Someone Somewhere

Dear Readers,


Another week in Hollywood Hills. What a fun week it has been. I have seen so many miracles and my testimony has truly been strengthened as I have been more receptive to the spiritual promptings that I receive, and then act on them in a bold and loving manner. This change has been so great; I have seen a need to work more with the members which means that I actually have to get to know the members. And then, after a relationship has been created, BOOM!! The work moves so much more quickly. I have found that a really spiritual A(ctive)M(ember)T(raining) is the grease that moves the wheel of missionary work. It is so much easier to teach a member referral than to teach one of your own investigators. I wish I would’ve known that sooner, way sooner. But I guess it is better to know it now than in my second to last day. Hna. Miller and I have been working like we have never worked before and it feels good. Plus we are gaining member trust. I love the people here!! I love the work, and I love love love working with Latinos! Except when they offer you food that looks like nothing normal or like anything you have ever eaten before. Then, as you eat it, you find out that part of it is not edible but you can’t spit it out and so you have to chew and chew, drink some soda, which helps break it down, let it sit in your mouth until it is somewhat edible, then swallow before you have too much time to think about what you are really eating. Yes, this experience happened to me on Saturday night. What an experience. At least I am not in Bolivia or India. Mostly normal food here with some exotic flavors that I have learned to love!!! Cuban food—oh man. Best food ever! I can’t wait to bring some of you back here to see some of the sights, to taste the flavors and to meet some of the best people ever! Mom asked me about picking me up after the mission and that got me to thinking, plus I had an experience yesterday that emphasized the need for me to come back and see all of these people again. I want to come back not as a missionary so that I can hug everyone (some men included) that have helped me during my sweet time here in Florida. But, enough trunky talk. I am getting old, but I am not old enough to be talking like this.

We have a baptism coming up this week, one of the Elders’ old investigators. We are ALL excited to see Julisa get baptized. One thing that we have started to do is talk more about our investigators among ourselves as missionaries so that we can support and lend a hand when needed. This includes Hna. Miller and I AMT’ing a certain family who we know could be a great influence in the lives of one of the Elders’ investigators. The work is so much easier—duh!—when we all work together! I don’t know why it took us this long to figure it out, perhaps because we have all found success in other areas and then we come together with OUR OWN ideas without the ability to tweek it accordingly to fit the needs of our NEW ward. Whatever it was that changed us and our outlooks, I am grateful for it because missionary work is so much more enjoyable when you have a support system behind you and when that system grows larger and larger as more and more members become converted

Personal Notes:

Kacey, how amazing was the temple? How did you feel, with your sleeves all funky and everything? And how can you not wait to go back again and again! And how about less than a month till you get to the MTC and only two transfers until you get out into the field? And start praying for your trainer now. I am going to be a trainer in a week and man am I praying for my trainee. I hae actually known that I was going to train this transfer for a while now and I have been praying for my trainee this whole time, praying that she is happy, healthy, excited, and ready to work and deal with the new lifestyle. Yes, it is a completely new lifestyle. WOW!!! What a change and what a roller coaster you are in for, which they call your first transfer. You will be so exhausted every night, especially with the time change. My time change was nothing and it still kicked my rear. And the information overload that you are going to face—what did they say? What did I say? Was that right? Was that false doctrine because I conjugated a verb incorrectly? But, enjoy it. Love it, embrace it. It is hard, but it is so much fun because you have never ever lived closer to the Spirit and you have never born your testimony like you are going to do to the French. That is one thing that I love the most—bearing testimony frequently and often and having the Spirit testify to ME that what I am saying is true. People are ridiculous. Yes, very ridiculous. Their excuses are stupid. I love it when someone says something about me being a fool or whatever about the Book of Mormon and I could find almost that exact excuse in the Book of Mormon that a prophet prophesied about. Their stupidity is prophesied in the Book of Mormon. It truly was written for our days. It was written for everyone, it was written for missionaries and for the French, and for the humble and for everyone. Use the Book as the rich resource that it is and the Spirit for the guide that He can be if we live worthy to be conduits for His testifying power. It is going to be hard but oh soooooooo fun. Embrace it, love it, and write it down to treasure forever. I love. There is a packie in the mail coming to you this week. It has special instructions. Follow them with exactness.

Bishop Perkins: I love that men so much. He has been the best mentor I could’ve ever asked for. He is an inspired man who has helped me through the hardest times of my life. He says it how it is and he loves with such a pure love. I am so grateful for him. He is invited to my wedding, most definitely. He is one of my greatest friends, strongest supporters, and one of the best examples I have ever met. He will do splendidly in his new calling. I am only slightly jealous and sad, for selfish reasons, that he won’t be Bishop anymore when I get back and have to date again!! Yikes—dating, the real world. NOOOOOOO!!! . Anyway, I think that is all that I have for today. Have a good week. I love you all so very much.

Love love love love love love love love love love love love love love

Hna. Michayla Barros