Wooo

 What a week it has been!! Yayyy so excited i get to have 4 more!! Missions are the best!!

Tuesday: we had MLC!!! It was sooo good!! I got to see so many of my friends & i think thats why i love meetings so much!! Hahaha we talked a lot about knowing why were here & our purpose as missionaries. It was very powerful. President Harris said "we are all Gods & Godesses in training." When he first said that I was like ok thats kinda much & then kept thinking about it & realized how much potential we have! We are limitless, because we are all children of God. If we then towards Jesus Christ we can be our best selves & accomplish anything. Ohhh how amazing it is that this life is all about progression & we are able to become better & better & more like Christ!

Wednesday: we had exchanges with the Senior Sister Training Leaders!! I stayed here in winder & Sister Thomas came to be my companion for the day. We had a lot of fun!! We taught Sister Mixon (my best friend) & talked about the come follow me for this week!!! We also had service!! The Blaines son Jensen is getting baptized & we went over & cleaned her home & set up beds so there was room for their family to come. I love member relationships!! Sometimes I feel like these members are my extended family!! Its amazing how loving these people in Georgia are! We also went to the young womens activity!! We bleached shirts & painted rocks!! It was a blast & i got to meet so many of the young women!!

Thursday: we had District Council!! Sister Higginson & I gave a training on Diligence! Sometimes I think we think in order to be diligent we have to be sooooo busy & cant stop moving!! Hahah but ive learned that being diligent really depends on where our hearts at. Sometimes heavenly father will ask me to do something & instead of having the mindset of "yes ill do it because i love my heavenly father" sometimes i do it because i feel obligated, but the times when i do it out of a heart full of love, THATS when I learn, grow, see miracles, & become better. Everything in life falls back to our Heavenly Father & Jesus Christ & our love for them. What are we willing to do for them? What did they do for us? I know i will never be able to repay either of them but I want to do my very best to be the best tool I can in bringing others to them & finding happiness.

Friday: we had more exchanges & i went to an area called Commerce!! We had a lot of fun & i learned a lot from Sister Tanner about meeting people where there at & on their level. It was a great exchange! In the evening we did a FHE with a family where the Dad is very less active. We ate pizza, played games, & shared a fun message!! We were really happy because the dad participated!! It was a really good day all around!!

Saturday: we went to Jensen Blaine's Baptism!! There were 3 nonmember families there!! People here in Georgia here something about Christ & they're there!! Hahahah it went really well! We gave a presentation & talked a lot about why were on earth & how we can return to heavenly father. It went really well & the spirit was so strong. Baptisms are so powerful & helps me remember whats truly important in life.

Sunday: we had Fast Sunday & guess who came to church!! Remember that family we did FHE with?? The DAD WAS THERE!!! We were so happy!!! Not only was he there but he bore his testimony! We were amazed!! The spirit works miracles if we let it into our hearts!! We had a meeting with all the missionaries & talked about unity. Unity is one of my favorites because there is so much strength when we are all one. We also talked about when we pray together for eachother & our friends we can see miracles. It was really amazing because at the end of our meeting we all knelt down (31 missionaries) & prayed together. There was sooo much power, stength, love, & motivation in the room. Ohhhh I am so blessed to know about prayer & the experiences we can have.

I am sooo blessed to be a disciple of Christ. Whearing his name on my chest everyday has been a privilege. I love my Savior, I love my Father in Heaven, & im so grateful to be led & directed constantly by the Holy Ghost. The gospel of Jesus Christ bring true & everlasting joy if we chose to live it.

I love yall!!
Xoxo, Sister Barton 

We make miracles possible

 Time is going wayyyy to fast but im loving every minute of it!! Missions are incredible!! This week was such a good week!!

Tuesday: We had transfers!!! Transfers are sooo weird if you think about it but now so normal hahahah all of the missionaries meet & we switch around & then we are with someone weve never met 24/7 & somehow it becomes completely normal hahaha. My new companions name is Sister Higginson & both of our first names are Kelsey! Wooo!

After transfers on tuesday we taught Sheila!! Elder Gnatiko who weve been calling into our lessons to translate for us actually got transfered here & was able to come in person to the lesson!! It was so fun to have him there in person & see him & Sheila having so much fun talking in French together!! We taught Sheila about Family History. Before the mission I didnt really care much about family history. I was like ancestors haha who are they?? But on the mission I have learned sooo much more & have been able to understand why we do family history. It helps to gain relationships & understand who our ancestors are & why we are the way that we are. Its also cool because when we find their records & do their work to invite them to the covenant path we grow love for them. I never thought I could have so much gratitude & love for people I dont even know! Family History is amazing!

Wednesday: First full day with Sister Higginson!! We had a lesson with our friend Bri that we meant on facebook last week! Sister Clark saw that she does Holy Yoga & decided to send her a message!! We met her at a coffee shop & talked about Holy Yoga & what we do as missionaries. It was amazing because it was soooo normal & natural! She is looking for a church & is so open to learning more!! I love having lessons with people because you feel so much of the love God has for them soooo fast. Its truly incredible!!

