A week and a half of Fantastic-ness May 5th

WOW! It's only been a week and a half but such cool things!

I must tell you everything!

No... there is too much darling: TOO MUCH!

(That is why I must show you---That is why you are here!)

Monday last: a woman came in to church with no pants who asked for to fill up her water bottle in the chapel. We gave her water, and some pants, but as we looked to find some food to give her, she vanished into thin air! Hopefully she isn't in the supply closet. That would be a shock during Sharing Time in Primary.

"Well kids, today we are going to use colored paper to- AAAAAHHH!!!!!"

ha ha ha. Weird.

Wed last: I picked up my suit from the dry cleaners and there was a man doing his laundry who said, "you guys are the Enemy!"

-What?

"I work for the Devil!" and with that he showed us the large 666 tattooed to his neck.

-oh. that's to bad.

"Naw man. it's a Heck of a lot better than working for God. But my work is hard, not like yours. All you do is knock on doors all day. I recruit! I'll probably find 7-8 people today who will stop believing in god and start believing in the Devil."

-hmm... that's interesting. Well, have a nice day!

Now, I share this story because I have found some things to be very true.

1. gas prices are way too high!

2. there is balance in the universe. I can't tell you how many times I have had an amazing spiritual experience that was followed shortly after by a nasty experience. And how many times I've had a run in with evil people and then balance comes through by having a great experience. The same is true of this fellow, because...

Thursday last was a wonderful conference with Elder L. Tom Perry! I love being in the presence of one of the Lord's Apostles. Wow. What a sweep of the spectrum!

Wed: servant of Satan and Thursday: Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It was quite the conference. He talked of many things. Mostly about how we have to help the world understand the importance of The Book of Mormon. Amazing meeting! He is a Man of God and a true Apostle of the Lord. (Do you know what that means?!)

Friday Prince William and Kate got married!

Saturday was a wonderful service project, Mormon Helping Hands style. Fun stuff. Cleaning up at a Cinco de Mayo festival.

Sunday was lovely.

Monday O-bin ladin began pushing up the daisies.

Tuesday was hot!

Wed was too.

and today is... today! HI!

HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!!! Ai Ai Ai!

Hopefully everything is good in your neck of the woods.

I love you all more than I can put down in words.

I hope you are happy and healthy and all that good stuff.

Things are going good!

AND IT'S ALMOST MOTHER'S DAY!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY

Ma ma! I love you!!!

catch ya all next Monday!

-Elder Barker

Didn't I just read the one he sent last Thursday?

(Yes, but it wasn't my idea to have Preparation day so close together).

SO! Happy Post Mother's Day! I hope your weekend was good. Mine was.

Thursday we went to the temple. Oh how I love the temple! I seriously could spend a whole day there. I wish I could. I'll just put that in my "things to do when I have time again" list. And then in the evening we taught English class. Fun fun. one of the students explained why Cinco de Mayo is so cool. And I didn't know that it wasn't Mexico's Independence day (shows how much I know): It is a celebration of a battle won by Mexico with the help of a Texan captain/general/leader dude. hmm.. cool.

Friday was lots of planning and then people weren't home so we had dinner at this Mother's Day activity. AND this one family that we invited to come actually showed up! Huzzah! So that made the day.

Saturday we had a couple great meetings. We met with a family that we had been trying to teach for a while who has a son who just got baptized in another ward and it was AWESOME! They were feeling the spirit so strong. And they understood everything that we shared with them and they have great desires to learn more! Hooray! I love LOVE Love it when people actually have a desire to learn! Spiritual progression is hard to motivate when one doesn't wish to me motivated. And then in the evening we met a family who has some good potential. So is was a good day.

Sunday was church and I called home! YAY! I love calling home! Good to hear your smiling voices.

And now it's today!

I love you so much! have a wonderful funderful week!

Thanks for everything.

Hurrah for Israel!!!

-Elder Barker

Happy Day after easter! April 26

Can you believe it?! 1978 years ago (if my math skills haven't failed me) Christ was resurrected! What a great thing to know! Yesterday our ward mission leader was sick so Elder Tinti and I got to teach Gospel Principles class and we had a wonderful discussion on the Atonement of Christ. How marvelous the promise of resurrection to every single person who ever lived or will ever live! Perfected and glorified bodies that will no longer see corruption or disease! HOORAY! One man in the class bore a wonderful testimony about how grateful he is that through the atonement of Christ he can be with his family forever. Great stuff.

Monday We went hiking. It was great! we saw a rattle snake and everything! I love hiking!!!!

Tuesday we met with this man who tells us that he has seen in vision, "La santisima, la beisima, la hermosisima- virgin de Guadalupe" Ok. cool. Have you read any from the scriptures that we left you last time? no? hm... and we had lunch with some less active members. Man! the salsa here is PICOSO! i think the chili de arbor is about the hottest chili I've tasted. Whew!

Wed I was on exchanges and we taught this one couple. It was funny cause they were so tired and bored, they were falling asleep while talking with us. And the lady had the hairiest arms I've seen.

