Hola familia querida,
Well it has been a good very fast week. We dedicated the week to work with the Duitama Zone so we were there the whole week going on swaps with the missionaries. It is a unique zone in the mission because it is made up of about 4 small cities, each with a ward or 2 so it is more spread out. Each day from Wednesday to Saturday we traveled to one of the cities and spent the day working with the missionaries there. It was a tiring week because we traveled on bus to the next city each morning, worked like crazy with the missionaries to help them get excited and work hard and sleeping on a mattress on the floor every night... But we worked hard, had a great time getting out and trying to be examples and it was a good experience.
I worked the first day with Tunja (Elder Rodriguez and Saure). Then with Sogamoso (Elder Corro and Burns) it was cool to work with Elder Corro (his first AP companion) again, they are doing great and he is juuuust about to head home next week but still working hard. Then with Duitama. There was only one companionship there so we split up, me with one and Elder Gags with the other. I was with Elder Wagstaff from Salt Lake. We had a great time. If you think one 6'2" blonde gringo in a small Colombian town gets a lot of weird looks you should see 2 of them together. Haha but we worked hard and had a good day.
There was a ward talent show that night so we sang in a little missionary choir with them and they dragged me up to be part of the joke in one of the skits. Saturday and Sunday we worked in Barbosa. It is a little tiny town with a little branch. There is one missionary couple there (the Chapmans from Florida) and one companionship. Again we split up with the Elders, and then went to Church with them on Sunday. It was the first time I have been to church in a "House Chapel" which was interesting but it was cool to see the little branch and how it is growing. Then we took a bus back to Bogotá and here we are.
Well we are now in the last week of yet another transfer. This mission stuff goes way too fast. The usual limit of time someone spends in one area is 4 transfers which I will now have. Tonight we will have our meeting with President Hacking so I will probably find out what my future holds... Ha so we’ll see what happens. I will go and do.
Sorry this is a little short, I am loving life, I can’t believe how fast time goes. Much Love, Elder B
Monday, October 26, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Computer Stolen
October 19, 2009
It has been a good busy week here. We had some good days of working in our own area and we spent a good amount of time preparing and participating in the big zone leaders meeting in Bucaramanga.
Monday and Tuesday we spent working and preparing all of the plans etc for the Zone Leaders Seminar. We finalized and made sure that the zone leaders had everything in Bucaramanga prepared and ready. We also spent a lot of time studying about the things we were going to discuss and preparing PowerPoint presentations and etc. It was a lot of preparation and planning but we got everything ready and headed out Wednesday at about noon on a flight for Bucaramanga.
We had a meeting with President and got all of the last little things ready for the Seminar. Meanwhile all the Zone Leaders from the other parts of the mission were on buses traveling to Bucaramanga. We got a good sleep Wednesday and were up bright and early to get over the chapel. We did a lot of delegating to the ZLs to get the church, food, housing etc prepared and then we made sure everything was alright. We started at 9 AM and I conducted the meeting. We divided it into three sessions.
The first session went from 9 to 11 30 in the sacrament room. It was cool because we gave several zone leaders some presentations to prepare which went really well. Sister Hacking also spoke a little and President, Elder Gags and I gave a presentation about how to prepare and carry out a meeting (knowing who presides, everything to prepare and what to do during and after etc). Then we had a nice lunch brought in by a member from Bucaramanga who does catering stuff. We then had the Second Session which was in one of the classes in the church. We used it all to talk about teaching skills and do practices of them. We took my camera and recorded some of the practices to review them after and see how we teach.
Then we had another break and had the third session which was up in the sacrament room. This is where the interesting part started. I went up to make sure our power point presentation was ready and presidents laptop was gone with all the cords and stuff left sitting there. I went to ask him if he had moved it and he hadn’t. Turned out that someone had left the gate outside open and someone had seen 2 teenagers come into the church but just figured they were members. So president’s laptop and my memory stick which were in it were stolen while we were in the other presentation. After a long unexpected time of looking around the whole chapel we started the last session. President was out reporting the theft and told us to go ahead and start our part.
Some of the Elders sang a special number and we started our presentation. The only problem is that the whole thing was with PowerPoint. So we just winged it and talked about service as leaders in the mission. It actually turned out very well, there was a great spirit and with all the "drama" of the stuff getting stolen and the unplanned mess, it turned out to be a great spiritual session.
So after all was said and done it was 8 o clock and we had finished the first "zone leaders seminar" It was a little stressing and we lost a few full nights sleep in the process but it was rewarding to see everything turn out well even if it all didn’t go as planned. The cool thing was that the idea to change things up and do the meeting was my idea a while ago and President Hacking basically just let me and my comp plan and prepare it all and it ended up going very well. It was fun to do.
We stayed that night and celebrated a little :) We went back and stayed at the apartment in Real de Minas where I started the mission. We stopped at Perro Luchos, the famous hot dog and hamburger stand in my old area that makes the biggest, cheesiest hot dogs and burgers the world has ever seen. We bought huge cheesy hot dogs and some pop, put on shorts and tee shirts and went up on the roof of the apartment. Then we put our feet up and enjoyed the greatest hot dogs ever and a cold pop looking over my old area and the skyline of the city in the warm Bucaramanga night air. Haha dramatic right? But the meeting was a cool experience and took up most of the whole week so I don’t have much more to write about.
We got to work the last few days in our area and we spent a ton of time knocking doors and looking for new investigators and we have been able to find some very good ones the last few days, so hopefully we can keep up the success we have been having in our area.
Today we got together and played soccer at one of the chapels that has a nice field. It was a good time but Elder Lee got hit pretty hard in the eye with the soccer ball and they had to take him to the clinic, so hopefully he is alright and nothing serious happened. I’ll check on him.
Time is flyyyying very fast, the weeks seem like days but I am having a great time and trying to do the best I can. This week we should be out on swaps with other missionaries all week, and then the same thing next week and we will already be at the transfers, yikes. But all is well, I love you. Best wishes to everyone from Canada to Kansas to wherever else.
Hasta next week, Elder B
It has been a good busy week here. We had some good days of working in our own area and we spent a good amount of time preparing and participating in the big zone leaders meeting in Bucaramanga.
Monday and Tuesday we spent working and preparing all of the plans etc for the Zone Leaders Seminar. We finalized and made sure that the zone leaders had everything in Bucaramanga prepared and ready. We also spent a lot of time studying about the things we were going to discuss and preparing PowerPoint presentations and etc. It was a lot of preparation and planning but we got everything ready and headed out Wednesday at about noon on a flight for Bucaramanga.
We had a meeting with President and got all of the last little things ready for the Seminar. Meanwhile all the Zone Leaders from the other parts of the mission were on buses traveling to Bucaramanga. We got a good sleep Wednesday and were up bright and early to get over the chapel. We did a lot of delegating to the ZLs to get the church, food, housing etc prepared and then we made sure everything was alright. We started at 9 AM and I conducted the meeting. We divided it into three sessions.
