November 23rd - Weekly Letter!

Hello my friends on this fine morning!!!!!

Wanted to start off giving a HUUUUUUUUUGEEEEE shout out to my momma DARCI BARTON for her special day today.... HER BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🍫🎅󾓦🙌🙉🙌🙌👲

Happy Birthday mom I love ya soooo much and couldn't be more grateful for ya and everything you do for me!!! Hope ya have an AWESOME day!!!!

This week was another one of those solid weeks here in Baronesa!!!! We had a super cool experience that I wanted to share will ya guys here real quick! It was actually last Sunday, but wasn't able to talk about in my last letter!

So last Sunday Elder Ferriera and I were doing some contacts headed to our lunch appointment and trying to close up the week strong with some contacts when we saw a woman with 3 little kids headed to the Favela Santa Rita when she stopped and looked at us as we were approaching her. She asked us "hey do you guys enter the Favela to teach people??" with a smile on her face like as if she had talked with missionaries before. We responded yes, and that is why we wanted to talk to her, to see if we could share a message with her another day. She all the sudden began to cry, and Elder Ferreira and I looked at each other not knowing why... She began to tell us that she used to go to church a ton and has a really good friend whom is a member in the neighboring ward. She wasn't ever baptized because of some pretty crazy difficulties she has, but she told us that every time she feel like she cant take anymore in her life the missionaries appear in her life. She said she knew it was a sign from God and promised to go to church that very day and went!!!! She brought her 3 younger kids (10, 7 and 5 years  old) and said she felt soo much better after she went to church and just loved it. We started visiting her during this week, and are preparing her and her son Marcos (10 years old) for baptism and also found out that she has another son Paulo who is 15 and had already been baptized like 5 years ago!!! The family of 4 went to church yesterday, and was truly such an incredible experience. 

I know that Heavenly Father puts people in our paths, and that none of this was in vain. I am so grateful to be teaching such incredible people and seeing miracles like this on a daily basis. She said to us this week that when she stopped and looked at us that last Sunday, that we looked liked angels to her. When I heard that, I became so happy. I know that The Savior Jesus Christ is by our side as missionaries, and that he puts His lost sheep in all of our paths so that we can help return back to his presence. I love this gospel with all my heart, and am so happy to be serving. This week was an incredible week, and hope you all have an awesome week as well! Thanks so much for your guys support!!!

Elder Barton

                                               Elder Barton found a mountain dew

Elder hurd and yuri farewell!

 PACKAGEE!!

"the week" 11/16/15

OLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA BOM DIA ESTADOS UNIDOS E QUERIDOS!

haha that rhymed, whaaaaats up everybody???! 

this week was an awesome week as always! Including the MARRIAGE and BAPTISM of Rafael and Joana!!!!! It was such a special and spiritual weekend!!! 

They got married on Saturday morning at the carotrio (place where you sign all the papers and everything) and then had a ceremony in the afternoon on Saturday!! It was soo awesome, the relief society made this huuuge lunch for everyone with all these tactical fruit bowls, designs and what not with an awesome cake!!! Ha ha and it was super cool cause they did a little ceremony with our Bishop and he gave them their marriage "blessing" with a ring ceremony and everything!!! it was super fancy!!! Turned out truly being perfect, it was a lot of stress to get everything all prepared and organized but it turned out being absolutely PERFECT!!! It was soo awesome seeing them so happy and  in love. They then got baptized on Sunday after church, and it was so cool. They are such a neat couple, and it was incredible to see how far they have truly come. 

Looking at them I was thinking about how their future generations will be so blessed because of this choice that they made. I thought of my Grandparents and how they chose to accept the missionaries and the gospel of Christ and how that decision blessed MY life. Because of that decision I am here today. And could not be more grateful. It was an experience that I will never forget seeing them get married and baptized. Especially Elder Hurd and Rodrigues worked so hard to help them and prepare them to have this incredible day and I am so grateful I was able to be part of it. I love this gospel and am so grateful that ol Gramps and Grams let the gospel change their lives, and because of them being humble enough to accept it I am here. I love this church so much, and I am so grateful to be a member of Christ's true church. I love you all so much, and hope you guys all have a great week! GO AFTER THE MIRACLES!!!!

Elder Barton

PS will send tons of pics of the wedding and everything don't worry they are headed your way my friends!!! stay tactical!

                                                Wedding and Baptism of Rafael and Joana

Weekly Email REPORT!!!!!!! 11/09/15

Olá MEUS QUERIDOS AMIGOS!!!!

