HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 12/30/2013

-How the heck are you?

Doing good! Things are continuing to pick up here so I can't complain!

-How was your week?

It was long... The holidays were good, but it just made the work hard for those days hard, so it slowed down for a bit... But nothing bad happened so it was good... :)

-Any good experiences?

One day last week we had to go get our tire changed... And on the way back we stopped by Walmart so Elder Larsen could pick up another white shirt... And the whole day the sisters in our district were not answering any of our texts, which was really weird... But when we were driving past their street to go back to our area, I had a feeling I needed to check on them... I just thought it was nothing, but just in case - I said in my head that if I saw a cop car with its lights on I would tell Elder Larsen to turn around... And not two seconds after that I saw not one, but two cop cars on the side of the road with their lights on... So we turned around and the sisters had just barely gotten to their place to drop something off and were about to leave... It turns out their phone was acting weird and hadn't received hardly anything for a couple of days... So I helped them fix it (restarted their phone) and almost 30 messages came in on it... haha After that they needed someone to go with them to their investigators home to get the baptismal program together for the next day... And if we wouldn't have showed up at that exact time they wouldn't have been able to go... And since we did show up, they got their phone fixed, and they were able to get the baptism in order!

 

And the baptism they had was one of the coolest ones I've been to... The spirit was just so strong! And the confirmation was even better the next day! The spirit is cool... :)

 

It was way fun to talk to you guys!!! It was good to see all your ugly faces! Except for Kate... I only saw her once... Rude... haha jk

 

But things are going good! I don't have much more time to be on here, but I hope you all know I love you all and pray for you each night!

 

Thanks for everything!

 

Love

Elder Barlocker II

MERRY CHRISTMAS 12/23/2013

1.  Can you Skype on Christmas Day?

Yes!

2.  do you know about what time?

We are going to the home we are Skyping at, at around 12ish...

3.  Did you get the second Christmas box from us?

Yes I got both! :)

So things are going good down here... The past couple days it rained on and off... Still nothing compared to snow, but I don't mind... The drivers down here get really bad when it rains, I can't imagine what they would be like if it snowed... But it has been getting a little cooler down here (like 50's)... Doesn't feel like December though, but it feels normal to me... haha I'm glad i'm not coming home in the winter... I would die!

So its just been another week on the mission... Except for the fun surprise that we got! We found out we have bed bugs... I was making my bed one morning (I'm the only elder that I know that does that) and I saw a little bug on my blanket... I squished it and it exploded with blood... So I checked my box spring and sure enough there were little bugs down there... We had two companies come to estimate the place... It is not cheap to get these things gone... But we are getting them exterminated on the 26th! :) It'll be nice to sleep on a bed...

Other then that, its been a normal week... We have gone caroling a couple times and it has been pretty successful... We only had one guy shut the door on us... jerk... But everyone else was glad to see us and didn't mind that we were missionaries... :)

But life is good right now! Things continue to pick up and get better... :) I am looking forward to seeing you guys on CHRISTmas!!! I'll be Skypeing from Sells! haha I'm excited! :)

Well I'll see ya in a couple days! 

Love you all!!!

Love

Elder Barlocker II

This winter stuff is really getting old! 12/16/2013

-How is my favorite missionary doing? Really, how are you?

I am doing great! This week has been filled with really good feelings and really awful feelings... But I talked to President Killpack and things are all good... :) I love being a missionary!!!

-So what's been going on in AZ? 

Really big coats! haha The people down here are whimps! haha Not that I have much room to speak, I have been wearing that sweater the past couple days... And the temps have been in the 50 and 60... I'm glad I'm not going home in the winter... haha

 

-Anything interesting, fun, spiritual, or just plain boring?

I had a cool experience the other day while teaching an investigator... I asked him a question but then realized right after I asked it, I didn't know how to answer it... haha I was freaking out inside, but just tried to stay calm... And when I had to answer him, I just started speaking and the words just came out and he understood... It was cool... :)

 

-What has been the good, bad, ugly?

The Good: the weather

The Bad: Appointments falling through...

