To Obey is Better Than to Sacrifice

To answer your questions...Mom: girl in tagalog is babae (pronounced bah bah eh) and boy is lalake (prounounced la la key). Well Im doing really good. I liked the pictures Lou, so we have a baptism on the 16th. Which is really exciting. The dad was baptized in the eighties. We found him and he came back to church with his family, so all the rest now will be baptized. President Monahan did something that shocked me the other day. He repealed a rule after adding a whole bunch. We can now email to any girl outside of mission boundaries legally. President has been hard on obedience, but one scripture that he shared to us was great. I think you'll find it in  1 samuel 15:8? To obey is better than to sacrifice. A lot of sins have been committed with good intentions, so we need to be careful and ask ourselves who we're serving. The human mind is an interesting thing. A man can justify even murder and reject the sign of the holy ghost if he fights against it. Dad if your up for some reading then read "day of defense" haha. or maybe you already have. I have been working with the ward to start being more reverent in sacrament. I wish we were allowed to film sacrament in our ward and watch it, or who knows maybe the people in zion are just as equally irreverent and apathetic to the sacrament and their home and visiting teaching. Bishop Andrews emailed me again. He understands that once you have been called to be a bishop youre always a bishop. He's awesome. Well we had apartment checks the other day. That's always fun haha. Mom I'm glad youre safe. I have moments like that too where i feel the spirit guide me away from people who want to harm me or from dangerous situations. Always be worthy of the spirit. Like the leper that returned to jesus ..give thanks! I sure will. The one thing i do every night is prayer for everyone of you. I love you all. Read your scriptures :)

Love elder barney

Had a Great Week!

Well i have had a great week. They just called the new baguio mission president. He is from cebu. He is a filipino so who knows where i will be assigned. So yeah were really working with the parayaoan family their a family of eight. They are the poorest people i have ever met, but they are very very happy. President Monahan has a new focus for the missionaries and we have had some fun experiences this week. He wants us to preach by the way (mga may kotse) to the people that have cars. We need leaders and people who arent afraid to speak. It's sad but poverty among the members is hurting growth. So we try to teach to people that have cars and rich but their hard to find because only few people can afford a car. We found out the vice mayor was baptized a while back. His brother is the mayor and his dad was the ex mayor who was gunned down in the san carlos plaze several years ago. His name is "bogs". We found his house it looked like a drug cartel compound in a james bond movie. The fence was so high. Luckily a guy came out with one of the workers and let us in. No big deal through the garage. We knocked on a big door and a man came open it up and let us in to a courtyard thing with a bunch of guys watching some movie. They were all his bodyguards and there was a big desk. They just let us in. I guess they figured the mormon missionaries are the last people to be carrying a gun with them. They said he was taking a shower and he would be with us shortly. Then we just sat there smiling at all the body guards and then they brought out soda and food. It was funny. Then he came out. He was the biggest filipino i have ever seen and by biggest i mean fattest. He was way nice and said he still believes but i could tell he is worried about coming back to church because of his political career. But he said after the election he might come or maybe just one time before the election. We gave him a book of mormon and he gave us his number. I also met the legendary Bishop Zafra here in the area. He is like the pioneer here in pangasinan. ex u.s. air force. He was sick and saw us walking and wanted us to give him a blessing. He usually isnt there because he is always away on different assignments from the church. He is like best friends with Elder Oaks. Lexi's letter was great haha. I felt really out of touch with understanding the lingo of valley girls. My companion has a cavity so we're going to the dentist later i dont think I'm going to open my mouth for her but she is a member who knows. I'm sorry i dont have any pictures for today but i'll get around to it haha. ~Elder Barney  

ALMA 7. IT'S EFFECTIVE AND BOLD.

Dad if you meet this boyfriend of cecilia's use your gaydar to determine whether or not he's a man's man. Vegas is boring. It's only fun one night a year if there is a bowl game. The other day when i was getting my haircut the filipinos were watching the nba all star game it was funny watching their faces trying to understand the english of shaq, kenny smith, charles barkley. They also had a few other old players that I didnt recognize. I saw one dunk of kenny smith's way awesome he bounced the ball between his legs and it bounced back of the back board and he three sixtie dunked it. His shorts were way to short. I just need a cool family picture and yeah it would be great to get some contact solution. My talk went good at the funeral. The family of the sister were all catholic and their faces were great to watch when i spoke tagalog. Elder Tijap said afterwards if you spoke in pangasinan the old grandma's probably would have fainted. 

