September 6, 2011.

First things first.....

AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! Guess what? I got transferred!!!!! Okay, first of all, I am very sad to leave Burlington. I LOVE the ward and the city. It is home and I will miss everyone so much. But alas, I must move on to......DOWNTOWN TORONTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The best part? I'll be with SISTER HODGKIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, enough excitement. I prayed months ago to be companions with Sister Hodgkin but then stopped because I realized that it would never happen. We are very good friends and I love her very much. I know that Heavenly Father knows my needs and answers my prayers. Downtown Toronto! That is SO exciting. We don't drive cars there but use the busses. That will be a big change and I'm sure I will have some crazy experiences. Burlington probably could not be more opposite. I'm about to go into one of the melting pots of the world with hundreds of different cultures. I believe I will be serving in a ward that was one of the first wards (I think it's the Ossington ward) and buildings in eastern Canada. There is a lot of history there. I hear it's the ward Donny Osmond goes to when he visits. That's another plus hehehehe. Anyway, I'm excited for a change and I know I will learn many things from the Lord and from my great companion. Want to hear something else funny? Sister Yi's new companion is Sister Yen. HAHA. Her family is from Taiwan but she is really from California. She speaks a little bit of Mandarin, but not much. She's American. But that's funny: Sister Yi and Sister Yen.

There isn't much to tell about the rest of the week. Brian is no longer an investigator because he doesn't want to act upon the things we teach. He sent us a text saying "I've come to the conclusion that I won't be attending your church. My search will forge on. Thank you." Side note: it's not our church, it's Jesus Christ's church ;). Sister Yi and I went to see him after getting the text and nothing much came of it. He is a wonderful person, but just not ready I guess. It definitely didn't help the situation that he was texting me last week and asking me out for pizza. Um...he's 53 years old. No thank you. :)

I have been busy crocheting ties for some of the elders haha. I made one for a certain elder as a joke and now everyone wants one. Haha. It's great. I won't have time to do that starting tomorrow though. I've had extra time during Sister Yi's language study, at night, etc. It's been fun to keep my crafty abilities up.

Yesterday was the annual Burlington Ward Picnic. It was loads of fun and a great opportunity to see everyone before I leave, which doesn't usually happen during transfers. Every family made mottos and banners like the title of liberty in the Book of Mormon. Sister Yi and I won second place (see picture). After the ward picnic, we went to teach Eddy with the elders (see picture). I'm not sure if I wrote about him before but he is amazing. One day he just showed up to church and nobody knew who he was. We came to find out that he is a member and was baptized when he was eight. He doesn't remember much about the church and is learning everything again. About a month ago he went to Alberta for his dad's re-baptism and that is what sparked the change. We watched the movie "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration" yesterday which is one of the best movies ever made. After, Elder Hanny asked Eddy what he would be willing to do to hold that same power of God that the prophet Joseph Smith had (and that all worthy priesthood holders have). He replied "Anything...Everything." He is one of the nicest people I've ever met and he is so humble. He will go where the Lord wants him to go!

I'm sure I will have many more adventures to share next week. I am so grateful to be a missionary for Christ. It's the greatest blessing of my life so far. There is a quote in the Joseph movie that Joseph says while the men are building a temple. He says: "We're not just building a temple here...the Lord is building us." That is very true of a mission as well. I'm not just building a ward or a teaching pool, but the Lord truly is building me. I'm looking forward to the rest of the day today. We're going to Hamilton to have some fun with the Elders...sports, music, signing books, etc. Then we have a dinner appointment. Then it's home to clean and pack! I pray that each of you have an amazing week. Smile :) Enjoy each moment! Let the Holy Spirit guide!

Love you all,

Sister Barton

August 29, 2011.

Good Morning Loved Ones!

What a GREAT week! I can't really remember much of the week except for getting ready for the fireside which took places last night. I will write about that in a moment. First of all, as of today, I have a new mission president! President and Sister Scott arrived here yesterday, I believe, and I am very excited to meet them. I'm sure that President and Sister Brower received a very warm welcome home from all of their children and grandchildren. I love them so much and am excited to see them again soon. I find out about transfers this coming Sunday and then the move is Wednesday, so nobody write me at my Burlington address this week. Just send anything to the mission home. I am pretty sure I will be transferred, which is bittersweet. I am kind of in need of a change, but I don't want to leave Burlington. I love the ward here. And Sister Yi and I have been having lots of fun the last few days. She received her Patriarchal Blessing yesterday and said it was really great. She had to get it in English because there isn't a mandarin patriarch in Ontario. As far as she knows, there isn't one in mainland China either, that's why she didn't receive it before her mission. Anyway, I am excited for her to get the printed copy and study it. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention in my blog last week: Happy Birthday to Elin on the 23rd! I don't know if she reads my blog, but maybe mom - you can tell her for me :) Thanks!

We met with our Zone Leaders for a few hours on Friday and they helped us to set some goals and feel better as missionaries :) Now I have started a goal book which is kind of like a journal/scrapbook and it is so great. I have been feeling great ever since I started it and am excited to be able to work on goals that will help me become who Heavenly Father knows I can be. I sang "Write Thy Name Upon My Heart" in Sacrament Meeting yesterday. It wasn't ever one of my favorite songs, but I really felt the Spirit as I sang. I love it now.

And now...the fireside! I'll tell you...this was a lot of work! But it was all worth it. There were about 70 people there, which filled much of the chapel. I arranged a program with seven musical numbers and quotes/scriptures or testimonies inbetween each song. There were tears shed in the audience with each musical piece. I sang with three young women, I sang a solo near then end, and then Elder Ward and I sang the last song. We had members do the rest of the music. Then Stake President Homer gave closing remarks. He mentioned how Christ was on the earth for a short time and while here, He performed miracles, taught His Gospel, and strengthened feeble knees. In this dispensation, Christ is not here among us, so at this time "We Are His Hands." If you remember from my past e-mails, that was the theme for the fireside. We had a poster that said "We Are His Hands" and the members brought cut-out hands upon which they had written experiences they had recently when they acted as the hands of Jesus Christ. The fireside could not have gone better. I am very grateful for my loving Father in Heaven who helped me knock down the road blocks in front of me that told me I couldn't do this. My district leader and I had a good conversation on the phone last night and he said "This fireside may have been the one reason you are here at this time...you changed many lives tonight." I am grateful for the gifts God gives EACH of us that allow us to be instruments in His hands. If you want to achieve a goal that you have, then pray for strength and ENDURE until you accompish the task. With God, nothing is impossible!

Thank you for all you do for me! I will let you all know about transfers next week. Ahh yes, I will be e-mailing on Tuesday due to Labor Day on Monday. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend :) I love you all!

Love,

Sister Barton

August 22, 2011

Wow, lots to write!

