Email from 4/27

4/27

Hey Dad
Okay so first off, I am staying and my companion and the other elders in
the English Ward are leaving. I am taking over two areas now and I was
called to be the district leader. This district is only going to have one
other companionship and its sisters (we call it a double date district, 2
elders + 2 sisters) so I'm not too fond of that but hey I'll do my best.
Also I need my license renewed ASAP! I kept forgetting to tell you the past
couple weeks but it expires on my birthday! So if you could renew it and
send the driving certificate to my address I would really appreciate it! Oh
and since I am staying go ahead and send the package to my address.
So now on to the long stressful and amazing week!
Well we had 2 baptisms and confirmations!! We went to the Freddy & Adrian's
on Monday night and at the end of the lesson Adrian (the son) asked Elder
Mask if he would baptize him and Freddy (the dad) asked if I would. I was
terrified because it would be in Spanish. I read the prayer in Spanish over
and over again. My heart was pounding on Saturday haha. Adrian was so
excited the whole time especially when it came time to baptize him. As I
got in the water with Freddy my heart was still pounding but I said the
words right and everything went well. He afterwards said how he felt
different than he's ever felt before, he said he felt so humble.
On Sunday we went over to the Santiago family for our weekly session of
"Deep Dish." It's hard to explain but it's named after me haha, basically
we just start on simple gospel truths and dive into them. It's really fun
and it's always so spiritual, they never want us to leave.
I have to be honest I am so so nervous for this upcoming transfer
especially since I don't know if I'll still be in the Spanish branch or
not.
I love you Dad
Love,

Elder Barker

 

Email from 4/20/2015

Dear Dad,

I am currently on my way down to Philly so I am not going to have much time to email so I'm typing this in the car. 

This week was very long and stressful filled with lots of tracting which, as far as I know, didn't accomplish anything. 

Monday was very stressful because we had to drive down to Broomall and pick up our car and then drive back to our dinner appointment where we were super late (we got there at 7:30). We got a call from a Spanish member at like 5:30 asking if we were coming over for dinner that night and they made food already. So we got there at like 8:40 and just grabbed food and left. They never even signed up and they were like, "how did you not see us sign up?" It was a stressful day. 

Tuesday, we tracted a lot for the sisters. We had a lesson with the the Medinas though and we invited Adrian to be baptized on April 25th and he accepted!!! He is so happy to get baptized he has wanted to for such a long time. We are meeting with them today to finalize everything for it. We invited his dad but he wasn't sure but he asked us to pray for him so that he would want to be baptized. Oh on Sunday we spoke with him and he told us that with all the sincerity of his heart he wants to be baptized on the 25th. 

I am so excited for them! There is a youth temple trip on May 2nd that Adrian will be able to go to and hopefully elder mask and I get to as well! This is what happens when members introduce their friends to the missionaries. We have been working so hard trying to find people to teach and I am exhausted but members are starting to bring others to church and it is such a blessing. Tracting can be pretty hard. Member missionary work is the most powerful tool in missionary work. I love this area but it is definitely one of the more stressful areas. I find out on Friday if I'll be transferred so I'll let you know next week. With baptisms and people preparing to go to the temple (possibly New York) I would love to stay. 

I hope everything is going well and I will send another email in response to yours when I'm able to download it

I love you Dad

Love,

Elder Barker

Email from 4/12/15

Hey Dad, 

So I am typing in the car because we have to drive to Broomall (2 hours one way I might have to) soon to pick up the car that my last companion beat up. Didn't even get to do laundry so we'll have to use time tomorrow. Since I get carsick I'm not sure how long this will be. 

Anyway, so was Nathan's last game bad? Did you get footage of his good game or dunk contest that I can have?  

Answers: my mailing address is 51 N 2nd st. apt 310 Stroudsburg, PA 18360. Transfer calls are on April 24 though so I'm not sure if I'll be here or not after the 27th. So you can send it to the mission home or wait until I know where I'll be.  

