Email: October 15, 2018 - Ghost busters, rain, all dressed in white and the love of god
This email is going to be a long one, so I'll cut out the days where not a lot happened
Thursday: Thursday was quite an interesting day. We got a call from the YSA sisters in the morning asking if we could help them out. Of course, we were more than happy to. Then they started to explain the situation
To put it in simple words, one of the new people they are teaching believes that a witch put a curse her (there is a story where she meets this said witch, but this would be a really long email). So lately they have been hearing voices and sounds in the wall of her hair salon. The scariest thing to her, however, is she has been having some very vivid dreams that are really crazy and when she went to read from The Book of Mormon whatever it was got upset and she felt the floor start shaking. Talk about a testimony for The Book of Mormon if an evil spirit doesn't want you to read it.
So supposedly this curse has been placed on her and her salon. After talking to the zone leaders who, talked to the assistants, Elder Mora and I received permission to leave our zone, go to the hair salon and deal with this thing.
So, we met the YSA sisters and their friend at the hair salon. When we got there nobody else was in the building so the atmosphere was pretty creepy considering the context.
Well, we talked to this person about the experiences they have been having. Even while we were there they were pointing out different noises. To me they sounded like regular noises a building makes, but at the at the same time something just seemed off about the whole thing. Well we dedicated the salon and gave this person a blessing and they felt much better.
So, I guess I am a ghost buster now. First for everything.
Friday: On Friday we had exchanges with the Zone Leaders and Elder Seipel came to my area. I love Elder Seipel, he is such a funny guy. But the best part about this exchange was the fact that I learned a lot about myself. Where I'm doing well and where I need improvement and it's definitely something that is going to bless me after my mission. I also learned how I can apply the things I learned. I not only learned where I can improve, but how I can actually improve rather than trying and failing.
Get ready for a new and improved Elder Barton coming soon.
Also, it rained for the first time in 7 months and it rained hard! It was a down pour. I was completely drenched, and it was cool to watch the lightning.
Saturday: Today was the baptism of Peter and Isabella Fakatoumafi. This baptism was nearly a disaster and let me tell you why.
To start we got a text from our ward mission leader that everyone who was on the program couldn't make it, so we texted the other missionaries throughout the zone and they pulled through for us and put on the program.
When we went to actually perform the baptism the font was barely filled. Turns out the plug wasn't all the way in and was slowly draining the entire time. So, we had to wait another 20 minutes for the font to fill up enough to perform the baptism for Peter. Then another 10 for Isabella.
Also, since Peter and Isabella's Dad is Tongan, they have crazy middle names. So, I nearly forgot Isabella's middle name but fortunately I got it, but I missed 1 word in the commission. So, I had to do it twice 👍
Sunday: Sunday was another fantastic day. Peter and Isabella were confirmed as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Definitely another sweet memory to have from my mission.
These past couple of days I have truly felt the joy that comes from this gospel. It's something I have never really felt before, but I absolutely love the feeling. I'm just so, so happy and I'm seeing the good in everything.
It makes me even happier to feel this way because at the start of this week I was pretty down. Being a positive person has been a big goal of mine since being on the mission and to finally feel everything I have been working hard at take root is an amazing feeling. I have been able to express my gratitude more often, be more sincere, genuine and find it easier to smile and laugh. It's helped me realize the person my Father in Heaven wants me to be.
All of this has also helped me realize that a lot of the things that I thought made me happy simply just don't, at least not on this level. I have always thought that I needed video games, TV, movies, music and all of that to make me happy when, in reality, it's just temporary. What I really need, and what all of us really actually need to make us happy, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I learned in this past General Conference that there is joy in keeping the commandments. This is something I always knew, especially as a missionary, but it was something I never applied it to myself. I never sought out the happiness and never realized that there is happiness in knowing you are doing what God wants you to do and because of that you know with a surety you are on the right path.
Lately I have been blessed with seeing through God's eyes. Seeing how we are all his children. Feeling the unending, unchanging, unmatched love that our Father in Heaven has for us.