The Ugly... Jessica?... idk At least the last time I saw her... :P

***Do you know where and when you will be able to Skype us on Christmas day?***

NOPE... :)

 

-So have you reached your goals of reading the BOM and Bible?

The BOM yes... I'm still working on the Bible... I'm just reading the new testament and should have it done by CHRISTmas eve... :)

-What are your highlights from the past week or two?

Just getting more work done and seeing more of the impact I have as a missionary... :) It's hard too see how much, even as members, of an impact we have on the people around us - and even ourselves sometimes... :)

 

-Investigators doing well?

Yup... :) They are all awesome!

-So what are your plans for this week?

Get work done and have fun! haha Nothing big this week planned, just the normal awesome lessons with great people!

-What are your plans for Christmas week - if you know yet?

All we have planned for that week is our dinners... Yet nobody is feeding us on CHRISTmas as of late... :\

But this week has been awesome! We walked in a parade down in Sahuarita and it took a whole like five min for the whole parade... It was really short but there were a lot of people seeing us! It was fun... :)

 

I can't believe that i'm so close to the end... These past few weeks have been the hardest yet most rewarding... I know if I didn't come on a mission, or even if I came home early, I wouldn't be doing the things I need to stay true... It's really tough, and I know we are all blessed to be member of the church! I hope everyone can jump on the challenge and finish the BOM before I get home! It'll be good and Moroni 10 has some great promises if you just do what it says! (and yes that was kinda directed toward Marci...) But I hope Kaitlyn, Jessica, Kevin, Nathan, and Dad also take the challenge...

Well my time is being cut short today... Hope all keeps going great! Keep being awesome!!!

Love you all!!!

 

Love

Elder Barlocker II

IT IS SNOWING...well at least in UTAH! 12/9/2013

Yeah so we had transfer calls last night... And it sucks because our zone is always the last to be called, so we were up until 11:30 waiting... ugh... But come to find out only one person from our zone left... So Larsen and I are staying another one!!! :) That means I'll have six months in this area and after that I'll probably only have one more area... :\ It's weird...

And no I didn't get the package... Both the mailing system down here and the mission office aren't too good... But I'm sure I'll get it sometime this month... :)

 

This week has been stressful... Every transfer week is... I even got sick because of it... :\ I can't wait to get home and not have to worry about transfers... I just can't wait to get home! ha-ha But I'm doing my best to stay focused... :)

So I get another six weeks to work on the reservation... :) It is fun to work out there... Last Tuesday we had a big zone exchange and I took one of our zone leaders out there and we had a blast! ha-ha There is one member down there that live like three miles from the border, so when they didn't answer, we went and saw the border... ha-ha It was cool... :) Oh and there is a pic for Jessica.. HORSES!!!! ha-ha

Other then that exciting stuff its been pretty normal... We have a LA family feeding us on CHRISTmas eve, and the dad is a gourmet chef... It should be good... :) And that all we have planned so far for the holidays...

We got another investigator this week and he is actually in town! ha-ha Turns out not all our work is on the reservation anymore... ha-ha The work is slowly picking up... :)

Ugh... Sorry I don't write too much... I do write in my journal every night but I cannot remember anything that happened at all... I had to think hard to remember seeing the border... ha-ha My brain is turning to mush...

 

I hope everything is going well back home... Things are getting harder but easier down here... :) I'm loving it... :)

 

I Love you all!!!

Love

 

Elder Barlocker II

A New Year Approaches 12/2/2013

-So what has been going on this past week or so?

Missionary work... haha We got permission from President Killpack to go down to the reservation more often... Before we were only allowed one time a week, now he gave us two to three times!!! I expressed how there is a lot more work happening down there then before (more then in town...) and I told him that he should split the area this next transfer; so we can get more attention down there... He called me last Monday and worked out some things to see how much work really is out there... I don't know why, but I really feel the reservation need to have its own set of missionaries and I am willing to do anything to get that for them... :)

-Anything good/exciting/new?

Read above :)

-What have been the best times this past month?

