Hey Mom,
again got your package just in case. sorry i forgot to tell you last week. i was trying to remember to tell you all the stuff that was going on.
yeah Elder Roddy and i run a little bit when we have time in the morning. we get up a little early so we can do that.
we are in an apartment and we dont get quite as many dinner appointments as in my last area. a good week is prolly 5 dinner appointments.
so we are not allowed to give any money to investigators but the ward is taking care of leonard. great idea though, Mom.
for Christmas i could use some new socks and maybe a new long sleeve and a short sleeve shirt. my neck size is 15 or 15 1/2 if you want to do that. slim fit shirts would be best if you can find shirts that small. i dont think they make too many.
yeah ill send out some pics this week. i dont think the last ones i sent made it (bout a month ago) because i never heard about it. guess ill need another stamp or something.
thats pretty exciting that you get to speak in stake conference. they reserve the big guns for those kind of speaking opps. it has been so crazy the whole time i have been here. the last two weeks feel like a blur.
lessons with lee are going great. his friend thomas that has been meeting with us is doing alright. it is such a funny situation. lee is converted like henry is and they are getting baptized on the same day-- dec 5th. so lee keeps pushing thomas to keep commitments that we leave with him and make appointments and stuff. they are both very african american and there is never a dull moment. i love going over there. lee has to spend alot of time in his house because his cast on his leg keeps him from going anywhere. so he spends lots of time reading the Book of Mormon and trying to find chapters and parts that would be good for thomas. we almost have to surrender planning the lessons because lee feels so strongly about the stuff that he wants thomas to learn.
fran is still doing well. she is still planning to be baptized on the 12th. we found out that the apartment she lives in is in a super ghetto area. she is still looking for a new job with the lds employment services. she might be able to go to Church this week which is what we are hoping for. she just needs friends in our ward and then she will be all set. only problem is that we dont know much of anybody either so we are having a tough time getting help with that.
leonard is doing well. the ward is going to get him the stuff that he needs. not too much of an update with him. we might try to set a baptismal date with him this week.
we got a referral for a nine year old unbaptized member kid to teach and baptize. we will try to set a date with them this friday. it is really cool teaching kids because they dont have that prejudice about Christianity and they just "get it". it always seems to make sense to them. we taught him the first lesson this week and we involved him in our teaching to keep his attention by asking a lot of questions and helping him pull things out of the scriptures himself. i like to do that when i teach because if you ask the right questions with the right scriptures then investigators think that what you taught them was their idea. usually that is ideal.
we also have been teaching this professor of religion. its been interesting because she is of the ba'haii (i think that is close enough for spelling) faith. they believe in every religion. we tried to teach her that Christ and Prophets of the Old testament and aposltes of the new all taught that the only way to God is through Christ. she isnt liking the fact that she has to choose something so she is trying to not understand if that makes any sense. doesnt really to me either but that is what im getting. next week if she wont pray with us to God in the name of Christ then we will drop her. i really enjoy teaching smart people though so i dont want to have to do that.
we are also working with some millitary part member families that havent progressed very far so i will let you know if they amount to very much as far as investigating goes.
Love your favorite missionary,
Elder Taylor Barron
3 comments:
Hi Taylor-
I love hearing about all of your investigators, but this week I especially loved reading about you teaching the 9 year old. Kirk and Kimmy have had the opportunity to teach a 9 year old girl as well. Her family is inactive, but she comes to church by herself (ward members bring her). She wants to be baptized and needed to have the discussions taught to her. Kirk was asked to do it along with various other people like the Primary Pres. etc. Kirk had Kimmy go with them every time because this girl is a friend of hers and has been over to our house a lot. It was an amazing experience for Kimmy. The baptism is set for December. Reading about you teaching that 9 year old brought tears to my eyes because you are so right about their desire to learn and willingness to accept things. It's a special thing.
Braden is home from school today recovering from a cold and he wanted to say hi too.
From Braden: Happy Thanksgiving next week. What do you get to do for Thanksgiving when you are on a mission? It's hard to believe that you have been gone about a year! I hope you like where you were transfered and your new companion. Until I just saw that you had a new companion, I used to think that missionaries had the same companion the whole mission. My mom just explained it to me. I'm learning lots from watching you! I miss you!! Love, Braden
I'm glad that you are enjoying your new area and I'm 100% sure that they are enjoying having you there! Lots of love from us!
Dani
Hi Elder Sweetie! Love to hear the news from Oceanside! Glad you are busy and happy with everything there. It's great to know that there are so many who are interested in the gospel.
I'm wondering where you and your companion will be spending Thanksgiving. We will be at home this week with everyone coming here except Ryan's family who are going to Mindy's parents' home. Should be a nice day according to our weather guys.
We just got back from Ryan's tonight. Mindy and Brinley both had birthdays this week so we took some gifts over and visited for awhile. Little Brinley or should I say "Princess Brinley" just turned three. It was fun to see everyone.
I'll be excited to see what your post says on Tuesday. Until then, hope you have a wonderful mission Thanksgiving! We will be thinking of you as we do each day and praying for your continued success. Love ya, Grandma Sue
Elder B,
I think maybe this week I'll just say how very grateful I am for you and your family.
I'm grateful for your Grandmother Sue, too. And for each one of our family members. They are such a tremendous blessing to me and make my life rich and full.
I'm grateful for the experiences you are having in the mission field right now. You will draw on these experiences one way or another for the rest of your life. They are laying the foundation for blessings and opportunities yet to come. And I'm grateful to see that you are making the most of your opportunities and blessings and cherishing them as you go. You will never regret doing so.
I'm grateful to have a testimony of the restoration of the gospel; to know that Joseph Smith is a prophet; that the Book of Mormon is true; that the Holy Ghost can be our constant companion and guide, and that Jesus Christ is our Savior. And I'm grateful to live in the United States of America.
Hey, it's Thanksgiving, right. A time to express one's gratitude. And I'm grateful to the core.
Love you, Son. Keep up the great, great work. What you are doing is vital. That you are doing it with all you heart makes my heart sing.
Love, Grandpa Ron
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