Monday, May 12, 2014

Dear Family,

It was sure good to talk to you all yesterday! Sorry for the problems with the Skype. But it all worked out. President Messias was impressed with the size of our family. I love you all and I´m grateful for all the support you give me. You are all examples to me, and help me be better missionary and a better person. I hope that I can be all that I should be as a representative of the Savior. And I´m sorry for ever being less than I should have been in the past.

 Sounds like everyone had a good trip to St. George. How´s Meg and all the other missionaries? 

We had BBQ with Bishop yesterday for his B-day and mother´s day. It was incredible. Imagine Braza or Tucanos times ten. It was so good. And they had a passion fruit (maracujá) cake at the end. Heaven.

 I´m very impressed with the simplicity of the gospel. The family is central to God´s plan. The simple things make the difference, scripture study, prayer, and family home evening. I´m thankful for the family that I have. I love you all so much. Have an awesome week!!! Let´s win.

 Elder Barker

 

 

I just recieved an awful email saying I´ll be going home in 6 months. November, 25 to be exact. I´ve thought about it,alot, and I feel that I shouldn´t extend, even if I can. I´ll catch that spring semester of school. Have to move on, right? So I need some information to send to the secretaries.

1. Are you planning on coming to get me?

2. President Cluny´s email.

and... I think that´s it for now.

Can you send it to me?

 

Monday, May 5, 2014

Querida e amada familia,

 How is everyone doing? I´m doing fantastic. My new area is really great. The new retention project is going great. We´re having success reactivating people and we´re also finding people to baptize. It really was a great revelation from our leaders. It´s exactly what we need here. 

 Oh big news.. I got a package! The white shirts arrived with the PMG cap. And just in time, too. My shirts are getting worn out. Thank you so much!

And yes, I´ll be able to Skype 1 hour again! I´ll be using the stake president´s computor. I´ll get on at 7 pm which is 4 pm for you, I believe. If that´s a problem, send another email and we may be able to call on Saturday night again. It´ll be good to see you all again! I´ll be using the Skype of Elder Schleiger, michael.schleiger from Derby, Kansas (which is currently the area of Elder Wade Eyre) haha small world.

Thanks for the Family History story! I´m excited to read it.

I don´t think I´m getting taller, mom. It´s just because Elder Schleiger isn´t too tall. I think he´s pushin´ about 5´6´. But that´s a sensitive subject.

We have had a lot of funny things happen to us lately. Yesterday during lunch there were a bunch of grown men jamming out to `Girls just want to have Fun` in a bar. They don´t understand the words, so they just dance anyway. 

 The work is great and I love you all! Have you seen the video `Because of Him` on the church website? It´s really cool. 

 Love you and I´ll see you soon!

 Elder Barker

 

 

Dear Mia,

Thanks for writing me. I love hearing from you. Guess what... Last week when I was in the street there was this drunk guy that kissed me right on the face and he offered me 50 bucks. He kissed Elder Schleiger too. It stunk really bad, but he´s a child of God as well, right? ( I didn´t accept the money)

Also, we were running home the other night and Elder Schleiger biffed in the middle of road and there were a bunch of people on a roof top laughing at us. Pretty funny. He also got peed on by a cat in the middle of a lesson, on the next day. He was stinking all day and all of the cat´s in São Paulo were coming up to smell him.

The mission is the best!

Love you so much! Stay sweet and keep taking care of the family!

 Elder Barker

 

 

Monday, April 28, 2014

 

 

 

 

Dear Family,

 

I had a very full week. Missionary work is awesome because you don´t even have time to think about anything else. So we´re always happy! We´ve been in meetings and trainings all week.

So, the mission received in email from the Area Presidency inviting us to do a ´Pilot Project` of retention. 50% of all our Proselyting time is now retention. We´ll be working with a very specific group of Recent Converts and Recent Converts that have already gone less-active. It´s a very detailed program. We´re going to be working with the ward very closely. They say that if it goes well they´ll apply it in all of Brasil. But we´re just going to be doing it until the third week of June. We´ve been busy relaying all the information for the bishops, ward leaders and members.

It was also announced that Elder Andersen, from the 12, will be visiting our mission on May 21. It will be a meeting together with São Paulo, South. Everyone is really excited about that. Pres. Pinho said that Elder Nelson will be here too, but he´s not going to visit our mission. 

I also got transfered. Elder Schleiger and I will be going to a new area in our same zone. It´ll be good. We´re sad to leave our awesome house, but excited about the new transfer.

We had a training from the Area Presidency last night about `Minha Familia` (My Family booklet). It was a broadcast in all of Brasil about Family History. We will be using it a lot more in our work now as well. Everyone is getting very excited about it. You had mentioned that you´re doing it back home as well, so keep it up! And if you have any cool stories or pictures of our ancestors, I´d love to see them!

 

Love, Elder Barker

 

Monday, April 21, 2014

My dear family,

 

I love you all so much. I´m so grateful in this Easter season for the sacrifice and resurrection of our Lord. I´m grateful to know that because of it, our family can be together forever. I´m sad to see so many people everyday that don´t have the hope that we do. They either don´t know it´s possible or don´t believe that it can really happen. We are extremely blessed. 

