Well family y'all seem super busy and just having a blast without me.. i hope you somewhat miss me ;)!!! I'm glad everyone sounds so dang good!!
Well my week has been great as usual!! Hermana Richardson and I are still having a blast and got called the dynamic duo this week by one of our investigators.. we only have about two and 1/2 weeks lefts together and we're really sad but we are going to make the most out of it! Monday night after P-day brother Moala tooks us to dinner at Chick-fil-a
because he knows it my favorite and not only did he buy us dinner then we were getting ready to leave and he was like Sister there is food waiting for you at the counter I bought for you to take home. He is such a generous guy and I can never thank him enough for everything he does for me... If i ever have hand fulls of money I hope I can be as charitable as he is!! AFter that we had an FHE with the familia Islas in the spanish ward and their sister from Mexico lives with them who is not a member. We had a great first lesson with her and she will end up getting baptized but she had a little baby on Thursday so I dont know when we are going to be able to go back and teach her!! On Tuesday we spent a long time tracting which was fun and we taught a lesson to a man
named Bernidino.. he is from the Phillipeans and barely knows english but we taught him a really realy simple first lesson and then we ordered him a book of mormon and gospel principles book in Tagalog for him!!.. We are trying to find someone in the stake that served their mission there because he is so genuine and so CUTE!! We were also knocking doors and this man answered.. looked at us and said hold on.. then came back to the door carrying a Triple and said.. I've read it all the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price.. I know its true and Joseph Smith was inspired by god... we just sat there... then he told us he has studied theology his whole life and knows that mormons as the closest to what Jesus Christ taught and all this CRAZY stuff!! I told him I know.. becaus we are the same church that Jesus Christ establish.. well we got a return appointment with him on Sunday and went back and taught him a first lesson.. he knew it all.. but its sad because he is so knowledgable that he is just stupid... here I am a 22 year old girl.. i haven't studied my whole life but i have more light and knowledge because I can actually listen to the spirit.. We are going to continue to teach Chris lingle... please pray he listens to the spirit! On Wednesday was Zone Conference in McKinny.. and it was super fun!! Our whole zone wore green to show our unity and the trainings and talks were amazing... One of the AP's Elder Erickson talked about the miracles we see everyday on the misison and it is so true!! He gave five steps to seeing miracles 1. Faith-all miracles are based on it 2. Look to the Loard for your blessings Mosiah 8:18 3. Make the sacrifice- give allt he world up to accomplish your goals here! 4. Expect the miracle- if you don't expect it you won't recognize it when it comes 2 Nephi 26:13 5: Receive the miracle with complete humility Alma 26:11 you didn't do it the Lord did!! The other talk I LOVED was by President Smith.. he is amazing! He said something to the extent of ... I'm sending this now because the I don't want the computer to kick me off and loose it!!
okay my computer was acting funny so here is the rest of the e-mail.. so President Smith said something to the extent of... " WE never stand still- we're either going forward or backward. Do that which is difficult everyday.. try to find the wall of fire and walk through it. Do not try to find what is easy.. find the difficult. If you always look for the life of least resistance, you will become less resistant to the temptations of Satan. you never hear,"I hope they call me on a mission and I get to sweat all day..." No one said it was going to be easy. Never be comforable as a missionary.. the reason you grow so much at the beginning of your mission is because you push outside your comfort zone. You become a great missionary by doing the hard things others aren't willing to do!" I LOVED THAT TALK!! ... missions are hard.. but this mission has changed the rest of my life.. pushed me beyond where I even imagined I could be and has forced me to do things I never thought possible but with the help of the Lord really everything is possible!
We had a testimony meeting and I bore my testimony about grown, change, and protection from the Lord... most of you know how I decided to go on a mission I got my answers when I asked the quesiton where Heavenly Father would have me be in my life so I could walk where Jesus would walk if he was here today.. but what i didn't realize before my mission is that not only do i walk in the footsteps of Christ everyday he is walking right next to me.. it is amazing how much my relationship with my brother Jesus Christ has grown..I owe him everything in my life! That night we met with Teresa and her baptismal date is still on but her work was goign to have her satrt working on Sundays.. she asked for ti off but they said they really need her.. she didn't comet o church on Sunday which means she can't be baptized ont he 12th anymore.. we have an appointment with her tonight.. I hope for some good news.. man does Satan try to keep people form making this amazing blessing in their lives!! Teresa's son Davin is five and like my bestest buddy.. all during the lessons he leaves the room and comes back with some kind of candy for me.. then leaves then come back with more candy.. he's so funny and cute.. We met with Rosibel Flores again this week and walked the REstoration video with her.. at the end of the lesson she told us that the day she met us she had been praying to Heavenly Father for someone to invite her to church and tell her how to become closer to
him!! then she ran into us!! ha ha.. man if God amazing.. he definitely prepares people everywhere we go!! now we just have to get her to find a new job so she isn't working at a bar!! ha ha... GREAT!!
