My AMAZING companion Hermana Kleinman and I had an awesome week and a BLAST doing it!! So President Smith changed some of our key indicators this week so we now have a key indicator for contacts.. we have to get 20 contacts a day and if we do we get 2 points! A girl from the english ward asked us what we got for our pints at the end of the week like a brownie or what.. it was then that i realized.. absolutely nothing but then in that same second I realized we receive miracles, blessings, joy that is undescribable!! Man do i love my mission! So Monday after P-day and dinner it was around 6 and we had ZERO contacts for the day so off we went to an apartment complex to meet some fine people.. we were walking around trying to decide where we wanted to knock when i passed
an apartment with tons of paper crosses taped up in the window and on the door... Hermana Kleinman said before she knew what i was doing i was knocking on the door. A man openned the door and as soon as he saw the word Jesucristo on my name tag started handing me free jell-o and water bottles.. little did we know but he was the "tienda" for the complex and sold jell-o, sodas, phone cards to the whole complex... So as i begin to contact the Jell-O man Hermana Kleinman starts contacting all of his neighbors coming to buy things. Isn't it amazing how God places us in situation to accomplish all our goals!! Well I started explaining the Book of Mormon to Mr. Jell-o and he proceeds to tell me to take it to someone in the prision who really needs it then grabs a stack of five bibles and while pounding on them tells me that this is all the truth he needs.. little did he know that he was holding all the proof of the apostasy in his hands and the very reason why he really needs the Book of Mormon. He didn't want to listen to us but as one of his customers walked away he yelled at him to come and back and told him to REPENT and listen to us!! ha ha then the customer looked at him confused and said, "But i go to your church!!" Mr. Jell-o proceeded to tell him it didn't matter and he should listen to us because we brought the word of God! I walked away laughing SOOOOO hard and amazed once again at the Lord's hand in the work and at the Lord's sense of humor!!
Tuesday we had district meeting.. my zone is not as close here but it will be good to learn from new people. We ended up knocking alot but met some great new people who we scheduled appointments for later in the week. We were finally able to contact that one investigator that was already here when i got here.. his name is Juan and he is studying to be a preacher for the Church of Christ... the whole time they have been teaching him he only allows them to over come his doubts by using the Bible and not the Book of Mormon. So we had a very bold lesson with him about the fruits of the Book of Mormon and that we are there to teach him things he doesn't know and that the glory of the restoration is that we are able to find clarifications that we can't find in the Bible. We committed him to pray to know that the restoration really happened and if he doesn't allow us to use the Book of Mormon in our next appointment we are going to have to drop him which is sad because Hna. Kleinman and I both know he has received his answer already that these things are true he is just too afraid to change... why are some people content in their ignorance?
Wednesday we had another great day and taught another man that was very knowledgable in the Bible but he would just throw in pointless scriptures from the Bible that didn't even fit with anything we were teaching him in the first lesson.. so at one point I was just sick of it... and I think I shocked Hna. Kleinman a little bit because he went
to agrue with me and i held up my hand and told him... NO ITS MY TURN TO TALK.. ha ha.. I proceeded to tell him I knew he was intelligent and had a lot of faith but that we were here to add to his knowledge and help him come closer to God and Jesus Christ.. I taught him about the Book of Mormon without a peep out of him.. then I bore a simple, sincere testimony of prayer and the truth of these things. He then asked when we could come back!! We also had a lesson that night with an eternal investigator who is also taking lessons with the Jehovah Witnesses... and we had a break through.. she told us she knew that Joseph Smith was a true profeta and that Book of Mormon is the word of God... but then her little daughter who was 9 said she wanted to get baptized.. WHEN
SHE'S THIRTY!!!... we were thinking months.. not YEARS but at least they know they need to get baptized right?
Thursday it was raining like CATS AND DOGS.... and we barely had time to plan because we had so many appointments planned with people we had just knocked into.... some of them punched so we ended up knocking doors in the rain for a couple hours.. then we taught a couple new investigators Laura and Guermo which will probably go somewhere then we had a lesson with MANUELA!! We followed up on her prayer and reading and she told us she knew it was true but that she had only read a little bit.. she showed us where she had read to and she read the entire introduction plus up to 1 Nephi 5.. and she had it all marked up in red pen. She loved the Plan of Salvation lesson and was so excited to come to church on Sunday. That night we had a youth from the english ward come out with us.. it was still raining really hard and we needed a couple more contacts for the day so we knocked an apartment complex in the rain and the best part was that the parking lots were like lakes so we walked through water up past our ankles.. it only took three days for our shoes to dry out.. but we had a BLAST!! People would open their doors and thought we were absolutely crazy but would let us in even just to get our of the rain and cold but then we got to share a message with them!! Preaching in the rain is WAY better than singing!!
Friday we ate with the cutest family in the branch, The Angeles.. then taught a less active then did some service from Sister Kerr who we live with. At night we got to teach a less active Hermana Dominguez who came to church on Sunday and her friend was actually there too and we got a return appointment with her this week!! Another week highlight happened on Friday night.. there was a door contact that Hermana Richardson and Hermana Kleinman had made months back with a lady named Pamola..She's about our age with two little kids and a husband and she always made excuses why we couldn't come back.. so last week i talked her into meeting with us so when we showed up on Friday she was looking for an excuse to make us go away but we got in and actually taught her a first lesson.... it was amazing!! At the end of the lesson she just looked at us and said,"I'm gonna tell you the truth (all we could think was OH NO here it comes!!)... I REALLY love what you're teaching me.. But I'm hispanic... I'm CATHOLIC.. how can I just change?" We committed her to take the lessons, soft committed her to baptism and to pray to know it
was true. She made a solid appointment with us for this coming week and even told us her cell phone number that she supposedly didn't have before.. ha ha.. It 's amazing how this gospel changes people right before your eyes! After that appointment, it was probably the coldest night I've felt in Texas so far, so we of course decided to knocked doors :).. it was around eight.. we were tired, and FREEZING... couldn't feel our feet but we knocked this one door and I will never forget when it opened... This 15 year old boy stood there but he had a light in his eyes that you NEVER see knocking doors and I had a distinct impression that he needs to serve a mission! He let us in and we had the opportunity to teach his family a little about the Book of Mormon.. they were all very sincere to know and we made a return appointment with them tonight.. Familia Bustos. I very anxious and nervous to teach them because I know what Heavenly Father wants fo them!! Please pray for this family!
Saturday was a nother freezing day.. we had tons of canceled appointment but at night we went to teach a lady named Maria Salazar who we thought was just going to be another punched appointment but she let us in.. we taught her a first... she's so prepared. And she collects pigs (just like you right mindy?? ha ha!!!) and cows and she gave me and Hermana Kleinman two piggy banks.. my first one was cream with brown spots and flowers all over it and lucky pennies glued to the outside... SUPER ugly.. ha ha but my other one is pink and says With God Nothing is Impossible!! They are awesome!
This Sunday was WAY better and I got to know the members better since I wasn't super sick... They are all way strong and over 80% of this branch are recent converts from this year.. so they are super good fellowshippers. Manuela came to church with her 8 year old son Luis even though they were super sick... everyone was super nice to them and she just kept telling us how she was going to bring her daughter and
granddaugther the next week. We were so happy!! After church and dinner around 6:30PM we still had to get one new investigator for the week to meet our companionship goal of 12 new investigators this week. So we headed off to an appointment where the people we had the appointment with weren't their but we contacted the person that answered the door and he let us in.. We taught them a first lesson and they were super excited to know and read.. so not only did we get one investigator.. we got FOUR!! God always blesses us with more than we even think is possible as long as we are diligent and obedient!
Hermana Kleinman and I had a great week and we're super excited for the week to come to get all our new investigators to progress and get to church!! Thanks so much for all your prayers, love and support!! I love TEXAS!!! and guess what I'm fluent in Spanglish... aren't you so proud!! :)!!!!
con amor y gratitud,
Hermana Katie Barber
Monday, February 1, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Hola From Plano!!
So i spent all day Monday saying goodbye to my family in Carrollton which was really hard for me because I'm not good at change or goodbyes but a part of me was really excited for a change after 8 months in Carrollton.. but the other part of me was sad I wasn't going to be there to get all our investigators to their baptisms.. but They will get there especially since Hermana Richardson got transfered back into Carrollton
for her last transfer in the mission. All our investigators getting baptized she didn't really teach so they will be new to her but she at least knows the area and branch. I got transfered on Tuesday morning to Plano, TX where Hermana Richardson was before so we just did a swap and swapped "greenies" in the process too. My new companion in Hermana Kleinman who has been out one transfer and is AMAZING! we get along really well and have really high goals for this area this transfer. It is in the exact opposite shape as Carrollton which means we are going to be knocking alot of doors which i haven't done in 8 months so it will be good for me right! My highlight of the week happened on Friday. It was a gorgeous day so we decided to walk some streets knocking and contacting old potential investigators. So we knocked this one door asking for a potential investigator Miguel but some lady answered the door and before we were even through our whole door contact she said.. come back tomorrow at 5pm and started closing the door. I walked away thinking it was a little strange and Hermana Kleinman and I both thought she wouldn't be there the next day. So 5 PM on Saturday rolls around and we knocked on her door, Her name is Manuela, and she invites us straight in. We taught her a solid first lesson and her eyes were wide the entiretime and just kept saying, Si...si..si.. and she answered every question right. Then we gave her a Libro de Mormon and she told us she used to
have one and the boy missionaries used to visit her but they stopped coming. She told us how she had been praying for God to show her the right way in her life and that is when we knocked at her door and she was taken off guard but that she knew God put us in her life. We sang for her and then said a closing prayer...she had tears streaming down
her face. We let the silence last for a little bit then i asked her how she felt in that moment and she said peace, happiness, hope.. I explained it was an answer from the spirit that the things we taught her are true and she jsut said, "I know." We walked out of that house and Hermana Kleinman said that was one of the best experiences she had on
her mission and i just told her Welcome to six weeks of miracles like that! I'm excited for this area and to find new solid people prepared by God. The branch here is tiny and most filled with recent converts but they are strong and so willing to fellowship and love! It should be an amazing new experience.
