MY 2013 GOALS......

I'm surprised that i have an accent. I have the hardest time talking to president monahan now or the senior couple missionaries in english. I feel so slow and dumb haha. My three words? i didnt put to much effort into the drawing brother borlazza printed it out for me. I have never really been big into art projects and competitions. I had something funny to write for my three words but i was worried president monahan would get mad haha. The best i thought was elder shaw's...."remember lots wife"..... dont look back at sodom and gomorrah. Really inspiring just like the quote of nephi. and my father dwelt in a tent. When i was in seminary i loved using passages like that for scripture thoughts and see how much discussion i could draw out. Well its 2013 wow. Yeah my chance of getting transferred is really high on january 25. The lumague family brother finally came to sacrament. I sat next to his family and jhumel and shiela (10) and (12) and they were really reverent. We sing in english here, and i sing really really loud so the branch wont be embarrassed and will sing loud too. There are a lot of hymns that i've really started to love. Most of them are pioneer hymns. Well mom you want my 2013 goals for our family book..... (1) excercise everyday (2) more effective in personal study (3) heighten my spiritual hearing yeah that ought to do it so you can mark me down for that. I love landon haha. He's right no one should be put through a movie like that. I'm glad they found grandma barneys car. We just had lunch at a members house. They fed us fried chicken and watermelon and I almost asked for purple kool-aid but im sure they wouldnt have gotten the joke. Dad you have to read the infinite atonement again. The doctrine isnt so deep. It's direct and its all stuff we have heard before but just now i have realized. My whole teaching style in the plan of salvation and the gospel of jesus christ has changed. It's amazing. Yeah its really hard to talk to you guys. I felt like i talked about stuff that wasnt really important so the next time we'll focus on the good stuff haha. I really like hyms like, Hark to the trumpeteers, Let zion in her beauty rise, and the nashville tributes stuff like that haha. I know dad you want to say "i told you so" but dont haha. Yes I love church music. I really like listening to church songs after work when i eat my bananas. Well im glad you liked the three words video, i hope its something different the next year. Anyways. i love you all at manigong bagong taon ~Elder Barney

Keep the traditions...Read Luke 2. I love the Christmas Story.

Well well well

Tomorrow is the big day that i get to hear your voices. It hasnt hit me like it did back in may that i will hear your voices. I have been so busy. Christmas conference in baguio was fun but quick There was a great workshop and the food was amazing. There was a chocolate fountain, and i was shocked they had marshmellows and that good stuff and of course rice. I havent met elder campbell yet but he's here. This week is a big week for the tagalan family. On wednesday they and the branch president will talk to the parents of sister rhea about her marriage and baptism. Once they have the go from the parents then i know she will accept the IBD. She wantes to be baptized but family is everything to a filipino and the thought of displeasing your family is avoided at all costs. Hopefully it happens even if im not here in february which is high because the training of my elder is about to finish. I could train here again it just depends. Well im getting back into shape i can dunk on the 8 and half foot rim now. Pathetic i know. Dallin gherkins emailed me and i haven't grinned that hard in so long. We watched the christmas carol for conference and we had our fingers crossed for the dark knight or the hobbit but then again i know president and that wasnt going to happen. The movie was great. The temple i think will start in early spring of 2013 im so excited. The IBD's are progressing but the dad is starting to waver. We need the help of the elders quorum. We'll look at the "three words video" on presidents blog that should be cool. In the call lets just talk about important stuff haha. I had to speak in english last night because there was a family from india that wanted to hear our beliefs but werent interested in being taught. I had no english materials and i even reached in to give them a pamphlet and realized that it was Tagalog. So now i will carry the articles of faith in english where ever i go. Well i have plenty of socks guys. The packages are all here, we have a christmas tree, the food is great, and the music is just what i needed. I love the savior, redeemer of my soul. It's amazing and of course the poor wayfaring man of grief. Also the book is amazing. I'm understanding the true christmas really. I love CD's with church music. If you can find one with the hark! listen to the trumpeteers on it thats awesome. I liked the letters from the other missionaries of the ward. Some gave me hope and i felt the spirit. Dad the other day i had a funny memory after i gave my talk. I remember one time in the kensington ward you were on the stand and lexi and i were sitting next to each other and i jabbed her in the ribs with my elbow. Mom took the handout hit my knee. Then i looked up and saw your face you had your fingers to your lips with your thumb on your chin and stared at me for a good 10 seconds back. Then it wasnt funny, but i laughed when i remember things like that you sitting on the stand. I cant believe that happened to grandma barney. Accidents do happen. We just try our best not to repeat them. Spencer frame what i great kid i bet a great missionary i know that. I hope to see him at byu such an awesome friend and example to me during my junior year of high school. A very rocky year for us all right?? Lexi find friends like him. 
"D" when we call im going to call you by your nickname. I know youre not a baby anymore, but when we talk i still see you as i left you. I know that the christmas story is this. The son of god was born into this world the only light of hope to save mankind and stand up to the evil one. The atonement is everything, and even though i will never understand the atonement fully. The study of it has brought the spirit of christmas into my life and made the weight of the work light. Keep up our traditions. Read luke 2 even though I'm not there. Read the first presidency message and watch the mormon tabernacle musical which I'd love to see haha. Love you all ~Elder Barney

