1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 10/3/2016

Wow, OK so this is officially the last email that i will write to y'all......

I don't believe it honestly, haha that it has come to an end. I am so grateful, and torn apart in so many ways. 

This week was a great week! We were so spiritually fed and able to feel the spirit with so many things that happened. The sweet spirit in the temple on Tuesday, feeling truly that everything we do in the temple has an eternal purpose and that it is truly the house of the Lord. Having the last multi-zone conference on Friday and being able to learn about consecration, and the importance of us to sacrifice all things before the Lord, putting them on the "Altar of sacrifice" Our fears, passions, pride, laziness, and doubt on the altar and giving all of our devotion, talents and efforts to the Lord and His great work. I was able to bear my testimony at this meeting about my mission and the things that I have learned and felt on my mission. Then having General Conference hearing the chosen, authorized witnesses of Jesus Christ testify about the things each and every one of us need to do in these last days to prepare for the Lords glorious second coming. I felt in so many ways, loving corrections from Heavenly Father of what i need to do to be better and was so uplifted feeling the spirit. I am grateful to feel every time I watch conference a confirmation that what they say is truly coming from Heavenly Father.

I know that all these things that I learned this week and also during my whole mission are to help me for the rest of my life. I think one of the biggest things that I have learned is that how real Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are and how we are so dependent of them and their divine counsel. I have also learned that there is an opposite force, and how he is so real and tries to thwart our progress daily and those whom we try to help. I have learned that the mission helped ME alot more than I probably was able to help others like my dad always told me, but I am also well aware that is not about me. I can´t be selfish and say that the mission was all for me. I know that I have become much better because of what I have done, but its not about me. There's a song that says that from the EFY album this year that I like a lot that's called "It´s not about you" at the end it says "So you've become a lot better because what you have been through, but its not about you!" I know that this is Heavenly Fathers work and not in any way mine. I have seen that so strongly on my mission, how everything lines up perfectly and we find all the people that Heavenly Father wants to do if we just simply do our part. He knows exactly, and I mean exactly what He is doing in all moments. It could have been the completely the worst day with everything going wrong, but every time if I just tried to do my best and remember my missionary purpose, it would all always work out. Always. Now I can´t even hardly remember those hard moments, but only the ones of intense joy feeling Heavenly Fathers love for me and for these amazing Brazilian people. I have come to love these people, and imagine what Heavenly Father feels for each and every one of us. I have learned how to recognize the spirit, and understand how he works, his importance. Without him, we are completely lost and its better to not even teach. (D&C 42:14) 

I have learned to study the scriptures, and enjoy them. I have learned the importance of the Book of Mormon as the keystone of our religion and how it was written for OUR TIME, written for US! Like was said in conference. I could stay here the whole day truly talking about what I have been so blessed for all I learned these 2 years but overall, I have learned that Jesus Christ is my savior and that this truly is His church. I don't think I can ever deny that. I know that I wasn't a perfect missionary, but I know i gave my best and that these things I learned will benefit me for the rest of my life and eternity. I cant thank all of you guys all enough as well for being SO supportive ALWAYS. I don't think one week passed when I didn't get an email from my family supporting me and telling me they were rooting for me. I know that my mission has also helped me perceive the importance of my family and how much I truly love each and every one of them Olin, Jentry, Amara, Alex, Ryan, Austin, Hannah, Maci, Demi and LITTLE BABY BEA! And the best parents in the world... I love this gospel soo much, and am so grateful that I chose to serve a mission at the time that I did, and for where I was sent, what i felt and I am going to be full of emotions going back home, but I just need to stop talking about this and be grateful for everything that I have learned in these two years! I bear my testimony that this is the only true church on the face of this earth, that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that this is the only path that will help us to be like our savior, making covenants with Him by His holy priesthood, and repenting of our sins receiving guidance from His living Prophets. 

I love you all SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCHHHHH and am soooooooooooooooo excited to see you all IN A WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This will probably be my last email because I think next week we wont use the Internet! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I LOVE YOU GUYSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SO EXCITED TO GIVE ALL OF YOU A HUGEEE HUG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ELDER BARTON SIGNING OUT 

FOR GOOD. 

SEE YOU ALL SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON

 

"2" Sept. 27th, 2016

OLÁ FAMILIA!! Holy cow FALTAM DUAS SEMANAS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its weird cause looking here at the "2" and thinking that I seriously only have two weeks left in the mission field. I feel like I want to cry, jump up and down, have to change my trousers, and scream all at the same time. I honestly don't even know how to explain what I am feeling. These have been the best two years oh man. But lets  just not even talk about that...

