January 19-26, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has been a busy one. We have been able to fill our schedule with many appointments and see many miracles from it all. We have been going through our ward directory and calling everyone on the list. This week we called Gordon. On the phone he invited us over Saturday evening for pizza and a discussion. He told us is non-member wife is curious about the church. On Saturday night we went to the appointment with Gordon and his wife Dee. After eating, Gordon bore his testimony about the gospel and asked if we could explain in simpler terms more about the BOM. So we taught the first lesson. The spirit was strong and we could tell Dee was pondering on what we had said. Gordon would bear his testimony of what we said. He's been inactive for years, but still knows a lot about the church. At the end we invited Dee to read and pray about the BOM. She said a few times that she needs time to ponder over what she had learned and pray to ask God what he would have her do. She is a strong Baptist and wants to be sure it is God's will for her to change her religion. 

The rest of our ward is doing great! We haven't been able to meet with our other investigators Teho and Unilyn this week. We talked to Teho on the phone. He said he's trying to decide if he wants to continue on the path of learning more. He's at the critical point where he has felt the spirit and he now needs to make the decision of what to do. He doesn't want to meet until he makes that decision. For now we will keep him in our prayers. 

 

 

"Acknowledge and face your weaknesses, but don’t be immobilized by them, because some of them will be your companions until you depart this earth life. No matter what your current status, the very moment you voluntarily choose honest, joyful, daily repentance by striving to simply do and be your very best, the Savior’s Atonement envelops and follows you, as it were, wherever you go. Living in this manner, you can truly “always retain a remission of your sins” (Mosiah 4:12) every hour of every day, every second of every minute, and thus be fully clean and acceptable before God all the time."

 

I read this quote from a talk in General Conference called "Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence." I love how it talks about we need to recongize our weaknesses, but not let them get the best of us. I've been reflecting on my weaknesses I have been setting goals to make them strenghts. It's hard, but its what life is all about. We have to overcome our weaknesses through the atonement of Jesus Christ and become a better person. I love this gospel so much. I know the atonement is real and the only way we can truly change and receive forgiveness. I know that families can be together forever if we live the gospel her on her Earth. I love my Savior. Thank you for all your support and prayers.

 

Love Sister Barton

 

Weekly Update: January 13-19, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

This week started out amazing. We had lots of appointments and felt like everything was beginning to look up. All that changed by the weekend when all of our appointments, except ones with members fell through. I love teaching the members, but we had a lot of open time and didn't know what to do in that time. It doesn't feel right to go tracting or street contacting and we can't just drive around and contact less-actives because everyone lives so far away from eachother, it would use up our klicks(kilometres) very fast. We did spend some time walking to a few less-actives. Only one of them answered. She was on the phone currently, but was very welcoming and said we could come back another time. We will try to do that.

As for our teaching pool, we still have our two fairly new investigators Teho and Unilyn.  We were going to teach Teho on Friday night but he canceled leaving us with an open schedule that we didn't know how to fill. As we prayed, Teho's name kept coming to my mind. I concluded that we just needed to go stop-by, but I wasn't sure why. We already responded to his text about canceling, but we stopped by anyways. We just asked if we could do anything for him and encouraged him to continue to read. Afterwards as we talked about that experience in the car, we both felt that we didn't do anything wrong and we both got the impression that we were stopping him from doing something bad. 

 Hugo is someone we called on the ward directory. He had not been contacted by the church in 8 years and agreed to meet with us. As we met with him he told us much of his life story and how currently he is going through a job change. He is a smoker and believes it is helping his health. Hugo asked us about church, then was there on Sunday. After church he said he would be back next week as well.

 

I love being a missionary and seeing the Lord's hand in my life. I have learned so much about the power of the Atonement. It truly can change us if we let it. Today I was reading in Mosiah 7. I thought alot about how the Atonement can rescue us if we turn to the Savior and do all he asks us to do. This verse stood out for me as read. 

 

 33 But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage.

 

Many of the people I'm teaching right now have to overcome something. I think everybody has something that is keeping them in bondage, myself included. The promise is that if we give up those things that hold us in bondage and turn to our Savior Jesus Christ, in his timing and by his will we will be delivered. We have to follow him and do all he asks of us, which is to keep the commandments. I invite you all to ponder on what more you can do to follow the Savior and read President Monson's talk from General Conference. Here is a link:https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/ponder-the-path-of-thy-feet?lang=eng

 

 

I love you all! Thank you for all that you do. 

 

Love Sister Barton

 

Pictures: Chinook time in Calgary=warmer weather and slush!

Weekly Update: January 6-13, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

I have seen lots of miracles this week, it has been amazing. I've learned more about my calling as a Sister Training Leader as well. Starting with the miracles, we picked up another new investigator this week. Her name is Unilyn. She was street contacted by our Zone Leaders who gave her a BOM and set a time to come back. We went to that appointment yesterday, but she wasn't home. We tried to call, but she didn't answer. About 15 minutes after we left, she called us back and said we come over then. As we were talking with her before we taught her, she said she was intimidated by the Elders, but curious about their desire to share with her their "bible" that she gave us a call back. She also said at the time of the appointment she conveniently had to take out some trash and so wasn't home. She is very funny, but also really prepared for the gospel. As we taught her lesson one she soaked everything in. She was willing to read and find out if its true or not. We were able to help her recognize that she has felt the spirit before in her life, and that is how she will feel as she reads with real intent. It was amazing.

Our other investigator Teho, that we picked up last week, is doing great as well. We taught him last night. We asked him if he had read, but he hadn't, so we read a chapter with him. As we read you could tell by his face that he felt the spirit. He is soaking in everything we teach him and we plan to put him on date this week. We found the perfect fellowship for him. They are his neighbors, who are also around his same age. . .conveniently. They kept offering support and encouragement, even when we are not teaching him. There will be some word of wisdom things he will have to overcome, but other than that he is solid.

 

I also had the opportunity to go to the temple this week. I always love going to the temple. It is always a place where I receive personal revelation and peace from my father in heaven. I invite you all to take an opportunity this month to attend the temple and take in that spirit as well. I love you all. 

 

Love Sister Barton

Weekly Update: December 29-January 6, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

 

I'm so grateful for all that you do for me. I have big news for all of you. Some of you may have noticed activity on my facebook page, mostly pictures being changed. My mission has been authorized to do online prosyltying, without Ipads. My facebook will be a tool for me to use as a missionary. I will only be having gospel conversations, but feel free to responde and comment on them. If you want to see how I'm doing, still email me through this email.

 

Anyways this week has been a great week. I've seen many miracles and tender mercies from the Lord, but I've also had my purpose in this area confirmed once again. One miracel we had was when we picked up a new investigator named Atif. On sunday when he came to church he told us he feels that there is truth and love in the Book of Mormon. He has been prepared for the gospel. The sad part is he is actually not in our area, barely so we will be passing him off to other missionaries. 

 

We have had so many situations like that. Our investigators or potential investigators just fall off of the face of the planet or are not in our area. This all comes down to my purpose in this area. We have to strengthen the ward itself first, and then we can help others. It is a different purpose than I would normally think of, but I will continue to learn a lot from doing so. 

 

This week as I have pondered over past experiences I've had, I learned that God really is in my life and has comforted me even when I didn't realize it was his spirit. I know that there were many experiences I had in life that led me to come on a mission. Everything we are facing now is preparing us for something better. We have to trust in the Lord and be patient and ask for his understanding, then we will find the peace we seek. God truly does know us and help us. I hope you can all find that knowledge as we begin a new year.

 

I love you all. Thank you!

 

Love Sister Barton

 

P.S. It's been snowing again!!