Thursday: we had our first district council & then went to Sister Teschners house to make some cookies for some of the sisters in the ward!! It was such a fun way to serve!!

We went store contacting @ walmart & ohhhh it went so good. Before we went we prayed about who it was God wanted us to find. We both felt like we need to find a mom with a family. We were in the store talking to a lot of people but werent sure who it was exactly that God wanted us to talk to. I had this thought "lets go to the toys, kids love toys & where theres kids there will be a mom." We headed over to the toys & saw a lady who seemed about our age! We started talking to her & she told us what a blessing it was that we came down the same isle as her. She told us many hardships that are going on in her life & with her kids & how her mom has been praying & praying for her. She had tears in her eyes & the spirit was so strong. We knew we were in the right place at the right time!! It was a miracle experience!

Friday: we went to Sheilas english class!!! It was so fun to have simple conversations with her & help her learn new words!! Sheila is amazing & has soooo much dedication in doing the things she put her mind & heart to!! I love Sheila & cant wait to communicate with her in english one day.

Saturday: we did something so fun!!! Friday night we made all this calligraphy art & lots of chocolate popcorn & then saturday morning we set up a table & had signs & gave it all out for free!! It was SO FUN & we actually talked to & found lots of people!! Its starting to feel like fall here & i got to wear my sweater so that was a huge plus!! We are actually hoping to be able to be apart of the farmers market here next week but we will see how that goes!!

We also taught our friend Ruben!! He was a self referral & we did a zoom call with him & then werent able to have a solid contact with him for awhile. We called him & told him that we had a special gift that means a lot to us that we wanted to give him. We went over & he let us come inside wooo!! His girlfriend was there too & we were able to talk about the book of mormon & why it means so much to us. Ruben has had a rough past so we told him the story of Alma the younger who was completely wicked & was destroying the church but then an angle appeared to him & for 3 days all of his sins & mistakes were playing in his head. We talked about how this experience changed Alma & how from that point on he dud what he could to live the gospel & then became an amazing prophet. We are never to far away from Christ that we cant come back. He is ALWAYS open to having us come closer to him & feel the love he has for us. The spirit was so strong during this lesson I was truly amazed. We walked in & it felt a little off. I wasnt sure what happened there before we came but while we were in that home talking about the truthfulness of the book of mormon the spirit came so strong & touched all of our hearts. We invited them to come to church & they both said yes!! Ohhhh it was an amazing experience!!

Sunday: we had church & Ruben & Lori came!!! YAYAYAYAY!!! I know that they came because they were eager to feel the same spirit they felt on saturday in our lesson. It was a great sacrament focused on hope & love that comes through the savior. I am so excited for Ruben & Lori!

We made a video for our facebook page & the tech specialist in the mission came to record the video & they just happen to be my two besties!!! Sister Graff & Sister Swapp woooo!! We filmed our friend Zach who has been a member for about 1.5 years!! It went really good & im excited to put it up on facebook so yall can see it!!

This week was filled with MIRACLES. Sister Higginson & I have been talking a lot about miracles & how we create them for ourselves. If we have the faith that amazing things will happen, we will see those amazing things because God is more than ready to put them in our path! Miracles are real & im so grateful for the privilege I have to see them everyday!

I invite everyone to pray for a special miracle you are needing in your life & then have the faith to act on it!! I love yall & have the best week!!

Xoxo, Sister Barton

serve someone fun :))

 Another week!!

Tuesday: we did service at peace place again!! I never knew you could do so much yard work in the same place hahaha we also did another exchange!! I love learning new ideas of how to do missionary work here in quarantine. We had Zone Conference over zoom & I felt very motivated. Its crazy to think I only have 1 transfer left! Where has the time gone??!! We taught Sarah & we talked about the temple & how special it is. One of my favorite things is teaching anyone & everyone about the temple! Its sooo special that we get to go to the house of the Lord & feel his presence so strongly!

Wednesday: we went on another exchange & i got to go to their area!! Yay!! I think my favorite part about going on exchanges with other missionaries is meeting & getting to know other sisters. Its very inspiring to see why they are here & what motivates them to be a good missionary. After exchanges we went to one of our Spanish friends house & had a great conversation with them!! The mom is the only active one in the family & by the time we left the daughter said she wants to come to church on sunday too!! Its amazing to be able to witness the holy ghost softening hearts!

Thursday: our last district council! I cant believe this transfer is already over! I only have 6 more weeks to be a missionary & i cant believe it. Time is going way to fast but im ever so grateful for this opportunity to serve my Savior!

