wowza.

So crazy week. CRAZY past couple of days! First of all...kind of cool. There's an elder in my district who's deaf and he is by far da coolest. It's always fun to try to learn words in American Sign Language so I can communicate. It's amazing to see the army that God has. :) Also, a general authority and his wife came and spoke with us! But the cool part is that they both speak Spanish so we had a sister and an elder from our mission translating for us. Loved it. Received much revelation and it was very inspiring.

Soooo....President obviously called y'all. SURPRISE! So I've been pretty sick right? it started like six months ago right? Well I really didn't want to go home...and I felt like kind of a little better. So I took advantage of that and ran with it. I also stopped communicating to the doctors and Sister Ames. It was great. Missionary work was soaring! I was loving it. :) But I progressively was getting worse again. A few times I had experiences where I had the impression that I needed to go home so I could get better...But of course I shook them off! They were so subtle and it definitely is not what I wanted to do. I had it again during General Conference...shook it off. Then this past Sunday. The impression came so strong, so clearly...I know it wasn't me. But I had the feeling..."It's time." It came three times. I couldn't fight this one because it so distinctly was from God. So I talked to Doctor Rose to see what his thoughts were. He also told me it was time to go home for a little while until they can figure this out...then I can come back as soon as I recover! He also prescribed me some new medication until that time. So the next day, we were doing service and I had a really negative reaction to the medication. I will have to tell you about it later...but it was just not fun. But I've been worse ever since...so Doctor Rose doesn't think it was the prescriptions. It will be nice to find some answers! :)

At this point, I am at peace with going home because I know this is what God wants for me at this time. Also, I know I will be a more effective missionary when I feel normal again. I'm just anxious to get feeling better! :) I plan on coming back out as soon as health allows!

I love y'all so much!

Love,

Sister Barnes

...

So first of all, I think I'm gonna buy me some cowgirl boots today. No judge. You can't come and live in Texas and go home without some real, authentic Justin boots! So...it's totes happening.

So Autumn's getting married pretty soon and that's really weird. Sounds like y'all have been crazy busy. Remind me never to get married. Thanks. 

So I love miracles! They happen daily! I'm not very good at sharing the miracles which is awful but they do happen. :) Like I was on exchange and we were teaching this girl at the park... Randomly this guy comes out of the blue and asks if he can sit by us. (Ummm...is the sky blue? Is Brad Pitt beautiful? OF COURSE YOU CAN SIT BY US!) Ha ha okay...so then of course we start teaching him. After everything, he told us that he just had this feeling that he needed to come to the park. (Thank you Holy Ghost). AGH! I just love missionary work. I can't even handle it. 

So we are still pretty busy. Sometimes we have to skip meals because there's just not enough time, but things are going really well. We had a ton of baptismal dates coming up. But again, I'm scared they're not ready! So we pushed them back a bit. It's like the parable of the sower in the New Testament! But things are going well. This is a very humble area. I am a lot more grateful for cleanliness now. Yes Mom...it's a miracle. 

I had to give a talk yesterday too! :) We hardly had any notice and no time to prepare but they went really well! It's all part of being a missionary right? I actually can't remember the last time I had a normal church block. We're always teaching some sort of class. It's da bessst.

Welp, I love missionary work with all my heart and soul! I love this gospel and I love this church! and I love y'all! I'm just soo happy!

Sister Barnes

P.S. Thank you for the pictures of the mountains. :) Everyone was round my computer ooing and awing. Gotta love home.

GENERAL CONF

So there's a cat sitting in my lap right now so excuse my off typing....

First of all...CONFERENCE WAS AMAZING! I received revelation from almost every single talk! Remember when Jeffrey R. Holland made that appendicitis reference? I hung my head in shame...Ha ha. Too funny. So many good talks. 

