hadn't gotten canceled. We have another
lesson with her on Thursday.

My spiritual thought comes from a scripture I came across while studying
for zone conference it is in John 16:13-16. . .

* 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for
his friends.*

*14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.*

*15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what
his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have
heard of my Father I have made known unto you.*
*16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that
ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain:
that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.*

I love these scriptures for two reasons. Jesus Christ is calling us his
friends if we keep the commandments. I want to be his friend, how about
you? Then it talks about how We have been chosen by God specifically to be
here on Earth at this time, experiencing all that we experience. I know
Christ has chosen me, and he has chosen you. We can all be his friends if
we strive to develop a relationsip with him and keep his commandments. I
love this gospel so much. I know with all my heart that it is true. I love
you guys! Have a great week!


Love, Sister Barton

Pictures:
1. Me, Sister Koller, Jordyn, Sister Bogaert, and Sister Howard
2. Me and Sister Howard last night

Weekly Update: September 15-22, 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

My motto for this week has been "Do not let them pass by, saying somtime I'll try. But go and say, something today." It has been a long, hard week but I have to keep going and keep trying to talk to everyone I meet. It is hard work, but through small and simple things will great things come to pass.

Can I just say it has been one long week! I love training, but it drains so much energy out of me. This week has been a lot tracting. Through our tracting we found a few potentials, but after trying to contact them again, nothing happens. Maybe, well actually, I am being impatient with God's timing right now. I just am getting exhausted of having my hopes get all excited as a potential crosses our paths, then turn around and have them crash to the Earth when the potential investigator obviously ignores us. This just leaves us to then hit the streets and knock on doors. 

We have been trying to teach Bernard this week, but he keeps letting other things getting in the way. He is never home and when we call him we are always interrupting something. We are thinking about dropping him because he is not putting God first in his life. Rocio, our other investigator has been really busy lately too, but her heart is softening to the church. According to her fellowshipper, Rocio has been experiencing some hard things in her life and is willing to change her religion if it makes her happier. 

Down Town Street Contacting was very interesting on Wednesday. I was went with Sister Jensen. At first as we walked around, we were having little success being able to talk to people. Then we went to a different area and started talking to a lot more people. We ended up having some very interesting experiences. First we were taking pictures by some statues. Then we took some pictures for someone else. Then some homeless people, I think they were homeless, came over. One of them saw our name tags and got really excited. He started talking to us about different stories in the BOM and pulled out a copy he found in the trash a few days earlier. As he was talking to us, the Police came over to his friends who were standing just 5 feet away from us and arrested one of them. We didn't know what to do, but the police never said anything to us. Later we walked into a park to avoid being near the same police who had just arrested someone in front of us. We walked past a couple trying to take pictures with a timer of themselves. We offered to take the pictures for them. Then we talked for a bit about who we were and she gave us a referral for her friend who wants to convert to the church. Sadly it was an oversees number for someone who lives in Calgary. Before we left down town, we talked to a man called the "Whistler." As we walked past he started to whistle some hymns. Come to find out he is a less-active member that doesn't go to church anymore. Later while talking to the zone leaders, apparently this man has talked to a lot of missionaries, but it was still fun to have our moods lightened by his whistling skills.

Saturday was supposed to be a crazy busy day, but ended up not being so much. We helped out with the food drive in the morning, which was a lot of fun. That afternoon was supposed to be Jordyn's baptism that has been postponed because of a family emergency. That night our ward had a chili cook-off and so that was pretty fun. We ended up having a really good conversation with a less-active girl (ysa age) and 4 of her non-member friends during the chili cook-off. It was really nice to talk to people my age. One of her friends though, I was afraid was going to start smoking while we were all standing in the church gym and talking, but he didn't, Thank Goodness. I wasn't sure what I would have said to him if he had. Haha.

Well, I think that's about all for my week. I hope you had a good one too. I'm excited to hear from Elder Packer tomorrow. I know this week has been a hard one, but I will keep working hard and relying on the Lord. I know I need to have patience with God's timing. I will start to focus on the little miracles that are happening instead of searching for big ones. I know next week can go better if I change my attitude and have 100% faith in God. He will guide me to where we need to be, I know that. I'm grateful that I have been humbled this week and have an opportunity to keep going out and doing good. I love being a missionary. 

Love Sister Barton

Weekly Update: September 8-15, 2014

Hello Family and Friends,

 

How are you all doing? I haven't heard from a lot of people, so I would love to hear from you.

