week 26

England is good, Walsall is great!!  I can't believe I've been out about 6 months!  It's insane how fast it really does go.  The area is great.  I love Walsall and don't want to leave, so I'm hoping I can stay here a while. I love the people, the members, everything about it.   We are working really hard right now to help our investigators progress.  We have tons, we just can't seem to get them moving forward.  Some of our potential investigators either flogg us or don't have any desire to know more or continue seeing us.  Me and Elder Steed are working hard and really want an investigator with a baptisimal date.  That is our goal this week.  Just like in the Mormon Message:

 

 

It's a new year, don't look back just keep moving foward.  We were teaching a less-active member.  He is from the Congo and he is awesome.  We were talking about how we have to walk the path and how we continue to fall off this path and how God continues to pick us up to put us back on it again, and this man said the most amazing thing!  He said, "It all depends on our willingness to walk the path.  We have this simple plan God has created and the path we need to walk.  Now it all depends on us and our willingness to walk the path we are on."  

Loads of candy--there's a story to this.....

We went over to the home of a less-active family.  She is the daughter of this really cool older couple in the ward who feed us like every Friday. But anyway, we are over there just getting to know them, and we're chatting it up.  During this, she brings out some candy and feeds some to the boys and us.  One of her boys is way cute, he's about 2. To picture him, picture the little baby on Ice Age (haha).  He has a piece of chocolate and then she puts the candy away and he bawls his eyes out.  Face plants it in the ground, and just lays there like Randy on the Christmas Story. She then says, "yeah, sorry he is a chocolate addict".  So now its about time for us to go, and we ask if there is anything we can do for them.  She says, "Yeah, eat some of our chocolate.  So of course we say, "sure we can do that." She says, "good I'll go make some bags for you."  Now I'm expecting a little ziploc with some candies---NOOO!!  She comes out with this huge bag (like the red ones we have for Target and stuff).  Ginormous bags loaded and overflowing with candy bars hahahah we just are like wow.  Now at this point the little chocolate addict cannot take his eyes of that bag.  He walks over to it and looks inside and of course we know what he's thinking-- WHAT ARE YOU DOING MOM!?!?  He looks inside it, and then looks back up again.  Now this is alot of candy.  I picked it up and it easily weighed about 10 pounds.  The little boy grabs the handles of the bag and starts dragging it across the floor toward the door.  We are all just laughing, then his dad walked in and blocked the door and just started laughing.  So the little boy resorted to his back up plan. . . . and he started attempting to eat the chocolate, but his dad stopped him just in time.  It was hilarious!

 

 

Some ginormous miner guy in the middle of Wolverhampton.  It was nuts!

week 25

We're at the Mac store again, we are at the bullring  today just for a couple of hours.  

On New Year's Eve we stayed up 'til midnight and watched a free fireworks show from our balcony.

It was pretty cool, I'm not gonna lie.  

England is doing good!  It's getting slightly colder and it is raining loads!!  After church on Sunday we went by to see a potential investigator, we got to his house and knocked and no one was home.  So we decided to flog 10 (knock some doors) and we knocked the door to the left and an amazing lady answered, she is way cool!!  We were talking with her and midway through, it started off and on raining.  As we left and it starting dumping buckets and we were still in our suits--we got soaked!!!  It was soo funny hahaha.

Walsall and the people are good.  We are working on trying to get back in contact with our investigators after the holidays and what not.

 

I realized I need to take more pictures and videos so I'm working on it. Plus I forgot my camera so I 

will send loads next week sorry :(

 

You can find me on mormon.org (or you can type in Michael Barton on find people).  And encourage everyone else to make one too!

week 24

The Ward Christmas Eve party was really fun, we just sang Christmas carols and then had treats after.  I had to eat mince pies which were absolutely disgusting.  On Christmas Day we went over to a family's house right after church and we hung out with them and had some snacks.   He is the elders quorum president and he is awesome!  We were driving to his house because he took us, and we pulled over because some guy was lying on the ground with his bike. so we jumped out of the car and ran over.  It was windy and I felt like I was in a cop movie in my suit and stuff, I felt like I was in Burn Notice.  After that we went to another home.  She is the nicest lady EVER!    We went to eat, and there were like 10 people there, so it was a regular old party.  We came home and I just fell asleep at around 8:00, I was soooo tired.  Today(Boxing Day) was a full p-day so we just did some shopping and emailed and went to a lunch appointment.  Then we went to the arboretum and played some footy (football).  It was really fun!  I had a fun time just kicking it around.  

 The building we meet in looks like ours just a little bit smaller, actually alot smalller haha.  My mission president, President and Sister Ogden are the best!  I love them sooo much and they leave in July, so when I'm out about a year I'll get a new mission president.  I will be really sad because I will miss them.  I'm still in Walsall and I have been here for about 2 transfers and I'll be here for a while.  I'm excited for the future.  There are a lot of good things ahead. 

Pictures from the mission Christmas party December 23 at the mission home:

Happy Christmas

Editor's Note:  Missionaries are allowed to call home twice a year, on Christmas and Mother's Day.  To cut down on cost, international missionaries are allowed to skype.  We were able to see and talk to Michael this morning!  And through a couple of technological glitches, we found that he looks wonderful and sounds great!  He is happy!
Happy Christmas everyone!

week 23

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!



My new companion is pretty funny and cool, I'm excited for this transfer.  He has served in Cardiff Wales, Harborne Birmingham, Aberystwyth Wales,  and Wooster Cheltenham.  He goes home in February,  I'm not sure what date but that month. 

