TRANSFERRED 4-27-15

yOOOOOO whats up whats up everybody!!! I cant believe it, but the transfer has passed, and Elder Barton is OUT! I'm headed to Cotia... Which I'm super stoked about! I have heard that Cotia is an awesome area, and will be awesome!!! Its more of a rural area that has a bunch of trees everywhere and farms so its gonna be lagittttt!!!!! Super close to my area Osasco right now also, so it will be awesome! I leave Jardim Conceição.... My humble place of birth in the mission field tomorrow morning!

Crazy how hard it is to say goodbye to everyone here... I will miss this ward and area so much!!!! I truly have learned so much here, and have made so many friends!!! Said bye to a few families last night after church, and it was tough!!! Especially  with Irenilde, Iranice and Nice.... Irenilde still  hasn't been baptized.... But i know she will, when the time is right. It was super cool, after i said bye to her at church she called me on the phone about an hour later and just expressed her gratitude and said bye again... I truly will miss them so much. They are such a special family and such grateful, humble people. SO grateful for the opportunity i have had to teach and get to know  them! They said they are going to come visit me in Cotia also which will be awesome!!! Last night we had a another super cool experience... We received a referral from some other missionaries that contacted a woman on the street who has been inactive in the church with her husband for about 20 years. They have a 9 year old daughter (who is SO cute reminds me of maci and demi) and they want to start going to church again and baptize their daughter. We contaced them last night and it was the coolest experience ever... It was so clear to see that this is the right time for them to come back... and heavenly father has been preparing them to come back to the church... They are SUCH a cool family!!! We talked to them for about half an hour and i felt like i was best friends with them just after that short period... Bummed to be leaving cause that will be an awesome experience for Elder Gschwend to teach the little daughter and help them return to the church!! I took a picture with them that i will attach... Such a cool experience. 

This first area has been so so great.. and I am so grateful for all of the things I learned here.... Its crazy to look back at my first day here, when i couldn't understand anything and was super scared haha... I still don't speak great, but i have grown my testimony so much here, and i know without a doubt  i have improved as a missionary. So grateful, and look forward to my next area to learn even more!!! My new comp will be a Brazilian i think... His name is Elder Cabral and he will be the district leader (all of my comps have been DL so far haha) Super stoked!!!!! Will miss Elder Gschwend also, he has been an awesome comp and we have had so many awesome times together!!! Found out too this week that he used to have suuuuper long hair and used Horse Shampoo to maintain his frothy locks... Whatta boss.

Until next week from a foreign land!!!!!!

Elder Barton

                                                       Tchau tchau Elder G

ENGLISH CR3W with Elder Fernandes #biceps

                                                          gonna miss this kid!

farewell to the chapel

IRENILDE!!!!

The awesome family we found! Joyce and Cleiton and their daughter

One of my favorite families in the ward Robson (my ward mission leader) with his wife and kids and his sister with her husband! They are soo funny and awesome

Weekly Email 4/20/15

yOOOO!!! Big b reporting from the souuuuthh!

This week was the cats pajamas!!! Had some super cool experiences this week and an EPIC p day today with Elder Gschwend!

Today we went to 25 cinco de março, it was superrrr sweet! It was my second time going there, but this time was wayy better than the first because Elder G had been there a bunch before so he knows all the good stuff to do! It was Elder Almeidas first time last time so we got a little lost haha... But we went to the sickkkest tie shop ever! The whole place is just loaaaaded with ties! And they are all super cheap and super styyylish! haha it was awesome, and then we went to this famous sandwich place that's known for their mortadela sandwiches! Its like bologna but way better and it was soooo huge! dad, you would have loved it haha... But oh my gosh it was ammmazing! Our mission president told us to go there haha, it known for the best mortadela sandwhich in São Paulo! It was inside this huuuge market with all kinds of different fruits, foods, and crazy people screaming haha super awesome!

But this week i had a super awesome experience... I received the most profound answer to my prayers that i have ever received in my life... We were at Irenildes house, she has been having some real tough thing going on in her life, and some tough things happening with her little sisters Iranice and Nice as well. We have been trying to visit her a lot lately to try and help out... I had been praying for her a lot last week, just asking that she would be okay and that i would know how to best help her... We got there, and i wasn't quite feeling right, i didn't really know what to say or what to do.... I said a quick prayer in my heart that I would be able to know what to do, or that bishop would be able to help her through these struggles, because he has been working with her a little bit too and is a super awesome guy. Probably 30 seconds after i finished that prayer Irenilde's phone rang... It was Bishop Antonio, he said to her that he wanted to stop by and see how she was and was driving to her house and would be there in 5 minutes. My jaw dropped for a second, not knowing what to think... but i was slowly filled with peace and the spirit that i truly received an answer to my prayers... Bishop arrived, and said everything that needed to be said... being guided by the holy ghost. 