I am just going to start with Monday and see what I can catch up with :) Monday evening we went to dinner at a Chinese members house who lives in Waterdown. We cover that area, but this member goes to church in the Hamilton ward because they have a chinese class. That was a fun dinner. We had a funny experience on Tuesday as we were walking home for lunch. I started talking to this older lady named Adele and she told us to go to lunch with her. I didn't want to buy anything but we still went anyway. We sat there in the restaurant while she ate her Thai soup and taught her about the Restoration of the Gospel. I'm not sure how much she understood haha. I don't know if it is old age or something else, but I'm pretty sure she wasn't completely following us. In the end, she gave us the rest of her soup to take home. Then we found a whole snickers bar on the grass on the way home hahaha. Score! So we put it in the freezer when we got home (it was melted) and ate it after lunch haha. We had a conference call with the assistants and all of the sisters on Tuesday night to find out the surprise they had been keeping from us for a week. We knew about the sister sleepover on Friday night but what we didn't know is that all of the sisters would be going on exchanges from Wednesday to Friday! Sister Yi and I had to stay up late packing Tuesday night since we got off the phone right at bedtime and would have no time the next day to get ready. Sister Yi stayed in Burlington and I was off to London!

I spent Wednesday evening through Friday afternoon in London with Sister Rosenlof, who is so great. She is from the previous East Mission so it was fun to work with a sister with a different style. We laughed a lot and had a good time. We were able to set up a couple of appointments too. Almost everyone in London actually listens when we knock on their door! They are all so nice and we could actually have a few conversations, which hasn't happened in Burlington for a while! We left for Kitchener on Friday around 3:00 pm where we met with some other sisters to carpool down to Brampton.

It was SO fun to be with all of the sisters in the mission. I think there are 25 of us, including four Hermanas. We ate a yummy dinner. While enjoying my yummy sweet and sour chicken, I looked up and froze....guess who had just walked into the mission home? Sister Britney Lavatai - my trainer! It was SO good to see her and hug her AND sing with her later on. I miss her. AND one of my favorite companions ever, Sister Danielle Olsen, was there too so we hugged and talked. I knew they were visiting the mission, but I didn't think I would see them so I was very happy. Friday night we continued to have fun, play with hair, watch a church movie, and sleep all over the floor in sleeping bags!

Saturday morning we enjoyed a companionship study with President Brower who taught us about the temple. After breakfast, we drove to the Weston Chapel in Toronto (I never want to drive again haha) where we role played for about two hours. Then the big surprise was that we were going out on the streets to contact. Jane and Finch is supposedly the sketchiest area in the mission, so there we went...25 sisters and some elders...armies of Helaman! It was awesome. I was in a little bit of a mood and told a man who was lighting his cigarette: "You know, cigarettes are much better when they are unlit." Sister Swim laughed pretty hard and I just shrugged my shoulders haha. It was really fun.

It was so good to be with President and Sister Brower because they are going home this Sunday and I won't see them for a while. I am so grateful for them in my life. They have changed me and I will never forget them. It won't be too long until I see them :) But I am also very excited for President and Sister Scott to come on Monday. I know that they are called of God to preside over one of the Lord's greatest missions. They will be amazing.

I could probably keep writing for ages, but those are the basics of the week. Transfers are in two Mondays and I want to soak up my time in Burlington and with Sister Yi. Who knows what will happen!? I am grateful to be a missionary for Jesus Christ. He is my Savior and Redeemer. We can have eternal JOY - can you believe it? What a blessing! Have a wonderful week and count your many blessings!

I love you all,

Sister Barton

August 15, 2011.

Good Morning!

The weather is cooling down here and I can hardly believe that summer is nearing it's end. It has been a great week. First I will start with the biggest news since last week. We are putting on a musical fireside on August 28th!!!!! I am so excited. The idea came about during District Meeting on Wednesday. I texted some elders asking if they really thought it was possible to do it and they said yes. So I have been busy busy ever since. Due to transfers on September 5th, and the fact that it will be Labor Day weekend (everyone will be gone), we are doing the fireside on August 28th! It's soon but it's going to be great. The theme is "We Are His Hands." Each member will trace their hand on paper, cut it out, and pray for an opportunity to be the hands of Christ in the next couple of weeks, whether it's through service, missionary work, etc. Then they will write it on their paper hand and bring it to the fireside to tape it to a big poster. This will really unify us as a ward as we ALL can be the hands of Christ. I've been busy doing crafty things for the fireside as well like posters, flyers, writing out quotes, etc. There will be many songs with quotes, scriptures, and/or testimonies inbetween. Many of the quotes are taken from President Uchtdorf's talk "You Are My Hands," from the May 2010 Conference Ensign. Sister Yi and I are going to Hamilton today to practice the music with some Elders. I also have assigned a few members to be doing musical numbers. I am so happy that everything is falling into place and I know the Lord's hand is in it. I have been tearing down the walls that I have put in front of myself all week. Thoughts of "I can't do this," "I don't know what to do," "What if nobody comes?" etc. have filled my mind. I've been able to push the thoughts out, stop thinking so much, and just DO! Sometimes that's my problem...I'm a master planner haha. But it's often best to stop making plans and just start taking action. Then I am able to figure it out as it comes. So the Lord has really helped me more forward with faith this week.

I had a really neat experience on Wednesday after District Meeting. Sister Yi and I were tracting and I was singing away as we walked. I prayed in my head that I would have the opportunity to sing to someone since it very rarely happens in Burlington. I KNOW that Heavenly Father answers prayers! We knocked on a door that had a sign on the front saying something about keeping visits to one hour. I figured the person inside was either very elderly or sick. A home care nurse answered and invited us in. In a back bedroom, we met Sheila. She is a painter from India but has been in Canada for 40 years. She was diagnosed with liver cancer in March and said "now all I have are my pain killers and my faith in God." She was amazing. I was able to sing her "I Need Thee Every Hour," and "I am a Child of God." It was a tender mercy from the Lord. The best part was that I was able to serve others, not just get blessings for myself. Heavenly Father will bless us much more in life if we are willing to give what we receive to others. :)

I had the neatest experience yesterday while on the phone with Brian. He had been avoiding our phone calls and messages for about two weeks but finally answered yesterday. He began to say how he wanted to talk to me, probably to say he wasn't interested. He said "I have a question for you. Be honest with me. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the only way back to God?" I testified that we do and told him why. I actually was able to use the third Article of Faith (We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all manking may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel) because I had read it on Saturday night. I mentioned the Book of Mormon a couple of times. Brian got pretty upset and started asking why I always referred to the Book of Mormon and not the Bible. He mentioned that he had been drinking. He may lose his house and is going through a really rough time. Remember that Brian is the one who is so afraid of going to false churches. He doesn't want to be deceived. This began about a five minute testimony from the Holy Ghost through me because I don't know where all of it came from! Here is a little summary of what I said: "Brian, you are very special to Heavenly Father. You are one of the few people on the earth right now who is searching for truth. Most people think they already have it figured out and their hearts are closed. You need to replace the fear that you have with faith. Doubt, confusion, and fear come from Satan, not God. Take a step into the unknown and God will shine light on the path! The Spirit will warn you if you are going in the wrong direction." I said many more things, but that's just a little bit. When I stopped, Brian said "Wow." I said "How do you feel right now?" And he said "I'm bawling like a baby." When we were ending our conversation, he said "Call me again." Later he texted us: "Thank you for calling. I need God in my life, the more the merrier. God bless you." I testify to each of you that the Spirit changes hearts! My heart was burning with the Spirit after this phone call because I KNOW that Brian felt the truthfulness of what I was saying. Feeling the Spirit of God is NOT an imagined feeling or sensation. It is the most real feeling that can ever be felt because it deals with our whole souls - our spirit bodies and our physical bodies. The Spirit can fill us when truly nothing else on this physical earth can. Of course I am not talking about love...put that aside because God is Love, so in a sense, that is all connected to the Spirit as well.

