Post Christmas- Pre New Years Trunkies

HEY LOVELIES! So good to talk to you yesterday. That is like the understatement of the year. I loved every minute of it. Thanks for the encouragement and love and support! I love you guys. After we hung up i remembered something President had told us. He said when we call our families to have them feel better about your mission when they hang up than when they answered the phone. Did i do that yesterday?? Im not sure. Especially since I told whitney and Maddy about the guy who got killed right before i hung up. Sorry. Bad timing on my part. thats an ease into it subject. haha. So, since i spoke to you guys yesterday and already know what happened this week, i thought id tell you a few things of what ive been learning.
1. Heavenly Father is patient. I have just been overwhelmed with this fact. He is always there, just waiting to give us blessings, comfort,knowledge, or whatever we need-but he will not force us to do anything. So he just waits and waits and waits for us to ask. I know that prayer is literally speaking with our Father. It is powerful. I also knows that it is 2 sided. He will answer. Prayer is everything. I firmly believe that that is where the power in missionary work comes, because we are just constantly praying. A phrase ive heard here that has inspired me is "pray like it all depends on God, and then Work like it all depends on you." which brings us to number 2
2. Work. holy guacamole--this is way harder than i thought it would be. It is hard in every aspect. Physically, emotionally, mentally....i cant think of any other ways but ITS HARD! I feel like i am literally in the Refiners Fire. And wow, i have a ton of things to be better in. I am learning that if Heavenly Father wants you to learn something, you will learn it-one way or another. So you just have to try your best to try and figure out what that is, and then be better! (simple as that?) No its really hard. I am also learning however, that stress is not a bad thing. Stress helps us to be better.
3. The church is perfect-the people are not. Wow i am learning that no one is perfect. Especially not me. But everyone is trying. It is so sad to see people leave the church and all the blessings there in for something stupid. Like recent converts who quit coming to church after a year because the missionaries dont visit anymore. Or because they dont like the bishop. I love a quote that is on Shauna Young´s wall: "Heaven, dont miss it for the world." Dont miss out on eternity because of some little petty thing. Which leads me to another thing
4. Know for yourself. I believe this is the key to achieving eternal life. If you know it for yourself, if you truly understand all of the blessings and happiness you could have, you will live the gospel to the best of your ability, and therefore You will be happy. Your personal knowledge is the key. That is why it is so important to know for yourself. Know your Savior. Know how to repent. Know how to make and keep sacred covenants. Learn about the gospel. I think people sometimes dont understand the grand picture of it. I am just figuring it out a little by little. I guess this should go back in #3, but the church is Perfect. It was truly established by the Savior-it is perfect. Everything we do has a purpose. It is beautiful! I feel so extremely blessed to have been a part of it my whole life. I feel like I am learning so much about the gospel, and the more i learn the more I understand--Its true. I know it. I will never be able to doubt it. I know that its real. Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the Atonement, the First Vision, Its real. And since Heavenly Father knows that we are so quick to doubt, He has told us-test me. Ask me-and I will tell you. I know that if you have any doubts, just ask Heavnly Father-and you will find out for yourself. What an amazing promise. How blessed are we right???? I feel just amazing lucky to be apart of it. Anywho, I hope that you all have a super awesome week! I love you all! -Hermana Barrett

Feliz Navidad!

Hola familia!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!! I cant believe its already here! So crazy. This week was...short. Funny story, I got bit by a dog on tuesday! Not very fun, I would not recommend it. Its not even a cool story or anything. We just walked up to Dora and Ceasers house, and like always their two dogs were chillin out front and then we walked up to their open door and Ruiz yelled Buenas! and i took a step to enter, and their third dog (who knew they had 3 dogs?!) Ran up and bit me on my right leg like almost behind my knee. like right on the side up there. it didnt hurt very bad, but it scared me alot because i didnt even see the stinkin thing! I just took a step then my leg hurt like a mother. and then Ceaser, sweet Ceaser, wanted to help me out, so he ran over to a pulperia (little store) and bought something to clean it with. and then I learned a cool new thing: Rubbing Alcohol+Bleeding Dog bite=muchisimo pain.But no one freak out because their dogs have their vaccinations. Im not foaming at the mouth or anything. Its totally fine now, just colorful. but im sending a picture of my leg now, and the first day it happened. You can totally see the red circle from all its stinkin teeth! Ouch!What else happened this week. OH YEAH! i got to call home to set up a time for christmas! Such a highlight of the week! It made me laugh so hard how you answered dad. "hello?" "Hey dad!! Whats up??" "Not much, How are you---WHO IS THIS?!" hahaha anyways for christmas we had a christmas activity as a mission, and They had me and Elder Arnold play the prelude music. at the activity we sang and played games and there was this huge slippin slide (good thing i spent an hour on my hair!) and then we had a christmas dinner of Turkey and rolls and mashed potatoes. SO GOOD. and So since i played the cello for them my comp and i got to stay in Managua for 2 nights (because the reunion was like half missionaries one day, the rest the next day..and i just HAD to go to both activities.) and president invited us to dinner at Porterhouse Steaks with him and his whole family, and all the missionaries who went home yesterday. It was SO NICE. like even for the states. how lucky am i right?? It was a really great christmas activity though. Super trunky. I am ready to talk to you guys. Man! I love christmas. Such a great reminder of the amazing love our Heavenly Father has for us. He gave us His son. What profound love. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son." The more I learn about the Savior: His characteristics and the truthfullness of His Mission, the more I understand the sentance-I stand all amazed. And then I ask myself: What am I going to give the Savior for Christmas? or more than that-what am i going to give up? How can i become more like Him? I have learned so much about The Savior here. and something I have learned-something I know now more than any other time in my life is that He lives. What comfort this sweet sentance gives. He Lives. I obviously dont have any money to give gifts to everyone. But I think that this is the best gift i could give the people of Nicaragua. The Knowledge that He lives. Because that is true, life can be better. So, that is what i will be doing this week...and for 14 more months--Spreading the good word! Merry Christmas Everyone!! Love you! -Hermana Barrett