The first session went from 9 to 11 30 in the sacrament room. It was cool because we gave several zone leaders some presentations to prepare which went really well. Sister Hacking also spoke a little and President, Elder Gags and I gave a presentation about how to prepare and carry out a meeting (knowing who presides, everything to prepare and what to do during and after etc). Then we had a nice lunch brought in by a member from Bucaramanga who does catering stuff. We then had the Second Session which was in one of the classes in the church. We used it all to talk about teaching skills and do practices of them. We took my camera and recorded some of the practices to review them after and see how we teach.
Then we had another break and had the third session which was up in the sacrament room. This is where the interesting part started. I went up to make sure our power point presentation was ready and presidents laptop was gone with all the cords and stuff left sitting there. I went to ask him if he had moved it and he hadn’t. Turned out that someone had left the gate outside open and someone had seen 2 teenagers come into the church but just figured they were members. So president’s laptop and my memory stick which were in it were stolen while we were in the other presentation. After a long unexpected time of looking around the whole chapel we started the last session. President was out reporting the theft and told us to go ahead and start our part.
Some of the Elders sang a special number and we started our presentation. The only problem is that the whole thing was with PowerPoint. So we just winged it and talked about service as leaders in the mission. It actually turned out very well, there was a great spirit and with all the "drama" of the stuff getting stolen and the unplanned mess, it turned out to be a great spiritual session.
So after all was said and done it was 8 o clock and we had finished the first "zone leaders seminar" It was a little stressing and we lost a few full nights sleep in the process but it was rewarding to see everything turn out well even if it all didn’t go as planned. The cool thing was that the idea to change things up and do the meeting was my idea a while ago and President Hacking basically just let me and my comp plan and prepare it all and it ended up going very well. It was fun to do.
We stayed that night and celebrated a little :) We went back and stayed at the apartment in Real de Minas where I started the mission. We stopped at Perro Luchos, the famous hot dog and hamburger stand in my old area that makes the biggest, cheesiest hot dogs and burgers the world has ever seen. We bought huge cheesy hot dogs and some pop, put on shorts and tee shirts and went up on the roof of the apartment. Then we put our feet up and enjoyed the greatest hot dogs ever and a cold pop looking over my old area and the skyline of the city in the warm Bucaramanga night air. Haha dramatic right? But the meeting was a cool experience and took up most of the whole week so I don’t have much more to write about.
We got to work the last few days in our area and we spent a ton of time knocking doors and looking for new investigators and we have been able to find some very good ones the last few days, so hopefully we can keep up the success we have been having in our area.
Today we got together and played soccer at one of the chapels that has a nice field. It was a good time but Elder Lee got hit pretty hard in the eye with the soccer ball and they had to take him to the clinic, so hopefully he is alright and nothing serious happened. I’ll check on him.
Time is flyyyying very fast, the weeks seem like days but I am having a great time and trying to do the best I can. This week we should be out on swaps with other missionaries all week, and then the same thing next week and we will already be at the transfers, yikes. But all is well, I love you. Best wishes to everyone from Canada to Kansas to wherever else.
Hasta next week, Elder B
Monday, October 12, 2009
October 12, 2009
October 12, 2009
Hooooola Familia,
Well it has been another very good week. We are working extra hard to have ideal mornings like we talked about in the Zone Conference and it has been very rewarding and has led to very good days. Things are going great with my comp and with the work. Elder Larsen (Texas) who is also from my mtc group, was called to be the new financial secretary and start his training. So he is now living with us in our apartment which makes things quite crowded again (he sleeps on a mattress between our beds) but it’s another buddy from our mtc group in the house and we are having a good time.
This week we had the last 2 zone conferences, somewhat of an adventure with them, some good days of work in the area, and some preparation for the big zone leader seminar. The zone conferences in Bucaramanga and Cucuta went well, we did the activities about goal setting and the “ideal morning” with the movie and everything and everyone seemed to like it and left excited to work. We did do the Bucaramanga Conference in Real de Minas in the chapel where I started the mission so that was cool.
.
Back in Bogotá we had some good days of working in our area and we think we have found some really good investigators who are progressing. Saturday we had another baptism, it was a girl named Alejandra. Her mom was baptized in another ward a few months ago but now they live here and she wanted to join the church also. It was actually very easy, she just kind of showed up and said she wanted to be baptized, of course as missionaries are thrilled when people do that so we were glad to help :)
The last few days we have been doing everything to prepare for the big zone leader seminar this week. Every month we have what is called a zone leader council where all the ZLs gather in Bogotá and we have a meeting and a temple session. We decided it was time to change things up and do something bigger and cooler so we have prepared the first ever "zone leader seminar". All the ZLs and secretaries and us will travel to Bucaramanga, the promised land, and have a big all day meeting. It will go from 9 AM to 4 PM with a movie activity after, being divided in 3 sessions and with a lunch being brought in. We have assigned different missionaries to talk about special things outside what we always hear based on their talents or characteristics. One missionary who is really creative and tries all kinds of things will give a short presentation about creativity in missionary work, another will talk about enjoying your time as a missionary and another companionship will talk about unity outside of the lessons. President Hacking will also have various training sessions. Elder Gags and I will have about 3 hours worth of training stuff and activities divided up. We have planned the first session in the sacrament room with all the presentations of the zone leaders and then me, my comp and President doing a presentation about how to prepare and organize a meeting. (Because of the problems in organization with a few conferences and to prepare for future leadership in the church). Then we will eat lunch and do the second session in one of the big classrooms where we will talk all about teaching skills and do a bunch of filmed practices and situations with the different teaching skills. Then we will have another break and go back to the sacrament room for the third session which will be a little more spiritual, My comp and I will talk about the importance of service in our calling and as leaders and President will end with his last presentation. And then after that and another break time everyone will watch a nice movie. Not something from the church but a good clean movie like Remember the Titans or something to relax us a little and get excited to go get to work again. We are going to be very busy preparing everything but we have delegated a lot to the zone leaders of Bucaramanga to prepare. Anyway it should be awesome and it was my idea a while ago so I am excited to see how it turns out.
The time is passing incredibly fast, we are now half way through another transfer and the days continue flying. I have been working and trying extra hard to be a good example this last week or two and it really has been rewarding, although tiring, to put in more effort and feel the spirit that it brings.
If you remember Barranca, last week President sent the first American there (Elder Williams), so the times have changed... who knows what could happen with me haha I think that Barranca would be a fantastic challenge. The whole mission seems to know I have 4 transfers here as AP now, so people keep asking where Pres. is going to send me or who will be my replacement. Honestly we have been working so hard lately and I think I am just figuring out how to get the most done in this position and have big ideas for the mission BUT I also have tons of ideas and new things learned that I would love to put in practice as a proselyting missionary... so at the end of the day I will be happy with whatever happens.
