Season 6 Episode 7: Miracles and Music

Hello Family!

Just wanted to start this email off by letting you all now how grateful I am for the Atonement of Jesus Christ! Especially this time of year! I have honestly been so blessed by this incredible gift that our Father in Heaven gave to us! 

This week has been packed. We have had MLC (Missionary Leadership Conference), We have been having our shows every night here in pesega, we've been picking up and dropping off Elders, My companion and I both got danky fever(or however you spell it), we have had a few cool miracles, and we did our Christmas Service project with President this week!

Last week Friday my companion and I were trying to find some investigators that we could take to the Pese Pesega they do every night when, my companion told me that we should go visit a members house. So, we went. We were able to find 3 young women at this house that are all attend different churches! We took them to the program and they all loved it! Turns out that 2 of them have already been baptized and sealed in the temple but, have fallen away from the Church and gone there different ways. The other young woman Petro hasn't been baptized and they all expressed to us the feelings that they had at the program and there desire to come back to church with there families and to be baptized! We are currently working with these three girls and there families and we are hoping to see these feelings continue to grow inside of them so they can become more converted to Christ and to come back to his fold! It was a great miracle that I saw this week!

We also had our Christmas service project this week with President! It was a very spiritual experience! Especially the time we had when we went to the hospital to sing and to give blessings. Are zones were split into two groups one half went to the adults and the other half went to the kids. I was able to go to the kids unit and it really was such an empowering experience for me. Just to be able to sing to these children and there parents about our Savior Jesus Christ and then to bear testimony of Him and then offer a priesthood blessing. The spirit was very strong that day and it strengthened my testimony of the power of the priesthood and the power of song as well. 

I testify to you all that our Savior Jesus Christ lives and he loves us! He came to this earth to die for us and to suffer for us so we would never have to walk alone. I am so grateful for this time of year. Our Savior Jesus Christ is truly the greatest gift we have and ever will receive! I am so grateful for all that he has done for me and now that I have this chance to share this gift with others! I love you all so much and I love my Savior Jesus Christ! I hope you all have a great week and hopefully we can put a little bit more emphasis on Jesus Christ this week and look for ways to serve those who are in need! Love you all!

Elder Barton! 

Season 6 Episode 6: Zone Leader Madness

Malo Fam Bam! 

This week was so busy! Time flew this week haha! It really has been a great start to the month of December! Our mission is doing this program called Pesepesega! Every night at 8 different Zones come to the mission office and perform songs! There are lighted up trees all decorated and focus on Christ and the songs focus on Him! It started December 1st and my companion and I have been every night with different investigators! It is a really awesome program and it is really peaceful! Everyone that goes loves it! So, that has been something been really cool this week. My zone will performing this Friday and we are planning to make it as spiritual as possible! We have some great ideas! I think there is a Facebook page called SAM Visitor Center and I think you can watch the performances there! 

On Sunday we had our Missionary Leader Conference and we had the privilege of having a General Authority attend, Elder Cardon! It was such a great meeting. Really powerful and a lot of great insights! Elder Cardon talked a lot about the Book of Mormon! It is just so cool to see him teach, he truly is so guided by the spirit! We also had our Island Conference yesterday with Elder Cardon! Just a quick story, he was teaching us about the gift of Discernment and he asked a question. He told us to look up at the ceiling of the Church and look at the fans. He then told us to search for the one fan in the entire room that was spinning counter clockwise (As all the others were spinning clockwise). We were all able to locate the odd fan out but, the fact that none of us noticed it before he pointed it out to us was where the lesson came in. He talked about how God will bless us with the gift of Discernment, every person has at least one "fan" spinning the wrong way and how if we listen to the spirit, God will reveal to us that "fan" and the way to correct its course! It was such a powerful object lesson and it got me so excited to get back out and proselyte haha! This week has honestly been so physically and mentally draining and there have been some pretty rough moments but, I am so grateful for the spirit I have been feeling this week! It keeps me going everyday haha!

