Email from 1/13/15

Hey Dad,

I'm sorry about the cold it's been pretty cold here, thankfully I'm not in my first area (it had a windchill of -17° one day last week). Well this area on paper honestly stunk haha. I've had the worst numbers I've had on a mission here. It's quite frustrating really. I've been able to improve the numbers In all my areas but this one so far. I'm trying to work hard to overcome that. But some great things have happened as well. For instance, we were able to go on exchange and I was able to have a car on the coldest day of the winter so far and was able to go with an elder who goes home in a couple months and we were able to have really good discussions. We had very powerful lessons with people and he was surprised by how many people we were able to meet with. The morning after I read from Ether 13 to Moroni 10. I love the Book of Mormon so much and as I read I was able to feel as if I was there with Ether as he witnessed the sorrow he saw as his people became destroyed. I was there with Moroni as he wrote his dying testimony to the world. I was there as he wrote of the comfort of coming into Christ and as he urged us all to remember how merciful the Lord has been to us all. I have said it many times on my mission, the Book of Mormon, more than anything else, has shown me the love of God for me. I am running out of time and I had so much more typed but my iPad didn't save it. But Dad, the Book of Mormon has helped me overcome every trial I have gone through so far and I know it will in the future as well. Continue to cherish its teachings. There lies happiness in its words.

I love you Dad.

Love,

Elder Barker

Ps. Two things to look up. It's kinda like John bytheway. 

"Conversion of a Catholic" by Bill Carpenter so good he was a catholic seminary student

And 

"Meaning of the Atonement" by Kleon Skousen

If possible I'd love to get a copy of the latter.

January 3rd email

Hey Dad,

That's awesome about Nate I really wish I could watch him play. I still know I'd beat him one on one but I mean... Still. How's the rest of the league look? He should go out for volleyball after this season. From my understanding they're not too hot and I'm sure Elvik would love to have another Barker (I mean I'm like a legend there). I like the idea of me flying into California more haha. 

Well this week was quite slow. My companions foot has been hurting so our mission presidents wife told us to stay inside. So New Year's Eve we stayed inside and read the Book of Mormon. I probably should have wrote in my journal because I'm pretty behind. But I am in Ether 13. I plan on finishing the Book of Mormon this week. I just finished it in September and I started again in mid November and I love the Book of Mormon so much. I plan to do my best and to read it completely twice a year after my mission:) there is just so much that can be applied to us, in each chapter there is an application. Mormon and Ether just so sad. You can feel Moroni's pain as you read and it just wrenches my heart I can not imagine going through what he went through. We went to our branch presidents house and they got us all super hero shirts. 

Sunday we had a busy night planned but the busses were being weird so we couldn't go to the area we had planned. when we found that out, someone who just got baptized a couple weeks ago, texted us and asked us if we could come over and give him a blessing. He lived in walking distance and there was someone shot in his backyard and it really scared him. He asked me to do the blessing and he said afterwards that he felt so much better. So even though we weren't able to get all the lessons we had wanted but we were able to really help this man feel comforted. 

I'm very grateful for the Priesthood and the power God entrusts us with. I have seen many miracles through it.

Love you Dad

Love,

Elder Barker

Sent from my iPad