But anyway thanks for everything, for your support and love and all the sacrifices you make to help me and others. When you are in the service of your neighbor you are only in the service of God. With the new challenge to read the book of Mormon again in our native language, my testimony of it has continued to grow, it really can explain what is happening in our world better than any daily newspaper can and every time I read I learn something new and see the application it has to my daily life. Hope everything keeps going well, the pics were awesome, and the kids are big! Till Next Week, Elder B
Hooooola Familia,
Well it has been another very good week. We are working extra hard to have ideal mornings like we talked about in the Zone Conference and it has been very rewarding and has led to very good days. Things are going great with my comp and with the work. Elder Larsen (Texas) who is also from my mtc group, was called to be the new financial secretary and start his training. So he is now living with us in our apartment which makes things quite crowded again (he sleeps on a mattress between our beds) but it’s another buddy from our mtc group in the house and we are having a good time.
This week we had the last 2 zone conferences, somewhat of an adventure with them, some good days of work in the area, and some preparation for the big zone leader seminar. The zone conferences in Bucaramanga and Cucuta went well, we did the activities about goal setting and the “ideal morning” with the movie and everything and everyone seemed to like it and left excited to work. We did do the Bucaramanga Conference in Real de Minas in the chapel where I started the mission so that was cool.
.
Back in Bogotá we had some good days of working in our area and we think we have found some really good investigators who are progressing. Saturday we had another baptism, it was a girl named Alejandra. Her mom was baptized in another ward a few months ago but now they live here and she wanted to join the church also. It was actually very easy, she just kind of showed up and said she wanted to be baptized, of course as missionaries are thrilled when people do that so we were glad to help :)
The last few days we have been doing everything to prepare for the big zone leader seminar this week. Every month we have what is called a zone leader council where all the ZLs gather in Bogotá and we have a meeting and a temple session. We decided it was time to change things up and do something bigger and cooler so we have prepared the first ever "zone leader seminar". All the ZLs and secretaries and us will travel to Bucaramanga, the promised land, and have a big all day meeting. It will go from 9 AM to 4 PM with a movie activity after, being divided in 3 sessions and with a lunch being brought in. We have assigned different missionaries to talk about special things outside what we always hear based on their talents or characteristics. One missionary who is really creative and tries all kinds of things will give a short presentation about creativity in missionary work, another will talk about enjoying your time as a missionary and another companionship will talk about unity outside of the lessons. President Hacking will also have various training sessions. Elder Gags and I will have about 3 hours worth of training stuff and activities divided up. We have planned the first session in the sacrament room with all the presentations of the zone leaders and then me, my comp and President doing a presentation about how to prepare and organize a meeting. (Because of the problems in organization with a few conferences and to prepare for future leadership in the church). Then we will eat lunch and do the second session in one of the big classrooms where we will talk all about teaching skills and do a bunch of filmed practices and situations with the different teaching skills. Then we will have another break and go back to the sacrament room for the third session which will be a little more spiritual, My comp and I will talk about the importance of service in our calling and as leaders and President will end with his last presentation. And then after that and another break time everyone will watch a nice movie. Not something from the church but a good clean movie like Remember the Titans or something to relax us a little and get excited to go get to work again. We are going to be very busy preparing everything but we have delegated a lot to the zone leaders of Bucaramanga to prepare. Anyway it should be awesome and it was my idea a while ago so I am excited to see how it turns out.
The time is passing incredibly fast, we are now half way through another transfer and the days continue flying. I have been working and trying extra hard to be a good example this last week or two and it really has been rewarding, although tiring, to put in more effort and feel the spirit that it brings.
If you remember Barranca, last week President sent the first American there (Elder Williams), so the times have changed... who knows what could happen with me haha I think that Barranca would be a fantastic challenge. The whole mission seems to know I have 4 transfers here as AP now, so people keep asking where Pres. is going to send me or who will be my replacement. Honestly we have been working so hard lately and I think I am just figuring out how to get the most done in this position and have big ideas for the mission BUT I also have tons of ideas and new things learned that I would love to put in practice as a proselyting missionary... so at the end of the day I will be happy with whatever happens.
But anyway thanks for everything, for your support and love and all the sacrifices you make to help me and others. When you are in the service of your neighbor you are only in the service of God. With the new challenge to read the book of Mormon again in our native language, my testimony of it has continued to grow, it really can explain what is happening in our world better than any daily newspaper can and every time I read I learn something new and see the application it has to my daily life. Hope everything keeps going well, the pics were awesome, and the kids are big! Till Next Week, Elder B
Monday, October 5, 2009
Loved Conference
October 5, 2009
¡Q´Huuubo familia!
Well it’s been another good busy week. We had the first 3 Zone Conferences and they went very, very well. Also the work continues in our area and we have some good investigators but we need to find more. General Conference was great, I really learned a ton and it was great to hear what the General Authorities had prepared for us. Also today was a good pday so all is very well.
Wednesday, Tuesday and Thursday we had the first 3 Zone Conferences of the 5 that we have every transfer and they all went very well. Sister Hacking talked about keeping the apartments clean and gave some tips on how to better take care of money by being smart in food shopping. She gave suggestions like ramen noodles, sandwiches etc. Elder Gags (his name really is Gagliardi but no one wants to say that) and I prepared and talked first about the new goal setting system we created based of PMG and explained exactly how it was going to work. We actually started it about a month ago with the zone leaders in the zone leader council. We reviewed and explained everything. Then we talked about goals and their benefits etc. President Hacking talked first for a while about money because lots of missionaries are not managing their money well and ending up without. He then talked about the Book of Mormon and it’s importance and power and he implemented a challenge in the mission for everyone to start right now and read it from Cover to cover whether it be your first or 50th time, and every time you read, to start with Moroni 10:4-5 and pray to receive a stronger testimony about it.
Knowing that President was going to talk about that, we then talked about how important mornings are in the mission and how we can take advantage of them. Haha it was great, using my camera we made a video called "the ideal morning" with Elder Zari and Smith (the two secretaries who live with us). We used lots of different and changing camera angles so it actually looked cool. Afterwards, I got on one of the office computers and got to use what I learned in that video editing class I took. I made it nice with music and titles etc. It started off with a nice piano version of "Joseph Smith’s First Prayer" and it shows Elder Zari getting up before 6 30, praying, doing his exercise and studying obediently and on time. Then the music stops and changes to a rock version of "Do What is Right" that we found. It shows Elder Smith hit his alarm at 6 30, get up at 7 30 with food and stuff all over his bed, play games on his phone instead of exercising and look at pictures of his girlfriend instead of studying. Haha it cracked everyone up but I think it was a good way to show what should happen and what sometimes does. Then we talked about the importance of a good morning and a good study time and how it will help us throughout the whole day. Now this week we will be going to Cucuta and Bucaramanga to do the last 2 Zone Conferences so hopefully they go as well as these ones. Everyday, working with the other missionaries and President, I learn so many things and lessons but those mostly go in my study journal.
Things are going well in our area. The Diaz family is doing great, not to mention that the mom is a professional chef and she very frequently invites us over to eat :) ... We have a few good investigators that we are working with now but they have some big challenges like marriage problems and word of wisdom probs but we are trying and praying for ways to help them and hopefully they can progress.