During that moment, I truly realized that He answers our prayers. I had received answers before, but this was the most profound that i have ever received for sure. It was such an incredible experience... If we pray specifically with faith he will answer. I'm so grateful for the power of prayer and for that awesome experience that i had which was a huge testimony builder for me! Irenilde also went to church again on Sunday after that, (it been a couple weeks since she hasn't gone) and that was truly a miracle! I'm going to continue to pray for her and her awesome family, and try my best to be patient with what Heavenly Father wants for them! This week was AWESOME! sorry this letter is a long one, but that was truly an incredible experience and i wanted to share it with ya guys! Cant believe that this is the last week of the transfer!!! I probably will be transferred to a new area but who knows! We will see!!! thanks so much to all of you guys for the support! Hope you all have an awesome week!!!

Elder Barton

Chimarrão with Elder da silva (mate) what kris and olin drank on their missions also! so good!

the hugeee market we were in!

THE AMAZING SANDWHICHHHHHHHH

famous mortadelo sandwhich

Returning from 25 cinco with GLORY on the Onibus

Weekly Email 4/13/15

YO yo whats up everybody!!!

 

need to start off with a shout out.... to my sister HANNAH BARTON WHO JUST GRADUATED FROM BYU IDAHO THIS WEEK!!!!! adda girl congrats flower pedal!!!!!! 

This week flewww by!! Its crazy how fast the time is going by so far! But this week was a really good week as always!! First need to start off with awesome news... ELDER D. TODD CHRISTOFFERSON IS COMING TO BRAZIL ON MAY 1ST TO SPEAK TO OUR MISSION!!!!!!! Sooooo stoked oh my gosh!!! He will be speaking in the CTM and our mission was the only mission invited in São Paulo!!! sooo excited it will be soooo cool and such a an awesome opportunity!! I think Elder Claudio M. Costa of the seventy put in a good word for us when he visited our mission a little bit ago and that's why we got chosen ;) haha so excited!!

Other than that awesome news, this week was a pretty solid week! I want to share an experience we had with a less active member this week... It really was a humbling experience. His name is Marcos and he is an old blind man that lives with his wife Maria, just the two of them... We have been visiting them for a while now (i think i may have mentioned him in one of my earlier letters) but i just have always loved this couple... they are such awesome people! It was especially neat this week because they signed up to feed us lunch which has never happened! Maria (Marcos's wife) works every other day to support for them and help take care of Marcos, so it was so nicve of them to sign up because she always has so much going on!!! She made the best lunch i think i have had on my mission so far... She loaded up a big Ole plate with beans, rice, super good meat with potatoes and super good salad. With farofa and pimenta to douse all over the food, haha soo good! But it was super cool when she got it all set up for us irmão Marcos said that he wanted to pray... He began to pray and it was the most heartfelt, incredible prayer i have ever heard... The spirit was so strong... He started to weep, thanking his father in heaven for the meal and for irmã Maria, and all the things he has been blessed with. 

It made me realize even more how much a special man he is! He has so many trials with health, not being able to see, and so many other things that he could choose to complain about. But he doesn't, he is the most humble, and grateful man I have ever met... And truly made me realize how much i have, and that i need to always be grateful for the small things in life that I have! All of the Brazilians are like this, they are such humble and grateful people when a lot of them have so little... So grateful for these people and for the many things I have been blessed with, so grateful for the opportunity i had to grow up in this gospel, and for absolutely amazing family that i have and the opportunity to have to live with them forever! So grateful for all my awesome friends also and great examples and leaders!! thank you guys all so much for everything! This church is true and we have a living prophet today who guides and directs us! Hope you guys all have an awesome week!

Elder Barton

pic is for Uncle Kris.... could you please send that to him?? he wrote me in the christmas package about garoto chocolate and i found it... its soooo good!!!

1 year celelbration!!!!! (the day we did the bbq wasnt the actual day of his one year mark so we did another little mini party on the actual day)

Amazing shake elder G whipped up for the crew

Weekly Email!!!!! (corn husk) 4-6-15

Hey everybody!!!!!!

Feliz Páscoa por todos!!!!!!!!! As we say down hurrrrr..... haha, this week was supeeeer awesome and an awesome general conference!!! It was crazy down here this week for Easter!! Everyone  parties  like crazy and there were crosses all over the place in the favela  on Friday with fake people hanging on the cross! super crazy!