The Savior in the New Testament said "Love with your heart wide open and you will see the world through me" having had that experience I can testify of how sincerely the Savior is yearning for us to use his atonement in our life. To let him bear us up, to keep us moving forward. He is our brother, savior and friend
-Elder Barton
Thursday: Thursday was quite an interesting day. We got a call from the YSA sisters in the morning asking if we could help them out. Of course, we were more than happy to. Then they started to explain the situation
To put it in simple words, one of the new people they are teaching believes that a witch put a curse her (there is a story where she meets this said witch, but this would be a really long email). So lately they have been hearing voices and sounds in the wall of her hair salon. The scariest thing to her, however, is she has been having some very vivid dreams that are really crazy and when she went to read from The Book of Mormon whatever it was got upset and she felt the floor start shaking. Talk about a testimony for The Book of Mormon if an evil spirit doesn't want you to read it.
So supposedly this curse has been placed on her and her salon. After talking to the zone leaders who, talked to the assistants, Elder Mora and I received permission to leave our zone, go to the hair salon and deal with this thing.
So, we met the YSA sisters and their friend at the hair salon. When we got there nobody else was in the building so the atmosphere was pretty creepy considering the context.
Well, we talked to this person about the experiences they have been having. Even while we were there they were pointing out different noises. To me they sounded like regular noises a building makes, but at the at the same time something just seemed off about the whole thing. Well we dedicated the salon and gave this person a blessing and they felt much better.
So, I guess I am a ghost buster now. First for everything.
Friday: On Friday we had exchanges with the Zone Leaders and Elder Seipel came to my area. I love Elder Seipel, he is such a funny guy. But the best part about this exchange was the fact that I learned a lot about myself. Where I'm doing well and where I need improvement and it's definitely something that is going to bless me after my mission. I also learned how I can apply the things I learned. I not only learned where I can improve, but how I can actually improve rather than trying and failing.
Get ready for a new and improved Elder Barton coming soon.
Also, it rained for the first time in 7 months and it rained hard! It was a down pour. I was completely drenched, and it was cool to watch the lightning.
Saturday: Today was the baptism of Peter and Isabella Fakatoumafi. This baptism was nearly a disaster and let me tell you why.
To start we got a text from our ward mission leader that everyone who was on the program couldn't make it, so we texted the other missionaries throughout the zone and they pulled through for us and put on the program.
When we went to actually perform the baptism the font was barely filled. Turns out the plug wasn't all the way in and was slowly draining the entire time. So, we had to wait another 20 minutes for the font to fill up enough to perform the baptism for Peter. Then another 10 for Isabella.
Also, since Peter and Isabella's Dad is Tongan, they have crazy middle names. So, I nearly forgot Isabella's middle name but fortunately I got it, but I missed 1 word in the commission. So, I had to do it twice 👍
Sunday: Sunday was another fantastic day. Peter and Isabella were confirmed as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Definitely another sweet memory to have from my mission.
These past couple of days I have truly felt the joy that comes from this gospel. It's something I have never really felt before, but I absolutely love the feeling. I'm just so, so happy and I'm seeing the good in everything.
It makes me even happier to feel this way because at the start of this week I was pretty down. Being a positive person has been a big goal of mine since being on the mission and to finally feel everything I have been working hard at take root is an amazing feeling. I have been able to express my gratitude more often, be more sincere, genuine and find it easier to smile and laugh. It's helped me realize the person my Father in Heaven wants me to be.
All of this has also helped me realize that a lot of the things that I thought made me happy simply just don't, at least not on this level. I have always thought that I needed video games, TV, movies, music and all of that to make me happy when, in reality, it's just temporary. What I really need, and what all of us really actually need to make us happy, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I learned in this past General Conference that there is joy in keeping the commandments. This is something I always knew, especially as a missionary, but it was something I never applied it to myself. I never sought out the happiness and never realized that there is happiness in knowing you are doing what God wants you to do and because of that you know with a surety you are on the right path.
Lately I have been blessed with seeing through God's eyes. Seeing how we are all his children. Feeling the unending, unchanging, unmatched love that our Father in Heaven has for us.
The Savior in the New Testament said "Love with your heart wide open and you will see the world through me" having had that experience I can testify of how sincerely the Savior is yearning for us to use his atonement in our life. To let him bear us up, to keep us moving forward. He is our brother, savior and friend
-Elder Barton
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| About to go ghost busting at the salon (I was so drained after) |
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| "I just wanted to let you know... There's a storm coming" a quick inside joke for Cory and Rebecca |
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| Completely soaked |
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| White out (the difference between our shirts and our pants though) |
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| When members give you Taco Bell for dinner |
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