October 28, 2013

i'm glad the girls were able to come down for a visit i'll have to check ambers email i think she sent some pictures.  how were you able to fit in steve's costume? i've been away for a bit but if i remember correctly there was a bit of height difference haha. i'm excited for nathan to start his season i can't wait to hear how he does. i miss NBA and when i left they said that kobe likely wouldn't play till christmas but i know that d-rose is back and i am pretty jealous that i don't get to watch him but i will in the 2016 season! For halloween we go in early at 6 to stay out of trouble and apparently the night before halloween is called mischief night out here on the east coast where people prank each other and by prank i mean egg. so we most likely will go in early wednesday night as well.  

This past week was not bad but not our best. Monday was zone unity day and we met with most of the missionaries in our zone and played games in an actual church building haha.  it was fun but we got in really late because we met in Reading and its about an hour and 15 minutes away. we did go to a pizza buffet and it was really good. Wednesday we went to Lansford to help a member move out of her home. 

Friday we got a new senior couple, the Wilsons, from Lindon, UT i believe. We drove over there and welcomed them to the area and they wanted to go try a cheese steak so we drove over to Angelos and all had a sandwich together. they are very nice and excited to start their mission but they have big shoes to fill from the Tews.  while we were at angelos elder wilson started to talk to a customer named David and it turns out he lives in Lansford and elder parker and i started talking to him as well and were able to get his number and address and so when we get more miles on our car we will go see him.  

We also met with brother mcfarland and his daughter on saturday and watched finding faith in christ. his daughter seemed to have some anxiety with people being over and talking to her so she left the room and distracted herself multiple times which made it hard to teach her but her dad is trying the best he can to bring spirituality in his and his daughter's life. 

We also ran into an old former investigator who said we need to look at the world with a scientific mind and how god has nothing to do with what is being created chemically and biologically, and me loving science and being a chem major wanted to correct him in so many ways because even his science he pointed out had flaws, but i kept my mouth shut realizing nothing positive would come from it. he also had the theory that christ was an extra-terrestrial who was simply smarter than people back then so he was viewed as a god... just some interesting people here is all haha but we are all God's children whether we know it or not.  

We did run into another person named Dave in tamaqua who is goth and practicing Wicca.  but he has a christian background and was very open to listening to us and talked about the first vision with him. we asked him if there was a way he could find out for himself if what we said was true, if he would want to, and he said oh absolutely so we are meeting with him tonight to give him a Book of Mormon and talk about his questions of why he is here and where he is going after this life. i am pretty excited to work with him.   

i assume you got the email about christmas presents? they sent it to me by mistake as well haha.

i got the card from grandpa and grandma and i really enjoyed their card it was pretty funny.

i got a package from mom and it was decorated to the brim with halloween stuff and candy and a pumpkin haha. not gonna lie after helping clean a really dirty apartment this week, fake roaches and bugs were not the best sight ahah. i was surprised she was able to put those in without freaking out herself haha 

hope everything is well:)

love,

Elder Barker

ps i really need those cookies haha i miss them