Family is pamilya in tagalog and love can be pagibig or pagmamahal. It's been a great week. We had a baptism last saturday. I'll send some pictures it was brother domingo's baptism. The other family still has their child in the hospital, so they werent able to be baptized. But we are finding really good families that are accepting the invitation to be baptized. The hardest part is getting them to church. I loved the pictures lexi with her diaper hat and kylie's picture scared me the one with the suns dancer because she looked so old. We have been using the atonement of jesus christ coupled with the invitation to be baptized found in alma 7. It's effective and bold. Dont worry dad I'm very bold with people. It's always worked in my favor and Elder Rabanes is a very happy missionary and the work is great. The bishop is way good. Yeah i dont know if i will stay in the urdaneta mission. I might be able to be assigned in alaminos which i really want. Who knows? We workshopped last week to the youth and to the missionaries and on wednesday i workshop again. I was pretty scared the other day because president mortensen the counselor of president monahan came to my workshop, but he had great insights that made it great. I loved reading Elder Gherkins emails. I kind of miss american humor. 

Anyways i love you all.

Sorry so Short.  Ingat

Elder Barney

I HAD MY FIRST BAPTISMAL INTERVIEW.

So they are going to split the mission i think you have seen the changes. I am still thinking about it. I'll probably not see a lot of friends like my trainee elder macabenta because he will be in an another mission. Those thoughts were the first thing that entered in my mind, but im happy that im still with president monahan and elder savage is still in my area. I hope youre doing ok mom. I'm honestly fine. This week is going to be big. Your right dad the adversary works hard. The parayaoan family's youngest son broke his foot when he fell from a mango tree. They wanted to postpone the baptism but bishop cancino talked to them and it should still be okay this week and also brother domingo is sure for 1 o'clock on saturday. We had ward conference last week and it was awesome to hear the choir sing I am a child of god in pangasinan and tagalog. The best hands down was "pamilyay sa diyos". I have heard the song in english before but i forgot the name. It was good. I kept looking at our other investigator family the deguzman family to see how they were doing while listening. It was impossible not to feel the spirit. I'd love for you to send me a picture of us all together as a family where we dont look to rich so that i can show to people when we proselyte. My zone leader did it with a "preach by the way". Even the hardest catholics become softer when you show them a picture of your family haha. Ky I'm going to send you a letter today for your birthday and then I'm going to cut my hair and get my soles on my shoes fixed haha so when it rains i dont feel the water in my shoes. Dallin emailed me. His first week sounds a lot like my first week, but he told it all to his family i didnt hahaha.  Bishop wrote me he's awesome. I had my first baptismal interview. It was one of the most spiritual hours of my mission. I finally understand a little, not a lot, because that would be blasphemous like Elder jeffrey r. holland said of the atonement and the love of the savior for sinners and for us. His talk is one of the best talks i have ever heard, as a missionary we will have to walk where he walked.  I just re-read the letter from president about the mission changes. Technically the missionaries havent been finalized. If I'm in the urdaneta mission then it's good thing i got that frog wallet just in time in baguio hahahahahahahaha  Dad i loved your home teaching stories. I like stuff like that. Mag-ingat  Elder Barney

"Preach By The Way" Opportunities

Yeah im doing okay. I played basketball earlier. With the kidney stones who knows what i ate? I haven't been drinking soda or eating pancit noodles. I like the area. There are a lot of members, hard to say for certain, because they formed a branch in some of the far barangays so thats outside my area. But theres a lot and to make it worse there are a lot of members who were teaching and trying to get back to church but we have no record in the branch...which makes me feel good inside haha. I cant imagine if bishop porter lost my record. Anyway the funeral of sister domingo is on wednesday. I was chosen to be a speaker which is fine i have something to say. We lost the key to the apartment, but i found it so we dont have to break into the apartment like a bunch of thieves using laminated cards and a great device that we made composing of my belt and an umbrella. We have 6 baptisms on the 23rd the paraoayan family and then brother domingo. In march we are hoping to get some more. President told me that he thinks san carlos can be the highest baptizing area in the mission and i dont doubt it. They are going to add sisters and cut our area smaller. I'm excited for the new missionaries then again i dont know how sisters will be. I have heard a lot of stories but i have the zone leaders in my house and they are a good help for me. I have been eating french toast every morning to fatten up. I thinks its working. We have a dinner appointment later i think were going to eat fried chicken which is really good. I watched special witnesses of christ the other day that was awesome. I really liked the testimony of neal a maxwell. President Monahan wants us to start talking to people and being more aggressive in our "preach by the way" opportunities. The rescue has been very slow and tedious and we're starting to balance back more into a stronger focus on investigators. I'm sorry my letters short i have little to write about but thanks for the pictures. I hope for more anyways until next week ~Elder Barney 