THE WEEK:

This week was a super great week. We are finding so many great people and having so many awesome experiences. We were able to do an  awesome FHE with Rení which was a super cool experience, we invited a few other widows from the ward and held the FHE at that awesome families house from Rio Grande do Sul (renís neighbors) And watched a video about the importance of faith during the hard moments in our life basing the message also off of Helaman 5:12. Only one widow was able to go, Irmã Edilene who's a super awesome lady! She bore such a powerful testimony about her faith in Jesus Christ and how it helped her when her husband passed away (a couple years ago) The spirit was way strong that's for sure! And we were able to commit Rení for baptism this week!!!! She went to church and everything this week and oh gosh we felt soo blessed!!!!! We sang "Lord I would  follow thee" In sacrament meeting and i was next to her and could tell she was really feeling the spirit, at the end she looked at me and said "I liked that one" with a smile on her face. She truly is progressing well and we are going to do everything we can to help hr be baptized on October 9th! Were going to visit her with another sister from the relief society tonight and take another widow and bishop too  this week! 

We also met a super awesome couple this week from England!!!!! A good ol buddy of ours named gleidilson (one of the black guys with dreads) met another black guy with dreads through a language learning social app and his name is Deen. He decided to move here, and came with his "wife" (they need to get married) called Rhianna. They are such awesome people haaha oh gosh their all artsy and talk with the British accent and everything haha and are so sick!!! THEY WENT TO CHURCH TWO WEEKS IN A ROW! They are currently living with Gleidilson and his wife and looking for a house to live in! We started teaching them and they have lots of potential cause they are wanting to start a family and planning to get married and all that good stuff so we are super stoked!!! I feel so dang blessed and have been able to strengthen my testimony so much recently that Heavenly Father knows all things, feeling a little bummed recently cause we were feeling like we were working a ton and not seeing much results. But the thing is, theres always results. What i learned so much during my mission is that its not all about baptisms, our success isn't measured with just  baptisms. Its our conversion that's the most important thing. I know that if we just do all things cheerfully, the Lord will always do His part. Always. In His time.

I love you guys all so much and am soo GRATEFUL for yaaaa!!! 

HAVE AN AWESOME WEEK 

Elder Barton

D&C 123:17

 17 Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully doall things that lie in our power; and then may we standstill, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.

"3" 9/19/2016

Opa! 

Man, this week was a pretty rewarding and awesome week!!! 

I feel like this week we were able to really have some great things happen! WE have been working like crazy and feeling a little bummed because not much has been happening. But this week we had some really great things happen and some awesome spiritual experience that really strengthened my testimony! I was able to do an exchange with my beloved son Elder Guimarães to do two baptism interviews and during one of them, I had a way cool experience. He was a Japanese man named Jerry, and it was way cool to see truly how ready this man was for baptism. He told me a little bit about his story and how he came to know the church. In another area outside of our zone, he has some great friends whom are members of the church. He has known them for quite a while but never went to church or sparked any interest, but one day, he just had a huge desire out of nowhere to read the book of Mormon. He requested one on the Internet and the missionaries started to visit him. My good Friends Elder Dhonal and Elder Alves were the ones who started to teach him (at his work in the other area) They showed him a video of Christ being baptized and in the part when the holy ghost descends upon Christ in the form a dove Jerry felt the biggest feeling of like heat and just a good feeling come upon him. He even told elder alves and elder dhonal to stop the video because he wanted to know exactly what he was feeling haha! It was way cool, his testimony definitely helped me to strengthen mine! I also met an incredible woman named Jucicleide that elder Guimarães is teaching who is a really special person with a strong desire to follow christ. It was cool to learn with my own son and see how he has progressed so much! He is training a freshhhh american named elder olmstead... haha my grandson! 