I also live in a members house here, Dianne and Steve Kerr... we live and study in a room in their house. It is different then having apartments with just my companion my whole mission but they are super sweet for letting us live there and are very nice people... I'm excited to get to know them better!! my new address for the next 6 weeks at
least is 3113 E. Park Blvd Plano, TX 75074.
Well love y'all so much!! Pray for us and our NEW investigators!!
con amor,
Hermana Barber
for her last transfer in the mission. All our investigators getting baptized she didn't really teach so they will be new to her but she at least knows the area and branch. I got transfered on Tuesday morning to Plano, TX where Hermana Richardson was before so we just did a swap and swapped "greenies" in the process too. My new companion in Hermana Kleinman who has been out one transfer and is AMAZING! we get along really well and have really high goals for this area this transfer. It is in the exact opposite shape as Carrollton which means we are going to be knocking alot of doors which i haven't done in 8 months so it will be good for me right! My highlight of the week happened on Friday. It was a gorgeous day so we decided to walk some streets knocking and contacting old potential investigators. So we knocked this one door asking for a potential investigator Miguel but some lady answered the door and before we were even through our whole door contact she said.. come back tomorrow at 5pm and started closing the door. I walked away thinking it was a little strange and Hermana Kleinman and I both thought she wouldn't be there the next day. So 5 PM on Saturday rolls around and we knocked on her door, Her name is Manuela, and she invites us straight in. We taught her a solid first lesson and her eyes were wide the entiretime and just kept saying, Si...si..si.. and she answered every question right. Then we gave her a Libro de Mormon and she told us she used to
have one and the boy missionaries used to visit her but they stopped coming. She told us how she had been praying for God to show her the right way in her life and that is when we knocked at her door and she was taken off guard but that she knew God put us in her life. We sang for her and then said a closing prayer...she had tears streaming down
her face. We let the silence last for a little bit then i asked her how she felt in that moment and she said peace, happiness, hope.. I explained it was an answer from the spirit that the things we taught her are true and she jsut said, "I know." We walked out of that house and Hermana Kleinman said that was one of the best experiences she had on
her mission and i just told her Welcome to six weeks of miracles like that! I'm excited for this area and to find new solid people prepared by God. The branch here is tiny and most filled with recent converts but they are strong and so willing to fellowship and love! It should be an amazing new experience.
I also live in a members house here, Dianne and Steve Kerr... we live and study in a room in their house. It is different then having apartments with just my companion my whole mission but they are super sweet for letting us live there and are very nice people... I'm excited to get to know them better!! my new address for the next 6 weeks at
least is 3113 E. Park Blvd Plano, TX 75074.
Well love y'all so much!! Pray for us and our NEW investigators!!
con amor,
Hermana Barber
Monday, December 7, 2009
7 and 1/2 months in Carrollton and another GREENIE!!
Another great but VERY COLD week in Carrollton!! Monday (Nov. 10th) was a fun P-day but the Yeaman's ended up canceling on us because they were sick... we had no miles since it was the end of the month so ended up staying in Coppell where we had been for P-day but it turned out perfectbecause we got to contact Teresa and teach her a lesson.. yes still Teresa Andrade.. I'm so determined to get her baptized. She wants to she just doesn't want to change. So we started the lesson and her little boy Davin that is 5 say the opening prayer then we asked him what his greatest dream was and he just pointed to his mom and said live with her forever and ever and ever and ever... etc. Then we looked at Teresa and asked her what her greatest desire was and of course she said that
same... then we asked her what she needed to do. Of course she said the five steps and committed to work towards them again... I hope it happens this time!!
Tuesday we had a zone meeting which was way good on solving our investigators concerns using the Book of Mormon. We did role plays andthe zone leaders were pretty hard investigators trying to make us work for it. It was amazing thought because that night we went and taught a part member family and every single one of the concerns we had used in zone conference he actually brought up... it's amazing how the Lord prepares us here in the field to face anything! After that we went and taught Josue and Aliz Flores again... the parents are back together and they have decided together they want to be active again. They all came to church on Sunday as a family now we are just waiting on their dad to be able to baptize them. We then went and taught another part-member family, Christina Martinez and her children Melissa and Sophia Gomez. She was baptized when she was 15 but moved and hasn't been to church in years. We started re-teaching them but the says church is too early to come and that she has nothing to wear... she won't tell us what her real concern is even if we dig and dig and dig... but we'll get them there next week. She knows her family really needs the gospel and her kids need to have this foundation to grow and make different decisions then she did but I think apart of her thinks she is so far off the path she can never come back. That where we come in... help her feel that divine love again.
Wednesday we taught Nancy Adame who is so ready to get baptized but her husband won't let her come to church in Farmers Branch where the chapel is because the police are known for deporting... but they're moving out building to the stake center in Carrollton at the start of the month so maybe then she will start to progress. We found an old investigator named Silvia Orozco that we committed to take the lessons again. Then we went and ate with a Columbian family... the Sacristan. I love lentils that they eat with every meal but then after the meal she asked if we wanted hot chocolate which was said yes... then she said, "Con Queso??" so yes I ate my first hot chocolate with cheese... not the biggest fan!!
After dinner we headed over to the Yeaman's to check on Jason and how he was doing on not smoking and he's doing amazing!! We then talked about him quitting coffee and he made an agreement with me that Melinda was ecstatic about... he is going to stop coffee on January 1st which is also their wedding anniversary and we got him to express his desires to be sealed with his family in the temple!! That will be one of the greatest days of my life... I love this family!
On Thursday we taught Gerardo the Word of Wisdom and The Law of Chastity. I thought it was going to be an interesting lesson but I wasn't prepared for what he said to us. He said he has always felt his body was very sacred and then quoted the scripture in Corinthians about our bodies being temples which I was planning on sharing... he honestly
is sooooooooo prepared... and every time I commit him to live anything he always says "CLARO Hermana Barbara!" ... We planned his baptism and he wants Hermano Garibaldi to baptize him. I'm doing a talk on Baptism, Hermana Gomez on Holy Ghost and we're singing a special musical number. I can't wait!!
Friday we got to go to the temple with the Aguilar's. They received their endowments and I did my first session all in Spanish...it was super fun and so amazing to see how happy they were. It was my first time going to the temple for an endowment session in my mission... man do I miss that!
On Saturday we got transfer calls... I was sure I was getting transferred so I had been passing around my address book and journal to everyone in the area and was finally at grips that I wouldn't be spending the holidays here in Carrollton. Well you can imagine my surprise when President called us and told me that I was STAYING in Carrollton another transfer and TRAINING AGAIN!!! Three transfers...three greenies... can you say EXHAUSTING BUT EXCITING!! President Smith said I'm going to be the trainer extrodinare because I'm done.... I'm excited but I'm going to miss Hermana Gomez so much! We
were rocking it together!
Sunday Gerardo passed his baptismal interview with flying colors and will be baptized next week at five!! I can't wait!
Sorry this e-mail is shorter than usual but we have so much to do today to get ready for transfers tomorrow!! I love you all and thanks for the support and prayers!!
Con amor,
Hermana Barber
same... then we asked her what she needed to do. Of course she said the five steps and committed to work towards them again... I hope it happens this time!!
Tuesday we had a zone meeting which was way good on solving our investigators concerns using the Book of Mormon. We did role plays andthe zone leaders were pretty hard investigators trying to make us work for it. It was amazing thought because that night we went and taught a part member family and every single one of the concerns we had used in zone conference he actually brought up... it's amazing how the Lord prepares us here in the field to face anything! After that we went and taught Josue and Aliz Flores again... the parents are back together and they have decided together they want to be active again. They all came to church on Sunday as a family now we are just waiting on their dad to be able to baptize them. We then went and taught another part-member family, Christina Martinez and her children Melissa and Sophia Gomez. She was baptized when she was 15 but moved and hasn't been to church in years. We started re-teaching them but the says church is too early to come and that she has nothing to wear... she won't tell us what her real concern is even if we dig and dig and dig... but we'll get them there next week. She knows her family really needs the gospel and her kids need to have this foundation to grow and make different decisions then she did but I think apart of her thinks she is so far off the path she can never come back. That where we come in... help her feel that divine love again.
Wednesday we taught Nancy Adame who is so ready to get baptized but her husband won't let her come to church in Farmers Branch where the chapel is because the police are known for deporting... but they're moving out building to the stake center in Carrollton at the start of the month so maybe then she will start to progress. We found an old investigator named Silvia Orozco that we committed to take the lessons again. Then we went and ate with a Columbian family... the Sacristan. I love lentils that they eat with every meal but then after the meal she asked if we wanted hot chocolate which was said yes... then she said, "Con Queso??" so yes I ate my first hot chocolate with cheese... not the biggest fan!!
After dinner we headed over to the Yeaman's to check on Jason and how he was doing on not smoking and he's doing amazing!! We then talked about him quitting coffee and he made an agreement with me that Melinda was ecstatic about... he is going to stop coffee on January 1st which is also their wedding anniversary and we got him to express his desires to be sealed with his family in the temple!! That will be one of the greatest days of my life... I love this family!
On Thursday we taught Gerardo the Word of Wisdom and The Law of Chastity. I thought it was going to be an interesting lesson but I wasn't prepared for what he said to us. He said he has always felt his body was very sacred and then quoted the scripture in Corinthians about our bodies being temples which I was planning on sharing... he honestly
is sooooooooo prepared... and every time I commit him to live anything he always says "CLARO Hermana Barbara!" ... We planned his baptism and he wants Hermano Garibaldi to baptize him. I'm doing a talk on Baptism, Hermana Gomez on Holy Ghost and we're singing a special musical number. I can't wait!!
Friday we got to go to the temple with the Aguilar's. They received their endowments and I did my first session all in Spanish...it was super fun and so amazing to see how happy they were. It was my first time going to the temple for an endowment session in my mission... man do I miss that!
On Saturday we got transfer calls... I was sure I was getting transferred so I had been passing around my address book and journal to everyone in the area and was finally at grips that I wouldn't be spending the holidays here in Carrollton. Well you can imagine my surprise when President called us and told me that I was STAYING in Carrollton another transfer and TRAINING AGAIN!!! Three transfers...three greenies... can you say EXHAUSTING BUT EXCITING!! President Smith said I'm going to be the trainer extrodinare because I'm done.... I'm excited but I'm going to miss Hermana Gomez so much! We
were rocking it together!
