Josh's current address is 51 N 2nd St. Apt 310 Stroudsburg, PA 18360. Packages and letters will be safer going to the mission home. The mission home address is 721 Paxon Hollow Road Ste. B, Broomall, PA 19008. Keep in mind that there will be a delay because it take some time to get packages and letters from the mission home to Josh.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Email from 8/14/14

Hey Dad,
First off I did get the wallet and the ATM card thank you so much:) thank you for the address as well I will let my mission president know. And it would pretty cool to get my PT license and work at Dan's pharmacy it would be a great way to familiarize myself more with the field and they make a decent living especially for a college student. I hope I enjoy being a pharmacist because it's all I have pretty much (ideas wise) but the paycheck will help a bit haha. So I did ask my mission president about going home 1 transfer early and he said he wants me to serve a full 24 months but if I do that I will miss the Fall semester of BYU-I and have to go in April or I go home without you coming out here and I go to school right when I get home. I don't really want to do the second part I feel it would add so much more stress trying to transition. 
So Tommy is home huh? Wow did Jeramy Jones ever go back out? How's he doing? 
It's a bit strange that I won't go back to Corona since I was born and raised there but really it's okay and I'm excited for the change and it's not that far away anyway. Hang in there Dad it seems like things will normalize very soon. 
So I shall commence of recounting my journeys of this last week.
On Tuesday we were able to meet with Chris Smallwood again and we talked about the Restoration and really focused on how the authority to run Christ's church was brought back through Joseph Smith. We also talked about the word of wisdom he seemed to really like it.  He said he would quit coffee for sure but that he would need some more time on the cigarettes but that he does want to quit. 
On Wednesday, we went to to the Giordano's and we watched I will not fail thee nor forsake thee by Thomas s Monson. It's one of my favorite talks of all time. Susan felt the spirit and loved it and kept looking at her husband Paul who says he didn't hear anything new but we all felt that he could feel the spirit especially during one of the last stories of his talk. Susan was in tears and I just hope that Paul's heart will be softened. 
Thursday we had our district meeting and weekly planning and after we had dinner with a new family in the ward named the Diehls. They live right next to the temple it is really cool. Sister Diehl's parents are here visiting till November they are converts from Hong Kong.
  Friday was zone conference. It was great and really helped me figure out what could help better this area. After we had exchanges with the zone leaders. I was with elder Stubbs who had served in Bayview before I did. We were able to meet with Chris again and we talked about the first part of the plan of salvation which is where did we come from for this life. He seemed to really enjoy it and he says it made sense. 
Saturday we got a call from someone asking if we could go give a sister in the ward a blessing so we went with a member who was able to drive us there. Her name is Sister Anton and she is nearly blind, she also found out her older sister has brain and lung cancer, so we gave her a blessing of comfort and she asked me to do it but before we did we sang a hymn called "Abide with me." As I gave her a blessing I started to tear up, but only a little, and when I did I could feel her starting to cry as well. After she thanked me and I hope it was able to help her. 
Michael Dean (from Bayview) came and picked Elder Stubbs and I up and took us out to dinner I'll send some pictures. We then went to the talent show a couple wards were having and some of us missionaries did synchronized swimming haha it was hilarious! The final act was going to be late though so everyone was asking me to stall and get up and dance but we couldn't find music that was missionary appropriate. I'm glad we didn't though because the act was a dance act and the guy was amazing!! One of the best I've ever seen so it would've been bad since he could blow me out of the water! 
The cockroaches are getting really bad though they ate hole through a cereal bag! We need to get out of this place I hate these bugs so much!!
Chris unfortunately did not come to church :/ it gets tiring sometimes hoping people will actually do what they say they will and come to church but I keep praying they do. 
I'm so grateful, however, to be serving here in the best mission in the world, Philadelphia, PA. I've been able to experience so many things that have helped me grow more. Thank you for always encouraging me to go on my mission!
Love,
Elder Barker


Sent from my iPad

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