The conference was awesome. haha Its hard to believe that a few short years ago mom had to drag me out of bed to make me watch it, and now I find myself looking forward to every session. We went to the stake center of the Bogotá stake to watch so all of the members from Tierra Linda were there which was very cool. That ward really was awesome and way strong and had great members. It was great to see and talk to some of them and see how they were doing. Also ALL of the people I found that were baptized were there; it was so awesome to see them all. One sister is now the secretary in the Relief Society and is preparing for her patriarchal blessing. Another one they say is getting ready to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood. The biggest surprise was a little boy named Julian. When we first started teaching him he said his mom would probably not let him go to church because she was very catholic. We later visited her in their home and she told us she was very Catholic but we had fasted and prayed for them and we presented her with "For the Strength of Youth" and told her about all the good things Julian would learn in the church. Anyway after that she allowed him to progress but told us she was born and would die Catholic. We continued working and praying for them and my last week there we were getting Julian ready for his baptism and she had agreed to come to church. So long story short she felt the spirit and she and the other 4 children were baptized and this Sunday at conference they all walked in (Julian and his bros with white shirts and ties and the mom and sister with dresses). Julian ran over a gave me a hug and his mom just came over and shook my head and told me "muchisimas gracias por ayudar mi familia" I talked to the ward mission leader and he said the ward is taking great care of them and making sure they feel welcome and keep progressing, it was so awesome.
But also awesome was the conference, there were too many great talks to mention but if you missed Elder Holland talking about the Book of Mormon you should look on the Internet because it was intense. President Monson's talks in priesthood and Sunday were also amazing. I thought I saw a real tendency this conference for talks about personal testimony development and having more of the spirit. The cool thing is that 2 weeks ago when we established what we would talk about in the Zone Conferences, President had come to the conclusion that was exactly what he would talk about and that he was going to do this book of Mormon challenge because he wanted the missionaries to gain stronger testimonies and have more of the spirit. Maybe it’s just because that’s what I was thinking about but I really believe that God knows what he wants us to hear and our Mission President was inspired with the same idea that the general authorities were inspired with before he even knew what that had planned... another testimony builder.
Ha I realized sometimes my letters make it sound like life is perfect and the mission is a 24 / 7 joy ride. Honestly sometimes the same day to day schedule can make things feel a little dry or repetitive and of course there are always challenging days or times where it feels like a struggle. But I realize as I end every day or week that the great experiences we have are so many more than the challenges and how worth it, it is. Especially when I write my letters and start to think about all that has happened during the week I realize how much I am learning and all the good things that happen to me or blessings I have.
Today we had a good P day. We played basketball and soccer with our district, I am pretty rusty but I can still basically dunk and I made a few threes. Then it was my turn to get taught a lesson with the Latins in soccer. Haha I really can’t handle the ball but I can run with them and once in a while I get set up for a lucky goal or two. Soccer is life down here as far as sports and when Colombia plays and scores a goal you can basically hear the entire city scream wherever you are in the street. This weekend Chile plays Colombia in Medellin (Colombia) and if we don’t win there is no hope left for the world cup so it should be pretty intense around here.
But anyway I have had a little more time to write today but my hour is about up now. Thanks again for everything. I love you and you’re in my prayers, thanks for the letters and be safe and be of good cheer. Bubbye. Elder Barnard
¡Q´Huuubo familia!
Well it’s been another good busy week. We had the first 3 Zone Conferences and they went very, very well. Also the work continues in our area and we have some good investigators but we need to find more. General Conference was great, I really learned a ton and it was great to hear what the General Authorities had prepared for us. Also today was a good pday so all is very well.
Wednesday, Tuesday and Thursday we had the first 3 Zone Conferences of the 5 that we have every transfer and they all went very well. Sister Hacking talked about keeping the apartments clean and gave some tips on how to better take care of money by being smart in food shopping. She gave suggestions like ramen noodles, sandwiches etc. Elder Gags (his name really is Gagliardi but no one wants to say that) and I prepared and talked first about the new goal setting system we created based of PMG and explained exactly how it was going to work. We actually started it about a month ago with the zone leaders in the zone leader council. We reviewed and explained everything. Then we talked about goals and their benefits etc. President Hacking talked first for a while about money because lots of missionaries are not managing their money well and ending up without. He then talked about the Book of Mormon and it’s importance and power and he implemented a challenge in the mission for everyone to start right now and read it from Cover to cover whether it be your first or 50th time, and every time you read, to start with Moroni 10:4-5 and pray to receive a stronger testimony about it.
Knowing that President was going to talk about that, we then talked about how important mornings are in the mission and how we can take advantage of them. Haha it was great, using my camera we made a video called "the ideal morning" with Elder Zari and Smith (the two secretaries who live with us). We used lots of different and changing camera angles so it actually looked cool. Afterwards, I got on one of the office computers and got to use what I learned in that video editing class I took. I made it nice with music and titles etc. It started off with a nice piano version of "Joseph Smith’s First Prayer" and it shows Elder Zari getting up before 6 30, praying, doing his exercise and studying obediently and on time. Then the music stops and changes to a rock version of "Do What is Right" that we found. It shows Elder Smith hit his alarm at 6 30, get up at 7 30 with food and stuff all over his bed, play games on his phone instead of exercising and look at pictures of his girlfriend instead of studying. Haha it cracked everyone up but I think it was a good way to show what should happen and what sometimes does. Then we talked about the importance of a good morning and a good study time and how it will help us throughout the whole day. Now this week we will be going to Cucuta and Bucaramanga to do the last 2 Zone Conferences so hopefully they go as well as these ones. Everyday, working with the other missionaries and President, I learn so many things and lessons but those mostly go in my study journal.
Things are going well in our area. The Diaz family is doing great, not to mention that the mom is a professional chef and she very frequently invites us over to eat :) ... We have a few good investigators that we are working with now but they have some big challenges like marriage problems and word of wisdom probs but we are trying and praying for ways to help them and hopefully they can progress.
The conference was awesome. haha Its hard to believe that a few short years ago mom had to drag me out of bed to make me watch it, and now I find myself looking forward to every session. We went to the stake center of the Bogotá stake to watch so all of the members from Tierra Linda were there which was very cool. That ward really was awesome and way strong and had great members. It was great to see and talk to some of them and see how they were doing. Also ALL of the people I found that were baptized were there; it was so awesome to see them all. One sister is now the secretary in the Relief Society and is preparing for her patriarchal blessing. Another one they say is getting ready to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood. The biggest surprise was a little boy named Julian. When we first started teaching him he said his mom would probably not let him go to church because she was very catholic. We later visited her in their home and she told us she was very Catholic but we had fasted and prayed for them and we presented her with "For the Strength of Youth" and told her about all the good things Julian would learn in the church. Anyway after that she allowed him to progress but told us she was born and would die Catholic. We continued working and praying for them and my last week there we were getting Julian ready for his baptism and she had agreed to come to church. So long story short she felt the spirit and she and the other 4 children were baptized and this Sunday at conference they all walked in (Julian and his bros with white shirts and ties and the mom and sister with dresses). Julian ran over a gave me a hug and his mom just came over and shook my head and told me "muchisimas gracias por ayudar mi familia" I talked to the ward mission leader and he said the ward is taking great care of them and making sure they feel welcome and keep progressing, it was so awesome.
