Adventures in Brasil / Email 3-09-15

YO whats up everyone in the Northern Continent!!

This week was killer, It has been raining pretty hardcore down here its nuts! But the week was super fun and good!!! I had my last training for the new missionaries this week! That's right, moving up in the ranks!!! Haha, I cant believe that my second transfer is already coming to an end! This is probably going to be my last week with Elder Almeida!! :( Cant believe how fast that flew...

After the training we had this week, I had a super cool and scary experience! I got paired up with Elder Rasmussen as my temporary companion to go to the training, and we both have the same amount of time on our missions. He is an American, so after the meeting we had to take the bus back to my area to meet up with Elder Almeida and Elder Rasmussen's companion. Taking the Onibus in general is a pretty gnarly experience just cause its so crazy and packed with people, and even more crazy when you get LOST!

So we were waiting for the onibus to come, to take the one to Jardim Conceição... I saw once coming and it said Jardim C on the front, so i flagged it down and when we got on, just to double check I asked if it was going to Jardim CONCEIÇÃO and he said yes. So we sat down casually and sooner than later it started looking really unfamiliar where we were going... We where headed to like downtown São Paulo towards these huge skyscrapers!! I got up and asked the worker again, and he said that it was going to Jardim CITY! haha so we got off the bus as fast as we could and where in an area we had never been, with two NOOBS learning how to speak Portuguese... I was terrified at first. Had absolutley no idea where I was and was paired with Elder Rasmussen who really struggles with Portuguese. We were walking around trying to get a sense of where we were, and decided to say a quick prayer. We asked Heavenly Father that we would be able to speak and understand people and find our way back in safety... After we did that, I felt confident... and I started talking to people on the road and asking how to get to our destination... We figured out we first need to go to the train station (that shows you how far we were from home) and then take a bus to get back... After talking with many people in broken Portuguese, we made it to the station. When we got on the train, there happened to be a member of the church on the train who came up to us... We told him our situation and he gave us instructions on where to find the bus when we got off the train... He was a super nice guy, and totally lifted are spirits and helped us out. I am positive that he was an answer to our prayers... I know that we there is now way we would have been able to get back without the help of the Lord.... I have really gained a testimony of prayer on my mission... Heavenly Father placed that man in our path because he knew we needed him. And I am so grateful for that experience! It was definitely terrifying in the beginning... But I am so grateful for that experience which I had! 

It was a great week, and I'm excited for another one to come! Love you guys all so much!! Have an awesome week!

Elder Bbbbbb

​Also did an exchange with Elder Morgan this week, super fun haha! 

We ordered ourselves a nice pizza after and had our American drinks!!!! It was awesome!

Email 3/2/15

​ghetto apartment.....

​hahahahahaah dad will like this, the tiles on our floor are coming g up hahaa so were

 improvising with tape and a glue stick hahahaha

this is my companion made of our trash teaching the restoration..

​the PACKAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

American meal!!!!!!!! (made it myself, NBD)

this ones for maci! tell her i still have the present she gave me!!! 

    

EYY! 

Whats up whats up..... This week was another great week! We had our first multi zone conference on Thursday and it was super super awesome!!! Good food, good spirit, and good friends!! haha what more can you ask for?? We heard a bunch of talks, and had some really really cool trainings! It was way cool, made me realize how awesome my mission is and how awesome my mission president is!!! And AFTER received a package from home loaded with Reese's and Doritos which was sooo awesome, I was STOKED!! Thanks mom your the BOMB.com! Got some dr. pepper too, at the deseret book store also as usual... man I miss dr. pepper!

Haha, aside from food and good times, are week went really well with our investigators as well! We have been teaching a guy named Vitor, not sure if i gave talked about him already, but he is a STUD! Man i love that guy! he has such a strong desire to read the book of Mormon and learn about the gospel its awesome! He will be such a powerful missionary if he gets baptized... WE marked him for the 14th of this month to be baptized, and he is excited!!! We had a really great lesson with him, teaching him about The Gospel of Jesus Christ and the spirit was super strong! When we left, he told us that he feels a special peace and happiness whenever we visit him... That was an awesome moment!! We have also been working with Irenilde TONS, but she still doesn't feel ready... She has gone through  baptismal interviews and still says at the end of them that she doesn't feel ready... Elder Almeida and I fasted for her yesterday and hoping we will know how we can best help her! Something super cool happened also with Thales (the 13 year old kid who's a member, was in the pictures with the super gnarly rain) he called us on Saturday and asked us to go to his house... When we got there he had a plan all written out on how he wants to help his mom get baptized... He was super excited to try to help her, we talked to her and the step dad and she wants to be baptized!!! She needs to get married first, we are going to help them tomorrow to get all the documents and stuff! That was a miracle that came out of nowhere!