I'm looking forward to a fun week with many dinner appointments, district meeting, a sister sleepover at the mission home (yay - all 23 sisters!), more fireside preparations, and of course: Finding, teaching, and baptizing!!!!!!!! :) In the words of Elder Holland: "My mission means everything to me!" Thank you all for being who you are! You amaze me :)

I love you!

Sister Barton

August 8, 2011.

Hello loved ones!

Another week has passed and it was a great one. We had district meeting on Wednesday and Sister Yi and I taught about revelation through church attendance. I also shared the spiritual thought. On Friday, Elder Ward and I practiced our song for Zone Conference again and that was really fun. We were very prepared so when we actually sang it in zone conference, there was nothing to fear. So it is with life...when we are prepared, we can go forward in confidence and strength.

We had a lesson with Nyari on Friday and it was kind of awkward. I was the only one that talked because we didn't prepare enough for the lesson and Sister Yi didn't talk when I looked at her to do so. I definitely want to prepare more for her next lesson. She said she would come to church yesterday and then she didn't. I'm not sure why but will call her soon. We haven't spoken to Brian for about a week but we have been praying for him each day and hoping he will continue to have the faith to meet with us.

Zone Conference was amazing. We carpooled there with a few elders and I didn't have to drive, which was nice :) We went to London, ON, which is about 1 1/2 hours from Burlington. In Conference, we really focused on the role of the Spirit in missionary work. Since then, I have really counseled with myself and Heavenly Father about how I can be more consecrated and focused. It may seem like four months is still a long time, but if I don't make changes now then it will soon be over and I will not have become all that I can truly become through Christ.

Sister Yi and I got out of the car to begin tracting yesterday and I opened the trunk to get out a Book of Mormon. We were both trying to shut the trunk and tragically, her pinky finger got shut in the trunk. I hurried to push the trunk button to open it. Her nail was purple and immediately started bleeding, which is really good actually because then the pressure didn't build up in her finger. I held her close as we held her finger up in a napkin and she shed some tears. She was SO brave and amazing. She barely made a peep. I'm sure I would have screamed. We drove to a member nurse's house and she was able to "dress the wound" hehe. Sister Yi's finger is a little swollen today but it is much better and she is typing like normal. What a blessing! Her attitude was a great example to me :) I still have much to learn from her!

We have a busy week ahead of us and hopefully it will become busier with investigator lessons! Thank you all for being great :) You amaze me!

I love you,

Sister Barton :)

August 2, 2011.

Hello Hello!

It is so good to write today. I am kind of hyper so my thoughts are all flustered. Sister Yi and I drove to Hamilton this morning. I was practicing a song with one of my zone leaders that we are singing in zone conference this week. We had SO much fun. He was in a band before his mission and it was just so fun to sing and make the song unique. I hope to record it somehow and maybe a member could put it on youtube so you can see it. So that made me really happy for the day because I love to sing.

The biggest story of the week happened on Sunday when Andris and Sister Hofstetter walked into the church. I was greeting at the door to the chapel and Andris said "I'd like to introduce you to Sister Krumins!" Then Sister "Krumins" put her hand up with a ring on it. WHAT?!?!?!??! He had proposed last Sunday, the day he got confirmed (they had never talked about marriage before), they planned it all week and the stake president married them in the church on Saturday. I didn't even know because only family was there. I am SO happy for them and they are so happy. They are going to Hawaii tomorrow. It was fun to see some pictures from the wedding and hear stories. I am so grateful for them in my mission and in my life :)

We got a new investigator named Nyari (pronounced Nee-yah-ree) on Friday. She was a member referral and is from Zimbabwe. She committed to read the Book of Mormon, but we just have one concern to solve...she says that her church in Zimbabwe had a boy similar to Joseph Smith who started seeing visions and they read a different book in addition to the Bible so she thinks that she has been baptized by the proper authority. That's a tough one. Well, all she has to do is read the Book of Mormon and pray with a sincere heart. The Spirit will witness the truth of the message of the Restoration to her and all will be well :) We teach her again tomorrow. We also have district meeting tomorrow and zone conference on Saturday, so it's a busy week. We had a zone meeting last week and met all of the new elders in the zone. It was really fun and we played some get-to-know-you games. The Spirit was strong as we worked together to decide what our zone focus would be for August. We all decided on the focus of "I am His hands" and felt very strongly about it. We will continue to make our action items as well.

Carey wasn't confirmed on Sunday because she was really sick so she had to stay home. She will be confirmed this coming Sunday so I am looking forward to that. This week has been BIG at home too with Hannah getting married and Alex going on her mission! I am so happy for them both.

Have a wonderful week and be strong! I love the gospel! Can you believe it? I am a missionary for the Lord, Jesus Christ. How great is my calling! I LOVE YOU ALL! Be Happy :)

Love,

Sister Barton

July 25, 2011.

Happy New Transfer to Me :)

Today starts a new transfer and I am SO happy to still be here in Burlington and with Sister Yi. I would have cried all night if I was transferred. Today is also my little brother Jesse's SIXTH birthday! I cannot believe how fast he is growing. This e-mail might be random, but there is a lot that I want to say. First of all, it was a very hot week and the temperature on Thursday was incredible. It was nearly 48 C or 120 F with humidity! Crazy, eh? I was happy to have interviews that day and to do weekly planning so I was inside most of the day, but it was very hot. I am grateful for sunscreen and water!

Hmm..I just realized that I forgot my planner from the transfer that just ended, so now I don't have my reference for what happened last week. Well, I will just begin with the two most exciting events that happened: the baptisms of Andris and Carey!!!! Andris' baptism was on Saturday evening and it was so amazing. The Spirit was so strong. I was blessed to be able to give a short talk on baptism and then sing a musical number. We were so worried that Andris would have a hard time getting all the way under the water because he is very tall, but our ward mission leader rigged the overflow so we could fill the font an extra ~5 inches haha. It was great. Andris was so happy and many people attended. He was confirmed in church yesterday and is now a member of the true Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! He is very special to Heavenly Father and his spirit will only grow from here!

Carey was baptized yesterday after church and it was a miracle because her mom decided last minute to come :) I was so happy because I know how much it meant to Carey. Her husband, Vigjay baptized her and they were both so happy. I was also blessed to sing at her baptism and to give the talk on the Holy Ghost. I found out I was giving the talk right before church and had to prepare quickly :) There were many who attended Carey's baptism as well and she is becoming great friends with the ward members. I am grateful for our friendship and for her ability to recognize the Spirit. She has a strong desire to do what is right and that is what will ultimately lead her back to Heavenly Father's presence!

Thursday we had interviews in Hamilton and had some instruction from our leaders. It was my last interview with President Brower, but I will see him again before he and Sister Brower leave. They got an extension, so they won't be leaving until around September now! I am grateful for all that they do.