Teaching our investigator! :) And now we have a second one, they are both in Sells! haha They are both pretty solid in their own ways... They both know what they want and know how to get it... :) It's just a matter of time and work... :)

 

-What were your challenges in Nov?

Being really really trunky... haha

-Who are your investigators?

We have two peeps in Sells that we are teaching... :)

-What has been your saving grace on your mission? (what makes it all for the best)

Everything I get to learn from and that pushes me to be better... :) Without my mission I can almost guarantee that I would be inactive... Just being out here has made it worth it... :) Plus all the friends I have made, make it a lot more worth it... :)

-Is there anything we can do for you/send you?

That grey sweater that has the little zipper at the top... :)

-How are you and E Larsen getting along?

Really well... You keep asking this question... Do you expect us to not get along?...haha

-When are next transfers?-

On the 10th...

So Thanksgiving was fun... :) We got a lot of freaking food... haha And it was all good... :) Last Thanksgiving was the first time I remember trying the cranberry stuff and I love it! haha On Thursday we had a huge meal! There were ten people there, the family and then both the sisters missionaries in our ward and us... It was fun... :) The family we went to is one of the ones you can joke around with a lot...

 

Our second Thanksgiving dinner on Friday was great! We had chicken instead of turkey, but it was still really good... :) One thing that stood out to me this Thanksgiving was all the things we do have... Back home I always had everything I needed and really couldn't comprehend not having everything... But since being on my mission and seeing those who don't have all they need or even want, it makes me thankful of what little I do have... I mean I sat down to two huge meals with ease while there are some who maybe only got one little meal... It's interesting to see how the gospel can give more, both spiritually and physically... :)

 

This past Saturday we helped the family we ate at on Thanks giving move... They just moved to another part of their neighborhood... We got there at 9:30 in the morning, and finished the move at almost 9:00 at night... haha It was a lot of work and it was a stressful move, but it is done and we had a good time... :)

 

But things are going well... We are getting to talk to a lot more people in Sells and the work is moving a long... :) Only six more months and you'll have to deal with me again!!! :P

 

I love you all!!! Keep being who you are!!!

 

Love

Elder Barlocker II

PICS:

1. Tucson from a hill in our area...

2. The tank in Sells (idk if i'd shown you this...)

 

 

THANKSGIVING 11/25/2013

1.  What are your plans for Thanksgiving?

- We have a family having us over, the Roberts, they are freaking awesome! Brother Robert kinda reminds me of uncle Lynn, just without all the guns... haha But then the day after Thanksgiving we are having another Thanksgiving meal with another legit family... haha

2.  What are your plans for your slump day?

- I don't even know... The tradition is to burn a pair of pants, so I'm going to do that of course... ha-ha But it'll just be another day as a missionary... :)

3.  How is the GPS working?

- By electricity as usual... duh... ;) But it is doing us whole bunches of good! :)

4.  Do you still like getting letters in the mail, or just email?

- I love getting letters, I just hate trying to write back... But having an empty mailbox is kinda depressing... ha-ha But emails are always a plus too... haha

First off I haven't forgotten everyone back home, you can just say Ashley and Sean... haha in fact there was a poster down in Tucson last year that had a guy that looked like Sean... ha-ha And I'm going to miss Thanksgiving... ha-ha But this'll be the last one I'll be away for!!! :)

This week we had a jdub come to our door... haha Out of all the places to get someone at your door I never thought it would be here... ha-ha She came early and we weren't even ready for the day so we were still in our pj's... ha-ha Kinda just threw a pamphlet on us and went away... I kinda wish she came a little later so two missionaries would have answered the door... haha. But we were both so shocked that someone was at our door, we didn't even try to contact her... ha-ha

So we had a half mission conf. this past week... An Elder Johnson of the Seventy came and spoke to us... It was crazy to see how many missionaries were there... We filled the whole chapel and then some... Last year that is how big the whole mission was, now it only takes half to fill a stake center... ha-ha But it was a good mtg. and I got to see some old pals from the mission... :)

