1/28/2013 UT Snow snow go AWAY!

The last email we sent Elder B we had asked questions at the end so this is his reply:

How are YOU doing?
Good...

Are you and your comp getting along well?
Yes very well. Almost a little too well sometimes,  but we get things done!

What are your goals for the month?
To get one of our investigators baptized.

Who are you teaching?
We have three main people, P, N, and J.

Anything exciting going on?
Well nothing too exciting. We did spend some time in the hospital with another elder. Our district leader got really sick last week and was in the hospital, almost dead, for almost two days. It was scary but we made it fun. But other then that everyone in Willcox is sick so things have been a little slow.

What have been your ups and downs lately?
Yes. There is just a lot going on but not much going on. And after yesterday things have been going great!

So yeah, this week has been slow, like I said. And E' W has been sick quite a bit through the week so that has slowed things down. But I am doing fine down here. The past couple of days have been overcast and it has rain periodically. I kinda like the weather right now.

Thanks for all that you guys do for me. I am trying my hardest to get the Lords work moving down here!

Love You!!

Love,
E' Barlocker II

Another week come to a close...1/22/2013

This week has been a little hectic/stressful. And not much has happened, since I have been getting E' W use to the area. Just a lot of visiting members and all that fun stuff.

Things have been warming up down here. I have no idea what the temp is but it is warmer. Like I said last week our pipes froze and so every night we have to keep the water on just a little so it doesn't happen again. But luckily we haven't had to do that the past couple of days.

Lets see, I am watching one of those hopeless people playing games on facebook, trying to think of what else has been going on. Well last night I got a haircut. I had one of the members that lives just below us do it. I have been going shorter and shorter every time I get a haircut to see what I like. So I almost have a buzz right now, but I like it. I think she posted a pic on facebook of it...

Well if everything goes good this week I will have more to talk about, and maybe I will remember to bring my camera cord... But I hope all is going well with everyone!

I LOVE you guys!

Love,
E' Barlocker II

BURRRR...Ummmm... When is SPRING??? 1/14/2013

This week went by way fast. We did a lot but it seems we didn't to that much because it flew by so quickly. Plus we were looking forward to transfer calls. We found out last night that E' C is leaving. He is headed to my first area, the Binghampton ward in Tucson! I am kinda jealous... But I am getting an elder, E' Woodland, that I know; so it is a little better then not knowing who the heck the elder is going to be.

The weather down here has been pretty dang cold. Cold enough that everyone's pipes have been freezing at night. Ours did that on Sunday so I had to take a sponge bath with freezing cold water. Turns out people in Arizona do not know how to insulate their pipes... But it hasn't been as cold as it is up where you guys are.

The other day we were driving back from San Simon, which is about a 50 mile drive, at night and the wind was blowing way hard. At some points the whole area would light up because there was so much dust in the air and the headlights would light the sky up. And as usual I was driving; I always drive the long distances because E' Childs likes to read his books and things. Anyways, it was dark outside to say the least, and we were going a little over the speed limit. And all of a sudden I see some figures cross the road. The first thing I think of is "Oh crap, I am going to hit a javelina (wild pig)  at **mph!! So I hit the brakes. It only turned out to be a couple tumbleweeds rolling across the road. It was kinda funny but it could have turned out bad. So, we kept on driving. I got back up to my preferred speed and kept going along. Then about five min. later, we were coming around a bend in the road when a four foot round tumbleweed decides to come out on to the road. It hit the front driver side of the car. Scared the carp out of me and E' Childs. Luckily it didn't do anything to the car, because it made a loud sound and exploded. That is probably the most interesting thing that happened to me this week.

Well, this coming week starts a new adventure on my mission. I hope that the new elder is still as cool as I remember him.

Hope everything is going good back home! I LOVE you guys!!!

Love
E' Barlocker II

Don't Know Much...1/7/2013

Things have been going great down here. I don't know if I told you guys this, and I am too lazy to check the blogs, but we have had our zone leader E' Mizera going around with us. His comp went home early for school so E' Mizera has been hopping around the companionships in the zone. So when he is with us we actually have to do work... haha It has been good though. I have kinda corrupted him with playing cards but, we have had a good time.

The weather down here has been cold, kinda like fall in Utah. But going from hot to all of a sudden cold is not fun. In the mornings, sometimes there is ice on the windshields. But being in Arizona we do not have ice scrapers!!!