We met with Brian this week, who is now our only investigator, and he still has a strong desire to be baptized. He had mis-read something in the Book of Mormon a couple of weeks ago and it led him to put the book down and not pick it up again. I cleared up his misunderstanding and told him I was very grateful for his desire to follow the Spirit. He doesn't want to read anything or go to a church that will take him away from God. The High Council Leader gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting and said something that made me think of Brian. He said "We don't teach to bring people to church, we teach to bring souls to Christ!" That is so true. The Church was organized by Christ himself as a means of progressing toward Him and becoming like Him.

Have a wonderful week this week. I am so happy for two of my best friends, Alex who is leaving on her mission in two days, and Hannah who is getting married this week. I am so happy for you both! Thank you everyone for all that you do for me :) I love you all!

Love,

Sister Barton :)

July 18, 2011.

Hello from hot, humid Burlington,

First of all, I just found out one of my best friends Hannah (went to Julliard) is getting married on July 30th and I had NO idea. This is a big deal. This is one of the hardest parts of a mission...missing weddings, babies, family, missions etc. There is no way to describe it. It's just hard. But we must push forward! It was a great week and I have a miracle story to tell in a minute. FYI: Transfers are this coming weekend and since I have no idea what is going to happen, do not send me any letters to Burlington. Just send all letters to the Brampton address. Thank you :)

First of all, Carey (apparently her name is with a C, not a K like I thought), is still getting baptized this Sunday and I am SO excited for her. She is facing some real challenges but is doing her best to endure and realizes that it is Satan trying to stop her from taking this most important step.

The miracle is that this Saturday, Andris is getting BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!! WAHOO!!!!!!!! We had a lesson with him last Monday, which was the first since he had been away in the USA. He started the lesson by saying "These meetings have been really great and I appreciate all you have done, but I don't want to continue these lessons...after July 23rd...because I want to be baptized!" AHH! Sister Yi and I were SO excited. A lot of this decision was because of reading "A Marvelous Work and a Wonder." Everything just sort of clicked with him and really came to know that this is the only true and living church on the earth. There is only one way to eternal happiness and it is through Christ. We are looking forward to a weekend never to forget!

We also met with a man on Wednesday morning for the first time and set him for baptism on August 14th, but now I'm not sure what is going on. He has a lot of lifestyle changes to make and it won't be easy. He has a sincere desire to be baptized but is afraid of false churches and prophets. I'm grateful he is able to discern the warnings of the Holy Ghost regarding false teachings because that is very important. But as he shows his faith by reading the Book of Mormon, praying, and coming to church, he will know that the restoration of authority and the gospel of Jesus Christ have occured, bringing us the opportunity to receive all of the saving ordinances we need for eternal life :) It truly is a "marvelous work and a wonder!"

I was reading Jacob 2 today in the Book of Mormon and in verse 16, it says "...listen unto the word of [God's] commands, and let not this pride of your hearts destroy your souls." The thoughts came to me that pride has the power to destroy our souls, but we must remember that with God, we have the power to destroy pride. Jacob also says in verse 8: "...they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, the word which healeth the wounded soul." The words of God and obedience to His words truly will heal all wounds!

I have interviews with President Brower this week, which will great and we just had a member call and offer to come out with us this week, which is such a blessing. I pray that each of you have a great week and remember that you are loved! Thank you for all you do for me :)

I love you!

Sister Barton :)

July 11, 2011.

Aloha friends and family!

It's been one of those weeks that has been super busy, but I can't think of anything to write haha. Well, to update you on my investigators...We have stopped teaching Emily because she isn't interested. She is feeling like coming closer to God isn't a priority at this time in her life, but maybe later. Um....NOW is the time she needs it. But alas, everyone has their agency. Karey is still being baptized on July 24th, although I'm not sure why she didn't come to church yesterday. I couldn't focus all during church because I was wondering where she was. We'll try calling her again today and hope that everything is alright. Andris returned on Saturday from his week-long stay in the States. It was so good to see him at church and we are meeting with him tonight. He has been reading "A Marvelous Work and a Wonder." Susan...I don't even know. She hasn't returned our phone calls or texts and she didn't come to church, so she is off the map for now. Andris and Karey are solid though and now we just need to commit Andris to "enter in by the way," a.k.a be baptized!

On Monday, we went to Sister Fuller's (former Jenner) to spend some time with her and watch a church DVD. She made us this cute cake because it was Independence Day! It's a very simple idea and it's so cute. Yummy too!

I got mail on Friday at District Meeting and got a birthday package from Alex (who leaves on her mission in 16 days! AHH!). Yesterday, for church, I wore the cute scarf she got me. It's too hot to wear even fashion scarves outside right now, so I figured church would be a good time to wear it.

Happy Birthday to one of my best friends and former companion, Danielle Olsen this Saturday! I love you!

Funny story from tracting yesterday: We knocked on a door and a little girl (well, Sister Yi thinks it's a boy because of the short hair, so I don't know if it was a boy or a girl) came running to see who it was. Her dad opened the door and as soon as he found out who we were, he quickly said "Oh, sorry, I can't talk right now. I've got to go get my baby because she can't be left alone." I told him to have a nice day and as we walked away, I heard the little girl say "We don't have a baby!" I can laugh about it now, but I was pretty upset that a father just taught his child that it is okay to lie. Our children will not have standards if we ourselves do not have them. Just sayin...

Have a wonderful week this week! Always remember what is most important and prioritize your lives accordingly. Share your talents. Develop a new talent. And be HAPPY! :) I love you all!

Love,

Sister Barton :)

July 4, 2011.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!!!!!

What a beautiful day! I sang the "Star Spangled Banner" this morning and it has been fun to have Canada Day (Friday) and the Fourth of July so close! Friday, Sister Yi and I went to downtown Burlington and along the lakeshore and it was full of people dressed in red and white. And of course I wore a red skirt, white shirt, and maple leaf necklace :) We got Canada Flag pins and little paper flags we stuck in our bags. There was a dog show at the park which made me laugh because everyone here has dogs, so it was no surprise! Our original plan was to contact but there were too many people. We talked to a couple people but it is just too overwhelming with so many families. We headed back to the car and tracted before our dinner appointment.

We attended the funeral of a member, Brother Gatt, on Wednesday. He has two children in the YSA ward and he passed away due to Leukemia and was fairly young. I actually never met him, but I remember seeing his wife. The funeral was so amazing and the Spirit filled the room. The Brother Gatt's son was the concluding speaker and he focused on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Brother Gatt had asked that the men at the funeral don't wear "funeral ties." It was wonderful to see bright ties and clothes as we know that death is not the end. It is a progression and gift to the spirit who is now free. It was peaceful.

Now for the miracles of the week :) Our zone fasted once during the week and I know that had a big part in all of the miracles and blessings we saw. Sister Yi and I met with a girl named Emily on Thursday. We had met her the previous week when we knocked on her door. She is 14 years old but looks about 17 or 18. She goes to a catholic school but says she feels like she is losing God in her life. Well, we taught her about the restoration and committed her to baptism on July 31st! :) Her mom was there for part of the lesson and didn't seem to really care about religion. We are teaching Emily again tomorrow and are bringing a young woman with us. We are praying that Emily comes to church this week and continues to work toward July 31st for baptism!!!!!