We went to dinner with a memeber family on Thursday and her kids had just moved in with ehr from Garland and her step-son had just got out of jail so we are going to start teachign him this week which will be fun too :)!! We also taught that little 11 year old named Jessica the first lesson this week and she is SOOOOOOOOO excited to come to church and the activities.. she is kinda a space case but she is super cute and she has a really hard family life so i'm excited for her to have a constant something good in her life.. On Sunday we took the Elmores to this special fireside where Elder Fluekinger from the Seventy came and spoke to us on the subject of whether mormons are considered christians or not.. it was a special fireside for misisonaries and either less actives, investigators, or recend converts and it was amazing!! My week has been GREAT!! and I have seen the Lords hand in every aspect of my life.. thank you for all yours prayers.. please pray for Teresa Andrade, Familia Gonzales, and Jessica Jackson by name.. the power of prayer is amazing!! I pray for you all daily.. thank you for all yoru support and love!! Only 28 days till my birthday!! HAHA!!
con amor,
Hermana Barber
Monday, August 31, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Time Flies When You're Having FUN!
hola familia y amigos,
como estan? Well first off I want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD on the 27th!! How old are you turning?... 20? (you can send me money for that later ;)!) Also i want to say CONGRATS to LIZZY HENDERSON soon to be JENSEN!!! I can't believe it and I am soooooooooooo excited for you... what a lucky guy! Thanks Matt for the cute videos of Jules, she is doll and getting so big.. can't wait to play with her when I get home. Mom and Dad it just sounds like you partied all weekend with the family. I was a little jealous and miss you all but I know i'm right where i need to be.
This week was a GREAT week filled with lots of hard work and exhaustion but also miracles! On Monday for p-day we had a zone p-day and played dodgeball against the Yound Men and Yound Women in the stake, it was so fun because most of us missionaries showed up wearing shirts i helped design for the zone that say JUST DO IT! on the front with the baptism sign then ont he back says 09 TDM (texas dallas mission) and sponsered by MOALA.. he paid for them!! they are Texas Longhorn orange and SWEET!! ha ha.. then that night we did FHE with two inactive spanish families...It was really fun but it is so hard to see the light in peoples eyes slowing fading and them not even realizing it!! Tuesday we had a district meeting then afterwards our whole district plus the zone leaders came and did a BLITZ in our area (where they all just come and knock doors in our area or contact people for us!) It was amazing and they found us five new investigators and it is a new challenge in our mission to get baptismal commitments (at least soft ones) during the first lesson.. and the elders got TWO baptismal commitment for us during the BLITZ...they haven't all panned out yet but still new investigators and people to work with is great! The BLITZ was two hours of knockingdoors in the middle of the afternoon and it was really hot but I think it was one of the funnest experiences of knocking doors i have had...Hermana Richardson and I just laughed for two hours straight... she is so funny and we get along so well, at every door she would say somethingwhitty and i would just die laughing.. we also found two new investigators and got four return appointments... oh and we got to offer a pray in the house of a catholic lady and we were praying right next to a table where there were probably ten candles burning and five pictures of the virgin Mary.... felt pretty awkward.. and yet they say they don't worship idols.. can't figure that one out! For service hours that night I tutored a little girl of an inactive family in math for an hour... I found out that i miss school and i love learning.. random side note!
Wednesday was a really really good day also... the english ward i am in Dallas 6th randomly had a 13 year old boy's record show up in their directory and sent us out to figure out who he was and what was his story. So we got an appointment with him and visited him on Wednesday. He lived with his grandma in Alaska and took the lessons and joined by himself... he just moved back to Texas to live with his Dad and step sister Jessica who is 11 and she know wants to take the lessons. The Dad said he has a beef with the big man upstairs but would sit in on our lessons.. his name is Alex Jackson, please pray his heart softens!! They are so cute and I am really excited to teach her... she came to church on Sunday and we went to primary with her and she was so excited just to make friends, just to be there! Then after we met with the Jackson family we drove to Copell and met with a spanish young lady who is 21 named Teresa Andrade... she was a missionary referral from the Elders up in Garland and she took all the lessons with her parents before she moved out to Copell with her five year old son Davin. Her parents got baptized yesterday in Garland.. but she backed out on her old baptismal date. It was a really cool experience as we taught her the first lesson again and answered her questions... then i just looked at her and said, "You know it's true." She just looked at me and said, "i know." Then we set a baptismal date for September 12th!! My first real baptismal date..just pray that she has the strength and time to keep this one! This will change her and her sons life forever!!!
Thursday was planning and there is a family that feeds us every Thursday Familia Garibaldi.. they are amazing. They have very very little but they insist on feeding us every week because they say they always get blessings from it.. we always insist they can feed us every other week and they say NO!!! They have such faith... well they couldn't feed us last Thursday so they gave us money (after I refused it three times and they were getting really really frustrated with me!!) so on Thursday we treated ourselves and went to my favorite restuarant OUTBACK!! YUMMMMY!! Then that night we had two lessons.. one with an investigator then an Less Active English family.
On Friday we fasted for the Gonzales Familia that has been taught for five months and come to church almost every week... we just wanted to know how we could get them to progress or in other words get baptized. Well Friday during the day we were invited to a 16 year old birthday party for a less active girl in the ward and we showed up and we were the only ones there.. it was so sad good thing we got her a gift or she would have only got one shirt from her mom for her birthday. then we ate at this old spanish ladies house.. the creepiest/weirdest dinner i have had on the mission... she handed us this oatmeal, milk drink...i told her i have milk allergies.. which i do but Hermana Richardson had to drink it and was sooooooooooooo sick the rest of the night. We walked into her house and we asked her if she lived alone and she said no I live with my dolls.. there were dolls everywhere and mannequins too.. really creepy!! then after that went to teach the Gonzales family... Hermana Richardson wanted to commit them to baptism so I just took the backseat but they told her they still didn't feel ready but we finally got them to pray about a date and we told them we would set one next appointment.. so this coming week!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pray for them!!
