Almost moved houses January 15, 2018

This week went pretty well we didn't get to move yet because there are not a lot of members here to help us to move our stuff, actually the problem isn't even the man-power, its the transportation, there is only like one member family with a single truck which would have taken all day to move everything and it would have been rather expensive so we are going to plan a little bit better and make some calls, so that we can get this house moving action going.

This week was interesting as we got very close to baptizing a very converted young lady but sadly had to be cancelled because her grandma didn't let her, she turns 18 in a month and a half so she is really looking forward to getting baptized on her birthday. Its really saddening that she had to cancel her baptism which she had already invited a few of her friends/family but she is hopeful for when it finally happens. I like what she said when she "made this decision and can't go back because God told her to;" it was a happy/sad weekend. But we have a for sure baptism this sunday of a members daughter so its really good practice for Elder Carter who is wanting more chances to teach everything. Elder Carter is doing very well, he is really happy and likes playing around with the other missionaries we live with. He's actually doing too well, last night I fell asleep really quick and he put a cracker in my mouth and left it there and took pictures and everything and in the morning he asked if I had found a cracker and I hadn't and apparently it turns out (as it seems) I had eaten the cracker sleeping and I didn't even know it, ha we laughed a lot about that one. Today for P-day we cleaned the house, went to lunch, and spent some time in the mall, looked at ties, bought ice cream cones and just had a good time. Today was pretty good. I think the photos I uploaded are of the first catholic church in petrolina, its nothing too grand, just old.The chocolate cake I made for the baptism that didn't go through, the yakisoba we made for lunch on saturday, and just me.

Lots of Love LOL

XOXO😘

--  

___________________

Elder Benjamin Barton

This is my beloved son, hear him! January 8

This week has been super awesome! I got to work with my new companion Elder Carter who is from Houston, Texas. We just had the best first week, we had some really cool spiritual experiences, miracles actually. Its funny trying to write all that happens because not any one thing seems sufficiently significant to write. We left for Salvador Monday night and we got there Tuesday morning, and we we waiting to be told were to go from the bus station to get our companions and then the Secretary told me my Uber was here and my response was "my what is here?!" So the mission started using Uber for the transfers that are in the cities (not long distance for obvious reasons) So we got the Uber and went to the church building were we got a training on how to train a new missionary and then we went to lunch and then the new missionaries arrived. We then had a short training together doing contacts paired randomly with the new missionaries and then a classroom training after and then he had the exciting reveal from president on who we would train. So it was pretty fun that day. And from that day on we've been practicing his Portuguese (which he already speaks semi-well) and we've been having some actual success as well from all the extra practices and work we've been doing. he's pretty obedient so we get along fine. Yesterday we had a goal to make one more new investigator with the last 1/2 hr that we had and so we said a prayer and we were guided to a person that was made a new investigtor, he (and I) thought that was so cool that our prayers were answered literally.

I've been teaching, and bettering myself to extact obedience because its really only by this that we achieve our full potential in things physical and spiritual.

As far as things that are going for me, there is not a lot. I sometimes have to talk a lot more because my companion is still learning so I have to really be up to the challenge/responsibility to be basically functioning as a one missionary companionship because of the language sometimes, but I'm studying the language with my companion to help him to take on the most about of responsibility he can bear. Its part of the learning process right? But I'm very happy with Elder Carter he is very funny and is already joking around in his limited vocabulary and its hilarious. 😆 Well I guess I'll write more next week...

Love you guys!

[to my fan club]

-- 

___________________

Elder Benjamin Barton

This week in Bahia 10/30/17

This week was great we worked hard as always and we achieved the results we hoped for. W. was baptized this saturday and on the day of his birthday aswell. He was super prepared and confident in his decision and even studied outside of our lessons, one day we walked in on him reading the teachings of the church presidents book while waiting for us to arrive at our appt. After his baptism, his girlfriend brought out a cake with blue frosting that turned the mouths of everyone who ate it blue. It went really well. We had a "Mission Tour" this week which Élder Joaquin E. Costa of the seventy visited and had a conference with him. It was pretty cool, we got to talk/converse with him and to shake his hand. It was basically a conference with the whole mission with the exception of 2 zones that had their own conference. I forgot to take pictures until the end which was the selfie that I attatched. This week we had a zone T-shirt made with our names and the symbols of baptism and confirmation on the sleeves, they turned out cool but the sizes of brazil are really small, its a good thing I'm slim or it wouldn't have worked out, but for the rest of the zone....good luck. We keep getting urged to read the technology safety booklet and the online course that the church has by the mission, so I've started to wonder if we will be getting tablets or something soon, but I doubt it because theft of anything over the value of $50 is common. I'm pretty good though with my plastic watch and normal looking stuff, if I had any kind of bling or a really nice item it would make me a target for sure. But weel will see. Not much more to say/mention.