That same night, we met with Karey and I was a little nervous because I wasn't sure if she was going to say that she still wanted to be baptized in July. Well, the Spirit is amazing and because of her strong faith and desires to follow her Savior, she will be baptized on July 24th! She is so excited. I told her yesterday in our lesson with her that July 24th is pioneer day and I explained what that means. She knows that will be a very special day for her and I am SO excited. She said that every time she has a question about the gospel, the next thing she learns answers it! It happened twice yesterday for her and she recognizes that it is Heavenly Father guiding her.

Saturday, after teaching Sandy (recent convert), we drove up to Waterdown (a little city outside of Burlington that is in our area). It was the annual Rotary Ribfest this weekend and our plan was to eat lunch there. Well, we went in to check it out but decided it was too expensive. Plus, there was a band playing and it was not really a place we could feel the Spirit. While we were walking out to go somewhere else, we ran into some members just going in. They told us not to go and that they would pay for us. Next thing I knew, I was eating corn on the cob and ribs! It was good. We sat far away from the band and I either tuned out or the band stopped playing the whole time we were there! It was great.

We dropped by Pinky's house after that and she was home! I hadn't talked to her in about two months, although I had called and left many messages. It was good to have contact again, but I'm still not sure what is going to happen there. We'll see. She wants to come to church but feels like she is a burden on the members who give her a ride. I assured her that it is not a burden and that we would just love to have her at church, but I don't know if she believed me.

Happy birthday this week to my beautiful nieces, Jessica and Jocelyn, and one of my favorite companions, Ashley Rigby :)

Have a WONDERFUL, fun, service-filled week. Oh yes, the mail strike is over :) YAY! So I can write now, and so can you ;D

I love you all!

Sister Barton :)

June 27, 2011.

Hello from the new Canada Toronto Mission!

The Toronto West and Toronto East missions are combined as of last night at midnight. Transfers are today but hardly anybody moved due to the mission combination. Only those going home and those filling in their place have moved around. So I am happy to be here in Burlington for another short transfer. This transfer is only about four weeks and ends the end of July, when transfers will change to be on Fridays. Today is also a day we remember the martyrdom of the beloved prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum (my fifth great grandfather), on June 27, 1844. I will be forever grateful for the strength and courage of these men and so many others who pushed forward to bring the Lord's truth once again to the earth. I was in the Family History Center last week and wrote down the names of my ancestors back to Hyrum Smith. I am so excited to research about the lives of these heroes when I get home. If you do not yet have a desire to do your family history, then get an account on new family search (newfamilysearch.org?) and pray for the desire. It is so fun to learn about those who have gone on before us. The prophet today, Thomas S. Monson has been here in Ontario this week. The Thomas S. Monson camp was dedicated on Saturday, Sunday he attended and spoke at the Brampton YSA ward where I served for six months (why am I not there NOW! :D), and today he will attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performance in Toronto. I love the prophet so much because he truly leads us to Christ.

This week has been miraculous for Sister Yi and we are looking forward to more miracles this month. Tuesday morning we met with a member referral named Susan. She is a single mother with five children. We taught her about the restoration of the gospel and committed her to be baptized on July 31st! She said yes! She came to church for the first time yesterday and loved it. We are hoping to move her date up a week because I know she will be ready and transfers are on July 29th (selfish reason, I know, but I want to be there and who knows if I will be transferred or not!). Thursday night we met with Andris and had a good lesson, although we still didn't set him for a date. I can see that he has a logical, mental testimony, but he is lacking a spiritual testimony. His roots are not yet firmly planted in the soil. Thursday night we met with Karey. Her husband was not there and we brought a member with us. When we brought up baptism at the end, I was praying so hard because I really didn't know what to say. I told Karey we had been thinking and praying and asked her if she had been praying about baptism. She said that she had and that she was thinking maybe around September because of her busy schedule. Well, Sister Yi and I had already planned to commit her to a date in July, so my prayers to Heavenly Father continued as I listened to the Spirit for the words to say. I told her that we knew that she would be ready to be baptized on July 24th! We showed our confidence in her as we helped her to see her spiritual progression. Instead of getting scared or saying it was too soon, she felt calm. She got excited. We set up all of our appointments until July 24th! She was almost committed to the date but just said that she wanted to talk to her husband about it. We are meeting with her tonight and we will see what has happened since last week. She didn't come to church yesterday because she was at her family cottage. She has said that the first and only time she came to church so far, she felt like she was on the right path. She has no doubts. She is seeking for truth. Many of Father's children are prepared to know the truth now! Let us all, missionary or not, pray to be guided to these lost sheep whom we can help to bring into the fold of Christ!

Today I read a talk called "More than Conquerors through Him that Loved us" by Elder Paul V. Johnson of the Quorum of the Seventy from the last General Conference. He talks about how "Trials are not just to test us. They are vitally important to the process of putting on the divine nature." I studied many scriptures about enduring through trials and asked myself "How can I endure well?" and "Why is it important to endure well?" How can we endure well? We can show gratitude, refrain from complaining, stay busy, pray for strength, and as said in Preach My Gospel, pg 66 "Continually exercise faith in Jesus Christ, repenting, making commitments, and following the Spirit.". Why is it important to endure well? You will have "far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:17), God will exalt you on high (D&C 121:7-8), we will be refined -Elder Johnson's talk says "Being good is not enough. We want to become like the Savior.", It will "build up our character, purify our hearts, expand our souls, and make us more tender and charitable" (Orson F. Whitney), it is a commandment from Heavenly Father and is part of the gospel of Jesus Christ, "We draw closer to God, conquer temptation and sin, and enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost more abundantly" (PMG, pg. 66), we will gradually grow in Christlike attributes, and we will be "lifted up at the last day and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb" (1 Nephi 13:37). Elder Johnson says something that I feel was written directly for me: "At times it may seem that our trials are focused on areas of our lives and parts of our souls with which we seem least able to cope. Since personal growth is an intended outcome of these challenges, it should come as no surprise that the tirlas can be very personal--almost laser guided to our particular needs or weaknesses...the furnace of affliction helps to purify even the very best of Saints by burning away the dross in their lives and leaving behind the pure gold." I don't know about the pure gold part yet, but I do agree fully with Elder Johnson ;D. He says "We must be careful that we do not resent the very things that help us put on the divine nature." We all have the capacity to endure well, but we must choose to do so. Christ will give us strength if we give ourselves to Him. It is not a one-way thing. If we do our part, then He will do His. If you want to take a shortcut around the furnace, then you will end up on the other side, the same as you were before. Trust in the Lord. Put on the divine nature that is within you!

Well, those are my many thoughts of today. It's going to be a great week - new season, new mission, new transfer, new investigators, new starts :) Have a wonderful week! I have heard that the mail will start back up this week, but I'm not sure, so don't think I am ignoring you if I don't send letters :) You are always in my thoughts and prayers! May the Spirit be with you this week and always!

I love you all,

Sister Barton :)

June 27, 2011.

Hello from the new Canada Toronto Mission!