But also awesome was the conference, there were too many great talks to mention but if you missed Elder Holland talking about the Book of Mormon you should look on the Internet because it was intense. President Monson's talks in priesthood and Sunday were also amazing. I thought I saw a real tendency this conference for talks about personal testimony development and having more of the spirit. The cool thing is that 2 weeks ago when we established what we would talk about in the Zone Conferences, President had come to the conclusion that was exactly what he would talk about and that he was going to do this book of Mormon challenge because he wanted the missionaries to gain stronger testimonies and have more of the spirit. Maybe it’s just because that’s what I was thinking about but I really believe that God knows what he wants us to hear and our Mission President was inspired with the same idea that the general authorities were inspired with before he even knew what that had planned... another testimony builder.
Ha I realized sometimes my letters make it sound like life is perfect and the mission is a 24 / 7 joy ride. Honestly sometimes the same day to day schedule can make things feel a little dry or repetitive and of course there are always challenging days or times where it feels like a struggle. But I realize as I end every day or week that the great experiences we have are so many more than the challenges and how worth it, it is. Especially when I write my letters and start to think about all that has happened during the week I realize how much I am learning and all the good things that happen to me or blessings I have.
Today we had a good P day. We played basketball and soccer with our district, I am pretty rusty but I can still basically dunk and I made a few threes. Then it was my turn to get taught a lesson with the Latins in soccer. Haha I really can’t handle the ball but I can run with them and once in a while I get set up for a lucky goal or two. Soccer is life down here as far as sports and when Colombia plays and scores a goal you can basically hear the entire city scream wherever you are in the street. This weekend Chile plays Colombia in Medellin (Colombia) and if we don’t win there is no hope left for the world cup so it should be pretty intense around here.
But anyway I have had a little more time to write today but my hour is about up now. Thanks again for everything. I love you and you’re in my prayers, thanks for the letters and be safe and be of good cheer. Bubbye. Elder Barnard
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Closing some areas
Our daughter Angie gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on September 23. She seems to be a very healthy and content baby. Her daddy, Ben has started chemotherapy for stage 4 Lymphoma. He will continue every other week for 6 courses and then 4 times a year for 2 years after that. We keep praying that everything will be okay. I'm here in Kansas helping out and it has been a busy week.
September 28, 2009
hoooola familia,
All is well here in Bogota. We had another busy transfer week but it was much smoother and simpler than the last one. Almost everything went well. We had the arrival of the new missionaries (from Peru and Bolivia) with the orientation we give, their welcome meal and then shipping them off to their areas. We had the farewells for the "trunkies" so we had to make sure they got into Bogotá, had their goodbye meeting and dinner and then coordinated everything for them to get to the airport and head home.
The only problem we had was a few missionaries and tardiness. There was a group of 4 that had to go home on a night flight so they had the day free but they knew they were to be in the office at 5 P.M. to get to the airport on time. Two of them were there but the other two were not so we had to leave without them. That got back to the office at 6:15 P.M. and called me asking what they should do... The only thing they could do was to take a taxi to the airport as fast as possible. Unfortunately, they got there too late and missed their flight The mission home had to pay 200 American dollars to get them switched to another airline on a flight 3 hours later. I imagine that was nerve wracking for their families at the airport. Apparently, their stakes will have to pay the money for them being late. But other than that all went smooth and we were able to handle things well.
Things are still going great in the area. We had 2 more baptisms (Noralba and Natalia) A mom and her daughter. We found them a long time ago with Elder Amador way up on the mountain and their progression process has been very slow but they got to the point where they were ready and they were very happy. We held the baptism Saturday morning and there was a good turnout and a great spirit. After the baptism we had lunch with an American family from Virginia with some nice spaghetti and french bread. Then we ran to the airport for a flight to ...... Barranca.
This week was district conference in Barranca so we went with President to attend it. Barranca is one of the most famous cities in the mission because of the climate. It has like 200,000 people and a district with 3 branches. The average temperature is close to 100 degrees and it averages like 85% humidity. Haha not joking it feels like walking around in a sauna and you drip sweat just standing there. It is like the center of oil production in Colombia and has a huge refinery. It has gained the reputation of being like the Siberia of the mission. President Hacking is working hard to change that perception and send hard working missionaries because despite the climate and a little bit of a rough history with the FARC a while ago, the people are very receptive and they could really use the gospel. So we had a good chance to meet members and work with the missionaries there. President even surprise asked us during the priesthood meeting and the conference to talk for a few minutes, but it was cool and we took advantage to put in a good word about working with the missionaries etc. American missionaries haven’t been there for a long time and the little district needs help but there are some great families that do all they can there. Despite the killer climate I really would love to work there. I think with a good attitude and some desire, someone could do amazing things there to build up the branches.
After a long time without them, it is now time to start getting ready for zone conferences and the zone leader meeting. We are going to have the meeting in Bucaramanga this time. We have been talking a lot with Pres etc and we are going to make it a super zone leader council. It is going to be an all day thing, everyone is going to travel in and we will do tons of practices and discussions and trainings etc ... so that will take a lot of preparation but I am very excited. Plus I love Bucaramanga like my home which is also good.
Elder Gags (Gagliardi) and I have set and are working with goals to always work harder and improve but we really are having a good time. We work very hard but we never forget to joke around and enjoy this great time of our lives so things are going great.
As far as the mission, right now we’re down to 149 missionaries and dropping. I guess the church is now into India and other places so they are sending lots to other parts of the world and our numbers are going to drop to about 132! Which means closing 11 total areas. This transfer we had to close 3 and it’s just going to keep dropping.
Elder Corro goes home this transfer, in November. He is training in Sogamoso and doing an amazing job with his son so I am happy for him. One blessing of being assistant has been having great companions. Elder Corro was awesome and I learned a ton from him and so is Elder Gagliardi. He is a great person and a great missionary and I am learning a ton from him to.
Oh by the way, President Hacking called me right away when he got the email about Annaleigh! That’s Awesome!!! The pics look very cute but what surprised me even more was little Caroline. I can’t believe how much she has changed since I last saw her. But hope all is going well with health etc as far as Ben, the new baby and Angie. All I can do from here is pray and try to do my best. But the family everywhere from Calgary to Kansas to Wyoming is on my mind and in my prayers. So thanks for everything again, gotta run, love you, I know the church is true . Elder Barnard
September 28, 2009
hoooola familia,
All is well here in Bogota. We had another busy transfer week but it was much smoother and simpler than the last one. Almost everything went well. We had the arrival of the new missionaries (from Peru and Bolivia) with the orientation we give, their welcome meal and then shipping them off to their areas. We had the farewells for the "trunkies" so we had to make sure they got into Bogotá, had their goodbye meeting and dinner and then coordinated everything for them to get to the airport and head home.