Sunday we had 5 people at church and got to go to Primary so all in all it was a good day :)!! Plus all of the men Sister Brundage baptized while she was here and the recent converts i've been blessed to work with received the Melchizedek priesthood yesterday Brother Elmore, Brother Gregory, and Hermano Aguilar.. Hermano Aguilar also blessed the sacrament for the first time in a sharp looking suit.. he did awesome. And Brother Elmore got his first call as the Ward Executive Secretary.. they are AWESOME!! I am really coming to love the people here in Carrollton.. I hope I don't get transfered in three weeks 'cause i'm already planning my Birthday with them in a month!! (ha ha.. anyone that knows me would not expect anything less... my birthday is a big deal!!) Mom about my birthday I could use some journals, church cd's (not the Mormon Tabernacle choir), and I can't really think of anything else.. oh maybe spanish scripture cases for my biblia y libro de mormon... but they are bigger than normal so i don't know if you will be able to figure that out!! Love you all.. hope you can all figure out what to send me for my birthday ;) you only have one month and four days to figure it out!! ha ha ;)!!! Thanks for all your love and support and prayers.. missions are great.. EVERYTHING IS BETTER
IN TEXAS!!
con amor,
Hermana Barber
como estan? Well first off I want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD on the 27th!! How old are you turning?... 20? (you can send me money for that later ;)!) Also i want to say CONGRATS to LIZZY HENDERSON soon to be JENSEN!!! I can't believe it and I am soooooooooooo excited for you... what a lucky guy! Thanks Matt for the cute videos of Jules, she is doll and getting so big.. can't wait to play with her when I get home. Mom and Dad it just sounds like you partied all weekend with the family. I was a little jealous and miss you all but I know i'm right where i need to be.
This week was a GREAT week filled with lots of hard work and exhaustion but also miracles! On Monday for p-day we had a zone p-day and played dodgeball against the Yound Men and Yound Women in the stake, it was so fun because most of us missionaries showed up wearing shirts i helped design for the zone that say JUST DO IT! on the front with the baptism sign then ont he back says 09 TDM (texas dallas mission) and sponsered by MOALA.. he paid for them!! they are Texas Longhorn orange and SWEET!! ha ha.. then that night we did FHE with two inactive spanish families...It was really fun but it is so hard to see the light in peoples eyes slowing fading and them not even realizing it!! Tuesday we had a district meeting then afterwards our whole district plus the zone leaders came and did a BLITZ in our area (where they all just come and knock doors in our area or contact people for us!) It was amazing and they found us five new investigators and it is a new challenge in our mission to get baptismal commitments (at least soft ones) during the first lesson.. and the elders got TWO baptismal commitment for us during the BLITZ...they haven't all panned out yet but still new investigators and people to work with is great! The BLITZ was two hours of knockingdoors in the middle of the afternoon and it was really hot but I think it was one of the funnest experiences of knocking doors i have had...Hermana Richardson and I just laughed for two hours straight... she is so funny and we get along so well, at every door she would say somethingwhitty and i would just die laughing.. we also found two new investigators and got four return appointments... oh and we got to offer a pray in the house of a catholic lady and we were praying right next to a table where there were probably ten candles burning and five pictures of the virgin Mary.... felt pretty awkward.. and yet they say they don't worship idols.. can't figure that one out! For service hours that night I tutored a little girl of an inactive family in math for an hour... I found out that i miss school and i love learning.. random side note!
Wednesday was a really really good day also... the english ward i am in Dallas 6th randomly had a 13 year old boy's record show up in their directory and sent us out to figure out who he was and what was his story. So we got an appointment with him and visited him on Wednesday. He lived with his grandma in Alaska and took the lessons and joined by himself... he just moved back to Texas to live with his Dad and step sister Jessica who is 11 and she know wants to take the lessons. The Dad said he has a beef with the big man upstairs but would sit in on our lessons.. his name is Alex Jackson, please pray his heart softens!! They are so cute and I am really excited to teach her... she came to church on Sunday and we went to primary with her and she was so excited just to make friends, just to be there! Then after we met with the Jackson family we drove to Copell and met with a spanish young lady who is 21 named Teresa Andrade... she was a missionary referral from the Elders up in Garland and she took all the lessons with her parents before she moved out to Copell with her five year old son Davin. Her parents got baptized yesterday in Garland.. but she backed out on her old baptismal date. It was a really cool experience as we taught her the first lesson again and answered her questions... then i just looked at her and said, "You know it's true." She just looked at me and said, "i know." Then we set a baptismal date for September 12th!! My first real baptismal date..just pray that she has the strength and time to keep this one! This will change her and her sons life forever!!!
Thursday was planning and there is a family that feeds us every Thursday Familia Garibaldi.. they are amazing. They have very very little but they insist on feeding us every week because they say they always get blessings from it.. we always insist they can feed us every other week and they say NO!!! They have such faith... well they couldn't feed us last Thursday so they gave us money (after I refused it three times and they were getting really really frustrated with me!!) so on Thursday we treated ourselves and went to my favorite restuarant OUTBACK!! YUMMMMY!! Then that night we had two lessons.. one with an investigator then an Less Active English family.