 

What a crazy week I has been?! But I love every second of it. We had transfers this week, but as you could tell from my email last week, it snowed! In September! It's all melted now, but what a welcome and sendoff for the missionaries coming out and going home. Transfer day was a crazy day. The power was out in most of Calgary, but not our house luckily. All the traffic lights were not working so traffic was backed upt for ages. To top that off all the roads were slushy and tree branches were scattered on the roads because of the weight of the wet snow on the trees that hadn't lost their leaves yet. It took us over an hour to get to the transfer meeting, a drive that normally only takes 20 minutes. When we got to the chapel, the power was out there too, so we had a transfer meeting in the dark, with no heat. Ya, that was an interesting day.

 

It was quite the experience to send a missionary home, only to get a brand new missionary. I got both ends of the spectrum this week, but it has been a great experience so far. I will miss Sister Lamont, she was a great missionary, but I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to train Sister Howard. She is awesome and a lot like me when I first came out into the mission. I was quiet and shy. I would rather listen during lessons and when contacting people, then do to the talking and that is exactly how Sister Howard is. She knows she is that way and that she needs to overcome those things, but she has hard time overcoming the wall in front of her. Because I had to break that wall down too, I know how to help her do that. We haven't had a lot of lessons to teach this past week, but when we did, I was able to turn to her and allow her to speak and teach and she always did great. When we would go tracting I would gave her opportunities to chose a door we should knock on, then encourage her to greet the people when they answered the door. As I push her to get out of her comfort zone she will grow and overcome her wall in front of her.

This week Bernard was supposed to get baptized, but obviously that didn't happen. We didn't have contact with him for about a week. I felt best to wait until he contacted us, or we felt the need to call him or stop by his house. On Saturday after calling our ward mission leader, I felt  impressed to call Bernard and ask if he was going to come to church on Sunday.When he answered the phone, yes big surprise there, he said he had just turned off the lights to go to bed, but started to think about the missionaries and wonder if he should call us, then we called him. That's the spirit working in action! He told us to call back the next day because he was getting ready to go to sleep. Yesterday morning before we could call him, he called us during studies and told us to come by and for a "bible discussion" after church. He said he wasn't coming to church. So we had to rush at church to find someone to come with us on such short notice, Sister Davidsen, a ward missionary, came. We had a great lesson with him where we finished teaching lesson 2, the plan of salvation He said he knew it was from God. I brought up baptism. He still wants to be baptized, he just wants to wake up one day and feel that its the right time then call us and have us plan it all. I tried to say that wouldn't work, but he didn't listen. He said he would come to Jordyn's baptism on Saturday though, which would be a great experience for him. I think when he comes to Jordyn's baptism he will realize that he needs to plan a date and stick to it. 

On Saturday we had zone blitz in Okotoks. We met at a church there, then dispersed out. We drove to an area and got out to go tracting. Not long after walking along the streets did we both get weird feelings, like we were out of place. We felt uncomfortable and the farther away from the car we walked, the worse we felt. So we decided to go back to the car and drive to another area. When we got there, it felt so much better. We were able to talk to a few people about the gospel. They weren't interested, but I know they were placed in our path for a reason. Then we came back to our area and tracted for an hour before our dinner. We were lead through the streets and to a dead end. Sister Howard was struggling. She said she realized we needed to feel unsuccessful so we would recognize the joy that comes from success. Then we continued walking towards a walking path between some houses. As we got close to that path, a lady walked in front of us walking a dog. I stopped her and started talking with her. Our discussion lead to me reading a Helaman 5:12 which led to more discussion. She said the scripture gave her chills! She opened up about how God has helped her in her life. I gave her the book of Mormon in my hand and our phone number. She said she was busy this next week or two, but she would definitely read the BOM then call us. Afterwards Sister Howard and I turned to eachother and said, God lead us around to those houses where no one answered or was interested in listening to us, just so we would cross her path at the right time. I love the spirit and how it works. I love that we have been in tune with the same ideas as a companionship, even something as simple as which way we should turn when we come up to a T in the road.

I'm probably one of the few missionaries that would say I love training, but it is true. I have learned a lot already these last few days. I've learned mostly about the spirit and being able to recognize it in me. I don't think about what I'm going to say or need to say next, I just say what comes to mind and let the spirit take over what I say. I thought I was doing that before I started training. I probably was here and there, but now it is almost every time I open my mouth. I have realized I don't know what the people we meet need, but God does and if I let the spirit do the talking, everything will go okay. I love this gospel so much. I love my companion and this opportunity I have to teach her. Thank you for all that you do! 

