October 26, 2010

Hey mamma this week was alright. We walked a ton, like a ton. My comp has huuuuge blisters. Good thing I have good inserts... it’s funny that you talk about teaching, the zone goal is to convert yourself into a better teacher, we are all studying the Preach My Gospel lessons thoroughly.

I listened to that talk you sent me for my birthday the other day (The Missionary Next Door) and it was amazing, I am definitely going to use that stuff with members.

The weather here has been super-hot, this is going to be a long summer, but better this than wearing all of my clothes every day. That is crazy about the stake, but not different than I expected. I love President W. I wonder how D is doing, he dies soon,(that means he finishes his mission soon) wow, that makes me feel old.

I have the flippin best district ever, I love these kids. Could you send us materials to make tye dyes? Maybe as part of Christmas, that would be an awesome activity. Sorry, i have to go fast today, it is late.

I love you a lot mom.

Did you know the ducks are number 2? My comp gets weekly college football updates.

Chau

Elder Barry

Giants are going to the World Series!!!!!!

President W will be an amazing stake president, but watch out, he knows his stuff, you will lose a fight about doctrine with him.

Since when are the rangers good??? That came out of nowhere. Stupid Rangers.

Well this week I had the worst week numbers wise that I have had for the time I have been here. We only had 6 lessons with investigators all week long. Not because we didn´t work, but because we just couldn´t find anyone home. I think I walked more this week than I have walked some months. But I don´t feel like we failed this week, we have a baptism next Saturday, a 14 year old named T he is cool. If there is one thing he needs it is the church.

The district is doing great though. The hermanas in our ward are doing just about the same as us, but the other two areas are flying!!! Today we had an activity as a district and went to the zoo and played football and soccer, it was fun. Plus we jammed out singin and playing guitar. I learned the song I´m Yours by Jason Mraz, it’s a goodie you should look it up.

I heard that people celebrate Halloween here, but not a lot. I’ll probably wear an orange tie.

Our new apartment is nasty. It is old and falling apart, the shower head no longer has a head, and doesn´t hang, so we just have to hold it in our hand the whole time with a thin stream of water.

Being district leader is fun! Our last meeting went really well, and tomorrow, we are going to do practices most of the time. It’s hard to be in charge but my peeps are cool

I hope you guys have a great week, oh yeah, for Christmas I would like updated pictures (printing here is expensive!) of family and friends, and then candy, other than that I will have to think about. It’s hard to know what I want.

Love you dad

Elder B

October 18, 2010

Hey Dad,

It is super weird to be in charge, my comp is super cool, and we are good friends, so that helps a lot, but I am the one who has to teach most of the lessons. We'll figure it out, we are going to have two days a week where we only speak Spanish now so we can improve our speaking skills.

My first district meeting went alright... not the best, but I'll figure it out, now I know my peeps a little better too. We have this one hermana in our district who whenever I talk to her on the phone she talks for about a year and a half, it's super funny. It is a little weird to have sisters in the district, because I had never had that before and now I have 4!!

Way to go on getting a job for the beaner!! Now she can wear millions of polos of all different colors.

I can't believe the beavs lost to uw, that is embarrassing. its just cuz I'm not there.

This week we had interviews with the mission president and mine lasted almost 4 minutes, it was my personal record. Kind of a bummer to not be able to talk longer, but it means that I am not in trouble. I also found out that my district from last change was the best in the whole mission, we were all best friends and did funtivities, I am sure that's why. So now I am trying to make this district kinda like that, the only problem is that I live an hour away from the other elders.

oh well... I found an awesome scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 100. 5 thru 8, it made me excited to be a missionary and feel like I really do have help out here.

5 Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men; 6 For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say. 7 But a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall declare whatsoever thing ye declare in my name, in solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness, in all things. 8 And I give unto you this promise, that inasmuch as ye do this the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say.

I love you dad
May the force be with you
elder B

Hi Mom

I have never seen the testaments with a family here, but it would be a great idea, I just bought it form the distribution center a couple weeks ago, that one and legacy, they are both suuuper good. I also like the long version of the restoration. I don't remember gospel words in english, haha me and that hermana were talking about that the other day, i don't know if i could even give the lessons in english at this point.

haha to celebrate my year mark we burnt a shirt, the old old navy one I brought. It lit really well, I have a video of it, I'll try to get that to you at some point in the future. It is weird to think that I am on the way down the hill of my mission, I feel like I have grown a lot, but also like I am no where near ready to come home yet. We weren't able to do the plaza activity yet but we are going to do it eventually, it is an amazing idea.

