It's the final Countdown

I cannot believe that this is it. I am done. Just a long bus ride and three flights left. How do i feel? Well, super happy. Really sad. Relieved. Accomplished. Excited. Nervous. Confused. Hungry. Ready. Not nearly prepared. Scared. Wiped out.

Yesterday in my last day in church, we had a really good sacrament meeting. after the sacrament they asked me to bear my testimony, and a lot of feelings that I had been suppressing came up. I had been fighting against myself all week long to stay focused and a couple times I lost the battle so I was feeling bummed out and not very worthy, but when I got up, the Spirit hit me really hard.

The mission has been the greatest thing for my life. I have learned a ton and grown up. God has helped me so many times in so many ways. Really God loves and helps those who follow Him. Basically I got up and rambled about that and then sat down and tried not to cry.

We had a miracle happen this week. We had a lesson planned with S, an investigator for her to come to the church in the evening on Thursday. She lives far away so this was to keep our legs in good shape and so we could bring a member. We waited for her for like half an hour, and nothing. Then I called her and she said she wasn´t coming because her husband was sick. So as we leave the church a guy who we had talked to a few weeks ago stopped me on the street. He said, "are you guys ever gonna come by my house, I have been going through a lot of problems and I really want to talk to you." So right then we invited him into the church and we talked. He has HIV and cancer in his leg. He was recently robbed and is without work. A couple of weeks ago we had given him a pamphlet in the street and he said that he had read it every night since then. He knows that if he follows God, his situation can be fixed. its incredible the faith that he has. He asked how to join the church because he wants to become a part of what we have. So we explained baptism and he is all over it. Then we set up his baptismal date for the 29th of October. Then on Saturday we had another lesson with him and he had started the Book of Mormon. Yesterday he came to church and liked it a lot. Hopefully he can flourish, because if he keeps going and progressing, the Lord will bless him beyond belief.

They are putting sisters here in la Paloma now, so today we have to prepare everything for them. Hopefully they don´t screw up our work, I love these people so much that I would come back and give these sisters a kick in the pants if they mess this area up.

Saying goodbye is hard, but its super weird because I am sad as can be but I can´t wipe the smile off of my face, I get to see my family again! I love you guys so much.

So how does it work to get me released? Does President W know I´m coming home?

This week goes like this. Today, p-day. Therefore, pack and buy alfajores.

Tomorrow early, leave la Paloma for good, get to Montevideo, have lunch in Paso Carrasco with a member family (ca ching) and then go to the temple. Have a family night in the mission home. Then sleep. Then on Wednesday, leave Uruguay :,( its a sad moment. Then go to Santiago Chile, then LA, then SEATTLE!!!! dang. the end is here. its not even trunky anymore, its just reality.

I am looking forward to all Mexican food and real American food. Krispy Kremes would make me cry.

I love you See you in a few days. ELDER Barry

ps. a dog followed us twice this week. we named him fitty cent. at first he was Heaton, named after our district leader, but then we saw that he has a lot of battle scars on his face, and he wasn´t responding to Heaton, so fitty caught on. its the only thing he responds to now. i HAVE grown up on the mission, i swear. hahahaha.

10-10-11-10 days to go!

Wow that is so cool that C bore his testimony! He is great! and brave, I also bore my testimony, mostly because we only had 15 people yesterday and there was a huge gap and I was sitting on the stand and I had to fill it.

Sad news. G started refusing to talk to us this week. We think that she got offended because I didn´t sit with her in conference. Along with that we had the suspition that she liked me a little too much, also has mental issues, a little. But we were ignoring that in hopes of her gaining a real testimony of the church. It didn´t get that far. Maybe in the summer the hermanas can help her out.

D said he was going to go to church and that he was going on his motorcycle so we didn´t need to go by his house, but he didn´t make it and we´re not sure why. But he has been going well. Also S is progressing, her son F had a soccer tournament in 33 this sunday so she couldn´t go. Kind of a bummer that we aren´t going to have a baptizm before the end of the change but at least we have good progress.

I´m glad the cougs won, go byu. I had an interchange with Elder A this week, he is from Honduras. It was super funny, it was pouring down rain with very high winds. Both of our umbrellas broke and we were soaked. but we had a super good lesson at night. It was with a family that they had just found. It was really awkward because elder A wasn´t taking control and I had no idea what the situation was, we ended up teaching the plan of salvation and it was really spiritual. The mom dad daughter and cousin all agreed to get baptized after they read and prayed. In the end I said the prayer and when I knelt down to pray, a bunch of water came out of my boots onto their floor. When I got up there was a big puddle where I had knelt down. But honestly like 3 or 4 cups of water came out of my boots! It was really awkward but they had a tile floor so they didn´t get angry jajaja.

Well enjoy your last full week in an empty house.
I love you guys
Elder B

3 October 2011 (never thought this month would get here!)

Well that was a super good conference. I enjoyed it a lot. for some random reason the talk about men raising their daughters really hit me, I loved that talk. Also the great talk by Elder Holland about Satan was super powerful, but only the men saw that one. That is awesome that Sam got to be the mascot, I don´t have time to write him now, but I will write him by hand, hopefully it gets there before I do.

G. went to conference with us on Saturday, but left before it ended, I didn´t see her because I was in the gringo room, but I was super stoked that she came. She is on line for the 15th, which btw is my last saturday in the field... 

This week we didn´t have high numbers, but the few lessons we had were really good and directly helping investigators to progress. For example, we saw the family S and talked about baptizm. I asked if D could really see himself baptized. He said, baptised yeah, but married no. Then other D chimed in and said that during the day she had gotten this FEELING that why not get married, what the heck, just do it. So she talked him into it. They are getting a date this week to get married later in the month. The spirit works in mysterious ways. 

I love the gospel and I know its true. I got my fight plans this week. Super weird, but the idea of leaving is becoming acceptable to me. I am used to the idea, kinda, and I feel good. Which is saying something.
I love you guys a lot.
chao