Last Email In The MTC!!

Hola Familia... como esta?? Well here is the last letter from my nine week stay in the MTC... i leave on Monday May 11th. I have to check into the travel office at 5 AM.. then we drive up to the airport.. check in and our flight leaves at 8:30 to DALLAS TEXAS!!! I don't know how long I will have to call but i'm guessing i will be calling by 7 i hope.. because i will have to board the flight at like 8!! so around then which should be before mom goes to work! Melissa's phone card she sent me should be plenty!! THANKS MELISSA!! you're the best!! I am the travel leader of four of us.. my companion Hermana Christensen and then two elders that came in three weeks ago going to dallas engligh. I am getting REALLY nervous... kinda excited. I just have to keep reminding myself that who the Lord calls he also qualifies! I am picking up spanish but the more i learn the more I realize i have TONS more to learn... but it will come. I'm excited to get out there and teach the people!! The MTC has been an amazing experience.. one I will always love and cherish.. I will never want to eat this food ever again in my life but I have learned so much here. I will miss my district when we leave on Monday. We at first thought that Hermana Christensen were going to leave on Mondy the 11th and the rest of our district wasn't leaving til the 12th but our flight plans changed and we all get to leave together. That is going to be the hardest part is saying goodbye to my MTC Family... we have done this all together.. work together, laughed together, struggled together, served together, and most importantly leared what true christ like love is together. I will forever have a place in my heart for Elder Dan Mosman, Elder Alma Benjamin King, Elder Brick Cory Petty, Elder Lance Ole Einerson, Hermana Kari Lyn Christensen, and Hermana Lachelle Crandell... I have learned more from these six people than i ever thought it was possible to learn from a group of people- i have learned love, patience, service, true diligence. It is going to be rough to leave but there are tons of people in Dallas ready to fill the void in my heart!! I CANT WAIT!! This week has been a good week just kinda filled with getting ready to go.. getting all my pictures devoloped, things bought, bags packed, trying to ready and study as much as possible. We got a new teacher this week and my girl teacher Hermana Evans got changed... They change teachers around after semesters are over... Well my new teachers name is Hermano anderson and he subbed for us once a couple weeks ago.. well funny story.. There was a random elder that came up to me in the MTC
like three weeks ago and was like hey are you going to Dallas Texas spanish and i was like SI... and he said oh my sister is going to be your trainer.. i asked him how he knew and he said that his sister wrote him and told him that President Smith (my mission president in Texas) told her she was training a new sister that looks like Lindsay Lohan.. so that must be me.. OF COURSE!! WOW!! well her name is sister Shulte.. Well Hermano Anderson found out that I was going to DAllas Texas and preceeds to tell us that he was going to marry a girl but she decided to go on a mission instead.. and guess who it was.. SISTER SHULTE!!. i told him my story and instantly.. he hated me!! YEP!! fun huh?? But i think he air is almost clear now considering i didn't do ANYTHING!! .. just a really really small world huh? Well that story was kinda pointless but here is a not so pointless story for you.. Last night I heard from another apostle.. can you believe it.. two months and i have heard from three apostles.. SUPER LUCKY!! Elder Ballard and his radiant wife came and spoke to us last night. The first think i noticed was when we were singing the opening song of called to serve and i watched him sing and it hit me.. here i am serving for only 16 months.. think how long he was truely called to serve. My measely amount of time means nothing. Well Elder Ballard talked to us about DESIRES.. that we must have a pure desire to serve God and that will be our motivation to find, teach and baptize as many people as we can while we are in the field. He siad they have done tons of studies as a church and the #1 factor for an investigator getting baptizeds is how they feel when they are in the presence of the missionary. You as missionaries are more important than the doctrince at the beginning.. it's what they feel not what they know in the beginning!! wow what a responsibility..Well even if i can't speak spanish maybe they can feel my spirit and just jump in the water.. that is what i'm counting on right now!! HA HA... he also said that we have to be the best teachers that the church has ever sent out. He said the world is immersed in sound bits, internet, texting, blogging and not slowing down long enough to think of who they are, where they came from, or even care about where they are going. We, as missionaries have to be able to penetrate all the clutter and pierce their hearts with that DESIRE to know the lords will for them in their lives. Another fun thing that he told us is that when ever he talks to ministers they always ask him how our church gets their youth to serve missions and asks how much they have to pay us.. when they find out we come voluntarily and pay our own way some how they are astonished... he said you wouldn't be here unless you knew it was true. He then left with us an blessing that we woudl have kindled in our hearts a deep, burning desire to find, teach adn baptize. He blessed us with health, strength, wisdom (know what is going on around us), increase in the gift of decerment and the Holy Ghost become our constand companions. At the very end he said, " In your next letter home tell your parents that you on behalf of the First Presidency and the Quorem of the Twelve.. So thanks mom and dad... thanks for letting me come and be here having this amazing experience i can't believe i have already been here for 9 weeks and only have 16 months left till i come home!! WIERD!!!! Matt and Charlene.. where are you moving to? I am going to come home and not even know where to find you.. Mike and Kara on the other hand i know exactly where to find you.. Mike will still have 20 years left of School!! ha ha!! I am so excited for stewart.. he is coming so soon and CONGRATS on graduating Kara.. Mindy and Tales.. I love you! And Brad please bring me my suit case... por favor!! GRACIAS!! thanks for your letter Lesseth.. and about swine fever.. I will be very careful.. they have banned us from even shaking hands in the MTC..so not only can we
not hug we can not shake hands.. plus we wash our hands every chance we get plus there are hand santitizers all over we use.. so hopefully i'll stay healthy but it would be just my luck since I have caught everything else!! Well i love you all and i can't wait to talk to you mom and dad in FIVE DAYS!! you are the best family!! And i love you my sweet friends also!! Write me!! I love hearing about all of your lives!
Con amor- Hermana Katie Barber