Also in our area, we found lots of awesome people this week and we are being able to work a little more effectively with the members getting some referrals and what not! We also stared working in a different area to mix thing up a little bit! We received a referral from an awesome family from Rio Grande do Sul (an awesome people that eats a lot of BBQ and drinks lots of chimarrão)  haha we visited there neighbor who is a little sweet old lady named Rení and just barely lost her husband less than 40 days ago! She is soo ready for the gospel! Poor little thing is so beat up, we just sat down and talked to her for a while and heard her out teaching a little bit about eternal life and eternal marriage. We watched a video with her called "expressions of love" that talks about eternal marriage. We testified that its not over, and that she can have this eternal marriage also if she does whats right here in the earth. The spirit was very strong, and she thanked us a ton for the visit, she is such a sweet little lady. I know shes ready. We also found lots of other awesome other people this week. Daniel and Sheila still aren't wanting to cooperate. haha but I am so glad to know that Heavenly Father is in charge. I love Him so much, and feel His presence so much in this work. I am grateful for everything that my mission is helping me to learn, and the experiences you have on a daily basis. I'm not gonna get too trunky here haha i don't even want to think that it's coming to an end so lets just wrap it up! I'm gonna keep giving it my all and I know Heavenly Father will take care of it all! I love you guys so much and thanks for your support! Have an awesome week!!!!!

Elder Barton

FOUR!

Olá meus amiginhos!!

This week was awesome because we were able to participate in a "helping hands" service project which was such a neat and humbling experience! Our whole zone went as well as some youth from each ward, and we went to a humble, small and run down center for people with disabilities and dang, was it an awesome experience!! We went and just hung out with the people there, playing with them, painting, talking, helping them eat, and helping the workers there clean the facility. 

Gosh they are such special and happy people oh man, by the time we left the facility, we knew the names of almost all the people haha! We were talking with the owner a little bit in a small group of missionaries and one missionary (elder M. Souza) asked her what she had learned most working at the center. What she responded was something that was way cool and I will never forget. She said "I learned most that when I'm here, I'm not helping them as much as they are helping me" talking about the people with disabilities. I know that's true, and I felt that so much there! They are such pure, and innocent happy people. I felt so helped by them and left that building thinking "Did I do anything to help these people?" I just felt like I had been helped, like my spirits were lifted. It was so cool, and at the end was one of the coolest parts, we went out into the parking lot, all of the volunteers with their yellow jerseys on and the owner and we all got in a circle and sung "I am a child of god" and said a prayer, as we sung, I looked at the owners face and I could see that she had been touched. We had various missionary opportunities and I know that the spirit was present! I feel grateful for these special people that Heavenly Father puts on the earth to help us and lift our spirits! 

Other than this awesome experience, the week was super good! We had an opportunity to do an exchange with some missionaries in our zone, translate for an American senior couple of missionaries that came to our ward yesterday, and some other tough things that happened with investigators becoming a little soft and what not but its all good! I am so grateful for the small opportunities that I have to serve each day and am trying my hardest to GIVE IT MY ALL here at the end!! I don't wanna think about it haha! 

Thanks for all the supportive emails!! I love you guys sooooo much!!!!!!

ELDER BARTON

5 weeks until return...9/05/16

Heyyy everybodyy!!!

This week was pretty sweet! We had mission council meeting which was awesome! We learned a lot about the importance of working with members and the ward leadership to be able to better "establish zion" In our areas! It was super cool! We watched a video that I really like that shows how beautiful it is when the missionaries work together with families to teach the gospel! Its something that can be so simple, if we let it be. I know that if we all pray for opportunities during the day to share the gospel and if we are worthy, the Lord will bless us with these opportunities. Elder Neil L. Andersen gave us this promise 

"I promise you, as you pray to know with whom to speak, names and faces will come into your mind. Words to speak will be given in the very moment you need them. Opportunities will open to you. Faith will overcome doubt, and the Lord will bless you with your very own miracles."

I know that if all of us just try our best, and pray for specific opportunies we will be blessed and will be capicitated by the Lord to share what we know with those we know. I bear my testimony of these things and invite all of you to look and pray for these opportunies. I bear my testimony that this is the best work in the world. I dont want to stop doing it, i love my Savior and am grateful that its His work, and not ours. So we just need to do our best and be obeidient and he´ll take care of the rest! 

heres that video, super awesome!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jbRUXWVMlw

LOVE YOU GUYS AND HOPE YOU HAVE AN AWESOME WEEK!

Elder Barton

PS also this week president chose Elder Bartling and I to do visits with some reporter guy from the University of São Paulo that is making a documentary about the church and wanted to stay with us during the day filming us haha! I felt pretty dang cool, not gonna lie walking around with a guy recording us haha! But it was also a little wierd haha. Hes gonna interview us also on Wednesday about a bunch of stuff! We were trying to teach him the whole day as we walked haha he already has a pretty good understanding of the church cause he's interviewed a bunch of people and talked with a bunch already! he's gonna go to church in a couple weeks he said in another ward! haha pretty sweet!!!

g

RELATORIO SEMANAL 8/22/16

E aí everybodayy!

