1-16-17

Hey guys!
So this has been a very long and busy week with lots of traveling and
hard work. First off the traveling all went great! The ferry ride is
always great and always beautiful. Spent the night in Juneau with 3
other missionaries and met my new companion Elder Hall. He is a great
guy and is from Texas. He has been on his mission a little longer then
me so just a little over a year. Definitely love my new companion! The
next day after picking up Elder Hall we flew back to Skagway. Oh my
good heck!!!!! That was the coolest thing ever!! So we took this tiny
little bush plane that seats 4 people including the pilot and went on
a little tour on our way back. We asked the pilot if he could take us
over the ice fields to see some cool sights and because it was such a
beautiful day he did it! Alaska is soooo beautiful! We were dipping
down in valleys, going over huge mountains, and flying over a glacier!
It was sooo cool! There is no way and I mean absolutely no way this
world was created by some Big Bang. This is truly a creation from God!
We were so lucky to take that flight on such a beautiful day! People
pay a lot of money to take that tour we did and we were blessed enough
to do it! Okay so that was probably the best part of the week. The
drive back to Whitehorse was great as well. As soon as we got back we
got to work. The past 4 days of been exhausting because of how much we
have been doing. Talking to lots of people and having lots of funny
experiences. One funny thing that happened on Sunday is my companion
found out he had a talk to give that day. He gave a great talk but it
was funny that was his first talk he has ever given on his mission and
he had no time to prepare! That is what happens in tiny branches
hahaha! Well I hope you all have a great week! Oh and I wanted to tell
my grandparents I love them so much and so grateful for them! Love you
guys!!!

-Elder Barney

1-9-17

Hello everyone!
Well this has been a pretty great week with lots of news. First we got
transfer calls Friday night. I am staying in Canada but I will be
getting a new companion. My current companion, Elder Parker, is going
to Wasilla which is a city near Anchorage. I will be getting Elder
Hall. I am really excited to go pick him up because it means I get to
go to Juneau which is always fun! Of course we will be taking another
7 hour ferry ride on Tuesday then on Wednesdays I will be taking a
tiny sea plane back to Skagway then drive 3 hours back to Whitehorse
with Elder Hall. So once again a lot of traveling which is okay
because we get to talk to lots of people on the ferry so we still get
to do missionary work, no days off ;)

Okay that is the biggest news but there is still big news! Well I
guess it's just big news to missionaries so I think it's huge! Anyway
there has been a change in missionary schedule now across the world.
Before we wake up and 6:30 work out and prepare, 8:00 am is personal
study then companionship study at 9:00am then leave at 10:00am. Then
at night we plan for the next day at 9:00pm then bed by 10:30 pm. So
that is how its been my whole mission but now it's changed! So we
still get up at 6:30 but then it's pretty much up to us to chose how
we use the morning. We have to plan for a half hour for our day and
still need to work out for half hour and personal study for an hour
but we can pretty much do it in any order we want. We still need to
leave by 10am but now there is no companionship study in the morning.
We do companionship study for half hour any time of day we choose. And
we don't plan for the next day at night anymore. It might not seem to
big but after doing the old schedule everyday for a year and now
changing it, it just feels......wrong. I guess I'm not use to it yet
but it's pretty weird and a big change for missionaries. So it's been
an adjustment. Oh! And one of the weirdest things is that our pday
starts at 8am instead of 10 am now! Weird.

Alright that's the 2 big things that has happened this week. Other
then that it's been a pretty normal week. We have done a lot more

tracking this week which is always an interesting experience to do in
Whitehorse. I did see a miracle during it though. So it was freezing!
It was about -25 degrees outside and my fingers were just frozen even with 2 pair of gloves. We had a long way to go and I just said a
little prayer that my fingers would stay warm and I kid you not the
next 4 doors we knocked on said "come in and get warm!" I couldn't
believe it! We have tracked in colder weather and not a sole would let us in but as soon as I said that little prayer people opened their
doors. I wish I could say they let us teach them but they didn't. We
were able to warm up and after that I didn't feel cold at all. God
answers prayers. No matter how small it may appear we can pray for it. God truly cares about us and what we need. I was not expecting people to let us in because we pray all the time for people to let us in and they don't but this time that is how God answered my prayer and I am so grateful for that. Prayer is real! Well I hope you all have a great week and hope all is well! Love you guys!

-Elder Barney

1-2-17

Well hello everyone!

