Season 2 Episode 17: Fast Food

Malo Soifua!

This week has been awesome! To start off we had a baptism on Saturday! Remember our investigator Joanne who is only 9? Well, she is super smart and she was super prepared to baptized it was a very cool experience and we were so happy that we could baptize her at this age so she could grow up in the church! You know what I am saying? 

We have also been working with a few promising investigators! The only sad part is Transfers are next week so we won't be there for there baptisms! I guess the important part is that they are getting baptized right? I can't remember if I talked about Verona in the last email but, every time we visit her she is always talking about how getting baptized feels like the right thing and she knows this church is true. It is crazy how prepared she has been by the Lord. So we are trying to take it slow with her so she understands the doctrine in the first 5 lessons! 

Oh yeah, also we had fast food every single day this past week. Oh my gosh my stomach has never hurt so much in my life. It was either McDonald's or Carls hr. every day! So, Crazy! We are trying so hard to work out everyday so we don't gain a bunch of weight haha! Luckily we sweat all day and so that really helps! 

Man, I think I am just super focused on this Sunday for skyping because I can't think about what happened during this week lol! Speaking of Skype I need someone's Skype username! Asap! I will be skyping in probably 7 or 8 at night your time! But, I would just be expecting a call anywhere from 6 at night and later! 

I really hope you guys had a great week and are enjoying your time together! I am so excited to see you all this Sunday! I hope you all know I am always praying for you guys! Hope you all are enjoying the snow and the cold haha! Sorry this email is so short but, I am being honest I can't think about what happened this past week! It was just a solid week and we are ready for this week to work our hardest with this last week we are given here! Love you all!

Elder Barton!

Season 2 Episode 16: Pava Boys

Malo Soifua!

We had a pretty great week down here in Pava! Things are starting to move forward a little bit quicker and we have a few more promising investigators! Really blessed to be working with Elder Tiatia in this Area! 

This Saturday we are baptizing a girl named Joanne. She is 9 years old but, she is very smart. Every time we teach her we always review all the lessons we have taught her and she gets all the questions right! So we are super excited for her and can't wait for this Saturday! 

We also met this girl Verona this week and she seems super prepared to hear the message we have to share! She is going through a divorce and has three kids which is super sad but, also a perfect time for her to hear the message! We have a baptismal date for her on the very last Saturday of this month! After the first lesson we could just see everything clicking in her mind. She was kind of at a loss for words. I don't know, it is just so crazy how the Lord works. He really does care for all of his children and knows exactly when they need to be taught! 

We also had this guy chase us down so we could start teaching him. His name is Pangia and he has already been through 8 sets of missionaries. It was funny because he was just like " I like the missionaries all of them talk about the exact same thing." lol duh! Anyway, next time we go back we are going to see what is holding him back from being baptized so hopefully that goes well!

So here is a funny story for your week! Yesterday night I was getting ready to go shower and I was in the bathroom and I saw a cockroach on the wall, so I got our cockroach spray and sprayed him. Well, he was just chilling there and I thought he was just going to die. I was wrong. I started to undress and this cockroach jumps right for my pants! I honestly never let out such a girl scream in my life before! Luckily because I screamed I moved my pants and the cockroach missed from landing in my pants! My companion was laughing so hard! Dang that was sooo scary! Good thing I am still alive!

Anyway, I hope you are all enjoying the Christmas weather! I would love to see some Pics! By the way the lady that opens up our emailing room says we can't send Pictures anymore... We are going to talk to the Bishop this wee because we think that is a dumb rule! I hope you all have had a great week! Skyping day is soon upon us! I should be skyping in anywhere from 6-10 at night! Big gap that is all I know! I love you guys and I am always praying for you! Thanks for all of your prayers! They really do help! Alofa Aku!

Elder Barton

Season 2 Episode 15: Baptism Dates!

Hello Family!

Well we are finally into my favorite month of the year! December! To bad there is no snow down here though! Oh well! Well lets get into this week!

First off we have 3 investigators with Baptismal Dates! Joanne (9) Lina (50+) and Petelo(40+)! Joanne's parents are already a member but, for some reason she has not been baptized. Joanne is super sweet and very shy but, we love teaching her and she seems to be getting more comfortable with us each time we visit so that is good! Lina is a super kind lady and she honestly seems so prepared by the Lord to hear what we have to say! When we gave her the invitation to be baptized she just said Yes. We were kind of shocked and had to ask the question again because we didn't think she understood our Samoan Lol! She also wants to be baptized with her family so we get to teach the whole family this week! Petelo is a pretty cool dude. Whenever I say his name I think of potato haha. Anyway, I feel like Petelo needs a lot of work but, we love him none the less. He is super quite but, enjoys our lessons and seems really interested in what we are teaching! The work has really picked up this Transfer! 

We have a few other investigators we are working with and we are hoping to commit them to baptism this week! We will see what happens though!

