I Have Been Transferred to San Carlos City Pangasinan

kamusta po (hello)

Nalipat ako sa san carlos city brgy palaris, pangasinan. (I have been transfered to san carlos city pangasinan). Natanggap ko and package ni uncle aaron. (I received the package of uncle aaron).  Thanks for the letters. Babers made it very clear she does not like going to jacksons practices and jackson doesnt like watching her dance haha i remember those days getting drug to watch ballet dancing. haha  So mom there's some tagalog haha. Well so yeah we got pulled out of agoo 3 luckily only shot gun pull out so yeah only temporary. I talked with the missionaries who are going in one's a mexican the other american. I'm really good friends with the one american. Elder Kauer from idaho. Great missionary. He's younger than me in the mission, but its funny because we both started training at the same time and now we both have been called to district leader. When we got word we were both pulled out i was devastated. We were obedient. We had great relationships with the members, so i thought maybe because the numbers are low. But agoo is the lowest and most challenging zone if we look at stats alone. The people are nice but yeah just not open to the gospel. I really thought i had done something wrong maybe i wasnt as productive as i should have been. So we got on the jeepney and headed to urdaneta for transfer meeting. I thought i was going to follow up train or just be senior because the call to train again never came a week before. So we sat in the meeting i really wanted to talk to president monahan why i was pulled out. Then one of the zone leaders said... elder barney president wants to talk to you. I was so scared when I entered the room there was a 3 other elders. They said it was the district leader/zone leader training meeting. I laughed i didnt believe them. president monahan and president mortenson entered and said well thanks for accepting the call to be district leader and zone leaders. I sat down and was thinking i never accepted any call i dont know what he's talking about. Then he looked at me and said elder barney is still contemplating the call. His level of spirit is so high like ammon he can discern thoughts its scary, but of course dad taught me we need to always be ready to receive a calling and ready to be released from a calling. So now I'm a follow up trainer and I'm a district leader my new companion is elder rabanes from cebu. I'm in a real ward san carlos 2 ward. Bishop cancino is the bishop and he's sharp and very service based. I still need to get used to ...the word bishop and ward mission leader because i keep calling him president and branch mission leader haha. So yeah this month there will be a lot of baptisms here 7 in the month of february because the ward mission leader is a past missionary and he's way good. The area is exploding around the temple and bayambang zone is definantly feeling the spirit. Not many elders but in march my district will get really big because like 60 missionaries will enter the mission. There are no sisters in this zone which is great for pdays. We can play football and basketball and ultimate as a zone and no one will get mad. So im in the boys zone. There was four missionaries in our apartment which means its more dirty but it also means its more fun and loud and more food at the house and the chance is higher that one of them knows how to cook. They are all filipinos and they have taught me so many new words its great. I thought I could be a cleaner missionary in my last area. I thought i had room to improve on my arrival here. I'll let you know i have come a long way. When i arrived at the apartment i was shocked. I thought of the second law of thermodynamics ...in a closed system right everything will move towards disorder and confusion. these missionaries had a closed system ...the house. They let the natural forces of nature run their course. The result was bad. There werent any rats or or cockroaches so that was good. Well i like it here. It will be challenging but there is a lot of cornfields and it reminds me more of america sometimes except for there are no mountains here. (and no ocean but thats fine). We helped build a house last friday. I wanted to nail things and help build a bed. Filipinos really think that americans have no clue how to do things like that or do hard work. It bugs me sometimes but i helped tie the bamboo to the bed together. So yeah thats my life here. I finally got to eat mcdonalds because they have that here. I hope i answered your questions oh by the way they are not ilokono here. I'm having the hardest time here because their pangasinan speaking. I actually picked up a lot of ilokono i got pretty good at it. So i know english tagalog and hopefully I'll pick up some other dialects here. Tagalog by the far is the most smooth and its nice to listen to. Ilokono sounds more tribal like jungle language sometimes and so does pangasinan. Yeah mom we can watch 17 miracles but we cant watch anything we want but occasionally president will make exceptions according to our obedience to the rules. If we are faithful with a few things we will be given more things if we follow the spirit of the rules. I love you all be safe and read helaman 15: 7-9. I think it is the process of conversion...it's great!