It has been a interesting week this past week. First to start out on a
good note we had a miracle happen this week!! So we have this

investigator who is from East India. She is soooo awesome and funny! She has been meeting with missionaries for about a year now and she has wanted to be baptized for a long time but she has to have permission from her mom (culture thing). Her mom said no. So we have just been reading scripture with her since she has been taught all the lessons 3 times. Then on Tuesday we invited her to a baptism for a 8 year old. She felt the spirit strong and said she wants to be baptized soooo bad! We told her to pray and we will pray and fast that her moms heart will be softened. So she called her mom and asked once again and prayers were answered! She said YES!!! So now she will be baptized in March. I can't wait to see her enter into the waters of baptism! She has been such an inspiration of faith. Ever single week she is at church and every single month she pays tithing. She is the most elect investigator I have ever met.   One thing that she told me that really hit me was: "Elder Barney you are suppose to  be here for me, Your prayers work." It was really hard to fight the tears and then tell her that it was not me but  the Lord heard her and others many prayers. I know she is someone I was suppose to meet. I know with out a shadow of a doubt that God hears us and answers us every single day! It is on his time  and his schedule. I can't wait to see her get baptized!  Moments like that make up for all the discouraging moments. That was the big thing of this week! Other then that it has been a little struggle. I was sick most all weekend so it has been a health building week. Well I love and miss you all so very much!

 

Happy New Year!

 Love ya!
-Elder Barney

12-26-16

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! For me it has been one crazy busy week! I will start with Christmas though. So we started the day off having a Christmas breakfast with waffles at one of our investigators. Then we had church where I gave a talk. It went good I think. I talked on the hymn "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." I have never given a talk on a hymn before but I think it went pretty good. After church we got to Skype our family!!! That was so great to see them! I can't begin to tell ya how great it was to see and talk with them! I love and miss my family a ton so it was great to be able to see them. It is really crazy to think that I will be with them next Christmas. I only have 1 more Skype call left! Time flys! So after we Skype we went to a Christmas dinner at a members. I was stuffed!!! It felt like thanksgiving all over again! After that we finished the day at our Branch Presidents house. All and all it was a pretty good Christmas!

So the rest of the week was eventful! So last pday we were in Juneau so we went shopping with some other missionaries like all day! They have some super cool stuff there and awesome sites to see. It pretty much rained the whole time we were there but hey that's Juneau for you. It was a really fun pday! For dinner that day my companion made everyone some Thai fried noodles which were the bomb. Then the rest of the missionaries landed and one of the Elders I came out with got to stay in the missionary trailer with me so it was a party! The next day was Zone Conference and everyone was there!!! That is a big deal here because everyone is usually on their own island or in our case a different country. It was a lot of fun and I learned a ton! All the trainings was great! One training that a member of the Mission Presidency gave really hit me. He drew a big shifter (one you use in a car) on the white board and said what gear are you in? I hope I am in 5th and not reverse. It was humbling to think about that question. There was a lot more I learned, but that was the main thing that hit me. The rest of Zone Conference was a blast! Since we are all so far away from one another President let us watch a church movie and then we played basketball after Zone Conference.

I tell you what, Zone Conferences in Juneau are the best!!!! It is so great to see everyone come together. All transfer long all you see is other missionaries on a tv screen for district and Zone Meeting but for Zone Conference you get to see them in person which is a party!! 

 The day after Zone Conference we flew a tiny plane back to Skagway and drove 3 hours back to Whitehorse. The plane ride was absolutely beautiful! All and all the trip to Juneau was super

awesome! Left Sunday morning and got back Wednesday night. Although it was a lot of fun it was good to get back to work in Whitehorse. 

On Christmas Eve we hit the streets hard and talked to a lot of people. We OYM pretty much all day long. For Christmas Eve dinner we went to one of our investigators who is from India for real authentic Indian food. It was actually really good! I have definitely not been has picky with food on my mission as I was back home hahaha. So this Christmas weekend was great! Now we are off to do some Boxing Day shopping which is like Black Friday in America so this will be interesting! Love you guys and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! Remember that Christ during this holidays!

-Elder Barney

12-19-16

Hey everyone!
So I am in Juneau right now! We have Zone Conference tomorrow so all
day yesterday was spent traveling. We were able to stop off in Skagway
and attend church but then we took a 7 hour ferry ride to Juneau. It
was a super long ride but it was better this time because there wasn't
has many people so I didn't have to sit outside in the rain :) so I
got to sit in a big comfy chair! A miracle happened on the ferry!

So we met this guy 3 weeks ago when we took the ferry to go to

Whitehorse

Companion catching some ZZZ 

and guess what?!  He was on the ferry again! We gave him a Book of Mormon last time and he read a little but he went back to Anchorage but we got his contact info for a referral so that was awesome! Also on the ferry it got a little sketchy when we went through a storm. The boat was shaking and waves were crashing against the windows. There was 5ft waves! It was pretty cool and a little scary but we survived haha! The ferry is always a good time! Anyway the rest of the week went pretty good!

We went tracking last Monday and it was -32 Celsius. It was way to cold! I know there is someone that the Lord is preparing for us to teach! We have some pretty awesome investigators here already! We had a Christmas party that was sweet! I was absolutely stuffed after that party! It was crazy! All and all this week has been pretty cool! Well we are pretty busy here this pday! Love ya all see ya!

P.S. can't wait to see you next week mom and dad!

-Elder Barney

12-12-16

Hey guys!

So this week has been a very cold week! Although it has been cold we
still have been doing good up North.