Well, it is still super hot and humid here in Samoa! Does not feel like Christmas! I guess that is good in a way because I don't really feel to homesick! I haven't really told you guys much about Samoa so here are a few things!

For Dinner we usually eat a mixture of these things:

Taro, Ulu, Fa'i, Fried Chicken, some type of soup, Juice and Palusami! The people here are awesome! They are all super friendly and they are always looking out for us and joking with us! However, the Samoan people love to gossip. Super annoying because it can really offend people to the point where they won't come to church. That is one con here. But, for real the people here are awesome! they love to sing! I wish you guys could hear them! I love sacrament meeting because they just sing so loud and it actually sounds good! The Samoan hymns are super dope! I feel the spirit so much when we sing! Anyway that is a little bit about Samoa haha!

I hope you guys have had a great week and are enjoying the cold and the snow! Christmas will soon be upon us! I love this time of year! I always feel so much closer to our Savior for some reason! Which reminds me! We had a Zone conference/Christmas activity this week! IT WAS SO DOPE! In short we had a testimony meeting where all the Elders and Sisters took about one minute and bore their testimony about the first time they committed themselves to Christ. The spirit was so strong almost everyone was in tears. That is one moment I will never forget! We then went to the hospital and sang Christmas carols! Also a very tender moment! I was able to give a blessing to a random person in  the Hospital and that again was a super powerful moment! Man the mission is a very big blessing I am so glad I have this chance to serve Our Savior!

I love you guys so much and I can't wait to skype you on the 25th! Hope you are all enjoying this wonderful season! Also, I saw a commercial for the new star wars movie! Well, kind of I had to keep looking away! Looks cool though lol! Love you guys!

 Love, Elder Barton

Season 2 Episode 14: Drunken Encounters

Talofa Family!

Well, Sounds like you guys had a pretty busy week with Thanksgiving and Nichole's and Bridger's Birthday! I hope you all had a good week and were able to enjoy being together with the Family! We didn't really do much here on Thanksgiving because Elder Tiatia got pretty sick. But, he is better now so that is good! I forgot to mention this but, Elder Tiatia is a huge country fan so he is always seeing country music. His favorite artist is Taylor Swift. To be honest I think I like country music now haha! 

Anyway, this was very good. We didn't have much progression with our investigators but, We had some very humbling experiences this week. We had the chance to have the Ap's come to our area and give us a few tips since we are both so new. It was extremely helpful and very much appreciated. I realized that Elder Tiatia and I had just got stuck in a routine. Which is very dangerous because it brought a lot discouragement to us and we felt like we just weren't succeeding. Anyway, the Ap's really helped us out and gave us some tips! I will admit I was pretty discouraged after they came. Mainly because I felt like I should have seen what we could have done better from the beginning which turned into me feeling like I have been wasting the Lords time. After a few days of thinking like this I had a thought pop into my head. Basically what I came to realize is that Satan is relentless. He will never give up. He will work everyday to try and slowly drag us down to get the point where we feel like we have failed. Having the Ap's come and help us was a great experience but, I didn't see it has a great experience for a few days until, I noticed that I was allowing Satan to work with me. If Satan can discourage us as missionaries and mentally take us out of the "game" He has won. This can be applied to everyday life as well. Satan is very smart and very real. I am thankful for a Loving Heavenly Father though. I know that the thought I had was from God. It really helped me realize how powerful Satan really is and how badly he wants us to be miserable in every way. I am grateful for that experience and I know it has made my testimony of a Loving Heavenly Father even more powerful! I truly am Grateful to be out here serving. Elder Tiatia and I are really motivated for this upcoming week. We really feel like we can get some work done. This area has taught me a lot and I am so grateful for this area. I know I still have 4 weeks left here but, I am super excited to make the best of the time I have been given!

I love you all and I hope and pray that you all have a great week! Keep doing the small and simple things! Can't testify enough of the importance of daily prayer and scripture study! There is real power that comes from doing just those two things! Have a great week!

Elder Barton

P.s. Everyone is already playing Christmas music down here! Still Super hot and green! Next week I will tell you about the encounter we had with a drunk guy who tried to fight us! (We didn't fight! He just doesn't like missionaries and was super drunk)

I have a little bit of time so here is the story of the Drunk man.

Elder Tiatia and I were walking into a store to get some water and there were three guys sitting out front smoking and drinking. But, we don't judge so we went to go to talk to them you know? Well, we shook the two Samoan guys hand and then we went to shake the white mans hand and he just said "NO" I was all thinking like Dang that's pretty cold! Next thing you know this guy starts swearing at us saying how we "F'd it up in Manua" and all these other things and to be honest I had no Idea what he was talking about. so pretty much I was like Ok have a nice day we are gonna buy some water. Well, we come back out and this guy is standing up and then he puts his fists up and he is all like "You read to fight buddy" We just kept walking and then I turn around and he picks up this can and throws it at us! Funny thing is was he was so drunk he threw it straight at the ground haha! Man I have never seen someone so drunk and so disrespectful here in Samoa! That was a blue moon experience! Two years from now I will act it out for you all because it is way funnier with actions! Love you guys!