Not The Best Call To Receive...But he's On the Mend!

So we finally got an email from Tee.  We got a call sunday night that he had been in the hospital. (not the best call to receive!) They finally determined a kidney stone.  It looks like it finally passed.  If further treatment is needed then he will go to Manila to a private hospital that the church has privleges at with an American LDS physician (sevice missionary).  His mission President and Sis Monahan have been great communicating with us each day.  Thanks for all of the prayers of those that had heard about his situation.  We have a lot to be grateful for here in the states.   PS  Sis Monahan said that Elder Barney was pretty happy on pain meds.  I dont think he has been on pain meds...even with wisdom teeth he didnt want them...?  PSS  Mom can finally get some sleep!



Thursday, February 7th

hey

Well i finally got to get out!! My head still hurts from all the pain medication, and i say and do really dumb things but i need to work today because we were supposed to have a baptism on saturday. Brother Domingo who is partially deaf, he's huge, he's so tall for a filipino but he is the nicest person i have ever met in my life. Anyways his whole family was baptized three weeks ago. He has two daughters they have no permanent job and his wife is now blind because of diabetes and other complications but they pay tithing. Brother Domingo was delayed because of the word of wisdom but he doesnt have any problems anymore. Anyways the day i went in the hospital for kidney stones Sister Domingo was checked into a hospital. She passed away a short time later. The ward and us were devastated. There was so much hope for this family, but i know that the timing of the gospel entering into her life was a blessing and they can be sealed one day. We will visit their family after this. Brother wants a mormon funeral service which is super rare in the philippines even for mormon families. Because the parents and the brothers and sisters of the deceased will force it into a catholic funeral. But brother domingo wants it done the right way which i have great respect for he stood up to the whole family. So yeah that and i got your valentines package, i got aarons package, i got brother willets letter, and bishop porters letter which i was grateful for and grandma and grandpa taylors valentines card today at zone interviews in bayambang. Today at zone interviews president said were going to do something different today. You have ten minutes to find a contact you need to teach them a brief part of the plan of salvation and get their name and number for a follow up visit. We found a group of standbys or a bunch of teenager punks who i never "preach by the way" to because they usually end bad, but my companion said lets try them alright sige. We talked to them and there was a lot. I noticed that in big groups they sifted themselves out from the wheat from the tares the ones who werent interested walked away and the ones who stayed seemed okay and they gave exact addresses so i know they were. The point was if you dont doubt you can be successful. I really wish you could watch president monahan workshops. It's something like none other. So when i was in the hospital i was visited by the ward that was nice and president and sister monahan came to help me out. I dont think I'll go into the other details, but I'll just say it was bad. I dont know if the stone is out. I have no way to see if it is. The doctor says its a stone but he wasnt sure. He only had two teeth. Dad what is your advice for me so i never get that again. President said it might be because of the mineral water im drinking. I hope not because that's my only clean drinking water. So please let me know. The pain is gone but if it returns I'll probably go to manila for a ct scan. I loved your valentines card especially dubas " dont bring home a filipina". Here's the deal doobs. You find me the prettiest american mormon girl (that is temple worthy) that I'm not related to and you put her on hold and we have a deal midget. haha. Love you all thanks for the triple combination. I read psalms 23:4 a couple of times over when the pain got bad. I'm glad your safe mom from your trip. I worried about you. I love you all. And lexi why did you ask luke to sadies you wont be able to go to prom together?? teenagers never learn. haha ~Elder Barney

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