But I am truly so grateful for the general conference we had... I think it was the first time in my life that I actually payed full attention during all of the talks and learned SO much!! I'm kinda bummed that I never payed as much of attention as I should have during conference before my mission because it is truly such a blessing we have  to hear from these amazing men!!!

On of my favorite talks was given by Micheal T. Ringwood of the  seventy... He gave such an awesome  talk about how we need to be more humble, and true disciples of Christ. He talked about the example of Alma's son, Shiblon in the Book of Mormon, and about how he always did what was right;... He is not very well known for courageous miracles or  powerful experiences... but he always held true to his faith no matter what and always strived to please his father and heaven, not others... This is something I really want to work on... sometimes as a missionary its easy to get caught up in wanting a title.. "district leader" "zone Leader" "AP" to say to others that you served in that position and things like that... And  wont lie  I have thought  about that... that would be cool to tell my family  that I am an assistant to the president... But that is not what this work is about... I want to try harder to just become a better disciple of  Christ, and to always seek to please HIM and not worry about  what others think...  I thought his talk was super awesome and applicable to being a missionary! There are many other talks I want to  talk  about, but will keep it short  and SWEET! haha, Elder  Ringwood then close with a quote that I really like he  said " All I really want in my  life is  to please my father, both earthy and heavenly and  to be more like shiblon"  I thought that was super cool... I know i can definantly improve on my humility... And am so excited to  start this new week remembering the awesome words of encouragement we all just received from living prophets!! So grateful for  this gospel, and i know that we have the  true restored  church of  Jesus Christ with a true living  prophet of God who guides each and every one of  us! Love you guys all so much and have an awesome week!!!!!

Elda bbbbbb

​conference with the americans ELDER SHAPIRO WAS THERE!!! (comp in CTM)

​RECIEVED DELICOUS TREATS from our relief society president and ward mission leader robson last night!!!!

 

PACKAGE!!!!!!!!!! lovvvved it!!!!!!

​

We did a fat churrasco (bbq) in a members house

  to  celebrate Elder Da Silva (live in the same apartment as him) year mark!!! sooo good

                                           

                  Elder Fernandes (comp. of elder da silva. waiting for his visa to africa) killing it on the rice

KITCHEN  CREW

 me with Elder da Silva and Gschwend killin it on dat grillllll

                                             MORE CHURRASCO round 2 with chicken

Weekly Email // 3-31-15

AYY everybody!!!!!

Super good week this last week, we got our pday switched to Tuesday this week because we got to go to the TEMPLE today!!! Super awesome!!

So this week was a little bit of a slower week.... Unfortunately big Elder Gschwend got sick real bad this week and was throwing up a ton!!! Poor guy! But his all good now and we are ready to rock and roll this week! I talked about how i am learning to be patient in my last few emails... we have soo many people who are so close to baptism and it is soo tough because there are just tiny things holding them back... But I just have to remember that its all in the lords hands and will all be okay!!! Plus we found tons of new people last week to teach which was such a blessing... We are looking forward to start teaching all of them more! 

Its so crazy down here, one of the biggest things that holds people back from getting baptized is marriage! There are so many people down here that live together but aren't legally married so cant get baptized. One of our investigators is Cleber (i skyped in his house on Christmas, his sister in law is a member), he is such a stud... he has been going to church from over 2 years now and has lived with "fiance" for over 12 years now! We have really been working with him trying to help him get married so they can be baptized but now they are thinking about splitting up... So sad, we were at there house this week and they started fighting pretty intensely so we left! Really sad, they are such awesome people and it is so sad to see them splitting up after 12 years of being together! They have a little girl also,,, But i know it will all work out! Just trying my best to listen to the spirit and be patient and it will all be okay! Same thing with Irenilde, she is still having some difficulties and wants to wait... Working with her a lot also!

 I am learning soo much being a missionary its crazy... It truly is amazing what we can do with the help of Heavenly Father! I was able to somehow give a talk in Portuguese on Sunday in sacrament haha which I know was only because the Lord helped me out!! It was super scary at first haha but it ended up being a way cool experience!!! I am so grateful for these things that I am learning right now... I'm starting to feel more and more comfortable with everything each day... And I can't say enough how much love i feel from all of you guys!! I constantly get letters and AWESOME packages from my all of you guys and my awesome mom!!! Thanks guys for all that you do, I hope you guys all enjoy conference this week!! I'm so STOKED!!! 

have an awesome week!

Elder B sizzle Barton