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

October 25, 2010.

Sad Goodbyes, Happy Beginnings!

Hello everyone! How has your week been? It has been a crazy week here. I will start with the biggest news and then talk a little bit about my week. Transfer calls were last night...! Sister Evanson and I were driving home when President Brower called. We pulled over the car and started panicking. When the President calls on transfer day, it usually means someone is training. He asked to speak to Sister Evanson. I grabbed her arm and covered my mouth, not believing what was happening. We soon found out that Sister Evanson would be training in North Bay! Then, President spoke with me to tell me that I will be moving to the big city of Brampton! My new companion will be Sister Stanbrough, who has been out just one transfer more than me. We will be white-washing the Brampton Young Single Adult ward, which means neither of us have served there before. We do not know the area or the people at all. When I got off the phone with President, I cried. I have a lot of mixed emotions. I am scared out of my mind to white-wash an area and especially such a big city. The hardest part of all of it is probably leaving Sister Evanson. We are such great friends and really wanted to stay together. It was a shock. I am also sad to leave North Bay and wonderful people here. I have made great friendships with people I will always remember (the Jenners, the Hatts, etc.). Regardless of the uneasy, nervous feelings I have, I know that the Lord has a plan for me. Brampton is an amazing area and I believe we will already have a baptismal date for the first or second week of November. It is going to be a big change, but it will be exciting. No more knocking on doors. Now I will pick areas to contact and will talk to everyone I see. It is much more fast-paced than North Bay. Sister Evanson and I will be leaving today at 4:00 pm and will stay in the mission home tonight, which I am looking forward to so much. We will eat breakfast tomorrow with all of the new missionaries and their trainers, then I will go with Sister Sippel (one of the senior missionaries) to help her in the mission office for a few hours. Brampton is amazing. Almost everyone there is from another country so I will definitely be the minority. I have served there for a few days before during leadership conferences and it is so great to teach the Gospel so simply. I am getting excited! This morning, while Sister Evanson was in the shower, I made us pancakes and eggs (see picture). It was fun to celebrate our transfer together :)


This week was full of adventures. As we we tracted, we had some memorable experiences including me stepping on rotted wood and falling though a wooden deck (see picture of bruise attached!).

I lost my hat and we backtracked all of the streets we had tracted to try and find it, which wasn't successful. People told us to leave their property. Old men hit on us almost everyday and best of all, we saw a black bear run down the street right before our very eyes. We worked very hard and I had more finding hours than ever before on my mission. It is usually a struggle to get 20 in a week and Sister Evanson tracted or contacted for 26 1/2 hours this week! Although our work was not very fruitful, we kept on pushing forward. We witnessed a miracle in church yesterday. Sister Evanson and I both spoke on missionary work in Sacrament meeting. As I sat on the stand, I saw a family with two kids walk into the chapel halfway through the meeting. I figured they were visiting from out of town. I came to find out after that they live by the church and decided to come. Sister Evanson and I taught the parents about the restoration of the Gospel during Sunday School. They have a native background, so we really focused on Jesus Christ and how it is only through him that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father again. I haven't had an investigator come to church once this transfer, but Heavenly Father answers prayers and he leads His children to the truth if they seek it. The most miraculous part of the story is how this family knew to come to our church. Tashina, the mom, said that a lady named Paula invited them to church and that she sings in the choir. Um...there is nobody named Paula in the ward and we do not have a choir! I'm pretty sure they went to the wrong church because there is another church just up the road!!!!! But it is really the right church because it has the fullness of the Gospel with the priesthood power and authority from God. The ward was very kind and welcoming. They will be going to the Halloween party at the church this Saturday. I am so excited to find out what happens with the investigators I have taught in North Bay. I will have to keep in contact with missionaries here so I can know. It is the most exciting work! Heavenly Father loves all of His children. The Book of Mormon brings more strength, peace, and joy than any other book on the earth. Life is great! Have a very Happy Halloween!!! I love you all!

Love,

Sister Barton :)

P.S. Now I can get letters and packages each week from the mission office, so just send stuff directly there if you so desire :)