Week 20-21

Mission life is good and I am loving every minute of my service mission and the best part is that I am in a very calm environment. If you are wondering the zone for the St.George Service mission goes to Cedar City, Utah. It reaches towns that are in southern Utah. Being a missionary has changed my idea of service to others and it has allowed me to help those that are looking for names to take to the temple. The Mission leaders that are in charge of the program are putting on a fireside for missionaries that serve in southern Utah for their parents and the missionaries.

Today is the monthly ROC luncheon where the those that work in the morning get to visit with the folks that come in the afternoon. Sadly I have class at 1 pm and they understand that I can not be there, but I am there in spirit. Being raised in the gospel has its perks and one of them is missions and how awesome are missions.

Sister Barton

Week 18-20

Last week had zone conference and learned so much. The highlights consisted of new missionaries that are looking to serve for the lord. We have been given a choice to serve for the lord in our full time missions. Knowing so many missionaries that have influenced my life and want me to become better. A mission takes great sacrifice for almost anyone that has a desire to serve the lord. 

About two weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend some quality family time with extended family including my sister. Another blessing about my mission is that I can go to school, work, and still have time to serve the lord. This past month marks five glorious months on my service mission and to think I will be done with my mission next year. Life at the ROC is great and having this opportunity to serve with other missionaries that are couples or that are about my age. I love my mission and zone conference was super good this past week. If you find a post with my in it, just know it is from my mission with all the missionaries that are present, some are new and others have been there a while.  

Sister Barton

Weeks 15-18

Heyo,

Sorry for not having my weekly update each week of my mission. Just been really busy with school, work, and mission. In the last three weeks we have gotten several new missionaries here at the ROC that serve at other locations.

At the ROC I have counted that we have five or more new young church service missionaries. I am excited and the best part is that I know one of the missionaries that went to the same school as me. We have three that are from the DI here in town.

Not much to say at this point oh but wait I almost forgot Happy Missionary Appreciation day.



Sister Barton,

Week 13 and week 14

Highlights from these last weeks:

• two new missionaries at the ROC
• School is good 

Just to open up the email with a couple of quotes from the quorum of the twelve
Elder Ronald A. Rasband: If we let the lord know in our morning prayers that we are ready, he will call on us to respond.  

Another one that I just recently saw is from Elder Neil L. Anderson: Each of us is a piece of the puzzle and each of us helps to set in place other important pieces. 

I have just felt in to share these two quotes that have crossed my way for when it comes to serving my mission.

So the new YCSM here at the rock are really nice one is very shy but does express her opinion when we are in scripture Study. Today's question is found within Helaman 6: 15-31 and the question is What happens to our hearts if we set them upon the riches of the world ? Thinking and pondering this question as I go throughout my day today of being in school five days a week, working only two days, and serving a mission. I know it may seem like it is a lot, but I do know this that my Heavenly Father is guiding me as I go to school, serve a mission, and work my part-time job.  The other missionary that we have is blind and seeing him in action when it comes to his part. With him being blind and all he has this program that reads all the information to him and then he can type the information in.

Next week, is the YCSM temple trip on Wednesday and I am very excited for it and being able to serve here at the ROC with these other missionaries was the best decision that I have ever made. School is going good.

Sister Barton

Week 12

This week we got two new young church service missionaries. One is very shy and she does not say a whole lot. She is very shy. Elder Robinson is blind and he has a computer program that reads the information to him while he is indexing. We are all teaching and learning how his program works. From what I can tell he is very out going and his disability does not limit him to serving a service mission here at the ROC. Sister Rossi is from a town outside of Cedar City. 

I am learning something new everyday while on my mission and it has helped me to become a better person. My prayers go out to the victims in the latest Hurricane Harvey. I am very grateful to know that my sister is outside of Dallas and she is safe. Knowing that these victims have so much that has been destroyed all their homes and their personal belongings like family pictures and other forms of life. 

As you can see I have been busy with school, work, and mission. 

Sister Barton

Week 10 and 11

Hello to my readers, Sorry that I didn't get my weekly update out last week due to college starting back up last Monday, I have gone to part time mission since I am in school. The school life is alright so far, classes are good this semester . Still I have time to work, go to school, ward activities, and a mission. Talk about being crazy busy right now. I have to give the though on Wednesday for devotional at the ROC and I have been thinking about what brings me joy and so far I have come up with family history. Still in the thinking process.

It may seem like I have a ton of time on my hands well sadly I don't. There comes a time in life when you have to focus on homework and a mission. Work is good, I have been working two days a week. It has been a crazy week and plus I have zone conference tomorrow.