Sunday Gerardo passed his baptismal interview with flying colors and will be baptized next week at five!! I can't wait!
Sorry this e-mail is shorter than usual but we have so much to do today to get ready for transfers tomorrow!! I love you all and thanks for the support and prayers!!
Con amor,
Hermana Barber
Monday, November 30, 2009
December 13!!...CAN'T WAIT!!
Happy Late Thanksgiving!!! It sounds like the family all had a great Thanksgiving and I did too!! Thanks for sending me the Banana Cream Pie recipe even thought I got it way too late!! I definitely missed mom's banana cream pie and homemade rolls and dad's stuffing and honey carrots.... No one can cook as well as y'all.. SORRY!!!
Well Sunday I talked to an old member in my English ward that I had gotten really close to named Melinda Yeaman... her husband is less active and trying to quit smoking and I have gotten really close to this family. I told her about a quit smoking program that we as missionaries teach and she just said her husband would never go for it... on Sunday
night we were doing out planning and all our appointments for Monday were falling through-we had three..Then as we were sitting trying to decide what we could do Sister Yeaman called me and said her husband wanted me to teach him that program! So I guessed the canceled appointment were an answer to prayers because we got to teach him the
next night and get him started right away. So on Monday night he made us all dinner.. Yummy filet minions!! And then we taught him the quit smoking program and one of the steps is that they can't drink alcohol, coffee or tea for the week they're trying to quit.. He told me he didn't think he could do it because coffee is like his crutch so I just offered to take his espresso maker away.. ha ha which I did along with all of his nice coffees!! His wife I think was in shock that he really let me walk out the front door with all his lighters and coffee plus way nice espresso maker. While she was driving us home she talked about how he used to not even come out and talk to missionaries or would say hi and just disappear and how other missionaries were intimidated or scared by his boldness or personality.. So I guess thank goodness for my thick skin.. she told me how much he respects me and it made me realize how we really are put in the places we are just to touch certain people... He thinks I'm giving him back his espresso maker in two weeks.. Little does he know the next step is getting him to quit coffee and back to church J
Tuesday was an interesting day because we were going to have a zone meeting and some of the sisters totaled their 2009 Malibu on the way over to the meeting.. hmmmm sounds familiar... I have decided they shouldn't let sisters drive!! (I'm sure my dad would agree) so we spent the rest of the afternoon driving the sisters around, getting them ice
packs, dinners, going to their appointment and so on but we did by 7 get to go to one of our own appointments with Gerardo, Mr. GOLD!! He told us how different he feels since he met us and how he was out with his brother over the weekend and just wanted to rush home to read the Book of Mormon and how peaceful he feels when he reads it. We then taught him
the Plan of Salvation briefly including the 5 steps he needs to do to live in the Celestial Kingdom forever. He said he realizes he is on the step of repentance and says he feels 50% ready to make the next step of baptism..and for only our second lesson with him I will take 50%!!
On Wednesday we had a great day and walked probably 10 miles...we were running low on miles since it's the end of the month but it is such great weather her still that we took advantage of it. We taught an old old investigator Maria Sandoval and got her to commit to take the lessons again with her family..Then we knocked some doors and visited
some members and less actives. We ended up eating two dinners.. Carne asada with familia Sanchez which was AMAZING.. and her husband is less active and his friend who has been less active for 8 years was there also so we had a nice lesson and talk with them. We taught Hermano Rojo who is a recent convert and they haven't been to church since I've been here since July so were going to start teaching them the lessons again because he said he really doesn't see the difference between our church and the catholic church.. Probably not a good sign! We then had another dinner with familia Navarro who are from Nicaragua which is where Hermana Gomez's family is from so she was soooo excited to have that food again... I didn't care for it that much but downed it... the fried bananas and cheese wasn't too bad. We then went and taught Aliz and Josue Flores again.. still painfully shy but still want to get baptized so hopefully we can get them there within the next couple months and get their dad to be able to baptize them.
Thursday (Happy Thanksgiving!!) was such a fun day filled with tons of good food! I started the day by making the rest of the breadstick mix that Janene sent me and brownies to bring to our three thanksgiving dinners. We first went to the Elmore's house where I helped Caran make the sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and corn... I love this house and them.. I really feel just like home there. We had a nice dinner then we played a game of Clue which I have been promising the boys I would play (and kill them at) for months!! We then made our way over to the Carraquillos where they had a casserole of every different veggie I think.. she did have homemade rolls, strawberry jam, and a banana cream pie so I tried really hard to stuff it done but was
so full I don't think I thoroughly enjoyed it. We then headed to the Aguilars where we had a nice ham since none of us really like turkey that much anyway but I felt pretty bad because I couldn't eat that much because honestly I felt like I was going to explode. We made turkey with them where the feathers were all the things they are thankful for and one of Hermana Corina Aguilars was that she is thankful to get to go to the temple on December 5th to receive her endowments!! I was soooo excited!! They aren't getting sealed until they have money to do a wedding since she never got one but at least they are progressing and going to the temple.. I got permission to go already and can't wait! It was a good day and I have so much to be thankful for.. I'm so thankful for this experience but it also made me realize how thankful I am for my amazing family who I love so much (and miss!!) Friday we had studies and did a little planning then ate two o'clock went and taught Gerardo with Hermana Caceras. We taught him the five steps (faith, repentance, baptism, gift of the Holy Ghost and endure to the end) again more in
depth focusing on repentance since that is the step he said he was on.. then at the end of the lesson we asked him what he felt like he needed to do to be ready for the next step and he said.. well I guess nothing and he felt ready! We told him we have some more lessons to teach him and that he needed to come to church but he is so excited and filled
with animo I love teaching him! We then went and taught a lady that just showed up to Relief Society last week, Sofia Gonzalez, it was an amazing lesson especially since one of her roommates is a way active member so she has a way good example already. She also had just found out that her daughter that is still in Guatemala has dangia fever (?) and in the hospital and she hasn't been able to find a job yet since being in the
United States. We taught her the first lesson, prayed, and sang for her and she just expressed what peace she felt.. I love this work! After teaching her for some reason I felt like I should call an old investigator that I haven't talked to in months and he won't meet with the other English sisters that got put in... So I called Joseph Esters to wish him a Happy Thanksgiving and he told me that his nephew Thurnell had passed away the day before Thanksgiving and his family were having a super hard time. So I went and bought them a lasagna dinner with a note and went to visit him... we got into talking and teaching him and got to sing for him and pray. He is still reading his Book of Mormon and highlighting the scriptures I gave him. I just testified to him that this is the only way he can live with Thurnell again and that I know Thurnell wants him to have this opportunity. He knows it is true just too scared to make the leap... but he didn't tell me pretty emotional that no matter where me or Hermana Richardson get transferred or changed we're never far away because we are his angels and close to his heart. He said I think God programmed to you Sister Barber just so you could get into my heart... there are very few people I let close to me and y'all are some of them! It was definitely another tender moment where I realized I am here for a reason. We then went to familia Escalante and helped them set up their Christmas tree and caroled with them. Saturday a lot of our appointments fell through and our day was going kind of crappy so we decided to make a stop by at Gerardo's since we were already in the area.. so we read the Book of Mormon with him sitting on his front steps of his apartment complex. We read 3 Nephi 11 with him when Christ came to the Americas but it had never stood out to me until we read it this time that when Christ comes after everyone gets the chance to feel the marks in his hands and feet he then calls Nephi to come to him and gives him the power baptize and teaches how and the importance of that. After we read Gerardo told us he was ready to get baptized and wanted to know when he could so we set a date with him for Sunday, December 13th after his third time coming to church. He is so excited... but he wears a hat all the time and told us that he wasn't going to take it off to come to church... that he never takes off this hat! We decided that was a minor problem and we could overcome that!! Ha ha We had dinner when a member family then went up to Lewisville to teach that less active Amelia we met knocking doors and her husband who is a non-member was there so we got to teach them a powerful first lesson..I don't think he completely gets it all but he at least agreed and was excited to read the Book of Mormon which is a huge converting tool.. it works miracles!
Sunday was such an amazing day!! Gerardo came to church with Hermano Garibaldi NOT WEARING HIS HAT, plus we had TEN OTHER INVESTIGATORS come to church...we were definitely not counting on that many plus the Escalante family brought some of their family to church that we have taught once and thought they wanted nothing to do with the church.. plus the Aguilars brought someone we thought the same thing about and then a member brought her sister and nephew who are not members... AMAZING!!
But the meetings were pretty intense meetings with sacrament about tithing which we had never taught Gerardo so we were pretty nervous about all that. So after church we went to eat with Tony Herinquez and Anias Zariate which is always an experience. Then we had the opportunity to teach Pedro Masias again who was a media referral from a month or so ago.. he really wants his kids to learn and come to church so I think they will go somewhere even if they progress kind of slow.. then we went and taught the old investigator Esperanza who we haven't seen in almost two months... well needless to say her pastor at the Baptist church had asked her where she had been and she told him about us and so he gave her some anti.. so our lesson with here was very interesting and I doubt I go back while I am in the area... just sad that she knew it was true and has completely rejected it like that.. it broke my heart. Then we had a appointment with a lady we just knocked into but found out she was sick so we went to her house just to sing to her and say a prayer which she really appreciated and said she was anxious for us to come back and teach her when she was better.. then we went over to Gerardo's to answer questions from church and teach him about tithing... we got there and asked him what questions he had and he just told us he has always felt like someone was missing.. that he had used his money to take care of his needs and send some home to Mexico and he felt like he was being blessed but he said that the church is the missing link.. He felt like tithing was his way of giving back to God. He said he is EXCITED to pay tithing and will pay it gladly...he is too perfect!!! Ha ha he said church was amazing that everyone was so nice and he felt like when Presidente Carraquillo was talking about how finding the church is like finding a light and the path that he was talking directly to him. He
said he learned so much that he was so excited to learn more and more every week. And couldn't wait for his baptism. He told us he knew we weren't always going to be with him but that he will always be grateful we showed him the right way and he said, "I will always hear Hermana Gomez saying go this way and Hermana Barbara saying do this!" He is so sincere and we walked away from that appointment and Hermana Gomez just looked at me and said, "moments like that make me love my mission!" It is so true!