Season 2: Episode 12&13: No Transfers

Malo Soifua Aiga!

Okay so I wasn't able to email last week due to our churches Wifi being broken! It was super lame not being able to talk with you guys for two weeks! Anyway, the Wifi is fixed and I am back haha! Due to time this email is going to lack detail but, cover some important things. Are you ready? 

Umu:

Last P-day we built an Umu with Brother Talatau. His family is from West Jordan and they are super tight! Umu=Dope (picutres to come)

Transfers:

So transfers happened! Guess What?! No one in our entire zone got transferred or got a new companion! Super crazy! Good thing I like my companion! You will be able to meet him on Christmas so that is pretty cool! I was pretty disappointed at first but, then I had to tell myself to get over myself because obviously there is still work here that needs to be done by Elder Tiatia and I! We are actually really excited to be staying here now!

Baptismal Dates:

So as you all know these past 13 weeks have been quite slow regarding he Lords work! But, Faith and diligence pay off! I know the Lords work isn't about how many baptisms we get but, it is nice to see people accept the invitation to be baptized. First off, we had this investigator Kristine who just graduated high school and we began to teach and I felt like she had been prepared by Lord so much to hear our message! We gave here a baptismal date and she accepted! Then the day of our next lesson she had texted us saying she can't do the lessons anymore. We were both bummed out and tried meeting with her but, we have had no luck! We aren't giving up though! Next is Tolatea! She is a super nice lady and is very smart in the bible! She is never rude to us but, she is always asking questions and brings up bible verses to support her questions. Although, this week we read 3 Nephi 11 with her and I feel like that broke the Ice. Things just started to click for her. So we set a baptismal date for Dec 3rd! We still have a lot of work though! It was kind of a slap in the face to me. Never give up on any of Gods children! With faith in the Lord all things are possible! We are also teaching a 9 yr. old Joanne! She is super shy but, we are trying to break the ice a little bit more so she has an understanding of Joseph Smith, The Holy Ghost, Baptism and things like that. In all honesty we could just baptize her but, that would be wrong. We want to make sure she understands what we are teaching her.

I guess the biggest thing I learned over these past two weeks is that it really doesn't matter what I want. It is what the Lord wants and when he wants it! I was reading in the Ensign of this newly wed couple whos husband got diagnosed with cancer. The story pretty much talked about the Lords will and how David A. Bednar asked the couple if they had the faith not to be healed. Super interesting point. I hope I get to the point in my life where I 100% submissive to the Lords will. Being on the mission is probably the coolest thing I have ever done. Even though I miss you guys, this is totally worth it. I hope you all know how much I love you guys and pray for you! One word of advice! The world is becoming more and more corrupt. Don't let small things draw you away from what you need to do (Scripture Study, Prayer) Basic things like that. My testimony has grown so much regarding those two things! I promise you all that no matter what you are going through right now the Book of Mormon and Prayer are one the best things you can do to receive guidance! President always tells how important the Book of Mormon is and I am starting to see why! I hope you all know How grateful I am for each one you! You have all blessed me in so many ways! I am so blessed to have the best family on the earth! Have a great thanksgiving this week! Next holiday is Christmas and that means Skype!

Love, Elder Barton!

P.s. When I get back home I am going to dominate all of you in Badmintion

Season 2 Episode 11: Hot Slow Week

What's up my Nerds!

This week was a very, very slow and hot week. To get to the point we hardly had any lessons this week and we could find no one to teach. We spent a lot of hours this week just trying to find new investigators but, we had no luck. My companion says the people on American Samoa are a lot ruder than the people in Western. We were not able to meet with any of our current investigators this week because they were all busy... the entire week. We can't let this week get us down though. We still were able to meet with some really cool less active members and talk with them. We are really looking forward to this week though. We are hoping we can get in touch with all of our investigators since this may be our last week here in Pava! Crazy how fast these 12 weeks have gone by. I am hoping I can stay in American Samoa for the Holidays and then get transferred to Western Samoa!

Sounds like you all had a pretty good week! Wish I could have been there for the families small little thanksgiving haha! On a real note though everyday here is like thanksgiving! Don't worry Mom I am still not gaining weight! Plus, even if I do everyone loses a lot of weight when they get transferred to Western Samoa! I hope you all have a great week! Hope you all enjoy our new president who ever it may be! Keep choosing the right! love you guys!

Elder Barton!

Season 2 Episode 10: Samoan Halloween

Malo Lava!

Well, another week is gone. In fact, another month is gone. Where is all the time going? We had a pretty good week here in Pava. Not much success but, a lot was learned and that is what I want to share in this weeks email. 