Lots of great things are happening right now, I am really learning how to be patient and humble right now. things don't happen in our time when WE want them... Its all in the Lords hands and we just need to put our trust in him because he knows whats best! Thanks again guys for all you do... I feel so loved getting so many letters and emails from all of you! This church is true!!!

Elder Barton

Short Update 2-23-15

ok  so I'm running out out time and don't think ill have time to do a family or group email!!! :(( but i emailed lots of ya guys individually :) but today we went to a place called 25 de março and it was super cool!!!! its like the downtown area of Osasco!!! it was suuuuper sick haha ill send some pics!!!

                     ​haha these guys were trying to make money taking pics with people! pooped my pants

Elder Barton's Email // 2-16-15

Whaaaaaats up whaats up everybody!

   This week was awesome as always! Loving it down here... this week was a pretty regular week, Elder Almeida has been sick most of the week, so is been a little harder to work... But hes been a champ and has tried his hardest to stay motivated! The Lord definitely helped him out! 

   I went on an exchange this week with our Zone Leader Elder Jacobson, and it was super fun haha! He is an American from Georgia, and is a super cool guy! Haha one of the lessons we taught was super funny because it was with a super nice old lady, and we walked into her house and there were dolls EVERYWHERE!! Like her house was COVERED! haha it was a little scary im not going to lie, I felt like they were all going to come alive and attack us! We  were ready to defend... But Elder Jacobson managed to  snap a picture when she went to the bathroom haha... She was a super nice lady! Later that night with Elder Jacobson, we went to Irenildes house (the sister of Nice and Iranice, who's waiting to be baptized) and we did an baptismal interview with her... she ended up deciding that she still wants to wait a little longer, she i completely ready to be baptized but she is having a tough time cause she doesn't think she can forgive her father for what he did to the mother.. So sad, we have been sharing many sciptures with her about putting our trust in the lord, and forgiveness. We testified to her that receiving the holy ghost and being baptized will help her with these problems... and are trying to be there for her the best we can. It was cool also, last night Elder Almedia were at her house talking about it, and I had an impression to ask her if she wants a priesthood blessing. We told her a little bit about what a blessing is and are going to give her a blessing tonight. So cool, it is sucha blessing and privilege that we have the restored priesthood on the earth today. I had the privilege to sit in on Elder Almeidas patriarchal blessing this week also, and was soo cool, it was so awesome hearing Heavenly Father speak through the patriarch in a different language! It made me realize that it truly is the priesthood of God, and it is the same priesthood everywhere... I am so grateful for that!

this week was a great week, and I love you all so much!! thanks for everything!

Elder Barton

                                            photos of the rain storm last week!!!!

                                                     dining with Guinea Pigs

                                        Exchanges with Elder Jacobson - crazy doll lady

                                                   first vision in the sacred grove

                                               Fresh BUZZ cut!

                                          Letters from the family back home!!!

Weekly Email 2/09/15

Whaaats up whaaats up everybody!!!!

 Want to start off by giving a shout out to MATTIE SLEIGHT getting her mission call to the Philippines!!!!! Going to the same place as Scott Baylon, that's soo awesome congrats!!! This week was an awesome week down here in brassssssil! It was a more mellow week, not too much happened but ti was still an awesome week! Elder Almeida and I found a lot of new people to teach which is awesome!! We are super excited about that! We found an inactive member who served in Manaus Brazil named Leondro who lives right below Irenilde, Irenice and Nice (Irenice and Nice were the ones who just got baptized) and it was such a miracle to find him because he is wanting to go back to church and has a girlfriend with a kid who is a non member and we are going to start teaching them! Super excited about that, they are an awesome little family!! 