I love my mission and I love this area of Carrollton. Transfer calls are on Saturday and I am praying that I can stay in this area for one more transfer and with Hermana Gomez for one more transfer too and continue to grow in confidence with my spanish and in our friendship.. she is great! Thanks for all your prayers and love and support!! Please pray for Gerardo and his baptismal date to go through!!
Love,
Hermana Katie Barber
P.S. If you haven't written me a letter in a while the holidays would be
a GREAT time to for me to hear from you!! Ha ha.. Thanks love you all!!
Well Sunday I talked to an old member in my English ward that I had gotten really close to named Melinda Yeaman... her husband is less active and trying to quit smoking and I have gotten really close to this family. I told her about a quit smoking program that we as missionaries teach and she just said her husband would never go for it... on Sunday
night we were doing out planning and all our appointments for Monday were falling through-we had three..Then as we were sitting trying to decide what we could do Sister Yeaman called me and said her husband wanted me to teach him that program! So I guessed the canceled appointment were an answer to prayers because we got to teach him the
next night and get him started right away. So on Monday night he made us all dinner.. Yummy filet minions!! And then we taught him the quit smoking program and one of the steps is that they can't drink alcohol, coffee or tea for the week they're trying to quit.. He told me he didn't think he could do it because coffee is like his crutch so I just offered to take his espresso maker away.. ha ha which I did along with all of his nice coffees!! His wife I think was in shock that he really let me walk out the front door with all his lighters and coffee plus way nice espresso maker. While she was driving us home she talked about how he used to not even come out and talk to missionaries or would say hi and just disappear and how other missionaries were intimidated or scared by his boldness or personality.. So I guess thank goodness for my thick skin.. she told me how much he respects me and it made me realize how we really are put in the places we are just to touch certain people... He thinks I'm giving him back his espresso maker in two weeks.. Little does he know the next step is getting him to quit coffee and back to church J
Tuesday was an interesting day because we were going to have a zone meeting and some of the sisters totaled their 2009 Malibu on the way over to the meeting.. hmmmm sounds familiar... I have decided they shouldn't let sisters drive!! (I'm sure my dad would agree) so we spent the rest of the afternoon driving the sisters around, getting them ice
packs, dinners, going to their appointment and so on but we did by 7 get to go to one of our own appointments with Gerardo, Mr. GOLD!! He told us how different he feels since he met us and how he was out with his brother over the weekend and just wanted to rush home to read the Book of Mormon and how peaceful he feels when he reads it. We then taught him
the Plan of Salvation briefly including the 5 steps he needs to do to live in the Celestial Kingdom forever. He said he realizes he is on the step of repentance and says he feels 50% ready to make the next step of baptism..and for only our second lesson with him I will take 50%!!
On Wednesday we had a great day and walked probably 10 miles...we were running low on miles since it's the end of the month but it is such great weather her still that we took advantage of it. We taught an old old investigator Maria Sandoval and got her to commit to take the lessons again with her family..Then we knocked some doors and visited
some members and less actives. We ended up eating two dinners.. Carne asada with familia Sanchez which was AMAZING.. and her husband is less active and his friend who has been less active for 8 years was there also so we had a nice lesson and talk with them. We taught Hermano Rojo who is a recent convert and they haven't been to church since I've been here since July so were going to start teaching them the lessons again because he said he really doesn't see the difference between our church and the catholic church.. Probably not a good sign! We then had another dinner with familia Navarro who are from Nicaragua which is where Hermana Gomez's family is from so she was soooo excited to have that food again... I didn't care for it that much but downed it... the fried bananas and cheese wasn't too bad. We then went and taught Aliz and Josue Flores again.. still painfully shy but still want to get baptized so hopefully we can get them there within the next couple months and get their dad to be able to baptize them.
Thursday (Happy Thanksgiving!!) was such a fun day filled with tons of good food! I started the day by making the rest of the breadstick mix that Janene sent me and brownies to bring to our three thanksgiving dinners. We first went to the Elmore's house where I helped Caran make the sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and corn... I love this house and them.. I really feel just like home there. We had a nice dinner then we played a game of Clue which I have been promising the boys I would play (and kill them at) for months!! We then made our way over to the Carraquillos where they had a casserole of every different veggie I think.. she did have homemade rolls, strawberry jam, and a banana cream pie so I tried really hard to stuff it done but was
so full I don't think I thoroughly enjoyed it. We then headed to the Aguilars where we had a nice ham since none of us really like turkey that much anyway but I felt pretty bad because I couldn't eat that much because honestly I felt like I was going to explode. We made turkey with them where the feathers were all the things they are thankful for and one of Hermana Corina Aguilars was that she is thankful to get to go to the temple on December 5th to receive her endowments!! I was soooo excited!! They aren't getting sealed until they have money to do a wedding since she never got one but at least they are progressing and going to the temple.. I got permission to go already and can't wait! It was a good day and I have so much to be thankful for.. I'm so thankful for this experience but it also made me realize how thankful I am for my amazing family who I love so much (and miss!!) Friday we had studies and did a little planning then ate two o'clock went and taught Gerardo with Hermana Caceras. We taught him the five steps (faith, repentance, baptism, gift of the Holy Ghost and endure to the end) again more in
depth focusing on repentance since that is the step he said he was on.. then at the end of the lesson we asked him what he felt like he needed to do to be ready for the next step and he said.. well I guess nothing and he felt ready! We told him we have some more lessons to teach him and that he needed to come to church but he is so excited and filled
with animo I love teaching him! We then went and taught a lady that just showed up to Relief Society last week, Sofia Gonzalez, it was an amazing lesson especially since one of her roommates is a way active member so she has a way good example already. She also had just found out that her daughter that is still in Guatemala has dangia fever (?) and in the hospital and she hasn't been able to find a job yet since being in the
United States. We taught her the first lesson, prayed, and sang for her and she just expressed what peace she felt.. I love this work! After teaching her for some reason I felt like I should call an old investigator that I haven't talked to in months and he won't meet with the other English sisters that got put in... So I called Joseph Esters to wish him a Happy Thanksgiving and he told me that his nephew Thurnell had passed away the day before Thanksgiving and his family were having a super hard time. So I went and bought them a lasagna dinner with a note and went to visit him... we got into talking and teaching him and got to sing for him and pray. He is still reading his Book of Mormon and highlighting the scriptures I gave him. I just testified to him that this is the only way he can live with Thurnell again and that I know Thurnell wants him to have this opportunity. He knows it is true just too scared to make the leap... but he didn't tell me pretty emotional that no matter where me or Hermana Richardson get transferred or changed we're never far away because we are his angels and close to his heart. He said I think God programmed to you Sister Barber just so you could get into my heart... there are very few people I let close to me and y'all are some of them! It was definitely another tender moment where I realized I am here for a reason. We then went to familia Escalante and helped them set up their Christmas tree and caroled with them. Saturday a lot of our appointments fell through and our day was going kind of crappy so we decided to make a stop by at Gerardo's since we were already in the area.. so we read the Book of Mormon with him sitting on his front steps of his apartment complex. We read 3 Nephi 11 with him when Christ came to the Americas but it had never stood out to me until we read it this time that when Christ comes after everyone gets the chance to feel the marks in his hands and feet he then calls Nephi to come to him and gives him the power baptize and teaches how and the importance of that. After we read Gerardo told us he was ready to get baptized and wanted to know when he could so we set a date with him for Sunday, December 13th after his third time coming to church. He is so excited... but he wears a hat all the time and told us that he wasn't going to take it off to come to church... that he never takes off this hat! We decided that was a minor problem and we could overcome that!! Ha ha We had dinner when a member family then went up to Lewisville to teach that less active Amelia we met knocking doors and her husband who is a non-member was there so we got to teach them a powerful first lesson..I don't think he completely gets it all but he at least agreed and was excited to read the Book of Mormon which is a huge converting tool.. it works miracles!
Sunday was such an amazing day!! Gerardo came to church with Hermano Garibaldi NOT WEARING HIS HAT, plus we had TEN OTHER INVESTIGATORS come to church...we were definitely not counting on that many plus the Escalante family brought some of their family to church that we have taught once and thought they wanted nothing to do with the church.. plus the Aguilars brought someone we thought the same thing about and then a member brought her sister and nephew who are not members... AMAZING!!
But the meetings were pretty intense meetings with sacrament about tithing which we had never taught Gerardo so we were pretty nervous about all that. So after church we went to eat with Tony Herinquez and Anias Zariate which is always an experience. Then we had the opportunity to teach Pedro Masias again who was a media referral from a month or so ago.. he really wants his kids to learn and come to church so I think they will go somewhere even if they progress kind of slow.. then we went and taught the old investigator Esperanza who we haven't seen in almost two months... well needless to say her pastor at the Baptist church had asked her where she had been and she told him about us and so he gave her some anti.. so our lesson with here was very interesting and I doubt I go back while I am in the area... just sad that she knew it was true and has completely rejected it like that.. it broke my heart. Then we had a appointment with a lady we just knocked into but found out she was sick so we went to her house just to sing to her and say a prayer which she really appreciated and said she was anxious for us to come back and teach her when she was better.. then we went over to Gerardo's to answer questions from church and teach him about tithing... we got there and asked him what questions he had and he just told us he has always felt like someone was missing.. that he had used his money to take care of his needs and send some home to Mexico and he felt like he was being blessed but he said that the church is the missing link.. He felt like tithing was his way of giving back to God. He said he is EXCITED to pay tithing and will pay it gladly...he is too perfect!!! Ha ha he said church was amazing that everyone was so nice and he felt like when Presidente Carraquillo was talking about how finding the church is like finding a light and the path that he was talking directly to him. He
said he learned so much that he was so excited to learn more and more every week. And couldn't wait for his baptism. He told us he knew we weren't always going to be with him but that he will always be grateful we showed him the right way and he said, "I will always hear Hermana Gomez saying go this way and Hermana Barbara saying do this!" He is so sincere and we walked away from that appointment and Hermana Gomez just looked at me and said, "moments like that make me love my mission!" It is so true!