This week I have met more and more amazing people. The members of this small branch are so nice and inviting. So with meeting more and more people we also had Zone
Meeting. Since our Zone is pretty spread out with everyone in my district on a different Island and us in a different country we had to do our meeting over video chat. It was really good! I am use to driving 2 hours to go to that meeting but now I'm either a plan ride away or a ferry so it was nice to just call in and listen. Our Zone Leaders gave some great trainings about being fearless when we OYM (street contacting) and it really hit my companion and I. So the next day we hit the streets of Whitehorse and tried to talk to as many people as possible. It was a lot of fun! Although there was a lot of rejection they all said no with a smile on their face, Canadians. We did see some miracles which was awesome but we could only do it for about 2 hours because it was -24 with windchill -30 Celsius which is like -22 Fahrenheit. My eyelashes started to freeze and it made it hard to see and Elder Parker's contact froze so we had to start heading back. All and all I think it went really good considering it felt like I was a human pop sickle the whole time.

Later in this week we had a missionary from the Whitehorse branch return home from the Detroit Michigan Mission. He is a great guy! I really admire him with what he has gone through. He was a foster child his whole life until his family adopted him. The whole family are members except his father. He came home to see they are all less active. He gave his home coming talk yesterday and his dad spoke with him. It was the first time I have seen a non member give a talk but wow oh wow you could just feel the love he had for his son as he spoke. It made me think just how lucky I am to have a amazing family loving and supporting me. I love my family!

Something that I have learned this week is that we have the power to choose. We choose if we are happy, we choose if you love someone, we choose to get up and move forward. It is all up to us to make that choice, God won't make it for you. I know that God we will help you once you choose! I have learned more this week then ever that we are not  alone. The Savior is there ever step of the way!





I love and miss you guys a ton! This Christmas season I really miss my
family and friends but I know I will see you all next Christmas! Love
you!

-Elder Barney

First McDonald's in 7 months

12-5-16

Hey there guys!
Well this was a very interesting week! It started off with lots of sad good byes. Oh man I really didn't think it would be this hard to say good bye but it felt like saying good bye to family! I just absolutely love the people of Delta Junction! I miss them all so much! It's pretty hard going from knowing EVERYONE to knowing no one. Although it was really really hard to say bye i was still excited for the new adventure. I first flew to Anchorage by myself which was really strange but once I got to Anchorage I flew to Juneau with some other elders. We landed around 9:30pm. It was a long day because I left delta at 2pm. Then the next day I was stuck in Juneau in a tri-companionship for the day because my companion got stuck in Skagway because the ferry broke down. He got in late that night. So I can only describe what Juneau was like with one word, RAIN! It didn't stop raining the whole time I was there! But I can't complain to much because it stayed at a nice 30 degrees which was great considering in Delta Junction it was -30 degrees when I left. So Juneau was actually pretty cool.
Then the next morning we went on the ferry back to Skagway. Now it was one crazy adventure on the ferry! First off I had all my luggage and went to put it on the luggage truck but they said they were all full so I would just have to take them with me. So me and my companion had to carry both of our stuff up this tiny little stair way barley big enough for a midget with over 150 pounds of luggage! So

once we found a place to put our luggage we went to find a seat but they were all taken so we had to go up on the deck where it was pouring rain! Luckily there was a little spot with some heat lamps so I just bundled up and layer there trying to get some sleep. It was a 7 hour ride with some of the most amazing views I have ever seen. Although it was freezing it was really awesome to see the islands and mountains there!Also we were able to talk to a guy about what we do and gave him a Book of Mormon. It was really great because it just goes to show that there is always ways to do missionary work. Being here in Alaska we travel a lot and I mean a lot and I have learned that we can do missionary work anywhere anytime.

 

So anyway once the ferry ported in Skagway we had a 3 hour long drive to Whitehorse. Before I talk about that Skagway was great! It is where all the cruise ships stops but with it being winter there was no ships. Skagway was still beautiful even with all the snow! The town is really awesome! It looks like you walking back in time because all the builds look like it was build in the 50's. The church there was really some and cool too. Anyway we went on our way to Whitehorse. That was such a beautiful drive! I have never seen anything as beautiful! I couldn't get good pictures because we were in a avalanche area pretty much the whole time and not allowed to stop. I will try next time.

So once we got to Whitehorse it had been a very long day.

                                                                                                                                                                           

  I am now in a new time zone so we are an hour ahead of the rest of the mission. Canada is similar but really different. For example you have to pay to use a grocery cart and pay for plastic bags! What the heck? The people are really cool. Everyone and I mean everyone says "eh" like all the time haha! Anyway so far that's the big news this week. Meeting lots of people and enjoying Canada. My new companion is pretty cool. His name is Elder Parker from Logan. He is a little older, like 25 years old so it is interesting. 

Well I love you guys a wish you all the best! Hope you all got to watch the Christmas Devotional. It was jam packed with the spirit. Remember to think of the savior for Christmas! Love ya!