The Toronto West and Toronto East missions are combined as of last night at midnight. Transfers are today but hardly anybody moved due to the mission combination. Only those going home and those filling in their place have moved around. So I am happy to be here in Burlington for another short transfer. This transfer is only about four weeks and ends the end of July, when transfers will change to be on Fridays. Today is also a day we remember the martyrdom of the beloved prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum (my fifth great grandfather), on June 27, 1844. I will be forever grateful for the strength and courage of these men and so many others who pushed forward to bring the Lord's truth once again to the earth. I was in the Family History Center last week and wrote down the names of my ancestors back to Hyrum Smith. I am so excited to research about the lives of these heroes when I get home. If you do not yet have a desire to do your family history, then get an account on new family search (newfamilysearch.org?) and pray for the desire. It is so fun to learn about those who have gone on before us. The prophet today, Thomas S. Monson has been here in Ontario this week. The Thomas S. Monson camp was dedicated on Saturday, Sunday he attended and spoke at the Brampton YSA ward where I served for six months (why am I not there NOW! :D), and today he will attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performance in Toronto. I love the prophet so much because he truly leads us to Christ.

This week has been miraculous for Sister Yi and we are looking forward to more miracles this month. Tuesday morning we met with a member referral named Susan. She is a single mother with five children. We taught her about the restoration of the gospel and committed her to be baptized on July 31st! She said yes! She came to church for the first time yesterday and loved it. We are hoping to move her date up a week because I know she will be ready and transfers are on July 29th (selfish reason, I know, but I want to be there and who knows if I will be transferred or not!). Thursday night we met with Andris and had a good lesson, although we still didn't set him for a date. I can see that he has a logical, mental testimony, but he is lacking a spiritual testimony. His roots are not yet firmly planted in the soil. Thursday night we met with Karey. Her husband was not there and we brought a member with us. When we brought up baptism at the end, I was praying so hard because I really didn't know what to say. I told Karey we had been thinking and praying and asked her if she had been praying about baptism. She said that she had and that she was thinking maybe around September because of her busy schedule. Well, Sister Yi and I had already planned to commit her to a date in July, so my prayers to Heavenly Father continued as I listened to the Spirit for the words to say. I told her that we knew that she would be ready to be baptized on July 24th! We showed our confidence in her as we helped her to see her spiritual progression. Instead of getting scared or saying it was too soon, she felt calm. She got excited. We set up all of our appointments until July 24th! She was almost committed to the date but just said that she wanted to talk to her husband about it. We are meeting with her tonight and we will see what has happened since last week. She didn't come to church yesterday because she was at her family cottage. She has said that the first and only time she came to church so far, she felt like she was on the right path. She has no doubts. She is seeking for truth. Many of Father's children are prepared to know the truth now! Let us all, missionary or not, pray to be guided to these lost sheep whom we can help to bring into the fold of Christ!

Today I read a talk called "More than Conquerors through Him that Loved us" by Elder Paul V. Johnson of the Quorum of the Seventy from the last General Conference. He talks about how "Trials are not just to test us. They are vitally important to the process of putting on the divine nature." I studied many scriptures about enduring through trials and asked myself "How can I endure well?" and "Why is it important to endure well?" How can we endure well? We can show gratitude, refrain from complaining, stay busy, pray for strength, and as said in Preach My Gospel, pg 66 "Continually exercise faith in Jesus Christ, repenting, making commitments, and following the Spirit.". Why is it important to endure well? You will have "far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:17), God will exalt you on high (D&C 121:7-8), we will be refined -Elder Johnson's talk says "Being good is not enough. We want to become like the Savior.", It will "build up our character, purify our hearts, expand our souls, and make us more tender and charitable" (Orson F. Whitney), it is a commandment from Heavenly Father and is part of the gospel of Jesus Christ, "We draw closer to God, conquer temptation and sin, and enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost more abundantly" (PMG, pg. 66), we will gradually grow in Christlike attributes, and we will be "lifted up at the last day and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb" (1 Nephi 13:37). Elder Johnson says something that I feel was written directly for me: "At times it may seem that our trials are focused on areas of our lives and parts of our souls with which we seem least able to cope. Since personal growth is an intended outcome of these challenges, it should come as no surprise that the tirlas can be very personal--almost laser guided to our particular needs or weaknesses...the furnace of affliction helps to purify even the very best of Saints by burning away the dross in their lives and leaving behind the pure gold." I don't know about the pure gold part yet, but I do agree fully with Elder Johnson ;D. He says "We must be careful that we do not resent the very things that help us put on the divine nature." We all have the capacity to endure well, but we must choose to do so. Christ will give us strength if we give ourselves to Him. It is not a one-way thing. If we do our part, then He will do His. If you want to take a shortcut around the furnace, then you will end up on the other side, the same as you were before. Trust in the Lord. Put on the divine nature that is within you!

Well, those are my many thoughts of today. It's going to be a great week - new season, new mission, new transfer, new investigators, new starts :) Have a wonderful week! I have heard that the mail will start back up this week, but I'm not sure, so don't think I am ignoring you if I don't send letters :) You are always in my thoughts and prayers! May the Spirit be with you this week and always!

I love you all,

Sister Barton :)

June 20, 2011.

Happy Father's Day yesterday!

I am so grateful for the fathers in my life and most especially for my Heavenly Father. Did you remember to thank Him for the Father he is to each one of us? I'm sure it would mean a lot to Him :) Canada has been on a mail strike for over a week now so I don't know if I can send letters today. I heard from some members that the strike would end today, but we'll see. Happy 2nd Birthday to my nephew, Isaac, this week! I was there when he was born and I cannot believe it has been two years.

This week Sister Yi and I had an adventure when we drove out to Beeton (1.5 hours away) to go to the dentist (he's a member, so it was free). The drive was absolutely beautiful and Sister Yi and I were sad we didn't bring out cameras. We stopped at a convenience store and bought a disposable camera (yes, they still sell those!), and used the whole thing taking pictures of our little trip. The only hard part about the drive was driving on the freeways of Toronto. I had never been so close to the city of Toronto before (because it's in the East Mission) and there are lots of highways. I had directions from google maps and wrote them on post-it notes so when I finished one step, I could take off that note and move onto the next step. I may or may not be paranoid about driving places that I have never been hahaha. But we got there safely. After we got on the highway leading tonorth Ontario (it was tempting not to drive to North Bay ;D), the scenes were breathtaking. Everything is green, farms, barns, and beautiful skies. It would be a great place for a photoshoot (with a real camera, not an $8.00 one from the quickmart :D). The dentist quickly put a filling in one of my teeth and X-rayed Sister Yi's mouth. We don't have a clear diagnosis yet, but I think she has TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome - thank you anatomy!), which is causing her pain. Anyway, we are still working out details for getting her a bite plate for night time or whatever else we will need to do.