What did Mr. Rogers say when he got hit by a car? It's a beautiful day on my neighbor's hood. HAHAHAHA (it gets me everytime)

Buenas Tardes Fam!I hope everyone is happy and healthy this week. I gotta tell you, I had a great week. We had another Miracle. Their Names are Dora and Ceaser. i know i told you about them before, but OH MY GOSH!! They are so cool!! Let me tell you, they are the first family I´ve had the privledge to find, teach and BAPTIZE.I think I already told you about how we found them, just wandering around and then i felt like we should knock a door, but when we got to the door all we heard was people fighting but we knocked anyways and Ceaser answered and (I am so excited to tell you I cant use more than one sentance.) and he was just like Oh! hermanas! come on in! and we were like You know who we are? and he was like Yeah, the missionaries! And so then we taught the first lesson.Everytime we went back something awesome happened. They would share something really personal and just let us in a little bit more, or they would make us milk and cookies, or once Dora was talking to us about the other church she was baptized in. I thought it was super cool. She was like: I never felt the spirit in that church. People would always start wailing or talking in tongues or fall to the ground with "the spirit". I dont think the spirit works like that. I think I feel it when you are here.---GOLDEN. It was such a priveledge to get to teach them. This baptism was way special because they were the first people I ever asked like straight up to be baptised. The other super cool thing that happened was that on wednesday we went to teach them with the DL´s and on our way there Dora passed us going the opposite direction with their kids. but we felt like we should still go teach Ceaser anyways. So we went and I taught the word of wisdom (another first) and we had decided to not talk about baptism again because they had said they didnt want to be pressured. So we were just talking after the lesson and we said something like--You are a son of God. He has sent you here to become the person you want to be. So what are you going to do? And he said--When is that baptism again?? And we were like This saturday! And he was like If Dora is ready, I am ready. So we came back the next day and told Dora that (apparently they dont talk at night??) and she was like--Well, Lets do it then! and so Saturday, The 10th of December (4 months to the day i came) We baptised a family. It was such an amazing experience. Ugh! I just love them! I am going to send you a picture of them, and then some pictures of this super huge tree that is out by their house. I thought it was so super cool! I could like fit in the roots. and there was this super huge spider nest right next to me. ugh! Anyways, that was my week! I have total faith that next week will be just as cool. Anyways, I love you guys--See ya! Hermana Barrettp.s. right now in the cyber where i am titanic music is playing in really corny spanish. it is so funny!

Life is Beautiful.

Good Afternoon everyone! I sure hope everyone is happy and healthy this week.This week i had the opportunity to go to Managua. (we had to go to managua-i didnt want to, because it is 3 hours away by bus, but Ruiz had to renew her Nicaraguan license) It was actually really fun though! But dude! Story! So we get there after the 3 hour bus ride, and sorry to be gross, but i had to go. and so we walk up to this little hut with a old lady infront of it. I thought she was in line for the bathroom or something. wrong-o. Cual numero? (what number??) And then i (not knowing to what she was refering) was like um...uno? apparently i guessed the wrong number cuz i didnt get any toilet paper. (again, sorry to be groady, but i have to tell someone!!!) then i went into "the bathroom".. Oh my gosh. HOVER OF MY LIFE. then i came out and had to pay 4 cordobas. what?!?! hahaha ENOUGH SAID. Then we went to the distribution center and i bought the last two ensigns in english! woot woot! rock on! Then we went to this El Salvador restraunt and got pupussas. I think thats how you spell it, but whatever--they were delicious. I have pictures,but my camera is dead. Tomorrow im going to Managua again for a meeting. awesome! (no, it will really be fun this time.)Remember Dora and Ceaser? They are still really cool. Actually now i think they are even cooler. We have found out some more about their lives. Man-they have both had really hard lives. They both had trouble with drugs, and consequently Dora was in jail for 2 years, and Ceaser was aswell for 10 years. But they both want to change. It is so cool to be able to tell them with full asurety that they can be forgiven for all their sins through baptism. (we already checked it out, they can both be baptised.) What an amazing atonement right? The gospel is so beautiful. It gives you a new chance with baptism, and then every week. It is easy to tell that Heavenly Father loves us, and he really wants us back. because he gave us every chance to repent. This experience with them has also made me SO grateful for my life. Wow. I have so many blessings. My life is easy. I´ve been given every benefit of life. Especially with having been raised in the gospel. My heart is full. I love you all, and I hope you have a great week! -Hermana Barrett