On Friday we fasted for the Gonzales Familia that has been taught for five months and come to church almost every week... we just wanted to know how we could get them to progress or in other words get baptized. Well Friday during the day we were invited to a 16 year old birthday party for a less active girl in the ward and we showed up and we were the only ones there.. it was so sad good thing we got her a gift or she would have only got one shirt from her mom for her birthday. then we ate at this old spanish ladies house.. the creepiest/weirdest dinner i have had on the mission... she handed us this oatmeal, milk drink...i told her i have milk allergies.. which i do but Hermana Richardson had to drink it and was sooooooooooooo sick the rest of the night. We walked into her house and we asked her if she lived alone and she said no I live with my dolls.. there were dolls everywhere and mannequins too.. really creepy!! then after that went to teach the Gonzales family... Hermana Richardson wanted to commit them to baptism so I just took the backseat but they told her they still didn't feel ready but we finally got them to pray about a date and we told them we would set one next appointment.. so this coming week!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pray for them!!
Sunday we had 5 people at church and got to go to Primary so all in all it was a good day :)!! Plus all of the men Sister Brundage baptized while she was here and the recent converts i've been blessed to work with received the Melchizedek priesthood yesterday Brother Elmore, Brother Gregory, and Hermano Aguilar.. Hermano Aguilar also blessed the sacrament for the first time in a sharp looking suit.. he did awesome. And Brother Elmore got his first call as the Ward Executive Secretary.. they are AWESOME!! I am really coming to love the people here in Carrollton.. I hope I don't get transfered in three weeks 'cause i'm already planning my Birthday with them in a month!! (ha ha.. anyone that knows me would not expect anything less... my birthday is a big deal!!) Mom about my birthday I could use some journals, church cd's (not the Mormon Tabernacle choir), and I can't really think of anything else.. oh maybe spanish scripture cases for my biblia y libro de mormon... but they are bigger than normal so i don't know if you will be able to figure that out!! Love you all.. hope you can all figure out what to send me for my birthday ;) you only have one month and four days to figure it out!! ha ha ;)!!! Thanks for all your love and support and prayers.. missions are great.. EVERYTHING IS BETTER
IN TEXAS!!
con amor,
Hermana Barber
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Eduardo Is Baptized!!
Hola familia y amigos!!
This week has been an incredible week!! not only did I get oddles of mail from all of you I also got two packages filled with goodies from Zach and Kelly and also one from Amber!! Also the cutest letter I have ever received came from Lacee this week.. she had her primary class all write me letters about being a missionary...It was so cute!! Thanks Lee!! Well I guess Stewart got blessed yesterday without me there but i hope my card made it to him... Charlene tried to send me pictures but the computer at the library wouldn't let me open them and i was pretty bummed. You all sound like you are doing amazing... Aunt Diane, I hope you know I love you and you are in my prayers every day.. day and night.
This week honestly has been amazing.. I started the week last Monday by getting to go and get the two new sisters from the mission home to take them out for their first night in Texas. It was one english sister named Sister Crawley and a spanish sister from samoa/missouri named Hermana Ulberg. We took them to a spanish lesson with the familia Gonzales who we have been working with for quite some time and they just aren't getting the concept of praying and recieving an anwser but our lesson with them was AMAZING... they actually prayed and we were able to help them connect the good feelings they
had after they prayed to an anwser from the holy ghost.... the light CLICK!!! love that. Then the teenage daughter Claudia had been promising me for two visits she would say the closing prayer but never would and this time i was not letter her get off the hook... she made excuse after excuse and finally found out she didn't feel comfortable praying in spanish.. so she said the most beautiful pray in english and will never forget her thanking heavenly father that we were there and that her family could learn about Jesus Christ. This is such an amazing job.. being an missionary.. nothing better! The family also came to church on Sunday and loved it.. the two teenage daughters loved young womans and the little girl who is a doll didn't scream her head off like she had the times before when she came.. (probably because I bribed her with candy.. I guess i am learning something from Mindy :)!!) After the Gonzales we went to a FHE with a recent convert english family the Elmores and it was fun seeing the dad trying to be such a faithful member doing everything he has been asked to do.. he prepared a lesson on honesty and the kids were SO ROWDY, and joking and wouldn't be serious.. he was getting frustrated and all i could do was laugh because I felt like home again!! ha ha!!! We then took the sisters back to the mission home and it is ALWAYS fun getting to see President and Sister Smith.. they're amazing.. but what was even weirder to me is that it was 3 months ago I was going out for my first night in Texas... man does time fly!! I remember it like it was yesterday.. seriously!!
