Weekly Email 1/18/16

Elder Barton sent his dad this story below... He didn't have time for a big email this week. Enjoy ;)

GOOOOO BRONCOS GOOOO BRONCOSSSS!!!!! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAHHHHH!!!!!

quick story for ya that was funny this week hahaha

So... we had two baptisms on Sunday and during the classes we went down to finish filling up the font because she was already half way full.... we proceded with the filling and everything was going well...... elder Nichols (another American now the comp. of elder frost) turned off the valve (so he thought) and we left to return to the classes. little did he know the valve was still partly open and was continuing to fill up. after about ten minutes we cam back down and the font was OVERFLOWING!!!!!! haha we took of the lid of the drain right away in a panic but wasn't draining!!!! we didn't know that you have to turn on a straw that sucks the water out so we all had squeegees trying to push the water back in the font that had overflowed hahaha in a dead panic because the classes were about to end and everyone would come down and see 4missionaries trying to push the water back in the flooded font haha!!! we finally got a member of the bishopric and he helped us turn on the straw and it all worked out! but man was that scary!! hahaha and funny!

I hope e ya know how much i loveee ya!!!!  Elder Barton 

the FLOODS! 

Two Baptisms last Sunday 1/17/16

1000 CONTATOS E UM BATISMO!!! 1-11-16 & 1-4-16

Heeellllllooooo my friends!!!!!!!

Elder B coming at ya live! I wanted to tell yallll about how happy i am on my mission!!!!! This week was pretty suuuuuaveeee as we say down here.... haha in other words SOLID! 

Big president Del Guerso gave the whole mission a challenge to baptize 3 people this transfer and to do 1000 contacts during this transfer!!! We have been working super hard to do this so that we can find these 3 people whom the Lord has prepared for us! The person that we have who is closest to baptism is Irmã Fatima who is a sweet lil old lady that we are3 teaching and is truly loving church and everything that shes learning. We are preparing her for next Sunday and we also have some awesome people and families and I know that the Lord will bless us to help prepare them so that we can achieve this goal that President gave us. We are talking with everyone we see on the street and I know that we will find even more people!!! 

This week was pretty awesome, I am loving my son Elder Guimarães, he is super obedient and dedicated to be the best missionary he can be! I am learning a ton being able to train him and super grateful for his example! VAI RECIFE! Yasmin, a little girl in our ward was baptized this week and we had there was a huge party held for her on Saturday!! It was awesome haha we were able to bring a bunch of investigators too so it was perfect!! 

I LOVE THIS AREA AND LOVE MY MISSION!  I am grateful for everything that I learn on a daily basis. On Friday, had one of the coolest lessons on my mission with Elder Frost. We felt the spirit guiding us so strongly and were able to ask questions to the investigators Luzinete, Julia and João to figure out exactly what they were needing and what we needed to teach them. When we listen, pay attention and are humble, the Lord gives us exactly what we need to say. I know that is true and Iam so grateful that i don't have to rely on my own talents or skills to teach because it wouldn't be close to enough to what these people need. God knows what they need, and just uses us as instruments. 

I love ya all so much and thank you for the tremendous support which I feel from each and every one of you!! I'm sorry that sometimes i don't respond to your emails or letters because of the time, but just know that I read and love them soo much!!!

Elder Barton

D&C 100:4-6

 4 Therefore, I, the Lord, have suffered you to come untothis place; for thus it was expedient in me for the salvationof souls.

 5 Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices untothis people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into yourhearts, and you shall not be confounded before men;

 6 For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in thevery moment, what ye shall say.

                                

                              Zone on New Year's EVE played"signs"

                                 

New Year's Eve Mattress Forts

Rains...

Shoes!!! 

Wild Horses eating Trash

A Syrian Investigator taught beau some tunes

Baptism!!! 

PET Lizard...

Heeyyyyyy everybody!!!!!  1-4-16 (short but sweet and LOTS of photos!

This week would best be explained as RAIN, GUIMARÃES, and PEOPLE AT CHURCH!!!!!

I only have 5 minutes to write this email, but i will sum this week up with those 3 words!!!! i received my new comp/son#2 Elder guimarães from Recife Brazil this week who is a HUGE STUD and we got drenched by rain and were super super superrrrr blessed with 13 people that went to church on Sunday!!! It was truly incredible!!!! I have never seen so many investigators at church before and it was truly such a blessing!!! we are being so blessed with incredible families and people to teach!!! 

I love serving so much, and am sooo grateful to be here. I am so glad I am came on my mission and to be meeting such incredible people and have such incredible experiences! I know that Christ lives and that this church is true!! Love ya SOOOO MUCH!!!