With college, President has given me permission to look into that so you don't have to worry about it I already knew that registration was in June. I don't know if I'm going to be rooming with anyone in September from my mission as most of them are going in winter and/or are engaged and might be married by then. It might just be like the first time and see what roommates I get. 

This week was good we got 14 lessons (an area high) and got tracting time in (yayyy). We made a lot of progress though with a lot of people. We met with Freddy, Monica, and Adrian a few times and they are starting to progress as a family which is great to see because there have been some moments of contention there. Adrian told us that he wants to be baptized and his parents said that that's okay. I don't know if I told you last week but Monica (the wife) is a member! She was baptized at 15 in Ecuador and never went back. There is a youth temple trip May 2nd and Adrian really wants to go so we want to get him there with some names.  

All of the lessons were in Spanish however but I was to feel the spirit in them. It's so interesting, I've never had a full conversation with these people, but I love them so much and I want them to get closer to their Father so bad. I'll miss this area whenever I leave. Well I am starting to feel sick, I'm sorry I know it's short. This will send whenever I get wifi. I love you Dad.

Love,

Elder Barker

Ps can I have bishop coggins email as well as president aragons?

Email from 4/6/2015

Well I just accidentally deleted the whole email I typed up so I'm gonna have to make this quick. Real quick- did Nate get my card? This week we had zone conference and we talked about being a full purpose missionary.  General Conference was really great I loved President Uchtdorf's talks (as always). Elder Oaks kinda threw down on teenage me, but he's right, we can't just coast through the gospel and expect to live a

 good faithful temple worthy life. I have realized that more and more on my mission.

Anyway, i was really sad to see how President Packer was doing. It was a really good talk but there were so many things I only caught because of subtitles. I wouldn't be surprised if that was his last conference but I hope he gets better. President Monson also looked like he was starting to age a lot. Also he spoke very little this conference and

didn't even close the conference. I hope he's doing okay. What was with the boos? President Uchtdorf handled it like a boss though. I really enjoyed the Sunday morning session that was my favorite I think. The themes I got though (I have to get going) were family, honoring and magnifying our priesthood, and honoring the sabbath. I am so grateful to be able to have modern prophets and apostles to help guide us today. Their words always make me reflect on what I can do better and habits I need to develop now. It's weird that that was the last one I will watch on the mission.

 Well I love you Dad.

 Love,

 Elder Barker

3/30/15

This week was crazy! I am so tired we taught 13 lessons (not much but it's the most this area has taught since being opened. I do feel bad because the majority of lessons are in Spanish and so its all Elder Mask pretty much. Anyway so on Monday, I almost dunked (gosh I have fallen so far), we went to the Santiago family for dinner after P-Day and that family is crazy! It's so chaotic but so much fun they are a great family 

On Tuesday we were able to teach a new investigator named Julio. He was born Catholic but he is not really sure what he believes. He really dislikes the fact that he didn't get to choose to be baptized catholic, instead his parents "forced it on" him when he was a baby as he said. He believes that he doesn't receive help from God, he believes he has everything he has because of himself. It was a Spanglish lesson and so I didn't get all of it, but he was very nice and honest about what he believes so that was good. 

Later that day we saw the Freddy and Adrian. Even though they are Spanish speaking (well Adrian can speak English) I still feel so much love for this family. I remember on Tuesday the week before, I don't remember if I told you this or not, I had a prompting the whole time that I needed to bear my testimony of the Book of Mormon to this family. I tried paying attention to understand more and I could tell that they were coming with more and more doubts about the Book of Mormon and it got close to the end of the lesson and the spirit then told me that I would deeply regret not sharing my testimony, I then had a quick picture in my head of them dropping us. I then lean over to Elder Mask and asked if he would translate for me so I can speak. I then bore testimony of how the Book of Mormon has blessed me and my family, how in the darkest and lowest times it has brought me to light, how it has shown me God's love and that it can strengthen their family as well. Fast forward to this last Tuesday and and he told us that "it's time for me to stop waiting and ask God" (in Spanish) whether or not the Book of Mormon is true. It was a good end to the lesson. 

