Hello family!!! This week has been great! I thought Christmas was going to be a lonely time, but it was truly amazing! The members here are so welcoming and we had people sign up in November to invite us for Christmas. The weird thing about Christmas here is that it's not very big. It's not like America at all. They eat a lot (but thats normal) and they sing. The whole lights and Santa and all of that though is lacking a lot. It never really felt like Christmas for me. Idk if thats a good or a bad thing though. Maybe that made it easier to handle. Anyway, it was great. We ate shrimp and fish and oysters...all of my favorite things :( We sang ALOT :) and we gave out a lot of brownies...the coveted food here in Spain.
I really am so privileged to have the family and friends that I do. I recieved so many letters and gifts it was amazing. My piso mates were a little jealous, but I shared so don't worry.Sso here are my thank yous:
-thank you Hall family for the card and update! I'm glad all are doing well. Tatiana I'm sorry I'm so horrible at emailing back but I promise I will! or I will write back because I have more time for letters than email!
-thank you Larson family for the letter as well! It was great to hear how the family is doing! You all look so happy! I hope Erika is doing well and loving Arizona! I have no doubt that the people love her.
-Grandpa Bob and Grandma Daisy. The candy was PERFECT! I love American candy and thank you for thinking of me! I am so blessed to have grandparents who care so much about everyone in the family
-Tiffany VB. your hair looks so cute! Thank you for saying hi! I hope life is well! I'll write soon
-Bracken...idk if he has already left, but if not tell him I say good luck! I know he is doing the right thing and he is not going to regret his decision to serve The Lord.
-Kelli and mark thank you for the card! It was so cute! you all really are my best friends, so the card was perfect!
-Grandma Bev! I finally got your package. It was so perfect!! The pomegranate chocolates were the best thing ever! I may have already finished a bag even though I just got the package today! haah. The gloves and scarf are beautiful!Tthank you for thinking of me and always being there for me and my family.
I truly am blessed with all the love and support I have from everyone. I know that I am blessed in my life with so much. I am grateful that I have this time to share some of my blessings with the world. Thank you for everything and all the kind words I receive every week. You all have no idea how much your words mean to me.
As for this week it's a little crazy. Hermana Alatorre has 3 intercambios which means I am in my area all alone. I am going to work with Sara (anorexia) this week to try to build our area. It's a little dead right now. It's sometimes nice to be the one to say where we're going and all that. It's just a little bit of fresh air :) Also we have zone enfoque this week and it could be my last one in Valencia. We will find out on Saturday night about transfers.
Some good stories about this week...I ate stomach! It was awful! haahah. We ate an authentic Ecuadorian meal. I finished it all first and then asked what it was. That was the best decision I ever made! The texture and flavor was something that I wouldn't mind never having again! hah but it was an experience.
This week is dia de reyes which means more food and more parties! I don't know how I haven't gotten fat here. It truly is a miracle. We eat more than I ever have in my life. And still I hardly ever know what I'm actually eating!
The miracle for this week.. when Hermana Alatorre was on intercambios, Sara and I knocked buildings...for 2hours...bleck! Anyway, we found a woman named Mari Nieve from Equatorial New Guinea. She let us in and we taught about the Book of Mormon. As we were talking, she slowly started telling us about her family and life. By the end we had found out that her Uncle and Aunt are members. She hasn't been to church ever though because her husband thinks it's a waste of time. She had so much interestt though and invited us back. She was truly a miracle because I had prayed that morning to let us find someone while we were knocking doors. Prayer really does work. We don't know what is going to happen because of the husband, but it was a miracle none the less.
I hope you all are doing well. I'm super jealous about all the football and things!! I really miss sports to be honest. Today we played frisbee and every week the elders are impressed that a girl can play sports. It makes me laugh. Of course its all the Elders...and me, whats new there? Hermana Alatorre doesn't like to play, but it's nice that she lets me play. Its my one day of the week to forget the world and just run and relax. (We asked Rachel about playing football "Soccer" on pdays because she loves soccer but she said that soccer has been banned in their mission because too many missionaries were getting injuries playing on pdays).
I miss you all and I am so glad I got to see your faces. Rosmery and a family from my ward saw the pictures. There are now people in my ward following my blog as well! It's going world wide! So I get to see it every once in a while. Can you send the link to me though? Well I love you all and I hope you have a good New Years with lots of love and lots of miracles. I will talk to you in 2014!!!
Con Amor
Hermana Barker
Photos coming soon!
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