Nov 21, 2016

Hey there everyone!

So this week has been a real roller coaster. Have a lot of up and down days this week. Overall the miracles far out weighs the struggles! To start out the week we had exchanges in the North Pole! That was so much fun! I went with Elder Noack and he is just a stud! It was pretty sweet because for a service project we went to Santa's Reindeer Farm!

We scooped poop for the Reindeer! It was really awesome being that close to them. Got to pet them and feed them and it was awesome! It was a little scary just because they always try to fight with each other haha. All and all that was the coolest service! I love going to North Pole because they have fast food there and it feels like FOREVER since I had McDonalds. To say the least exchanges were awesome and memories were made! ;)



So before I get to the rest of the week I need to tell ya about my pday! Sooo last week we went to a members home who has a home mad ice rink in their backyard! Crazy I know! So I tried ice skating and that didn't work to well haha so I just went on the ice with my shoes and

played hockey "horse" with one of the priests. Now this pday we are all out in Salcha ice skating as a district. We don't usually see other missionaries so this is fun!
The rest of the week went pretty good. Alexis is getting baptized this coming Saturday so this week we have been working with her to finish the lessons. She is so awesome and excited to get baptized! They rest of the family is doing great too! They all been going to church each
week! Oh which reminds me of all the miracles on Sunday! We had two investigators totally surprise us by showing up. I was stunned and excited all at the same time! Also Alexis made it with her family which was a miracle because her mom said the alarm didn't go off and they woke up 15 minutes before church and rushed over. With her baptism this Saturday they really need to be there yesterday so that was a big miracle! So many great things at church! I just felt so happy and love the people there! This Ward is just so amazing and loving! It's like a big family and you feel like you are a part of it the minute you meet them! On Saturday there was a big party for a missionary who just returned from Ukraine. When we showed up it felt like a big family reunion! Oh, and the food there was the BEST!! Sister Lemons is the best cook ever! Anyway this week I have felt so grateful for such an amazing Ward! Also all the blessings with finding people to teach! We have had some great lessons with some amazing people! Their is this new investigator who we taught on Friday the Plan of Salvation and man oh man it got a little deep. The member that came with us brought up some deep stuff but luckily the investigator is super elect and went right along with it! It looked like things in that lesson were taking a wrong turn but it turn out to be a great lesson with the spirit! I learned that it's okay if we make mistakes, as long as the spirit is there then a good feeling is there. In the spirit of thanksgiving I want to thank all of you for your love and support. I also want to thank my WHOLE FAMILY for everything! I absolutely would not be out here without them! Also thank you amazing people of Alaska! I have come to love the people up here with all my heart! I am so thankful for my savior and his Atonement. I know with all my heart that God loves us and the Atonement is real! I have seen miracles with the Atonement in my own life and the lives of others. I just want to tell you all that there is nothing that can't be fixed with the Atonement. Use it everyday for everything! I love you all and wish you a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!

-Elder Barney

Santa's Sleigh out of Ice

Nov 14, 2016

Hey there friends and family!

What a week up here in Alaska! Once again it has been a great week
with the Lord blessing the work! Oh before I get into that I have to
tell you guys a funny story that happened last pday! So we were about
to go do a family home evening with some members when on the drive
over Elder Semadeni's nose just start to bleed like crazy! So we
pulled up to the apartment building and he is just wiping his nose and
it was so nasty but the best part was that the family looks out the
window and sees us so I wave and run up and told them what was going
on hahaha. So then he just shoved some toilet paper up his nose and we
went inside and started the FHE hahahaha! He just looked so funny! We
went to the bathroom and finally got it to stop but it was just perfect timing hahaha!

Now let me tell ya what it is like to be a missionary in one of the most conservative states in the nation during the biggest and craziest election ever! There is no escaping it! I'm glad I don't watch tv or have Facebook or stuff like that but everywhere you go that's all people talk about. We were very informed on the election haha! On Tuesday no one let us in and if they did they only wanted to talk about the election! I'm so glad it's over but still big in conversation, hopefully it dies down a lot. 

Okay well that was it for the election.... on a more spiritual note, One of our investigators is getting baptized!!! She is 9 years old and super awesome! Her family is less active but returning! I can't even begin to tell you how seeing this family grow in the gospel has made my faith grow! As they have put forth the effort to change you can see the Atonement of Christ start to work with in them. They are happier, smile more, and you can fill the spirit in their home. Two sisters, who are single moms raising their kids together, are running the family and it is the change they are making that is making the difference. What a miracle they are!   Other great tender mercies have happened as well. We have eally been praying for new investigators who are ready and prepared.