Week 9

I love this gospel and the insight it has brought into my life and I enjoy sharing my talents and time with others. Mainly, a service mission has taught me so much about my self within the two months that I have been on my mission. Feels like time is going by fast and seeing how I am constantly learning something new each day about my self is pretty exciting. Since I go back to college on Monday is when classes starts. 

Yesterday was our monthly celebration. The name was called  Our Summer Bash and it was filled with different kinds of salads. I mean who knew that you could make potato salad so many different ways. The main dish was sloppy joes and I have not had one for a long time. Yesterday was a very exciting day here at the ROC. Although it may have seemed like a normal day here with other missionaries here. 

I am so very blessed to be serving a mission and being surround by others that are serving missions some of them are have done more than one mission. Plus you never know what you may find out about yourself and how you can apply life skills that are needed. Oh I almost forgot I get to speak in my ward on sunday about my mission and plus my favorite general conference talks. 

Sister Barton 

Week 8

Missionaries come and go. Here at the rock we are so very blessed to have those that come and go. The best thing that has happened this week is that Sister Worthom and Sister Potter have each played jokes on Elder Payne. The joke was a rubber snake under some advertisements that have coupons in them. Lets just say he wasn't expecting it and it was very funny. Elder Payne sure does live up to his name and  well he is the practical  joker.  The second time sister Potter and Sister Mart each took part in this joke. Needless, to say they took turns with the use of the rubber snake. Sister Mart put it on Elder Payne's chair, Sister Potter put a black snake on his keyboard and when he saw it he just jumped. 

I guess you can imagine for yourself the practical jokes that are played on new missionaries come from Elder Payne. This morning after our scripture study Elder White started jokes and lets just say the jokes were really funny, then Elder Jones came by for a visit to see how the YCSM missionaries are doing. We are good just that each of us have blossomed in our own way. With all the jokes that were passed around today my favorite would have to be the one about the Lamanites and Nephites. The joke goes as follows what do the Lamanites use to eat off? The nephites have the plates. 

This week has been full of jokes and gaining new missionaries. We have a new Elder and he does a mission here at the ROC and also at the DI. So far from what I can see he is going to be a very good missionary that will fit in here very well. Well I have to get back to Indexing or Zoning. 

Sister Barton 

P.S. This month's theme is How Great Shall Be Your Joy 

Week 7

Highlights

• Two months serving a mission
• New project at the ROC

Can you believe that I have reached two months already? it is crazy to think that I 16 months left of my mission. As I sit here thinking about these last two months I have been keeping track of the time that I am spending here at the ROC. I have a understanding of Family History and how it just takes asking grandparents questions when it comes to doing genealogy on my dad's side of the family. Not too long ago I came home from my grandparents house over by Beaver, Utah with a box of Genealogy books some with duplicates and some that are out of order.

The latest project that my mission has started is like waypointing only we have current newspaper articles that only about eight of us look at. We then decide if they need help in being resplitted or if they need to be cropped. It is fun and of course it is the number one priority right now and these records come from the El Paso, Texas server. They are fun to do but we are only required to work on them for about 2 hours each day. As far as I know it is to help those that are in Texas and plus it is just like zoning, the only difference is that we are putting images or articles back together and cropping them because the computer has cutting tool that says " I don't know whither to cut the black line or this other line".  Another way of thinking about this project is when you read the morning paper that is not online and is delivered to your house in the morning. When you first open the paper you see the crease and that tells you where you need to cut the paper in half.

That is all I have for this week. Until next time.

Week 5 and week 6

Week 5
Good morning to my fellow readers and welcome to sorry update it has been really crazy over here at the Records Operational Center. We are getting some brand new missionaries sometime in the next and coming weeks. I always look forward to having new missionaries sign up and to come in and help us with these records from family search. It is always the highlight of my day when they have to stand up in both devotionals and introduce themselves that is how us other missionaries get to know them and plus we all have to introduce ourselves. There comes a time in our lives that we forget to introduce who we are and what our life goals are. At times it is very helpful to have these skills and to get to know others. I think about it as a spotlight and how the spotlight shines on those that are new. 

Week 6Life serving a mission is great. I am loving every minute of it and it brings me so much joy. I mostly enjoy being around these senior leader missionaries. When PPA's came in the other day, we have a elder that does 200 ppa's, well short story he was not here the other day so everyone had 100 ppa's to do. We did get them done, but it took two days to complete them. 
Yesterday, we had our monthly celebration and the theme was Summer Salad Spectacular. Needless to say it was a joy and it was not a disappointment. There were tons of different salads. Elder Payne and Elder Parker were having a contest to see who makes the best deviled eggs. Needless to say Elder Payne's deviled eggs were good, his had bacon on them and I have never ever had deviled eggs with bacon bits on them. I think it is safe to say that elder Payne is a character when it comes to being one of those leaders that brings in the laughter and joy to the atmosphere. Not a day goes by that Elder Payne is funny. I love the senior leader missionaries here at the ROC.  