A couple days ago we went to go and see a referral that we got last week... After meeting with him and setting up another appt. we had a lot of time left before our next appt... But as we were driving out of the neighborhood, we saw a man in a wheelchair trying to get his mail, so we decided to go and talk with him... He was way nice and we had a good discussion with him. Then we took in his trash cans and helped him get back into his house... I don't know how in the world he was going to get back up his driveway without anyone's help... He was really tired and it was getting cold, and we just happened to show up and be able to help him back in... He gave us his phone number and we are going to go back sometime this week to visit with him and his family... :) It was cool to see how God places us in certain situation like that... :)

The rest of the week has been pretty normal... Locked gates and no one home... But it's all good... We had a good week. Plus we had a great time in Sells... :) I freaking love that place! I'm gunna ask President Killpack if I can be assigned specifically there... It would be a lot of work but fun!

A comment on me sending more pictures... If I get more pictures from you guys in the mail, I'll send more to you... Deal?

Well, I've got to get on with my p-day... It should be a good one... :)

Hope all is going well back home!!!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Love

Elder Barlocker II

PICS

1. Elder Larsen and I

2. The half mission conf...

3. Elder Black, Seare and I :)

WINTER IS TRYING TO COME… NOV 18, 2013

-How have you been doing? Good... :)

-Have you been using the GPS? Does it work? Yes and yes! It helps a ton!!! Thanks!!!

-What was your favorite thing(s) we have sent you? The GPS and the fixin's for peach cobbler... :)

-Do you need to send a few things back before you come home?

Probably, I'm gunna try to slowly get rid of things this last little bit... But we'll see...

-Anything funny/fun happen these past few weeks?

Um... People have answered the door this week! haha It's kinda funny to think we have to worry about that... lol But it mostly is a problem that their gate is going to be locked, everyone out here has a gate... :\

-What are your spiritual experiences lately?

Just the lessons we have with our investigator! He is freaking awesome! It's hard to find a person that is so willing and wanting to learn of the gospel, I always look forward to the one hour drive to his house! haha

-Will you please send a pic of you & E' L? No...

-Are you two getting along ok?

Not at all I hate the kid to death... lol It would be really hard not to get a long with him! He is an awesome missionary and friend!

-Any investigators? One... :)

-What is your best memory/experience so far on your mission? Let me get back to you on that... :)

-What pranks have you done lately?

None... :( Elder L doesn't like pranking... But I always have silly string and a water gun at the ready... haha

-What pranks were pulled on you? I'll have to write about it all... But none lately

-Who is your Dist leader? Elder L... Hey question: was dad any type of leadership on his mission?...

-Do you know any Spanish speaking elders? Elder L and about half of our mission... haha

-DO YOU STILL HAVE THE CHRISTMAS TREE & DECORATIONS? Or do we need to send more?

No. And if you want to send me more you can, but please nothing with the tinyest bit of glitter...

-What are your plans for when you come home in 6 months? I have no idea... haha

-Any questions or concerns? Too many... haha

But this week was a good one... I was going to bring my journal so I could tell you what went on but i forgot... ha-ha Plus all the spanish missionaries have taken over our library and I had to wait over an hour to email... ugh... So I forgot half the things I was going to tell you... ha-ha But if I do get around to writing a letter, I'll tell you everything... :)

And honestly, members have the easiest job in missionary work... I can't wait till I get home and have it easy... ha-ha But like you said it does take a lot of getting use to... Please utilize the gospel and its blessing as much as possible... No matter what... It's worth getting made fun of or ridiculed over the gospel... :)

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Hope you week turns out great!!!

Love

Elder Barlocker II

WHATEVER NOV 12, 2013

Sorry I didn't email yesterday... Dumb holidays... haha At least I get to look forward to Christmas and Mothers day! haha :)

This week has been interesting... I didn't think what happened would effect me so much... It's weird to think of how fragile our lives are... The lives we live are fragile, but the life we have is not... Idk if that makes sense... But the treasury makes cents so... ;) But I got a blessing from my comp a couple nights ago and that really helped... :) I'm am still amazed at the power the gospel has in everything...