So, we decided we needed to drop Pete this week. He just isn't keeping our commitments and he isn't progressing. It was really hard and pretty sad because Pete is a super cool guy. On our last visit he said something that really impacted me though. He was talking about how he pictures his life right now and he described it as if he was walking with Jesus and then in the distance he sees a party house and so he tells Jesus to wait right there and he will be back in a few minutes. As he starts to go towards the house he notices that it isn't getting any closer and no matter how fast he runs no matter how long he runs for, he can't reach this house. He then said "I've been running for so long trying to chase this house that I can't see Jesus anymore and I don't know if he is still waiting for me." For some reason I thought that, that was a really good description of this life. I think sometimes we get caught up in what we think will make us happy in this life and we leave and try to pursue that "happiness" but, no matter how long we chase it, we can never reach it because that isn't where happiness is. Eternal happiness can only come through our Savior Jesus Christ and his teachings. And we never have to worry about whether or not He is still there waiting for us. I personally believe that Jesus doesn't wait for us we wander from the path. I believe he comes searching for us when we wander.

Something good that happened this week was we are teaching this lady named Carol who is around our age and we taught her lesson 1 and asked her if she would pray about our message and see if it was true and then we asked her that if it was true, if she would get baptized. We go back Tuesday and we have been really praying for her to receive an answer! Hopefully all goes well!

Also, the Samoan people don't really celebrate Halloween. People dress up and some kids go trick-or-treating but, for the most part it isn't really a big thing down here! 

We only have two weeks left before our transfers! It is crazy how fast the 12 weeks have been going by! I feel like I just barely got here! I am going to miss Elder Tiatia haha! He is a way cool guy!

I love you guys and hope you all had a great week! I hope you guys enjoy being together! Just know I am there in spirit haha! Keeping reading the scriptures and praying. It is in the small and simple things that we show true dedication to our Father in Heaven!

Season 2 Episode 9: Investigators

Malo Soifua!

This week on Tuesday, we were able to meet as a whole Island and have and Island Conference with Elder Nielsen of the Seventy. The Conference lasted for six hours and it was a really motivating Conference. He talked about a lot of things that were really helpful but, I think my favorite thing he talked about was how this mission is going to be a foundation for the rest of our lives and the more dedicated we are to this mission the stronger our foundation will be. Elder Nielsen and his wife are both incredible teachers and it was a really good meeting and it was nice to see all the missionaries on American Samoa!

I know I have been lacking on including info. about our investigators and I am sorry haha! As of right now we have 8 investigators, 3 of which are progressing. (We count them as progressing if we taught them during the week) The 3 Progressing investigators are Pete, Pei, and Lono(New)

Pete: I included him in the last email. We are still teaching him but, we are trying to decide what to do with him. He is really enjoying our lessons and he is reading the Book of Mormon but, he hasn't prayed about what we are teaching. We keep telling him the importance of prayer and what role it will play in his conversion and for some reason he keeps telling us that he just hasn't had the time. So, this week we are really going to focus on that and try and get him to pray about the Book of Mormon.

Lono: Lono is our new investigator and we were only able to teach her because Elder Tiatia lived with her son Nu'u back in St. George. Crazy right? After first she was rejecting us and the Elder Tiatia just said that he knew her son and the rest was history haha. At first she thought we worshiped Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon but, by the end of the lesson we had cleared that problem up and now we will be going back this week to teach the Plan of Salvation.

Pei: I am pretty sure I have talked about Pei before as well. We haven't been able to meet with her in awhile because she has been super busy but, we were finally able to meet with her this week. We just went over the first lesson and addressed some of her concerns. Her biggest problem with the Church is that our Bishops don't have to go to school to become a Bishop. It was a really weird concern but, we explained to her how Bishops are called and the role they play in the Church and she ended up understanding. We have a really good feeling about Pei and we are thinking about setting a baptismal date with her this week!

I was also able to do a baptism this week! It was a rebaptism though! Sister Ausage was baptized in Savai'i a long time ago and somehow her records got lost. So we had the chance to teach her all the lessons again! We were super grateful that she was so willing to be baptized again because apparently out here if you loose someones records there is a very high chance that they will be offended and won't want to be baptized again... super weird, I know. Anyway, I'm sorry Mom but, I didn't get a picture with her. I honestly don't know why but, we have Fafaga with her on Saturday so I will get a picture with her then! I was super grateful that I was able to do the baptism. It was a really cool experience.

That is about it for this week! I hope that was enough detail lol! I hope you guys are enjoying the Utah life! You all are so lucky to be enjoying cold weather! 

Things About Samoa:

IT WAS SO HOT THIS WEEK!

We just entered Cyclone season!

Elections are going on!

The rain here is insane!

It is super green!

That's about it this week haha!

Anyway, I hope you guys had a great week! Keep working hard at whatever you are doing! Love you and all and like usual I am always praying for you guys! Have a good Week!

Elder Barton!

Season 2 Episode 8: Lost Cause

Malo Soifua!

Well, to report on last week, we were never able to meet with Toa this week because the time we visited he was hungover and asleep. That was pretty disappointing but, we set up an appointment for this Thursday and we are still praying he will receive an answer to his pray! 