I love my mission and I love this area of Carrollton. Transfer calls are on Saturday and I am praying that I can stay in this area for one more transfer and with Hermana Gomez for one more transfer too and continue to grow in confidence with my spanish and in our friendship.. she is great! Thanks for all your prayers and love and support!! Please pray for Gerardo and his baptismal date to go through!!
Love,
Hermana Katie Barber
P.S. If you haven't written me a letter in a while the holidays would be
a GREAT time to for me to hear from you!! Ha ha.. Thanks love you all!!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Angie Vasquez is Baptized!!
This week has been absolutely amazing, stressful, but busy!! Monday started out with most of our appointments canceling so we went to Presidente Carrasquillo's house to teach a friend of his son who had questions about the church in english. We tried to teach him the first lesson but we later found out in the lesson he only came because he was determined to prove our church wrong and to get more material for his lesson he was going to teach the youth in his church about our church being a cult and non-christians... it was an interesting experience but it was amazing how our simple testimonies he couldn't dispute. Its so hard because my heart hurts for them just to know the truth and really want to search for the truth and open their hearts.. but the experience also made me happy I'm a spanish missionary!! Tuesday we had interviews and training with President and Sister Smith.. I love them!! We are focusing on the Book of Mormon this transfer and introducing it at the begining of our lessons and using it in door contacts and all.. so as a mission we all got the Book of Mormons we pass out everyday and we are reading it twice together as a mission.
The first time we are marking everytime the Book of Mormon refers to Jesus Christ or God plus all the pronouns.. then the next time we are marking key doctrines. I am through first Nephi marking the names of God and Jesus Christ and it is AMAZING!! You should all do it.. I've never known how much every page of the Book of Mormon helps us see more about our Father in Heaven and his son.. It truly is another testament of Jesus Christ.. each page hold precious truths! I also had an amazing interview with President Smith and as we were sitting there he said, "Hermana Barber there are 1...no 2... no 3 families waiting to be baptized in this area before Christmas. You need to take your greenie and go knock some doors." It was amazing to see him receive that revelation for me and our area right on the spot.. he is definitely called of God. So if you couldn't have guessed.. we went out and knocked some doors!! Within an hour we had talked to a man that said reincarnation and resurrection are the exact same thing, another man who said the reason we don't hear about Jesus in the Bible before his ministry at 33 is because he was abducted by aliens, and another lady that said she has the same power that Jesus Christ had because he gave it to her.. I asked her to show me in the bible where it said that.. she said she was going to go get her own bible.. she slammed the door.. i waiting a little bit but she never came back :)!! But we also found an amazing family.. Carlos and Lilianna with two kids and one on the way and she has a cousin that is a member!! We are going to teach them all
this week and i'm super super excited!!
On Wednesday we knocked some more doors and got a lady that asked us if we were from the mormon tabernacle choir so we told her yes and sang for her and she told us we were angels... she wasn't all there but it was fun!! We also went and visited an old referral named Romeo.. he was who we were going to teach when sister Richardson totaled the Malibu and we never went back. We taught him outside his apartment complex and it was an amazing lesson and he really wants to come to church.
Well on Wednesday Sister Smith called us and asked us if we would sing a song for our Zone Conference on Saturday and I agreed because my new companion really wanted to and i thought it would be a fun experience for her... but honestly i hate singing in front of people.. i would rather give a thirty minute talk than sing three minutes any day.. but I thought why not... so on Thursday we went to go print out the sheet music and all the libraries were closed so by the time we got it we had to be singing it in less than 48 hours.. Then the person that was going to play the piano we were told bailed... then i found out that the reason we were singing the song is because the wife or the seventy that was going to be speaking wanted it sung!! I had not agreed while knowing i was singing in a meeting where a seventy was speaking, Elder Flukiger... then i get to the church on Saturday to sing and the person i had finally found to play it was no where to be found so we grabbed a random sister to play.. practiced twice... oh and i get to our "zone conference" and find out it is really a multi zone conference including every missionary except for about 40 out east.. too far away.. so there were about 125 missionaries.. I definitely didn't bargin for that!! But of course i did it and it turned out pretty good. Sister Smith and Flukiger kept thanking us afterwards... but the best was when Elder Metcalf came up to me.. ha ha Cindy Metcalf has been trying to get me to sing in our home ward since i was 12 I think with you mom and i always told her NO!!... ha ha.. Mark just walked up to me and said,"You are going to be in SOOOOOOOOO much trouble when i tell my mom!!" I was laughing so hard.. Sister Smith heard the comment so he told her how i would never sing before my mission and she said, "Sometimes it takes a mission to step-up and do the unthinkable.." I don't think any statement could explain my mission more!!
Well we got out of Zone Conference late and barely got back to Carrollton in time to get things ready for our baptism.. the Zone Leaders Elder Andrus and Elder Roberts saved me by hurrying back to filled up the font while i waited for a ride that never showed up so
finally Hermana Richardson and Hermana Beetso (who are now companions) drove us back to Carrollton. Angie Vasquez's baptism was amazing.. her husband got to baptize her and confirm her.. Hermana Gomez and I had taught her three year old to sing "Soy un Hijo de Dios" and sang it with her at the baptism... Right after she got baptized she just sat in the water and started crying.. then after the baptism her husband came up to me and just kept thanking me with tears in his eyes. It's moments like that that make this whole mission worth it.. they are so excited to get sealed in a year!
Sunday five people came to church.. we went to go try to contact that lady Deana Alfonzo that went to Mexico for a couple months to see her dad again and ended up getting in her apartment and teaching her roommate who we found out is a very less-active member.. and her sister is actually the one that called us to refer us to Deana and told us her sister would NEVER listen to us.. but guess what she did.. we taught her and her father-in-law the first lesson and have another lesson with them tonight.. At night after eating yummy tacos with the Aguilars we went and sang to Sister Redo who is recoping from surgery to remove her cancer.. The spirit was so strong in that room..maybe the strongest i have felt in a long time.
Well i'm excited for this week to find our three families that need to get baptized for Christmas.. this work is amazing!! I miss y'all so much but we get to party for eternity!! Can't wait!!
Hermana Barber
The first time we are marking everytime the Book of Mormon refers to Jesus Christ or God plus all the pronouns.. then the next time we are marking key doctrines. I am through first Nephi marking the names of God and Jesus Christ and it is AMAZING!! You should all do it.. I've never known how much every page of the Book of Mormon helps us see more about our Father in Heaven and his son.. It truly is another testament of Jesus Christ.. each page hold precious truths! I also had an amazing interview with President Smith and as we were sitting there he said, "Hermana Barber there are 1...no 2... no 3 families waiting to be baptized in this area before Christmas. You need to take your greenie and go knock some doors." It was amazing to see him receive that revelation for me and our area right on the spot.. he is definitely called of God. So if you couldn't have guessed.. we went out and knocked some doors!! Within an hour we had talked to a man that said reincarnation and resurrection are the exact same thing, another man who said the reason we don't hear about Jesus in the Bible before his ministry at 33 is because he was abducted by aliens, and another lady that said she has the same power that Jesus Christ had because he gave it to her.. I asked her to show me in the bible where it said that.. she said she was going to go get her own bible.. she slammed the door.. i waiting a little bit but she never came back :)!! But we also found an amazing family.. Carlos and Lilianna with two kids and one on the way and she has a cousin that is a member!! We are going to teach them all
this week and i'm super super excited!!
On Wednesday we knocked some more doors and got a lady that asked us if we were from the mormon tabernacle choir so we told her yes and sang for her and she told us we were angels... she wasn't all there but it was fun!! We also went and visited an old referral named Romeo.. he was who we were going to teach when sister Richardson totaled the Malibu and we never went back. We taught him outside his apartment complex and it was an amazing lesson and he really wants to come to church.
Well on Wednesday Sister Smith called us and asked us if we would sing a song for our Zone Conference on Saturday and I agreed because my new companion really wanted to and i thought it would be a fun experience for her... but honestly i hate singing in front of people.. i would rather give a thirty minute talk than sing three minutes any day.. but I thought why not... so on Thursday we went to go print out the sheet music and all the libraries were closed so by the time we got it we had to be singing it in less than 48 hours.. Then the person that was going to play the piano we were told bailed... then i found out that the reason we were singing the song is because the wife or the seventy that was going to be speaking wanted it sung!! I had not agreed while knowing i was singing in a meeting where a seventy was speaking, Elder Flukiger... then i get to the church on Saturday to sing and the person i had finally found to play it was no where to be found so we grabbed a random sister to play.. practiced twice... oh and i get to our "zone conference" and find out it is really a multi zone conference including every missionary except for about 40 out east.. too far away.. so there were about 125 missionaries.. I definitely didn't bargin for that!! But of course i did it and it turned out pretty good. Sister Smith and Flukiger kept thanking us afterwards... but the best was when Elder Metcalf came up to me.. ha ha Cindy Metcalf has been trying to get me to sing in our home ward since i was 12 I think with you mom and i always told her NO!!... ha ha.. Mark just walked up to me and said,"You are going to be in SOOOOOOOOO much trouble when i tell my mom!!" I was laughing so hard.. Sister Smith heard the comment so he told her how i would never sing before my mission and she said, "Sometimes it takes a mission to step-up and do the unthinkable.." I don't think any statement could explain my mission more!!
Well we got out of Zone Conference late and barely got back to Carrollton in time to get things ready for our baptism.. the Zone Leaders Elder Andrus and Elder Roberts saved me by hurrying back to filled up the font while i waited for a ride that never showed up so
finally Hermana Richardson and Hermana Beetso (who are now companions) drove us back to Carrollton. Angie Vasquez's baptism was amazing.. her husband got to baptize her and confirm her.. Hermana Gomez and I had taught her three year old to sing "Soy un Hijo de Dios" and sang it with her at the baptism... Right after she got baptized she just sat in the water and started crying.. then after the baptism her husband came up to me and just kept thanking me with tears in his eyes. It's moments like that that make this whole mission worth it.. they are so excited to get sealed in a year!
Sunday five people came to church.. we went to go try to contact that lady Deana Alfonzo that went to Mexico for a couple months to see her dad again and ended up getting in her apartment and teaching her roommate who we found out is a very less-active member.. and her sister is actually the one that called us to refer us to Deana and told us her sister would NEVER listen to us.. but guess what she did.. we taught her and her father-in-law the first lesson and have another lesson with them tonight.. At night after eating yummy tacos with the Aguilars we went and sang to Sister Redo who is recoping from surgery to remove her cancer.. The spirit was so strong in that room..maybe the strongest i have felt in a long time.
