Sacrament Talk In Spanish!!

Hey Family!!! HAPPY EASTER and MATT... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW!! Wasn't conference AMAZING?? I wish I could have been there to hang out with all of y'all and have fun with my sweet niece and nephews but that time will come oh too fast!! Thanks mom for my Easter package filled with goodies... i gave out the candy to the kids at the church during conference and it kept them entertained for a little longer.. thanks you're the best! We had a great week here in Plano like always with more and more miracles every week! Transfer calls are this Saturday and we probably won't stay together another week so we're going to make the most out of our last week (probably) together.
Monday:We did the normal chores on P-day but then we borrowed bikes from the Elders and went on an hour and a half bike ride picking up one of our investigators, Alejandra Bustos, on the way... It was super fun but my bottom was sore for the next couple days :) We ate dinner with Manuela that night, some yummy tamales she promised she would teach us how to make!!..She was kinda sad because a member in the ward is going to start taking over her new member lessons and out of no where she said I have lots of trust in you two and love you so much.. thank you. We had a lesson that night with the Bustos on the Book of Mormon and the importance of reading everyday... we opened it up for questions and they had none.. I think Youth Conference really helped Alex have a lot more faith in the truthfulness of the truth.. YEAH!!!
Tuesday: We had district meeting, lunch, then went home to wait for Sister Smith... she came up to have us help her with a talk she had to give in Spanish that night at a relief society party. We helped her for a couple hours and it was super fun having more one on one time with her and it made me realize I know more spanish than i give myself credit for.. reading and writing at least! We had dinner with the Cazeras... pollo de tinga otra vez.. I think the word is getting out that that is my favorite dish because we are having it a lot lately.. but I'm okay with that. We taught Gregonio again that night with his "son" Juliomar and soft committed them to baptism but they didn't come to conference so we'll see if they really progress. We then went and watched The Restoration with Mario but he still just doesn't get it so we gave him our number and pretty much dropped him but will stop back in awhile to see if he gets it more yet.. we need to save our time for those that are more willing to progress.
Wednesday: We had an awesome lesson with Keren and brought a member from the english ward who is amazing... her name is Katie Trusty. She served a mission and joined the church when she was 19. Her and Keren got along really well and she helped us control the kids during the lesson who were all home from school sick. we taught her the ten commandments and the importance of a prophet to receive commandments and then Sister Trusty invited her to conference at her house.. We were reading through the ten commandments and we got to #7.. don't commit adultery.. but instead of reading it like that she said.. don't do what Keren is doing.. She has such a desire to change but her circumstance is sooo crazy hard.. I can't even imagine being 23 with four kids already having a failed marriage and having to decide whether to stay with my boyfriend and marry him who is not the best either or to leave with my kids to a shelter. Please pray for her! Keren said the closing pray and Sister Trusty was crying by the end of it... I wish y'all could hear Keren's prayers.. they are so heart felt, a real conversation with God. Another shocking part of the lesson was when we got to commandment number 10.. Thou shalt not covet.. we explained it to her and almost crying she said you know what I covet or envy.. and we said no and she said,"you're happiness." You just look like you always roll out of bed smiling.. like you have everything in your life figured out. We explained the hope and happiness the gospel brings to your life no matter what you are asked to face. Do we as members of the church really understand what happiness and difference this gospel can bring in our lives?... I know I've always taken it for granted until I have been able to see how others live or believe... and how much this world really needs the hope and happiness of the gospel!
In the afternoon we took a 16 year old member from the English ward tracting with us and to contact referrals it was an eventful afternoon and i think we talked her into serving a mission. At night we took a funny gift to the elders.. Elder Esplin's kidney stone still hasn't even MOVED.. so he went to the doctor and the doctor said he has another one sitting in his kidney waiting to come out as soon as he passes this one.. he wasn't too happy.. so we being the sensitive sisters we are found these chocolates that look EXACTLY like little rocks and wrote him a note that said, "We hope these stones pass easier than your kidney stone!" it was super super funny!
Thursday (APRIL FOOLS DAY!)- April Fool's Day Tricks: We called some of the elders and gave them the PERFECT referral.. a mom with five kids, three over 8... we already soft committed her to baptism but she wants to go to the english ward. They were SOOO PUMPED!! Then we called them back and said,"we forgot to tell you something about them.. APRIL FOOLS!! They were so confused and didn't even know it was April 1st.. we got them good. Then I called Sister Smith and told her that I was having a hard time and I don't know if i can do it anymore and kinda want to go home. I felt pretty back because she was sooooo concerned and said well what is it that is bothering you and I said, "Well maybe because it's April Fools Day." She just paused and said,"well in that case.. I'll buy you a ticket home this afternoon!" It was a super effective companionship study :) Right after we got done with our phone calls our "roommate"Sue.. fell out of the shower and we found her flat on her back...interesting experience but luckily she didn't break anything! We taught a first lesson with a referral who was super super interested but then found out we were "mormons" and a wall went up.. hope we're good wall climbers! We had american hamburgers for dinner.. long time since I've had a good one of those so that was nice.. then we contacted another referral who was super interested and probably would have gone somewhere if her mom wasn't right behind her the whole time saying, "somos catolicos." ONE DAY!!