This week we experienced a lot of appointments falling through. It was pretty tough so a lot of this week was knocking doors trying to find people to teach. Although, we did have a pretty neat experience this week while teaching one of our investigators Rina. Rina is actually from Texas and she is just visiting her family here until this Friday. When we first contacted her I really didn't think our lessons were going to go anywhere and didn't have a real big desire to teach her. Well, we were teaching her Lesson 2: The Plan of Salvation on Friday and for some reason that was one of the most powerful lessons we have ever had. Everything she was talking about before we introduced the lesson related to the Plan of Salvation! At the end of the lesson we asked her if she would get baptized and she told us that she wasn't going to say yes and she wasn't going to say no. We told her to pray about it and see if this was the path God wants her to take. We go back this Wednesday to see if she got an answer and then we will contact the Texas missionaries to finish her lessons. 

I learned a pretty important lesson that day. I should never think someone is a lost cause. Everyone deserves a sincere chance to hear and live the gospel. It was selfish on my part to think that she wasn't "Ready". That was about it for this week. Not a lot happened but, I learned a lot.

This week we have an Island Conference and one of the Seventy is coming to talk to us so that is pretty exciting! I will be able to see a lot of missionaries from my intake so it should be pretty good!

I hope you guys had a little bit more exciting week than I did! I miss you guys and like I always say, I am always praying for you! Keep saying your prayers, reading the scriptures, and doing the small and simple things. In the end those small and simple things are going to strengthen our testimony the most! Alofa Aku Aiga!

Elder Barton

Season 2 Episode 7: October is Here

Malo Lava Aiga,

Can't believe another week is gone. I have a lot to put into this email, so forgive me Mom for not explaining everything!

Transfers:

We had transfers this week but, not much changed since our whole zone is training. The only thing that happened is one of the Elders from our district became our Zone Leader so his companion got a new trainer Elder Skipps. That is about it. Next Transfers should be exciting though.

Investigators:

Pete: Pete is about 26 years old and he lives on a really nice farm with his parents and his cousin Toa. He really likes reading the Book of Mormon but, the only problem is keeps telling us that he really likes what we are talking about, he just isn't ready to make changes. (Smoking, Alcohol) We are still working with him though.

Toa: Toa is also around 26 and lives with Pete. Toa has really been enjoying the lessons and has been keeping our commitments as well as asking some really sincere questions. We had a really cool experience with him this week that I will include later.

Seth: Seth is also around 26 and is always hanging out with Pete and Toa. He as well has been taking the lessons very seriously. The only problem is that he is always working, so it is hard to have him present at each lesson. We always tell him to take his Book of Mormon with him to work.

Pei: Pei is probably in her mid 50's and she is Catholic. She has two sons and an inactive husband. We have only been able to teach her lesson one because she has been really busy this past week with White Sunday. We have ran into her a few times this week and she has told us that she has been reading the Book of Mormon. 

Tao: Tao is in his late 50's but, he is super fit because his house is in the middle of no where. It takes us around 40 minutes just to walk to his house haha. He has a wife and two kids and we were really surprised when we taught the first lesson because he started taking notes and marking the scriptures we were sharing. For some reason we think that he is really prepared to hear our message.

*Story Time*

This week we went to go teach Pete, Toa and Seth and when we got to the house Pete and Seth were on there way out the door. They told us that they wouldn't be able to attend the lesson that day but, Toa was on his way out. We were a little bummed at first but, it turned out to be a really good thing. Toa really opened up with us during that lesson. He told us how ever since we came and started teaching the lessons he has felt like what we are teaching is right. He told us that it isn't a strong feeling but, he is feeling something. He also told us how he was really going to pray about our message to see if this is the path he should take. It was a really cool experience and made me gain more of a testimony about the literal power this gospel can have on peoples lives.

We are going back on Tuesday and we have been praying that he was able to receive an answer.

Sorry, the email is lacking detail but, like I've said before we literally have one hour to write. I hope things in Utah are going well! Hopefully, the colors are still changing! Anything new happening? I love you guys and I am always praying for each of you! I hope you guys have a great week!

Love Elder Barton

Scripture of the Week: Helaman 5:12

Season 2 Episode 6: Genereal Conference 1/4

Malo Soifua!

Well, as we all know it was General Conference this weekend! Even though I wasn't able to participate in the semi annual conference crepes, I was able to have Chicken Noodle Soup and Egg Sandwiches at 7 in the morning! It was actually pretty cool because we were able to watch General Conference Live here in Pavaiai! The first session was at 5 a.m. and the second session was at 9 a.m. so it still gave us a full day of preaching! 