Oh my gosh and this week there was the GNARLIEST rain storm ever holy cow!!! haha we were with a member named Thales, walking to a teaching appointment up these super steep hills to get there, it started raining a little bit and then all the sudden started POURING! like the craziest rain i have ever seen! It seriously looked like a muddy river going down the roads! it was super flooded and a bunch of cars kept sliding out and stuff it was so intense haha! In one part on the road, it was completely flooded and we were walking in water up to our knees haha it was soo sick!!! Thales took some pictures with his phone but he hasn't sent them to me yet, I will try to get them this week and send the pics to you guys! haha but it was soo crazy, I have never seen anything like that in my life! Soooo much rain it was ridiculous! This week was a good week, I am loving my mission and being here in Brazil... I am starting to get more and more comfortable with Portuguese and feeling like a local... No big deal, haha just getting I can be spotted from a mile away as the tall white kid! but I did buy a soccer jersey so maybe if I wear that around I will gain some respect hahah... I know this church is the true church of Jesus Christ restored on the earth and I am soo happy to be serving! thank you all so much for you emails and support1 Until next week! 

Elder Barton

SPREADING THE WORD...

Weekly Email// First Transfer DOWN!

Opa Boa Tarde Gente!!

First transfer DOWN! Man, that went by pretty dang fast looking back, and I'm coming up on three months being on the mish too which is crazy! But this week was such an awesome way to end the transfer!!

First thing I wanna talk about is the training for all the new missionaries that we had on Wednesday. It was in the chapel right next to the São Paulo temple and was super cool! It was with the assistants and President Del Guerso and we were taught a bunch of stuff on how we can teach better and be overall better missionaries it was super helpful! I also got to see all my friends from the MTC which was awesome! And then after the taining, we went to MCDONALDS!!! It was soo good to get some good wholesome American fast food back in the system... haha there's a bunch of McDonald's that I found out about in São Paulo and one right by the temple!!! I know where I will be going with the Americans after the temple from now on... haha but its super expensive here so probably wont go too much haha... Then after that, we went to the Deseret Book store and they sell DR PEPPER!!!! Holy cow I was soo stoked!!! They don't have Dr Pepper here, so I was in American paradise!! So sweet! But later that night I ate chicken feet in a members house and realized I'm in Brazil... Haha aw man, eating chicken feet was so weird but actually pretty good!

     Then yesterday was such a good day!!! It was the baptism of our investigators Nice and Irenice!! Irenilde (the oldest one) ended up deciding that she wants to wait a couple weeks until the 14th of February to be completely feel completely ready.. Shes so awesome, she feels like she has to completely perfect before being baptized... We met with her several times just talking to her about how she doesn't need to be perfect, but I'm so proud of her for waiting and making sure its something she really wants to do! And after seeing her sisters get baptized yesterday I think she really felt the spirit and is excited for hers! I had the opportunity to baptize Nice (neecy) who is 16 and it was such an awesome experience... All the members did such an awesome job welcoming them into the ward and it was soo cool to see the young woman welcome them in also! I am so happy to be on my mission right now, and I know that this is truly the lords work... I am so happy to be seeing these miracles take place every day and am so grateful! I love you guys all so much, and think about you all everyday! This church is true!!

Elder Barton

PHOTOS:   We did some work for some members in the favelas... just to give ya a feel how it looks!  The roofs are just sheet metal and the walls are pieces of like plywood haha it's crazy!!  We helped them put in the concrete with cinderblocks (where the rebar is coming out of the ground).

On the way to the service project with members last week... "king of Sao Paulo?"

They have a super good drink called Caldo de Cana.  It is sugar cane plant and they put it in this grinder thing and comes right out as juice!!!  It is so good!

Repine the Brazil flag in da streetz

Elder Almeida burning his tie inside our apartment...(half way done)

Family Night last week with the whole crew!!! (members)

Family night last week with Irenilde (on left with blue shirt) Irenice (middle) and Nice (on right) girl with hands on my Shoulders is Maria de Lourdes, she calls herself my black mom  ha ha

I baptized Nice and Elder Almeida baptized Irenice... SO COOL!

The CREW... 

Left to right...(Maria de Lourdes...who introduced us to the girls and is now reactivated), Irenice 13 yrs., Irenilde 29, Nice 16, AND brown trout (not looking at the camera... haha)

With our WARD Mission Leader Robson!  He is such an awesome GUY!  He is so funny ha ha you guys would LOVE him!

Nice and I... 

Super Gnarly rain this morning!!!  all the water was going up on the sidewalks and making a huge mud river going down our apartment complex ha ha!!!  This was taken from our apartment window.

Updated mailing Address...

I had the incorrect mailing address for Elder Barton! 

Missão Brasil São Paulo Oeste

Rua Doutor Rui Bastista Pereira, 165

Jardim Caxingui-São Paulo-SP

CEP: 05517-080

Brasil