ELDER BARTON

NATALLLLL 12-28-15

Bom Dia Familia e AMIGOOOOS

Heeeelllllllooo there friends! This week was busy, and full of theee CHRISTMAS SPIRIT!!! It was sooo awesome being able to talk with THE BEST FAMILY IN THE WORLD even though they were making fun of the accent that I apparently have haha! Haha, everyone kept saying how funny our family is and everyone wants to meet you guys!! Especially Elder Rodrigues! This kids gonna come shreeeddd up the waves in Cali after the mission for sure!

It rained A TON this week haha Elder Frost and I even almost went for a little swim haha! We were eating lunch yesterday in "Favela Açucará" which is pretty far from our house. As we were preparing to leave, sharing a message with Sister Rosimeire it starting raininnn BUCKETS! haha we decided to wait it out a lil bit to see if it would pass because we didnt have umbrellas but after 10 minutes of the rain continuing we decided to just charge it! haha to say we got SOAKED is an understatement... We had to cross a pool of water (above knee high) to get out of Favela Açucará  because it was so flooded haha! It was intennnnsee we almost had to hit a breast stroke to make it out alive... I will send some pics that we took on our cell phone haha so legit!

Including the tactical adventures in the rain, Christmas parties at bishops house, talking with my awesome family, we were super blessed this week. I really tried to focus on the real meaning of Christmas and why I am here. As I did this I found myself thinking about others, how I can help others to get to know our Savior and found myself worrying less about what my family was doing. I knew that you guys were all good, and just had the desire to talk to others about His life! It was really cool being able to feel that, and find new great people to teach! Its weird to think that this was my last Christmas on the mission, I am so grateful for the love that I was able to feel from Heavenly Father as we were able to teach others about His sons life. I am so grateful for this gospel and the opportunity to be a full time teacher of it and the happiness that it can bring in our lives. I love you guys all sooooooo much and am so grateful for everything you guys do. Have an awesome week AND A HAPPPYYYYYY NEW YEARRRR!!!!!!! Lets be better than we were last year and remember that we have the power to do that through the sacrifice that our Savior did for all of us!

2 Corinthians 5:17 

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:  old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Elder Barton               PS I WILL STAY IN BARONESA FOR ONE MORE TRANSFER!!!!! I am gonna recieve another SON!!!!! haha dont know his name yet, but im gonna be training agin and will pick up little tony tomorrow!

Just a little RAIN!

Weekly Reporrrtttt FELIZ NATALLLLL 12.21.15

Helllo Everybody and FELIZ NATAL!!!!!!

This week we had our big mission Christmas party that was AWESOME!!!!!! It was weird being there with Elder Uchytil and Elder Shapiro thinking that one year ago was our fist day in the Mission field! It was in caucaia (the same place as last year) On the church property with the big ol fields and JUNGLEEES!!! It was soo awesome getting to play some FOOOOOOTBALL and VOLLLEYBALL and every sport you can imagine!!! They even had a mechanical bull!!!! hahahahahahah and big president DG went right up there and saddled the buckin bronco and KILLED IT!!!! hahahaha it was so funny he had a little paper boy hat on too all stylish haha! and then SISTER DEL GUERSO charged it also haha but didn't last too long!!! It was awesome, I love President and Sister Del Guerso they are so awesome!! 

It was a super awesome day and activity!! It felt so good to be able to relax a little bit, see all the friends from the mission and say goodbye to those that went home!!! and DOMINATE tossin the ol pig skin a lil bit hahaha. Elder Uchytil and I had a lil touchdown pass connection NBD!!!! haha there were even some brazilians playing! Then all of the zones did a skit/presentation and we did "the haka"  hahah that Tongan dance reciting the mission scripture (D&C 42:6-8) hahaha it was pretty legit!!! I took a bunch of pictures that will be cominn your wayy!!! It was an awesome day!!!

After the activity, we had an awesome rest of the week!!!! Elder Rodrigues stayed the week in a another area here in our zone so I stayed with GRANDE Elder Frost and it was awesome!!!! I was able to learn a lot with him and we had some great spiritual and awesome lessons!!! We are teaching lots of awesome people, but are in the hunt for some more! We know that the lord will bless us and are going to make use of the wonderful Christmas season to teach others about our savior! I am so grateful for this time of the year and want to testify that I know Jesus Christ lives! I can truly say with certainty that I know this, and that is a testimony that I have strengthened on my mission. I love him, and want to be the best servant that i can to him!  I know that if we act as Alma acted, with a heart ready to serve our king, we will be blessed. And be able to preach these good tidings of great joy and take the sorrow out of others lives from not knowing the plan that Heavenly Father has for us! I know that this is true and am so grateful for Alma's example and desire to preach repentance! (creds to ryan on his mish scripture!)

ALMA 29:1-2

 1 O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!

 2 Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.

Love you guys all soooo much and am so grateful for your support!!!! I will see you here in 4 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHH #stoked

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