Andris came to church yesterday but Karey didn't. I don't know where she and her husband were. We need to call them today. We couldn't meet with her last week either, so we are looking forward to our lesson this week. We still have yet to find new investigators through our own efforts. We are tracting and talking to many people, but their hearts are hard and they won't let the Spirit in. It is interesting that so many people put their full trust in the Bible, instead of God Himself. I love the article by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland titled "My Words...Never Cease." In it, he says:

"Since it is clear that there were Christians long before there was a New Testament or even an accumulation of the sayings of Jesus, it cannot therefore be maintained that the Bible is what makes one a Christian. In the words of esteemed New Testament scholar N. T. Wright, 'The risen Jesus, at the end of Matthew’s Gospel, does not say, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth is given to the books you are all going to write,’ but [rather] ‘All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me.’ In other words, “Scripture itself points … away from itself and to the fact that final and true authority belongs to God himself.” So the scriptures are not the ultimate source of knowledge for Latter-day Saints. They are manifestations of the ultimate source. The ultimate source of knowledge and authority for a Latter-day Saint is the living God. The communication of those gifts comes from God as living, vibrant, divine revelation."

We do indeed look to the scriptures for guidance, comfort, and a knowledge of our Savior, but we do not close our hearts and ears to the words our Heavenly Father speaks to us today.

Sister Yi and I made some delicious noodles yesterday. They are noodles made from green beans, peas, and water. They are clear and delicious. We added brocolli, peas, carrots, corn, garlic, dark soy sauce, and green onions. We ate the whole huge pan that we made :) My hand was sore from using my chopsticks. When we were in our beds a couple nights ago, I said something that apparently was very funny. Well, I was trying to be funny, but it was even better than I had planned. Sister Yi said "I love you," to which I replied in mandarin "Wo ai ne, er." You see, she had just taught me how to count to ten in chinese (which I am getting better at each day), and I decided to say "I love you, two" in chinese, because I knew the word "two," and it sounds the same in english as "too." She laughed so hard and told me that I had just said "I love you, son." It was pretty funny. It's one of our little jokes now.

We have a busy week ahead of us and we are going to sacrifice a certain amount of time out of each lunch/dinner break we have so that we can be efficient and show the Lord our willingness to serve Him. It will be a great week! Make it a great week wherever you are too! Show gratitude for those you love, wear a smile all day, no matter what your circumstances, and pray for the guidance of the Holy Ghost to show you opportunities where you can serve! I love you all!

Love,

Sister Barton

June 13, 2011.

Hello Everyone!

I am not very creative with writing opening lines, so I'd rather just say hello and get on with my e-mail :). This week was good. We had a couple of days that were extremely hot and humid but the weather is great right now. We got a NEW investigator this week! YAY! Her name is Karey and she is the wife of a member. I don't remember if I mentioned them in my last e-mail. Karey's husband VJ is from Jamaica and just got his visa to come here a couple of weeks ago. They have been married for about two years and have been living in separate countries because he couldn't get a visa to come here. Anyway, Karey is great and so excited to learn. She loved church and has started reading the Book of Mormon now. She doesn't really have a religious background but believes in God. We extended a baptismal date invitation for July 11th and she ALMOST committed, but her husband showed a little bit of opposition. He wants her to know everything before we even talk about baptism. This is where missionary work gets a little bit difficult. Missionary work is always progressing and we receive new instructions and revelations on how to do certain things. All missionaries will (or at least they should) extend a baptismal invitation in the first lesson. The problem is that the way we do missionary work is not always communicated to the members of the church. So for them to hear us commit people to baptism on a specific date in the first lesson is very shocking. But that is the Lord's way. Unless directed otherwise from the Spirit, we will do it. So anyway, we will work to set a date in our next lesson with Karey and continue to help her husband understand that as we have a goal and set that vision of a date, we are really showing Heavenly Father our great faith and He is able and willing to answer our prayers. More to come on Karey later :)

We got a new ward mission leader!!!!!! SO exciting. Brother Fuller is the new wml and his wife, Brittany, is a Jenner! So I used to spend time with her at the Jenner's in North Bay. Brother Fuller served his mission in Australia and he is going to be a great leader for us. He is already helping and supporting us.

The biggest news of the week came on Saturday. As I wrote in my last e-mail, we had a combined conference with both missions in Brampton and Elder Ballard (Quorum of the 12 Apostles) spoke. First of all, I was on the front row and he looked at me and smiled at me a lot :) This short conference was not, however, what any of us expected. Elder Ballard spoke about the missions combining, President & Sister Eyre going home, and President & Sister Brower presiding over the Canada Toronto Mission starting July 1st. What came next shocked all of us: "And then you will be getting a new mission president in August..." What?!?! He proceeded to inform us that after extensive counsel, due to serious health issues Sister Brower is currently facing, President and Sister Brower will receive an honorable release from their mission in August. Tears filled my eyes and for the remainder of Elder Ballard's talk (and pretty much for the rest of the night), I was crying. Sister Brower kept her head down a little bit because I'm sure it was hard to look at so many missionaries who love her so much. This will be a big change for everyone, but it is still the Lord's work. I will love the new mission president and sustain him just as much as President Brower. The main desire of my heart is just that Sister Brower gets better :) I fasted for her yesterday and truly felt the spirit of the fast, which has always been something hard for me. Elder Ballard paid tribute to Sister Brower (his daughter) and spoke of how she has the spirit of a lion. It is so true. She is a supermom and is an example to me. For now, I am going to cherish the time I have with President and Sister Brower and thank my Heavenly Father for bringing them into my life. It is very clear why President Brower was called to preside over this great mission at this time. He has a great work to do in preparing this great mission to re-unite with the east mission.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY this week!!!!!! I love Father's Day just as I love Mother's Day. Fathers are incredible. The work to support families, they teach children to be good and to do good, they give the best hugs, and they have great responsibility in Heavenly Father's plan. I am so grateful for all of the fathers in my life (brothers, fathers, uncles, friends, mission presidents, etc.). I pray that each of you have a great week and feel the love that so many people have for you :)

I read the first presidency message about tithing in the June Ensign last night and it is SO good. I learned so much from it and it really helped me to appreciate rules and commandments so much. Elder Eyring says: "To receive the gift of living with [God] forever in families in the Celestial Kingdom, we must be able to live the laws of the kingdom (D&C 88:22)...He has given us commandments in this life to help us develop that capacity...one of the blessings that comes from paying a full tithing is developing faith to live an even higher law. To live in the Celestial Kingdom, we must live the law of consecration. There we must be able to feel that all we are and all we have belong to God." Amazing! Everything here on earth, especially commandments, are given to us to prepare us for the way we will live after this life. We won't pay tithing in the Celestial Kingdom but this commandment now prepares us to to live higher laws later. This is true with all commandments now - they are preparing us to have the spiritual capacity to live the laws of our future eternal home. One of the thoughts I had while reading this last night was about the commandment "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." In the Celestial Kingdom, there will be a fulness of love and joy; nobody will speak ill of another. In order to abide the law there, we have to be able to live it here on earth; hence the fact that this life is a TEST!

Anyway, I don't know if I am making any sense or just rambling on, but I hope you feel of my testimony because I truly know that Christ's Church is again on the earth with the power of God to lead us back to live with Him. Have a great week and strive to strengthen your testimony of the Savior! I love you all!

Love,

Sister Barton :)

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEX!!!!!!!!!!!

June 6, 2011.

