Wow! I'm here! I made it! I'm really out here! Ok so update: my new P-Day is Monday so Email will be coming out on Monday. And mail goes to the mission home and I get it on Thursday. So yeah.
Wow. That is all I can say. WOW! (how much is wow? A little between ouch and BOING! WOW!)
Oh another update: I'm not able to respond to emails that aren't from family. I can still receive them But I'll have to use the good ol' snail mail. Please don't let that hinder you from sending them. I love hearing from you. It'll just take me a little bit of time to respond.
Well, California is beautiful. The palm trees are beautiful. The sky is beautiful. Even the garbage on the side of the road is Beautiful. ( ;-) kj please tell me you got that one.)
So We flew in and got to the mission home and met president Watrous and his wife. Such good people. I love them to death. We talked a lot and then we all got split up into new companionships. My new companion is Elder Sumers. He's from Hyrum Utah and has been on his mission for a year. He's pretty cool. And we both got White washed! (aka sent into an area that neither of us are familiar with! Wow! this is so intense!) So we're both trying to get familiar with the area and the people. We are the missionaries for the Singles Ward out here. THEY ARE SO GREAT! they are all fun and nice and come to lessons with us and just strong members. Love all of them.
We've been teaching a lot of lessons and Dad it's kind of like your mission was towards the end. We challenge them to prepare for baptism on the first visit. Woah talk about being bold. But the amazing thing is that Being Bold works. We challenged an investigator who had met with the missionaries a lot before us to be baptized this weekend, and she said yes! Wooo hooo!!! It's so bold. We talk about the Book of Mormon and then we ask them to pray about it right then. Not later, not after we leave. Now! Then we ask if they will prepare to be baptized in two weeks. No messing around. I don't have time to dilly dally- are you ready to accept the gospel? No? Ok then have a nice day....goodbye I've got people to find.
In other news, we've been tracting a lot and knocking on doors and my knuckles are going to have calluses on them like hooves after two years of this. ha ha. At the end of the day I am exhausted. We plan what we are going to do for the next day and then I write a bit in the ol' journal and then Phiit I'm out.
It was so good to talk to you on Tuesday. I love hearing your voices. JUST think Two months and a week done! Wow it's already going by too fast.
Oh mom! Did you get the photo that Sean-Paul Carrillo's mom sent you.
That's ME! and my companion Elder Sumers and Sean-Paul in the middle. Sean is a great guy! He's so cool and nice and his mom is wonderful!
In other news I met... Oh what is her name... Well anyways I met her. She works in the mission office. and we're related somehow... Yeah we met.
Unfortunately I'm not in Placentia so I couldn't meet up with my other "Mother" there. So maybe in future transfers.
Wow. That is all I can say. WOW! (how much is wow? A little between ouch and BOING! WOW!)
Oh another update: I'm not able to respond to emails that aren't from family. I can still receive them But I'll have to use the good ol' snail mail. Please don't let that hinder you from sending them. I love hearing from you. It'll just take me a little bit of time to respond.
Well, California is beautiful. The palm trees are beautiful. The sky is beautiful. Even the garbage on the side of the road is Beautiful. ( ;-) kj please tell me you got that one.)
So We flew in and got to the mission home and met president Watrous and his wife. Such good people. I love them to death. We talked a lot and then we all got split up into new companionships. My new companion is Elder Sumers. He's from Hyrum Utah and has been on his mission for a year. He's pretty cool. And we both got White washed! (aka sent into an area that neither of us are familiar with! Wow! this is so intense!) So we're both trying to get familiar with the area and the people. We are the missionaries for the Singles Ward out here. THEY ARE SO GREAT! they are all fun and nice and come to lessons with us and just strong members. Love all of them.
We've been teaching a lot of lessons and Dad it's kind of like your mission was towards the end. We challenge them to prepare for baptism on the first visit. Woah talk about being bold. But the amazing thing is that Being Bold works. We challenged an investigator who had met with the missionaries a lot before us to be baptized this weekend, and she said yes! Wooo hooo!!! It's so bold. We talk about the Book of Mormon and then we ask them to pray about it right then. Not later, not after we leave. Now! Then we ask if they will prepare to be baptized in two weeks. No messing around. I don't have time to dilly dally- are you ready to accept the gospel? No? Ok then have a nice day....goodbye I've got people to find.
In other news, we've been tracting a lot and knocking on doors and my knuckles are going to have calluses on them like hooves after two years of this. ha ha. At the end of the day I am exhausted. We plan what we are going to do for the next day and then I write a bit in the ol' journal and then Phiit I'm out.
It was so good to talk to you on Tuesday. I love hearing your voices. JUST think Two months and a week done! Wow it's already going by too fast.
Oh mom! Did you get the photo that Sean-Paul Carrillo's mom sent you.
That's ME! and my companion Elder Sumers and Sean-Paul in the middle. Sean is a great guy! He's so cool and nice and his mom is wonderful!
In other news I met... Oh what is her name... Well anyways I met her. She works in the mission office. and we're related somehow... Yeah we met.
Unfortunately I'm not in Placentia so I couldn't meet up with my other "Mother" there. So maybe in future transfers.
Yeah, so we've done a lot of work out here already. It's sad because most people won't even give us the time of day, let alone talk to us. Ok that's not true. They talk a bit but they aren't interested, or they don't have time.
it's so cool. The area that we are in is really close to two college campuses so we wander around there all the time. It's cool talking to peers about the gospel.
What else...? WHAT ELSE IS THERE? you should write a book "how to insult women in three syllables or less". ha ha.
Oh CD's, Mom Dad if you could, please send music. I have two cd's and don't get me wrong- they're good- but I only have two cd's. So music would be nice. Christmas stuff, good stuff, Motab stuff -I already have something like a star-, but I would be much obliged.
The Gospel is true. God truly is our loving heavenly father. He has a plan for us all. And the way we can return to our father in heaven and be with our families forever is through the atonement of Jesus Christ and through the covenants and promises we make with God. I'm so blessed to be a missionary. It is a unique time in my life where I can study and work and be a partner with God by bringing to pass the eternal life and immortality of everyone.
I love you all very much. Oh how I love you. Please write. I love hearing about what is going on in your lives.
te amo mama. te amo papa. te amo kj. te amo maren.
ustedes son me gozo.
adios.
-Elder Barker