Love you, until next week!

-- conference baptism shirt

___________________

Elder Benjamin Barton

Training?

 Sushi! Hooray for sushi!

Its transfer week again and I'm going to train a new missionary! Its exciting and stressful and everything all at once but its going to be great! I don't know who he is yet, just in the moment President will announce it, and he has to interview all the newbies first and its for this I don't know yet. As new year's is today everything was closed so the computer places and stores were closed so we don't have a lot of time to talk today, just this quick message. I will stay in Petrolina and my companion Elder Amorim will go to Salvador. The contracts for our new apartment will be arriving today too so will will hopefully be able to move houses this weekend. I didn't write anything last week because I spent my whole time talking with my family, so if you didn't like that, deal with it, because I liked it.

The Petrolina 2nd ward gave us 4 missionaries lots of goodies for christmas and we've been eating them all week. We even got raisins which you eat during christmas/newyears for luck in the next year, its like a tradition here. We had a christmas week district meeting over sushi thanks to dad for his christmas gift for us four as well! Overall it has been a good christmas/holidays/transfer and everything. On the night of the new year Elder Amorim and I brought cushions on the roof to watch some of the fireworks that went off at the turn of the year and afterwards we just slept up there and we watched the sunrise when the morning came and it was really quiet, I think everyone partied themselves out, it was nice.

So we are going to Salvador tonight, we are using the computer house in the bus station right now and our bus will leave soon, so got to go.

Bye!

-- 

___________________

Elder Benjamin Barton

Picture of large Book Of Mormon

This was a lone picture he sent. This was made of wood in one of their chapels.

Hey

To

Mom Dad Chad Cobb Matthew VanGorkum Sierra Noelani Sage and 6 more...

12/18/17 at 12:02 PM

So I just wanted to share a quick spiritual thought this week while we are all getting ready for Christmas.

In Matthew 5:16 it says ``Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.``

I love this scripture becuase we learn how important it is to glorify our Heavenly Father. By the service we give to others we can represent our Savior Jesus Christ and we can focus on the love he has for each and every one of us. Also in Mosiah 2:17 we learn that ``when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God``. This Christmas we have the chance to remember the birth of our Savior. Christ was born in a manger and grew up living a humble life. He served, taught, and sacrificed everything just to help us return to live with him and our Heavenly Father. I know that Christ lives and that he loves us. This Christmas season we have to chance to remember him. He is The gift. He is The light of the world. Let him be the focus of our Christmas this year and help a friend or a family member remember this too. 

-- 😁🎄

___________________

Elder Benjamin Barton

1 Week until christmas

This week was great, we had divisions, the christmas conference, and finally some success in our area. I guess in the US they are called "splits" but I like the word divisions better because its the word we use in portuguese. I got to be with Elder B Costa (my trainer who is now my Zone Leader) and we got to work really hard that day and after we pooled our money together and went for sushi and it was really good. Actually in Petrolina there are many sushi places compared to the other cities here. Sushi is the perfect way to end the day but its a little expensive for the average missionary so it probably won't happen again for a while.

As I said before, we had our christmas conference on thursday and it was awesome, the Lazenby's tried really hard to make christmas special for all 150ish missionaries that are a part of their family this christmas. We had a normal conference the part in the morning, lunch was amazing with cheesy alfredo, goat/chicken meat, and some other foods I can't remember with a selection of juices. We then sang songs, president wrote a parody with the 12 days of christmas in portuguese and with missionary things, it was great, I took photos and videos of most of it. I will attach a bunch because the internet is fast here in this lan house I'm using :)   We did "secret friend" which is like "secret santa", I bought/gave a dashing blue tie and I got a chocolate bar with an R2-D2 plush toy with a music button that played the theme of star wars. Its pretty sick, my companions are sick of me listening to the music all the time 😅 We also got stockings from the Lazenby's with candy/snickers, popcorn, a dvd (with what I don't know), and a photo album with the christmas card form the Lazenby's and some photos of Christ, and the christmas card from the 1st presidency of the church in portuguese and my companion randomly got one in spanish and english. We then watched the Grinch as a special present from president, and had some special musical presentations (also included). During the movie, President brought our pizza for everyone. The only draw back to the conference was that it was in Feira de Santana which is about 7hrs by bus and the secretaries always put us on the 11:30pm bus which is terrible for sleep. took a few days to recover from that.

Us missionaries are going to be singing christmas songs in the church square tomorrow night (in front of where are new apartment will be) and the next day we will do the same thing but in Juazeiro the neighboring city. we haven't had the chance to practice at all but we will see how it goes.

 We get to call home next monday seeing that it is christmas and its going to be great, christmas in the feild. Its cool that I got to have christmas in the MTC and in the feild and weird to think that I won't have another on the mission, the next one will be at home.

But anyway Love you all, gotta go now, but Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas!  ​

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