Season 3 Episode 5: Baptism and Sweat

Malo Soifua!

Really short on time this week because I was emailing some other people! Anyway it was a really great week! The highlight was being able to watch our investigator Sieni be baptized and confirmed! I am telling you that there is such a unique feeling when someone is baptized. I love it! That was a really good day!

Oh! We didn't baptize Puna this week because we felt like she needed to attend church a little bit more before she is baptized! So her Baptismal date is the 11th of Feb! She is excited and so are we! We also found two new investigators this week! Fanupo and Po'ono! They are two boys and they are both 17. They are super solid and I was surprised how seriously they took the lesson! Love those guys!

Let's see, Super hot, Rainy, love my area and love the people. Transfers are next week. Really trying to put a purpose behind my studies so I can get as much as I can out of the time we are given to study! Also a new rule for all missionaries is we plan in the mornings now. That is pretty nice! Still working hard to stay obedient and build my relationship with my father in Heaven! 

Also, I have been reading Jesus the Christ! That book is so awesome! I have never felt like our Savior was more real than how I do now! What a powerful book! I strongly encourage everyone to read it!

The Church is True! God lives! Love you guys!

Elder Barton

Season 3 Episode 4: Breaking Chairs, Breaking New Ground

A lot to write about this week but, not enough time to write about everything in detail so here we go:

Alright, first off we had a District Meeting with President and His Wife and the Ap's this week at Le Uaina which is this resort right on the beach! (Possible vacation?) It was a great meeting that left me feeling very inspired and empowered. However, President wanted to do interviews after the meeting. I was the first one to talk with President. He asked me if everything was going alright with Elder ____ and I. (Pause and flash back to last week) Last week I figured out that Elder ____ had been calling and texting a girl from our Area. I ended up confronting him and he told me he would stop and he did. However, during the interview I felt like I needed to bring it up so I did. President called over the Zone Leaders and Elder _____ and we dealt with it right there. Well, Elder ____ ended up telling me how he wanted to punch me in the face and then stopped talking to me for two days straight. Now, he is perfectly fine with me. I don't know everyone says that Samoan companions are super sensitive. But, all I know is I did the right thing. 

Next, we had a lesson with one of our investigators Sina who wants to get baptized but, we are just waiting for her marriage. Anyway, we went to her house with a member named Taia'i who is pretty big. We started Lesson 2 and 10 minutes into the lesson the chair just busts and Taia'i and I just fall to the ground. Oh my gosh it was so funny haha. We just sat there and Sina just looked at us and didn't say anything. So we just pulled up two new chairs and finished the lesson.

The following we day we started lesson 2 with our investigator Fanene. The lesson ends and I go to stand up and I but my had on this wooden "wall" Its really just a wooden frame with X support. If that makes sense. So, I put my hand on the X and as I am standing up the X just busts and I fall back to the ground. Super hilarious. Everything is good though. Just super funny.

Also, everyone here breastfeeds in public. I can't tell you how many people I have seen breastfeeding since I have gotten here (Right in the middle of lessons). By the start of the week I was super weirded out but, now it is just a normal thing haha. 

The thunder out here is insane. We had a small thunder storm last night and it was shaking the entire house. Wish you could have experienced it. 

I am truly blessed to be working in this area. There is so much work that needs to be done. We have to baptisms this week. Two of our investigators Puna and Sieni! They are both really solid investigators and they have been keeping their commitments. I am so happy to see another two of Gods daughters enter into the waters of Baptism. 

I am really trying to help my companion become exactly obedient. I know that if we really just start living the rules to the fullest we could be so much more effective in this area. Hopefully, I am not making my Companion sound bad. He really isn't and I know that there are plenty of things I need to work on myself. 

Anyway, I hope you have all had a great week. Sounds like you are all getting a bunch of snow! Miss you guys like crazy and I am always using you guys as my motivation! Love you all so much! Have a great week! 

Elder Barton

Season 3 Episode 3: Another Week in Paradise!

I am truly blessed to be serving in this area! On Saturday we were able to baptize our investigator Tina and confirm her a member of the Church on Sunday! There is always this super clean/pure feeling I get right before someone gets baptized, it is super hard to explain the feeling but, I felt it so strongly right before Tina entered into the water! I am so happy that she made the choice to follow our Savior Jesus Christ!

As of right now we have two more investigators Puna and Sceni who are on date to be baptized on the 28th of this month. They are both pretty familiar with the Church and have members within their families. Puna just recently went through a divorce and was very interested about the Plan of Salvation! She is also keeping our commitments which is great! Sceni is the same as Puna but without the divorce. Her husband is the one that is making things difficult because for some reason he doesn't want her to join the church. But, when we taught her the second lesson and asked her to be baptized she said yes. We are still continuing to pray for her husband! Hopefully, he will see the light in his wife and want to make a change himself. Seriously, even though I can probably only understand 20% of what's going on and I can't express my feelings and thoughts which is super frustrating at times especially since I have been out for 6 months. At times I feel really disconnected from our investigators and feel like it wouldn't even make a difference if I was there or not. But, I know where those thoughts are coming from and I have to have faith that the Lord has put me in this area at this time with a specific purpose. I truly am so grateful and blessed to be serving a mission in Samoa. These people are so kind and so loving. I have been so inspired to become more like my Savior throughout these last 6 months. I wish I could put it into words how awesome the mission is. The ups, the downs, the sacrifices, the blessings, everything. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world! This gospel truly does bring Real happiness and I love sharing it with these people!

