Email Update: December 27, 2010

Hey Family!

Well I don't know what else to tell ya after talking to ya haha.

On Sunday we had 3 investigators come to church the most so far this transfer. We then met with Ronda our investigator who has a baptismal date for Janurary 8th. We were going to teach her a lesson but it turned out that the spanish missionaries were holding a baptism that night and we thought it would be best if we took Ronda there and let her see how we perform baptisms. Even though it was in Spanish you can feel the Spirit testify in any language and I think Ronda felt it because she really enjoyed it. After the baptism we taught her how we are the only church that has the authority to baptize. Well I will send this e-mail really quick so if you have any questions you can ask me.

Email Update: December 20, 2010

Even after all of the planning and preparation, Cory did not receive the box we sent for his birthday and I am not happy.  Actually the box was delivered and signed for by someone in the apartment office on Friday, so I assumed he would get it no problem.  Then we get this email today and I feel really sad because he sounded kind of down....

Hey family! Talk about a birthday present I get to e-mail y'all! But that is about the only present I am getting today. I get to spend the rest of the day waiting in line at the post office, shopping, waiting for my companions to get hair cuts, and waiting on a companion go to the chiropractor.... so yeah nothing really special today.

Well let's review the past week shall we. I had 2 exchanges this past week.  The first one was Elder Christensen took Elder Finlinson's place in our area and it was an okay exchange. Oh, Elder Christensen broke my sunglasses and is not replacing them, so if you could send out some sunglasses in the next package you send that would be great, like my American Eagle aviators or something.

We gave Ronda a baptismal date for January 8th and she is totally excited for that. But our other investigators are not doing so hot. Like Joan is gay so that's a problem, and Moses is slowly falling off the path because of his girlfriend.

Nothing really special happened this week, all we did was tracting with basically no success. But one door I knocked on a lady answered and was like "Oh My Gosh I have something to tell y'all and I am so happy your are here!" (In my head I am like you wanna be baptized!) But turns out she just needs help moving ha ha .  She is not a member, but she had missionaries help her move into her home a year ago and now she is moving again and needs help so we are going to do that next week  - it's all about planting seeds any way.

Well that's all I got really, I am just not really motivated today and don't know what to talk about. Oh but I will call y'all at 6 p.m. (5p.m. your time) on Christmas and if this doesn't work for y'all just let me know. Love ya  -Elder Barton

I sent an immediate response to his email asking about the package since he didn't mention it, but he did not respond.  I got to thinking that I'd better check on the box since it also had all of his Christmas stuff and if it was missing I wanted to track it down ASAP.  I called the mission office and asked Sis. Walker if she would call Elder Barton and ask him about the package.  She called back and said that he had not received it, but she told him to check the apartment office when they got back there.  In the meantime, I called the apartment office and someone checked on the package and verified it was indeed there for him.  I asked them to please make sure he gets it since it was his birthday today.  After running errands this afternoon, I returned home to a message on our answering machine from Sis. Walker stating that Elder Barton checked at the apartment office and they told him there was no package there for him.  I tried to call the apartment office again but they were gone for the day. 

I just feel horrible that Cory probably really didn't get anything for this birthday today.  Needless to say, I will be making another call in the morning to found out what is going on.  I really did try, really......

Hopefully,  he will still call us on Christmas day and I can plead my case.  UGH!

Email Update: December 13, 2010

Glad to hear from everyone! Everything sounds normal so that's good.

So here is what happened this week. On Monday it was our P-Day and we went and played with our zone. We played poison and then some football and of course I rolled my ankle like I always do now, but I got your package during the week so I have my ankle things now so that won't happen again, so thank you for that. Then we went and had dinner with the Stoddard family and this family has some crazy kids so it was a very interesting dinner and we ate chili of course, I mean gotta have beans of course. Also we had exchanges that night and Elder Finlinsion exchanged with Elder Christensen who is a transfer or 2 older than Elder Finlinsion but that was way fun.

On Tuesday we did some service with our District and worked on a lady's yard by trimming bushes, cutting and bagging branches and trees (we have to bag them because it against the law to burn wood in Houston, lame!), and put up some Christmas lights. And then we went tracting (the story of this week has been tracting we only have 3 investigators). Then had an amazing dinner at the Ravenburgs! We had a breakfast dinner; we had biscuits 'n gravy, eggs 'n bacon, sausages, and German Waffles or pancakes I don't know what it's called but its good. Then we went on splits right after dinner with Bro. Ravenburg and another brother and just visited some families and checked up on them. Then we exchanged back.

On Wednesday we did service again with the same lady doing the same thing and we finished that day. Then we went and taught a RC Edith and talked with her about her brother because he is one of our investigators. Then we had dinner with the Coronado's and it was so so good!

