My Purpose

Buenas Tardes Amigos y Familiares!
What a week we had in Jinotega! I am just going to jump right into the story. okay so we had a fecha with a family to complete named Julio (member) and his wife Iris (investigator). So we have had 2 different dates with her to get baptized. The latest was yesterday. She didnt do it before because she felt like she never got her answer. So We went last friday with the ZLs and she finally got her baptismal interview. and she signed the paper and everything, but then she told the ZL that she would tell us tomorrow if she was going to get baptized on saturday or sunday. (sunday being yesterday) so then we went back saturday morning and she was just like straight up-I am not going to get baptized. Why not? Because i like my church. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true church, but i like my church. (She has been Catholic her whole life) Man, heartbreaking after You get all excited for a baptism.
Anyways so we went back on Saturday night and we watched the amazing movie "together forever" and we felt the spirit really strong, so we asked her "do you think you have really done your part to know if you should get baptized tomorrow or not? have you prayed?" and she was like, honestly no. so we all got down on our knees and she prayed aloud. But she said- "Heavenly Father, please help me find your way." and then we just stayed on our knees and asked her--so, will you be baptized tomorrow? and she was like -no, i like my church. And then we said okay, Is it alright if we pray again? but this time you have got to be really direct with God. Direct Question-Direct Results. and she refused to pray again. But then her husband Julio came to the rescue! He prayed aloud for her "Heavenly Father, Please open the heart of my Wife. Help her to feel her answer." And then Iris just began to pray. Her prayer was just Direct and simple, but obviously sincere. She prayed "Father, Should I get baptized tomorrow?" And then we asked her...how do you feel? And she got all misty eyed and just said... "I dont know how to describe it. I felt an energy...a cool energy throughout my whole body." and then we said "So will you be baptized tomorrow?" "yes." Why are you going to do it? "Because I know its true. I know its what i should do." Man, what an extremely espiritual experience! In that moment I remembered why I came on a mission. Because I know its true too. It gave me such great Joy to help her come to that knowldege. It reminds me of Alma 17: 16 "Therefore, this was the ^acause for which the sons of Mosiah had undertaken the work, that perhaps they might bring them unto repentance; that perhaps they might bring them to know of the plan of redemption." This is the whole reason Im here. To help people come unto Christ.

So, i left her house that night as a happy missionary.

Then the next morning, yesterday morning, we returned to walk with them to church.......AND THEY WERENT THERE. Thats right! She hid. Julio`s brother answered the door and told us she was at her moms house.... so then we went to her moms house and her brother answered the door and told us she was at Julio`s house. Dagger to the heart. How quick we are to forget the things of God, huh? By this time, it was 8:50, and we had to go to church without them. So we were sitting in sacrament meeting, and all the sudden Rodriguez looked at me, and i looked at her, and then we just stood up and left. (We took the sacrament) We went back to Julios house, and then back to her Moms house, and then her mother told us that she went to Mass. So then, as the good little sister missionaries we are, we went to mass too. (This cathedral is amazing, Ill send pictures i took today) Man, there is such a different feeling in a cathedral than in a chapel! It was my first time at mass.... I will not be going back. It was just super uncomfortable for me...I did not feel the spirit there, and i just could not feel calm there. It might have been the nametag and the people who i had contacted before staring at me. but whatever.. it was an experience. Anyways, Iris`s mom was lying too, becuase she wasnt there. We still havent found her to find out what happened.

How sad though huh? One of the best experiences in my mission quickly turned to me being a bit bummed. But, I can still remember how that felt. I am so grateful for the little reminder of my purpose as a missionary. Thanks Iris.

Okay, So my pictures today. Cathedral... the outside, the inside, and then me flashin my nametag in the doorway... and then Chicha..
This is Elder Humphries drinking his least favorite drink "Chicha" He was just like "Okay, I am just going to down it! Im going for it!" And so i was like-Alright Ill take a picture of your extreme courage! So i took a picture of him drinking and then all the sudden Rodriguez grabbed the drink out of his hand. Good Eye Rodriguez. There was totally a living worm in his chicha. I dont know what kind...but IT WAS ALIVE!!! We will be changing food citas here pronto. Hahaha. Good times in Nicaragua. Well, I love you all! Take care of yourselves!-Hermana Barrett

JINOTEGA (Hin-o-tegg-a) - A Time For A Change

Dearest Family and Friends. Hola!!

I had changes!! They were very much needed. I am now in an area called Jinotega! It is a beautiful Rainforest! There are monkeys here!
Yeah, The mission is pretty much amazing!!! Like i said, i am now in Jinotega with an amazing lady named Hermana Rodriguez. She entered the Guatemala MTC the same day i entered the Provo MTC. So we have the same time in the mission, but she has one change more than me in the field because she didnt have to learn spanish. She is from Panama! But they put me as senior companion. Its a bit different, but with a comp as amazing as Rodriquez, it will be cake! No worries!

Man, Jinotega is so incredibly different than Esteli. The church is so much stronger here. There is an adequate size branch, and the members are much stronger in the gospel. For example, our weekly attendance in Esteli was 45 people. Here it is 90! WOW! they actually do their visiting teaching and home teaching, and there are teachers and priesthood to bless the sacrament and everything! So far, I LOVE JINOTEGA!