But this week has been the same old same old... Except for we went down to sells three times this week... haha I wish I could always be down there, we have a lot more success on the nation then in town... haha Unfortunately we had to cancel the sells mtg. this week because someone else had the building we use reserved... The member that coordinates it tried to get another building, but no luck... We're shooting for next week so hopefully it happens!!!

My birthday was good... Birthdays on the mission are dumb... haha Can't do anything fun, just the same old same old... And in three points it gets really old... haha but I like it out here... Not too many people can handle this area, but so far i'm holding up... I just hope I stay this next transfer so I don't have to move before Christmas again...

But yeah, it's been a weird week... It's picking up though! And i'm sorry that I don't have a lot to write about, my minds been going nuts the past few days...

I'll be sending more letters out as they come! Thanks for not forgetting about me! haha

I'm so dang close to the end of my mission... Crap... You guys better be ready for me when I get home... I don't know if i'll be ready to come home... haha But I'm staying strong!

Thanks for everything!!!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Love

-Elder Barlocker II

Ps I wrote a poem in honor of Ryan... I'll attach it also... It kinda shows how precious life really is...

.

PICS

1. First egg nog of the year!!!

2. My last District... well minus two

3. One of the other two not in the picture before! (Elder Huff - awesome kid!)

Missionaries over for dinner 11/6/2013

Hi Bro. and Sis. Barlocker,

We recently had your son, Elder Barlocker, and his companion and two sister missionaries in our home for dinner. After dinner, I took a couple of pictures of them and I thought you might enjoy seeing them. I've attached them to this email. I also want to let you know that your son is doing very well here in southwest Tucson. He's served in our ward for a couple of months and he's an outstanding missionary. He and his companion, Elder Larsen, are very hardworking and diligent and we are very blessed to have them serving in our ward. They definitely brought the spirit into our home this evening and we appreciate so much all that they do for our ward.  Thank you for raising such a fine son. 

 

Take care!

Marilyn Baird

WEEK OF FUN & OTHER THINGS NOV 5, 2013

-How was your week?

It has been good! :)

-What is your new comp like?

He is awesome! Think of the nicest person you have ever met and thats him! ha-ha

-Where is he from? WV

-Getting along so far?

Heck yeah! ha-ha It would be hard not to get along with him... :)

-What's the weather like lately?

Great! Not too hot and the nights it gets cold!

Well this week was just another stressful week... Not too stressful though, Elder Larsen has made it the most bearable transition so far... :) We've just been getting him use to the area... There is a lot to get use to cuz it is so different from all other areas in the mission... ha-ha. I took him down to the Nation (reservation) last Saturday and we didn't get as much done as I wanted, but we had a good time! It just makes me sad how little attention they get down there... I hope you guys are giving the needed attention to people back home - you have not excuse not too, they're all within walking distance! Just sayin'...

But it's still the same old same old... It's going well though... :) Sorry I didn't email yesterday, Elder Larsen got really sick... So we spent the whole day at home... But he is doing better now! It was really hard for me to be stuck in the trailer all day long... ha-ha But I got a lot of study in, so that's good! :)

Sorry I don't have a lot to talk about... Everything is going good and nothing too exciting has happened yet, so... I'll let ya'll know if something does come up... :)

I'll have some pics next week too... sorry...

Love You ALL!!!!

Love

 Elder Barlocker II

KEEPING BUSY OCT 21, 2103

This week was kinda slow... Not much went on, just a lot of locked gates, people avoiding us, and empty houses... :\ But it has been a good week nonetheless... I kinda figure that it you cannot judge the day in the moment, because we are all going to have good and bad parts of the day. And to gauge your day, I believe it comes from your end result feeling - the things you learned and grew from. Plus writing in a journal really does help a lot! I have a habit of writing at the end of each entry "Tomorrow IS going to be a great day!" A positive attitude is needed, even when it's not necessarily wanted... :)

Last night I had a cool/interesting experience with scripture study... I was listening to that song by the UT sate prison, and reading random scriptures... And I don't know what happened but I just felt the spirit way strong! At that moment I knew what I was reading was true! It was just a special moment in life that I'm sure will go a long way! :)

This week we went to the Saguaro National Park! It was...cool.... We live in a desert so to see it condensed isn't too much to get excited about... haha But it was cool to see how many cactus' can be in one place! And some of them get huge! It's amazing to see how tall and what shapes they get into sometimes... haha But it was cool... :)

The other day my iPod fell out of my pocket and cracked the screen... :\ But it still works fine... :) Elder Seare was more sad about the screen breaking then I was... ha-ha I really didn't mind...