Thursday was a training meeting for the district. Fun-fun. Tweety called us saying, "I have to meet with you! It's urgent!" -OK we'll meet.. what's up? "I got this paper from the mission office and I don't know what it is! We have to meet!" OK. (later) "What does it mean when it says 'Write your conversion story?" -It means to write how you came in contact with the church and you experiences converting. "Oh, OK." -anything else? "Nope. that's all." -Couldn't you have Asked us This Over the Phone?! ha ha ha. Funny guy. English class was fun too. This little luchador guy was trying to sell me vitamin supplements. HA!

Friday was weekly planning and CALI DOG LUNCH!!! I'm telling you- it's heaven in a bun. Bacon-hot dogs-onions-peppers-tomato-jalapeno-ketchup-mayo-mustard-amazingness... Ahhh so good. We met with The Angel's and Demon family. It's interesting to see how when one little doubt creeps in about not being able to keep fully a commandment of the Lord, it brings spiritual progression to a halt and we are back to square one to motivate them to take a leap of faith. Later we met with Tweety. He's so funny. He shared his written conversion story and testimony with us (the mission asks recent converts to send them in). Good stuff.

Saturday We met with a member from the ward who is struggling emotionally. We shared that the Gospel of Christ brings comfort to the wounded soul and when we turn to Christ we are never alone. We later taught a woman with her twin daughters, She wasn't too interested. Oh well. She has the Book of Mormon and she knows how to find out that it's true. She'll come around.

Well I hope that your week was wonderful and full of Joy.

I love you all!

Keep up the good work!

HE IS RISEN!!!

-Elder Barker

"what's new with me?" you say. Well... April 19th

Monday We played an awesome match of Ultimate Frisbee! Fun stuff. Tweety called us up and said, "Hermanos. can we meet up tonight?" -Uh sure... is everything OK? "Yes fine! I just want to meet up with you guys, for like 15 min at the chapel." OK!

So he gets there and we say, -Is everything OK? This was kind of last minute. "No, no. Everything is fine. I just wanted to be in the chapel. i feel good here." We started off with a prayer and then he looked up at a painting of Christ on the wall and started talking to it... "you always watch over my kids. You know what's going on. Thank you. You are the best." Ha ha. So we explained how we can pray anywhere and we don't need to pray to a picture to pray. funny lesson.

Tuesday was Interviews with President Watrous. So sad... That was the last formal interview with him. (sniff*) He bore his testimony of the saviour to me. WOW. So strong. "I know that Jesus is the Christ and I know what that means. Jesus, is a name that comes from Greek. In Hebrew it is Jeshua, or God saves. Christ, is also Greek. In Hebrew it is messiah, anointed one. Jesus is the anointed one. He was anointed in the pre-mortal existence. Someone had to anoint him. That was God the Father." So good. Later we had a meeting with Angels and Demons. The Father was like, "I'm ready to be baptized! i don't have any fear or anxiety or anything!" the mom on the other hand, "What happens if he's baptized and I'm not?..." hopefully she can gain a desire soon.

Wed. We had a lesson with Tweety and before the lesson I took down the picture. After the opening prayer he was like, "Hey... where's the picture?" ha ha.

Thurs was Thursday...

Friday We had a lesson with Angels and Demons. He was all excited about his baptism so we taught him a couple more commandments and set a time for the bap interview. Then we met with this Gal who had met with missionaries in the past and we talked to her and she really had read a lot of the Book of Mormon, it was pretty fun teaching her. Hopefully she'll be able to make it to church.

Sat. We went to the temple for a grounds tour. It went well. It was really weird though, because while there I saw two Men who had served in this mission with me who had gone home already. Weird to see them without Name tags... WHAT?! There's life after the mission?! anywho. after that we got together with Angles and Demons and The Zone leaders came and did an interview AND... He's going to wait for another week. He wants to be sure he can be able to keep the commandments and Because of economic stress he's not sure he can pay tithing. So we'll keep meeting with him and help him build the faith in God that even in tough times when we are obedient to the laws of God He will help us though.

Sunday was a Ward conference. Great stuff. Lot's of people were there who usually don't come, so that was fun to see them. Angels and Demons didn't make it though... and we weren't able to contact them by phone or in person... I hope all is well. Later we walked past this guy making carne asada who said, "hey I'm a member of the church! Come have some carne!" I can't turn down food- especially CARNE ASADA!!! But then after that we went to our dinner appointment and the lady of the house Pulled out four plates of food and set two in front of me and two in front of Elder Tinti... Oh dear... Elder Tinti said, " Come on elder! you can do it! it's all mental." So I stuffed myself to the rafters- no it was higher than the rafters. think Geese feeding until every time they lean over food falls from their mouth full. That was what it was like.

And today we went hiking again! And... that's all folks!

Thank you ever so much for all of your support. I need it.

I love you all more and more every day.

stay strong. Keep Cool. Smell sweet and EAT MEAT!!! Ha ha Just kidding.

Love you lots!

-Elder barker