This conference I feel like was very straight forward and to the point. I really enjoyed M. Russell Ballard's Talk as well as Le Brand Curtis jr. I loved when M. Russell Ballard said something to the affect of If you choose not to walk with God, where will you go? For some reason I just really connected with that. It is so true though. If we aren't following God where are we going to go? Think about it. Le Brand Curtis jr. gave the talk about the Book of Mormon. As I look back before I came on my mission I realize how much I took the Book of Mormon for Granite (I think that is how you spell it). He talked about how we need to be continually reading the Book of Mormon and as we do so, our relationship with Savior will grow. Although, something he really stressed was "As soon as we start a SERIOUS Study of the Book of Mormon we will develop a closer relationship with Jesus Christ." Just opening the book and reading a few verses and then going to sleep is good. At least we are reading but, it is no where near the potential it could be if we actually seriously study the Book. I can personally testify to you all about the blessings the Book of Mormon brings. The mission has really opened my eyes to this. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God and I KNOW that The Book of Mormon can influence our lives to become more Christ like people. I challenge you all to start a serious study of the Book of Mormon. If you aren't reading it daily, I challenge you start reading it daily. I promise that as you do so, You will see your relationship with the Savior start to grow! It was a great General Conference and I can't wait to reread the talks! I hope you all had an enjoyable conference as well! I will admit I really missed you guys this weekend but, I felt a little bit of comfort knowing that we were all watching it at the same time! We have a very special family and I am beyond blessed to have Mom and Dad as parents and the rest you of you as my Brothers and Sister. You guys have influenced me to be the person I am today and I haven't gone one day without thanking my father in heaven for the blessing you guys have been.

*STORY TIME*

Okay so this week we had Fafaga with As-hiu family. We had been told to call ahead and let them know we were coming because they have a lot of dogs. Well, for some reason we forgot to call. (Very Bad Choice) So, Elder Tiatia and I were walking up to the house and we had both picked up two big rocks just in case. Well, we were walking up to there house and we were almost to the house and there were still no dogs and for whatever reason I thought that I didn't need my rock anymore. So, I dropped it. (VERRRYYY BADD CHOICE) Literally 4 steps later and we start to here the barking. Out of no where 5 dogs come running around the corner barking coming after us! I was about to go for my rock but, before I could even make it half way back to my rock the dogs were already on us. And for some reason out here the dogs ALWAYS come after me! Four of the dogs made a half circle around me and then only one went for Elder Tiatia. Usually, the dogs here just bark out you. These dogs were literally trying to eat me. I was kicking them and hitting them with my rag but, they kept getting closer and closer. Finally the owner came out and called the main dog and they all left. As I looked over at Elder Tiatia I asked him if he was okay and he told me was and then I noticed he still had his Rock!!! Oh my gosh I was so angry haha! I was saying "Elder why didn't you through your rock! I almost Died!" haha oh my. His response "I didn't know what dog to throw it at!" I was so mad but, also I couldn't help but, laugh. Just throw the Rock!!! At least we didn't get bit! Funny/Scary story haha dang crazy times! Those dogs were very scary!

I hope you all had a eventful week! I miss you guys but, I am glad you are all doing okay! I hope the colors are super pretty! (Send some pics) Keep working hard! Like usual I am always praying for you all! I love you guys!

Elder Barton

P.s.

Elder Ping says HERRROOOOO! I MISS U A VERY MUCHD!

Season 2 Episode 5: The Demon Within

Talofa Lava Aiga!

Alright so this week was pretty crazy! So last P-day I had told you all about the bite that was on my leg and how it was really bugging me. Well, as we continued to walk throughout the day it began to hurt more and more. It got to the point where Elder Tiatia and I went home around 7 so I could rest my leg because Tuesday was going to be a very busy day. So, flash forward to Tuesday morning. I woke up and my leg had gotten a lot worse. I still didn't think much of it and I knew we had to go to some of the appointments we had because we had a few potential investigators. Even though my companion told me that we should stay, I was a little bit stubborn and told him I was fine and that we should at least go to our first two appointments. We got to our first appointment and it fell through but, our second appointment was good because we picked up another investigator! But, by the time we got back to this little market my leg was killing me. It just felt like there was so much pressure and soreness. We ended up calling the Senior missionaries (Elder and Sister Jordan) and they told us they would come and pick us up and take us to the health clinic.

We finally got to the Health Clinic and they called the Nurse (Tilly/Crazy lady) and when Tilly came out she told me to get out of the car and to drop my pants and roll up my garment leg right in the parking lot... So I did. She looked at my leg for about 1/2 of a second and then just started going to town on my leg, she just start squeezing and pushing so hard and next thing you know all of this dark, dark, red blood and pus starts dumping out of my leg. It was probably one of the worst pains I have ever felt in my life. So much blood and pus came out and by the time she was finished and sat back down in the car, I was pretty light headed haha. Anyway the Jordans took us to McDonalds and got us some shakes to "ease" the pain, it didn't ease the pain but, they were pretty good! Tilly had told the Jordans to take me to their home and I was supposed to wait there until she got off work so she could come look at it some more (Which meant more squeezing).