Happy Birthday, Mom!

So you can call me whenever really. Maybe the best is when it's Christmas eve. The only requirements are that youre all together and are ready to talk. Well dad yeah there are a lot of things you could have said about the donkey. One that i just read is that the donkey is a symbol of peace. Even though jesus entered Jerusalem victoriously, he also came in peace the next time it wont be so. Happy birthday mom tomorrow wow. You were born in 1969 so that makes you??? haha I'll let you do the math.  Thanks for all the news truthfully this week has been hard. My record is still 10/10 months and i have worked everyday here in the mission field, but i have been very sick its gone now. I always get sick right before Christmas. Ideas about christ and christmas. Think about what the angels said to the shepherds in the field. We bring ye glad tidings or good news. Good news or the gospel of jesus christ. The priest was also shown the christ child. The wise men only people saw christ if they understood the spiritual mission of christ. Herod thought christ came to take away his kingdom, so he only thought of the savior just as all the jews thought of him. Only as the promised messiah who would be the one to come save them from the romans which he would if they would only accept them as the savior of their eternal salvation. The christmas story really is a celebration of the gospel of jesus christ. Well im sure you heard about the 1000+ people who died in mindanao down south. Luckily his family and members in Elder macabentas ward were not affected. This is the answer of president monahan to the dream of that less active that i shared.

Thanks. Yes, we would have called and we would have heard from his family or ward leaders. I like Luke for Christmas and for the great Christmas story it contains. Thanks for being a great trainer. That was an interesting dream. May the unwatered tree represents the Bible when people don't water it side by side with the second stick--the Book of Mormon. We must nourish both. Let me know when the IBDs are baptized. Thanks for all your good work!

Pres. Monahan

So yeah we're headed to baguio on friday. Uhm yes i have been transferred into a new district. in aringay, so this transfer there are two firsts for me in the mission. Sisters in my district and an american zone leader. American zone leaders are rare. The christmas party here was a hit 120 or so went, but the following day in sacrament theattendance was probably 90. Those thirty people i assume were to too full to go to church or sick i hope. Well i have trained the branch clerk so we're cleaning the records i love watching the overhead drop. When i arrived 435 members and now only 379 so the sacrament attendance will go up and the home teachers, who are not many, have no excuse not to cover the branch. I finally got news from my last area in san quinton. It sounds like President Grande the former branch president got in a nasty accident and broke his legs bad. I feel bad for his family. They are active and sealed and the mom is working abroad in hong kong. I hope they will be okay. 65 new elders and sisters come in january, so I have the feeling I'll be training again. I dont know yet and i have no way of knowing until the day i get a call from urdaneta. 

