Whats up?!?

This week was pretty crazy. We had a lot of office responsibilities this week, so we were pretty busy! So an insane thing happened this week! So we were doing our weekly package and supplies run to the Zone Leaders and we saw somebody struggling with changing his tire, so we stopped and helped him out.  As he was jacking up his car I put the tire on to his car and the car jack slips back down a notch or something and smashes my hand against the tire, the car was on my hand! So he jacks the car back up and my hand feels super weird. We finish up and we get back into the truck and my hand wasn't swollen and it didn't even hurt!  Remember an entire car landed on my hand!  My hand is perfectly fine! My hand is perfectly fine! It was Truly a miracle! My hand should be broken, God truly does look out for His missionaries!  I really enjoy being an office elder, it is a lot of responsibility. We have to maintain the work in the ward we are working in and we also have to be "on call" for the mission leadership and office staff.  It's crazy! 

I love you all and I hope you all have a great week!

<Kia Kaha>

-Elder Barney

(email from August 25, 2014)

Well...

Whaz-up!

This week was insane! We put like 500 miles on the truck this week! We drove around the entire mission like 3 times. It was crazy, we put up like 5 bunk beds, cleaned out 2 apartments, moved stuff into an apartment, removed stuff from apartments that didn't need to be there anymore, a package run to every zone leader for the missionaries and a supply run (Copies of the Book of Mormon, Pamphlets, Pass-Along cards, stuff like that) to all the zones also. It was way fun though! 

There is a picture of our ride, pretty awesome. Then the temple, which we see everyday! Its so awesome! 

So yeah this week was fun. 

Hope you have an awesome week!!

<Kia Kaha>

-Elder Barney

(email from August 18, 2014)

Mission truck!

 last Normandy Park group of missionaries

bunch of crazies :)

Heyo!

Well this will be short, new calling, I got transferred to Bellevue, so I am now an office elder. What an office elder does is aid the mission presidency, and the senior missionaries in the office. It's super cool, we have to move around a lot of furniture from different apartments throughout the mission and just run errands for like everyone in the mission, its craziness, we get like maybe 9 hours of proselyting time in a week. Its a super awesome calling though. We get special privileges too so thats cool :) We have like zero p-day so we email during the week and shop and stuff so its great! 

Well Elder Carter is my comp and he is pretty cool! So its going to be a great transfer!! It's just sad I don't get to see my investigators from Normandy Park get baptized, but at least they are making that choice! Oh and they actually closed Normandy Park B so I opened that area and closed it! 

The church is true! 

The mission is the best 2 years FOR your life! Have an awesome week!!

<Kia Kaha>

-Elder Barney

(email from August 13, 2014)

Hey!

Aloha!

How was your week? Last week was pretty great! Yesterday was crazy! We went to church and Efren and Gloria came in late and missed the sacrament, so after class we went to the spanish branch and took the sacrament there. We went to a baptism at 6 with them and then at 7 there was an awesome fireside, and then we had a lesson with them after, I gave their mom a blessing and then Efren accepted a baptismal date! We also challenged Gloria to throw away all the cigarettes in her house and not buy any this week. We talked to her for awhile about how it will help, she wants to stop, its just hard for her, but she can do it! This is the last week of the transfer so we got to end it strong! 

My mission president has a article in the August Ensign! Here is the link! You should read it! It is super awesome!

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2014/08/be-strong-and-of-a-good-courage?lang=eng

Hope all is well! Have a great day!

<Kia Kaha>

-Elder Barney

(email from August 4, 2014)

Hey!

Hello from Normandy Park!

This week was definitely a slow week. A lot of our investigators are gone! So lessons have been kinda hard to get this week. We had 2 lessons with Efren this week. Efren is a 17 year old who has been meeting with us since April. He has the worst anxiety I have ever seen. He hasn't been able to leave his apartment since last September. Because of that he had to drop out of High School, he lost his job and all of his friends left him. Super sad. He has completely given his life to God. He has the some of the strongest faith I have seen. We went through the baptismal interview questions with him and he answered each one flawlessly. He has such a strong testimony. After months of trying, HE CAME TO CHURCH! He said is was so great to go to church. He loved the feeling and he said he wants to come every week, get baptized, get his patriarchal blessing, go through the temple and then serve a mission! He is so great. The Lord truly loves each one of His children. and he wants the best for all of them! 

I am grateful to be on a mission at this time, where I can devote 100% of my time to the Lord. 

Well I hope you all have a great week! Love you all!

<Kia Kaha>

-Elder Barney

(email from July 28, 2014)

Hello from Seattle!

Hey!

How was your week? Hope it was awesome! Well this week was pretty awesome! Elder Savage and I did a lot of service! We cut down a ton of blackberry bushes, out here they are a nuisance, they like destroy peoples yards. So yeah we got some pretty gnarly battle scars. The thorns on those suckers are crazy. We also rescued a members wife, she ran out of gas about 6 minutes from a gas station. We went to that gas station and got her a can of gas, so that was fun. Then we cut down more blackberry bushes.

We tracted into this guy named Mike, we read the intro to the Book of Mormon with him and he really liked what it had to say. He really respects our church for how we raise our youth. He really respects the missionary efforts our church has. He said we could stop by when ever we wants, so thats awesome!

So I read in ether this week, Chapter 6 verse 6-7. Its about the barges the Jaredites made and their Journey to the Promised Land. It says: 

6.) And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind.

7.) And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters. 

Sometimes we get buried in trials and tribulations and we don't know what to do, and it seems to just get worse.  But if our testimonies are tight and strong in Jesus Christ and His gospel. The trials can't touch us and He will help us out of the trials. Like in Matthew when Jesus helped Peter. I know if we ask for help and guidance God WILL help us. 

Peace out!

<Kia Kaha>

-Elder Barney

Missionaries - Normandy Park Ward

(email from July 21, 2014)

Talofa!

How was your week? Hope it was glorious! This week was an ok start for the transfer, but we had a lot of solid lessons! On the 4th of July we had to be in at 6pm, so we saw like 3 fireworks :(

Lately I have been reading a lot about concerns and questions people have about the church. Its been a really cool experience learning more about why we do things and the importance of the things we do. Awesome way we found teaching Priesthood Authority is comparing it to an ice cream man! So you are speeding down the road and you pass an Ice Cream Man and all the sudden he tries to pull you over! Would you pull over for him? Well what if instead of the Ice Cream Man, it was a Police Officer? You would pull over because he has the authority to do that! Same thing with the Priesthood... Its pretty awesome! 

With our investigators we taught a lot on the importance of church and what we do at church, and 3 people came this week so thats a good thing! This week we did a lot of service, like a ton! we did service like everyday and it was great! All for investigators too! Well hope you have an awesome week! 

<Kia Kaha>

-Elder Barney

(email from July 7, 2014)