Week 4

Hello Everyone, 

So this week we had our annual temple trip the other day, it was really spiritual and a memorable experience. I had the opportunity to invite one of my friends to come and she had a good time. I am super excited to learn how to do Waypointing here at the ROC.  Plus, I get to speak in my homeward on Sunday because there is a missionary that is home and it is there homecoming talk. 

Other than that things are going really well and I love this gospel and I have had many of my friends and family ask me what I do for my mission and so I explain it to them. The spirit of Elijah is here and it will continue to be around as long as we do the work for our Ancestors. 

I have been in contact with a cousin from Arizona and he has asked me questions on why I change some things in my family tree, I reply back and say it is my mission and that is what I do. I help find records that then later lead up to finding temple ordinances that need to be done. 

Sister Barton

week 3

First of happy belated fourth of July. Did not do much for the fourth just worked on indexing and family history. I am learning something new everyday and it just goes to show that learning new things each and everyday does help those that a desire to learn. When it comes to learning new things in life depending on if you are either serving a mission or getting your education, you are constantly learning new skills everyday. Those skills will come in handy in the near future. 
I am really excited for the next temple trip with the records operational center and plus doing a mission has helped me to get closer to heavenly father and it has also helped me to forgive those that have wronged me in a way that I know is part of growing up. It takes time to heal and forgive those that have their everyday struggles whither it is finding a job in this economy or going to school or even family members that are going through a tough time right now. 

I am really grateful to the have the gospel in my life and to know that there are some that are deciding who are not quite so sure about the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is my testimony of the gospel that keeps me going when it comes to the many challenges of life. I also know that this is the true church and that we are so very blessed to have a prophet this very day and very thankful for all the things that he does to keep the church in line. I know my savior loves me and is looking down at me with a smile that provides me light. He is the light, I love the book of Mormon with all the lessons and teachings of the old ancient prophets. I know that families can be together again and I know that we can achieve our goals in this life. 

Week 2

What does it mean to be a missionary? Being a missionary the burdens of life can come into place and sometimes it is hard to cope with being a return missionary or just for the missionary that is just starting to serve the lord. Lately, I have been pondering what it means to me to be a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I have come to the conclusion that there is more to life than just trying all of the worldly possessions that surround us in this day and age. My burden is light is this months theme at the Records Operation Center, I have shared the one of the hardest trials of my life. 

My burden is Light because I know that I can see my dad, grandparents, and other family members that have passed away. The gospel is real and it is everywhere, although there are some that belong to other regions, but they believe in the same person. Life is messy and it is hard to control at times. With a little help from my Savior when it comes to prayer and daily scripture study, my burden becomes lighter and it feels like this weight has been lifted from my shoulders. 

The other day at the ROC I learned how to do ppa's and they are easy that is if you can do them. Also, some of the trials that most of us come into contact with and seeing how some trials are harder than most, it does take some to learn from them and to understand the true meaning behind some of the trials that we face. Some trials are challenging at times and do take the time to run their course of action while others are easy and have a different time frame on them.

At first when I heard about doing a service mission, I was unsure it took time and patience to understand that doing a service mission was a good thing. It took a lot of prayers and daily scripture study to finally get an answer and that answer was yes to go on a service mission. I have grown to love my mission ever since I started it. I love every step of my journey and the best part is that the full time missionaries that are also at the ROC are great listeners and plus it is constant laughter. 

Call to Serve

I have been call to serve to a service mission here in St.George,Utah. I serve at the Records Operational Center for family history. So I will tell you a little bit about what I do at the ROC center. I have been volunteering there since the last week or so of May and I am pleased to be able to find those names that are awaiting for them on the other side to do the temple work. Basically, I have grown to love zoning. Zoning includes finding birth, marriage, or death notices in articles. Knowing that there is morning to zoning and doing all the other programs for example post publication review, waypointing.

Although, it may seem like I am learning something new everyday when it comes to doing family history. The records operational center is where those that are called for this mission are arbitrators and that is where we get the records ready to be indexed or so that others can find out who their ancestors are. With the vast knowledge of learning something new everyday, it has become one of the highlights of my life to be called to serve for the records operation center.  Plus, here at the ROC we have devotionals which come with a hymn, prayer, announcements, and the thought is given by someone who is assigned to give it. There are two devotions one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

One of my favorite scriptures that applies to family history is found in the Old Testament in Malachi 4: 5-6. Knowing how this scripture does apply to doing family history it does help to review it from time to time. I am learning so much here when it comes to doing zoning in finding birth, marriages, and death records.