I love you mama, you are the best mom ever
Elder Barry

11 Oct 2010

OOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is extraodrinary! go beavs!

My district is way awesome! The hermanas are pretty cool. also, there are 4 of them. One pair of them we share a ward with so we see them all the time, the other ones are like 30 minutes away. This town, san jose, is ittybitty. the center of the town is like a mini 33, but with an outdoor mall, a lot like the outlet mall, just without the rain covering. There was almost no work at all when I got here. We do have one kid named T who is going to get baptized the 23rd. He has lisdexia so bad that he can't even read, but he is super excited. He is 14 years old and wants to help us out all the time. He has already come with us to go tracting, and he isn't even baptized!

Other than him, they had zero steady investigators. But never fear, Barry is here, we found seven new investigators this week, some of them are iffy, but yeah baby! We got to church this Sunday and there was about 30 people there, and apparently that is a good week here. Sooo different, I am used to having a whole big chapel full like in Montevideo, but life is way different here in the country(and ps, there are no peaches anywhere to be found. what a ripoff!!!)

My comp is from Mississippi, he is rather southern. His spanish is worse than mine was when I left the mtc, but we are learning together. It is weird to be senior comp, I find myself talking all of the time, it is hard to know when he understands, and when he will even have something to say, I now know what my first two companions felt, I feel really sotrry about how stubborn I was back then. I see a lot of my young mission self in this kid, and all I've gotta say is that I am glad that I have grown up a little bit.

They are really splitting he stake!? Wowzers. that is nuts. Lots of things are different since I left.

So, I had a tiring week, but it was a lot of fun, making DL calls every night is a lot of fun, one of the hermanas is super funny and her comp only speaks Spanish so she just lets out all of her English humour over the phone to me, its hilarious. There is another set of missionaries in the district, two latinos, but they seem really awesome. we have not had district meeting yet, so we'll see.

love you.

peace

elder b

Hey Mama

Being DL is the best. I get to call 3 companionships every night to see how their day was. I am supposed to ask for their numbers, which I totally hate doing, but I made it better, I ask for how many people they made laugh during the day. It is a tight rivalry between us and the hermanas for who gets more every day. It is super fun though.

We have 4 companionships, 2 elders and 2 hermanas. So far everyone seems really cool. The hermanas in our ward are awesome, we are planning an activity to go down to the plaza with people from the ward and have a big sign about the Book of Mormon, and hand out invitations and then the next day to watch a Joseph Smith movie in the church, it should be awesome.

Also, I have to run a district meeting every Tuesday morning(starting tomorrow). It should be good, I studied the stuff really well with my companion this morning. That is so cool about C and her friends! She sounds like a good missionary. And it is way awesome that you are friends with J, she sounds like a way cool person, thank you guys so much for helping the missionaries out.

San Jose is just a little city far away from everything, but technically it is part of the stake and zone Las Piedras, so i am back here, kinda.

Shoot, I gotta go. I love you mom.

Barry

5 Oct Letters to the whole fam

Me and the beaner get along suuuper well, we are like best friends, but today I got switched. now I am with an elder named elder T. I haven´t met him yet. On hump day it is tradition to burn a shirt, and I have one old shirt that I don´t really wear, so I´ll send you guys the video of it.
doublñe bacon avacado burger sounds ridiculously good, lucky dog. Well have a great week S!!
love you
elder b

Hey D,

I´m glad you are great. Mrs. S is super cool. We did not do the 2 week book thing, sounds hard.
Good luck in high crap! I can´t believe you are so flipping old
elder b

Good Luck Alvin (C was swollen from wisdom teeth removal)
you are the best!!!!!!!!
love you

Hey mama
Conference was flipping the greatest ever!! I loved elder Bednars talk a ton, about really receiving the Holy Ghost, I put a star next to my notes for really good talks, then realized that almost every single talk had a star next to it. Guess I am going to be reading a lot from the November Liahona. That's so cool that you are helping an investigator, if i was a missionary there i would love you to death.