Our church changed from 11:30 to 9:00 this past week. As usual, not everybody got the message so we had a few extra people and the other ward has a few extra. But it is a good change. Now we are not so hungry during church. Plus last year it was kinda hard to fill in the time from when we woke up till 11:30. But now we do not have to worry about that.

Well I cannot think of anything else to say. I will just upload some pics and call it good.

I hope all is going well with everybody! Don't get too cold up there!

Love you guys!

Love,

E' Barlocker II

HOPPY NEW YEAR!!! 12/31/2012

This week has gone by kinda slow but fun. E' Childs has a little bit of a CHRISTmas hangover, feeling a little trunky; I don't feel different at all, is that bad?

But it was awesome to talk to you all! Its cool to see that everything else is still going normal. My life down here has become so normal to me I kind of forgot what it was like back home. But now everything is going back to normal for us. The only thing that will be different this week is we will be having district mtg. on Tues instead of Wed due to new years. And on new years eve we have to be in by 7:00.

A cool thing happened last night, I snowed! It wasn't much at all and if you weren't looking at a light you couldn't see it. But I saw it!

So yeah nothing new or more exciting then the snow. But I am doing fine down here. It is getting pretty cold here in Willcox, especially at night; good thing we have a car! I hope all is going well back in Utah! Hope everyone is doing fine!

Love you all!!

Love,
Elder Barlocker II

Christmas is coming...12/17/2012

I did get the CHRISTmas package you sent... so tempting!!

And yes I did hear about the new youth program. It is pretty cool.

This week has been pretty good. I went on exchanges and had an interesting time.
Everything weird that could have happened did. But I have been having a great time here in Willcox.

So about the exchange; try to guess which one I didn't do:
- Listen to Spanish all day
- Milk a goat
- Spend an hour getting our Chevy Malibu out of the mud
- See a belly dancer
- Help chase a goat back into its pen
- Blew some minds with magic

If you guessed 'Milk a goat' you were correct. Lets just say it was a crazy day.
I have never had an exchange like it and don't plan on having another near the same.
But the Elder I went with has been out for as long as I have, just he was in the MTC a little longer because he is a spanish elder. It was a good day.

With that day happening the rest of the week seemed even less normal, if that makes sense.
But it has been a really awesome week. I am doing well down here in Willcox and am having fun.
I hope all is going well back home in Utah. The weather down here right now feels like UT, but no snow. I did see some ice this morning on the ground; I never expected to see ice outside of a freezer down here...

Love you all!!

Love
Elder Barlocker II

So Delightful! 12/10/2012

How is my favorite missionary doing this fine day?
  Good.

How was your week in your new area?
  Great!

Now you are in Wilcox - correct? The map you sent was for St. David so I was a bit confused. I just read your email wrong.
  Yes, Wilcox is in St. David.

So this transfer, is it going well & how far did you have to travel?
  So far this transfer is going great. It was almost an hour drive if I can remember right.

Did you get any packages this past week? I sent your CHRISTMAS package & a small package with your songs. Sorry I took so long on the music. Enjoy them!
  Nope, it takes forever for packages to get from the mission office to us; and now that I am even further away it will take longer then a week for packages.

So this week what have you been doing?
  Getting to know the new area.

Anything fun/exciting/boring/difficult/strange?
  Nope just that I have to get use to waving to people. In Tucson everyone hates everyone so nobody waves even if you do. But now that I am in a small city people are actually nice.

What is your new area like?
  Small, little city.

What is your new comp like? & Where is he from?
He has been out twenty months and is from Syracuse Ut.

Do you get along with him ok?
Yup!

Well that was pretty much what I was going to say in this email... Even got me to remember some things that I had forgotten about. Now I really cannot think of anything to say.

I am liking my new area and things have been good. And I brought my camera today so I got to get the pick uploaded.

Love you all!

Love
Elder Barlocker II

PICS:
1. Sunset in Wilcox
2. The Clarks from my last area
3. E' Nuttal and Me
4. E' Banner (ASL) and me, and the sign means saguaro cactus
5. My last district
6. My last Zone

An email I received from a missionary's mom in Jaren's new area:


Kim,  I asked Elder Mizera if he knew your son and this is what he said in his letter today.

"Elder Barlocker is in one of our districts. I was there when he was "born", too. He's pretty cool. He's really into magic (rabbit out of a hat/card trick kind). You can tell his mom from me that he's an awesome missionary. My companion is actually the trainer of his trainer. ie his grandpa;)"


Makes you feel a whole lot better knowing he is being looked after! ;)