Exerpts from my letter to President Hale
Fierce Finding was very exciting. It was fun to go around different parts of Hialeah and contact, with the member’s help, as many people as we could. It was tons of fun, and doing a singing program with a short message in between really invited the Spirit into the homes or doorsteps of those who we had a chance to talk to. Then, we had a movie night out on the lawn in front of the chapel. We showed “The Testaments” with a projector and everyone sat on blankets or chairs eating popcorn and watching the movie. Every one of our progressing investigators was there with their families. It was really great! They put forth an effort, and when one of your investigators does that, there is a special desire to get them to do more and more until they are being baptized and then going to the temple as a family. One of our investigators, Omar, has been giving us a pretty difficult time trying to get him to go to anything. He came to the movie night, with lots and lots of questions about the Book of Mormon. His questions were sincere and I was blessed enough to be able to answer them sufficiently to satisfy his curiosity. I think he has a friend who is anti-Mormon, but Omar is slowly figuring this whole thing out. Last night we invited him to go to an FHE with another family tonight and before I could finish telling him what it was, he said he would go. He didn’t even know what he was committing to, but he made the commitment. Next step is church. We’re thinking that the Single’s Branch would be good for him. So we’ll see how this week goes for Omar.
One thing I learned is that we need to find the people who are willing to make the commitments and change their lives now. This is hard to do, dropping investigators, but some just want us to preach so that they can feel good, but they really don’t want to change. Yesterday Sister Halversen showed me the power of being bold. We have been teaching this family for a while but they just aren’t progressing. Finally I told them that baptism in our church was special and different because The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was the only true church in the world. They stopped me and said that they didn’t know that they could believe that. I told him that if he prayed, with a sincere desire to change, then he would get an answer. It was so amazing to testify and to be bold. We were not beating around the bush. I felt that I needed to tell them that without baptism in Christ’s church, then they would not be able to receive the blessings of the priesthood in their home, or go to the temple to become a forever family. I think they got the message that this is not a church full of spectators, but full of those who get off the bench and play the game. It was a very cool experience for me.
Items of business:
1. my address in FL is as follows:
Hermana Michayla Barros
7951 SW 6th St. Ste 110
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33324
this is the mission office, but all the mail gets to me. this will be easier because no matter where i get transferred i get the mail. also, Kacey, if you are the one in charge of forwarding this, please make sure Tara and Sarah are getting it. Tara mentioned not getting it, so if you could remedy that, i would love you forever, though i already do.
2. i need my piano music, churchy stuff, sent to me. President and Sister Hale have asked that i get all of my music sent so that i could share my talent with everyone. plus, i would just love having it with me. So, i think kacey has some, and the family has some. could you collect it all and then send that to my address? Also, tori, i put you in charge of making me a CD. are you still doindg that? I just need a few fun CDs of church music and soundtracks and anything uplifting because we only get to listen to CDs and MOTAB is getting old.
3. did you get my pictures from the last email? If not, i need to know so that i can send you hard copies in the mail.
4. mail takes about a week for me to get, so, if you need to know anything fast, it will at least take a week. but really, i can't imagine anything that you'd need to hear about from me really quickly, unless someone is pregnant, getting married, or getting their mission call, which means i would just have to wait for snail mail anyway, or you could email me and i'll check it monday. you can send little emails if you want, just nothing too big or time concuming because i only get an hour to email you, president, and anything else i need to get done on the internet (approved sites only, of course)
5. someone asked what we do to prepare for hurricanes. we do the following:
a. we buy lots of canned food and jugs of water every p-day so that we can store it. when a hurricane hits, we have an evacuation plan, but sometimes we just need to stay inside, so we, little by little, buy supplies that we can live off of until we can go outside or until we are moved out.
b. we never lte our gas in our car go lower than half way so that we have enough gas to get us to a safe place, or up to the mission home, or wherever we need to be. this is the rainy season, and it does rain everyday, but nothing like i imagined. it is kinda weak sauce some days. sometimes i feel like we need to swim from our car to the apt. because it is so crazy outside. but we've never been in danger of anything. plus, if you are obedient, you shall not fear.
missionary work is hard (this is not a hurricane thing, it is just some of my thoughts)!!! asome people just use as as "the feel good police" as i call it. they have us come over and preach the good word of God to them, and then they do nothing to change it. then they say something like, i have jesus in my heart, yet they are unwilling to do anything about it. so, what does it mean to have jesus in your heart? to me, it means walking the stright and narrow path, repenting, or getting back on the path when we fall, and helping others on their way. it is not just saying that Jesus is with me. notpe, for to be able to say that means you have to do something about it. so, my encouragement to you all is to get in the game and help others on their way. which means not yelling at seminary teachers, or sitting idly by, wasting time, waiting for someone else to do something good. take the first step. that got a little pulpit pounding, but, you know it is coming from me, and i'm just telling you things that i just barely figured out for myself.
love you ao very much. grateful to have you forever because eternity would be pretty boring without my peeps!
love love love
hermana barros
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