This morning I was reading in Preach my Gospel about prayer. The first paragraph really stood out to me and I want to share it with you. It says:

 

God commands us to pray to Him. Youcan pray at any time and in any setting.The Lord has taught us to kneel and prayin the morning and in the evening, asindividuals and with our families. OurHeavenly Father hears and answers ourprayers. Through daily prayer we receivedivine guidance and blessings. We shouldalways pray sincerely. We should alsopray with “real intent,” which means weare committed to act on the answer thatwe receive.

 

What stood out to me was the last line, that I underlined. I realized everytime we say a prayer we have to be willing to act on the answer God gives us, even if its not something we want to do. We must be humble and willing to submit to God's will, then he will answer our prayers. Until we humble ourselves to his will, we won't get answers to our prayers. This is something I need to work on. I invite you all to think about this and work on it yourselves too.

 

I love you all! Have a great week!

 

Love,Sister Barton

 

Sorry no pictures this week. I need to get a card reader.

 

Weekly Update:

Dear Family and Friends,

I just have to say that today has been one of the craziest weeks of my
mission! So many things have happened, but they have only strengthened my
testimony in this gospel. I've had some really spiritual experiences this
week. I want to first share with you my experience after you told me about
my Grandma Barton who had passed away. It was definetly a shock. I didn't
expect her to go so soon. When I got off the phone I sat down and talked
with Sister LaMont. She started talking about her prayers and that she has
prayed her whole mission that her grandparents would last until she gets
home from her mission, as she was doing so I had a flash back to around
Father's day. I had a dream around then as I found out my Grandpa's health
has not been very well. In this dream is was this moment with Sister LaMont
where she was talking about her grandparents.   I have this kind of thing
happen a lot, a couple times a week, but at that moment I knew that God had
already prepared me for this to happen. I was then able to calm down and
feel the love of the spirit. I reflected on that time and realized that I
had prayed that my Grandpa's health would hold out until I come home from
my mission. So far that prayer is being answered. I know what had happened
was for a reason. I was okay after an hour and was able to go out and work,
which was a great blessing from my Heavenly Father. Today I expected to
have a lot of emails from my dad's side of the family, but I didn't, only
from my mom and cousin who is on a mission too. My mom told me that my
Grandpa had turned to prayer and the scriptures at this time. He has been
inactive my whole life. The day before I left for my mission I went to
visit him because he couldn't come to my farewell. I left him with a BOM
and challenged him to read it before I came home. By father's day he had
read it and was starting it over. Everything that is happening in his life
is softening his heart and helping him come back to the gospel. I'm so
grateful for the oppoturnity I have had to come on a mission, and have the
courage to invite him to do that.

This week I also got a call from the A.P.'s telling me I was going to be
training. I have wanted to train my whole mission. Last transfer when
Sister Connor got her training call I had the thought that I would go to a
new area then train, but as this transfer as progressed, I didn't think it
would happen. I'm excited to start training. I know it will be a great
learning experience for me and that I can really help this new missionary.
Just so you know I will be at the new missionary fireside because we are
having a baptism tonight. Bernard was supposed to get baptized tonight, but
we couldn't ever get a hold of him last week to teach him the last few
lessons we had planned or to plan his baptism. He was never home and never
answered our calls. If he did, he always said he was busy and would call us
back, but never did. It's really sad to see someone not follow-thru, but I
had felt the whole week he wasn't ready. Now there is more time for him to
truly become converted to the gospel and eventually come unto christ.

We did, on the upside, have a lesson with Rocio. We haven't seen her since
the beginning of the transfer, but we never felt the need to go see her. At
this lesson, the spanish elders came to give her and her children
Priesthood blessings in Spanish. During the lesson, she kept saying how she
felt the spirit. Close to the end of the lesson the member the Spanish
Elders brought with them invited her to their branch, but she declined. She
would rather come to our ward which is where her fellowshipper and friend
lives and attends. We invited her to Break the Fast after church on Sunday
and she came! It was really cool to see her come out to the church. It will
be slow with her, but her fellowshipper was telling us that she is thinking
about changing her religion because she sees the happiness that the gospel
brings to her fellowshipper's family. Her daughter also wants to start
coming to mutual activities. I'm excited to see what progress they continue
to make.