So I have been trying to get out letters... They are coming... Slowly... :)

Well that all I have to say... Sorry I don't have a lot to say.. :\ Thanks for all you guys do for me!!!

I love you all!!!

Love

Elder Barlocker II

FALL COLORS OCT 15, 2013

When fall comes in Arizona the colors don't change too much... ha-ha It goes from green and brown to yellow and brown, and the green isn't a real green to start with so... ha-ha But I do miss the fall colors changing... Those bushes look way big... I remember them being a lot smaller... Wow, I guess it has been over a year - but still!

Things have been going good down here... The weather is so dang nice right now! It's cold at night but by morning, when we do our studies, it is just the right temp to open the door, let some cool air in; and by the time we have to leave, it is nice and warm and it just feels good... haha Now only if it could be like this all the time... Plus it would be nice if it would snow... :\

The work is going... The whole zone is kinda struggling right now, and the ZL's are freaking out about it... ha-ha But such is missionary work, sometimes it's up and others it is down... Elder Seare and I have been getting a lot done in this area, well more then this area is use to... ha-ha But I am starting to see the work pick up, so that's good... :) Plus we have this one guy we are teaching that is awesome, and there seems to be a little more potential out on the reservation now...

We had our Sunday mtg. on the reservation this last Sunday. It was a good turnout. :) There were a total of eight people from the reservation there, including our investigator! Yeah- go us! haha It was a good service... Usually our ward mission leader does the whole thing by himself, but this time we got it all organized and had other people do the talks and stuff... It was a good Sunday...

Well not much else has gone on lately... I have been sending letters out as I get them, so expect some mail! I've got nothing else to say so, I'll let you guys get back to your busy lives! Save some yard work for me! ;)

Love you guys!

Love'

 E Barlocker II

CONFERENCE BLISS…OCTOBER 7, 2013

I got to see all of conference... And I don't remember who said what, but I did take notes for each speaker so if I had that I could tell you... haha But one thing I remember was stressed a lot was everyone being a missionary and how we have to prepare ourselves for things to come... It was a good conference. :)

YES SEND ME SOME JAM!!! :)

-Are you getting things done that you want to?

More or less... This transfer is weird... I thought I knew what I wanted to do but each day I find something else I want to accomplish .. But I am sticking with what I need to do first. :)

-How are things going at your place?

Good... We had inspections the other day, and seeing as it was the first one in well over a year and I don't have much time to deep clean, we have to find some time to deep clean everything... And on top of that our fridge isn't working. I will turn on them after a while it will turn off... I have taken it apart a couple times to see if I can do anything... And each time I do it runs a little better... Haha

-What spiritual experiences have you had in the past few weeks?

Just seeing the change in our investigator... He knows what he need to do and is doing it! I haven't had an investigator like him my whole mission. He is enjoying the BOM and getting stuff out of it, plus he is praying and getting his whole family involved! He is freaking legit!

-Where did you watch conference?

We watched the first Sunday session at a members home. The dad there reminds me a lot of uncle Lynn, just w/out all the guns... ;) And the rest we just watched at the stake center... :)

-How much were you able to watch/listen to? Watch/all :)

-Are you staying healthy?

As far as I know... I found out I cannot fast anymore... :( Every time I do, I get a migraine and last time my fingers went numb... But there have been some special occasions that I have been able to fast so... But I am healthy and still alive!

-Good things of the last week?

The whole week was just good... The days fly by so fast I can't remember a lot but all I know is, as God would say "it was good"...