Dearest Family and Friends,

How are each of you? It has been a good week here in Burlington. I think Tuesday was the hottest day of my life haha. It wasn't actually THAT hot, but it was very humid. We almost asked a random person at their door if we could sit down on their bench or chair because we needed to rest. We pushed through and then had a dinner appointment so that was nice to cool off. It has been pretty nice weather since then. On Saturday night it was cold again and I had my jacket and a scarf on. It is pretty much the same weather as Utah, but more humid.

A few random things happened this week, but we didn't teach any investigators so there isn't much to report about that. Andris came to church yesterday but cancelled his appointment for this week again because he is busy all week. Don't you just love the gift of agency sometimes? Haha. Tami had to cancel her appointment last week because they were out of town. Hopefully we will be able to meet with her sometime this week. A new couple moved into our ward and the wife is not a member! Her husband just got his visa to Canada from Jamaica and was finally able to move here last week. He joined the church in Jamaica in August of last year and it was his wife's first time at church yesterday! We will be going to their house this week to give her some books so she can begin learning :) I am grateful for this wonderful opportunity. We had set up a few appointments with potential investigators last week but they all fell through. One of them, Mike, wasn't home, but there were a few guys outside drinking and they were pretty funny. One of them told me I look like I brush my teeth six times a day! I'll take that as a compliment. I guess I do brush them about three times a day :) Then the member we were with asked if I get hit on a lot. Funny.

Another random experience happened while we were leaving a house after knocking on the door. Don't laugh...I was just walking along and a bird flew out of the tree and hit me in the shoulder. Either the bird cannot aim or I am invisible. Anyway, apparently birds do not have bladder control or something, because after hitting me in a split second, he pooped down the side of my shirt! I must admit, it was pretty funny. I randomely had a rag with me in my bag because my frozen waterbottle was wrapped in it. Sister Yi helped me wipe my shirt off and we were on to the next house :) Only on a mission...

Saturday was full of miracles as we found four potential investigators and set up two appointments. We drove up to Waterdown, which is a little town outside of Burlington, to drop by a referral we had. The referral wasn't home, so we tracted his street. We talked to a man named outside and it was a neat experience. I told him what church we are from and he said "Good, I need help." I didn't know what he meant at first because he was trying to fix his lawn mower haha. After no other comments, I proceeded to tell him about why we were there and I realized that he really did need help - spiritually. He used to attend church but for no reason, he just stopped going. He told me I am very peaceful :) We set up an appointment to teach him this week. He was very open and it was so good to see the Lord's hand in this work. His next door neighbor was also interested to learn more. She didn't give us her phone number, but she was very interested to look at the website and we will plan on dropping by in a couple of weeks. Later that night, we were able to set up an appointment with a woman we briefly talked to at her door (she was having a family night :D) and then we talked to a great man from Guyana at the end of the street. After talking for a while, I asked if he would be interested to learn more and he said sometime in the future. I laughed and said "Next week is the future." He laughed. Sister Yi then said "Tomorrow is the future." She's a wise one :) Anyway, he gave us his number and we will call him "in the future," maybe next week.

While coming in to e-mail today, I didn't want to talk to anyone. I just figured we would talk to people later in the day. Then the Holy Ghost kindly reminded me that when I go through P-day focused on myself and don't share the gospel throughout the day, I am not happy. SO...right before coming into the library, I began talking to a lady who was getting something out of her trunk. Guess where she was from? Mainland China!!!!! WAHOO! Sister Yi hasn't really been able to talk to anyone from China since coming here because we either haven't met many or they wouldn't listen. Anyway, she was able to talk to this woman and tell her about the plan that God has for us (I guess that's what they talked about...I don't quite understand Mandarin yet - although I did learn how to count to ten last night :D). The woman said that she has met missionaries before but her husband is scared to believe in God because his cousin is in jail in China for his beliefs. It was so uplifting and great to talk to know that Sister Yi and I reached outside of ourselves to invite a daughter of God to come closer to Christ. We gave her a card with our phone number on it and I told her she was a daughter of God and He loves her :) It was a great experience. I know the angels around us smiled!

Have a great week and soak up the sun! Remember who you are and be kind to others. I love you all :)

Love,

Sister Barton

May 30, 2011.

Hello from humid Burlington!

How are each of you? It was a good week here, much different than I am used to as I have been learning chinese culture and teaching english grammar :) I will just go through a little bit of my week. Sister Yi and I went grocery shopping on Wednesday and It took a few hours! She pulled out her translator to type in what she wanted to buy and then we would go find it in Walmart. Can you believe there is not ONE Asian food store in Burlington? Crazy. So there is some food she cannot find. She doesn't like cheese, so that will be a problem because many American/Canadian foods have cheese. Jill cancelled her lesson on Wednesday because she was really sick so we haven't taught her lately. We had weekly planning on Thursday, which took up most of the day. By the end of the first day together, Sister Yi and I were exhausted from trying to understand each other! Sometimes I cannot think of another way to say something after I've already said it three different ways, so I get tired haha. We met with Noel on Wednesday night and Sister Yi was amazing! She told Noel that if he has a desire, then he can be baptized! She was pretty bold and it was great! She was able to understand much of that lesson. Although she is speaking English fairly well (minus the grammar - we are working on that!), she doesn't understand anything anyone says because we all talk to fast. I talk really slowly to her so she understands me. But when we are at a door, she will introduce us and as soon as the other person says sosmething, I finish the conversation! :) I know Sister Yi will learn quickly. It just takes hard work, time, and experience. Saturday we ate dinner at a members' home where the son recently returned from his mission in Taiwan. He was able to speak to Sister Yi in mandarin. When they brought out the food, Sister Yi thought she was in heaven!!! Real chinese food! Well, I'm not sure if it was Phillipino food since that's where the family is from, but to her, it was like a taste of home. They gave her a bowl and she ate with chopsticks. It was fun to see her get so excited.

I gave a talk on missionary work in Sacrament Meeting yesterday. I am the kind of person who has my talk all planned out and I don't really add or take away from what I have written. Well, I realized in the morning that my talk didn't have any personal experiences in it. I was a little sad because I couldn't think of anything to add. A few minutes before church started, I was going over my talk and the Holy Ghost brought to my remembrance a perfect example of an experience I had that I was able to use in my talk. I was very grateful.

Andris came to church yesterday. Our lesson with him on Tuesday was pretty rough. It was great until I brought up a baptismal date. The problem is that he is thinking of being baptized by the end of the year. Well, we wanted to set him for baptism in June! I know he will be ready. He is taking the necessasry actions to prepare - reading the Book of Mormon, praying, and attending church. Of course we want Andris to be ready and to have received the spiritual witness that these things are true. We simply set a date for baptism so the investigator has something to work toward. It helps them have a vision. Heavenly Father wants all of His children to come unto Him, be converted, and be baptized so they can receive the most precious gift of the Holy Ghost to be with them always. Andris cancelled his lesson this week because something came up so we won't be meeting with him until next week. Tami also had to cancel her lesson this week due to some family difficulties so we will meet with her this coming Saturday.

I am excited to work hard this week to find new investigators and to strengthen the ward members. I hope you are all having a great Memorial Day weekend! I love you all and you are in my prayers :)

Love,

Sister Barton