Then right after that we saw a less active sister named Carmen. She is this sweet Hispanic woman who loves the missionaries. We read with her from the Book of Mormon (2 Nefi 33). I read as well (in Spanish since that's relatively easy to do) and she was so impressed and thinks I can speak Spanish now all of a sudden haha. She kept saying, in Spanish, "Wow you learned very quickly! Very good" haha.  

On Wednesday we had an English lesson!! It was with the Otis family, they're members that recently moved from New York City. We had a good lesson with them about FHE. They hadn't done it in about a year. They have a puppy German Shepard and I might get one, it'd be one of the few dogs I'd be okay with having. And she came to church this Sunday! It was great seeing her and her kids. 

Thursday we didn't have any lessons but we had 2 dinners back to back, OH MY GOSH, haha. And members, especially Hispanic members, always pile more on your plate, a lot more haha. So I was already full when we went to the second dinner. Anyway yeah haha

Friday gosh, we went to a less actives family home for dinner and they want us over a lot. So this Friday it's happening again! 

Saturday was a good day. We saw Freddy and Adrian again and as soon as I saw Freddy you could tell that he had finally prayed to know if the Book of Mormon was true. He was happy and so excited to see us. Long story short we invited them to be baptized on April 26. It was a really great week even though I'm exhausted every single night. Elder Mask and I are starting to turn this area around and it's great to see.  

I've been meaning to write something and I've completely forgotten the past few weeks. I want to challenge you, Nathan, Amanda, Mitch, Amber, and Steve to all finish the Book of Mormon (wherever you may be in it) by the time I come home from the mission. I want to finish the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon by that time. It's 4-5 months and I am completely confident that you all can do that. 

With me going home, it's not up to me it's up the presidency of the 70. 

I love you Dad

Love,

Elder Barker

Sent from my iPad

Email from 3/23/15

Hey Dad, 

Okay so first, [regarding Josh's plans for school] i still plan on going to fall, winter just came into my mind a couple times so I thought I'd ask, I wouldn't want to be sitting around so I still want to go to Fall. It's something I've been very prayerful about. 

Well I have a new companion now and his name is Elder Mask from Gilbert! He is friends from another elder in the district from Gilbert named Elder Rossell. We are doing work! The majority of lessons are still in Spanish but at the end of each night I feel like I had earned my pillow. I am so exhausted every day but it's great I feel great every day. Still don't know a whole that goes on in lessons but it's all good haha. I'm looking forward to this transfer:)  

I love you Dad!

Love,

Elder Barker

3/16/2015

Hey Dad,

Well first off I am staying and my companion, the one who speaks spanish in this spanish area, is leaving. Not really sure what's going to happen and i wrote president after hearing the news and he wrote back telling me to not worry that he is not going to leave me hanging out to dry. :)  We all think that an elder who served here some months ago is coming back to die [finish his mission] here. He knows the area and from what I have heard is a good elder so I am hoping for that. This week, we had lesson, it was in spanish...  It went well. Each individual of the family is progressing differently in the gospel. Adrian, the 12 year old son, is the driving force in the family for the gospel. He goes to church with a notebook and scriptures each week and writes down things that catch his attention. Freddy, the dad, believes it is true but not from a spiritual standpoint yet, it's more of this makes a lot more sense than everything else. Monica, the mom, is agnostic despite having had powerful spiritual moments with the missionaries but she did come to church with Adrian and her mom so that was pretty cool. 

Not really much else to note except that my spanish is getting better because of a free app called duolingo. it's really good and i actually understand what's going on now around me. I love it and will use it after my mission as well. 

Well, for college i've been thinking a lot and Winter has come to mind a lot. I've talked to a few returned missionaries past couple of weeks and i have gotten mixed responses on how soon i should go back to school. some have said that they wished they had a month or so to just transition i guess you could say, and others have said they liked going to work after a couple weeks. and i really don't know what will be best for me. i am going to pray a lot about it, the plan is still September and the registration is in June so there's no rush for the time being.

But what do you think? I really need some fatherly advice. 

You are always in my prayers.

I love you Dad

Love,

Elder Barker