When we got to the Jordans, we just sat on this couch for about 3 hours waiting for Tilly. It was actually super nice because the Jordans home is like an actual American home with AC so it was super nice! Anyway, throughout the next 3 hours 3 more pairs of missionaries showed up for some things that needed from the Jordans but, they decided to stay and watch what was going to happen to me. Finally Tilly got there and she looked at my leg and did the whole squeezing process again but, this time it really wasn't that bad at all. My leg was feeling a lot better off the first time because all of that pressure was released. After that she told me that she was going to give me an IV to help kill the infection. So I finally got my first IV in my life, in Samoa, In the Senior Missionary home! We then were told that we would be spending the night at the Jordans because I have never had that type of Medication and Tilly didn't want me to have an allergic reaction back at the house with only my companion there. We were both pretty stoked that we were going to be staying at the Jordans haha! They have hot water, a giant bed, AC, so it was a pretty good deal. Although, I wasn't able to shower because of my leg so that was a bummer. So, we spent the night there and went home the next day. (One of the best night's of sleep I have ever had!)

Throughout the rest of the week we went to go get my leg checked by Tilly every night just to make sure it was getting better. Two nights ago was my last visit. My leg has been healing super quick.It's crazy! 

I am doing a lot better now! They have me on Antibiotics and I can walk now with no pain! I was actually able to walk with no pain the morning after she performed surgery on my leg in the parking lot haha! So no worries Mom I am perfectly fine! Such a crazy week haha! We were put on bed rest for the next two days so we just studied like all day. Although on the second day President Hanammenn and his two AP's came to our district for a meeting and even though I was on bed rest we still went because you don't get these meetings that often here! It was a super good meeting and it was nice to finally get to have an interview with President! (This is the first interview I have had with him) He is a really good President and super strict. He kind of reminds me of Mason's Mission Pres. Anyway, It was a good meeting!

So, That is about it for the week. Really took a turn for the worse but, it's all better now! We are ready to give our all this week! We are hoping that we can get a few of our investigators with a baptismal date! Other than that I am loving Samoa! I miss you guys though! I hope you all had a great week! I love you guys and you are in my prayers!

Fa Soifua!

Elder Barton!

CAUTION GRAPHIC PICTURES BELOW!

Season 2 Episode 4: Building the Kingdom

Talofa lava!

Well another week has passed and we are already heading into the fifth week out here in Samoa! Crazy! This week was a really good week! We were able to get a few new potential investigators and Sina and Fo'i are progressing! Sina is already a member but, she doesn't know anything about the Church but, she loves it! Her husband is a little shy and leaves the lessons sometimes so we are going to focus on him this week and try and get a baptism date set with him! 

We were also able to work with Niko this week! He is a member here in Pavaiai and he just got back from his mission in the Philipines 11 months ago. He is a super big help! He gave us a lot of tips and it helped us out for the rest of the week! 

A lot of the people in our area are less actives. I think we have a total of 563 members but, only 160ish are coming to church! So we are also focusing our efforts on reactivating members! A lot of work needs to be done here! We also were able to call some ward missionaries and we are starting to work with them this week so by the time we leave there will be a good foundation for the next set of missionaries! 

Overall we had a really good week! We are working hard everyday and this week gave us some extra motivation! So hopefully this week is even better!

*Story Time*

So, on Wednesday the day was coming to an end and we were talking to some other Elders who were passing by our area and out of no where my leg started to hurt. I thought that is was just a bruise and when we got back to the house I decided to take a look. It wasn't a bruise. I still have no idea what it is because no one can give me an answer! Anyway, It is some type of lump with a small little hole at the top and it has gotten worse each day haha. Yesterday I was finally able to get some Antibiotics for it. So hopefully that will help because it hurts pretty bad, especially walking around on it all day! I will send some pics! Don't worry though I am sure it will be fine! (Praying it will be)

Anyway that is the most interesting thing that happened this week. I hope all is well in Utah! I hope you each are doing well! I miss seeing you guys haha. But, like I have said before, I know this is what I am supposed to be doing and where I am supposed to be! I love it here though! The language is still really tough. I still don't really understand anything that is happening haha! The only choice I have is to give it time haha! Anything cool happening back in the States?  Let me know! Have a great week! Keep praying and make sure you are all reading the Scriptures! Love you all!

Elder, Barton

*Scripture of the week* 

Omni 1:26

Season 2 Episode 3: Road Kill

TALOFA!

Okay, so this week was pretty uneventful. That's okay though because Elder Tiatia and I worked hard everyday and sometimes that is all you can do out here. Just work your hardest and spread the Gospel as much as you can! It was a good week though! We just visited with a lot of families and did a lot of walking! Even with a week that wasn't so successful I still love being out here! Being so busy all day is really fun actually haha! We have a few goals and ideas this week that we are hoping will help us pick up some investigators and reactivate some inactive members! I will lett you know how that goes!