Love Elder Barney

i really really like my presents!

I went to the Top of the World Today!

Well i went to the top of the world today.

I'll send you pictures. Only my companion and i made it to the top of the highest mountain. Here in Agoo there is a sacred catholic cross on top, and the others were so close but gave up. I tried to tell them it literally was only 7 minutes more. After an hour of tough hiking only 7 minutes more... I could turn this is into a great teaching experience, but i wont. I'll let you figure out how this story ties into the gospel. We then went and ate at a members house it was the zone activity today. I had fun i felt comfortable with the elders and it was great to forget the world for a second and be with them. I saw the pictures of lexi's winter formal. I'm going to sound bold but as an older brother im entitled to say this. I cant tell because of picture quality, but your dress is modest and you are beautiful. Lexi i want you to know that. I have never told this to you. Beauty is god given. Please dont ruin that. Dad i liked your picture...crazy! Dad "po" is a sign of respect. When you add it thats like him calling you "sir" I'm glad you talked with brother norial he has a lot of responsibility and i want to talk about him. When he was younger he converted for a girlfriend, but when they broke up he became inactive and moved to work in rosales pangasinan. When he returned the elders came to him and taught him and invited him to church. He came back instantly. Like it says in the scriptures and like joseph smith said when we have accepted the truth and turn from it we are harder, but he came back instantly. It's a miracle one in a thousand are like that expecially after a year of inactivity or something like that. When he came back he was made young mens leader at the age of 23, and he is now the branch mission leader as well. His aunts family is lds. His dad and mom separated because he dad did some dumb things. His mom and family wont listen to the missionaries, but they allow him to do what he wants. He works with the missionaries 2 times a week 2 pm until 9 ish. I want him to go on a mission, but the branch needs him so bad. He will get the melchezidek priesthood in december. I'm excited for him and hope he gets what he wants.....a temple marriage. Wow Dad you were picked as the donkey. I guess its a step up from santa. Pick your poison. I'm glad for your success at work, i wish i had been more vocal about my mission when i worked there at your office. I think that how i handled my mission before i came was okay. Dont over think it. Just jump into the cold water and before you know it...youre numb to the pain and are ready to swim to the edge and get out and you will be glad you did it. I want to email you my weekly letter to president alright:

President.

Today was our zone activity it went well. We hiked to the cross there in agoo it was fun. Elder Macabenta made it all the way to the top. The others didnt they were to tired. Thanks for the info about christmas call thats fine with me i just wanted to know a head of time thank you. We had an interesting thing happen this week. One inactive lady when we asked her if she had prayed about the book of mormon told us a story.. she was reading back in the day in the war chapters of alma. While she was reading she thought to herself...did this really happen or in other words are the events in this book true. She asked heavenly father if so and right when she fell asleep this is what she saw. There was a burst of water out of the ground there was two trees in the path of this gushing stream. the water only hit one of the trees and didnt reach the other. One tree died and the other was healthy and green. Interesting i havent sat down to think it over. The training is going great he surprised me the other night. He really broke down a scripture in a very applicable and interesting way for one family i told him that he is now finally comfortable in teaching. He is very very smart. We are doing the 12 week program the part we liked this week was the video segments on prayer. Anyways he is doing good his family was near that bagyo that struck in mindanao and he has been worried this whole week. I feel bad for him and told him if there was a problem you would have called him by now and other missionaries said the same. So he has been alright no one really mailed him either. He said earlier i think its all good though. I'm studying in my personal study the life of the savior its something i do every december. I'm in matthew i just started and am trying to get as much as i can out of it. Thanks for all you do. My family is fine but ill tell them hi thank you. ~Elder Barney

His response to last weeks letter is here:

Congrats on your 2 IBDs. For Christmas, phone call only. For Mother's Day, probably Skype. Thanks for the member work and all your effort. How is your companion's training coming along? I am interested in that. Know that we love you. Say hi to your folks for us!