Well this week that prayer was answered. We have been teaching this awesome young women who is pretty much a active member. She goes to church, mutual, even seminary every now and again. Her mom is in active but she still wants to come to church so she decided to take the lessons. We taught her the first lesson at one of her friends house and it went absolutely great! Now she wants to continue to learn more and more. God is good! I promise you he hears our prayers! The answer my not come right away but it will come his way and in his time but I promise you it will come! I have found on my mission it comes when you choose to act and when you choose to be obedient. That's when you see miracles!

I love you all and hope you all have a great week!


-Elder Barney

11-7-16

Hey everyone!

So this week has been great and cold all at the same time! First off
Halloween was pretty sweet! We had a cool dinner! It was "feetloaf"haha.

Then we were stuck In our apartment all night because we had to be in by 7pm but that's okay because it was our pday so we went for a little adventure around Delta Junction.

Now for the rest of the week on Thursday night we drove to Fairbanks again for Zone Meeting. It's about a 2 hour drive one way and it feels like we drive it a lot! We do soooo much driving here because everything is so spread out! Why does Alaska have to be so big!?
Anyway it's all good because the drive is beautiful and Fairbanks is always a blast. Zone Meeting was good and I learn a lot from the training's. So that was sweet but the highlight of the week was so many miracles! First off holly cow God is good! So we went to this less actives/part member family and had dinner. I love this family so much.
They really get attached to missionaries so we have to be careful we don't get to close but they are awesome! We asked the mom why she doesn't go and it's the same reason 90% don't go... they got offended.  She really has put her foot down on not going even way before I was here but for dinner this week she had a change of heart. First things she tells us is that she feels like she needs to come back to church and something is always pulling her back to the church. We asked where is this all coming from and she said she had a great conversation with a friend who is an active member who was bold with her and just told her it is your chose.I was so happy! She is still talking with her husband but it's miracle she even talked about the church in the first place! Now on to the 2nd miracle yesterday I was fasting for a new ELECT investigator and we had an appointment with a potential that we tracked it into. It was a great lesson and right from the get go it was so apparent how elect he was! He wants us to come back and he is excited to learn more!
Now moving to the next miracle, yesterday morning we went to wake up this less active family up for church and they actually came. We have been teaching their 9 year old daughter who is so fun to teach. Any way the mom got up yesterday and bore her testimony for the first time since she was 15! It was so great to see the change that is taking place in the family! The Atonement is real and I'm so blessed to see it work in people's lives first hand.
Then the best part came this morning. The mom called us and told us that Alexis (the 9 year old we are teaching) wanted to tell us she wants to get baptized! I am so excited for her and excited to continue to teach her.
Man oh man there was so many great miracles this week!

Well I hope you all have a great week and keep on keeping on.


-Elder Barney

10-31-*2016

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

So it's been another great awesome week up North! We had some awesome
things happen this week! First off we had some great lessons! One of
which was with one of our new investigators! He is awesome! We asked
him if he read in the Book of Mormon yet and he told us when he does
he feels like he is doing something wrong because his whole life he
has been taught there is only the Bible. He says he knows there's
nothing wrong with it because it talks about the same things but he
can't get over the feeling. So we decided to read with him. He told us
that is made such a difference reading with us and having us there to
answer questions and he said he felt the spirit. Something he told us
that I thought was pretty cool was that when we go over to his friends
house (less actives) and he's there he said he feels something
different when we are there. I know that is the spirit and it's a cool
feeling to know that the spirit is always with the Lords missionaries.
Later this week we had our Halloween party / Chili Cook-off which was
awesome! We were the judges for the chili and man they were all sooo
great! We dressed up for the party! We went as "fishers of men!" We
won the best couples costume reward hahah. The funniest part was that
the youth had a costume contest for anyone 12-18 and my companion is
18 so everyone made him join the youth and it was hilarious hahahaha!!
The party was a big hit! We had lots of less actives there and some
investigators as well. On Sunday it was the primary program and lots
of people came to see that! I love watching that, those little kids
are so darn cute! We got roped into teaching the youth Sunday school
which made me decide that I will NEVER become a Jr. High teacher! Lots
of people from Tok came up! I love seeing those Saints make the 2 hour
drive to church! What dedication and faith the have! Today for
Halloween we are not doing much. It's our Pday don we have to be in
our apartment by 7pm.
Oh so last night I found out something soooo exciting! A kid just a
year younger then me that was less active when I got here and we have
been working with forever has decided to serve a mission last night!!
He got his patriarchal blessing and decided he needs to go. I has
sooooo happy and could probably lift a truck over my head I was so
pumped for him! It brought me back so many great memories with the
missionaries I would spend time with, Elder Taylor and Elder B! I am
so happy I was able to do some of the same things those two great
missionaries did for me! It was the best feeling in the world to know
that John is making the best decision of his life!


Well I hope you all have a great week! Stay safe love you all!