This morning we listened to a talk by Bill Carpenter that changed my life.
It was all about his conversion to the gospel then someone else's who he
met on his mission. He met a lady, taught her, and gave her a BOM to read.
They stopped by a few weeks later and found out she had read the whole
thing and wanted to get baptized. Later after her baptism she got a
patriarachal blessing. When she got it in the mail she asked him and his
companion to come over, and read it to her. They wouldn't read it. Then she
explained she was blind and couldn't see, but when she held the BOM in her
hand she knew it was true so she prayed that she could read it and God let
her see the words until she finished reading it. When the Bill Carpenter
realized this he agreed to read her patriarchal blessing to her. In it, it
said she would have come to the gospel twenty years earlier if a young man
who had his call to serve, would have gone on his mission. At that moment
it made me truly grateful that I chose to come on a mission, even when I
doubted that it was what I was supposed to be doing. I know there are
people who need me, and if I wouldn't have come, they wouldn't have an
opportunity to come to the gospel until later in their life. I know this
work is true. I love it so much! I'm grateful for this gospel in my life.
It has given me what I needed to keep going on.
Love Sister Barton

P.S. Did I mention that I got a great reminder that I am in Canada with a
snow storm? Yep, I think I saw all four seasons in one day.

Weekly Update: August 25- September 2, 2014

Dear family and Friends,

This has been one crazy week! This upcoming week is going to be about the
same. We have been working really hard to the best of Sister LaMont's
ability right now, but we have had some pretty cool experiences too. We had
five investigators we'd been working with, but decided because we haven't
seen them in a while, to drop them. Our main focus right now is Bernard who
is on date to be baptized on September 9th.I'm a little stressed out right
now for him because we still have 3 lessons to teach him and he's not used
to meeting with us more than once a week. We are doing to change that
though. He came to church on Sunday! Which was great, but he didn't stay
for priesthood. We are not sure why he won't stay, but we are going to
teach him about the priesthood tonight and hopefully resolve that concern.
Other than that he is doing pretty great and is excitied to be baptized.

There is another investigator in our area, but we are not teaching her.
Jordyn is being taught by the Sister Training Leaders, even though she is
not YSA, because she asked them too. That whole confusion about whose
investigator she was and why it is that way was confusing, but we sat down
and talked with the Sister Training Leaders and now it all makes sense.
They are teaching Jordyn and we will focus on her less active parents, but
we are both teaching the whole family because Jordyn and her mom sit in on
both lessons. We are working together though and that's what the family
needs.

This week we did a lot of service for a less-active family who was moving.
On Wednesday we were supposed to go down town street contacting as a zone,
but Sister LaMont did not feel up to it, so we didn't go. Instead we taught
Bernard that morning, then ate lunch in a park. While eating lunch we got a
call from Sister Collins who was in desperate need of help because the
moving truck was coming a day earlier than expected. So we went over and
helped her pack as best as we could in the little time we had. The next day
we arranged with members to go on splits. Sister LaMont went with Sister
Lougheed so she could rest, and I went with another Sister go help the
Collins pack. I helped them from 3-6. They had a lot of stuff, but with the
help of some members from the ward and the missionaries we were able to
help them and they were truly grateful!

I've learned a lot about being in the right place at the right time, and I
know many times this past week we were. I'm so grateful we followed the
promptings of the spirit so that we would be ready. A quote by Jeffrey R.
Holland that I put on the front of my daily planner as really been what
this transfer has been like. It says:
"Sometimes it seems especially difficult to submit to 'great tribulation'
when we look around us and see others seemingly  much less obedient, who
triumph even as we weep. But time is measured only unto man, says Alma, and
God has a very good memory."

I realized I was comparing myself to other missionaries then getting
discouraged because I wasn't like them. I didn't understand the gospel as
well as they did, or recongnize spritual promptings like they did. But this
week I have realized I wasn't that way, because that is not who I am. I am
a different, but that is why God called me, for my uniqueness. I need to be
bold, and let who I am show. I know that as we all realize who we are "Sons
and Daughters of God" that we will be able to reach our full potential and
move forward. I invite you all to as my mom always says, "Dare to be
Different!"

Love Sister Josie Barton

P.S. all the pictures come from yesterday. For P-day we went hiking in
Kananaskis. It was beautiful and so fun. We were the only sisters there,
but that is okay.

Love, Sister Barton