On Thursday we had a specialized training with the Katy Zone and President Hansen came and talked to us (Specialized Training always = changes in the mission, so be prepared for anything) So the first thing President Hansen changed in our mission was that gyms were now off limits because missionaries would go to gyms and watch TV, listen to music, and be there all morning long. We had some missionaries not too pleased with this, one actually stormed out, but hey just got to make do with what we got..... and that means I will get even fatter :) Well, I am already Elder Chubs to Deanna so it doesn't matter any way :)  Also we talked about the number in the Katy area.  As you could see, last year we lead the mission with baptisms and now this year we are 2nd to last, so we talked about some things to change that. Elder Hill and I had some good revelation during this meeting to do with our area. One is that we make a sign up calender and pass it around with our dinner calender. This sign up calender is where the members can sign up just to have us come over and teach them a lesson during the hours of 7 p.m.- 9 p.m. because these are the hardest hours of the mission day. To be honest Elder Hill and I are not too happy with how our ward is lacking in the missionary spirit.   There are only about 5 families or individuals that we always go to for help with missionary work and we want to change that now! Don't get me wrong, I love this ward and this area, but this ward needs to work on D&C 88:81. Then we did some tracting. We sent Elder Finlinson with a priest in our ward to teach an 8 year old who is about to get baptized. Meanwhile, Elder Hill and I went and cooked some dinner (we were having dinner at the Ramos family but we offered to cook them dinner and they accepted so we cooked up some mean cheesy potatoes).

On Friday, our Zone and the Cypress Zone, was invited to participate in Navidad En El Barrio (means Christmas In The Ghetto!) So we went downtown which is awesome cause we never get to got to downtown! And that took all day and I took a bunch of pictures, but basically we wrapped presents all day long, but it was super fun!

On Saturday, we tracted some more, still having little success.  Then we had dinner at the Orton's and it turns out they are going to be moving to Salem, right by y'all.

On Sunday the ward had a special musical sacrament meeting. Then Elder Hill taught Gospel Principles. We then went to Sister Chavez' house because this was step two to Elder Hill's and my revelations we had. We made a whole bunch of Rice Crispy treats and we made enough for about 45 families and put a scripture with it about opening their mouths and it shall be filled (talking about missionary work and Rice Crispy :] ) That took the whole evening and I took pictures of that as well.
Well that's all for now but today we are meeting with an investigator named Ronda and are going to give her a baptismal date for Jan. 8 so I will let y'all know how that goes.
Love ya -Elder Barton

Email Update: December 6, 2010

Howdy Family!
It's good to be e-mailing y'all again! I will just start at the airport after Mom dropped me off. I met the missionaries that I was flying out with, Elder Reese from Idaho (There are now 3 Elder Reese's in the mission so look out Deanna), Elder Reidhead from Utah and Sister Pincock, she was super nice and from Idaho as well. The flight went well I just spent time answering the greenies' questions about the mission and Texas area. But the landing was terrible since I was sick it hurt really bad and I still have an ear to this day that hasn't popped! I have tried everything to get it to pop! Oh well, it will eventually go away I hope. So we land in Houston and I am directing the greenies where to go until I see President and Sister Hansen and the AP's.  When I saw them I started power walking almost started running and hugged President Hansen.  It was good to see them again and he and sister Hansen greeted me back home. While I was waiting on my bags I got a quick run down on what's happened in the mission and where my mission buddies are at. First the new AP's are Elders Andersen and Galbrith. SO Elder Hiatt finally is not an AP anymore and Elder Thompson was going back home to Hawaii since he did his 2 years. So I find out that Elders Esplin and Foster would be training the 2 new Elders which was perfect because that means I would see them since I was going through the same process again of signing papers, having a Texas dinner, etc. I found out that Elder Scoresby is now a ZL in College Station and that Elder Martin is in Magnolia.  Elder Beesman,who I took greenie tracting before I came home, is now my ZL so things have changed a lot since I have been gone. While I was going through orientation again, President Hansen called me into his office and expressed his thanks for me coming back and his love to me. He told me that my companions will be Elders Hill and Finlinsion .  Yup that's right, I am in a three-some. President told me that he was putting me in this companionship for a reason.  I also found out my area.... Bear Creek, that's right I am going back to my first area! I was having some bad deja vu on the flight out and going through orientation, but it got worse when I heard that ha ha. But I am excited to go back and see the progress of the ward and see how my recent converts and less actives are doing. But later that first day I had an awesome Texas dinner and went tracting with Elders Austin and Foster so I got to go tracting with my best bud Fosty again! It was good to talk with him again and see him nervous about training but he will do GREAT!
Nothing really happened with tracting since all we tracted into was Spanish people but apparently Elder Foster learned some Spanish while I was gone cause he whipped that out. But when we were done we went to the AP's apartment (the same apartment I was in Old Oaks so deja vu again!) I spent the night there, but I couldn't sleep because I was too excited. In the morning some Elders went to go work out but got distracted and crashed into a tree and flipped the car but no one was hurt and they were only going 10 mph. In the morning we went to the mission home and had breakfast there which is like the best meal you have your whole mission so that was amazing and I talked to Elder Esplin there and got caught up. Then it was announced who the trainers were getting as companions. Elder Foster is training Elder Reidhead and Elder Esplin is training Elder Reese and it turns out that Elder Esplin still has not left the Katy Zone so he is in the same zone as me which is awesome. After that we went to the temple and did a session there which is great because I LOVE the Houston Temple! And guess who I ran into after my session.... SISTER SHIVER! (The Shiver family was in the Memphis 2nd Ward with us years ago, Jessica and Cory were friends with their children) So it was good to FINALLY she her and talk with her and catch up on things. And it was funny, Sister Shiver kept telling President Hansen at the temple to send me to Huntsville so I could be in her area. I hope that eventually happens. But after that I went with Elders Hill and Finlinson to Bear Creek and went to work.
So it turns out that Amber and her family is active and solid! Which is great because I was scared that she and her family would go inactive but thankfully, that didn't happen. But sadly Cynthia Ray has gone inactive but I plan on changing that while I am here. We still have the same people inactive except for the Davis's who were baptized right before I came into the mission and they were solid! But now they are less active! This is terrible, but I plan on whipping them into shape :)
Ah okay I am running out of time and I still have to e-mail President! OK quick run down on the rest of the week. Went to a ward Christmas party and got to meet all of the people I knew in the ward and met a couple missionary at the event that was in the South mission but turns out they lived in Mapleton for a little bit.  Their names were Elder and Sister Shipley and they lived on the North side of Mapleton.
Did a lot of tracting since we have very, very few investigators but I like this because it increases my love for investigators because I took that for granted when we had a lot of investigators. Said the opening prayer in church, taught a SOLID first lesson to a lady named Ronda and I am telling you she will be baptized it's so solid! Oh, so there is this girl named Edith.  She was a referral from the Spanish sisters and Elder Foster and I dropped by, but she refused to see us, but it turns out that Elders Foster and Hill baptized her and she is super solid.  She got her Patriarchal blessing on Sunday and she is going to the temple this Wednesday and she plans on serving a mission in a year so that was really neat to see.
Well that's all for now sorry I had to rush the ending but if you have any questions feel free to ask! Oh also Mom can you send pictures of thanksgiving, getting stuck on the highway, etc. Any pictures you can find while I was home and mail those to me that would be great! And tell me what the family is doing! I love y'all