The only problem we had was a few missionaries and tardiness. There was a group of 4 that had to go home on a night flight so they had the day free but they knew they were to be in the office at 5 P.M. to get to the airport on time. Two of them were there but the other two were not so we had to leave without them. That got back to the office at 6:15 P.M. and called me asking what they should do... The only thing they could do was to take a taxi to the airport as fast as possible. Unfortunately, they got there too late and missed their flight The mission home had to pay 200 American dollars to get them switched to another airline on a flight 3 hours later. I imagine that was nerve wracking for their families at the airport. Apparently, their stakes will have to pay the money for them being late. But other than that all went smooth and we were able to handle things well.
Things are still going great in the area. We had 2 more baptisms (Noralba and Natalia) A mom and her daughter. We found them a long time ago with Elder Amador way up on the mountain and their progression process has been very slow but they got to the point where they were ready and they were very happy. We held the baptism Saturday morning and there was a good turnout and a great spirit. After the baptism we had lunch with an American family from Virginia with some nice spaghetti and french bread. Then we ran to the airport for a flight to ...... Barranca.
This week was district conference in Barranca so we went with President to attend it. Barranca is one of the most famous cities in the mission because of the climate. It has like 200,000 people and a district with 3 branches. The average temperature is close to 100 degrees and it averages like 85% humidity. Haha not joking it feels like walking around in a sauna and you drip sweat just standing there. It is like the center of oil production in Colombia and has a huge refinery. It has gained the reputation of being like the Siberia of the mission. President Hacking is working hard to change that perception and send hard working missionaries because despite the climate and a little bit of a rough history with the FARC a while ago, the people are very receptive and they could really use the gospel. So we had a good chance to meet members and work with the missionaries there. President even surprise asked us during the priesthood meeting and the conference to talk for a few minutes, but it was cool and we took advantage to put in a good word about working with the missionaries etc. American missionaries haven’t been there for a long time and the little district needs help but there are some great families that do all they can there. Despite the killer climate I really would love to work there. I think with a good attitude and some desire, someone could do amazing things there to build up the branches.
After a long time without them, it is now time to start getting ready for zone conferences and the zone leader meeting. We are going to have the meeting in Bucaramanga this time. We have been talking a lot with Pres etc and we are going to make it a super zone leader council. It is going to be an all day thing, everyone is going to travel in and we will do tons of practices and discussions and trainings etc ... so that will take a lot of preparation but I am very excited. Plus I love Bucaramanga like my home which is also good.
Elder Gags (Gagliardi) and I have set and are working with goals to always work harder and improve but we really are having a good time. We work very hard but we never forget to joke around and enjoy this great time of our lives so things are going great.
As far as the mission, right now we’re down to 149 missionaries and dropping. I guess the church is now into India and other places so they are sending lots to other parts of the world and our numbers are going to drop to about 132! Which means closing 11 total areas. This transfer we had to close 3 and it’s just going to keep dropping.
Elder Corro goes home this transfer, in November. He is training in Sogamoso and doing an amazing job with his son so I am happy for him. One blessing of being assistant has been having great companions. Elder Corro was awesome and I learned a ton from him and so is Elder Gagliardi. He is a great person and a great missionary and I am learning a ton from him to.
Oh by the way, President Hacking called me right away when he got the email about Annaleigh! That’s Awesome!!! The pics look very cute but what surprised me even more was little Caroline. I can’t believe how much she has changed since I last saw her. But hope all is going well with health etc as far as Ben, the new baby and Angie. All I can do from here is pray and try to do my best. But the family everywhere from Calgary to Kansas to Wyoming is on my mind and in my prayers. So thanks for everything again, gotta run, love you, I know the church is true . Elder Barnard
Monday, September 21, 2009
Transfer Week Again
September 21, 2009
Hooola familia,
It’s been another great week. I got to travel and do swaps with some missionaries, things keep going great in the area and we are about to start another infamous transfer week.
Tuesday thru Friday I spent in the Yopal District. Yopal is a city here in the mission of about 60,000 people. It is a little isolated from the other main parts of the mission and the highway going there isn’t safe so everyone goes by plane. I spent the first 2 days in Yopal which has a very strong branch of the church and 2 companionships. We had a great day and we set goals to serve more in the companionship.
The next day I left with a great missionary who was a Zone Leader for a long time and is now training for the first time. His comp. is an American (Elder Naumu) who is very new and is still learning the language, but they are both very excited and working great.
Aaaaand the last day I traveled about an hour outside of Yopal to "Aguazul," It’s the newest branch in the mission. It’s in a little town of a few thousand and was officially organized just a few months ago. Working there is Elder Torres and Elder Huanio. First of all Aguazul was awesome. After so long in bustling cities it was nice to see calm, quiet streets and things like big fields and cows (made me remember home a little). It was great because both Elders were veery excited about their area and they have people preparing for baptismal dates every week for the next month. It was cool to meet the members of the new little branch and see how excited they were about the church. They are pioneers there and almost all new converts, so the missionaries play a big part in running the branch. It is growing quickly and gaining momentum. Overall it was a great trip.
The purpose of working with all the other missionaries is to be an example of what should be done and all the things we are implementing in the mission so I always focus on that and try to get the missionaries excited and serve them haha. I think I end up learning probably more than they do, so I love getting out and working with them.
Saturday was also a great day. We had the baptisms of Lily, Bridgette and Angie. A little American girl from the ward also got baptized so we coordinated the baptism with the family and did it about half English and half Spanish. It turned out great and they were all very very happy. I baptized Lily (the mom) Elder Zari baptized Angie (The older sister) and brother Barrero (the ward member that helped befriend them) baptized Bridgette (the youngest daughter). The baptism was very spiritual. Lots of members came and Sunday after being confirmed, Bridgette wanted to share her testimony in sacrament meeting and she talked about how happy she was that God guided the missionaries to them and that they could enter into the true church. It really was a miracle how we found them like I told you. We were just walking down the street and Elder Zari said something like "I've always wanted to knock on doors in there, let’s go try". From there they invited us in and we taught part of the first lesson and about a month later they are now members of the church.... awesome.
After church yesterday we had 2 more people receive their baptism interview and they will be baptized next Sunday morning. They have accepted and kept every commitment we have left and their only doubt about baptism was if we could still visit them after :). It is a mom and her daughter named Noralba and Natalia. Elder Amador found them a long time ago and they showed much interest but we just couldn’t get them to go to church. Just as we were about to stop visiting them something happened, they felt the spirit and made the sacrifice to go to church. Since then they have progressed slowly but surely and they are now ready so we are very happy for them and excited about it.
Saturday and Sunday we spent with President Hacking helping him a little to decide all the transfers. When we got there he had already done most all of them and then we just gave a few suggestions and explained a little about some missionaries he didn’t know well yet. There were a lot of transfers again (not as many as last time but a bunch). Last night we made the calls to all the Zone Leaders for them to announce everything to the mission. Many were very happy, others called today complaining, but that’s life.