`Elder Barney

How Do I Cry Repentance When I Don't Have a Voice?

musta

I loved the emails. Yeah i knew grandpa's birthday was soon and i cant forget the birthday of aunt jani. I know its some time in this month haha so happy birthday. Uhm the baptism happened it was good we're still working on dad. Transfer day is on friday and either i or elder macabenta will be transferred who knows. I wont be training again because i wasnt called into the "train the trainers" mtg. The baptism was good i am sending some pictures. Sounds like dallin is happy truthfully you just got to get in the field and it will fly by. We are being blessed. Jonah dungan when i first arrived told me i need to respect her religion and now she is counting the days until her baptism and when she and her family all go over to america. I havent said to them but i'd love to witness the sealing there in san diego if we get her and her husband on the right track. Well also in the future if you want to burn me a copy of 17 miracles and put that in the box please haha. We were supposed to have a zone activity today and watch that but yeah one of the elders gave the copy away to a sister going home as remembrance. District conference here is this week. President Monahan will come with a member of the 70, and he may or may not be happy about the progress in the district. I have a feeling it will be more of a chastising visit for the district but not for the missionaries. Wow dad thats great high priest group leader. What deep church issues will you tackle first? Where is cain, the three nephites and john the beloved? maybe the adamic alphabet or how long it takes to high to kolob? I'm excited to find out the mysteries of the kingdom in your next email. I have no voice... good thing Im emailing to you and not calling. How do i cry repentance when i dont have a voice haha. Everyone in the branch thinks its the sign I'm being transferred. Like Zacharias i cant speak. I'ts getting better haha thats great about the house. Here when it stinks we look for the dead rat because yeah... thats usually what stinks. I love you all. Take care i may or may not be able to continue this letter....EB

THIS WEEK HAS BEEN THE HAPPIEST WEEK OF MY LIFE...PRETTY STRESSFUL AS WELL.

Wow this week has been the happiest week of my life pretty stressful as well. So the baptismal candidates passed so two baptisms on january 19. We're starting to commit these part members to baptism and we are using the AP's workshop on how to give ibd's. So yeah i need new contacts. I'm glad you mentioned that at least to get me home seeing alright haha. Well we're in baguio today, but we dont have much time. I need to buy slacks because yeah i need to. I'll buy two pairs and i heard they have mexican food there at sm baguio so im gonna find it. I liked the rattlesnake picture haha i love pictures from when you were all younger haha. Dad i live right across from cabu funeral home in a big yellow looking house. We basically live in the garage of that big yellow house haha. Dad im going to buy some frog wallets too, so that your dream will become a reality hahah. Well anyways there is  one sister in the compound of the district president dungan. They're all dungans in their compound. The sister in law of the president was married back in november to her husband in the US (the brother of president) but they said nothing to the missionaries that they were married in our church. So yeah we missed the opportunity to give the lessons anyways her name is jonah dungan. Her family all lives in america and they are members and it sounds like she will head over as well, but she has had persecution that if she changes her religion they wont accept her into the states. I wanted to say we americans hate catholics in america so change it haha but of course i didnt. We have a really good relationship of trust with her and her kids. Her husband is being brought into activity in california in san diego through his dad. Anyways sister jonah likes to talk a lot but she also likes to learn so we finally got control of the lesson. Her baby who is always loud and out of control suddenly became quiet we hadnt planned to give the IBD to her last night but on the 17th. But we prayed and found out that the 23 of February would be a good time for her to prepare. Anyways i started talking about how she needed to act on her faith in jesus christ. She really liked a talk by a sister about repentance in church earlier that day so we talked about that and then i said the next step is baptism. I wanted to give the date but i forgot it. I didnt want to look at the calendar and look like it wasnt planned because it was planned and it came from heavenly father. So i said to my self soft invitation instead. Then i heard a voice... "no give the real thing the date is exactly a year from the day you entered into the mtc. feb 23!"  It came back to me so i gave it and she accepted it and then laughed. She nudged her cousin next to her who was a new investigator in that lesson and said you too! hahah I almost groaned. She didnt understand how serious that was, but elder macabenta explained that we need to prepare for the day through repentance then she said well i was hoping for next year but maybe youre right elders maybe it's the right time. I then testified "sister it is the right time". She stared at me and nodded. Then i closed the lesson and invited her to give a prayer and learn for herself and learn that it was right. I am dead serious when i say this...her prayer was the longest and most humble prayer i have ever heard. She started crying in the middle of it. We were kneeling on tile it was hard and long, but i didnt care. She knew it was right. She asked why am i crying and our fellowshipper explained so I'm excited and we're going to help her get there it was so awesome i can't forget it.......so yeah thats our struggle getting the people to be more missionary minded and alert and i know the referrals will come. Yes i went on exchanges in bauang it was a lot of fun. I learned a lot. In the middle of the night the one elder of us four there had an asthma attack. They freaked out and called sister monahan  I asked him if he had pain in his arm (heart attack) because his chest was way heavy and he is a big guy. We had no medicine no inhaler so his companion elder spiers from england gave the blessing. I annointed and his breathing returned to normal. This week has been a spiritual one i leave this all to you whether or not you wish to send this to people. I love this mission and I love my family but i know that as i get more lost in the work the time gets faster and faster. I know you are praying for me, and I am as well for you. ~Elder Barney

