Chula Vista - Week #45 - Mar 11, 2014

Jose volunteers as tribute

Hola familia!

WHAT A WEEK! WAHOO!!! Ivette and Freshte are getting baptized this Saturday!!! And Jose is getting baptized two weeks after that! Our area is on FIRE!!!

Craziest Sunday of my life happened two days ago:

Jose doesn't have transportation to get to church, so we set everything up so he'd be good to go. Manuel and the Romeros stopped by his house to pick him up and the gate was locked and Jose was no where to be found! They tried screaming his name but he wouldn't come to the gate so they left. Jose forgot it was daylight savings!! NOO!!! We were heart-broken. We knew that if Jose wanted to get baptized on the 29th, he would have to come to church 3 weeks in a row. Anyway, during all of this, Ivette and Freshte were having their baptismal interviews in the church right before church was about to start so that was another thing we were running around with our heads cut off for. Hermano Silva, who is rock star member missionary, agreed to go try again to pick Jose up who lived 20 minutes away from the church. We hopped in our car, Hermano Silva hopped in his car, and off we were on a trek to find Jose. We got to his junkyard and the gate was still closed. So we lost 20 pounds for 3 seconds and miraculously squeezed through the gate and right as we ran up to his trailer, there he was, all ready to go with his white shirt and combed hair. I swear I could hear the "Hallelujah" chorus somehwere. I felt true happiness. We jumped in the car and sped back to the church as fast as we could. We were tarde, pero seguro. *SIGH.* Five million more things happened on Sunday, including Ivette and Freshte passing their baptismal interviews (Wahoo!)! Going to church is important people! All that stress wasn't for nothing!

Moment I will never forget: We had a lesson with Jose with Manuel last night on the Plan of Salvation and at the end we asked him to pray about it to know if it was true and he said to us in a most serious and sincere voice (in Spanish), "Okay. I must pray." He said a most sincere prayer and then said, "I WILL LIVE THE PLAN. I ACCEPT THE PLAN!!" as if he had just accepted and volunteered as tribute in the hunger games. Hahaha. Best moment ever. He is so stinkin' excited to get baptized, it's out of this world.

Please, please, please pray for Ivette and Freshte. They are both excited for their baptisms this weekend, but Satan sure is shooting fiery darts their way. Pray, pray, pray! I will continue to pray for the triplets as well! Love you!!

Hermana Barnes

Picture:

1) District dinner with the Romeros!

Chula Vista - Week #44 - Mar 4, 2014

It's rainin' rain, the flu, and miracles of course

Hola mi fam!

 

Cool miracle: The Romero family from the ward invited Ivette and Freshte (investigators with a baptismal date for the 15th) to a big birthday dinner in downtown San Diego. We later found out that Hermana Romero, instead of enjoying the dinner with her family, spent the whole time answering Ivette's doubts and questions about the church. Ivette told her that she has never felt so ready to get baptized! My testimony of member missionary work sky-rocketed even more this week. Seeing things like this makes me want to baptize the world when I return home.

 

The flu bug has been going around San Diego, watch out. We've had to go on a bunch of exchanges this week with the other hermanas in our district to be able to make it to appointments in both areas. Jose, the guy we found at the junk-yard site is so cool. We set him with a baptismal date for March 29th on exchanges and he is so excited. So prepared.

 

Shacht family: They are SUPER solid. They are the family that come to church every single week, have tons a great questions, and really want to get baptized. They told us if something were to happen and the missionaries weren't able to come over anymore, they would continue to read the scriptures and pray every day and go to church every week. So they told us not to ever worry about them. YES. It was music to our ears.

 

Please pray for Ivette, Freshte, Jose, and the Schacht family. They are all so close to baptism and they need all the prayers they can get.

 

The big fast for rain is continuing to poor blessings upon San Diego! Literally! SO MUCH RAIN THIS WEEK!! 

 

Con tanto amor de Chula Vista,

Hermana Barnes

 

Pictures:

1) Me and Hermana Pendleton at Ocean Beach. I love her. I love the beach. I was even closer to jumping in this time. I'm learning a lot of self-control and resistance to temptation on the mission.

2) Panning for gold at the Mormon Batallion

3) Watch out, he's loaded! 