We really got to see President Hacking receive revelation about certain transfers as we were talking and moving faces around on the projector and I know the way they turned out was the way the Lord wants them to be. We have an internet program from the church that has all the missionaries pictures organized into their areas and zones with info. etc, so we set up a projector in his office and use that. So this week we will be busy organizing all that business like every transfer week but it’s all good and I think it will go great.
So that means ANOTHER transfer is starting. Time is flying, I now have over 13 months! I have 3 transfers as Assistant or approximately 4 months. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the last transfer I am here but I also wouldn’t be surprised if I stay here longer. It just depends on President and The Lord. The Church recommends that you be an Assistant for no longer than 6 months. I have thought about it a little and I will be very happy whatever happens. I love what I am doing now and getting a chance to learn about leadership but if he sent me tomorrow to be junior companion anywhere in the mission I would be just as happy and keep enjoying the mission just as much. I have so much joy in being a missionary and I will be grateful to go and serve wherever he wants me to.
I have set new goals to make this transfer better and keep progressing. The church version of the Spanish Bible just barely got released so I am putting some serious study time into the Gospels and learning a lot.
Today we played soccer which was fun, everything is going great and I hope everything goes well with all the travel, with Ben’s health etc. and all the business that life has. You will stay in my prayers and thanks for everything, Much Love Elder B
Hooola familia,
It’s been another great week. I got to travel and do swaps with some missionaries, things keep going great in the area and we are about to start another infamous transfer week.
Tuesday thru Friday I spent in the Yopal District. Yopal is a city here in the mission of about 60,000 people. It is a little isolated from the other main parts of the mission and the highway going there isn’t safe so everyone goes by plane. I spent the first 2 days in Yopal which has a very strong branch of the church and 2 companionships. We had a great day and we set goals to serve more in the companionship.
The next day I left with a great missionary who was a Zone Leader for a long time and is now training for the first time. His comp. is an American (Elder Naumu) who is very new and is still learning the language, but they are both very excited and working great.
Aaaaand the last day I traveled about an hour outside of Yopal to "Aguazul," It’s the newest branch in the mission. It’s in a little town of a few thousand and was officially organized just a few months ago. Working there is Elder Torres and Elder Huanio. First of all Aguazul was awesome. After so long in bustling cities it was nice to see calm, quiet streets and things like big fields and cows (made me remember home a little). It was great because both Elders were veery excited about their area and they have people preparing for baptismal dates every week for the next month. It was cool to meet the members of the new little branch and see how excited they were about the church. They are pioneers there and almost all new converts, so the missionaries play a big part in running the branch. It is growing quickly and gaining momentum. Overall it was a great trip.
The purpose of working with all the other missionaries is to be an example of what should be done and all the things we are implementing in the mission so I always focus on that and try to get the missionaries excited and serve them haha. I think I end up learning probably more than they do, so I love getting out and working with them.
Saturday was also a great day. We had the baptisms of Lily, Bridgette and Angie. A little American girl from the ward also got baptized so we coordinated the baptism with the family and did it about half English and half Spanish. It turned out great and they were all very very happy. I baptized Lily (the mom) Elder Zari baptized Angie (The older sister) and brother Barrero (the ward member that helped befriend them) baptized Bridgette (the youngest daughter). The baptism was very spiritual. Lots of members came and Sunday after being confirmed, Bridgette wanted to share her testimony in sacrament meeting and she talked about how happy she was that God guided the missionaries to them and that they could enter into the true church. It really was a miracle how we found them like I told you. We were just walking down the street and Elder Zari said something like "I've always wanted to knock on doors in there, let’s go try". From there they invited us in and we taught part of the first lesson and about a month later they are now members of the church.... awesome.
After church yesterday we had 2 more people receive their baptism interview and they will be baptized next Sunday morning. They have accepted and kept every commitment we have left and their only doubt about baptism was if we could still visit them after :). It is a mom and her daughter named Noralba and Natalia. Elder Amador found them a long time ago and they showed much interest but we just couldn’t get them to go to church. Just as we were about to stop visiting them something happened, they felt the spirit and made the sacrifice to go to church. Since then they have progressed slowly but surely and they are now ready so we are very happy for them and excited about it.
Saturday and Sunday we spent with President Hacking helping him a little to decide all the transfers. When we got there he had already done most all of them and then we just gave a few suggestions and explained a little about some missionaries he didn’t know well yet. There were a lot of transfers again (not as many as last time but a bunch). Last night we made the calls to all the Zone Leaders for them to announce everything to the mission. Many were very happy, others called today complaining, but that’s life.
We really got to see President Hacking receive revelation about certain transfers as we were talking and moving faces around on the projector and I know the way they turned out was the way the Lord wants them to be. We have an internet program from the church that has all the missionaries pictures organized into their areas and zones with info. etc, so we set up a projector in his office and use that. So this week we will be busy organizing all that business like every transfer week but it’s all good and I think it will go great.
So that means ANOTHER transfer is starting. Time is flying, I now have over 13 months! I have 3 transfers as Assistant or approximately 4 months. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the last transfer I am here but I also wouldn’t be surprised if I stay here longer. It just depends on President and The Lord. The Church recommends that you be an Assistant for no longer than 6 months. I have thought about it a little and I will be very happy whatever happens. I love what I am doing now and getting a chance to learn about leadership but if he sent me tomorrow to be junior companion anywhere in the mission I would be just as happy and keep enjoying the mission just as much. I have so much joy in being a missionary and I will be grateful to go and serve wherever he wants me to.
I have set new goals to make this transfer better and keep progressing. The church version of the Spanish Bible just barely got released so I am putting some serious study time into the Gospels and learning a lot.
Today we played soccer which was fun, everything is going great and I hope everything goes well with all the travel, with Ben’s health etc. and all the business that life has. You will stay in my prayers and thanks for everything, Much Love Elder B
Monday, September 14, 2009
San Gil is Great
September 14, 2009
Hola querida familia,
This week has been another good one. I spent the week away from Bogotá in Bucaramanga and San Gil. I can’t believe how fast the weeks are passing, it seems again like I wake up one day and its Thursday and the next morning its Monday again. Last Monday after we wrote, we flew up to Bucaramanga.
I got there and was going to go on splits with the zone leaders etc. but we found out that Elder Williams (who got his appendix taken out was going to have to spend over a week in bed. It's a good thing that he made it to Bucaramanga before it happened. He is in a little old town called San Gil that’s about 2 hours away from Bucaramanga. We spent the first day in the house with him etc. and then we decided that I could go back to San Gil with his comp (Elder Butron) until Friday at least so that we could help keep his area up.
Anyway, we took the winding bus ride to little old San Gil on Wednesday to spend some time working there. It has about 40,000 people and a little solitary branch. Actually they have been having lots of problems with the branch and some of its leaders doing things like asking converts for money etc. so President Hacking also went to do interviews. The town is shaped like a V... there is a river that crosses thru the middle and the rest is just hills going up from either side. You get tired pretty quick climbing the hills everywhere. It’s got the Spanish design with their type of buildings and only tiny little streets. It’s an amazingly cool place.