The only thing that is a little different... I have to wash all my own clothes. I will send a picture of the washer and the drier. And the other thing is that the shower here is HORRIBLE!!! It is like legit cold here at night, and it gets really windy, and do we have hot water? WHAT IS THIS, AMERICA? Why no. No. we do not. Like the whole mission talks about the frigid showers in Jinotega. But being the headstrong person i am, i got here and said--how bad can it be? I totally screamed. It is a shower of death. There isnt a showerhead.. just like a pipe that comes out of the wall and you can just turn it on a little, to give yourself a little like dry mental preperation space, but then the water will just shoot out occasionally and get your hair and everything wet when you arent expecting it. its horrible!! It is a good thing the ward is awesome to make up for it. Sorry i am sending alot of pictures. I am just super excited to show you guys everything.

It is amazing how different the people are here too. In Esteli the people are very stubborn and dont want to change or accept fechas (a baptismal date, i am sick of translating that. way easier in spanish.) anyways, so far (the last 3 days) in Jinotega we have found 3 new families to teach, brought a family to church, and put fechas with 2 families. the people are just totally different and so far the field has been white and ready to harvest. :D We´re on it!

Just the last thing from Estelí though, Cesar and Dora were SO SAD when i left! But i promised them that i would come back with my family to meet them (I sure hope at least one of you are planning on coming!) but Cesar´s birthday was the day after i left, so the day before we brought him a cake and for a present I got him a white shirt and tie! He is so stinking cool! I would send a picture, but its full! Anyways, i cant wait to see them again, and i hope they seguir adelante en el evangelio. I am sure they will. They are pilas.

Anywho, I dont really have anything else to say. Just that it is so amazing to be a missionary. Just when you think it is cool, something happens to make it that much cooler. sure, sometimes (like the last change for me) are hard. But it is always worth it!! I love you guys, Keep the faith!! -Hermana Barrrrrrrt

SIX MONTHS. (Where does the time go?)

Im sorry I havent sent an email to everyone in a while- Lets get back on this boat.

Well, I am still in the Rosario in Estelí. I love it here. Its just my little home away from home. The problem is that our recent converts are having a hard time.The holidays here are just people Drinking and being groady, and we are still in the aftermath. Well actually right now we are in the calm before the storm. I can tell that some of the recent converts of missionaries before me perhaps werent as converted as they could have been. They are still in the worldly way of thinking that they only need God when they have problems.And right now they dont have problems,so they dont need Him. We keep pleading with them to come to church and repent and they just wont come. So its really sad to watch. It reminds me of the scripture in Alma 5:26. " 26 And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a ^achange of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the ^bsong of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?" oh man, chapter 5 is AMAZING!! I have to go on now.
27 Have ye walked, keeping yourselves ^ablameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently ^bhumble? That your garments have been ^ccleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to ^dredeem his people from their sins? Man! Machete!!! Then we get to my favorite verses:
38 Behold, I say unto you, that the good ^ashepherd doth call you; yea, and in his own name he doth call you, which is the name of Christ; and if ye will not ^bhearken unto the voice of the ^cgood shepherd, to the ^dname by which ye are called, behold, ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd. 41 Therefore, if a man bringeth forth ^agood works he hearkeneth unto the voice of the good shepherd, and he doth follow him; but whosoever bringeth forth evil works, the same becometh a ^bchild of the devil, for he hearkeneth unto his voice, and doth follow him. This is one of my favorite names for the Savior. The Shepherd. I didnt really understand it before my mission, but i´ve been studying. Did you know that sheep only answer to the voice of their Shepherd? I read an article. A shepherd was ill and He sent His neighbor to feed his sheep. The Neighbor went and said the same words the Shepherd would say to feed them, and the sheep wouldnt come. They only come to the voice of their Shepherd. Sheep are smart right? Who knew? They do this way better than we do! Alot of times we get confused on the voice of our Shepherd. Sometimes we choose different shepherds. Money, love, work, school--we are so easy to forget and so slow to act. But luckily for us Heavenly Father sent us help. The Holy Ghost. That is how we can know if we are following the right voice. I like how it says "if a man brings forth good works he hearkeneth unto the voice of the good shepherd" How do you feel when you are serving someone? The Holy Ghost testifies to us when we do what is right. My Mission president always tells us: "before you do something wrong the Holy Ghost will testify that it is not right." I have learned and am learning still that it is so super important to follow the promptings of the spirit.

We are having a hard time finding families to teach, so the other day we just got on our knees and prayed- Heavenly Father, We just want someone to teach. We are going to leave now, and talk to everyone in our path-Please lead us to a family to teach.--And we found two families. Wow right? It is obvious to me that 1)God listens to our prayers. 2)If we depend on Him, He will take us where we need to go. and 3) The work of God will go forth. He does not need us to do it, but we have the priveledge of being instruments in His hand sometimes. I just feel so extremely blessed to be out here.

And then just to sum things up, Verse 43 and 45 of Alma 5.
43 And now, my brethren, I would that ye should hear me, for I speak in the ^aenergy of my soul; for behold, I have spoken unto you plainly that ye cannot err, or have spoken according to the commandments of God. 45 And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I ^aknow of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true.

I like Alma know that these things are true. God hears and answers prayers. Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd. He will never lead us astray. I am so thankful for the spirit in my life, and I hope and pray that each of us can feel it every day! If you cant, repent until you can! I love you all! -Hermana Barrett

p.s. this pic is just my beautiful area with Hermana Pastran! AMAZING!

p.s.s. I HAVE BEEN OUT 6 MONTHS ON SATURDAY!!! WOOT WOOT!