Chula Vista - Week #43 - Feb 25, 2014

Junk-yard miracles

Hola mi familia,

 

Super cool story: We had this referral from like 2 months ago that we had tried to find for the longest time and the address just kept leading us to a junk-yard type thing. Finally we decided to check it out again a couple days ago and there was a super grumpy old man that we started talking to and trying to teach. He told us where this guy, Jose, lived but then told us that we could never enter the property because it's private. What?! We thought, "NO!! We have a soul to save!! Don't you understand?" Sheesh. So the next day, we went back... Haha. We made sure he wasn't there and Jose was standing right outside the junkyard! Blessing straight from Heaven. He told us, "I knew when you stepped out of your car that God finally sent me missionaries to teach me! I've been waiting a while!"  He is SUPER ready for the Gospel and SUPER solid. He literally lives in a trailer in a big junkyard-looking thing where he also works. It's super funny. I'll take a picture sometime.

 

Well, Hermana McBride is gone :( I miss her so much. She got transferred to City Heights. Me and her are definitely going to be friends for life, sheesh. One of the hardest parts about the mission is just growing so close to people you serve and serve with, and then having to say goodbye. My poor little heart! Haha my new companion, Sister Capareda is great though. We are COMPLETE opposites in every way but it's going to be a good transfer. She's an amazing missionary. She's half Filippina and half Australian, pretty cool!

 

A bunch of missionaries from Chula were invited to have dinner with one of the Mission President's counselors, President and Sister Hunt. Nic's cousins! Mom do you remember Amy Frischnecht? (totally spelled that wrong) You went to high school with her! She remembered you. It is such a small, small, Mormon world.

 

I'll update you more on Ivette and Freshte next week, but keep praying for them!!

 

Love you!!

 

Hermana Barnes

 

Pictures:

1) The Hermanas in our district and the Hunts.

2) This cute little Hispana came up to me after to church and wanted me to hold her! I wish I could. We took a picture instead. Haha.

3) Last night as a district with Bishop Chavez at the awesome missionary activity we put on. Every companionship in our district got changed up! This district is going to be best friends for life.

Chula Vista - Week #42 - Feb 18, 2014

Transfer calls, solid investigat​ors, be smart.

Hola familia!

 

We just got transfer calls and... I'm staying in Chula for another 6 weeks!! Wahoo!! I love this place. But Hermana McBride is leaving :( I sure love her and am going to miss her a whole ton. I have learned so much from her. She will do great things wherever she goes though.

  

You know that super solid family, la Familia Shact, I was telling you about? Well, we found out last night that they are actually legally married! Yes!! Haha they had been telling us they weren't married because they thought we were asking if they were married in the temple. Haha they were like, "After our baptism we'll get married in the temple of course." So they are a lot closer to baptism than we thought. Best mis-communication ever.

 

Our district got to do a cleaning service project at German's house yesterday. If you've seen "The District" he's the guy who stopped smoking and got baptized. It was so cool! We were all slightly start-struck for a few seconds when he walked in. Haha the joys of serving in "The District."

 

Ivette and Freshte are still doing awesome. They both came to church early, stayed the whole 3 hours, AND they didn't feel very well. That's some good dedication right there. They are both excited to get baptized on March 1st. The adversary is starting to shoot fiery darts their way. Please, please, please pray for them.   

 

Funny moment of the week:

In Zone Meeting, we were discussing some zone activities we can do for P-days and one of the missionaries was like,

 

"Hey, let's go to a swimming pool and just hang out and play games without ACTUALLY swimming."

 

Without even hesitation, a very righteous, super obedient Elder was like, "Well, I'd say that's like walking into a strip club with your eyes closed."

 

This Elder's companion: (under his breath) "okay, that was a little too far..."

 

Hahaha! We were all dying laughing. Although that probably distracted all the Elders for at least 20 seconds, he brought up a good reminder for all of us. Instead of feeding the temptation of sin, we should just avoid it all together. Everybody: Don't go to strip clubs even if you're planning on closing your eyes. Hahaha. But seriously, we can all be a little smarter.

 

I love you! Thanks so much for the Valentines' packages! You're all too good to me! Cuidense!

 

Hermanita Barnes

 

Pictures

1) Swap meet on P-day. We got a sweet strawberry cookie jar for a member who loves random gifts

2) It's another beautiful California sunset everybody.

3) Happy Valentines' Day!

 

 

 

 

 

Chula Vista - Week #41 - Feb 11, 2014

Potential baptismal dates, beach temptations, new Ward Mission leader

Hola familia!

This week was sweet! Two of our investigators, Ivette and Freshte, have been progressing on and off for a few months now. They've been hesitant setting a baptismal date for a while, too. This past week, we had a really powerful lesson with them and they felt that they are finally ready for baptism! They are praying really hard to know if March 1st is the day they should get baptized and they told us they feel really good about it. We are so excited for them!! Another one of our investigators who has been investigating the church for almost a year,
Nilo, told us he felt the Spirit in our last lesson and hasn't felt it that strong in a long time. He is very close to finally committing to a baptismal date as well. Wahoo! I will update you more on him next week.