This week was awesome. "só benção" 

It started off with an awesome "Zone Council" that elder bartling and decided to do with our zone to help everyone BOND a little bit if ya know what I mean... haha we had a lil breakfast, played a few GAMES "ryan knows what voice I'm doing that in" haha and we just had a discussion about how every things going in the zone and what we can do to become better, it was way cool and we all go to know each other a little better! Then, we had a multi zone conference with ohh big President Thomas which was way cool. Its cool to see how he is such an inspired man, and is already filling the shoes of President del Guerso. I know that I have so much to learn with him, I heard recently that you are called to a certain mission because of the president, that when the apostles and prophet choose they look at the presidents of each mission and choose by the president. I really believe in that. STUD.

I also had the opportunity to go back to my PLACE OF BIRTH, JARDIM CONCEIÇÃO I really want to put exclamation marks, but the key stopped working for some reason haha. And boy was it awesome, i did an exchange there and I was able to see so many people it was so dang awesome some of my favorite members there bought us pizza haha it was so sick<<< I learned a lot also with the missionary I was with, elder M. Souza. He's a super awesome, humble and happy missionary that was my son's elder travassos comp in the MTC, haha so its sweet. This week we also found a super awesome family from a girl that we met at church named Paloma. She just showed up out of nowhere last Sunday with a member whos trying to come back to church named Rita. She's super awesome and lives with her son Mikael who's inactive and Paloma who's his boyfriend. Mikael is being a little tougher, but Paloma is so awesome! She is loving church and accepting everything super well, we just need to see if we can marry these peeps. Paloma is awesome, so she's gonna push Mikael and help them to either get married or separate haha  All the other families are doing good, only one woman went, but she's awesome ha its like the same situation with paloma and mikeal, her husband's an inactive member and they aren't married. 

Feel super grateful for these people that we are teaching that Heavenly Father has given to us. I heard a quote yesterday that I really liked. "that when we pray, we should think about how it would be if we woke up with only the things that we thanked Heavenly Father for yesterday." It is so important to thank Him for all of the little things we have, even the most simple blessings. I love this work so much, and I am grateful for all of you guys, sorry this email was so long today haha. I hope you all have an awesome week.

Elder Barton

                                                                           Multi Zone Conference :)

Weekly REPORT 8 - 15 - 2016

HOLYYYYY COW I'M JUST GONNA GO STRAIGHT FOR IT AND START OFF THIS LETTER WITH A HUGEEEEEEEEEEEEEE SHOUTOUT TO MY BROTHER RYAN AND HANNAH'S NEW DAUGHTER BEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cant believe she has finally arrived!!!! I cant believe you guys are PARENTS haha and that I'm an uncle!!!!!! Congrats you guys thatssooooo awesome the TINY has born!!!!

Haha, this week and last couple weeks have been some tougher weeks in the area but super good ones. Here in the "small river" its been a little tough to take the peeps to that church haha but its all good, we are being so blessed still! I had the opportunity to do an exchange with my SON this week also haha Elder Guimarães which was super awesome!!!! He is in my zone now and actually my district leader haha, its kinda weird being bossed around by your own son, but this kids a stud haha! It was cool to see how hes grown and to learn with him in our exchange! Hes really LEFT THE NEST if you know what i mean! haha but it was way cool, we went and did a baptismal interview for the sisters baptism in Novo Osasco and then came back to the smallllll river to work! During the week, we continued teaching these two new families that we have and did some FHEs with them which was awesome! They are being fellow shipped really well with the ward but just NEED TO GO TO CHURCH haha! 

 With work, weddings, and a bunch of stuff neither one of them were able to go to church but next week its all ready to go! We also were working with a bunch of other people that all bailed out Sunday morning haha :( but when we were picking people up on Sunday and when the last person wasn't home, we decided to say a prayer and we just felt that someone was at church. Even though everyone that we had talked to said they wouldnt go, we felt that someone was there. When we got there two different members had brought investigators!!! We were so happy and knew that it was a huge blessing! I have truly gained a testimony of how hard Satan works on Saturday to mess people up and not go to church, but I know that Heavenly Father always works in His ways, and has all the power! 

Love you guys sooo much and have an awesome week!!!!!!!!!

Elder Barton

                                                  Last Few weeks in Photos :)