Well we are teaching a lady named Esperanza from Honduras that i have told y'all about before but she has stopped coming to church and we were getting really frustrated because she told us her "espovio" (live in boyfriend) told her she couldn't go to church because she wasn't home in time to make her lunch... well we asked her if she would let us come and teach him and talk to him. I was a little nervous because i didn't think he was going to take the aspect of two young ladies telling him what to do.. but honestly the lesson was amazing! We showed up on Saturday and not only was Miguel and Esperanza there but also his brother sat in for the lesson. We taught him the first lesson and he asked us to come back and said it was beautiful... he also said he was going to come with Esperanza to church next week!! man does the Lord bless us and guide us in this work. Well we had to go to the car to get another Book of Mormon for Miguel but it was the most incredible sight to see that as we were walking back up to the apartment Miguel's brother Ivan was already on the back porch reading from the Book of Mormon... he was honestly "feasting" on the words!! It made me realize how much I take for granted this amazing book and the guidance and help we receive as members because of it! We also got to teach a recent convert new member lesson this week to a man named Brother Gregory and his daughter April who is 10 years old. We showed up to the lesson and couldn't get a woman to come with us so we had to teach him on his porch but the best part about this lesson was April had invited two of her ten year old friends to come over to play and be at the lesson. The whole lesson she explained to them what things were, why we believed them, and why we needed them. It was so simple for her to share her testimony... she has been a member less than a year and she is TEN and she had no reserve in sharing what she knew to be true. Share your testimony with everyone... don't be embarressed or think it will ruin your friendship... the greatest gift you could give someone you love is your
testimony and the amazing blessings that come with this gospel.
We are teaching another lady named Elsy and she was so close to being baptized... we went into the lesson with thoughts of setting a date... She has been so entuned with the spirit since the first lesson and loves the story of Joseph Smith.. she started giving the restoration videos we gave her away to her friends... well long story short we asked her to get baptized and she just looked at us and said.. i'm not gonna lie.. i was already baptized in 1990... so no wonder she was no entuned to the spirit she has the gift of the holy ghost!! A lot of the work in this area is less active work but it is so amazing when she them walk in to church on Sunday or realize the importance of the sacrament in their lives...
We got food poisioning twice this week from eating with members...thats all
i'm going to say about that...
Sunday was the best day of my mission so far.. we had eight people in sacrament meeting which means more stress for the misisonaries but that is our game day.. that is what we work for so it was awesome! Then after church we had dinner with a recent convert family who sent their brother-in-law who is not a member to buy us pizzas for dinner... I felt like a sinner eating the pizza on the Sabbath.. ha ha i guess out next lesson with them should be Keep the Sabbath day holy!! after dinner the Quinn Couple from the englishward drove us to Iriving for Eduardo's baptism.. IT WAS LIKE COMING HOME!!! I walked in the building Eduardo was sitting on the couch waiting to see me with a huge smile all dressed up in his church pants, white shirt and tie!! I can't even explain the feelings I had that day.. i've never felt them before. I saw all my family in Irving... got so many hugs, kisses on the cheek, smiles.. I miss them so much and man do they miss me.. :) ha ha they all said they're praying for me come back.. i hope i finish my mission in Irving! Well the baptism service was awesome and the WHOLE ward was there.. the chapel was FILLED... we had a talk on Baptism then Eduardo was baptized by the old first counselor in the bishopric Hermano Magana.. and i started crying during his baptism.. all the little kids looked at me and were like why are you crying Hermana Barbie.. ha ha.. then we had a talk on the Holy Ghost then Eduardo got up and bore his testimony and thanked God for the Misioneras that found him and saved his life. he then said he felt alone before he found the church and looked out and said now i have a bigger
family then i know what to do with!! ha ha.. he then said this was the best decision he has ever made in his life!! and I agree!! ha ha... i gave him the stain glass dove that Aunt Janene made and gave me that symbolized the holy ghost during the story of Jesus getting baptized and is suppose to remind him of his baptism day... i also gave Eduardo a three page letter I wrote in ALL SPANISH!!! aren't you so proud of me? I'm sure it has tons of mistakes and took me three days of language study to write but I did it!! ha ha... I will never forget the smile on Eduardo's face, the tears in his eyes, and the strength of his testimony.... This work is so worth it! It effects people's eternities!!
Well family I am doing amazing and Hermana Richardson and I are going to rock this transfer... we work so well together and we see miracles and the lord's hand in thiswork everyday!! Keep praying for our investigators!!
love you so much! thanks for the love, support and prayers!
con amor,
Hermana Katie Barber
This week has been an incredible week!! not only did I get oddles of mail from all of you I also got two packages filled with goodies from Zach and Kelly and also one from Amber!! Also the cutest letter I have ever received came from Lacee this week.. she had her primary class all write me letters about being a missionary...It was so cute!! Thanks Lee!! Well I guess Stewart got blessed yesterday without me there but i hope my card made it to him... Charlene tried to send me pictures but the computer at the library wouldn't let me open them and i was pretty bummed. You all sound like you are doing amazing... Aunt Diane, I hope you know I love you and you are in my prayers every day.. day and night.