Well i'm excited for this week to find our three families that need to get baptized for Christmas.. this work is amazing!! I miss y'all so much but we get to party for eternity!! Can't wait!!
Hermana Barber
Monday, October 19, 2009
Survivor of Swine Flue 2009 :)
Hola Familia y amigos!!
Well first off.. I AM AN AUNT AGAIN!! and can i just say that i have the cutest niece and nephews in the world.. when i come back I'm spending days just playing with them.. I can't wait.. please give them extra loves for me!! TATE is so super cute and I'm so excited for you Matt and Bean! My other shout-out is a Happy Birthday for Reilly Carlyle Barber.. I can't believe you are 23.. we are SOOOOO old... Love you and I'm writing you a birthday letter today!
Well my week was an interesting but exciting week for sure! On Monday we had an amazing Family Home Evening lesson with the Escalante Family.. we played Church Bingo with them that I made...(it reminded me of Christmas Bingo... dad you should send me my small set in my closet to play with people here..that would be an AWESOME christmas gift!!) but everytime we called out a word they had to define it or say why it was important.. the best was when i called out el templo and the Mom, Betty, started talking about how many there are in the world and how she can get married with her family for eternity there and throwing out all other kinds of facts and I was shocked.. i asked her where she learned so much and she said she had been studying on the church website!! This family is SOOOOOO ready to get baptized.. i pray for a miracle for them everyday.. (oh and I bought Landrea's birthday present from them too that night.. Landrea I was laughing sooooo hard!! I can't wait to send it to you!!!) But another highlight was at the end of the night when Vidal said the closing prayer and talked about el gozo or joy he feels everytime we come over and how he KNOWS he is on the correct pathway for Jesus Christ to follow in his example.. I love this family with all my heart!
On Tuesday we had district meeting and by the end of district meeting I wasn't feeling very hot.... so my zone leaders sent me home and gave me a blessing before. I had called Sister Smith to tell her some of my symptons and she said I had them all except for the fever for swine flu so she told me just to take it easy.. so the next two days I spent sleeping...I was so worn out and sick. But I don't listen to leaders that well and I had already scheduled an appointment with Teresa (my old baptismal date that started working so she couldn't get baptize cause she wasn't coming to church) and i wasn't going to miss that for ANYTHING.. so of course on Tuesday night I went.. and good thing because we set a new baptismal date with her for November 14th.. i pray she actually can this time!! It was really interesting thougth in my blessing from the zone leaders he mentioned patiences like three times...patience with myself, and my investigators and President Smith said that same thing in our interviews... I was so frustrated with myself because i was sick and couldn't go to most of our appointments for the week.. so I think there is a theme in the transfer.. PATIENCE.. and I'm going to either learn it or the Lords gonna keep giving me situations to learn it.. ha ha! So Wednesday the Zone Leaders called Hermana Beetso and told her not to let me leave.. so i was held hostage by my greenie and had such 'cabin fever' no one could have kept me in on Thursday.
After Studies on Thursday we went to Coppell and did a four hour service project for and investigator of the zone leaders.. we literally cleared out a forest in her backyard and i have the scratches to prove it.. but i did get to use a chainsaw.. the Elders were pretty scared not gonna lie ;)!! ha ha The lady's name was Mary that we were helping and she just kept saying, "When I told people that two young men came to my house and offered to help me they all just kept saying oh you'll never see them again.. they'll never come back and help you.. But you did and you brought 8 other people to help you!! you rekindled my faith and I know that Jesus and the Holy Mother sent you..(obviously they haven't taught her enough)" It was fun seeing how affected she was by a measely four hours of our help.. and it was fun!!
Friday we were out working and Hermana Beetso finally told me she wasn't feeling good.. we took her temperature and she had a fever.. so back to the appartment! But we left again that night for three appointments.. one with the Flores family.. Hermano Flores can baptize his kids in three weeks.. well two weeks now.. So he will baptize at least Josue his son in November but we dont' have the exact date yet! Its so fun seeing their family come back to church though and really starting to get the difference the gospel can make if they allow themselves to live this gospel again.. this gospel really is amazing! We also went to Teresa's and celebrated her birthday with her and gave her a calendar with her baptismal date and everything she needed to do to be ready for the 1 th!! she seems really excited... and so am I!!
Saturday was an interesting day because we had 7 confirmed appointments and everything canceled on us and our backup plans were no good so we spent a lot of time knocking doors but i don't think me and Hermana Beetso have ever laughed so much since we've been together so it was a good bonding day.. I am starting to understand her and her culture better and it is fun... she is great and is really trying hard, and I've seen a huge change in her this week.
Sunday we only had three investigators at church which was kinda frustrating but we had two "eternalgators" of part-member families agree to meet with us that haven't met with missionaries in awhile so i was really excited about that! Do you remember Elsy? the one we were teaching, getting ready to give a baptismal date.. then she told us she was already baptize.. well we areteaching her granddaught now and we taught her and she said the closing prayer and asked to be able to remember and understand everything we were teaching her.. especially about the mormon bible.. She is 15 and super cute.. then after her prayer she looked at me and said, "Was that a good one?" She wants to know and this was our second lesson to her and I asked her if she had prayed about the stuff we taught her the first time and how she felt and she said,"I just feel alot better about myself.. like i know who i really am!" That is a knowledge i have taken for granted... we are really children of god... sons and daughters!! I think how much my parents love me, and everything they have done and want to do for me in my life to help me succeed.. My Father in Heaven has so much love for me.. FOR YOU!!! and one of the things he has given us and done for us to help us succeed is given us this gospel, a prophet, the scriptures, the opportunity to communicate with him through prayer!! How many times do we really stop and think how amazingly blessed we are then thank our Father... that's my
challenge for you this week!!! Well after Melissa's we went to teach our investigator Maricruz but she wasn't there.. she is the hospital because she is really sick.. so I was walking to the car and really needed to use a restroom and there were a group of people sitting outside the laundry mat so i asked them if i could use one of their restrooms.. the first guy told me i could use his but i told him i couldn't because there wasn't another woman in his house.. (rules are blessings.. you just wait!) so the woman told me i could use hers..long story short we start talking to her and find out she is a MEMBER.. yep.. was baptized in Honduras seven years ago and hasn't gone to church 'cause the one she thought she found was super far away.. so now she is coming back to church this week and we are teaching her husband she married here!! Her name is Maritza and her husband Hector.. we see miracles EVERYDAY!!
Then last night we taught a part member family.. Tomja is a member and from the Dominican Republic and her husband Luis is from Cuba.. Tomja is pregnant and we had an amazing lesson on the Plan of Salvation. Luis is a little confused but mainly very comfortable with his ways and is young and doesn't want to change but is very willing to listen to us. I love this family.. they have a little girl named Sophie that really reminds me of Jules everytime I'm there.. I love it.. she always wants me to hold her and I can't and it makes me so sad.. it might remind me so much of Jules because she has barely any hair ;)!! I hope we can help them become a forever family... Tomja wants it so bad!!
Well family my week has been crazy fun and an adventure.. I am feeling 100% and ready for another week of miracles, lessons on patience :) and helping my brothers and sister here in Texas come closer to Christ!... I love this place...Everything is better in Texas, they're right!
con amor,
Hermana Katie Barber
Well first off.. I AM AN AUNT AGAIN!! and can i just say that i have the cutest niece and nephews in the world.. when i come back I'm spending days just playing with them.. I can't wait.. please give them extra loves for me!! TATE is so super cute and I'm so excited for you Matt and Bean! My other shout-out is a Happy Birthday for Reilly Carlyle Barber.. I can't believe you are 23.. we are SOOOOO old... Love you and I'm writing you a birthday letter today!
Well my week was an interesting but exciting week for sure! On Monday we had an amazing Family Home Evening lesson with the Escalante Family.. we played Church Bingo with them that I made...(it reminded me of Christmas Bingo... dad you should send me my small set in my closet to play with people here..that would be an AWESOME christmas gift!!) but everytime we called out a word they had to define it or say why it was important.. the best was when i called out el templo and the Mom, Betty, started talking about how many there are in the world and how she can get married with her family for eternity there and throwing out all other kinds of facts and I was shocked.. i asked her where she learned so much and she said she had been studying on the church website!! This family is SOOOOOO ready to get baptized.. i pray for a miracle for them everyday.. (oh and I bought Landrea's birthday present from them too that night.. Landrea I was laughing sooooo hard!! I can't wait to send it to you!!!) But another highlight was at the end of the night when Vidal said the closing prayer and talked about el gozo or joy he feels everytime we come over and how he KNOWS he is on the correct pathway for Jesus Christ to follow in his example.. I love this family with all my heart!
On Tuesday we had district meeting and by the end of district meeting I wasn't feeling very hot.... so my zone leaders sent me home and gave me a blessing before. I had called Sister Smith to tell her some of my symptons and she said I had them all except for the fever for swine flu so she told me just to take it easy.. so the next two days I spent sleeping...I was so worn out and sick. But I don't listen to leaders that well and I had already scheduled an appointment with Teresa (my old baptismal date that started working so she couldn't get baptize cause she wasn't coming to church) and i wasn't going to miss that for ANYTHING.. so of course on Tuesday night I went.. and good thing because we set a new baptismal date with her for November 14th.. i pray she actually can this time!! It was really interesting thougth in my blessing from the zone leaders he mentioned patiences like three times...patience with myself, and my investigators and President Smith said that same thing in our interviews... I was so frustrated with myself because i was sick and couldn't go to most of our appointments for the week.. so I think there is a theme in the transfer.. PATIENCE.. and I'm going to either learn it or the Lords gonna keep giving me situations to learn it.. ha ha! So Wednesday the Zone Leaders called Hermana Beetso and told her not to let me leave.. so i was held hostage by my greenie and had such 'cabin fever' no one could have kept me in on Thursday.