Friday: Most of our appointments canceled on us and all the stop by's we made no one was home so we went and tried to contact Manuel (super less active) and his wife Rosi (the one who's brother was on his mission in Provo) and the first thing they said to us was WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!!! we thought you forgot about us! So we've started working with them again so that will be good. We taught the Busto family and ate some chicken with them... we gave them each a calendar to mark their reading, prayers, and church attendance on so hopefully they'll get better at keeping their commitments. We then went to the Marrero's to do some service and had more chicken... then we went ot our dinner appointment with the Dominguez and had more chicken.. NO MORE CHICKEN FOR ME!! I came home that night.. just when i thought my family forgot about me for Easter and found my package from mom!! thanks mom! I waiting till Sunday morning to open it though.
Saturday: I LOVE CONFERENCE!!! My favorite talk in the first session was the first one from Elder Packer on Fathers and their importance on presiding in the home. It made me think of dad..and how he has always been worthy to baptize us, ordain my brothers, give us father's blessings anytime we asked.. Thanks dad!! It really hit me the importance the priesthood in your home! Between sessions we went and picked up Hna. Berrios, a member, and went to teach a lesson to a guy named Ariel that we met at the laundry mat of this complex... we had gone one time before and met his roommates but didn't have much time to teach them so we told them our purpose and gave them a pamphlet to read on the restoration which no one ends up reading... EVER. So we get there and ask if he had read and he had!! During the lesson he was giving the definition of things he had remembered from his reading and we were able to soft commit him to baptism on the first real lesson. We had also told him in our first "our purpose" lesson that he was going to have to say the closing prayer next time we came by to teach him... so that time came for him to say the closing prayer and I went to give him his pamphlet where we had wrote the steps of prayer and he went and grabbed a notebook where he had written out a prayer and had been practicing how to pray just right all week! He has such a desire to know and to do what's right.. GOLDEN!! He is from Nicaragua, around 25 and is 6"4'.. the tallest Hispanic I've ever seen!!
During the second session my favorite talk was L.Tom Perry's I loved how he said he remembered his mom having the dinning room table filled with reference materials for her lessons.. that is EXACTLY MY MOM!!! I'll never forget orange choice and accountability stuff alllllllll over the table or your combat gear for your other talk for Girl's camp on year... I also loved how he said his mom had so much material she couldn't possibly share it in one class but she always used the things she learned to bless him and his other siblings... so true!! thanks mom!! I also LOVED Elder Holland's talk.. he always lays it down!!!
After conference we went and dyed Easter eggs with Karen and Alejandra Bustos and she made us dinner even though we told her we had a dinner appointment... but then we left for our dinner appointment and Alejandra came with us.. so we made her eat two dinners too!! We were all so full and it hurt to laugh! But at least we made her suffer with us.. ha ha!!
Sunday: We watched the first session in spanish and Alejandra came with Alex and Karen.. she loved it and was crying by the end of the closing prayer.... I tried to listen while translating in my head my notes into english and keep Alex and Karen entertained.. I didn't get the most out of that session but i loved listening to it in spanish because my notes aren't word for word what the person said but instead they are the true impressions and the things I got out of their talks.. we had lunch as a branch in between sessions then we watched the last session in english... Neil's talk was really good and I thought that was Mike's mission president.. that name sounded sooo familiar.. I bet that was super cool for Mike! We had dinner with Hna. Saldiaz, then we went and chastise Manuel and Rosi for not coming to church.. then we went to meet with a less active.. who is Hna. Dominguez's husband.. he hasn't come to church in 20 years... so we taught him the five steps focusing on Enduring to the end then ended up eating a second dinner with them of carne asada... YUMMY and a enchilada casserole thing!! I was yummy but I could not eat for a couple days and be perfectly fine!! Well I hope y'all had an amazing Easter. I am so thankful for my Savior and Redeemer and for the opportunity I have to share everyday that HE LIVES and that because he lives we will too and that we have the opportunity to live with our families forever..... this gospel really is a message of love, hope and happiness!! i love you all and miss you tonz but I'll see you WAY WAY WAY too soon.. STOP TIME!!!
Love you
Hermana Katie Barber