I'm here to give y'all a report on this great week real quick!!!

We started something super cool in our ward this month with the Ward Mission... We started a competition in the ward to get the members excited about missionary work!!! called "Gincana da Ala"  Our ward mission leader is such a stud and helped us organize it all and its going to be LEGIT!

We made three separate teams in the ward and each team has to gain points during the week doing visits with the missionaries, bringing people to church and activities with a few other lil spinners :) It is awesome to see how stoked the ward is getting to participate in the work with us! Our recent convert Gabriel (14 year old boy who was baptized a lil while ago) alone brought a family of 4 people to church this Sunday. It was soo incredible and helped me grow my testimony so much! Seeing him so firm in the gospel and with such a strong desire to share the gospel. Elder Ferreira and I went there last week and he took us to their house o leave a message with them and he bore his testimony that our church is truly the church of the Savior who leads and directs it. He then walked with them all the way to church . He lives in a favela in our area called "Açucará" which is about 2 miles from the church. He walks every Sunday to go to church as well as all the activities AND brings others to church!! This kid is a STUD!!! Such a huge example to me, and I will never more complain about going to church or walking after seeing the his sacrifice and testimony!

We also were able to meet an incredible woman named Josefa this week who moved into our area. She has two kids whom are members of the church and one who is preparing to serve a mission. She always went to church but never got baptized because of her husband who didn't let her. She got separated with him and came to Baronesa so that she could be baptized. We received a call from the other Elders in our Zone and they informed us about her and gave us the address. She is awesome. Truly was such a blessing to meet her and see her desire to do good as well. We are preparing her to be baptized on the 28th of this month as well as some other incredible people! Feeling so blessed. I love this work, and seeing others grow their testimonies and have a desire to do what is right because of the gospel. I know that this gospel is perfect and that it helps others progress towards perfection. I hope that we can all strive to help others get to know this incredible gospel and come unto Christ. 

Tuesday Morning... 11/10/15

Zone together this morning 11/10/15

Pizzas... ONE YEAR Mark...

A member here that is leaving for his mission!

"When you have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to feel, you can reach out and rescue others."  Thomas S. Monson

I know that they are there, we just need to pray to have the spirit help us recognize them and help them have this amazing joy in the gospel!

Thanks soo much guys  for all of you and your support! Hope ya have an awesome week!! Loveee ya so much!!!

Elder Barton

Mission Halfway Mark 11/3/15

Hello my beloved friends from da STATTEEES and a happy Halloween! 

This week was a super rewarding, and awesome week.... 

After a few tough weeks here in Baronesa, the Lord truly has blessed us with some incredible people to teach here in Baronesa and some great experiences!! 

It was super cool on Sunday, when we had fast and testimony meeting. Our recent convert João bore his testimony and it was such a powerful moment. It was incredible seeing the smile on his face only being a member of the church for less than 2 months and sharing his testimony with everyone. He already has such a solid testimony and is truly such an incredible guy! Such an example for his family and all of us! I am so amazed by this people, and the openness they have to receive the restored gospel in their lives and put it in practice! They have such strong testimonies!! 

It was also way cool this week another new elder arrived who is also a visa waiter headed to New Jersey! His name is Elder Iuri and will probably be my new comp here shortly when Elder Ferreira gets his visa! Hes currently in trio with my zone leaders Elder Hurd and Rodrigues, but I had the opportunity to do an exchange with them this week and Elder Iuri stayed with Elder Ferreira and I yesterday. It was awesome... These kids are such studs! We had an amazing lesson yesterday teaching the Restoration to an awesome new family that we found! It was amazing, the spirit was soo strong and it was cool to see these two new missionaries bearing there testimony to this family. I could feel the spirit for sure, and am grateful to be learning with these POWERHOUSE missionaries! 

I am coming to have such a huge testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith and the Restoration, teaching this message to others is one of the greatest, most rewarding things ever. I truly can say that I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and chosen to bring back the fullness of the Gospel in our times. With the exact same organization that Christ established when he was here. I love this gospel and I love my Savior and Heavenly Father. Grateful that he loves too, and communicates with us through living prophets! 

I cant believe my mission is already about halfway over... Don't believe it AT ALL!!!! I don't know how it went by so fast, truly is insane! But I am grateful i got another year to give all I got and see the Lords hand in this work!!!! I will be burning a shirt this week to celebrate.... 😃🌋

Haha love ya guys sooo much and thanks for everything!!!

Until next week YO!

Elder Barton