 

So I´m with Elder Schleiger now. He´s from Kansas, and speaks my language. Literally, he is my first companion in about a year that speaks English haha. It´s been a lot of fun serving with him. We´re excited and having success with the ward leaders here.

 

Easter here is called Páscoa. It´s a big deal here. Everyone eats huge chocolate eggs. And Friday and Monday (today) are also holidays. So nobody is working or going to school today. And there is always a lot of food ;)

 

Well I love you all and pray for you. What a blessing to live in this time and be a part of the Lord´s church on the Earth!

 

I´ll be talking to you soon! A funny thing that happened, we have a sister in our zone that left 3 Nèfi: 3:7 with an investigator to read after the first visit instead of 1 Néfi. Read it, it´s pretty funny. (gadianton robbers)

 

Love you all,

Elder Barker

 

Monday, April 14, 2014

 

SCENERY

 

ANOTHER BAPTISM

CIPO ZONE

 



BRAZILIAN BBQ

 



 

 

 

ELDER DE JESUS

 

 

KARENA'S BAPTISM

 

 

 

RAIN, RAIN

 

 

 

 

Dear Family,

 

Wow a lot of big news this week! Isaac also told me that Matty J and Tyler Chandler are getting married. Is that true? I´m so excited for Connor, that´s awesome!He´s a great guy. Good to hear about Monte and Jake as well, when will he be getting married?

 

So my companion Elder De Jesus got transfered today and I´ll be getting a new companion tomorrow. I really liked working with him, but I´m excited for the future. There are a lot of great things happening in the mission. I like that shirt haha it´s awesome. There is so much World Cup merchandise around here, you wouldn´t believe it. Everyone is counting down the days until June 12.

 

I´m happy that everyone is getting to go to the temple! Remember me the next time you go, it´s been almost 6 months since I´ve gone, because of the large number of missionaries in São Paulo now. I can´t wait to go back!

 

I had a special experience this last week.  A woman named Daniela and her daughter Julia were baptized. They were very well prepared to hear the gospel. Her ex-husband is in jail right now and threatened her and her kids when he gets out. They have to move this week, but it was a special opportunity to be able to offer the gospel of peace in her life. After the first lesson she asked the soonest date that she could be baptized. They want to take a trip to see the temple before they move, I think we´re going to go there with them.

 

I love this gospel and know that it changes lives. I love you all!

 

Elder Barker

 

 

 

 

Monday, April 7, 2014

Dear Family,

Good to hear from everyone! General Conference was awesome. I got so much out of it! Now, just need to put it into practice. I was happy to sustain Raimundo Pacheco Pinho as a new area Seventy. His absence to see the ´knee doctor` didn´t fool me. He said in his email today that he was heading to the airport. I think he was there in Salt Lake for the Conference. He is a great man and a great leader. He will begin is service on July 1st, the day he is released as Mission President.

Give Monte a hug for me, Can´t believe he´s going home. Time is so precious. 

Conference is such a good time to make new goals and be better people. And especially a good time to remember the Savior. He has done so much for us. I`m grateful for the testimonies of our leaders and especially for the Apostles. They really know the Lord. It´s incredible to hear their special witnesses. And I love the simple profound teachings that they give us. Be kind. Love everyone. Be grateful. Put your family first. We can be forgiven.

Obedience really brings blessings. If we keep our covenents, defend our faith and serve for the rest of our lives´ we will return to live with our loving Father in Heaven. 

 

Remember that our 4 minutes are here! We´ve been preparing and learning for thousands of years in the premortal world, just to be here on this earth at this time. Now let´s take advantage of it, let´s Win!

 

Jesus Christ really lives and his Atonement has redeeming power. We really can be forgiven. And like Elder Bednar said, it also has enabling power to help us become what we really can become.

 

Love, Elder Barker

 

Monday, March 31, 2014

Dear Family,

So good to hear from you as always! I am doing great. I feel so grateful for the things that have been happening and a little bit undeserving. I had one of the most special experiences of my mission this weekend. 

A family that I taught in my 2nd area, Parque das Nações, were finally baptized this last weekend. The kids were already baptized, and the parents always went to church, but the father, Jeferson, did not want to get married. We worked with them a lot, but it never worked out. And this last weekend after 7 or 8 months of going to church they were finally married. The Elders called me last week and said that Karina, the mom, wanted me to baptize her. So, Pres. Pinho gave me permission and I got to go to the baptismal service. It was a moment that I´ll never forget. They were so.... Happy. The gospel has changed the course of their lives´ forever. I really love that family and know that the are on the right path to have an eternal family. They are already talking about the sealing next year in the temple. I know that families can be together forever. I´m so grateful for that fact. And I´m grateful that I´m here in dirty, stinky São Paulo where I can meet and help such amazing families, because it´s the people that make this the best city in the world.

I never would have thought that I would come to love my mission and the people this much. Now it´s hard to imagine my life without the experiences I´ve had here.

And everyday is a new opportunity to find more families to teach! This is the best work in the world. 

I´m anxious and excited for General Conference, to hear what our living Prophets have to say to us. Don´t miss it for anything!

I love you all, my family!

 

Elder Barker

 

 

WE, THE FIRST PRESIDENCY and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.