This week honestly has been amazing.. I started the week last Monday by getting to go and get the two new sisters from the mission home to take them out for their first night in Texas. It was one english sister named Sister Crawley and a spanish sister from samoa/missouri named Hermana Ulberg. We took them to a spanish lesson with the familia Gonzales who we have been working with for quite some time and they just aren't getting the concept of praying and recieving an anwser but our lesson with them was AMAZING... they actually prayed and we were able to help them connect the good feelings they
had after they prayed to an anwser from the holy ghost.... the light CLICK!!! love that. Then the teenage daughter Claudia had been promising me for two visits she would say the closing prayer but never would and this time i was not letter her get off the hook... she made excuse after excuse and finally found out she didn't feel comfortable praying in spanish.. so she said the most beautiful pray in english and will never forget her thanking heavenly father that we were there and that her family could learn about Jesus Christ. This is such an amazing job.. being an missionary.. nothing better! The family also came to church on Sunday and loved it.. the two teenage daughters loved young womans and the little girl who is a doll didn't scream her head off like she had the times before when she came.. (probably because I bribed her with candy.. I guess i am learning something from Mindy :)!!) After the Gonzales we went to a FHE with a recent convert english family the Elmores and it was fun seeing the dad trying to be such a faithful member doing everything he has been asked to do.. he prepared a lesson on honesty and the kids were SO ROWDY, and joking and wouldn't be serious.. he was getting frustrated and all i could do was laugh because I felt like home again!! ha ha!!! We then took the sisters back to the mission home and it is ALWAYS fun getting to see President and Sister Smith.. they're amazing.. but what was even weirder to me is that it was 3 months ago I was going out for my first night in Texas... man does time fly!! I remember it like it was yesterday.. seriously!!
Well we are teaching a lady named Esperanza from Honduras that i have told y'all about before but she has stopped coming to church and we were getting really frustrated because she told us her "espovio" (live in boyfriend) told her she couldn't go to church because she wasn't home in time to make her lunch... well we asked her if she would let us come and teach him and talk to him. I was a little nervous because i didn't think he was going to take the aspect of two young ladies telling him what to do.. but honestly the lesson was amazing! We showed up on Saturday and not only was Miguel and Esperanza there but also his brother sat in for the lesson. We taught him the first lesson and he asked us to come back and said it was beautiful... he also said he was going to come with Esperanza to church next week!! man does the Lord bless us and guide us in this work. Well we had to go to the car to get another Book of Mormon for Miguel but it was the most incredible sight to see that as we were walking back up to the apartment Miguel's brother Ivan was already on the back porch reading from the Book of Mormon... he was honestly "feasting" on the words!! It made me realize how much I take for granted this amazing book and the guidance and help we receive as members because of it! We also got to teach a recent convert new member lesson this week to a man named Brother Gregory and his daughter April who is 10 years old. We showed up to the lesson and couldn't get a woman to come with us so we had to teach him on his porch but the best part about this lesson was April had invited two of her ten year old friends to come over to play and be at the lesson. The whole lesson she explained to them what things were, why we believed them, and why we needed them. It was so simple for her to share her testimony... she has been a member less than a year and she is TEN and she had no reserve in sharing what she knew to be true. Share your testimony with everyone... don't be embarressed or think it will ruin your friendship... the greatest gift you could give someone you love is your
testimony and the amazing blessings that come with this gospel.
We are teaching another lady named Elsy and she was so close to being baptized... we went into the lesson with thoughts of setting a date... She has been so entuned with the spirit since the first lesson and loves the story of Joseph Smith.. she started giving the restoration videos we gave her away to her friends... well long story short we asked her to get baptized and she just looked at us and said.. i'm not gonna lie.. i was already baptized in 1990... so no wonder she was no entuned to the spirit she has the gift of the holy ghost!! A lot of the work in this area is less active work but it is so amazing when she them walk in to church on Sunday or realize the importance of the sacrament in their lives...
We got food poisioning twice this week from eating with members...thats all
i'm going to say about that...
Sunday was the best day of my mission so far.. we had eight people in sacrament meeting which means more stress for the misisonaries but that is our game day.. that is what we work for so it was awesome! Then after church we had dinner with a recent convert family who sent their brother-in-law who is not a member to buy us pizzas for dinner... I felt like a sinner eating the pizza on the Sabbath.. ha ha i guess out next lesson with them should be Keep the Sabbath day holy!! after dinner the Quinn Couple from the englishward drove us to Iriving for Eduardo's baptism.. IT WAS LIKE COMING HOME!!! I walked in the building Eduardo was sitting on the couch waiting to see me with a huge smile all dressed up in his church pants, white shirt and tie!! I can't even explain the feelings I had that day.. i've never felt them before. I saw all my family in Irving... got so many hugs, kisses on the cheek, smiles.. I miss them so much and man do they miss me.. :) ha ha they all said they're praying for me come back.. i hope i finish my mission in Irving! Well the baptism service was awesome and the WHOLE ward was there.. the chapel was FILLED... we had a talk on Baptism then Eduardo was baptized by the old first counselor in the bishopric Hermano Magana.. and i started crying during his baptism.. all the little kids looked at me and were like why are you crying Hermana Barbie.. ha ha.. then we had a talk on the Holy Ghost then Eduardo got up and bore his testimony and thanked God for the Misioneras that found him and saved his life. he then said he felt alone before he found the church and looked out and said now i have a bigger
family then i know what to do with!! ha ha.. he then said this was the best decision he has ever made in his life!! and I agree!! ha ha... i gave him the stain glass dove that Aunt Janene made and gave me that symbolized the holy ghost during the story of Jesus getting baptized and is suppose to remind him of his baptism day... i also gave Eduardo a three page letter I wrote in ALL SPANISH!!! aren't you so proud of me? I'm sure it has tons of mistakes and took me three days of language study to write but I did it!! ha ha... I will never forget the smile on Eduardo's face, the tears in his eyes, and the strength of his testimony.... This work is so worth it! It effects people's eternities!!
