One Week!

Wow. A whole week has already gone by. But the strange thing is that although it feels like if flew by, it feels like a month went by in the same amount of time as fast week... if that makes any sense.

Thank you to all of you who sent me emails! I will try to respond to you personally but I might run out of time.

Well the update for this week is that I'm Still Sick! YAY! I just can't shake this cough. (Hack weeze Blech...) And I'm doing the work. I'm taking the meds I'm not a slacker. Gimme gimme gimme I need I need I need Gimme gimme gimee I need I need Gimme gimme Gimme I need... But I feel good I feel great I feel wonderful.

Oh it was so funny. Yesterday Elder Lim FINALLY took some medicine for his cough and well... He's not used to meds and the doctor gave him really stong stuff. It was so funny. He was like, "Whoa... there are so many bubbles in this bottle. Wooo... Hey this is good stuff. Has it been four hours yet? I want to take some more." ha ha ha! Wow.

The Spanish is coming along and I'm starting to get the lessons under my belt. We have practice sessions and the last one that we did went really well. Before we taught we went over how to best form a lesson plan and It was great to see how fexible the lesson could go. Sorry that was really poor english. But I have to write quickly.

so... Um things are good. Noah made it in and looks well. I guess. I only saw him for a short amount to time during dinner. And it was his first day... so... Who knows really?

I don't know what to tell you... The days are all turning into a blur and I feel like I haven't got any sleep for three months. But it's great! If it wasn't great I wouldn't be doing it.

Mucho gozo y felicidad.

-Elder Barker.

First Four Days

Well, It has been a crazy first four days. The spanish is coming along very nicely, thanks to the spirit. It is truely amazing how much of it I can already understand and speak and it'\s only been four days.

The MTC is pretty cool. It's like... I don't know what it's like. It's like bumping into old friends that you haven't met yet. However I have bumped into a few friends that I have met. I have the same meal times as Elder Clark! It was so cool to look over and see him and then get to talk to him for a little bit. And Elder Cooper, my cool roommate from colledge.

My spanish teachers remind me of that first french class that Kj and I took as kids. Most of the time they don't speak in english. It's a little stressfull but I kind of like it. It really makes me have to stretch and put my trust in the lord that I will understand. But all of the other elders in my zone are testamonies that I will understand in a couple weeks. They are so cool.

My companion Elder Lim is from Korea and Canada and Salt Lake. He's really cool. Unfortunatly he forgot his gym shoes so he walks around in his gym clothes with his dress shoes on. Very classy. He is really helping me move out of my comfort zone. We were assigned to Make three "Contacts" where we introduce our selves and bear our testamonies in spanish and over the past two days we've done twenty. It's really been helpful and I know/hope that my spanish is getting better.

The food here is pretty good. It reminds me of a scripture. I think that it's in Jeramiah 4:16 or 18 I think it's around there. look it up. It will tell you all you need to know about the food here.

Um... Oh the first day here Elder Lim and i ate with president and sister smith. it was really cool to talk with them. whoa sorry it seems that my capitol letter don't want to work. sorry about that.

dad, thanks for the letter. it was really cool to have something to read yesterday. i really enjoyed the card.

i hope that all is well back home. you are ever in my thoughts and prayers.

so my p-days are going to be on fridays so i will write letters and read and send emails on friday, so if you don't hear from me for a week, that is why.

um... oh yeah, there is a tree at the mtc that smells like cream soda. elder lim and i have smelled it about twnety times. it is so funky. and people who don't know about it are all like, "what are those guys doing?" if they only knew what they were missing out on.

ok i got to go now. my laundry is done and my time has run out.

I love you very much and i hope to hear from you soon.

love,
Elder barker

Farwell Address Given on Sunday, September 13th 2009

Hola! Comment estas? Mui Bien- et-tu? Quele hora est? Dondé estas ma pantalonais? Muchos cossos grandes Pour favour. Uno dose triece. Des colores!

That’s all the Spanish I know. I guess the folks at the MTC (Missionary Training Center) have their work cut out for them.

As you know I will be leaving to go serve a mission for the church in a couple days. I’m going out to California to knock on doors and help people find Christ. And when I leave there will be a little plaque with my face on it in the hallways for everyone to look at while I’m gone. The plaque has a picture of me, a picture of the area that I will be serving in, and a scripture that I have chosen to be a sort of theme for my mission. This is the scripture that I chose:

“Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.” That’s found in the book of Alma, 26^th chapter and 12^th verse to be precise.

Can’t you just feel the joy that Ammon relates though this verse? --I mean he starts the verse out with “Yea!” How much happier can you get?-- But besides that obvious sign of joviality, he really is happy when he says this. A few verses before this Ammon is talking to his brethren and discussing how happy they all should be that their brethren the bloodthirsty Lamanites had found the gospel. And then his brother “Aaron rebuked him” in verse 10, “saying: Ammon, I fear that thy joy doth carry thee away unto boasting.” To which Ammon responds that he’s not boasting about himself, because he knows that he can’t do anything great by himself, God is the one that he’s boasting about.

