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.