We've done some pretty cool things for p-days the past couple weeks. I'll send some pictures. We went to Balboa park and got to walk through the museums. They were sweet! You guys would love it. Then last week we played sports with our zone at some grass RIGHT NEXT TO THE BEACH. I was to tempted to run and jump right in the ocean, name tag and all. It might have been the biggest temptation I've had my whole mission.

A new Ward Mission Leader, Hermano Tirado, was called in the ward who knows how to get things DONE! So many prayers answered. Missionary work is about to take off in the Chula 4th ward!!

I'm in love with this place. Have a great week! Les quiero con todo mi corazon!

Hermana Barnes

View from the pier at Imperial Beach

Don't mess with Hermanas!

Me, Hermana McBride, and Hermana Oliver at the Aerospace museum in Balboa park... 

We were having fun, I promise. I don't know why they're frowning.

I love the ocean!

Chula Vista - Week #40 - Feb 4, 2014

Happy Hump Day!

Mi familia!

Manuel, the one who got baptized a couple weeks ago, baptized another investigator on Saturday! So cool!! I know I talk about how solid Manuel is every week, but he is just so stinkin' cool. He blessed the sacrament the very next day. What a rockstar.

This past Fast Sunday, the whole state of California did a big fast for rain to help with the drought. And the very next day... IT RAINED!!! HALLELUJAH IT'S RAININ' RAIN! It's been raining today, too! The Law of the Fast is real I tell ya!

We have started teaching the Shacht family a little more and they are so awesome! They come to church every week and are really wanting to know the truth. The dad has so many good questions. They have such a real desire, it's sweet. They aren't married so it may be a process before they get baptized. But it will happen, I know it.

Hermana McBride, my companion, got the stomach flu really bad this past week so we've had to stay in for a few days. I went on exchanges with the other sisters for a while so we could work our area and see some of our investigators. Hermana McBride has gone through a lot this transfer. Please keep her in your prayers. Missions are hard but it helps to know you have a lot of people praying for you and for your investigators. It's been interesting to see that while a mission brings out the worst in you sometimes, it brings out the best in you at the same time. Ether 12:27 explains it better than I can. A mission is just a big, wonderful, refiner's fire. Haha it's the best thing in the world.

Well, it was my hump day on Saturday (half-way mark). I have mixed emotions for sure. I can't believe how fast time has gone. Are you guys still praying that it'll go by super fast? Stop that... haha love you. Have a great week.

Hermana Barnes


Pictures:
1) Reunion of the four of us inseparable hermanas from our MTC district!
2) You can see downtown San Diego from the hospital by our apartment. I live here?

Chula Vista - Week #39 - Jan 28, 2014

Emelio got baptized!! I love this work.

Hola familia!

 

EMELIO GOT BAPTIZED!!! AHH!! He was an investigator we taught in Ramona and I was able to attend the baptism. So beautiful! I have talked about him in other emails, but he is amazing! He gave a shout out to me and Hermana Hughes at the baptism (haha) for being so persistent and never giving up on him even though he was super duper busy, working full-time and going to school. He said he NEVER imagined himself getting baptized into the church. But the spirit touched him and he changed. Those change of heart moments make everything--every effort, every let-down, every exhausting day--so worth it.

 

We've had so many funny moments with recent converts lately. My favorite this week: We were talking to a recent convert yesterday about her conversion story. She was telling us about how she was on hard drugs for 10 years, and one day, not knowing why, she felt like she needed to stop. So from that day forward, she stopped cold turkey with no problems to this day. Then she talked about how she was a smoker all the way up until she was pregnant with her first son, and decided she needed to stop for him so she stopped cold turkey, no problems again. Then she was like, "You try to get me to stop eating chocolate or drinking diet coke, AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN" Hahaha. Are those things more addictive than hard drugs? Maybe. Beware.

 

This week has been a little rocky, but still full of great blessings. I've come to realize that every day, no matter how hard, is still full of many miracles. Being a missionary is SO HARD, but I love this work with all of my heart. I am so proud of my three brothers and everyone else who is preparing to serve missions right now. Get ready to be on the front line of the battle! Shout out to my papa who is turning 29 on Friday! Les amo!

 

Hermanita Barnes

 

Pictures:

1) Benji! (Coca's son) Happiest little birthday boy in the world!

2) Emelio and Reina at their baptism!

3) Emelio with us and the other sister missionaries who finished teaching him after we got transferred