Almost Done With One Transfer!!

Hola from Irving, TX!! I can't believe I've almost been in Texas for 6 weeks and starting on my next transfer. My trainer who is amazing goes home in a week and I am super sad and super nervous for next transfer. I am guessing they are going to send another Hermana into this area with me instead of pulling me out... I would love to stay with all the members in this amazing ward but this area is really tough and that would make me the one familiar with the area which makes me really nervous.. but hey nada es imposible con Dios!! (Nothing is impossible with God!!) i know every situation just makes me stronger!! Just some quick notes... CONGRATS ON YOUR HANDSOME LITTLE GUY MIKE AND KARA!!! I am so happy he is healthy... y'all are going to be the best parents ever.. thanks for the pictures it made me feel a little closer
to you all!! Charlene and Matt??... how is everything in life?? how is everyone feeling? business? my cute little niece!! Mindy and Tales.. Hilton Head huh?? all you two do is have fun I swear!! Love you... And my little Brad... glad to be home huh?? WRITE ME!! Happy Birthday Nicole Kristan Anderson Mahoney... 21 TODAY!!! Wish I was there to party with you but I'm definitely there in spirit!! Kristan.... tell Chad I am so excited for him and I work with a couple people here from Honduras and they are so humble and amazing.. he is going to love it... start studying spanish now especially gospel words.. you will be happy you did once you get there.. maybe start reading a spanish Preach my Gospel with an english one.. it would help alot!! love you and can't wait to talk when we get back.. WRITE ME!! Whitney... i'm glad everything went amazing with the wedding and they are so happy!! About Travis!! AHHHHHH!!! i can't believe guys in his district got swine flu.. that was liek the running joke in the MTC that that place would be like an incubator if anyone got it.. i guess its not much of a joke now!! He has been there so long... I would like to write him a letter.. maybe brighten his spirits a little if you get a second to send me his e-mail!! I'll be praying for him!! my week has been a good week... most of our appointments weren't there when we got there so we spent a lot of time knocking doors.. and knocking wasn't even very sucessful this week but we had some fun things happen still.... Our miracle man for a couple weeks back Eduardo disappeared a couple weeks ago.. his number was changed, his truck was no where to be found, and no one answered his appartments.. we thought he had gotten deported and were super sad.. then this week were teaching a lesson at his apartment and he pulled in!! He found work in Missouri so he is there all week comes home on Friday night then leaves again Sunday morning. We haven't gotten the opportunity to teach him again but i'm happy that he is still around so we can in the future teach him.. he really is golden. The hardest thing about working with hispanics is there amazing work ethic though.. they are never home.. and it is so hard to try to have someone change their priorities from just trying to meet their needs to putting God first and having faith they will help them meet their needs. We are still meeting with the Moreno Family and they are also amazing.. they went to church last week and cub scouts plus we taught them twice and finally got the opportunity to teach the dad who was super receptive. The only problem with them is they come to church but at 2 instead of 1 because of her work and they miss sacrament meeting which means they technically aren't progressing!! So we have to talk to them about that this week! On Wednesday night we knocked some doors then were heading to a lesson with a new member named Stacy Martinez... as soon as we got in the car it started raining really hard, lightening, thundering, and the wind started blowing really hard... Hna. Brundage said if it was too bad for us to be working the office would call us so we just kept driving. Then we were parked at a stoplight at all of a sudden we see Palentaros (hispanic ice cream men here that walk around pushing like fridges and ringing bells.) running for cover and the sirens for tornado warning for the city started going off!! it was actually a really eiry sound/sight... but we just kept on driving to our appointment because we didnt' get any kind of phone call.. we got the members door and knocked.. and she anwsered in shock... ha ha.. then she told us there were tornadoes on the other side of the freeway from our area!! ha ha.. well no need to waste time so we taught her a lesson anyway.. it was actually a blessing in disguss because no one was around when the house is usally SUPER loud and distracting and it was the most important lesson we had to teach her... the spirit was so strong and she finally understood the magnitude of her baptismal covenant and the necessity to obey certain commandments.. it is amazing how the lord's tender mercies come!! By the time the lesson was done it wasn't even raining anymore and we drove home.. but then the storm came back and lasted for over 24 hours! nothing compares to texas storms! On Friday I actually had the opportunity to go on an exchange in a different area called Grand Praire.. and I actually went with Hermana Schulte the one I thought was going to be my trainer in the first place and Hermana Christensen came to Iriving.. It was weird to serve in a suceessful area for a day!! HA HA!! We had teaching appointments all day and we only knocked on doors for like 30 minutes. It was a fun exchange and I learned a lot of Hermana Schulte.. she is very knowledgable about the Bible and a great missionary. We did study time in our own areas and Hermana Schulte just called me the night before to tell me about the lessons we would be teaching kinda what i needed to study... i had no clue who the investigators were or what was goign on in their life... but i felt
impressed to study the need for the Book of Mormon and not just the Bible. That night we were sitting in a lesson with a man named Freddy who honestly knows the gospel is true just won't act on it.. we were reading in the Book of Mormon with him and he looked at us and said, "Why do I need the Book of Mormon even if it is the word of God I have the Bible that says pretty much the same thing." Eveything I had studied came back to me in that very moment... it was amazing.. and how if we listen to the spirit and stay worthy of the spirit.. he will guide us in every aspect of this work... We truly are instruments in the Lords hands!! This morning we went to get our hair cut by a lady in the ward and she ended up highlight Hermana Brundage's hair and cutting it... I even let her trim my hair.. then she gave us like all this nice shampoo and product when we told her NO and tried to pay her. She is a single mom, trying to support her and her little girl by being a hairdresser... super hard life....These people love us.. she looked at us and said the way we were goign to pay her back was by letting her and her little girl come to our weddings!! ha ha... way far off but I love these people already and want to stay close to them forever!! I am so happy i am serving here... Yes they are poor.. and all i see is ghetto, poor Texas but they are so humble, and so much more receptive then all other races here!!! I love it!! Thanks for all your support, love and prayers... Please continue to keep in touch!! love you!
con amor,
Hermana Katie Barber