-Hopes and wishes? I hope things don't fly by too fast, but I wish I was home with you guys right now... haha

-Goal for the week/month?

One goal I have is to read Jesus the Christ... It will take a while, but I have been enjoying it... And on top of that the President Killpack challenged us to finish the New Testament before CHRISTmas... 

-Anything FUN happen? Yes, but I can't remember... I know something fun must have happened...

-Pranks?

Yes... When we were at the Priesthood session we carpooled with a member, so our car was just sitting at their house. So when we got back it was covered in Oreos... And I have been using silly string a lot... :) Right now we are about to finish another one... I have to write about it and tell you how it goes...

-What is the weather like down in AZ?

It's is pretty good... Has it's hot parts of the day, but I like the weather right now... :)

-Are you happy? No, not at all... ;)

Well I tried to get letters out last week, ended up only getting one written... haha I will work on that though... :)

I hope all is going well back home! Things are going great down here!

Love you all!!!

Love

E Barlocker II

9/30/2013 RED BARN

Okay first of all, Nathan looks pretty cool in the pic with everyone... haha Its weird to see how everyone has changed! It's gunna be ever weirder to see everyone in person... It's gunna come by quick...

Today we went to the observatory again! This time it wasn't cloudy so we could see everything... The only down side was I got sun-burnt .. Oh well... At least I might get tanner from it... :) But we had a good time...

This week has been good... Not too much going on but we have been trying to get things done... Yesterday we found out a couple from the East stake moved to our ward. Elder Seare had been teaching them and I came in when the husband got the priesthood! So it was cool to see them again. We have just been trying to visit people the ward wants us to go see... We really haven't had much success but what little we have had has been good... :) We got into one members home, the husband had surgery a couple week ago and is recovering and the wife just found out about her heart problems... So their life isn't too good right now. And nobody had been over to see them in a while so they were way excited to see us. She baked a carrot cake for us and sent us home with some banana bread! They were super nice and we had a good discussion on the Atonement.

My days are going by too fast... They all run together, and then there are those times when i did something earlier in the day and when I think about it later in the day, it feels like I did it a week ago... Life is crazy...

The weather is getting pretty good down here! It has been chilly the past couple nights, its awesome! The other day I woke up and it was 50 degrees outside... I kinda wish it would snow though... I do miss that a lot...

On Saturday we had to help with a festival in Sahuarita... I don't know what it was all about, but the church had a booth there and we took turns running it and walking around looking for service opportunities... The only bad part about it was all the sisters had to go to the RS mtg. and all the other elders had to go to dinner, so Elder Seare and I had to run it for a couple hours; and Seare wasn't feeling too good so I kinda had to run the show... One thing that bugged me was how rude people are... They wont even take time to say "Hi"... And then there was one guy I had started a pretty good conversation with and a member from his church came over and her whole goal was to get him away from us... Gotta get him away from the nice polite honest Mormons... But a seed was planted and that all I care about... haha

Oh, the other day I decided to run up and down our 'driveway' for a little workout, and I almost died... So it ran up and down a couple times, and one time i turned around and there were two stray dogs barking at me... I froze... I thought I was at least gunna be bitten... But i thought I might as well see if they will come to me so they didn't think I was gunna do anything... So I got down and whistled and one came over, I pet it, and then they ran off happily... I was glad about that... haha But it was a good workout, got a little more cardio then I thought... ;)

Well I have a blank mind now and wanna go eat dinner, so I am gunna get going!

I want to let you guys know I know this church is true! It has so much to offer everyone, no matter what! I have gained a personal testimony of the Savior and what he has done for us. I hope you all take the time to use the Atonement, study and share it. It is too precious to be kept hidden from the world!

I love you all and hope that all goes well for each of you this week... :)

Love
 E Barlocker II

1. I went to Buenos Aires!!! It was in our area so I had to go just to get the picture... :)
2. A road we had to drive through last week... haha
3. And I don't know if I showed a pic of the wash we have to drive through when it is full of water... We kinda got trapped... :)