Being a ZL is very busy and very hetic! We are always getting calls from the office telling us that we need to go do some random chore! So, we get a lot of time taken out from our actual proselyting and our sleep as well haha. But, it has given me a bigger appreciation for the time we actually get to proselyte! I love this time of year and the special spirit it brings and being able to bear witness of our Savior Jesus Christ to these people in Samoa and to see there lives change because of Him! I truly am so grateful for this Gospel! The many blessings we enjoy each and everyday because of the pure Love of Christ! I testify that he lives and he loves us! This is His work and it is such an incredible work! I love you all so much! I am so grateful for all of your prayers! I love this 25 ways over 25 days program! I hope you are all enjoying it as well! What a great program that helps us serve our brothers and sisters! I hope you all have a great week and I hope you all know that I love you guys! 

Elder Barton

 
  
 

Season 6 Episode 5: Zone Leader

Malo Soifua!

I can definitely say that this week has been a week of Thanksgiving. As you all know I have been serving here in Matautu Lefaga since late August! Although my companions and I have been putting a lot of effort we haven't seen much success. But, this week has truly been a week of miracles. As you may remember each ward in this stake has a goal to get 6 baptisms before the end of the year. This has been such a great motivation to me, especially with December just around the corner and thinking about what Gift I could give to God. Well, these past two weeks I have truly seen and I can testify of the Power of God in His Work. In these past two weeks we have been able to set 2 baptismal dates in Matautu and 3 in Gagaifo. We also had the baptism of Sale on Saturday! The 3 People's names in Matautu are Mercy for the 16th of Dec, Malia for the 16th of Dec, and then we had the Baptism for Sale!  The People in Gagaifo are Emi for the 16th of Dec, Siaa for the 16th of Dec, and Faamanu for the 16th of Dec. All of these people have some really cool stories and I wish I could share them all with you! But, I know that all these people have been prepared by the Lord not only to reach the stakes goal but, to Hasten the work of the Lord! It has just been a really cool experience for me as my companion and I have really exercised Faith in the God and his work and we have in return been able to see these miracles! I will for sure explain some of these people when we skype on Christmas!

However, yesterday was Transfers. The Zone Leaders called us in the morning and told us that we were both going to be staying for another transfer! I was pretty stoked to be honest. I mean none of my areas last longer than 2-3 months haha! Through out the day we were able to tell our investigators and members that we would be spending the Holidays with them! But, we all know that the Samoa Apia Mission is no ordinary mission! So, there we are sleeping that same night and our phone rings at Midnight! The Zone Leaders called and told Elder Chu-Shing and I that we would be transferring at 7 in the morning! Elder Chu-shing has been transferred to Siusega here in Uplou and I have been transferred to Pesega and I am now a Zone Leader with Elder Tautuaa. I was pretty surprised to say the least. A lot of mixed emotions! I was so excited to continue working with all of these people who are progressing so well and who have been prepared by the Lord! But, if I have come to know one thing here is that President Hannemann is called of God and wherever he puts Elders is where those Elders need to be. Although I am quite Nervous to be a Zone Leader and now I have this responsibility to look over the missionaries and there areas, I am so excited and so grateful! I can't wait to work together with all of these missionaries and to learn from them as well!  I know this email is very short but, these are how emails will probably be each Wednesday (If I get the Chance to email). It is just a really busy schedule being a Zone Leader. But, I really am grateful for this opportunity to serve! I am sure there will be some great learning experiences!

I love you all and I am so grateful for all of your prayers! Glad you all had a great Thanksgiving! Also, a huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Nichole and Bridger! Sorry, I can't send you both a personal email but, I hope you know you guys have been in my prayers and thoughts! I hope you all have a great week! We will talk more next week! I will also Send heaps of pictures next week! Today has just been really crazy haha! Love you!

Elder Barton!

P.s. I forgot! We took 2 of our recent converts to the Temple on Friday to do baptisms for the dead and it was such a great experience to see them continue on the work for those who have passed on! It was a really big blessing. Plus, you can't beat the spirit that is found in the temple! Can't wait to send the pictures next week!