WEEK #67
Hi! I'm so glad that you all liked the video. (Rachel sent a happy birthday video to her dad) I wanted to do something special and the card just wasn't doing it!  I know it was short and not really anything, but I'm glad it made a little bit of a difference. I owe you much more than that dad for all that you have done for me in the last 22 years of my life. I hope your birthday was great!

Poor Tay!! That's so sad! I'm so sorry...but finally I wasn't the only one that got hurt in high school!  Just kidding. (Taylor got hurt in her soccer game this week, had to leave the game to go to the Er). I hope that it heals fast and nothing too serious so that you can play in your last game. If not, just have fun yelling at people from the side line! You still look cute though! :)

You can say that again about how time is flying! We are already planning for the end of November and people in the ward are already fighting about where we are going to go for Christmas dinner!  It's so weird. And last zone conference they were talking about the end of December and I started to freak out a little bit. It's getting so close and the more I try not to think about it, the more it comes up. But don't worry. I'm still focused and ready to work. It's getting a lot colder here though which sometimes makes it harder to find people because no one is outside when it's raining. We are slowly finding people though. There have been miracles happening every day. People are starting to find us...good things are happening. 

Speaking of good things, we are teaching this guy named Jonathan. He is from the Dominican Republic and speaks faster than anyone I have ever met, but I can understand so its a miracle! But when I first met him he was so far from baptism. I really never thought that I would even see him get close. We met with him after not seeing him for a month and he had changed COMPLETELY! He stopped drinking and smoking. He stopped going out on the weekends and he started to read and pray. He said that one night he decided that he was wasting his life and needed to get it together. He is 27 and has a 2 year old daughter. He said he realized he needs to be the example for his daughter. He set his own date of baptism!!! It is for the end of this month. He is really showing a change. He tried realy hard to get to church on Sunday but his grandpa is in the hospital and his mom had to work so he had to go take care of him. It's incredible though how much someone can change when they finally have the desire to change. I hope that he can continue on this road and change his life for good. 

Also there was one day this week where I was struggling a little bit. I was so tired and cold and there was nothing happening. All of our citas had cancelled and I was just ready to sit down. As we were walking to go find some old investigators, I said a prayer in my heart. I just asked Heavenly Father to put someone in our path that will at least talk to us. I apologized for my bad attitude and started to talk to whoever was in front of us. Well we get to the door and no one answers. As we turn to go, the family walks up. It was the family that we were looking for! They said that the missionaries just stopped coming by and they lost contact. They asked if we could come back on Monday to see them and to continue teaching them. It took no less than 3 minutes for my prayer to be answered. It was incredible! At that moment I knew that nothing happens in missionary work if we don't want it to. I try every day even when I'm tired to keep a good attitude and continue working. Some days are harder than others, but there is always something to be grateful for and something to rejoice about. We are blessed.

Random story: We decorated for Christmas and Halloween on the same day!  We found a baby Christmas tree and baby pumpkins. We carved them and stuck them in our piso! You can tell there is not much to do in Castellón on preparation days, but it was fun and we got to celebrate a little bit. 

Rachel's pumpkin is the one with the crooked smile.

Also random story: Hermana Solos trips more than I have ever seen anyone in my life. Every other step she is falling down haha. So if I ever write that we are at the hospital it is probably because she broke her ankle or something. Just so you can get to know my companion a little more! Well there are so many other miracles that I could write about but I don't have enough time. You'll have to wait. I can't wait for you all to come and meet the people that have changed my life forever. And to hear me speak spanish!  You heard a little bit but that was just the start! I am so grateful that I have people in my life who put the idea of a mission in my head. This has really prepared me for the future and for experiences I am going to have. Thank you family for always supporting and loving me. Thank you Bishop Orgill for being there for me to help prepare me for this journey. And thank you to all of my family and friends that have supported me through it all. I couldn't do it without you all!!!

Have a great week and always remember to smile and love every minute!!!

Con amor,

Hermana Barker

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