One crazy story from San Gil, they explained to me is about a strange family that lives up out of town on a farm. I guess they had tons of money but now they are completely poor. They have lost everything and just live alone up on their farm. One of the little girls has claimed to see spirits and stuff and the people seriously just look like the walking dead. They asked us to visit them and say a prayer or a blessing for the home. It was seriously crazy. We went to see them and they are all losing their teeth, they are completely pale even the little kids. They just slowly walk around like zombies. It is so sad. We shared a message with them, said a prayer and blessed the house and got out.. We had a good time working in San Gil, taught some good lessons and it was a great all around experience.
Also, the Jensen’s were traveling to Bogotá so they asked if we could go and teach at the little university where they volunteer teaching English. So we went with Elder Butron and followed their lesson plan and it went well. It was a little weird because the class only had 8 students and they were all college girls between 18 and 21. We told them about the church etc and practiced English and the missionaries should be visiting them this coming week.
Friday, yes September the 11th, I took a flight back to Bogotá. On the airport TV I saw the clips of some tributes and stuff they did in the States and also a clip of Obama talking and then a senator called him a liar. Ha I guess I am glad I don’t know anything that is going on there. It’s a little scary. The only thing you hear around here is that the US is thinking about putting military bases here and all the other South American countries are freaking out about it, especially Venezuela.
But anyway returning to the work here, everything is going great in our area. The Diaz Family (the ones Zari and I found by randomly knocking on one door that we felt good about) are progressing amazingly. We have been taking an awesome member family, the Barrios, to every lesson and they have become great friends and helped them a ton with everything. This week we taught the Word of Wisdom and Law of Chastity and they accepted them right them away, it was amazing. I was a little nervous because the mom (Lily) used to drink tons of coffee, but she completely agreed with it and has stopped drinking coffee. She also tells about how her family and coworkers have been trying to tell her bad things about the church and stuff like "are you sure you want to do this? this isn’t like you Lily" and she just tells them that she can feel that it’s right and she knows it’s what she and her children need. It really has been amazing how quickly they have gained testimonies and how strong they are. Yesterday they all came to church with their dresses on etc. and after they had their baptism interviews and all passed. They are way excited for their baptism this Saturday. A little girl from the ward is also getting baptized so we are planning it all together and it should be an awesome service. I am so excited and happy for them, you really do grow to love your investigators. The little girl (Bridget) asked that Brother Barrero baptize her, the older sister (Angie) asked that Elder Zari baptize her and the mom Lily asked for me to baptize her. Also the 26th we should have 3 more people who I will write about next time cuz I am out of time.
But all is going great; I am loving every minute of it. It’s weird to think that I have spent more time here than I have left so I am just trying to enjoy every second. Thanks for Everything; you’re all in my prayers. Hope all goes well with the Chemo for Ben, and Happy BDAY AMY!!!! The church is true, I love you, Bye. Elder Barnard
Hola querida familia,
This week has been another good one. I spent the week away from Bogotá in Bucaramanga and San Gil. I can’t believe how fast the weeks are passing, it seems again like I wake up one day and its Thursday and the next morning its Monday again. Last Monday after we wrote, we flew up to Bucaramanga.
I got there and was going to go on splits with the zone leaders etc. but we found out that Elder Williams (who got his appendix taken out was going to have to spend over a week in bed. It's a good thing that he made it to Bucaramanga before it happened. He is in a little old town called San Gil that’s about 2 hours away from Bucaramanga. We spent the first day in the house with him etc. and then we decided that I could go back to San Gil with his comp (Elder Butron) until Friday at least so that we could help keep his area up.
Anyway, we took the winding bus ride to little old San Gil on Wednesday to spend some time working there. It has about 40,000 people and a little solitary branch. Actually they have been having lots of problems with the branch and some of its leaders doing things like asking converts for money etc. so President Hacking also went to do interviews. The town is shaped like a V... there is a river that crosses thru the middle and the rest is just hills going up from either side. You get tired pretty quick climbing the hills everywhere. It’s got the Spanish design with their type of buildings and only tiny little streets. It’s an amazingly cool place.
One crazy story from San Gil, they explained to me is about a strange family that lives up out of town on a farm. I guess they had tons of money but now they are completely poor. They have lost everything and just live alone up on their farm. One of the little girls has claimed to see spirits and stuff and the people seriously just look like the walking dead. They asked us to visit them and say a prayer or a blessing for the home. It was seriously crazy. We went to see them and they are all losing their teeth, they are completely pale even the little kids. They just slowly walk around like zombies. It is so sad. We shared a message with them, said a prayer and blessed the house and got out.. We had a good time working in San Gil, taught some good lessons and it was a great all around experience.
Also, the Jensen’s were traveling to Bogotá so they asked if we could go and teach at the little university where they volunteer teaching English. So we went with Elder Butron and followed their lesson plan and it went well. It was a little weird because the class only had 8 students and they were all college girls between 18 and 21. We told them about the church etc and practiced English and the missionaries should be visiting them this coming week.
Friday, yes September the 11th, I took a flight back to Bogotá. On the airport TV I saw the clips of some tributes and stuff they did in the States and also a clip of Obama talking and then a senator called him a liar. Ha I guess I am glad I don’t know anything that is going on there. It’s a little scary. The only thing you hear around here is that the US is thinking about putting military bases here and all the other South American countries are freaking out about it, especially Venezuela.
But anyway returning to the work here, everything is going great in our area. The Diaz Family (the ones Zari and I found by randomly knocking on one door that we felt good about) are progressing amazingly. We have been taking an awesome member family, the Barrios, to every lesson and they have become great friends and helped them a ton with everything. This week we taught the Word of Wisdom and Law of Chastity and they accepted them right them away, it was amazing. I was a little nervous because the mom (Lily) used to drink tons of coffee, but she completely agreed with it and has stopped drinking coffee. She also tells about how her family and coworkers have been trying to tell her bad things about the church and stuff like "are you sure you want to do this? this isn’t like you Lily" and she just tells them that she can feel that it’s right and she knows it’s what she and her children need. It really has been amazing how quickly they have gained testimonies and how strong they are. Yesterday they all came to church with their dresses on etc. and after they had their baptism interviews and all passed. They are way excited for their baptism this Saturday. A little girl from the ward is also getting baptized so we are planning it all together and it should be an awesome service. I am so excited and happy for them, you really do grow to love your investigators. The little girl (Bridget) asked that Brother Barrero baptize her, the older sister (Angie) asked that Elder Zari baptize her and the mom Lily asked for me to baptize her. Also the 26th we should have 3 more people who I will write about next time cuz I am out of time.
But all is going great; I am loving every minute of it. It’s weird to think that I have spent more time here than I have left so I am just trying to enjoy every second. Thanks for Everything; you’re all in my prayers. Hope all goes well with the Chemo for Ben, and Happy BDAY AMY!!!! The church is true, I love you, Bye. Elder Barnard
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