-Elder Barton

A quick reponse after getting our email with a couple of questions.

Thank yall for the letter! Its good to hear from every one. Yes Mom, just send packages to me in the Bear Creek Apt. There are still roaches here, sadly, and this apartment is small enough already but now there is another bed and desk in there for me so we are struggling to get around haha.

After 142 days on Medical Release, It's Time to Get Back Out There!

On Tuesday morning, Cory received a call from Pres. Frischknecht, our Stake President, to let him know all the paperwork was in place for him to return to the mission field.  He then asked Cory if he could be ready to fly out the next morning as this was transfer day in the mission and he could travel with new missionaries leaving the MTC.  There was no reason to wait, although just before this phone call came in, I ask Cory to bring me his suit so I could take it to be dry cleaned.  Now there was no time for that.  It was time for laundry and packing.
 
Cory took in one last movie with Jessica, Deanna and Rebecca and then on Tuesday evening he was set apart again by Pres. Frischknecht.

He had quick goodbyes with family on Wednesday morning before leaving for the airport.  It was just Cory and I traveling to the airport.  We arrived early enough for me to park the car and help him get his baggage checked in.  We suspected he would be close to the weight limit so we opted to check his bag curbside so it would be easier to pull things out if needed.  Sure enough his bag weighed 52 lbs. - 2 lbs. over the limit which pushed the fee from $25 to $90.  Needless to say,  out came a couple of binders which took his bag down under the 50 lb. limit.  I just brought those binders home and added it to the box we had started that was going to be shipped to him anyway.  It was much cheaper to ship extras instead of paying the baggage fee.
 
After his bag was taken care of I walked into the terminal with him but could not go very far before entering the security check line where only ticketed passengers could go.  I went down to the lower level to check that his flight was leaving on time and it was.  At this point, we did not see any other missionaries so I had to give him a hug goodbye while he was in line and then I left him.  I encourgaged him to head straight to his gate to get checked in on the flight and then get a bite to eat if he had time.  I felt kind of weird leaving him there without a companion and I'm sure there were some people who wondered where his companion was.  I should have had him call when he got to his gate but I'm not sure he would have been able to as pay phones are occupied when missionaries are going out.  When we did not get a call later in the day after his scheduled arrival time, we figured that was good news.  Otherwise, somebody would have called looking for him right?
Today we received a call from the mission office.  Sister Marsh called to give us Cory's address.  I think he was hoping I would ship his box directly to him but I had already sent it yesterday because I wanted it to arrive there on Friday.  Both sisters that I talked to in the office expressed how glad they were to have him back.  Sis. Marsh said that many missionaries don't return and she said how he just beamed when he came in.  I know he is happy to be back.  I also found out that Cory is back in the first area he served in which he loved so I'm sure he is happy about this assignment.  I also found out he is serving with in a threesome with Elders Finlayson and Hill.

We look forward to hearing from Cory on Monday.  As far as we know as this point, his former email address will be reinstated and remain as it was.