Pres. Monahan

 

So just a call for Christmas

I'm glad aaron got my letter. Yeah pacquio lost, but to the filipinos he still won. Its amazing how they feel like he won. If he hadnt been knocked out he would have one bypoints, so in their minds he won. In some other parallel world where KO doesnt mean anything manny won.(?) And that parallel world is here in the pines. Our christmas party is on the 15. I'm doing okay. I love you all. I enjoyed the first presidencies devotional. Adios

~Elder Barney

I've been memorizing scriptures! And my Birthday dinner!

I have a feeling my emails are barely getting a passing grade im probably in the d range, so ill step it up today. We now have two IBD's. We got one dad through members, a faithful wife and family, prayer, and much fasting to give up his job as a neighborhood guard. They're called barangay tanods. This job required him to stay up all night with non mormons who to keep awake smoke drink and do other dumb stuff. When his family went inactive 3 of his kids weren't able to be baptized. One is 8 now so she will be baptized on the following saturday. The other two on jan 19 hopefully. Earlier like you dad i wanted a christmas baptism but this is all the lords planning. We're seeing some real growth and strength to the branch. Some dads are coming back that is growth to me, and its great to see. The brownies turned out great. The people were like so this is what a brownie tastes like. They have brownies here but it doesnt come close to betty crocker and stuff like that. I got two packages the package and the letters from the barneys, and the christmas package from the taylors. The package with the book hasn't come. But dont worry. I loved the letters and i got a real binder to organize all the letters so i dont just have to use a empty pillowcase in my luggage haha. I yelled "grandpa barney" maybe you remember writing that...I dont know if you heard me. I loved to read the letters. Brandon's letter was great i like tacos...i do too buddy so eat one for me because cousin taylor is in a place where they dont know what that is. Crazy that matt's passing the sacrament and mckenna is getting ready for those youth dances.  Cam and cecilia are doing good as well. My companion enjoyed the box. He wants to write grandma and grandpa taylor and thank them. When i saw the peanut butter i didnt know how he would take to it but he really likes it all and is very grateful. I was fed very well on my birthday. Lumpia with monggo beans inside with sili pepper sauce and adobo chicken. If you want the pictures from the birthday please add norial borlazza he is our branch mission leader on facebook he will send the pictures. O i forgot yes mckenna they know what the gangnam style is here. I was hoping that wasnt in the united states but it is huh? It hasnt rained here in months it feels like haha. I hope you have been saving my pictures because well my card is broken. I'll reformat it today so i can continue to take pictures. I have asked everyone its all good the really funny pictures from my birthday wont be seen in this life. I dont know about the skype ill ask him, so you probably have seen my first letter that i sent. So my departure date has been bounced back to the 25 of feb. Iguess i dont really care. Thanks for the pictures of the rabbit she is really fat. That's great...make her excercise though. Grandma taylor sent me a card that walks you through how to write a proper letter home. I left the card at home haha so this letter might not pass. I dont know what the christmas party for us will be like truthfully. All i know is it's in baguio thats the coldest part of the philippines and the best place to spend christmas in but the problem is its the 21 not the 25. I want to see the fireworks there. Im glad you got my letter mom i was worried it wouldn't get there. The lady at the post office hates me because i always opt for the cheaper mail option. They always assume i want the most expensive way which is irritating some times. Im getting good at memorizing scriptures. It's fun to do. So far the oath and covenant d and c section 4. moroni 6:4. doctrine and covenants 62:3. then im gonna try to memorize dc 121 some parts of it anyways it gives me something to do haha. Well i miss you all i had a funny dream the other night mom and dad were here and mom was mad at some other lady and wanted my airsoft gun to shoot them, but i used all the bb's so i got in trouble. Then i helped kylie draw a picture. I laughed at the kylie part because when i get home she isnt a baby not even close. Well i hope you have a great week and christmas season. ~Elder Barney