Nov. 16 My Arizona Family

Sometimes I wish I could take a video of my week and send it home. That would make life so much easier. I don't remember what happened Monday through Thursday....but the best stuff started happening on Thursday so I'll start there. Exchanges!! This time I went up to Marana (north of Tucson) with sister hunt. She has been out for a grand total of 4 weeks so she was completely freaking out the whole day about having to make the decisions. It was fun to get lost a couple of times and to figure out how to help her be confident in lessons and in planning. She is a super shy still so it was pretty much a day of me teaching strangers. By the end of the day she was bearing her testimony at the end of lessons!! Small steps! She is a hard worker so we got a lot done! At the end of the night we went to ward coordination meeting and I got to help plan the missionary work part of the ward Christmas party! Being back in a family ward was weird but a ton of fun. My favorite part of exchanges is always reuniting with Sister Desautels. By the time we get home we both are ready to pass out! It's the best. Friday was a pit and a peak kind of a day. I received an email from a really good friend in New Mexico. She was baptized a few years ago and recently got married in the temple. Her email broke my heart as she told me things she is struggling with. It made me just wanna run to New Mexico and give that girl a hug and big bucket of ice cream. I asked the sisters over there to visit her so hopefully they can help her out. Friday night i got to Skype Ramon's baptism!!! We got to talk a little bit before his baptism. He was beaming!! I am so proud of him! Getting to see a lot of my New Mexico friends was heaven! Being able to see Ramon choose joy and enter the waters of baptism was a huge blessing. I was a little jealous that I couldn't be there during his baptism then I thought about how blessed I am to be able to have been part of his conversion and now be in Tucson for my current investigators. I wouldn't want it any other way. I know I'm where I need to be. Saturday was the top of the cake! Last Monday a less active woman from Rincon emailed me. She heard rumors that I was in Tucson and insisted that we meet up. We ended up meeting for breakfast Saturday morning. As soon as she walked into the cafe she spilled all the beans! I worked with her family for about 6 months. She was slow to make progress but we kept feeling the need to continue to see them. When I left the area the sisters didn't visit her anymore. Sister Youngblood started her story with explaining the hard time she has been having with her 11 year old son getting suspended. She was furious. As she drove to pick him up from school she said the first prayer she had said in months. Peace came over her as she picked him up and drove him home. For no reason at all she started planning a fhe lesson. (Never done FHE before) she announced to her family that FHE is officially mandatory. The next day she called the sisters. They are currently preparing her two kids for baptism. Sister Youngblood is living the word of wisdom for the first time since her baptism. The best part is....THEY WENT TO TO CHURCH FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 10 YEARS!! In one week this woman has completely changed her life and her families life. I couldn't stop smiling the rest of the day!! When we said goodbye, Sister Youngblood gave me the best compliment I've ever received. She told Sister Desautels that I wasn't her missionary. I am her sister. At the beginning of my mission I wanted so badly to be somebody's missionary. I don't care about that anymore. I would much rather be somebody's sister or somebody's friend. She was an answer to so many prayers. Saturday night I got to Skype Kenny's baptism in New Mexico. Remember him?? Once again, he was glowing and happy. Kenny has changed so much since we started working with him. Getting to talk to him and watching him bear his testimony after his baptism was priceless. You could tell he was scared to death to talk in front of everyone but it was impossible to not feel the spirit as he said what he believes. This email is getting super long so I'll stick with those stories. The biggest lesson learned this week was how perfect god's timing is. I think the hardest part of my mission has been accepting gods timing. I'm not the most patient of people and I like to have a plan. I would have loved to be there to go to church with the Youngblood family or to have said the opening prayer at the baptisms in New Mexico. But that's not where God wants me to be. He wants me right here at the u of a. I looked up right as I finished that sentence to find that Jicell had walked into the study room and started studying right in front of me. I know I needed to be here for her. I know I'm where God wants me to be. He has a plan that is so much better than my own. Thank you for all you do! I love you. -Sister Barton