So this week we were walking down this hill, heading to a visit when I just saw this black thing on the side of the street and as we got closer I noticed it was a dog and the dogs here are pretty mean, they are always barking and some even try to bite you (One bit my shoe last week) anyway, we noticed the dog wasn't move as we were getting closer and it turned out the dog was dead, just lying on the side of the road haha! So random, kind of sad, but, mostly we didn't care cause the dogs here are nasty and mean! 

Also, the rain here is insane! I have never been so soaked so quickly! One minute the weather will be fine and then the next minute it is just dumping rain haha! So crazy! It rains pretty often over here too! 

We had a Fafaga this week with President Anandan who is the 2nd counselor in the Stake Presidency and his house was so nice! It was just like an American house haha and the food was so good! It was ribs, corn, salad, potatoes, and some other things and for a second I forgot I was in Samoa haha!

I'm sorry this email is so short and not full of many things but, I tell the truth. This week was not very eventful! We are working our hardest though! I love you guys and I miss you! I hope you are all having a good time back in Utah and are enjoying the leaves changing color! Have a good week! Hopefully I will have more to report on next week!

Alofa Atu!

Elder Barton

Scripture of the week Isaiah 41:10 

Season 2 Episode 2: Attack of the Dogs

Talofa Aiga!

This week we had two Baptisms that were both held on Tuesday! Elena who is 10 yrs old and her 8 yr old brother, Helamana. There dad was baptized just about 8 months ago. It was really neat to see them get baptized, they both were super excited we were really glad to see them make the choice to get baptized. Elena had to take all the lessons because she was past the age of 8 but, her little brother didn't. Anyway it was really a neat experience to see them get baptized. They are a really good family!

This week was a really slow week. I'm not sure if I wrote about this last week, but the Elders before us didn't leave us with anything... no maps, no lists, nothing. So we have had no idea where our area begins and where it ends, where anyone lives, who is a member, who isn't and all that fun stuff. So this week we were just trying to get a grasp on this ward and where everyone is. We weren't very successful though. My companion just finished his training so he isn't very confident in his choices and didn't really know what to do or where to start in a situation like this and I don't blame him. We were finally able to meet with our Bishop on Sunday (He has been in the hospital ever since we got here due to a mosquito bite that made his leg super swollen) but, he told us that on Saturday we were going to have a meeting discussing the families and who is inactive/non-member/not baptized and he would give us a run down of where everyone lives and we are going to discuss ideas to get the members more involved, so that should be a really big help and we are looking forward to it.

Earlier in the week Elder Tiatia apologized to me for not being super focused on the work and not waking up on time. He said that he was feeling really inadequate with President's choice to put him as a trainer he had let it get to his head and he just told me that he was going to do better from now on and just work as hard as we can to get this ward where it needs to be! I was glad he brought it up and we were able to resolve that issue and just move forward with the Lord's work. 

Everyday in Samoa except for Monday ward members feed the missionaries for dinner or Fafaga. It's really humbling because some families here don't have much money or anything but, they always provide the best they can for the missionaries. Anyway, on Wed. and Thurs. Bro. Leilua was our Fafaga. He is an older man and he is divorced and he lives alone in a one room yellow house. As he brought us our meal which consisted of canned spaghetti with hot dog, Fish, and Fa'i (Banana's) he started telling us about his life and other things. at the end of dinner there is always a fa'afetai speech where the host just thanks the missionaries and says all these blessings and after the host is done one of the missionaries responds with a fa'afetai speech thanking the host and saying blessings. Anyway, when Bro.Leilua was giving his fa'fetai speech I had no idea what he was saying (As usual) and out of no where he started getting choked up and crying a little bit. After dinner I asked Elder Tiatia what he was saying and he told me that he was just talking about how we are the Lord's warriors and how it is super hard to leave our families behind and come to a foreign land learning a foreign language and how out here the ward is our family and he told us that if we need anything don't hesitate to ask. I don't know why but, for some reason it just made me feel really grateful and humbled in a lot of ways. I don't know it was just super different seeing someone get emotional over our service and understanding some of the trials we face. Knowing that we actually have people here that really do care. It gave me a lot of motivation.

*Funny Story*

We were Tracking this week and we were told to go to a less active members house and see how they were doing and so when we went to go check up on the family to see how they were doing. Well when we got there the Dad was sitting right inside the front door smoking and drinking and he just has this really long white frizzy hair and beard and he was seriously just so wasted haha! We were trying to get to know him and he was just talking about the most random things haha! We asked him his name and he started talking about things in the 1950's and he was just so random haha "well if my calkilations have transpired in the earlier" and he had a really mumbled voice! OH man I wish you guys were there! I miss you guys haha! It is so hard to describe these stories through the computer with a limited amount of time haha.

Anyway that is about it for this week. We are looking forward to this week and are hoping we can get things moving here! I love you guys and pray for you constantly throughout the day! I hope everything is going well at home! Alofa Aku!

Elder Barton!

*Chapter of the Week*

2Nephi Chapter 4