I am so grateful for you guys, my family. You guys are one of the biggest motivators I have out here. I hope you are all doing well and you are all praying and reading the scriptures! I love you all and miss you all but, honestly I will see you guys in no time at all! Have a great week!

Elder Barton

Season 3 Episode 2: Beautiful Blessings

Well, another week has passed away. Hopefully you all had an enjoyable week! I know I did! It is an incredible blessing to realize and see all the blessings from the Lord!

So, I figured out this week that Elder Shum and I are reopening this area after it has been closed for the past 4-5 months. I have no idea why it was closed but, I am glad we have the chance to reopen it and start out fresh. 

This week was pretty tough. Mainly because of the language. Everyone out here speaks so much quicker and quieter than the people in Tutuila. So, pretty much I have had no idea what has been going on this entire week! Honestly, I could spend this email complaining about things but, I would rather talk about the blessings. We have picked up a few investigators one of which is Tina. She is 22 and is married to a member. We had the chance to begin teaching her and she said she would get baptized this Saturday! It is really exciting to already see a baptism within the first week. We also have been working with ward members a lot. We have got a bunch of Referrals from the ward and a lot of the referrals have turned into really promising investigators. We will begin teaching most of our new investigators this week! 

I am so blessed to be serving in this area. There is a lot of work that needs to be done and I know that if my companion and I stay exactly obedient and humble to the will of the Lord we will be able to do the work that he has in store for us. The people here are extremely kind. They are all so willing to help me learn the language. Which is another big blessing. I also came to realize this week that I just need to speak the language. It doesn't matter if the people can't understand me. As long as I am trying and learning from my mistakes. I am so excited to see what will happen in this area. It is such a blessing to be serving the Lord and representing his Son, Jesus Christ. 

I love this gospel and I know its true! It is hard work but, it is so rewarding! Becoming fully converted to this gospel takes a lot of work and a lot of time. But, nothing feels better than being on the path that leads to becoming truly converted! I hope you all have a great and safe week! I miss you guys like crazy! 

Elder Barton

P.s. I ate Pig brain and Pig intestine this week! Pretty good but, also pretty gross! 

Season 3: Episode 1 The Motherland

Talofa Lava!

Well, Christmas and New years have passed and we are already burning through 2017! Hopefully you all had an enjoyable holiday season! I know I did and one of the highlights was being able to talk with you guys and the other highlight was being able to spend the Holiday season as a representative of our Savior Jesus Christ! What a wonderful blessing! I am happy you are all doing good though! Now, let's get into what has happened this last week! 

So Monday Afternoon our phone started to ring and we saw that it was the District Leader. We both knew that it was transfer calls. We figured out the Elder Tiatia would be going just five minutes up the road to serve in Mapusaga and that I would be leaving the little Island of American Samoa and I would be heading to LufiLufi, Upolu and my new companion is Elder Shum from Savai'i! To be honest I was super excited to receive the news but, also super nervous! I guess it was just the fact that I was going to the actual Samoa haha! Where no one knows English and the fact that my companion might not know any English either. But, besides that I was super excited to head off to Western Samoa!

All the people being transferred to Upolu left Wednesday morning to the airport! It was super hard to say goodbye to Elder Tiatia! I love that guy and I miss him like crazy but, I know we will see each other again! Anyway, the plane ride was crazy! I will send a picture of the plane but, it was better than the boat ride we took to American Samoa! Oh, I almost forgot. The night before we left both of the Christmas packages arrived! We got super lucky haha! Thank you for the letters and the gifts! They were all much appreciated! The camera is tight! 

Anyway, my Zone Leaders picked me up at the airport and we went straight to our Zone and did two baptisms and they told me that I would be doing the spiritual thought! Man my voice has never cracked so much and I have never shaken so much before in my life. I don't know why I was so nervous haha! But, besides that it went alright haha! Then we finally got taken to our house. But, I don't even think you can call it a house. We live on the church property and our bathroom is inside of the church, our shower is outside, and our room is no joke probably 20-25 Square Feet. I am currently living out of my suitcase because there is no room to hang up clothes or anything like that haha. Apparently this is the smallest "house" in the mission! I don't know why I am always getting small houses haha! I am used to it though! There is nothing I can do about so might as well learn to love it! 

A little bit about my companion Elder Shum: He is a native from Savai'i and doesn't know very much English so it is super hard to communicate with each other. He is 23 years old and has almost been out for a year. He is super relaxed and nice! Which is good but, also kind of not. Because, some of the rules he just doesn't care about! But, that will for sure be changing! He honestly seems likes a super great missionary! A lot of people say I got lucky with him because a lot of natives take the mission as a vacation. But, I can tell Elder Shum wants to work! So that is a big relief! Oh yeah, he is also the District Leader!

A little bit about my Area: Our are is gigantic! We cover Lufilufi, Sauniatu (Dad, Research this village, I think you will like it) and this other village that I can't remember the name of! We are about a 10 minute walk away from the ocean and some beautiful beaches! This area is the area where most missionaries have got sent home because of what they have done with girls. Literally, no one knows English and it has made me realize that my Samoan is really not that good at all! Pigs are running all over the place! Weird bugs that I have never seen before! Different money from American money called Tala! It is for sure hotter here than it is in American Samoa!

Overall, I am way excited to start serving here! I know these next six weeks are going to be filled with trials and hardships and a lot of prayers! But, I am excited to see the growth in myself and strengthen my relationship with my Savior! Plus, I get to see some real Samoan Culture! Can't wait to see what this transfer holds in store for me and my companion! Hope you are all enjoying this New year! Love you all and miss you! You guys are always in my prayers! Fa Soifua!

Elder Barton