Friday: we had another exchange with missionaries & went & heart attacked Sister Mixon! Shes so cute & loves having us heart attack her! Last time she left the hearts on the door for about a month after! Haha we also did service for a family in our ward! We did some yard work & worked in the garden! So many people thinks its a burden to ask for help & to have us serve them when in reality WE LOVE IT. Lately I have really noticed & felt the importance of service! I have never wanted to serve more in my life because complete joy comes when we turn outward & serve!!

Saturday: we did lots of planning but after we got to go to a football game for a little boy the Hermanas are teaching!! It was so fun & brought back lots of memories going to all of Jensens games!! We also had dinner at Marthas!! Haha sometimes (actually a lot of the time) i feel like im actually a spanish missionary who doesnt speak spanish haha 😂 the Hispanics love making food!! As we were eating more food just kept coming!! By the time we got done eating it looked like we hadnt even eaten a thing haha!!

Sunday: we went to the spanish group & tracie the less active daughter came with her mom!!! Yay!! Also Sister Mixon came to church & I was soooo happy!! She got offended a while ago in the winder ward & has been going to a different ward since. Seeing her back made my heart soooo full! So many people expressed their love to her & made her feel so welcome!! I hope she keeps coming because everyone missed her!

Lately ive been thinking alot about my Savior Jesus Christ & how he ministered while he was on earth. Im amazed that the corona virus has taught me how to be serve more like Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ didnt go around knocking on doors begging the people to accept Him. He put himself in situations to serve & be a good example & from those situations was able to teach. I am so grateful I have learned this way of missionary work because when we realize we can teach the gospel in normal, natural, & everyday ways we realize we can always be a missionary.

I invite yall to find one service opportunity to do this week :)) pure joy will come as you serve with pure love for whoever you decide to serve!!

I LOVE YALL & HAVE THE BEST WEEK!

xoxo, Sister Barton 

I LOVE MY LIFE

 Here we are another week that flew by!!

Tuesday: we spent the morning doing service for a place called the Peace Place. Its a safe house for women! We did lots of yard work & went with 11 missionaries total so we had lots of hands!! It was sooo fun!!

We did another service! A family in our ward was getting evicted from their home & had to be out that day so we went over their last minute & packed EVERYTHING up. It was sooo sad to see this young family having to leave their home with no idea where to go but im grateful we were able to be there to help them!!

Wednesday: we had a Training Leader conference!! It was soooo good!! The Senior Training Leaders gave a training & so did Sister Harris!! It was great to be able to council with other sisters & get ideas about whats working during covid & being quarantined & all that. It gave me even more motivation for the work & to help other sister missionaries!!

Ok now for the fun part... GUESS WHAT... on wednesday the WANGEMANNS FROM BACK HOME took my whole house to lunch!!! I cant even put into words how fun it was & what it meant to me. Seeing their whole family here in Georgia was incredible!! Some of my favorite people right here in my favorite place!! Soo shout out to them for being soooo kind & taking a group of missionaries to lunch! Wooo

Thursday: we had District Council as usual & afted got to do service together at the peace place!! We moved lots of beds & loaded & unloaded lots of things!! I never thought I would like service as much as i do but woooo!

We taught a self referral through zoom! His name is Ruben & we spent most of the time getting to know him & telling him what we do as missionaries. Hopefully he will have a desire to learn more because were not really sure how interested he is so pray for him!!

Friday: we spent our morning cleaning a members home!! Her husband has worked double over time since the virus started & hasnt been able to clean her home so we went & cleaned it for her!! She had so much appreciation for what we were doing. Yay for service!!

We had lunch with Sister Wallace & usually her daughter lauren joins us but she wasnt feeling up for it. Lauren has a mental disability & bishop wallace really wants her to have more social interaction so we go over there once a week & have lunch & visit with them. Its great to be making a impact by doing such a small thing. Even when Lauren doesnt participate it helps sister wallace to be able to chat with us!

Saturday: we helped the penningtons get everything out of their house & get MOVED!! wow sooo many people from the ward were there i dont think ive ever seen so much help from a ward. The winder ward is definitely a ward family. It got to a point where there were to many hands & not enough work!! Incredible!! The penningtons are awesome tho & have definitely impacted my time here in winder!

Sunday: we had the spanish group, church & then we did a zoom call with a member!! Sundays are my favorite days!! We got the teach our neighbor rachel who is amazing!! We met her because her friend is a member & about 2 weeks ago they came knocking on our door asking if we could pray for them!! It was a really cool experience & opened the door for us to teach rachel!! So we went over & got to know her & sang her a hymn!! It was soooo good!!

We went to Marthas for dinner & its always a good time!! Its crazy because i love Martha sooo much even tho i cant communicate with her at all. We just like get eachother woooo!!

Yay for another week as a missionary!! Missionary work is the best kind of work & ohhh what a privilege it is to be apart of it! I love being a missionary & im so grateful for the time i still have to be here in Georgia loving all the people!!

Have a great week everyone!! Love yall!!

Xoxo, Sister Barton