After Studies on Thursday we went to Coppell and did a four hour service project for and investigator of the zone leaders.. we literally cleared out a forest in her backyard and i have the scratches to prove it.. but i did get to use a chainsaw.. the Elders were pretty scared not gonna lie ;)!! ha ha The lady's name was Mary that we were helping and she just kept saying, "When I told people that two young men came to my house and offered to help me they all just kept saying oh you'll never see them again.. they'll never come back and help you.. But you did and you brought 8 other people to help you!! you rekindled my faith and I know that Jesus and the Holy Mother sent you..(obviously they haven't taught her enough)" It was fun seeing how affected she was by a measely four hours of our help.. and it was fun!!
Friday we were out working and Hermana Beetso finally told me she wasn't feeling good.. we took her temperature and she had a fever.. so back to the appartment! But we left again that night for three appointments.. one with the Flores family.. Hermano Flores can baptize his kids in three weeks.. well two weeks now.. So he will baptize at least Josue his son in November but we dont' have the exact date yet! Its so fun seeing their family come back to church though and really starting to get the difference the gospel can make if they allow themselves to live this gospel again.. this gospel really is amazing! We also went to Teresa's and celebrated her birthday with her and gave her a calendar with her baptismal date and everything she needed to do to be ready for the 1 th!! she seems really excited... and so am I!!
Saturday was an interesting day because we had 7 confirmed appointments and everything canceled on us and our backup plans were no good so we spent a lot of time knocking doors but i don't think me and Hermana Beetso have ever laughed so much since we've been together so it was a good bonding day.. I am starting to understand her and her culture better and it is fun... she is great and is really trying hard, and I've seen a huge change in her this week.
Sunday we only had three investigators at church which was kinda frustrating but we had two "eternalgators" of part-member families agree to meet with us that haven't met with missionaries in awhile so i was really excited about that! Do you remember Elsy? the one we were teaching, getting ready to give a baptismal date.. then she told us she was already baptize.. well we areteaching her granddaught now and we taught her and she said the closing prayer and asked to be able to remember and understand everything we were teaching her.. especially about the mormon bible.. She is 15 and super cute.. then after her prayer she looked at me and said, "Was that a good one?" She wants to know and this was our second lesson to her and I asked her if she had prayed about the stuff we taught her the first time and how she felt and she said,"I just feel alot better about myself.. like i know who i really am!" That is a knowledge i have taken for granted... we are really children of god... sons and daughters!! I think how much my parents love me, and everything they have done and want to do for me in my life to help me succeed.. My Father in Heaven has so much love for me.. FOR YOU!!! and one of the things he has given us and done for us to help us succeed is given us this gospel, a prophet, the scriptures, the opportunity to communicate with him through prayer!! How many times do we really stop and think how amazingly blessed we are then thank our Father... that's my
challenge for you this week!!! Well after Melissa's we went to teach our investigator Maricruz but she wasn't there.. she is the hospital because she is really sick.. so I was walking to the car and really needed to use a restroom and there were a group of people sitting outside the laundry mat so i asked them if i could use one of their restrooms.. the first guy told me i could use his but i told him i couldn't because there wasn't another woman in his house.. (rules are blessings.. you just wait!) so the woman told me i could use hers..long story short we start talking to her and find out she is a MEMBER.. yep.. was baptized in Honduras seven years ago and hasn't gone to church 'cause the one she thought she found was super far away.. so now she is coming back to church this week and we are teaching her husband she married here!! Her name is Maritza and her husband Hector.. we see miracles EVERYDAY!!
Then last night we taught a part member family.. Tomja is a member and from the Dominican Republic and her husband Luis is from Cuba.. Tomja is pregnant and we had an amazing lesson on the Plan of Salvation. Luis is a little confused but mainly very comfortable with his ways and is young and doesn't want to change but is very willing to listen to us. I love this family.. they have a little girl named Sophie that really reminds me of Jules everytime I'm there.. I love it.. she always wants me to hold her and I can't and it makes me so sad.. it might remind me so much of Jules because she has barely any hair ;)!! I hope we can help them become a forever family... Tomja wants it so bad!!
Well family my week has been crazy fun and an adventure.. I am feeling 100% and ready for another week of miracles, lessons on patience :) and helping my brothers and sister here in Texas come closer to Christ!... I love this place...Everything is better in Texas, they're right!
con amor,
Hermana Katie Barber
Monday, October 5, 2009
I will never eat cake again!!
Hola!!
Well I don't have tonz of time but I just want to thank everyone for all their letters, packages, and love!!! i had an awesome birthday and did miss all of you but it was great.. this week was amazing also.. Monday after e-mailing we went shopping at the mall because my shoes broke so i bought new shoes.. then we went to go to lunch at outback and it was closed.. i was so sad until later that day I got a letter and a giftcard for outback from Landrea, Thanks Jane.. you know me so well! we went to go to Johnny Corinos a restuarant instead... ate our meal and were getting ready to pay when the waitress said that our bills had been taken care of already.. there happened to be a random member in the restuarant.. saw us and paid for our meals. super nice. At night we went to the Elmore families and they made me a yummy chicken dish and made a homemade chocolate cake that was to die for and since she works for mary kay she gave me some mary kay products for my birthday.. it was perfect! They really are like my family here and i started crying when i thanked them for everything.. i was feeling a little homesick so it was nice to have them and their love for me! We then went to the Aguilars who are recent converts and they also made me my favorite mexican dish of chicken tinga and torillas.. they also got me cake, didn't push my face in it just wiped it all over my face and their son Giovani learned how to play happy birthday on the violin for me!! ha ha.. But i think my greatest birthday gift was that the Elmore and the Aguilars called my trainer Jessica Brundage so i could talk to her.. and guess what SHE IS ENGAGED!! yep she is not even waiting for me (Love you Hermanita!! ha ha) she is getting married on January 29th and is sooooo happy!! I'm excited for her but mom and dad you have to go to the reception since i can't.. then that same night I found out that Eduardo is getting married to a lady from the ward!! ha ha.. I was so thrilled... truly he has changed his entire life!
Tuesday we had district meeting, volunteered at the Bishop's storehouse where i got to help the people who speak spanish which was really fun!! then we went to an appointment we made with a street contact named Berta.. we knocked on her door and it was definitely not her!!But we asked Ana who answered the door if we could teach her and she let us in.. we taught her and her sister and nephew and they were so intense into the lesson.. her sister Rosa really wanted her son to learn about God.. It's amazing how God places people in our paths that really want to learn even if we had the appointment with them or not. Then we had another birthday dinner with the Quinn family and Sister Quinn made me a German Chocolate cake because it is my favorite (oh and i forgot to tell you that the management office where i live, JJ and Jorge bought me a cake on my birthday... so this was my 6th cake of my birthday!... honest i never want another sweet again!) Then we went and taught a less active in the ward named Joel the first lesson.. he was baptized when he was
younger and knows nothing so when we asked him how he felt at the end of the lesson he just said.. i feel like i need to come back to church!! then his mom said the prayer and was bawling and prayed about how thankful she was...I pray her really gets it.
Wednesday was pretty much an amazing day.. do you remember the Flores family we taught then had to hand over to the elders because they weren't in our area.. well they have been avoiding us for over two months and would never meet with us again.. well our day started out at 8 AM with Hermano Flores calling us and asking when we were coming to teach his kids again.. so we said how about tonight! Then we went to an appointment at 9 AM because it was the only time this media referral named Wilbert could meet with us. We started the lesson with God is our loving Heavenly Father and he was trying to define what he thought the Godhead was... he was having such a difficult time so i read D&C 130:22.. the just stared at me and said.. exactly.. so simple! Then it was like everything else we taught him he COMPLETELY agreed with just because we were able to help him define his own belief of God with a scripture.. it was awesome! Then we went to contact a member referral named Naomi well once again Naomi wasn't there but her roommate Maria was so we started talking to her and found out she had a friend in honduras that was a member but has passed away so we started teaching her the Plan of Salvation and then she started crying (I don't know what i make people cry.. i should work on that!! ha ha) then she told us a couple months ago she had lost a baby and had always wondered where he was.. I am so thankful for preach my gospel and the opportunity we have to listen to the spirit and teach to the needs of the investigators!
That night we had two member present lessons.. the first one was with the Flores family and we taught them them the Plan of Salvation lesson too and at the end of the lesson the dad just looked at us and said When are you coming back? tomorrow? You have God with you.. i can tell! Then he started telling us stories from his own mission and we made an appointment to come back the next night and teach them.. then he said I want to baptize my kids!! The fire is starting to ignite in his eyes again and he is beginning to understand the importance of it in the lives of his kids! Then we had a lesson with a lady named Sandra Garcia they friend of Verenice.. we taught her a powerful first and the members testimonies were amazing.. we all kneed at the end of the lesson and prayed and Sandra said such an innocent and amazing prayer.
Thursday was planning... dinner with the Garibaldi's who still don't have a job and I am so sad about it.. i pray for them daily.. they aresuch an amazing family! They made me my favorite tres leche cake.. yep more cake! Then we had to cancel an appointment becasue their was such a bad thunderstorm for an hour then it was like bright and blue skies.. weird texas weather.. honestly! We taught the Flores kids with a cute young woman Yazmin Ruiz and it was so funny because we taught them the Law of Chastity and Word of Wisdom by using a picture of a temple in a page protector and took a red dry erase marker and put marks all over the temple for grafiti.. it was really a good example then we read out of the for Strength for youth one by one.. but it was super funny because it got to the young womans turn and she had to read the really bold paragraph in the sexual purity section.. ha ha her face was red!! I guess it doesn't phase me anymore!! ha ha Friday we had an AWESOME lesson with Rosibel on Prophets... she is finally starting to get it and we clarified the part about praying to know. she thought we were asking her to pray TO joseph smith not ABOUT joseph smith.. So knows she is getting it.. We went to Esperanza's and asked her all the baptismal interview questions.. the answered perfectly, now her boyfriend just needs to marry her and he won't. So she is moving back to honduras in a couple months... So I guess I have a baptism referrall for Chad Anderson :)!! We went and taught Estefania a new investigators and were teaching her a lesson and she said oh wait i have a scripture about that from my reading.. then she opened the BOOK OF MORMON and read us a scripture exactly about what we were talking about!! She is so full of questions and just dying to know... I love teaching people so prepared to listen and change. We then went and visited a part member family and her husband who is not a member wasn't there and she just kept telling us how she didn't think he would want to meet with us.. then he came home from work as we were leaving and said When are you coming back to teach me!! ha ha.. he made the appointment with us for this week! Saturday morning we at breakfast with some members, went to General conference in the Coppell building.. Neil's talk on repentance was amazing.. he is so humble and filled with the spirit.. During the afternoon session i was getting kinda homesick again.. just thinking what all y'all were doing with conference and how i would be normally watching it with y'all.. then right when i was thinking that i was watching the choir and saw AUNT JANENE singing in the choir.. I know that my redeemer lives!! what a tender mercy.. love you nene!!