 

I can't figure out the Christmas message!  The only letter I got was the "i" haha because of the velcro--there were two dots hahaha  it is hard. 

 

As for our Christmas plans:

• Thursday about half the mission will be meeting in the bullring (a giant mall) at 6:30pm.  We will find a nice place and sing Christmas carols all night.  I'm really excited for that. 
• Friday, we have the Christmas party at the mission home.  That will  be soooo fun!!
• Christmas Eve (Saturday) we have a ward party so that will be really fun. 
• Christmas Day (Sunday) we have a 1 hour Sacrament service in the morning and then we are going to a family's house for lunch, the Pullen family.  Then we head over to Sue and Wanda's and we spend the rest of the night with them.  We eat, play games, skype!!, have fun. 
• Boxing Day (Monday) we are going over to the Smith's and playing some futbol with the kids at the park and we have lunch with this lady Evelyn.  Then shopping for sweet deals because everything is like 90% off on Boxing Day haha not really but there are some really good deals. 

That's our weekend!  It is going to be absolutely crazy and jam packed! 

 

It is freezing cold here hahaha and it hasn't snowed yet. Everything is just iced over.  We were biking last night and we pulled into this street and both me and Elder Steed slipped and slid on the ice hahahaha it was sooo funny.  No one got injured because we were biking really slow and kinda screwing around but it was hilarious haha. 

 

Views from the flat of one of our investigators. he is in a tower flat on the 15th floor, it is amazing!

week 22

(Editor's Note:  It had taken some time for Michael to get the mailing tube I had sent to him with his Christmas poster inside--by the way, thanks to all those who participated in Project 25!)   I did get the mailing tube finally! I'm still trying to decode the message, i have no idea--I'm gonna sit down today and try to do it.  Funny story about the parcel.  So it was late one night, like 9:30, and we got a knock on the door.  I'm just like, "what is this?"  I look out the peephole and it's some random guy holding a mailing tube haha.  So I open the door and he's like, "hey the postman was downstairs, so I thought I'd bring this to you so you could have it now."  I was like, "thank you sooo much!"  Then we saw him a couple days later and we started chatting with him and we gave him a card and stuff, he is really cool!  He said he might be interested in learning more about our church!

  

Michael and Elder Steed

My new companion is Elder Steed.  He is way cool!  He has been out 21 months.  So I'm sure I will kill him, (that means to be his last companion).  We are going to work hard to try and find a family to teach this season.  He is really short haha, and not just because Elder Siegel was really tall.   He is from St. George Utah.  

I haven't gotten lost that much, actually I'm kind of surprised!  I'm finding my way around fairly well!  Hahaha if I hit Scotland I'll be sure to take a picture first, then Ill ring up president!

Our investigators seem to be doing well and we have found loads of new investigators as well, so that is really cool!  I'm just excited for this transfer, I feel that we are going to have a lot of success. 

Michael's Christmas tree

Well I kind of hoped there would be snow but there isn't any snow yet and probably wont be any :(  There are lights everywhere and a tree set up in town centre. Nothing compared to the tree in San Francisco hahaha, but it is trying to be.  Everyone seems happier and we are singing carols to people on the street.  Last night we stopped this lady and we said, "hey, we are singing Christmas carols to people tonight, what is your favorite""  She said, "Silent Night".  So we sang  Silent Night to her and she started singing with us as well.  She wasn't interested in the church but you could see she was happier and that is cool!  We made her night a little better, and gave her a good impression of the missionaries.  

Michael's district

 

week 21

We just got back from transfers.  Oh man last transfer just flew by!!  Elder Siegel got transferred :(  Im really sad because I love him!!  We were talking, and missionary work is really, really hard.  You love a companion and you get split up, you love an area and you leave.  The Lord tests your patience and diligence.  My new companion is Elder Steed.  I went from serving with the tallest companion in the mission to the shortest lol.  I don't know him well but I hope we can be best friends because that makes it so much easier. 

The mission is being all shuffled around.  President Ogden leaves in just about 6 months and we will get a new Mission President, so he is preparing the mission and there are a lot of weird changes. Our district got split in half and Elder Siegel is actually my district leader.  He is also serving in his greenie area!  Which is so cool. 

We are teaching a lot of really cool people and the ward is the best!  I'm really excited for what can happen this transfer.  I'm a little worried I have to lead the way and be in charge because I "know the area" but the problem is I'm directionally challenged, you know that.  So I'm scared I will get lost all the time.  The Lord is testing me I know it. 

I want to leave you with my testimony and a challenge.  The Book of Mormon is true.  It changes lives.  It is amazing.  It is the word of God and it is powerful.  This church is true.  Jesus Christ is my Saviour and Redeemer.  I would like to challenge you and all the readers of the blog to recommit yourself to the gospel, especially during this Christmas season.  Remember what this time is really about--The Saviour Jesus Christ.  Be more like him this season.  Help those in need,  the poor the weary, the lonely.  Stand up and do good. and think of this song...

have i done any good in the world today, 

have i helped anyone in need,

have i cheered up the sad, and made someone feel glad,

if not i have failed indeed.

This song made me realized I don't do enough.  Get up, get out, and help those who need it.  I promise that as you do you will gain the pure love of Christ and your life will be changed.  You will have charity and love for all that cross your path and your desire to help will increase along with your love for the Saviour.