This past year at BYU-Idaho we had the privilege of having President Eyring of the first presidency talk to us in one of our Tuesday devotionals. He talked about the miracle of having the university and the Rexburg temple so close together. In a devotional it is common for a verse or passage of scripture to be read before the speaker gets up and talks. The scriptures help to set the mood. They also helped me to switch my mind into a spiritual mindset and prepare for those promptings and feelings that the spirit brings to my heart when I am primed or rather when I am willing to hear the still small voice. The scripture that was read was Alma 26:11 and 12. At this time during the year I was searching for a scripture to go on my missionary plaque, “I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things” When I heard that I wrote “Holy cow!” in the journal I was taking notes in. It just worked. President Eyering’s talk was good, but I knew that I had found my missionary scripture.

“I will not boast of myself” That is a very powerful statement. And when I read it, it strikes me as something that I personally should strive for. I am currently majoring in theater and speech education in college. The arena of the stage lends itself to boasting about one’s self. And being humble enough to recognize that it’s not just me. I have worked hard, but God has helped me on my path. “I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things.” It’s very powerful to me.

As I was preparing this talk I was bouncing ideas off of my Mom and she asked, “Have you come up with any experiences that relate to your scripture?” I answered, “Um… not really. I can’t think of any.” She then pointed out the section that talks about the mighty miracles that have been wrought and then commented on how the spirit of God can change people. I said, “Ok. But I don’t think I have any experiences to relate about that.” And then she reminded me of a few.

All of my life I have always had to do things my own way. When I learned how to play a song in my piano lessons I would change it because I wanted the song to sound this way or that way. When I studied algebra and other areas of mathematics I would find the answer in different ways than were asked of me. I could only do things my way and when I was younger I was not very willing to follow the way of the Lord. When I was almost eight years old I didn’t want to get baptized. When I was old enough to become a deacon and a holder of the Aaronic priesthood I didn’t want to receive the priesthood. I didn’t want the responsibility that came with having that authority. I told my Mom that I never wanted to serve a mission. My mother shed many bitter tears because of my unwillingness to listen to the voice of the lord. But as you can see my stiff neckedness has been softened, and stubborn inclination has changed. Thanks to the example of cousins, my parents and my own prayers and study I have changed my attitude. And it wasn’t because I was brainwashed or anything like that. It wasn’t because of peer pressure or any sort of flock mentality. It was because I found out the truth for myself, and in my own way. It was because I let the master craftsman mold me into what I need to be. It was because I became meek and submissive, it was because the Lord can work mighty miracles.

Let me share with you the first real time that I gained a testimony for myself that the Heavenly Father is real and that he loves me. During my years of rebellion and stubbornness I seldom bore my testimony to people. I just didn’t do it. I felt that I didn’t know, so how could I tell someone that, “I knew that the church was true and that the book of Mormon contains the word of God. Or that Jesus Christ suffered for my sins in the garden of Gethsemane, or that I know that There are living prophets on the earth today.” I didn’t know of a surety that these things are true.

The experience that I am about to relate is very sacred to me and I hesitate to share it with you because I’m not sure if I can relate the simple workings of the spirit without making it sound like just a cute story. But I pray that I can express to you how I came to know that my heavenly father loves me, and knows me personally and I pray that the spirit can touch your hearts while I tell you how he touched mine.

It happened at scout camp. It was my first year that I was able to attend scout camp and during the week the LDS troops got together to have a devotional on Wednesday. And as the meeting turned to the portion where we could bear our testimonies I knew that I wasn’t going to say anything, because I never say anything. However as the meeting wore on, I had a strong prompting to get up and bear my testimony. The Holy Ghost whispered to my heart that I should get up and say something. I sat there for a few minutes and really wrestled with the spirit. I said, “I have nothing to say.”

“Yes you do.” Was the reply.

“No I don’t. I don’t know what to say. I don’t do this. I have nothing to say.”

“Yes you do.”

“What? What do I know? I don’t really know anything. I’m not even sure if the church it true.”

The spirit replied “But I love you.”

“What?”

“I love you. You can do this. Just tell them that I love you.”

I got up and told the other scouts assembled that I knew that my heavenly father loves me, and then I sat down. The next day a boy came up to me and explained that he was a not of my faith but that he attended the testimony meeting last night and he was moved my by simple testimony. It was an amazing experience that has changed my life. I have had other similar experiences that are too numerous to go into right now. But I felt that it was important to talk about the first time that I really “Knew”.

As I have been preparing to serve the lord for the next two years I have had many co-workers and friends ask me why? Why would I volunteer for something that would take me away from my family, and not pay me, and not give me vacation time for two years? To which I have wanted to ask them, “Why do you think I’m doing this?” It doesn’t make sense. -- But it does. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ both appeared to the boy Joseph in answer to his simple prayer. I know that Christ himself restored his church upon the earth. I know that there are living prophets on the earth. I know that the book of Mormon is a true record. I know that my heavenly father knows me and loves me. And because I know with a surety that these things are true, I want others to know as well.

Plato in his allegory about the cave discusses the feelings that I have about bringing the light of the gospel to those who are willing to accept it. Plato tells about a group of people who are trapped in a cave and all their lives have only ever seen the shadows of things in the outside world and have only seen the reflections of light off of the rock walls. One of the men in the group finds a way out and after adjusting his eyes to the light and after forcing his muscles to work in different ways he sees the sun, he sees the birds, he sees the flowers and trees. He then turns back to the others in the cave to show them what he has seen and to bring them to experience for themselves what he has found. And some don’t listen. And I’m positive that some people on during my mission will turn me away, but I have to try. I have to see if there are any people who I can touch and show my love for them as well as the love that heavenly father has for them. But I know that I can’t do it alone. Because I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.