Sunday we passed by Rosibels to do what i thought was wake her up for conference before the Garibaldi's passed by to get her for conference and she opened the door all dressed up and beautiful.. She came to conference and i was so estatic.. there were 7 investigators at conference for the first session on sunday and each talk answered a different question for our investigators especially the talk on personal revelation by Elder Nelson was perfect for Rosibel and her need to know if prophets are true!.. Elder Holland's talk was one of my favorites.. he is sooooo powerful and Elder McAllister (i think that is his name) was amazing.. he pretty much bible bashed for fifteen minutes!! he should come to this mission for a couple days!! That night we made some stop bys and found an inactive family with a boy that is ready to get baptized they having been to church in a year but they are going to start coming back and we are going to start teaching the family once a week to prepare the boy to get baptized.. we were really blessed this week and taught alot of lesson and met every single one of our goals which was amazing! We are trying to work hard and for that we are seeing alot of miracles! .. and yes i'm still exhausted but it is getting easier to work through the tiredness because of the help of the savior.. this morning we studied with Elder Moala and yep he brought four cakes and ice cream for my belated birthday... so i think i totalled a 11 or 12 cakes for my birthday!! I just hope never to see another cake again in my life :)!!! well I love each one of you and miss you tonz.. please keep our investigators in you prayers so many of them are so close to making the sacred convenant of baptism and i pray i can be a good enough teacher and help them come to this decision and grow in their
testimonies.. I love you all.. thanks for everything.. Y'ALL HAVE A BLESSED DAY!!
Hermana Barbie
Well I don't have tonz of time but I just want to thank everyone for all their letters, packages, and love!!! i had an awesome birthday and did miss all of you but it was great.. this week was amazing also.. Monday after e-mailing we went shopping at the mall because my shoes broke so i bought new shoes.. then we went to go to lunch at outback and it was closed.. i was so sad until later that day I got a letter and a giftcard for outback from Landrea, Thanks Jane.. you know me so well! we went to go to Johnny Corinos a restuarant instead... ate our meal and were getting ready to pay when the waitress said that our bills had been taken care of already.. there happened to be a random member in the restuarant.. saw us and paid for our meals. super nice. At night we went to the Elmore families and they made me a yummy chicken dish and made a homemade chocolate cake that was to die for and since she works for mary kay she gave me some mary kay products for my birthday.. it was perfect! They really are like my family here and i started crying when i thanked them for everything.. i was feeling a little homesick so it was nice to have them and their love for me! We then went to the Aguilars who are recent converts and they also made me my favorite mexican dish of chicken tinga and torillas.. they also got me cake, didn't push my face in it just wiped it all over my face and their son Giovani learned how to play happy birthday on the violin for me!! ha ha.. But i think my greatest birthday gift was that the Elmore and the Aguilars called my trainer Jessica Brundage so i could talk to her.. and guess what SHE IS ENGAGED!! yep she is not even waiting for me (Love you Hermanita!! ha ha) she is getting married on January 29th and is sooooo happy!! I'm excited for her but mom and dad you have to go to the reception since i can't.. then that same night I found out that Eduardo is getting married to a lady from the ward!! ha ha.. I was so thrilled... truly he has changed his entire life!
Tuesday we had district meeting, volunteered at the Bishop's storehouse where i got to help the people who speak spanish which was really fun!! then we went to an appointment we made with a street contact named Berta.. we knocked on her door and it was definitely not her!!But we asked Ana who answered the door if we could teach her and she let us in.. we taught her and her sister and nephew and they were so intense into the lesson.. her sister Rosa really wanted her son to learn about God.. It's amazing how God places people in our paths that really want to learn even if we had the appointment with them or not. Then we had another birthday dinner with the Quinn family and Sister Quinn made me a German Chocolate cake because it is my favorite (oh and i forgot to tell you that the management office where i live, JJ and Jorge bought me a cake on my birthday... so this was my 6th cake of my birthday!... honest i never want another sweet again!) Then we went and taught a less active in the ward named Joel the first lesson.. he was baptized when he was
younger and knows nothing so when we asked him how he felt at the end of the lesson he just said.. i feel like i need to come back to church!! then his mom said the prayer and was bawling and prayed about how thankful she was...I pray her really gets it.
Wednesday was pretty much an amazing day.. do you remember the Flores family we taught then had to hand over to the elders because they weren't in our area.. well they have been avoiding us for over two months and would never meet with us again.. well our day started out at 8 AM with Hermano Flores calling us and asking when we were coming to teach his kids again.. so we said how about tonight! Then we went to an appointment at 9 AM because it was the only time this media referral named Wilbert could meet with us. We started the lesson with God is our loving Heavenly Father and he was trying to define what he thought the Godhead was... he was having such a difficult time so i read D&C 130:22.. the just stared at me and said.. exactly.. so simple! Then it was like everything else we taught him he COMPLETELY agreed with just because we were able to help him define his own belief of God with a scripture.. it was awesome! Then we went to contact a member referral named Naomi well once again Naomi wasn't there but her roommate Maria was so we started talking to her and found out she had a friend in honduras that was a member but has passed away so we started teaching her the Plan of Salvation and then she started crying (I don't know what i make people cry.. i should work on that!! ha ha) then she told us a couple months ago she had lost a baby and had always wondered where he was.. I am so thankful for preach my gospel and the opportunity we have to listen to the spirit and teach to the needs of the investigators!
That night we had two member present lessons.. the first one was with the Flores family and we taught them them the Plan of Salvation lesson too and at the end of the lesson the dad just looked at us and said When are you coming back? tomorrow? You have God with you.. i can tell! Then he started telling us stories from his own mission and we made an appointment to come back the next night and teach them.. then he said I want to baptize my kids!! The fire is starting to ignite in his eyes again and he is beginning to understand the importance of it in the lives of his kids! Then we had a lesson with a lady named Sandra Garcia they friend of Verenice.. we taught her a powerful first and the members testimonies were amazing.. we all kneed at the end of the lesson and prayed and Sandra said such an innocent and amazing prayer.
Thursday was planning... dinner with the Garibaldi's who still don't have a job and I am so sad about it.. i pray for them daily.. they aresuch an amazing family! They made me my favorite tres leche cake.. yep more cake! Then we had to cancel an appointment becasue their was such a bad thunderstorm for an hour then it was like bright and blue skies.. weird texas weather.. honestly! We taught the Flores kids with a cute young woman Yazmin Ruiz and it was so funny because we taught them the Law of Chastity and Word of Wisdom by using a picture of a temple in a page protector and took a red dry erase marker and put marks all over the temple for grafiti.. it was really a good example then we read out of the for Strength for youth one by one.. but it was super funny because it got to the young womans turn and she had to read the really bold paragraph in the sexual purity section.. ha ha her face was red!! I guess it doesn't phase me anymore!! ha ha Friday we had an AWESOME lesson with Rosibel on Prophets... she is finally starting to get it and we clarified the part about praying to know. she thought we were asking her to pray TO joseph smith not ABOUT joseph smith.. So knows she is getting it.. We went to Esperanza's and asked her all the baptismal interview questions.. the answered perfectly, now her boyfriend just needs to marry her and he won't. So she is moving back to honduras in a couple months... So I guess I have a baptism referrall for Chad Anderson :)!! We went and taught Estefania a new investigators and were teaching her a lesson and she said oh wait i have a scripture about that from my reading.. then she opened the BOOK OF MORMON and read us a scripture exactly about what we were talking about!! She is so full of questions and just dying to know... I love teaching people so prepared to listen and change. We then went and visited a part member family and her husband who is not a member wasn't there and she just kept telling us how she didn't think he would want to meet with us.. then he came home from work as we were leaving and said When are you coming back to teach me!! ha ha.. he made the appointment with us for this week! Saturday morning we at breakfast with some members, went to General conference in the Coppell building.. Neil's talk on repentance was amazing.. he is so humble and filled with the spirit.. During the afternoon session i was getting kinda homesick again.. just thinking what all y'all were doing with conference and how i would be normally watching it with y'all.. then right when i was thinking that i was watching the choir and saw AUNT JANENE singing in the choir.. I know that my redeemer lives!! what a tender mercy.. love you nene!!
Sunday we passed by Rosibels to do what i thought was wake her up for conference before the Garibaldi's passed by to get her for conference and she opened the door all dressed up and beautiful.. She came to conference and i was so estatic.. there were 7 investigators at conference for the first session on sunday and each talk answered a different question for our investigators especially the talk on personal revelation by Elder Nelson was perfect for Rosibel and her need to know if prophets are true!.. Elder Holland's talk was one of my favorites.. he is sooooo powerful and Elder McAllister (i think that is his name) was amazing.. he pretty much bible bashed for fifteen minutes!! he should come to this mission for a couple days!! That night we made some stop bys and found an inactive family with a boy that is ready to get baptized they having been to church in a year but they are going to start coming back and we are going to start teaching the family once a week to prepare the boy to get baptized.. we were really blessed this week and taught alot of lesson and met every single one of our goals which was amazing! We are trying to work hard and for that we are seeing alot of miracles! .. and yes i'm still exhausted but it is getting easier to work through the tiredness because of the help of the savior.. this morning we studied with Elder Moala and yep he brought four cakes and ice cream for my belated birthday... so i think i totalled a 11 or 12 cakes for my birthday!! I just hope never to see another cake again in my life :)!!! well I love each one of you and miss you tonz.. please keep our investigators in you prayers so many of them are so close to making the sacred convenant of baptism and i pray i can be a good enough teacher and help them come to this decision and grow in their
testimonies.. I love you all.. thanks for everything.. Y'ALL HAVE A BLESSED DAY!!
Hermana Barbie
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