Ch ch ch ch changes!!

So, this week...what a week. I have learned to no longer say that a day or a week was hard because that seems to be common. They are all hard, and they are all happy, and they all have something wonderful in them. So, no more saying that it is hard, it is just a given. But one thing my dad says to me all the time is that hard is not bad, it is just hard. Ok, I can do hard things!Noemi and her son Lester are getting baptized this Sunday. We were hoping to have her husband baptized at the same time, but that will just have to wait for awhile. We taught her about tithing, and I was afraid to do it because their family is so poor. but, Satan, though he plants these littles dounts and fears in my mind, it is evidence thata it is probably something i should do, so we taught them about tithing. The next day, as Noemi was thinking and pondering about tithing and the effects of giving up 10 percent of her hard earned income up, the Lord showed her a miraculous witness of paying her tithing. She learned that she just has to have faith in the Lord because He will provide. It was such a treat to meet and teach this family. I am going to miss this tomorrow and the next transfer, but at least I'm still in Hialeah so I'll get to see their baptism and their progression with the gift of the Holy Ghost. in 3 Nephi and also in the New testament i have learned of the importance of the Gift of the holy Ghost--let me expound. When Christ visited the Americas He did three very important things from the beginning of his ministry.
1. He testified of Himself as the Savior. He then let all who were present to feel His wounds--to gain a witness for themselves.
2. then He called someone up to receive the authority, or preisthood, to baptize in His name.
3. He commanded the people to be baptized and then they would be able to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and then would they be prepared to learn all that He had to say to them. In the New Testament John the Baptist came first to baptize and be a witness of the Christ. Then Christ came and baptized with the Spirit and then he would teach. Ok, the lesson that this teaches me is thus: we can only go so far, only learn so much without the gift of the Holy Ghost. I always knew that we could only progress so far without baptism because it is a special ordinance that opens the gate to the temple, our ultimate goal. But, we can only learn so much without the spirit. that is why Jesus had everyone be baptized and recieve the gift because without it, the people would not have gotten eerything, they would not have been able to progress as much as they did. that is why we, as missionaries, must invite all to be baptized within one or two lessons. yes, that is our goal in this mission, and i have seen that those who are trully willing to listen to this invitation, and are ready to be baptized accept this invitation from day one. we do not have to hide baptism under our chairs for three or four lessons and then boom! surprise trhem with it. no, it needs to be done now so that their knowledge and understanding can increase far more than without it.Omar was not baptized this week. He had a rough week. He has severe depression issues which we've known about since day one. But, this week they became very apparent to us. he tried to kill himself and now he is in a crisis center. It is really hard to watch him struggle in such a place. He has had prayers answered, he has seen the hand of the Lord in his life, and then this happens. He asked his dad to ask us to come and visit him, which we did because he is trully a special kid, a son of God and he really just needs friends right now. It has been hard on Hna. Halversen and I to deal with this because it is such a stark place, and Omar is in a dark place in his life. I just keep wondering what Jesus would do if He was sitting next to Omar in such a place. that is when i feel inadequate, because i am not the Savior, i just invite him to heal Omar's heart, which is my job i suppose. I just wish i could do moer--the inner mother coming out, i suppose. It was hard!! My companion and i cried a lot this week. ROUGH!! it doesn't help that she and i are the exact same person, so though we know how to help the other, we can't because we're feeling the exact same thing.Yesterday the Lord showed me my potential. I finally feel like i have the ability to do great things and that not only is that my potential, but it is a very real thing--in fact i am commanded to be powerful and to make big changes here in hialeah. I am ready to move forward, not looking at my inadequecies, but to find those who need my message. oh, which takes me to my title. transfers are tomorrow, that is why i am writing this today, because on transfer weeks we proselyte on mondays (PROS MONDAY!) i am staying here in Hialeah, just switching companions with Hna. Martinez, one of the other sisters who has been here for a bit, and my trainer is training again. we kinda knew this was going to happen. i think i am going to be here in Hialeah for awhile. and i think i am going to train way before i am ready, but the Lord knows all things, and plus this is a young mission. next transfer we are losing one spanish sister, my trainer, and we are gaining four new ones. which means i will no longer be one of the young'uns but old and experienced because half of the girls are leaving and coming in november and december. i mean, in december we are losing one, we're losing one tomorrow. YIKES, i'm stoppong this thought process now!! i can't handle thinking about training. i can't even speak the language yet!! The Lord is good to me,, though, He lets me figure this stuff out on my own. He then helps me progress leaps and bounds beyond what i ever would have thought was possible. the work is good, hard and good.

love love love

hna. barros

ps, i miss lydia and payton soooo much. those pictures go with me everywhere nd i show them to everyone!! Lydia is so expressive, it just kills me. and payton, i wish i could just hear his little manly voice of impatience! I hope law school is going well, that dustin can find a job soon, and that tori is having a blast in the 'burg and that kacey is still going on a mission (read "the challenging and testifying missionary") and i hope that dad is still sane and not so stressed out of his mind. and i hope that Kit cleans up her mouth and realizes that she is an awesome person. and i hope joe is having a great time knocking into people with his football gear on, and i hope that pookey is not crazy lonely, and that the cats are just plain crazy still, and i hope that mom is happy even though she is so busy!!!