Well family I am doing amazing and Hermana Richardson and I are going to rock this transfer... we work so well together and we see miracles and the lord's hand in thiswork everyday!! Keep praying for our investigators!!
love you so much! thanks for the love, support and prayers!
con amor,
Hermana Katie Barber
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
I'M STILL ALIVE!!
Hi familia!!
Well I have had a really exciting week this week so I'm just gonna jump right into telling you all my fun stories. Well after e-mailing last Monday I went with all the elders to go to dinner with the head elder at the Bishop's storehouse...His name is Elder Willie Moala...I felt kinda bad going to dinner with him at this Brazilian Meat Restuarant which is expensive when i didn't even know him. But it was the most amazing lunch/dinner ever! Brother Moala sat right next to me and there were 18 other missionaries but we ended up talking the whole dinner. He told me all about his life. He graduated from high school when he was 14...played professional rugby for new zealand by 16... joined the church when he turned 20 and went to byu hawaii. He played rugby at BYU provo and was scouted to play football for the Denver Broncos and played for them for five years when he had never even played football before! Anyway he owns his own general contracting company and is very successful... But he was so inspiring because we talked about my future dreams and schooling and he told me as long as i always remembered to put God first I would be successful in whatever I did. Mom that is cool that he called you and I am shocked that he really called y'all and offered to do that.... he really does want to do it out of the sincerity of his heart. Willie is an amazing man who has given his life to the lord and loves this missionary work... I have his address and have already sent him a thank you card for spending so much on us for dinner... He serves with nothing expected in return... I hope I can live such a selfless life like him. And I am happy that Presidentsucc Carrasquillo called you too.. he is AWESOME!! i love this spanish branch and I love his family... he wants me to marry his son! ha ha..
Well the next eventful day was on Wednesday... On Wednesday Hermana Richardson and I were on our way to an appointment and we were in the 2009 Malibu. She was turning left on a road she thought was three lanes.... but i noticed it was really four lanes when i saw a red F-250 truck heading right towards me really fast! I yelled to Hna. Richardson to go FASTER but instead she tapped on the brake... I just remember thinking HOW CAN YOU BE SO STUPID!! then the next thing i remember is facing the other way down the street and Hna. Richardson was hitting the air bag out of my face and my head completely POUNDING! The next couple hours were kinda a blur... but pretty comical now that i look back. The paramedics were talking to me trying to decide if I should go to the hospital and they asked..."What is today?" I knew it was Wednesday but as a missionary i loose track of the days... Hna. Richardson leaned over and said, "It's the 29th!" The paramedic just looked at her not amused and said, "You can't help her!" ha ha talk about companionship unity! Well then he thought i didn't remember anything so i looked at the paramedic (remember I was in complete shock!) and said, "I know it is wednesday and i have an appointment with romeo right down the road right now. I am a missionary for the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints. I speak spanish...well kinda. I know that today is the 29th because yesterday was two months until my 22nd birthday." Yep... he just stared at me and said, "I'm gonna recommend you go to the hospital!" Well i refused a ambulance...but me and my companion just sat there on the side of the road. Another funny thing was my companion was talking on the phone to the missionaries int he office and She told Elder Hansen that she was going to go try to back up the car and get it off it street... and i look in the street and there is a wrecker getting ready to take the totaled Malibu off the road.. i told her she couldnt move it but she just kept repeating she was gonna go drive the car! ha ha.. well we were not in the best of shape so the Mission President and his wife wanted us to go get checked out... after a CAT scan, and spine X-day i got some pain killer, ice packs and went on my way with some whiplash. Well Elder Hansen from the mission office went to go look at the car the next day and just called us and said all he could do is pray and thank God we walked out of the car.... honestly if Hermana Richardson didn't tap on the brake our car would have been T-boned right at my door and it was so bad I know the outcome would have not been good. I know angels were watching over us...even though we have been really sore we are very grateful we are okay! We actually got back to work a full day on Saturday and I am feeling GREAT now!! So now I am the designated driver and Hna. Richardson can't drive the rest of the mission... we got a new car.. well a 2005 Malibu! ha ha Well that night after having a REALLY LONG BAD day... I was laying on my bed with ice packs all over, on a muscle relaxer and pain reliever and i got a phone call from a number i didnt' recognize so i answered... I asked who it was and it was ELDER PINCOCK my Z.L. from Iriving he proceeds to say, "So you don't happen to remember an investigator named Eduardo do you?" all i could say was NO WAY!!! Well yep Eduardo is getting BAPTIZED on August 9th and I can't wait! The Elder said he comes to church every week in a white shirt and tie (and they said they were nice ties like Donald Trump times.. ha ha!!) I have never experienced the joy i felt when i heard that news! The Elders might get the number but Eduardo will always be the miracle and answer to prayers for me and Hermana Brundage. Hermana Brundage and I always wanted to give away one of the stain glass doves that Aunt Janene gave me and now we are going to! God always answers prayers its just in his timing and in his way. Well I got permission to go back to the baptism and I can't wait!