Today is change day and I saw F, remember the guy from my first area? and he said that you have to add him on facebook.

So, change calls came on Sunday night. I got transferred again. I go to Las Piedras, again. but I go to an area that is called san jose de mayo. My comp is a kid who has 2 changes less than me who is a gringo. Also, I am DISTRICT LEADER!!! Wow. that came from nowhere. I didn´t even have to go to the future leaders meeting. so I thought I wasn´t going to be a leader for at least 2 changes more. But here I go. senior comp and dl.

Its good to hear that the family is good. I love you and will talk to you next week.
elder barry

Dad,
hahaha her cheeks are huge!!! President Uchtdorf had some amazing talks. I loved when he said, but some of you might be wondering, what does this have to do with airplanes? We died of laughter. Yeah we got to see it in the gringo room, and we had tables, so we bought a buttload of junkfood. the best ever!!

That's super cool C has a job interview. I hope she gets it. Then I can get cool sweaters for cheap.
Way to go Oregon Wtate! 145 yards, that's impressive.

Me and elder P are basically best friends, the work is a million times better when you get along well with your companion. These 6 weeks flew by. But now I got changed, sadly I have to go back to las Piedras. Sad because I leave, but happy because I am way stoked to be going out to san jose de mayo. As district leader. I am pretty nervous for that part, but it should be fun. I have another gringo, he sounds pretty cool. We share a ward with 2 sister missionaries, so it should be interesting to say the least.

I am pumped. I thought it was funny today, we had a leadership meeting and to start we sang "Be thou humble", super funnny!! Well I am in the bus station and I have to bounce.

love you tons!! say hi to the chipmunk for me!
elder Barry

27 Sep 2010

Hey C!
Whats up? Getting your wisdom teeth out isn´t that bad, the only bad thing is that you have to eat pudding and stuff for a couple of days(I ate normal food when no one was looking hehe, I just ate really slow.)

You are so lucky that you got to go to the temple! I miss the temple so much, but I heard that we get to go soon, in like November.

This week was pretty good, I have been halfway sick all winter long, so I kept that up this week, but we did have 6 investigators in church. We played soccer with these kids in the church and we got 5 investigators there once! 5 punk kids came into the church to play with the missionaries it was the best.
love ya
elder B

Hey mama!

This week we passed by Carlos a few times, just to be with him for a bit. the poor guy is soooo depressed, I kinda understand what he is going through, I was a little bit emo every winter time back home. He just sits there all daylong, alone in his house, and then when his wife gets home she is usually frustrated about work and stuff, he never really talks that much, but bursts into tears super easily. We are becoming great friends with his cat, Kathy Lorena. Lorena is the name I gave her when I was trying to distract him.

KM is such a cool kid! Their whole family is cool.
Also the F family that's way cool that S and Z are buds now, Z is a good kid, but the two of them would be crazy.

S walked all the way home!?!?!?!?! that is super far! how does the G high school work? do the kiddos like it? how is Mr. S treating C? gosh I miss that guy. I loved entrepreneur. high school was the best ever.

I am definitely going to be a cycle geek after I get home, its a goal of mine. I checked my weight recently and I was at less than when I left so I think fat boy days are gone :)

Well, i love you mom
elder B

Hey Dad,
I miss having your homemade bread every Sunday, that was the best. People always have bread here, but its always just stuff they buy from the little almacens, or markets that are on almost every street corner. its good bread, but its not fresh.

Freaking Boise state. What dorks. their stupid field. the beavs will pick up their momentum, they always start out slow.

Well our week was alright, we found three new investigators! In most areas, a week with only three news sucks, but here, I was pretty proud of it. I did one of my favorite contacts of all time last Pday... we were chillin at the house of these other missionaries and we had to go to the almacen to buy food. In most almacens there are slot machines (haha, ¨my son is into the sluts...¨ name that movie) and while the other elder was buying I sat next to this lady who was gambling and just started talking to her... I was like, you lucky today? She was like, kinda. then we talked about the church for a couple minutes, but here's the catch. I was in basketball shorts and a sweatshirt, with my nerdy 3D glasses that I got in a package on. But it was awesome!!!

I love you dude, good luck finding C a job, I hated job searching...
bye
Elder Barry