EXCHANGES! GOING AGAIN ON TUESDAY.

Hey Family!

This week has been great. I got to go on exchanges and i will go on exchanges again on tuesday with the district leader in buaung. I forget how they spell it up there but supposedly their apartment and area is awesome and im excited to go and learn. Mom i took a picture of the christmas tree in our house. I might leave it for the next elders in the apartment, so they can have the spirit of christmas all the year. Well yeah i like news...I'm glad brent kleinman got approved again. Dad i hope your logging into my facebook every so often because i heard all those pictures will be lost if you dont every six months so please save those pictures. Some are good to have when im old and fat and i can show my kids that i really used to be on the mens toro distance crew. Kylie read the liahona. Theres an article about you on page 58 the january addition. Dont be mad haha i know its not about you, but i laughed when i saw the name kylie with the exact name. If it makes you feel better they even stated at the beginning that they changed the name for the article haha. Yes dad the ibds are progressing but the dad isnt. The branch is taking some great steps forward and our branch fast was powerful. I feel it wasnt well announced. I hope in february they will teach that this is just as much as a commandment as any other. If you dont believe me look in chapter 3 of preach my gospel under commandments. Well yesterday we had a great lesson with the Camat family. The Sister wont come to church, but we finally got found her concerns why she wont come. When she was feeling the spirit. then we shared the first vision to her. She stopped me before i could finish at first i was thinking what is she doing?? you dont interrupt people when their speaking but im glad she did. She shared a story when she was 14 or so she had a dream where she saw the savior she said he talked to her and she was so scared she ran and hid. She woke up sweating and she then asked us why was i scared. Then she asked can God speak through dreams. We looked at each other my companion and i and we're all opo sister...yes sister. We gave her many reading assignments so the book of mormon is becoming more relevant for her. I felt something when i met them and i dont want to drop them even though she wont come to church because she is a member of a catholic foundation. I really feel like they have been looking for this unlike most people. I know that deep inside that anyone who asks the missionaries to come back deep inside is not satisfied with their religion. There is a reason growing up we never had jehovah witnesses, gideons, or other faiths in our home. We have found the pearl of great price and everything else is just cheap. Well brother lumague is not progressing which is kind of nerve wracking but president mariano will use the spirit to know how to decide who in their family will baptize the two younger children. The mom had really repented and has gotten a change of heart (sister lumague) she asked us to stay and help her with her primary lesson about joseph smiths upbringing. She is putting so much effort into her callings. She is working so much during the week so she can be at church for three hours. She is asking us how to pay tithing and she is doing it and all her kids are as well. Shes doing everything she can. One day brother lumague will see how important this all is to his family and salvation. Mom i thought the letter you sent me was amazing. I'd love to hear more stories like that. I also like your letters too dad. January Barney asked me the other day what do we do on pdays here? Well i like to eat at jollybee because my eyes are now slanted from eating so much rice. We play basketball and monopoly yes we can play monopoly. One elder thought we were gambling the other day until we showed him the money was definantly fake because here in the pines the money is multi colored.

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Sorry i was cut from the computer because of a black out. Well president called an emergency zone companionship study. That was fun i thought we were going to get chastised but it ended up being a good experience. This zone and mangaldan zone are the 2 out of the 9 zones here in the baguio mission that are still districts because of many many dumb problems. The adversary works very very hard on the hearts. He gets families that have four sons who have served missions and are sealed to become inactive and return to the catholic church. I guess that's what happens when youre active in this church but not active in the gospel!! Well i feel good about this year. I hope that I answered the questions i hate typing on computers. Dad here's a verse you might like...Hebrews 5:8-9 i believe it is. It's a favorite of president monahan's.

~Elder Barney