So about the quantity not quality comment that I made. Still a problem. The work is awesome! Our district is in the top right now! I teach a lot. I have a lot of baptismal dates...but I still don't feel like they're ready... I didn't come out here to be in the top companionships, or to have high key indicators, or even to baptize people! I came out here to help people make a true and everlasting change...a true conversion to the gospel. It's cool that we have lots of baptismal dates, but the thought of them being baptized without understanding and then falling away really upsets me. I don't know. I just love being a missionary though. :) This work is truly amazing. Is it terrible of me to say that I never want to go home? Ha! 

Okay so Autumn wasn't on a bike and I really feel like y'all should get a taste of what it's like...First of all, it's like...immodest. I try to clip my skirt together but it eventually comes undone...then I have awkward hair clips on my skirt flapping in the wind....and I'm immodest anyway... My hair is always lovely...the trick is to put a chastity pamphlet in your helmet to keep your hair from going cray cray...But really, you just sweat so much in the Texas heat that there's really no point in trying...Then being female and having a purse always makes it a little more interesting! Then when we show up on people's doorsteps, you're covered in sweat and mud and wearing a skirt... It really is the greatest. :) It's ALWAYS an adventure. I really do love it.

We have an investigator who has lots of cats...I counted 17 in the room. Gross.

This lady thought we were nuns...Then this guy thought I had been in prison...I'm getting whiplash here peeps.

Nother awkward story...A guy that I kinda/sorta dated in college use to serve in this same area three years ago. His name is all over my desk and in the area book and basically all over. I even saw it in a member's home. It's really awko taco. Heh.

Someday I promise I'll be more spiritual in my updates. :) Just know that I love this so much and I have learned so much and I witness miracles every single day. God is truly aware of us.

Love,

Sister Barnes

 

FORT WORTH!

The Library's kitty in my lap right now. Heh. I. Love. Texas. 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISTER!!! :)

Happy Birthday to my dear sister AUTTIE! and in case I forget next week...AMERS! Love y'all both so much! 

The work has been going well! :) We stay very busy! We have quantity...But I worry about "quality" investigators. I don't want to baptize these people just to have them fall away. :/ I'm sure as we follow the spirit we will know what to do! I love my compangee! We may or may not pull pranks on each other all the time...I may have brushed my teeth with salt this morning...Man oh man. We just like to have a good time and laugh while we work. I think it's a great method! 

Also, a stray cat snuck into our apartment...I actually got the whole thing on film so I'll show y'all someday. Totes my goats funny. Also, there was a snake in Sister Lewis's study blanket. I may have jumped on the table...But in my defense...I just heard her scream "SNAAAAKE!!!!" and there's lots of crazy poisonous snakes here so I was just playing it safe. It was just little and not poisonous...no worries. Let's see...Oh. Someone asked me if I was a nun today. And this guy tried to convince me that I was a polygamist... Some people's kids.... Also, we had THREE families come to church yesterday that haven't been to church in YEEAAARRSS!!! People were crying. They were crying. It was beautiful. I was so happy. There's no happiness quite like what this gospel brings! We also teach in church about every week. And President Ames came and spoke to us at a fireside for our ward last night! It's just been a really good transfer. I love missionary work.

I LOVE GENERAL CONFERENCE!!! I can't wait!!!! The relief society broadcast was AWESOME! And I totally saw my good friend Karlie Rupe in the choir! She leaves to Argentina in two weeks!!! Crazy how the time flies. At the end of this transfer I will be hitting my halfway mark. Oh my eww eww gross. I'm still brand new. 

DAD! Ricky. Heh. Heh. Is it really getting cold there? It's finally starting to cool down a bit here. Still some hot days but it's a lot more bearable. MOM! My head has gotten a little worse again this week and I'm still throwing up (not as often) but I feel like I'm just use to everything at this point. I'm really happy! And I'm a lot better than I was! So I'm grateful! 

Running low on time but know that I love this gospel with all my heart! I love y'all so much!

Love,

Sister Barnes 

P.S. Only a few weeks until the weddin'. YEE DOGGIE!