Well transfer calls were on Saturday and we didn't get a call which means I am staying in Carrollton with Hermana Richardson for six more weeks and I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited!! We are going to rock it this next 6 weeks... Thanks for all your prayers, love, and letters!! Texas is GREAT!!! ADIOS Y'all!! (that is my Tex-mex spanish for you!! ha ha) con amor- Hermana Katie Barber
Well I have had a really exciting week this week so I'm just gonna jump right into telling you all my fun stories. Well after e-mailing last Monday I went with all the elders to go to dinner with the head elder at the Bishop's storehouse...His name is Elder Willie Moala...I felt kinda bad going to dinner with him at this Brazilian Meat Restuarant which is expensive when i didn't even know him. But it was the most amazing lunch/dinner ever! Brother Moala sat right next to me and there were 18 other missionaries but we ended up talking the whole dinner. He told me all about his life. He graduated from high school when he was 14...played professional rugby for new zealand by 16... joined the church when he turned 20 and went to byu hawaii. He played rugby at BYU provo and was scouted to play football for the Denver Broncos and played for them for five years when he had never even played football before! Anyway he owns his own general contracting company and is very successful... But he was so inspiring because we talked about my future dreams and schooling and he told me as long as i always remembered to put God first I would be successful in whatever I did. Mom that is cool that he called you and I am shocked that he really called y'all and offered to do that.... he really does want to do it out of the sincerity of his heart. Willie is an amazing man who has given his life to the lord and loves this missionary work... I have his address and have already sent him a thank you card for spending so much on us for dinner... He serves with nothing expected in return... I hope I can live such a selfless life like him. And I am happy that Presidentsucc Carrasquillo called you too.. he is AWESOME!! i love this spanish branch and I love his family... he wants me to marry his son! ha ha..
Well the next eventful day was on Wednesday... On Wednesday Hermana Richardson and I were on our way to an appointment and we were in the 2009 Malibu. She was turning left on a road she thought was three lanes.... but i noticed it was really four lanes when i saw a red F-250 truck heading right towards me really fast! I yelled to Hna. Richardson to go FASTER but instead she tapped on the brake... I just remember thinking HOW CAN YOU BE SO STUPID!! then the next thing i remember is facing the other way down the street and Hna. Richardson was hitting the air bag out of my face and my head completely POUNDING! The next couple hours were kinda a blur... but pretty comical now that i look back. The paramedics were talking to me trying to decide if I should go to the hospital and they asked..."What is today?" I knew it was Wednesday but as a missionary i loose track of the days... Hna. Richardson leaned over and said, "It's the 29th!" The paramedic just looked at her not amused and said, "You can't help her!" ha ha talk about companionship unity! Well then he thought i didn't remember anything so i looked at the paramedic (remember I was in complete shock!) and said, "I know it is wednesday and i have an appointment with romeo right down the road right now. I am a missionary for the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints. I speak spanish...well kinda. I know that today is the 29th because yesterday was two months until my 22nd birthday." Yep... he just stared at me and said, "I'm gonna recommend you go to the hospital!" Well i refused a ambulance...but me and my companion just sat there on the side of the road. Another funny thing was my companion was talking on the phone to the missionaries int he office and She told Elder Hansen that she was going to go try to back up the car and get it off it street... and i look in the street and there is a wrecker getting ready to take the totaled Malibu off the road.. i told her she couldnt move it but she just kept repeating she was gonna go drive the car! ha ha.. well we were not in the best of shape so the Mission President and his wife wanted us to go get checked out... after a CAT scan, and spine X-day i got some pain killer, ice packs and went on my way with some whiplash. Well Elder Hansen from the mission office went to go look at the car the next day and just called us and said all he could do is pray and thank God we walked out of the car.... honestly if Hermana Richardson didn't tap on the brake our car would have been T-boned right at my door and it was so bad I know the outcome would have not been good. I know angels were watching over us...even though we have been really sore we are very grateful we are okay! We actually got back to work a full day on Saturday and I am feeling GREAT now!! So now I am the designated driver and Hna. Richardson can't drive the rest of the mission... we got a new car.. well a 2005 Malibu! ha ha Well that night after having a REALLY LONG BAD day... I was laying on my bed with ice packs all over, on a muscle relaxer and pain reliever and i got a phone call from a number i didnt' recognize so i answered... I asked who it was and it was ELDER PINCOCK my Z.L. from Iriving he proceeds to say, "So you don't happen to remember an investigator named Eduardo do you?" all i could say was NO WAY!!! Well yep Eduardo is getting BAPTIZED on August 9th and I can't wait! The Elder said he comes to church every week in a white shirt and tie (and they said they were nice ties like Donald Trump times.. ha ha!!) I have never experienced the joy i felt when i heard that news! The Elders might get the number but Eduardo will always be the miracle and answer to prayers for me and Hermana Brundage. Hermana Brundage and I always wanted to give away one of the stain glass doves that Aunt Janene gave me and now we are going to! God always answers prayers its just in his timing and in his way. Well I got permission to go back to the baptism and I can't wait!
Well transfer calls were on Saturday and we didn't get a call which means I am staying in Carrollton with Hermana Richardson for six more weeks and I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited!! We are going to rock it this next 6 weeks... Thanks for all your prayers, love, and letters!! Texas is GREAT!!! ADIOS Y'all!! (that is my Tex-mex spanish for you!! ha ha) con amor- Hermana Katie Barber
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